Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary is a

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

and

tiger reserve Project Tiger is a tiger conservation programme launched in April 1973 by the Government of India during Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's tenure. The project aims at ensuring a viable population of the Bengal tiger in its natural habitats, protectin ...

as part of the

Project Tiger Project Tiger is a tiger conservation programme launched in April 1973 by the Government of India during Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's tenure. The project aims at ensuring a viable population of the Bengal tiger in its natural habitats, protecti ...

, situated in

Chikkamagaluru district Chikmagalur, officially Chikkamagaluru is an administrative district in the Malnad subregion of Karnataka, India. Coffee was first cultivated in India in Chikmagalur. The hills of Chikmagalur are parts of the Western Ghauts and the source of ...

, south of Bhadravathi city, 20 km from Tarikere town, northwest of

Chikkamagaluru Chikmagalur, known officially as Chikkamagaluru, is a city and the headquarters of Chikmagalur district in the Indian state of Karnataka. Located on the foothills of the Mullayanagiri peak of the Western Ghats, the city attracts tourists from ...

and 283 km from Bengaluru city in Karnataka state, India. Bhadra sanctuary has a wide range of flora and fauna and is a popular place for day outings. The above MSL Hebbe Giri is the highest peak in the sanctuary.

Geography

Bhadra sanctuary consists of two adjacent sections. The main western Lakkavalli-Muthodi section lies from 13˚22’ to 13˚47’ N latitude, 75˚29’ to 75˚45’ E longitude and the smaller eastern Bababudangiri section from 13˚30’ to 13˚33’ N latitude and 75˚44’ to 75˚47’ E longitude. Elevation varies from to above MSL, the highest point being Kallathigiri on the eastern boundary. The sanctuary is surrounded by the scenic hills and steep slopes of the Mullayanagiri, Hebbegiri, Gangegiri and Bababudangiri hills. Mullayanagiri peak in the

Baba Budan Giri Range Baba Budangiri (), also known as Chandradrona (, as the range naturally forms the shape of a crescent moon), is a hill and mountain range in the Western Ghats of India, located in the Chikkamagaluru district of Karnataka. The main peaks in th ...

near the southeast edge of the sanctuary is the highest peak between the Himalayas and the Nilgiris. The high

Hebbe Falls Hebbe Falls is situated at about 10 km away from the famous hill station Kemmangundi in Karnataka, India. This waterfalls is inside a coffee estate and can be reached either by walk or four-wheeler. Hebbe Falls gushes down from a height o ...

are in the eastern part of the sanctuary. The

Manikyadhara Falls Baba Budangiri (), also known as Chandradrona (, as the range naturally forms the shape of a crescent moon), is a hill and mountain range in the Western Ghats of India, located in the Chikkamagaluru district of Karnataka. The main peaks in th ...

is located on the nearby sacred Baba Budan Giri Hill, The tributaries of the Bhadra river flow west through the sanctuary. The western border of the sanctuary abuts the Bhadra Reservoir and is part of its catchment area of . Jagara and Sirivase are the villages located within the sanctuary. Bhadravathi, Tarikere and Birur are cities nearby. Larger metropolitan cities are well connected to Bhadravthi and Birur by bus and rail. There is frequent local bus service from Bhadravathi to both Bhadra Dam and Bhadra WLS. The nearest airport is in Mangalore, around from Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary. Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary is located at Lakkavalli, Karnataka; the nearest cities is Tarikere, Birur and Bhadravathi.

Climate

Temperatures vary from 10˚ to 35 °C and mean annual rainfall varies from 1200 mm to 2600 mm.

History

The area was first declared as 'Jagara Valley Wildlife Sanctuary' in 1951 by the then government of ts surroundings, the area was extended to its present extent and renamed to Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary in 1974. The Wildlife Sanctuary was declared as a Project Tiger Reserve in 1998. Bhadra is the first tiger reserve in the country to complete a successful village relocation program. The original relocation plan was introduced in 1974 and was implemented completely by 2002 when the 26 villages in the sanctuary were successfully relocated to M C Halli which is about from the Sanctuary.

