Wildlife Conservation Efforts in India

Introduction

The Indian subcontinent boasts of serving as the
natural habitat of a large and varied
wildlife. The sub-continent with its varied
geographical spread from the Himalayas in
the north to the Cauvery basin in the south and the
Kutch region in the west to the
plains of Assam in East present a diverse range of
environmental conditions for some of the most
magnificent as well as the rarest wildlife species of
the world in India to exist.

The beauty and variety we see in the jungles of
India is difficult to be expressed in
words and I bring together the breadth through
pictures in this project. However, the
past few decades have seen the greed and
negligence of human beings working to the
detriment of this rich wildlife. Large-scale
poaching, habitat destruction and conflict with
humans have resulted in a rapid decline in the
population of most of the wild animals
and birds. Some animals like the Indian cheetah
due to this are now extinct
.
Conservation of Indian wildlife was not given the
requisite importance for a long time.
However, the government as well as the people
slowly and gradually understood their
responsibility in this context. Today, efforts are
being made towards wildlife conservation in India,
to preserve this natural wealth. Numerous wildlife
conservation projects have been undertaken in
India, both at the government as well as the
individual level, to protect the rich wildlife of the
subcontinent. The private sector has also started
stepping in as part of their corporate social
responsibility to bring about this change and
increase peoples awareness, e.g. The Save the
Tiger campaign by Aircel.

Importance of wildlife conservation
Due to the growing impact of deforestation,
continuous efforts are being made by some
anxious animal lovers to protect the endangered
species of wildlife as well as those that
are on the verge of extinction and thus save the
world from running out its green
heritage. Wildlife is important for four main
reasons:
Beauty: Wild life provides aesthetic value to man.
By their unique way of
existence, wild creatures exaggerate the natural
beauty of the earth.
Economic value: The financial value of wild
species is important to the economies of several
nations, as it provides many valuable substances
like wood and other plant products, fibers, meat
and other foods, and skins and furs. Many
wild plants provide useful substances like timber,
paper, gums etc. And they also
have wide applications in Ayurveda and other
branches of medicine.
Scientific value: Most important contribution of
wild life for human progress is availability of large
gene pool for the scientists to carry breeding
programmes in agriculture, animal husbandry and
fishery. By studying wildlife, scientists have
gained valuable knowledge about various life
processes and discovered important medical
products
Survival value: To maintain ecological 'balance of
nature' and maintain food
chain and nature cycles. Wildlife helps in
maintaining the balanced living systems
of earth, which consequently ensures survival of
life.
Wild life of a country is its cultural asset.

National Parks of India
The topography of Indian subcontinent is so varied
that it supports a wide variety of wildlife. There is a
huge population of animals as well as birds living
in the wild regions of the country. However, the
threat of poaching, along with habitat loss, has led
to a rapid decline in the population of wild animals.
To reverse this trend, numerous national
parks as well as wildlife sanctuaries have been set
up in India. These parks and sanctuaries are
serving as the natural abode of the majority of
wildlife and helping in the augmentation of their
population. In the following lines, I have covered
some of the famous Indian national park and
wildlife sanctuary in India and provided a list at the
bottom of the others covering most of them:

Bandhavgarh National Park
Bandhavgarh National Park is one of the popular
national parks in India located in the Umaria
district of Madhya Pradesh. Bandhavgarh was
declared a national park in 1968, with an area of
105 km. The buffer is spread over the forest
divisions of Umaria and Katni and totals 437 km.
The park derives its name from the most
prominent hillock of the area, which is said to be
given by Hindu Lord Rama to his brother
Lakshmana to keep a watch on Lanka (Ceylon),
hence the name Bandhavgarh. This park has a
large biodiversity. The density of the tiger
population at Bandhavgarh is one of the highest
known in India. The park has a large breeding
population of Leopards, and various species of
deer.

