Pench Tiger Reserve
Introduction
Pench National Park, nestling in the
lower southern
reaches of the Satpura hills is named after Pench river which flows from
north to south through the Pench National Park. It is located on the
southern boundary of Madhya Pradesh.
Recently in 1992, Pench has been included under the umbrella of
"Project
Tiger" as the 19th Project Tiger Reserve.
A total of
758 Sq. kms of this Southern Indian tropical moist deciduous forest has its
extent mingling with the tropical dry deciduous teak. The area is
crisscrossed by a number of streams and 'nallahs' most of which are
seasonal. Though the Pench River dries up in April end, a number of water
pools locally known as 'dohs' are found which serve as water holes for the
wild animals. However, the water sources are not suitably distributed, hence
large area is left unutilized by the wild animals. The Pench Reservoir at
the center of the park is the only major water source during the pinch
period.
As a prey concentration is high along the Pench River,
tiger usually inhabits this belt. Leopard though generally operates in the
peripheral areas but are occasionally seen in the deep forest also. Jungle
cats are commonly seen. Leopard cats, small Indian civets and palm civets
are common but seen rarely.
Cheetal, Sambar, nilgai are commonly
seen grazing on the open sites on roadsides and banks of river &
reservoir. Jackals can be seen in search of food anywhere in the Park. Packs
up to 15 of wild dog can be seen near Chhedia, Jamtara, Bodanala and
Pyorthadi areas of the Reserve. Herds of gaur can be spotted near streams
and bamboo patches commonly in summer months. Sloth beer occupy hilly, rocky
out crops and favour mahul bel infested forest. Chnkara is present in very
small numbers and is found in open areas around Turia, Telia and Dudhgaon
villages.
Langoors are very common whereas the Rhesus monkeys may be seen occasionally
on the fringes. Pench boasts of, more than 210 species of birds that include
several migratory ones also. Commonly seen are Peafowl, Red jungle fowl, Crow
pheasant, Crimson breasted barbet, Redvented bulbul, Racket tailed drongo, Magpie
robin and lesser whistling teal.
Location:The
Park is situated in the Seoni District of Southern Madhya Pradesh and runs
in continuation with Pench National Park in Maharashtra. It is situated 82
Kms. (2 hours of drive) and is well connected by an all weather metalloid
road network to other important places in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
The nearest railhead of Nagpur- Jabalpur (192 Kms.) serves as a comfortable
air and railhead.
Flora:It
is blessed with forests spread in all the direction. As per the physiognomy,
the forest type is southern tropical dry deciduous teak and southern
tropical mixed deciduous forest with other species of shrubs, trees and
climbers. Teak and its associates moyan, mahua, mokha, skiras, tendu, bija,
achar, garari, aonla, ghont, baranga, amaltas, kihamali, khair, palas.
Bamboo occurs sparsely, restricted to some valley.
Fauna:
The Pench National Park is very rich in fauna and a number of
endangered species have made it their habitat. There are 25 tigers under
this umbrella of the Park. 39 species of mammals, 13 species of reptiles, 3
species of amphibians and over 170 varieties of birds have already been
listed.
Apart from mammals and other land-based wildlife, the
park is also rich in bird life. According to an estimation of the wildlife
authorities, the bird population in the park counts to be over 210 species
like barbets, bulbul, minivets orioles, wagtails, munias, mynas, waterfowls
and blue kingfishers.
Estimation of Animal
Population
Seasons October to January-
Cold 16* to 3* C
February to March- Cool 16* C to 26* C
April to
June- 26 * to 42* C
Park Timings
The
Pench National Park is open to the visitors from November 01st to June 30th
each year and closed during the rainy seasons (July- Sept.).
Click
Here for Pench Jungle Camp
