Source: NIE
Context: Two tiger cubs were found dead in Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary (CWS), Karnataka, while their mother tigress has gone missing.
About Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary (CWS):
- What It Is?
- A protected area in Karnataka, declared in 1987 under the Wildlife Protection Act, later expanded to over 1,027 km² in 2013. It acts as a vital tiger and elephant habitat.
- Location:
-
- Spread across Mandya, Chamarajanagar, and Ramanagara districts of Karnataka.
- Lies along the Cauvery River and shares boundaries with Tamil Nadu’s Dharmapuri forests.
- Serves as a wildlife corridor linking Bannerghatta NP, BRT Tiger Reserve, and MM Hills WS.
- Key Features:
-
- Climate: Semi-arid, with rainfall from both SW and NE monsoons.
- Landscape: Dry deciduous, thorn forests, riverine patches, and evergreen sholas.
- Tourist sites: Hogenakkal Falls, Mekedatu, Sangam.
- Flora:
-
- Dominant trees: Terminalia arjuna, Syzygium cumini, Hardwickia binata, Albizia amara, Tamarindus indica.
- Mix of deciduous and evergreen vegetation ensures biodiversity resilience.
- Fauna:
-
- Flagship species: Tiger, Asian elephant, leopard, dhole, sloth bear.
- Other mammals: Sambar, spotted deer, barking deer, wild boar, chevrotain, macaques.
- Endangered fauna: Grizzled giant squirrel, smooth-coated otter, hump-backed mahseer fish.
- Birds: Over 280 species, including white-rumped vulture, Nilgiri wood-pigeon, yellow-throated bulbul.
- Significance:
-
- Ecological Role – Maintains genetic connectivity for large carnivores in the Western & Eastern Ghats.
- Water Security – Protects the Cauvery River catchment, vital for South India’s drinking and irrigation needs.
