Mudumalai Tiger Reserve

About Mudumalai Tiger Reserve:

• Location:
  • It is located in the Nilgiris District of Tamil Nadu, at the tri-junction of three states, viz, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.
  • It lies on the Northeastern and Northwestern slopes of the Nilgiri hills, which is a part of the Western Ghats. It is part of the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve, the first biosphere reserve in India.
  • It has a common boundary with Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary(Kerala) on the west, Bandipur Tiger Reserve (Karnataka) on the north, the Nilgiris North Division on the south and east, and Gudalur Forest Division on the south-west.
• Habitat: A variety of habitats ranging from tropical evergreen forest, moist deciduous forest, moist teak forest, dry teak forest, secondary grasslands, and swamps are found here.
• River: The Moyar River runs through the reserve.
• Flora:
  • It has tall grasses, commonly referred to as “Elephant Grass”, bamboo of the giant variety, and valuable timber species like Teak, Rosewood, etc.
  • It has wild relatives of cultivated plants, viz. wild rice, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, etc.
  • The habitat also has swampy areas (Vayals) and grasslands.
• Fauna:
  • The faunal assemblage includes: elephant, gaur, sambar, Four Horned antelope, spotted deer, barking deer, blackbuck, wild pig, mouse deer, and predators like tigers, leopards, and wild dogs.
  • The recent Oscar-winning ‘Elephant Whisperers’ was filmed at the Theppakadu Elephant Camp, located inside the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve.