 Royal
Chitwan National Park (‘Chitwan’ means "in
the heart of the jungle’) covers 932 sq. km. in the
flat lowland region of southern Nepal. It is one of the
most important sub-tropical parks on the Indian subcontinent
with populations of the endangered Royal Bengal tiger, Greater
One-horned rhinoceros, Gangetic dolphin (Platanista gangetica),
Wild Asian elephant, Gaur, Golden Monitor lizard, Gharial
crocodile and many more.
The
Chitwan region has had a long history of conservation. For
many years it was the Royal hunting grounds for the Kings
and dignitaries of Nepal and therefore was not hunted by
the general public. It did however become a favorite spot
for big game safari hunters in the late nineteenth and early
to mid-twentieth centuries. This was coupled with a surge
in local human populations following the development of
anti-malaria medicines in the mid-twentieth century. The
long-term effect was a drastic decrease in jungle habitat
and animal populations in the Chitwan valley as jungles
were converted to farmland and big game were hunted and
poached to dangerously low numbers. The falling rhino (less
than 200) and tiger (less than 30) populations in the present
park region, focused attention on the Chitwan region and
in 1963 the southern two-thirds of the park were declared
rhino sanctuary. With sanctuary status came the relocation
of 22,000 people from the Chitwan valley and a moratorium
on hunting. Since 1963 wildlife populations and ecosystems
have been rebounding. In 1973 Chitwan became Nepal’s
first National Park. The relatively pristine state of the
modern park and its unique ecosystems prompted UNESCO to
declare the park a World Heritage site in 1984.
| Location : |
South West of kathmandu,
Nepal |
| Nearest
Access : |
Bharatpur |
| Main wildlefe found
|
One - horned Rhino, Royal
Bengal Tiger, elephants and hundreds of bird |
| Coverage Area :
|
932 - sq - kms |
| Attractions |
Jungle safari, boating, elephant
breeding , jeep safari, Tharu culture dance, international
dishes, deluxe rooms and many more. |
|
Bhotekoshi River
