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Wildlife heritage of India is as much or more diverse than the cultural heritage this country posses. One of the major mega diversity countries in the world, India houses a good number of wildlife species found nowhere else on this globe.
India is a natural place for the wildlife enthusiasts of the world to be. The reasons are simple but exciting. India currently has 80 National Parks and 441 wildlife sanctuaries. These National Parks and wildlife sanctuaries in turn houses largest number of wondrous tigers found in the world, largest number of one-horned rhinos found in the world, now almost extinct Asiatic Lions, and a large percent of elephants. These wildlife animals are but only a part of more than 500 species of mammals that have made India their natural home. Apart from the mammals, India is also blessed with over 2,000 species of birds, over 500 species of reptiles and amphibians and around 30,000 species of insects including the colourful butterflies. India remains most renowned for its wonderful tigers.
India has around nineteen Tiger Reserves that were founded on different stages of its evolution to protect the dwindling population of tigers. These reserves were founded under the aegis of Project Tiger, a joint effort of the Government of India and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). Manas Tiger Reserve, situated amidst the gentle slopes at the foothills of the Himalayas in India's northeastern state of Assam, is the only tiger reserve of its kind in the entire northeast.
All the National Parks and wildlife sanctuaries falling under the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve are great habitats for the wonderful Indian pachyderm. Periyar, Bandipur, Nagarhole, Corbett, Dudhwa, Hazaribagh, Palamau, Namdapha, Eravikulam, and Bandhavgarh are some of the major habitats of Indian elephant. But, pachyderms are not restricted to these wildlife sanctuaries and national parks only. Indian elephants move around from one national park and wildlife sanctuary greatly especially during the summers and you can find them in some other wildlife sanctuaries also.
Kaziranga National Park, situated in the northeastern India state of Assam, is one of the most wonderful wildlife parks in India and the natural habitat of the wonderful one-horned rhino (Rhinoceros unicornis). Apart from the rising population of tigers, Manas is also the home of the one-horned rhinoceros, rare golden langur, the hispid hare, the pigmy hog and at least twenty other species of animals
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