15/06/2021
Bardia National Park
In 1969, 368 sq km of Northern Bardia was delineated as a Royal Hunting Reserve, a playground exclusively reserved for the royals and their guests. Later In 1976, under the National Parks and wildlife conservation act (1973), the then government of Nepal declared the Royal Bardia Wildlife reserve and afforded its full protection under the laws of Nepal.
Moreover, in 1982, the Nepalese government resettled nearly 1500 people from the adjacent Babai Valley to expand Bardia’s territory from 368 sq km to 968 sq km. In 1988 the status was upgraded and named it Royal Bardia National Park and is termed only as Bardia National Park after the end of monarchism in Nepal.
It is the largest and most undisturbed protected area in the terai and is home to the endangered Royal Bengal Tiger and Nepal's famous one-horned rhinoceros. The national park located in the mid western District of Bardia, is bordered by River karnali in the west, the Churia range in the North, while the River Babai flows right through the park. The varied geographical factors together with the thick cover of Sal, Savannah forests and grasslands render this region ideal as wild animal habitat. The park hosts 53 different mammals, more than 400 species of birds, and several varieties of reptiles and water animals.
Some of the other animals found here are elephant, swamp deer, black buck, gharial crocodile and marsh mugger crocodile. The fresh water Gangetic dolphin is also commonly seen in river Karnali. Birds include endangered varieties of Bengal florican, lesser florican, silver eared mesia and saruscrane. The park offers the rare opportunity of angling at river Karnali and river Babai.
