Pench National Park

Pench National Park

State : Madhya Pradesh Area : 758 sq. km Altitude: 425 - 660 m Vegetation : Dry deciduou

Pench National Park is located on the boundary of Seoni and Chhindwara districts of Madhya Pradesh, close to Maharashtra's northern border. The reserve lies in the forest belt that extends to Balaghat in the east and Nagpur district to the south. The park is named after the Pench river and is contiguous with the forest on the southern side in Maharashtra. It is the panoramic beauty of this region that has been described as early as the beginning of the 20th century by naturalists like Captain J. Forsyth in 'Highlands of Central India' and is the setting of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book. 

The deciduous Pench Forest is filled with many tall trees and among them the pale white ghost trees. For six months every year, the ghost trees go dormant, lose their chlorophyll and shed their bark. Their pinkish white appearance has earned them the local name bhootiya in the Marathi language, which means ghostly. It’s also known as a karaya or kulu tree.

The tiger , leopard and wild dogs are the predators who claim fiefdom in Pench. As per latest Tiger Census, there are approx. 40 tigers in the park, 39 species of mammals, 13 species of reptiles, 3 species of amphibians. Commonly seen wildlife is chital, sambar, nilgai, wild boar, and jackal. Also Indian leopard, sloth bear, indian wolf, wild dog, porcupine, monkey, jungle cat, fox, striped hyena, gaur, four-horned antelope and barking deer live in the park.

Pench is also a important birding area with over 285 bird species of residents and migratory birds found in the park.

Fauna :  Tiger, Leopard, Jungle Cats, Sloth Beer, Wild dog, Jackle, Wolf, Hyena, Fox, Wild Boar, Langoor, Monkey, Indian Gaur (Bison), Sambhar, Barking deer, Spotted deer, Porcupine etc.   

Avi Fauna :  Avifauna species in the park including Little Grebes, Whitened Storks, Herons, Darters, Egrets, Bulbuls, Tailor Birds, Mynahs, Orioles, Barbets, Sunbirds, Minivets, Wagtails and Parakeets.