Binsar
| Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary | |
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IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
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Oaks on a mountain slope in Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary
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| Location | Uttarakhand, India |
| Nearest city | Almora |
| Coordinates | 29°37′56″N 79°20′15″E / 29.63222°N 79.33750°ECoordinates: 29°37′56″N 79°20′15″E / 29.63222°N 79.33750°E |
| Area | 45.59 km2 |
| Established | 1988 |
| Governing body | Department of Forest Uttarakhand |
Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the Himalayas on top of the Jhandi Dhar hills. It is about 33 km north of the Almora town in Uttarakhand, India.
From a place called Zero Point in Binsar one can see the Himalayan peaks like Kedarnath Peak, Shivling, Trisul and Nanda Devi.
Binsar was the summer capital of the Chand Kings, who ruled over Kumaon from the 11th to 18th centuries AD. Binsar was established in 1988 for the conservation and protection of the shrinking broad leaf oak (Quercus) forests of the Central Himalayan region, and it has over 200 bird species.
The sanctuary is spread over 45.59 km2 and situated at an altitude varying from 900 to 2500 metres with an average height of 2412 metres. It is located 35 km from Almora in the state of Uttarakhand.
Binsar has a museum about the flora and fauna of the region. Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary is known for its wide variety of flora ranging from 25 types of trees and 24 types of bushes to seven varieties of grasses. The higher altitudes of sanctuary are covered with oak and rhododendron trees. March and April are the months when flowers, especially ruby red rhododendron, are in full bloom.
The mammals include leopard (Panthera pardus), Himalayan goral (Naemorhedus goral), chital (Axis axis), musk deer (Moschus spp.), Sumatran serow (Capricornis sumatraensis), jungle cat (Felis chaus), wild boar (Sus scrofa), black bear (Ursus thibetanus), pine marten (Martes martes), red fox (Vulpes vulpes), gray langur (Presbytis entellus), rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta), red giant flying squirrel (Petaurista petaurista), and Indian muntjac (Muntiacus muntjak).
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Wikipedia