Arignar Anna Zoological Park - [Tamil Nadu - Chennai]

This man made Zoological park situated on the outskirts of the Chennai Metropolitan, created out of the Reserve Forests of Vandalur. The forests are of Dry deciduous and dry evergreen scrub type. It was in the year 1855 the first Zoo in India was established in Chennai, later on in 1979 shifted to this 510 ha sprawling complex. This Zoological park is said to be one of the biggest in the South East Asia. The wild life population are exhibited in a large open molted island type enclosures with simulated natural environment. More than 170 species of Mammals, Aviaries & reptiles are exhibited. Lion safari vehicle, Elephant ride, battery operated vehicles are some of the facilities available inside this park. General Information Best time to visit : Throughout the year. Annual Rainfall : 1400 mm How to get there : Rail-Vandalur (1 km) Air-Chennai (18 km)

Periyar National Park - [ Kerala ]

Set high in the ranges of the Western Ghats, in Kerala, is the Periyar National Park and Tiger Reserve. The park has a picturesque lake at the heart of the sanctuary. Formed with the building of a dam in 1895, this reservoir meanders around the contours of the wooded hills, providing a perennial source of water for the local wildlife. Herds of elephant and sambar, gaur and wild pigs wander down to the lake-side and can be observed from the launches that cruise the lake. In March and April, during the driest period here, the animals spend a lot of time near the lake and the elephants can be seen bathing and swimming in the reservoir. A glimpse may be had even of the tiger during this season, as it comes to the water. Periyar also harbours the leopard, wild dog, barking deer and mouse deer. On the rocky out crops along the lake, monitor lizards can be seen basking in the sun. Visitors who trek into the Park often see a python and sometimes even a king cobra. Among the unusual species found at Periyar are the flying lizard and the flying snake. With wings of Nilgiri tahr orange or yellow, the flying lizard is seen as it glides from one tree to the other. The flying snake is also brilliantly coloured in yellow and black with a pattern of red rosettes. The lake attracts birds like the darter, cormorant, grey heron and ibis and they are seen perched on the snags of dead wood that dot the lake. The great Malabar hornbill and grey hornbill are often seen flapping their ponderous way between trees. There are kingfishers, ospreys and kites as well as orioles, hill mynas, racket tailed drongos, parakeets, including the unusual blue winged parakeet and fly catchers. The liquid notes of the Malabar whistling thrush and the loud call of the hornbills are distinctive amid the normal sounds of the jungle. Four species of primates are found at Periyar - the rare lion tailed macaque, the Nilgiri langur, common langur and bonnet macaque. Though this is also the habitat of the Nilgiri tahr, this elusive goat is rarely seen. The animals are viewed from motor launches on the lake and from watch towers. A summer palace of the former Maharaja of Travancore, set along the lake, is a hotel and a fine place to stay. General Information Best time to visit October to April Accommodation Forest Rest Houses, Aranya Niwas Hotel, Edapalayam Lake Palace, Periyar House. Nearest Town Kumily (4 km) How to get there : Rail-Kottayam (114 km) Air-Cochin (200 km) or Madurai (TN) (140.km).

The Great Himalayan National Park - [ Himachal Pradesh ]

The Great Himalayan National Park the largest protected area in Himachal Pradesh, the Park is carved out of the splendid mountain terrain of the Kullu district. Rich corniferous forests, alpine meadows carpeted with flowers, snow-capped peaks and glaciers provide a breath taking panorama. The secluded Sainj and Tirthan valleys harbour a variety of animals common to this area - wild mountain goats like the bharal, goral and serow, the brown bear and predators like the leopard and the rarely seen snow leopard. Varieties of colourful pheasants - monal, khalij cheer, tragopan and other Himalayan birds are part of its rich avian population. Trekking through the Park to Rakte Sar, the origin of the Sainj River, brings in the added pleasure of seeing wildlife in this spectacular natural environment. General lnformation Best time to visit : April-June, Sept:- Oct. Accommodation : Rest Houses Nearest town : Kullu (60 km) How to get there : Air-Bhuntar (50 km) Road via Aut (30 km short of Kullu)

