Tigers To Get A New Reserve – Parambikulam Tiger Reserve

Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary, sandwiched between Nelliampathy Hills and Annamalai Hills, was established in 1973. The sanctuary and nearby areas will be a declared a Tiger Reserve on 17 February 2010, by Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh.

It will be Kerala’s second tiger reserve, the other being Periyar Tiger Reserve. Areas within Parambikulam ranges from 300m to 1,438m above mean sea level. Parambikulam has seven major valleys and three major river systems. The sanctuary has three major reservoirs – Parambikulam, Thunakadavu and Peruvarippalam.

The sanctuary has semi-evergreen forests, dry as well as moist deciduous forests, tropical rainforests and Shola forests. Parambikulam is home to more than 1,400 species of flowering plants, many varieites of medicinal plants and 67 species of orchids.

Besides tigers and white gaurs, the sanctuary houses Nilgiri Tahr, elephants, lion-tailed Macaque, panther, wild boar, flying squirrel, sambar, Bonnet Macaque, Nilgiri Langur, sloth bear, Nilgiri marten, king cobra, Travancore tortoise, Indian day gecko, flying lizard, Indian rock python, Malabar pit viper, Travancore tortoise, mountain skink, mugger crocodile, pond terapin, spectacled cobra, krait, green keelback.

You can find birds such as lesser adjutant stork, grey-headed fish-eagle, Peninsular bay owl, broad-billed roller, black-capped kingfisher, great pied hornbill, little cormorant, black eagle, great Indian hornbill, and black woodpecker.

The sanctuary, located over 285sq.km, in Chittur taluk in Palakkad, will be extended to the forest divisions in Nenmara, Chalakudy and Vazhachal (about 358sq.km of area) in order to comprise a total area of 643 sq km. Parambikulam is approachable by road from Pollachi in Tamil Nadu, 90km away. The nearest airport and railhead is at Coimbatore.