The animal caring center at Muthanga is said to be the second largest wildlife sanctuary in the state which covers an area nearly 344 sq.km. The fantastic wildlife caring center which established in 1973 is located about 16 km east of Sulthan Bathery. Previously, this forest area was the hideouts of Pazhassi Raja who fought bravely against the British. There are a lot of mountain peaks inside this sanctuary and the one called Karottimala is prominent among them. During rainy season, the sanctuary experiences heavy rainfall and hence the forest growth in this area is appeared to be very dense. The main species of trees found here are eucalyptus, teak, rosewood and silver oak. The shrubs found in this sanctuary are Helicteres isora and Randia uliginosa while important herbs are Ageratum conyzoides, Rauvolfia and Sida Cordifolia. The animal caring center at Muthanga has got the biggest abode of wild animals. The important animals found in this sanctuary are elephants, panther, sambar, monkeys, langurs, Malabar squirrel, bison, deer, bear, big cats, bonnet macaques etc. Because of the abundance of elephants in the forests, the sanctuary is declared as a site for Project Elephant. Nagarhole and Bandipur reserve forests in Karnataka and Mudumalai reserve forest in Tamil Nadu are the continuation of Muthanga Wildlife Sanctuary.
Video on Muthanga Wildlife Sanctuary
