State

Bihar

History

Altitude (above M.S.L.)

125 – 880 m

A part of the area was notified as a sanctuary in 1978. The Tiger Reserve was created in 1989-90. At the same time, in 1989, its core area was declared a National Park.

Area

Total

840.2 km²

Core

335.6 km²

Buffer

504.6 km²

Flora and Fauna

Valmiki is located in an area with a highly fragile geological formation. The Gandak and Masan Rivers that drain the catchment area. They change their paths frequently due to the erosion-prone sandy soil. The forests of this reserve support an estimated 53 tigers.

Temperature

8°C - 36°C

Rainfall (per annum)

1461 - 2053 mm

Seasons

Winter

Nov - Feb

Summer

Mar - Jun

Monsoon

July - Sep

Forest Types

West Gangetic Moist Mixed Deciduous Forest, Bhabar Dun Sal Forest, Dry Siwalik Sal Forest, Khair-Sissoo Forest, Cane Brakes, Eastern Wet Alluvial Grassland, Barringtonia Swamp Forest

Fauna

Tiger, leopard, fishing cat, leopard cat, sambar, hog deer, spotted deer, black buck, gaur, sloth bear, langur, rhesus monkey, etc.

Funds

Insufficient & delayed

Management Objectives

Staff

Understaffed

Since the creation of the Tiger Reserve, not much has been done by way of development. Some infrastructure improvements have been made.

Problems

Timber felling and the smuggling of trees, such as teak and cane, is a huge problem. Armed gangs settled in nearby Nepal are involved in these activities. Animal poaching also takes place. Livestock grazing is another problem, exposing wild herbivores to iodine deficiency disease, Goitre and Foot and Mouth disease.

External Influences (1991 census)

Villages

142

Human population

81,000

Livestock numbers

60,000