My Science School

Bandipur was once a private hunting reserve of the Maharaja of Mysore. It is now a national park that was established in 1974 as a tiger reserve under Project Tiger. It is surrounded by Nagarhole National Park, Mudumalai National Park and Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary. All of these together form the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, the largest habitat of wild elephants in south Asia.

Bandipur lies between Mysore and Ooty, two most popular tourist destinations in South India. There are many wildlife fatalities caused by vehicles every year. There is a ban on traffic from 9 pm to 6 am to help bring down the death rate of wildlife.

Bandipur has the second highest tiger population in India.

 

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Two thirds of the world’s population of endangered Indian one-horned rhinoceros find a home in Kaziranga National Park. It was declared as a tiger reserve in 2006 as it holds the highest density of tigers in the world. Along with rhinos and tigers, one can also spot elephants, wild water buffaloes and swamp deer.

Taking its rich wildlife into consideration, Kaziranga was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1954. Twenty years later, it was given the status of a national park. The Park is situated on the banks of the river variety of migratory and inhabitant birds.

There is an interesting tale about the formation of Kaziranga. Mary Curzon, the wife of Lord Curzon of Kedleston, the Viceroy of India, once visited Kaziranga to see the Indian one-horned rhinoceros. But she wasn’t able to spot even one. She then persuaded her husband to take urgent measures to protect the dwindling species, which he did by creating the Park.

 

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Gir forest is home to the Asiatic lion, one of the most threatened species on Earth. In the nineteenth century, this majestic creature was nearly wiped out from almost all of Asia due to practices like hunting. Approximately 20 lions were left in Gir in 1913. Thanks to the kind effort of the Nawab of Junagarh who protected them in his own private hunting grounds, the population soared up to 523 as per the census of 2015.

Besides Africa, Gir National Park is the only place in the world where you can spot lions roaming free in the wild. The entire forest area of the Gir National Park is dry and deciduous providing the best habitat for Asiatic Lions. Apart from the lions, it shelters around 300 leopards and the chowsingha, the world’s only four horned antelope.

 

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Fabled for its tigers, Jim Corbett is the oldest national park in India. When it was established in 1936, it was known as Hailey National Park.

Jim Corbett hosts a healthy population of tigers and rare species like otters and the endemic fish eating crocodile. Bengal tigers, although plentiful, are not easily spotted because they are good at camouflaging beyond the foliage. Thick jungle, the Ramganga River and plentiful prey make this reserve an ideal habitat for tigers. The tigers in the park have been known to kill much larger animals such as buffalo and even elephant for food.

Apart from the big mammals like the royal Bengal tiger and elephant, it is also home to more than 650 species of resident and migratory birds. Jim Corbett shelters 488 different species of plants as well.

 

Picture Credit : Google