Mayureswar Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Tehsil

Baramati Baramati ( aːɾamət̪iː is a city, a tehsil and a municipal council in Pune district in the state of Maharashtra, India. The city is about 100 KM (62 miles) southeast of the city of Pune and about 250 KM from Mumbai. Baramati is located ...

Pune district Pune district (Marathi pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, uɳeː is the most populous district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. The district's population was 9,429,408 in the 2011 census, making it the fourth most populous district amongst I ...

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. It is 74 km from

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...

and 35 km from

Daund Daund is a city, municipal council and headquarters of the Daund tehsil in the Pune district in the state of Maharashtra, India. In ancient times a sage, 'Dhaumya Rishi' used to stay here, hence people started calling this place after him: 'Dha ...

History

The area was declared as a sanctuary from 1919 as per the Wildlife Institute of India.

Flora and fauna

Mayureshwar Sanctuary is mostly made of dry deciduous scrub forest of

Acacia catechu ''Senegalia catechu'' is a deciduous, thorny tree which grows up to in height. The plant is called ''khair''
in H ...

(Khair),

Acacia ''Acacia'', commonly known as the wattles or acacias, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa and Australasia. The genus na ...

sp. (Hivar),

Dalbergia latifolia ''Dalbergia latifolia'' (synonym ''Dalbergia emarginata'') is a premier timber species, also known as the Indian rosewood ( Tamil / தமிழ்: Eetti / ஈட்டி). It is native to low-elevation tropical monsoon forests of south east ...

(Sisoo),

Ziziphus mauritiana ''Ziziphus mauritiana'', also known as Indian jujube, Indian plum, Chinese date, Chinese apple, ber, and dunks is a tropical fruit tree species belonging to the family Rhamnaceae. It is often confused with the closely related Chinese jujube (' ...

(Ber), Carissa opaca (Karwand), Alysicarpus bupleurifolius, Cyathocline purpurea, Eriocauion diane, Merremia emarginata,

Cucumis melo ''Cucumis melo'', also known as melon, is a species of ''Cucumis'' that has been developed into many cultivated varieties. The fruit is a pepo. The flesh is either sweet or bland, with or without a musky aroma, and the rind can be smooth (such as ...

, Cyperus kyllingia, Striga densiflora, Mareilea minuta trees and interspersed grasslands. Furthermore, the flora of Bramati constitutes a total of 994 taxa belonging to 938 species with 42 varieties and 14 sub-species, 577 genera and 136 families of flowering plants recorded and described. It is also home to a variety of birds including:

Indian roller The Indian roller (''Coracias benghalensis'') is a bird of the family Coraciidae. It is long with a wingspan of and weighs . The face and throat are pinkish, the head and back are brown, with blue on the rump and contrasting light and dark blu ...

black-winged kite The black-winged kite (''Elanus caeruleus''), also known as the black-shouldered kite (not to be confused with the closely-related Australian species of the same name), is a small diurnal bird of prey in the family Accipitridae best known for it ...

Eurasian collared dove The Eurasian collared dove (''Streptopelia decaocto'') is a dove species native to Europe and Asia; it was introduced to Japan, North America and islands in the Caribbean. Because of its vast global range and increasing population trend, it ha ...

, ashy-crowned sparrow lark, blue-cheeked bee-eater,

Gray Francolin The grey francolin (''Ortygornis pondicerianus''), also known as "manu moa" or "chicken bird", is a species of francolin found in the plains and drier parts of the Indian subcontinent and Iran. This species was formerly also called the grey partr ...

Yellow-wattled Lapwing The yellow-wattled lapwing (''Vanellus malabaricus'') is a lapwing that is endemic to the Indian Subcontinent. It is found mainly on the dry plains of peninsular India and has a sharp call and is capable of fast flight. Although they do not migr ...

Common Hawk-Cuckoo The common hawk-cuckoo (''Hierococcyx varius''), popularly known as the brainfever bird, is a medium-sized cuckoo resident in the Indian subcontinent. It bears a close resemblance to the Shikra, even in its style of flying and landing on a perch. ...

Short-Toed Snake Eagle The short-toed snake eagle (''Circaetus gallicus''), also known as the short-toed eagle, is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as kites, buzzards and harriers. The genus na ...

