Context
A special polling station was established inside the Srivilliputhur–Meghamalai Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu to facilitate voting for just five voters.
About Srivilliputhur-Meghamalai Tiger Reserve (SMTR)
- SMTR is located in the state of Tamil Nadu within the ecologically significant Western Ghats.
- It was created in February 2021 by merging the Grizzled Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary and the Meghamalai Wildlife Sanctuary to strengthen conservation efforts.
- The reserve serves as an important ecological corridor, linking the Periyar Tiger Reserve in Kerala with the Kalakkad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, enabling wildlife movement.
- The region is sustained by three key perennial rivers – Vaigai, Suruliyaru, and Shanmuganathi, which support its rich biodiversity.
- Its vegetation is highly diverse, consisting of tropical evergreen and semi-evergreen forests, along with moist and dry deciduous forests and grasslands.
- The reserve hosts a wide variety of wildlife, including tigers, elephants, leopards, Nilgiri tahr, gaur, deer species, wild boar, Nilgiri langur, and lion-tailed macaque.
- It is also rich in avian and reptile diversity, with species such as red-whiskered bulbul, wagtails, pied bush chat, monitor lizard, chameleon, and wood snake, reflecting its ecological importance.
