Radhanagari Wildlife Sanctuary ( mr, राधानगरी वन्यजीव अभयारण्य) is a wildlife sanctuary and natural

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

of category ix and x since 2012, located in Kolhapur district,

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the second-most populous state in India and the second-most populous country subdi ...

State,

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

. It lies at the southern end of the Sahyadri hills in the Western Ghats. It is notable as the first declared wildlife sanctuary in Maharashtra, notified in 1958, as "Dajipur Wildlife Sanctuary" and is popularly known as the "Bison Sanctuary". Indian bison or gaur (''Bos gaurus'') with a population around 1091 in 2014, is the flagship species of the area. It was notified as Radhanagari wildlife sanctuary vide notification No. WLP/1085/CR/588/ V/F-5, Dt.16.9.1985. The area around the Sanctuary was declared as Eco sensitive zone by Govt. of India on 15 October 2020

Geography

This is a natural

notified by UNESCO as Sahyadri sub cluster of Western Ghats. The sanctuary is located between 16°10" to 16°30" north latitude and 73°52" to 74°14" east longitude. The Krishna River tributaries, Bhogavati River, Dudhganga River, Tulshi River, Kallamma River and Dirba River flow through the sanctuary's area. State Highway 116 passes through the center of the sanctuary. It is located in Sahyadri hill ranges. The total area of the sanctuary is .

Flora

Radhanagari Wildlife Sanctuary contains tropical evergreen forests typical of the northern Western Ghats. 425 species of plants have been recorded in the sanctuary. The main species found over here are Anjani, Jambul, Hirda, Awala, Pisa, Ain, Kinjal, Amba, Kumbha, Bhoma, Chandala, Katak, Nana, Umbar, Jambha, Gela, Bibba and banana. Karvi is found over almost the entire area. Climbing plants such as shikekai and garambi are common. Shrub species and

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 ...

such as karvand, vagati (candy corn plant), ranmiri (orange climber), Tamalpatra

Cinnamomum tamala ''Cinnamomum tamala'', Indian bay leaf'','' also known as tejpat'', ''tejapatta'','' Malabar leaf, Indian bark, Indian cassia, or malabathrum, is a tree in the family Lauraceae that is native to India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and China. It c ...

, (toran), dhayati (fire-flame bush), kadipatta (curry tree), narkya, murudsheng (Indian screw-fruit) and a small amount of

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, ...

are also found. Large numbers of

ephemeral Ephemerality (from the Greek word , meaning 'lasting only one day') is the concept of things being transitory, existing only briefly. Academically, the term ephemeral constitutionally describes a diverse assortment of things and experiences, f ...

bulbs of seasonal plants are also found here. Many

sacred grove Sacred groves or sacred woods are groves of trees and have special religious importance within a particular culture. Sacred groves feature in various cultures throughout the world. They were important features of the mythological landscape and ...

s or devrais have been protected as a result of the efforts of the local communities. File:Carissa carandas flowers.JPG, alt=Flowers of Karvand bush, Flowers of Karvand bush File:Radhanagari7.jpg, Anjani flowers

Fauna

Sanctuary contains 47 species of Mammals, 59 species of reptiles, 264 species of birds and 66 species of butterflies. Amphibians are most visible in the rainy season. 20 species from 2 orders, 5 families and 10 genera are listed in the sanctuary. Indian bison or gaur have a population around 610 in 2004, is the flagship species of the area. Other

mammal Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur ...

s, living in the sanctuary are Indian leopard (5),

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 on the IUCN Red List, mainly because of habitat loss and degradation ...

wild boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species i ...

(80), barking deer (140), mouse deer (80), sambar (120), giant squirrel 50) and wild dogs (70). In recent years, 6 to 12 tigers were reported in Dajipur forest 2007-08. (anonymous reports- not yet confirmed) Birds seen here include:

vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...

eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, j ...

s, jungle fowl, quails,

plover Plovers ( , ) are a widely distributed group of wading birds belonging to the subfamily Charadriinae. Description There are about 66 species in the subfamily, most of them called "plover" or "dotterel". The closely related lapwing subf ...

sandpiper Sandpipers are a large family, Scolopacidae, of waders. They include many species called sandpipers, as well as those called by names such as curlew and snipe. The majority of these species eat small invertebrates picked out of the mud or soil ...

s, owlets, doves, owls, nightjars,

kingfisher Kingfishers are a family, the Alcedinidae, of small to medium-sized, brightly colored birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species found in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Oceania, ...

s, bee-eater,

hornbill Hornbills (Bucerotidae) are a 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 on the upper mandibl ...

woodpecker Woodpeckers are part of the bird family Picidae, which also includes the piculets, wrynecks, and sapsuckers. Members of this family are found worldwide, except for Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Madagascar, and the extreme polar regions ...

bulbul The bulbuls are members of a family, Pycnonotidae, of medium-sized passerine songbirds, which also includes greenbuls, brownbuls, leafloves, and bristlebills. The family is distributed across most of Africa and into the Middle East, tropical A ...

