Various kinds of wild animals roam the forests of India. Ever since the primitive days, the wild animals have enjoyed a close relationship with mankind.

The major wild animals which live in the dense forests of our country are tiger, lion, elephant, bear, rhino etc. However, in the recent decades

Variety of Wild Animals:

The West Bengal Sunderbans region is the home to the famous Royal Bengal tigers. Similarly, the Gir forests of Gujarat are famous for lions and the dense and marshy forests of north Bengal, Tripura and Assam are home to the rhinoceros. Tigers and Elephants are found in the forests of Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Karnataka and the Chotanagpur plateau. Other wild animals which throng the forests of India are deer, antelopes, panthers, wolves, bisons etc. Kashmir is famous for a kind of wild goat with long fur known as the Ibex. Near the borders of India and Nepal, yaks and musk deer can be found. The forests of India are also home to different species of venomous snakes like the Cobra, Python etc.

Decline in the Number of Wild Animals:

The national animal of our country is the Tiger. However, the number of tigers in the country today is on a sharp decline. Same is the case for elephants. Elephants are being hunted in huge numbers for their tusks and skin. The greed of man knows no bounds. It is ironical that the same man, who has been entrusted with the task of protecting wild animals, is killing them. In a span of two decades, there has been a drastic fall in the number of different wild animals.

Steps for Preservation of Wild Animals:

The Government of our country has banned the hunting and killing of wild animals and birds. The same has been made punishable under the laws of the country as the number of wildlife has drastically fallen beyond expectations in various national parks in the country. There are at present 20 national parks and 190 wildlife sanctuaries in different States of India for preservation of wildlife. In 1972 the Indian Wildlife Board launched a national scheme called the “Project Tiger” to protect the tiger population.

The aforementioned project ensures protection of tigers in seven tiger reserves namely Similipal (Orissa), Palamau (Bihar), Manipur (Karnataka), the Corbett National Park (U.P.), Manas (Assam), Melghat (Maharashtra), and Sundar­bans (West Bengal). The diminishing number of rhinos and lions are also under serious preservation schemes by the Government. The Candace Forests in Orissa have been declared as Elephant Reserve and Chilika Lake as the Bird Sanctuary. There are crocodile sanctuaries at Satkosia of Tikarpada and Bhitar Kanika.

Conclusion:

It is high time that the wild animals of our country be saved from the wrath of man. The wild animals which glorify the aesthetic beauty of our forests are now a vulnerable number rarely found. Effective measures must be taken by the Government and the same should be implemented for protecting our wild animals.

An elephant is very clever, obedient and biggest animal on the earth. It is found in the Africa and Asia. Generally, it is found in grey color however white in Thailand. Female elephants are used to live in groups however male elephants solitary. Elephants live long life more than 100 years. They generally live in jungles however also seen in the zoo and circus. They can grow around 11 feet in height and 13,000 pounds weight. The largest elephant ever has been measured as 13 feet in height and 24,000 pounds in weight. An individual elephant can eat 400 pounds of food and drink 30 gallons of water daily.

Elephant skin becomes one inch thick however very sensitive. They can hear each other’s sound from long distance around 5 miles away. Male elephant starts living alone whenever become adult however female lives in group (oldest female of a group called as matriarch). In spite of having intelligence, excellent hearing power, and good sense of smell, elephants have poor eyesight.

Elephants look very attractive to kids because of its interesting features such as two giant ears, two long tusks (around 10 feet long), four pillars like legs, a huge trunk, a huge body, two small eyes, and a short tail. It is considered that tusks are continued to grow entire life. Trunk is used to eat food, drink water, bath, breathe, smell, carry loads, etc. It is considered as elephants are very smart and never forget any event happened in their life. They communicate to each other in very low sound.

The baby of an elephant is called calf. Elephants come under the category of mammals as they give birth to a baby and feed their milk. A baby elephant can take almost 20 to 22 months in getting fully developed inside its mother womb. No other animal’s baby takes such a long time to develop before birth. A female elephants give birth to a single baby for every four or five years. They give birth to a baby of 85 cm (33 inch) tall and 120 kg heavy. A baby elephant takes almost a year or more to learn the use of trunk. A baby elephant can drink about 10 liters of milk daily. Elephants are at risk of extinction because of their size, prized ivory tusks, hunting, etc. They should be protected in order to maintain their availability on the earth.