Alaungdaw Kathapa
Encyclopedia
The Alaungdaw Kathapa National Park, with an area of 1,605 square kilometers, is the largest national park in Burma (Myanmar). The park consists of the Patolon Reserved Forest and the adjoining Taungdwin Reserved Forest.
, and it was upgraded to a national park
in 1984 by the Burmese government
.
’s saintly disciples, Maha Kathapa (Maha Kassapa
). This shrine dedicated to Alaungdaw Kathapa (literally, the embryo-Kathapa) is located inside the park boundaries. The shrine has a reclining figure called Kathapa and it is believed that his remains are kept under the shrine.
s, characterized by fairly steep escarpments on the eastern face with a moderate slope on the west.
The prominent ridge known as Mahudaung is the easternmost ridge in the park, and it forms the watershed between the broad settled valley of the Chindwin
and the Patolon and the Petpa drainages to the west. Further west beyond the Taungdwin River, another high ridge, the Ponnyadaung, reaches a height of 4263 feet at Hlaingma Taung, and forms the western boundary of the park.
In the rainy season, numerous small waterfalls appear above the valleys, especially along the upper reaches of the Patolon and Petpa rivers. In the dry season, March through May, many of the smaller streams dry up. There are a number of perennial springs that keep the major rivers flowing.
and temperate coniferous forests
.
The forests which exist in the national park are specialized as -
s.
Other inhabitants include Thamin, Wild Pig, Gaur
, Sambar, Banteng
, Muntjak, Clouded Leopard
, civets
, Jungle Cat
s, Himalayan Brown Bear
, Sun Bear
, Oriental giant squirrel
, Indian Giant Squirrel
, Hog Badger
, monitor lizard
s, macaque
s, Barking Deer and many types of birds. The elephants roam in groups of up to a dozen; 150-200 live in the area.
Wildlife monitoring by park ranger
s has shown the park to have a rich abundance of wildlife. Camera trap
s, visual sightings and animal tracks have revealed the existence of leopard, sun bear, banteng, gaur, wild dog and barking deer populations in the park. Villagers recently reported seeing a tiger in the park, which, if confirmed, would be the first sighting in over two decades when it was assumed that they had been hunted out to supply the illegal wildlife trade.
There also exists a wide variety of wild birds and fowls, including owl
s, hornbill
s, pheasant
s, parrot
s and eagle
s.
carry out much of the conservation work. The Alaungdaw Kathapa National Park faced many daunting challenges to combat poaching, especially of the local deer and wild game population. The park is also one of the last safe havens of Myanmar's wild orchids, and thus, orchid hunters are also sometimes sighted.
The Alaungdaw Kathapa National Parki has a significant number of armed forest rangers, from the Ministry of Forestry. They have recently been able to turn the tide against poachers and the orchid hunters, although growing demand from China
is putting greater burden on them.
A small group of monks care for the shrine of Alaungdaw Kathapa, and along with authorities from the Forestry Department and Nature and Wildlife Conservation Division coordinate to educate visitors about conservation and wildlife.
History
The Patolon Forest Reserve was originally established on 21 July 1893 and was enlarged in 1917. The Taungdwin Reserved Forest was established effective 1 December 1893. In 1941, Taungdwin was made into a wildlife sanctuary by the British colonial governmentBritish rule in Burma
British rule in Burma lasted from 1824 to 1948, from the Anglo-Burmese Wars through the creation of Burma as a province of British India to the establishment of an independently administered colony, and finally independence...
, and it was upgraded to a national park
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
in 1984 by the Burmese government
Burma Socialist Programme Party
Burma Socialist Programme Party was formed by the Ne Win's military regime that seized power in 1962 and was the sole political party allowed to exist legally in Burma during the period of military rule from 1964 until its demise in the aftermath of the popular uprising of 1988.-History:The BSPP...
.
Etymology
The National Park was named after a shrine to one of BuddhaBuddha
In Buddhism, buddhahood is the state of perfect enlightenment attained by a buddha .In Buddhism, the term buddha usually refers to one who has become enlightened...
’s saintly disciples, Maha Kathapa (Maha Kassapa
Mahakasyapa
Mahākāśyapa or Kāśyapa was a brahman of Magadha, who became one of the principal disciples of Śākyamuni Buddha and who convened and directed the first council. Mahākāśyapa is one of the most revered of the Buddha's early disciples, foremost in ascetic practices...
). This shrine dedicated to Alaungdaw Kathapa (literally, the embryo-Kathapa) is located inside the park boundaries. The shrine has a reclining figure called Kathapa and it is believed that his remains are kept under the shrine.
