Rajaji National Park

Rajaji National Park is a national park and tiger reserve in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. that encompasses the Shivaliks, near the foothills of the Himalayas. It covers 820 km2 and is included in three districts of Uttarakhand—Haridwar, Dehradun and Pauri Garhwal. In 1983, three wildlife sanctuaries in the area (namely, Chilla, Motichur and Rajaji) were merged into one.

Rajaji National Park was named after C. Rajagopalachari (Rajaji), a prominent leader of the Freedom Struggle, the first and last Governor-General of independent India and one of the first recipients of India's highest civilian award, Bharat Ratna (in 1954).

Tiger reserve status
The Union government has given the nod to a proposal to grant Rajaji National Park the status of a tiger reserve. It will be the second tiger reserve in the state after the Corbett Tiger Reserve, and 48th such reserve in India. As per directions of the Tiger Conservative Authority of India, Rajaji National Park will be a core area of the Rajaji Tiger Reserve, whilst about 300 km2 of the Shyampur range of the Haridwar forest division; furthermore, parts of Kotdwar and Laldhang forest division (which function as a buffer zone) will also be included in the project, augmenting the total area to 1150 km2.

Final approval was accorded to Kudremukh (Karnataka) and Rajaji (Uttarakhand) as tiger reserves on 15 April 2015.

Flora
Rajaji National Park is nestled between the Shivalik ranges and the Indo-Gangetic plains. Broadleaved deciduous forests, riverine and riparian vegetation, scrubland, grasslands and pine forests form the range of botanical habitats in the park. The understory is sparse, and often absent, consisting of rohini (Mallotus philippensis), amaltas (Cassia fistula), shisham (Dalbergia sissoo), sal (Shorea robusta), palash (Butea monosperma), arjun (Terminalia arjuna), khair (Senegalia catechu), baans (Dendrocemalus strictus), semul (Bombax ceiba), sandan, chamaror Ehretia, amla Phyllanthus emblica, kachnar Bauhienia variegata, ber Ziziphus mauritiana, chilla Casearia, bel Aegle marmelos.

Fauna


Rajaji National Park is predominantly formed from dense green jungles, and this environment forms a habitat for a number of animals. The park is at the northwestern limit of distribution for both Indian elephants and Bengal tigers in India, for which it is most renowned. The goral and the tahr, two types of goat-antelope, are also noteworthy residents, mainly staying on the precipitous, pine-covered slopes. Besides pachyderms and the nimble caprids, huge herds of chital (axis deer) are also found in the park, sometimes numbering as many as 250 to a herd. Sambar, swamp deer, muntjac, hog deer, nilgai, wild boar and sloth bears also inhabit the park, though they may not always be visible to visitors. The rhesus macaque and the common langur are fairly common in the park. Tigers and leopards are the prime predators in Rajaji. The leopard cat, jungle cat, dhole, several species of civet, Bengal fox, golden jackal and yellow-throated marten are other carnivores. The Himalayan black bear, though uncommon, can be sighted in the higher reaches of the park. Other wild animals found in the park include:


 * Bengal monitor
 * Brahminy blindsnake
 * Burmese python
 * Common krait
 * Hanuman langur
 * Indian cobra
 * Indian crested porcupine
 * Indian flying fox
 * Indian grey mongoose
 * Indian hare
 * King cobra
 * Oriental garden lizard
 * Rhesus macaque
 * Russell's viper
 * Smooth-coated otter
 * White-bellied giant flying squirrel

Over 315 species of birds are found in the park, whereas the wider region has over 500 species of birds, including both residents and migrants.

The rivers which flow through the park harbour species of fish such as trout and mahseer.

Incidents
Rajaji National Park was in the news in April 2010 when a forest fire which started on the fringes of the park, spread out over a large area and threatened the Chandi Devi Temple. There are also many leopards that are becoming man eaters leading to many man-animal conflict situations. Elephants require a very large area and they may wander into populated areas. Unfortunately, Rajaji is just outside the Indian city of Haridwar and there are many wild animals wandering in the city.