Dudhwa being spread over an expanse of approximately 811 sq km of marshes, grasslands, and dense forests, is an ideal and protected home for over 38 species of mammals, 16 species of reptiles and numerous species of birds.
Tiger, Rhinoceros, Swamp deer, Elephant, Sambar, Hog deer, Cheetal, Kakar, Wild pig, Rhesus monkey, Langur, Sloth bear, Blue bull, Porcupine, Otter, Turtles, Python, Monitor lizard, Mugger, Gharial etc.
Dudhwa is one of the few places in India where as many as five species of deer coexist, including the chital, sambar, muntjac, hog deer and the swamp deer. The swamp deer inside the sanctuary are relatively few in number (about 1,800) and have been relegated to the wetlands. Vast areas that historically supported the species have been left out of the ‘protected area’ and the deer still fall prey to poachers’ guns. Visitors can easily see the expanding herds of the great Indian one-horned rhinoceros Rhinoceros unicornis, the largest and the best known of the three Asiatic species of rhino that was re-introduced from Nepal and Assam.
In winter, mugger crocodiles can be seen basking lazily on the sandy riverbanks of the Soheli-Neora. Otters, pythons and monitor lizards, in search of crocodile eggs to feast upon, are some of the other creatures that can be seen in the well-watered areas.
Dudhwa National Park is a stronghold of the barasingha. Around half of the world’s barasinghas are present in Dudhwa National Park. Smaller than the sambar deer, the barasinghas have 12 antlers that collectively measure up to 100 cm (39 in). One can spot a herd of these rare animals passing through open grasslands. Around half of the surviving population of Barasinghas is found in the park.
The Dudhwa National park is also quite reputed for it was the habitat of rhinoceros even 150 years ago. The Rhinoceros rehabilitation project was started in 1984 where five rhinos were transferred from Assam but two of the females died due to the strain of transportation. These were replaced in 1985 by four more females from Nepal.
Some naturalists talk in hushed whispers of the possibility of some of the smaller, inconspicuous tals in Dudhwa still housing the officially-extinct Pink-headed Duck. Others say this is nothing but wishful thinking. But the wetlands, nevertheless, play host to thousands of migratory birds, including the Lesser Whistling Teal. Dudhwa’s position at the Himalayan foothills makes it the perfect staging point for birds en route to distant destinations on the subcontinent.
