National Parks and Sancuaries

       Orissa's long coastline hugs the great waters of the Bay of Bengal while the emerabld hills of the Eastern Ghats cradle it on the other end. Three mighty rivers- the mahanadi, the Brahami and the Bansadhara- carve deep valleys out of the landscape which is lush with the flow of countless springs and waterfalls. The ancient forests harbour ancient dwellings of elephants, tigers and other animals of all shapes and sizes.

       Asia's largest brackish water lake, Chilika, is the destination of thousands ofmigratory birds who fly in winter from as far off as Siberia. The deep forested lands of Nandankanan have created a zoo with naturalenvirons for its wildlife to roam within, while thebotanical garden has an excellent colection of plant life.The estuaries and mangroves along the coastal belt have given shelter to the white crocodile which is facing extinction, while the great Olive Ridley Sea Turtles travelling annually from South America nest by millions at Gahirmatha of Bhitarkanika sanctuary. Dolphins gambol playfully in the channel waters of Chilika while India's tiger population grows apace at Slimilipal and their more exotic brothers, the white tigers,breed successfully in captivity at Nandankanan thus keeping alive one of the rarest creatures in the animal kingdom. Bhubaneswar's Regional Plant Resouce Centre is home to the collecon of cacti plants.

       The ecological changes and environmental factors from region to region make Orissa's wildlife as exciting as it is varied. It is also a major reason why so many imprtant projects for the conservation of wildlife have met with so much success that the state still has vast tracks of land which have been protected from the onslaught ofman's devastating ways. Today, Orissa's numerous sanctuaries, both large and small, play an imprtant role in this task, while affording a great deal of pleasure to wildlife enthusiast. Similpal National Park,Bhitarkanika, Gahirmatha and Chilika have established their names on the international map, while Sunabeda, Kotgarh, Karlapat, Debrigarh, Baisipali and Hadgarh sanctuaries do excellent serive to their wildlife inhabitants.

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