List of Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Parks in West Bengal 2024

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Here is the list of Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Park in West Bengal. West Bengal has 6 notified National Parks and 16 notified Wildlife sanctuaries. This topic is very important for WBCS and various WBPSC exams.

Introduction

• The state of West Bengal is the 4th most populous state and the 14th largest state by area in India.
•  It is situated in the Eastern region of India.
• West Bengal is rich in many forests and wildlife wings.

West Bengal is famous for
☞ Royal Bengal Tiger in the Gangetic delta of Sundarbans.

☞ The Great Indian One-horned Rhinoceros grazing in the Terai/ Dooars grassland.

☞ The leopards are lurking in the foothills of the Himalayas.

☞ The Red Panda is resting in the bamboo groves of the Himalayas.

Number of National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries in West Bengal

• The large varieties of flora and fauna of West Bengal possess the combined characteristics of the Himalayan, sub-Himalayan and Gangetic plain.

West Bengal has 4692 sq. Km of forests under the Protected Area (PA) network is 39.50% of the State’s recorded forest area.

• At present West Bengal has 6 National Parks and 16 Wildlife Sanctuaries.

• The latest notified Wildlife Sanctuaries of West Bengal is the Pakhi Bitan Wildlife Sanctuaries, located in Jalpaiguri District having an area of 14.09 sq. Km.

✅ Also, see the National Parks in India.

List of National Parks in West Bengal

National Park Name District Year Area (Sq km) Famous Species
1. Gorumara National Park Jalpaiguri 1994 79.45 Indian Rhinoceros
2. Jaldapara National Park Alipurduar 2014 216.51 One horned rhinoceros
Bengal Florican
3. Singalila National Park Darjeeling 1992 78.60 Red Panda
Pangolin
Pika
4. Neora Valley National Park Kalimpong 1986 159.89 Red Panda
Musk Deer
Himalayan flying squirrel
5. Sundarban National Park North 24 Parganas
And South 24 Parganas
1984 1330.10 Royal Bengal Tiger
Salt water Crocodile
6. Buxa National Park Alipurduar 1992 117.10 Tigers
Dhole

List of Wildlife Sanctuaries in West Bengal

Currently, West Bengal has 6 national parks and 15 wildlife sanctuaries.

Wildlife Sanctuaries District Name
1. Ballabhpur Wildlife Sanctuary Birbhum
2. Bibhutibhushan Wildlife Sanctuary North 24 Parganas
3. Bethuadahari Wildlife Sanctuary Nadia
4. Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary Jalpaiguri
5. Chintamoni Kar Bird Sanctuary South 24 Parganas
6. Haliday Island Wildlife Sanctuary South 24 Parganas
7. Jore Pokhri Wildlife Sanctuary Darjeeling
8. Lothian Island Wildlife Sanctuary South 24 Parganas
9. Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary Darjeeling
10. Buxa Wildlife Sanctuary Alipurduar
11. Raiganj Wildlife Sanctuary Uttar Dinajpur
12. Sajnakhali Wildlife Sanctuary South 24-Parganas
13. Senchal Wildlif Sanctuary Darjeeling
14. Ramnabagan Wildlife Sanctuary Purba Bardhaman
15. West Sundarban Wildlife Sanctuary South 24 Parganas
16. Pakhibitan Wildlife Sanctuary Jalpaiguri

Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Park in West Bengal map

Wildlife Sanctuaries and  National Parks of West Bengal
List of Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Parks of West Bengal
Map Source wikimedia

Details about the National Park in West Bengal

Singalila National Park

Location
☞ Singalila National Park is on the Singalila Ridge in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal.

☞ It is bordered on the north by the state of Sikkim and on the west by the country of Nepal.

Date of declaration as a National Park
☞ The park was declared a Wildlife Sanctuary in 1986.
☞ and was made an Indian National Park in 1992.

Flora
☞ Thick bamboo, oak, magnolia, rhododendron forest, and Himalayan Cobra Lilies (Arisaema).

Fauna
☞ Small mammals, including Red Panda, Leopard Cat, Barking Deer, Yellow-throated Marten, Wild Boar, Pangolin, and Pika.

