Wild animals begin migration to Wayanad sanctuary

Wild animals begin migration to Wayanad sanctuary

News:

Seasonal migration of wild animals from Nilgiri Biosphere to Wayanad Wild Life Sanctuary.

Important Facts:

• The annual migration begins from the end of February and it continues till the advent of monsoon in search of fodder and water.
• Animals also migrate to wildlife sanctuary from Muthumalai Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu and Bandipur Tiger Reserve in Karnataka in search of food.
• A drastic decline in the sholas and grasslands is one of the reasons for the recent water scarcity in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.

About Nilgiri:

• The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve was the first biosphere reserve in India established in the year 1986.
• It is located in the Western Ghats and includes 2 of the 10 biogeographical provinces of India.
• The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve falls under the biogeographic region of the Malabar rain forest.
• The sholas of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve are a treasure house of rare plant species.
• The Nilgiri tahr, Nilgiri langur, slender loris, blackbuck, tiger, gaur, Indian elephant and marten are some of the animals found here.
• The Muthumalai Wildlife Sanctuary, Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary Bandipur National Park, Nagarhole National Park, Mukurthi National Park and Silent Valley are the protected areas present within this reserve.
• Many of the major tributaries of the river Cauvery like the Bhavani, Moyar, Kabini and other rivers like Chaliyar, Punampuzha, etc., have their source and catchment areas within the reserve boundary
• The sholas and grasslands play a very important role in retaining water and supplying it to these streams
• Tribal groups like the Todas, Kotas, Irullas, Kurumbas, Paniyas, Adiyans, Edanadan Chettis, Cholanaickens, Allar,Malayan, etc., are native to the reserve

About Wayanad Sanctuary

• Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary is an integral part of the Nilgiri Biosphere
• The Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary is a second largest wildlife park in Kerala and declared a Project Elephant, Elephant Reserves.
• It is situated between the Mysore and a small town Sultan Bathery in Wayanad district of Kerala.
• The sanctuary is contiguous to the protected area network of Nagarhole and Bandipur of Karnataka on the Northeast and Muthumalai of Tamil Nadu on the Southeast.