Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (WWS)

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About Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary:

Location: It is located in Wayanad, Kerala, in the southern trenches of the Western Ghats.
It is an integral part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It is bordered by the protected areas of Nagarhole and Bandipur in Karnataka on the northeastern side and Mudumalai in Tamil Nadu on the southeastern side.
Tribes living in these forests include some scheduled adivasis, such as Paniyas, Kattunaikkans, Kurumas, Ooralis, Adiyans, and Kurichiyas.
Flora:
- It is a mosaic of the Western Ghats’ significant vegetation types, ranging from moist deciduous to dry deciduous and semi-evergreen patches.
- Teak, rosewood, eucalyptus, and silver oak plantations cover roughly one-third of the sanctuary.
Fauna:
- It is also home to animals like elephants, panthers, tigers, jungle cats, civet cats, monkeys, wild dogs, bison, deer and bears.
- It is known for having the largest population of tigers in Kerala.

Q1: What are Biosphere Reserves (BR)?

BR is an international designation by UNESCO for representative parts of natural and cultural landscapes extending over a large area of terrestrial or coastal/marine ecosystems or a combination thereof.

Source: Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary’s vulture survey records 80 birds