Bandipur National Park
Bandipur National Park is one of India's best
known protected areas and is an important
Project Tiger reserve. It is located in the
Chamarajanagar district of southern Karnataka
in South India, The park stretches over 874 square
kilometers (337 sq mi), protecting the wildlife of
Karnataka. Together with the adjoining Nagarhole
National Park (643 km2 (248 sq mi)), Mudumalai
National Park (320 km2 (120 sq mi)) and Wynad
Wildlife Sanctuary (344 km2 (133 sq mi)), it forms
the largest protected area in Southern India,
totaling 2,183 km2 (843 sq mi). It is notable as the
home to around seventy Bengal tigers, over three
thousand Indian elephants, Leopard, Sloth Bear,
Chevrotain, Dhole and Hyena. Prey species of
grazing Ungulates including Gaur, Sambar (deer),
Chital, Wild boar, Barking deer and Four-horned
Antelope.

Jim Corbett National Park
Jim Corbett National Park is the oldest national
park in India. The parknamed for the
hunter and conservationist Jim Corbett who played
a key role in its establishmentwas
established in 1936 as Hailey National Park.
Situated in Nainital district of Uttarakhand
the park acts as a protected area for the
endangered Bengal tiger of India, the secure
survival of which is the main objective of Project
Tiger, an Indian wildlife protection
initiative
The park has sub-Himalayan belt geographical
and ecological characteristics. An
ecotourism destination, it contains 488 different
species of plants and a diverse variety
of fauna. The increase in tourist activities, among
other problems, continues to present
a serious challenge to the park's ecological
balance.
The Jim Corbett National Park is a heaven for the
adventure seekers and wildlife
adventure lovers alike. Corbett National Park is
India's first national park which
comprises 520.8 km2. area of hills, riverine belts,
marshy depressions, grass lands and
large lake. The elevation ranges from 1,300 feet
(400 m) to 4,000 feet (1,200 m). Winter
nights in Corbett national park are cold but the
days are bright and sunny. It rains from
July to September.
Desert National Park
Desert National Park, Rajasthan, India, is situated
in the west Indian state of Rajasthan
near the town of Jaisalmer. This is one of the
largest national parks, covering an area of
3162 km. The Desert National Park is an
excellent example of the ecosystem of the
Thar Desert. Sand dunes form around 20% of the
Park. The major landform consists of
craggy rocks and compact salt lake bottoms,
intermedial areas and fixed dunes.
Despite a fragile ecosystem there exists an
abundance of birdlife. The region is a haven
for migratory and resident birds of the desert.
Many eagles, harriers, falcons, buzzards,
kestrel and vultures. Short-toed Eagles, Tawny
Eagles, Spotted Eagles, Laggar Falcons
and kestrels are the most common among these.
Sand grouse are spotted near small
ponds or lakes. The endangered Great Indian
Bustard is a magnificent bird found in
relatively fair numbers. It migrates locally in
different seasons. The most suitable time to
visit the area is between November and January.
The Desert National Park has a
collection of fossils of animals and plants of 180
million years old. Some fossils of
Dinosaurs of 6 million years old have been found
in the area.
Kaziranga National Park
Kaziranga National Park is a national park in the
Golaghat and Nagaon districts of the
state of Assam, India. A World Heritage Site, the
park hosts two-thirds of the world's
Great One-horned Rhinoceroses.[1] Kaziranga
boasts the highest density of tigers
among protected areas in the world and was
declared a Tiger Reserve in 2006. The
park is home to large breeding populations of
elephants, wild water buffalo, and swamp
deer.[2] Kaziranga is recognized as an Important
Bird Area by Birdlife International for
conservation of avifaunal species. Compared to
other protected areas in India,
Kaziranga has achieved notable success in wildlife
conservation. Located on the edge
of the Eastern Himalaya biodiversity hotspot, the
park combines high species diversity
and visibility.
Kaziranga is a vast expanse of tall elephant grass,
marshland, and dense tropical moist
broadleaf forests, crisscrossed by four major
rivers, including the Brahmaputra, and the
park includes numerous small bodies of water.
