Tiger Safari at Kanha National Park

Kanha National Park is a tiger reserve situated in Central India in the State of Madhya Pradesh.  It is one of the oldest parks and received conservation status as early as the 19th Century. The Halon and Banjar Valleys were closed for hunting during the British Raj, and thus this was a conservation initiative.

Tiger Family

In post-independent India, the area was declared a National Park in the year 1955.  Then it was notified as a tiger reserve in the year 1973, under the Project Tiger Program. In the year 2000, it was awarded as the most tourism-friendly park in India. Kanha is also recognized as the best-managed tiger reserve in India with high-profile VVIPs visiting every year.

Kanha National Park Conservation Profile

Kanha National Park comprises an area of over two thousand sq. km with 940 sq. km as the core. The core is a protected area that is inviolate and managed by the forest department. It is where the tigers and other wild animals breed the most.         

Tigress with Cub 

The park is home to over 100 tigers and the critically endangered hard ground Barasingha or the Swamp Deer (Cervus duavcelli branderi). It is also known as the Branderi Barasingha who first noticed the hardened hooves that evolved in absence of swamps to enable the deer to move on hard ground.  This was impacted by the changing geography of the region which was once a large crater full of marshy swamps.  The park is well known for saving the Barasingha from extinction by raising the population from just 67 heads to more than 500 at present.   

Over 150 guard huts are built to safeguard wildlife in the park with beat guards regularly patrolling the reserve.

Kanha National Park Tiger Safari

Tiger tourism as it is called is carried out in 20% of the core. It is divided into four zones:

• ·         Kanha Zone
• ·         Kisli Zone
• ·         Mukki Zone
• ·         Sarhi Zone

Each zone is reserved for safari for those with the permit. At Kanha, permit holders cannot trespass into another zone. This is possible only on a full-day safari which is priced much higher.  Tigers breed in each zone without any hindrance and offer an opportunity for tourists to see them in their natural surroundings. Though habitats may be diverse, the park provides each with a tiger safari permit an equal chance to track and chance upon the big cats.   

Besides other animals, tourists can see plenty of birds more so in winter when Pale Arctic migrants arrive. There are over 250 species of avian in the park.

Tiger safaris are organized in the buffer as well. They are cheaper, and without many restrictions but offer a little chance to sight the big cats.

These are:

• ·         Phen
• ·         Khatia
• ·         Sijhora
• ·         Khapa

If you do not book a tiger safari in advance the permits get exhausted. Your only chance is to visit the buffer zone or stay at the resort. Hence always book the tourism zones in the core in advance. Please make all the preparation for the tiger safari in India in advance.   

Accounts of the Esoteric Indian Wildlife

 Esoteric Experiences Indian Wildlife

It was first the discovery of the white tiger in India that made headlines the World Over. India is blessed with amazing wilderness. Even after centuries of hunting and wood logging the country still retains considerable wilderness in 32 hundred thousand square km of land. 

It is home to over 350 mammals, 2000 species of birds including the subspecies and an amazing number of reptiles and insects. India is known as the land of the tiger with more than half the global population of the predator. The most majestic and now critically endangered animal is the tiger. At the turn of the century, there were more than a hundred thousand big cats in India. Before independence, forty thousand tigers survived in the vast stretches of forests and grasslands. 

But habitat destruction due to increasing agrarian practices and livestock keeping, most of the habitats were converted into fields and settlements. Post-independence, the forest habitats are completely fragmented. They are restricted to 51 tiger reserves and many National Parks and wildlife sanctuaries in an area barely comparing over one hundred thousand kilometres. 

Wildlife habitats are in a disarray and cut off without any viable corridors facing the risk of extinction due to inbreeding and continuous habitat destruction. It was the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 that stemmed the rot.

Project Tiger Program was another saviour, and inviolate areas in the reserves provided succour to the beleaguered wildlife and the remaining ecosystems. Well, and good, the tiger numbers that had plummeted to 1400 or less have risen to 3000 plus now. 

A lot of revenue is being pumped up for conservation from overseas and domestic tourism. A large populace is now wildlife-aware, and tourism is on the rise. Not only revenue for conservation, but wildlife tourism is also providing an immense opportunity for employment to locals and empowerment is taking place among the women and children in remote confines. 

India's Esoteric Wildlife

The country is well known for the white tiger which has been found in the wild only once but the animal survives in very large numbers in captivity the World over.  It was discovered at Sanjay Dubri National Park in Central India by the erstwhile Maharajah of Rewa.  

The Cheetah once found all over the country became extinct in the fifties, but it has been again reintroduced in the wild.  Hope lingers that it will survive and multiply. 

Another charismatic animal that tourists seek in the country is the black panther. Its sighting has increased in Pench, Nagzira and Kabini. The Asiatic Lion once widespread in the plains and grasslands still survives in Gir National Park in Gujarat, and its numbers are growing. Indian one-horned rhino is found in many parks like Kaziranga, Manas, Pobitara and Dudhwa National Parks. These are the megafauna we are discussing here, but the country is home to amazing esoteric lesser-known wildlife.

• Red Panda
• Clouded Leopard
• Snow Leopard
• Takin
• Goral
• Hoolock Gibbon 
• Pigmy Hog
• Golden Langur
• Nilgiri Langur
• Lion Tailed Macaque
• Hog Deer
• Hard Ground Swamp Deer 
  

These are a few animals that find mentioned here. The list is endless. If you travel extensively you will discover amazing wilderness that still exists in the country. 

