Rooplekha Das
Found in the wild only in Gujarat’s Gir landscape, the Asiatic lion is recognised by its tawny coat and distinctive belly fold. Gir National Park offers safari opportunities to see it.
Hemis National Park in Ladakh is among India’s best-known places to look for snow leopards. Their thick coats and long tails help them navigate steep, freezing mountain terrain at altitude.
In Singalila National Park, red pandas inhabit temperate forests of the eastern Himalayas. Their russet fur, masked faces and bushy ringed tails make them distinctive, though sightings remain elusive here.
Eravikulam National Park in Kerala protects a major population of Nilgiri tahrs, sure-footed mountain ungulates endemic to the Western Ghats’ high-altitude grasslands. They are often seen on steep slopes there.
Silent Valley National Park in Kerala shelters lion-tailed macaques, arboreal primates recognised by their dark coats, silver-white manes, and distinctive tufted tails. They live high in dense rainforest canopies there.
Manas National Park in Assam is part of the conservation landscape for the pygmy hog, the world’s smallest wild pig. It depends on tall, undisturbed grasslands for food and cover.
Kaziranga National Park in Assam protects one of the world’s largest populations of greater one-horned rhinoceroses. Its floodplain grasslands and wetlands provide habitat for these powerful grazers along the Brahmaputra.
Kanha National Park in Madhya Pradesh is known for conserving the hard-ground barasingha, a swamp deer with distinctive branching antlers. Its recovery is a landmark conservation success in central India.