Wildlife

Travel to Uttaranchal, the land abundant with some of the rare species of flora and fauna. Uttaranchal boasts of quite a few national parks and sanctuaries. All of them have been bestowed by nature with its bounty. Come, explore the exquisite forest life of Uttaranchal with us. The range of animal species found here are just immense. One can find here species from the plains, alpine region, aquatic region, etc. all at the same place. One can see numerous rare species like snow leopard, yak, Himalayan tahr, Himalayan black bear, Himalayan musk deer, etc. which are rare to find elsewhere in India. Travel to the wildlife reserves of Corbett and Nanda Devi and observe them in the natural habitats.

Corbett National Park
Located at the foothills of the lofty Himalayas in the state of Uttranchal is the Corbett National Park, India's first and finest national park. The Corbett National Park inhabits a wide variety of rare and endangered flora & fauna. Corbett is famous for its population of Tigers, Leopards and Elephants. Once a popular hunting ground of the British, the Corbett National Park was named after the late Jim Corbett, the legendary hunter- turned wildife conservationist, who spent most of his years in this area and contributed in shaping the park. Corbett National Park was established in the year 1936, as the Hailey National Park. With the help of the World Wildlife Fund, Project Tiger was launched in Corbett National Park in the year 1973 and this park was one of the first such tiger reserves in the country.

The Vegetation
Corbett National Park comprises of hilly and riverine areas, temporary marshy depressions, plateaus and ravines. The lower region is covered by the Sal trees, and the higher regions have a larger variety of plants and trees. In the remote regions, there are Chir, anauri and Bakli. Also found in various parts of the park are different varieties of bamboo.

The Animals
Tiger is the major attraction of the area. Apart from Tigers, Elephants, Leopards / Panthers, Jungle cats, Fishing Cats, Leopard cats, Himalayan black bears, Sloth bears, Deers, Hog deer, Barking deer, Ghorals, Wild Boars, Pangolins, Jackals, Martens, Dholes, Civets, Mongooses, Otters, Hares, Porcupines, Chital (spotted deer), Sambar deer, Macaques, Langurs and Blue Bulls (Nilgais) are some of the species which are found here.

The Birds
Corbett has nearly 600 bird species. The park area is home to Herons, Darters, Cormorants, Lapwings, Paradise Flycatchers, Munias, Weaver birds, Fishing eagles, Serpent eagles, Spotted Eagles, Black throated Payas, Mynas, Jungle Fowl, Vultures, Thrushes, Barbets, Peacocks, peahens, Kingfishers, migrant Gulls, Moorhens, Ducks, Geese, Sandpipers, Nightjars, Doves, Plovers, Black necked Storks, Parakeets, Owls, Cuckoos, Woodpeckers, Wagtails, Black winged Kits, Drongos, Chir Pheasants, Kalij Pheasants, Grebes, Grey Lags, Snipes, Harriers, Ospreys, Minivets, Babblers, Hornbills, falcons and Stone Curlews.

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Nanda Devi National Park
The Nanda Devi National Park is one of the most spectacular wilderness areas in the Himalayas. It is overshadowed by the peak of Nanda Devi, which rises to over 7,800 m. Nanda Devi National Park was established in the year 1980. The first men on record to have reached this park, whileyet in its pristine form, were the the British Mountaineers Eric Shipton and Bill Tilman. The area had largely remained untouched till then, except for Tilman's successful attempt on Nanda Devi in the year 1936. However, since 1950 the increasing number of treks & climbing expeditions to the area has to some extent affected the virgin characteristic of this place. Nanda Devi National Park is characterised by the unique mix of flora and fauna.

The Vegetation
In total, 312 floral species have been found here of which around 17 are considered rare. The main vegetation here is of fir, birch, rhododendron, and juniper. In the inner sanctuary, conditions are drier and near the Nanda Devi Glacier, the vegetation is almost nil. Starting from Ramani, the vegetation changes to alpine and the place is dominated by the juniper scrubs, which gradually leads to the area with grasses, prone mosses, and lichens.

The Animals
Animal population of species like bharal, Himalayan tahr, serow, goral, snow leopard, Himalayan black bear, brown bear, leopard, common langur, Himalayan musk deer, and brown beer dominate the park area.

The Birds
There are nearly 80 species of birds in this area. Warblers, gresbreaks, rose finches and ruby throat are commonly seen here.

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