Biology and ecology

Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary is the biodiversity hotspot. Most of the area consists the wet deciduous forest,

moist deciduous forest __NOTOC__ Moist, describing the presence of moisture, may refer to: Music * Moist (band), a Canadian alternative rock band * "Moist", a song by Janet Jackson from her 2004 album '' Damita Jo'' People * Lewis Moist (1881–1940), British Olympic ...

and green forests. Elevations ranging from to above MSL allows a variety of ecotypes including the unique shola forest/ mountain grasslands complex at Bababudan Giri and other patches higher than above MSL. Phenology has been defined as the study of cyclical biological events. In plants, this can include leafing, flowering and fruiting phenophases. Phenological studies were on going to know the biology of tree species (9,10,11,12)

Flora

Bhadra supports more than 120 plant species. One typical of tropical dry deciduous forest had 46 species, 37 genera and 24 families. Combretaceae was the most abundant family in the forest. Indigoberry (Randia dumetorum) was the dominant species. Throughout the sanctuary the common species include crepe myrtle (lanceolata), kadam, thaasal (tiliaefolia), simpoh (pentagyna), teak, kindal, Indian-laurel, rosewood, Indian kino tree, white teak,

fig tree ''Ficus'' ( or ) is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes and hemiepiphytes in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending int ...

, mangosteen, ''

Kydia calycina ''Kydia calycina'' is a species of flowering plant in the genus ''Kydia'' found in the Indian subcontinent, southern China and Southeast Asia. A fastgrowing, mediumsized tree, it is widely exploited, even cultivated, for cheap timber and fiber. ...

'', indigo, toddy palm,

Ceylon oak ''Schleichera'' is a monotypic taxon, monotypic genus of plants in the Sapindus, soapberry family, Sapindaceae. There is only one species, ''Schleichera oleosa'', a tree that occurs in the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Species ''Schl ...

, jalari, jamba tree, axlewood, slow match tree, thorny bamboo and clumping bamboo. It is the habitat of valuable teak and rosewood. Other commercial timber in the sanctuary includes: mathi, honne,

Nandi Nandi may refer to: People * Nandy (surname), Indian surname * Nandi (mother of Shaka) (1760–1827), daughter of Bhebe of the Langeni tribe * Onandi Lowe (born 1974), Jamaican footballer nicknamed Nandi * Nandi Bushell (born 2010), South Afri ...

, tadasalu and kindal. There is also bamboo and several types of

medicinal plants Medicinal plants, also called medicinal herbs, have been discovered and used in traditional medicine practices since prehistoric times. Plants synthesize hundreds of chemical compounds for various functions, including defense and protection ag ...

Fauna

Indian Tiger at Bhadra wildlife sanctuary

An estimated 33 tigers are found in Bhadra. Other animals in the sanctuary include elephant, Indian Leopard, gaur,

sloth bear The sloth bear (''Melursus ursinus'') is a myrmecophagous bear species native to the Indian subcontinent. It feeds on fruits, ants and termites. It is listed as Vulnerable species, vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, mainly because of habitat loss ...

, wild boar,

black leopard A black panther is the melanistic colour variant of the leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and the jaguar (''Panthera onca''). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical rosettes are also present. They have been ...

, jungle cat, jackal,

wild dog A free-ranging dog is a dog that is not confined to a yard or house. Free-ranging dogs include street dogs, village dogs, stray dogs, feral dogs, etc., and may be owned or unowned. The global dog population is estimated to be 900 million, of w ...

, sambar, spotted deer, barking deer, mouse deer, common langur, bonnet macaque, slender loris, small Indian civet,

common palm civet The Asian palm civet (''Paradoxurus hermaphroditus''), also called common palm civet, toddy cat and musang, is a viverrid native to South and Southeast Asia. Since 2008, it is IUCN Red Listed as Least Concern as it accommodates to a broad range ...

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 ...

porcupine Porcupines are large rodents with coats of sharp spines, or quills, that protect them against predation. The term covers two families of animals: the Old World porcupines of family Hystricidae, and the New World porcupines of family, Erethizont ...

flying squirrel Flying squirrels (scientifically known as Pteromyini or Petauristini) are a tribe of 50 species of squirrels in the family Sciuridae. Despite their name, they are not in fact capable of full flight in the same way as birds or bats, but they ar ...

and the

Malabar giant squirrel The Indian giant squirrel or Malabar giant squirrel (''Ratufa indica'') is a large multi-coloured tree squirrel species endemic to forests and woodlands in India. It is a diurnal, arboreal, and mainly herbivorous squirrel. Distribution and ha ...

