Chitwan National Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Chitwan National Park |
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| Nepali: चितवन राष्ट्रिय निकुञ्ज | |
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IUCN Category II (National Park)
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 Chitwan National Park
Location in Bagmati Province
Chitwan National Park
Location in Nepal
Chitwan National Park
Location in South Asia
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| Location | Central Terai of Nepal |
| Nearest city | Bharatpur |
| Area | 952.63 km2 (367.81 sq mi) |
| Established | 1973 |
| Governing body | Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation |
Chitwan National Park is Nepal's very first national park! It was created in 1973 and became a special World Heritage Site in 1984. This means it's recognized globally for its amazing natural beauty and importance. The park covers a huge area of 952.63 square kilometers in the Terai region of south-central Nepal. Its land goes from low river valleys, about 100 meters high, up to the Sivalik Hills, which are about 815 meters tall.
Contents
Discovering Chitwan's Past
For a long time, starting in the late 1800s, Chitwan was a popular place for Nepal's royal families to go hunting in winter. Traveling there from Kathmandu was very difficult before the 1950s. People had to walk for weeks to reach the area.
Special camps were set up for these hunters and their helpers. They would stay for months, hunting many animals like tigers, rhinos, elephants, leopards, and sloth bears.
Changes in the Landscape
In 1950, Chitwan had vast forests and grasslands, covering over 2600 square kilometers. About 800 rhinos lived there. Later, farmers from the hills moved to the Chitwan Valley to find land for farming. This led to more people settling in the area. Sadly, illegal hunting of wildlife became a big problem.
In 1957, Nepal created its first law to protect rhinos and their homes. A researcher named Edward Pritchard Gee studied Chitwan's wildlife between 1959 and 1963.
By the late 1960s, a lot had changed. About 70% of Chitwan's forests were cleared. Health concerns like malaria were managed, and many people had moved in. Only about 95 rhinos were left.
Protecting the Rhinos
Because so many rhinos were disappearing, the government started a special rhino patrol called the Gaida Gasti. This group had 130 armed people and many guard posts across Chitwan. Their job was to protect the rhinos.
To save the rhinos from disappearing completely, Chitwan National Park was officially announced in December 1970. Its boundaries were set in 1971, and the park was fully established in 1973. It first covered an area of 544 square kilometers.
Local Communities and the Park
When the park was created, some local communities, including the Tharu people, had to move from their traditional homes. This was a difficult time for them, as they lost their land.
In 1977, the park grew to its current size of 952.63 square kilometers. Later, in 1997, a buffer zone of 766.1 square kilometers was added. This is an extra area around the park that helps protect it and allows local people to use some resources sustainably. The word 'Royal' was removed from the park's name in 2006, after a period of change in Nepal.
Chitwan's Location and Landscape
Chitwan National Park is a large area of 952.63 square kilometers in the Terai region of southern Nepal. The land here varies greatly. It goes from about 100 meters high in the river valleys to 815 meters high in the Sivalik Hills. The park includes parts of several districts: Nawalpur, Chitwan, Makwanpur, and Parsa.
Natural Borders and Neighbors
The Narayani-Rapti river system acts like a natural fence. It separates the park from human towns and villages in the north and west. To the east of Chitwan National Park, you'll find Parsa National Park. To the south, it connects with Valmiki National Park, which is a tiger reserve in India.
These three parks together form a massive protected area of 2075 square kilometers. This entire region is known as the Tiger Conservation Unit (TCU) Chitwan-Parsa-Valmiki. It's a huge block of grasslands and forests, perfect for tigers and other wildlife.
Chitwan's Weather Patterns
Chitwan has a warm and humid climate, especially because of the monsoon season. This area is in the central part of the Himalayas' climate zone. The monsoon rains usually begin in mid-June and end in late September.
Seasonal Changes
During these 14 to 15 weeks, most of the year's rain, about 2500 millimeters, falls. After mid-October, the monsoon clouds go away, and the air becomes less humid. The highest daily temperatures slowly drop from around 36°C to 18°C. Nights get cooler, reaching about 5°C by late December. Sometimes, there are a few days of light rain then. After that, temperatures slowly start to get warmer again.
Chitwan's Amazing Plants and Trees
About 70% of Chitwan National Park is covered by Himalayan subtropical broadleaf forests. These forests are mostly made up of tall sal trees. You'll find the thickest groups of sal trees in the well-drained lowlands in the park's center.
Forests and Riverbanks
On the southern side of the Churia Hills, sal trees grow alongside chir pine. On the northern slopes, sal trees mix with smaller flowering trees and shrubs. Some of these include beleric, rosewood, and elephant apple. You can also spot creepers like Bauhinia vahlii.
Fires, floods, and erosion from rivers constantly change the look of the forests and grasslands along the riverbanks. In areas where new soil has been deposited, you'll see groups of catechu and rosewood. Further on, there are groups of kapok and rhino apple trees. Rhinos love to eat the fruits from these rhino apple trees!
Smaller shrubs like velvety beautyberry and gooseberry grow beneath the taller trees. These plants provide great hiding spots and homes for many different animals.
