National parks of east India are the protected areas in the states of Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Odisha. These areas provide shelter to various species of flora and fauna in the above mentioned states. Some of the national parks of east India are described below.
Valmiki National Park
Valmiki National Park is located in West Champaran district of Bihar. This national park was notified in 1989 and is spread over a total area of about 335.65 square kilometers. Valmiki National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary is the 18th Tiger Reserve of India. Mammals like tiger, rhinoceros, black bear and leopard; birds like tree pipit and ibises, reptiles like python; butterflies like common mormon and great mormon, etc are the inmates of the national park.
Sundarbans National Park
Sundarbans National Park is housed in South 24 Parganas in West Bengal. It was established in 1984 and occupies an area of about 1,330.12 square kilometers. It is a National Park, Tiger Reserve and Biosphere Reserve. The park comprises of 54 small islands. Some of the inmates of the park are sundari trees, Bengal tiger, fishing cat, birds (like black-capped kingfishers and brahminy kite), aquatic fauna (like sawfish and butter fish) and reptiles.
Gorumara National Park
Gorumara National Park is located in Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal on the flood plains of the Murti River and Raidak River. More specifically, it lies in the Dooars region of the Himalayan foothills. The park draws tourists due to its untamed jungle beauty, breath taking mountain ranges, etc. Gorumara National Park is a home to a large variety of flora and fauna of eastern zone of India.
Hazaribagh National Park
Hazaribagh National Park is situated about 19 km from Hazaribagh in Jharkhand. The park was established in the year 1976 and has an area of about 186.25 square kilometers (71.91 sq mi). Tiger, panther, sambhars, spotted deer, bison, etc are protected in the national park.
Bhitarkanika National Park
Bhitarkanika National Park is situated in Kendrapara district of Odisha. This park was formed in September, 1998 and is spread over an area of about 145 square kilometers. A noteworthy aspect of the park is a mangrove swamp that lies in a fertile delta made by the Brahmani, Baitarni and Dhamara rivers. This mangrove forest occupies an area of about 672 square kilometers. It houses over 215 species of birds including winter migrants from Central Asia and Europe. Some of the other inmates of the park are wild pigs, rhesus monkeys, spotted deer, sambar, wild boar, fishing cat and a variety of resident and migratory birds.
Other National Parks of East India
Some of the other national parks of east India are Singalila National Park, Betla National Park and Simlipal National Park.