TADOBA NATIONAL PARK

national park in Maharashtra state, western India. Extending over an area of 45 square miles (117 square km), the park consists of dense forests of sal (Shorea), margosa, mahua, and mango, interspersed with lakes and plains; stretches of bamboo thickets are found around Tadoba Lake, for which the park is named. It was established as a wildlife sanctuary in 1935 and declared a national park in 1955. The park has tigers, panthers, leopards, chital, jackals, gaurs (Indian bison), mouse deer, sambars, antelope, sloth bears, and crocodiles. A network of roads and observation towers facilitate wildlife viewing.