Kanha National Park, India
Posted in Asia | August 26, 2010 | Comment NowKanha National Park is also a tiger reserve in India. Nestled in the Balaghat and Mandla districts of Madhya Pradesh, this area was formerly divided into two different sanctuaries – Banjar and Hallon which measured around 300,000 sq meters and 250,000 square meters respectively.
Kanha National Park, as it is known today, was created in the year 1995, on the 1st of June. In its present day state, it stretches over around 940,000 square meters. It has a surrounding buffer zone which measures around 10,067,000 square meters. The neighboring Phen Sanctuary which covers around 110,000 square meters also is connected to the National Park.
The park is said to have a significant sprinkling of the Royal Bengal Tiger, sloth bears, the Indian Wild Dog and leopards. The bamboo and sal forests, coupled with the ravines of Kanha were what inspired Rudyard Kipling to write his oh-so-famous novel – Jungle Book.
Wildlife
Kanha National Park can boast of being home to around 22 different mammal species. Some of the inhabitants of this National Park would include the gaur, which is the world’s largest cattle specie; the sambar, which is the largest of the Indian deer; and the chausingha, the only four-horned antelope specie in the world. Some other frequent visitors will include the sloth bear, the Indian wild dog, the Nilgai antelope and you might occasionally spot a panther.
Other mammals would include
- Rhesus Macaque
- Indian Muntjac
- Wolf
- Striped Hyena
- Tiger
- Sloth Bear
- Gaur
- Small Indian Civet
- Bengal Fox
- Sambar
- Indian Palm Squirrel
- Four Horned Antelope (chausingha)
- Smooth-coated Otter
- Indian Hare
- Hanuman Langur
- Indian Grey Mongoose
- Wild Boar
- Swamp Deer
- Leopard
- Jungle Cat
- Nilgai
- Chital
- Indian Porcupine
- Blackbuck
- Indian Spotted Chevrotain
- Golden Jackal
- Dhole
Bird Watching
If you’re a bird watcher, and love the sighting of those winged guests, then the Kanha National Park has much for you. There are around 175 documented varieties of birds that can be seen when here. The terrain inside the park is said to be enjoyable, given the variety. Sal forests marry bamboo forests and meadows intersperse them.
Some of the major bird species that are found here would include –
- Purple Heron (Ardea Purpurea, Paddy Bird or Pond Heron)
- White-eyed Buzzard (Butastur Teesa)
- Shikra (Accipiter badius)
The label that India had earned herself as being a land of snake charmers and elephants may not be so true after all! She has a lot more to offer, claim the Park officials.
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