M.M. Hills

Malai Mahadeshwara Wildlife Sanctuary (Karnataka)

• Location:

  • Chamarajanagar district, Karnataka, India

  • Situated in the Eastern Ghats, near the tri-junction of Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu

• Establishment:

  • Notified in 2013

  • Area: 906.187 km² (part of a total forest area of 1,224 km²)

  • Pending tiger reserve status

• Ecological Significance:

  • Forms part of a contiguous tiger habitat

  • Bordered by:

    • Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary (North and East)

    • Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (South)

    • Biligirirangaswamy Temple Tiger Reserve (West)

Flora:

• Dominated by dry and moist deciduous forests

• Invasive species: Lantana has significantly invaded areas around the hills

Fauna:

• Flagship species:

  • Bengal tiger: population increasing since 2013

  • Indian elephant

• Other species:

  • Leopard, dhole, gaur, wild boar, sambar, spotted and barking deer, four-horned antelope, langur, bonnet macaque, honey badger

  • Endemic: Kollegal ground gecko (Cyrtodactylus collegalensis) discovered in 2013