Royal Chitwan National Park
Encyclopedia
Chitwan National Park is the first national park in Nepal
. Formerly called Royal Chitwan National Park it was established in 1973 and granted the status of a World Heritage Site
in 1984. It covers an area of 932 km² (359.8 sq mi) and is located in the subtropical Inner Terai lowlands
of south-central Nepal in the Chitwan District
. In altitude it ranges from about 100 metres (328.1 ft) in the river valleys to 815 metres (2,673.9 ft) in the Churia Hills.
In the north and west of the protected area the Narayani-Rapti river system forms a natural boundary to human settlements. Adjacent to the east of Chitwan National Park is Parsa Wildlife Reserve
, contiguous in the south is the Indian Tiger Reserve Valmiki National Park
. The coherent protected area of 2075 km² (801.2 sq mi) represents the Tiger
Conservation Unit (TCU) Chitwan-Parsa-Valmiki, which covers a 3549 km² (1,370.3 sq mi) huge block of alluvial grasslands and subtropical moist deciduous forests.
, rhinocerosses, leopard
s and sloth bear
s.
In 1950, Chitwan’s forest and grasslands extended over more than 2600 km² (1,003.9 sq mi) and was home to about 800 rhinos. When poor farmers from the mid-hills moved to the Chitwan Valley
in search of arable land, the area was subsequently opened for settlement, and poaching of wildlife
became rampant. In 1957, the country's first conservation law inured to the protection of rhinos and their habitat
. In 1959, Edward Pritchard Gee
undertook a survey of the area, recommended creation of a protected area north of the Rapti River
and of a wildlife sanctuary south of the river for a trial period of ten years. After his subsequent survey of Chitwan in 1963, this time for both the Fauna Preservation Society and the International Union for Conservation of Nature, he recommended extension of the sanctuary to the south.
By the end of the 1960s, 70% of Chitwan’s jungles were cleared using DDT
, thousands of people had settled there, and only 95 rhinos remained. The dramatic decline of the rhino population and the extent of poaching prompted the government to institute the Gaida Gasti – a rhino reconnaissance patrol of 130 armed men and a network of guard posts all over Chitwan. To prevent the extinction of rhinos the Chitwan National Park was gazetted in December 1970, with borders delineated the following year and established in 1973, initially encompassing an area of 544 km² (210 sq mi).
In 1977, the park was enlarged to its present area of 932 km² (359.8 sq mi). In 1997, a bufferzone of 766.1 km² (295.8 sq mi) was added to the north and west of the Narayani-Rapti river system, and between the south-eastern boundary of the park and the international border to India.
The park’s headquarter is located in Kasara. Close-by the Gharial and Turtle Conservation Breeding Centres have been established. In 2008, a Vulture breeding centre was inaugurated aiming at holding up to 25 pairs of each of the two Gyps
vultures species now critically endangered
in Nepal - the Oriental white-backed vulture and the slender-billed vulture
.
, where monsoon
starts in mid June and eases off in late September. During these 14–15 weeks most of the 2,500 mm yearly precipitation falls – it is pouring with rain. After mid-October the monsoon clouds have retreated, humidity drops off, and the top daily temperature gradually subsides from ±36°C / 96.8 °F to ±18°C / 64.4 °F. Nights are cooling down to 5°C / 41.0 °F until late December, when it usually rains softly for a few days. Then temperatures are rising gradually.
The typical vegetation of the Inner Terai is Himalayan subtropical broadleaf forests
with predominantly Sal trees covering about 70% of the national park area. Purest stands of sal occur on well drained lowland ground in the centre. Along the southern face of the Churia Hills sal is interspersed with chir pine (Pinus roxburghii)
. On northern slopes sal associates with smaller flowering tree and shrub species such as Beleric (Terminalia bellirica)
, Rosewood (Dalbergia sissoo)
, Axlewood (Anogeissus latifolia)
, Elephant Apple (Dillenia indica)
, Grey Downy Balsam (Garuga pinnata)
and creepers
such as Bauhinia vahlii
and Spatholobus parviflorus
.
Seasonal bushfires, flooding and erosion
evoke an ever-changing mosaic of riverine forest and grassland
s along the river banks. On recently deposited alluvium
and in lowland areas groups of Catechu (Acacia catechu)
with Rosewood (Dalbergia sissoo)
predominate, followed by groups of Kapok (Bombax ceiba)
with Rhino Apple trees (Trewia nudiflora)
, the fruits of which rhinos savour so much. Understorey shrubs of Velvety beautyberry (Callicarpa macrophylla)
, Hill Glory Bower (Clerodendrum
sp.) and gooseberry (Phyllanthus emblica) offer shelter and lair to a wide variety of species.
Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands
cover about 20% of the park’s area. More than 50 species are found here including some of the world’s tallest grasses like the elephant grass called Saccharum ravennae
, Giant cane (Arundo donax)
, Khagra reed (Phragmites karka)
and several species of true grasses. Kans grass (Saccharum spontaneum)
is one of the first grasses to colonise new sandbanks and to be washed away by the yearly monsoon floods.
, moth
and insect
species. Apart from King Cobra
and Rock python, 17 other species of snake
s, starred tortoise
and monitor lizard
s occur. The Narayani-Rapti river system, their small tributaries and myriads of oxbow lakes is habitat for 113 recorded species of fish
and mugger crocodile
s.
