Bardia
National Park is the largest park in the lowland Terai covering an area
of 968 sq. km. The park situated in Nepal’s Western Terai was
established to protect representative ecosystems and conserve tiger and
its prey species. Initially, a small area was gazette as the 
Royal
Karnali Wildlife Reserve in 1976. When this area was protected,
approximately 1500 people of the Babai valley were resettled outside
the park allowing the vegetation and wildlife to flourish. In 1982, it
was renamed as Bardia Wildlife Reserve, and in 1984 it was extended to
its current size. The reserve was given the status of a National Park
in 1988.
What makes a visit to Nepal's
Bardia National Park particularly special is not just its large and
intact habitat area and its isolated location, but also the presence
here of one of the last known herds of wild Elephants in South Asia.
The herd, numbering less than two dozen, roams these remote jungles in
western Nepal.
Bardia also boast the
greatest number of deer species in Nepal. The six deer species found in
the park are: Chital or spotted Deer with its ubiquitous white spots on
a brown coat; Hog Deer; similar to but smaller than Chital; Sambhar,
the largest Deer on Indian subcontinent with a shaggy coat and thick
antlers; Swamp Deer; Barasingha; and reddish-colored Barking Deer, the
park's smallest Deer.
Other large mammals are:
Gaur, the largest wild oxen in world; wild Boar, an omnivorous
black-coated creature with large tusks; the agile sloth Bear, a shaggy
black bear with a distinctive white "V" on its chest; Blue Bull or
Nilgai, the largest Antelope on the Indian subcontinent; and Himalayan
Tahr. Serow and Goral, two goat-Antelope members, are also found. Small
mammals include: Langur Monkey, Rhesus Macaque, and Jackal, three
species of cats (jungle, leopard, and fishing); yellow-throated Marten;
Mongoose; and Indian Otter.
Two species of
crocodiles swim in the Karnali, Girwa, and Babai Rivers - the
blunt-snouted Marsh Mugger and the fish-eating gharial with its long
thin snout. These creatures share the water with the fresh-water
Gangetic Dolphin. The Karnali also supports the great mahseer, which
weigh up to 90 lbs, an angler's prize catch.
Birds are the park's
most conspicuous fauna with over 300 resident and migratory species.
Avid bird-watchers will want to visit the park in November or from
February to April when migrants arrive, depart or pass through.
