Corbett National Park - Ultimate Wildlife Refuge

Rudyard Kipling once described this land as primal jungle and Jim Corbett loved to travel the length and breadth of this land fearlessly. This is Corbett National Park (CNP), a splendid place supporting a vast reservoir of wildlife. This park has the honour of first national park of the country. It was so declared in 1936 as Hailey National Park & later renamed in the honour of legendary hunter-turned animal lover Jim Corbett. It is situated in the foothills of western Himalayas in the districts of Nainital and Pauri Garhwal in the newly carved out state of Uttaranchal and this wildlife heaven is reserved for adventure loving and tough people.

We arrived at Rampur, about 7-8 hours away from National capital Delhi, in the afternoon full of anticipations. The permit to visit and stay in CNP are issued here. We got our reservations for Dhikala rest house which is located centrally and is infact houses the forests department. Near the entry point, we took our lunch and entered the CNP through Amdanda gate. Our rest house at Dhikala was approximately 30 kms from the gate along a narrow metalled road. The landscape of the park was mesmerising and this place exuded the charm of ancient primitive era. We saw a few vehicles parked on the kucha road near the main road. I jumped with excitement of seeing something wild and saw a group of elephants comfortably munching on grass of size equal to their heights. This was my first encounter with the Indian giants. They seemed indifferent to our presence. This apparent callousness of elephants about homo sapiens does not augur well for these giants as this made poacher's work very easy. By an estimate, their population is 300 in the park area.

We removed ahead and saw a signboard about Indian gharial and saw a few gharials taking sun-bath on the banks of river Ramganga. Ramganga and its streams vivisect the land into numerous ridge and ravines. This landscape is perfect habitat for the growth and survival of tiger, leopard, bear et al. We were looking for the big cat "tiger". About 90 (as per 1984 estimate) big cats inhabit this area and are very reserved creatures. Only lucky people can have a glimpse of this magnificent creature.

Next morning, we were ready to see the virtual rawness and beauty of this mysterious land covering an area of 1319sq. kms. The area of the park is increased with the inclusion of Sonanadi wildlife sanctuary. Our guide 'Arshad' a bearded old age veteran of this jungle assured us about tiger sighting. It is compulsory to take a guide with you and walking is strictly prohibited in the park. We decided to go towards Khinnanauli's and Sarpduli rest houses. We come across a herd of spotted deer, chital, which ran ahead of our jeep. I saw a lone barking deer, jackal, otters running for fish in the waters of Ramganga. Since it was early morning and a light drizzle had just finished, there was freshness, fragrance and coolness in the air and this was the time of hectic activity. Our guide asked to stop the jeep as there was a "call". It is a warning signal given by animals like langur sitting on trees about a roaming tiger so others can run to their safety. We waited in anticipation for half an hour but nothing happened. Interestingly, this park has a healthy population of leopards. Both tigers and leopards prowl in the night and leopard manage to survive. There are documented instances of tigers killing and eating a mature leopard. On a muddy trail, we saw fresh pugmarks of a tiger and scanned the whole area for its presence. Chance and luck plays the role in case of tiger sighting in the wild as tigers here avoid humans unlike Ranthambore where tigers show indifference towards humans.

CNP has immense variety of wild life. About 50 species of mammals viz tiger, leopards, leopard cats, jungle cat, fishing cat, jackal, Indian wild dog - dhole, porcupine, civet, otter, mangoose, barking deer, ghoral etc. , 580 birds species viz king vulture, eagles, kingfishers, etc. & 25 species of reptiles including crocodile gharial, crocodile, cobra, krait etc inhabit the park. It sustains a very significant ecosystem and is thus ecologically, socially and environmentally very important.

Near Sarpduli, we come across a herd of female elephants, a lonely seemingly pregnant jackal and vast variety of birds inhabiting bushes. I have not seen such a vast variety of small birds at a single point and has surpassed even Bird's paradise 'Bhartpur' in Rajasthan, in the number of avian species. Very few people are aware of this fact and the entire focus is always on the big creatures like tiger et al. For next two days, we scanned all parts of the park to get a glimpse of tiger and though saw a variety of mammals, reptiles and birds including rare king vulture, big cats remained elusive.

It is a privilege to visit this primal jungle and taste its raw beauty. This park remains closed from June 15 to November 15 for general public. A large number of rest houses are available in the area namely Dhikala, Khinnanauli, Sarpduli, etc.

Title:-Corbett national park-ultimate wildlife refuge.

About Author:-Tanny Gupta is a nature freak who has travelled the various wildlife areas of India, trekked the Himalayan virgin lakes,passes,etc. This is a tribute to virgin Indian land about which very people are aware. For more information do visit http://www.adventurersparadise.com

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Monarch Butterfly's Life Cycle

The cycle of life for Monarch Butterflies is a wonder of nature. It begins as a tiny egg on a milkweed plant, changes to a larval caterpillar, and then magically undergoes a metamorphosis change into a vibrant colored butterfly.

The mating season begins in late winter/early spring as the weather warms and the Monarchs are ending their winter migration to southern areas. Females search out milkweed plants growing along their route north, and deposit up to one hundred eggs on the milkweed leaves.

The monarch eggs soon grow to tiny caterpillars that molt their skin 5 times while growing and eating milkweed leaves. It then builds its own cocoon (chrysalis) to live in during the metamorphosis process.