In the early 1950s, about 235 gharial
s occurred in the Narayani River. The population has dramatically declined to only 38 wild gharials in 2003. Every year gharial eggs are collected along the rivers to be hatched in the breeding center of the Gharial Conservation Project, where animals are reared to an age of 6–9 years. Every year young gharials are reintroduced into the Narayani-Rapti river system, of which sadly only very few survive.
of mammal
s. The "King of the Jungle" is the Bengal Tiger
. The alluvial floodplain habitat of the Terai is one of the best tiger habitats anywhere in the world. Since the establishment of Chitwan National Park the initially small population of about 25 individuals has increased to 70–110 in 1980. In some years this population has declined due to poaching and floods. In a long-term study carried out from 1995–2002 tiger researchers identified a relative abundance of 82 breeding tigers and a density of 6 females per 100 km2.
Leopards are most prevalent on the peripheries of the park. They co-exist with tigers, but being socially subordinate are not common in prime tiger habitat. In 1988, a clouded leopard
was captured and radio-collared outside the protected area, and released into the park but did not stay.
Other felids reported from the protected area comprise fishing cat
, jungle cat
, leopard cat
, and the rare marbled cat
. Chitwan is considered to have the highest population density of sloth bear
s with an estimated 200 to 250 individuals. Smooth-coated otter
s inhabit the numerous creeks and rivulets. Golden jackal
s are common. Bengal fox
es, Spotted linsang
s, palm civets, Large and Small civets, several species of mongoose
, honey badgers and yellow-throated martens roam the jungle for prey. wild dog
s are rare. Striped hyena
s prevail on the southern slopes of the Churia Hills.
Rhinoceros: since 1973 the population has recovered well and increased to 544 animals around the turn of the century. To ensure the survival of the endangered species
in case of epidemics animals are translocated annually from Chitwan to the Bardia National Park and the Sukla Phanta Wildlife Reserve
since 1986. However, the population has repeatedly been jeopardized by poaching: in 2002 alone, poachers have killed 37 animals cruelly in order to saw off and sell their valuable horns.
From time to time wild elephant
bulls find their way from Valmiki National Park
into the valleys of the park, apparently in search of elephant cows willing to be seduced.
Gaur
s spend most of the year in the less accessible Churia Hills in the south of the national park. But when the bush fires ease off in springtime and lush grasses start growing up again, they descend into the grassland and riverine forests to graze and browse. The Chitwan population of the world's largest wild cattle species has increased from 188 to 296 animals in the years 1997 to 2007.
Apart from numerous wild boars also sambar deer
, Red muntjac, hog deer
and herds of chital
inhabit the park. Four-horned antelope
s reside predominantly in the hills. Rhesus monkeys, hanuman langurs, Indian pangolins
, Indian porcupine
s, several species of flying squirrel
s, black-naped hares
and endangered hispid hare
s are also present.
Every year dedicated bird watchers and conservationists survey bird species occurring all over the country. In 2006 they recorded 543 species in the Chitwan National Park, much more than in any other protected area in Nepal and about two-thirds of Nepal's globally threatened species
. Additionally, 20 black-chinned yuhina
, a pair of Gould's sunbird
, a pair of blossom-headed parakeet
and one slaty-breasted rail
, an uncommon winter visitor, were sighted in spring 2008.
Especially the park’s alluvial grasslands are important habitats for the critically endangered Bengal florican
, the vulnerable lesser adjutant
, grey-crowned prinia
, swamp francolin
and several species of grass warbler
s. In 2005 more than 200 slender-billed babblers
were sighted in 3 different grassland types. The near threatened Oriental darter
is a resident breeder around the many lakes, where also egret
s, bittern
s, stork
s and kingfisher
abound.
The park is one of the few known breeding sites of the globally threatened spotted eagle.
Peafowl
and jungle fowl scratch their living on the forest floor.
Apart from the resident birds about 160 migrating and vagrant species arrive in Chitwan in autumn from northern latitudes to spend the winter here, among them the Greater Spotted Eagle
, Eastern Imperial Eagle
and Pallas's Fish-eagle. Common sightings include Brahminy ducks
and goosanders
. Large flocks of bar-headed geese just rest for a few days in February on their way north.
As soon as the winter visitors have left in spring, the summer visitors arrive from southern latitudes. The calls of cuckoo
s herald the start of spring. The colourful Bengal Pittas
and several sunbird
species are common breeding visitors during monsoon. Among the many flycatcher
species the Paradise flycatcher with his long undulating tail in flight is a spectacular sight.
destinations. In 1989 more than 31,000 people visited the park, and ten years later already more than 77,000.
There are several lodges
inside the national park offering full board and accommodation in combination with elephant and jeep safari
s, rafting
tours and guided jungle walks. The pioneer safari lodge is Tiger Tops Jungle Lodge which has been receiving guests since 1972, before the national park was established. Tiger Tops has developed standards for responsible conservation tourism
and supports the “Long-term Tiger
Monitoring Project” of the International Trust for Nature Conservation and anti-poaching units operating in the national park.
On the edge of the national park Sauraha
is a well-known spot for tourists. Accessible from the nearby Bharatpur Airport
, Sauraha offers a choice of hotels, lodges, restaurants and agencies that organize day trips into the protected area.
in season 2, episode 11.
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
. Formerly called Royal Chitwan National Park it was established in 1973 and granted the status of a World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
in 1984. It covers an area of 932 km² (359.8 sq mi) and is located in the subtropical Inner Terai lowlands
Inner Terai Valleys of Nepal
The Inner Terai Valleys or Bhitri tarai are various elongated valleys in Nepal situated between the Himalayan foothills, the 600–900 m high Siwalik or Churia Range and the 2,000-3,000 m high Mahabharat Range further north. Major examples are the Chitwan Valley southwest of Kathmandu and the...
of south-central Nepal in the Chitwan District
Chitwan District
Chitwan District and one sub-Metropolitan city - Bharatpur and a municipality Ratnanagar each of which has more than nine wards or urban areas....
