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Wildlife Sanctuaries / Tiger Reserves & National Parks in News

1. Point Calimere sanctuary

Recently, the waterbodies were de-silted and deepened to attract birds to Point
Calimere sanctuary.
At the sanctuary, there are about 60 ponds and 20 artificial water troughs under
the Vedaranyam forest range.

• Location:
Tamil Nadu, South India. • It is a protected area.
•Area: 21.47
square-kilometre.

• It lies along the

Palk Strait where
it meets the Bay • The sanctuary was
of Bengal at Point created in 1967 for
Calimere at the the conservation of the
southeastern least concern
tip of Nagapattinam blackbuck antelope,
District. an endemic mammal
species of India.

• Before 1988, Point Calimere

Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary
was known as Point
Calimere Wildlife Sanctuary. • Since then it was renamed the
Point Calimere Wildlife
and Bird Sanctuary.

• It was in the year 1988, that the sanctuary

was expanded to include the • It is famous for large
Talaignayar Reserve Forest and congregations of waterbirds,
the Great Vedaranyam Swamp. especially greater flamingos.

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2. Debrigarh Sanctuary
Wild dogs have resurfaced in Odisha’s Debrigarh Sanctuary recently.
Authorities attribute it to strong wildlife management practices including regular
recharge of saltlicks and installation of cameras.
• The Hirakud reservoir on the east and north
• Location: Bargarh district, Odisha boundaries of the sanctuary attracts migratory
waterfowl during the winter months.
• Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary is
characterized by a variety of vegetation • The sanctuary is known for its
types, including dry deciduous forests, rich biodiversity and is home to
mixed forests, and grasslands. numerous wildlife species.

• It was declared as a wildlife

sanctuary on 8th February 1985. • It is an important site for in
situ conservation of wildlife and
its habitat in the state of
• It finds a special mention Odisha.
because of noted freedom fighter
Veer Surendra Sai.
• Flora:-
o Dry deciduous forests.
• During his rebellion against the
• Fauna:-
British, Veer Surendra Sai madehis
o Four-horned antelope, Indian leopard,
base at ‘Barapathara,” located
Indian elephant, sambar, chital, gaur, etc.
within the sanctuary.

About Dhole or wild dogs:

• Distribution: central, south, and
southeast Asia.
• They can be seen as far north as
Siberia, as far south as some
Malaysian islands, and as far west
as the Indian peninsula.
• Conservation status:
o IUCN: Endangered
o CITES: Appendix II
o The Wildlife Protection Act 1972:
Schedule II
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4.Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary (KWS)
Heli firm in spot for landing in Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary recently.
A case was recently registered against a chopper company by the forest
department in Uttarakhand for purportedly landing a helicopter in a restricted
zone of Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary.

• Location: Uttarakhand, India.

• The Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary is
located in the Rudraprayag and
Chamoli districts of the state of
Uttarakhand and is one of the largest
protected areas in the state.
• It is named after the famous
Kedarnath Temple, one of the holiest
Hindu pilgrimage sites in the country.

• The sanctuary was established in 1972.

• It covers a total area of 975.20 km2.
• The sanctuary lies in the upper catchment of the
Alaknanda and Mandakini Rivers.
• The altitude ranges from 1,160 to 7,068 m asl, as
the Sanctuary is bordered by Kedarnath (6940 m),
Mandani (6193 m) and Chaukhamba (7068 m)
peaks in the north.
• Vasuki Tal is a glacial lake located near the
Kedarnath region in the Uttarakhand state of India.
• It shows a range of vegetation types due to varying altitudes and
climatic conditions.
• The sanctuary encompasses forests, meadows, and shrublands.
• The sanctuary is rich in faunal diversity, with over 30 species of
mammals, 240 species of birds, 147 species of butterflies, nine species of
snakes, and 10 species of fishes recorded within its boundaries.
• It includes Snow Leopard Indian Leopard, Leopard Cat, Indian Jackal,

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Red Fox, Himalayan Black Bear, Yellow-throated Marten, Indian Boar,
Himalayan Musk Deer etc.
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3. Guindy National Park
Guindy National Park at Chennai has been teeming with blackbuck and birds.
It is one of the last remaining tropical dry evergreen forests in south India and one
of the 106 national parks.
Originally spanning over five square kilometres, the park is now spread across 2.7
square kilometres after it was divided into educational institutions, memorials.

• Location: Chennai.
• It is one of the last remaining tropical dry
evergreen forests in south India.
• It is one of the 106 national parks.

• Originally spanning over five square

kilometres, the park is now spread across
2.7 square kilometres after it was divided
into educational institutions and
memorials.

• It is India’s eighth-smallest national park

and one of the very few national parks
located inside a city.
• It is one of the last remnants of Guindy Snake
Park next to Guindy National Park.
• It gained statutory recognition as a medium zoo from the Central Zoo Authority
(CZA) in 1995.
• In 1978 the small area, popularly known as
Guindy Deer Park.
• It was declared as a national park in the tropical
dry evergreen forests of the Coromandel Coast.

• Flora: It contains more than 30 species of trees and a

number of century-old gigantic Banyan Trees.
• Fauna: It has a significant population of blackbucks,

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spotted deers, jackals, varieties of snakes, over 100
species of birds and over 60 species of butterflies.
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5. Mudumalai Tiger Reserve
A recent survey was held in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve. It identified 50 Odonata
species.

