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Lions and Tigers in India
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In a matter of months the fertile alluvial floodplain was drained of its marshes and cleared of its forests and the animals that occupied this habitat like the Rhinoceros, Swamp Deer and Wild Buffalo were transported, in one easy step, from abundance to virtual extinction. A small part of the valley remained a hunting reserve but when the population of rhino fell to between 80 and 100 animals the government of Nepal created an official reserve protected by the Rhino Patrol. The wilderness however, remained in steady retreat until 1973 when Chitwan was declared a National Park to be protected by the Army. By this time 2/3rds of the forest cover was lost. The Swamp Deer and Wild Buffalo had vanished and the Elephant population, with migration routes disrupted was reduced to a relic group of about a dozen animals to the east. Nevertheless, protection has brought some recovery and at present the Rhino population stands at over 400. Chitwan is also an important tiger reserve and has been the location for two long-term studies - the Smithsonian - Nepal Wildlife Department Tiger Ecology Project and Dr.Charles McDougals' land tenure and dispersal study. Apart from these Chitwan has also hosted Dr. Andrew Lauries' seminal work on the Great One-horned Rhinoceros, is the location for the captive rearing and reintroduction of the endangered gharial crocodile and several other smaller studies.Hit hard by Tiger poaching in the late 80's and early 90's private and government organisations forged a remarkable alliance to combat this threat and today the tiger and rhino population in Chitwan is thriving. Innovative schemes have also been launched to widen the benefits of tourism and foster conservation. Forests fringing the park that have been protected by the local villagers have been opened for local tourism thus co-opting the locals into the business of conservation.The park was designated as a World Heritage Site in 1984.
http://wildvistas.com/nationalparks/chit...itwan.html It does seem that chitwan still has a very small # of elephants, and they do have Rhino but the wild buffalo appear to be gone.There are more than 43 species of mammals are found in Chitwan. The Park supports the second largest concentration of the endangered One-horned Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis). Chitwan rhinos have been translocated to other areas of the terai like Bardia and Dudhwa in India, from where they had disappeared to form the nucleus of new populations. Long famous for the Tiger (Panthera tigris) the Park supports about 80-100 tigers. With the disappearance of the Swamp Deer and the Wild Buffalo the prey base consists primarily of species like Chital (Cervus axis), Hog Deer (Axis porcinus) and Wild Boar (Sus scrofa). This is supplemented by smaller animals like the barking deer or Muntjac (Muntiacus muntjak), grey or Common Langur (Semnopithecus entellus) and Rhesus Macaque (Macaca mulatta). Sambar (Cervus unicolor) were once common in the Sal and riverine forests but there seems to have been a decline of these animals. A good population of Sloth Bear (Melurses ursinus) exists here. Smaller animals like the Palm Civet, Common Mongoose, Jungle Cat, Fishing Cat, Leopard Cat and even rarities like the Binturong, Spotted Linsang, Crab-eating Mongoose and Serow have been reported here. Chitwan is also home to the Gaur (Bos gaurus) which are most commonly seen in late winter and early spring when they descend to the lowlands. Wild Elephants (Elephas maximus) have been seen more regularly than in the past and it could be that the small eastern population has increased. Four-horned antelope or Chowsingha (Tetracerus quadricornis), Striped Hyena, Pangolin and the Gangetic Dolphin have all been seen here. The Smooth Indian Otter was once common although over- fishing of the large rivers and streams seems to have impacted adversely on the population in the past few years. The Indian Wild Dog or Dhole (Cuon alpinus) is quite rare and only sporadic sightings of these are reported. The Leopard (Panthera pardus) is also found in Chitwan, but as in most other places, is hard to spot. This also backs your point  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author Chitwan Rhino  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author Maybe tigers are preying more on Rhino than we think? A total of 68 species of mammals , 56 species of herpeto fauna and 126 species of fish have been recorded in the park. The park is especially renowned for its protection of One Horned Rhinoceros, Royal Bengal Tiger and Gharial Crocodile. The park harbors not only the world’s largest terrestrial mammal (wild elephant) but also the world’s smallest terrestrial mammal (pygmy shrew). A total of 544 species of birds has been recorded so far including 22 globally threatened species including critically endangered Bengal Florican, Slender-billed Vulture, White-rumped Vulture and Red-headed Vulture. Elephant might have also been a popular prey item for tigers in the past, as well. http://www.chitwannationalpark.gov.np/in...odiversity |
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