SARISKA - TIGER RESERVE

Sariska Tiger Reserve

Sariska Tiger Reserve is located in Alwar, district of Rajasthan, India. The park is situated 106 km away from Hindaun, 107 km  from Jaipur and 200 km from Delhi. Its 881 km2 area comprises grasslands, dry deciduous forests, sheer cliffs and rocky landscape. It was declared as a wildlife reserve in 1955, before this it was a hunting preserve of the Alwar. In 1978, the status of Tiger Reserve made it a part of India’s Project Tiger.

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In 2003, there were 16 tigers in the reserve. In 2004, it was reported that no tigers were sighted in the reserve, and also indirect evidence like pug marks, scratch marks on trees of trees also not found. In January 2005,  there were no tigers left in Sariska.[7] The Rajasthan Forest Department and the Project Tiger Director declared an "emergency tiger census" in Sariska and seeing the conditions it decided to relocate tigers and became the first reserve in the world with successfully relocated tigers. In 2005, the Government of Rajasthan,  planned the reintroduction of tigers to Sariska and also the relocation of villages.  It was decided to import one male and two females from Ranthambore National Park. On 28 June 2008, the first aerial translocation of the male tiger from Ranthambore to Sariska was carried out by helicopter. In February 2009, one more tigress was shifted to Sariska from Ranthambore. On 28 July 2010, another tigress was brought from Ranthambore National Park. There were a total five tigers in the Reserve, until November 2010 when the first relocated tiger died due to poisoning. In 2012, there were a total of 7 tigers including two tiger cubs and their mother.  In July 2014, there were a total 11 tigers as two more cubs were spotted. 

In October 2018, there were 18 tigers including five cubs. By 2020, the tiger population in the reserve has risen to 20. There are many other wildlife species other than Bengal tigers. Indian leopard, jungle cat, caracal, striped hyena, golden jackal, chital, sambar deer, nilgai, wild boar, small Indian civet, Javan mongoose, ruddy mongoose, honey badger, Rhesus macaque and Northern plains gray langur and Indian hare are some of the wildlife species. 

There are also some birds of the rarest feathered species like grey partridge, white-throated kingfisher, Indian peafowl, bush quail, sandgrouse, treepie, golden-backed woodpecker, crested serpent eagle and the Indian eagle-owl. It is also rich in mineral resources, such as copper. In spite of the Supreme Court's 1991 ban on mining in the area, marble mining continues to threaten the environment.