Nawegaon-Nagzira Tiger Reserve

Why in news?

• Recently, a Black Panther has been recorded in Navegaon-Nagzira Tiger Reserve (NNTR) of Maharashtra.

About Nawegaon-Nagzira Tiger reserve:

• Nawegaon-Nagzira Tiger Reserve (NNTR) was notified as 46th tiger reserve of India on 12th December, 2013.
• It is situated in Gondia and Bhandara Districts in the North–Eastern corner of Maharashtra.                  
• The Tiger Reserve is part of the central Indian Tiger landscape which contributes almost 1/6 of the total tiger population of the country.
• NNTR has connectivity with the major tiger reserves in Central India like Kanha and Pench Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh, Pench & Tadoba-Andhari TR in Maharashtra, Indravati tiger Reserve in Chhattisgarh and indirectly with the Kawal & Nagarjunsagar Tiger Reserve in Telangana & Andhra Pradesh and Achanakmar TR in Chhattisgarh.

• This area is an excellent abode to almost all major floral and faunal species found in central India.
• Large carnivores like Tiger & leopard and smaller carnivores like wild dog, wolf jackal, jungle cat and also the good population of sloth bear is reported from NNTR.
• The important herbivore includes Cheetal, Sambar, Nilgai, Chousingha,Barking deer, Wild pig and Indian gaur. Mouse deer has also been recorded from the area.

About Black Panthers:

• A black panther is the melanistic colour variant of the leopard (Panthera pardus) and the jaguar (Panthera onca).
• Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical rosettes are also present.
• They have been documented mostly in tropical forests, with black leopards in Kenya, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia and Java, and black jaguars in Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica and Paraguay.

Prelims Question

Nawegaon-Nagzira Tiger Reserve  is located in the state of:
(a)Maharashtra
(b)Karnataka
(c)Gujarat
(d)Uttarakhand

Answer to prelims question