Topography
The National Park includes the upper catchment basins of the Petpa, Patolon and Taungdwin rivers. The Petpa River is a tributary of the Patolon. The Patolon and Taungdwin rivers drain the eastern and western parts of the park, respectively. These rivers are north flowing in steep sided valleys separated from each other and from adjoining valleys to the west and east by long north-south ridges that rise to elevations from 2000 to over 4000 feet. These parallel ridges are a series of cuestaCuesta
In structural geology and geomorphology, a cuesta is a ridge formed by gently tilted sedimentary rock strata in a homoclinal structure. Cuestas have a steep slope, where the rock layers are exposed on their edges, called an escarpment or, if more steep, a cliff...
s, characterized by fairly steep escarpments on the eastern face with a moderate slope on the west.
The prominent ridge known as Mahudaung is the easternmost ridge in the park, and it forms the watershed between the broad settled valley of the Chindwin
Chindwin River
The Chindwin River is a river in Burma , and the largest tributary of the country's chief river the Ayeyarwady . It flows entirely within Burma and is known as Ning-thi to the Manipuris.-Source:...
and the Patolon and the Petpa drainages to the west. Further west beyond the Taungdwin River, another high ridge, the Ponnyadaung, reaches a height of 4263 feet at Hlaingma Taung, and forms the western boundary of the park.
In the rainy season, numerous small waterfalls appear above the valleys, especially along the upper reaches of the Patolon and Petpa rivers. In the dry season, March through May, many of the smaller streams dry up. There are a number of perennial springs that keep the major rivers flowing.
Flora
Sagaing Division lies at the north of Myanmar's temperate dry zone. The Alaungdaw Kathapa National Park comprises two biomes : Temperate broadleaf and mixedTemperate broadleaf and mixed forests
Mixed forests are a temperate and humid biome. The typical structure of these forests includes four layers. The uppermost layer is the canopy composed of tall mature trees ranging from 33 to 66 m high. Below the canopy is the three-layered, shade-tolerant understory that is roughly 9 to...
and temperate coniferous forests
Temperate coniferous forests
Temperate coniferous forest is a terrestrial biome found in temperate regions of the world with warm summers and cool winters and adequate rainfall to sustain a forest. In most temperate coniferous forests, evergreen conifers predominate, while some are a mix of conifers and broadleaf evergreen...
.
The forests which exist in the national park are specialized as -
- Moist upper mixed deciduous forests
- Dry upper mixed deciduous forests
- Lower mixed deciduous forests
- Indaing forestsDipterocarpusDipterocarpus is a genus of flowering plants and the type genus of family Dipterocarpaceae. The genus has about 70 species, occurring in Southeast Asia. It is an important component of dipterocarp forests...
- Pine forestsPinePines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
Fauna
The park is home to large populations of wild elephants and other rare wildlife species. The most notable inhabitants are the large herds of Asian ElephantAsian Elephant
The Asian or Asiatic elephant is the only living species of the genus Elephas and distributed in Southeast Asia from India in the west to Borneo in the east. Three subspecies are recognized — Elephas maximus maximus from Sri Lanka, the Indian elephant or E. m. indicus from mainland Asia, and E. m....
s.
Other inhabitants include Thamin, Wild Pig, Gaur
Gaur
The gaur , also called Indian bison, is a large bovine native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. The species is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986 as the population decline in parts of the species' range is likely to be well over 70% over the last three generations...
, Sambar, Banteng
Banteng
The banteng , also known as tembadau, is a species of wild cattle found in Southeast Asia.Banteng have been domesticated in several places in Southeast Asia, and there are around 1.5 million domestic banteng, which are called Bali cattle. These animals are used as working animals and for their meat...
, Muntjak, Clouded Leopard
Clouded Leopard
The clouded leopard is a felid found from the Himalayan foothills through mainland Southeast Asia into China, and has been classified as vulnerable in 2008 by IUCN...
, civets
CIVETS
The CIVETS is an acronym for favored emerging markets coined in late 2009 by Robert Ward, Global Forecasting Director for the Economist Intelligence Unit . The term has also been used by HSBC's chief executive Michael Geoghegan...
, Jungle Cat
Jungle Cat
The jungle cat is a medium-sized cat and considered the largest remaining species of the wild cat genus Felis. The species is also called the swamp lynx but is not closely related to the lynxes....
s, Himalayan Brown Bear
Himalayan Brown Bear
The Himalayan Brown Bear , also known as the Himalayan Red Bear, Isabelline Bear or Dzu-Teh, is a subspecies of the Brown Bear. The bear is thought to be the source of the legend of the Yeti....
, Sun Bear
Sun Bear
The sun bear , sometimes known as the honey bear, is a bear found primarily in the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia; North-East India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Southern China, Peninsular Malaysia, and the islands of Sumatra and Borneo.-Description:The sun bear...
