Pench National Park is a national park in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It was created in 1983 with an area of in the Seoni and Chhindwara districts. Since 1992, it forms the core area of Pench Tiger Reserve.
Pench National Park encompasses in the Seoni district and Chhindwara district of Madhya Pradesh. The Pench River and numerous small streams flow through the national park, which forms the core area of Pench Tiger Reserve. The temperature in this region varies from in winter to in summer, and mean yearly rainfall is . Its elevation ranges from .
The forest in the park consists of dry deciduous forests, and the tree includes teak mixed with other species like saja, bijiayasal, lendia, haldu, dhaora, salai, amla, amaltas, mahua, and white kulu. The ground is covered with a maze of grasses, plants, bushes, and saplings. Bamboo is also found at places.
Pench National Park is home to diverse flora and fauna, which includes over 40 species of mammals, 13 species of reptiles, and more than 210 bird species. It hosts snake species such as cobras, pythons, and the Indian krait.
Mammal species in Pench National Park include Bengal tiger, Indian leopard, golden jackal, dhole, sloth bear, chital, sambar, northern red muntjac, four-horned antelope, gaur, nilgai, chinkara, wild boar, common langur, Rhesus monkey, Indian hare and Indian porcupine.
Pench National Park harbours more than 210 bird species including several migratory ones. Some of them are Indian peafowl, junglefowl, Indian vulture, crow pheasant, crimson-breasted barbet, red-vented bulbul, racket-tailed drongo, Crested serpent eagle, Nisaetus cirrhatus, Indian roller, magpie robin, lesser whistling teal, northern pintail, shoveller, egrets and herons, minivet, oriole, wagtail, munia, myna, waterfowl and common kingfisher.
Pench National Park is one of many places that may have inspired Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book.
The national park served as a filming location for the BBC documentary series , narrated by David Attenborough.