Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park

Infobox Indian Jurisdiction
native_name= Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park
other_name = Top Slip
type= national park
iucn_category = II
latd = 10.4170
longd= 77.0567
locator_position= right
inset_

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inset_map_x = 175px
inset_map_y = 225px
inset_map_marker = yes
inset_map_marker_size = 4x4px
inset_map_default = yes
skyline = Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park.jpg|250px
skyline caption =
lat_degrees = 10 | lat_minutes = 24
lat_seconds = 10
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 77
long_minutes = 03
long_seconds = 24
long_direction = E
locator_position=right
inset_

inset_map_size = 75px
inset_map_x = 175px
inset_map_y = 225px
inset_map_marker = yes
inset_map_marker_size = 4x4px
inset_map_default = yes
state_name= Tamil Nadu
district=Coimbatore
nearest_city = Pollachi | blank_title_2 = Governing body | blank_value_2 = Ministry of Environment and Forests and [http://www.forests.tn.nic.in/indexb.html Tamil Nadu Forest Deptartment]
altitude= 2513
area_total= 958
precip=
temp_summer=
temp_winter=
established_title = Established
established_date = 1976
blank_title_1 = | blank_value_1 = [cite web
title = Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary & National Park
publisher = Tamil Nadu Forest Department
url= http://www.forests.tn.nic.in/WildBiodiversity/np_ignp.html
accessdate = 2007-09-06 ]
footnotes = Website= [http://www.forests.tn.nic.in/WildBiodiversity/np_ignp.html Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary
and National Park] |

Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park (IGWLS&NP) is a protected area named after Prime Minister Indira Gandhi who visited here on October 7, 1961. It is often called "Topslip", a village in the northeast corner of the park which is the main visitor center. This name is derived from the local 19th century practice of sliding Teak timber logs down from the hills. It is located in the Anaimalai Hills of Pollachi, Valparai and Udumalpet taluks of Coimbatore District, Tamilnadu state, South India. The 108 km² National Park is the core area of the 958 km² Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary, formerly called Anaimalai Wildlife Sanctuary.

The Park and the Sanctuary are the core of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve and is under consideration by UNESCO as as part of The Western Ghats World Heritage site [UNESCO, World Heritage sites, Tentative lists, Western Ghats sub cluster, Anamalai, 2007. [http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/2103/] ] . The Sanctuary and the Palni Hills in Dindigul District form the Anaimalai Conservation Area [Sajeev T.K. et.al.,Management of Forests in India for Biological Diversity and Forest Productivity- A New Perspective WII-USDA Forest Service Collaborative Project Grant No. FG-In-780 (In-FS-120), Volume III Anaimalai Conservation Area (ACA) pp 169 - 190. [http://www.wii.gov.in/download/volume3(ACA).pdf] ] .

Geography

The sanctuary has six administrative ranges, Pollachi: Range Head Quarters at Anaimalai Farm: 109.72 km², Vaalpaarai: Water Falls: 171.50 km², Ulandy: Top Slip: 75.93 km², Amaravathi: Amaravathi Nagar: 172.50 km², Udumalpet: 290.18 km². IGWLS is adjacent to Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary to the west. Manjampatti Valley is a 110± km² drainage basin at the eastern end of the park.

Altitude ranges between 340m to 2513 m above sea level. There are 12 major peaks in this area, including:

Mean annual rainfall is between 500mm in the south western fringes to 5000mm on the north east.

Tribal Communities

The IGWS has significant anthropological diversity with more than 4600 Adivasi people from six tribes of indigenous people living in 34 settlements. The tribes are the Kadars, Malasars, Malaimalasars, Pulaiyars, Muduvars and the Eravalars. [Discover Wild - Care for the Anamalais, retrieved 5/14/2007 [http://www.discoverwild.org/tribes.html#kaadars Tribes of the Anamalais] ] , [Sajeev T.K. et.al.,Management of Forests in India for Biological Diversity and Forest Productivity- A New Perspective WII-USDA Forest Service Collaborative Project Grant No. FG-In-780 (In-FS-120), Volume III Anaimalai Conservation Area (ACA) pp 169 - 190. [http://www.wii.gov.in/download/volume3(ACA).pdf Anaimalai Conservation Area] ] .

