Kanha Tiger Reserve: 33 Spotted Deer found Dead

The forest officials of Kanha Tiger Reserve discovered 33 dead spotted deer under the Ghorela ward, under the Mukki forest area in the second week of January 2013.

Malnutrition, infection and severe cold are predicted to be the reason for the death of these deer. The internal organs (viscera) of these animals were sent to Jabalpur-based Veterinary College laboratory for testing for further postmortem and to identify the actual cause of their death.   

Kanha Tiger Reserve

Kanha Tiger Reserve is considered to be among one of the finest wildlife areas of the world and is one of the oldest wildlife sanctuaries of India that is located in Madhya Pradesh. The tiger reserve is a house of 43 different species of mammals that includes tigers, barasingha, wild dog, chital, gaur, hyena and Jackal as well as of different species of reptiles, plants, birds and insects.

In 1879, it was declared as the reserve forest and was upgraded to be the wildlife sanctuary in the year 1933. The raja of Vijayanagram between 1947 to 1951, shot 30 tigers in the region. In 1955, it was notified as the National Park and was declared to be a tiger reserve in the year 1973.

Geographically, Kanha Tiger reserve is located in the Mekal Range and forms the eastern base of the triangular Satpura Range and the reserve lies between the Balaghat and Mandla districts of Madhya Pradesh.

Kanha formally was formed as a part of Gondwana - the land of Gonds, and its forests were inhabited by the aboriginal tribes namely Baiga and the Gonds. These tribes were dependant on forest produce for their livelihood and practiced shifting cultivation.