Since my youthful years I have known India as a country blessed with an immense variety of wildlife. I don’t know when the idea crept into my mind, but this time it was a zeal which surpassed all limits of control- I could not stay back- I only endeded up landing at the Indira Gandhi International airport in New Delhi, the capital of India.

As I explored the country I found a wide diversity of wildlife habitats. If there is the Indian Tiger at Jim Corbett in the sub-Himalayan region, there is the gigantic Indian Elephant at Periyar in Kerala. While I found the great Asiatic Lion at Gir in the West, the north-east welcomed me with the Great Indian One-Horned Rhino in Kaziranga.

India's treasure of wildlife do not end in these elusive mammals- rather it is an inexhaustible repository of aves, reptiles, vertebrates and non-vertebrates which would take more than a life time for its full exploration.

I can never forget how after a tedious day of jeep safari with my guide in Corbett National Park I saw the Indian tiger chasing its prey. As the deer ran for its life, swaying from side to side, the tiger was on a determined mission to sate his hunger. This is surely a lifetime experience for me. I should mention that the Indian Government has done a commendable job by launching the "Project Tiger" as a mission to protect this exquisite animal from the face of extinction.

It was time now for a close encounter with the Asiatic Lion. After a two day stint in Corbett I started for Gir, the last habitat of this king of the jungle. Gir is a specially protected area meant for the preservation of this endangered species. I came across quite a few number of this elusive beast roaming nonchalantly in the wooded forests.

The next day I came back to New Delhi from where I was to move eastwards. I took a flight to Guwahati in Assam and from there dashed off to Kaziranga, the abode of the highly endangered Great Indian One- horned Rhino. As I explored the park riding on the back of an elephant I saw the Rhino in its every nuance of mood. I saw how this fearless creature tackles the occasional onslaughts of leopards.

Periyar in Kerala was my final destination where I watched herds of wild Indian Elephants moving around insouciantly. Being the largest mammal on land, they have nothing to fear. Though it is smaller than its African counterpart, yet it fascinated me without end.

This is just a synopsis of the encounters that I had with the Indian wildlife. The list of animals that I saw here stands staggering- leopards, wild boars, various species of deer, bisons, antelopes, wild cats, the Himalayan black bear, innumerable bird species including falcons, peacocks, hornbills....the list seems endless!
Arnold, a friend of mine, visited Himalayas, to explore its splendorous nature. He has narrated his experiences about the Himalayan wildlife.