Pic D.K.Bhaskar
Nestled in the lush tropical forests of the Western Ghats in Chikmagalur district is the Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary. It is about 275 kms north of Bangalore and covers an area of 492.46 Sq. km. In 1951, the Government of Mysore had declared this region as the Jagara valley Game Reserve and in 1974 it was reconstituted as the Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary. It was declared as the 25th Project Tiger of India in 1998. The highest peak of the sanctuary is Kallahathigiri with a height of 1875M.
The ravines of this sanctuary are home to a large variety of flora and fauna and it is regarded as one of the best Wildlife Sanctuaries in India. The lush green vegetation and lofty hill ranges are a beautiful spectacle.The sanctuary gets its name from the Bhadra river, which flows perennially through this region. Two famed hill resorts, Kemmannugundi and Bababuden Hills, are within the sanctuary. There is a local belief that goes like this, "If the bamboo swings to the voice of the wind and the tiger wanders with gaiety, then it must be Jagara Valley." Jagara is a village situated close to the sanctuary.
The vegetation is deciduous and the succulant green bamboos provide food for the majestic Elephant. More than 120 tree species grow here, which include Teak, Rosewood, Mathi, Honne, Nandi, Tadasalu and Kindal. There are also important medicinal plants to be found here. A big teak tree called Jagara Giant with a girth of 5.21 mts and aged about 300 years is one of the attractions of the sanctuary.
The sanctuary is rich in wildlife. Home to the Indian Tiger, the sanctuary has the sort of habitat that the animal craves - large spaces, open jungle, ample shade. The leopard, sloth bear, giant squirrel, gaur, sambar, elephant and slender loris are the other mammals to be found here. Among birds, those to be spotted are the blackwinged kite, king vulture, great horned owl, great pied hornbill, Indian tree pie, black napped flycatcher and the open billed stork.
The sanctuary is also home to exotic butterflies, which include yamfly, baronet, crimson rose, southern birdwing, tailed jay, great orange tip, bamboo treebrown, blue pansy. Besides these, one can also spot other animals like the flying snake, rock python, bronze backed tree snake, common garden lizard, monitor lizard, atlas moth, wild dog and the Indian pond turtle.
The rich biodiversity of the Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary has to be conserved and preserved for future mankind. In 1999, the Government of India brought the sanctuary under Project Tiger. Project Tiger is not merely for Tiger Conservation. It also looks into the conservation of Tiger habitat, its prey density and other aspects that endanger the tiger population. These great beasts that once roamed the forests in large numbers are on the verge of extinction. Let us act before it is too late. Or some time in the future we may only be left with pictures and images to remind us what this wonderful creature looked like.
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