Bandipur National Park established in 1974 as a tiger reserve under Project Tiger, is a national park located in Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka, which is the state with the highest tiger population in India. It is one of the premier Tiger Reserves in the country along with the adjoining Nagarhole national park. It was once a private hunting reserve for the Maharaja of the Kingdom of Mysore but has now been upgraded to Bandipur Tiger Reserve. Bandipur is known for its wildlife and has many types of biomes, but dry deciduous forest is dominant.
The park spans an area of 874 square kilometers (337 sq mi), protecting several species of India’s endangered wildlife. Bandipur supports a good population of endangered and vulnerable species like Indian elephants, gaurs, tigers, sloth bears, muggers, Indian rock pythons, four-horned antelopes, jackals and dholes. The commonly seen mammals along the public access roads in the park include chital, gray langurs, Indian giant squirrels and elephants.