Wildlife Conservation in India
All living non-domesticated animals,even if bred,hatched or born in captivity are considered wild animals. India has many unique and rare animals,birds and reptiles.However the pressure of growing population in various states of India has led to the increasing need of using land for human habitations and agriculture.This has led to the reduced habitat of many wild animals.Even though India is known for its tigers,elephants and rhinoceros,it is home to over 500 mammal species.Antelopes and deer(like the chinkaras, barasinghas, chitals, sambhars),leopards,panthers,mongoose and monkeys,etc.,can easily be spotted in forests and wild reserves. The country also has about 2000 species and sub-species of birds.There are also some 30000 insect species,including some very stunning butterflies. The wild creatures are a nature's gift which help embellish the natural beauty by their unique ways of existence. But due to growing deforestation and negligence, their is a threat to the wildlife and it will require special attention to save the world from loosing its green heritage. Some of the government initiatives carried out to preserve this natural heritage include Project Tiger, one of the most successful efforts in preserving and protecting the Tiger population. Gir National Park in Gujarat is the only existing habitat for the nearly extinct Asiatic Lions in India. The Kaziranga Sanctuary in Assam is a prime example of an effort to save the endangered Rhinoceros. Likewise, Periyar in Kerala is doing appreciable work to preserve the wild Elephants while Dachigam National Park is fast at work to save the Hangul or Kashmiri