The Bardia National Park is a protected area in Nepal that was established in 1988 as Royal Bardia National Park. It is the largest national park in lowland Nepal covers an area of 968 square kilometers. Situated in Nepal’s western Terai, it was established to protect representative ecosystems and conserve tiger and its prey species.
Its northern limits are demarcated by the crest of the Siwalik Hills. The Nepalgunj-Surkhet highway partly forms the southern boundary, but seriously disrupts the protected area. Natural boundaries to human settlements are formed in the west by the Geruwa, a branch of the Karnali River, and in the southeast by the Babai River. In 1997, an area of 327 square kilometers of forest and private land surrounding the park was declared a buffer zone.
The national park and local communities, jointly initiate community development activities and manage natural resources within this zone. The park extends from the Churia hills, southward to the gentle slopes of the ‘Bhabhar’. The higher grounds of the Churia have dry, deciduous forest of mostly hardwood sal. In all,
Bardia is home to more than a hundred species of forest trees. The porous slopes of the Bhabhar support large, open grasslands, known locally as ‘Phantas’. These are some of the last remaining grasslands that once covered much of the Gangetic Plain. Many of the larger mammals live in and around the Phantas and so they are the best places to view animals, the most conspicuous of which, is the spotted deer.
The western boundary consists of the numerous waterways of the karnali, which have created many large and small gravel islands. A mosaic of grassland and riverine forest of acacia, sisam and large, buttressed silk cotton trees covers these islands and much of the lower ground area.
Bardia is the home to 53 species of mammals, 25 species of reptiles, over 400 species of birds, and 121 species of fishes. The most famous inhabitants are the majestic, Royal Bengal Tiger and the Greater One-horned Rhinoceros. There are also leopards and several species of smaller jungle cats, sloth bear, hyena, wild dog and jackal and two species of monkeys: the langur and the rhesus macaque.
It is famous for its small herds of wild elephants, which are seen occasionally. Both the Karnali and Babai Rivers attract a large number of wintering waterfowl, along with resident species such as herons, kingfishers, and wall creepers. More than 300 butterfly species, over half of Nepal’s butterfly species, over half of Nepal’s butterfly population, may be found in the national park as well as many snakes and amphibians, including the Indian rock python and king cobra and more than dozen species of lizards and frogs.
Some of the Bardia’s wonder wildlife include:
- Asian Elephant
- Greater One-horned Rhinoceros
- Spotted Deer or chital
- Hog Deer
- Barking Deer
- Sambar
- Swamp Deer or Barasingha
- Sloth Bear
