Kanger Ghati National Park

Kanger Ghati National Park

Subject: Environment  

Context: Bird watchers and forest department officials counted 200 types of birds in Chhattisgarh’s first-ever inter-state bird survey conducted in the Kanger Valley National Park

Concept:

Kanger Ghati National Park (also called Kanger Valley National Park) in Chhattisgarh state  was declared a national park in 1982 by the Government of India

Terrain:

• It is one of India’s densest national parks
• The total area of the national park is 200.00 km2 (77.22 sq mi). The valley starting from the Tirathgarh waterfalls to the Kolab River (Odisha State boundary)
• The park is Valley of Kanger River. The river flows from NW to SE direction centrally through deep gorges
• The national park comprises two ranges viz: Kotamsar(in the west) and Koleng Ranges(in the east)
• There are 48 villages within 5 km radius of national park boundary and only one forest village (Kotamsar) is inside the national park
• The national park is known for the long subterranean geomorphological limestone caves. These are Kotamsar cave, Kailash Cave, Dandak Cave, Devgiri Cave. 

Flora and Fauna

• The flora in the park consists chiefly of mixed moist deciduous type of forests with predominance of sal, teak and bamboo trees. 
• It is home of the Bastar hill myna, the state bird of Chhattisgarh.Other avian fauna at the park includes spotted owlet, red jungle fowl, racket-tailed drongos, steppe eagles, red spurfowl, phakta, bhura teeter, tree pie and heron
• Kariya Ama Nallah is a perennial marshy belt and is ideal habitat for the wild boar, sloth bear, chital, leopard and tiger,Chital, barking deer, and panther are mainly found in this marshy area.
• Other Major wildlife of the Kanger Valley National Park are tigers, leopards, mouse deer, chital, sambar, barking deer, langurs, flying squirrel, wild boar, striped hyena, pythons crocodiles, monitor lizards and snakes.