Gundla Brahmeshwaram Wildlife Sanctuary is a

wildlife sanctuary A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or o ...

located in the Nallamala Forest in

Kurnool district Kurnool district is one of the eight districts in the Rayalaseema region of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located in the North western part of the state and is bounded by Jogulamba Gadwal district of Telangana in the north, Raich ...

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

, India. The northern part of the sanctuary is an important part of the

Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve is the largest tiger reserve in India. The reserve spreads over five districts, Kurnool District, Prakasam District, Guntur District, Nalgonda District and Mahabub Nagar district. The total area of the tig ...

History

Gundla Brahmeshwaram Wildlife Sanctuary declared wildlife sanctuary on September 18, 1990. The sanctuary got its name from the Gundla Brahmeshwaram plateau.

Description

Gundla Brahmeshwara Wildlife Sanctuary is a

located in the Nallamala Forest in Kurnool district of

, India. It is located between Mantralamma kanuma and Nandi kanuma hill passes. The sanctuary covers an area of . The northern part of the sanctuary is an important part of the

. The

Gundlakamma River The Gundlakamma River ( te, గుండ్లకమ్మ నది) is a seasonal waterway that flows through the east-central part of the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. It arises in the Nallamala Hills, an offshoot of the Eastern Ghats. Its m ...

flows through the sanctuary.

Flora and fauna

353 species of plants including ten critically endangered species are seen here. The mammals in the Gundala Brahmeshwara Sanctuary includes langurs, panthers, tigers, rats,

Rusty-spotted cat The rusty-spotted cat (''Prionailurus rubiginosus'') is one of the cat family's smallest members, of which historical records are known only from India and Sri Lanka. In 2012, it was also recorded in the western Terai of Nepal. Since 2016, the gl ...

, Indian flying squirrel,

Lesser woolly horseshoe bat The lesser woolly horseshoe bat (''Rhinolophus beddomei''), also called Beddome's horseshoe bat, is a species of bat in the family Rhinolophidae. It is found in India and Sri Lanka. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland ...

Mouse deer Chevrotains, or mouse-deer, are small even-toed ungulates that make up the family Tragulidae, the only extant members of the infraorder Tragulina. The 10 extant species are placed in three genera, but several species also are known only f ...

Pangolin Pangolins, sometimes known as scaly anteaters, are mammals of the order Pholidota (, from Ancient Greek ϕολιδωτός – "clad in scales"). The one extant family, the Manidae, has three genera: '' Manis'', '' Phataginus'', and '' Smut ...

Sambar deer The sambar (''Rusa unicolor'') is a large deer native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia that is listed as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List since 2008. Populations have declined substantially due to severe hunting, local ins ...

Nilgai The nilgai (''Boselaphus tragocamelus'') (, literally meaning "blue cow") is the largest Asian antelope and is ubiquitous across the northern Indian subcontinent. It is the sole member of the genus ''Boselaphus'' and was described by Peter Sim ...

and

Bonnet macaque The bonnet macaque (''Macaca radiata''), also known as zati,Chambers English Dictionary is a species of macaque endemic to southern India. Its distribution is limited by the Indian Ocean on three sides and the Godavari and Tapti Rivers, along wi ...

s. In a survey conducted in 2019, 23 tigers were found in the sanctuary, of which 17 were female tigers, five were male tigers and one was a tiger cub.

Threats

The indigenous biodiversity in the Gundla Brahmeswaram Wildlife Sanctuary is under threat by many invasive plant taxa.

References

{{Reflist Wildlife sanctuaries in Andhra Pradesh Protected areas of Andhra Pradesh 1990 establishments in Andhra Pradesh Protected areas established in 1990 Eastern Ghats