Palamau Tiger Reserve

Safaris

Daily game drives in Open 4WD safari vehicles are available to visit the Palamau Area. The park opening time is round the year.

Safari Timing – 06:00 AM to 08:00 AM and 03:00 PM to 06:00 PM.

About the Park Palamau Tiger Reserve

Spread over an area of nearly 1026 sq km, Palamau Tiger reserve is among the most interesting and rewarding sanctuaries in Bihar, and perhaps in entire India. Palamau reserve is cut across by Koel River and many of its tributaries. This makes it quite easy for tourists to sight some magnificent animals. Tigers, leopards, elephants, the Indian wolf, gaur and many more are regular visitors to the shores of these man made lakes. It is nearly 180 Km from Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand state. The nearest airport too is in Ranchi.

The Palamau Tiger Reserve is among one of the nine original tiger reserves in India and the only one in the state of Jharkhand, India. The reserve forms a part of the Betla National Park. Palamau Tiger Reserve was established when India was introducing the famous Project Tiger in the year 1973 to save the endangered asset of our country.

There are prominent choices for visitors where they can go since there are plenty of wildlife sanctuaries. The most famous are the Palamau Tiger Reserve. Tigers are found in almost all the sanctuaries in Bihar, but their largest concentrations are at the Palamau Tiger Rerserve and the Valmiki Wildlife Sanctuary in Champaran.

Tigers in Bihar were once on the brink of extinction. However, the persistent and concerted efforts of Project Tiger saved the situation. The number of tigers at the Betla National Park was as dismal as 22 in 1974. By 1984 it had multiplied to 62. Once again it has dropped to 50. officials however believe that tigers often migrate to neighbouring states.

 

In 1974 the area was set up as the Palamau Tiger Reserve. This tiger reserve has a total area of 1,014 sq kms with a core area of 414 sq km and a buffer area of 600 sq km. The core area is accosted with some of the forest villages like Ramandag, Latoo and Kujurum. Most of the villages are small in area where one of the villages, Meral, consist of just 99 acres of land, 9 families and 78 members. In 1993, there were 45 villages located in the buffer area and about 60 more located in the periphery of the reserve.

Wolves do not rate too high on the wildlife popularity chart, though at one time, hunting wolves was at par with hunting lions and tigers, especially with royalty. Wolves love to live and hunt in packs and the group is led by a dominant pair. Despite the animal’s ability to adapt to the changing environment, its number has greatly diminished. Thanks to the efforts made by the Mahuadhar Wolf Sanctuary(63sq km, close to the Palamau Tiger Reserve), the number of wolves in and around Hazaribagh, Gaya and Palamau has risen.

The Palamau Tiger Reserve falls under the lndo-Malayan realm and is distinguished for its flora and fauna. The predators that roam the forest grounds are tigers, leopards, wolves, wild dogs and jungle cats. Among the herbivores, sloth bear, four horned antelope and mouse dear are the duly residents of the area. The population of elephants in Palamau has increased substantially during the past 50 years. Prior to 1920, this area had no elephant population but the 20 odd elephants released by the Maharaja of Surguja turned feral, subsequently increasing in number. The present elephant count exceeds 104 elephants which show addition of herds from the Singbhum district of Bihar. The major wildlife species (mammals) witnessed in the area is: Tiger, Leopard, Sambar, Barking Deer, Cheetal, Wolf, Elephant, Mouse Deer, Wild Dog, Four-horned Antelope, Pangolin and Indian Ratel.

The Palamau Tiger reserve is one of the best place to get the entire caboodle of various fauna that attracts specially the botanist all around the world. 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 thatches. The herbarium recently prepared by the Tiger Reserve authorities records a good number of medicinal plants. Some of the floral ranges found in the area are - Shorea robusta, Acacia catechu, Madhuca indica, Terminalia tomentosa, Butea monosperma, Pterocarpus marsupium, Anogeisus latifolia, Indigofera pulchela, Adina cardifolia, Moghania spp, Mallotus phillipinensis, Bothriochloa montana, Holarrhena antidysentrica Apluda mutica, Chrtsopogan montanus, Themeda spp., Chloris spp, Albizzia lebbek, Heteropogon contortus, Bauhinia spp., Chloroxylon swietnia, Diospyros melanoxylon, Buchhanania lanzan, Lagerstroemia parviflora, Bridelia retusa, Mitragyna parviflora, Bombax ceiba, Lannea coromandlica, Imperata arudinacea, Dendrocalamus strictus and Holoptelia integrifolia. Over 140 species of birds (including peafowl) have been sighted in the reserve.

Bihar Wildlife 11:23 PM