RAJAJI NATIONAL PARK

22nd May, 2023 Environment

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Context

Union Minister Bhupendra Yadav and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami released a tigress brought from the forest area of Corbett Tiger Reserve in the Motichur forest area of Rajaji Tiger Reserve.

About Rajaji National Park

It is an Indian national park and tiger reserve that encompasses the Shivaliks, near the foothills of the Himalayas.
It is spread over 820 km2 and includes three districts of Uttarakhand: Haridwar, Dehradun and Pauri Garhwal.
In 1983, three wildlife sanctuaries in the area namely, Chilla, Motichur and Rajaji were merged into one.

Etymology

Rajaji National Park has been named after C. Rajagopalachari (Rajaji), a prominent leader of the Freedom Struggle, the second and last Governor-General of independent India and one of the first recipients of India's highest civilian award Bharat Ratna (in 1954).

Fauna

The park is home to a diverse range of flora and fauna, including over 300 species of birds, 50 species of mammals, and numerous species of reptiles, amphibians, and fish.
Some of the more notable animals that can be found in the park include tigers, leopards, elephants, sloth bears, and Indian gaur (a type of bison).
The park is most renowned for its elephants.

Tiger reserve status

Final approval was accorded to Kudremukh (Karnataka) and Rajaji (Uttarakhand) for declaring as a tiger reserve on 15 April 2015.
Rajaji became the second tiger reserve in Uttarakhand.

Flora

Rajaji National Park of India is nestled between the Shivalik ranges and the Indo-Gangetic plains.
Broadleaved deciduous forests, riverine vegetation, scrubland, grasslands and pine forests form the range of flora in this park.
The under-wood is light and often absent.

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PRACTICE QUESTION

Q) Which of the following statements with reference to Rajaji National Park is/are correct?

1. It is nestled between the Shivalik ranges and the Indo-Gangetic plains.

2. The park is most renowned for its elephants.