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{{Short description|Wildlife sanctuary in Meghalaya, India}}
{{Infobox protected area
| name = Siju Wildlife Sanctuary
| alt_name = Siju Bird Sanctuary
| iucn_category = IV
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| image = Pond Siju Bird Sanctuary Meghalaya Oct24 A7CR 04013.jpg
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| image_caption = Artificial pond in the middle of the sanctuary
| map = India Meghalaya#India
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| map_caption = Location in Meghalaya, India
| relief = 1
| mapframe = Yes
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| coordinates = {{Coord|25|20|16|N|90|41|11|E|display=inline,title}}
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| area_km2 = 5.18
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| established = 1979
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| website = {{URL|https://megforest.gov.in/wildlife|Forest & Environment Department, Government of Meghalaya}}
}}'''Siju Wildlife Sanctuary''' is situated in the [[South Garo Hills district]] of [[Meghalaya]], India. It is the first and oldest wildlife sanctuary in Meghalaya.<ref name=":1" /> It is also known as Siju Bird Sanctuary as it is a home for many rare and protected birds such as the [[Indian grey hornbill|Grey Hornbill]]. Other migratory birds such as Siberian ducks and [[spoonbill]]s are also sighted here.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Wildlife - National Parks & Sanctuaries - Siju Wildlife Sanctuary |url=https://megforest.gov.in/wildlife|access-date=2025-06-26|website=Forests & Environment Department, Government of Meghalaya}}</ref>

== History ==
The area was first declared a Reserve Forest by the Lieutenant-Governor of East Bengal and Assam in 1906. In 1979, the area was converted to the first wildlife sanctuary in Meghalaya. The name is derived from the nearby village ''Siju'', which is largely populated by the ''Attong'' subtribe of the [[Garo people]].<ref name=":1"/>

By the 1970s biogeographical studies created awareness that isolated reserves or ''islands'' of wilderness were insufficient to support certain species such as elephants.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Diamond |first=J.M. |date=February 1975 |title=The island dilemma: Lessons of modern biogeographic studies for the design of natural reserves |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/000632077590052X |journal=[[Biological Conservation (journal)|Biological Conservation]] |volume=7 |issue=2 |pages=129–146 |via=[[Elsevier Science Direct]]}}</ref> Consequently, there was a move to setup elephant corridors in various parts of India connecting nearby reserves. Elephant habitats in the Garo Hills are separated by the Simsang river with limestone cliffs along the banks. Elephants can cross the river in only four places where there are sandy beaches. In the 1990s, the [[Wildlife Trust of India]] worked with the Meghalaya Forest Department and local communities to create and preserve the ''Siju-Rewak elephant corridor''. This corridor along the south border of the Siju Wildlife Sanctuary is {{Convert|3.5|km|mi|abbr=on}} long and {{Convert|2|km|mi|abbr=on}} km wide. At that time, it connected 650 elephants in the [[Balpakram National Park|Balpakaram National Park]] with 200 elephants in the Rewak Reserve Forest across the Simsang.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Johnsingh |first=A.J.T. |last2=Christy Williams |first2=A. |date=July 1999 |title=Elephant corridors in India: lessons for other elephant range countries |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/oryx/article/elephant-corridors-in-india-lessons-for-other-elephant-range-countries/BFD0772E52E28C8ACE5E8546795694FB |journal=[[Oryx (journal)|Oryx]] |volume=33 |issue=3 |pages=210–214}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Goswami |first=R. |date=26 April 2004 |title=NGOs launch save-elephant drive in Siju |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/north-east/ngos-launch-save-elephant-drive-in-siju/cid/757889 |access-date=24 June 2025 |work=[[The Telegraph (India)]]}}</ref>

== Geography ==
[[File:Forest River Siju WLS Meghalaya Oct24 A7CR 04127.jpg|thumb|Dense forested slope of the sanctuary on the left bank of the Simsang]]
[[File:Path Down Goera Ronggat Siju WLS Oct24 A7CR 04054.jpg|thumb|Path through limestone formation, Goera Ronggat]]
[[File:Fossils Goera Ronggat Siju WLS Oct24 A7CR 04053.jpg|thumb|Marine fossils in the Goera Ronggat limestone strata]]

=== Location ===
Situated in the South Garo Hills, Siju Wildlife Sanctuary is the oldest Wildlife Sanctuary in the state of Meghalaya.<ref name=":1" /> It is located {{Convert|45|km|mi|abbr=on}} from [[Baghmara, Meghalaya|Baghmara]], {{Convert|160|km|mi|abbr=on}} from [[Tura, Meghalaya|Tura]] and about {{Convert|475|km|mi|abbr=on}} from [[Shillong]]. The sanctuary covers an area of {{Convert|5.18|sqkm|sqmi|abbr=on}}. On the west, it is bordered by the Simsang river. On the east, it abuts the Balpakram National Park. The southern border is shared with the Balpakram-Baghmara and Siju-Rewak [[Wildlife corridor|elephant corridors]].<ref name=":1"/><ref>{{Cite web |date=18 June 2025 |title=Way: Siju WLS (681249241) |url=https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/681249241 |access-date=18 June 2025 |website=[[OpenStreetmap]]}}</ref>

