Wildlife Farm In Kanha National Park

Kanha National Park

History

The park was created in 1955 by a special law and, since then, it has dedicated itself in preserving a variety of animal species. It was declared a Tiger reserve in 1974 and since than has been under constant vigilence and conservation activities are being followed deligently.

Kanha National Park is a national park and a Tiger Reserve in the Mandla and Balaghat districts of Madhya Pradesh, India. In the 1930s, Kanha area was divided into two sanctuaries, Hallon and Banjar, of 250 and 300 km² . Kanha National Park was created on 1 June 1955. Today it stretches over an area of 940 km² in the two districts Mandla and Balaghat. Together with a surrounding buffer zone of 1,067 km² and the neighboring 110 km² Phen Sanctuary it forms the Kanha Tiger Reserve."Kanha Tiger Reserve". Madhya Pradesh Forest Department. Retrieved 14 April 2010. This makes it the largest National Park in Central India.

The park has a significant population of Royal Bengal Tiger, leopards, the sloth bear, Barasingha and Indian wild dog. The lush sal and bamboo forests, grassy meadows and ravines of Kanha provided inspiration to Rudyard Kipling for his famous novel "Jungle Book

Transport & facilities]]

Jabalpur, the most convenient place to approach the Park from, has the nearest airport (175 km), with, however, limited flight connectivity. Nagpur(260 km) and Raipur(219 km) have other airports, with better connectivity with the rest of the country. Mandla (70 km) has a good connection with Kanha and there is a tourist taxi service from Jabalpur to the national park. From Jabalpur, the best way to travel is via Mandla and Nainpur - perhaps with an overnight stop - then taking the diversion at Bamhni. Mandla, Nainpur and Seoni all have sports clubs, Internet cafes, guides, Christian churches and some beautiful temples.

There are three gates for entrance into the Park. The Kisli gate is best accessed from Jabalpur and stops at the village Khatia, inside the buffer area. The second gate is at Mukki and the third, most recently opened, gate is at Serai.

Reintroduction of Barasingha

An exciting conservation effort in this national park is the reintroduction of Barasingha. The Gaur will be relocated to Bandhavgarh and some Barasingha will be relocated to Satpura Tiger reserveThe objective of this project is to introduce about 500 Barasingha in this national park to eight or nine different locations. There is also a project to capture about twenty tigers and relocate them toSatpura Tiger reserve.Reintroduction of Barasingha: Kanha National Park – Satpura Tiger Reserve

General information

• Area: (core) 940 km²
• Terrain: sal and bamboo forests, plateaus, meadows and meandering streams
• Best Season: February to June
• Morning Visiting Hours: 6:30 am to 12:00 noon
• Evening Visiting Hours: 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm
• Closed: 1 July to 15 October

The Nearest Airports are at Jabalpur, Raipur and Nagpur (Distances 175 km., 220 km. & 275 km., respectively)

Kanha Wild Life

Kanha is home to interesting wild animals, birds, butterflies and reptiles- The major wildlife attraction in the reserve are Tiger, Leopard, Gaur, Sambhar, Chital, Barasingha,Barking deer, Sloth bear, Wild dog, Jackal, Fox, Porcupine, Jungle cat, Python, Hare,Langur monkey, Mongoose, Ratel and Civet cats. Among reptiles Python, Cobra, Rat Snakes, Oliveacious keel back, Krait, Russels Viper and Monitor lizard can be seen

The birds species include Storks, Teals, Pintails, Pond herons, Egrets, Peacock, Pea fowl, Jungle fowl, Spur fowl, Partridges, Quails, Ring doves, Spotted parakeets, Green pigeons, Cuckoos, Rollers, Bee-eater, Hoopoes, Drongos, Warblers, Kingfishers, Woodpeckers, Finches, Orioles, Owls, and Fly catchers amongst many others. It is winter destination for number of migratory birds who visit central India and winter stoppage for many who take rest while passing over to their final destinations in southern part of the country.

However, if one animal species were to represent Kanha, it would almost certainly be theHard Ground Barasingha or the Swamp deer. The species of Barasingha found at Kanha are only one of its kind, as they have adopted themselves to the plains of central India and inhabit the large open tracts of grass amidst the forests of sal and bamboo. A few decades ago, the Barasingha was faced with extinction but conservation measures taken by the forest department saved them and today their population has risen from meager 66 to around 400.

Leopard is elusive and shy but can be seen at place where it can move with ease in absence of the tiger. Nilgai, Indian Wolf and Hyena are seen outside the park in more open areas near Kanha villages and buffer.