Pakhui, the name of an enchanting wildlife sanctuary in Arunachal Pradesh registers huge tourists footfall in every year. Nestled in the in the foothills of the eastern range of the Himalaya, the abode of many rare spices of birds and animals falls in the East Kameng district of the north eastern state. It got the sanctuary status in 1977 and till then was a part of the Khellong forest division. In 2002, it was declared a tiger reserve on the basis of a three year old proposal. The sanctuary looks hugely beautiful with semi-evergreen and broadleaf trees. The lowland area, alone is rich with nearly 350 woody flowering species. These are apart from the Euphorbiaceae and Lauraceae families. At least 1500 species of vascular plants are available in the sanctuary where more than 500 species are woody. The evergreen sanctuary is also a fertile ground of around 600 species of orchids which bloom in season and out of season.
The forest is rich with the rare Bhelu Tetrameles nudiflora, Borpat Ailanthus grandis and Jutuli Altingia excels spices.
The mammal species at the Pakhui Tiger Reserve include the three large cats - the tiger, leopard and clouded leopard apart from two canids – the wild dog and Asiatic jackal.
Among the seven herbivore species, elephant, barking deer, gaur and sambhar are most commonly spotted by the visitors at a simple glance.
The easily spotted monkeys include rhesus, capped langur and Assamese macaques. The tiger project is also an abode of sixteen species of civets, weasels and mongooses.
The best time to visit this wildlife sanctuary begins in November which continues till March after the end of heavy rainfall season.
Community efforts have been working to keep the poaching attempts at bay. The entire sanctuary houses 27 anti poaching camps, mostly, by local youths and village headmen. The huge infrascture to abort the poaching attempts is a 40 km road which deters the intruding elements. The park, mostly, is surrounded by the Nyishi people who have a set of customary laws to ensure safety of birds and animals. Some NGOs and self help groups are also helping the anti poaching initiatives. The village headmen who floated the Ghora Aabhe Society in 2006 has been leaving no stone unturned for wildlife protection.
For the tourists who visit the sanctuary, the nearest airport is Tezpur. From Tezpur it is a few hours’ journey to the sanctuary. For those who travel on trains, they can land at Rangpara Railway Station en route to the abode of birds and wild animals. It has good surface connectivity with Tezpur and Bhalukpong.
