Elephant Festival begins in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh

Tags: Festivals National State News

Elephant Mahotsav began in Madhya Pradesh's Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve and will continue for seven days.

An Overview of the News

• Elephants play an important role in protecting the tigers in the reserve and keeping out wild elephants.

• The Elephant Festival gives villagers and nearby families a chance to interact with elephants.

• The primary goal of the festival in 2023 is to educate villagers about elephants and remove misconceptions about the wild animals.

• The festivities will end on September 26, after which the elephants will return to their patrolling camps.

Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve:

• Located in the Eastern Satpura hill range of Umaria and Katni districts in Madhya Pradesh.

• Boasts a healthy population of tigers and a diverse range of herbivorous animals.

• It has diverse topography, including hills, valleys, rivers, swamps and grasslands supporting diverse vegetation.

Other tiger reserves in Madhya Pradesh:

1. Sanjay-Dubri Tiger Reserve:

• Located in the Sidhi district of Madhya Pradesh.

• Established in 1975

• Known for saving the world-famous white tiger "Mohan".

• Forms a wildlife corridor connecting Bandhavgarh and Palamu Tiger Reserve.

• Sometimes wild elephants keep coming from the neighboring Chhattisgarh region.

2. Panna Tiger Reserve:

• Located in the Vindhya hill region of northern Madhya Pradesh.

• Characterized by dry deciduous forests, plateaus, and valleys.

• The Ken River flows through the reserve.

• It is surrounded by teak forests in the north and teak-Kardhai mixed forests in the east.

• The Vindhya hill ranges connect wildlife populations in the east and west.

3. Pench Tiger Reserve:

• Inspiration for Rudyard Kipling's "The Jungle Book".

• Known for natural beauty and historical importance.

• Awarded the "Best Maintained Tourist Friendly National Park" award in 2006-07.

4. Kanha Tiger Reserve:

• Home to the hard ground Barasingha, the state animal of Madhya Pradesh.

• Conservation efforts have led to an increase in the population of this emblematic deer.

• The forests are mainly composed of Sal (Shorea robusta) and mixed forest trees.

5. Satpura Tiger Reserve:

• Home to arboreal mammals such as flying squirrels, Indian giant squirrels, and leaf-nosed bats.

• The Eurasian otter and smooth-coated otter are also found here.

• Allows pollution-free activities like cycling, canoeing, and trekking.