India takes pride in its rich and diverse wildlife reserve. In fact, wildlife in India has bewildered and stupefied many a wildlife enthusiast and animal lovers, who deem India an indispensable inclusion as far as their study or exploration of wild life reserves across the world is concerned. Any discourse on India wildlife tends to remain inconclusive without the mention of the wildlife sanctuaries in India. These sanctuaries spread across the country are an ideal showcase of India's wildlife.

The wildlife in India does wonder to amplify the popularity of India among international tourists. From stately and majestic tigers and beautiful peacocks to giant elephants and hundreds of reptiles, all of these find a secure asylum in the wildlife sanctuaries in India. Almost all the major states in India flaunt wildlife sanctuaries of their own. Planned and guided visits to these places or the safaris as they are popularly referred to, help one embark on an exploratory expedition. Some wildlife species in India are on the verge of extinction. There are some reserves and sanctuaries that have taken up a proactive role as far as the salvaging the endangered status of the animals are concerned. There is no dearth of Indian wildlife sanctuaries. The presence of the 80 National Parks, 441 sanctuaries and 23 tiger reserves India is the pointer to the richness in wildlife that the country can feel proud about.

It might help you to know that India is counted among the twelve mega diversity areas in the world as far as animals are concerned. Among the most commonly spotted wild animals in the Indian jungles, mention must be made of apes, monkeys, lemurs, cats, crocodiles, tortoises, lizards, elephants, buffaloes, wild asses, rhinoceroses, snakes, bears, hyenas, sheep, civets, mongoose, the dog tribe, deer, goats and antelopes. Birds also constitute a long list when it comes to India wildlife. Among the popular and common species of birds are included Great Indian Bustard, Chikor, Common Coot, Common crane, Demoiselle Crane, Sarus Crane, Cuckoo, the Koel, Andaman Cackoo Dove, Indian Ring Dove, Comb Duck, Cotten Teal, Andaman Teal, Whistling Teal, White Eyed Poached, Common Green winged Teal, Gargancy Teal, Pintail, Bengal Florican, Grey Heron, Red Jungle Fowl, Common Kingfisher, Hill Myna, Indian Parakeet, Black Partridge and Grey Partridge among hundred others.

If you wish to explore the fascinating diversity of Indian flora and fauna, then the India wildlife sanctuaries are ideally suited for you. Not only will you be awed by the sighting of the beasts of the wilds in their natural habitat, but will also be held spellbound by the diversity in the topography. Kerala, in particular is dotted with a good number of sanctuaries. So if you ever plan a trip to Kerala, don't miss out on paying visits to the Idukki Wildlife Sanctuaury, Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, Wayanad Bird Sanctuary or the Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary. At the Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary, you will be impressed with the stupefying array of wild animals that includes Wild Dogs, Jungle Cats, Tiger, Wild Boar, Elephants, Bison, Sambhar, Deer and reptiles such as Cobra, Viper and Krait. When it comes to the birds, you will be able to catch sight of the Bulbul, Kingfisher, Jungle Fowl, Myna and Woodpecker. Among the other immensely popular sanctuaries, mention must be made of the Sasangir Wildlife Sanctuary in Gujarat, The Nagarjunasagar Wildlife Sanctuary in Andhra Pradesh, Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary in Haryana and the Chilka Lake Bird Sanctuary in Orissa.