Pilibhit Tiger Reserve, Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh India

The tiger reserve is found in the forest area on the foothills of the Himalayas. It is one of the 41 tiger reserves found in India. The Pilibhit region has over 800 square kilometer of forested area. The reserve itself is home to at least 36 tigers and a good prey base for their survival. The place is encompassed by the River Sharda and River Ghagara. It houses a large number of rare species including the Bengal tiger, swamp deer, Bengal floricans and Indian leopard.

Apart from serving as habitat for tigers, the reserve also exemplifies a highly diversified Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands eco-systems. It also plays home to over 125 animals, 550 bird species and 2,100 flowering plants.

The Pilibhit Tiger Reserve came into existence in the month of sept of 2008, when Government of India approved the area for its inhabitants in the pilibhit district of Uttar Pradesh. This is one of the finest examples of the exceedingly diverse and productive Terai eco-systems. The reserve has a core area of 1089 km2 (proposed) and buffer area of 627 km2(proposed). The northern edge of the reserve lies along the Indo-Nepal border while the southern boundary is marked by the river Sharada and Khakra. It is home to a large number of rare and endangered species, which include tiger, leopard, swamp deer, hispid hare, Bengal floricans, etc.

Indian government has decided to reserve four new areas for Tiger including Pilibhit Tiger Reserve in September 2008. Pilibhit Tiger Reserve lies on the India-Nepal border in the foothills of the Himalaya and the plains of the ‘terai’ in Uttar Pradesh. This new reserve would run through Pilibhit, Kishenpur sanctuary and Khutar range of Shahjahanpur, the existing one would have Dudhwa, Katarniaghat and Kakraha range of Bahraich division. Pilibhit, Khutar and Kakraha are reserved forest areas which will be converted into protected areas for the reserves.

Actually, Dudhwa tigers are distributed in one major and three smaller populations. Major population is constituted by Dudhwa reserve which includes Dudhwa National Park, Kishenpur and Katarniaghat wildlife sanctuaries and forests of Pilibhit, north and south Kheri. The smaller tiger populations are present in Bijnor forests in west, and Suhelwa and Sohagibarwa wildlife sanctuaries in east.