Editing Rajasthan (section)

== Flora and fauna ==
{{main|Wildlife of Rajasthan}}
{| class="wikitable"  style="margin:1em; float:right; width:25%;"
|+ State symbols of Rajasthan
|-
| '''Formation day'''
| 1 November
|-
| '''State animal'''
| [[Chinkara]]<ref name="Rajasthan State Symbol">{{cite web|title=States and Union Territories Symbols|url=http://knowindia.gov.in/knowindia/national_symbols.php?id=16#raj|access-date=7 July 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131112080035/http://knowindia.gov.in/knowindia/national_symbols.php?id=16#raj|archive-date=12 November 2013}}</ref> and [[camel]]<ref>{{cite news|title=Now the state animal camel|url=http://www.patrika.com/news/now-the-state-animal-camel/1015253|access-date=7 July 2014|work=Patrika Group|date=1 July 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140806141624/http://www.patrika.com/news/now-the-state-animal-camel/1015253|archive-date=6 August 2014}}</ref>
|-
| '''State bird'''
| [[Great Indian bustard|Godavan (great Indian bustard)]]<ref name="Rajasthan State Symbol" />
|-
| '''State flower'''
| [[Tecomella undulata|Rohida]]<ref name="Rajasthan State Symbol" />
|-
| '''State tree'''
|[[Prosopis cineraria|Khejadi]]
|}
[[File:Sonchiriya.jpg|thumb|upright|The [[great Indian bustard]] has been classed as [[critically endangered]] since 2011]]
The [[Desert National Park]] in [[Jaisalmer]], spread over an area of {{convert|3162|km2|sqmi}}, is an excellent example of the [[ecosystem]] of the Thar Desert and its diverse [[fauna (animals)|fauna]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Desert National Park |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5448/ |website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |publisher=UNESCO |access-date=26 June 2009 |archive-date=16 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220516235029/http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5448/ |url-status=live }}</ref>  Seashells and massive [[fossilised]] tree trunks in this park record the geological history of the desert. The region is a haven for [[bird migration|migratory]] and resident birds of the desert. One can see many [[eagle]]s, [[harrier (bird)|harriers]], [[falcon]]s, [[buzzard]]s, [[kestrel]]s and [[vulture]]s. [[Short-toed snake eagle]]s (''Circaetus gallicus''), [[tawny eagle]]s (''Aquila rapax''), [[spotted eagle]]s (''Aquila clanga''), [[laggar falcon]]s (''Falco jugger'') and kestrels are some of the raptor species seen in Desert National Park. Road traffic inside the Park is, however, a threat to several wild species of the park with several species of amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals reported to have died as roadkill.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Kumawat |first1=Rakesh |last2=Ashok |first2=Purohit |date=2020 |title=Impact and assessment of wildlife mortalities on road due to vehicular movements in Desert National Park, Rajasthan, India |url=https://www.ajcb.in/journals/short_others_july_2020/AJCB-Vol9-No1-Kumawat-Purohit.pdf |journal=Asian Journal of Conservation Biology |volume=9 |issue=1 |pages=173–177 |access-date=1 March 2024 |archive-date=1 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240301061946/https://www.ajcb.in/journals/short_others_july_2020/AJCB-Vol9-No1-Kumawat-Purohit.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[Ranthambore National Park]] located in [[Sawai Madhopur]],<ref name="Sadhu et al., 2017">{{Cite journal |last1=Sadhu |first1=Ayan |last2=Jayam |first2=Peter Prem Chakravarthi |last3=Qureshi |first3=Qamar |last4=Shekhawat |first4=Raghuvir Singh |last5=Sharma |first5=Sudarshan |last6=Jhala |first6=Yadvendradev Vikramsinh |title=Demography of a small, isolated tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) population in a semi-arid region of western India |journal=BMC Zoology |volume=2 |pages=16 |doi=10.1186/s40850-017-0025-y |issn=2056-3132 |date=28 November 2017|doi-access=free }}</ref> one of the well known tiger reserves in the country, became a part of [[Project Tiger]] in 1973.

[[Tal Chhapar Sanctuary]] is a very small sanctuary in [[Sujangarh]], [[Churu District]], {{convert|210|km|mi}} from [[Jaipur]] in the [[Shekhawati]] region. This sanctuary is home to a large population of [[blackbuck]]. [[Red fox|Desert foxes]] and the [[caracal]], an [[apex predator]], also known as the ''desert lynx'', can also be spotted, along with birds such as the [[partridge]], [[harrier (bird)|harrier]]s, [[Eastern Imperial Eagle|eastern imperial eagle]], [[Pale Harrier|pale harrier]], [[Marsh Harrier|marsh harrier]], [[Short-toed Eagle|short-toed eagle]], [[Tawny Eagle|tawny eagle]], [[Sparrow Hawk|sparrow hawk]], [[Crested Lark|crested lark]], [[Demoiselle Crane|demoiselle crane]], [[Oriental skylark|skylarks]], [[Green Bee-eater|green bee-eater]], [[Brown Dove|brown dove]], [[Black Ibis|black ibis]], and [[sand grouse]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Tal Chhapar Black Buck Sanctuary |date=29 June 2013 |url=https://www.insideindianjungles.com/wildlife-sanctuaries/tal-chhapar-wildlife-sanctuary/ |website=Inside Indian Jungles |access-date=5 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190408182034/https://www.insideindianjungles.com/wildlife-sanctuaries/tal-chhapar-wildlife-sanctuary/ |archive-date=8 April 2019 |url-status=live  }}</ref> The [[great Indian bustard]], known locally as the ''godavan'', and which is a state bird, has been classed as critically endangered since 2011.<ref>{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |date=2018 |title=''Ardeotis nigriceps'' |volume=2018 |page=e.T22691932A134188105 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22691932A134188105.en |access-date=13 November 2021}}</ref>

=== Wildlife protection ===
[[File:Reclining Tiger, Ranthambore National Park.JPG|thumb|left|Reclining tiger, [[Ranthambore National Park]]]]
Rajasthan is also noted for its national parks and [[wildlife]] sanctuaries. There are four national parks and wildlife sanctuaries: [[Keoladeo National Park]] of [[Bharatpur, India|Bharatpur]], [[Sariska Tiger Reserve]] of Alwar, [[Ranthambore National Park]] of [[Sawai Madhopur]], and [[Desert National Park]] of Jaisalmer. A national-level institute, [[Arid Forest Research Institute]] (AFRI) an autonomous institute of the ministry of forestry is situated in Jodhpur and continuously works on desert flora and their conservation.

[[Ranthambore National Park]] is 7&nbsp;km from [[Sawai Madhopur]] Railway Station. It is known worldwide for its tiger population and is considered by both wilderness lovers and photographers as one of the best places in India to spot tigers. At one point, due to poaching and negligence, tigers became extinct at Sariska, but five tigers have been relocated there.<ref>{{cite news|title=A tale of two tiger reserves|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/a-tale-of-two-tiger-reserves/article3019496.ece|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=21 March 2012|access-date=29 January 2014|location=Jaipur|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203160826/http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/a-tale-of-two-tiger-reserves/article3019496.ece|archive-date=3 February 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> Prominent among the wildlife sanctuaries are [[Mount Abu]] Sanctuary, Bhensrod Garh Sanctuary, [[Darrah National Park|Darrah Sanctuary]], Jaisamand Sanctuary, [[Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary]], Jawahar Sagar Sanctuary, and [[Sita Mata Wildlife Sanctuary]].