Corbett National Park
Best
Time to Visit: November to May
Nestling
in the foothills of the Himalayas, the Corbett National Park extends over an
area of 520.82sq.km. Varied topography and vegetation gives Corbett a rich
diversity in habitats and natural beauty. Flat valleys are interspersed with
hilly ridges and the Park's rolling grasslands known as the Chaurs provide
visitors with an excellent view of its inhabitants.
The
magnificent Ramganga River flows through the entire length of the Park and
little forest streams tumble through the ravines. While dense stands of sal
cloak the higher ridges, mixed deciduous forests are found throughout the
Park and over 110 varieties of trees, 51 species of shrubs and over 33 kinds
of bamboos and grasses are seen here.
Corbett has the highest density of tiger in the Country - appro
ximately
one every 5 sq.km. and it was here that the prestigious "Project Tiger"
was launched in 1973. Four of deer - hog deer, samber, chital and barking deer
and other prey like the wild boar, support the predator.
Besides the tiger, Corbett is a haven for 50 mammals, 580 kinds of birds and
25 reptile species. The Park has elephants, the Himalayan black bear in the
higher elevations, sloth bear, varieties of lesser cats, dhole -the wild dog
and an entire spectrum of colourful birds including water birds, pheasants,
jungle fowl and the Indian hornbill.
Basking along the banks of
the Ramganga are the slender snouted gharial and the mugger or marsh
crocodile. The river is rich in the magnificent mahaseer - a fine sporting
fish prized by anglers, though angling is not permitted inside the National
Park. Excellent facilities for staying and viewing wildlife make Corbett one
of the finest reserves in India.
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Dudhwa National Park
Best
Time to Visit: November to MaySituated in the foot hills of
Himalayas in the terai region, the Dudhwa National Park, which is also a
Tiger Reserve, is a relatively new entrant in Project Tiger. Dudhwa's terai
vegetation comprises of savannah grasslands interspersed with forests
consisting of trees such as Jamun, Shisam, Silk Cotton tree, Khair etc.
This park hosts the highly endangered Soft Ground Barasingha, the other deer
species found here are Chital, Sambar, Barking deer and the hog deer. The
main predators found are Tiger and Leopard along with the lesser ones like
the Fishing cat, Jungle cat and the Leopard cat. One can also see the marsh
crocodile on the banks of the two rivers flowing through this park. This
park also has quite a few numbers of highly endangered Hispid hare whose
population is dwindling due to destruction of its habitat.
At one
time this park used to have a sizable population of the Indian One-Horned
Rhino's, but with constant poaching their population was wiped out. However,
in the year 1985 an attempt was made to re-introduce rhino in this area once
again and with constant efforts a small population of Rhino's now exists.
Occasionally herds of Indian Elephants can also be seen while migrating
between Dudhwa and Nepal's Sukla Phanta and Royal Bardia wildlife
sanctuaries. Dudhwa also hosts a sizable population of bird species with
many migratory birds using this park as nesting ground.
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Manas Tiger Reserve
Best
Time to Visit: November to April
Located
in the foothills of the Mighty Himalayas, Manas has been designated as World
Heritage Site by UNESCO. Manas has unique distinction of being home of some
of the highly endangered animals like Pigmy Hog, Golden Langur. Manas has a
remarkable diversity of forest vegetation within the confines of the park. It
is flanked by the sub-Himalayan mixed deciduous forests and Assam valley evergreen
forests to the north and a combination of rich bhabar Sal, eastern wet alluvial
grassland around the Benki and Hekua rivers and alluvial Savannah woodlands
to the south. Manas also has a unique distinction of being a treasure house
of plants and trees around 550 species, which include some rare varieties of
wild orchid.
Manas has a relatively longer period of Monsoons resulting in creation of different
types of terrain due to siltation from countless seasonal rivers and nalahs.
The upper foothills are bhabar tracts and the lower one the terai tract. The
terai tr
act
contains plenty of ground water as a result the tall grasslands support an extensive
number of wild animals and harbors some rare and endemic species. Manas is also
home to 60 mammals, of which 41 have been listed in the IUCN's Indian Wildlife
Protection Act of 1972. They include Tiger, Leopard, Clouded Leopard and some
of the smaller cats like Marbled, Leopard, Golden and Fishing. Other mammals
are Great Indian Rhinos, Indian Elephant, Indian Wild Buffalo, Red Panda and
Capped Langur. The most endangered animals in the park are Golden Langur, Pygmy
Hog and Hispid hare.
With its
varied habitats, Manas has countless species of birds. Some of the bird
species of interest are Assamese Myna, Indian Lorikeet, Rufous-bellied
Niltava, Rubycheek, Crossbill, Malkoha, kalij Pheasant, Orange-bellied Blue
Magpie, Blue-headed Flycatcher, Great Indian Hornbill, Indian Hobby and
Blyth's Baza. Large flocks of migratory birds like Large Cormorants, Grey
Heron, Yellow Bittern, Lesser Whistling Teal and Comb Duck make winter home
in Manas river and its tributaries.
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Kaziranga National Park
Best
Time to Visit: November to April Kaziranga's forests are known
for their great bio-diversity, comprising as they do mixed savannah
grassland together with evergreen, moist deciduous and swamp forest.
Kaziranga's sprawling valley of 430 sq. kms is contiguous with the Mikir
hills to the south and the mighty Brahmaputra river to its north.
This park is one of the last strong holds of the Great Indian One-Horned Rhinoceros.
Seeked for its horn believed to have aphrodisiac and medicinal properties by
the Chinese, this animal is well protected by the park management from the poachers
in Kaziranga. Also seen in big herds are the Indian Elephants migrating between
Kaziranga, the Darang district and the southern Mikir hills. Kaziranga also
sustains a large numbers of herbivores. One species is the Asiatic Wild Buffalo,
a highly temperamental and aggressive animal often charging unprovoked. Many
species of deer's like Hog Deer, Sambar, the highly endangered Soft Ground barasingha,
can be sighted and if lucky than the elusive Mouse Deer. Park also has Tigers
and reasonable population of Leopards along with Jungle, Leopard and Fishing
cat. Other animals to be seen in the park are Wild Boar, Sloth Bear, Himalayan
Civet, Porcupines, Pangolins, the Common Indian Hare, Common Indian Mangoose
and the Jackal. One of the most prized animal of Kaziranga is the Hoolock Gibbon,
an ape inhabiting the hilly evergreen forests, not easy to spot. Another endangered
species occasionally sighted is the Gangetic Dolphin.
Kaziranga also protects as many as 325 avian
species. Some not usually found in other parks. The resident birds are
Bengal Floricans and the Adjutant Stork, while other prominent species are
the Fishing and Crested Eagle, Sultan Tit, Collard Bush Chat, White-capped
Redstart, yellow and Pied Wagtail, Indian Lorikeet, red-breasted Parakeet,
Spotted Forktail and Blue Rock Thrush. The water birds are large Cormorant.
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