Guindy National Park

India does have a fair amount of rare flora and fauna. Even though we rank high in the charts of deforestation and poaching, a proper infrastructure for National Parks and Sanctuaries protect the rarest of rare species from such inhuman activities. As of now, we have around 733 Protected Areas that include 103 National Parks, 537 Wild Life Sanctuaries, 26 Community Reserves, and 67 Conservation Reserves. One among the integral National parks in India is the Guindy National Park.

Guindy being the 8th smallest National park in India, it is a protected area spread across 2.70 sq km(1.04 sq mi). The park is an extension of the grounds surrounding Raj Bhavan, formerly known as the 'Guindy Lodge', the official residence of the Governor of Tamil Nadu, India. It extends deep inside the governor's estate, enclosing beautiful forests, scrublands, lakes, and streams. Having spent my holidays in Tamil Nadu, I got to know about this place and when I scheduled my next trip, I did visit the place and it was definitely worth the wait.

I traveled to the Park in a public transport facility which was not that hard to find. Once I got there, I bought a ticket and a pass for Professional Camera (Note: They charge extra amount for Professional Camera, if you use a Mobile Camera, the rate is lesser). Guindy houses 400 blackbucks, 2,000 spotted deer, 24 jackals, a wide variety of snakes, geckos, tortoises and over 130 species of birds, 14 species of mammals, over 60 species of butterflies and spiders each, a wealth of different invertebrates—grasshoppers, ants, termites, crabs, snails, slugs, scorpions, mites, earthworms, millipedes, and the like. These are free-ranging fauna and live with the minimum of interference from human beings.

 

My most favorite part of the entire trip is the Reptile Park. I did find some preserved snake species inside a small chamber, but you could find some snakes in action if you could make it to the Reptile Park. The Guindy Snake park houses some of the most venomous snakes and if you are lucky enough to find a ground staff, you can ask them to demonstrate the extraction of venom from a snake. It is definitely worth watching it.

It took me almost two hours to walk around the entire area. As far as I'm concerned, the major highlight of Guindy Park is the untamed Snake Park. Especially watching a White Cobra For the first time made my trip a memorable one. If you are a wildlife enthusiast or a photographer, you must visit this place at least once. I guarantee you that you won't regret getting there.



Contributed by Sooraj Ram