Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary is located in South-Eastern

Goa Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...

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 constitutes one of the vital corridors of the Western Ghats and covers an area of about 211km². Netravali or Neturli is an important tributary of

River Zuari The Zuari River ''Zuvari,'' pronounced ) is the largest river in the state of Goa, India. It is a tidal river which originates at Hemad-Barshem in the Western Ghats. The Zuari is also referred to as the Aghanashani in the interior regions. It fl ...

, which originates in the sanctuary. Forests mostly consist of moist deciduous vegetation interspersed with evergreen and semi-evergreen habitat; there are also two all-season waterfalls in the sanctuary.

Location

Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Verlem, in the Sanguem Taluka region of South-Eastern Goa, around 65km from Goa Airport. It is adjacent to Dandeli-Anshi Tiger Reserve, Karnataka on the eastern side,

Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary The Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Canacona Taluka, South Goa district, of Goa, India, established in 1968. There is an eco-tourism complex at the entrance of the sanctuary that houses a nature interpretation centre, cottages, toilet ...

, Goa on the southern side and

Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary and Mollem National Park Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary and Mollem National Park is a protected area located in the Western Ghats of West India, in Dharbandora taluk, Goa State, along the eastern border with Karnataka. The area is situated near the town of Molem, east of ...

on the northern side which in turn forms a contiguous protected area along with

Madei Wildlife Sanctuary The Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary is a 208.5-km2 (80.5-mi2) protected area in the Indian state of Goa in the Western Ghats of South India. It is located in the North Goa District, Sattari taluka near the town of Valpoi. The sanctuary is an area ...

, Goa and

Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area in the Western Ghats, in Khanapur Taluk of Belgavi District near Jamboti Village, Karnataka state, India. This of Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests forest area was long awaiting to b ...

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

Flora and fauna

The sanctuary sustains a good mammal population due to its rich habitat and plenty of perennial streams. Gaur or Indian Bison (''

Bos gaurus The gaur (''Bos gaurus''; ), also known as the Indian bison, is a bovine native to South Asia and Southeast Asia, and has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986. The global population was estimated at a maximum of 21,000 m ...

''), Malabar giant squirrel (''

Ratufa indica 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 hab ...

''), four-horned antelope or chousingha (''

Tetracerus quadricornis The four-horned antelope (''Tetracerus quadricornis''), or ''chousingha'', is a small antelope found in India and Nepal. Its four Horn (anatomy), horns distinguish it from most other bovids, which have two horns (with a few exceptions, such as t ...

''), leopard (''

Panthera pardus The leopard (''Panthera pardus'') is one of the five extant species in the genus ''Panthera'', a member of the cat family, Felidae. It occurs in a wide range in sub-Saharan Africa, in some parts of Western and Central Asia, Southern Russia, an ...

''), black

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 ...

along with a host of other predators and

herbivores A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example foliage or marine algae, for the main component of its diet. As a result of their plant diet, herbivorous animals typically have mouthpart ...

find home in the sanctuary. Birds like the rare Malayan night heron (''

Gorsachius melanolophus The Malayan night heron (''Gorsachius melanolophus''), also known as Malaysian night heron and tiger bittern, is a medium-sized heron. It is distributed in southern and eastern Asia. Distribution and habitat The Malayan night heron has been f ...

''), Nilgiri wood pigeon (''

Columba elphinstonii The Nilgiri wood pigeon (''Columba elphinstonii'') is large pigeon found in the moist deciduous forests and sholas of the Western Ghats in southwestern India. They are mainly frugivorous and forage in the canopy of dense hill forests. They are ...

''), great pied hornbill (''

Buceros bicornis The great hornbill (''Buceros bicornis''), also known as the concave-casqued hornbill, great Indian hornbill or great pied hornbill, is one of the larger members of the hornbill family. It occurs in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. ...

''), grey-headed bulbul ('' Pycnonotus priocephalus''), white-bellied blue flycatcher (''

Cyornis pallipes The white-bellied blue flycatcher (''Cyornis pallidipes'') is a small passerine bird in the flycatcher family Muscicapidae. It is endemic to the Western Ghats (including the Nilgiris) of southwest India. Males are dark blue with a lighter sha ...

''), Wynaad laughingthrush ('' Garrulax delesserti''), white-bellied treepie (''

Dendrocitta leucogastra The white-bellied treepie (''Dendrocitta leucogastra'') is a bird of the crow family endemic to the forests of southern India. They overlap in distribution in some areas with the rufous treepie but are easy to tell apart both from appearance and ...

''), rufous babbler ('' Turdoides subrufa'') have been sighted many times in the sanctuary. The sanctuary is a host for many rare butterfly species including the Malabar banded swallowtail (''

Papilio liomedon ''Papilio liomedon'', the Malabar banded swallowtail, is a member of the swallowtail butterfly family found in southern India. Earlier considered a subspecies of the banded swallowtail (''Papilio demolion'') of southeast Asia, it is now consider ...

''), Malabar banded peacock (''

Papilio buddha ''Papilio buddha'', the Malabar banded peacock, is a species of swallowtail butterfly found in the Western Ghats of India. The Government of Kerala declared it as the official Kerala state butterfly Description ''P. buddha'' resembles '' P ...

''), Malabar tree nymph (''

Idea malabarica ''Idea malabarica'', the Malabar tree nymph, is a large butterfly found in peninsular India. that belongs to the danaid group of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in forest clearings and above the forest canopy. Description The Malabar tr ...

''), southern birdwing (''

Troides minos ''Troides minos'', the southern birdwing, also called Sahyadri birdwing, is a large and striking swallowtail butterfly endemic to south India. With a wingspan of 140–190 mm, it is the second largest butterfly of India. It is listed as Leas ...

''), blue nawab (''

Polyura schreiber ''Polyura schreiber'', the blue nawab, is a butterfly species found in tropical Asia. It belongs to the Charaxinae (rajahs and nawabs) in the brush-footed butterfly family (Nymphalidae). It occurs from south India and Assam through Myanmar, Ten ...

''), black rajah (''

Charaxes solon ''Charaxes solon'', the black rajah, is a butterfly species found in tropical Asia. It belongs to the Charaxinae (rajahs and nawabs) in the brush-footed butterfly family (Nymphalidae). Description The black rajah is a medium-sized butterfly ...

'') and redspot duke (''

Dophla evelina ''Dophla evelina'', the red-spot duke, is a species of brush-footed butterfly found in Cambodia and South and Southeast Asia (Sri Lanka, Yunnan and India to the Philippines and Sulawesi). Many subspecies are accepted. The species was first desc ...

'').Goa Forest Department, Goa State, India.

References

{{Goa topics
Wildlife sanctuaries in Goa Geography of South Goa district Tourist attractions in South Goa district Wildlife sanctuaries of the Western Ghats Protected areas with year of establishment missing