Malai Mahadeshwara Wildlife Sanctuary | 24 Feb 2020
Why in News
The Malai Mahadeshwara Wildlife Sanctuary will be declared as a tiger reserve soon.
- Also, with this notification, Karnataka will have six tiger reserves, the others being Nagarahole, Bhadra, and Anshi-Dandeli, Bandipur and Biligiri Ranganatha Temple (BRT) Tiger Reserves.
Key Points
- Malai Mahadeshwara Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka.
- Once notified, Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka will have three tiger reserves. It already has Bandipur and BRT Tiger Reserve within its territorial limits.
- It is spread over 906.18 sq km – is contiguous to BRT Tiger Reserve, Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve and the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary.
- The area was declared as Wildlife Sanctuary in 2013.
- It consists mainly of dry deciduous type degrading to scrub forest in the fringe areas, and are interspersed with patches of moist deciduous, semi-evergreen, evergreen and shola forests occurring at varying altitudes.
- Animals including tiger, elephant, leopard, wild dog, bison, sambar, spotted deer, barking deer, sloth bear, wild boar, four-horned antelope, black-naped hare, common langur, bonnet macaque, honey badger (ratel), varieties of reptiles, birds, etc. are found in the wildlife sanctuary.