Photo Bengal Tiger 

Tiger Safari 

Organized and guided tiger safaris on jeep and canter are a good way of spotting these animals in India. Visit any National Park or Tiger Reserve, and you will also spot rare and enchanting animals mentioned here. 

Some of the places where you can spot the tiger and other esoteric animals are:

Kanha National Park (Hard GroundSwamp Deer)

Kaziranga Tiger Reserve (One Horned Rhinoceros)
Manas (Golden Langur)

Namdhapha (Hoolock Gibbon, Clouded Leopard)

Silent Valley National Park (Nilgiri Langur & Lion-Tailed Macaque

Corbett Tiger Reserve (Indian Elephant)

Periyar Tiger Reserve (Indian Elephant)

Ladakh Cold Desert (Wild Ass, Brown Bear, Snow Leopard) 

For Asiatic Lion Visit Gir National Park in Gujarat.

The Bengal tiger is the most sought-after predator by tourists from overseas as well as domestic ones. You can spot the beautiful animals at the destinations mentioned below.  But remember to book a safari permit in advance. Vehicle entry is limited and you will miss out on the game ride!

The best destinations for tiger safari in India are the popular reserves:

• Kanha National Park
• Corbett National Park 
• Bandhavgarh National Park
• Ranthambore National Park
• Pench National Park
• Tadoba National Park. 

While booking a permit for a tiger safari in India choose one of these reserves. Book safari permits in advance I repeat along with travel services and resorts. Avoid holidays, and weekends since you can expect a rush and no vacancy in accommodations and without a permit, the tour is doomed. 

Book your tours through Book My Safari Company based in Mumbai in India.  The URL is https://book-my-safari.com/. Discover amazing wilderness in the country on a holiday safari.

 

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Uday Writes about tigers and safaris having worked as a naturalist for a number of years. He loves to write about Indian Wildlife. Uday provides content, SEO and digital marketing services as well. 

He can be contacted by emails

pateluday90@hotmail.com 

WhatsApp

  09755089323

Kerala Wildlife Tourism

Kerala is India’s prime holiday destination. World famous as God’s own country the state offers much to holidaymakers, The state has the finest beach resorts and backwater canals that offer boating pleasure in houseboats through vast stretches of cool blue waters.

The most popular forest types in Kerala are wet evergreen rainforests and highland deciduous. In the far recess of the state, there are India’s finest forests the Western Ghats and Nilgiris. The Nilgiri forests or biosphere reserve at Nilgiri Plateau are well known for endemic mammals and birds found only here. Lion-tailed macaque; Nilgiri langur and Nilgiri Tahr are found in these forests now protected by law. The protected area is known as Salim Ali Wildlife Sanctuary.

The best place to see the tiger in Kerala is the Periyar Tiger Reserve and Wynad Tiger Reserve. Home to many wild animals the parks are famous for tigers, leopards, bison, and Indian wild Elephant. Similarly, the Western Ghats are home to a large number of wild elephants and rare endemic birds. 

Other protected areas are Mudumalai National Park, Bandipur National Park, Nagarhole National Park, Mukurthi National Park, and Silent Valley National Park. The major faunal elements are tiger, leopard, tahr, elephant, giant squirrel, flying squirrel, wild dogs, wild boar, sloth bear, bison, and many dear species. 

There is a number of bird species in the small state of wetlands and wet evergreen rainforests of the Western Ghats and National Parks. Among the noted wetlands are Lake Sasthamkotta and Vembanad-Kol.

The major bird sanctuaries in the state are:

Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary at Periyar River is noted for the Ceylon frogmouth, Malabar trogon, Nilgiri Wren warbler, and rose-billed roller.

The Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary is home to many migratory birds and wild ducks.

Interesting birds found in the state are fairy blue-bird, orange minivet, Eurasian kingfisher, Rufous-bellied eagle, Amur falcon, Nilgiri wood pigeon, Indian hanging parrot, blue-winged parakeet, red-winged crested cuckoo, small green billed malkoha, sirkeer malkoha, red-faced malkoha, Oriental bay owl, Malabar grey hornbill, Nilgiri pipit, grey-headed bulbul, white-bellied short wing, Wynand laughing thrush, Nilgiri laughing thrush, grey-breasted laughing thrush, Indian rufous babbler, broad-tailed grass bird, black-and-orange flycatcher, verditer flycatcher, Nilgiri flycatcher, white-bellied blue flycatcher, small sunbird, Loten's sunbird, white-bellied treepie and Syke's jungle crow.

Most of the birds named above are endemic. Many are rare and have limited geographical distribution. 

There are bewildering species of snakes and reptilians found in Kerala. King Cobra and spectacled cobras are found among many other species.

A large number of tourists come for wildlife tours in the Kerala state of India. The main attractions are the Indian elephant, gaur, and tiger. Kerala tour organizers offer wildlife safaris combined with birding packages in Munnar, Thattekkad, and Western Ghats. While Periyar and Western Ghats are the most visited, tourism is substantial in other National Parks as well. 

The peak wildlife tourism season is during the holidays and winters. The weather is comfortable and movement is unobstructed by the rain.