Hazaribagh Sanctuary: Bihar
Nestled in low hilly terrain, at an average altitude of 1800ft. Hazaribagh Wildlife Sanctuary stretches over 184 sq. kms. of plains, undulating country, steep hills and deep nullahs with tropical forests and grass meadows.
Fauna: An abundance of wild animals is a very pleasant sight. Wild bear, Nilgai, Chital and Kakar can be seen at dusk and dawn, gambolling and enjoying themselves in the waters of the lake. The tiger and panther, exclusive attractions at this sanctuary demand extreme patience from the viewer. Hazaribagh perhaps holds more Sambhars than any other area of comparable size. The 1970 census has established the presence of 14 tigers, 25 Panthers and 400 Sambars.
Palamau Tiger Reserve: Bihar
Spread over an area of approximately 1026 sq. km., Palamau Tiger Reserve is located within the civil administrative district of Palamau in the South Chhotanagpur plateau of Bihar. The core area of the sanctuary has been declared as Betla National park (232 sq. kms). The undulating terrain is set off by sal forests and thickets of bamboo. The circuitous Koel River and its tributaries meander through the park.
Fauna: Palamau has the distinction of being the forest where the world's first tiger census was conducted by way of pugmarks, in 1934. Large herds of Gaur & Chital are commonly seen. Elephants are present mostly after the monsoon upto the time when the water holes begin to dry up in March. Tiger, Panther, Sloth Bear, Wild Bear, Sambar, Nilgai, Deer are also permanent residents.
Palamau National Park is now a part of one of nine tiger reserves in India, under "Project Tiger”. Man-animal conflicts, caused largely by elephants are a major problem and pose Project Tiger with one of its greatest challenges.
Sultanpur National Park: Haryana
Located 46 kms from Delhi, Sultanpur National Park, is just a- short drive away from the Delhi - Jaipur Highway. A stretch of marshy land has been remodelled. The artificial mounds have turned into green glades. The marsh has been converted into a water body. A number of organisms like crustaceans, fish and insects thrive during floods, which attract a number of birds to this area.
Fauna: The park is home to a large range of birds, both resident and migratory. Migratory geese and Siberian cranes spend the winter in Sultanpur and there are also the demoiselle cranes, ruddy shelducks, pelicans, flamingoes, bar-headed geese, grey lags, gadwalls, mallards, pochards, shovellers and teals. Local species include plovers, red-wattled lapwings, herons, cormorants, white ibises, spoonbills and painted storks. Other wildlife in the park include blackbuck, nilgai, hog deer, sambar, wild dog or dhole, caracal, wild cat, hedgehog, mongoose, striped hyena, Indian porcupine, rattle/honey badger, leopard, wild pig, and four horned antelope.
Namdhapa National Park (Arunachal Pradesh)
Namdapha National Park is situated in Arunachal Pradesh and famous for the extremely elusive snow and the clouded leopard. This Namdapha park is also the tiger reserve under Project Tiger. The inhabitants of the park which could be listed over there are the gaur or mithun, elephant, Himalayan black bear, takin, the wild goat peculiar to the Patkoi range, musk deer, slow loris, binturong and the red panda. Several primate species like the Assamese macaque, pig-tailed macaque, stump-tailed macaque and the hoolock gibbon can be found in the area.
Keibul Lam Jeo National Park - Near Imphal - Manipur
This unusual wilderness is the home of the Sangai or Manipur brow- antlered deer. Once hunting reserve for waterfowl, the tiny park is just 40 sq. km. in area. It was declared a sanctuary in 1954 when numbers of the highly localised Sangai became dangerously depleted. The graceful deer, noted for their curved antlers, live on the floating vegetation on the Logtak Lake, 32 km south of Imphal.
Sunderban National Park: Calcutta - West Bengal
Located in the Ganga delta in West Bengal, spanning the Hooghly in the west and Teulia river in the east, Sunderbans was declared a National Park in 1984. The park covers a vast stretch of mangrove swamp, lush forested islands and small rivers near the Bay of Bengal. Most of the region comprises estuarine mangrove forests and swamps which supports an ecosystem specially adapted to great salinity.
Fauna: Sunderbans is home to the magnificent Royal Bengal tiger, the park holding more tigers than any other tiger reserve. More than 400 tigers were recorded during the mid-1980s. Project tiger has also launched a programme to protect the Olive Ridley sea turtles. Crocodiles and the gangetic dolphin are to be found aplenty in the Raimgangal river. The Sajnakhali sanctuary, famous for its rich avian population, is regarded as a part of the Sunderbans National Park.
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Disclaimer : The information on this site is meant as an aid to students and fellow veterinarians and should be used for educational purposes only. The views expressed are solely that of the author and should not be construed to be that of his employer or any other organization.