Veerangana
Durgavati Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh
Veerangana
Durgavati Tiger Reserve
is a tiger reserve spread across Damoh, Sagar and Narsinghpur Districts of
Madhya Pradesh in Central India. It is the seventh tiger reserve in Madhya
Pradesh. The tiger reserve is named after Rani Durgavati, a queen of
the Gondi people.
History
The sanctuary was notified by
the Government of Madhya Pradesh in 1996. The Madhya Pradesh
Government recently announced the establishment of the Veerangana Durgavati
Tiger Reserve, marking the seventh tiger reserve in the state and the 54th
in the country.
The Tiger Reserve
The tiger
reserve covers an area of about 2339 sq kms. The core area is about 1414 sq kms
and the buffer area is about 925.12 sq kms. The tiger reserve is formed by
combining the Nauradehi and Durgavati Wildlife Sanctuaries. A green
corridor linking Panna Tiger Reserve (PTR) with Durgavati will be
developed for the natural movement of the tiger to the new reserve. The
parts of the reserve fall under the Narmada and Yamuna River basins. The Singorgarh Fort is located
within the reserve.
Flora:
The
reserve is predominantly tropical mixed dry deciduous forest and some
teak (Tectona grandis) forests with trees accounting for 70 of the 121 species
of plants found here. The trees found in the reserve are Indian Kino (Pterocarpus
marsupium), Saja (Terminalia alata), Dhaora (Anogeissus latifolia), Mahua
(Madhuca indica), Amla (Phyllanthus emblica), Palash (Butea monosperma), Ber
(Ziziphus mauritiana) and Bakli (Lagerstroemia parviflora).
Fauna:
The reserve is home
to approximately 15 tigers, making it a vital habitat for endangered
species. The reserve is home to 18 species of mammals. The mammals found in the
reserve are tiger, leopard, wolf, jackal, Indian fox, striped
hyena, nilgai, chinkara, chital, sambar, black buck, barking deer, common
langur, rhesus macaque and sloth bear. The reserve is also home to 177
species of birds, 16 species of fish and reptiles and 10 species of amphibians.
Connectivity
The
tiger reserve is located at about 7 Kms from Singrampur, 19 Kms from Jabera, 45
Kms from Sihora, 47 Kms from Sihora Road Railway Station, 47 Kms from Damoh, 58
Kms from Jabalpur, 63 Kms from Jabalpur Railway Station and 76 Kms from Jabalpur
Airport. The tiger reserve is situated on the Damoh to Jabalpur route.
Location