Context: The man-eating tiger rescued from Mala range of Pilibhit Tiger Reserve died at Shaheed Ashfaqulla Khan Zoological Park (Gorakhpur Zoo).
About Pilibhit Tiger Reserve
- It is located in the Pilibhit district of Uttar Pradesh and part of the Terai Arc Landscape in the upper Gangetic Plain Biogeographic Province.
- The river Gomti originates from the reserve also the catchment area for several rivers, including Sharda, Chuka, and Mala Khannot and Habitat features sal forests, tall grasslands, and swamps
- Sharda Sagar Dam extends up to 22 km along the reserve boundary
- Flora:
- The forest vegetation is of the North Indian moist deciduous type, having the finest sal forests of the country.
- The sal woodland is very dense with good natural regeneration, amounting to almost 76% of the reserve area.
- The forest patches are interspersed with grass meadows with several species like Sacchrum, Sclerostachya, Imperata, Themeda, Bothriochloa, Vetiveria, Apluda, Dichanthium, Digitaria and Cyperus.
- Fauna: The major faunal species are: tiger, leopard, fishing cat, leopard cat, swamp deer, spotted deer, hog deer, barking deer, black buck, sambar, sloth bear etc.
- Corridor Pilibhit is an important habitat for tiger owing to its connection with several tiger habitats within the State and outside.
- The important linkages are:
- 1. Surahi range – Corbett
- 2. Lagga-Bagga – Shuklaphanta National Park (Nepal)
- 3. Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary – Dudhwa
- The important linkages are: