Pilibhit Tiger Reserve
General Information :
Area : 1000 km² core area, 627 km² buffer area
Established : sept 2008 as a Tiger Reserve Area.
Altitude : 168 - 175 meters level from sea shore
Local Language : Hindi and English
Best time to visit : Sept to Mid June (Avoid Rainy Season)
Pilibhit is one of the few well forested districts in Uttar Pradesh. According to an estimate of year 2004, Pilibhit district has over 800 km2 forests, constituting roughly 23 per cent of the district’s total area.
Forests in Pilibhit have at least 36 tigers and a good predator base for their survival. Pilibhit forests are part of terai forests, which together with grasslands constitute habitat for over 127 animals, 556 bird species and 2,100 flowering plants. They are also home to around 6 million people who depend on them for their livelihoods.
With Corbett Tiger Reserve going to Uttrakhand, Uttar Pradesh always wanted to develop Pilibhit forests area as home for the striped cats. A proposal was created in 2005 to make a home for the endangered cats in Pilibhit forests was sent to the government of India in April 2008[3], on the basis of the potential to have special type of ecosystem with vast open spaces and sufficient feed for the elegant predators.
Pilibhit Tiger Reserve Area :
The Pilibhit Tiger Reserve came into existence in the month of sept of 2008, when Government of India approved the area for its inhabitants in the pilibhit district of Uttar Pradesh. This is one of the finest examples of the exceedingly diverse and productive Terai eco-systems. The reserve has a core area of 1089 km2 (proposed) and buffer area of 627 km2(proposed). The northern edge of the reserve lies along the Indo-Nepal border while the southern boundary is marked by the river Sharada and Khakra. It is home to a large number of rare and endangered species, which include tiger, leopard, swamp deer, hispid hare, Bengal floricans, etc.
Indian government has decided to reserve four new areas for Tiger including Pilibhit Tiger Reserve in September 2008. Pilibhit Tiger Reserve lies on the India-Nepal border in the foothills of the Himalaya and the plains of the ‘terai’ in Uttar Pradesh. This new reserve would run through Pilibhit, Kishenpur sanctuary and Khutar range of Shahjahanpur, the existing one would have Dudhwa, Katarniaghat and Kakraha range of Bahraich division. Pilibhit, Khutar and Kakraha are reserved forest areas which will be converted into protected areas for the reserves.
Actually, Dudhwa tigers are distributed in one major and three smaller populations. Major population is constituted by Dudhwa reserve which includes Dudhwa National Park, Kishenpur and Katarniaghat wildlife sanctuaries and forests of Pilibhit, north and south Kheri. The smaller tiger populations are present in Bijnor forests in west, and Suhelwa and Sohagibarwa wildlife sanctuaries in east.
According to a study by Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dudhwa-Pilibhit population has high conservation value since it represents the only tiger population having the ecological and behavioural adaptations of the tiger unique to the Tarai region.
How to reach :
The nearest major town with railhead and bus service is Pilibhit which has train connections to most major cities in northern India, including Delhi and Lucknow. Pilibhit Tiger Reserve has its own station too, but connections to it are scarce, moreover Government of Uttar pradesh ia planning to stop rail traffic in the tiger reserve area as it cause to death of wild animals. Puranpur and Bisalpur are other towns near to Tiger Reserve, which also has a few trains coming in from other parts of Uttar Pradesh.
The nearest airports are at Lucknow, 310 km from Pilibhit and Delhi, 325 km from Pilibhit .
Pilibhit city is well connected with Bareilly in west and Nainital in north (Via Khatima). there are good road connections to Pilibhit Tiger Reserve via Shahjahanpur. Private coaches and buses operated by the UP State Road Transport Corporation connect Pilibhit to Bareilly, Delhi, Lakhimpur Kheri, Shahjahanpur and other towns.
Where to stay :
The tiger reserve area has its own tourist log huts, lodges and forest resthouses at Bankatti, Mala, Chuka and other various places. All are pretty minimalist (except the one at Chuka, which has a small canteen attached to it), and charge a nominal tariff.
Alternatively, Pilibhit and Bareilly have hotels where tourists can have AC or Non AC rooms at nominal price. Hotels also provide vehicles to the tiger reserve areas on daily basis.
Best time to visit :
The best time to visit Pilibhit Tiger Reserve is between September and mid-June. The reserve Area remains open to the public from September to June, but by June it’s usually a little too hot for comfort and in rainy season can ruin the trip, so this season is better to avoid. Remember to take your woollens along if you’re going between December and February- it can get pretty chilly here, but you see lot of wild animal due to clean grass in the foothills of the Terai.