Access to the core sanctuary is via a path that starts from the bank of the Simsang River a short distance downstream of the Siju Hanging Bridge. The path climbs steeply up steps constructed in 2021-22 by the Wildlife Department. After climbing about {{Convert|90|m|ft|abbr=on}} the path reaches narrow clefts in the Goera Ronggat limestone formation. The climb of the next {{Convert|100|m|ft|abbr=on}} is more gradual. The last section is level until an artificial pond in the centre of the sanctuary, about {{Convert|2.5|km|mi|abbr=on}} from the river.{{citation needed|date=June 2025}}

==== Gallery ====
<gallery mode="packed" heights="150px">
File:Simsang Entrance Siju Wildlife Santuary Oct24 A7CR 04063.jpg|Entrance to Siju WLS from the Simsang River bank
File:Steps Siju WLS South Garo Oct24 A7CR 03961.jpg|Steps leading into the core sanctuary
File:Vine Path Siju WLS South Garo Oct24 A7CR 03971.jpg|Vines across path through dense forest
</gallery>

=== Geology ===
The trail from the [[Simsang River]] to the core area of the Sanctuary passes through unusual limestone formations called ''Goera Ronggat''. The formations contain marine fossil beds with fossilized amulets, shells, starfishes and other marine life forms that are millions of years old.<ref name="MegTourism">{{Cite web |date=2025 |title=Experiences >> SIJU – A LAND FROZEN IN TIME (The Caves, Rocks & Fossils of Siju) |url=https://www.meghalayatourism.in/experiences-4/siju-a-land-frozen-in-time/ |access-date=18 June 2025 |website=Meghalaya Tourism}}</ref>

==== Gallery ====
<gallery mode="packed" heights="150px">
File:Path Up Goera Ronggat Siju WLS Oct24 A7CR 03962.jpg|Path from Simsang river enters Goera Ronggat
File:Path Up Goera Ronggat Siju WLS Oct24 A7CR 03965.jpg|Path through Goera Ronggat
File:Detail Cliff Goera Ronggat Siju WLS Oct24 A7CR 04060.jpg|Detail of limestone formation
File:Tree Cliff Goera Ronggat Siju WLS Oct24 A7CR 04061.jpg|Tree growing in the limestone cliff
</gallery>

== Wildlife ==
Siju Wildlife Sanctuary is home to many endemic and rare flora and fauna. Many animal species such as elephants, [[Sambar deer]], [[Wild boar|wild boars]], [[Leopard|leopards]], [[Tiger|tigers]], [[barking deer]], etc. are sighted here. Other primates such as the [[slow loris]], [[Hoolock gibbon]], and [[langurs]] are also found here.<ref name=":1" />

[[File:Pallas Squirrel Siju WLS Oct24 A7CR 03953.jpg|left|thumb|[[Pallas's squirrel]] (''Callosciurus erythraeus'') in Siju Wildlife Sanctuary]]
=== Avifauna ===
A total of 77 species of resident and migratory birds have been reported on the [[EBird]] online database by birders during the period 2011-2025.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025 |title=Bird Observations: Siju Bird Sanctuary: Jan-Dec, 2011-2025 |url=https://ebird.org/barchart?byr=2011&eyr=2025&bmo=1&emo=12&r=L7097477 |access-date=18 June 2025 |website=[[EBird]]}}</ref> Migratory birds include [[Indian grey hornbill|Grey Hornbills]], [[Spoonbill|spoonbills]], and Siberian ducks. [[Peacock-pheasant]] also inhabit Siju Wildlife Sanctuary.<ref name=":1"/><ref name="MegTourism"/>

=== Gallery ===
<gallery mode="packed" heights="120px">
File:Archduke Butterfly Siju South Garo Hills Oct24 A7CR 03998.jpg|Khasi Dark Archduke male (''Lexias dirtea khasiana'')
File:Zeltus amasa amasa –Fluffy Tit (3).jpg|Male Fluffy Tit male (''Zeltus amasa amasa'')
File:Scat Siju WLS South Garo Meghalaya Oct24 A7CR 04048.jpg|Scat of a carnivore near Goera Ronggat
</gallery>

== Flora ==
{{Expand section|date=May 2025}}

=== Gallery ===
<gallery mode="packed" heights="120px">
File:Osbeckia Flower Siju South Garo Hills Oct24 A7CR 04000.jpg|''[[Osbeckia stellata]]'', October 2024
File:Trunk Banyan Siju WLS Oct24 A7CR 03974.jpg|Convoluted trunk of banyan tree (''[[Ficus religiosa]]'')
File:Green Fungus Tree Siju WLS Oct24 A7CR 03976.jpg|Green fungus on tree trunk, October 2024
File:White Mushroom Log Siju WLS Meghalaya Oct24 A7CR 03995.jpg|[[White fungi]] on dead log, October 2024
File:Yellow Fungus Log Siju WLS Meghalaya Oct24 A7CR 03985.jpg|Yellow fungi on dead log, October 2024
</gallery>

== References ==
{{Commons category}}
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Wildlife sanctuaries in Meghalaya]]
[[Category:South Garo Hills district]]
[[Category:Protected areas established in 1979]]
[[Category:1979 establishments in India]]

Siju Wildlife Sanctuary - Revision history

GarnetWelton89: created the info added tags!