page_title: Lakhimpur Kheri district
section_title: Flora and fauna
hierarchical_section_title: Lakhimpur Kheri district / Flora and fauna
caption_attribution_description: English: Barasingha
context_page_description: Lakhimpur Kheri district is the largest district in Uttar Pradesh, India, on the border with Nepal. Its administrative capital is the city of Lakhimpur.
  Lakhimpur Kheri district is a part of Lucknow division, with a total area of 7,680 square kilometres. The national government designated Lakhimpur Kheri as a Minority Concentrated District on the basis of 2001 census data, which identifies it as requiring urgent aid to improve living standards and amenities.
  Mohammadi Kheri is a small town & also a tahsil in Lakhimpur Kheri district. It is well known for a flower named "ketki". The proverbs about that it is only growth here in this town instead of anywhere.
  Dudhwa National Park, is in Lakhimpur Kheri and is the only national park in Uttar Pradesh. It is home to many rare and endangered species including tigers, leopards, swamp deer, hispid hares and Bengal florican
context_section_description: Dudhwa Tiger Reserve in Lakhimpur Kheri has two core areas, Dudhwa National Park and Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary, which were merged in 1987. Dudhwa National Park is known as the first National Park of the state after the formation of Uttarakhand and is a national protected area. It is home to many rare and endangered species including tigers, leopards, rhinoceros, hispid hare, elephants, black deer and swamp deer. Dudhwa has approximately 400 species of birds including egrets, cormorants, herons and several species of duck, goose and teal. Its swamps and lakes are particularly attractive to water birds, including varieties that migrate here from the Himalayas to spend the winter months. Bird watching is common at the Banke Tal.
  The visit of Sir D.B. Brandis in 1860 to the area culminated in a 303 kilometres (188 mi) forest area of the present day Dudhwa National Park being brought under the control of Government in 1861 for preservation. In Kheri District all the Sal and miscellaneous forests and grasslands in Kharigarh Pargana, between the Mohana and Suheli rivers, were included in the then North Kheri Forest Division. More areas were reserved for protection between 1867 and 1879 and added to the Division. The area of the Division was legally constituted as Reserved Forests in 1937.
  The Sonaripur Sanctuary, comprising 15.7 square kilometres (6.1 sq mi), was created in 1958 to specifically protect swamp deer (Cervus duvaceli duvaceli). The area was too small and was later enlarged to 212 square kilometres (82 sq mi) and renamed as Dudhwa Sanctuary in 1968. Later, more area was added to the Sanctuary and in 1977, it was declared Dudhwa National Park. The total area of the Park was 616 square kilometres (238 sq mi) of which 490 square kilometres (190 sq mi) was the core zone and the balance of 124 square kilometres (48 sq mi) was a buffer zone.
  The area was established in 1958 as a wildlife sanctuary. On 1 February 1977 wildlife sanctuary became a national park and after 11 years in 1988 it was established as a tiger reserve. Dudhwa Tiger Reserve lies on the India-Nepal border in the foothills of the Himalaya. Dudhwa Tiger Reserve was created in 1987–88 comprising Dudhwa National Park and Kishanpur Sanctuary (203.41 square kilometres (78.54 sq mi)). With an addition of 66 square kilometres (25 sq mi) to the buffer zone in 1997, the present area of the tiger reserve is 884 square kilometres (341 sq mi). Distance from Lakhimpur railway station to Dudhwa is about 100 kilometres (62 mi) by road.
caption: Swamp deer
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