• Location: Tamil Nadu.

• It covers an area of 103.24 km sq.
• It is located in the Nilgiris District of Tamil Nadu state.
• It is at the tri-junction of three states, viz,
Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
• It is a part of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve along with
Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (Kerala) in the West,
Bandipur National Park (Karnataka) in the North,
Mukurthi National Park and Silent Valley in the South.
• Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary was designated as
Mudumalai National Park in 1990.
• Mudumalai was designated as Mudumalai was
designated as a tiger reserve by the Tamil Nadu state
government in April 2007.

• The Moyar River flows into the • Tropical Evergreen Forests,

Mudumalai Tiger Reserve and serves Moist Mixed Deciduous Forest,
as a natural boundary between Moist Teak Forest, Dry Teak
Mudumalai and Bandipur Sanctuary. Forests, Secondary
Grasslands, Shrubs, and
•There are about 50 Swamps are among the
species of fish, 21 habitats found here.
species of amphibians,
34 species of reptiles,
• Several endangered and
200 species of birds,
threatened animals, such as
and 50 species of
elephants, tigers, gaurs,
mammals in the park,
leopards, deer, and wild
which has a high
dogs are found here.
diversity of animal life.

• The park is home to over 200 bird species,

including the White-rumped vulture,
Long-billed vulture, Red-crest vulture,
Mynas, Parakeets, and Owls.
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6. Kali Tiger Reserve
Recently, 5 poachers were held in Kali Tiger Reserve.
The gang of five was involved in several poaching cases and their network runs
deep, including political nexus, said an official.

• Kali Tiger Reserve is located in Uttara Kannada District of

Karnataka.
• It comprises two important protected areas – Dandeli Wildlife
Sanctuary (475.018 sq km) and Anshi National Park (339.866 sq km)
which form a single tract of protected area located in the biologically
sensitive Western Ghats.
• Kali Tiger Reserve (KTR) in Karnataka is located in the biologically
sensitive Western Ghats and is a UNESCO World Heritage site and a
global biodiversity hotspot.

• The Kali River flows through the tiger reserve hence

the name Kali Tiger Reserve.
• The park is in the ecoregions of North Western Ghats
montane rain forests and North Western Ghats moist
deciduous forests, both of which are deemed
endangered by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

• The park is a habitat of Bengal tigers, black panthers and Indian

elephants.
• Flora: The park is in the ecoregions of North Western Ghats
montane rain forests and North Western Ghats moist deciduous
forests, both of which are deemed endangered by the World Wide
Fund for Nature (WWF).
o The forests have high biodiversity.
• Fauna: The black panther, elephants and tigers live in the park
but are rarely seen.
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7. Nugu Wildlife Sanctuary
NTCA recommended declaring Nugu Wildlife Sanctuary as a core critical area of
Bandipur recently.
This followed a site visit by Assistant Inspector General of Forests, NTCA, Ms.
Harini Venugopal.

• Location: Mysuru district, • Area:32 sq km.

Karnataka. • It is a small but ecologically
o The Nugu Wildlife significant protected area.
Sanctuary is located in
the Mysore district, to
the north of the famous • In the years
Bandipur National 2003-2004, the area
Park. of Nugu Wildlife
Sanctuary was added
• In 1974, Nugu was to the Nilgiri
declared a Wildlife Biosphere Reserve.
Sanctuary.

• The sanctuary comprises the Lakshmanapura State Forest and

adjacent revenue lands.
• The Nugu reservoir forms the western boundary of the
sanctuary, while the southern tip touches the Alaganchi State
Forest which is part of the
Bandipur National Park.

• Vegetation: It has Open dry deciduous forests to tropical mixed

deciduous forests.
• Animals: Leopard, Dhole, Golden Jackal, Lion-Tailed Macaque,
Common Langur, Sloth Bear, Gaur, Sambar, Spotted Deer, etc.
• Plants: Silver Oak, Coffee.

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8. Gundla Brahmeswaram Wildlife Sanctuary
A recent Survey identified over 50 grass species at Gundla Brahmeswaram
Wildlife Sanctuary.
Over 50 unique grass species were recorded, including some rare ones during
the course of this extensive workshop.

• Location: Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh.

• Gundla Brahmeshwara Wildlife Sanctuary is
located in the Nallamala Forest.
• It is located between Mantralamma kanuma
and Nandi kanuma hill passes.
• The northern part of the sanctuary is an
important part of the Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam
Tiger Reserve.

• The Gundlakamma River flows through the

sanctuary.
• The mammals in the Gundala Brahmeshwara
Sanctuary includes langurs, panthers, tigers,
rats, Rusty-spotted cat, Indian flying squirrel,
Lesser woolly horseshoe bat, Mouse deer,
Pangolin, Sambar deer, Nilgai and Bonnet
macaques.

• Flora: It consists of trees like Teak, Dalbergia, Boswelia, Shisham, Andug, Prerocarpuss, Terminalia,
Albizzia, Anogeissius, and Bamboo.
• Fauna: The varied wildlife found here includes langur, jungle cat, panther, tiger, mouse deer, hyena,
and bonnet monkey.