Blackbuck National Park
is situated in the Bhavnagar District
Established in 1976 in the Bhal region
, the park is located around 72 km from the district headquarter city of Bhavnagar
. Hugging the coasts of the Gulf of Khambhat
on the south, it is spread over an area of 34.08 km², which was primarily a "vidi" (grassland) of the Maharaja
of the princely state
of Bhavnagar. On the northern side, it is surrounded by wastelands and agriculture fields. The National park
has been classified as 4B Gujarat-Rajwada biotic province of semi-arid bio-geographical zone.
Flat land, dry grasses and herds of antelopes
have always attracted visitors to this park which has a unique grassland ecosystem running a successful conservation program of the Blackbuck
, the Wolf
and the Lesser Florican
) among others. Considered to be an exclusive Indian species
, the Lesser Floricans, which were free dwellers throughout the country, have their numbers plummeting in the recent decades almost everywhere in India. Today, the largest population has been sustained in this park.
In July 1976 when the park was established, the initial protected area
was measuring about 17.88 km². Subsequently, in 1980, another 16.22 km² were added, increasing the total spread of the part to the current figure of 34.08 km².
A certain southern portion of the park which is adjoining the Gulf of... Read More