Anamalai Tiger Reserve:
The pre-monsoon (summer) estimation of tigers and other animals started in the Pollachi and Tiruppur divisions of the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) recently.
- It is located at an altitude of 1400 m in the Anamalai Hills of Pollachi and Coimbatore District of Tamil Nadu.
- It is located on the southern side of the South Western Ghat landscape.
- It covers 1,479.87 sq. km., including 958.59 sq.km. of core area.
- It is surrounded by Parambikulum Tiger Reserve on the East, Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary and Eravikulum National Park on the South Western side.
- The reserve is also surrounded by Nenmara, Vazhachal, Malayattur and Marayur reserved forests of Kerala.
- The Kariyan shola, Grass hills and Manjampatti of Anamalai Tiger Reserve has been identified as a world heritage site by UNESCO.
- It is home to several indigenous tribal communities such as the Kadars, Muduvars, Malasars, Malai malasars, Eravalars and Pulayars.
- It ranges from wild wet evergreen forests and semi-evergreen forests to moist deciduous and dry deciduous forests.
- Some part of the reserve boundary also includes the shola forests in the Anamalai Hills and rarer Montane Grasslands, Savannahs and Marshy Grasslands.
- Around 2500 species of angiosperms are found in the Anamalai Tiger Reserve, with several species of Balsam, Crotalaria, Orchids, and Kurinchi.
- The reserve is rich in wild relatives of cultivated species like mango, jackfruit, wild plantain, ginger (Zingiber officinale), turmeric, pepper (Piper longum), cardamom, etc.
- The important wild animals of the reserve include: Tiger, Asiatic elephant, Sambar, Spotted deer, Barking deer, Jackal, Leopard, Jungle cat, etc.
