Hlawga National Park
Encyclopedia
Hlawaga National Park is a national park
located in Mingaladon
, Yangon Division
, Myanmar
, 22 miles (35 km) north of Yangon
. The 1540-acre (623-hectare) park includes an 818-acre (313 hectare) wildlife park, a 62-acre (25-hectare) mini-zoo and a 660-acre (267-hectare) buffer zone.
First established as an environmental education center in 1982, the national park is a popular day-trip destination with Yangonites and ecotourists.
, hog deer
, barking deer, sambar deer
), as well as rhesus monkey, pythons, and pangolin
. Their natural habitats consists of semi-evergreen forests, mixed deciduous forests, and swamp forests. According to a 1992 survey, the park was home to at least 21 species of mammals, 145 species of birds and 8 species of reptiles.
Barking deer, hog deer and wild boar are the most common mammal species. Slow lores, pangolin and a few species of jungle cats used to roam the park at night feeding on figs, which is abundantly found in the park.
The semi-evergreen type of vegetation creates ideal habitats for a variety of reptiles from monitor lizards to cobra
, and krait ( Bungarus fasciatus) to pythons
(Python reticulatus).
(Anastonmus oscitans) and nocturnal animals such as owls
, black crowned night herons
(Nycticonax nycticorax) and white-throated babbler
(Turdoides gularis).
(Tectona grandis) and binga
(Mitragyna rotundifolia), and medicinal plants such as sindonma-nwe
(Tinospora cordifolia).
The park is divided into three zones: a rest and retreat zone, an adventure and recreation zone, and an education and hobby zone. The rest and retreat zone features forest eco-lodges, boat houses and a health spa resort. The adventure and recreation zone has facilities for jungle trekking, bird watching and wild life safaris, as well as a camping ground and training areas for mountain climbing and parachuting. The education and hobby zone includes a timber species display center, a butterfly park, an insect kingdom, a reptile park and fishing spots.
, the park has a monsoonal climate. Annual average rainfall is about 95 inches (240 cm) most of which is received between late May and October. The coolest months are from November to February (average high: 32C and average low: 18C) and the hottest months are from March to May (average high: 37C and average min: 24C). The mean relative humidity is 87%.
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...
located in Mingaladon
Mingaladon Township
Mingaladon Township is located in the northernmost part of Yangon, Myanmar. The township comprises 31 wards, and shares borders with Hmawbi township in the north, North Okkalapa township in the east, Insein township and Shwepyitha township in the west, and Mayangon township in the south...
, Yangon Division
Yangon Division
Yangon Region is an administrative region of Myanmar. Located in the heart of Lower Myanmar, the division is bordered by Bago Region in the north and east, the Gulf of Martaban in the south, and Ayeyarwady Region in the west. Yangon Region is dominated by its capital city of Yangon, the former...
, Myanmar
Myanmar
Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
, 22 miles (35 km) north of Yangon
Yangon
Yangon is a former capital of Burma and the capital of Yangon Region . Although the military government has officially relocated the capital to Naypyidaw since March 2006, Yangon, with a population of over four million, continues to be the country's largest city and the most important commercial...
. The 1540-acre (623-hectare) park includes an 818-acre (313 hectare) wildlife park, a 62-acre (25-hectare) mini-zoo and a 660-acre (267-hectare) buffer zone.
First established as an environmental education center in 1982, the national park is a popular day-trip destination with Yangonites and ecotourists.
History
The park embraces the catchment area of the Zokanabe Lake, an extension dam built in 1921-24 to reinforce the greater Hlawga Lake which has supplied water to Yangon since 1904. The park was established in 1982 with joint-funding by the UNDP and the Burmese government in order to protect the forests and vegetative cover in the catchment of Hlawga Lake, and to establish a representative collection of Burmese indigenous wildlife species of mammals, reptiles and birds, in their natural habitats.Wildlife
The 818 acres (3.3 km²) wildlife park is home to various types of deer (eld's deerEld's Deer
Eld's Deer , also known as the Thamin or Brow-antlered Deer, is an endangered species of deer indigenous to southeastern Asia. The species was first discovered by westerners in Manipur in India in 1839. The original scientific name Cervus eldi was coined in 1844 in honour of Lt. Percy Eld – a...
, hog deer
Hog Deer
The Hog Deer is a small deer whose habitat ranges from Pakistan, through northern India, to mainland southeast Asia...
, barking deer, sambar deer
Sambar Deer
The Sambar ' is a large deer native to southern and southeast Asia. Although it primarily refers to R. unicolor, the name "Sambar" is also sometimes used to refer to the Philippine Deer and the Rusa Deer...
