Van Vihar National Park

Van Vihar National Park
IUCN category II (national park)
Gharial at Van Vihar
Location	Madhya Pradesh, India
Nearest city	Bhopal
Coordinates	23°13′48″N 77°21′59″E / 23.23000°N 77.36639°E / 23.23000; 77.36639
Area	4.48 km2 (1.73 sq mi)
Established	18 Feb. 1979
Visitors	2,50,000[1]
Governing body	Madhya Pradesh Forest Department

Van Vihar National Park is a national park in Bhopal, the capital city of Madhya Pradesh in central India. Declared a national park in 1979, it covers an area of about 4.45 km². It has the status of a national park, but is developed and managed as a modern zoological park, following the guidelines of the Central Zoo Authority. Animals are kept in near natural habitats. Most animals are either orphaned and brought from various parts of the state or are exchanged from other zoos. No animal is deliberately captured from the forest.^[1] Van Vihar is unique because visitors access it from a road through the park, and trenches, walls, and chain-link fencing protect the animals from poachers while providing natural habitat.