Bonelli's Eagle The Bonelli's eagle (''Aquila fasciata'') is a large bird of prey. The common name of the bird commemorates the Italian ornithologist and collector Franco Andrea Bonelli. Bonelli is credited with gathering the type specimen, most likely from an ...

Rufous-fronted Prinia The rufous-fronted prinia (''Prinia buchanani'') is a species of bird in the Family (biology), family Cisticolidae. It is found in India and Pakistan. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forest. The species was described by Edward ...

, Indian Bush-Lark, Bay-backed Shrike, Southern Gray Shrike. Migratory species like

European Roller The European roller (''Coracias garrulus'') is the only member of the roller family of birds to breed in Europe. Its overall range extends into the Middle East, Central Asia and the Maghreb. The European roller is found in a wide variety of ha ...

and

Montagu's harrier Montagu's harrier (''Circus pygargus'') is a migratory bird of prey of the harrier family. Its common name commemorates the British naturalist George Montagu. Taxonomy The first formal description of Montagu's harrier was by the Swedish na ...

can be seen in Winter season The main animal species found in the refuge are the Indian Gazelle (

Chinkara The chinkara (''Gazella bennettii''), also known as the Indian gazelle, is a gazelle species native to Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. Taxonomy The following six subspecies are considered valid: * Deccan chinkara (''G. b. bennettii'') ...

), Striped Hyena, Indian gray wolf,

Indian Jackal The Indian jackal (''Canis aureus indicus''), also known as the Himalayan jackal is a subspecies of golden jackal native to Pakistan, India, Bhutan, Burma and Nepal. Its karyotype is quite different (2N=78; NF=84) from that of its Eurasian and Af ...

Indian fox The Bengal fox (''Vulpes bengalensis''), also known as the Indian fox, is a fox endemic to the Indian subcontinent from the Himalayan foothills and Terai of Nepal through southern India, and from southern and eastern Pakistan to eastern India and ...

and

Indian Hare The Indian hare (''Lepus nigricollis''), also known as the black-naped hare, is a common species of hare native to the Indian subcontinent, and Java. Introductions It has been introduced to Madagascar, Comoro Islands, Andaman Islands, Irian Jay ...

(black-naped hare).

Information

Mayureshwar Wildlife Sanctuary is not only popular for its birds and wildlife population, but also for its natural environment. One can see the Indian gazelle (chinkara), as well as birds, Striped Hyena, Indian Gray Wolf (Canis Lupus) and Indian Fox (Vulpes Bengalesis). Tourists are allowed to drive their vehicles inside the sanctuary as well as to walk. The forest department has two tents within the sanctuary area. Accommodation options available in the vicinity are in Supe, outside the sanctuary. One may also stay in the

Hadapsar Hadapsar is a developed town in eastern Pune City, Maharashtra. After 1990, Hadapsar developed into a major industrial area and is now one of the most densely populated and developed areas of Pune District. It is well connected to all parts of ...

area in Pune and drive to the sanctuary in the morning or evening. The best time to visit is from late August to February when the weather is not very harsh. Summers are hot and humid and there is heavy rainfall during monsoon. The sanctuary is one of the smallest wildlife sanctuaries, with an area of 5.14 km² and grasslands and desert areas.

Travel

*Pune – 74 km *Baramati – 41 km *Mumbai – 220 km *Satara – 88 km *Ahmednagar – 111 km *Beed – 198 km *Solapur – 211 km *Nashik – 265 km *Kolhapur – 205 km Air – The nearest airport is Pune International Airport (80 km; 1.5 hours away) however Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (250 km; 4.5 hours away) offers more flight options. Rail -The Pune railway station (70 km;around 1.5 hours away) is well connected to Mumbai and other cities in Maharashtra. Road – Mayureshwar is comfortable driving distance from Pune city (70 km; anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours). Time to visit: Wildlife enthusiasts visit Mayureshwar all year round in all seasons. Summer – April, May and June are the hottest months, with day temperatures soaring over 35°C. Monsoons -Mayureshwar receives rain from July to September. This is the best time to photograph some of the resident wildlife species against the fresh green landscape. Winter – October to January are the coolest months, with temperatures ranging from 18 to 30°C during the day. This season is the best for bird-watching enthusiasts, as there will be a variety of migratory bird species wintering at Mayureshwar.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Information about the Wildlife with beautiful illustrations.
Wildlife sanctuaries in Maharashtra Tourist attractions in Pune district 1997 establishments in Maharashtra Protected areas established in 1997