Mount Abu Wildlife Sanctuary

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Mount Abu is one of the most famous hill stations of north India. Situated in Rajasthan this town is home to various majestic tourist spots. Mount Abu Wildlife Sanctuary is one of such tourist spots, which is located in the Aravali mountain ranges. An interesting fact about Aravali mountain range is that it is one of the oldest mountain ranges of India. Mount Abu wildlife sanctuary was established in the year 1960. The shape of the sanctuary is long and narrow. From its foothills the sanctuary reaches upto Guru Shikhar, where the height of the sanctuary goes up to 1722 metres. The sanctuary consists of a 7 km broad and 19 km long plateau which provides an extremely soothing picture.

The sanctuary covers a total area of 288 sq. km. which provides a rich and diverse vegetative cover. The type of forests found in the sanctuary is the subtropical thorn forest. However a sub tropical evergreen forest is found in the upper plateau and near the water bodies. Mount Abu Wildlife Sanctuary if full of Igneous rocks. These igneous rocks have been formed by the weathering of wind and water.

The sanctuary also consists of as many as 112 families of plants which belong to 449 genera of species. One can find various varieties of orchids, algae, feras, bryophytes and forests of bamboo in the forests of Mount Abu Sanctuary. This sanctuary is home to a number of endangered species. Sambhar, small Indian civet, Indian fox, jungle cat, wolf, jackal, hyaena, common langoor, Indian hare and wild boar are some of the commonly found species of the sanctuary.

Another exhilarating experience of the sanctuary is the species of birds found in the sanctuary. One can find as many as 250 species in this sanctuary. Mount Abu Wildlife Sanctuary provides a natural habitat to different varieties of these birds and animals. The sanctuary is also rich in a number of herbal medicinal plants. There are a total of 81 species of trees in this sanctuary. Some of the other species which are of extreme medicinal importance are shrubs, climbers and tuberous plants.

Ministry of Environment and Forests is the governing body of this sanctuary and has been delivering its services satisfactorily. It has been recorded that the population of sloth bear is on the rise for last couple of years. These sloth bears can now be easily be sighted in the sanctuary which was not the case few years ago.

The care with which the Mount Abu Wildlife Sanctuary is being maintained by the Ministry of Environment and Forests clearly shows that the Government of India is looking forward to develop the sanctuary into a major tourist destination of the region. The sanctuary is being developed so as to promote Eco-tourism in the wildlife sanctuaries in India.