Wildlife in Bihar

The Bihar Wildlife Sanctuaries constitute truly marvelous abodes for the wild beasts to dwell in as there are ample scope presented to them to engage themselves in various activities. Bihar has slowly but surely metamorphosed into an apt home for the survival of a wide array of wild beasts under perfect circumstances.

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 Bihar Wildlife Sanctuaries are not only endowed with an exceedingly spacious plot so that the territories belonging to various animals do not merge but also with opulent medical facilities that proves quite very handy in taking good care of the creatures.

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. The officials related to the Bihar Wildlife Sanctuaries make sure whether the resident animals are facing any sort of inconvenience or not. It also comes under their jurisdiction to sternly taboo all kinds of illegal poaching activities from the Wildlife Sanctuaries of Bihar.

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.

Palamau Tiger Reserve
The Reserve is spread over an area of 1026sq km in the Chotanagpur Plateau. The dense and dry deciduous forest of Palamau is replete with the finest bamboo groves, sal, mahua, bel and khair trees. The sixteenth century fort alongside the Auranga River adds a touch of history to this forest. The other rivers that drain Palamau are the Koel and Burha that eventually empty themselves into the famous Sone River.

Palamau shot to fame way back in 1932 for the tiger census – the first of its kind in the world – that was carried out here. In 1974, it became one of the country’s earliest tiger reserves. The core area of the sanctuary has been declared as the Betla National Park (232 sq km), famous for its wild elephants, tigers, gaurs (Indian wild ox), chitals (spotted deer), sambars (Asiatic deer), panthers, wild dogs and boars. etc.