. In altitude it ranges from about 100 metres (328.1 ft) in the river valleys to 815 metres (2,673.9 ft) in the Churia Hills.
In the north and west of the protected area the Narayani-Rapti river system forms a natural boundary to human settlements. Adjacent to the east of Chitwan National Park is Parsa Wildlife Reserve
Parsa Wildlife Reserve
Parsa Wildlife Reserve is a protected area in the Inner Terai lowlands of south-central Nepal. Established in 1984, it covers an area of in the Parsa, Makwanpur and Bara districts and is the largest wildlife reserve in the country...
, contiguous in the south is the Indian Tiger Reserve Valmiki National Park
Valmiki National Park
Valmiki National Park is located in the West Champaran district of Bihar, India. The extensive forest area of Valmikinagar was owned by the Bettiah Raj and Ramanagar Raj until early 1950s...
. The coherent protected area of 2075 km² (801.2 sq mi) represents the Tiger
Bengal Tiger
The Bengal tiger is a tiger subspecies native to the Indian subcontinent that in 2010 has been classified as endangered by IUCN...
Conservation Unit (TCU) Chitwan-Parsa-Valmiki, which covers a 3549 km² (1,370.3 sq mi) huge block of alluvial grasslands and subtropical moist deciduous forests.
History
Since the end of the 19th century Chitwan - Heart of the Jungle – used to be a favorite hunting ground for Nepal’s ruling class during the winter seasons. Until the 1950s, the journey from Kathmandu to Nepal’s South was arduous as the area could only be reached by foot. Thus, in an area known as Four Mile Forest (चार कोसे झाडी) comfortable camps were set up for the feudal big game hunters and their entourage, where they stayed for a couple of months shooting hundreds of tigersBengal Tiger
The Bengal tiger is a tiger subspecies native to the Indian subcontinent that in 2010 has been classified as endangered by IUCN...
, rhinocerosses, leopard
Indian leopard
The Indian leopard is a leopard subspecies widely distributed on the Indian subcontinent. It is one of the five big cats found in India, apart from Asiatic lion, Bengal tiger, snow leopard and clouded leopard....
s and sloth bear
Sloth Bear
The sloth bear , also known as the labiated bear, is a nocturnal insectivorous species of bear found wild within the Indian subcontinent. The sloth bear evolved from ancestral brown bears during the Pleistocene and shares features found in insect-eating mammals through convergent evolution...
s.
In 1950, Chitwan’s forest and grasslands extended over more than 2600 km² (1,003.9 sq mi) and was home to about 800 rhinos. When poor farmers from the mid-hills moved to the Chitwan Valley
Chitwan Valley
Chitwan Valley is an Inner Terai valley in the south of Nepal, encompassing the districts of Makwanpur, Chitwan and Nawalparasi. The valley is part of the Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands ecoregion of about 150 km length and 30–48 km width....
in search of arable land, the area was subsequently opened for settlement, and poaching of wildlife
Wildlife
Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
became rampant. In 1957, the country's first conservation law inured to the protection of rhinos and their habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
. In 1959, Edward Pritchard Gee
Edward Pritchard Gee
Edward Pritchard Gee was a Cambridge educated, Anglo-Indian tea-planter and an amateur naturalist in Assam, India. He is credited with the 1953 discovery of Gee's Golden Langur...
undertook a survey of the area, recommended creation of a protected area north of the Rapti River
East Rapti River
East Rapti River, a small river draining the Chitwan valley in Nepal, flowing west to join the Narayani River a short distance north of the Indian border....
and of a wildlife sanctuary south of the river for a trial period of ten years. After his subsequent survey of Chitwan in 1963, this time for both the Fauna Preservation Society and the International Union for Conservation of Nature, he recommended extension of the sanctuary to the south.
By the end of the 1960s, 70% of Chitwan’s jungles were cleared using DDT
DDT
DDT is one of the most well-known synthetic insecticides. It is a chemical with a long, unique, and controversial history....
, thousands of people had settled there, and only 95 rhinos remained. The dramatic decline of the rhino population and the extent of poaching prompted the government to institute the Gaida Gasti – a rhino reconnaissance patrol of 130 armed men and a network of guard posts all over Chitwan. To prevent the extinction of rhinos the Chitwan National Park was gazetted in December 1970, with borders delineated the following year and established in 1973, initially encompassing an area of 544 km² (210 sq mi).
In 1977, the park was enlarged to its present area of 932 km² (359.8 sq mi). In 1997, a bufferzone of 766.1 km² (295.8 sq mi) was added to the north and west of the Narayani-Rapti river system, and between the south-eastern boundary of the park and the international border to India.
The park’s headquarter is located in Kasara. Close-by the Gharial and Turtle Conservation Breeding Centres have been established. In 2008, a Vulture breeding centre was inaugurated aiming at holding up to 25 pairs of each of the two Gyps
Gyps
The Gyps vultures are a genus of Old World vultures in the bird family Accipitridae, which also includes eagles, kites, buzzards and hawks....
vultures species now critically endangered
Critically endangered
Version 2010.3 of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 3744 Critically Endangered species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and subpopulations.Critically Endangered by kingdom:*1993 Animalia*2 Fungi*1745 Plantae*4 Protista-References:...
in Nepal - the Oriental white-backed vulture and the slender-billed vulture
Slender-billed Vulture
The Slender-billed Vulture is a recently recognized species of Old World vulture. For some time, it was categorized with its relative, the Indian Vulture, under the name of "Long-billed Vulture". However, these two species have non-overlapping distribution ranges and can be immediately told apart...
