Simlipal National Park
Simlipal National Park is a national park and a tiger reserve in the Mayurbhanj district in the Indian state of Odisha covering . It is part of the Mayurbhanj Elephant Reserve, which includes three protected areas — Similipal Tiger Reserve, Hadgarh Wildlife Sanctuary with and Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary with . Simlipal National Park derives its name from the abundance of red silk cotton trees growing in the area. The park is home to Bengal tiger, Asian elephant, gaur, and chausingha. This protected area is part of the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves since 2009. Description. Simlipal National Park covers  an area of , out of which forms a core area. The average mean elevation is with the peaks of Khairiburu at and Meghasani at . The Barehipani Falls are high and the Joranda Falls . History. Simlipal elephant reserve originated mainly as a hunting ground for the royalty. It was formally designated a tiger reserve in 1956 and under Project Tiger in May 1973. "Mugger Crocodile Scheme" was started in 1979 at Ramatirtha, Jashipur. The Government of Odisha declared Simlipal as a wildlife sanctuary in 1979 with an area of . Later in 1980, the state government proposed of the sanctuary as a  national park. Further in 1986, area of the national park was increased to . Government of India declared Simlipal as a biosphere reserve in 1994. UNESCO added this national park to its list of Biosphere Reserves in May 2009. There are 10,000 people living in 61 villages in the forest. That is why Simlipal is yet to be declared a full-fledged park, despite its having the status of one of the 18 biospheres of India. Relocation of core villages. In December 2013, 32 families from the Khadia tribe belonging to two hamlets of Upper Barhakamuda and Bahaghar were relocated outside  the Tiger Reserve as per the guidelines set by National Tiger Conservation Authority. The village of Jamunagarh was relocated in September 2015. Following the relocation, tiger sightings in the core area has gone up. There are two villages, Kabatghai and Bakua, still present in the core area of Similipal. The Forest Department, wildlife NGOs and local administration have initiated talks with these villages on their relocation. However the tribals alleged these relocations to be forced and wished to claim their rights under the Forest Rights Act. Geography and climate. The park is in the Mayurbhanj district in the Indian state  of Odisha. Simlipal Elephant Reserve is an ecosystem complete with forest vegetation (mainly sal trees), fauna and the adjoining Ho / Santhal tribal settlements. The high hills surround Meghasani/Tunkiburu, the highest peak in the park. At an altitude of , followed by Khairiburu at above elevation. At least 12 rivers cut across the plain area. The prominent among them are Budhabalanga, Palpala Bhandan, Kharkai River and Deo. This sprawling forest has two prominent waterfalls - Joranda/Jorodah and Barheipani/Barhai Summers are hot with temperatures around whereas the winter months can be as low as . The rainfall ranges from moderate to heavy . Simlipal comes under a high cerebral malaria-prone zone. In cerebral malaria the sequestrated red blood cells can breach the blood brain barrier possibly leading to coma. Cerebral malaria, if not detected, causes death within 15 days of infection. Initial symptoms of cerebral malaria are often mistaken as those of acute jaundice. There have been many recorded cases of death due to cerebral malaria after visits to Simlipal. Therefore, it is extremely important for tourists to be aware of the threats posed by cerebral malaria before planning a visit to Simlipal. In 2021, large fires broke out in the Simlipal  National Park, and continued to burn for over two weeks before they were brought under control. The 2021 Simlipal forest fires resulted in widespread environmental damage, and caused an exodus of fauna from the park into nearby human habitations. Wildlife. Flora. The park is a treasure house of 1076 species of plants belonging to 102 families. 96 species of orchids have been identified here. It lies in the Eastern Highlands moist deciduous forests ecoregion, with tropical moist broadleaf forest and tropical moist deciduous forests with dry deciduous hill forest and high level Sal forests. The grasslands and the savannas provide  grazing grounds for the herbivores and hiding place to the carnivores. The forest boasts of innumerable medicinal and aromatic plants, which provide a source of earnings for the tribal people. Eucalyptus, planted by the British during the 1900s, are found. Fauna. A total of 42 species of mammals, 242 species of birds and 30 species of reptiles have been recorded in Simlipal National Park. The major mammals include tiger, leopard, Asian elephant, sambar, barking deer, gaur, jungle cat, wild boar, chausingha (four horned antelope), giant squirrel and common langur. 231 species of birds nest in these forests. Red junglefowl, hill  mynah, peafowl, Alexandrine parakeet, crested serpent eagle are the commonly found birds. The grey hornbill, Indian pied hornbill, Malabar pied hornbill and Indian trogon are also found in the reserve. The park has a sizeable population of reptiles, which includes snakes and turtles. The "Mugger Crocodile Management Programme" has helped the Mugger crocodile ("Crocodylus palustris") to survive and flourish on the banks of Khairi river.