Bandipur tiger reserve rated second in country
Bengaluru : The Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Bandipur Tiger Reserve and enjoyed the beauty of nature. He also released the tiger census report of the country conducted by National tiger conservation authority (NTCA) . According to a report Bandipur tiger reserve has second highest tiger population in the country. On the other hand, 5 tiger reserves of the state are in the top 10 list. Bandipur is ranked second among tiger reserves in the country. There are 53 tiger reserves in the whole country and Bandipur has got the second place in the state.
In 2006, when the survey was first conducted, the country only had 1,411 tigers. Since then, their population has grown significantly. Their numbers rose to 1,706 in 2010 and 2,226 in 2014. The last census, out in 2018, had recorded 2,967 tigers in the country. Madhya Pradesh topped the list with 526 tigers, and Karnataka followed with 534 striped cats.
Every 4 years, the management effectiveness evaluation of all the tiger reserves in the country is conducted along with three other organisations including the National Tiger Conservation Authority. Now the evaluation process of all the tiger reserves has been completed, while Bandipur has got the second position, Nagarhole has got the 4th position, Biligirirangana Hill has got the 6th position, Bhadra Tiger Reserve has got the 9th position and Kali Tiger Reserve has got the 10th position.
A team consisting of retired IFS officers and scientists will be formed to evaluate this tiger reserve. This team evaluates 64 factors. How are forests being conserved? Are tourists getting all the facilities? How is the administrative work? Is there an advantage to tourism? Thus marks are given based on many factors. In this Bandipur got 93.18 marks. Madhya Pradesh's Satpura forest got the same score and the two forest areas shared the second position.
Being an attraction for wildlife lovers, Bandipur has earned the reputation of being the best protected area not only in the state but also in the country, which adds another feather to the greatness of Bandipur.