, flycatchers,

warbler Various Passeriformes (perching birds) are commonly referred to as warblers. They are not necessarily closely related to one another, but share some characteristics, such as being fairly small, vocal, and insectivorous. Sylvioid warblers The ...

s, wagtails, sunbirds are commonly seen. This sanctuary is designated as an

Important Bird Area An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Inte ...

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...

and is home to the rare and globally threatened Nilgiri wood-pigeon ( Columba elphinstonii). Other species found here include the

Ceylon frogmouth The Sri Lanka frogmouth, Sri Lankan frogmouth or Ceylon frogmouth (''Batrachostomus moniliger'') is a small frogmouth found in the Western Ghats of south India and Sri Lanka. Related to the nightjars, it is nocturnal and is found in forest ha ...

, yellow-browed bulbul,

dusky eagle-owl The dusky eagle-owl (''Bubo coromandus'') is an owl species in the family Strigidae that is widespread in South and Southeast Asia. The type specimen used to describe the species was collected on the Coromandel Coast, which was used for the s ...

and great pied hornbill and one of India's most admired songbirds, the Malabar whistlingthrush. Two species

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to the Western Ghats: the

small sunbird The crimson-backed sunbird or small sunbird (''Leptocoma minima'') is a sunbird endemic to the Western Ghats of India. Like other sunbirds, they feed mainly on nectar although they take insects, especially to feed their young. They are tiny bird ...

and the Malabar grey hornbill have been sighted here. This sanctuary is a favorite nesting place for the speckled piculet, Malabar crested lark, and some species of Himalayan birds such as the

Indian blue robin The Indian blue robin (''Larvivora brunnea'') is a small bird found in the Indian Subcontinent. Formerly considered a thrush, it is now considered one of the Old World flycatchers in the family Muscicapidae. It was earlier also called the Indian ...

during the winter months.

Threatened species Threatened species are any species (including animals, plants and fungi) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future. Species that are threatened are sometimes characterised by the population dynamics measure of '' critical depen ...

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 rhynchocephalia ...

s and

amphibian Amphibians are four-limbed and ectothermic vertebrates of the class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terrestrial, fossorial, arbo ...

s seen in this sanctuary include: Malabar pit viper, Deccan ground gecko, Gunther's cat skink, Beddome's lacerta, Bombay bush frog and Humayun's wrinkled frog.

Threats

Open cast

bauxite Bauxite is a sedimentary rock with a relatively high aluminium content. It is the world's main source of aluminium and gallium. Bauxite consists mostly of the aluminium minerals gibbsite (Al(OH)3), boehmite (γ-AlO(OH)) and diaspore (α-AlO ...

mining has been a serious threat to this protected area. In February 1998, the Bombay High Court passed a stay order halting bauxite mining operations in the Iderganj plateau. Other threats include, irrigation projects, encroachment of forest land, poaching,

overgrazing Overgrazing occurs when plants are exposed to intensive grazing for extended periods of time, or without sufficient recovery periods. It can be caused by either livestock in poorly managed agricultural applications, game reserves, or nature res ...

, agriculture and construction of reservoirs.

Visitor information

The nearest rail station is at

Kolhapur Kolhapur () is a city on the banks of the Panchganga River in the southern part of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the administrative headquarter of the Kolhapur district. In, around 2 C.E. Kolapur's name was 'Kuntal'. Kolhapur is ...

, . For accommodations, there is a forest rest house, dak bungalow, and a dormitory managed by the Deputy Conservator of Forests - Wildlife, Bindu chowk, Ganji Galli, Kolhapur. 416 002 India (91-231-2542766). There are two rest houses for the visitors. One at Dajipur and the other on the top of hill. The entry passes are issued from 7am to 2:30pm. However the entry inside the sanctuary is allowed from Sunrise to sunset. The private cars/jeeps are permitted inside the sanctuary. The roads are narrow and made by water bound macadam (WBM), so they are closed in rainy season.Mahaforest
/ref> The vehicles are permitted up to the Shivrai sada, which is a large open ground with a water pond in the center. The wild animals visit the pond for water during sunrise and sunset.

Gallery

File:Radhanagari 1.jpg, Radhanagri sanctuary from the main road File:Radhanagari4.jpg, Dajipur gate complex File:Radhanagari5.jpg, Office at Dajipur gate File:Radhanagari2.jpg, Tents at Dajipur village File:Radhanagari3.jpg, Tents at Dajipur forest gate File:Radhanagari6.jpg, Shivrai sada

References

{{Authority control North Western Ghats montane rain forests Wildlife sanctuaries of the Western Ghats Wildlife sanctuaries in Maharashtra Tourist attractions in Kolhapur district 2012 establishments in Maharashtra Protected areas established in 2012