Many of India's 443 protected areas are obscure and rarely visited, and some are only protected on paper. However, there are many parks and sanctuaries of outstanding natural beauty, with a healthy population of wild animals. Unlike Africa, where despite the pressures of war and population of increases game is generally more abundant, wildlife watching in India can be an adventure.
For almost a hundred years, naturalists have been concerned about the threats to India's natural wealth. Organizations such as the Bombay Natural History Society (Hornbill House, Saheed Bagat Singh Road, Bombay; next to the Prince of Wales Museum), founded in 1883, combine scientific research with campaigns for habitat and species protection. As late as the 1940s large herds of blackbuck grazed on large open areas throughout northern India. Now the herds are greatly reduced and confined to sanctuaries such as Tal Chappar, near Bikaner (Rajasthan), and Velavadar, near Bhavnagar (Gujarat). Herds of swamp deer thrived in the Terai (riverine grasslands and forests) region until the malaria eradication programmes of the 1950s allowed the area to be farmed. The northern race is now restricted to Kaziranga and Dudhwa national parks and a few areas in southwest Nepal.
The tiger population reached a low of about 1,830 in 1972. A few years later the Indian government launched Project Tiger with substantial support from the World-Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). In 1989 the tiger population had officially reached 4,334. But while the tiger population has increased in the 18 reserves that now come under Project Tiger management, the total forest area of India has continued to shrink. Officially 13 percent of the country id forested but the actual figure is 8 percent, including marginal lands. The increase in India's human population is both directly and indirectly responsible for the decline in wildlife. The need of villagers for grazing land and fuel has put enormous pressure on the country's forests and today threatens the protected areas. The axe and the chainsaw have accelerated the destruction of wilderness areas and what is not already protected is considered by pessimists to be doomed. But as Project Tiger has shown, well-managed conservation plans can, and occasionally do, work.
Throughout the country, small forest rest houses built and run by the Forest Department provide basic accommodation for visitors: beds but rarely board. Some offer commanding views of forested hills and valleys which more than compensate for the lack of facilities. Very few wildlife lodges or camps in India are run along the lines of those in Africa.
In the Kashmir Valley, Dachigam National Park is only 23 kilometers (14 miles) from Srinagar and can be easily visited with permission from the Chief Wildlife Warden in Srinagar. The last refuse of the Kashmir stag, Dachigam also protects the catchment area much of Srinagar's water supply.
 In Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh the habitat varies from the lush mixed deciduous forest and riverine grasslands of the Terai region to desert and scrubland. In Rajasthan the tiger reserves of Sariska, near Alwar, and Ranthambore National Park, 132 kilometers (82 miles) southeast of Jaipur, are both within easy distance of Delhi and have a range of accommodation. At Sariska the old hunting lodge has become Sariska Palace, which organizes jeep trips into the park. Thirteen kilometers (eight miles) from the entrance to Ranthambore is Sawai Madhopur Lodge, and there is other accommodation near the camp. Near Jaisalmer, the Desert National Park covers over 3,000 square kilometers (1,175 square miles) of scrub and dune. Permission to visit must be sought from the Forest Department and District Magistrate's office in Jaisalmer.
Rajasthan is also home to one of the world's most important wetland sanctuaries. The Keoladeo Ghana National Park at Bharatpur, 53 kilometers (33 miles) west of Agra, covers only 29 square kilometers (11 square miles) but is host to numerous nesting species of storks, herons, spoonbills, cormorants and ibises. By November, thousands of migratory waterfowl, waders and birds of prey arrive from Siberia, the Russian steppes, Central Asia and Tibet to winter in the sanctuary. By far the rarest visitor is the Siberian crane whose western population now numbers less than 30. (There are approximately 1,500 in the eastern population which nests in China.)
