Pench
National Park lies nestled in the lower southern reaches of the Satpura
hills, on the southern boundary of Madhya Pradesh. Earlier a wildlife
sanctuary, Pench was given the status of a tiger reserve in the year
1992, when it was included under the umbrella of "Project Tiger".
Spread over an area of approximately 758 sq km, the national park has
been named after the Pench River, which flows inside its premises from
north to south. The best time for visiting the park is November to
March.Landscape and Flora
The flora of the Pench Wildlife Sanctuary is basically made up of Southern Indian tropical moist deciduous forest. However, one can also find tropical dry deciduous teak trees making up its vegetation. One can see a number of seasonal streams and nallahs crisscrossing through the landscape of the wildlife park. The Pench River, which is the major source of water for the rich fauna of the Pench Tiger Reserve, usually experiences shortage of water around the end of April and mostly, dries up during this time.
The numerous water pools, known as 'dohs', then come to the rescue of the wild animals and birds that have made Pench their abode. But since they are not widely spread throughout the park, most of them remain unutilized by the wild animals. During the dry season, another major source of water is the Pench Reservoir, situated right in the middle of the park. Infact, this reservoir serves as the main drinking water source for the animals and birds, because of its strategic and accessible location.
Fauna
Tigers can be found inhabiting the area around the Pench River, since it has a very high concentration of preys. As per an estimate, there are around 25 tigers in the park. If you want to see leopards, then the peripheral areas of Pench National Park are your best bet, though they can occasionally be seen in the deep forest too. Leopard Cats, Small Indian Civets and Palm Civets are also not seen easily in the open. Amongst the commonly seen wild animals at the wildlife sanctuary are Jungle Cats, Cheetal, Sambar, Nilgai, Jackals, Wild Dogs, Gaurs, Sloth Bear, Chinkara, Langoors.
The chances of seeing the magnificent Rhesus Monkeys are less and the best places for looking for them are around the fringes of Pench Wildlife Sanctuary. The sanctuary boasts of around 39 species of mammals, 13 species of reptiles and 3 species of amphibians. There are also approximately 210 species of birds at the park, which includes the migratory birds that come here every year. The birds that are commonly seen include Peafowl, Red Jungle Fowl, Crow Pheasant, Crimson Breasted Barbet, Redvented Bulbul, Racket Tailed Drongo, Magpie Robin, Lesser Whistling Teal, etc.
