About Palamu Tiger Reserve:
- Location: It is located on the Chhotanagpur plateau in Jharkhand.
- The reserve forms a part of the Betla National Park.
- It is one of the first 9 tiger reserves created in the country at the inception of ‘Project Tiger’.
- 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.
- Terrain: The terrain is undulating with valleys, hills, and plains. The geological formation consists of gneiss and includes granite and limestone.
- Rivers: It is drained by three rivers, namely North Koyal, Auranga, and Burha, flow through the valleys.
- The area is drought-prone, with Burha being the only perennial river.
- Vegetation: The vegetation comprises moist deciduous and dry deciduous forests.
- Flora: It mainly consists of Sal and bamboo as the major components.
- Fauna: Some keystone and principal species found in the reserve include Tiger, Asiatic Elephant, Leopard, Grey wolf, Wild dog, Gaur, Sloth bear and four horned antelope.
