MP: Fire breaks out in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, close shave for wildlife animals
Bhopal: The wildlife animals in the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (BTR) under Umaria district in Madhya Pradesh had a close shave when a major fire that broke out in a forest circle under it was doused before it could spread to the core area, officials said on Friday.
A team of forest officers spotted the fire in a few large patches in Ghamkhore forest circle under BTR late on Thursday night and took prompt action to douse it, a senior forest officer of BTR said, requesting not to be quoted.
The fire was brought under control after a five hour-long exercise, sources said. A forest officer of BTR claimed that the mishap caused no damage to any wildlife animals since the fire was brought under control before it could spread to the core area of the tiger reserve.
However, the extent of damage to the floras was being assessed, the forest officer said. As per the latest census, BTR has 165 tigers, the fifth highest tiger population in a wildlife sanctuary in the country. BTR’s rich ecosystem supports a plethora of flora and fauna, including leopards, deer, sloth beers, and numerous bird species.
The BTR, famous for its biodiversity, is home to scores of bird species including eagles. The tiger reserve is surrounded by 32 mountains at different sides. The BTR is a favourite destination for the wildlife lovers since tiger sighting is easy in the wildlife sanctuary.