About Umred Pauni Karhandla Wildlife Sanctuary The Umred Karhandla wildlife sanctuary is spread over an area of about 180 sq km. It is just about 50km away from the Tiger capital of India, Nagpur and 60 km from Bhandara spread […]

About Umred Pauni Karhandla Wildlife Sanctuary

The Umred Karhandla wildlife sanctuary is spread over an area of about 180 sq km. It is just about 50km away from the Tiger capital of India, Nagpur and 60 km from Bhandara spread over Pauni Tahsil of Bhandara district and Umred, Kuhi and Bhivapur Taluka of Nagpur district. This Sanctuary has also connection with Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve through forest along Wainganga river. Here, there are Tigers, leopards, wild dogs and rarely-seen mammals such as honey badgers and pangolins that I have had the privilege of sighting on multiple occasions. Elusive wolves and hyaenas too patrol these forest precincts.

In November 2013, people started to talk about a gigantic tiger who liked sitting on the highway to sun himself near Umred Karhandla sanctuary. A photographer (Kartik Mahajan) then actually captured that moment and it was confirmed that Umred indeed had a new dominant male tiger. It was also discovered from photographs and then subsequent sightings that the big beast was Jai, one of two tiger siblings born to another dominant male in the Nagzira Navegaon sanctuary about 160 km away. His brother had a v-shaped mark on his forehead, prompting people to name him Veeru (after the blockbuster Sholay), so it was a no-brainer that the sibling would be called Jai.

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