Bandipur accomplished 50 years as a Project Tiger Reserve on Saturday as it was on April 1, 1973, that the then Prime Minister (*50*) Gandhi launched the flagship conservation programme to arrest the massive cat’s dwindling inhabitants.
There have been 12 tigers in Bandipur when Project Tiger was launched, in accordance to Ramesh Kumar, director, Bandipur Tiger Reserve. But thanks to safety measures, the variety of tigers utilising the park is 173 whereas the variety of tigers inside the reserve has been pegged at 126 as per the Status of Tigers Co-predators and Prey in India, 2018, printed by the National Tiger Conservation Authority, he added.
The outcomes of the 2022 tiger estimation train will likely be launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 9 at a programme ‘’Commemorating 50 years of Project Tiger’’ to be held in Mysuru.
But a lot earlier than the Wildlife Conservation Act, 1972, was handed, the erstwhile rulers of Mysuru had realised the imperatives of conserving the natural world and the Mysore Game and Fish Preservation Act was handed in 1901.
Game reserves and tiger blocks
The Mysore Gazetteer has recorded that a number of forest areas weren’t solely preserved as Game Reserves but Tiger Blocks have been recognized and restrictions imposed on capturing. Initially an space unfold over 35 sq miles was declared as a Game Sanctuary in Chamarajanagar State Forest of Mysore district in 1931 and was protected for 10 years.
However, the authorities subsequently realised that it was too small an space to represent an ecological unit, and therefore, in 1941, the Venugopal Wildlife Park was constituted extending over 800 sq km of which 82 sq miles was recognized as Bandipur Sanctuary inside the park.
 The Gazetteer notes that the boundary prolonged from Moyar river forming the pure southern border in direction of the Nilgiris, and northwards, it stretched until Gundlupet together with the 1,450 m excessive Himavad Gopalswamy Betta. The complete park was named after Venugopala, the deity at the temple atop the hill.
Among 9
Project Tiger was launched in 1973, Bandipur was amongst the first 9 reserves to be introduced below the flagship programme and it included most areas that have been already a protected space as Venugopal Wildlife Park.
It was upgraded to a nationwide park and renamed as Bandipur and the adjoining reserve forests have been included below it to prolong its space to 874.20 sq km. At current, it has an space of 912.04 sq km whereas the adjoining Nugu Wildlife Sanctuary too has been integrated below Bandipur, which is recognised as amongst the prime tiger habitats in the world.
Biosphere reserve
The Bandipur Tiger Reserve is a vital part of the nation’s first biosphere reserve – Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve and the panorama spanning Bandipur, Nagarahole, Mudumalai, and Wayanad complicated is house not solely to the highest variety of tigers in the nation – about 724 – but can be to the largest Asian Elephant inhabitants.