☞ Larger mammals include the Himalayan Black Bear, Leopard, Clouded Leopard, Serow, and the Takin.

☞ Rare and exotic bird species, including the Scarlet Minivet, Kalij Pheasant, Blood Pheasant, and Satyr Tragopan.  

Neora Valley National Park

Location
☞ Neora Valley National Park is a national park in Kalimpong district, West Bengal.

Flora
☞ The forests consist of mixed species like rhododendrons, bamboo, oak, ferns, sal, etc.

☞ The Valley also has numerous species of orchids.

Fauna 
☞ The fauna consists of such endangered species as the clouded leopard, red panda, and musk deer.

☞ There are five other species: civet, black bear, sloth bear, golden cat, goral, serow, barking deer, Himalayan flying squirrel, and Thar.

Other points
☞ Rechela Danda is the highest point of the Neora Valley National Park.

☞ Neora Valley National Park covers an area of 88 sq km.

☞ It is linked to the Pangolakha Wildlife Sanctuary of East Sikkim district as well as the forests of Samtse District, Bhutan via a thick cover of forests.

Gorumara National Park

Location
☞ Gorumara National Park is located in the Malbazar subdivision in the Jalpaiguri district, in the state of West Bengal.

☞ Gorumara is located in the Eastern Himalayas’ submontane Terai belt.

☞ The park is located on the flood plains of the Murti River and Raidak River.

☞ The major river in the park is the Jaldhaka River, part of the Brahmaputra river system.

☞ The park is very close to the Jaldapara Wildlife Reserve and Chapramari Wildlife Reserve

Flora
☞ Typical flora includes Sal forests with Common Teak, Rain Tree and Silk Cotton (Shimul or Bombax malabaricum) trees and Bamboo groves.

Fauna
☞ Reptiles and amphibians, including the Indian Python, and the King Cobra.

☞ Birds include the Scarlet Minivet, Sunbird, Asian Paradise Flycatcher, Spangled Drongo and Great Indian Hornbill.

☞ Important animal species include Indian Rhinoceros, Gaur, Asian Elephant, Sloth bear, Chital, and Sambar Deer.

Date of declaration as a National Park
☞ Gorumara has been a reserve forest since 1895.

☞ The park was declared a Wildlife Sanctuary in 1949

☞ It was declared an Indian National Park on January 31, 1994.

Buxa National Park

Location
☞ Buxa Tiger Reserve (BTR) / Wildlife Sanctuary or National Park is located in the Alipurduar district of West Bengal.

Boundary of BTR
☞ The northern boundary of the BuxaTiger Reserve runs along the international border with Bhutan.

☞ The Sinchula hill range lies all along the northern side of Buxa tiger reserves and the Eastern boundary touches that of the Assam State.

☞ It is the easternmost extension of extreme bio-diverse North-East India & represents a highly endemic Indo-Malayan region.
☞ The Phipsu Wildlife Sanctuary of Bhutan is contiguous to the North of Buxa Wildlife Sanctuary.

☞ Manas National Park lies on the east of the Buxa Wildlife Sanctuary.

☞ Thus, Buxa Wildlife Sanctuary is an international corridor for elephant migration between India and Bhutan.

Flora
☞ The main species of Buxa BTR constitute trees like Sal, Champ, Gamar, Simul, Chikrasi, etc.

Fauna
☞ The main species include Asian elephants, tigers, Gaur, Wild boar, Sambar, and Wild dog (Dhole).

☞ Some endangered species found in BTR are the Indian Tiger, Asian Elephant, Leopard cat, Bengal florican, Regal python, Chinese Pangolin, Hispid hare, Hog deer, etc.

Sundarbans National Park

Location
☞ The area of Sundarbans National Park is spread over the two districts of West Bengal namely North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas.

☞ Major parts of Sundarbans National Park lie in South 24 Parganas.

Flora and Fauna
☞ Mangrove forests densely cover the Sundarbans delta.

☞ Sundarbans are derived from the Sundari ( Heritiera fomes) tree found here.

