Pench Tiger Reserve

About Pench Tiger Reserve

This is one park which has inspired the legendary storyteller Rudyard Kipling to author ‘The Jungle Book’. This book is said to be based on a true story of a boy which kids have enjoyed listening to even when they are grown and walk down the memory lanes of their childhood days.

This park is in the heartland of India, Madhya Pradesh. It is located in the districts of Seoni and Chhindwara. It earns its name from the river which flows through the park and is known by the name, Pench. This Pench National Park finds its mention in the famous story of 1894, ‘The Jungle Book’, written by the famous novelist and author sir Rudyard Kipling. Because of the real description and creative narration of the area, the story of the boy raised in the jungle among the junglee animals was globally applauded. Thanks to its popularity riding on the story this national park gained prominence and became one of the popular national parks in the 1970s. It started attracting visitors from all across the globe and became a prominent tourist attraction in India. It has become the ritual for the thousands of wildlife lovers to visit this place in their pursuit to trace the famous characters of the book, Akela (The Indian Wolf), Raksha (the female Wolf), Baloo (Sloth Bear), and the villainous Shere Khan (Royal Bengal Tiger).

This park is spread over a big area of 758 sq km. It outstretches the 464 kilometers of buffer area. It is divided in two halves, easter and western by the river Pench. It offers an ideal ground of living in natural harmony as the area is adjoined by 10 villages on the outskirts out of which one village Fulzari is inside the park while the other nine villages are on the periphery. This Pench National Park provides the visitors with an opportunity to cherish one of the finest wildlife experiences in India. It was incepted in 1965 and since then the park has been offering a conducive and harmonious abode for a variety of wild creatures. The park is home to the Royal Bengal tiger, jackal, peafowl, wild dog, wild boar, sloth bear, Indian leopard, fox, Indian wolves, and striped hyena who feed on the herbivores of the region. This park is also home to monkey, gaur, barking deer, four-horned antelope, and more such species. Due to constant striving of its forest officials and team the sanctuary got the recognition of national park and tiger reserve, in the year 1975 and 1992, respectively.

Fauna & Flora

The abundant water and conducive land makes it rich for flora species like Mahua, White Kulu, Salai, Saja, and Bijiyasal. It also grows plants like Dhaora, Amaltas and many others. The water access makes the park full with grasslands, plants and saplings that serve as the fodder for the herbivores, the preying animals feed on.

Wildlife: As told in the story, ‘The Jungle Book’, the place is an abode of real Sher Khans (Bengal Tigers). The big cats are accompanied by Chital, Jungle Cat, Wolf, Indian Leopard, Gaur, Four-horned Antelope, Sloth Bears and many other wildlife species.

Other than the wildlife the park is also popular for its rich avian lives. It is an ideal breeding space for a great variety of birds like Crow Pheasant, Peafowl, Pintail, Lesser Whistling Teal, and Indian Roller. Besides the resident birds it also attracts migratory birds. The park is home to Wagtail, Munia, Waterfowl, Blue Kingfisher, Crimson-Breasted Barbet, and Red-Vented Bulbul.