Bandipur Tiger Reserve

About Bandipur Tiger Reserve:

• Location: It is situated in two contiguous districts (Mysore and Chamarajanagar) of Karnataka and located in 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, Indian kino 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.