SILENT VALLY NATIONAL PARK
( SILV ER JUBILEE OF THE SILENTVALLY NATIONAL PARK )
Union minister of state for Forest and Environment Jairam Ramesh inaugurated the silver Jubilee celebrations of the Silent valley National Park at Mundur on November 15, 2009 and Mukkali on November 16.
The Silent Valley National Park in the south west region of the Nilgiri hills, about 45 km from Mannarkkad, is part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. The ecological island is said to be the only remaining tropical evergreen forests in the Sahya ranges. Silent Valley is the richest expression of life on earth. The valley is estimated to have an evolutionary age of over 50 million years. The biosphere reserve is the habitat of wide variety of animals, including lion-tailed macaque, tiger, rare species of fishes, birds such as the blue-eared King fisher and pied ground thrush and butter flies.
The Ceylon Frogmouth pallid harrier and marsh harriers were sighted in the park in a bird survey in March 2006- the survey team told that seven birds belonging to the Ceylon Frogmouth species were spotted with 100 meters.
The other dominant species were the mountain imperial pigeon, emerald dove, black Bulbul and the yellow browned Bulbul etc.
The winter bird survey conducted in December 2006 had sighted long legged Buzzard, a new species of raptor at sispara, its highest peak. The survey found 10 endangered species recorded in the Red Data Book. It found 17 species that were new to silent valley.
Scientific studies have shown that there are over 1000 flowering plants belonging to 571 general 134 families in the silent valley reserve.
PROF. JOHN KURAKAR
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