Madhya Pradesh
Elephant Deaths in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve
- 04 Nov 2024
- 2 min read
Why in News?
Recently, four elephants were found dead and five others critically ill in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh, prompting a thorough investigation by wildlife officials and conservation teams.
Key Points
- Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve:
- Located in Madhya Pradesh, Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve spans an area rich in biodiversity and serves as one of India's premier tiger habitats.
- Elephant Population:
- Originally devoid of elephants, the reserve saw its first elephant herd migration from Chhattisgarh in 2018, marking the start of a permanent elephant population within the reserve.
- The initial herd numbered around 15-20 elephants and has since been observed in both core and buffer areas of the reserve.
- The elephants were located in Reserved Forest (RF) 384 and Protected Forest (PF) 183 A, in the Salakhaniya Beat of Khitauli and Pataur core ranges.
Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (BTR)
- It is located in the Umaria district of Madhya Pradesh and is spread over the Vindhya hills.
- In 1968, it was notified as a national park and in 1993 was declared a tiger reserve- under the Project Tiger Network at the neighbouring Panpatha Sanctuary.
- It is known for the Royal Bengal Tigers. The density of the tiger population at Bandhavgarh is the highest known in India as well as in the world.
- These streams then merge into the Son river (an important southern tributary to the river Ganga).
- The important prey species consists of chital, sambhar, barking deer, nilgai, chinkara, wild pig, chowsingha, langur and rhesus macaque.
- Dependent upon them are the major predators like tiger, leopard, wild dog, wolf and jackal.
