Sariska Tiger Reserve

The Sariska Tiger Reserve is an Indian national park and wildlife refuge located in the Alwar district of the state of Rajasthan. The topography of Sariska supports scrub-thorn arid forests, rocky landscapes, dry deciduous forests, rocks, grasses and hilly cliffs. This area was a hunting preserve of the Alwar state and it was declared a wildlife reserve in 1955. In 1978, it was given the status of a tiger reserve making it a part of India's Project Tiger. The present area of the park is 866 km². The park is situated 106 km from Hindaun, 107 km from Jaipur and 200 km from Delhi.

The area of Sariska, being a part of the Aravalli Range, is rich in mineral resources, such as copper. In spite of the Supreme Court's 1991 ban on mining in the area, marble mining continues to threaten the environment.

The most attractive feature of this reserve has always been its Bengal tigers. It is the first tiger reserve in the world to have successfully relocated tigers.

Apart from the Bengal tiger, the reserve includes many species of wild life, such as the leopard, jungle cat, caracal, striped hyena, golden jackal, chital, sambhar, nilgai, chinkara, four-horned antelope,wild boar, hare, hanuman langur, rhesus monkeys. Sasrika is also ethereal for bird watchers with some of the rarest feathered species like grey partridge, white-throated kingfisher, Indian peafowl, bush quail, sandgrouse, treepie, golden-backed woodpecker, crested serpent eagle and the Indian eagle-owl.

Sariska (horse)

Sariska (foaled February 14, 2006 in England) is a British Thoroughbred racehorse. She is best known for her win in the Epsom Oaks in 2009, a year in which she was named European Champion 3-Y-O Filly.

Background

Bred and raced by Lady Bamford, she was named for the Sariska Tiger Reserve in the Alwar district of the Indian state of Rajasthan. She was trained by Michael Bell

Racing career

Sariska made her racing debut on November 1, 2008, winning a maiden race for filles at Newmarket Racecourse. She did not return to the track until April 18, 2009, when she ran fourth to winner Lahaleeb in the Fred Darling Stakes at Newbury Racecourse. In her next start, Sariska won the Musidora Stakes at York Racecourse. Made the betting favorite for the Epsom Oaks, under jockey Jamie Spencer, who had ridden her in all of her previous starts, Sariska outfought Midday down the stretch to win the Classic by a small head.

She followed that up with another victory in the Irish Oaks. Her next start was her first against older horses in the Yorkshire Oaks where she went off a short priced favourite only to be out battled by the four-year-old Dar Re Mi, who prevailed by a short head. She then finished third behind Twice Over in her first race against the colts in the Champion Stakes at Newmarket.