Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve is the only tiger reserve in Andhra Pradesh.
1. Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve
- The Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve is spread over multiple districts in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The tiger reserve covers parts of the following districts:
- Kurnool district (Andhra Pradesh)
- Prakasam district (Andhra Pradesh)
- Guntur district (Andhra Pradesh)
- Nalgonda district (Telangana)
- Mahbubnagar district (Telangana)
- The reserve is named after the Nagarjuna Sagar Dam, which is situated on the Krishna River, and the Srisailam Dam, which is located on the Krishna River as well.
- In 1978, Nagarjunasagar Srisailam was notified as a wildlife sanctuary.
- In 1983, it was declared a tiger reserve under the Project Tiger program.
- In 1992, the reserve was renamed as the Rajiv Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary.
- Area: It overs an area of about 5,937 square kilometers and the largest tiger reserves in India.
- Core/ Critical Tiger Habitat : 3721 Sq. Km.
- Buffer / Peripheral area : 2216 Sq. Km.
- Total : 5937 Sq. km.
- Hills: The Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve is situated in hill ranges of Nallamalais, which are an offshoot of the Eastern Ghats mountain range.
- River: The Krishna River passes through the tiger reserve.
- Lake: The Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve includes two significant reservoirs:
- Srisailam Reservoir
- Nagarjunasagar Reservoir
- Waterfalls: Some of the prominent waterfalls within the reserve include:
- Ethipothala Falls
- Pedda Dukudu
- Gundam
- Chaleswaram
- Tribe: One of the prominent tribes in the tiger reserve is the Chenchu tribe.
- Flora: Southern Tropical Dry Mixed Deciduous Forest (teak, anogeissus, Terminalia, Pterocarpus, and Albizia), Deccan Thorn Scrub Forest (Acacia, Ziziphus, Prosopis), Riparian Forests (Terminalia, Syzygium, Ficus, and bamboo species), Grasslands etc.
- Fauna: Tiger, Leopard, Wolf, Wild Dog, Sambar, Chital, Chinkara, Porcupine, Indian Pitta, Pied Kingfisher, Indian Rock Python, Monitor Lizard, Mugger Crocodile, Indian Star Tortoise etc.