The forests and sanctuaries of Karnataka

Many visitors to the blog and friends have asked us to give us a tabular post on the many wildlife sanctuaries in Karnataka, the area in which they are situated and the best season to visit them.

The Forest Department has a list of forests, reserves, sanctuaries and biospheres. Bookings can be made at the Aranya Bhavan in Malleswaram, Bangalore, and also at Jungle Lodges and Resorts on MG Road and Khanija Bhavan office at Race Course Road.

If you are visiting forests, prior permission is necessary and it is best to take along guides if you are going for a trek or a safari. Now is the best time to visit the jungles as the forests will be lush green and the climate pleasant.

Summers can get pretty uncomfortable though that would be the best season to see almost all the wildlife. Barring the lion, giraffe and species native to Australia and New Zealand such as Ostrich, Kiwi and Chinese such as Pandas, the forests in Karnataka are home to a wide variety of animals, including elephants, tigers, dholes, hyneas, wolf, fox, jackal, snakes, bear, boar and what not.

So here goes the list and it is reproduced from the website of the Karnataka Forest Department. All credit goes to the department and we are just reproducing them for the benefit of readers and visitors.          

Karnataka has long history of efficient management of Forestry and Wildlife. The total geographical area in the State is 1,91,791 sq. kms out of which the forest area is about 43,356.95 sq. kms which constitutes about 22.6% . The Karnataka Forest Act, 1963 and Rules 1969 regulate working in the forest areas. The State has 5 National Parks and 22 Wildlife Sanctuaries covering an area of 6576.76 sq. kms. which forms nearly 15.17% of the total forest area as protected area. Wildlife (Protection) Act was enacted during 1972 by Government of India to provide for the protection of wild animals, birds and plants and with a view to ensuring the ecological and environmental security of the country. The elephant population in India is around 25,000 of which the estimated population in Karnataka is around 5590(Census 2010), which constitutes about 22% of the total population. Forest occupancy of Tigers, Co-predators, Prey and population estimates of tigers. State     Tiger    (sq km) Leopard (sq km) Dhole (sq km) Bear (sq km) Chital (sq km) Wild Pig (sq km) Sambar (sq km) Tiger numbers Karnataka 18715 20506 15862 20749 42349 21999 43412 290 Estimation of lower limit for tiger population - 241 Estimation of upper limit for tiger population - 339  *Source: Wildlife Institute of India Report 2008. Name of the National Parks Area (sq.km) Nearest Dist. HQ Season to Visit Anshi National Park 417.34 Karwar 60 Bangalore 580 Nov-Jun Bandipur National Park 872.24 Chamarajnagar 52 Bangalore 218 Jun-Oct Bannerghatta National Park 260.51 Bangalore-22.0 All Seasons Kudremukha National Park 600.57 Udupi 90 Bangalore 263 Dec-May Nagarahole National Park 643.39 Mysore 120 Bangalore 240 Sept.-Mar Name of the Sanctuary Area (sq.km) Nearest Dist. HQ Season to Visit Adichunchanagiri Peacock Sanctuary 0.84 Mandya 90 Bangalore 112 All Seasons Arabithittu Wildlife Sanctuary 13.50 Mysore 28 Bangalore 170 Dec-Feb Attiveri Bird Sanctuary 2.23 Karwar 85 Bangalore 400 Oct.-Dec BRT Wildlife Sanctuary 539.52 Chamarajnagar 35 Bangalore 234 Oct-May Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary 500.16 Chickmagalur 76 Bangalore 257 Sept.- Mar Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary 181.29 Madikeri 50 Bangalore 250 Jan-Mar Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary 1027.53 Ramnagar 30 Bangalore 87 May-Nov Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary 886.41 Dharwad 67 Bangalore 482 Sep.-May Doraji Bear Sanctuary 82.72 Bellary 41 Bangalore 350 Sep-Jan Ghataprabha Wildlife Sanctuary 29.78 Belgaum 82 Bangalore 505 Oct.-Dec Gudavi Bird Sanctuary 0.73 Shimoga 112 Bangalore 377 Jun.-Nov Melukote Wildlife Sanctuary 49.82 Mandya 40 Bangalore 140 Oct-Apr. Mookambika Wildlife Sanctuary 370.37 Udupi 62 Bangalore 430 Nov.-Apr. Nugu Wildlife Sanctuary 30.32 Mysore 57 Bangalore 202 Oct-Apr. Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary 102.59 Madikeri 12 Bangalore 250 Jan.-Mar Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary 0.67 Mysore 16 Bangalore 125 All Seasons Ranibennur Blackbuck Sanctuary 119.00 Haveri 32 Bangalore 301 May – Jan Sharavathi Wildlife Sanctuary 431.23 Talguppa-6.5 Mangalore 206.5 Nov-May Shettihalli Wildlife Sanctuary 395.60 Shimoga 1 Bangalore 270 Nov.-May Someshwara Wildlife Sanctuary 314.25 Udupi 47 Bangalore 373 Nov.-Apr. Thalakaveri Wildlife Sanctuary 105.59 Madikeri 38 Bangalore 290 May-Jun Oct-Jan Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary 190.42 Belgaum Nov-Jun Rangayyanadurga Four-horned antelope Sanctuary 77.23 - - Chincholi Wildlife Sanctuary 134.88 - - Ramadevarabetta Vulture Sanctuary 3.46 - - Name of the Reserve Area (sq. kms) Year of Establishment Bankapura Peacock Conservation Reserve 0.56 2006 Mydhanahalli(Jayamangali) Black Buck Conservation Reserve 3.23 2007 Basur Amruth Mahal Kaval Conservation Reserve 7.36 2011 Hornbill Conservation Reserve 52.5 2011 Aghanashini Conservation Reserve 299.52 2011 Bedthi Conservation Reserve 57.3 2011 Shalmale Riparian Bio-system Conservation Reserve 4.89 2012 Kokkare Bellur Community Reserve 3.12 2007 Name of the Tiger Reserve Area (sq. kms) Year of Establishment Bandipur 870 1973 Bhadra 492 1998 Nagarahole 643 2000 Dandeli-Anshi 475 2006 BRT 539.52 2011 Name of the Reserve Area (Sq.kms) Year of Establihsment Nilgiri 2053.27 1986