Tiger Reserves

In a bid to increase chances of successful prey by tigers, the officials of Bor Tiger Reserve, 60km from here in Wardha district, has planted khus grass, also known as vetiver, near the backwaters of Bordharan.
Khus grass can grow up to 150cm (5 feet) and form clumps as wide. The stems are tall and the leaves are long, thin, and proves to be a good forest cover too.
Chief conservator of forests (CCF) & field director MS Reddy said, "We have planted khus grass, brought from Pench's Boat Camp area, in 100 hectares near the backwaters and the experiment has been successful as the grass is growing tall."
Those visiting Bor curiously wait near the vast tract of plain where animals approach backwaters to quench their thirst early morning and in evening too. However, with the khus grass in place, herbivores like boars, sambars, deer, chitals though will feel safe while approaching the waters, they will have to be now more careful from tigers and leopards, who are ambush hunters.
"The vetiver grass is highly drought-tolerant and can help protect soil against erosion, though it may not have favourable qualities for animal feed," said Pradeep Kottewar, former divisional forest officer (DFO) and plantation expert.
"The grass will beautify the lake area, which has presence of wild animals at any given time. The 12km lake ride of Bor dam backwaters with forests on one side is always an amazing experience," said a regular tourists Satish Bhide.
Bor (133sqkm) was declared 49th tiger reserve of the country on August 16, 2014. Currently, it has presence of 5 adult tigers and 6 cubs.