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INDIA - SOUTH ZONE

Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Sanctuary, Andhra Pradesh

The largest of India's Tiger reserves, the Nagarjunasagar - Srisailam Sanctuary (3568 sq km), lies in the state of Andhra Pradesh. The terrain is rugged and winding gorges slice through the Mallamalai hills. Adjoining the reserve is the large reservoir of the Nagarjunasagar dam on the river Krishna. The dry deciduous forests with scrub and bamboo thickets provide shelter to a range of animals from the tiger and leopard at the top of the food chain, to deer, sloth bear, hyena, jungle cat, palm civet, bonnet macaque and pangolin. In this unspoilt jungle, the tiger is truly nocturnal and is rarely seen.

Best time to Visit : October - June.

How to Reach : Rail & Air - Hyderabad (150 km).

Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, Karnataka

Part of the Deccan Plateau and located at the foothills of Western Ghats, Bandipur, in Karnataka offers a rich and varied wildlife habitat. Covered with a mix of deciduous, evergreen forests and scrub, well irrigated by the Moyar river, Bandipur had a fairly open forest floor, making it easy for visitors to spot wildlife. Once the Mysore Maharaja's private game reserve, it is now one of the 15 sanctuaries selected across the country for Project Tiger by the World Wide Fund for Nature, to save the tigers. Just 90 sq km in 1931, now this national park covers an area of 865 sq km. Together with the neighbouring national parks like Madhumalai wildlife sanctuary in Tamil Nadu and Waynad in Kerala, it forms the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. Visitors here get to see a variety of birds and animals like tiger, Asian elephant, gaur, sambar, chital, spotted deer, barking deer, mouse deer, four horned antelope, wild boar, black naped hare, Indian porcupine. This park boasts of 66 tigers and over 1900 elephants. River Moyar acts as a boundary between this park and the Madhumalai Sanctuary.

Prominent fauna - Asian elephant, gaur, sambar, chital, mouse deer, four horned antelope, wild pig, black-naped hare and Indian porcupine.

Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala

One of the largest wildlife reserves in India, the Periyar wildlife Sanctuary is more popular as a tiger reserve. A boat ride on the splendid Periyar lake is the best way to experience the sanctuary. The greatest attraction here is the herd of wild elephants, tiger, Sambar, Bison, Spotted Deer, Leopard, Malabar flying squirrel, Stripe-necked Mongoose can also be spotted in the forest.

A dam constructed on the Periyar river led to the submersion of a large forest area and the formation of a 55 sq km lake, which assured the local wildlife a perennial source of water and led to its rapid growth.