The Palamau Tiger Reserve is one of the nine original

tiger reserve Project Tiger is a tiger conservation programme launched in April 1973 by the Government of India during Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's tenure. The project aims at ensuring a viable population of the Bengal tiger in its natural habitats, protectin ...

s in

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 ...

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 ...

and the only one in this state. It forms part of

Betla National Park Betla National Park is a national park located on the Chota Nagpur Plateau in the Latehar and Palamu district of Jharkhand, India. The park hosts a wide variety of wildlife. History Initially comprising of the Palamu Tiger Reserve, an addition ...

and Palamau Wildlife Sanctuary. As of 2022, the reserve is reported to be largely under Naxal control.

Formation

The area in

Latehar District Latehar district is one of the 24 districts of Jharkhand state in eastern India, and Latehar town is the administrative headquarters of this district. This district is part of Palamu division. Latehar district is situated on longitude 84° 31 ...

in Jharkhand was set aside as protected in 1974 under the Indian Forests Act. Before the formation of the reserve, the area was used for cattle grazing and camping; it was acutely prone to forest fire. In 1973, the area was set up as the Palamu Tiger Reserve.

Area

The tiger reserve has a total area of with a core area of 414.93 km² and a buffer area of 650 km². Ramandag, Latoo and Kujurum forest villages are in the core area. Most of the villages are small; one village, Meral, consisted in 1993 of just of land, 9 families and 78 people. In 1993 there were 45 villages in the buffer area and about 60 more in the periphery of the reserve. , that number had grown to 136 villages that fall under the " buffer area" regulations of the Palamu Tiger Reserve. Only seven of the villages were in existence in 1923. The villagers have no legal claim to lands that were settled after 1973 when the buffer area for the reserve was created.

Wildlife

The

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 ...

population is extremely scarce and counting them has become particularly difficult due to Naxalite activities that have increased since 1990. , the count, using DNA to prevent over-counting, is one male and five female tigers. The initial count in 1973 when the tiger reserve was created was 50 tigers, but some claim that this was an over-count without adequate controls. By 2005 the number of tigers was down to 38. The census in 2007 found only 17 tigers. The 2009 tiger census based on DNA analysis indicated that there were just six tigers in the reserve. The forest department claimed that, since the core area was almost inaccessible due to difficult terrain and the Naxalite presence, the census may not have found all the tigers. No new tigers have found till 2012 and decreased game and hunting opportunities suggest that these are the only six. In 2017, a tiger was spotted by tourist. In 2018, All India Tiger count recorded no tiger in reserve. In 2021, a tiger was spotted in camera trap and footprints of tigress was found. As of 1989, 65

elephant Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae an ...

s were believed to reside in the reserve. Apart from

s and

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 ...

gaur The gaur (''Bos gaurus''; ), also known as the Indian bison, is a bovine native to South Asia and Southeast Asia, and has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986. The global population was estimated at a maximum of 21,000 m ...

s, sambars and

wild dogs Wild Dogs is an American heavy metal band from Portland, Oregon, formed loosely in 1981 by original members Jeff Mark, Danny Kurth, Matt McCourt, and Pete Holmes. The band has since released six albums, three live albums and one DVD. Wild Dogs ...

live in the reserve. Over 140 species of birds (including

peafowl Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera '' Pavo'' and ''Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female peafowl are refe ...

) have been sighted in the reserve. Two white vultures were spotted by the officials of Palamu Tiger Reserve in Chainpur in 2013. They were seen on the sand bed of River North Koel, said sources. This is the first time in 10 years that a

vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...

has been sighted in Palamu.

Issues

*Increased pressure from human activities, including illegal settlement and poaching, has reduced the number of tigers and the ability of the reserve to support more tigers. *Funding has been a continuing problem. Since there is not an adequate management plan for the reserve, it continues to be so. *Staff shortage is big problem. Monitoring, protection and conservation work is not applied in all region of this reserve. *Naxalites existence along with difficult terrain makes proper surveillance and implementation of conservation measures tough.

References

External links