PENCH NATIONAL PARK

Pench National Park: 292.85 sq km
Sanctuary: 118.31 sq.km
Other forest Area: 346.89 sq km
Total Pench Tiger Reserve: 757.89 sq.km

This is the land that inspired Rudyard Kipling to write that all-time favourite, "The Jungle Book" - walk through Pench and one can imagine Mowgli swinging through the trees and almost hear the roar of Sher Khan. Situated on the border of Madhya Pradesh and adjoining Maharashtra, the Pench National Park is as well-known for the abundance of flora and fauna found within the park as the varied species of wildlife. Named after the river that flows nearby, Pench was declared a Wildlife Sanctuary in 1983 and in 1992, Pench was included under the umbrella of "Project Tiger" as the 19th Project Tiger Reserve.

The India Eco-development project was started in Pench Tiger reserve in 1996-97 with the aid from World Bank. Under this project 99 villages around the tiger reserve have been identified in order to develop their own resources, so that their dependency on the project area is mitigated. In return , they will co-operate and participate in protection of Tiger.

Location (Pench National Park):
Main Entrance Gate at Turia is 12 kms from Khawasa. Khawasa lies on Nagpur Jabalpur NH-7 just on border of Madhya Pradesh & Maharashtra. Khawasa is 80 kms from Nagpur and 190 kms from Jabalpur end.

About Pench
A total of 758 Sq. kms of this Southern Indian tropical moist deciduous forest has its extent mingling with the tropical dry deciduous teak. The area is crisscrossed by a number of streams and 'nallahs' most of which are seasonal. Though the Pench River dries up in April end, a number of water pools locally known as 'dohs' are found which serve as water holes for the wild animals. The Pench Reservoir at the center of the park is the only major water source during the pinch period.

As a prey concentration is high along the Pench River, tiger usually inhabits frequents this belt. Leopard though generally operates in the peripheral areas but are occasionally seen in the deep forest also. Jungle cats are commonly seen. Leopard cats, small Indian civets and palm civets are common but seen rarely.

In Pench, Cheetal, Sambar, nilgai are commonly seen grazing on the open sites on roadsides and banks of river & reservoir. Jackals can be seen in search of food anywhere in the Park. Packs up to 15 of wild dog can be seen near Chhedia, Jamtara, Bodanala and Pyorthadi areas of the Reserve. Herds of gaur can be spotted near streams and bamboo patches commonly in summer months. Sloth beer occupy hilly, rocky out crops and favour mahul bel infested forest. Chnkara is present in very small numbers and is found in open areas around Turia, Telia and Dudhgaon villages.

Langoors are very common in Pench, whereas the Rhesus monkeys may be seen occasionally on the fringes. Pench boasts of, more than 210 species of birds that include several migratory ones also. Commonly seen are Peafowl, Red jungle fowl, Crow pheasant, Crimson breasted barbet, Redvented bulbul, Racket tailed drongo, Magpie robin and lesser whistling teal.Other important natural forests in Maharashtra like the Nagzira Sanctuary and the Navegaon National Park are also comparatively close to Pench.

How to Get there
Air : Nagpur is the nearest airport, one can hire a taxi or board a bus from Nagpur and come to Khawasa which is 80 Km from Nagpur on Nagpur-Jabalpur NH-7.
Rail : Nagpur is the nearest rail head and all the south bound trains stop here.
Road :Tourist can come similarly from Jabalpur to Khawasa which is 190 kms from Jabalpur. From Khawasa tourist has to hire a petrol vehicle to enter into park through Turia gate which is 12 kms from Khawasa.

What to See?

The Flora : The forest type is southern tropical dry deciduous teak and southern tropical mixed deciduous forest with other species of shrubs, trees and climbers. Pench is dotted with teak and its associates moyan, mahua, mokha, skiras, tendu, bija, achar, garari, aonla, bhaman, ghont, baranga, amaltas, kihamali, khair, bhirra, palas. Bamboo occurs sparsely, restricted to some valleys. In addition there are many rare varieties of herbs and grasses in this region -many of them of medicinal use.

The Fauna : Fauna-wise, a number of endangered species have made it their habitat including the Indian wild dog, the wild pig, nilgai, chital, muntjac, gaur, the four-horned antelope and of course tigers. The tiger population in pench is one of the hightest - 55, in number. The park is also rich in bird life with over 200 species like barbets, bulbuls, minivets, orioles, wagtails, munias, mynas, waterfowls, and blue kingfishers. The Pench River and water streams that weave through the area, along with nallahs and ravines provide the perfect habitat for the water birds of this region. This is also the hunting ground for crocodiles and turtles.

The Avifauna : Pench is haven for birds with more than 200 species recorded from here including the migratory waders and the ducks. It is pretty easy to spot birds like the Crested Serpant Eagle, Changeable Hawk Eagle, Painted Francolin, Malabar Pied Hornbill, Collared Scops Owl and many other species.