Lots
of beautiful cliches abound here - forts & monuments, rivers, temples,
tulip fields and lot more. However when it comes to real thrill, excitement
and fun we automatically move to the wildlife in India because it is home to
rich diversity of wildlife supplemented by an amazing variety of flora and
fauna. The roar of a tiger, peacock's dance are an experience unparalleled.
India offers a great scope of wildlife tourism as it comprises of more than
70 national parks and about 400 wildlife sanctuaries including the bird
sanctuaries. These wildlife parks here are indeed the best spots for the
wildlife lovers. Catch with the parks some of the endangered and rare
species like Asiatic Elephant, lion, Bengal tiger, Siberian cranes can be
seen and relished.
Wildlife Parks in India
Kaziranga
National Park - The Kaziranga National Park is situated in the
east of Guwahati, Assam. It covers an area of 688 sq. kilometers. The park
was established in the year 1908 and was declared a national park in 1974.
The park is the favourite abode of the one-horned rhinos. A wide variety
snakes are also found here. Apart from rhinos wild buffaloes, swamp deer,
hog deer, wild boar, langur and ratel are also found here in a pleasant
number.
Manas
National Park - Manas National Park is located in Guwahati, Assam.
It is spread in 391 sq. km. It was declared a sanctuary in 1928. The park is
also designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The park houses a number of
endangered species. Butterflies and reptiles are also found in large
numbers.
Gir National Park & Sanctuary - The Gir National
Park & Sanctuary is located in the Saurashtra peninsula of Gujarat in
western India. The park is the abode of about 300 Asiatic lions. Here the
lion can be seen in its natural habitat. The park is spread in over 116
square mile.
Bandhavgarh National Park - The Bandhavgarh National
Park is located in the state of Madhya Pradesh. The park is known for
holding the highest density of tiger population in India. The park is also
famous as a White Tiger territory. Apart from the tigers, Nilgai, Barking
Deer and Sambar are also found here. In the year 1968, the park was declared
a national park.
The park is home to a diverse variety of flora and fauna. Macaque,
Porcupine, Langur, Golden Jackal, Indian Gazelle, Bengal Wolf, Fox, Ratel,
Sloth Bear, Indian Grey Mongoose, Small Indian Mongoose, Ruddy Mongoose,
Small Indian Civet, Common Palm Civet, Striped Hyena, Jungle Cat, Leopard,
Tiger, Wild Boar, Indian Muntjac, Gaur, Indian Pangolin, Northern Palm
Squirrel, Hare, Chital, Four-horned Antelope, Blackbuck etc can be relished
here.
Kanha National Park - The park is located in the
Mandla district of Madhya Pradesh. It was 1955 that the park was declared as
a national park. Wide variety of wild animals are found here. The park is
spread over 940 square kilometers. Kanha is the last and only home of the 12
tined swamp deer or barasinghas.
Kanha is noted widely for its Tiger population. Apart from tigers there are
several other wild animals like Leopard, Gaur or Indian Bison, Wild Pig,
Antelope, Black Buck, Barking Deer, Spotted Deer, Swamp Deer, Spotted Dear,
Chousingha, Barasingha, Jackal, Fox, Nilgai, Porcupine, Gray Langurs,
Mongoose, Hyena, Jungle Cat etc. The park also has a rich avian population
that includes about 175 different varieties of birds. Some of them are:
Green Pigeons, Rock Pigeons, Partridges, Orioles, Hoopoes, Pond Herons,
Spotted Parakeets.
Ranthambore National Park - This park is also famous
for its tiger population. It was once a hunting ground for the Maharajas. In
1980, Ranthambore was declared a national park. The park is spread over an
area of 400 sq. km. Ranthambore is also the abode of other wildlife like the
Antelope, Nilgai, Sambhar, Chital, Sloth Bear, Wild Boar, Chinkara,
Porcupine, Jackal, Leopard, Jungle Cat and marsh Crocodile. Its watering
holes also play host to species of both resident and migratory birds.
Periyar Wildlife Park -The Periyar Wildlife Par is
located in the state of Kerala. It is spread in an area of 778 sq. km. The
Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary was established in 1934 as the Nelliampatty
Sanctuary.
Tigers are the prime attraction of the park. Apart from it, other animals
that are found in the park include Elephants, Tigers, Otters, Nilgiri
Langurs, Common Langurs, Bonnet Macaques, Lion Tailed Macaque, Malabar
Squirrel, Wild Boar, Sambar, Barking Deer, Mouse Deer, Nilgiri Tahr, Dhole,
porcupines, Gaur and Sloth Bears.
Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary - The sanctuary is also
known as Keoladeo Ghana National Park. It is located in the state of
Rajasthan. The park is known for its great variety of migratory birds,
specially the Siberian cranes. Around 380 species of birds are found here.
