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Wildlife Sanctuaries in Rajasthan
Jaisamand Sanctuary
Established
in 1957,this sanctuary is located beside the man-made lake of the same name.
Covering a total area of 160 sq km, it harbours sloth bear, leopard, chital,
chinkara, wild boar and a number of birds.
Some crocodiles and fish can also be spotted here. Best time to visit is
between November and January.
Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur
This magnificent bird haven in actual came into being paradoxically as a
duck shooting preserve for Maharaja Suraj Mull of Bharatpur. He transformed
the shallow depression formed by the confluence of River Gambhir and River Banganga
into a reservoir by damming the rainwater in monsoons.
Flooding of water created shallow wetland ecosystem causing it to be a perfect
habitat for an astounding variety of birds. The park that was a hunting preserve
for the Maharaja and the British continued to be so till 1964, after which
the hunting was banned.
A forestation policy of planting acacias was vigorously followed. However
the ecosystem at the Park continues to be fragile due to pressures of tourism
and need for water from surrounding villages. However the environmentalists
won the day in 1985 when UNESCO listed it as World Heritage site and earlier
in 1982 it was declared as National Park.
And, today the Park is recognised as the most important breeding and feed grounds
for the birds in the world. Some species are still endangered and especially
the Siberian crane. Visitors are advised to maintain low noise level and avoid
littering the park.
Kumbhalgarh Sanctuary
Is
located in the most rugged of the Aravali in Pali, Rajsamand and Udaipur districts
of Rajasthan. It takes name after the impressive historic fort of Kumbhalgarh,
which come into view over the Park. It is 578 sq Kms in area and at an altitude
of 500 to 1,300m.
It is home to a very large variety of wild life, some of which are highly
endangered species. The wild life includes wolf, leopards, sloth bear, hyena,
jackal, jungle cat, smabhar, nilgai, chaisingh (the four horned antelope),
chinkara and hare.
The bird life at Kumbhalgarh is also gratifying. The normally shy and untrusted
grey jungle fowl can be spotted here. Peacocks and Doves can be sighted regularly
feeding on grains scattered by the jungle guards. Bird like the red spur owls,
Parakeets, golden Oriole, grey Pigeons, Bulbul, Dove and white breasted kingfisher
can also be seen near the water holes.
Mount Abu Sanctuary
The sanctuary comprises the oldest mountain ranges - The Aravali. It was declared
as a Wildlife Sanctuary in 1960. Apart from having several sightseeing places
this sanctuary is a draw for nature lovers as it has great potential for Eco-tourism,
In shape this sanctuary is long and narrow but the top spreads out into a picturesque
plateau which is about 19 km. is length and 5-8 km. in breadth.
Attitudinally it varies from 300m. at the foot Mil to 1722m. at Gurashikhar,
the highest peak of the Aravali Ranges. The rocks are igneous and due the
weathering effect of wind and water, large cavities are common the rocks.
This feature is typical of Aravali and particularly of Mt. Abu. Toad Rock
in Mount Abu is one such example.
Mount Abu has a very rich floral biodiversity starting with xenomorphic subtropical
thorn forest at the foot hills to subtropical evergreen forest along water courses
and valleys at higher altitudes. These forests consist of 112 plant families
with 449 genera and 820 species.
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