Grassy Plains
About 20% of the park is covered by Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands. These grasslands are home to over 50 types of grasses. Some are among the tallest in the world, like the elephant grass called Saccharum ravennae and giant cane. Kans grass is often the first to grow on new sandbanks after the yearly monsoon floods.
Chitwan's Wonderful Wildlife
Chitwan National Park's many different plant types create homes for over 700 kinds of wildlife. There are also countless species of butterfly, moth, and insects that scientists are still counting! Besides the king cobra and rock python, you can find 17 other types of snakes. There are also starred tortoises and monitor lizards.
River Life and Conservation
The Narayani-Rapti river system, its smaller streams, and many oxbow lakes are home to 113 recorded species of fish. You can also find mugger crocodiles here. In the early 1950s, about 235 gharials lived in the Narayani River. Sadly, their numbers dropped a lot, with only 38 wild gharials counted in 2003.
To help the gharials, eggs are collected each year from the rivers. They are hatched at the Gharial Conservation Project breeding center. The young gharials are raised until they are 6–9 years old. Then, they are released back into the Narayani-Rapti river system. Unfortunately, only a few of these young gharials survive in the wild.
Mammals of Chitwan
Chitwan National Park is home to 68 different mammal species. The most famous is the "king of the jungle," the Bengal tiger. The park's river plains are one of the best places in the world for tigers to live. When the park was created, there were only about 25 tigers. By 1980, this number grew to 70–110. However, their population has sometimes decreased due to illegal hunting and floods.
Scientists used special camera traps in 2010 and 2011 to study tigers. They found that there were about 4 to 6 tigers for every 100 square kilometers. Tigers also changed their daily routines to be less active when people were around.
Indian leopards are often found on the edges of the park. They live alongside tigers but are less common in the main tiger areas. In 1988, a clouded leopard was found outside the park. It was released into the park but did not stay there.
Chitwan has a large population of sloth bears, with an estimated 200 to 250 individuals. Smooth-coated otters live in the many creeks and small rivers. Bengal foxes, spotted linsangs, and honey badgers hunt for food in the jungle. Striped hyenas live on the southern slopes of the Churia Hills. Other animals seen in 2011 included dholes, Indian jackals, fishing cats, jungle cats, and different types of civets.
The Indian rhinoceros population has recovered well since 1973. It grew to 544 animals around the year 2000. To help this endangered species, some rhinos are moved each year from Chitwan to other parks like Bardia National Park and Shuklaphanta National Park. However, illegal hunting for their valuable horns sadly caused a decline in their numbers, for example, in 2002. Chitwan has the largest rhino population in Nepal, with about 605 out of 645 rhinos in the country as of 2015.
Gaurs, the world's largest wild cattle, spend most of the year in the Churia Hills. But when the dry season ends and fresh grasses grow, they come down to the grasslands and forests to eat. The gaur population in Chitwan grew from 188 to 368 animals between 1997 and 2016. Another 112 gaurs were counted in the nearby Parsa Wildlife Reserve. These animals move freely between the parks.
The park is also home to many wild boars. You can also see herds of chital, sambar, red muntjac, and Indian hog deer. Choushingas and Himalayan serows mostly live in the hills. Other animals include Rhesus macaques, gray langurs, Indian pangolins, Indian crested porcupines, and several types of flying squirrels. In 2016, Chitwan National Park received 18 wild water buffalo from Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve.
Birds and Their Life Cycle
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Chitwan National Park is recognized as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International. Bird watchers and conservationists survey bird species here every year. In 2006, they recorded 543 species in Chitwan, which is more than any other protected area in Nepal. This includes about two-thirds of Nepal's globally threatened species. In spring 2008, rare birds like the black-chinned yuhina and Gould's sunbird were also seen.
The park's grasslands are very important homes for birds like the critically endangered Bengal florican and the vulnerable lesser adjutant. You can also find grey-crowned prinia, swamp francolin, and several types of grass warblers. In 2005, over 200 slender-billed babblers were seen in different grassland areas. The Oriental darter, which is almost threatened, breeds around the many lakes. Here, you'll also see many egrets, bitterns, storks, and kingfishers.
Chitwan is one of the few known places where the globally threatened spotted eagle breeds. Peafowl and jungle fowl search for food on the forest floor.
Migrating Birds
Besides the birds that live in Chitwan all year, about 160 species of migrating birds arrive in autumn. They come from colder northern places to spend the winter here. These include the greater spotted eagle, eastern imperial eagle, and Pallas's fish-eagle. You can often spot brahminy ducks and goosanders. Large groups of bar-headed geese also stop here for a few days in February on their way north.
As the winter visitors leave in spring, summer visitors arrive from southern areas. The calls of cuckoos signal the start of spring. Colorful pittas and several sunbird species are common breeding visitors during the monsoon. Among the many flycatcher species, the Indian paradise flycatcher is a spectacular sight with its long, flowing tail as it flies.
See also
In Spanish: Parque nacional de Royal Chitwan para niños
- Terai Arc Landscape
- Wildlife of Nepal
- Jatayu vulture restaurant
