Nagarahole Tiger Reserve

About Nagarahole Tiger Reserve:

• Location: It is situated in the districts of Mysore and Kodagu in Karnataka, covering an area of 847.981 sq km.
• The reserve is named after a small river, ‘Nagarahole’ (literally a snake stream in Kannada), which meanders within the habitat before joining the river Kabini.
• It is contiguous with Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (Kerala) to its south and Bandipur Tiger Reserve to its southeastern parts.
• The habitat also forms part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.
• The Kabini and Taraka reservoirs are large water bodies located towards the west and southeastern parts of the reserve, respectively.
• History:
  • The origin of the reserve as a protected area dates back to the reign of the Wodeyar dynasty, the former rulers of the Kingdom of Mysore, when Nagarahole was an exclusive hunting reserve of the kings.
  • It was set up in 1955 as a wildlife sanctuary by Coorg State.
  • It was upgraded to a national park in 1988 and brought under the fold of Project Tiger by declaring it a Tiger Reserve in 1999.
• Vegetation: The predominant vegetation is ofsouthern tropical, moist, mixed deciduous type, with a substantial eastern portion intergrading into dry deciduous type.
• Flora:

o The forests are interspersed with swampy fallows called ‘hadlu’, which are dominated by grasses and sedges, favoured by wild herbivores.

o Commercially important rosewood, teak, sandalwood, and silver oak are the main trees here. 

Fauna: It supports large assemblages of carnivores and herbivores: Tiger, Leopard, Asiatic wild dog and Sloth bear, Asiatic Elephant, Gaur, Sambar, Chital, Muntjac, Four horned antelope, Wild pig, Mouse deer and South-western langur.

Q1: What is the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve?

It is located in the Nilgiri Mountains of the Western Ghats. It encompasses parts of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka. It was the first biosphere reserve in India, established in 1986. The total area of the reserve is 5,520 sq. km. It is the largest protected forest area in India. The Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary, Wyanaad Wildlife Sanctuary, Bandipur National Park, Nagarhole National Park, Mukurthi National Park, and Silent Valley are the protected areas present within this reserve.

Source: Mysuru Dasara elephant Ashwatthama dies of electrocution in Nagarhole Tiger Reserve