Wildlife In India

The Corbett National Park was India's first national park that was set up in 1936. It spreads across aboput 600 square km, form 400 to 1200 m above sea level. It is located foothills of the western Himalayas in the districts of Nainital and Pauri Garhwal in the state of Uttaranchal. It includes the Sonanadi Wildlife Sanctuary as a part of its reserved forest area. The Corbett National Park was set up with the help and recommendation of great hunter and conservationist, Jim Corbett.

Ranthambore National Park is an internationally acknowledged as one of the last remnants of the once great virgin jungles in central India. Situated in India's northwestern state of Rajasthan, it is surrounded by the Vindhya and Aravali hill ranges and lies near the outer fringes of the Thar Desert. The entire area of 390 sq km is located 500 m above sea level and is a sprawling tract of desert and semi-desert vegetation. Originally a hunting ground of the Maharaja of Jaipur, Ranthambore was declared a game sanctuary in 1955. In 1980s, it became a national park and was listed among the reserves protected under Project Tiger (1973). Presently the Kaila Devi Sanctuary, also famous for its tigers, and the Man Singh Sanctuary form a part of Ranthambore Reserve.

The Kanha Valley and and the Kanha national park were preferred hunting grounds for erstwhile rulers and viceroys. The park is spread over an area of 940 sq km at an altitude of 450-900 m above sea level, and situated in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The park is located in he middle of the country of India, with the forests of the Banjar and the Halon valley forming the western and eastern halves of the Kanha Tiger Reserve, which have long been famous for their wide diversity of wildlife.

The Sunderbans National Park is home to the Royal Bengal tiger, and is a part of the world's largest delta formed by the Ganga and Brahmaputra. It is also known for its unique mangrove forest ecosystem. The reserve spreads across 2,585 sq km, 0 to 10 m above sea level. It is a tiger and biosphere reserve and has been designated as world heritage site by UNESCO. It extends about 260 km along the Bay of Bengal from the Hooghly River Estuary (India) to the Meghna River Estuary in Bangladesh. The forest passes into a mangrove swamp along the coast. The southern region, with numerous wild animals and crocodile-infested estuaries, is virtually devoid of habitation.

The Kaziranga National Park is situated in the northeastern state of Assam in India on the southern bank of the mighty Brahmaputra River. It covers an area of 430 sq km and is located 40-80 m above sea level. It was formed as a reserve forest in 1926, primarily to safeguard the future of the diminishing Rhino population. It is now the natural habitat to one of the most endangered species in the world, the one-horned rhino. It was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1940 and contains about 15 species of India's threatened mammal species.

Ready to shot? Arrive at the Bandhavgarh National Park - the White Tiger territory. Though Bandhavgarh is home to fabulous flora and fauna it is renowned for its terrific tigers. Amidst the deciduous forests and the Bandhavgarh hills lies the former game reserve of the Maharajas of Rewa. In fact it is the amalgamation of the deciduous, sal trees, grasslands, meadows and the stretches of bamboo that make Bandhavgarh National Park home for the 22 species of mammals and another 250 odd species of birds.