. Small carnivores found in the Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary include leopard cat,

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 ...

ruddy mongoose The ruddy mongoose (''Urva smithii'') is a mongoose species native to hill forests in India and Sri Lanka. Description The ruddy mongoose's fur is brownish and coarse, long in hindquarters, but short in other parts of the body. Its head to body ...

stripe-necked mongoose The stripe-necked mongoose (''Urva vitticolla'') is a mongoose species native to forests and shrublands from southern India to Sri Lanka. Characteristics It is rusty brown to grizzled grey, has a stout body and short legs, a black stripe tha ...

and

otter Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine, with diets based on fish and invertebrates. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which also includes wea ...

Reptiles

Some of the

reptile Reptiles, as most commonly defined are the animals in the class Reptilia ( ), a paraphyletic grouping comprising all sauropsids except birds. Living reptiles comprise turtles, crocodilians, squamates (lizards and snakes) and rhynchocephalians ( ...

s commonly sighted in this park are common vine snake, king cobra, common cobra, Russell's viper,

bamboo pit viper ''Craspedocephalus gramineus'', known as the bamboo pit viper, Indian green pit viper, or common green pit viper, is a venomous pit viper species found in the southern and north eastern parts of India. No subspecies are currently recognized. D ...

, rat snake,

olive keelback There are three species of snake named olive keelback: * ''Atretium schistosum'', olive keelback wart snake * ''Trimerodytes percarinatus ''Trimerodytes percarinatus'', commonly known as the eastern water snake, olive keelback, olive annulate kee ...

, common wolf snake,

common Indian monitor The Bengal monitor (''Varanus bengalensis''), also called the common Indian monitor, is a monitor lizard distributed widely in the Indian Subcontinent, as well as parts of Southeast Asia and West Asia. This large lizard is mainly a terrestrial a ...

, ''

Draco Draco is the Latin word for serpent or dragon. Draco or Drako may also refer to: People * Draco (lawgiver) (from Greek: Δράκων; 7th century BC), the first lawgiver of ancient Athens, Greece, from whom the term ''draconian'' is derived * D ...

'' or gliding lizards and

marsh crocodile The mugger crocodile (''Crocodylus palustris'') is a medium-sized broad-snouted crocodile, also known as mugger and marsh crocodile. It is native to freshwater habitats from southern Iran to the Indian subcontinent, where it inhabits marshes, l ...

Birds

Bhadra sanctuary has more than 300 species of birds, some endemic to this region and some migratory. Some of the species are

grey junglefowl The gray junglefowl (''Gallus sonneratii''), also known as Sonnerat's junglefowl, is one of the wild ancestors of the Chicken, domestic chicken together with the red junglefowl and other junglefowls. The species epithet commemorates the French e ...

, red spurfowl,

painted bush quail The painted bush quail (''Perdicula erythrorhyncha'') is a species of quail found in the hill forests of India. They move in small coveys on hillsides and are distinguished by their red bills and legs. They have a liquid alarm call and small grou ...

emerald dove The common emerald dove (''Chalcophaps indica''), also called Asian emerald dove and grey-capped emerald dove, is a widespread resident breeding pigeon native to the tropical and subtropical parts of the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. ...

, Osprey, southern green imperial pigeon, great black woodpecker,

Malabar parakeet The blue-winged parakeet, also known as the Malabar parakeet (''Psittacula columboides'') is a species of parakeet endemic to the Western Ghats of southern India. Found in small flocks, they fly rapidly in forest clearings while making screech ...

hill myna ''Gracula'' is a genus of mynas, tropical members of the starling family of birds found in southern Asia and introduced to Florida in the United States. Taxonomy The genus ''Gracula'' was introduced in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnae ...

ruby-throated bulbul The ruby-throated bulbul (''Rubigula dispar''), or yellow bulbul, is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is found on Sumatra, Java, and Bali. Taxonomy and systematics The ruby-throated bulbul was originally described in the ge ...

, shama,

Malabar trogon The Malabar trogon (''Harpactes fasciatus'') is a species of bird in the trogon family. It is found in the forests of Sri Lanka and peninsular India. In India it is mainly found in the Western Ghats, hill forests of central India and in parts of ...

Malabar whistling thrush The Malabar whistling thrush (''Myophonus horsfieldii'') is a whistling thrush in the family ''Muscicapidae''. The bird has been called ''whistling schoolboy'' for the whistling calls that they make at dawn that have a very human quality. The ...

, four species of

hornbill Hornbills (Bucerotidae) are a family (biology), family of bird found in tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia and Melanesia. They are characterized by a long, down-curved bill which is frequently brightly coloured and sometimes has a Casque (an ...

and racquet-tailed drongo.

