State

Karnataka

History

Altitude (above M.S.L.)

1200 - 2600 m

Parts of the current reserve were first declared as Jagara Valley Wildlife Sanctuary in 1951. A local proverb says" the bamboo swings to the voice of the wind. The tiger wanders for fun and if so, it must be the Jagara valley". In 1974 the area was expanded and named the Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary. In 1998 the sanctuary was included in the Project Tiger Network.

Area

Total

451.7 km²

Core

276.7 km²

Buffer

175.0 km²

Fauna and Flora

The reserve is surrounded by a lofty hill range and supports more than 120 plant species. Bhadra is the natural habitat of prized timber such as Teak and Rosewood. The area used to be famous for its Indian bison population, which numbered more than a thousand, 80% of them were killed by Rinderpest some years ago. An estimated 33 tigers are found in Bhadra.

Temperature

10°C - 32°C

Rainfall (per annum)

1200 - 2100 mm

Seasons

Winter

Nov - Jan

Summer

Feb - May

Monsoon

May - Oct

Forest Types

Fauna

Tropical Moist Mixed Deciduous Forest,
Tropical Dry Deciduous Forest,
Semi-Evergreen Forest

Tiger, leopard, elephant, gaur, sambar, barking deer, spotted deer, wild dog, wild boa, sloth bear, etc.

Funds

Insufficient & delayed

Management Objectives

Staff

Understaffed

Management practises are habitat improvement, boundary consolidation, protection against poaching and fires, and infrastructure development.

Problems

Frequent fires adversely affect the habitat and biodiversity of Bhadra. Timber smuggling of valuable trees is also a great problem.

External Influences (1991 census)

Villages

26

Human population

36,000

Livestock numbers

20,000