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Tiger Reserves in India
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One of the lesser known tiger reserves in the country which has been a source of conservation inspiration is Valmiki tiger reserve. It had 8 tigers in 2010 which has now gone to 31 tigers in 2018 and also 10-12 cubs. Pushing on, the tiger reserve wants to add 290 hectares of grassland to existing 1400 hectares. It was placed 5th in the recent rankings released for management of tiger reserves. I think they should be looking at adding more Rhinos to the park.
https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/wildlife-biodiversity/bihar-s-valmiki-tiger-reserve-to-get-more-grassland-cover-66322 
Bihar Govt Plans Second Tiger Reserve
After successfully quintupling the number of tigers in less than a decade at Valmiki, Bihar is preparing to create another tiger reserve in the state. Indian state of Bihar's map of protected forests  *This image is copyright of its original author Spread across almost double the size of Valmiki Tiger Reserve in Terai the Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary (1342 km²) situated along the northernmost end of central India, have been identified as possible site for a tiger reserve & is being groomed as Bihar's next tiger reserve. The Kaimur forests are the biggest in the state in terms of area, tigers were spotted there until 1995. Forest officers said that the first initiative to develop Kaimur into a tiger reserve was made after several tigers and their pug marks were spotted in the area in recent times. The number of pug marks are being counted and then the proposal will be sent to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). Forest Division Officer of Kaimur Vikas Ahlawat told that the process to protect other animals in the area has been initiated and the forest is under surveillance. “We have to first work on habitat improvement. From there, we have to move to safety and security for tigers in Kaimur. Only after that will we formally send a proposal to the Centre to approve and declare it as a new tiger reserve. It is a long process that is bound to take some time,” Santosh Tiwari, director of the ecology department, said. To the south the forest is connected to Palamu Tiger Reserve of Jharkhand, and to the west it has natural corridor with Sanjay & Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserves of Madhya Pradesh. VTR was nearing saturation point with the capacity to manage nearly 50 tigers. According to the latest census, there are more than 40 tigers including 31 adult tigers & above dozen cubs. Sources: https://www.outlookindia.com/newsscroll/...ve/1607748 https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/wild...imur-66420 https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/bi...2019-08-30
Nagarhole National Park located in Southern Karnataka is a tiger reserve covering 647 sq.km. According to the 2018 census, there were 110 tigers in this reserve making it one of the highest density of tigers in the country. So, the state govt. has notified for addition of 200 sq.km of reserve forest to be merged into the national park. (Reserve Forest in India are those areas of forests which are eyed by the govt for various purposes and to declare so makes it easier for govt to clear it. It us not the best quality of forest, though). Nagarhole and Bandipur have reached their carrying capacities in terms of tiger numbers and they act as a source sink of South Indian tigers especially given the divergent subpopulations that exist within this landscape. It is imperative that these national parks are allowed to grow.
https://www.deccanherald.com/state/mangaluru/seven-reserve-forests-merged-with-nagarahole-758167.html (06-03-2019, 11:11 AM)Rishi Wrote: (07-22-2019, 03:16 PM)Rishi Wrote: Kumbhalgarh may soon become a tiger reserve Sep 3, 2019. UDAIPUR: Animal lovers have a reason to rejoice. With an assessment report in favour of tiger habitation and the state government seeking a detailed report on the potential for relocation of the big cats here, chances are high that Kumbhalgarh in Rajsamand district may soon become the 4th home of tigers in the state of Rajasthan.  *This image is copyright of its original author Principal chief conservator of forest has written to the chief conservator of forest (CCF) Ram Karan Khairwa, seeking a report on the availability of resources and potential for a tiger reserve at Kumbhalgarh. The CCF has forwarded the letter to DFO, Rajsamand, instructing to submit the report at the earliest. The proposed reserve's critical tiger habitat area falls between Kumbhalgarh National Park and Todgarh Raoli Wildlife Sanctuary, with option to be extended to Phulwari ki Nal sanctuary. According to experts, the old tiger corridors are in better conditions i.e fragmentation is not much severe. Of the two corridors, the second one that connects Kumbhalgarh to Phulwari and Polo forests of Gujarat have been found to be more intact. The area of the proposed tiger reserve would be atleast 1105.79 sq.km from both sanctuaries with 99 natural and 81 artificial water holes.“The area already has excellent prey base which makes it suitable for the tiger reserve. The prey base ratio of carnivorous and herbivorous animals is 652:4688. The number of animals is huge like jackals, panthers, hyena, fox, wolf, sloth bear, mongoose etc,” Rahul Bhatnagar, retired CCF (wildlife) said. Sources: https://m.patrika.com/pali-news/gets-app...t-5034433/ https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city...952461.cms[/color]
Kaziranga has a national highway running along the southern side and this has been a source of constant conflict for wildlife. Now, the Assamese govt wants to build a flyover bypassing the whole park.
