Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary

About Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary: 

• Location: It is located on the western slopes of Western Ghats and it is the northernmost wildlife sanctuary of Kerala.
• It is contiguous with Wayanad-Brahmagiri, Wayanad northern slopes and the Protected Areas of Karnataka State namely the Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary and also the forests of Coorg.
• Rivers: The Cheenkannipuzha river forms the main drainage system on the southern side. Other rivers Narikkadavu thodu, Kurukkathodu and Meenumuttithodu.
• Vegetation: It includes West Coast tropical evergreen forest, west coast semi-evergreen forests, South Indian moist deciduous forest, Southern hilltop evergreen forest and plantations.
• It is the only protected area of the West Coast Tropical Evergreen forest of Dipterocarpus-Mesua- Palaquium type.
• Highest peak of this sanctuary is Katti Betta.
• Flora: The major tree species are Artiocarpus heterophyllus, Bishofia javanica, Calophyllum elatum, Cannarium strictum, Cullenia exarillita, Dipterocarpus sp, Drypetes elata, Dysoxylum malabaricum, Elaeocarpus tuberculatus etc.

Fauna: Elephant, Gaur, Tiger, Panther, Sambar, Spotted deer, Barking deer, Wild boar, Sloth bear, Nilgiri langur, Bonnet macaque, Common langur, Wild dog, common otter, Malabar giant squirrel etc are the major mammals.

Q1: What are Deciduous Forests?

A deciduous forest is a biome dominated by deciduous trees which lose their leaves seasonally. The Earth has temperate deciduous forests, and tropical and subtropical deciduous forests, also known as dry forests.

Source: Four monkeys found dead in Kerala’s Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary, authorities probe possible infection