Context - A dead elephant, a cover up, and a probe that exposed Forest dept officials at Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve.
Key facts related to Bandhavgarh tiger reserve
- The Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve is located between the Vindhyan and Satpura ranges of Madhya Pradesh.
- The habitat is characterized by valleys, hills and plains, with the Bandhavgarh fort prominently seen as a major landmark.
- The habitat consists of tropical moist, deciduous forests with sal, mixed forest and grasslands.
- The habitat also has several archaeological monuments.
- Fauna - Bandhavgarh is famous for its tigers. Dense forests interspersed with grasslands and perennial streams provide an ideal habitat for this predator. The other wild animals include: leopard, wild dog, wolf, Indian fox, Jungle cat, chital, sambar, nilgai, chousingha and chinkara. The Gaur, which became locally extinct since 1998, have been successfully reintroduced from Kanha. Bandhavgarh has a rich avifauna which include: vultures, hornbills, barbets, woodpeckers. The Sarus cranes is seen during monsoon.
- Flora - The tropical moist deciduous forest type is dominated by sal trees. Lofty Saja and Arjun, Mahua (Madhuca species.) and the like contribute to the floral diversity. The habitat also has large number of Palash trees. The lowlands and river flood plains form grasslands during dry months and marshes in the rains. The open marshy grasslands or ‘Vahs’ have abundance of many species of grasses.