:Sitabani Wildlife Reserve
{{Short description|Wildlife reserve in Uttarakhand, India}}
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{{Infobox protected area
| name = Sitabani Wildlife Reserve
| alt_name = Sitabani
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| location = Nainital, Uttarakhand, India
| nearest_city = Ramnagar
| coordinates = {{coord|29|46|N|79|26|E|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
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| url = http://www.sitabaniwildlifereserve.com
https://sitabani.business.site
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Sitabani Wildlife Reserve is a wildlife reserve in Amgarhi,{{cite web |title=Amgarhi |url=https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Amgarhi,+Uttarakhand+263159,+India/@29.4753787,79.2398168,4270m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m12!1m5!3m4!2zMjnCsDI4JzIwLjAiTiA3OcKwMTQnMzUuMCJF!8m2!3d29.4722222!4d79.2430556!3m5!1s0x390a0ef27801e761:0xf6af28a2848db5b9!8m2!3d29.4718157!4d79.2592105!16s%2Fm%2F076tdn0!5m1!1e4?entry=ttu |website=Google Maps |publisher=Google, Inc. |access-date=26 December 2023}} located in the Nainital district of Uttarakhand, India. It is home to a variety of flora and fauna, including leopards, tigers, and over 500 species of native and migrating birds, that pass through the area throughout the year.{{cite web|url=https://www.indiatimes.com/news/india/if-we-are-to-save-the-tiger-we-have-to-look-at-wildlife-as-a-resource-and-not-liability-339840.html|title=If We Are To Save The Tiger, We Have To Look At Wildlife As A Resource And Not Liability|publisher=|accessdate=12 May 2018}}
History
The wildlife reserve is named after Sita, the wife of Hindu god Rama, due to the belief that Sita and her sons Luv and Kush had spent some of her exile in this forest.{{Cite news |last=Rongmei |first=Precious|title=Discover the rich biodiversity of Sitabani Wildlife Reserve in Ramnagar |work=The Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/travel/destinations/discover-the-rich-biodiversity-of-sitabani-wildlife-reserve-in-ramnagar/articleshow/101193968.cms |access-date=2023-07-27 |issn=0971-8257}}
Many local villagers were inducted and employed at the reserve by the founder Abhishek Ray,{{cite web|date=21 March 2016|title=This Bollywood Music Composer Put in All His Savings to Buy a Hill and Create a Wildlife Reserve|url=http://www.thebetterindia.com/49470/music-composer-abhishek-ray-sitabani-wildlife-reserve/|publisher=|accessdate=12 May 2018}} thereby generating revenue through Eco-tourism and creating a sustainable conservation area.{{cite web|url=http://www.theoptimistcitizen.com/abhishek-ray-sitabani-wildlife-reserve/|title=Music Director Abhishek Ray who started his own Wildlife Reserve|date=23 June 2016|publisher=|accessdate=12 May 2018}}
Animals
Being a part of the Trans-Himalayan birding corridor, the reserve gets both plain and mountain birds during latitudinal and attitudinal migration patterns. Some Himalayan animal species, like Himalayan Black Bear, Himalayan weasel, Yellow-throat Pine Marten, Himalayan Goral, and Himalayan Serow also visit the reserve, especially during the colder months. Indian leopards in this reserve inhabit the craggy cliffs and gorges to avoid interaction with their dominant predator, the Royal-Bengal Tiger.{{cite web|date=8 February 2015|title=The lonely tiger of Motichur|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/the-lonely-tiger-of-motichur/|publisher=|accessdate=12 May 2018}}{{cite web|last=Banerjee|first=Ananda|date=28 August 2014|title=The tiger in the backyard|url=https://www.livemint.com/Home-Page/DISdC5BZfAwEs7NKkcwfHJ/The-tiger-in-the-backyard.html|publisher=|accessdate=12 May 2018}} This tiger species prefers the thick forested valleys and lowlands. Herds of Asiatic Elephants pass through the reserve when migrating between the core and buffer areas of Jim Corbett National Park. Altitudinal and geographical variations and diverse flora, combined with direct connectivity with Jim Corbett National Park on one side and the Nainital Forest Division on the other, makes this reserve a natural tiger, leopard, and birding corridor of strategic conservation value.{{cite web|title=The problem of preserving India's forests|url=https://www.ft.com/content/481f1e9c-5e1a-11e6-bb77-a121aa8abd95|website=Financial Times|accessdate=12 May 2018}}
References
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