Hastinapur Sanctuary, Hastinapur, Uttar Pradesh India

Also called Hastinapur National Park, Hastinapur Sanctuary boasts of some of the finest elements of nature in their spectacular primeval form. The sanctuary was formally founded in 1986.

Sprawling over an area of 2073 square kilometers, the marshy land of the sanctuary lying along the river Ganga, is home to a huge variety of animal species as well as flora and fauna.

According to an estimate, there are more than 350 bird species including the painted stork, sarus crane, black and white necked stork, night birds of prey such as great Indian horned owl, jungle owlet, woodpecker, kingfisher, bee eater and bulbuls.

The sanctuary contains great many niches of faunal wealth. There are mammals, reptiles including snakes and lizards, amphibians such as frogs and toads, fishes and colorful butterflies; invertebrate including scorpions, centipedes, wasps, bees and above all the NationalBird peacock which is found here in large numbers.

Unfortunately the pristine environment of the park is being vandalized by the industrial encroachers, miners, stone crushers, brick kilns jeopardizing its invaluable natural wealth.