Ranthambore Tiger Sanctuary: Rajasthan

• 20 Mar 2021

Why in News

Six tigers are missing in Ranthambore Tiger Sanctuary (Rajasthan).

Key Points

• About:
  
  • Ranthambore Tiger Reserve lies in the eastern part of Rajasthan state in Karauli and Sawai Madhopur districts, at the junction of the Aravali and Vindhya hill ranges.
  • It comprises the Ranthambore National Park as well as Sawai Mansingh and Kailadevi Sanctuaries.
  • The Ranthambore fort, from which the forests derive their name, is said to have a rich history of over 1000 years. It is strategically located atop a 700 feet tall hill within the park and is believed to have been built in 944 AD by a Chauhan ruler.
  • This isolated area with tigers in it represents the north-western limit of the Bengal tiger’s distribution range and is an outstanding example of Project Tiger’s efforts for conservation in the country.
    
    • India has 2,967 tigers, a third more than in 2014, according to results of a census made public in July 2020. Ranthambore, according to this exercise, had 55 tigers.
• Features:
  
  • The reserve consists of highly fragmented forest patches, ravines, river streams and agricultural land.
  • It is connected to Kuno-Palpur Landscape in Madhya Pradesh, through parts of Kailadevi Wildlife Sanctuary, the ravine habitats of Chambal and the forest patches of Sheopur.
  • Tributaries of River Chambal provide easy passage for tigers to move towards the Kuno National Park.
• Vegetation and Wildlife:
  
  • The vegetation includes grasslands on plateaus and dense forests along the seasonal streams.
    
    • The forest type is mainly tropical dry deciduous with ‘dhak’ (Butea monosperma), a species of tree capable of withstanding long periods of drought, being the commonest.
    • This tree is also called as 'Flame of forest' and is one of the many flowering plants that add colour to the dry summers here.
  • The park is rich in wildlife with tigers at the apex of the food chain in mammals.
  • Other animals found here are leopards, striped hyenas, common or hanuman langurs, rhesus macaques, jackals, jungle cats, caracals, blackbuck, Blacknaped hare and chinkara, etc.
  • The park is rich in birds with about 272 species recorded so far.
• Other Protected Areas in Rajasthan:
  
  • Sariska National Park, Alwar
  • Desert National Park, Jaisalmer
  • Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur
  • Sajjangarh wildlife sanctuary, Udaipur
  • National Chambal Sanctuary (on tri-junction of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh)

Source: TH