Why in the News?

A recently captured image in the Palamu Tiger Reserve (PTR) reveals a new tiger, distinct from the one caught earlier this year.

About Palamau Tiger Reserve:

• The Palamau Tiger Reserve is located on the western side of Latehar district on the Chhotanagpur plateau in Jharkhand.
• It is one of the first 9 tiger reserves established in the country at the inception of ‘Project Tiger’, in the year 1973 in India and the only one in the state of Jharkhand.
• This reserve forms a part of the Betla National Park.
• The total area of the Tiger Reserve is 1129.93 sq. km
• It is the first reserve in the world in which a tiger census was carried out as a pugmark count, as early as 1932 under the supervision of J.W. Nicholson.
• The Palamau Tiger Reserve is very important for its biodiversity.
• The project area is constituted mainly of Sal forests, mixed deciduous forests, and bamboo groves.
• The reserve zone is the watershed area for 3 important rivers Koel, Burha, and Auranga.