India's Wildlife Paradises

**Perfection** · 01-25-2007, 04:08 PM

India has 93 national parks and 486 wild life sanctuaries, which constitute about 4.7% of the entire country and play a paramount role in flora and fauna protection. National parks are higher category than sanctuaries. There are 14 biosphere reserves, established to conserve the diversity of ecosystems and promote research into ecological conservation. Most parks offer jeep/van tours, lion safari, elephant safari, boat trips, watch towers and hides for close up.

Dachigam National park, Srinagar, Jammu Kashmir

Corbett National Park, Nainital, Uttarakhand

Dudhwa National park, Lakhimpur kheri, Uttar pradesh

Desert sanctuary, Jaisalmer, Rajasthan
Sariska National park, Alwar, Rajasthan
Keoladeo Ghana National park, Bharatpur, Rajasthan
Rathambore National park, Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan
Gajner palace, Bikaner, Rajasthan

Wild ass sanctuary, Little rann of Kutch, Gujrat
Gir National park, Junagadh, Gujrat

Jaldapara wild life sanctuary, Jalpaiguri, West Bengal
Sunderbans National park, Port caning, West Bengal

Keibul Lam Jao National park, Manipur

Namdapha National park, Margherita, Arunachal Pradesh

Kaziranga National park, Jorhat, Assam
Manas Tiger reserve, Barpeta, Assam

Palamau Tiger reserve, Daltonganj, Jharkhand

Chilka sanctuary, Orissa
Bhitrarknkika wild life sanctuary, Baleshwar, Orissa
Simlipal National park, Mayurbhanj, Orissa

Kanha National park, Balaghat, Madhya Pradesh
Bandhavgarh National park, Shahdol, Madhya Pradesh

Nagarjunasagar sanctuary, Srisailam, Andhra Pradesh

Ranganthitoo bird sanctuary, Mysore, Karnataka
Bandipur National park, Mysore, Karnataka
Nagrhole National park, Corg, Karnataka

Gulf of Manner Marine National Park, Mandapam, Tamil Nadu
Annamalai wild life sanctuary, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu
Mudumalai sanctuary, Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu
Vedanthangal water bird sanctuary, Tamil Nadu

Periyar National park, Idukki, Kerala
Silent Valley National Park, Palakkad, Kerala
Muthanga wild life sanctuary, Wayanad, Kerala

**Perfection** · 01-27-2007, 04:12 PM

Area : 141 sq km, Season - April to Nov.

Commonly found animals are Leopard, Black bear, brown bear, serow, musk, deer, hangul etc.

**Perfection** · 01-29-2007, 12:39 PM

Area : 489.2 sq km, Season - Nov to May.

Commonly found animals are Tiger, sloth bear, panther, sambar, chital, nilgai, peafowl, jungle fowl, partridge, swamp deer, hog deer, barking deer etc.

**Perfection** · 01-31-2007, 12:53 AM

Area : 777 sq km, Season - Oct to April.

Commonly found animals are Tiger, panther, elephant, gaur, sloth bear, wild dog, nilgai, wild boar, sambar, barking deer etc.

**Perfection** · 01-31-2007, 01:13 PM

Area : 958 sq km, Season - Feb to June.

Commonly found animals are Tiger, panther, elephant, Chital, sambar, gaur, sloth bear, wild dog etc.

**Perfection** · 02-01-2007, 10:29 AM

Mudumalai sanctuary, Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu : 321 sq km, Season - Feb to June.

Commonly found animals are Tiger, panther, elephant, Chital, sambar, gaur, sloth bear, wild dog etc.

Vedanthangal water bird sanctuary, Tamil Nadu : 0.3 sq km, Season - Nov to Feb, vareity of water birds.

Located 82 km from Chennai in Kancheepuram district

**Perfection** · 02-27-2007, 01:17 AM

Area : 874.2 sq km, Season - Mar to Aug.

Commonly found animals are Tiger, panther, elephant, Chital, sambar, gaur, wild dog, barking deer, wild boar, jackal, sloth bear, Chousingha, Malabar squirrel etc.

**Perfection** · 02-28-2007, 01:42 AM

Area : 643.39 sq km, Season - Oct to Mar.

Commonly found animals are Tiger, panther, elephant, Chital, sambar, sloth bear, jungle fowl, Partridge etc.

**Perfection** · 03-01-2007, 12:45 AM

Ranganthitoo bird sanctuary, Mysore, Karnataka : 27 sq km, Season - July to Aug.

Commonly found birds are Open billed stork, white ibis, little egret, cattle egret, darter, coromorant, pond heron, river tern, spoon bill, crocodile etc.

**Perfection** · 03-02-2007, 12:44 AM

Bharatpur in Rajasthan is a small historical town with an 18 th century fort, 180 km from New Delhi. It is not, however, the fort that attracts the large number of visitors to this little town. Bharatpur also has nearly 29 sq. km of marshland that constitutes the Keoladeo national park.

Named after a temple within the sanctuary, the park is strewn with algae laden bunds, lakes and water channels, rotting tree stumps, thick green jungle foliage and miles of shrubs providing a feeding and breeding ground that birds find hard to resist. Over 328 varieties of birds have been spotted in the sanctuary. The beautiful Siberian crane is a regular visitor. Like many such parks, Keoladeo was originally a duck shooting preserve of the erstwhile Maharaja of Bharatpur. He banned shooting in 1964 and urged the government to declare the site a protected area. Bharatpur is regarded as a bird watchers' paradise. Pedal boats plying in the waters afford a closer look at the birds. Apart from the birds, one can also spot deer, wild boar, peacocks, and even the occasional python.

The sanctuary is 5 km south east of Bharatpur. The thorny babul trees, their tops high above the shallow water are ideal for making nests. The best way to watch the birds is by boats punted through the rushes. The best season for a visit is from October to February. The sunrise over the vast expanse of shallow water makes an excellent view.

Rajasthan photo gallery