Butterflies

Some of the butterflies in Bhadra sanctuary are yamfly, baronet, crimson rose butterfly, southern birdwing,

tailed jay ''Graphium agamemnon'', the tailed jay, is a predominantly green and black tropical butterfly that belongs to the Swallowtail butterfly, swallowtail family (biology), family. The butterfly is also called the green-spotted triangle, tailed green j ...

great orange tip ''Hebomoia glaucippe'', the great orange-tip, is a butterfly belonging to the family Pieridae, that is the yellows and whites. It is found in the Indomalayan realm and Wallacea. Distribution This species is found in much of south and southea ...

, bamboo tree brown, and

blue pansy ''Junonia orithya'' is a nymphalid butterfly with many subspecies occurring from Africa, through southern and south-eastern Asia, Cambodia and in Australia. In India, its common English name is the blue pansy, but in southern Africa it is known ...

Threats

A growing threat is human population in the villages close to the sanctuary and encroachment in areas surrounding Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary. Grazing by the thousands of cattle that belong to the villagers are a threat. Livestock carry diseases like foot and mouth disease to the herbivores in the park. During the 1989-99 time period, rinderpest wiped out most of the Gaur population, which numbered more than a thousand, reducing the population to its present numbers. With proactive programs of inoculating local cattle, the population of Gaur is again on the rise. Another concern due to closeness of the population is procurement of non-timber forest products for commercial purposes and the procurement of timber for firewood. These affect the health of the forest in a long run. The other large threats are fishing and illegal poaching of wild animals. Management practices of the forest department are habitat improvement, boundary consolidation, protection against poaching and fires, and infrastructure development. However, operating funds are insufficient and often delayed and the sanctuary management is understaffed. There are problems with frequent fires which adversely affect the habitat and biodiversity of Bhadra. Timber smuggling of valuable trees is a big problem. Tunga-Bhadra Lift Irrigation Project promises to bring water to the rain shadow areas of Chikmagalur district by transferring water from the Tunga River to the Bhadra River, however this poses a threat of disturbance to the natural habitat of Bhadra sanctuary.

Gallery

File:Mature Gaur (bison) at Bhadra wildlife sanctuary.jpg, Bull gaur at Bhadra WLS File:Bhadra Dam.png, Bhadra WLS located south of Bhadra dam Image:Chocolate pansy butterfiles mating in Bhadra wildlife sanctuary.jpg, Lemon pansy butterflies File:Blue winged Parakeet roost, Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary,Karnataka.JPG, Blue winged Malabar parakeet roost Image:Bhadra rainforest dk.JPG, A view of a Bhadra WLS Image:Ring necked parakeet pair at Bhadra wildlife sanctuary.jpg, Rose ringed parakeet or common parrot at Bhadra WLS Image:River Tern nestling learning to fly on an island in the Bhadra reservoir in Chikkamagaluru district.jpg, River tern nestling learning to fly, Bhadra WLS Image:Baron butterfly at Bhadra wildlife sanctuary.jpg, Common Baron butterfly at Bhadra WLS Image:Bhadra reservoir in Chikkamagaluru district.jpg, Bhadra Reservoir and River Tern Islands Image:Islands in the Bhadra reservoir.jpg, Bhadra Reservoir with River Tern Islands

References

9. Nanda, A, Krishna Murthy, Y.L and Suresh, H.S. (2013). Canopy trees phenology in a tropical dry deciduous and evergreen forest of Bhadra wildlife sanctuary, Karnataka, India. African journal of plant science 7(5): 170-175. 10. Nanda, A, Prakasha, H.M. Krishnamurthy, Y.L. and Suresh, H.S. (2012). Leafing phenology of canopy, under-storey trees and seasonality in a tropical evergreen forest of bhadra wildlife sanctuary, Karnataka, southern India. Indian Journal of Forestry, vol. 35 (4): 457-462. 11. Nanda, A, Prakasha, H.M. Krishnamurthy, Y.L. and Suresh, H.S. (2011). Phenology of leaf flushing, flower initiation and fruit maturation in dry deciduous and evergreen forests of Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary, Karnataka, southern India. Our Nature, 9: 89-99. 12. Nanda, A, Prakasha, H.M. Krishnamurthy, Y.L. and Suresh, H.S. (2010). Phenology of a tropical dry forest: study from Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary, Karnataka, peninsular India. Indian Journal of Forestry, vol. 33 (2): 167-172