| content |
Contents |
Geography
The Rann of Kutch is a saline desert. During monsoon, the Rann (Gujarati for desert) gets flooded for a period of about one month and is dotted with about 74 elevated plateaus or islands, locally called 'bets'. These bets are covered with grass and feed the population of around 2100 animals.[2]
Species found
The sanctuary is habitat to many species of animals and birds. According to the data submitted to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre[3] the sanctuary has
- About 93 species of invertebrates - 25 species of zooplanktons, 1 species of annelid, 4 crustaceans, 24 insects, 12 molluscs and 27 spiders.
- 4 species of amphibians
- 29 species of reptiles - 2 species of turtles, 14 species of lizards, 12 snakes and 1 crocodile
- Metapenaeus kutchensis - a type of prawn
- 70,000-75,000 bird nests
- 9 mammalian orders with 33 species/subspecies - including the world’s last population of the Khur sub-species of the wild ass
Threats
The main threat faced by the sanctuary is the illegal salt mining activity in the area. 25% of India's salt supply comes from mining in the area. The transportation of salt leads to noise and air pollution. Another major threat to the animals is due to the 217 km² firing range of the Indian army located within the sanctuary. Other threats faced by the sanctuary are poaching and proliferation of chemical factories in the region.[4]
See also
External links
References
- ^ "Wild Ass Wildlife Sanctuary, Gujarat". India Wildlife Resorts (indiawildliferesorts.com). Retrieved on 2006-09-13.
- ^ "Indian Wild Ass Sanctuary". The Hindu. Retrieved on 2006-09-13.
- ^ "Wild Ass Sanctuary, Little Rann of Kutch". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved on 2006-09-13.
- ^ "Rann of Kutchh Wild Ass Sanctuary, Kutchh". Sanctuary Asia. Retrieved on 2006-09-13.