.
Climate
The area is located in the central climatic zone of the HimalayasHimalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
, where monsoon
Monsoon
Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...
starts in mid June and eases off in late September. During these 14–15 weeks most of the 2,500 mm yearly precipitation falls – it is pouring with rain. After mid-October the monsoon clouds have retreated, humidity drops off, and the top daily temperature gradually subsides from ±36°C / 96.8 °F to ±18°C / 64.4 °F. Nights are cooling down to 5°C / 41.0 °F until late December, when it usually rains softly for a few days. Then temperatures are rising gradually.
Vegetation
Himalayan subtropical broadleaf forests
The Himalayan subtropical broadleaf forests is an ecoregion that extends from the middle hills of central Nepal through Darjeeling into Bhutan and also into the Indian State of Uttar Pradesh...
with predominantly Sal trees covering about 70% of the national park area. Purest stands of sal occur on well drained lowland ground in the centre. Along the southern face of the Churia Hills sal is interspersed with chir pine (Pinus roxburghii)
Chir Pine
The Chir Pine, Pinus roxburghii, named after William Roxburgh, is a pine native to the Himalaya.The range extends from northern Pakistan , across northern India and Nepal to Bhutan.It generally occurs at lower altitudes than other pines in the Himalaya, from...
. On northern slopes sal associates with smaller flowering tree and shrub species such as Beleric (Terminalia bellirica)
Beleric
Beleric, also known as the bastard myrobalan, Terminalia bellirica Roxb. , is a large deciduous tree common on plains and lower hills in Southeast Asia, where it is also grown as an avenue tree. The basionym is Myrobalanus bellirica Gaertn. . William Roxburgh transferred M...
, Rosewood (Dalbergia sissoo)
Dalbergia sissoo
Dalbergia sissoo, known as Shisham, is an erect deciduous tree, native to the Indian Subcontinent. It is also called sissoo, sisu, sheesham, tahli and sometimes referred to as Indian Rosewood. It is state tree of Punjab state and provincial tree of Punjab province...
, Axlewood (Anogeissus latifolia)
Anogeissus latifolia
Anogeissus latifolia is a species of small to medium-sized tree native to the India, Nepal, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka. Its common names are axlewood , bakli, dhau, dhawa, dhawra, or dhaora , takhian-nu , and raam .It is one of the most useful trees in India...
, Elephant Apple (Dillenia indica)
Dillenia indica
Dillenia indica is a species of Dillenia native to southeastern Asia, from India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka east to southwestern China and Vietnam, and south through Thailand to Malaysia and Indonesia....
, Grey Downy Balsam (Garuga pinnata)
Garuga
Garuga is a genus of shrubs and trees in the family Burseraceae . Members are found in Asia and America.Species*Garuga amorphoides*Garuga clarkii Merrill...
and creepers
Parthenocissus
Parthenocissus , creepers, is a genus of climbing plants from the grape family, Vitaceae. It contains about 12 species, from Asia and North America. Several are grown for ornamental use....
such as Bauhinia vahlii
Bauhinia vahlii
Bauhinia vahlii, , is a perennial creeper of the Caesalpiniaceae family native to the Indian subcontinent.- Distribution :Bauhinia vahlii is found from Sikkim and Nepal across India and Punjab, Pakistan....
and Spatholobus parviflorus
Spatholobus
Spatholobus is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae. It belongs to the sub family Faboideae....
.
Seasonal bushfires, flooding and erosion
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
evoke an ever-changing mosaic of riverine forest and grassland
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
s along the river banks. On recently deposited alluvium
Alluvium
Alluvium is loose, unconsolidated soil or sediments, eroded, deposited, and reshaped by water in some form in a non-marine setting. Alluvium is typically made up of a variety of materials, including fine particles of silt and clay and larger particles of sand and gravel...
and in lowland areas groups of Catechu (Acacia catechu)
Acacia catechu
Acacia catechu also commonly called Mimosa catechu, is a deciduous, thorny tree which grows up to in height. The plant is called khair in Hindi, and kachu in Malay, hence the name was Latinized to "catechu" in Linnaean taxonomy, as the type-species from which the extracts cutch and catechu are...
with Rosewood (Dalbergia sissoo)
Dalbergia sissoo
Dalbergia sissoo, known as Shisham, is an erect deciduous tree, native to the Indian Subcontinent. It is also called sissoo, sisu, sheesham, tahli and sometimes referred to as Indian Rosewood. It is state tree of Punjab state and provincial tree of Punjab province...
predominate, followed by groups of Kapok (Bombax ceiba)
Kapok
Ceiba pentandra is a tropical tree of the order Malvales and the family Malvaceae , native to Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, northern South America, and to tropical west Africa...
with Rhino Apple trees (Trewia nudiflora)
Trewia
Trewia is a plant genus of the spurge family , comprising 2 species. It is found from the Himalaya to Hainan Island. These species have hard large fruits....
, the fruits of which rhinos savour so much. Understorey shrubs of Velvety beautyberry (Callicarpa macrophylla)
Callicarpa macrophylla
Callicarpa macrophylla is a species of beautyberry. Its fruits are small white berries that actually are drupes.-Uses:The fruit is edible and can be eaten raw when it ripens. The seeds are poisonous. The leaves can also be use to make a herbal drink or as decorations.-External links:* ...
