India
Keoladeo National Park is a small but important bird sanctuary in Northern India and one of the most important such sites in the Subcontinent. Originally established as a royal reserve for duck-hunting, Keoladeo has been expanded over the years and now draws migrating birds, especiall waterfowl, from all over Eurasia. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Keoladeo has a very unusual history. The site of a Temple to Shiva, it was once part of a royal hunting ground. During the colonial era, it was the site of an annual duck hunt by the British Viceroy of India. Thousands of birds were killed during this event every year until the mid-20th century. All hunting stopped in 1972, and the area became a national park in 1982. With bird life now protected, Keoladeo is now one of Asia’s premier bird watching destinations.
Hundreds of species of birds can be found here, including cranes, storks, teals, sandpipers and of course, ducks. There are also some mammals here, including Wild Cattle, Spotted Deer and Mongoose. The waters are home to an abundance of fish, and there are many reptile species.
Keoladeo National Park is located within India’s Golden Triangle, just outside of Bharatpur and less than thirty miles west of the tourism center at Acra. This makes Keoladeo an incredibly popular destination and one of the most visited nature reserves in India. It is open year round. As of this writing no other visitor information was available. Web: www.rajasthantourism.gov.in (official tourism website of Rajasthan).
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