Sathyamangalam Wildlife Sanctuary
The Sathyamangalam sanctuary is situated in Erode District in TamilNadu. This place lies in the Western and Eastern Ghats, in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve in India.
History
In November 2008, according to the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, the Sathyamangalam forests were declared as Wildlife Sanctuary. There were 46 tigers seen in Sathyamangalam Wildlife Sanctuary, during the Survey handled by the TamilNadu Government in 2010.
In 2010, the Minister of State for the Environment and Forests, gave a request to the TamilNadu Chief Minister, based on the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, to consider the proposal of Sathyamangalam Wildlife Sanctuary as the Project Tiger reserve.
On 18th March 2013, the Central Government of India, declared that the Sathyamangalam forests, will serve as the fourth Tiger reserve in TamilNadu. This Sathyamangalam Wildlife Sanctuary and Tiger Reserve is one of the Tiger Reserves, having the protected area near the Western Ghats in Erode in TamilNadu.
Special Things about the Sanctuary
This Sanctuary, has the highest Tiger population, with 54 Tigers. So it was declared as the fourth Tiger Reserve in TamilNadu in 2013. There are nearly 135 varieties of birds in this sanctuary, so it is ideal for bird seeing.
This place covers a total forest area of about 1400sq.Km. The Sathyamangalam forest is a tropical dry forest, which is a part of South Deccan Plateau dry deciduous, forest area. There are 5 main types of forest, in which the Sathyamangalam belongs to the dry deciduous. There are 60 endemic species, out of the 700 varieties of Flora seen in the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve.
Things to see
The Sathyamangalam forests, connects the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats, which permits the flow of gene among the various fauna populations of these two areas. The mammals(40 species), avifauna(225 species), reptiles(30 species), butterflies(85 species), amphibians(15 species) and the fishes (10 species) are the fauna seen in this forest. In 2009, 10 Bengal Tigers, 27 leopards, 672 gaurs and 866 Indian elephants were found in the survey conducted in this forest, by the Government of TamilNadu.
The treepies, babblers, bulbuls,crows and mynas are some of the bird species seen in this Satyamangalam Wildlife Sanctuary. In this place, the elephants, Gaurs, Mangoose, Monitor Lizards and Deers are the wild animals seen. A small population of three species of Vultures is seen in the Moyar river valley.
Climatic conditions
The Sathyamangalam Forests experiences a moderate climate, as the hot climate prevails in the slopes and plains here. Then the eastern part of this forest, gets a low rainfall. Here the average temperature is 34ºC in summer and 28ºC in Winter.
Best time to visit
The best to visit the Sathyamangalam Wildlife Sanctuary is from October to January month, because the climate is subtropical in this place.
Entrance fees
The tourist Department of TamilNadu, collects Rs.250 as an entrance fee to visit this Sathyamangalam Wildlife Sanctuary.
Sathyamangalam Forest Administration
The TamilNadu Forest Department governing through the Conservator of Forests, conserves the Sathyamangalam Forest Division. This wildlife Sanctuary comes below the Project Elephant and the Project Tiger conservation programs, which is run by the Government of India. This place is one of the top five Tiger reserves in India. The National Tiger Conservation Authority in February 2016, declared that the use of drones, will watch the tiger population in Sathyamangalam and other tiger reserves.
Transport facilities
The Sathyamangalam can be easily reached through the road. A portion of this Sanctuary, is accessible through the Sathyamangalam-Dhimbhum Ghat road. This road has 27 bends in hair pin shape. You can choose a road transport from cities like the Chennai and the Coimbatore. The nearest Railway station is the Chamrajnagar, the Erode or the Coimbatore Railway station. From there, you can pick a road transport to reach this site. The Chamrajnagar is at a distance of 40Km. If you are a flight traveler, then the nearest Airport is Coimbatore Airport. From Coimbatore, you can pick a road transport to reach this site.
Location: Erode, Tamil Nadu.
Timings: 7.00 A.M to 10.00 A.M – Morning
3.30 P.M to 6.00 P.M – Evening
(But timings may occur in different occasions)
Best time for Visit: October to January month.
Total area – The total area covered by the Sathyamangalam Wildlife Sanctuary is 1411.6Km2 .