Kaziranga contains significant breeding
populations of 35 mammalian species, of which
15 are threatened as per the IUCN Red List. The
park has the distinction of being home
to the world's largest population of the Great
Indian One-Horned Rhinoceros (1,855),
Wild Asiatic Water Buffalo (1,666) and Eastern
Swamp Deer (468). Significant
populations of large herbivores include elephants
(1,940), gaur (30) and sambar (58).
Small herbivores include the Indian Muntjac, wild
boar, and hog deer. Kaziranga has the
largest population of the Wild water buffalo
anywhere accounting for about 57% of the
world population.
Kaziranga is one of the few wild breeding areas
outside Africa for multiple species of
large cats, such as Indian Tigers and Leopards.
Kaziranga was declared a Tiger
Reserve in 2006 and has the highest density of
tigers in the world (one per five km),
with a population of 86, as per the 2000 census.
Other felids include the Jungle Cat,
Fishing Cat, and Leopard Cats. Small mammals
include the rare Hispid Hare, Indian
Gray Mongoose, Small Indian Mongooses, Large
Indian Civet, Small Indian Civets,
Bengal Fox, Golden Jackal, Sloth Bear, Chinese
Pangolin, Indian Pangolins, Hog
Badger, Chinese Ferret Badgers, and Particolored
flying squirrels
Gir National Park
Gir National Park, is a forest and wildlife sanctuary
in Gujarat, India. Established in
1965, with a total area of 1412 km (about 258 km
for the fully protected area (the
national park) and 1153 km for the Sanctuary),
the park is located 65 km to the southeast
of Junagadh and 60 km to south west of Amreli.
It is the sole home of the pure Asiatic Lions
(Panthera leo persica) and is considered to
be one of the most important protected areas in
Asia due to its supported species. The
ecosystem of Gir, with its diverse flora and fauna,
is protected as a result of the efforts
of the government forest department, wildlife
activists and NGOs. The forest area of Gir
and its lions were declared as "protected" in the
early 1900s by the then Nawab of the
princely state of Junagadh. This initiative assisted
in the conservation of the lions whose
population had plummeted to only 15 through
slaughter for trophy hunting.
The count of 2,375 distinct fauna species of Gir
includes about 38 species of mammals,
around 300 species of birds, 37 species of reptiles
and more than 2,000 species of
insects.
The carnivores group mainly comprises Asiatic
lions, Indian Leopards, Sloth bears,
Indian Cobras, Jungle cats, Striped Hyenas,
Golden Jackals, Indian Mongoose, Indian
Palm Civets, and Ratels. Desert cats and Rusty-
spotted cats exist but are rarely seen.
The main herbivores of Gir are Chital, Nilgai (or
Bluebull), Sambar, Four-horned
Antelope, Chinkara and Wild boar. Blackbucks
from the surrounding area are
sometimes seen in the sanctuary.
Manas National Park
Manas National Park is a Wildlife Sanctuary,
UNESCO Natural World Heritage site, a
Project Tiger Reserve, an Elephant Reserve and a
Biosphere Reserve in Assam, India.
Located in the Himalayan foothills, it is contiguous
with the Royal Manas National park
in Bhutan. The park is known for its rare and
endangered endemic wildlife such as the
Assam Roofed Turtle, Hispid Hare, Golden Langur
and Pygmy Hog.Manas is famous
for its population of the Wild water buffalo.
Periyar National Park
Periyar National Park is a protected area in the
districts of Idukki and Pathanamthitta in
Kerala, south India. It is notable as an elephant
reserve and a tiger reserve. The
protected area covers an area of 925 km2 (357 sq
mi). 350 km2 (140 sq mi) of the core
zone was declared as the Periyar National Park in
1982.
The Park is known for its elephants. Altogether 62
different kinds of mammals have
been recorded in Periyar, including many
threatened ones. Periyar is a highly protected
tiger reserve and elephant reserve. There are an
estimated 53 tigers (2010) in the
reserve. Tourists also come here to view the
Indian elephants in the act of ablution and
playfulness by the Periyar lake. The elephant
number around 900 to 1000 individuals.