Flora and Fauna

The park is home to a wide variety of flora and fauna typical of the South Western Ghats. There are over 2000 species plants of which about 400 species are of prime medicinal value.

Mammals in the Park include tiger, leopard, sloth bear, dhole or the Asiatic wild dog, golden jackal, leopard cat, jungle cat, rusty-spotted cat, elephant, gaur, sambar, spotted deer, barking deer, mouse deer, wild pig, nilgiri langur, common langur, bonnet macaque, lion-tailed macaque, common palm civet, Small Indian Civet, Common Mongoose, Striped-necked Mongoose, Ruddy Mongoose, Smooth Indian Otter, Slender Loris, Indian Giant Squirrel, Spiny Dormouse, Porcupine, Indian Pangolin, Giant Flying Squirrel and Three-striped Palm Squirrel.

IGWS is a Project Elephant sanctuary.

The Steering Committee of Project Tiger granted approval in principle to inclusion of Indira Gandhi WLS and NP and nine additional protected areas under Project Tiger. [PROTECTED AREA UPDATE (Oct. 2005) "New Tiger Reserves" (No. 57) p.17 [http://www.sanctuaryasia.com/resources/paupdate/57oct05.doc#tn] ]

Over 250 species of birds have been identified in the Park . Some of the most important groups include, cormorants, ducks, teal, darter, partridge, quail, jungle fowl, spurfowl, Indian peafowl, parakeets, hornbills, barbets, drongos, orioles, shrikes, warblers, flycatchers, woodpeckers, chloropsis, trogons, kingfishers, storks, egrets, fish eagle, hawk eagles, harriers, falcons, kites, owls and nightjars.

It is home to 15 of 16 species of birds endemic to the Western Ghats including: Nilgiri Wood Pigeon, Nilgiri Pipit, Nilgiri Flycatcher, Malabar Grey Hornbill, Rufous Babbler, Crimson-backed Sunbird, White-bellied Treepie, Grey-breasted Laughingthrush, White-bellied Blue Flycatcher, White-bellied Shortwing, Malabar Parakeet, Black-and-orange Flycatcher, Grey-headed Bulbul, Broad-tailed Grassbird and Wynaad Laughingthrush there are unconfirmed reports of the 16th, the Nilgiri Laughingthrush found in the upper regions of the Anamalais around the estates of Vaalpaarai. If true, the sanctuary will be the first to be home to all the endemic species of Western Ghats birds.

Reptiles include toads, leaping frogs, torrent frogs, tree frogs, pythons, cobras, kraits, vipers, grass snakes, forest cane turtles, travancore tortoises, flapshells, star tortoises, flying lizards, chameleons and forest calotes.

315 species of butterflies belonging to five families have been identified in the Anaimalais. 44 are endemic to the Western Ghats. [Discover Wild - Care for the Anamalais, retrieved 5/14/2007 [http://www.discoverwild.org/igwls.html the INDIRA GANDHI WILDLIFE SANCTUARY & NATIONAL PARK] ]

Visitor Information

The IGWLS is managed by the Wildlife Warden (Wildlife Warden Office, 178 Meenkarai Road, Pollachi, Ph: 04259-225356) and falls within the administrative control of the Coimbatore Forest Circle headed by the Conservator of Forests, Coimbatore.

Travel by road from Coimbatore to Pollachi (40 km) to the Wildlife Warden's Office for visitor permit and then by road to Top Slip (35 km), or to Udumalpet (40 km - Amaravathi and Udumalpet range), or to Vaalparai (65 km - Vaalparai and Manamboly range)

The ideal months to visit the Park are May to January. Entry time is between 6 am and 6 pm. The Park has a large tourist complex at Top Slip that houses many cottages, rooms, and dormitories for visitors. Visitors can get around the park by trekking and a safari van. [Tamil Nadu Forest Dept., Indira Gandhi National Park [http://www.forests.tn.nic.in/WLTWLS.htm#IGS] ] [National Geographic Channel, OFF THE BEATEN TRACK, Indira Gandhi National Park [http://www.nationalgeographic.co.in/explore/otbt/igandhi_national_park.asp] ] .

References