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