Simlipal Tiger Reserve

Why in news?

• The Government of Odisha began its own tiger census in Simlipal Tiger Reserve.

About Simlipal Tiger Reserve

• Simlipal Tiger Reserve is a national park and a tiger reserve in the Mayurbhanj district in Odisha.
• It is also part of the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves.
• The park derives its name from the abundance of semul (red silk cotton trees) that bloom here.
• Simlipal has waterfalls like Joranda and Barehipani and is home to Bengal tiger, Asian elephant, gaur, leopard, hill mynah, sambar, fishing cat and mugger.
• Similipal comes under Deccan Peninsular Bio-geographic Zone, Chhotanagpur Province and Mahanadian Region.
• It lies in the Eastern Highlands moist deciduous forests ecoregion, with tropical moist broadleaf forest and tropical moist deciduous forests with dry deciduous hill forest and high-level Sal forests.
• It is part of the Mayurbhanj Elephant Reserve, which includes three protected areas — Similipal Tiger Reserve, Hadgarh Wildlife Sanctuary and Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary.
• Two tribes, the Erenga Kharias and the Mankirdias, inhabit the reserve’s forests and practise traditional agricultural activities (the collection of seeds and timber). Other dominant tribes include the Ho, Gonda and Munda, among others.
• A sacred grove called Shami Vrikhya is said to have been the secret hiding place of the bow and arrow of the Lord Arjuna.

PRACTICE QUESTION

How many of the following tiger reserves got its name from species of trees seen in the reserve?

1. Sunderbans TR
2. Simlipal TR
3. Periyar TR

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All the three

(d) None

Answer