| Palamau Tiger Reserve | |
|---|---|
|
IUCN Category II (National Park)
|
|
|
Palamau NP
|
|
| Location | Jharkhand, India |
| Nearest city | Ranchi |
| Area | 1014 km2[1] |
| Established | 1947 |
The Palamau Tiger Reserve is the only Project Tiger reserve area in the state of Jharkhand, India. It is one of the nine original tiger reserves in India.[2]
Contents |
The reserve is located 180 km from Ranchi. Daltonganj is the nearest railway station, 25 km distant.[3] It is situated in Palamu District in Jharkhand in an area of 1014 km2. The area was set aside as a protected area in 1947 under the Indian Forests Act. Prior to the formation of the reserve, the area was used for cattle grazing and camping; it was acutely prone to forest fire.[2]
The tiger reserve has a core area of 414 km2 and a buffer area of 600 km2.[1] Ramandag, Latoo and Kujurum forest villages are located in the core area. 45 villages are located in the buffer area and about 60 are located in the periphery of the reserve. Out of the 45 villages in the buffer area, 7 were created as early as 1923. The villages are typically small; one village Meral consists of just 99 acres (400,000 m2) of land, 9 families and 78 members.[2]
Tiger, elephant, leopard, gaur, sambar and wild dogs live in the reserve.[4] The tiger population is extremely scarce and counting them has become particularly difficult due to Naxalite activities in the area. The 2009 tiger census based on DNA analysis indicates that there are just six tigers left in the reserve. However according to the forest department, since the core area is almost inaccessible due to difficult terrain and the naxalite presence, the census does not cover this area.[1] 65 elephants are believed to reside in a range of 1000 km2 within the reserve.[5] Though the North Koel River runs through the reserve, the animals depend on man-made holes for water, making themselves easily accessible to humans.[3] Over 140 species of birds (including peafowl) have been sighted in the reserve.[6]
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||