Pench National Park

Pench National park, nestling in the lower southern reaches of the satpuda hills is named after Pench river, meandering through the park from north to south. It is located on the southern boundary of Madhya Pradesh, bordering Maharashtra, in the districts of Seoni and Chhindwara.Pench National Park, comprising of 758 SQ Kms, out of which a core area of 299 sq km of Indira Priyadarshini Pench National Park and the Mowgli Pench Sanctuary and remaining 464 sq km of pench national park is the buffer area.

The area of the present tiger reserve has a glorious history. A description of its natural wealth and richness occurs in Ain-i-Akbari. Pench Tiger Reserve and its neighbourhood is the original setting of Rudyard Kipling's most famous work, The Jungle Book.

Salient Features

Area:
  • Core : 292.85 sq. km.
  • Buffer : 465.00 sq. km.
  • Total : 757.85 sq. km.
  • Longitude : 79007'45" E to 79022'30"
  • Latitude : 21037'N to 21050'30" E
  • Altitude : 580-675 Mt. Above MSL
  • Rainfall : 1397 mm

Seasons :
  • Winter : November to February
  • Summer : March to mid-June
  • Monsoon : mid-June to September

Temperature :
  • Minimum : 3.1°F
  • Maximum : 47°F.

Happenings in Pench National Park

The Pench National park in the Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra border has been renowned for the rich flora and fauna there. It is also one of the most dynamic national parks in India. Declared a Tiger reserve in 1992 , it is the 19th Tiger Reserve of the country. The nature lovers and wildlife enthusiasts can have eventful experiences at the Pench National park camps. These are eco friendly camps which make use of recycling, reusing resources etc.

Flora in Pench National Park

The Pench National Park is gifted with rich and affluent forests that are dispersed throughout the area of the National Park. There are the southern tropical dry deciduous teak forests that slowly intermingle with tropical mixed deciduous forests. The flora in Pench national park include different varieties of shrubs, tall trees and climbers.

Some of the common kinds of flora found at the Pench National Park include moyan, mahua, mokha, skiras, tendu, bija, achar, garari, aonla, ghont, baranga, Aonla,Khair,Bhirra, palas,skiras and kihamali. There is also a sparse population of bamboos in some valleys and near the water banks. The flora in Pench National park also includes some rare varieties of herbs with medicinal properties. There are bright white Kullu trees that are spread singly within the forest area and look a pleasant contrast in the verdant greens. The wilderness of the Flora in Pench National park is somehow structured with old plantations of Teak and Bamboo .

Fauna in Pench National Park

The Pench National Park in Maharashtra has a very rich fauna. A number of endangered species have made the Pench National Park their habitat. The Fauna in Pench which are found in high density in this region are the Wild Pig, the Nilgai, the Chital, the Gaur, the four-horned Antelope, the Muntjac and many more. As it happens in the other national parks in the country, catching a glimpse of a tiger is very difficult in Pench National Park also and it needs a lot of patience and fortune to get a sight of a tiger.

Apart from the mammals and other wild animals on land, the Fauna in Pench also includes a rich bird life. The authorities of the wildlife in Pench National Park have made an assessment of the number of birds and according to that, the bird population in the national park stands at over 125 species. The species of birds in the Pench National Park include birds like Bulbuls, Minivets Orioles, Barbets, Munias, Wagtails, Mynas, Blue Kingfishers and Waterfowls. The streams, nallahs and the River Pench inside the Pench National Park in Maharashtra, provide the best play zone for the water birds in this region. The Pench River and the water streams in the park are also the habitation for the Fresh Water Turtles and the Crocodiles.

Birds in Pench National Park

The Perch National Park is rich in wildlife and mammals. It also boasts of a large and varied population of avifauna and is surely a bird watcher's paradise. Recent estimates claim that the population of birds in Pench National park is around 200 different species. The rivers that cut across the park, such as the Pench River, the small streams and the running water bodies here offer an ideal playground for the water birds here.

The different birds at the Pench National park include barbets, bulbuls, minivets, orioles, wagtails,Indian rollers and munias. The Pench National Park also is the home to a large number of migratory birds and ducks of various varieties. One can also spot birds such as the Crested Serpent Eagle,painted francolin, Changeable hawk Eagle, Malabar Pied Hornbill, Collared Scops Owl and other species like White-eyed Buzzard, Mottled Wood Owl, and jungle Owlet. The water birds, seen more profoundly during the winter time include waterfowls, blue kingfishers,Indian Skimmers and others. In fact the Pench National park is considered one of the best winter refuges for the water birds.