NaTuRe FoCuS Thailand

	Animal Watching Site

Animal Watching Site in Thailand

The North

Northern Thailand is heavily mountainous, covered by hilled of mostly 500 - 1,000 m in elevation. Some broad areas are consistently between 1,000 and 2,000 m, and five peaks rise over 2,000 m. South of Chiang Mai city, Doi Inthanon is the Kingdom's highest at 2,565 m. Most permanent settlements are still confined to the lowlands and foothills, along the valleys of the four main southward-flowing rivers (Ping, Wang, Yom and Nan) and in the Fang and Chiang Rai basins of the far north, both of which drain northeastwards into the Mekong.

» Top animal watching site in the North

Phayre's Langur

1. Doi Inthanon National Park 2,565 m. At present time, confirmed records exist for 77 species, of which 31 species are bats. Animals have undoubtedly suffered badly from hunting pressure and most large species have been extirpated. Interesting animals are Pig-tailed Macaque, Assamese Macaque, Phayre's Langur, Large Indian Civet, Barking Deer, Red Giant Flying Squirrel, Lesser Giant Flying Squirrel, White-bellied Flying Squirrel, Eastern Mole. This location is also known for the presence of Long-tailed Goral.

Eastern Mole

The Northeast

In the Northeast lies the Korat plateau. It is part of the middle Mekong Basin , drained by the rivers Mun, Chi, Songkhram and other tributaries of the Mekong River which forms its eastern boundary. The mountains of the flat-topped, sandstone Dong Phaya Yen range, along its western margin, rise to 1,000 - 1,500 m, and are sometimes considered part of the North with which they share much of their montane flora and fauna. The Phanom Dongrak range stretches from the Mekong itself to Khao Yai National Park . Of the Northeast uplands, the contiguous Phu Khieo Wildlife Sanctuary and Nam Nao National Park in the Dong Phaya Yen mountains are two of the large birds and mammals habitats remaining in the country. Both are flat-topped and still well-covered in healthy mixed forest.

» Top animal watching site in the Northeast

Gaur

1. Khao Yai National Park 1,351 m. Some of the least disturbed and most accessible tall forest anywhere in the country. Wildlife is plentiful (70 mammal species, at least 74 species of reptiles and thousands of invertebrates) but often hard to see. Sambar and Barking Deer are frequently seen in the grasslands. White-handed and Pileated Gibbons provide an excellent morning wake-up call with their mournful hoots. Pig-tailed Macaques are often seen by the roadside. Elephants are sometimes spotted at salt-licks or on the road in the evenings. Other interesting animals are Asiatic Black Bear, Dhole, Yellow-throated Marten, Large Indian Civet, Small Indian Civet, Black Giant Squirrel, East Asias Porcupines, Wild Pig, Binturong.

Pileated Gibbon

2. Phu Khieo Wildlife Sanctaury 1,310 m. Phu Khieo Wildlife Sanctuary comprises two flora zones, namely Indochinese and Indoburmese , and it is a highly biodiverse forest, when compared to the forests nearby. Because it adjoins protected forest areas and is quite large, it is a habitat and food source for many wild animals. 110 species of mammals have been recorded here: Two-horned Rhinoceros, Asian Elephant, Tiger, Leopard, Clouded Leopard, Golden Cat, Gaur, Banteng, Dhole, Golden Jackal, Silvered Langur, Assamese Macaque, Hog Deer, Sambar.

Asian Elephant

The Central Plains

The Central Plains comprise the alluvial basin of the Chao Phraya River that have been mostly converted into rice paddies and intensively cultivated. Most of the area lies below 50 m elevation and some parts in the south are less than 10 m above sea level. But the rice paddies themselves are an important wetland habitat. They support much smaller wildlife, including ricefield crabs, many fishes, insects, frogs, and small aquatic animals.

