The Original Nine (1973–74)

When Project Tiger launched in 1973, these nine reserves were the founding cohort — the single most-asked list in this entire book.

CARD — Corbett (Uttarakhand): the original Tiger Reserve, carved out of India's very first National Park (established 1936, then Hailey National Park). Launched here on 1 April 1973 by Indira Gandhi, it remains the most-visited reserve in India and a benchmark site for tiger density and tourism management. CARD — Kanha (Madhya Pradesh): one of the nine founding reserves and the last refuge of the hard-ground barasingha (swamp deer), a subspecies that was down to a few dozen individuals before targeted breeding-and-protection efforts inside the park pulled it back from the edge of extinction. CARD — Manas (Assam): a founding reserve that also carries UNESCO World Heritage (Natural) Site status and Biosphere Reserve status simultaneously — a rare triple designation. It sits on the Indo-Bhutan border and shelters the endangered pygmy hog and golden langur alongside tigers. CARD — Melghat (Maharashtra): Maharashtra's first Tiger Reserve and one of the nine founders, located in the Satpura hill range; it gives its name to the wider Melghat forest landscape, an important corridor linking central Indian tiger populations. CARD — Palamau (Jharkhand): a founding reserve and, to this day, Jharkhand's only Tiger Reserve — a classic "which state has just one" trap answer. It lies in the Chhotanagpur plateau and has struggled with left-wing extremism-linked disturbance affecting patrol access over the decades. CARD — Ranthambore (Rajasthan): a founding reserve and former royal hunting ground of the Maharajas of Jaipur; its dry deciduous forest studded with the ruins of a tenth-century fort makes it one of the most photographed tiger landscapes in the world. CARD — Similipal (Odisha): a founding reserve that is also a Biosphere Reserve, known for its waterfalls, sal forests, and a rare population of melanistic (black) tigers occasionally reported from the area. CARD — Sundarbans (West Bengal): the only mangrove Tiger Reserve among the nine founders, home to tigers that swim between islands and are unusually prone to man-animal conflict given the dense, hard-to-patrol terrain; it is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve. CARD — Bandipur (Karnataka): a founding reserve that celebrated its 50th ("golden jubilee") in 2023; contiguous with Mudumalai, Nagarahole, and Wayanad, it anchors one of the largest unbroken tiger landscapes in southern India.

Memory hook — "Cool Kids Make Money Playing Rummy, Sunday Special Bandi" → Corbett, Kanha, Manas, Melghat, Palamau, Ranthambore, Similipal, Sundarbans, Bandipur. Nine names, nine first letters, one absurd sentence.

Practice Recall: Cover the cards above and name all 9 founding Tiger Reserves of 1973–74, in any order... (Answer: Corbett, Kanha, Manas, Melghat, Palamau, Ranthambore, Similipal, Sundarbans, Bandipur.)