• A violent clash between forest team and illegal poachers was reported from Bura Chapori Wildlife Sanctuary.

ABOUT BURA CHAPORI WILDLIFE SANCTUARY

• It is geographically located on southern bank of Brahmaputra in Sonitpur district of Assam.
• It is a part of Laokhowa wildlife sanctuary (centrally located Protected Area of Assam) and is a notified buffer of the Kazairanga Tiger reserve.
• Recent efforts to safeguard the Bura Chapori Wildlife Sanctuary have led to the recovery of around 16,000 bighas of land from illegal encroachers.
• Vegetation comprises of a mosaic of wet alluvial grassland, riparian and semi-evergreen forests dotted by wetland and river systems.
• Fauna include Great Indian one-horned rhinoceros, Tiger, Leopard, wild buffalo, hog deer, wild pigs, Bengal Florican, Black-necked Stork, Whistling Duck
• It is also considered an ideal habitat for the Bengal Florican (Houbaropsis bengalensis).

ABOUT BENGAL FLORICAN

• Restricted to tiny fragments of grassland scattered across South and Southeast Asia, the Bengal florican is the world’s rarest bustard.
• IUCN Red List- Critically Endangered