“The alignment of the flyover was prepared recently by the Wildlife Institute of India. The first segment of the flyover, divided into three segments, will be the lengthiest at 18km,” P Sivakumar, the director of Kaziranga National Park, informed. While the existing highway will continue to be used for access to the park and various resorts near it, the flyover will be for those who don’t want to halt at Kaziranga. The minister informed that the project is being planned in coordination with the National Green Tribunal, various other wildlife authorities and the Assam government. https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/longest-flyover-to-protect-wildlife-at-kaziranga-planned/story-QgE7k99jT1zP7LAfjR1exM.html
Madhya Pradesh state in India to get it’s 7th tiger reserve. Ratapani Tiger reserve was supposed to be notified a decade ago and was given the green light by NTCA, but, finally the proposal to declare it one has been approved.
Of the 823.065 sq km area of the existing sanctuary, 763.812 sq km has been redrawn as the core and the remaining 59.253 sq km will be the buffer area of the proposed reserve. Out of the 29 revenue villages that were part of the sanctuary, nine villages, spread over 26.947 sq km, fall in the reserve’s core area. https://indianexpress.com/article/india/madhya-pradesh-set-to-get-its-seventh-tiger-reserve-6052612/
A definite shot in the arm comes from the High Court in Chattisgarh for tiger reserves as it directs the NTCA to create a tiger reserve after merging Tamor-Pingla wildlife sanctuary and Guru Ghaisdas National Park within 2 weeks.
Guru Ghasidas National Park has a zone called Koriya where the last Asiatic Cheetah was shot dead and apparently there are plans for a feasibility studies to be conducted for reintroduction of the African cheetahs here (Not sure it would happen). Why this is so important is it creates a tiger corridor from Madhya Pradesh into Chattisgarh and into Jharkhand (Palamu which lost tigers in the recent census). That’s a good 250-300 kilometres of forests interlinked with a corridor. https://www.thehitavada.com/Encyc/2019/11/13/NTCA-Directs-to-create-Tiger-Reserve-by-combining-Tamor-Pingla-Guru-Ghasidas-National-Park.html (11-13-2019, 12:54 PM)Ashutosh Wrote: A definite shot in the arm comes from the High Court in Chattisgarh for tiger reserves as it directs the NTCA to create a tiger reserve after merging Tamor-Pingla wildlife sanctuary and Guru Ghaisdas National Park within 2 weeks. Northern part of Chhattisgarh has a big unfragmented forest tract, connecting Madhya Pradesh to the old tiger habitants in Chhotanagpur plateau (Jharkhand mostly). The population density is low and the forest cover is very good there, with lots of growth potential but the whole thing is unprotected as both insurgency-ridden backward states are lagging in conservation measures & lacks political will. A few kicks from the Judiciary is welcome news. Read this old rant of mine: #1,054. And here's a map of what would be new tiger reserve.  *This image is copyright of its original author Also there would be at least half-a-dozen tigers in Jharkhand right now (link). Sporadic populations from which the tiger came into West Bengal last year. The All India Census skimmed through the states foreast casually, like it did in Northeast, while concentrating on high density viable tiger areas.
In the 2018 tiger census, Buxa tiger reserve of West Bengal came up with 0 tiger camera trapped. This caused a lot of consternation amongst state wildlife officials and embarrassed them as well. Since then, there has been proof of a couple of tigers (they weren’t camera trapped in the duration of the census).
Now, to rectify this scenario, Buxa is planning on bringing 6 tigers from Kaziranga to repopulate it’s forest which itself is said to have degraded over the last decade. The plan is to first bring in 3 (most probably 1 male, 2 females) and a year later, 3 more. Two issues with this: First, the subpopulation at Kaziranga is distinct, and not that close to other populations of north East, and considering there maybe a couple of tigers already in this reserve who have a different population marker, should there be this hotch potch of genetic flow? On the other hand, Kaziranga is absolutely bursting at the seams with tiger numbers. It’s already pretty saturated carrying more tigers than it’s carrying capacity. So, those tigers may benefit from an alternative home, a home that has the highest mortality rate of any big cat per population size, hence reducing the pressure. https://www.deccanherald.com/national/east-and-northeast/bengals-buxa-reserve-to-get-6-royal-bengal-tigers-from-kaziranga-802781.html
With Ranthambore overflowing & young tiger regularly leaving the monitored area, drawing a lot of flak towards the state govt. for "missing tigers", Kumbhalgarh is more or less set to become a Tiger Reserve.
