|
About Wildlife Tours of India
The Palamau Tiger Reserve
 General Information
State: Bihar
Location: 25 kms. from Daltonganj
Area: 1026 sq. Kms.
Best time to visit: All the year
Nearest Town: Tezpur (31km)
Palamau Tiger Reserve is located within the civil administrative district of Palamau in the South Chhotanagpur plateau of Bihar. The area is prone to severe droughts, average rainfall varying between 700 to 900 mm. The total area is 928 sq. kms, and the core area 213 sq. kms. Palamau is situated within the lndo-Malayan realm and is rich in flora and fauna and amongst the predators besides the tiger are leopards, wolves, wild dogs and jungle cats. Sloth bear, four horned antelope and mouse dear are some of the herbivores.
There are 107 villages in the buffer, 3 in the core with a human population of 65,000 and a livestock population of 45,000. The core is distributed in 2 parts, the actual core and the recently inducted 'Satellite core'. The core area was declared a National Park in September, 1989. The Sanctuary was brought under Project Tiger in 1973 and is among the first 9 such Tiger Reserves of the country. The western part of the Reserve is composed of dry deciduous forests and the other part shows characters of moist mixed deciduous nature. The entire area has a good distribution of bamboo breaks. The herbarium recently prepared by the Tiger Reserve authorities records a good number of medicinal plants.
 Flora and Fauna
The lush landscape consists of stately Sal in the valley and lower slopes, and dry deciduous forests on the upper slopes. There is also abundant bamboo and scattered open grassy patches are common too. An estimated 44 tigers inhabit this reserve.
Fauna
Tiger, leopard, spotted deer, sambar, barking deer, wolf, wild dog, elephant, mouse deer, pangolin, four-horned antilope, ratel etc.
History
Palamau was one of the initial nine Tiger Reserves launched in 1973. Prior to this the management of these forests was highly commercialised, with extensive grazing and frequent fires. |