, Hill Glory Bower (Clerodendrum
Clerodendrum
Clerodendrum is a genus of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae. Its common names include glorybower, bagflower and bleeding-heart...
sp.) and gooseberry (Phyllanthus emblica) offer shelter and lair to a wide variety of species.
Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands
Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands
The Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands is a narrow lowland ecoregion at the base of the Himalayas, about wide and a continuation of the Gangetic Plain colloquially called Terai in the Ganges Basin east to Nepal, then Dooars in West Bengal, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Assam east to the Brahmaputra River...
cover about 20% of the park’s area. More than 50 species are found here including some of the world’s tallest grasses like the elephant grass called Saccharum ravennae
Saccharum ravennae
Saccharum ravennae, with the common name Ravennagrass and locally known as ekra, is a species of grass in genus the Saccharum, the sugarcane genus...
, Giant cane (Arundo donax)
Arundo donax
Arundo donax, Giant Cane, is a tall perennial cane growing in damp soils, either fresh or moderately saline. Other common names include Carrizo, Arundo, Spanish cane, Wild cane, and Giant reed....
, Khagra reed (Phragmites karka)
Phragmites
Phragmites, the Common reed, is a large perennial grass found in wetlands throughout temperate and tropical regions of the world. Phragmites australis is sometimes regarded as the sole species of the genus Phragmites, though some botanists divide Phragmites australis into three or four species...
and several species of true grasses. Kans grass (Saccharum spontaneum)
Kans grass
Kans grass is a grass native to South Asia. It is a perennial grass, growing up to three meters in height, with spreading rhizomatous roots....
is one of the first grasses to colonise new sandbanks and to be washed away by the yearly monsoon floods.
Fauna
The wide range of vegetation types in the Chitwan National Park is haunt of more than 700 species of wildlife and a not yet fully surveyed number of butterflyButterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
, moth
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
and insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
species. Apart from King Cobra
King Cobra
The king cobra is the world's longest venomous snake, with a length up to 5.6 m . This species, which preys chiefly on other snakes, is found predominantly in forests from India through Southeast Asia to the Philippines and Indonesia...
and Rock python, 17 other species of snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
s, starred tortoise
Indotestudo elongata
Elongated Tortoise is a species of tortoise found in Southeast Asia and parts of South Asia.-Description:Shell considerably depressed, more than twice as long as deep, with flat vertebral region; anterior and posterior margins slightly reverted, strongly serrated in young, feebly in old specimens;...
and monitor lizard
Monitor lizard
Monitor lizards are usually large reptiles, although some can be as small as in length. They have long necks, powerful tails and claws, and well-developed limbs. Most species are terrestrial, but arboreal and semiaquatic monitors are also known...
s occur. The Narayani-Rapti river system, their small tributaries and myriads of oxbow lakes is habitat for 113 recorded species of fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
and mugger crocodile
Mugger Crocodile
The mugger crocodile , also called the Indian, Indus, Persian, or marsh crocodile, is found throughout the Indian subcontinent and the surrounding countries...
s.
In the early 1950s, about 235 gharial
Gharial
The gharial , , also called Indian gavial or gavial, is the only surviving member of the once well-represented family Gavialidae, a long-established group of crocodilians with long, slender snouts...
s occurred in the Narayani River. The population has dramatically declined to only 38 wild gharials in 2003. Every year gharial eggs are collected along the rivers to be hatched in the breeding center of the Gharial Conservation Project, where animals are reared to an age of 6–9 years. Every year young gharials are reintroduced into the Narayani-Rapti river system, of which sadly only very few survive.
Mammals
The Chitwan National Park is home to at least 43 speciesSpecies
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
s. The "King of the Jungle" is the Bengal Tiger
Bengal Tiger
The Bengal tiger is a tiger subspecies native to the Indian subcontinent that in 2010 has been classified as endangered by IUCN...
. The alluvial floodplain habitat of the Terai is one of the best tiger habitats anywhere in the world. Since the establishment of Chitwan National Park the initially small population of about 25 individuals has increased to 70–110 in 1980. In some years this population has declined due to poaching and floods. In a long-term study carried out from 1995–2002 tiger researchers identified a relative abundance of 82 breeding tigers and a density of 6 females per 100 km2.
Leopards are most prevalent on the peripheries of the park. They co-exist with tigers, but being socially subordinate are not common in prime tiger habitat. In 1988, a clouded leopard
Clouded Leopard
The clouded leopard is a felid found from the Himalayan foothills through mainland Southeast Asia into China, and has been classified as vulnerable in 2008 by IUCN...
was captured and radio-collared outside the protected area, and released into the park but did not stay.
Other felids reported from the protected area comprise fishing cat
Fishing Cat
The Fishing Cat is a medium-sized wild cat of South and Southeast Asia. In 2008, the IUCN classified the fishing cat as endangered since they are concentrated primarily in wetland habitats, which are increasingly being settled, degraded and converted...
, jungle cat
Jungle Cat
The jungle cat is a medium-sized cat and considered the largest remaining species of the wild cat genus Felis. The species is also called the swamp lynx but is not closely related to the lynxes....
, leopard cat
Leopard Cat
The leopard cat is a small wild cat of South and East Asia. Since 2002 it has been listed as Least Concern by IUCN as it is widely distributed but threatened by habitat loss and hunting in parts of its range...
