Wild Life

WILD LIFE

Sasan Gir National Park

     photo courtesy : Manoj Dholakia

 Reputed across the world for its population of Asiatic Lion, Gir National Park is a paradise for the   connoisseurs of wildlife. Spread across an area of 1,412.13 sq Km, it has a rugged terrain and the steep rocky hillsides are covered in mixed deciduous forests. There are teak, ber, flame of the forest and banyan trees.
 Locally called sher or sinh, the Asiatic lion is over two and a half meters long, weighs 115 to 200 kg, and can run short distances at 65 km/h to chase down the sambar, chital, nilgai, and chinkara that are its preferred prey.  However, when not hungry, it will never attack an animal; after a lion makes a kill, it will gorge itself on up to 75 kg of meat, and then not worry about eating for a few days, so it is not unusual to see a well-fed lion lounging calmly beside a herd of grazing deer.  The lions prefer open scrub and deciduous forest areas, and are very bold, not shy around humans.  So even if they seem tame or timid, do not approach them, they are still very powerful wild animals.
 

Velavadar  
 Velavadar in the Bhal region of Saurashtra is a unique grassland ecosystem that has attracted fame for the successful conservation of the Blackbuck, the wolf and the lesser Florican. The park spread over an area of 35 sq.kms, its grassland, the greenery and the quadrupeds are visible as far as the eye can see.florican. 

The blackbuck for which the park was created lives mostly in the grasslands on the northern side. Found only in South Asia, the blackbuck once lived all across India, but now the largest population is here, and few are found outside Gujarat. The conservation of the blackbuck here has been a big success, however, it remains endangered due to its dependence on such a limited area to live in, but the local population has risen from a low of 200 in 1966 to around 3400 now. Given such a large population in such a small area, the chances of spotting one are very high, especially since the wide open grasslands make it easy to spot these animals leaping high over the grasses. The breeding seasons are October and February.
Other animals in the sanctuary include the nilgai (another Indian antelope), jackal, wolf, jungle cat, and fox, but the other main attraction is the bird life. Pelicans, flamingos, white and painted storks, three kinds of cranes, many birds of prey, and the rare Stolizca’s Bushchat all live here, mostly in the southern part of the park, where all the wetlands lie. The extremely rare Lesser Florican, one of the 50 rarest birds in the world, breeds here.       


Nalsarovar
Situated 54 kms from the city of Ahmedabad is the bird sanctuary, Nalsarovar. It is the largest bird sanctuary in Gujarat and can boast of its scenic beauty as well as its feathered inhabitants. The Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary is the abode to a large species of our feathered friends. The sanctuary is visited by more than two hundred species of migratory birds in winter.

Clouds upon clouds of more than 200 types of birds land in this lake having made an equally long journey to escape the harsh winter of their nesting areas. Here they find food and warmth. These migrant birds visit Nalsarovar every year from November to February. During these four months water is plentiful and fish, insects and aquatic plants abound in the lake - an ideal environment for the birds. Nalsarovar at this time is a birdwatcher's delight. When food and water are scarce in Nalsarovar, some birds go away for short periods to nearby areas and return to the lake after monsoon to a feast of fish and insects. These are the resident birds. The lake - Nalsarovar - and the wetlands around it were declared a bird sanctuary in 1969. Spread over 120 sq.kms, the lake and the extensive reed beds and marshes are an ideal habitat for aquatic plants and animals. The lake attracts a large variety of birds like plovers, sandpipers and stints.

Spices at Nalsarover

Indian pond heron

Little egret

Cattle egret

Black headed Ibis

Greater flamingoes

Tawny Eagle

Pied Kingfisher

Asian open bill stork

Grey francolin

Baya weaver

Green bee eater

Black Drongo

Ashy crowned sparrow lark

Marsh Harieer

Black wing Kite

Black  Kite

Ruddy shelduck

Common redshank

Common greenshank

Red wattled lapwing

Pied Avocet

Northern shoveler

Common crane

Painted stork

White breasted waterhen

Black wing stilt

White throated kingfisher

Yellow wagtail

Indian roller

Common hawk cuckoo

Eurasian spoonbill

Dalmatian pelican

Eurasian wigeon

 
Wild Ass Sanctury
Wild Ass Sanctuary, located on the periphery of the Little Rann of Kutch is 100 Kms from Ahmedabad. It is the perfect entrance to the Little Rann of Kutch. The culture of this region has a blend of both Saurashtra and Kutch, making it very unique. This is reflected in the architecture, arts and crafts of this region. The hospitality of the people of  this region is sure to touch your heart.

