Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve - STR

Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (SMTR) has got a high diversity of flora and fauna owing to its location which is a confluence of Eastern and Western Ghats. Apart from Tigers, the region is noted for Elephants, Gaur, Black Buck, Four Horned Antelope, Leopard, Hyena, Wild dog, White Backed Vulture, variety of primates, deers, civets, reptiles, birds, amphibians, fishes and other creatures.

The Tiger Reserve area is rich in floral composition owing to its location. The region comprises of 5 forest types which includes primarily Deciduous forest combined with Thorn forest, tropical hill forest and Riparian forest. Sandal occurred predominantly in these forests and it was designated as the Royal Tree by King Tippu Sultan.

Tiger reappearance in the STR region is traced back to 2005. Evidences of Tiger reappearance were found and was scientifically proved by CCMB & WTI study in 2010. From then on, owing to proper protection, adequate living conditions and sufficient prey base, there has been continuous upsurge in Tiger population from 28 in 2010 to about 54 individual tigers as per the current monitoring.

One of the significant features of STR is that Tigers co-exist with humans. There are about 9 Tribal settlements and 18 Tribal Revenue settlements in the STR region though they are not part of Tiger Reserve notification. Irulars, Ooralis, Kurumbas and Soligars are the native tribals of the region

Ecotourism has just started on a small scale in the reserve. A bus safari from 8AM to 6PM is available for the public. Now the trial runs are being made. Watch this space for more updates on the ecotourism front.