Wildlife of India

The term ‘Wildlife’ includes animals of any habitat in nature. Wild animals are non-domesticated animals and include both vertebrates and invertebrates. Vertebrates known as fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals, and invertebrates known as bees, butterflies, moths etc.

India has a rich and diversified wildlife. The Indian fauna consists of about 81,251 species of animals out of the world’s total of about 1.5 million species.

The faunal diversity of the country consists of about 6500 invertebrates, 5000 molluscs, 2546 fishes, 1228 birds, 458 mammals, 446 reptiles, 204 amphibians, 4 panthers and about 60,000 species of insects.

India is home to tigers, lions, leopards, snow leopards, pythons, wolves, foxes, bears, crocodiles, rhinoceroses, camels, wild dogs, monkeys, snakes, antelope species, deer species, varieties of bison and the mighty Asian elephant.

Hunting, poaching, deforestation and other anthropogenic interferences in the natural habitats have caused extinction of some species and many are facing the danger of extinction.

In view of this and the role of wild life in maintaining ecological balance, conservation and management of biodiversity of India is necessary at present situation.

The Indian Board for Wildlife (IBWL) was constituted in 1952 to suggest means of protection, conservation and management of wildlife to the government.

The Government of India enacted Wildlife (Protection) Act in 1972 with the objective of effectively protecting the wild life of the country and to control poaching, smuggling and illegal trade in wildlife and its diversities.

United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 1992 recognizes the sovereign rights of states to use their own Biological Resources. In India, there are 102 National Parks and about 515 Wildlife Sanctuaries.