Wildlife in Rajasthan

Wildlife in Rajasthan

Wild life has been considered as an integral part of a physical eco-system forming food chains at various trophic levels and its protection remained an old sanctity. Among all the countries of the world, in India alone a planned form of preservation of wildlife has been observed. Forest vegetation, tall grasses, margins of rivers, gullies and ravines wooded hills, uneven ground surfaces are used as shelter by the wild animals. But

(i) Forests are increasingly converting into cultivable lands, reducing the freedom of movement of wild animals like deer, bison and tiger. Thus, the unfavorable conditions unable them to maintain their numbers in the tiny forest areas.

(ii) Man, to meet forth his demand for timber, firewood, has cut down the forests and removed forever many wild plants. Food is one of the major ingredients of ecosystem to cope up with the distribution and continuance of the races of wild animals.

(iii) Improvised transport facilities of roads and railway tracts delimited the area of movement of these animals.

(iv)Certain timid animals shunted away due to sound of passing by vehicles.

(v) Last, but not the least, the water pollution exposed these animals to diseases and predation.

In poor countries, there has been a great lust and glamour for earning quick money be easy methods and the hunting-shikar accords good prospects in this regard. A good tiger hide will fetch money in lakhs of rupees and these prices of the animals and animal products are unparallel. Elephant tusks, hides of large cats, kastoori scent are very costly. Rhino horns can carry a fanciful price. Large pythons have now been removed to minimum due to export of serpent skins. Deer wild boars and Sambars have also been in great demand and attract a good number of professional hunters towards their niches.

Chinkara

Presently understanding of the ghastly devotion of wild life, necessity of their protection has been felt very much as wild life urges its in manipulating a balance in nature. The concept of the unity of all life and its roots in and the dependence on the environment, is an ancient view point. All life is deemed sacred, each creature has its place and function in nature's mosaic. This view lay at the root of advocacy of compassion for all living creatures and ahinsa (non-violence) preached by Buddha and Mahavira.

 

In Vedic literature of thousand years, earlier mention has been made by sacred grooves in which all life was protected. With the passage of centuries, this tradition was in practice lost through the precepts were never fully forgotten. Historical records of the recent past show that the various forest reserves of the feudal states of Rajputana had shikargarh-the shooting sites of wildlife and it was considered an act of chivalry to shoot and kill various wild animals like tigers deer, antelopes, crocodiles and alligators for their trophies skin, bones and teeth.

In more recent years, it was essentially for sport that Mughal emperors declared large tracts of the forest as reserve or closed forest. During II World War and immediately afterwards brought a ghastly devastation of forests and wild life. To the insistent change of alarm bells governments have established National parks, Sanctuaries, Reserved areas all over the world.

India alone has 105 National Parks, 566 Sanctuaries and 18 Biosphere reserve and several forest Reserves and Deer parks. Rajasthan state in 1955 formed the Wildlife Advisory Board. Shooting of tigers was totally banned in 1970.The Indian Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 of Government of India was enforced in Rajasthan in 1973 which provided total prohibition on killing of all types of wildlife. The protection of wild life is undoubtedly a state subject but the Government are unable to enact suitable laws and regulations to protect wildlife. Even rules and regulation may not apply if we do not improve in our attitudes and aesthetic senses towards wildlife. The total percentage of forest covered area in Rajasthan as compared to other states is comparatively less yet as regards vividity and percentage of animals, it ranges second to Assam.

Rajasthan in its diversed geographical topography and extreme climatic conditions has attributed vividity and fecundity to the wild animals. The Aravalli hills that cross the state from north east to south westwards, two quite unlike parks are demarcated. On the northwest is Great Thar Desert and on south west the green carpet of Rajasthan with Chambal and its ravines. As the rainfall in desert is irregular and scanty, there is shortage of water, shiny heat and chilly winter and accordingly, the animals of this region have to tolerate the water shortage and high temperature, causing the special distinctive type of fauna and flora to survive. The true mammals of this region are black buckchinara, nilgai, desert fox, cat, jackal and wolf.

 

The birds adopted by this regions are Indian bustard, peacock, partridge and bater along with reptile-frilled tailed lizard. The south eastern region included the mammals-tiger leopard, sloth bear sambhar, chital, nilgai, wildboar, chinkara and chausingha, the aquatic birds and the reptiles-crocodile gavial and alligator.

Rajasthan, despite the predominance of sandy wastes and dry deciduous jungles is rich in wild life. Conservation led the erstwhile royal game reserves to give way to sanctuaries for protection of fauna and other faunal species.

Today, the State is dotted by 3 National Parks, 27Wild Life Sanctuaries, 14 Conservation Reserves, 33Reserve Forests and 7 Deer Parks along with 5 Zoos that have been enlisted in the table chronologically. Besides these, 3 Biological Parks at Jaipur, Udaipur and Jodhpur have also been developed.

Reserved Or Closed Areas

These areas are those where killing of wildlife is prohibited. The forest and wildlife department of the state has, however no direct control over these areas. The Govt. of Rajasthan has declared 33 areas as reserved forest areas in the state where hunting is prohibited under order S.F. 11 (25)/Rev./Gr.8/81 dated7 January, 1984 vis-a-vis wild life preservation Act1972 (Central Act No. 53/1972)/16.

Parks

7 Deer and Safari Parks have also been established in the State. They are (i) Deer Park at Chittorgarh (ii) Deer Park at Shahpura (Jaipur) (iii) Deer Park at Pachkund (Ajmer), (iv) Safari Park, Machia at Jodhpur(v) Ashok Vihar, Jaipur (vi) Deer Pärk Sajjangarh, Udaipur and (vi) Amrita Devi Deer Park, Khejarli(Jodhpur).

Zoos (Jantushalas)

Five zoos at Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Kota and Bikaner have been functioning where varied animals from different parts of the world are kept for public show.

National Parks

In the National Parks, there is a total prohibition on wood cutting, animal grazing, agriculture, human habitation, road construction and other human activities. Villages, if any fall in the areas of the parks have to be evacuated. There are 3 National Park as recognised by govt. of Rajasthan. These are-

(a) Ranthambore National Park, Sawai Madhopur

(b) Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur

(c) Mukundra hills National Park, Kota,Chittorgarh

 

Thankyou Comment your queries below.