GREAT
INDIAN ONE HORNED RHINOCEROS (Rhinoceros
Unicornis)
 This
is the largest of the three species
of Asiatic rhinoceri. Approximately
1,200 are left in the Indian Sub-continent
and this constitutes the world population
of the species.
There are about 425 in the National
Park and surrounding area. Folds in
the thick skin give it's armory look
while the closely matted mass of horny
fibers issuing from the skin provides
the rhino with a horn. The horn grows
throughout it's life and if lost,
is reproduced.
Habitat destruction and heavy poaching
of this animal for its horn, believed
by the Chinese to be a potent aphrodisiac,
have been largely responsible for
the decline in population during recent
decades.
Gestation period is of sixteen months
with the young weighing around 60
kilogram at birth.
In September 1994, the staff of Safari
Narayani Lodge was able to rescue
a 3 month old baby rhino that had
been separated from it's mother and
partially mauled by a tiger. The Park
Authorities have taken it under it's
care.
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GAUR
( gaurus)
 This
is the largest of the world's wild
oxen. A bull may stand over six feet
tall at the shoulder and weigh more
than a ton. The Gaur keeps to the
densely forested Churia hills, coming
down to the lower slopes during the
dry months of February to April, in
search of water and greener pastures.
Found in small herds, it is very shy.
During these dry months, we arrange
special excursions to the grazing
grounds of the Gaur. Should you find
yourself at Safari Narayani Lodge
during this time, talk to the Program
Manager to make arrangements.
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 SPOTTED
DEER / CHITAL (axis axis)
Perhaps the most graceful and most
beautiful of all deer. It is easily
identifiable by the white spots on
its brown coat. The stags have long
antlers with three tines. This is
the only large mammal in the Park
which is found in large herds. They
preferopen forest and marginal lands
between grassland and forests. They
are the most common deer in the Park.
The peak of the mating season is in
late spring. Young are born after
8 months.
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HOG
DEER (axis porcinus)
Related to the spotted deer but smaller
and far less graceful. The name is
derived from its squat appearance
and habit of running with the head
down instead of bounding like other
deer. .Sometimes found in groups and
preferring the grassland margins of
the rivers, they are wary animals
with acute sense of sight, smell and
hearing. The gestation period is eight
months
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 SAMBAR
(cervus unicolor)
This is the largest of the deer family
in the sub-continent. A large stag
may scale 600 to 700 pounds. It has
a shaggy brown coat and the stags
possess thick antlers with full points
being reached in the fourth year.
Forested hillsides are their preferred
habitat and a diet of grass, leaves
and wild fruits. Power of sight is
moderate but that of smell & hearing
is acute. Rarely found associating
in large numbers, Stags leave the
hinds after the mating season in the
fall to lead a solitary life.
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BARKING
DEER (muntiacus muntjak)
This reddish coloured
deer seen singularly or in pairs is
the smallest of the four kinds of
deer found in the Park. Prefers densely
forested hills but is sometimes found
in the lowlands. The antlers are small
consisting of a short brow-tine and
an unbranched beam. The name is derived
from its alarm call, which sounds
rather like a hoarse dog's bark.
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SLOTH
BEAR (melursus ursinus)
This shaggy black bear with an elongated
muzzle and short hind legs is rather
uncouth in appearance. Despite its
name the Sloth bear can be very agile
on its feet, and may weigh 300 pounds
or more. Like the Himalayan Black
Bear the Sloth Bear has a white 'V'
on its chest. Fruit, honey and insects,
especially termites, are the most
important food. The Sloth bear is
quite common in the Park, which is
an ideal habitat. The young are born
after seven months and stay with the
mother until they are two or three
years old when they attain maturity.
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WILD
BOAR (sus scrofa)
With its sparse black coat and bristled
mane a large boar may stand three
feet at the shoulder and weigh 300
to 400 pounds. The males have razor
sharp tusks. The wild boar is omnivorous
and its diet includes roots, tubers,
insects, snakes and carrion. They
feed normally in the early morning
or late evening. Four to six young
are born at one time and the mother
shelters them in a heaped up mass
of grass or branches, which she builds
before she litters.
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ROYAL
BENGAL TIGER (panthera tigris tigris)
 Now
on the "Endangered List"
there are perhaps 2,000 survivors
of this subspecies of the tiger in
the entire Indian subcontinent. Supposedly
nocturnal but certainly elusive, the
essentially solitary tiger covers
great distances and is a difficult
animal to see in the wild. About 40
remain in the Park today, though conservationists
say the figure is much higher.At the
apex of the food chain in the Park,
the Tiger hunts deer, wild boar, monkeys
and large sized birds to form the
bulk of its diet.
