Wildlife in Bihar Tourist India Tourist India

Wildlife Sanctuaries in Bihar

Bihar is truly a splendid home for wildlife. Bihar is famous for several other attractions, but it is well renowned for its wildlife. There are plenty of wildlife sanctuaries and national parks that preserve a number of animal, birds, and other creature species. Till date Bihar proudly houses a staggering 21 wildlife sanctuaries along with the prosperous presence of 2 national parks which is mind-blowing feat in itself.

The state has taken special initiatives to take care of the animals and maintain the fragile ecosystem. The wildlife sanctuaries here are also renowned because they are home to some endangered species whose number has increased over the last few years. Rajgir Wildlife Sanctuary and Valmiki Wildlife Sanctuary are the most famous of all the sanctuaries in Bihar.

History of Bihar Wildlife

PalamauThe inception of the history of wildlife in Bihar coincides with the legislation of the Private Forests Act that restricted the zamindar’s ownership of forests (a zamindar is a member of the landed gentry). Thus, the government acquired 26,000sq km of jungle that was in danger of rapidly losing its fauna. Until then, Rajas (rulers) and zamindars indulged in lavish hunting orgies simply to outdo each other. The Maharaja of Surguja (around Palamau) alone was responsible for hunting down 1,150 tigers.

The Bihar Wildlife Sanctuaries provide refuge to a variety of creatures that include tigers, sambars, sloth bears, cheetals, nilgai, wolves, wild dogs, boars, leopards, hyenas, peafowls, pythons, jungle cats, serow, Indian civet, single-horned rhinoceros, Indian bison, monkey, langur, chausingha, barking deer, hare and many more majestic creatures. In the Attractions of Bihar Wildlife Rich in black bucks and nilgais, the Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary (134sq km) is the largest and one of the best faunal areas of Bihar. Its other wildlife denizens include chinkaras, tigers, leopards, hyenas, sloth bears.

The prominent names in the list of Bihar Wildlife Sanctuaries are Palamau Tiger Reserve that provides a serene and luscious ambiance for the tigers, Valmiki National Park, Rajgir Wildlife Sanctuary, Hazaribagh Wildlife Sanctuary, Bhimbandh Sanctuary, Udhwa Lake Bird Sanctuary, Topchanchi Wildlife sanctuary, Lawalong Wildlife Sanctuary and many more.

True Gifts of Nature These sanctuaries are also a great place for all the bird watchers as they are home to some magnificent and rare species of avi fauna. Apart from hundreds of species of resident birds, there are similar number of migratory birds coming every year during winters.

Chasing the hog deer was a popular sport among the indigo planters during the British Raj. Reclaiming grassy land for agriculture contributed to the factors that nearly led to the extinction of this deer. The Valmikinagar Sanctuary in Champaran is the only place in Bihar where one can locate the hog deer today. Unlike the hog deer, the barking deer is widely found in the sanctuaries of Dalma, Rajgir, Topchanchi, Lawalong, Udaipur, Koderma and Parasnath. The smallest in the deer family – the mouse deer (Indian Chevrotain) is not rare, although it is certainly too shy and retiring to be easily spotted. Its brown coat helps the tiny creature camouflage itself. After having a look at some of the national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, you must have definitely planned to explore the wildlife of Bihar in your trip.

Some of the Wildlife in Bihar are listed below by linked the page :-