Snapshots from Panna

Snapshots from Panna

Snapshots from Panna

Snapshots from Panna

Panna is a pristine wildlife habitat nestled amid Vindhyan Hills in the northern part of Madhya Pradesh. The national park was established in 1981 and was declared a tiger reserve in the year 1994. Spread across 1646 square kilometres and across the districts of Panna and Chattarpur, it stands as an epitome of successful reintroduction of tigers after the tiger population had been wiped off owing to rampant poaching and illegal mining. The park is located at a unique geographical location wherein below it is the forest belt stretching towards Cape Comorin and above it is the Great Gangetic Plains.

The river Ken (ancient name Karnavati), a perennial river, meanders through the tiger reserve being the lifeline of the region. It is one of the cleanest rivers of India and is home to Gharial and Mugger, and other aquatic fauna. The topography of the park is astonishing and can be broadly divided into three major heads which include the Talgaon Platue, the Hinauta Platue and the Ken Valley. It is surprising that the paintings of the caveman can still be witnessed on the rocks inside the reserve. Therefore, the park has extensive plateaus, picturesque gorges, mesmerising waterfalls and stands tall as a natural and archaeological splender.

The reserve has a heterogenous landscape formed by patches of dry deciduous forest and dry and short grasslands in a perfect mosaic like pattern. The dominant species of fauna being the Teak and Kardhai (Anogeissus pendula). Khair (Acacia catechu) is abundantly present on the slopes and foot of the plateaus giving a orangish-redisn hue to the plateau slopes.

The reserve acts as a linkage between the faunal populations from across the Vindhyan ranges. Apart from the tiger the reserve has a healthy population of Leopard, Sambar deer, spotted deer, Rusty spotted cat, Fishing Cat, Sloth Bear, Spotted Hyena, Nilgai, Chinkara, Chausinga and the Desert Cat being the latest discovery. The river Ken is populated by the Ghariyal and Crocodiles. The reserve flaunts a wide range of avial fauna as well which includes a large population of vultures. Among the resident species include- Long Billed, White Backed, Egyptian and Red Headed vulture, whereas the migratory species include the Eurasian Griffon, Himalayan Griffon and Cinerous Vultures. Some of the birds found in the reserve include Chestnut-bellied and Painted Sandgrouse, Yellow Footed Green Pigeon, Orange-breasted Green Pigeon, Common Pochard, Ferruginous Duck, Grey and Painted Francolin, Rock Bush Quail, little and Great Crested Grebe; Grey, large tailed, Indian and Savannah Nightjar; Sarus Crane, Black-necked, Peregrine Falcon, Stork Black-headed Ibis, Eurasian Curlew, Common Sandpiper, many species of owls and many more. The diverse avial fauna makes the place a paradise for birdwatching.

The story of a successful reintroduction of Tigers in India.

The jungles of Panna were a royal hunting ground for the princely states of Panna, Chhatarpur and Bijawar. The hunting palace of royals and hide outs made of mud and rocks are still present in the reserve. The reserve was an abode to a considerable population of Tigers up until early1990’s post which there was a steep decline in the number and ultimately extinction of tigers in the landscape of Panna. The reason behind it was the poaching and illicit wildlife trade run majorly by the paradhi tribe who ran rampant inside the forest.

The efforts of reintroduction of Tigers started in 2009 under which 2 female tigers from Bandhavgarh and Kanha Tiger reserves namely T1 and T2 were successfully relocated inside the Panna Tiger Reserve. A male tiger T3 was relocated from Pench Tiger Reserve. The tigers were radio collared, monitored and tracked by the teams at all hours. The bigger challenge was to deter the miscreants and upscale vigilance. Facing many challenges far and wide it can now be safely said that the reintroduction of tigers in Panna tiger reserve became a big success and today Panna is home to a population of 70 tigers!

Panna is unique amalgamation of many kind of habitats which give shelter to diverse flora and fauna. The place is all about sighting a tiger on the rocky banks of Ken river amid the saccarum grass, watching the major species of vultures bask in the gorge, observing the symbiotic relationship between the animals, seeing the deer and chinkaras amid the glowing blades of short and long grasslands, the beautiful valleys of conglomerate rocks and colours of forest in different seasons.

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