Pench National Park

Pench National Park is a national park in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. It is part of Pench Tiger Reserve and covers an area of 758 km² (293 sq mi). It was declared a sanctuary in 1965, raised to the status of a national park in 1975 and enlisted as a tigers reserve in 1992. The national park consists of dry deciduous forests; fauna includes tiger, deer and birds.^[2][3][4]

Pench National Park
Indira Priyadarshni National Park
IUCN category II (national park)
Landscape in Pench National Park
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Location	Seoni District and Chhindwara district, Madhya Pradesh Nagpur district, Maharashtra, India
Nearest city	Seoni
Coordinates	21°40′17.76″N 79°18′11.88″E
Area	758 km2 (293 sq mi)[1]
Established	1965 (as Wildlife Sanctuary) 1975 (as National Park) 1992 (as Tiger Reserve)
Governing body	State Forest Department
Website	penchnationalpark.in

Geography

17km
10.6miles

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Pench
Reservoir

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Totladoh
Reservoir

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Pench
River

NP

Pench
National
Park

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Ramtek

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Chhindwara

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Seoni

   

Location of Pench National Park
M: municipality, NP: National Park

Pench National Park is located in Seoni District and chhindwara district of Madhya Pradesh and Nagpur district of Maharashtra. It 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. Around 257 square kilometres area is in Maharashtra.^[5] It derives its name from the Pench River that flows through the park. It's 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).^[3]

Vegetation

The forest in the park consists of dry deciduous forests and tree includes teak mixed with other species like saja, bijiayasal, lendia, haldu, dhaora, salai, amla, amaltas, mahua and white kulu. The ground is covered with maze of grasses, plants, bushes and saplings. Bamboo is also found at places.^[3]

Wildlife

The Pench National park is home to diverse flora and fauna which includes over 40 species of mammals, 13 species of reptiles and more than 210 bird species.^[2] It host snake species such as cobras, pythons and the Indian krait.^[5]

Mammals

A leopard in pench forest

A tiger in Pench National Park

Pench National Park hosts Bengal tiger, Indian leopard, Indian wolf, chital, sambar, barking deer, four-horned antelope, gaur, nilgai, wild boar, golden jackal, fox, striped hyena, sloth bear, dhole, porcupine, Semnopithecus entellus, Rhesus monkey and jungle cat.^[2][5]

Birds

Indian grey hornbill in the tree

It is also harbours more than 210 bird species including several migratory ones. Some of them are Indian peafowl, junglefowl, Indian vulture, crow pheasant, crimson-breasted barbet, red-vented bulbul, racket-tailed drongo, Crested serpent eagle, Nisaetus cirrhatus, Indian roller, magpie robin, lesser whistling teal, pintail, shoveller, egret and herons, minivet, oriole, wagtail, munia, myna, waterfowl and common kingfisher.^[4][5]

In popular culture

Pench National Park is one of many places that may have inspired Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book.^[6]

The national park served as a filming location for the BBC documentary series Tiger: Spy in the Jungle, narrated by David Attenborough.^[7]