WILDLIFE IN RAJASTHAN

For all one's inclination to believe that Rajasthan is a desert, it is difficult to ignore the fact that the region, in fact, has varied topography and includes from semi arid, desert like conditions to among the oldest mountains in the world, and luxh water filled valleys. No wonder too that its wildlife is so rich in variety including from the tiger and leopard to endless varieties of deer rhesus monkeys, reptiles including the python and a profusion of bird life that includes water birds.

RANTHAMBHOR NATIONAL PARK

If there is a park that can almost guarantee tiger sightseeing it must be Ranthambhor, its landscape dominated by the Vindhyan hill range with its steep escarpments, The ancient sedimentary limeston and sandstone rocks, perennial lakes, and dry deciduous vegetation are part of its indicative topography. Ranthambhor's  great fort in the background, is a royal presence but abandoned for centuries the only majesty jere is the tiger's presence.

Location : 180 km south-east of Jaipur; 275 km from Agra. 410 km of desert ecology speckled with dhok, ronj, salai, bear and palm trees, surrounded by the Vindhyas and Aravalis, the Park with thick forest with nullahs and waterfalls is an oasis of biomass. The three major lakes - Rajbaugh, Milak talao and Padam talao serve as watering holes for the creatures that inhabit the park studded as it is with Rajput pavilions and palaces and Ranthambhore Fort. The wildlife spotted here are the tiger, leopard, sambar, blue bull, chital, chinkara, hyena, jackal, fox, caracal, jungle cat, ratel, sloth bear, langur and wildboard. Over 300 species of bird can be seen.

SARISKA NATIONAL PARK

Located 107 kms from Jaipur, the Sariska National Park is in a wooden valley, surrounded by barren mountains. The dry deciduous forests of the ancient Aravalli range cover the area of the Sariska National Park and Tiger Reserve.

The main fauna in the park includes the Tiger, Panther, Hyena, Jungle Cat, Civet, Sambhar, Chinkara, Nilgai and Four-Horned Antelope. Declared a Sanctuary in 1955, it became a Tiger Reserve under Project Tiger in 1979.

The other great predator of Sariska's forests is the leopard besides the ferocious tiger. Sariska has a healthy porcupine population, and this tiny creature often pits itself against the tiger, which is particularly fond of porcupine flesh.
The 'Chowsingha' (four horned antelope) is commonly found at Sariska; exclusively Indian, it is the world's only wild creature, which has two pairs of horns. The Park's terrain is also congenial to the Chinkara (Indian Gazelle) and Nilgai.
 

DESERT NATIONAL PARK

The vast tracts of desert sands around Jaisalmer with their wood fossils have been designated the Desert National Park.

However, it is with the great Indian bustard that the Desert National Park is most closely associated espicially since its conservation efforts have borne fruit.
Location : 180 km south-east of Jaipur; 275 km from Agra. 410 km of desert ecology speckled with dhok, ronj, salai, bear and palm trees, surrounded by the Vindhyas and Aravalis, the Park with thick forest with nullahs and waterfalls is an oasis of biomass. The three major lakes - Rajbaugh, Milak talao and Padam talao serve as watering holes for the creatures that inhabit the park studded as it is with Rajput pavilions and palaces and Ranthambhore Fort. The wildlife spotted here are the tiger, leopard, sambar, blue bull, chital, chinkara, hyena, jackal, fox, caracal, jungle cat, ratel, sloth bear, langur and wildboard. Over 300 species of bird can be seen.

KEOLADEO NATIONAL PARK

Once of the finest bird parks in the world, Keoladeo Ghana National Park is a reserve that offer protection to faunal species as well though  there is no doubt that this is primarily a bird sanctuary.

Exotic migratory birds from Afghanistan, Central Asia, Tibet as well as Siberian cranes from the Arctic, greyleg geese from Siberia and barheaded geese from China, come here in July/August to spend the winters in the warmer climate and they breed till October/November.
The most famous of these winter migrants is the greatly endangered Siberian crane though its numbers have reduced drastically from a few hundreds a few decades ago to barely a few birds now.

Bharatpur is popular for its bird sanctuary near the Keoladeo Ghana National Park, which is the finest in Asia with a rich avian variety. Every year, the rare Siberian cranes come to spend the winter in the warmer climate of Bharatpur.

Of the remnants of the royal past remain the marvellous Bharatpur Palace housing a rich repository of a large number of ancient exhibits that date back to the early 15th century