Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (WWS)

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