Satkosia Tiger Reserve

About Satkosia Tiger Reserve:

• Location: It is located in the heartland of Odisha and spread over four districts, viz. Angul, Cuttack, Boudh, and Nayagarh.
• It comprises two adjoining sanctuaries, namely Baisipalli Sanctuary and Satkosia Gorge Sanctuary.
• The reserve has an area of 1136.70 sq.km. with 523.61 sq.km. as core area. The area is also a part of the Mahanadi Elephant Reserve.
• Satkosia is the meeting point of two biogeographic regions of India; the Deccan Peninsula and the Eastern Ghats.
• Landscape: The terrain ishilly, with moderate to steep slopes and narrow valleys.
• The river Mahanadi flows through the valleys in the middle of the reserve.
• The average elevation of the terrain varies between 37 m and 932 m, with the lowest point being at Katrang and the highest point being at Sunakhania.
• Vegetation: The forest vegetation comprises of North Indian tropical moist deciduous forests and Moist peninsular low-level sal.
• Flora:
  • The main tree species being sal, which grows in gregarious formations.
  • Other associate species are Asan (Terminalia alata), Dhaura (Anogeissus latifolia), Bamboo (Dendrocalamus strictus), and Simal (Bombax ceiba).
• Fauna:
  • The reserve has a low population of tiger, leopard, elephant, spotted deer, sambar, chowsingha, barking deer, bison, wild dog, sloth bear, jackal, giant squirrel, and porcupine.
  • It is the natural habitat of two endangered species, viz., the fresh water crocodile and the gharial.

Q1: Which are the main tributaries of Mahanadi River?

Mahanadi rises from Raipur district of Chhatisgarh and flows for about 851 km before its outfall into the Bay of Bengal. Its main tributaries are the Seonath, the Jonk, the Hasdeo, the Mand, the ib, the Ong and the Tel.

Source: Odisha plans to bring 12 tigers to Satkosia with National Tiger Conservation Authority approval