Anshi National Park

The Anshi National Park is an evergreen tropical rainforest situated in the North Kannada district in Karnataka. The park covering an area of 340 sq km is considered as India's most endangered wildlife park. Anshi lies on the Karwar- Londa highway and is part of the Dandeli wildlife sanctuary. Anshi got the designation as National Park in1987. Dandeli is a small town located on the banks of the Kali river in Karnataka. The forests around this town was established as Dandeli wildlife sanctuary in 1975 with an area of around 500 sq kms. The Anshi National Park and the adjoining Dandeli wildlife sanctuary together make up the Dandeli Wildlife Division of the Karnataka Forest Department.

The topography of the park is such that it has deep valleys, steep hill slopes and dense forests. The altitude of the park varies from 200 m to 927 m and the temperature ranges between 16-37 degree Celsius. The best time to visit the park is between November and June. The unique feature of the park is that it is the only place in Asia where black panther is found, naturally.

The forests of Anshi and Dandeli is rich in rare species of flora and fauna. A wide variety of trees such as Teak (Tectona grandis), Silver Oaks (Grevillea robusta), Eucalyptus, Weeds (Lantana, Eupatorium, Parthinium), Bauhinia, Diodspyrus, Xylia xyrocarpa, Diospyrous Acacia and Bambusa are found here.

The forest area was known for its manganese in the past, the mining for which resulted in wildlife moving away from the forest. In the recent past, the mining has been stopped and the animals are slowly returning back. So chances of seeing Elephants /bison/panther are very less and limited. Black panther, spotted deer, sambar, barking deer, mouse deer, common langur, sloth bear, gaur (Indian bison), wild boars, fox, bonnet macaque, slender loris, mongoose, tiger, jungle cat, jackal, pangolin, elephants, Malabar giant squirrel and the porcupine are now seen in the park. Reptiles include King cobra, python, rat snake, viper and the krait.

Place : North Kannada district, Karnataka
Nearest town : Dandeli (37.5 kms)
Main attraction : Black panther
Best time to visit : November to June