, and the rare marbled cat
Marbled Cat
The Marbled Cat is a small wild cat of South and Southeast Asia. Since 2002 it has been listed as vulnerable by IUCN as it occurs at low densities, and its total effective population size is suspected to be fewer than 10,000 mature individuals, with no single population numbering more than...
. Chitwan is considered to have the highest population density of sloth bear
Sloth Bear
The sloth bear , also known as the labiated bear, is a nocturnal insectivorous species of bear found wild within the Indian subcontinent. The sloth bear evolved from ancestral brown bears during the Pleistocene and shares features found in insect-eating mammals through convergent evolution...
s with an estimated 200 to 250 individuals. Smooth-coated otter
Smooth-coated Otter
The Smooth-coated Otter is a species of otter, the only extant representative of the genus Lutrogale. The species is found from southern Pakistan and parts of the India east to Southeast Asia, and there is a disjunct population in Iraq...
s inhabit the numerous creeks and rivulets. Golden jackal
Golden Jackal
The golden jackal , also known as the common jackal, Asiatic jackal, thos or gold-wolf is a Canid of the genus Canis indigenous to north and northeastern Africa, southeastern and central Europe , Asia Minor, the Middle East and southeast Asia...
s are common. Bengal fox
Bengal Fox
The Bengal fox , also known as the Indian fox, is a fox endemic to the Indian subcontinent and is found from the Himalayan foothills and Terai of Nepal through southern India and from southern and eastern Pakistan to eastern India and southeastern Bangladesh.-Appearance:Vulpes bengalensis is a...
es, Spotted linsang
Spotted Linsang
The Spotted Linsang is a linsang found in the forests of the central and eastern Himalaya. It is short, light coloured terrestrial mammal, with a slender body, a pointed head and small limbs. It stalks its prey by crawling on its belly, when it is often mistaken for a python or other heavy-built,...
s, palm civets, Large and Small civets, several species of mongoose
Mongoose
Mongoose are a family of 33 living species of small carnivorans from southern Eurasia and mainland Africa. Four additional species from Madagascar in the subfamily Galidiinae, which were previously classified in this family, are also referred to as "mongooses" or "mongoose-like"...
, honey badgers and yellow-throated martens roam the jungle for prey. wild dog
Dhole
The dhole is a species of canid native to South and Southeast Asia. It is the only extant member of the genus Cuon, which differs from Canis by the reduced number of molars and greater number of teats...
s are rare. Striped hyena
Striped Hyena
The Striped Hyena is a species of true hyena native to North and East Africa, the Caucasus, the Middle East, Middle and Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent...
s prevail on the southern slopes of the Churia Hills.
Rhinoceros: since 1973 the population has recovered well and increased to 544 animals around the turn of the century. To ensure the survival of the endangered species
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
in case of epidemics animals are translocated annually from Chitwan to the Bardia National Park and the Sukla Phanta Wildlife Reserve
Sukla Phanta Wildlife Reserve
Sukla Phanta Wildlife Reserve is a protected area in the Terai of the Far-Western Region, Nepal, covering of open grassland, forests, riverbeds and tropical wetlands at an altitude of . It was gazetted in 1973 as Royal Sukla Phanta Wildlife Reserve...
since 1986. However, the population has repeatedly been jeopardized by poaching: in 2002 alone, poachers have killed 37 animals cruelly in order to saw off and sell their valuable horns.
From time to time wild elephant
Asian Elephant
The Asian or Asiatic elephant is the only living species of the genus Elephas and distributed in Southeast Asia from India in the west to Borneo in the east. Three subspecies are recognized — Elephas maximus maximus from Sri Lanka, the Indian elephant or E. m. indicus from mainland Asia, and E. m....
bulls find their way from Valmiki National Park
Valmiki National Park
Valmiki National Park is located in the West Champaran district of Bihar, India. The extensive forest area of Valmikinagar was owned by the Bettiah Raj and Ramanagar Raj until early 1950s...
into the valleys of the park, apparently in search of elephant cows willing to be seduced.
Gaur
Gaur
The gaur , also called Indian bison, is a large bovine native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. The species is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986 as the population decline in parts of the species' range is likely to be well over 70% over the last three generations...
s spend most of the year in the less accessible Churia Hills in the south of the national park. But when the bush fires ease off in springtime and lush grasses start growing up again, they descend into the grassland and riverine forests to graze and browse. The Chitwan population of the world's largest wild cattle species has increased from 188 to 296 animals in the years 1997 to 2007.
Apart from numerous wild boars also sambar deer
Sambar Deer
The Sambar ' is a large deer native to southern and southeast Asia. Although it primarily refers to R. unicolor, the name "Sambar" is also sometimes used to refer to the Philippine Deer and the Rusa Deer...
, Red muntjac, hog deer
Hog Deer
The Hog Deer is a small deer whose habitat ranges from Pakistan, through northern India, to mainland southeast Asia...
and herds of chital
Chital
The chital or cheetal , also known as chital deer, spotted deer or axis deer is a deer which commonly inhabits wooded regions of Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and in small numbers in Pakistan...
inhabit the park. Four-horned antelope
Four-horned Antelope
The Four-horned Antelope , or Chousingha, is a small antelope found in open forest in India and Nepal. It is the only species currently classified in the genus Tetracerus.-Description:...
s reside predominantly in the hills. Rhesus monkeys, hanuman langurs, Indian pangolins
Indian Pangolin
The Indian Pangolin or ”Scaly Ant-eater” is a pangolin that is found in the plains and hills of India, Sri Lanka,Nepal and some parts of Pakistan. It is not common anywhere in its range....
