In News: A tigress was found dead in the buffer zone of Kanha tiger reserve in Madhya Pradesh.
Kanha Tiger Reserve
- The Kanha National Park was originally a part of the Gondwanas or the “land of the Gonds”.
- The forest of the Kanha Tiger Reserve was inhibited by two indigenous tribes of Central India, the Gonds and the Baigas.
- The vicinity of the reserve is still occupied with the villagers of these tribes.
- Located in Mandla and Balaghat districts, the Kanha Tiger Reserve is being occupied by two major sanctuaries, the Hallon and the Banjar Sanctuaries. Respectively covering the area of 250 sq km and 300 sq km, the Kanha Reserve together forms a greater area of 1,949 sq km.
Geography
- Kanha dwells in the central Indian highlands and amazingly hosts nearly half of India’s forests.
- The Kanha Reserve is located in the Maikal Range which forms the eastern base of the triangular Satpura Range.
- The park lies 160 km (100 miles) southeast of Jabalpur and 270 km (170 miles) northeast of the city of Nagpur (Maharashtra).
- The exact geographical coordinates of Kanha are: Latitude: 22° 7′ to 22° 27’N; longitude: 80° 26′ to 81° 3’E.
Fauna
- The State animal of Madhya Pradesh – Hard Ground Barasingha (Swamp deer or Rucervus duvaucelii) is found exclusively in Kanha Tiger Reserve.
- Other Species found include Tiger, Leopard, Dhole, Bear, Gaur and Indian Python etc
Flora
- It is best known for its evergreen Sal forests (Shorea Robusta).
- It is the first tiger reserve in India to officially introduce a mascot, “Bhoorsingh the Barasingha”.