☞ Sundarbans National Park is famous for the Royal Bengal tiger.

☞ It is also home to various bird, reptile and invertebrate species, including the salt-water crocodile.

Important Date
☞ The Sundarban National Park was declared the core area of the Sundarban Tiger Reserve in 1973.

☞ It was declared as a wildlife sanctuary in 1977.

☞ On 4 May 1984, it was declared a national park.

☞ It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site inscribed in 1987

☞ It has been designated as a Ramsar site since 2019.

☞ It has been considered a World Network of Biosphere Reserve (Man and Biosphere Reserve) since 1989.

Jaldapara National Park

Location
☞ The Jaldapara National Park is in the Alipurduar District of northern West Bengal.

☞ Jaldapara National Park is located on the banks of the Torsa River.

Fauna
☞ The Jaldapara National Park is famous for the population of the Indian one-horned rhinoceros.

☞ The other animals consist of Royal Bengal Tigers, barking deer, spotted deer and hog deer, wild pigs, and bison.

☞ It is one of the few places in India, where the Bengal Florican is sighted.

Flora
☞ The forest is mainly covered with tall elephant grasses.

☞ The nearby Chilapata Forests is an elephant corridor between Jaldapara and the Buxa Tiger Reserve. Nearby is the Gorumara National Park.

Senchal Wildlife Sanctuary

Location
☞ Senchal Wildlife Sanctuary was set up in 1915 in the Darjeeling District of West Bengal, India

☞ The total area of the sanctuary is 38.60 sq. Km.

☞ It is situated between 1,500m. to over 2,600m elevation.

☞ This sanctuary forms the main water supply source for Darjeeling town.

Important Plant species
☞ Important plant species are Kapasi, Katus, Kawla, Champ, Mating bamboo and ferns etc.

Important Bird species
☞ Important bird species are Large yellow-naped woodpecker, Tickel’s Golden back Woodpecker, Emerald Cuckoos, Black-backed KhaJij Pheasant, Red Jungle Fowl, Hornbills, Imperial Pigeons, Green Pigeons, Thrushes, Babblers, Sunbirds etc.

Important Bird species
☞ Important animal species are Himalayan jackals, Wild Dogs, Barking deer, wild pigs jungle cats, etc.

Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary

Location
☞ Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary is located on the foothills of the Himalayas, between the Teesta and Mahananda rivers.

☞ The Sanctuary is situated in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal, India.

Important mammalian species
☞ The important mammalian species include Royal Bengal Tiger, Indian elephants, Indian bison, spotted deer, barking deer, Himalayan black bear, leopard including clouded leopard etc.

Other Points
☞ Sukna, the gateway to the sanctuary, is only 13 km from Siliguri and 28 km from Bagdogra airport.

☞ In 1959, it became a sanctuary mainly to protect the Indian bison and royal Bengal tiger, which were facing the threat of extinction.

Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary

Location
☞ The Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal.

☞ It is located on the banks of the Murti River.

Origin of name
☞ The name Chapramari originated from “Chopra” which means a type of fish and “Mari” which means abundant.

Fauna
☞ Chapramari is famous for its elephant population.

☞ Gaur (commonly known as Indian Bison) is common around this region.

☞ Important bird species of this sanctuary are Green Magpie, Indian Treepie, Thrush, Scarlet Minivet, Hill Mayna, White Breasted Kingfisher, Hornbill, Large-headed Headed Fishing Eagle, Adjutant Stork, etc.

☞ The large and little Cormorant, Darter, & Egret are the most common water birds. Migratory birds include the Brahminy and Teals.

Flora
☞ Several Orchids belonging to the genus Acampe, Bulbophyllum, Chiloschista, Cymbidium, Dendrobium, Eria, Gastrochilus, Luisia, Oberonia, etc., are very common here.

Other Important Points
☞ The Chapramari forest is located near the NH31 connecting the northeast with the rest of India.

☞ Murti River flows along the western boundary of the
Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary.

☞ Chapramari is close to the Gorumara National Park near Chapramari.

Sajnekhali Wildlife Sanctuary

Location
☞ Sajnekhali Wildlife Sanctuary is located at the confluence of the Matla and Gumdi rivers, South 24 Parganas district, West Bengal, India.

