The Pench National
Park and Tiger Reserve extends over an area of 257 sq.km. in the lower
southern reaches of the Satpura hill ranges, along the northern boundary
of Nagpur District. It was declared a National Park by the Government
of Maharashtra in 1975 and received the official status of "Tiger
Reserve of India" in February 1999.
The park gets its name from
the Pench River, which meanders through it like a mammoth python,
dividing it down the center. Rich in its biodiversity, its terrain
defined by hills, valleys and the occasional precipitous slope, Pench is
an important ecosystem supporting an abundance of flora and fauna,
including a rich variety of acquatic life.
Not surprisingly, the beauty of this part of central India has
earned much literary attention. The poet Kalidas waxes eloquent about
the scenic charm of the place in his epics Meghdootam and Shakuntalam.
R.A. Strendales "Camp in the Satpura Hills" draws a vivid pen picture of
this idyllic paradise, and does Forsyths "Highlands of Central
India".
Indeed the Pench National Park is four different forest regions
in one; an extravagance of trees, shrubs, grasses, climbers, weeds and
herbs, with teak being the most prominent of the tree species. The park
is home to 33 species of mammals, 164 species of birds, 50 species of
fish, 10 species of amphibians, 30 species of reptiles, and a wide
variety of insects.
While officially reserved for tigers and panthers, Pench is
also home to sambar, chital, banking deer, nilgai, black buck, gaur,
wild boar, chausingha, sloth bears, wild dogs, langurs, monkeys, mouse
deer, black-naped hares, jackals, foxes, hyenas, porcupines, and flying
squirrels, to name a few.
Here, birdlife is equally bountiful. The feathered denizens of
Pench include both resident and migratory birds like Malabar pied
hornbills, Indian pittas, ospreys, grey-headed fishing eagles,
white-eyed buzzards, storks, waterfowls, four endangered vulture
species, and the green pigeon, which is the State
Bird.
Pench is a naturalists dream come true; a
mind-expanding experience if ever there is one.