The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has written to the chief wildlife warden of Rajasthan to look into the possibility of upgrading Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary, once proposed for Asiatic lion reintroduction, into a tiger reserve. The letter dated February 10 asked the forest department to explore the possibility keeping in view the core buffer strategy and landscape approach towards tiger conservation. NTCA has sought a detailed report in this regard. The letter read that in the 17th meeting of NTCA held on January 6, Dungarpur MP Harshvardhan Singh had expressed his opinion that the sanctuary be notified as tiger reserve to accommodate the rising population of the big cat in the state. According to the draft, the name of the area is proposed to be Kumbhalgarh Tiger Reserve which will constitute Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary & Todgarh-Raoli Wildlife Sanctuary situated along the length of the Aravalli range, plus some adjoining forest areas. The area of the proposed reserve is 1280.50 km², out of which 355.25 km² will be the core area & 925.25 km² as buffer area in Phase I.  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author The highlight of the proposed tiger reserve is that there are no revenue villages in the proposed core area. The proposed reserve lies in the districts of Pali, Rajsamand, Udaipur and Ajmer and is located in the oldest range of Aravallis spreading over the tract starting from Khulbrahora (Gujarat) and culminating on Delhi ridge. Rajasthan forest department has already initiated the process to upgrade the two narrow sanctuaries into another tiger reserve. Once, tigers used to roam in the natural forests of Kumbhalgarh and Raoli-Todgarh. The habitat of both the sanctuaries is suitable to tigers, other predators and its prey base. A final proposal had been submitted to chief wildlife warden for the same. Following the state government’s direction, assessment report on the potential for relocation of the big cats at the sanctuary was prepared by the department. “We are already working on the possibility of upgrading the sanctuary and will reply to NTCA with the detailed report. A draft proposal has been ready for a while,” said Arindam Tomar, chief wildlife warden. ....................................................................................................................... Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary in southewestern Bihar that was slated to be a the state's 2nd Reserve (#32) too was in news this week & still in the run.  *This image is copyright of its original author A forest official said that pugmarks of a tigress have been seen on the hillsides of Auraiya, Bhukkuda and Durgavati reservoirs of Chenari in Rohtas district. The claw marks seen in several places as well. A tiger has also been sighted in Chenari, tracking in the area is being done by Forest Department. Officials claimed that stool was found for the first time in the Tilothu area on November 4 last year, which was also confirmed as tiger's at the laboratory of Wildlife Institute of India in Dehradun. There are speculations that the tiger may have reached a tiger reserve of neighbouring Jharkhand or Chattisgarh.  *This image is copyright of its original author Kaimur, a large sanctuary of near 2000 km², had completely fallen off conservation map in past few decades of misgovernance & negligence. While resident tigers have vanished, migrant tigers are still reported by locals to visit the area. However, there was absolutely no monitoring or protection of this critical landscape until last year & reversing the situation like in Valmiki TR is requisite. The process of protecting the fauna of Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary has been started and the forest is being monitored thoroughly. Authorities said that when other wild animals grow, more tigers will also come. An official said that the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has also praised the initiative at Kaimur. Sources claim that these figures will be sent to NCTA, following which a formal proposal for declaration of TR is expected. Local people aren't opposed to the idea in hopes of that once the tiger reserve is declared, the area will be developed as a tourism hotspot drawing crowd from major cities of Bihar & Uttar Pradesh nearby.
Since reintroduction the tiger Numbers in & some Panna has swell beyond 50 and now they're all over the place, ranging upto Chitrakoot district in Uttar Pradesh along its border with Madhya Pradesh, 150km away.
 *This image is copyright of its original author Unlike Ranthambore where almost all females are still within the core with mostly males exploring, these tigers setting up breeding population away from Panna. Cubs were first reported in 2017, by collared tigress T-213(22) in the 250km² Ranipur Wildlife Sanctuary in UP. There are more than 8 tigers in these jungles now, all of them are litters of the now 6-years-old female. Got her collar changed on 14th.  *This image is copyright of its original author Only last week a male & female pair were seen frolicking around the Satna-Chitrakut highway near Majhgawa... There may have reportedly been cubs as well.  *This image is copyright of its original author Both have now moved towards Ranipur. With permanent breeding population of resident tigers established, UP govt. is planning to make Ranipur Wildlife Sanctuary a national park & eventually Chitrakoot Tiger Reserve of the adjoining forests are occupied by tigers too. Right now village-relocation is being planned.  *This image is copyright of its original author It sits right on the Panna-Sanjay tiger corridor and can provide the tigers with an intermediate stepping stone.
MM Hills or Male Mahadeswara Wildlife Sanctuary is to be declared Karnataka’s 6th tiger reserve. There are about 20 tigers in an area of about 912 square kilometres. It also boasts the best elephant density in India with 5 per square kilometre.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mysuru/mm-hills-set-to-be-sixth-tiger-reserve-of-karnataka/articleshow/74327196.cms (02-26-2020, 12:17 PM)Rishi Wrote: Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary in southewestern Bihar that was slated to be a the state's 2nd Reserve (#32) too was in news this week & still in the run. Tiger finally photographed at Kaimur on camera-trap. [tweet] https://twitter.com/Pradyumn_IFS/status/...4482936834[/tweet] |
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