Wildlife India —» Wildlife Parks & Sanctuary

Set high in the ranges of the Western Ghats, in Kerala, is the Periyar National Park and Tiger Reserve. The park has a picturesque lake at the heart of the sanctuary. Formed with the building of a dam in 1895, this reservoir meanders around the contours of the wooded hills, providing a perennial source of water for the local wildlife.

Herds of elephant and sambar, gaur and wild pigs wander down to the lakeside and can be observed from the launches that cruise the lake. In March and April, during the driest period here, the animals spend a lot of time near the lake and the elephants can be seen bathing and swimming in the reservoir.

A glimpse may be had even of the tiger during this season, as it comes to the water. Periyar also harbors the leopard, wild dog, barking deer and mouse deer. On the rocky outcrops along the lake, monitor lizards can be seen basking in the sun.

Visitors who trek into the Park often see a python and sometimes even a king cobra. Among the unusual species found at Periyar are the flying lizard and the flying snake. With wings of orange or yellow, the flying lizard is seen as it glides from one tree to the other. The flying snake is also brilliantly colored in yellow and black with a pattern of red rosettes.

The lake attracts birds like the darter, cormorant, grey heron and ibis and they are seen perched on the snags of dead wood that dot the lake. The great Malabar hornbill and grey hornbill are often seen flapping their ponderous way between trees. There are kingfishers, ospreys and kites as well as orioles, hill mynas, racket tailed drongos, parakeets, including the unusual blue winged parakeet and fly catchers.

The liquid notes of the Malabar whistling thrush and the loud call of the hornbills are distinctive amid the normal sounds of the jungle. Four species of primates are found at Periyar - the rare lion tailed macaque, the Nilgiri langur, common langur and bonnet macaque. Though this is also the habitat of the Nilgiri tahr, this elusive goat is rarely seen.

The animals are viewed from motor launches on the lake and from watchtowers. A summer palace of the former Maharaja of Travancore, set along the lake, is a hotel and a fine place to stay.

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Bandipur National Park

Halfway down the Mysore-Ooty highway, the Deccan Plateau rises to meet the wrinkled folds of the Western Ghat mountains. Here lies one of India's best-known wildlife reserves - Bandipur National Park. It is situated within Chamarajanagar district in the southern Indian state of Karnataka, and abuts the states of Tamil Nadu & Kerala. Endowed with a moderate climate and diverse geographical features, the park supports a remarkable variety of flora and fauna, making it a veritable paradise for wildlife.

In 1973, Bandipur became one of the first of India's Tiger Reserves and thesouthernmost of the nine reserves specially established under Project Tiger. In 1974, intention was declared under the Wildlife Protection Act to notify it as a National Park.

The ideal time to visit the Bandipur National Park is between the months of April and October.

How to Get there:

Air : The nearest airport is at Bangalore which is 220 km from Bandipur.
Rail : Mysore is nearest railhead, at a distance of 80-kms.
Road : 220 km from Bangalore; 80 km from Mysore; 80 km from Ooty.


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Sunderbans National Park

The vast swampy delta of the two Great Indian rivers, the Brahmaputra and the Ganga, extend over a vast area. Mangrove forests, swamps and forested islands are interwoven with a network of small rivers and rivulets.

The Sunderbans National Park, covering about 1330.10 sq km, from this core of this area. This mostly estuarine mangrove forest is the habitat of nearly 200 Royal Bengal tigers. Bangladesh lies to the east of the Park and it is estimated that the combined population of tigers in the region could well be about 400 in number.

Adapting itself to the saline and watery environment, the tigers at the Park are good swimmers and practically amphibious! Traversing the mangroves by motor launch is quite an experience, for the area is completely unspoiled and very different from the more conventional wildlife park.

The estuarine crocodile is often seen along the mud banks but owing to the dense undergrowth the tiger is rarely sighted. The Park is also noted for its conservation of the Ridley sea turtle.

How to Get Here :
Air: Kolkata (Calcutta) (112 km)
Rail: Canning (48 km)


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Panna National Park

Previously a hunting reserve of the Panna family, the area was declared a national park in 1981.The main attraction of the parks are tiger, sloth bear, wolf, chital, chinkara and samber.

General Information :

Location :
Encompassing the forest divided by the Ken river flowing north to join the Yamuna.

Size :
209 sq miles ( 543 sq km ).

Best time to Visit :
January to May.

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Keoladeo Ghana National Park

Just 176 km. from Delhi is a very special wilderness - the Keoladeo Ghana National Park, one of the finest water-bird sanctuaries in the world. The 28.73 sq. km. lake and wetland was artificially created by the Maharaja of Bharatpur in the 19th century. By building small dykes and dams and diverting water from an irrigation canal, he converted this low lying area into a fine wild fowl shooting preserve. In a few years, the new wetland surrounded by marginal forests was able to support thousands of water birds.

Commonly referred to as Bharatpur, the Park is a delight for bird watchers. Over 300 species of birds are found here and raised paths, camouflaged by babul trees and undergrowth make viewing easy. A quiet ride by boat in the early hours of the morning is also an unforgettable experience. There are mixed heronries on the half submerged babul trees and the cacophony is unbelievable as painted storks, open bills, spoon bills, egrets, cormorants, white ibis and multitudes of others, tend their young.

Jacanas with their iridescent colors and elegant tail feathers and purple moorhen can be seen delicately treading over the floating vegetation. While harriers and fishing eagles circle overhead in search of prey, the pied kingfisher hovers dramatically over the water in a flurry of wings. There are varieties of storks and cranes and the local sarus crane is elegant in a livery of grey and red. Every year Bharatpur waits with coated breath for the arrival of the Siberian cranes.

There are only two wintering places for this rare species -one in Iran and the other Bharatpur and these beautiful birds with their distinctive red beaks and facial patches, fly over 6400 km from their summer retreats in Siberia, to get to them. In 1996, there was great jubilation as a couple of Siberian cranes with a young one made an appearance in Bharatpur after a lapse of three years.

The forests around the lake at Bharatpur harbor the sambar, chital, nilgai, jackal, hyena, fox, mongoose and porcupine. Occasionally, a fishing cat can be seen scooping its prey also commonly seen sunning themselves along edge of the paths or at Python Point.

How to Get Here :
Air: Agra (50 km)
Rail: Bharatpur (2 km)


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