» Top animal watching site in the Central Plains

1. Kaeng Krachan National Park 1,513 m. Thailand's largest natioanl park. More than 80% of the park area is covered with evergreen forest, 10% with mixed deciduous forest and the remainder is made up of dry dipterocarp forest, pine, scrub, cultivation and others. Kaeng Krachan has shown a very high diversity for all animal groups, such as mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, fishes and insects. At least 89 species of mammals are already known from Kaeng Krachan including 25 bats. Wild life includes Elephant, Gaur, Banteng, Barking Deer, Fea's Muntjac, White-handed Gibbon, Wild Pig, Tiger, Leopard, Porcupine, Masked Palm Civet, Black Giant Squirrel, Dusky Langur, Banded Langur, Stump-tailed Macaque, Burmese Striped Squirrel, Crab-eating Mongoose, Lesser Oriental Chevrotain.

The West

The region flanking the Burmese border still contains some of the largest, richest and least accessible, hence least-damaged, remnants of forest in Thailand. This is a real transition zone between the northern montane fauna and flora, the lowland Indo-Burmese biota of continental Thailand as well as the Sundaic element of the peninsula to the south. The mountains are on average lower than those of the North, even though there is one peak over 2000 m, so that there are slightly fewer montane species than in the North.

» Top animal watching site in the West

Dhole

1. Tung Yai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary Sanctuary is centred on the Tung Yai or 'big field', a savanna grassland covering 100 sq. km of rolling hills. The whole sanctuary includes mountains, upland plains, and valleys covering Thailand's largest protected area. The area is home to some of the largest remaining populations of large mammals, including Elephant, Tiger, Clouded Leopard, Leopard, Malaysian Sun Bear, Wild Water Buffalo and Gaur - an enormous cattle species, 2 m tall at the shoulder. Other animals are Tapir, Asiatic Brush-tailed Porcupine, Assamese Macaque, White-handed Gibbon.

Wild Pig

2. Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary The most complete and biggest wildlife sanctuary in Southeast Asia. Generally, this area consists of virgin forests, clear forests, prairies and many streams, all suitable for wildlife breeding expansion. Many species of wild animals, including rare and nearly extinct species, can be found here, including Tiger, Leopard, Clouded Leopard, Asian Golden Cat, Marbled Cat, Wild Water Buffalo , Banteng, Wild Pig, Dhole, Eurasian Otter.

The South

The South mountain spine is very steep and rises to more than 1,800 m. The forest of the south is evergreen. They share many species of plants and animals with the forests further south in Malaysia and Indonesia. The largest remaining area of southern forest, covering about 4,000 sq km., lies astride the junction of the provinces of Ranong, Phangnga and Surat Thani. This encompasses five major protected areas ; Khlong Nakha and Khlong Saeng Wildlife Sanctuaries, Khao Sok, Si Phangnga and Kaeng Krung National Parks. Virtually only in this block have large mammals, such as Elephant and Tiger, survived in the south.

» Top animal watching site in the South

1. Hala Bala Wildlife Sanctuary Conservation areas are on Narathiwat's border with Malaysia and differ from other rain forest areas in being fully equatorial rain forest , with a different mix of species, generally taller trees and usually more rain. Wildlife creates an ecological balance for the area. Many of the animals are on the list of nearly-extinct animals of Thailand . They include the Large Black Gibbon, or Siamang, that is totally black in color and nearly double the size of the white-handed gibbon. There is also the Agile Gibbon that is usually found on Sumatra, Borneo and northern Malaysian jungles and southern Thailand. Also found here are the Sumatran Serow, Tapir, Marbled Cat, Fishing Cat, Leopard, Asian Golden Cat, Asian two-horned Rhinoceros, Flying Lemur, Smooth-coated Otter.

2. Khlong Saeng Wildlife Sanctuary Khlong Saeng Wildlife Sanctuary covers 1,155 sq. km of limestone crags, evergreen forest, scrub, and rain forest. About 48 mammal species have been confirmed and these include Tiger, Leopard, Clouded Leopard, Elephants, Banteng, Gaur, Serow and Malayan sun bear, Smooth-coated Otter, Wild Pig. However, construction of the Rajprabha Dam, while creating a beautiful lake amidst the hills, drowned most of the lowland habitat and populations of large mammals have declined.

Agile Gibbon

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