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The Great
Himalayan National Park
Great Himalayan National Park is located
in the upper ranges of Himalaya It is a kaleidoscope of
alpine flora and fauna. A major part of the national park
is permanently under glaciers and ice. the Great
Himalayan National Park is covered by snowy mountains,
glaciers, river valleys, cliffs and dense forest. The
Great Himalayan National Park is home to more than 375
fauna species that comprises of around 31 mammals, 181
birds, 3 reptiles, 9 amphibians, 11 annelids, 17 mollusks
and 127 insects. They are protected under strict
guidelines of Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 hence
any sort of hunting is not permitted. It also supports
great variety of plant life, scattered all over the park. |
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Great Himalayan
National Park Attractions
The Great Himalayan National Park is
home to more than 350 species of fauna including 31
mammals, 203 birds, 3 reptiles, 9 amphibians and 127
insects. Besides the rarely seen Tahr and the highly
endangered Snow Leopard, other animals which can be
spotted around in the park include Serow, Ghoral, Bharal,
Brown Bear, Musk Deer and Red Fox. If you hear a roar you
might have come across a leopard or the highly endangered
and very rarely seen Snow Leopard, even though these white
creatures can not give a loud growl because of their weak
vocal tissues. A host of other smaller mammals can also be
seen which include the Great Indian Flying Squirrel and
the Indian Pika. Besides animals, the place is also home
to some of the very rare bird species including the Monal,
Koklass and the Western Tragopan.
Flora and
Fauna
Flora: The park vegetation is a diverse
mix of Ban Oak Forest, Moist Deodar Forest, Western Mixed
Coniferous Forest, Moist Temperate Deciduous Forest,
Himalayan Alpine Pastures, and Rhododendron Scrub Forest.
The area below 2,000 metres is dominated by blue pine
(pinus wallichiana), and higher up by a broad broadleaved
forest on sloping areas and fir (Abies pindrow) on the
steep areas. Other vegetations are oak, blue pine, cedar
(Cedrus), deodar, bamboo Arundaria spathiflora, Iris,
Frittilaria, Gagea, Primula, and Taxus Baccata.
Fauna: The park has good wild population,
especially of avifauna. The park has largest remaining
population of Himalayan Tahr in Himachal Pradesh. Major
wildlife species found in the park are Snow Leopard, musk
Deer, Blue Sheep, Ibex, Wolf, Leopard, Rhesus macaque
(Macaca mulatta), common langur (Presbytis entellus),
Himalayan black bear, goral, muntjac, and serow. |
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Visiting
Season
The best seasons for visiting the park are summer from
April to June and autumn from September to November. The
relatively high density of wildlife in the area assures
the visitors of sighting the Monal, Western Tragopan, Musk
Deer, Goral, Bharal, and the Himalayan Thar. The rainy
season from July to August and the winter season from
December to March are not advisable periods to visit the
park, as excessive damage to the road network and other
inconveniences to the visitor are unavoidable.
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