Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary

Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary
Location	Wayanad, Kerala, India
Nearest town	Sultan Battery, Mananthavady
Coordinates	11°38′46″N 76°21′50″E / 11.646°N 76.364°E / 11.646; 76.364[1]
Area	344 km2 (133 sq mi)
Established	1973

Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary in Wayanad, Kerala, India with an extent of 344.44 km² (132.99 sq mi) and four hill ranges namely Sulthan Bathery, Muthanga, Kurichiat and Tholpetty. A variety of large wild animals such as gaur, Indian elephant, deer and Bengal tiger are found there. There are also quite a few unusual birds in the sanctuary. In particular, Indian peafowl tend to be very common in the area. Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary is the second largest wildlife sanctuary in Kerala. It is bestowed with lush green forests and rich wildlife. This wildlife area houses some of the rare and endangered species of both flora and fauna.

Established in 1973, the sanctuary is now an integral part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. It is bounded by protected area network of Nagarhole National Park and Bandipur National Park in Karnataka in the northeast, and on the southeast by Mudumalai National Park in Tamil Nadu. The Western Ghats, Nilgiri Sub-Cluster (6,000⁺ km²), including all of the sanctuary, is under consideration by the World Heritage Committee for selection as a World Heritage Site.^[2]

It is part of the Deccan Plateau and the vegetation is predominantly of the south Indian moist deciduous teak forests. Also, the sanctuary has pastures of the west-coast semi-evergreen trees. The wildlife sanctuary comes under Protect Elephant and one can spot herd of elephants roaming in the area. Elephant rides are arranged by the Kerala Forest Department.

Wayanad district has the largest population of Adivasi in Kerala. Scheduled tribes here include Paniyas, Kurubas, Adiyans, Kurichiyas, Ooralis and Kattunaikkans. Comprising an area of 2126 km², Wayanad has a powerful history. Relicts and edicts found in various parts of Wayanad speak of an important prehistoric era. Historians are of the view that organised human life existed in these parts, at least ten centuries before Christ.

A monitoring programme of the Forest Department for 2017-18 has found that the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (WWS), holds the largest tiger population in the State. Of the total 176 Bengal tigers in the State, 75 were identified from the WWS, which is part of a large forest complex holding the single largest population of tigers in India.^[3]