Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary, Chikmagalur, Karnataka.

Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary, Chikmagalur, Karnataka.

Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary situated in the midst of Western Ghats in Chikmagalur and Shimoga districts of Karnataka. This sanctuary is covering an area of 492.46 sq. km.

Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary is located at a distance of 38 km northwest of Chikmagalur town. The sanctuary is surrounded by Mullaianagiri, Hebbegiri, Gangegiri and Bababudangiri hills and has the tributaries like Somavahini, Thadabehalla and Odirayanahalla of the Bhadra River flowing through it.

Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary gets its name from the river Bhadra. Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary is also popularly known as Muthodi Wildlife Sanctuary, after the village on its periphery. The reserve consists of two main areas, Muthodi and Lakkavalli.

The area was declared as “Jagara Valley Wildlife Sanctuary” in 1951 by the Government of Mysore. The Sanctuary was reconstituted in the year 1974 as “Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary”.

The forest type is southern tropical dry deciduous dry teak, Northern tropical dry deciduous mixed forest, Dry deciduous scrub forest, Boswellia forest, Dry bamboo brakes, Anogeissus pendula forest.

More than 120 tree species grow here, which include Teak, Rosewood, Mathi, Honne, Nandi, Tadasalu and Kindal.

A diverse range of wildlife is found in the sanctuary like elephant, gaur, tiger, panther, sambar, spotted deer, mouse deer, barking deer, sloth bear, wild boar, wild dog, mongoose, porcupine, jackal, and the common langur.

Apart from the 33 tigers that Bhadra is famous for, other mammalian inhabitants include elephant, gaur, sloth bear, wild boar, leopard, jungle cat, jackal, wild dog, jackal, sambar, and spotted deer, barking deer, mouse deer, common langur, bonnet macaque, slender loris, small Indian civet, common palm civet, pangolin, porcupine, flying squirrel and the Malabar giant squirrel. You can also come across small carnivores like leopard cat, rusty-spotted cat, ruddy mongoose, triped-necked mongoose and otters. The Sanctuary was earlier famous for Indian bison or Gaur, which numbered more than a thousand. Rinder pest disease took a heavy toll on these animals during 1998–99. The park has a horde of reptiles like vine snake, king cobra, common cobra, Russell’s viper, bamboo pit viper, rat snake, olive keelback, common wolf snake, common Indian monitor, draco or gliding lizards and marsh crocodiles. Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary has more than 300 species of birds, including those endemic to this region and some migratory birds. The rich avian population is a source of delight for tourists. Some of the species found in Bhadra are grey jungle fowl, red spur fowl, painted bush quail, emerald dove, southern green imperial pigeon, great black woodpecker, Malabar parakeet and hill myna, ruby-throated bulbul, shama, Malabar trogon, Malabar whistling thrush, four species of hornbill and racquet-tailed drongo. Adding color and variety to the rich fauna here are the petite multihued butterflies, which enthrall children and persons with an artistic bent of mind. Butterflies like yamfly, baronet, crimson rose butterfly, southern birdwing, tailed jay, great orange tip, bamboo tree brown, and blue pansy are found here.