Ratapani Tiger Reserve

Ratapani was declared as a wildlife sanctuary 1976.^[4] In accordance with the directives issued by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav in December 2024, the Ratapani forest has been designated as the eighth tiger reserve in the state.^[2]

Ratapani Tiger Reserve is located in Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh. It encompasses a total area of 1,271.465 km² (490.915 sq mi), which includes a core area of 763.812 km² (294.909 sq mi) and a buffer zone of 507.653 km² (196.006 sq mi).^[2] The landscape is undulating, with hills, plateaus, valleys, plains and some seasonal streams. Water is retained in some pools along these streams in the summer. Barna Reservoir and Ratapani Dam are among the major waterbodies. The Bhimbetka rock shelters were inhabited by people hundreds of thousand years ago, and some of the rock paintings of the Stone Age are more than 30,000 years old. It has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.^[5]

The forest of Ratapani is dry deciduous and moist deciduous type, with teak (Tectona grandis) as the main tree species. About 55% of the area is covered by teak. The remaining mixed forests consist of various dry deciduous species. Bamboo (Dendrocalamus strictus) overlaps the two aforementioned forest types and covers about one quarter of the forest area.^[5]

Carnivores in the sanctuary include the Bengal tiger, Indian leopard, dhole, striped hyena, golden jackal and fox; herbivores include chital, sambar, nilgai, four-horned antelope and wild boar, and langur and rhesus macaque. The sloth bear is also seen often. Smaller animals, like squirrels, mongooses, gerbils, porcupines, hares are common. Reptiles include lizards, chameleon, cobra, python, viper and krait.^[5]