The Central part of India is home to abundant wildlife. Popular for many national parks and Tiger sighting, the area also hosts many unique flora and faunas. Here we bring to you the six rare, endangered and intriguing mammals which are pride of the Jungles as well as have set examples of the various conservation efforts for new life.
6) Gaur:
Gaur is the largest specie of Cattle family to be found in Asia and weighs up to 1 ton. This mammal resembles a lot to the Bison of North America and has a prominent dorsal ridge on the back as an identity. For their massive size and strength as well as sharp horn, they hold respectable place in the Jungle as they stay in herds and are completely herbivores. Unfortunately in 1995, these mammals were regionally extinct from Bandhavgarh national park, but with the effort of local authorities they were successfully reintroduced in 2012 from Kanha National Park. For a good sighting, summers are the best time when they travel in search of water and fresh grass. Now days, they can be sighted in all popular national parks of central India.
5) Wild Dogs:
Next on the list are Wild Dogs also known as ‘Indian Dhole’ and are skilled predators from Canidae family. This mammal has a unique way of hunting – firstly scanning a large area to shortlist the prey and then strategising the attack. It is indeed a very fascinating and spine chilling sight – the wild dogs hunting in a pack, tactfully strategising and as they outrun the prey, they start eating it alive. Despite this brutality, they are quite organized and maintain orders in the pack. The national parks of Satpura, Pench and Kanha have better sighting of the mammal in comparison to Bandhavgarh park. They do resemble the domestic dogs but are generally brown in color with bushy tail.
4) Sloth Bear:
Once part of the ugly Zoo shows where they were ill treated to dance, they are now back to their home in the various park of Central India since the Wildlife Law of 1972 putting complete ban on such activities. Though, while on an expedition to one of the parks, you may have good chance of seeing the Sloth Bear dancing drunk after a heavy dose of Mahua Fruit. These mammals are usually nocturnal in behaviour but you may find them scratching the branches for insects as well as sucking up termite colonies during day time. If you are very lucky, you may have the wonderful sighting of a mother bear carrying babies on her back! The known parks in central India for Sloth Bear sighting are Satpura, Kanha and Pench.
3) Bara Singha:
Also known as the Hard Ground Swamp Deep, these species of the Deer are extremely endangered but fortunately, they are endemic in Kanha national park. They are the subspecies of Swamp Deep which is a living specimen evolution. Thanks to the various conservation efforts over a period of time, the authorities have successfully managed to bring the Deer back from the fear of extinction. So bad was the situation in these areas that the numbers had reduced to 60 in total but with dedicated work over the period of time, the numbers have increased successfully and Deer is now rightfully known as the ‘Jewel of Kanha’. During summer, you will notice a shimmery golden fur on these Barha Singhas which transforms into thick tawny brown during winter period. Constant efforts are now being made with an aim to make Satpura as their second home.
2) Leopard:
This big spotted cat competes for place and food with Tigers as both these mammals belong to the same family and hunt similar preys. However, they are less spotted in the areas where Tigers are very active. In Central India, Leopards are commonly sighted in Satpura National park which doesn’t have many Tigers. The Leopards are popular for their agility and power but are also very well known for their secret inhabitation. They secretly abduct the sheep, goat or dogs from nearby villages.
1) Tiger:
Not Lion, But Tiger is the Jungle king and also the most popular mammal in Central India. Such good is the sighting in these areas that the dense jungles of Bandhavgarh along with Sal forest of Kanha give high hopes of finding Tiger under every bush. Infact, Bandhavgarh national park is very well known across the globe for wonderful sighting. The suitable terrains and smaller size of the parks has had many wildlife enthusiasts return happy with good sighting. The authorities have also reintroduced Tiger at Panna national park, which was once a popular home for this Jungle King but became regionally extinct only a few years back. The efforts seem to be successful as one may get the chance to sight cubs on the bank of River Ken.