Other mammals found here include gaur, Bison,
sambar (horse deer), barking deer,
mouse deer, Dholes (Indian wild dogs),
mongoose, foxes and leopards.
Sariska National Park
The Sariska Tiger Reserve is a national park is
India locate in the Alwar district of the
state of Rajasthan. The topography of Sariska
supports scrub-thorn arid forests, dry
deciduous forests, rocks and grasses. This area
was a hunting preserve of the erstwhile
Alwar state and it was declared a wildlife reserve
in 1955. In 1978, it was given the
status of a tiger reserve making it a part of India's
Project Tiger scheme. The present
area of the park is 866 km. Some of the wildlife
found in the Sariska Tiger Reserve
include leopard, jungle cat, caracal, striped hyena,
golden jackal, chital, sambhar, nilgai,
chinkara, four-horned antelope 'chousingha'
(extinct), wild boar, hare, hanuman langur,
Rhesus monkeys, and plenty of bird species and
reptiles. Birds include Peafowl, Grey
Partridge, Bush Quail, Sand Grouse, Tree Pie,
Golden backed Wood Pecker, Crested
Serpent Eagle and the Great Indian Horned Owl.
Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary
The Keoladeo National Park or Keoladeo Ghana
National Park formerly known as the
Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary in Bharatpur, Rajasthan,
India is a famous avifauna sanctuary
that plays host to thousands of birds especially
during the winter season. Over 230
species of birds are known to have made the
National Park their home. It is also a major
tourist centre with scores of ornithologists arriving
here in the hibernal season. It was
declared a protected sanctuary in 1971. It is also a
declared World Heritage Site.These
diverse habitats are home to 366 bird species, 379
floral species, 50 species of fish, 13
species of snakes, 5 species of lizards, 7
amphibian species,7 turtle species, and a
variety of other invertebrates.
Sundarbans National Park
The Sundarbans National Park is a National Park,
Tiger Reserve, and a Biosphere
Reserve located in the Sundarbans delta in the
Indian state of West Bengal. This region
is densely covered by mangrove forests, and is
one of the largest reserves for the
Bengal tiger. It is also home to a variety of bird,
reptile and invertebrate species,
including the salt-water crocodile. The present
Sundarbans National Park was declared
as the core area of Sundarbans Tiger Reserve in
1973 and a wildlife sanctuary in 1977.
On May 4, 1984 it was declared a National Park.
The Sundarbans forest is home to more than 400
tigers. The Royal Bengal Tigers have
developed a unique characteristic of swimming in
the saline waters, and are famous for
their man-eating tendencies. Tigers can be seen
on the river banks sunbathing between
November and February. Apart from the Royal
Bengal Tiger; Fishing Cats, Leopard
Cats, Macaques, Wild Boar, Indian Grey
Mongoose, Fox, Jungle Cat, Flying Fox,
Pangolin, Chital, are also found in abundance in
the Sundarbans.
Threats to Wildlife
The major threats being faced by the wildlife in
India are:
The problem of overcrowding is one of the major
reasons for the depleting
population of wild animals in India. The wildlife
sanctuaries of India have become
overcrowded and their capacity has decreased to
quite an extent.
Tourism in the national parks of the country is
increasing day by day. One of the
reasons for this is a rise in the popularity of eco-
tourism and adventure tourism.
This has led to a growth in vehicle pollution and
wildlife road fatalities, apart from
leading to a damage of the natural habitat of birds
and animals.
With the increase in tourism, the parks have
witnessed an increase in wildfires
also. Innocent campfires started by visitors have,
more often than not, led to
menacing wildfires. These fires not only kill
animals, but also destroy their natural
habitat.
The wildlife of coastal areas is constantly
disturbed by personal watercrafts, like
jet skis or wave runners. These personal
watercrafts enter shallow waters and
expel nesting birds from their roosts. Such
activities are disturbing the mating
pattern of birds.
Releasing of chemicals and other toxic effluents
into the water bodies has led to
poisoning of the water. The animals and birds
drinking such water face a fatal
threat. Even the population of fish, living in such
water bodies, is declining at a
fast pace.