Ratanmahal Sloth Bear Sanctuary

Ratanmahal Sloth Bear Sanctuar

Spread out over 56 sq km, Ratanmahal-on the Gujarat-Madhya Pradesh border-is the only exclusive slothbear sanctuary in Gujarat. And sloth bears are just part of the attraction: nature fulfills herself in many other ways. The River Panam criss-crosses beautiful small hamlets on the foothills of this sanctuary; lush green and thick woods full of natural goodness. Kanjeta nestles at 230 meters above main sea level, offering a variety in terms of flora and fauna. Sloth bears (57 as per the latest census), panthers (9), large-size monkeys (900), langoors (800), jackals (100), antelopes (four) and hyenas (8), besides others numerous jungle cats, foxes, honey badgers, hare, porcupines and reptiles. To believe the beauty of flora and birds (120 species) you got to visit this place. And if you want to be on the hilltop-about 8 km from Kanjeta-you can do that as well, with the permission of the authorities. General lnformation Accommodation : PWD rest house and other hotels and lodges at Baria. How to get there : About 47 kms from Piplod.

Manas Tiger Reserve - Assam

While Kaziranga is known for the Rhinoceros, Manas National Park is famous for the Majestic Tigers. This park is the only Project Tiger in Assam. The Manas Reserve, located in the foothills of the Bhutan hills, far from human habitation, is a world in itself. The Manas River flowing through the Park demarcates the border between India and Bhutan. The Park has vast deciduous forests where the dense cover often cuts out the light. Its wet grasslands are the home of the rhino, water buffalo, elephant and tiger. Manas is noted for its population of the rare golden langur - found only in this part of the country. They are often spotted in the tall trees. Other primates in the Park include the capped langur, Assamese macaque, the slow loris and the hoolock gibbon. These are rarely seen but the whooping call of the hoolock gibbon can be heard resounding through the forest. The Reserve is also home to the attractive red panda but these are only seen occasionally in the higher elevations. Manas has a very special biosphere, for it harbours twenty species of birds and animals that are highly endangered and listed in the IUCN Red Data Book. These include the hispid hare and the pigmy hog. The lush forest canopy at Manshelters colourful birds - the giant hornbills, both pied and gray varieties, pheasants, jungle fowl and scarlet minivet being among them. The water-birds along the rivers include brahminy ducks, mergansers and a range of egrets, herons and pelican Over 2840 sq. km. in area, Manas is, a fascinating tiger reserve. The area of Manas has roughly 45% grassland and 55% tree land as wildlife habitat. The river course may have about 100 sq.km. of riparian forests of grass and primary succession of tree cover, which is probably the most suitable water buffalo habitat anywhere and providing by far the best habitat for the tiger, where the concentration of the species is the highest. Inter and inter specific relation of the prey and predator in this area is extremely interesting and awaits scientific study to understand population dynamics and other evolutionary processes at work. In this area the ever changing river course cause erosion and accretion at the same time providing extraordinary dynamism to the habitat/ecosystems sustaining very high productivity. The rain fall in this area is very high about 450 to 500 cm and the temperature is also very conducive to add to the productivity. General lnformation Best time to visit : Nov.-April Accommodation : Tourist Lodge and Forest Rest Houses. Nearest Town : Barpeta Road (40 km) How to get there : Rail-Barpeta Road (40 km) Air-Guwahati (186 km)

Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Sanctuary

Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Sanct

The largest of India's Tiger Reserves, the Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Sanctuary ( 3568 sq. km.); lies in the state of Andhra Pradesh. The terrain is rugged and winding gorges slice through the Mallamalai hills. Adjoining the reserve is the large reservoir of the Nagarjunasagar Dam on the River Krishna. The dry deciduous forests with scrub and bamboo thickets provide shelter to a range of animals from the tiger and leopard at the top of the food chain, to deer, sloth bear, hyena, jungle cat, palm civet, bonnet macaque and pangolin. In this unspoilt jungle, the tiger is truly nocturnal and is rarely seen. General Information Best time to visit : October - June Accommodation : Guest Houses and Cottages near temples within the sanctuary. Nearest town : Macherla (29 km) How to get there : Rail-Hyderabad (150 km) Air-Hyderabad (150 km)

