Satkosia is a magnificent gorge over the river Mahanadi where the mighty river crosses the Eastern Ghat hill ranges of the country.
Satkosia’s riparian eco-systems represent diverse flora and fauna. The length of the gorge is seven kosh or 14 miles or 22 km. So, the gorge is named as ‘Satkosia’. It was declared as a wildlife sanctuary in 1976. The aim was preservation of its unique flora and fauna and also protecting the gorge from siltation.
The gorge acts as a reservoir of the mighty river Mahanadi and provides home to several aquatic flora and fauna, including avi fauna. It also provides a beautiful spot for nature camps of tourists.
Satkosia is having a small town called Tikarpada.
The people generally are having their livelihood through ecological tourism. The area was declared as Satkosia Tiger Reserve in 2007.
The tiger reserve spreads over four revenue districts like Angul, Cuttack, Nayagarh and Boudh. The reserve has an area of 964 sqkm with 524 sqkm as core area.
The core area also covers a part of the Mahanadi elephant reserve.
Satkosia is the meeting point of three bio-geographic regions of India such as the Deccan Peninsula, Eastern Ghat region and riparian areas of the Mahanadi.
The plant as well as the animal diversities of the entire tiger reserve provides unique habitat for various herbivores as well as the Royal Bengal Tigers (RBTs), besides other carnivores.
The whole tiger reserve is divided into two identical geo-biographic divisions.
The northern part of the river Mahanadi is known as Satkosia Wildlife Division in Angul whereas the southern part comes under the Mahanadi Wildlife Division of Nayagarh district.
The crop compositions of the whole region are identical. Sal with its associates like Asana, Piasal, Dhaura, Jamun, Gambhari, Harida, Bahada, Sisoo, Kusam, etc., with dense undergrowths are available in the Satkosia biosphere.
The whole region, the north and south portions, covers dense bamboo forests which is the favourite of the elephants.
Among carnivores, the Royal Bengal Tiger, leopard and wolf are the prominent.
The slopes of the hillocks are moderate to steep and become the part of Eastern Ghat Region with a number of valleys and gentle slopes.
The general and average elevation of the landmass is 350 meter from the sea level. Similarly, the gorge is about 51meter deep in the river bed at Tikarpada. The highest peak is Sunakhania, which attains 933m height.
The whole tiger reserve, the sanctuary and elephant reserve, extending from Angul Revenue Sub-Division to Nayagarh, Boudh and Narsinghpur, Athagarh, Banki and Chandaka forests is composed of similar type of flora and fauna all through.
There are about 400 plant species of 126 trees, 98 shrubs and 125 herbs, including 51 climbers, identified not only in the tiger reserve, but also throughout the regional biosphere.
The whole biosphere began to be commercially exploited since British regime in India. Even then the whole eco-system was sound and favourable for fauna, flora and avifauna.
The Satkosia gorge is the natural habitat of the two endangered species of fresh water crocodiles, such as Gharial and Mugger. It has also other species like turtles, terrapins, crabs and other amphibians.
After the Gharial Research Centre was established at Tikarpada in 1972-73, the population of species has been growing steadily. However, due to a spurt in mining and industrial activities in Angul-Talcher area, the Satkosia ecosystem has degraded.
The writer served long years in the Angul Forest Division in different capacities and knows how animal fleshes are sold in industrial markets of Talcher and Angul by poachers from Satkosia.
The use of fire arms for poaching of animals was very common.
Even horns, hides and different parts of animals were sold in Talcher and Angul market as there is a demand for the items among the moneyed people.
Once the Royal Bengal Tiger was the flagship species of the eco-system, but at present, the royal cat has lost its flagship position for lack of shelter and food.
The tiger eco-system of Satkosia has lost its pride due to constant interference of man and its cattle in the virgin peninsular bio-sphere. Recently, one tusker was killed in the forests of Narasinghpur for smuggling of ivory.
The local people are always involved in smuggling of tusks. The conservation of the eco-system of Satkosia has failed alarmingly, leading to the extinction of the big cat.
Now, the need of the hour is proper management practices in the Satkosia Tiger Reserve for conservation of its ecosystem. If the local people provide cooperation, the attempt of re-introduction of tiger in the region can be successful.
With a view to boosting tiger breeding, a few months back, a male tiger captured from Madhya Pradesh forests was introduced in Satkosia. The Odisha forests and Madhya Pradesh forests have no ecological differences.
Similarly, the Madhya Pradesh forest management is far superior to Odisha forest management from the viewpoint of conservation and tourism promotion.
When a wild animal is introduced in a new surrounding, the ecological status of the forests as well as the biological needs of the animal should be studied perfectly.
The second time a female tiger named ‘Sundari’ was brought from the same forest and introduced in Satkosia by the direction of National Tiger Conservation Authority of India.
Sundari is a virgin tigress. A virgin tigress always needs befitting juvenile to build its nest as the biological process of nature.
There is no second tiger in Satkosia of her choice to fulfill her biological appetite. So, she is wandering from one place to the other and is always on the prowl to get her normal foods from the nature and to get young partner.
This is the period of mating of big cats. So the Sundari tigress is showing unusual behaviour in Satkosia as she is forced to live alone.
(The writer is a former Forest Officer and environmentalist. Mob: 9937460649, Email: nadiya.kanungo@gmail.com )