Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh

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 54^th 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