Satkosia Tiger Reserve

Geography

Satkosia Tiger Reserve is located in the Anugul and Nayagarh district. It is located where the Mahanadi River passes through a 22 km long gorge in the Eastern Ghats mountains.

Wildlife

The tiger reserve is located in the Eastern Highlands moist deciduous forests ecoregion.

Flora

The major plant communities are mixed deciduous forests including Sal (Shorea robusta), and riverine forest.

Fauna

Mammals found include the leopard, Indian wild dog or the (dhole), wild boars, striped hyena, sloth bear, leopard cat and the jungle cat. The major herbivores include the Asian elephant which is found in large numbers and can often be seen crossing rivers. Spotted deer, sambar deer, barking deer, langurs, porcupines and pangolins are the other herbivores found here. The reptiles here include the Mugger Crocodile and gharials. Other reptiles include the Indian python which can feed on large mammals like the spotted deer. The Indian giant squirrel is also found here.

This place also has many fishes like the cat fish which can have a weight of about 30 kilograms.

Tigers are currently not present here. The National Tiger Conservation Authority, which had approved the transfer of six tigers from the wild of Madhya Pradesh's Kanha National Park to Satkosia Tiger Reserve in Odisha, has suspended the tiger translocation project pending a detailed review. The decision was taken after the first big cat, a male Royal Bengal tiger that had been translocated from Kanha tiger reserve in MP to Satkosia in Nayagarh in June this year, was found dead in core area of the forest. The translocation program was suspended in 2019.