Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve Wild Life sancturies 

The Mundanthurai-Kalakad wildlife sanctuary in Tirunelveli district is developed as a National Tiger Reserve  from the year 1988 with a total area of 817 sq. km in the south most western ghat ranges.  The nearest stations are Cheranmahadevi, and Ambasamudaram which are 20kms  and 15 kms respectively from Tirunelveli. The nearest airports are Madurai and Trivandrum.  One can reach this place by road also from Ambasamudaram and Kalakad. Frequent buses are plying from Ambasamudaram and Kalakad to this place. Out of 817 sq. kms.459  sq.kms is in core zone and 358 sq.kms. is in buffer zone.

 

The mountainous undulating to topography is the characteristic feature leading to tropical dry deciduous forest on the lower slopes and tropical wet evergreen forests on the upper reaches.   

The climate is dry humid and hot at plains and pleasant cold in the higher elevations.  The reserve is the southernmost habitat of the tiger.  Other predators like panthers, jungle cats, civets, dholes, jackals, striped hyenas are also found here.

India is the home of 18 non-human primate species of which five primates occur in this reserve namely lion-tailed macque, slender loris, Nilgiri langur common langur and bonnet macaque.  Other endangered species found here are Nilgiri tahr, sloth bear, Indian bison, Indian elephant, Malabar giant squirrel, mouse deer, pangolin etc.  In addition to that sambar wild boar, spotted deer, porcupine and mangooses are also found here.

We can also come across reptiles and amphibians like king cobra, common krait, russels, viper, darkpit viper, monitor lizard, garden lizard, tortoise, crocodiles and rare species of frogs.  Regarding avifauna there are more than 80 species of birds found in this region.  To mention a few spotted frequently here are egrets, herons, jungle fowl, spurfowl, partridge, quails, emerald dove, minivets, bee caters, sparrows, owls, night jars, kites, paradise flay catchers, and parakeets etc.

There are 24 identified nature trails which is spread over the reserve.  It gives a thrilling experience to trekkers.  This Tiger Reserve is open on all days between 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. throughout the year.  However the best season is September to January.  Forest Rest Houses and dormitories are available at Mundanthurai and Thalayanai.



East African Wildlife Society - Say YES to Conservation Say NO to Extinction Choose conservation for life with the East African Wild Life Society

For the past forty years, the East African Wildlife Society has been at the forefront of efforts to protect the region's endangered species and habitats. Thanks to the generous support of our many members in East Africa and throughout the world we have been able to help conserve the region's black rhinos and elephants, contribute to current efforts to save the hirola and the roan antelope and act to preserve East Africa's rapidly disappearing forests.

In 1961 the members of the wildlife societies of Kenya and Tanzania-both founded in 1956-joined with Ugandan conservationists to form the East African Wild Life Society. The Society's mission is to promote the conservation and wise use of East Africa's wildlife and environment through:

  • Influencing policy reform through advocacy
  • Helping support national park infrastructure, anti-poaching measures and wildlife sanctuaries
  • Conservation education and research
  • Translocating endangered species
  • Community conservation initiatives

Throughout the 1980s the East African Wild Life Society's advocacy and publicity was an effective weapon in the flight against the rampant poaching then affecting the region. The Society also provided rangers with vehicles, fuel, radio equipment, firearms, uniforms and accommodation to help them win the battle.

EAWLS also campaigned strongly for an international ban on ivory trading. After the ban was enforced in 1989, ivory prices dropped dramatically and ivory poaching throughout Africa declined. Until we are sure that a continued ivory trade will not cause a resumption of the massive poaching we saw during the 1970s and 1980s, EAWLS will continue to support an ivory trade ban.

  

EAWLS has always been in the forefront of active conservation in the region. With money donated by the many generous donors who support the Society, it has helped fund new research centres, build firebreaks and fences and establish wildlife sanctuaries. For instance, EAWLS donations helped fund the rhino sanctuaries in the Aberdares, at Lake Nakuru, and at Ngulia in Tsavo West. Safe havens like these have helped rhino numbers in Kenya increase to almost five hundred.

Practical conservation in action

The hirola is Africa's most endangered antelope. EAWLS is at the centre of a web of concerned organizations dedicated to saving it from extinction. In 1996, several hirolas were translocated to Tsavo East National Park to boost that park's existing small population. Current emphasis, led by EAWLS, is to work to preserve the hirola antelope in its home range.

Help us continue to play an active role in protecting the vital systems which cleanse our water, enrich our soil, and create the air that we breath. Earth is our only home. The survival of all life on our planet is dependent on YOU!

Tropical forest and watershed protection -- a high priority international concern.

Exposed mangrove roots. Mangroves protect the coastline from erosion and provide essential breeding grounds for fish fry. At the coast and inland, our forests are fast disappearing, with far reaching consequences. Forests are our planet's lungs. They also trap moisture from the air and hold it in the ground.

Deforestation leads quickly to erosion and drought.

Forests hold over half the world's plant species. New drugs to cure diseases; new strains of plant to bolster our essential food crops-all can be found in forests. Forests are reservoirs of genetic diversity. Genetic diversity is the key to our survival.

EAWLS is the secretariat of the Kenya Forest Working Group, an informal consortium of governmental, national and international non-governmental organizations and individuals dedicated to protecting natural forests. The Kenya Forest Working Group is a forum for ideas, fostering collaborations in forest management and utilization at all levels.

Based at EAWLS headquarters, the Kenya Forest Working Group is dedicated to raising public awareness about the current of Kenya's forests, their value and the consequences of their destruction. Only when people understand their obligations to future generations-economic, scientific, moral and aesthetic-will they be able to play a positive role in sustaining our precious resources.

As well as supporting the work of the Kenya Forest Working Group, EAWLS also runs its own forest conservation projects. Examples in Kenya include community conservation initiatives to preserve the important cloud forests of the Taita Hills and the region's widespread coastal mangroves.

Play a part in global conservation ... join the East African Wild Life Society

EAWLS members are its main source of funds. Membership is for one year and is open to both individuals and corporations. Over the past forty years EAWLS members have invested more than US $2 million on over a thousand conservation projects throughout East Africa.

Membership Services

As well as the satisfaction of knowing you are doing something positive for your environment, as an EAWLS member you will receive one year's deliver of Swara, the Society's authoritative, beautifully illustrated magazine. Each issue will bring you the latest in-depth news of Africa's conservation issues, inform you about the Society's work and amaze you with the region's best wildlife photographs.

Your membership card entitles you to a 10 percent discount on all purchases at either of our EAWLS shops in Nairobi and to selected discounts with a variety of hotel and tour companies. Members may also use the Society's library and are invited to attend Society forums, lectures and film shows