, Indian porcupine
Indian Porcupine
The Indian Crested Porcupine , or Indian Porcupine, is a member of the Old World porcupines. It is quite an adaptable rodent, found throughout southern Asia and the Middle East. It is tolerant of several different habitats: mountains, tropical and subtropical grasslands, scrublands, and forests...
s, several species of flying squirrel
Flying squirrel
Flying squirrels, scientifically known as Pteromyini or Petauristini, are a tribe of 44 species of squirrels .- Description :...
s, black-naped hares
Hare
Hares and jackrabbits are leporids belonging to the genus Lepus. Hares less than one year old are called leverets. Four species commonly known as types of hare are classified outside of Lepus: the hispid hare , and three species known as red rock hares .Hares are very fast-moving...
and endangered hispid hare
Hispid Hare
The Hispid hare Caprolagus hispidus, also called Assam rabbit is a leporid native to South Asia, whose historic range extended along the southern foothills of the Himalayas. Today, the habitat of hispid hares is highly fragmented with an area of occupancy of less than extending over an estimated...
s are also present.
Birds
Threatened species
Threatened species are any speciesg animals, plants, fungi, etc.) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future.The World Conservation Union is the foremost authority on threatened species, and treats threatened species not as a single category, but as a group of three categories,...
. Additionally, 20 black-chinned yuhina
Black-chinned Yuhina
The Black-chinned Yuhina is a bird species in the Old World babbler family Timaliidae. If the white-eyes are considered a distinct family , the genus Yuhina would need to be placed there....
, a pair of Gould's sunbird
Gould's Sunbird
Mrs Gould's Sunbird is a species of bird in the Nectariniidae family.It is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Hong Kong, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its natural habitats are temperate forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.-References:* BirdLife...
, a pair of blossom-headed parakeet
Blossom-headed Parakeet
The Blossom-headed Parakeet is a parrot which is a resident breeder in northeast India eastwards into Southeast Asia. It undergoes local movements, driven mainly by the availability of the fruit and blossoms which make up its diet....
and one slaty-breasted rail
Slaty-breasted Rail
The Slaty-breasted Rail is a species of rail found in the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia.Breeding has been recorded from July in the foothills of the Himalayas from Dehradun in the west....
, an uncommon winter visitor, were sighted in spring 2008.
Especially the park’s alluvial grasslands are important habitats for the critically endangered Bengal florican
Bengal Florican
The Bengal Florican , also called Bengal Bustard, is a very rare bustard species from tropical southern Asia. It is the only member of the genus Houbaropsis...
, the vulnerable lesser adjutant
Lesser Adjutant
The Lesser Adjutant, Leptoptilos javanicus, is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It is a widespread species which is resident breeder in southern Asia from India east to southern China and Java....
, grey-crowned prinia
Grey-crowned Prinia
The Grey-crowned Prinia is a species of bird in the Cisticolidae family.It is found in Bhutan, India, Nepal and Pakistan....
, swamp francolin
Swamp Francolin
The Swamp Partridge or Swamp Francolin is a species of partridge found in parts of India, Nepal and Bangladesh mostly in the Ganges and Brahmaputra valleys.-Description:From Frank Finn's The Game Birds of India & Asia :...
and several species of grass warbler
Grass warbler
The grass-warblers are small passerine birds belonging to the genus Locustella. Formerly placed in the paraphyletic "Old World warbler" assemblage, they are now considered the northernmost representatives of a largely Gondwanan family, the Locustellidae.These are rather drab brownish "warblers"...
s. In 2005 more than 200 slender-billed babblers
Slender-billed Babbler
The Slender-billed Babbler is a species of bird in the Timaliidae family.It is found in India, Nepal, and possibly Myanmar.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland....
were sighted in 3 different grassland types. The near threatened Oriental darter
Oriental Darter
The Oriental Darter or Indian Darter , sometimes called Snakebird, is a water bird of tropical South Asia and Southeast Asia.-Taxonomy:...
is a resident breeder around the many lakes, where also egret
Egret
An egret is any of several herons, most of which are white or buff, and several of which develop fine plumes during the breeding season. Many egrets are members of the genera Egretta or Ardea which contain other species named as herons rather than egrets...
s, bittern
Bittern
Bitterns are a classification of birds in the heron family, Ardeidae, a family of wading birds. Species named bitterns tend to be the shorter-necked, often more secretive members of this family...
s, stork
Stork
Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long, stout bills. They belong to the family Ciconiidae. They are the only family in the biological order Ciconiiformes, which was once much larger and held a number of families....
s and kingfisher
Kingfisher
Kingfishers are a group of small to medium sized brightly coloured birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species being found in the Old World and Australia...
abound.
The park is one of the few known breeding sites of the globally threatened spotted eagle.
Peafowl
Peafowl
Peafowl are two Asiatic species of flying birds in the genus Pavo of the pheasant family, Phasianidae, best known for the male's extravagant eye-spotted tail, which it displays as part of courtship. The male is called a peacock, the female a peahen, and the offspring peachicks. The adult female...
and jungle fowl scratch their living on the forest floor.
Apart from the resident birds about 160 migrating and vagrant species arrive in Chitwan in autumn from northern latitudes to spend the winter here, among them the Greater Spotted Eagle
Greater Spotted Eagle
The Greater Spotted Eagle , occasionally just called the spotted eagle, is a large bird of prey. Like all typical eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae...
