Kaziranga National Park, Assam
In a UN Heritage listing, Kaziranga has been described as “one of the last areas in eastern India almost undisturbed by man”. It is most celebrated for the presence of the one –horned Rhinoceros, which had been pouches almost two extinction, mainly because in Southeast Asia its “horn” (actually a mass of matted hair) is believed to have aphrodisiac properties. Today the park has the world largest population of this rhino. The number came up to 1,500 with protection. The rhino apart Kaziranga contains some 14 other threatened species such as the hoolock gibbon and the bristly hare of which, it was estimated, only 101 specimens are left in wild.
Manas National Park, Assam
“Richest in species of all Indian wildlife areas”Manas encompasses diverse habitats such as wooden semi-evergreen hills,grassland,and deciduous forest.Manas suffered great damage during 1988-1996, thanks to Bodo insurgency, when the park had to be closed and entered the UN;s Heritage in Danger list. It has the largest number of endangered species among Indian National Parks. Some of it’s33 threatened species are golden langur, which is endemic to Manas ,tiger, of which it has second largest population, pygmy hog, Ganges dolphin, sloth bear, clouded leopard etc. The Bengal Florican threatened species of bustard, is also endemic to Manas.
Nanda Devi, Uttaranchal
Associate with one of the highest park in the world, Nanda Devi this National Park is closed to tourist to protect its fragile ecosystem; the first successful mountaineering expedition to Nanda Devi in 1936 drew attention to the wild life aspects of the untouched area. It was made a game sanctuary in 1939 and later a national park, which is the core zone of much larger area. In term of Habitat, the national Park lies in the huge glacial basin of the Rishi Ganga River, surrounded by some spectacular peaks and snow bound for some six months every year. This makes it home to the Himalayan Tahr, Himalayan musk deer, Himalayan Black bear, snow leopard, and goral to name some of the exotic fauna.
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Rajasthan
A private duck shooting reserve of the Maharaja of Bharatpur since the 1950 century, Bharatpur become a Bird Sanctuary in 1956.The wetland that form the base of the santuary.were artificially created by diverting the waters of an irrigation canal for the Maharaja’s hunting purposes. This is birds country large carnivores are absent from here. Some 364 species of birds have been recorded in the park. It’s a major wintering area for a large number of aquatic birds from places like Afghanistan, Turmenistan, and china and is especially famous as the last known wintering ground of the Siberian crane in India. This crane flies a route of 6,400 km from Siberia. Its number has been declining alarmingly through; only one pair was observed in 2001.Keoladeo is a really successful breeding site for herons, storks, and cormorants. You can also spot gadwalls; Shovellers, teals, duck, cormorant, storks, sandpipers. Bicycles, rickshaws, and boats for navigating the wetlands are available.
Sunderbans, West Bengal
Sunderbans is part of the 10,000 sq km of Mangrove forests and water that spread across India and Bangladesh (of which some 40 % lies in India) it’s also the part of one of the world’s largest deltas formed by the Ganga, Brahmaputra and Meghan rivers. It’s an ever –changing fluid geometry of land and water, with tides and alluvial deposit shaping the two. You can explore this national park on a network of waterways, some of which can be a mile across, spotting Ganges dolphin, Irrawaddy dolphin, finless porpoise and water birds such as storks, ibises, kingfishers, as also egrets and herons. The tiger population around 270 is the largest in India. Other mammals include the wild boar - the main prey for the tiger here fishing cat, spotted deer. River terrapin and estuarine crocodiles abound and the famous olive ridley turtle nests here too. The mangroves have adapted to flooding and salinity by using roots that breathe called pneumatophores.