The climate changes taking place in the world
today, are affecting not only
humans, but also the wildlife. The natural habitat
as well as migration patterns of
the animals and birds is experiencing
disturbances.
Last but not the least, the threat of poaching has
been haunting the wildlife of
India since ages. Even after the establishment of
wildlife sanctuaries and national
parks, the threat of poaching has not been totally
eliminated.
Wildlife conservation projects and
programs
To promote wildlife awareness among the people,
the Indian government has started
various natural projects and programs such as
Project Tiger, Nature Camps and Jungle
Lodges. These projects not only help to preserve
our natural heritage, but encourage
eco-tourism as well.
Project Tiger was formed in 1972 and launched on
the 1st April 1973 at Corbett
National Park. Till date, the project has been the
most successful one in preserving the
tiger population at Tiger Reserves in
Bandhavgarh, Corbett, Pench, Ranthambhore,
Kanha, Bandipur, Panna, Dudhwa, Sunderbans,
Manas and Sariska. All these reserves
act as Conservation Centers for tigers in India.
Besides, there is the Gir National Park, the only
habitat for Asiatic lions in India. The
Kaziranga Wildlife Sanctuary is Assam is
renowned for protecting the endangered
onehorned
Rhinoceros. There's also Dachigam National Park,
which conserves the Hangul
or Kashmiri Stag.
Project Elephant, a centrally sponsored scheme,
was launched in February 1992 to
provide financial and technical support to major
elephant bearing states in India for
protection of elephants, their habitats and
corridors. The Project, involving 25 Elephant
Reserves across the country, is being
implemented in 13 States and Union Territories in
India, namely, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal
Pradesh, Assam, Jharkhand, Karnataka,
Kerala, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Orissa, Tamil
Nadu, Uttaranchal, Uttar Pradesh and
West Bengal.
The NGOs
There are also various NGOs working on wildlife
conservation in India such as Wildlife
Society of Orissa (Orissa), Rhino Foundation for
Nature (Assam), Friends of Forests
(Maharashtra), North Eastern Society for
Preservation of Nature and Wildlife (West
Bengal), Nature's Beckon (Assam), Nature
Conservation Society Amravati
(Maharashtra), The Friends of the Doon
(Uttaranchal) and Bali Nature and Wild Life
Conservation Society (West Bengal).
Summarization of the Wildlife
Conservation work done by the
Wildlife Protection Society of India
(WPSI)
WPSI collaborates with state governments to
monitor the illegal wildlife trade and
provide them with hands-on training and support to
combat poaching and the illegal
wildlife trade.
They conduct Wildlife Law Enforcement
Workshops for enforcement agencies. More than
4000 forest and police officers have received
training in more than 63 workshops
which have been held in 16 states across India.
They have also given specialist
presentations to the National Police Academy, the
Indian Institute of Criminology,
the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Indo-
Tibetan Border Police (ITBP),
Customs and Excise, the Wildlife Institute of India,
tiger reserve authorities, and
enforcement training centres.
The Wildlife Crime Database built by them
has details of over 19,100 wildlife cases and
is continuously updated with inputs from their
countrywide network of
investigators. This information plays a critical role
in the development of new
strategies to protect Indian wildlife.
o WPSI was the first organisation to expose the
workings of the shahtoosh
trade and its links with the trade in tiger parts.
They uncovered this trade
in the mid-1990s, while investigating the
smuggling of tiger bones, and
produced a path-breaking report on the subject in
1997 - Fashioned for
Extinction: An Expose of the Shahtoosh Trade.
Over the years, they have assisted in the arrests
of over 375 wildlife criminals
and seizures of massive amounts of illegal wildlife
products, particularly tiger
parts. Their Legal Program supported the
prosecution of over 151 wildlife court cases
in 13 Indian states. These include poaching and
trade cases that involve tiger
and other endangered species. They also file
petitions on important wildlife
conservation issues, including encroachments in
protected areas.
