Sariska Tiger Reserve
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Sariska Tiger Reserve is an Indian National Park located in the Alwar District of the state of Rajasthan. Originally a hunting preserve of the erstwhile Alwar state, the area was declared a wildlife reserve in 1955. In 1978 it was declared a Tiger Reserve and is now a part of India's Project Tiger scheme. The present area of the park is 866 km². The park is situated 107 km north east of the state capital Jaipur.
Some of the wildlife found in the Sariska Tiger Reserve include the tiger, leopard, jungle cat, hyena, jackal, chital, sambar, gaur, langur, wild boar and several species of birds.
The tiger reserve is also the location of several archeological sites such as the Neelkanth Mahadev Temple and Garh Rajor temples from the 9th and 10th centuries and the Kankwadi fort. The Kankwadi fort, located near the centre of the park is where, in the 17th century, Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb briefly imprisoned his brother Dara Shikoh in the battle for succession of the Mughal throne. The area also has historical buildings associated with the Maharajas of Alwar such as The Sariska Palace the royal hunting lodge of the former Maharaja of Alwar state Jai Singh.
[edit] Poaching crisis
In late 2004 and early 2005 there were reports that poachers may have been responsible for the disappearance of the reserve's entire tiger population ([1], [2]). After a massive search operation failed to find any tigers in the park, several senior wildlife officials were suspended and a National Wildlife Crime Prevention office was established by the Prime Minister ([3]). In June 2005, after an intensive manhunt by Indian law enforcement, wildlife smuggler SansarChand was arrested in connection with some of the poachings ([4]).
[edit] General information
- Area: 866 km² total (497 km² core, 369 km² buffer)
- Altitude: Between 300 m and 722 m MSL
- Rainfall: Average 650mm (per annum)
- Forest Types: Tropical Dry Deciduous and Tropical Thorn
[edit] External links
- Government of India -- Project Tiger
- Wildlife Protection Society of India
- Rajasthan Tourism Page
- Article at National Geographic
