# Hazarganji-Chiltan National Park

Hazarganji Chiltan National Park is a national park in the Mastung District of western Balochistan Province of Pakistan. 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.
It was established in 1980 and covers 325,000 acre of land located close to the Koh-i-Chiltan mountain in Quetta's outskirt.
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

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.

## Biodiversity

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.

### Flora

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

### Fauna

The fauna comprises about 300-400 rare Sulaiman Markhor and around 800 Chiltan ibex survive within the park boundaries. 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.

## Species
### Mammals

Total 30 species of mammals include:
| Name of animal | Scientific name | Distribution |
| Afghan hedgehog | Hemiechinus auritus megalotis | Chiltan, Hazarganji, Kharkhasa |
| Brandt's hedgehog | Paraechinus hypomelas | Hazarganji, Kharkhasa |
| Balochistan short-tailed shrew | Crocidura gmelini | Chiltan, Hazarganji, Kharkhasa |
| Zarudny's rock shrew | Crocidura zarudnyi | Hazarganji, Kharkhasa |
| Greater horseshoe bat | Rhinolophus ferrumequinum | Hazarganji |
| Indian wolf | Canis lupus pallipes | Chiltan, Hazarganji |
| Asiatic jackal | Canis aureus | Chiltan, Hazarganji, Kharkhasa |
| Red fox | Vulpes vulpes | Bibi Nala, Chiltan, Duzchur, Hazarganji, Hinjeeri Nala, Ziarat Nala |
| Caracal | Caracal caracal | Chiltan, Hazarganji, Kharkhasa |
| Jungle cat | Felis chaus | Chiltan, Hazarganji, Hazarganji Reserve forest, Kharkhasa |
| Beech marten | Martes foina | Chiltan, Hazarganji, Hazarganji Reserve forest, Kharkhasa |
| Marbled polecat | Vormela peregusna | Hazarganji, Kharkhasa |
| Striped hyena | Hyaena hyaena | Chiltan, Hazarganji, Kharkhasa |
| Chiltan ibex | Capra aegagrus chialtanensis | All over the park |
| Cape hare | Lepus capensis | Bibi Nala, Hazarganji, Ziarat Nala |
| Afghan pika | Ochotona rufescens | Hazarganji Reserve forest |
| Grey dwarf hamster | Cricetulus migratorius | Chiltan, Hazarganji |
| Baluchi mouse-like hamster | Calomyscus baluchi | Chiltan, Hazarganji, Kharkhasa |
| Small five-toed jerboa | Allactaga elater | Chiltan Hills, Hazarganji |
| Forest dormouse | Dryomys nitedula | Chiltan Reserve forest, Hazarganji, Kharkhasa |
| Indian crested porcupine | Hystrix indica | Chiltan, Hazarganji (1,800–2,500m) |
| Sundevall's jird | Meriones crassus | Chiltan, Hazarganji |
| Persian jird | Meriones persicus | Chiltan, Hazarganji |
| Libyan jird | Meriones libycus | Chiltan, Hazarganji |
| Southern mole vole | Ellobius fuscocapillus | Chiltan, Hazargani (1,900–2,400m) |
| Brown spiny mouse | Mus saxicola | Chiltan, Hazarganji |
| Black rat | Rattus rattus | Museum and rest-house |
| Sand-colored soft-furred rat | Millardia gleadowi | Hazarganji |
| House mouse | Mus musculus | Chiltan, Hazarganji |
| Indian bandicoot rat | Nesokia indica | Bibi Nala, Hazarganji, Hinjeeri Nala, Ziarat Nala |

### Avifauna

| Name of animal | Scientific name | Distribution | Type |
| Shikra | Accipiter badius | Near rest-house | WV/SBV |
| Eurasian sparrowhawk | Accipiter nisus | Chiltan, Hazarganji | SBV |
| Black kite | Milvus migrans | Chiltan, Hazarganji | SBV |
| Golden eagle | Aquila chrysaetos | Samthar | R/WV |
| Tawny eagle | Aquila rapax | Chiltan, Hazarganji | R |
| Bonelli's eagle | Hieraaetus fasciatus | Hazarganji, Kharkhasa | R |
| Short-toed snake eagle | Circaetus gallicus | Chiltan, Hazarganji, Kharkhasa | R |
| Bearded vulture | Gypaetus barbatus | Chiltan, Hazarganji | WV/R |
| Griffon vulture | Gyps fulvus | Chiltan | R |
| Egyptian vulture | Neophron percnopterus | Chiltan | SBV |
| Cinereous vulture | Aegypius monachus | Chiltan | SBV/WV |
| Long-legged buzzard | Buteo rufinus | Chiltan, Hazarganji, Kharkhasa | WV |
| Hen harrier | Circus cyaneus | Chiltan Forest | R/WV |
| Common kestrel | Falco tinnunculus | Chiltan, Hazarganji | R/WV |
| Eurasian hobby | Falco subbuteo | Chiltan, Kharkhasa | WV |
| Saker falcon | Falco cherrug | Bibi Nala, Kharkhasa | WV |
| Peregrine falcon | Falco peregrinus | Chiltan, Hazarganji | SBV/WV |
| Merlin | Falco columbarius | Chiltan, Hazarganji | SBV/WV |
| See-see partridge | Ammoperdix griseogularis | Bibi Nala | R |
| Chukar partridge | Alectoris chukar | Kangri Nala | R |
| Houbara bustard | Chlamydotis undulata | Hazarganji, Ziarat Nala | WV/PM |
| White-tailed lapwing | Chettusia leucura | Chiltan, Hazarganji | PM/SBV |
| Spotted sandgrouse | Pterocles senegallus | Hazarganji | PM/WV |
| Rock dove | Columba livia | Bibi Nala, Hinjeeri Nala, Nulli Nala | R |
| Common wood pigeon | Columba palumbus | Bibi Nala, Hinjeeri Nala, Nulli Nala | R |
| European turtle dove | Streptopelia turtur | Hazarganji Nala | WV |
| Eurasian collared dove | Streptopelia decaocto | Hazarganji Nala | R/SBV |
| Laughing dove | Spilopelia senegalensis | Rest-house | R/SBV |
| Rose-ringed parakeet | Psittacula krameri | Chiltan, Hazarganji | SBV |
| Common cuckoo | Cuculus canorus | Hazarganji, Kharkhasa | SB |
| Spotted owlet | Athene brama | Bibi Nala, Chiltan | R |
| Eurasian eagle-owl | Bubo bubo | Kharkhasa | R |
| Eurasian scops owl | Otus scops | Hazarganji, Ziarat Nala | SBV |
| Pallid scops owl | Otus brucei | Chiltan, Hazarganji, Kharkhasa | SBV |
| European nightjar | Caprimulgus europaeus | Kharkhasa | SBV/WV |
| Common swift | Apus apus | Chiltan, Hazarganji | SBV |
| Little swift | Apus affinis | Hazarganji | SBV |
| Alpine swift | Apus melba | Chiltan Forest, Kharkhasa | SBV |
| European bee-eater | Merops apiaster | Near rest-house | SBV |
| Asian green bee-eater | Merops orientalis | Hazarganji | SBV |
| Eurasian hoopoe | Upupa epops | Stream bed of Chiltan | SBV |
| Scaly-bellied woodpecker | Picus squamatus | Chiltan, Hazarganji | R |
| Hume's short-toed lark | Calandrella acutirostris | Chiltan | SBV |
| Greater short-toed lark | Calandrella brachydactyla | Chiltan Forest | WV |
| Oriental skylark | Alauda gulgula | Hazarganji | R |
| Great Grey Shrike | Lanius excubitor | Chiltan, Hazarganji | WV |
| Lesser whitethroat | Sylvia curruca | Chiltan, Hazarganji | WV |
| Bay-backed shrike | Lanius vittatus | Chiltan, Hazarganji | WV |
| Eurasian skylark | Alauda arvensis | Chiltan Reserve forest, Hazarganji | WV |

## Chiltan express

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.