Pilibhit Tiger Reserve

Pilibhit is one of the well forested districts in Uttar Pradesh State. According to an estimate of year 2004, Pilibhit district has over 800 km2, constituting roughly 23% of the district’s total area. The district boasts Pilibhit Tiger Reserve, one of India's 41 Project Tiger Tiger reserves. The parts of the reserve also fall in Lakhimpur Kheri and Bahraich districts. It is the third in UP to be notified as reserve forest area.

Pilibhit Tiger Reserve is spread over 73,024.98 hectares. It has a core area of 1089 sq km and buffer area of 627 sq km. The reserve is one of the finest examples of the exceedingly diverse and productive Terai eco-systems.

The reserve is also home to around 6 million people. The northern edge of the reserve lies along the Indo-Nepal border in the foothills of the Himalayas while the southern boundary is marked by the river Sharada and Khakra.

There is a large range of wildlife including over 127 animals, 556 bird species and 2,100 flowering plants. A large number of rare and endangered species which includes nearly 30 tigers, leopard, swamp deer, hispid hare, Bengal floricans, etc.

The Reserve came into exitence in sept of 2008, when Government of India approved the area in the Pilibhit district. And it gets tiger reserve forest status on Jun 14, 2014. Sseveral spots in the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve established for eco-tourism - The Chuka Interpretation Zones on the banks of Sharda,the Sharda Sagar dam forms the Sharda Sagar reservoir etc.

Flora

The vegetation that covers park are Upper Genetic Plains moist deciduous forest, Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands and Himalayan subtropical broad leaf forest. The various types of forests throughout the reserve has thick sal forests, grasslands and wet marshes. The dominant tree species are Sal, Khair, Sissoo, Ber, Kuthber, Bel, Dhak, Semal, Khingan, Kharpat, Rohini, Bakli, Aonla, Harad, Baheda, Bakayan, Asna and faicus species. The ecologically endangered Sal forests known for their rich biodiversity, home to various species of birds and animals.

Fauna

Pilibhit Tiger Reserve is home to a huge variety of unusual and confronted varieties, such as Bengal tiger, Indian leopard, deer, hispid hare and Bengal tiger. Other attractions of this National Park include the, Elephant, Cheetal , Sambar , Hog Deer, Barking Deer , Wildboar Langoor And Rhesus Monkey. Among reptiles, Indian Marsh Crocodiles Or Mugger , Gharials , King Cobra, Common Krait , Cobra, Russel , Python, Monitor Lizard are common.

Pilibhit Tiger Reserve is perhaps, houses the greatest number of Peacock, Jungle Fowl, Partridges, Crow, Vulture, Parakeets, Laughing Thrush, Orioles, King Fishers, Drongo, Doves, Woodpeckers, Ducks, Teals, Storks, Cormorants and Seagulls.

The reserve also supports a number of species of terrestrial, aquatic and arboreal animals. Major aquatic species Gangetic dolphins, Cat Fish , Rohu , Chilwa, Goonch, Mangur etc. Snake Head

Best time to visit Pilibhit Tiger Reserve is soon after monsoon, between September and June. The reserve remains open to public from November to June, though the months of May and June are a little too hot for comfort.