In this article were going to cover the list of national parks in Andhra Pradesh. India has a rich culture and beautiful wildlife. We have so many national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, and bird sanctuaries across the country. Today we will cover in our article the list of national parks in Andhra Pradesh.
Andhra Pradesh is famous for its Temple, Culture, Agriculture, and Wildlife. There are so many wildlife sanctuaries and National parks in Andhra Pradesh.
What is a National Park:
What is a National Park? A national park is an area notified by the state officials so as to protect the wildlife of that area from industrial development and other human activities only the officials assigned to look after the national parks and the tourists are allowed in the national parks.
National parks are established to protect the local flora and fauna, along with other natural aspects of nature. National parks are important to protect the endangered species from going extinct and also protect the local forest areas from getting destroyed for industrialization.
National parks also attract many tourists and help in the increase of our economy; it makes our country more beautiful and connects people to wildlife. National parks are also way much better than the zoos as animals in the national park are able to live as per their natural habitat and are not held in the cages as in zoos. National parks allow us to connect to the wildlife and be able to see the animals the way they live in their natural habitat.
A total number of national parks in India:
Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand is India’s first national park established in 1936, first known as Hailey national park. India had only five national parks in the year 1970. Wildlife protection act and project tiger was enacted by India in the year 1972 to protect the habitats of conservation reliant species.
In the year 1980, federal legislation for the protection of wildlife was initiated. In 2020 there are 101 national parks in India encompassing an area of 40,501.13 kmsq under the protected areas of India category. It also comprises of around 1.23% of India’s total surface area.
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List of National parks in Andhra Pradesh
Sri Venkateswara National Park:
National park Sri Venkateswara has a total area of 353 kmsq. It is known mainly for its many beautiful waterfalls, including Talakona, Gundalakona, and Gunjan. It is a biosphere reserve located in Andhra Pradesh.
This national park became the biosphere reserves of India in the year 2010 when the government declared the Seshachalam hills as one of the biosphere reserves of India in the same year. Located in the eastern ghats, the national park spreads over the Seshachalam hills of Cuddapah district and Tirumala hills of Chittoor district.
The national park comprises both dry and moist deciduous forest in the valleys. About 1500 vascular plant species belonging to 174 families are in this area, many of which are endemic. Red sanders, Shorea taluka, Shorea thumburggaia, Terminalia pallida, sandalwood, cycas beddomei, and some other rare and endemic plant species occur in this region.
The number of species of birds identified in this national park is 178. The yellow-throated bulbul which is globally threatened, is seen in this national park, along with grey- fronted green pigeon and birds from the Himalayan and western ghats are quite common here.
The oriental white-backed vulture which is critically endangered, is found here too, along with many others like large hawk-cuckoo, Blue-faced malkoha, yellow-browed bulbul, Indian scimitar- babbler and Loten’s sunbird.
In the year 1984, in the southern part of the Chittoor district, the Asian elephant which was not seen in Andhra Pradesh for nearly 300 years reappeared. In the year 1993, into the Chamala valley of Tirumala forests in this national park, a breakaway herd of five individuals moved.
Predators like a leopard, wild dog, hyena, golden jackal, Indian fox, small Indian civet, and jungle cats are quite common. A sloth bear in this park is frequently encountered. The main ungulates here are sambar, spotted deer, mouse deer, barking deer, four-horn antelope, and wild boar. Other interesting species are the Indian giant squirrel and tree shrew.
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gliding lizard found in some deep forested valley is among the most interesting species of reptiles. This national park is a beautiful place with the waterfalls present here it connects us with the wildlife and nature; it’s a great place for tourist attraction and also protects a wide range of endangered flora and fauna.
It is one of the bel places to visit. If you are planning to visit Andhra Pradesh, then do visit this national park. National parks in Andhra Pradesh are the best places to go and connect yourself with nature.
Papikonda National Park:
Located near Rajamahendravaram in the Papi hills is papikonda national park in the east and the West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh covering an area of 1012.86kmsq it is home to some endangered species of flora and fauna being an important bird and biodiversity area. After the construction of the Polavaram Dam after the year 2014, no parts of this national park remain outside the east and the West Godavari district.
It was established as a wildlife sanctuary in the year 1978 and was later upgraded to a national park in 2008. the flora in this national park contains species of both dry and moist deciduous forests. These species include trees like Pterocarpus marsupium, Terminalia elliptical, Terminalia arjuna, Adina cordifolia, sterculia urens, Mangifera indica and anogeissus latifolia.
The fauna includes mammals like Bengal tiger, Indian leopard, rusty-spotted cat, jungle cat, leopard cat, sloth bear, wild boar, small Indian civet, honey badger, Asian palm civet, nilgai, gaur, four-horned antelope, spotted deer, Indian muntjac, sambar dear, and Indian spotted chevrotain.
Rhesus macaque which is found in the north of Godavari and the bonnet macaque which is found in the south of Godavari, can be seen here along with grey langurs and water buffaloes.
In the year 2016, the BirdLife International recognized this park as an important bird and biodiversity area. Malabar pied hornbill, yellow-throated bulbul, pallid harrier, river lapwing, and black-bellied tern are some of the endangered, near threatened, and vulnerable species of birds included in reports. Black-throated munia, Malabar trogon, Indian scimitar babbler, and Malabar whistling thrush are some of the tropical moist forest species of birds seen here.
