Seniors Visit the Pench Tiger Reserve

Pench Tiger Reserve has been in the news recently as in literally “Raining Tiger Cubs”!!  This past June three tigresses gave birth to as many as ten cubs. Senior travelers will find Pench Tiger Reserve, in Madhya Pradesh, India.

Comprising the Indira Priyadarshini Pench National Park, the Mowgli Pench Sanctuary and a buffer, it was declared a National Park by the Government of Maharashtra in 1975 and received the official status of “Tiger Reserve of India” in February 1999.

The Park nestles in the Southern slopes of the Satpura ranges of Central India. The reserve and its neighborhood is the original setting of Rudyard Kipling’s most famous work, The Jungle Book. The reserve area serves as one of the prime habitats of Indian Tiger (Panthera Tigris) which is the key species in this area.

Senior Birders Like The Reserve

The Pench Tiger Reserve is especially famous for large herds of Gaur (Indian Bison), Cheetah, Sambar, Nilgai, Wild Dog and Wild Pig. For senior birders, there are over 285 species of resident and migratory birds in the Reserve. In addition, the park is home to 33 species of mammals, 50 species of fish, 10 species of amphibians, 30 species of reptiles, and a wide variety of insect life, unfortunately many of those are mosquitos.

Nagpur (95 kms away) is the nearest airport connected to Delhi &  Mumbai and other places by regular flights. It is also the nearest railway station connected to most major metro cities. Highly recommend for senior visitors is Mahua Vann Resort if you are going on a Tiger trail. The resort is the latest on the scene in Pench and they say that it is “beautifully merged with the surroundings making it a serene and relaxing stay in the wild.”

Teak Jungle, Meandering River And Breathtaking Beauty

Pench is a spectacular reserve set among a teak jungle, and offers a secluded game viewing experience. Taking its name from the meandering Pench River which intersects the park, the reserve sprawls over a breathtaking landscape of hills, forests and valleys. The gentle, undulating scenery of the Satpura Hills creates an unforgettable backdrop to the wildlife viewing.

Tiger Reserve area constitutes a unique ecosystem, and according to the Forest Minister, “Conditions congenial for wildlife have developed at the Pench National Park at a much faster pace than any other national park. That is the reason why wild animals and birds are multiplying in the natural way.

The area has always been rich in wildlife. It is dominated by fairly open canopy, mixed forests with considerable shrub cover and open grassy patches. The Reserve has the highest density of herbivores in India with 90.3 animals per sq km. Pench is a naturalist’s dream come true.   jeb