The Tamil Nadu forest department has issued a notification expanding the area under the Sathyamangalam Wildlife Sanctuary from the current 52,434 hectares to 1.41 lakh hectares, by adding seven reserve forests to the sanctuary. According to the last wildlife census, the sanctuary is home to one fourth of the elephant population in the state. It is also a unique habitat where tigers, elephants and blackbucks co-exist. Hyenas and vultures exist in the larger numbers here than anywhere else in the state. The sanctuary also forms a vital corridor connecting the tiger populations in the Western Ghats with the Eastern Ghats. Tigers have spilled over from Mudumalai and Bandipur into the Sathyamangalam forests. Sathyamangalam is slated to become a tiger reserve soon and is awaiting a proposal from the Tamil Nadu government. However, there are challenges for the sanctuary in the form of encroachers and cultivation nearby which contribute to man-animal conflict.
Sathyamangalam Wildlife Sanctuary Expanded
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