They support Conservation Projects for
species as varied as the tiger, otter and sea
turtle in the States of Assam, Chhattisgarh,
Jharkhand, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Uttarakhand and West Bengal.
They have now broadened the scope of their
activities to deal with other critical
issues such as human-animal conflict involving
tigers, leopards and elephants.
They also support research projects on issues as
diverse as tiger census
techniques, the ecological impact of forest
resource extraction, and the plight of
the snow leopard.
The most important aspect of the job now is in
constantly liaising with policy
makers and international conservation agencies,
particularly on issues
concerning poaching and the illegal wildlife trade.
WPSI has been in the forefront of media
campaigns to highlight the importance
of wildlife protection.
In 2005 and 2006, WPSI and the UK- based
Environmental Protection Agency
(EIA) carried out a joint investigation into the tiger
and leopard skin trade in the
Tibet Autonomous Region and other provinces in
China. Their findings revealed
a hitherto unknown scale of trade in Asian big cat
skins that were being traded
and worn as status symbols in Tibet. Our
investigations were compiled in a report
Skinning the Cat: Crime and Politics of the Big
Cat Skin Trade, published in
2006. The results of the investigation and
condemnation of the trade by the Dalai
Lama have since sparked a massive movement by
Tibetans to end the use of
wild animal skins
Annexure
Sampling of the wildlife of India
Indian subcontinent has a rich and varied
biodiversity to boast of. In fact, the country is
home to some of the most rare and magnificent
wild animals. Most of the wild animals
of India are being protected from poaching as well
as habitat loss through the numerous
national parks and wildlife sanctuaries. Indian
culture preaches respect for each and
every form of life, including wildlife. Still, greedy
individuals as well as the everincreasing
population are putting pressure on the peaceful
existence of Indian wild
animals. There are also a large number of resident
birds in India, some native and some
introduced. However, all of them today beautifully
reflect the rich natural life of the
country. One can also find some of the rarest wild
bird species in the subcontinent.
Numerous bird sanctuaries have been set up in
the country to provide the birds with a
natural habitat and augment their population.
Of the 1,228 species of birds found in India,
approximately 82 species have been listed
as threatened in the IUCN Red List of Threatened
Animals (IUCN 2006).
In this section, I have provided information on
some of the wild animals and birds from
India:
Indian Asiatic Lion
Asiatic Lions once used to roam around the area,
stretching from northern Greece,
across Southwest Asia, to central India. However,
today the natural habitat of the
majestic animal has been reduced to the Gir
forests of India only, making the Asiatic
Lion almost synonymous with the Indian Lion.
Bengal Tiger
Bengal tiger is a subspecies of tiger, which is
found in the Bengal region of the Indian
subcontinent. One of the most common tiger
subspecies, it is also found in a number of
other Asian countries, like Bangladesh, Nepal,
Bhutan, Myanmar, Tibet, etc.
Indian Black Buck
Indian black buck is also known by a number of
other names like Kala Hiran, Sasin,
Iralai Maan and Krishna Jinka. The scientific name
of the black buck antelope is
Antilope cervicapra and it natural habitat is the
Indian subcontinent.
Indian Clouded Leopard
Clouded leopards belong to the Neofelis genus
and have the scientific name of Neofelis
nebulosa. The average lifespan of a clouded
leopard is 11 years in the wild. However, in
cases of captivity, it may go upto 17 years.
Indian Elephant
Indian elephant, known with the scientific name of
'Elephas maximus indicus', is a
subspecies of the Asian Elephant. It is mainly
found in the Indian subcontinent that to in
the scrub forested areas.
Indian Leopard
Indian leopard is one of the 8-9 valid leopard
subspecies found throughout the world.
Known by the scientific name of Panthera pardus,
it is the fourth largest of the four 'big
cats' of the Panthera genus.
Indian Rhinoceros
Indian Rhinoceros holds the distinction of being
the fourth largest animal, after the three
elephant species. Known by the scientific name of
Rhinoceros unicornis, the animal is
found in only two places in the world, Assam
(India) and Nepal.
