Pong Dam Lake Wildlife Sanctuary

Pong Dam Wild Life Sanctuary is a sanctuary in Himachal Pradesh, India. It covers 673 square kilometers. It was established in November 2002, under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. The sanctuary protects Maharana Pratap Sagar lake & wetland, which gained Ramsar Convention for International importance in 2002.^[1]

Pong Dam Wild Life Sanctuary in Himachal Pradesh
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
Birds near Pong Dam
Pong Dam Lake Wild Life Sanctuary
Location	Himachal Pradesh, India
Nearest city	Talwara
Coordinates	32°01′N 76°05′E[1]
Area	245 km2 (61,000 acres)
Established	1975 (1975)
Governing body	Himachal Pradesh
Ramsar Wetland
Designated	19 August 2002[1]

Geography

Further information: Maharana Pratap Sagar

220 bird species with 54 species of waterfowl and 27 fish species have been identified at Pong Dam Wild Life Sanctuary, located in the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh in the 45 km long and 2 km wide stretch of the Beas River lake.

Fauna

The main bird species reported are the bar-headed goose (Anser indicus), northern lapwing, ruddy shelduck, northern pintail, common teal, Indian spot-billed duck, Eurasian coot, red-necked grebe, black-headed gulls, plovers, black stork, terns, water-fowl and egrets. The main animals spotted in area around lake are barking deer, sambar, wild boars, leopards and oriental small-clawed otters. The main fish species are mahseer, catla, mirror carp, singhara^[2]

Flora

The main flora of the sanctuary The tree species of the forest area are acacia, jamun, shisham, mango, mulberry, ficus, kachanar, amla and prunus. A variety of shrubs, grasses and climbers have also been reported.^[3]

See also

• Bird sanctuaries of India