Jhalana Leopard Reserve - The Urban Forest

 Imagine living in a crowded city of 4.3 million people and learning that amidst all of this human world, huge buildings and maddening crowd, lies a small, happy, peaceful forest where wild leopards rule. Urban dwellers who may have heard about leopards but rarely come across one would find this hard to believe. 

There does exist a place such as this, right within Jaipur, the capital city of the state of Rajasthan in Western India. Extending over 7.7 square miles, the Jhalana Leopard Reserve is Home to flora and fauna of great variety. However its most famous denizens are its leopards. Over the years, the forest and the leopards and other biodiversity withstood the pressure of rapid urbanization and population growth, yet have been able to flourish here. To have a forest like that in one of the more populous cities is truly marvelous and a great story about conservation. 

The revival of Jhalana's ecosystem health has also been a blessing for the resident and migratory birds. The avifauna pertaining to this forest area comprises species such as Indian pitta, Asian paradise flycatcher, Eurasian and Indian rollers, with raptors like serpent eagle, sparrow hawk, honey buzzard and short-toed eagle. Among its resident birdlife are owls such as the spotted and scops, woodpeckers, doves, pigeons, robins, buntings, peacocks and partridges. These two make up the prey base diet of the leopards. 

The safaris's here are very well organized and the bookings can be done from the online portal. There is also an interpretation center just outside the park gate, where the entire information about the leopards living in Jhalana is displayed as well as photographs of leopards and hyenas by eminent photographers. 

PS -  photos are clicked from mobile and dslr camera's. Information is take from google.