Area : 1000 km² core area, 627 km² buffer area
Established : sept 2008 as a Tiger Reserve Area.
Altitude : 168 - 175 meters level from sea shore
Local Language : Hindi and English
Best time to visit : Sept to Mid June (Avoid Rainy Season)
Pilibhit is one of the few well forested districts in Uttar Pradesh. According to an estimate of year 2004, Pilibhit district has over 800 km2 forests, constituting roughly 23 per cent of the district’s total area.
Forests in Pilibhit have at least 36 tigers and a good predator base for their survival. Pilibhit forests are part of terai forests, which together with grasslands constitute habitat for over 127 animals, 556 bird species and 2,100 flowering plants. They are also home to around 6 million people who depend on them for their livelihoods.
With Corbett Tiger Reserve going to Uttrakhand, Uttar Pradesh always wanted to develop Pilibhit forests area as home for the striped cats. A proposal was created in 2005 to make a home for the endangered cats in Pilibhit forests was sent to the government of India in April 2008[3], on the basis of the potential to have special type of ecosystem with vast open spaces and sufficient feed for the elegant predators.
Pilibhit Tiger Reserve Area :
The Pilibhit Tiger Reserve came into existence in the month of sept of 2008, when Government of India approved the area for its inhabitants in the pilibhit district of Uttar Pradesh. This is one of the finest examples of the exceedingly diverse and productive Terai eco-systems. The reserve has a core area of 1089 km2 (proposed) and buffer area of 627 km2(proposed). The northern edge of the reserve lies along the Indo-Nepal border while the southern boundary is marked by the river Sharada and Khakra. It is home to a large number of rare and endangered species, which include tiger, leopard, swamp deer, hispid hare, Bengal floricans, etc.
Indian government has decided to reserve four new areas for Tiger including Pilibhit Tiger Reserve in September 2008. Pilibhit Tiger Reserve lies on the India-Nepal border in the foothills of the Himalaya and the plains of the ‘terai’ in Uttar Pradesh. This new reserve would run through Pilibhit, Kishenpur sanctuary and Khutar range of Shahjahanpur, the existing one would have Dudhwa, Katarniaghat and Kakraha range of Bahraich division. Pilibhit, Khutar and Kakraha are reserved forest areas which will be converted into protected areas for the reserves.
Actually, Dudhwa tigers are distributed in one major and three smaller populations. Major population is constituted by Dudhwa reserve which includes Dudhwa National Park, Kishenpur and Katarniaghat wildlife sanctuaries and forests of Pilibhit, north and south Kheri. The smaller tiger populations are present in Bijnor forests in west, and Suhelwa and Sohagibarwa wildlife sanctuaries in east.
According to a study by Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dudhwa-Pilibhit population has high conservation value since it represents the only tiger population having the ecological and behavioural adaptations of the tiger unique to the Tarai region.
How to reach :
The nearest major town with railhead and bus service is Pilibhit which has train connections to most major cities in northern India, including Delhi and Lucknow. Pilibhit Tiger Reserve has its own station too, but connections to it are scarce, moreover Government of Uttar pradesh ia planning to stop rail traffic in the tiger reserve area as it cause to death of wild animals. Puranpur and Bisalpur are other towns near to Tiger Reserve, which also has a few trains coming in from other parts of Uttar Pradesh.
The nearest airports are at Lucknow, 310 km from Pilibhit and Delhi, 325 km from Pilibhit .
Pilibhit city is well connected with Bareilly in west and Nainital in north (Via Khatima). there are good road connections to Pilibhit Tiger Reserve via Shahjahanpur. Private coaches and buses operated by the UP State Road Transport Corporation connect Pilibhit to Bareilly, Delhi, Lakhimpur Kheri, Shahjahanpur and other towns.
Where to stay :
The tiger reserve area has its own tourist log huts, lodges and forest resthouses at Bankatti, Mala, Chuka and other various places. All are pretty minimalist (except the one at Chuka, which has a small canteen attached to it), and charge a nominal tariff.
Alternatively, Pilibhit and Bareilly have hotels where tourists can have AC or Non AC rooms at nominal price. Hotels also provide vehicles to the tiger reserve areas on daily basis.
Best time to visit :
The best time to visit Pilibhit Tiger Reserve is between September and mid-June. The reserve Area remains open to the public from September to June, but by June it’s usually a little too hot for comfort and in rainy season can ruin the trip, so this season is better to avoid. Remember to take your woollens along if you’re going between December and February- it can get pretty chilly here, but you see lot of wild animal due to clean grass in the foothills of the Terai.
