|
About Velavadar National
Park
Black Buck N.P. Velavadhar in the Bhal region of Saurashtra. The only
tropical grassland in India to be given th e
status of a national park, Velavadar National Park is a 36 km patch of
Savannah type grasslands and thorn scrub. The park is set between two
rivers, a few miles from the Gulf of Cambay sea coast. The rich soil
is believed to have origins in the sea. The principal attraction of
the park is the massive population of blackbuck, the handsome Indian
antelope, seen here in numbers running into thousands. The blackbuck
is endemic to India and is rated among the most elegant antelopes and
the fastest animals over a long distance. During the rule of the
Maharajahs of Bhavnagar, Velavadar was harvested for grass to feed the
royal cattle herds and the antelope were protected except for an
occassional hunting camp. This is where His highness Krishnakumar
Sinhji coursed blackbucks using cheetahs and flew falcons.
Velavadar is one of the few places in the world where the wolf
population is proliferating. The wolf is the prime predator of
Velavadar national park. Other mammals seen in Velavadar are fox,
jackal, jungle cat, wild pig, hare and rodents. The birdlife is
extensive. Sandgrouse, larks and other grasslands are seen in fair
numbers. The harrier roost at Velavadar national park is one of the
largest in the world. The wold and the jackals are the main predators
in the park. Wolves here use shrub land for lying-up, denning and for
rendezvous and depend on blackbuck, hare and other small animals as
their prey. Another rare sight is that of the lesser florican who
migrate here and settle here be breed in the grasslands. After
arrival, the male bird marks the territory and displays to attract the
female. The courtship display of the male is a spectacular vertical
leap up to a hight of two meters and may display over 500 times in a
day ! Velavadar is also an excellent place to see a large number of
harriers. The Park is very rich in other birdlife as well.
A word of praise would not be out of place for the Kathi community,
who like the Bishnoi community of Rajasthan have protected the
blackbuck with vigour and zeal, as it is associated with their past
history of valor and religious practices. Such communities are the
real strength of wildlife protection in Gujarat
Arrival
Information : Convenient
trains from Ahmedabad to Jamnagar, from where boats can be hired.
Objective: The main objective of
the study is to assess the impact of Narmada canal on the Park and
biodiversity there in. Introduction, Background information,
Productivity & carrying capacity, Study on invasion of Prosopis
juliflora, black buck, lesser florican, wolf and prey-pre dator
relationship, Field trials of different techniques to prevent movement
of black buck out side the Park, Impact assessment and Environmental
safe guards & impact management. 95 species flowering plants, 14 of
mammals, 140 of birds and 7 of reptiles are found |
