Bardiya National Park is a protected area in Nepal that was created in 1988 as Royal Bardia National Park. It covers an area of 968 km (374 sq mi) and is the largest and most untouched national park in Nepal's Terai region. The park is located near the eastern side of the Karnali River and is crossed by the Babai River in the Bardiya District. Its northern edge is marked by the top of the Siwalik Hills. The Nepalgunj-Surkhet highway runs along part of the southern boundary but causes significant disruption to the protected area. In the west, the Geruwa River, a branch of the Karnali River, and in the southeast, the Babai River, form natural boundaries for human settlements. Along with Banke National Park, the combined protected area of 1,437 km (555 sq mi) creates the Tiger Conservation Unit (TCU) Bardia-Banke, which spans 2,231 km (861 sq mi) of alluvial grasslands and subtropical moist deciduous forests.
History
In 1815, Nepal lost this region to the East India Company because of the Sugauli Treaty. For 45 years, the area was part of British India. It returned to Nepal in 1860 as a reward for helping to stop the Indian Independence movement in 1857. Today, the area is still called Naya Muluk, which means "new country." In 1969, 368 km² (142 square miles) was set aside as the Royal Hunting Reserve. It was officially named the Royal Karnali Wildlife Reserve in 1976. In 1982, the area became the Royal Bardia Wildlife Reserve and was expanded to include the Babai River Valley in 1984. In 1988, the protected area was officially declared a national park.
About 1,500 people who lived in the valley were moved to other places. Farming has not happened there since, so plants that grew back on their own now provide a good home for wildlife.
Flora
Approximately 70% of the park is covered by forest, with the rest consisting of grassland, savannah, and riverine forest. The park's plant life includes 839 species, of which 173 are vascular plants. These vascular plants include 140 dicots, 26 monocots, six ferns, and one gymnosperm species.
Fauna
The variety of plant life in forests and grasslands supports the homes of 642 animal species. The Karnali-Babai river system, along with its small streams and many oxbow lakes, provides living spaces for 125 recorded fish species. A small number of gharials live in the rivers. In addition to mugger crocodiles, 23 reptile and amphibian species have been identified in the area.
Bardiya National Park is home to at least 53 mammal species, including the Indian rhinoceros, Indian elephant, Bengal tiger, barasingha, and Gangetic dolphin. A rusty-spotted cat was seen in the park during summer 2012. A fishing cat was observed in the Babai River valley during winter 2017.
In 2021, four tigers killed ten people and injured others in Bardiya National Park. Three tigers were captured and moved to rescue centers, and two were placed at a rescue facility in the park. These tigers had broken teeth, possibly from fights between male tigers. One tiger escaped from its enclosure and entered the forest in Banke district. Another was sent to the Central Zoo in Kathmandu.
Rhinos were moved from Chitwan to Bardiya National Park starting in 1986, with 58 rhinos relocated by 2000. Between 1994 and 2000, hunters failed to poach rhinos. In April 2000, 67 rhinos lived in the park, mostly in the Babai Valley. In May 2006, a survey of the Babai River floodplain showed a sharp drop in the rhino population. Poaching was believed to be the main cause. Surveys in 2007 and 2008 confirmed that rhinos had completely left the Babai Valley. In the Karnali floodplain, 25 rhinos were found through direct observation and signs like dung and tracks. These rhinos were mostly in floodplain grasslands, riverine forests, and wetlands. In March 2008, 22 rhinos were counted, and two were poached after the count. By 2015, the rhino population had grown to 29 individuals, mainly due to better security measures.
In 1985, two large male elephants were first seen in the park and named Raja Gaj and Kanchha. They often roamed together and occasionally visited female elephants. Raja Gaj was 3.4 meters (11.3 feet) tall at the shoulder and had a very large body. His head shape was compared to that of a mammoth, with more prominent forehead and dome features than other Asian bull elephants. In 1993, five elephants entered the park, and another 16 arrived the next year. A count in summer 1997 found 41 resident elephants. In 2002, more than 60 elephants were estimated to live in the Karnali floodplain and Babai Valley.
Current lists include 407 bird species, such as the Bengal florican, white-rumped vulture, peafowl, and bar-headed geese, which are important symbols of the park. Lesser florican and sarus crane also live there. Other birds found in the park’s grasslands include grey-crowned prinia, jungle prinia, pale-footed bush warbler, aberrant bush warbler, striated grassbird, golden-headed cisticola, and chestnut-capped babbler.