Gautam Budha Wildlife Sanctuary (also spelled
Gautam Buddha Gautama, Gautam or Gotama may refer to:
Ancient sages and philosophers
* Akṣapāda Gautama, a Hindu sage and founder of the Nyaya school of Hindu philosophy: see Nyāya Sūtras
* Indrabhuti Gautama, chief disciple of Mahavira
* Gautama Buddha, t ...
) is a
wildlife sanctuary
A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or o ...
located in
Gaya district
}
Gaya district is one of the thirty-eight districts of the Indian state of Bihar. It was officially established on 3 October 1865. The district has a common boundary with the state of Jharkhand to the south. Gaya city is both the district head ...
of
Bihar
Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West Be ...
state and
Koderma district
Koderma district is one of the twenty-four districts of Jharkhand state, India, and Koderma is the administrative headquarters of this district.
Koderma district was created on 10 April 1994, after being carved out of the original Hazaribagh dis ...
of
Jharkhand
Jharkhand (; ; ) is a state in eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north and Odisha to the south. It has an area of . It ...
state in east-central
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
.
The refuge was established in 1976, and covers an area of 259 km
2. Prior to becoming a wildlife refuge, the area was a private hunting reserve.
The refuge covers portions of the
Lower Gangetic Plains moist deciduous forests
The Lower Gangetic Plains moist deciduous forests is a tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests ecoregion of Bangladesh and India. The ecoregion covers an area of , comprising most of Bangladesh and the Indian states of West Bengal, Biha ...
and
Chota Nagpur dry deciduous forests Chota may refer to:
* Chota (Cherokee town), which once existed in present-day Monroe County, Tennessee
* Chota, Ecuador
* Chota, Peru, a city in Chota District, the capital of Chota Province, Peru.
* Chota District, a district in Chota Province, P ...
ecoregions. Plant communities include dry and moist sal ''(
Shorea robusta
''Shorea robusta'', the sal tree, sāla, shala, sakhua, or sarai, is a species of tree in the family Dipterocarpaceae. The tree is native to India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Tibet and across the Himalayan regions .
Evolution
Fossil evidence from lig ...
)'' forests, ravine
thorn forest
A thorn forest is a dense scrubland with vegetation characteristic of dry subtropical and warm temperate areas with a seasonal rainfall averaging .
Regions Africa
Is present in the southwest of Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest ...
, and tropical dry
riverine forest.
[Negi, Sharad Singh (2002). ''Handbook of National Parks, Sanctuaries, and Biosphere Reserves in India.'' Indus Publishing. pp. 94]
Fauna include
tiger
The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus '' Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on u ...
s,
leopard
The leopard (''Panthera pardus'') is one of the five extant species in the genus '' Panthera'', a member of the cat family, Felidae. It occurs in a wide range in sub-Saharan Africa, in some parts of Western and Central Asia, Southern Russia, a ...
s,
wolves
The wolf (''Canis lupus''; plural, : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large Canis, canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of Canis lupus, subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been reco ...
,
sloth bear
The sloth bear (''Melursus ursinus'') is a myrmecophagous bear species native to the Indian subcontinent. It feeds on fruits, ants and termites. It is listed as Vulnerable species, vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, mainly because of habitat loss ...
s,
chital
The chital or cheetal (''Axis axis''; ), also known as the spotted deer, chital deer, and axis deer, is a deer species native to the Indian subcontinent. It was first described and given a binomial name by German naturalist Johann Christian Po ...
s,
chinkara
The chinkara (''Gazella bennettii''), also known as the Indian gazelle, is a gazelle species native to Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.
Taxonomy
The following six subspecies are considered valid:
* Deccan chinkara (''G. b. bennettii'') ...
s, and many species of birds.
The sanctuary has a rest house. The refuge is 65 km southeast of
Gaya, which has a railway station and airport.
References
{{protected areas of Jharkhand
Chota Nagpur dry deciduous forests
Lower Gangetic Plains moist deciduous forests
Wildlife sanctuaries in Bihar
Wildlife sanctuaries in Jharkhand
Tourist attractions in Gaya district
Hazaribagh district
Protected areas established in 1976
1976 establishments in Bihar