Bandipur Tiger Reserve

• The tiger which had killed a woman at Balluruhundi close to Hediyala range of Bandipur National Park was darted and captured recently.
• A massive combing operation involving more than 200 forest department personnel and tribals from the local villages, was launched soon after the woman was killed.

ABOUT BANDIPUR TIGER RESERVE

• It is situated in two contiguous districts (Mysore and Chamarajanagar) of Karnataka and located at the tri-junction area of the States of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
• When Project Tiger was launched in 1973, Bandipur was among the first nine reserves to be brought under the flagship programme ‘Project Tiger’ and it included most areas that were already a protected area as Venugopal Wildlife Park.
• It was upgraded to a national park and renamed as Bandipur and the adjacent reserve forests were included under it to extend its area to 874.20 sq km.
• At present, it has an area of 912.04 sq km while the adjoining Nugu Wildlife Sanctuary too has been incorporated under Bandipur, which is recognised as among the prime tiger habitats in the world.
• Flora comprises of diverse vegetation of dry deciduous to tropical mixed deciduous.
  • Species like rosewood, Indian kino tree, sandalwood, Indian laurel, clumping bamboo are found here etc.
• The Bandipur Tiger Reserve is an important component of the country’s first biosphere reserve – Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve and the landscape spanning Bandipur, Nagarahole, Mudumalai, and Wayanad complex is home not only to the highest number of tigers in the country – about 724 – but is also to the largest Asian Elephant population.
  • Fauna also includes gaur, sloth bear, golden jackal, dhole and four-horned antelope etc.