  
But the Sanctuary is home to far more than just the wild ass. Among the 32 other species of mammals are the chinkara(Indian gazelle), two types of desert fox (Indian and White-footed), jackals, caracals (African lynx), nilgais(the largest antelope of Asia), Indian wolves, blackbucks, and striped hyenas. From the salty desert, periodically inundated during the monsoons, to wetlands where freshwater rivers draining through the Rann mix into the seawater of the Gulf of Kutch, and the scrub forests found on the beyts, the variety of vegetation types means a similar variety of animals inhabit the area.
Because of the Sanctuary's proximity to the Gulf of Kutch and its location on the migration routes of many bird species, it is a very important site for birds to feed and breed in. Every year, approximately 75,000 birds nest in the reserve. The ceraneous vulture comes from Egypt, the common and demoiselle cranes arrive from Siberia, the blue-tailed bee-eater visits from Europe, and the houbara bustard of Iran and Iraq stops over as well. All of these are commonly sighted in the sanctuary. Also present are sandgrouses, desert wheatears, ten species of lark, the white-browed bulbul, Indian coursers, stoneplovers, shrikes, ducks, geese, three types of ibis, spoonbills, godwits, stints, sandpipers, shanks, moorhens, saras cranes, both Indian flamingoes, and three species of pelican.

Kutch Bustard Sancutary 

 Tiny Kachchh Great Indian Bustard Sanctuary was declared as a sanctuary in July 1992. Endangered species like lesser florican, chinkara and wolf inhabit this area. This bustard has the rare distinction of being the heaviest flying bird.

Important animals : Wolf, caracal, desert cat, jackal, hyena, fox, mongoose, bluebull, chinkara, spiny tailed lizard, royal snake etc.

Important birds : Great Indian Bustards, lesser floricans, houbara bustards, harriers, common cranes, black partridges, sand grouses etc.

Marine National Park & Wildlife Sanctuary

Marine National Park and Sanctuary, Jamnagar, was declared as National Park and Sanctuary in August' 1980.
Marine National Park and Sanctuary falls in the inter-tidal zone along the Jamnagar coasts and islands in the Gulf of Kachchh. Blessed with a great diversity of habitats, its coral reefs and mangroves and the series of 42 islands form a unique, though fragile, eco-system, which supports an amazing marine life and biodiversity.
Inundated by temperamental seawaters twice a day, the Marine National Park stands as a vanguard to a very fragile eco-system, which is as good as any underwater forest eco-system. The protected area has a great diversity of habitats- ranging from coral reefs, mangroves, mudflats, creeks, estuaries, sandy strands to saline grasslands, marshy areas and rocky shores.

These varieties of habitats support multitudes of fish, birds, reptiles and many other life forms. The coral reefs and mangroves found in Marine National Park are of great conservation value, which have all along been considered as the most fascinating of all the rich marine biota in a compact place found anywhere in the country. Special efforts are made to preserve its rare dignity of being the first marine national park in the country.

It is a treasure trove of colourful corals and sponges, giant sea anemone, jelly fish, sea horse, octopus, pearl oyster, Portuguese man of war, starfish, dolphin, shark and many more varieties of under water creatures and plants.

 

Islands

Narara is one of the important tourists' destinations.

Although it is an island, it is well connected with the mainland. It is also known for its vast inter-tidal zone, facilitating viewing of marine invertebrates. It is therefore, a very good nature education site.

Flora

Six species of mangroves, several species of herbs, grasses and shrubs and 120 species of algae.

 

 

 

 

Founa

Colourful sponges and corals including 42 hard coral and 10 soft coral species, sea anemones, jelly fishes, sea horse, octopus, pearl oyster, sabela, portugese- man-of-war, starfish, bonellia, sepia, lobster, crabs, prawns, sea turtles, dolphin, dugong, porpoise, shark etc.

Mangrove Forest

The mangroves are halophytic species growing in saline soils in the coastal areas along the shores. The mangroves are adapted to loose and wet soils and periodic submergence in the saline water. They survive in difficult conditions of high salinity, low oxygen and nutrient availability in the soil, wind and wave action and substrate instability.

Mangroves play crucial role in conservation of marine life as mangrove swamps are considered nursery and shelter grounds for prawns, fishes, birds and host of other marine life. The fringe mangroves function as stabilizer of sediments and protect shore land from erosion. Thick cover of mangroves trap silts and protect coral reefs from destruction by excessive sedimentation.