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Pench National Park
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The Pench National Park is
situated in the north-western state of Maharashtra. The
Park is spread over a vast area of 275 square kilometers
and stretches out into the neighboring state of Madhya
Pradesh. The flora is typical of the southern tropical
deciduous forest .
It is named so after the name of the river Pench which
flows through this area. This is the 19th project tiger
reserve in India and was declared so in 1992. The name of
Pench National Park was changed to "Indira Priyadarshini
Pench National Park" in November 2002 Similarly the name
of Pench Sanctuary has been changed to "Mowgli Pench
Sanctuary".
The area is crisscrossed by a number of streams and 'nallahs'
most of which are seasonal. Though the Pench River dries
up in April end, a number of water pools locally known as
'dohs' are found which serve as water holes for the wild
animals. The Pench Reservoir at the center of the park is
the only major water source during the pinch period.
As a prey concentration is high along the Pench River,
tiger usually frequents this belt. Leopards, though,
generally operates in the peripheral areas but are
occasionally seen in the deep forest also. Jungle cats are
commonly seen. Leopard cats, small Indian civets and palm
civets are common but seen rarely.
Cheetal, Sambar, nilgai are commonly seen grazing on the
open sites on roadsides and banks of river & reservoir.
Jackals can be seen in search of food anywhere in the
Park. Packs up to 15 of wild dog can be seen near Chhedia,
Jamtara, Bodanala and Pyorthadi. Herds of gaur can be
spotted near streams and bamboo patches commonly in summer
months. Sloth beer occupy hilly, rocky out crops and
favour mahul bel infested forest. Chnkara is present in
very small numbers and is found in open areas around Turia,
Telia and Dudhgaon villages.
Langoors are very common in Pench, whereas the Rhesus
monkeys may be seen occasionally on the fringes.
There are 10 villages in the national park - 1 inside the
park (Fulzari) and 9 on the periphery. A high vigilance
level has kept the park away from poaching. Not that the
park is free of poaching but it has a very good control
over the poaching. Even unnecessary felling and illegal
felling of trees is also controlled by timely patrolling.
Group patrolling is also carried out here.The nearby
villagers also help a lot in patrolling. This has paid
dividends and the park is flourishing.
Fauna:
The Park is very rich in fauna and a number of endangered
species have made it their habitat. There are around 55
tigers, 39 species of mammals, 13 species of reptiles, 3
species of amphibians and over 210 varieties of birds have
already been listed.
Birds include the Crimson breasted barbet, Redvented
bulbul, minivet oriole, wagtail, munia, mayna Malabar pied
hornbill, collared scops owl, waterfowl, blue kingfisher,
Peafowl, Red jungle fowl, Crow pheasant, Racket tailed
drongo, Magpie robin and lesser whistling teal.
Mammals include the cheetal, sambar, nilgai, wild pig,
tiger, leopard, jungle cat, leopard cat, striped hyene,
wild dog, wolf, sloth bear, pangolin, gaur.
The prey concentration is highest along the banks of the
river Pench.
The 19th century author, Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book are
apparently set around the tract of the Satpura, though
Kanha has somehow usurped the claim to fame. In fact,
Kipling had even penned a poem, Hunting song of the
Seeonee Pack, after the area of the Pench located in the
Seoni district.
Flora:
The park is blessed with forests spread in all the
direction. As per the physiognomy, the forest type is
southern tropical dry deciduous teak and southern tropical
mixed deciduous forest with other species of shrubs, trees
and climbers. Teak and its associates moyan, mahua, mokha,
skiras, tendu, bija, achar, garari, aonla, ghont, baranga,
amaltas, kihamali, khair, palas. Bamboo occurs sparsely,
restricted to some valleys.
Best time to visit:
Though the Park is open from October 01st to June 30th and
closed during the rainy seasons (July- Sept.), the best
time to visit is from early Nov to mid March.
October to January- Cold 16* to 3* C
February to March- Cool 16* C to 26* C
April to June- 26 * to 42* C
Safari timings:
Nov 1 to Feb 15 and May 1 to Jun 30: 6 to 11 AM
Feb 16 to Apr 30:6 AM to 1220PM.
Go there for:
Tigers.
How to Reach:
by air
The Sonegaon airport in Nagpur is 93 kms from the Pench
National park. There are regular flights connecting Nagpur
to all other major cities in India.
by rail
The Seoni Railway Station is about 30 kms from the Park
and is well connected to Mumbai.
by road
The park is 92 kms NE of Nagpur. From Nagpur, take NH 7 to
Khawasa via Kamptee, Mansar, Deolpur and Manegaon;
district road to Pench NP.
Pench on the Nagpur- Jabalpur highway is accessible by
taxis from either place.
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© 2008, Banjara Camps & Retreats Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi. All rights reserved.
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