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Hazarganji-Chiltan National Park

National park in Balochistan, Pakistan

Hazarganji-Chiltan National Park
ہزارگنجی-چلٹن نیشنل پارک
IUCN category II (national park)
Location of Hazarganji-Chiltan National Park
Location	Balochistan
Nearest city	Quetta
Coordinates	30°13′12″N 66°43′48″E / 30.22000°N 66.73000°E / 30.22000; 66.73000
Area	15,555 ha (60.06 sq mi)
Established	1980
Governing body	Balochistan Wildlife Department

Hazarganji Chiltan National Park is a national park in the Mastung District of western Balochistan ProvinceofPakistan. It lies between Chiltan on its west and Hazarganji on the east. The park was established in 1980 to provide the habitat to rare Chiltan ibexes found in the area.^[1]

It was established in 1980 and covers 325,000 acre of land located close to the Koh-i-Chiltan mountain in Quetta's outskirt.^[2]

The park is located in the Sulaiman Mountains, with desert and forest habitats, about 20 kilometres (12 mi) southwest of the city of Quetta.

Etymology[edit]

The name comes from the travelling route between the mountains called "Hazarganji", which means (of a thousand treasures) in native language as it was a historical passage for the Greco-Bactrian, the Mongols, the Scythians and migrating hordes of Baloch tribes.^[3]

Biodiversity[edit]

The biodiversity of this park comprises 30 species of mammals (9 species of large mammals and 21 species of small mammals), 120 species of avifauna (36 resident and 84 migratory) and 30 species of reptiles.^[1]

Flora[edit]

The trees in the forests include Pashtun Juniper (Juniperus macropoda), pistachio, almond, and ash trees.

Fauna[edit]

The fauna comprises about 300-400 rare Sulaiman Markhor and around 800 Chiltan ibex survive within the park boundaries.^[2] Few urials still survives in the western slopes between 1,500m to 2,100m. Other fauna includes Indian wolf, striped hyena, Baluchistan leopard, caracal, common jackal and Indian crested porcupine. Birds includes the very rare Houbara bustard, griffon vulture, Egyptian vulture, crested honey buzzard (winters only), laggar falcon, peregrine falcon, common kestrel, Eurasian sparrowhawk (winters only), Indian scops owl, Indian cuckoo, European bee-eater (breeding only), chukar partridge, European nightjar (breeding/summer only), long-billed pipit, Eastern Orphean warbler, variable wheatear, blue rock thrush, whinchat, white-browed bush chat and Lichtenstein's desert finch and reptiles are also found here likes of monitor lizards, Russell's viper, saw-scaled vipers and spiny-tailed lizards.^[3]

Species[edit]

Mammals[edit]

Total 30 species of mammals include:^[3]

Avifauna[edit]

Chiltan express[edit]

This train used to have a Quetta-Lahore route via Dera Ghazi Khan and Kot Adu Jn. This route opened in 1973, hence the Chiltan Express likely started operations on or after that year. Over the years the route of the Chiltan Express has been varied many times by running it between Quetta and Peshawar via Faisalabad, between Quetta and Rawalpindi via Lahore, and these days between Quetta and Lahore via Faisalabad.

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• کوہ چلتن
• Lonely Planet: Hazarganji-Chiltan National Park Archived 2011-06-07 at the Wayback Machine
• Wildlife Pakistan Website: park Information - Hazarganji-Chiltan National Park

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