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Wildlife in Periyar National Park
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Periyar National Park is a veritable paradise of elephants. Herds of playful wild elephants have made Periyar Lake their favourite haunt for frolicking in the water. Scores of them can be witnessed bathing and swimming here. The Indian female elephants do not posses tusks like their African relatives. They are also not as swarthy as their African counterparts. Other inhabitants of Periyar National Park include the leopard, wild dog, barking deer, mouse deer, Nilgiri langur (a primate), bonnet macaque, sambhar, porcupines, squirrels, gaur (Indian bison), wild boar and sloth bear. There are approximately 40 tigers in the Periyar National Park as per the latest reports. The tigers, along with the Nilgiri tahrs (a kind of a wild goat), are elusive creatures that may be spotted at the Periyar National Park. However, an early morning visit in the Periyar National Park, with luck on your side, could yield results.
Amidst the rocky hinges along the lake, of the Periyar National Park, monitor lizards may be spotted. Trekkers in Periyar National Park have also sighted pythons, king cobras and flying lizards. Some 260 species of birds are found at Periyar National Park. These include darters, cormorants, ibises, gray herons, mynas, flycatchers, orioles, wood pigeons, kingfishers, kites, ospreys, thrushes, and an appreciable number of blue-winged parakeets.
Excursions from Periyar National Park
There are some tribal villages around Periyar National Park, which are worth a visit. The tribal people are expert fishermen and farmers. Some are still engaged in the traditional practice of collecting honey of dangerous hill bees. They have built interesting tree dwellings. These dwellings do not signify a 'perched' existence. Quite the contrary, they are comfortable watchtowers for taking note of any wild pig or elephant in the area that might ruin the cultivated fields. Other destinations near Periyar National Park are Kottayam (117 km) and the temple town of Madurai (140) km).
Periyar Exclusives
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