Pench National Park

Pench National Park is a national park in India’s Madhya Pradesh state, established in 1975 with an area of 257.26 km2 (99.33 sq mi).[1] It includes Pench Tiger Reserve and derives its name from the Pench River that flows through the park from north to south dividing the park into almost equal western and eastern halves, the well-forested areas of Seoni and Chhindwara districts respectively. It was declared a sanctuary in 1965, raised to the status of national park in 1975 and enlisted as a tiger reserve in 1992. In 1983 it was declared as National Park.[2]

The national park consists of dry deciduous forests and much fauna and flora including tigers, various types of deer and birds.[3] In 2011, the park won the “Best Management Award”.[citation needed] This park is accessible from Pauni on National Highway 7 and has two famous entry gates, Turiya and Karmajhiri.[4]

history

Late Collarwali

The area of the present Pench Tiger Reserve has been described in Ain-i-Akbari, and is the setting of Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book.[5]

Geography

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Pench National Park comprises 758 km2 (293 sq mi), of which 299 km2 (115 sq mi) form the park’s core area and Mowgli Pench Sanctuary. The remaining 464 km2 (179 sq mi) form the buffer zone. Elevation ranges from 425 to 620 m (1,394 to 2,034 ft). The protected area is covered with small hills and teak mixed forest in the southern reaches of the Satpura Range. The temperature varies from 4 °C (39 °F) in December to 42 °C (108 °F) in May. Average rainfall is 1,300 mm (51 in).

Vegetation
The forest cover in the park area includes teak mixed with other species like saja, bijiayasal, lendia, haldu, dhaora, salai, amla, amaltas. The ground is covered with maze of grasses, plants, bushes and saplings. Bamboo is also found at places. Scattered white kulu trees, also referred to as ‘ghost tree’, stand out conspicuously among the various hues of green. Another important tree for both wildlife and tribal people of this region is mahua. The flowers of this tree are eaten by mammals and birds, and also harvested by the tribal people as food and to brew beer.