Fauna
☞ The most noteworthy bird species are spotted billed pelican, cotton teal, herring gull, Caspian tern, grey heron, large egret, night heron, open-billed stork, white ibis, common kingfisher, brahminy kite and paradise flycatcher.

Important Points
☞ Sajnekhali Wildlife Sanctuary is a part of the Sunderbans ecosystem.

☞ It was set up as a sanctuary in 1976.

Haliday Wildlife Sanctuary

Location
☞ Haliday Island Wildlife Sanctuary is in the famous Sunderbans in South 24 Parganas District in West Bengal.

Important Points
☞ It was notified as a Wildlife Sanctuary in the year 1976.

☞ It is a part of the ‘Sundarbans Biosphere Reserve’, with the Sundarbans region officially becoming a ‘Biosphere Reserve’ officially in 1989.

Flora and Fauna
☞ Usually, mangrove species flourish, along with sweet water species like casuarina and Karanja.

☞ Principal animals are chital, wild pigs, Rhesus monkeys & barking deer. Malta River surrounding the Sanctuary has plenty of fish.

Lothian Wildlife Sanctuary

Location
☞ Lothian Island Wildlife Sanctuary is in South 24 Parganas district, West Bengal, India.

☞ It is situated inside Sundarbans at the confluence of the Bay of Bengal and River Saptamukhi.

Flora and Fauna
☞ Principal tree species are Keora, Baen, Goran, etc.

☞ It is home to estuarine crocodiles, Olive Ridley Sea Turtles, spotted deer, Jungle Cats, and Rhesus Macaque.

☞ A variety of birds like the black-capped kingfisher, Curlew, white-bellied sea-eagle, Tern, and Whimbrel can be found here.

☞ The marshes of the island harbour estuarine Crocodile.

Raiganj Wildlife Sanctuary

Location
☞ It is situated near Raiganj in Uttar Dinajpur district in the Indian state of West Bengal.

Other Name
☞ Raiganj Wildlife Sanctuary is popularly known as Kulik Bird Sanctuary.

Other Important Points
☞ The Kulik River flows around part of the sanctuary and acts as the boundary in its eastern and southern parts.

☞ The shape of the sanctuary is that of the English alphabet “U”.

☞ The bird sanctuary is home to 164 species of birds, and some 70,000 to 80,000 migratory birds visit the sanctuary annually.

Flora and Fauna
☞ The migratory species include open-bill storks, egrets, night herons, and cormorants, which are very common here.

☞ The resident birds are kites, flycatchers, owls, kingfishers, woodpeckers, drongoes, etc.

☞ One of the important species of this WLS is the Asian openbill, whose main diet is apple snail.

☞ The global population of the Asian openbill is estimated to be 130,000 by Wetland International, and around half of them live in Asia.

☞ The species is known to breed in a colony, called heronry.

Chintamoni Kar Wildlife Sanctuary

Location
☞ It is located in Narendrapur, South 24Pgs, West Bengal, India, near Narendrapur Ramkrishna Mission.

Other names
☞ This is also known as Kayal-r Bagan.

☞ Its old name was Narendrapur Wildlife Sanctuary.

☞ The Sanctuary was named after the noted sculpture Sri Chintamoni Kar.

Date of declaration as a WLS
Originally notified as a sanctuary in 1982.

Main Tree Species
☞ The main trees are mango, Jackfruit, Coconut, Tamarind, Guava, Dumur, Safeda, Chatun etc.

Important Bird Species
☞ After over a century, the large-billed Reed Warbler is a bird rediscovered in India.

Important Animal Species
☞ Important Animal Species of Chintamani Kar Bird Sanctuary are jungle cats, Civet cats, Water monitor Lizards, Jackals and the mongoose.

Bibhutibhusan Wildlife Sanctuary

Location
☞ The Bibhutibhusan Wildlife Sanctuary is located in North 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal.

☞ The forest is about 100 km from Kolkata and 25 km from Bongaon.

☞ It is situated on the banks of the Ichamati River.

