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Karimpuzha Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala
A recent faunal survey in Karimpuzha Wildlife Sanctuary records several species for the first time, adding new bird, butterfly and odonate records. The sanctuary is in Kerala and is declared under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
Karimpuzha Wildlife Sanctuary (Kerala):
| Dimension | Key Details |
|---|---|
| Status | Kerala’s youngest wildlife sanctuary |
| Declared in | 2020 |
| Legal basis | Declared under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 |
| Location | Located in the Nilambur Forest Division, Malappuram district, Kerala |
| Physiographic setting | Lies on the western slopes of the Nilgiris |
| River | Named after the Karimpuzha River, a tributary of the Chaliyar River |
| Habitat | Ranges from low-elevation forests to montane ecosystems |
| Topography | Comprises a sharp elevation gradient characterised by steep hills, deep valleys, marshy lands, grasslands, and hillocks |
| New bird records | Grey heron; Grey-headed fish eagle; Tawny-bellied babbler; blue rock thrush; yellow wagtail; Eurasian hoopoe; Common hawk cuckoo; Barn owl |
| New butterfly additions | Black angle; Common grass dart; Indian dartlet; Giant red-eye; Moore’s ace; Malabar flash; White-tipped lineblue; Red admiral; Yellow jack sailor; Small leopard; Common sailor; Black rajah; Small grass yellow |
| New odonate records | Merogomphus tamaracherriensis; Potamarcha congener; Rhodothemis rufa; Tetrathemis platyptera; Urothemis signata; Ceriagrion coromandelianum; Ceriagrion rubiae |
| Odonata | Odonata is an order of flying insects that includes the dragonflies and damselflies |
| New ecological observation | First-time observation of altitudinal migration of butterflies (Common albatross; Lesser albatross; Plain puffin) |
| Protected forests | The new Amarambalam reserve forest and Vadakkekotta vested forest |
| Exception | The Manjeri colony of the primitive Cholanaikar tribes has been exempted from the sanctuary |
| Ecological significance | Forms a critical ecological landscape between Kerala and Tamil Nadu |
| Wildlife connectivity | Borders the Mukurthi National Park to the south and the Silent Valley National Park buffer zone to the northeast |