Srisailam Sanctuary
General Information | ||
Total Area | 3568 sq. km. |
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Best time to visit | July - October. | |
Accommodation | Hotel & Restaurants. | |
Nearest Town | Macherla (29 km). | |
How to get there | Train: Hydrabad (150 km), Air: Hydrabad (150). | |
Species found | Tiger, Leopard, Sloth Bear and Hyena hare, black buck. |
The largest of
India's Tiger Reserves, the Nagarjunasagar - Srisailam Sanctuary
lies in the state of Andhra Pradesh. The major attractions of this
sanctuary are Tiger, Leopard, Sloth Bear and Hyena.
The Nagarjunasagar - Srisailam sanctuary is located in Guntur,
Prakasam, Kurnool, Mahaboobnagar and Nalgonda districts, at a
distance of 29-km from Macherla and about 150-km from Hyderabad. It
spans about 3568-sq-kms in area.
The sanctuary is surrounded by the Nallamalai hills on the southern
and eastern sides, while the Krishna River forms the boundary on the
other side. The sanctuary is named after the Nagarjunasagar
reservoir, formed by a large dam in the northeastern part. The
central and western parts of the sanctuary consist of a plateau,
representing one of the oldest geological formations, known as "Archaean"
and dating back some 2,000 million years.
The Flora And Fauna
Dry deciduous mixed forest with scrub and bamboo thickets provide
shelter to a wide range of animals. The terrain is rugged and
winding gorges slice through the Nallamalai hills. Spotted Deers,
Mouse Deers, Black Bucks, Sambhars, Chousingha Nilgai, Wild Boars,
Indian Giant Squirrels, Tree Shrews, Rayels, Mugger Crocodiles, Wild
Dogs, Jackals, Wolves, Foxes, Sloth Bear, Panthers and Tigers are
the animal attractions of this sanctuary.
In this forest the tiger is truly nocturnal and is rarely seen. The
reserve was home to about 100 tigers at the beginning of this
decade. However, according to a census conducted in 1997, the tiger
population has fallen steeply to about 20.