Centre has approved tiger reserve status for the sanctuaries spanning the forests of Meghamalai and Srivilliputhur in Tamil Nadu. The 1 lakh-hectare area, home to 63 mammal species and 323 bird species — will be India’s 51st tiger reserve.
National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) conveyed the approval to the Tamil Nadu government. Referring to a letter from the Tamil Nadu government on January 7 and a technical committee meeting on January 22, the note said the Srivilliputhur and Meghamalai sanctuaries will be notified as tiger reserves. The last tiger reserve was notified six years ago in Arunachal Pradesh, Kamlang.
Srivilluputhur, meanwhile, hosts leopards, Nilgiri tahrs, lion tailed macaques, jungle cats and sambars.
And while the eastern part of Srivilliputhur falls in the rain shadow zone of the Western Ghats (it receives poor rainfall), wild animals do congregate along the Deviar, Periyar and Kovilar dams. There are 18 streams between the eastern slopes of Deviar and Mudangiar. “Many of these streams join the Arjuna river. Such perennial streams act as wildlife riparian habitats, playing an important role in the conservation of elephants and tigers,” a senior Tamil Nadu cadre IFS officer said.
The reserve’s location, NTCA officials said, would mean that it could act as a buffer zone for Kerala’s Periyar’s tigers as well.
“Tigers disperse over large areas. These dispersals are important for the exchange of genes. The forest habitats of Srivilliputhur, largely uninhabited and undisturbed, will provide excellent buffering grounds to the tigers of Periyar reserve and offer genetic exchange grounds for those from Tamil Nadu’s Annamalai region,” a senior NTCA official said.