Indian Snow Leopard
Snow leopard is a native animal of mountain
ranges of central and southern Asia,
including India. It is also known as Ounce and has
a scientific name of "Panthera
uncia". Snow leopards can live for a maximum of
18 years in then wild.
Peacock
Blue peacock is regarded as one of the most
beautiful birds throughout the world. It is
also the National Bird of the Indian subcontinent.
Peacock is the name given to a male
peafowl, while the female is known as Peahen.
Scientifically known as Pavo cristatus
(Linnaeus), the Peafowl of India is a swan-sized
bird, with a long and slender neck.
Crested Serpent Eagle
Indian Crested Serpent Eagle, a member of
Accipitridae family, is scientifically known
as Spilornis cheela. It is a specialist reptile eater,
which mainly hunts snakes and
lizards.
Greylag Goose
Greylag goose, Anser anser, is one of the Old
World species of birds and was known in
the pre-Linnean times as Wild Goose. It has
ancestral relations with the domesticated
geese of Europe and North America. Gray Lag
Goose is a very frequent winter visitor to
the north regions of the Indian subcontinent.
Great Indian Hornbill
Greater Indian Hornbill is considered to be the
largest member of the hornbill family.
Scientifically known as Buceros bicornis, it is
usually found inhabiting the forests of
Indian subcontinent, the Malay Peninsula and
Sumatra, Indonesia. The average
lifespan of the Great Pied Hornbill of India exceeds
35 years and may go upto 50 years
in captivity.
Heron
Indian heron belongs is a member of the large
wading bird family, known as Ardeidae. It
is found mostly inhabiting the tropical and sub-
tropical areas. However, Indian herons
can also be seen in temperate areas. There is one
major characteristic that
distinguishes herons from the other birds.
Jungle Bush Quail
Jungle bush quail bird is one of the species of
quails found in South Asia. The bird is
usually seen in small coveys and is quite shy by
nature. One can get a glimpse of the
Jungle bush quails of India mainly when they burst
out into flight from under the
vegetation.
Stork
Indian stork is one of the 17 different species of
storks found throughout the world. The
only continent where storks are not found is that of
Antarctica. The natural habitat of the
storks comprises of Indian fields, savannas and
marshes
Listing of the balance national
parks in the country:
Dachigam National Park
Dachigam National Park is located 22 kilometers
from Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir. It
covers an area of 141 square kilometers. The
name of the park literally stands for "ten
villages" which could be in memory of the ten
villages that were relocated for its
formation.
The park has been a protected area since 1910,
first under the care of the Maharaja of
Jammu and Kashmir and later under the
observation of the concerned government
authorities. It was initially created to ensure clean
drinking water supply for the city of
Srinagar. It was finally upgraded and declared a
National Park in the year 1981. The
main animal species that Dachigam is most
famous for is the Hangul, or the Kashmir
Stag.
Kanha National Park
Kanha National Park is a national park and a Tiger
Reserve in the Mandla and Balaghat
districts of Madhya Pradesh, India. In the 1930s,
Kanha area was divided into two
sanctuaries, Hallon and Banjar, of 250 and 300
km . Kanha National Park was created
on 1 June 1955. Today it stretches over an area of
940 km in the two districts Mandla
and Balaghat. Together with a surrounding buffer
zone of 1,067 km and the
neighboring 110 km Phen Sanctuary it forms the
Kanha Tiger Reserve. This makes it
the largest National Park in Central India.
The park has a significant population of Royal
Bengal Tiger, leopards, the sloth bear,
Barasingha and Indian wild dog. The lush sal and
bamboo forests, grassy meadows
and ravines of Kanha provided inspiration to
Rudyard Kipling for his famous novel
"Jungle Book "
Nagarhole National Park
Nagarhole National Park also known as "Rajiv
Gandhi National Park", is a national park
located in Kodagu district and Mysore district in
Karnataka state in South India.
This park was declared the thirty seventh Project
Tiger tiger reserve in 1999. It is part of
the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. The Western Ghats
Nilgiri Sub-Cluster of 6,000 km2
(2,300 sq mi), including all of Nagarhole National
Park, is under consideration by the
UNESCO World Heritage Committee for selection
as a World Heritage Site.
