NAMDAPHA FLYING SQUIRREL Syllabus GS Paper 3 – Env and Eco)

Context: A nocturnal flying squirrel has resurfaced in Arunachal Pradesh after going missing for 42 years.

Namdapha Flying Squirrel

• About: It is an arboreal, nocturnal flying squirrel endemic to Arunachal Pradesh in northeast India,
• Last Seen: In 1981 based on a single individual found in Namdapha Tiger Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh’s Changlang district.
• Appearance: It has reddish, grizzled fur with white above. Its crown is pale grey, its patagium is orangish and its underparts are white. Flying squirrels are not capable of flight like birds or bats; instead, they glide between trees.
• IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
• Threatened by: Poaching of animals for food from within the park, and possibly by habitat destruction.

Namdapha Tiger Reserve

• Location: Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh
• Declared as: the 15th Tiger Project (1983) of the country with a core area of 1985.245 Sq.Km and a buffer area of 245 Sq.Km.
• It was declared a Wildlife Sanctuary under the Assam Forest Regulation 1891 on 2nd Oct.’1972. 
• It was later declared a National Park on 12th May 1983, under Wildlife (Protection) Act1972.