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Wildlife Experience
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Kanha National Park, Mandla, M.P.
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CODE -1
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Everyone we know wants to see a tiger.
Not in a circus: not in a zoo; not even,
for that matter a tiger corralled in the
vast acres of a safari park, although
that's better than not seeing a tiger at
all! The best, and by far the most
thrilling, way to see a tiger is to come
across it when it is free to roam the
wilderness of its natural habitat: the
fields and forests of India. We've seen
wild tigers in many places in our land
but nowhere have we seen them as often,
and as regularly as in Kanha National
Park.
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Description:
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Kanha National
Park is Kipling country and
the nearby forests were the setting for
the "Jungle Book" by Rudyard
Kipling.
It's an outstanding national park
and wildlife reserve of Central
India, noted for its last remaining
population of the hard-ground race of
the Swamp Deer (approximately 380).
Spotting wild animals is always a matter
of luck, but Kanha is so rich in
wildlife that the odds are titled in
your favour. Most people are keener to
meet Kanha's most famous citizen: the
Tiger. Thereare a healthy numbers of the
Tiger found over here, which may be seen
during the day, and is one of the best
places left to see them.
There are 175 varieties of birds in
Kanha National Park. So if you
happen to be bird watcher, look forward
to a full spotting itinerary. The
terrain inside the park is varied,
nonetheless enjoyable. Bamboo forests
flow into Sal forests and meadows. There
are herds of spotted deer to be seen
with smaller herds of spotted deer to be
seen with smaller herds of beautiful
antelope, the black buck. With a little
luck, you could also spot the timorous
barking deer. It's snapping warns other
denizens of the forest that a predator
is around. There is also a very strong
possibility that you will see the rare
Barasingha, the Swamp Deer. Once there
were only 66 of these in Kanha, but
careful conservation and management
raised their population to over 400.
It was at Kanha that the eminent
zoologist George Schaller undertook the
first ever-scientific study of the
tiger. Another landmark at Kanha is the
preservation of the 'hard ground'
Barasingha. This was achieved by
extending the grasslands, relocating
villages and by increasing habitat.
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The
Topography(Kanha National Park):
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Kanha has two main valleys, Halon in the
east and Banjar in the west, and the
grassy 'maidans' (often old village
sites), dotted with clumps of forest
harbour large numbers of herbivores. The
hills offer support sizeable plateaus
(locally called 'Dadars') and the
characterized by extensive grasslands
and scant trees. These 'Dadars' are much
favoured by Gaur and Four-horned
Antelope.
The forests are deciduous, the main tree
being the Sal, and there are large
stands of bamboo. Higher up the slopes
the forests tend to become dense and
mixed with Haldu and Bija trees. Birds
in the park include the Painted
Partridge, Shaheen Falcon and Golden
Oriole.
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Mammals
residing within the (Kanha National
park):
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| Rhesus
Macaque |
Wolf
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Sloth Bear |
| Small
Indian Civet |
Striped
Hyaena |
Tiger |
| Indian
Muntjac |
Sambar |
Gaur |
| Indian
Palm Squirrel |
Hanuman
Langur Bengal |
Fox
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| Smooth-coated
Otter |
Four-horned
Antelope |
Indian
Hare |
| Indian
Grey Mongoose |
Jungle
Cat |
Indian
Spotted Chevrotain |
| Chital |
Nilgai
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Blackbuck
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| Indian
Porcupine |
Golden
Jackal |
Dhole
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| Ratel
Ruddy Mongoose |
Leopard
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Wild
Boar |
| Swamp
Deer |
Indian
Pangolin |
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Visiting g
Season(Kanha National Park):
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Months from November-June are
favorable for visitation in the park;
still the best period is February-April.
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Access(Kanha
National Park)By Air:
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Drive from
Jabalpur (6 hours), which is also the
nearest airport or from Nagpur (7 hours
drive). There are regular air services
to Raipur and Nagpur (270 kms) from
other airports in India. From these
airports one has to drive to the park.
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By Rail:
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The most convenient railheads for Kanha
are Jabalpur and Nagpur. These two are
well connected by fast and superfast
trains other destinations in India.
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By Road:
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To access the Kanha National Park there
are two ways, via Khatia or via Kisli.
From Jabalpur there are daily bus
services to these places. From Jabalpur,
Bilaspur and Raipur one can hire taxis
to the park. No vehicles are allowed
inside the park after dark so get there
before dusk.
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