Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve is situated in Chandrapur District of Maharashtra and represents a unique habitat for Wildlife in Central India. Tadoba National Park is the oldest National Park of the State declared in 1955. Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve is consisting two declared regions, one is Tadoba National park and the other one is Andhari Wildlife Sanctuary.

As per legend, the tribal God ‘Tadu’ died here many years ago while fighting a tiger. The tribals erected a shrine in his memory under a large tree on the shores of Lake Tadoba, and giving birth to the name ‘Tadoba’ to the local jungle. The Tadoba Reserve contains some of the best forest tracts and is endowed with rich biodiversity.

The Sanctuary is named “Andhari Wildlife Sanctuary” after the river Andhari which flows through the Sanctuary. Area of Tadoba National Park is 116 sq.km. & Wildlife Sanctuary is 509 sq.km. i.e. total is 625 sq.km.

The rich deciduous forest mainly consists of bamboo & teak. The other trees are gardenia, satinwood, mahua and jamun. The other trees which are found within the protected area are, ain, arjun, behada, bija, bhera, bor, bel, chichwa, dhawada, kusum, mowai, phetra, rohan, salai, semal, shisham, sisoo, shivan, surya, sirus, tendu, etc.

Other than the tiger, Tadoba Tiger Reserve is home to rare Indian wildlife like leopards, sloth bears, gaur, wild dogs, hyenas, civets, jungle cats and many species of the Indian deer like sambar, cheetal, nilgai, and the barking deer.

The Tadoba lake sustains the marsh crocodile, which were once common all over Maharashtra. Tadoba is also an ornithologist’s paradise with a varied diversity of aquatic bird-life, and raptors.

195 species of birds have been recorded, including three endangered varieties. The grey headed fishing Eagle ichthyophaga icthyaetus and the crested serpent eagle amd the spilornis cheela are some of the raptors.

Other interesting species include the crested tree swift hemiprocne longipennis, stone curlew burhinus oedicnemus, honey buzzard pernis ptilorhyncus, paradise fycatcher terpsiphone paradisi, bronze winged jacana metopidius indicus and the lesser goldenbacked woodpecker dinopium benghalense. Warblers and the Bbacknaped blueflycatcher exist here and the call of the peacock pavo cristatus may often be heard. The reserve also shelters over 70 species of spiders and butterflies.