Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve is one of the fabled and old national parks situated in the Chandrapur district of Maharashtra state. Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve is the second reserve to be associated as a part of India’s conservation program, “Project Tiger “ which was commissioned in 1994 -1995, the reserve has Tadoba national park and Andheri wildlife sanctuary. 577.96 sq Km of reserved forest and 32 sq. km of protected forest. The reserve is named after the god Tadoba or Taru who is adored by the Gond tribes who resided in the thick woods of Tadoba and Andheri region. Andhari is derived from the Andhari river that flows through the forest.
Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve, popularly known as the Jewel of Vidarbha is undoubtedly the honor of Chandrapur district, Maharashtra. Tiger Reserve is surrounded by a distinct variety of landscapes like dense dry tropical southern forests, hillocks, and Swampland. Tadoba Andhari reserve has rich wildlife which includes leopards, sloth bears, reptiles, hyenas, and a variety of species of birds. Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) is the perfect wildlife destination for all wildlife lovers as it will not disappoint the excitement of sighting a Tiger. Our resort in Tadoba benefits from being seated on the border of Tadoba’s Zari gate which is a truly calm and serene and undisturbed part of the national park that makes the possibility of spotting the tiger higher.
As mentioned earlier, Andhari national park is not only famous for tiger sightings but also there are 5 must spot animals of Tadoba Tiger Reserve. Those 5 big animals are mentioned below.
Bengal Tiger
Here in Tadoba, you can see huge male Bengal tigers which are 9ft tall, and female tigers which are 8ft tall. Male tigers weigh up to 420 pounds approximately and female tigers weigh around 310 pounds respectively. These massive animals are highly skilled killers and have strong bodies which makes it possible for them to drag a prey for miles even if the prey is heavier than them. Though they are not good at climbing trees, while chasing the prey, they really don’t take a step back. As per the last census, it is recorded that there are 88 Bengal tigers in Tadoba national park.
Indian Leopard
India Leopard scientifically called Panthera pardus fusca and it is the second big cat after the Royal Bengal Tiger in Tadoba National park. Indian Leopards are the real lovers of solitary existence and are often found resting on the branches of tall trees. The Indian Leopards have robust legs and lengthy tails, broad snot, short ears, and attractive yellowish-grey eyes while the body is in Yellow to yellowish-brown color. These big cats are generally found in South Asian regions of the world. The male Indian Leopard grows up to the maximum of 4.8 ft height, 2.6 ft to 3 ft long tail, and approximately weighs up to 34 kg while the female Indian Leopard.
Sloth Bear
The Indian Sloth Bear, scientifically called Melursus Ursinus, is one of the dangerous and aggressive animals in the country. Sloth Bears are usually found in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and are extinct in Bangladesh. They feed on fruits, berries, honeycombs, ants and termites, a group of Insects. The Sloth Bear is called a “labiated bear” because of its features like long lower lip and palate which they use to suck insects. A shaggy black coat, long muzzle, protruding lip, and a peculiar white V-shaped patch on the chest are the features of a Sloth Bear. Again these Sloth Bears are also nocturnal and stay in solitary existence. They grow up to 6 ft in height, male Bears weigh around 310 pounds and female Bears weigh around 210 pounds and their life span is 40 long years.
Sloth Bears are listed as Vulnerable species in the IUCN red list and this is majorly because of habitat loss, poaching for various reasons, and particularly human exploitation, that is, the nomadic tribes called Kalandars, capture these bears and train them to dance and earn money on the roadsides. Sloth Bears can run faster than human beings and they are skilled climbers. Since they are nocturnal, it’s rare to see them during the safari and among the 5 Big animals of Tadoba is the difficult one to spot.
Indian Bisons
Indian Bison belong to the family of Bovine which is native to South and Southeast Asia. IUCN Red has been the Indian Bisons Vulnerable since the 1980s, as per the 2016 Census there were 21000 matured Bison in the global population. The scientific name of Indian Bison is Bison Gaurus . In the Bovine family, Gaur or Indian Bison are the largest extant. These have a strongly built massive body and between the horns, they possess an intensely convex ridge. The head and body length of an Individual gaur is about 250cm to 330cm. Male Bison are generally one-fourth larger than Female bison where the Male bison weigh about 1500kg and female bison weigh about 700 kg respectively. The gaur feeds on plant shoots, herbs, grass, flowers, and almost 32 species of plants. The matriarch is seen in a herd of female gaur as they are led by the old adult female bison whereas the male bison exist in solitary.
During 1990’s ,in India the population of the Bison was almost between 12000 to 22000. About 2000 Bisons were recorded in both Bandipur and Nagarhole national park and over 1000 Bisons in Tadoba Andhari National park.
Asiatic Wild Dogs or Dholes
Dholes are commonly called with many names like Asiatic wild dog, Indian wild dog, whistling dog ,red dog and Mountain wolf. Dholes means reckless and daring, actually that suits their unbridled and courageous behaviour. This animal is related to the family of dogs and foxes and they are basically found in Central. South and Southeast Asia Dholes can be recognized by their peculiar looks, that is the combination of grey wolf and a red fox, cat-like slanted back and legs, short snout, oval shaped ears and head resembles the hyena. Female dholes body mass is about 10 to 17 Kg while Male body mass is about 15 to 21 Kg. A pack or clan of 2-25 wild dogs live together, they are capable of putting the prey which are even 8 times bigger than their mass and feast on the prey before killing it.
One rare characteristic of Dholes is their effective communication, they whistle sound like red foxes which alter the pack while travelling in the thick woods.
At our resort in Tadoba, tourists have the opportunity to go on 2 safaris per day, one in the early hours of morning sunrise, and another in the evening. So plan your trip to Tadoba and join us on an thrilling, open-jeep journey with certified naturalists and spot these interesting 5 big animals of Tadoba
