The
Anshi National Park is an evergreen tropical rainforest
situated in the North Kannada district in Karnataka. The
park covering an area of 340 sq km is considered as
India’s most endangered wildlife park. Anshi lies on the
Karwar- Londa highway and is part of the Dandeli
wildlife sanctuary. Anshi got the designation as
National Park in1987. Dandeli is a small town located on
the banks of the Kali river in Karnataka. The forests
around this town was established as Dandeli wildlife
sanctuary in 1975 with an area of around 500 sq kms. The
Anshi National Park and the adjoining Dandeli wildlife
sanctuary together make up the Dandeli Wildlife Division
of the Karnataka Forest Department
The topography of the park
is such that it has deep valleys, steep hill slopes and
dense forests. The altitude of the park varies from 200
m to 927 m and the temperature ranges between 16-37
degree Celsius. The best time to visit the park is
between November and June. The unique feature of the
park is that it is the only place in Asia where black
panther is found, naturally
The forests of Anshi
and Dandeli is rich in rare species of flora and fauna.
A wide variety of trees such as Teak (Tectona grandis),
Silver Oaks (Grevillea robusta), Eucalyptus, Weeds
(Lantana, Eupatorium, Parthinium), Bauhinia, Diodspyrus,
Xylia xyrocarpa, Diospyrous Acacia and Bambusa are found
here
The forest area was
known for its manganese in the past,
the mining for which resulted in wildlife moving away
from the forest. In the recent past, the mining has been
stopped and
the
animals
are slowly returning back. So chances of seeing
Elephants /bison/panther are very less and
limited. Black panther, spotted deer, sambar, barking
deer, mouse deer, common langur, sloth bear, gaur
(Indian bison), wild boars, fox, bonnet macaque, slender
loris, mongoose, tiger, jungle cat, jackal, pangolin,
elephants, Malabar giant squirrel and the porcupine are
now seen in the park. Reptiles include King cobra,
python, rat snake, viper and the krait
Approximately 200
species of birds are found in the park. Some of them
are Malabar hornbills, Ashy swallow shirkes, drongos,
minivets, iora, brahminy kites, Ceylon frogmouth, yellow
footed pigeon, crested serpent eagle, adjutant stork,
black crested baza and peafowls
There are many small
brooks, springs and cascades in the park. There are also
small villages within the park area. The steep roads
inside the park takes one to the villages of Shivapura,
Nethurga and Sulageri in the deep desolate forests. Some
of the tourist spots nearby are the Ulvi
Channabasaveshwara Temple just outside the southeastern
boundary of the Park, Kadra Valley view point (12 kms)
and Karwar beach (55 kms). The park is open to
tourists from 6.00 in the morning to 6.00 in the
evening. The scenic and rustic river Kali flows through
Dandeli wild life sanctuary. This is the only river
south of Himalayas where white rafting is possible,
making this place a unique destination
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