Blackbuck (Velavadar) National Park: Unique Wildlife Destination In India

Location and Brief Overview

Blackbuck National Park is a unique national park located in the Gujarat state of India. It was declared a sanctuary to save the blackbucks inhabiting the park. The Blackbuck National Park is 42 km away from the Bhavnagar city center. The park covers a total area of 34.08 square km. It is located between the Parvalia and Alang Rivers. Blackbuck National Park has vibrant, natural, and habitable grassland, mudflats, saline plains, and shrublands. A significant number of blackbucks are found here which make the place even more attractive to wildlife lovers. The park contains over 14 species of mammals, 145 species of birds, 94 species of flowering plants and a large number of reptiles.

History and Geography

Initially, the area in and around the present-day Blackbuck National Park was used for hunting by the kings ruling the region. However, hunting was only done during specific periods of time, as the locals took the courtesy of maintaining the ecological balance. After independence, hunting was done indiscriminately, and nobody thought of conserving the blackbucks. That led to a rapid deterioration in blackbuck population forcing the government to declare the place as a sanctuary in 1969. It was then established as a national park in 1976. The Blackbuck National Park has even experienced severe storms in the past. The worst one in 1932 killed more than 300 birds. Blackbuck National Park lies at Coordinates- 22002’00” N to 72003’00” E. The topography of the park supports shrublands, grassland mud flats, and saline plains. The southern part of the park that joins with Gulf of Khambhat is considered to be the Gulf’s high tide zone and gets flooded with water.

Habitat and Biodiversity

With good climatic conditions, this Blackbuck National Park  is habitable to many types and species of plants and animals. The dominant flora found here include acacia, karanj, banyan jambu, kalam, vad, amli, sirus, etc. This park is majorly grassland with fewer pockets of Prosopis chilensis. It is a beautiful savannah habitat. The dominant faunas include mammals, reptiles, and birds. Examples of mammals are nilgai, blackbuck, wild boar, striped hyena, golden jackal, Indian fox, jungle cat, mongoose, field mice, etc. Reptiles in the Blackbuck National Park include rat snake, common cobra, krait, sand boar, etc. The park wouldn’t have been beautiful without the numerous birds it contains. Ashy-crowned, short-toed lark, Indian bush lark, crested lark, singing bush larks and many other types of birds beautify the Blackbuck National Park.

Tourism

The Blackbuck National Park can be accessed by air. The closest airport is Bhavnagar. It is about 65 km from the park. The airport is well connected to the park by road networks. Similarly, we can also access the park using railway transport. The nearest train station is Bhavnagar Railway Station, 65 km from Blackbuck National Park. The park is connected to major highways in the region. Most of the locals prefer visiting via road networks. The entry fee for an adult Indian is Rs.20/- and Rs.10/- for a child. Indian students pay a subsidized fee of Rs.10/-. Any foreigner is charged $5 USD, regardless of whether a child or grownup. The period between May and November is the best time to visit the Blackbuck National Park. It has a few accommodation options within the park. One of them is Kaliyar Bhavan Tourist Lodge.

Threats and Conservations

Blackbucks are at the center of attraction of the national park. Back in history, blackbucks were killed carelessly. The state government is striving hard to protect the blackbucks from unscrupulous hunters. The Blackbuck National Park contains several trained security guards and wardens to take care of the animals. Since the park is located between two rivers (Parvalia and Alang), they form their major source of water. These sources of water must be protected and conserved for the continued survival of many lives in the Blackbuck National Park. The state government is putting measures in place to sensitize citizens on the relevance of river conservation and protection.