So how many National Parks are here in Bhutan? Well, between the Wildlife Sanctuaries and the National Parks, there are a total of 10 protected areas in the Kingdome. And even more importantly, all of Bhutan’s National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries are connected to each other either directly or by the biological corridors that allow for the movement of animals between the different reserves, maintaining the genetic diversity of wildlife populations. Image – Pixabay National Parks of Bhutanīhutan’s protected areas cover a total of 19,750.57 square kilometres – nearly the size of Switzerland. In Bhutan, your best chance of spotting the rhino is in the Royal Manas National Park. Thankfully, once the adequate protection was afforded to the rhino, it’s recovery became one of the best conservation success stories in the world. Today, it is one of the most endangered of Bhutan’s animals. It once roamed across most of the northern part of the Indian sub-continent but was subsequently hunted almost to extinction. The greater one-horned rhino, also known as the Indian rhino, is the largest of the rhino species and the second-largest land mammal in Asia after the Asian elephant. Due to such a small distribution range, this golden-coloured monkey is listed as Endangered with the population on the India-Bhutan border doing slightly better. It is known from only two populations: one on the border between the Indian state of Assam and Bhutan and another in the Indian state of Tripura. The most endangered primate on the Indian sub-continent, the golden langur has an exceptionally small distribution range. Binturong is completely at home in the trees and even has a prehensile tail that it can use to hang of tree branches when it’s reaching for fruit with its forefeet.
It prefers a warmer climate and feeds mainly on fruit. Sadly the population of the red panda is declining and it is listed as Endangered.Īnother tree-dweller of Bhutan, the binturong, looks somewhat similar to the red panda but lacks some of its charisma. It is a small arboreal animal with a thick reddish-brown coat and white tip of its face and ears. Often overshadowed by the popularity of its larger namesake, the giant panda, to which it’s not closely related, the red panda is one of the most charismatic Bhutan animals. And they put their skills to good use to escape the attacks of their main predator – the snow leopard. They are capable of easily navigating the near-vertical sheer cliffs of the Himalayas. The bharals are the most agile animals in Bhutan, and possibly, the world. By Davidvraju – CC BY-SA 4.0, BharalĪlso known as the Himalayan blue sheep, bharal is a medium-sized sheep which is predominantly found in the high altitude regions in Bhutan. In Bhutan, they are found in the Jigme Dorji National Park. And just like their African cousins, dhole are threatened with extinction and listed as Endangered. Also known as Asian wild dogs they are highly social animals that live in large clans with strict social dominance structure, not unlike the African wild dogs. Dholeĭhole is not a well-known animal in Bhutan and it is often mistaken for a wolf. As a result, it is currently listed as Endangered and protected by law in Bhutan. Sadly, humans find the musk sent appealing as well, and the deer has been hunted almost to extinction for the sake of the perfume industry. Male musk deer use it to Mark their territories and to attract females. This hornless deer has a special gland on its abdomen that secrets a waxy substance called musk. The White-bellied Musk deer is found at high altitude habitats in Bhutan, Nepal and northern India. Serow is a protected species in Bhutan, it is threatened mainly by habitat loss and hunting for its meat. Slightly larger than the goral, serows also like the rocky hillsides, though they are not as agile as their larger relatives. Similar in appearance to goral, the Himalayan serow is another odd-looking goat antelope. Johnsingh, WWF-India and NCF – CC BY-SA 3.0, Serow To keep warm on the windswept mountain slopes, goral have woolly undercoats covered by long, coarser hair, which gives them a somewhat shaggy appearance.
Another mountain specialist, goral is a goat-like ungulate that prefers rocky hillside habitat at the higher elevations across the great Himalayas.