- Bandipur will celebrate its 50th anniversary as a Project Tiger Reserve on April 1, 2023.
- The reserve is situated in the Indian state of Karnataka and covers an area of 912.04 square kilometres.
- It is recognised as one of the world’s best tiger environments and is a key component of the country’s first biosphere reserve, the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.
Bandipur Tiger Population
- According to Ramesh Kumar, director of Bandipur Tiger Reserve, there were 12 tigers in Bandipur when Project Tiger was started in 1973.
- According to the Status of Tigers Co-predators and Prey in India, 2018, the number of tigers using the park is 173, while the number of tigers within the reserve is 126.
Bandipur’s conservation initiatives have a long history.
- The former rulers of Mysuru recognised the significance of conserving flora and fauna long before the Wildlife Conservation Act of 1972 was enacted.
- The Mysore Game and Fish Preservation Act was enacted in 1901, and several forest areas were designated as Game Reserves, with shooting limitations imposed.
- Initially, a 35-square-mile area in Chamarajanagar State Forest in Mysore district was designated as a Game Sanctuary in 1931 and was safeguarded for ten years.
The addition of Bandipur in Project Tiger
- Bandipur was one of the first nine reserves to be brought under Project Tiger when it was established in 1973, and it included most of the areas that were already protected under the Venugopal Wildlife Park.
- The park was upgraded to a national park and renamed Bandipur, and the neighbouring reserve forests were added to it, bringing the total area to 874.20 square kilometres.
The significance of the location
- The Bandipur, Nagarahole, Mudumalai, and Wayanad complex not only has the most tigers in the nation – approximately 724 – but also the biggest Asian Elephant population.
- The Bandipur Tiger Reserve is an essential component of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, the country’s first biosphere reserve.
Source: https://bandipurtigerreserve.org/