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About Kyongasia Alpine
Wildlife Sanctuary
It is situated around the area adjoining the Tsomgo (Changu) lake
along the Nathula Road. Sanctuary abounds in alpine flowers like
Poppies, Primulas and Rhododendron. Musk Deer, Serow, Himal ayan
Black Bear, Red Panda, Lesser Cats, Blood Pheasant, Satyr Tragopan,
Impeyan Pheasant are some of the species found. This floristic
sanctuary has a breath-taking variety of flowers between May and
August.
The earliest to flower are the different species of Rhododendron,
though they each have slightly varied timings of peak flowering. In
the open areas, you can see a flowering succession of variously
coloured primulas, blue poppies, and Clematis in June; purple irises,
pale yellow poppies (Meronopsis paniculata) and Friti1laria together
with the little local strawberry Fragaria dotting the ground in July.
The season ends in August in a blaze of golden senecios and bright
purplish-pink Pedicularis siphonantha. The last to flower is Polygonum
which covers the landscape, after which the area awaits its first
snowfall.
Many rare and highly endangered plants, some of great medicinal value
are found here such as Podophyllum emodii, Aconitum spp. and
Nardostachys grandiflora. The orchid Cypripedium elegans in particular
is endemic to this area. Some solemn, majestic silver firs, Abies
densa, stand sentinel over the area towering above the thickets of
rhododendron and fields of tiny flowering plants. There are also dense
bushes of bamboos at the lower altitudes, mostly belonging to the
genus Arundinaria which forms an ideal habitat for animals like the
Red Panda, Ailurus fulgens that thrive on their shoots. These bushes
also play an important role in soil conservation.
Bird life is represented by different types of laughing thrushes in
shrubs and on the forest floor; the ubiquitous blue whistling thrush,
redstarts and forktails near waterfalls and hill-streams; mixed
hunting parties comprising small species such as warblers,
tit-babblers, tree-creepers, white-eyes, wrens, rose finches, yellow-
bellied fantail flycatchers, minlas and yuh~nas in rhododendrons and
silver firs; raptors such as black eagle, blackwinged kite and kestrel
patrolling the skies and pheasants such as monals and blood pheasant,
now becoming rare. Many migratory birds also use Kyongnosla Alpine
Sanctuary as a stopover before going down to the Indian plains or back
to Siberia.
Animals, though present are very difficult to spot during a casual
visit; but as this is the only safe ref uge
available to them from the disturbance of nearby army cantonments, you
may expect to see signs of musk deer, serow, goral, common langur and
the red panda in the higher ranges of the sanctuary. There are records
of leopard and black bear too. So look carefully for animal tracks and
signs such as pugmarks, browsed branches, droppings, small trails and
dens in rocks and tree snags. The forest will then come alive for you
and with practice you will soon be able to identify the animal making
these signs.
Animals and birds breed late at this altitude sometime between May to
August. A lot of the smaller species use underground dens and nests or
lake over abandoned or disused burrows. It is not uncommon to find
small rivulets formed from melting ;now of the winter months. Often
the dense rhododendron bushes around these water bodies serve is ideal
sites for nesting of birds and you should be careful not to disturb
the hidden occupants by avoiding walking into these bushes. Do study
elements of this unique high altitude lake ecosystem |
