Established in 1962 over a
forest area of about 304.03 square kilometres, the Ushakothi Wildlife Sanctuary is situated at a distance of about 22 kilometres from
Sambalpur. To the west of the Sanctuary lies
Hirakud Dam. Principally dry
deciduous forest type, floral species like
sal
Sal, SAL, or S.A.L. may refer to:
Personal name
* Sal (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or nickname
Places
* Sal, Cape Verde, an island and municipality
* Sal, Iran, a village in East Azerbaijan Province
* Ca ...
,
sandalwood,
arjun,
neem,
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 ...
,
casuarinas are of frequent occurrence. The fauna includes, amongst others,
tigers,
elephants, sambar
leopard
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, a ...
s and
bison
Bison are large bovines in the genus ''Bison'' (Greek: "wild ox" (bison)) within the tribe Bovini. Two extant and numerous extinct species are recognised.
Of the two surviving species, the American bison, ''B. bison'', found only in North Ame ...
. Presently there are about 15 tigers and 35 elephants in the sanctuary.
It is rich in avifaunal wealth and the main attraction of this sanctuary are
racket tail drangos and
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 ...
. For night halts there is one two roomed forest rest house inside the sanctuary. The reservations can be done through the Divisional Forest Officer of the same sanctuary, Sambalpur.
How To Reach
Ushakoti Wildlife Sanctuary in situated from
Sambalpur on NH-53, which is Mumbai-Kolkata Highway or AH-46. The Highway dissects the sanctuary in 2 parts. Travelling in vehicles during dawn, evening & night time is very risky. Cases of accidents due to Elephants & other animals are very common. Tourists are advised to travel in Ushakoti region at day time only from 6.00 AM to 6.00 PM.
Lodging
For night halts there is one two roomed forest rest house inside the sanctuary. The reservations can be done through the Divisional Forest Officer of the same sanctuary, Sambalpur.
Recent Development
Divisional Forest Officer of Sambalpur Forest Division is currently working with Indian Wildlife activists to make Ushakoti Sanctuary a Eco-Sensitive Reserved Zone. The case is going on in
Odisha High Court
The Orissa High Court is the High Court for the Indian state of Odisha.
The then Bengal Presidency was a vast province including present day Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, and West Bengal. It was difficult to administratively manage such a ...
. Once it is done, the NH-53, which is Mumbai-Kolkata Highway or AH-46 will have to be diverted in a new alignment bypassing the Ushakoti Wildlife Sanctuary.
References
External links
Badrama
Geography of Sambalpur district
Tourist attractions in Sambalpur district
Wildlife sanctuaries in Odisha
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