A subspecies of the bird was seen around the periphery of the national park; this bird was named after ornithologist K.S.R. Krishnan Raju. King cobra and Indian golden gecko were also seen in this national park.
The park is a beautiful place to visit and contributes to the protection and preservation of nature and even attracts tourists. Among other national parks in Andhra Pradesh do visit this one too. You will love it!
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Indira Gandhi Zoological Park (I) :
Indira Gandhi zoological national park is located in Visakhapatnam amidst Kambala Konda reserve forest. It is the third-largest zoo in the country named after Indira Gandhi, the former prime minister of India.
On May 19 in the year 1977, it was declared open to the public covering an area of 625 acres surrounded by the eastern ghats from the three sides and Bay of Bengal on the fourth. It has different sections for all the species caged in their natural ambience.
Indira Gandhi Zoological Park collaborated with stardust ventures and launched a web portal for the adoption of animals and to engage with the latest news to the community and allowing the general public to adopt animals for a certain period. The conduct of many events and webinars live through their YouTube.
The park is situated near the National Highway 5 near Madhurawada. 11 kilometres away from the railway station. Its entrance is towards the National Highway 5 and the exit towards the beach road at Sagar Nagar. Except on Monday its open for the public to visit daily.
This park contains around 80 species of birds, mammals, and reptiles with abundant flora and fauna present in the zoo with a land area of 625 acres. Battery vehicles are provided to visit the zoo. Everyone in the whole zoo is provided with a free wifi facility.
They have several knowledgeable programs for children and students with library present in their zoo. The national park also has several breeding programs also running in their zoo. It has a very well planned layout map dividing all the species from each other.
This zoological park contains endemic birds like peafowl, vulture, painted stork, duck, love bird, spotted dove, parakeet, eagle and pelican, exotic birds like emu, macaw, budgerigar, and ostrich. Endemic primates like the bonnet monkey and rhesus monkey. exotic primates like a mandrill, olive baboon, and ring-tailed lemur brought from Tisch zoo in Jerusalem.
The zoo also consists of endemic herbivores like gaur, spotted dear, barking deer, wild boar, elephant, nilgai, sambar deer, eld’s deer, swamp deer, and Indian rhinoceros with exotic herbivores like giraffe and hippopotamus.
Carnivores like tiger, cheetah, and leopard with exotic jaguar and puma and lesser carnivores like a wild dog, rusty-spotted cat, jackal, striped hyena, jungle cats, and exotic bears like Himalayan black bear and sloth bear with reptiles like king cobra, cobra, python, tortoise, rat snake, terrapin, Indian star tortoise, monitor lizard, water monitor lizard, mugger crocodile, green iguana, and gharial. The butterfly house and the nocturnal animal house is the special attraction of the Indira Gandhi Zoological Park.
You must visit Indhira Gandhi National Park if you are in Andhra Pradesh or planning to visit Andhra Pradesh. It is one of the national parks in Andhra Pradesh, and its beauty must be observed and enjoyed.
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Rajiv Gandhi national park in Rameswaram:
Rajiv Gandhi national park in Rameswaram of Kadapa district is another national park in Andhra Pradesh named after the 6th prime minister of India who served from the year 1984-1989. Rajiv Gandhi national park covers an area of about 2.4 square kilometres with the dry deciduous forest growing on sandy soil. The national park lies on the bank of the river penna on the north.
On 19 November in the year 2005, it was originally noticed as the Rameswaram national park, and in the same year on 26 December; the name was changed to Rajiv Gandhi national park. On 15th may in the year 2017, the 500-meter eco-zone around the park was noticed.
The floral in the Rajiv Gandhi national park includes trees like Grewia villosa, Dalbergia sissoo, and Gymnema Sylvestre with a fauna at includes fifty bird species like parakeets, little egrets, and peacocks.
The parks also have a lot of invertebrates like crickets, grasshoppers, spiders, and scorpions. Fauna in the amphibians include species such as the Asian common toad and bullfrog. Reptilian fauna is represented by common skink, Russell’s boa, and Russell’s viper. Mammals like Indian grey mongoose spotted deer and black-napped hare live in the Rajiv Gandhi national park.
It is another national park that you should visit among the national parks in Andhra Pradesh. If you are an animal lover and love greenery, then indeed this place is for you.
Conclusion:
In this article, we have covered all the national parks of Andhra Pradesh. Our national parks are our pride. National parks have helped us to stay connected to nature. Mother nature has the beauty that must be preserved; this beauty should be celebrated.
The peace and joy that nature brings are of another level. We should all be thankful to nature for providing us with the basic resources that have helped us over the years to fulfil our requirements. One of the ways of thanking is by preserving nature.
National parks and sanctuaries help us preserves nature. The natural habitats of the animals that we have mostly seen on television can be experienced and viewed through sanctuaries and national parks. We can see the animals in the way they prefer to live their lives. The joy of watching them and exploring their beauty is out of the world.
National parks in Andhra Pradesh represent such beauty of nature. Visiting them is like reconnecting to the mother nature.
If you are planning your next vacation in Andhra Pradesh don’t forget to visit these national parks, and there are many more places, you can visit in Andhra Pradesh amongst them there are some other parks and sanctuaries too. Do pay them a visit, you will love how wonderful nature is. You will be lost in its beauty and who knows you might end up loving it the most.