, Eastern Imperial Eagle
Eastern Imperial Eagle
The Eastern Imperial Eagle is a large species of bird of prey that breeds from southeastern Europe to central Asia. Most populations are migratory and winter in northeastern Africa, and southern and eastern Asia. The Spanish Imperial Eagle, found in Spain and Portugal, was formerly lumped with...
and Pallas's Fish-eagle. Common sightings include Brahminy ducks
Ruddy Shelduck
The Ruddy Shelduck, Tadorna ferruginea, is a member of the duck, goose and swan family Anatidae. It is in the shelduck subfamily Tadorninae...
and goosanders
Common Merganser
The Common Merganser or Goosander Mergus merganser is a large duck, of rivers and lakes of forested areas of Europe, northern and central Asia, and North America. It eats fish and nests in holes in trees...
. Large flocks of bar-headed geese just rest for a few days in February on their way north.
As soon as the winter visitors have left in spring, the summer visitors arrive from southern latitudes. The calls of cuckoo
Cuckoo
The cuckoos are a family, Cuculidae, of near passerine birds. The order Cuculiformes, in addition to the cuckoos, also includes the turacos . Some zoologists and taxonomists have also included the unique Hoatzin in the Cuculiformes, but its taxonomy remains in dispute...
s herald the start of spring. The colourful Bengal Pittas
Pitta
Pitta may stand for:*Pittas, a family of tropical birds*Pitta bread *Pitta , an island in the Dodecanese archipelago, in the Aegean Sea...
and several sunbird
Sunbird
The sunbirds and spiderhunters are a family, Nectariniidae, of very small passerine birds. There are 132 species in 15 genera. The family is distributed throughout Africa, southern Asia and just reaches northern Australia. Most sunbirds feed largely on nectar, but also take insects and spiders,...
species are common breeding visitors during monsoon. Among the many flycatcher
Old World flycatcher
The Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae is a large family of small passerine birds mostly restricted to the Old World. These are mainly small arboreal insectivores, many of which, as the name implies, take their prey on the wing.-Characteristics:...
species the Paradise flycatcher with his long undulating tail in flight is a spectacular sight.
Tourism
Chitwan National Park is one of Nepal’s most popular touristTourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
destinations. In 1989 more than 31,000 people visited the park, and ten years later already more than 77,000.
Lodging
Lodging is a type of residential accommodation. People who travel and stay away from home for more than a day need lodging for sleep, rest, safety, shelter from cold temperatures or rain, storage of luggage and access to common household functions.Lodgings may be self catering in which case no...
inside the national park offering full board and accommodation in combination with elephant and jeep safari
Safari
A safari is an overland journey, usually a trip by tourists to Africa. Traditionally, the term is used for a big-game hunt, but today the term often refers to a trip taken not for the purposes of hunting, but to observe and photograph animals and other wildlife.-Etymology:Entering the English...
s, rafting
Rafting
Rafting or white water rafting is a challenging recreational outdoor activity using an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other bodies of water. This is usually done on white water or different degrees of rough water, in order to thrill and excite the raft passengers. The development of this...
tours and guided jungle walks. The pioneer safari lodge is Tiger Tops Jungle Lodge which has been receiving guests since 1972, before the national park was established. Tiger Tops has developed standards for responsible conservation tourism
Ecotourism
Ecotourism is a form of tourism visiting fragile, pristine, and usually protected areas, intended as a low impact and often small scale alternative to standard commercial tourism...
and supports the “Long-term Tiger
Bengal Tiger
The Bengal tiger is a tiger subspecies native to the Indian subcontinent that in 2010 has been classified as endangered by IUCN...
Monitoring Project” of the International Trust for Nature Conservation and anti-poaching units operating in the national park.
On the edge of the national park Sauraha
Sauraha
Sauraha is a village in Chitwan District of Nepal situated close by the Rapti River and the Chitwan National Park. It is the eastern gateway to Chitwan National Park and jungle safaris for budget, mid-priced and 3-4 star tourists...
is a well-known spot for tourists. Accessible from the nearby Bharatpur Airport
Bharatpur Airport
Bharatpur Airport is an airport serving Bharatpur, a city in the Chitwan district in Narayani zone in Nepal.The airport is located southwest of Bharatpu. It is operated by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal and is served by Nepal Airlines, the national airline which earns most of its revenue...
, Sauraha offers a choice of hotels, lodges, restaurants and agencies that organize day trips into the protected area.
Literature
- Bhuju, U.R., Shakya, P.R., Basnet, T.B., Shrestha, S. (2007) Nepal Biodiversity Resource Book. Protected Areas, Ramsar Sites, and World Heritage Sites. International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology, in cooperation with United Nations Environment Programme, Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. Kathmandu, ISBN 978-92-9115-033-5 download pdf
- Bird Conservation Nepal (2006) Birds of Chitwan. Checklist of 543 reported species. Published in cooperation with Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation and Participatory Conservation Programme II, Kathmandu.
- Gurung, K. K. , Singh R. (1996) Field Guide to the Mammals of the Indian Subcontinent. Academic Press, San Diego, ISBN 0-12-309350-3
- Gurung, K. (1983). Heart of the Jungle: the Wildlife of Chitwan, Nepal. Andre Deutsch, London. 197 pp.
Media coverage
The park's unique rhino herd was featured on The Jeff Corwin ExperienceThe Jeff Corwin Experience
The Jeff Corwin Experience is an American television show about mostly tropical animals airing on the Animal Planet cable channel since 2001...
in season 2, episode 11.