Source: DH
Context: Five tigers — a mother and four cubs — were found dead in Karnataka’s Male Mahadeshwara (MM) Hills Wildlife Sanctuary, raising serious concerns about poisoning, wildlife conflict, and tiger conservation lapses.
About Male Mahadeshwara Hills Wildlife Sanctuary:
- Located in Chamarajanagar district, Karnataka, near the Eastern Ghats tri-junction of Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.
- Declared a Wildlife Sanctuary in 2013 and managed under the MM Hills Wildlife Division, which was formerly the Kollegal Forest Division.
- Geography and Ecosystem:
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- Covers an area of approximately 906 sq km.
- Geographically contiguous with:
- BRT Tiger Reserve
- Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve
- Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary
- Terrain comprises hill ranges, undulating valleys, and altitudinal variation, creating microhabitats.
- Flora: Dominated by dry and moist deciduous forests, degrading to scrub at fringes.
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- Pockets of semi-evergreen, evergreen, and shola forests at higher altitudes.
- Fauna:
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- Rich megafauna includes:
- Tigers, elephants, leopards, gaur, wild dogs (dhole)
- Herbivores: sambar, barking deer, spotted deer, four-horned antelope
- Omnivores and others: sloth bear, wild boar, honey badger, langurs
- Sanctuary has seen a steady rise in tiger population since 2013.
- Rich megafauna includes:
- Tiger Reserve Proposal:
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- Yet to be notified as a Tiger Reserve, despite ecological suitability.
