The
Jigme Dorji National Park, named after the late Jigme Dorji Wangchuk, is the second-largest
National ParkA 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...
of
BhutanBhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
. It occupies almost the entire
Gasa DistrictGasa District or Gasa Dzongkhag is one of the 20 dzongkhags comprising Bhutan. Its capital is Gasa Dzong near Gasa. It is located in the far north of the county and spans the Middle and High Himalayas. The dominant language of the district is Dzongkha, the national language...
, as well as the northern areas of
Thimphu DistrictThimphu District is a dzongkhag of Bhutan. Thimphu is also the capital of Bhutan and the largest city in the whole kingdom.-Languages:...
,
Paro DistrictParo District is the name of a district , valley, river and town in Bhutan. It is one of the most historic valleys in Bhutan. Both trade goods and invading Tibetans came over the pass at the head of the valley, giving Paro the closest cultural connection with Tibet of any Bhutanese district...
,
PunakhaPunakha District is one of the 20 dzongkhags comprising Bhutan. It is bordered by Thimphu, Gasa, and Wangdue Phodrang Districts...
, and Wangdue Phodrang Districts. It was established in 1974 and stretches over an area of 4316 km², thereby spanning all three climate zones of Bhutan, ranging in elevation from 1400 to over 7000 meters. About 6,500 people in 1,000 households live within the park, from subsistence agriculture and animal husbandry.
Flora and fauna
The park provides sanctuary for 37 known species of mammals including several endangered, threatened or vulnerable species, such as the
takinThe Takin , also called cattle chamois or gnu goat, is a goat-antelope found in the Eastern Himalayas. There are four subspecies: B. taxicolor taxicolor, the Mishmi Takin; B. taxicolor bedfordi, the Shanxi or Golden Takin; B. taxicolor tibetana, the Tibetan or Sichuan Takin; and B. taxicolor...
,
snow leopardThe snow leopard is a moderately large cat native to the mountain ranges of South Asia and Central Asia...
,
clouded leopardThe 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...
,
Bengal tigerThe Bengal tiger is a tiger subspecies native to the Indian subcontinent that in 2010 has been classified as endangered by IUCN...
,
bharalThe bharal or Himalayan blue sheep or naur, Pseudois nayaur, is a caprid found in the high Himalayas of Nepal, Tibet, China, India, Pakistan, and Bhutan...
or Himalayan blue sheep,
black musk deerThe Black Musk Deer or Dusky Musk Deer is a species of even-toed ungulate in the Moschidae family. It is found in Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, and Nepal....
, Himalayan black bear,
red pandaThe red panda , is a small arboreal mammal native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. It is the only species of the genus Ailurus. Slightly larger than a domestic cat, it has reddish-brown fur, a long, shaggy tail, and a waddling gait due to its shorter front legs...
,
dholeThe dhole is a species of canid native to South and Southeast Asia. It is the only extant member of the genus Cuon, which differs from Canis by the reduced number of molars and greater number of teats...
or Indian wild dog, and
spotted linsangThe Spotted Linsang is a linsang found in the forests of the central and eastern Himalaya. It is short, light coloured terrestrial mammal, with a slender body, a pointed head and small limbs. It stalks its prey by crawling on its belly, when it is often mistaken for a python or other heavy-built,...
. It is also home to the
Indian leopardThe Indian leopard is a leopard subspecies widely distributed on the Indian subcontinent. It is one of the five big cats found in India, apart from Asiatic lion, Bengal tiger, snow leopard and clouded leopard....
,
serowThe Himalayan Serow is a vulnerable goat-antelope, native to eastern and southeastern Bangladesh, the Himalayas , northeastern India, and probably western Burma. It has been considered a subspecies of C. sumatraensis....
, sambar, barking deer,
goralGoral may refer to:* Three species of Asian ungulates in the genus Naemorhedus.* The Gorals, a people living in southern Poland, northern Slovakia and the Czech Republic....
,
marmotThe marmots are a genus, Marmota, of squirrels. There are 14 species in this genus.Marmots are generally large ground squirrels. Those most often referred to as marmots tend to live in mountainous areas such as the Alps, northern Apennines, Eurasian steppes, Carpathians, Tatras, and Pyrenees in...
,
pikaThe pika is a small mammal, with short limbs, rounded ears, and short tail. The name pika is used for any member of the Ochotonidae, a family within the order of lagomorphs, which also includes the Leporidae . One genus, Ochotona, is recognised within the family, and it includes 30 species...
and more than 300 species of birds. It is also the only park in Bhutan where the national animal (takin), flower (blue poppy), bird (raven) and tree (cypress) exist together.
Cultural sites
Jigme Dorji also contains sites of cultural and economic significance. Mount Jomolhari and
Mount Jitchu DrakeMt. Jitchu Drake is a mountain in the Himalayas, and a companion peak to Mount Jomolhari. Its height is given variously as 6714m , 6789m, 6797m, 6970m or 6989m by various sources...
are worshipped as homes of the local deity. The fortresses of Lingshi Dzong and
Gasa DzongGasa Dzong or Gasa Tashi Tongmön Dzong near Gasa is the administrative center of Gasa Dzongkhag in the northwestern region of Bhutan. The Dzong was built in the 17th century by Tenzin Drukdra the second Druk Desi over the site of a meditation place established by Drubthob Terkungpa in the 13th...
are sites of historical importance. The rivers
Mo ChhuMo Chhu is a major river in Bhutan. The word "Chhu" means "river" or "water" in Dzongkha, the official national language in Bhutan. The river rises in Gasa Dzongkhag near the border between Bhutan and Tibet. From there, the Mo Chhu flows generally southward to Punakha in central Bhutan, where it...
, Wangdi Chhu and Pa Chhu have their sources in the glacial lakes located in the park.
Glaciers
Jigme Dorji National Park covers most of northern
Gasa DistrictGasa District or Gasa Dzongkhag is one of the 20 dzongkhags comprising Bhutan. Its capital is Gasa Dzong near Gasa. It is located in the far north of the county and spans the Middle and High Himalayas. The dominant language of the district is Dzongkha, the national language...
, including the bulk of
LunanaLunana Gewog is a gewog of Gasa District, Bhutan. The village Lunana is the administrative center of Lunana Gewog....
and
Laya GewogLaya Gewog is a gewog of Gasa District, Bhutan. The capital of gewog is the town Laya....
s. These gewogs are the site of some of the most notable and precarious
glaciers of BhutanThe glaciers of Bhutan, which covered about 10 percent of the total surface area in the 1980s, are an important renewable source of water for Bhutan's rivers. Fed by fresh snow each winter and slow melting in the summer, the glaciers bring millions of litres of fresh water to Bhutan and downriver...
. These glaciers have thawed significantly over the course of recorded history, causing lethal and destructive
glacial lake outburst floodA glacial lake outburst flood is a type of outburst flood that occurs when the dam containing a glacial lake fails. The dam can consist of glacier ice or a terminal moraine...
s. Chief among the glaciers and glacial lakes within the park are Thorthormi, Luggye, and Teri Kang. As the seasons allow, temporary camps of laborers work within the park to reduce water levels to assuage the threat of flooding downstream.