Raiganj Wildlife Sanctuary
| Raiganj Wildlife Sanctuary | |
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| Kulik Bird Sanctuary | |
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IUCN category II (national park)
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| Location | West Bengal, India |
| Nearest city | Raiganj |
| Coordinates | 25°38′13″N 88°07′16″E / 25.637°N 88.121°ECoordinates: 25°38′13″N 88°07′16″E / 25.637°N 88.121°E |
| Area | 1.3 square kilometres (0.50 sq mi) |
| Established | 1985 |
| Governing body | Forest Department, Govt. of West Bengal |
Raiganj Wildlife Sanctuary (Bengali: রায়গঞ্জ বন্যপ্রাণী অভয়ারণ্য Raegônj Bonnoprani Ôbhôearonno) (also popularly known as Kulik Bird Sanctuary) is situated near Raiganj in Uttar Dinajpur district in the Indian state of West Bengal. The bird sanctuary is home to 164 species of birds, and some 70,000 to 80,000 migratory birds visit the sanctuary every year.
It is located 4 km (2.5 mi) north from the centre of Raiganj town, the district headquarters. National Highway 12 runs beside the sanctuary. Raiganj is 425 km (264 mi) from Kolkata and 181 km (112 mi) from Siliguri.
Temperature (degrees Celsius): summer - max. 39, min. 21; winter - max. 23, min. 6. Rainfall: 1,550 mm (July to September).
The development of the area began in 1970, as part of the social forestry programme of the Government of West Bengal. The department planted tree species like kadam, jarul, sisoo (Dalbergia sisoo) and eucalyptus which were classified as tropical dry deciduous forest. With the Asian openbill and other species of migratory birds flocking to the artificial forest during the hatching season, it was officially designated as the "Raiganj Wildlife Sanctuary" in the year 1985. It is popularly known as Kulik Bird Sanctuary because the river Kulik flows beside the sanctuary.
It is claimed by some to be the largest bird sanctuary in Asia. However, there are other claimants to that distinction, such as Harike Pattan sanctuary, spread over 93 square miles (240 km2), in Tarn Taran district of Punjab. Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, now known as Keoladeo National Park is considered the largest in Asia.
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