Satpura Tiger Reserve (STR) also known as Satpura National Park is located in the Narmadapuram District of Madhya Pradesh in India. Its name is derived from the Satpura range. It covers an area of . Satpura National Park, along with the adjoining Bori and Pachmarhi wildlife sanctuaries, provides of unique central Indian highland ecosystem. It was set up in 1981. The terrain of the national park is extremely rugged and consists of sandstone peaks, narrow gorges, ravines and dense forests. The altitude ranges from . It has Dhoopgarh peak as high as and the almost level plains of Churna. The nearest town to the national park is Pachmarhi and the nearest rail-head is Pipariya away. The state capital Bhopal is away. Satpura National Park is rich in biodiversity. The animals here include leopard, sambar, chital, Indian muntjac, nilgai, four-horned antelope, Chinkara, wild boar, bear, black buck, fox, porcupine, flying squirrel, mouse deer, and Indian giant squirrel. There are a variety of birds. Hornbills and peafowl are common birds found here. The flora consists of mainly sal, teak, tendu, Phyllanthus emblica, mahua, bel, bamboo, and grasses and medicinal plants. In previous years, there have been sightings of tigers, dholes, Indian gaur and barasingha, although these are rare. History Its name is derived from the Satpura Range. Satpura is a Sanskrit word, that means seven mountains (sapta – seven and pura – mountain). It was first explored by Captain James Forsyth of Bengal Lancers in 1862 while he was searching for Indian Freedom Fighter Tantya Tope. It is one of the first declared Reserved Forest Area of India due to its ecological and commercial importance. It became a Tiger Reserve in the year 2000 and therefore it is also called Satpura Tiger Reserve (STR). Satpura National Park, with inclusion of Pachmarhi & Bori Sanctuaries, Satpura Tiger Reserve it covers 1427 km2 of Narmadapuram and Chhindwara Districts of Madhya Pradesh. Flora Satpura Tiger Reserve is a part of a rich Central Indian forest ecosystem thus it is quite rich in biodiversity. Satpura Tiger Reserve has over 1300 species of plants which are teak, Sal, tendu, mahua (Indian butter-tree), bel (stone-apple), bamboos, and grasses. Satpura Tiger Reserve has more than 62 trees species, 30 small tree species, 58 shrubs species, 32 climber species and almost 64 grass species. It also has important medicinal plants and rare endemic plants from the genus Psilotum, Cyathea, Osmunda,