Nagarahole Tiger Reserve

About Bandipur Tiger Reserve:

• Location: It is situated in two contiguous districts (Mysore and Chamarajanagar) ofKarnataka and located at the tri-junction area of the States of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala.
• Geographically, it is an “ecological confluence” of the Western and Eastern Ghats.
• History:
  • It was once a hunting ground for the rulers of the neighbouring kingdom of Mysore.
  • It was established in the year 1931 as Venugopala Wildlife Park by the Maharaja of Mysore.
  • It was then expanded with the name Bandipur Tiger Reserve under Project Tiger in 1973.
• It is part of the larger Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, which is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• BTR is surrounded by:
  • Nagarahole Tiger Reserve (Tamil Nadu) in the North West (Kabini Reservoir separates the two).
  • Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (Tamil Nadu) in the South.
  • Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (Kerala) in the South West.
• Rivers: It is surrounded by River Kabini in its north and River Moyar in its south.
• Climate: Bandipur has a typical tropical climate with distinct wet and dry seasons.
• Vegetation: It comprises diverse vegetation of dry deciduous to tropical mixed deciduous.
• Flora: It includes rosewood, Indiankino tree,sandalwood, Indian laurel, clumping bamboo, giant clumping bamboo, etc.
• Fauna:
  • It is a shelter for the largest population of wild Asian elephants in South Asia. 
  • It comprises other mammals such as Bengal tiger, gaur, sloth bear, golden jackal, dhole, four-horned antelope, etc.

Q1: What is Project Tiger?

The Govt. of India had launched “Project Tiger” on 1st April 1973 to promote conservation of the tiger. Project Tiger has been the largest species conservation initiative of its kind in the world.

Source: Tusker stuck in rail barricade in Bandipur reserve rescued