The male Tiger marks it's territory
to protect the best hunting and mating
grounds. Natural landmarks such as
tracks, streams and solitary trees
would mark the boundary of it's rather
large territorySpraying, scratching
and rubbing itself against trees is
the most common way of leaving it's
"signature" for other tigers
to recognize and acknowledge or in
some cases challenge. Obviously, the
strongest one would occupy the very
best of hunting and mating grounds,
relegating the vanquished to outlying
areas. Not surprisingly, a male will
tolerate several female in it's territory,
though the females are said to have
mini territories within the larger
male domain
We have come to recognize that the
territory across the Rapti river from
Safari Narayani Lodge is a prime area.
Several tiger sightings along the
many paths that criss-cross the jungle,
and finding of several "markings"
left by male tigers, has led us to
conclude that this area is a prized
one.
One of the most spectacular sightings
witnessed by guests and staff of Safari
Narayani Lodge was two years ago,
when at the banks of the Rapti river,
across from the Lodge, two males Tigers
were locked in aggressive battle.
The fight lasted about 15 minutes
from which the victor, after inflicting
visible wounds, left the defeated
tiger to lick its wound and pride.
For several days thereafter, the wounded
tiger could be sighted in a secluded
spot in the same vicinity. Very soon
after, it vanished from the spot and
obviously from the territory as well.
Talk to our Naturalist on the latest
movement of the tiger in our area.
For those interested in learning more
about the tiger and its lifestyle,
we strongly recommend reading Valmik
Thapar's "Tiger". A copy
of the book can be found in any major
bookstore in Kathmandu.
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.LEOPARD
(panthera pardus)
 Although
less common than in former times,
but because of its greater adaptability,
the leopard has been able to hold
its own better that the tiger. The
leopard will kill and eat anything
it can overpower with safety - cattle,
deer, monkeys, smaller beasts of prey,
larger rodents, birds and reptiles.
Being more tolerant of the sun, they
frequently hunt by day, particularly
if they have not secured food the
previous night. They are not restricted
to heavy forest or cover like tigers.It
is quite common for the Leopard to
carry it's prey up onto the branches
of a large tree, away from other scavenging
animals and especially from the tiger.
Both guests and staff of Safari Narayani
Lodge have witnessed this.
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GANGETIC
DOLPHIN (platanista gangeticus)
This fresh water dolphin,
upto eight feet in length, is present
in the Narayani River on the west
side of the Park. It surfaces to breathe
about every sixty seconds. Life in
turbid waters has resulted in the
extreme reduction of the eyes. The
jaws of the animal are well adapted
for browsing on bottom-living crustaceans.
The colour ranges from dark lead to
sooty black, with the older individuals
having a few lighter patches on the
sides. Normally one young is born
after a gestation period of eight
to nine months.
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 SMALL
MAMMALS
These include Langur
Monkey (presbytis entellus ), Rhesus
Macaque Monkey (macaca mulatta), Jackal
(canis aureus), Indian Civet (viverra
zibetha), Jungle Cat (fells viverrrina),
Yellow-throated Marten (martes flavigula),
Mongoose (herpestes edwardsi), Common
Otter (lutra lutra), Large Flying
Squirrel (petaurista petauista) and
the India Porcupine (hystrix indica)
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REPTILES
 There
are two kinds of crocodile in the
Park. The Marsh Mugger (crocodilus
palustris) a blunt nosed crocodile,
which can attain a length of 13 to
14 feet, is found chiefly in the small
lakes and rivers. It eats mammals,
birds, turtles, fish and carrion.
The Gharial Crocodile (Gavialis gangeticus)
with its characteristic long thin
snout sometimes reaches a length of
20 feet. It is almost exclusively
a fish-eater and is found mainly along
the large fresh water areas and rivers,
such as the Narayani and Rapti.
Another common reptile found in this
area is the Monitor Lizard.
The India Python characteristically
is found in or near the small lakes
formed on old river courses. Poisonous
snakes include the Common Cobra, the
King Cobra, the Common Krait and the
Green Pit Viper. There are also a
wide variety of non-poisonous snakes.
At the Safari Narayani Lodge,
we have preserved some of these snakes
and scorpions for guest to identify
and be familiar with. Please ask to
be shown these bottled reptiles. |