Mukkurthi National Park - [ Tamil Nadu ]

Located on the high altitudes of the Nilgiris, comprising rolling downs interspersed with temperate sholas, this park is also a part of Nilgiri Bio-sphere reserve and situated 40 km from Udhagamandalam. It contains a viable population on Nilgiri Thar (Hamitragus-hilocrius), Sambhar, Barking deer, Nilgiri marten and otter, Jungle cat, Jackal etc. Avifauna consists of hill birds viz. laughing and whistling thrushes, woodcock, wild pigeon and black eagle. Butter-flies with Himalayan affinity like the Blu Admiral, Indian Red Admiral, Indian Fritillary, Indian Cabbage white, Hedge blues and rainbow trout can be also be seen. Trekking routes exist from Parsan valley, portimund, pykara etc. Trout fishing is recommended in the rivers and lakes of Mukurthi. Permission from Asst. Director, Fisheries Department, Udhagai, must be obtained in advance for fishing. General Information Best time to visit : February to May Accommodation : Forest Rest House at Avalanche, Pykara and trekking sheds. How to get there : Rail-Udhagamandalam/Ooty (45 km) Air-Coimbatore (140 km)

Wildlife in India

India is unique in the richness and diversity of its vegetation and wildlife. India's national parks and wild life sanctuaries (including bird sanctuaries) from Ladakh in Himalayas to Southern tip of Tamil Nadu, are outstanding and the country continues to "WOW" the tourists with its rich bio-diversity and heritage. Wildlife sanctuaries in India attracts people from all over the world as the rarest of rare species are found here. With 96 national parks and over 500 wildlife sanctuaries, the range and diversity of India's wildlife heritage is matchless. Some of the important sanctuaries in India are The Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve – Uttaranchal, Kanha National Park and Bandhavgarh National Park in Madhya Pradesh, Ranthambhor National Park - Sawai Madhopur, Gir National Park - Sasangir (Gujarat) etc. Supporting a great variety of mammals and over 585 species of birds, India's first national park, the Corbett was established in the foothills of Himalayas. Wildlife lovers will be excited to see magnificent Bird Sanctuary at Bharatpur, Rajasthan as it is the second habitat in the world that is visited by the Siberian Cranes in winter and it provides a vast breeding area for the native water birds. In the Indian deserts, the most discussed bird is the Great Indian bustard. In western Himalayas, one can see birds like Himalayan monal pheasant, western tragopan, koklass, white crested khalij pheasant, griffon vultures, lammergiers, choughs, ravens. In the Andaman and Nicobar region, about 250 species and sub species of birds are found, such as rare Narcondum horn bill, Nicobar pigeon and megapode. While the national park and sanctuaries of northern and central India are better known, there are quite a few parks and sanctuaries in South India, too. For e.g. , Madumalai in Tamil Nadu and Bandipur Tiger Reserve and Nagahole National Park in Karnataka. A tour of Indian wildlife sanctuaries and national parks is a fabulous experience. Contrary to the African Safari, the vegetation and terrain in India is such that wild animals are often solitary or in small herds, elusive and shy. Ranges of Safari Packages are on offer, courtesy the tourism departments of states as well as tour and travel agencies. These Safari / Safari Packages are unique and unparalleled. These Safaris facilitate seeing a tiger, a rhinoceros or a herd of wild elephants. India has unmatched variety of flora and fauna that makes it extensively different from the rest of the world. Tourists visiting for wildlife tour in India, will enjoy during any season, but to experience migrating birds, tiger, leopard, barasingha and other rare species, then winter is the best season to visit sanctuaries especially for those tourists coming for wildlife tour in India. Due to water scarcity in the hot weather, animals come out in herd in search of water, therefore most of the sanctuaries are closed during summer season. Tourists can opt for jungle safari in an open jeep but the experience on elephants back is overwhelming. Wildlife Conservation Society(WCS) India in association with other NGO partners and tribal people, is making every possible effort to develop new models of wildlife conservation to preserve India's most treasured fauna and to protect the environment.