National Parks & Wildlife
MP GK · राष्ट्रीय उद्यान और वन्यजीव
📋Quick Overview
Madhya Pradesh is known as the 'Tiger State of India' as it has the highest number of tigers in any Indian state. The state has an extensive wildlife network including 6 tiger reserves, 11 national parks, and 25 wildlife sanctuaries. Kanha National Park was the first tiger reserve in India (1973) and is famous for saving the Barasingha (hard ground swamp deer) from extinction. Bandhavgarh has the highest tiger density in the world.
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MP is the 'Tiger State of India' — has the maximum number of tigers in any Indian state (785+ as per 2022 census)
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Project Tiger was launched on April 1, 1973 — Kanha was among the first 9 tiger reserves
📖Tiger Reserves of MP
| Tiger Reserve | District | Established | Famous For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kanha Tiger Reserve | Mandla & Balaghat | 1973 (first TR) | Saved Barasingha; inspired Kipling's Jungle Book character Mowgli |
| Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve | Umaria | 1993 | Highest tiger density in world; White Tigers discovered here |
| Pench Tiger Reserve | Seoni & Chhindwara | 1992 | Inspiration for Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book; migratory birds |
| Satpura Tiger Reserve | Hoshangabad | 1999 | Only TR with teak forests; walking and canoe safaris allowed |
| Panna Tiger Reserve | Panna & Chhatarpur | 1994 | Near Khajuraho; tigers were re-introduced after local extinction (2009) |
| Sanjay-Dubri Tiger Reserve | Sidhi & Shahdol | 2008 | Largest TR in MP; forms corridor with Chhattisgarh's Guru Ghasidas NP |
📖National Parks & Wildlife Sanctuaries
| Park/Sanctuary | Location | Key Animal/Feature |
|---|---|---|
| Kanha National Park | Mandla | Barasingha (State animal); first Project Tiger reserve |
| Van Vihar National Park | Bhopal (city) | Urban NP; near Upper Lake (Bhoj Tal) |
| Fossil National Park | Mandla (Ghughua) | Largest fossils park in Asia; 65 million year old fossils |
| National Chambal Sanctuary | Morena, Bhind, Sheopur | Gharial, Gangetic dolphin, Indian skimmer bird |
| Ratapani Sanctuary | Raisen | Near Bhimbetka; large leopard population |
📝Special Conservation Stories
- •Barasingha (Swamp Deer / Cervus duvaucelii): State animal of MP; hard ground sub-species saved from extinction at Kanha — only place in world where hard ground barasingha survives
- •White Tigers: First white tiger 'Mohan' was captured in 1951 in Rewa (Vindhya region) by Maharaja Martand Singh — all white tigers in world are descendants of Mohan
- •Gharial Sanctuary: National Chambal Sanctuary (Morena) is the most important gharial conservation site in the world — gharial is critically endangered
- •Indian Giant Squirrel (Ratufa indica): Large flying squirrel found in forests of Kanha region; also seen in Pench
- •Jungle Book connection: Kanha and Pench both claim to be the inspiration for Rudyard Kipling's 'The Jungle Book' (1894)