Mudumalai Tiger Reserve

About Mudumalai Tiger Reserve:

• Location:
  • It is located in the Nilgiris District of Tamil Nadu, spread over 321 sq. km. at the tri-junction of three states, viz, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.
  • It lies on the Northeastern and Northwestern slopes of the Nilgiri hills, which is a part of the Western Ghats.
  • It is part of the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve, the first biosphere reserve in India.
  • It has a common boundary with Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (Kerala) on the west, Bandipur Tiger Reserve (Karnataka) on the north, the Nilgiris North Division on the south and east, and Gudalur Forest Division on the south-west.
• The name Mudumalai means ”the ancient hill range”. Indeed, it is as old as 65 million years when the Western Ghats were formed.
• Terrain: The terrain is undulating, with the elevation ranging from 960m to 1266m.
• Habitat: A variety of habitats ranging from tropical evergreen forest, moist deciduous forest, moist teak forest, dry teak forest, secondary grasslands, and swamps are found here.
• River: The Moyar River runs through the reserve.
• Flora:
  • It has tall grasses, commonly referred to as “Elephant Grass”, bambooof the giant variety, and valuable timber species like Teak, Rosewood, etc.
  • It has wild relatives of cultivated plants, viz. wild rice, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, etc.
  • The habitat also has swampy areas (Vayals) and grasslands.
• Fauna:
  • The faunal assemblage includes: elephant, gaur, sambar, four-homed antelope, spotted deer, barking deer, blackbuck, wild pig, mouse deer, and predators like tigers, leopards, and wild dogs.
  • Around 8% of the total bird species in India can be found in the region.
  • The recent Oscar-winning ‘Elephant Whisperers’ was filmed at the Theppakadu Elephant Camp, located inside the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve.

Q1: What is a Tiger Reserve?

Tiger Reserve is a legally declared protected area dedicated to the conservation of striped big cats. A tiger reserve, on the other hand, could be a national park or wildlife sanctuary. The Sariska Tiger Reserve, for example, is also a national park.

Source: Mudumalai Tiger Reserve wild dogs affected with skin infection