Mookambika Wildlife Sanctuary

News : Sewage from religious tourism in Kollur is threatening Mookambika Wildlife Sanctuary as the Souparnika river carries sludge into the core area in summer.

About Mookambika Wildlife Sanctuary

• Location: It is located in the Udupi district of Karnataka in the Western Ghats region.
• Naming: It is named after the presiding deity of the Kollur Mookambika Temple situated within its boundaries.
• Key Features:
  • Kodachadri Hills: The sanctuary includes Kodachadri Peak, which is located at its core and is known as a “botanical paradise.”
  • Major rivers: The sanctuary has two important rivers, namely River Chakra and River Souparnika.
  • Waterfall: It has notable waterfalls such as Koosalli waterfalls and Belkal Theertha waterfalls.
  • Troika Significance: It forms part of a troika of Someshwara Wildlife Sanctuary–Mookambika Wildlife Sanctuary and Kudremukh National Park, which supports rare and endangered species of the Western Ghats.
  • Ecological Connectivity: It acts as a vital connecting link between Someshwara Wildlife Sanctuary (south) and Sharavathi Wildlife Sanctuary (north).
• Vegetation: The vegetation consists of evergreen, semi-evergreen, and moist deciduous forests covering steep slopes.
• Flora: Important species include Dipterocarpus Indicus, Calophyllum Tomentosum, Hopea Parviflora, and a rare climber Coscinium Fenestratum, along with small teak plantations.
• Fauna: It supports diverse wildlife such as lion-tailed macaque, slender loris, tiger, leopard, sloth bear, sambar deer, chital, wild pig, barking deer, gaur, porcupine, and otter, and it has also historically recorded species like Malabar civet, wild dog, king cobra, and giant squirrel.