), as well as rhesus monkey, pythons, and pangolin
Pangolin
A pangolin , also scaly anteater or Trenggiling, is a mammal of the order Pholidota. There is only one extant family and one genus of pangolins, comprising eight species. There are also a number of extinct taxa. Pangolins have large keratin scales covering their skin and are the only mammals with...
. Their natural habitats consists of semi-evergreen forests, mixed deciduous forests, and swamp forests. According to a 1992 survey, the park was home to at least 21 species of mammals, 145 species of birds and 8 species of reptiles.
Barking deer, hog deer and wild boar are the most common mammal species. Slow lores, pangolin and a few species of jungle cats used to roam the park at night feeding on figs, which is abundantly found in the park.
The semi-evergreen type of vegetation creates ideal habitats for a variety of reptiles from monitor lizards to cobra
Cobra
Cobra is a venomous snake belonging to the family Elapidae. However, not all snakes commonly referred to as cobras are of the same genus, or even of the same family. The name is short for cobra capo or capa Snake, which is Portuguese for "snake with hood", or "hood-snake"...
, and krait ( Bungarus fasciatus) to pythons
Python (genus)
Python, from the Greek word , is a genus of non-venomous pythons found in Africa, Asia and Australia. Currently, 7 species are recognised. A member of this group, P. reticulatus, is among the longest snakes known.-Geographic range:...
(Python reticulatus).
Birds
Resident and migratory birds are abundant inside the park. Identified species include: the Jungle fowl (Gallusgallus), redvented bubol (Pycronotus cafer), lesser treeduck (Dedrocygna Javanica), Asian openbill storkAsian Openbill Stork
The Asian Openbill or Asian Openbill Stork, Anastomus oscitans, is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It is a resident breeder in tropical southern Asia from India and Sri Lanka east to Southeast Asia....
(Anastonmus oscitans) and nocturnal animals such as owls
OWLS
OWLS is a mnemonic used by general aviation airplane pilots to assess an unprepared surface for a precautionary landing.Like all mnemonics this check has become part of aviation culture and folklore.OWLS:* Obstacles* Wind direction...
, black crowned night herons
Black-crowned Night Heron
The Black-crowned Night Heron commonly abbreviated to just Night Heron in Eurasia, is a medium-sized heron found throughout a large part of the world, except in the coldest regions and Australasia .-Description:Adults are...
(Nycticonax nycticorax) and white-throated babbler
White-throated Babbler
The White-throated Babbler is a species of bird in the Timaliidae family.It is endemic to Burma.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 27 July 2007....
(Turdoides gularis).
Flora
The evergreen forest contains at least 295 species of plants. Common species are Dipterocarps and langerstroemia speciosa. Also found are deciduous species such as teakTeak
Teak is the common name for the tropical hardwood tree species Tectona grandis and its wood products. Tectona grandis is native to south and southeast Asia, mainly India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Burma, but is naturalized and cultivated in many countries, including those in Africa and the...
(Tectona grandis) and binga
Binga
Binga District, now Binga North District and Binga South District, lies in the hot and arid Zambezi Encampment, the region that was once the territory of the tsetse fly.-Boundaries:Binga District is an area of land bounded by a line drawn from;...
(Mitragyna rotundifolia), and medicinal plants such as sindonma-nwe
Tinospora cordifolia
Tinospora cordifolia, which is known by the common name Guduchi, is an herbaceous vine of the family Menispermaceae indigenous to the tropical areas of India, Myanmar and Sri Lanka....
(Tinospora cordifolia).
Mini-Zoo
The mini-zoo has small mammals, birds, tigers, leopards, bears and estuarine crocodiles in large spacious cages, avaries and moated enclosures.Activities
Visitors can go on a safari-style bus ride or an elephant ride through the park, hiking on jungle trails, boating on the lake, and/or bird watching. However, most local visitors use the park's picnic areas.The park is divided into three zones: a rest and retreat zone, an adventure and recreation zone, and an education and hobby zone. The rest and retreat zone features forest eco-lodges, boat houses and a health spa resort. The adventure and recreation zone has facilities for jungle trekking, bird watching and wild life safaris, as well as a camping ground and training areas for mountain climbing and parachuting. The education and hobby zone includes a timber species display center, a butterfly park, an insect kingdom, a reptile park and fishing spots.
Climate
Located in coastal Yangon DivisionYangon Division
Yangon Region is an administrative region of Myanmar. Located in the heart of Lower Myanmar, the division is bordered by Bago Region in the north and east, the Gulf of Martaban in the south, and Ayeyarwady Region in the west. Yangon Region is dominated by its capital city of Yangon, the former...
, the park has a monsoonal climate. Annual average rainfall is about 95 inches (240 cm) most of which is received between late May and October. The coolest months are from November to February (average high: 32C and average low: 18C) and the hottest months are from March to May (average high: 37C and average min: 24C). The mean relative humidity is 87%.