Wildlife Sanctuaries in East India

The East Indian region is extremely fertile with the gangetic delta providing a rich soil for cultivation. The varied topography of the region supports a great number of flora and fauna species, many of which are severely endangered and unique to the region. There are many wildlife sanctuaries in East India that aim to protect these species and make up the bulk of wildlife tourism in East India. Nandan Kanan, Simlipal, BHitarkanika, Hazaribagh and Gahirmatha are some of the important wildlife sanctuaries in East India. Some important tiger reserves are also located in these states including Sunderban, Buxa, Betla and Palamu.

Fauna
East India is home to innumerable varieteies of animal and plant species. The region has a sizeable tiger population in its tiger reserves. Sunderban is the most famous tiger habitat in India. It is also the habitat of the almost extinct gangetic dolphin and the estuarine crocodile. Kaziranga in Assam is famous for its rhino population. The other important animal species found in East India include the elephant, leopards, wild cats, sambhar, gaur, cheetal, porcupine, jackals, wolves, macaques, wild boars and antelopes. An incredible range of butterflies and insects are found all over these forests. The high altitude forests support such rare and endangered species like the red Panda, barking deer and kalij pheasants.

East Indian wildlife includes hundreds of avian species. This part of India is also visited by many migratory birds in winter. The Chilka Lake in Orissa is known as a bird watcher’s delight and is a major destination for migratory birds in East India.

Flora
The wildlife sanctuaries in East India contain a wide variety of trees and plants. Sal is the dominant species in these forests and other flowering and fruit bearing varieties are found in abundance. Many seed bearing plants and trees, shrubs and herbs, climbers, parasites, grasses and bamboo make up the forest cover in East India. The vegetation is important fro the great variety of fauna that thrives on them. The Sundarbans are the largest mangrove forest in the world and provide a unique habitat to the Bengal tiger.

Conservation
The wildlife of East India includes many severely threatened species. The forest department has been involved in conservational efforts since the 1970s when the Wildlife protection act was made effective. Since then new forests and species in them have been identified and brought under protection. The major tiger reserves in these states provide the last refuge for the Royal Bengal tiger. The Indian rhinoceros has made a comeback in the sanctuaries of Assam, but other species like the golden languor and red panda face extinction. Poaching and illegal lumbering are the major issues plaguing the forest departments of the region as in all the regions of India.

Wildlife Sanctuaries in East India
Ambapani Sanctuary Orissa	Baisipalli Wildlife Sanctuary
Balukhand Wildlife Sanctuary	Belghar Wildlife Sanctuary Orissa
Bhitarkanika Sanctuary Orissa	Bura Chapuri Wildlife Sanctuary
Chandaka Sanctuary	Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary
Dibru Saikhowa Wildlife Sanctuary	Gahirmatha Turtle Sanctuary Orissa
Hadagarh Wildlife Sanctuary	Hazaribagh Wildlife Sanctuary
Karlapat Wildlife Sanctuary	Khalasuni Wildlife Sanctuary
Kotagarh Wildlife Sanctuary	Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary
Lakhari Valley Sanctuary Orissa	Laokhowa Wildlife Sanctuary
Nandan Kanan Wildlife Sanctuary	Orchid Sanctuary
Pabha ( Milroy ) Sanctuary	Pabitora Wildlife Sanctuary
Padmatala Sanctuary Orissa	Satkosia Basipalli Sanctuary
Simlipal Wildlife Sanctuary	Sonai Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary
Sunabeda Wildlife Sanctuary	Tikarpada Wildlife Sanctuary
Ushakothi Sanctuary