In Uttar Pradesh, along the Himalayan foothills, are two important Project Tiger reserves. The earliest of these, Corbett National Park, is a seven-hour drive northeast of Delhi. The park includes the ridges of the Bivalik Hills of the Himalayan foothills, thought which the Ramganga River flows. Apart from the occasional glimpse of a tiger or the more elusive leopard, the park has resident herds of elephants and numerous prey species. Because of its varied topography and habitat and the large intrusion of Ramganga Reservoir, the park has a wide range of bird species. There are forest rest houses and a small 'tourist complex' in the park which can be booked through Uttar Pradesh Tourism in Lucknow or New Delhi (Chandralok Building, Janpath). Outside the park, overlooking the Kosi River, is the quality Inn-Corbett Jungle Resort (book through Quality Inn, 51 Vasant Marg, Vasant Vihar, New Delhi 110057). The other tiger reserve in Uttar Pradesh is located on the southwest border of Nepal, 260 kilometers (162 miles) northwest of Lucknow. The park owes its creation to one of India's foremost conservationists, Billy Arjan Singh. Arjan Singh's farm, Tiger Haven, on the edge of the park, can accommodate small groups or individuals subject to prior booking (write to Tiger Haven, PO Pallia, Dist. Kheri, Uttar Pradesh).
In Gujarat there is a lodge at the Gir National Park which is now the last refuse of the Asiatic lion. At the edge of the little Rann of Kutch is Dhrangadhra Sanctuary and nearby Camp Zainabad which organizes visits across the flat saline wilderness of the Rann to see blackbuck, chinkara and the Indian wild ass (book through Desert Coursers, Camp Zainabad, Nr Dasad, Gujarat).
 In Madhya Pradesh there are two excellent parks, both with good private facilities and game viewing from elephant back and jeep. The 1,945-square-kilometers (750-square-mile) Kanha National Park, 160 kilometers (100 miles) south of Jabalpur, was one of the first areas to come under Project Tiger. On the western edge of the park is Kipling Camp, with excellent food and well-organized game viewing (book through the Tollygunge Club, 120 D P Sasmal Road, Calcutta). Further north the smaller Bandhavgarh National Park, 210 kilometers (131 miles) from Khajuraho airport and 35 kilometers (22 miles) from Umaria railway station, has a reputation for good tiger viewing and varied birdlife. Near the small village of Tala at the entrance to the park is Bandhavgarh Jungle Camp, which has excellent naturalists on its staff (book through Tiger Tops India, 1/1 Rani Jhansi Road, New Delhi 110055).
In Karnataka beside Kabini Lake on the edge of the Nagarhole National Park, 75 kilometers (47 miles) southwest of Mysore, is the attractive Kabini River Lodge (book through Jungle Lodges & Resorts, Shrungar Shopping Center, M G Road, Bangalore 560001). Nagarhole is adjacent to three other protected areas. Bandipur Tiger Reserve is bisected by the Mysore - Ooty national highway but it, together with Mudumalai Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu to the south, has a large number of locally migrant elephants. There are two private farms at Masinagudi, 18 kilometers (11 miles) from Mujumulai: Bamboo banks and Jungle Hut provide good accommodation, food and access to the sanctuary (book through Jungle Hut, PO Masinagudi). West of Bandipur and also merging with Nagarholes is Wynad Sanctuary in Kerala. These four areas in three states from a Biosphere Reserve which will hopefully soon have joint management.
Along the Western Ghats, stretching from southern Maharastra to Kerala, are many small and little-known areas. In Kerala two areas stand out: Eravikulam National Park, 16 kilometers (ten miles) from Munnar, has the largest population of Nilgiri tahr grazing on the rolling hills that lead up to South India's highest peak, Anaimudi, at 2,695 meters (8,853 feet). Still further south is Periyar Tiger Reserve, which includes the hundred-year-old reservoir near Thekkady, 190 kilometers (118 miles) east of Cochin. Although a tiger reserve, Periyar is better known for its elephants. One of the most attractive and popular parks in the country, Periyar has a range of accommodation at Thekkady, run and booked through the Kerala Tourism Department (PB 46, Behind Secretariat, Trivandrum 695001).
In Assam only Kaziranga National Park offers good accommodation. A lodge established by ITDC on the edge of the park will, in early 1991, be supplemented by the privately run Wild Grass near the southern boundary (book through WG Resorts Pvt Ltd, Uzanbazar, Guwahati). Although one of the most interesting and important parks, Manas Tiger Reserve has only Forest Department accommodation. The park protects at least 20 of India's most endangered mammal species and a spectacular range of birds. Situated on the southern border of Bhutan, the park is a six-hour drive north of Guwahati.
Most travel agents organize trips to India's parks. Only a few of the parks are located near major railway stations or airports and thus involve hiring a car. Visitors should be aware that some parks are closed during and after the monsoon - usually to July to October.
|
TOP
Top 5 articles from
Discover India