Context: Ending an operation that lasted over five days, the Tamil Nadu Forest Department officials successfully tranquillised wild elephant, Arikompan in the Chinna Ovulapuram reserve forest in Theni district, early on Monday, June 5, 2023. Sources said Arikomban will be released at Muththukuzhivayal beyond Upper Gothaiyar area in Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR).
Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve
- Location:
- It is located in the South Western Ghats montane rain forests in Tirunelveli district and Kanyakumari district in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
- It includes three sanctuaries, viz. Kalakad, Mundanthurai and part of Kanyakumari Sanctuary, with portions of Tirunelveli forest division of the State.
- It is the second-largest protected area in Tamil Nadu.
- It is part of the Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve.
- Kalakad Wildlife Sanctuary together with the Mundanthurai Wildlife Sanctuary has been notified as the 17th Project Tiger Reserve in 1988.
- The topography of Kalakad is rugged with numerous perennial hill streams originating from the rainforest areas on the upper slopes and they confluence to form the rivers of Tamirabarani, Manimuthar and Ramanadhi.
- Flora: The vegetation types ranges from forests of tropical West Coast Tropical Wet Ever Green forest to Tropical Dry Mixed Deciduous Forest and Thorn Forest makes it one of the richest biodiversity areas in the world.
The forests are categorized as below:
- West Coast tropical evergreen forests
- Southern dry mixed deciduous forests
- Ochlandra Reed Brakes
- Tropical riparian fringing forests
- Dry teak forests
- Southern moist mixed deciduous forests
- Southern montane wet grass land
- Southern hilltop evergreen forests
- Carnatic umbrella thorn forests
- Tirunelveli Semi evergreen forests
- Grass lands.
- Fauna: The faunal diversity is tremendous and around 84 threatened species have been reported (4 critical, 24 endangered and 56 vulnerable). Tiger and elephant are the charismatic mammals, besides a large array of co-predators (leopard, small carnivores), ungulates (sambar, spotted deer), birds, reptiles (crocodile) and fishes.
- Tiger Status: The reserve has a comparatively low tiger status and the 2010 country level tiger assessment has estimated around 15-18 tigers.
Read also: List of tiger reserves in India