Other Name
☞ Bibhutibhusan Wildlife Sanctuary is formerly known as Parmadan Forest.

Important Species Name
☞ It has more than 200 deer, birds, rabbits, and langurs.

Jorepokhri Wildlife Sanctuary

Location
☞ Jore Pokhri Wildlife Sanctuary is situated in Darjeeling District, West Bengal.

☞ It is about 20 kilometres away from Darjeeling town.

☞ The nearest border is the Northeast Nepal border.

Important Species
☞ It is the habitat of some high-altitude animals like the Himalayan Salamander (Tylototriton verrucosus)

☞ Himalayan Salamander is locally known as ‘Gora’.

☞ Other species are swans and monkeys.

Main features
☞ The main feature of Jore Pokhri is the twin lakes after which the place is named.

☞ Jore means two in Nepali and Pokhri means Lake.

Ballavpur Wildlife Sanctuary

Location
☞ Ballavpur Wildlife Sanctuary is located near Bolpur Santiniketan in the Bolpur subdivision of Birbhum District in the Indian state of West Bengal.

☞ This area lies between two mighty rivers the Damodar and the Ajay.

Popular for
☞ Ballavpur Wildlife Sanctuary is well known for Deer Park.

Important Species
☞ Ballavpur Wildlife Sanctuary is famous for its deer population, including blackbuck and spotted deer.

☞ Other animals include jackals, foxes, and a variety of water birds.

Bethuadahari Wildlife Sanctuary

Location
☞ The Bethuadahari Wildlife Sanctuary is in the Bethuadahari town of Nadia District, West Bengal, India.

☞ The sanctuary is beside National Highway 12 (old no NH 34).

Important animal Species
☞ Some common species are spotted deer, jackal, Bengal fox, porcupine, and langur.

☞ Other species include Indian Cuckoos, pythons, parakeets, Barbets, and smaller birds.

☞ Another attraction of the forest is the rock python.

Important Plant Species
☞ The common trees found here are shal, teak, Arjun, Indian rosewood, and bamboo.

Ramnabagan Wildlife Sanctuary

Location
☞ The Ramnabagan Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Bardhaman, West Bengal, India.

Animals found here
☞ The animals found include spotted deer and common langur.

Important Trees
☞ Common tree species include teak, sal, kadbels, dumur, and jam.

West Sundarban Wildlife Sanctuary

Location
☞ The West Sundarban Wildlife Sanctuary is situated in South 24-Parganas.

☞ The West Sundarban WLS is the 15th Wildlife Sanctuary in West Bengal.

Important Flora
☞ A vast track of rich mangrove forests lies in this Sanctuary.

Important Fauna
☞ Tiger, Spotted Deer, Wild Boar, Estuarine Crocodile, Water Monitor Lizard, King Cobra, etc.

Some Important Questions About National Park in West Bengal

Question 1: Name two national parks in West Bengal.

Answer: Among the 6 national parks in West Bengal, the two famous National Parks are Gorumra National Park (famous for Indian rhinoceros) and Sundarbans National Park (famous for the Royal Bengal Tiger).

Question 2: What is the largest national park in West Bengal?
Answer: Sundarban National Park (1330 sq. km)

Question 3: Which is the oldest national park in West Bengal?
Answer: Gorumara National Park (It was given official status as an Indian National Park on 31 January 1992)

Question 4: Which is the smallest national park in West Bengal?
Answer: Singalila National Park (total area 78.60 sq km)

Question 5. Which is the first national park in West Bengal?
Answer: Sundarban National Park (In 1984 it was declared a national park)

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1. How many national parks are there in West Bengal in 2022?

Answer: As of 2022, there are 6 national parks in West Bengal

Q2. How many national parks are in West Bengal?

Answer: Total 6 national parks

Q3. How many wildlife sanctuaries are there in West Bengal?

Answer: As of 2022, there are 16 wildlife sanctuaries in West Bengal

Q4. Which wildlife sanctuary is famous for royal Bengal tigers?

Answer: West Sundarban Wildlife Sanctuary

List of Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Park in West Bengal 2023 PDF

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