About Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary:
- It is situated in the Kumaon region of the Himalayas, in the Almora district of Uttarakhand.
- From Zero Point, also known as Jhandi Dhaar, which is the highest point in the sanctuary, the Himalayan peaks of Kedarnath, Chaukhamba, Shivling, Trisul, and Nanda Devi, are visible among many others.
- Apart from protecting wildlife, the sanctuary was established with an aim to conserve the broadleaf oak forests, mainly located in the Central Himalayan region.
- History:
- Binsar was the erstwhile summer capital of the Chand Dynasty rulers, who ruled Kumaon from the 7th to 18th century AD.
- It was later converted to a summer retreat for British bureaucrats.
- It is named after the Bineshwar Mahadev temple, a 16th-century temple dedicated to Lord Shiva.
- Flora: It is covered by oak and rhododendron forests at higher altitudes and by chir pine forests at a lower height.
- Fauna:
- It is home to Barking Deer, Himalayan bear, leopard, fox, musk deer, langur, porcupine, flying squirrel, chital, jungle cat, etc.
- It has been declared an Important Bird Area by Bird Life International, as there are more than 200 species of birds in the sanctuary, including Fork tail, Blackbirds, Laughing Thrush, Pheasant, Nuthatches, Parakeets, and Monal.
