Kanger Valley National Park

About Kanger Valley National Park:

• Location: It is located in Jagdalpur in Bastar district of Chhattisgarh state. 
• The National Park derives its name from the Kanger River, which flows centrally from the Northwest to the Southeast direction. 
• It got the status of a national park in the year 1982.  
• Topography:It is noted for its highly heterogeneous land formations ranging from low flat and gentle areas to steep slopes, plateaus, valleys, and stream courses.  
• It is home to three exceptional caves – famous for their  amazing geological structures of Kutumbasar, Kailash and Dandak- Stellagmites and Stalactitees.
• National Park is known for the presence of underground limestone caves with dripstone and floston. The  stalegmites and stalactite formation is still increasing. 
• Tirathgarh Waterfall is located in Kanger Valley National Park.
• Vegetation: It is distinguished blend of mixed moist deciduous type of forests with the predominance of Sal, teak and bamboo.
• Fauna:
  • Major wild animals include tigers, mouse deer, leopards, wildcat, sambar, chital, barking deer, langurs, jackals, rhesus macaque, flying squirrel etc.
  • The areal fauna at the park consists of common hill myna, red jungle fowl, spotted owlet, racket-tailed drongos, parrots etc.

Key facts about rare Indian Mouse Deer or Spotted Chevrotain:

• It is the smallest deer in India and is highly nocturnal.
• Scientific Name: Moschiola indica
• Distribution:
  • It is endemic to the Indian subcontinent.
  • It is mainly found in peninsular India with some old records from Nepal.
  • Sri Lanka has a separate species called spotted chevrotain (Moschiola meminna).
  • Within India, it is commonly encountered in a number of forest areas along the Western Ghats, in the Eastern Ghats up to Orissa, and in the forests of central India.
• Features:
  • It is small, 25-30 cm at shoulder height, and weighs from two to four kg. 
  • A unique feature of this group is that instead of four-chambered stomach like in other ruminants, they have a three-chambered stomach.
  • It forages on forest floor for fruits, roots, leaves and herbs.
  • It has occasionally been observed eating insects, crustaceans and even small mammals.
• Conservation Status:
  • IUCN: Least Concern