Context For the first time, a large area (400 square kilometers) of the Indravati Tiger Reserve which is a Maoist-affected area, has been covered in tiger census work.
About the tiger reserve
The tiger reserve is located in the Bijapur district, Chhattisgarh.
The perennial river ‘Indravati’ forms the boundary of the reserve on the Northern and Western side
It is one of three Project Tiger sites in Chhattisgarh, along with Udanti-sitanadi.
It is home to one of the last remaining populations of the endangered wild water buffalo.
Indravati attained the status of a national park in 1981 and a tiger reserve in 1983.
The topography of the park mainly comprises undulating hilly terrain.
The vegetation is mainly of the tropical moist and dry deciduous type with predominance of bamboo, sal and teak.
The most common trees are teak, lendia, salai, mahua, tendu, semal, haldu, ber and jamun.
It is home to gaur (Indian bison), nilgai, blackbuck, chausingha (four-horned antelope), sambar, chital, Indian muntjac, Indian spotted chevrotain, wild boar, tigers, leopards, sloth bears, dholes (wild dog) and striped hyenas.
The reserve had three tigers in 2018-19, when the last census took place.