, Oriental giant squirrel
Oriental giant squirrel
Oriental giant squirrels are very large tree squirrels from the genus Ratufa in the subfamily Ratufinae. They are a distinctive element of the fauna of south and southeast Asia.There are four living species of oriental giant squirrels:...
, Indian Giant Squirrel
Indian Giant Squirrel
The Indian giant squirrel, or Malabar giant squirrel, is a large tree squirrel species genus Ratufa native to India. It is a large-bodied diurnal, arboreal, and herbivorous squirrel found in South Asia.-Description:...
, Hog Badger
Hog Badger
The hog badger is a terrestrial species of the mustelid family. It has medium-length brown hair, stocky body, white throat, two black stripes on an elongated white face and a pink pig-like snout. The head-and-body length is , the tail measures and the body weight is...
, monitor lizard
Monitor lizard
Monitor lizards are usually large reptiles, although some can be as small as in length. They have long necks, powerful tails and claws, and well-developed limbs. Most species are terrestrial, but arboreal and semiaquatic monitors are also known...
s, macaque
Macaque
The macaques constitute a genus of Old World monkeys of the subfamily Cercopithecinae. - Description :Aside from humans , the macaques are the most widespread primate genus, ranging from Japan to Afghanistan and, in the case of the barbary macaque, to North Africa...
s, Barking Deer and many types of birds. The elephants roam in groups of up to a dozen; 150-200 live in the area.
Wildlife monitoring by park ranger
Park ranger
A park ranger or forest ranger is a person entrusted with protecting and preserving parklands – national, state, provincial, or local parks. Different countries use different names for the position. Ranger is the favored term in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Within the United...
s has shown the park to have a rich abundance of wildlife. Camera trap
Camera trap
A camera trap is a remotely activated camera that is equipped with a motion sensor or an infrared sensor, or uses a light beam as a trigger. Camera trapping is a method for capturing wild animals on film when researchers are not present, and has been used in ecological research for decades...
s, visual sightings and animal tracks have revealed the existence of leopard, sun bear, banteng, gaur, wild dog and barking deer populations in the park. Villagers recently reported seeing a tiger in the park, which, if confirmed, would be the first sighting in over two decades when it was assumed that they had been hunted out to supply the illegal wildlife trade.
There also exists a wide variety of wild birds and fowls, including owl
Owl
Owls are a group of birds that belong to the order Strigiformes, constituting 200 bird of prey species. Most are solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions . Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish...
s, hornbill
Hornbill
Hornbills are a family of bird found in tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia and Melanesia. They are characterized by a long, down-curved bill which is frequently brightly-colored and sometimes has a casque on the upper mandible. Both the common English and the scientific name of the family...
s, pheasant
Pheasant
Pheasants refer to some members of the Phasianinae subfamily of Phasianidae in the order Galliformes.Pheasants are characterised by strong sexual dimorphism, males being highly ornate with bright colours and adornments such as wattles and long tails. Males are usually larger than females and have...
s, parrot
Parrot
Parrots, also known as psittacines , are birds of the roughly 372 species in 86 genera that make up the order Psittaciformes, found in most tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three families: the Psittacidae , the Cacatuidae and the Strigopidae...
s and eagle
Eagle
Eagles are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the more than 60 species occur in Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just two species can be found in the United States and Canada, nine more in...
s.
Conservation Work
The Ministry of Forestry, the National Commission of Environmental Affairs, a local NGO - FREDA (Forest Resource and Environmental Development and Conservation Association) and Wildlife AllianceWildlife Alliance
Wildlife Alliance is an international non-profit wildlife and forest conservation organization with current programs and partnerships in Cambodia, Thailand, and the Russian Far East...
carry out much of the conservation work. The Alaungdaw Kathapa National Park faced many daunting challenges to combat poaching, especially of the local deer and wild game population. The park is also one of the last safe havens of Myanmar's wild orchids, and thus, orchid hunters are also sometimes sighted.
The Alaungdaw Kathapa National Parki has a significant number of armed forest rangers, from the Ministry of Forestry. They have recently been able to turn the tide against poachers and the orchid hunters, although growing demand from China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
is putting greater burden on them.
Public
The Alaungdaw Kathapa National Park is one of the most famous parks with the Burmese populace. It is more of a religious site than a national park, drawing at least 30,000 pilgrims a year paying homage to wild pigs and tigers. The area itself is extremely isolated, elephants being the only means of transport to enter the park and forest.A small group of monks care for the shrine of Alaungdaw Kathapa, and along with authorities from the Forestry Department and Nature and Wildlife Conservation Division coordinate to educate visitors about conservation and wildlife.