The park has rich forest cover, small streams, hills,
valleys and waterfalls. The park has
a healthy tiger-predator ratio, with many tigers,
Indian bison and elephants. is situated
at the southern tip of Karnataka. Sharing its
boundary with Bandipur National Park, the
park covers an area of approximately 643 km.
Nanda Devi National Park
The Nanda Devi National Park is a national park
situated around the peak of Nanda
Devi, 7,817 m (25,646 ft) in the state of
Uttarakhand in northern India that was
established in 1982. Along with the adjoining
Valley of Flowers National Park to the
northwest, it was inscribed a World Heritage Site
by UNESCO in 1988.
Nanda Devi National Park covers an area of
630.33 km2 (243.37 sq mi) and together
with Valley of Flowers National Park is
encompassed in the Nanda Devi Biosphere
Reserve totaling a protected area of 2,236.74 km2
(863.61 sq mi), which is surrounded
by a buffer zone of 5,148.57 km2 (1,987.87 sq
mi).This Reserve is part of the UNESCO
World Network of Biosphere Reserves since 2004.
The park encompasses the Nanda Devi
Sanctuary, a glacial basin surrounded by a ring
of peaks between 6,000 metres (19,700 ft) and
7,500 m (24,600 ft) high, and drained by
the Rishi Ganga through the Rishi Ganga Gorge, a
steep, almost impassable defile. The
entire park lies at an elevation of more than 3,500
m (11,500 ft) above mean sea level.
Rajaji National Park
Rajaji National Park is an Indian national park that
encompasses the Shivaliks, near the
foothills of the Himalayas. It is spread over 820
km.,[1] and three districts of
Uttarakhand: Haridwar, Dehradun and Pauri
Garhwal. In 1983, three wildlife sanctuaries
in the area namely, Chilla, Motichur and Rajaji
sanctuaries were merged into one.
The Park is predominantly formed from dense
green jungles, and this environment
forms a habitat for a number of animals. The Park
is at the northwestern limit of
distribution for both elephants and tigers in India,
and has the largest population of
elephants in Uttarakhand.
Ranthambore National Park
Ranthambore National Park is one of the largest
national parks in northern India. It is
situated in Sawai Madhopur district of
southeastern Rajasthan, about 110 km north east
of Kota and 180 km south east of Jaipur, which is
also the nearest airport. The nearest
town and railway station is at Sawai Madhopur,
about 11 km away and Kota is the
another convenient Station as all the train stops at
Kota which is 110 km from
Ranthambore. RIDCOR operates a mega highway
between Kota to Ranthambore.
Ranthambore was established as the Sawai
Madhopur Game Sanctuary in 1955 by the
Government of India, and was declared one of the
Project Tiger reserves in 1973.
Ranthambore became a national park in 1980. In
1984, the adjacent forests were
declared the Sawai Man Singh Sanctuary and
Keladevi Sanctuary, and in 1991 the tiger
reserve was enlarged to include Sawai Man Singh
and Keladevi sanctuaries.
Ranthambore wildlife sanctuary is known for its
tigers and is one of the best places in
India to see these majestic predators in the jungle.
Tigers can be easily spotted even
during the day time. A good time to visit
Ranthambore National Park is in November
and May when the nature of the dry deciduous
forests makes sightings common. Its
deciduous forests were once a part of the
magnificent jungles of Central India.
The park lies at the edge of a plateau, and is
bounded to the north by the Banas River
and to the south by the Chambal River. There are
several lakes in the park. It is named
for the historic Ranthambhore fortress, which lies
within the national park. The park
covers an area of 392 km, and is known for its
tiger population, and is one of India's
Project Tiger reserves. Other major wild animals
include leopard, nilgai, wild boar,
sambar, hyena, sloth bear and chital. It is also
home to wide variety of trees, plants,
birds and reptiles. Ranthambore is also the site for
one of the largest banyan trees in
India.