Within seven days the chrysalis changes rapidly. The green outside wrapper starts to become clear, allowing you to see the developing black and orange butterfly wings. After the tiny creature has completed its transformation, it breaks its cocoon, and manages to extricate its wet and limp little body.

At this point the adolescent Monarch Butterfly, holding on to its previous shelter for support, pumps fluids into his lifeless wings. Amazingly the wings expand to over fifty times larger. He now rests for several hours, moving his wings and drying/hardening them in the sun.

As the youngster's body begins functioning he is ready to fly away to perpetuate the Monarch Butterfly's cycle of life.

Monarchs that hatch in the spring and early summer have a very short life span of only two to five weeks. Those born in the late summer live the longest, six to nine months. These are the ones that perform the winter migration south, start the return trip but soon die. A new generation comes along and then another, to complete the Monarch Butterfly's return to its most northern areas.

The migration of the previous year was done by those of four to six generations ago, whom the current generation has never met. How in the world does Mother Nature perform this amazing feat?

All Rights Reserved Jim Pratt owner of http://monarch-butterfly.info/

One of Jim's most popular writings is about the Monarch's annual migration to Mexico and California: http://monarch-butterfly.info/Migration.html

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Pet Rats - Why They Make Great Pets

Anyone looking for a new pet wants a pet that is clean, socialized and well trained. Most people don't know that these are all qualities of pet rats!

There are many misconceptions about rats. People think that rats are unclean and carry disease. In fact, rats are quite clean and groom themselves several times a day. These aren't sewer rats we're talking about. These pet rats, or fancy rats as they're called, have been domesticated and bred in captivity for at least 150 years. Pet rats are quite tame after living with humans for so many generations and you'll find that they are nothing like their stereotypes.

Rats are very intelligent animals. Some consider rats to have intelligence close or equal to that of dogs. Rats are capable of learning to come when their names are called. They can even be litter trained just as easily as training a cat.

If you have any experience with other rodents such as hamsters, mice or gerbils you may be afraid of biting. Although biting is common with other rodents, it is almost unheard of with domesticated rats. Unlike their rodent cousins, rats are generally docile creatures. Most of the time rats just like to lay around, especially males. Rats can easily be trained to be good lap or shoulder pets.

In the wild, rats live together in colonies and have a complex social structure. These social instincts carry over to pet rats. Pet rats tend to develop strong bonds with humans and with their cage mates. So much so that it is common for rats to become very depressed when a cage mate passes away.

There are many apartments that won't allow dogs or cats, and it may simply not be practical to have larger pets in some houses. In those situations a pet rat is the perfect solution. Cages for pet rats usually don't consume much room at all, usually just a two foot by two foot space, which makes pet rats great for small apartments.

Rats are friendly and intelligent animals and make great first pets for children. Being clean and easy to care for makes them great companions for the elderly. Go out and get your pet rat today!

Scott McHenry and his wife have had a large number of pets of many different species. They have several years experience with rats and together run http://www.ratanswers.com a rat informational web site.

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How To Treat The Common Ailments Of Your Python

Many toying with the idea of owning a pet would like to know what it takes. In other words, most people feel more secure about getting a particular pet if they know at least 80% of what might go wrong and how to prevent it. I think those who want to own a pet python are no exception.

As an owner of a pet, you know top priority goes to the health of your pet. Anyway, most of the pet owners of python don't realize that common python ailments can often be detected and handled at home.

* Vomiting


One of the most common python ailments is vomiting. Do not you handle your pet python just after it has eaten; it may regurgitate. If your pet is under stress due to a feeling of insecurity or if it is infested with internal and or external parasites in its body,
it will tend to bring up its food.

To help avoid vomiting, it's a good idea to hope your pet python REST after a meal. How can you induce it to sleep? Raise the cage temperature to the recommended level for your breed. If you've also set up an ideal basking spot (hot spot), it will lie down there while its food gets digested, and will be much less likely to regurgitate.

* Constipation


If your pet does not defecate as often as it should ... or with great difficulty or if the feces are dry, in all probability your python is constipated.

Low humidity and low temperatures are the most common causes of constipation. You can avoid this by keeping sufficient clean water in the cage. In addition, keep a bowl of WARM water and encourage your python to soak in it.

* Scale Rot


If you notice any chipped or discolored - pink, red or brown - scales in the abdominal region of your python, it is probably suffering from scale rot. This disease could affect just a few scales or a single area or multiple areas.

Sometimes the cause for scale rot can be an internal infection that works its way to the outside and manifests itself as scale rot.

However the most common cause is improper cage hygiene.

If the cage is not regularly cleaned and disinfected, the python may have to bask in its urine and feces for prolonged times and develop scale rot.

A topical application of over the counter triple-antibiotic should clear up this problem. But you will have to transfer the animal to another cage while you THOROUGHLY clean and disinfect its current cage.

While the animal is being treated, do NOT allow it to soak in water. Give it water in a bowl that is just large enough for it to drink from.

There now ... that wasn't so scary, was it?

The above is an excerpt from the free newsletter on "Python Secrets" published by Geostar Publishing & Services LLC.

To subscribe to the newsletter, click on the link below:


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Here's to a happier pet-owing experience!

Jessica Harrison

Geostar Publishing & Services LLC

6423, Woodbine Court,

St. Louis, Missouri,

63109, USA

http://www.pythonsecrets.com

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Jessica Harrison is the author of the best selling eBook "Python Secrets" published by Geostar Publishing & Services LLC.

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