Ranthambore Tiger Reserve | 21 Jan 2020

• Location: Ranthambore Tiger Reserve lies in the eastern part of Rajasthan state in Karauli and Sawai Madhopur districts, at the junction of the Aravali and Vindhya hill ranges.
• Parks and Sanctuaries Included: It comprises of the Ranthambore National Park as well as Sawai Mansingh and Keladevi Sanctuaries.
• The Ranthambore fort, from which the forests derive their name, is said to have a rich history of over 1000 years. It is strategically located atop a 700 feet tall hill within the park and is believed to have been built in 944 AD by a Chauhan ruler.
• The vegetation includes grasslands on plateaus and dense forests along the seasonal streams.
  
  • The forest type is mainly tropical dry deciduous with ‘dhak’ (Butea monsoperma), a species of tree capable of withstanding long periods of drought, being the commonest.
  • This tree is also called as 'Flame of forest' and is one of the many flowering plants that add colour to the dry summers here.
• Wildlife
  
  • The park is rich in wildlife with tiger at the apex of the food chain in mammals.
  • Other animals found here are leopards, striped hyenas, common or hanuman langurs, rhesus macaques, jackals, jungle cats, caracals, blackbuck, Blacknaped hare and chinkara, etc.
  • The park is rich in birds with about 272 species recorded so far.
• This area with tigers in it represents the north-western limit of the Bengal tiger’s distribution range and is an outstanding example of Project Tiger’s efforts for conservation in the country.

Source: IE