Wildlife Sanctuaries, Rajasthan

Introduction

Location
The sanctuary comprises the oldest mountain ranges the Aravalis in Sirohi district of Rajasthan. The detached group of hills rise suddenly from the flat plain like a rocky island. The sanctuary is situated between 24°33' and 24°43' North latitude and 72°38' and 72°53' East longitude.

Topography
In shape this sanctuary is long and narrow but the top spreads out into a picturesque plateau which is about 19Km. in length and 5-8 Km. in breadth . Attitudinally it varies from 300m . at foot hill to 1722m. at Gurushikar , the highest peak of the Aravali ranges . The rocks are igneous and due to the weathering effect of wind and water , large cavities are common in the rocks . This feature is typical of Aravalis and particularly of Mt. Abu . toad Rock in Mount Abu is one such example. Flora
Mount Abu has a very rich floral biodiversity starting with xeromorphic subtropical thorn forest at the foot hills to subtropical evergreen forest along water courses and valleys at higher altitudes. These forests consist of 112 plant families with 449 genera and 820 species. Of these, 663 species are dicots while 157 species are monocots. Some endemic, rare and threatened plants viz. Dicliptera abuensis, Strobillanthes callosus, Ischaemum kingii, Convolvulus blatteri, Ceropegia odorata, and Hydrilla polysperma are found here. Some endangered species included in the Red Data Book of I.U.C.N. for example, Anogeissus sericea, Begonia tricocarpa, Crotalaria filipes, Indigofera constrata also exist here.

Fauna
It is unique in the sense that more than 250 species of birds are found here, but the speciality of the Abu sanctuary is the grey jungle fowl. The leopard sloth bear, wild boar, sambar, chinkara and langur are the other inhabitants here. A variety of fauna including highly rare, threatened and endangered species are found in this sanctuary. The past history of Mount Abu indicates the presence of Lion (last recorded in 1872) and Tiger (last reported in 1970). Presently, the Panther is the apex predator. Other animals found here are Sambhar, Jungle Cat, Small Indian Civet, Wolf, Hyaena, Jackal, Indian Fox, Common Langoor,Wild Boar, Pangolin, Ratel, Common Mongoose, India Hare Porcupine, Hedgehog, etc. The sanctuary provides an ideal habitat for Sloth Bear. The population of Sloth Bear is increasing regularly  as it can be seen while going through the forests or motoring on the road. This sanctuary is so filled with the activities of birds that it is a sort of pilgrimage for bird lovers. Adventure Tourism
The Sanctuary with its beautiful landscape provides and excellent opportun-ity to nature lovers to learn about nature. The area has more than 17Nature trails or pathways passing through the jungle as indicates on the map , view points , grasslands , water bodies , nallas , sunrise and sunset points . Some of the trials can also be used for purpose of horse safari. While trekking one can enjoy rock climbing , rappling , viewing of wildlife , bird watching and can study about floral wealth of Mount Abu and its tribal as well as Lok Rajput culture. The sanctuary is Trevor's Tank, Salgaon Watch  Tower, Craig's Point, Devangan Valley, Tiger Path, Kodra Dam, Gaumukh , Kulgarh Valley, Gabir Nalla and Sayabera, Achalgarh, etc.  The sancturary has tremendous scope for nature camps in the wild with due permission of the State Deptt. of Forests. the locations where camping is allowed are: