The wildlife National parks
in India spread across the
country offer a fascinating
diversity of terrain, flora
and fauna. India has preserved
vast tracts of forests and
habitats in its 80 National
Parks and 441 Wildlife Sanctuaries.
Each National park are famous
for its Wildlife Population.
Now swap Deer are restricted
to Kaziranga & Dudhwa
national park.
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In Rajasthan the Tiger reserves
of Sariska, near Alwar &
Ranthambore National Park,
along the foothills of Himalaya,
are two important Tiger
reserves. Corbett National
Park, is 7 hour drive northeast
of Delhi.In Madhya Pradesh
there are is an excellent
park, with good private
facilities & game viewing
from Elephant back &
Jeep.
The Kanha National Park,
160 Km south of Jabalpur.
In Karnataka near Kabini
Lake is the Nagarhole National
Park. So next time you travel
to India, take a refuge
in the quietude along with
the wildlife and watch the
exuberance of thebountiful
nature in India.
Flora
India has a mind-boggling
diversity of vegetation
and wildlife. As many as
16 forest types are found
in India, with over 15,000
species of plants. However,
the impressive statistics
are fast dwindling, and
if measures are not taken
to check deforestation,
it won’t be long before
barren stretches replace
jungles.
The Himalayan belt is a
botanist’s delight.
The thick tropical forests
in the eastern region of
India are in sharp contrast
to the pine and coniferous
woodlands of the western
Himalayas. Natural cover
varies with altitude; evergreen
forests with mainly high
alpine meadows nearer the
snowline have more of temperate
forests in the lower elevations.
The chir pine (Pinus roxburghii)
grows throughout the northwest
Himalayas, with the exception
of Kashmir. Chilgoza (pine
nut), oak, maple, ash (Fraxinus
xanthoxyloides) grow abundantly
in the Inner Himalayas.
The rain-soaked foothills
are covered with deciduous
trees, shrubs, fern and
grass. The Brahmaputra Valley
also wears patches of tea
plantations and fluorescent-green
rice fields, while mulberry
trees on which tussar silk
worms are bred, abound on
the slopes.
The most luxuriant rain
forests, however, lie on
the southwestern coast,
in Kerala – where
the lagoons are canopied
by coconut trees, leading
to the longest uninterrupted
stretch of rain forests
in the country. The andaman
Islands and Arunachal Pradesh
are other regions with well
preserved rain forests.
Dense sandal, teak and sisoo
(Dalbergia sissoo) forests,
where elephants roam wild
and free, flourish on the
wet Karnataka plateau. Nudging
this is the dry Telengana
plateau in Andhra Pradesh,
which offers only thorny
scrub and wild Indian date
palm.
The Thar Desert presents
a very different picture.
The trees are short and
stout, stunted by the scorching
sun. Apart from cacti, there
are the reunjha (Acacia
leucophloea), khejra (Prosopis
spicigera), kanju (Holoptelia
integrifolia) and ak (Calotropis
gigantea).
Tropical moist deciduous
forests that cover most
of the heartland are interspersed
with tropical dry deciduous
trees. The species include
sal (Shorea robusta), teak
(Tectona grandis), semul
(Bombax ceiba), laurel,
rosewood, mahua (Madhuca
indica), amla (Emblica officinalis),
khair (Acacia catechu),
common bamboo, to name just
a few.
Fauna
The plant kingdom is not
the only ‘endangered
species’. India’s
rich fauna is known the
world over, but sadly many
species either live in very
restricted habitats, or
are on the verge of extinction.
The threats to Indian wildlife
are legion.
Even though India is known
for its tigers, elephants
and rhinoceros, it is home
to over 500 mammal species.
Antelopes and deer like
the chinkaras (Indian Gazelle),
barasinghas (swamp deer),
chitals (spotted deer),
muntjacs (barking deer)
and sambars (India’s
largest deer) can easily
be spotted in forests and
wildlife reserves. Other
animals that are easy to
spot include buffaloes,
massive Indian bisons (gaurs),
striped hyenas, wild pigs,
jackals, Indian foxes and
wild dogs. Among the smaller
mammals are mongooses and
giant squirrels. Big cats
include leopards and panthers,
short-tailed jungle cats,
and the beautiful leopard
cats. Monkeys are a very
common sight, especially
around temples.
The country also has about
2000 species and sub-species
of birds. The numerous sanctuaries
across the country are not
only breeding colonies for
these feathered creatures,
but serve as resorts for
migratory birds from higher
altitudes, as well. Add
to all this over 500 species
of reptiles and amphibians.
King cobras, pythons, crocodiles,
large freshwater tortoises
and monitor lizards are
only some of them. There
are also some 30,000 insect
species, including some
very stunning butterflies.
Look around a bit on a bright
summer morning, and you’ll
know what we mean.