Jaipur - A New Destination for Wild-Lifers

Jaipur, a city known for its culture, heritage and now for its modern facilities such as metro trains and mega shopping malls, has been a favorite destination for tourists across the globe. Its well-preserved monuments and rich cultural heritage have been the center of attraction for thousands of domestic and foreign tourists for many decades.

This city differs from many other Indian tourist destinations in terms of wide range of choices it offers to its visitors. The Sheesh Mahal of Amber fort, reminds us the lavish lifestyle of Kachhwaha Kings of Amber Riyasat, whereas; mighty Jaigarh fort narrates a story of the bravery of its warrior kings. On the one-hand someone gets submerged in the delicacy and beauty of numerous palaces built by its different rulers, while on the other hand; its 16th century artillery and superior weaponry make the visitors surprised by its technical advancement during medieval era, 'Jai Ban' which is considered as world's largest canon on wheels is an example of it.

Amber fort at Night, Photo credit: Ajay Sharma

Almost all of the above-mentioned attractions are well known and well explored by the tourists from across the globe but still, there is an unexplored field which is lesser known to its visitors. Only very few people know that royals of Jaipur played a vital role in preserving wildlife around Jaipur. If we carefully look at the map of Jaipur we will find that its eastern and northern borders are protected by hills of Aravalli Range. These hills provide shelter to a variety of wildlife and maintain a healthy food chain, dominated by one of the big cats, the leopards of Jaipur.

These hills house wild animals from prey to predator groups such as little gerbils, Indian hare, chitals, blue bulls, wild boars, monkeys and langoors from prey group as well as animals from predator group such as desert fox, jackals, wild cats, Indian palm civet,  striped-hyenas and leopards. Apart from these some other animals such as porcupine, armadillo, pangolin and different varieties of reptiles such as garden lizards to monitor lizards and species of snakes varying from non-venomous sand-boas to venomous spectacle-cobras can be spotted in these hills.

Desert fox forest in NBP, Photo credit: Ajay Sharma

It's very easy to explore these hills, some with prior permission from the forest department and others with just your zest for adventure. So, let's begin with some protected areas but with the assured sighting of some of these animals. Jhalana, Nahargarh and Galta are three different but connected patches for wildlife sighting. Out of these, Jhalana forest is considered the best location for leopard sighting. Very recently, forest department opened this area for tracking and safari with a reasonable entry fee. It is considered as one of the highly concentrated areas for leopard population. Around 12-15 leopards live in this area and their population is still growing.

Leopard of Jhalana in its natural habitat, Photo credit: Mr. Sumit Juneja

Despite the fact, that these forest patches do not have sufficient prey base to accommodate such a saturated population of big predators such as leopards and striped hyenas, their population is continuously increasing and that's a good sign for wildlife conversation. Some experts believe that cunning nature of leopards makes them adaptable with human settlements. All of these forest patches are surrounded by human habitats which are the good source of favourite food for leopards such as street dogs and pigs. However, leopards and hyenas can also be spotted in Nahargarh Biological Park (NBP) as well as in Galta-Ghati, but Jhalana is considered as the best location for leopard sighting.

Stripped Hyena in NBP, Photo credit: Mr. Rajaram Meena

These forest patches can be approached from three locations Jhalana, Nahargarh and Galta. For Nahargarh and Jhalana, an entry fee is applicable whereas there is no fee for Galta patch. All of these three locations can be reached by cars and two-wheelers. NBP falls around 10 kilometers from the city centre on Jaipur-Delhi highway, while Jhalana forest falls within the city itself as it is surrounded by several residential colonies. One can reach Jhalana by simply following the JLN Marg, whereas; Galta can be reached by following Jaipur-Agra Highway. All of these locations are within the range of Jaipur city and can be reached by half an hour drive from the centre of the city, Badi Chopad.

Nightjar in Jhalana, Photo credit: Ajay Sharma

However, all of these three forest patches are good, but Jhalana and NBP are best and well preserved. Both of these locations have many attractions for visitors some of them are as follows:

Jhalana: Jhalana is gaining popularity for its leopard sightings in their natural habitat. Thanks to some local conservationists and wildlife photographers for bringing it into the limelight. Apart from leopards, Jhalana has some other attractions too which include; Indian striped hyena, desert fox, golden jackal, chitals, Indian palm civet, Indian hare, langoors and blue-bulls. However, the sighting of fox, hyena, civet and jackal is not so common but they can be traced with the help of forest guides. This is also a must visit location for bird watchers, as some of the rare birds including Indian Pitta, Dusky Eagle Owl, Spotted Owlet, Shiksa, Paradise Flycatchers, Black-rumped Flamback, Golden Oriole and Nightjars can be spotted there.

Leopard in its natural habitat in Jhalana, Photo credit: Mr. Surendra Chauhan

NBP: Like Jhalana, NBP also has similar species of animals and birds, but it has a larger spread as compared to Jhalana. Recently, Jaipur zoo has been shifted here, which is the main tourist attraction. Its wider spread, zoo and presence of water bodies such as Ram Sagar distinguishes it from Jhalana. Apart from these presences of Marsh Crocodile, White-Naped Tit, Indian Eagle Owl and Steppe Eagle provide an edge over Jhalana forest. A good number of predators such as leopards and striped hyenas are also there, but due to its vast area, one has to spend the good amount of time to spot them. This park also has a rescue center where big cats rescued from captivity such as circuses, are rehabilitated in their natural surroundings to let them live peacefully for the rest of their lives, that's why this center is not open for visitors.

Indian Pitta in NBP, Photo credit: Mr. Rajaram Meena

Jaipur also proudly offers a verity of choices for birders, such as rich water bodies which provide shelter for migratory and aquatic birds, as well as hills and plains for other species of birds. Here again, birds from prey to predator groups can be seen easily. Chandlai lake, Barkeda lake and Manasagar lake are preferred choices for migratory birds.

Bar-headed goose at Chandler lake, Photo credit: Ajay Sharma

Bar-headed Goose, Lesser Flamingo, Greater Flamingo, different species of storks such as Open-billed Stork, Spoon-billed Stork, Black-headed Stork, Woolly-necked Stork and Painted Stroke can easily be spotted at these water bodies during the winter season. Manasagar lake which is commonly known as Jalmahal falls in Jaipur city itself, it is not less than a paradise for water birds. Birds like; River Turn, species of Cormorants, Marsh Harrier, Gulls, Night Herons, Pond Herons, Grey Herons, Little to Large Egrets and different species of Kingfishers can easily be seen here.

Shikra with prey in Jhalana, Photo credit: Ajay Sharma

 Aquatic birds at Manasagar Jheel, Photo credit: Ajay Sharma

By each passing day, all of these locations are gaining more and more popularity. Young generation conservationists and wildlife photographers have played a great role in making these locations popular among tourists, through social media. It is because of theme that Jaipur is now becoming a hot destination for wildlife lovers as well. Hope, these young pioneers will play an equally important role in preserving wildlife for next-gen too.

By: Ajay Sharma

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