ADVENTURE & WILDLIFE
• Biligiriranga Swamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary: This is located in the Chamarajanagar district and is spread over 539.58 square kilometres( 208.33 sq mi). Some of the species of flora found here are Anogeissus latifolia, Grewia tilaefolia and Syzygium cumini.
Species of mammals include elephants, tigers, leopards, sloth bear, gaur, barking deer and sambar. Among the 215 species of birds found here include Nilgiri wood pigeon, Malabar whistling thrush, yellow-throated bulbul, peregrine falcon, rufous-bellied hawk-eagle. And also an endangered amphibian, Icthyophis ghytinosus has been reported in this sanctuary.
Malabar giant squirrel and barking deer.
• Daroji Sloth Bear Sanctuary: This is located in Bellary district and is spread over 55.87 square kms( 21.57 sq mi). This sanctuary was mainly created for the conservation of sloth bears.
• Ghataprabha Wildlife Sanctuary: This is located in Belgaum district and is spread over 20.78 square kms( 8.02 sq mi). This sanctuary is known for migratory birds like Demoiselle crane and European white stork.
• Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary: This is located between the Chikkamagaluru and Shimoga districts and is spread over 492.46 square kilometres( 190.14 sq mi). Common species of flora include Lagerstromia lanceolata, Adina cordifolia and Careya arborea. Mammals include tiger, leopard, elephant, gaur, slender loris and pangolin. Among the bird species found here are ruby-throated bulbul, shama, Malabar whistling thrush and paradise flycatcher.
• Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary: This is located in Kodagu district and is spread over an area of 181.80 km 2( 70.19 sq mi). The evergreen forests in this sanctuary include species like Cinnamomum zeylancium, Cedrela toona and Alstonia scholaris. Bamboos are dominant here and include species like Bambusa bambos and Dendrocalamus strictus. Mammals include elephant, gaur, tiger, jungle cat, bonnet macaque and Nilgiri marten. Also around 300 species of birds have been observed here over the years.
• Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary: It is spread across the districts of Bangalore, Mysore and Mandya and is spread over 102.59 square kilometres( 39.61 sq mi). Dry deciduous trees found in this park include species like Terminalia arjuna and Syzgium cumini. Animal species found in this park include leopard, elephant, sambar and common otter. This is also one of the last refuge of the highly endangered grizzled giant squirrel in Karnataka. Also around 300 species of birds have been observed here over the years. This sanctuary is also famous for mahseer fish( Tor species).
• Malai Mahadeshwara Wildlife Sanctuary: Spread over 906 square kilometers( 349.8 sq mi), MM Hills wildlife sanctuary came to being on 7th May 2013. Contiguous with BRT Tiger Reserve and Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary, the sanctuary boasts of tiger, elephant, leopard, dhole, sambar, barking deer and others. The sanctuary is located in Chamarajanagar district, Kollegala taluk.
• Melukote Temple Wildlife Sanctuary: This is located in Mandya district and is spread over 45.82 square kms( 17.69 sq mi). An endangered species of flora, Cycas circinalis is found here. Mammal species include wolf, leopard, blackbuck and pangolin. Also around 230 species of birds have been observed here over the years.
• Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary: This is located in Uttara Kannada district and is spread over 475.02 square kms( 183.41 sq mi). Common tree species found here are Dalbergia latifolia, Terminalia paniculata, T. Tomentosa and Vitex altissima. Mammal species include elephant, gaur, wild boar, slender loris,
Vol 1 | Issue 5-6 | Nov 16- Jan 17 13