Wildlife - a rich natural heritage of Manipur
Even though Manipur is a tiny state in the North Eastern Fringes of India, she is exceedingly rich in natural resources with a vast and varied fauna heritage. This region is included in the same Zoological province as the forest region of the Himalayas with the same gradation from tropical to temperate vegetation. The distribution and character of animal life is also similar, but in addition distinctly Malayan type fauna is traceable all through the province with an intermingling of peculiar forms. This results in the diversity and peculiarity of the Wildlife found in Manipur.

Mammalian Fauna
Many of the species of animals found in Manipur are endemic, foremostamong them being the Sangai or the Brow Antlered Deer, Cervus Eldi Eldi,which in its unique Wetland ecosystem is restricted to Manipur only. Theother two related species have been reported from Myanmar and Thailand.The only ape found in India, the Hoolock Gibbon locally known as Yongmu,commonly occurs in all the five hill districts of Manipur. Similarly,the Slow Loris, the Stump Tailed Macaque, the Pig-Tailed Macaque are the other rare primates that occur in the forests of Manipur. Amongst the carnivores the Clouded Leopard and the Golden Cat are the rare, nocturnal animals found in Manipur. Spectacular big cats, the tiger and the leopard, still make a quiet living in the remote parts of the state. Of the two, the leopards are more common, whereas tigers are seldom reported now. The gigantic land animal, the elephant, makes seasonal migration into the State in the Indo-Myanmar border areas, along the Taret river course and also the western parts from Assam. The Himalayan Black Bear (Selenarctos thibetanus) is another schedule I animal that commonly occurs all over the hills of Manipur. The rare and elusive Malayan Sun Bear (Helarctos Malyanus) is restricted to the unique forests in the Indo-Myanmar border areas and inhabits the Yangoupokpi Lokchao Wildlife Sanctuary of Manipur. This animal is rarely found in India and a recent report in India Today magazine describes on such sighting in Arunachal Pradesh. Though the Malayan Sun bear resembles a Black Bear, it is smaller in size and can climb trees with the agility of a monkey.

If one were to take a tour of New Samtal, a small town in the Indo-Myanmar border areas, specially during the night, once can see herds of Bison, as well as of Sambhar, along the road. The Barking Deer, the commonest Cervus in Manipur prefers the hilly areas while the Hog Deer, another deer found the North-East India can be sighted at Keibul Lamjao National Park in Manipur. Serow (Capricornis sumatraensis) is another rarity in the wilderness of Manipur. The animal chooses to live in the most inhospitable area for man, but finds itself at ease on the steep slopes of rocky mountains in Tamenglong and Senapati Districts and Keilam hill ranges of Churachandpur District. The true badgers are not found in Asia. However, the Hog badgers and Ferret Badgers are the rarest South East Asian representatives. They are widely distributed in the hills of Manipur. Of the two, the Hog Badgers known as Nungok are more common in Manipur. The elusive lesser carnivore - the Ferret Badgers - are seldom sighted owing to its nocturnal mode of life, as well as its small population in the hills. The Pangolins, Bear Cats, Spotted Linsangs are the lesser schedule-I animals of Manipur, lesser when it comes to size alone. The Spotted Linsang found in the Barak watershed is very agile and quite beautiful to look at. And so is the Himalayan Yellow Throated Marten. The Pangolins are less commonly encountered in the Indo-Myanmar border areas and the Binturongs or Bear Cats though seldom sighted would be found in the forests of Senapati District.

Avi-Fauna
Birds, by their very being, take our imagination of a flight. Manipur should be proud of her rich avi-Fauna. All the members of phasinidae are colorful but Mrs. Hume‘s barred back Pheasant (Syrmaticus humiae) and Blyth‘s Tragopan found in Manipur are spectacular and stand out from the rest of the group. The Khaleej Pheasant found in Manipur is a rich mixture of steely black and white and is definitely quite elegant. The Burmese peafowls and jungle fowls are the other long feathered pheasants found in Manipur.