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Having a large biodiversity, Bandhavgarh National Park also has the highest FaR from the madding crowd of urban cities, a heaven for the royal Bengal tiger, Bandhavgarh National Park has become a synonym for tiger presence in India. The natural habitat of the animal in Madhya Pradesh, the park has huge variety of birds and other wild animals which further add charm to its environs. The park is so named due to presence of the highest hill Bandhavgarh (807 m) that lies in its centre. It falls between the Vindhya hills and the eastern flank of the Satpura hills and is located in Shahdol and Jabalpur districts of Madhya Pradesh. As one arrives at the park, the foremost on any visitor’s mind is the first encounter with the tiger, and eagerly waited, too. Gypsies are the only mode of transport allowed inside the park for tourists. Almost an hour into the forest, we hear a distinct call, a kind of alarm sound made by langurs and deers on spotting a tiger. This one is heard from a distant forest of the Tala Zone. "There are pug marks and three tigers are together. If we are lucky, we will see all of them," claims our guide.
Suddenly, the wait is over as we spot this huge young tiger walking straight towards our Gypsy with two females amidst bamboo grass. The cameras are clicking madly, as this is only mode of shooting allowed here. "It is the new male and it lives with two young females. They are from the same family," whispers our driver Hari Om Sharma, who has spent two decades, tracking this majestic animal. "It is still to be named," adds the driver. A little later we spor a group of some 11 wild boars, a bear, a serpent eagle, a barking deer and a rabbit. Tourists are allowed two trips a day. The morning trip starts at 6 am and ends at 10.15 am while the afternoon trip is from 3.15 pm to 6.15 pm. All vehicles are allowed to follow a single route to trail the tiger and other animals. A total of 32 vehicles are allowed inside every day and a majority of the travellers are foreigners. "Bandhavgarh has been an excellent tiger habitat and is known to have the highest density of tigers in the world. Considering the importance and potential of the national park, it was included in the Project Tiger Network in 1993. At present 30 to 35 tigers prowl these forests and are easy to spot," says Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), H. S. Pabla. "We have recently shifted over 29 gaurs (Indian bison) into the forests. These were shifted here from nearby forests of Kanha," adds Pabla. The next day is even more spectacular as a family of five tigers has killed a sambar and is feasting on it. An elephant ride near the kill has been allowed where tourists can see five fully-grown tigers tearing away the sambar flesh. No trip to the jungle is complete without bird sightings as these rare and exotic birds form an exciting part of this excursion. The evening time is best to see the variety of birds in Bandhavgarh, known for more than 300 varieties of birds. These include peafowl, red jungle fowl, grey hornbill, common teals, red wattled lapwing, crested serpent eagle, white-breasted kingfisher, lesser adjutant stork and many more. Various animals that can be found the park are spotted deer or chital, sambar, barking deer, chausinga or four-horned antelope, nilgai or blue bull, Indian gazelle or chinkara, wild dogs, wolves, scavengers like hyena and jackal, wild boar, sloth bear, common langur, rhesus monkey etc. The park has a large biodiversity of flora and fauna, and tiger is not the only animal that tourists can spot. However, the majestic beast remains the only attraction that woos the visitors.
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