Anshi National Park

Anshi National Park is located in Uttara Kannada district, in the Indian state of Karnataka, bordering the state of Goa. The 340 square kilometre park adjoins the Dandeli wildlife sanctuary, and together with six other protected areas in the states of Goa and Maharashtra, forms a protected forest area of over 2200 square kilometres.
The park is a habitat of melanistic leopards, tigers and elephants, amongst other fauna. 

History

The forest in the area was declared the Dandeli wildlife sanctuary on 10 May 1956. The state proposed carving out a section of the sanctuary to form the Anshi national park, and the proposal was implemented on 2 September 1987.. The initial proposal covered 250 square kilometres. When the final notification of the park area was issued in 2002, it was extended by another 90 square kilometres.
Anshi and Dandeli were granted the status of Project Tig. 

Geography

Located in the Western Ghats range, Anshi's altitude varies from 200 m to 925 m above sea level. The park is situated in the North Western Ghats montane rain forests and North Western Ghats moist deciduous forests ecoregions, both of which are deemed endangered by the World Wildlife Fund. 

Park management

The management of National parks and sanctuaries in the state is the responsibility of the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wild life). Anshi National Park and the adjoining Dandeli wildlife sanctuary together form the Dandeli Wildlife Division of the Karnataka Forest Department, headed by a Deputy Conservator of Forests. 

Wildlife and ecology 

Flora

The forests in the area are rich in flora and fauna. Trees and plants that can be found here include Bamboo, Bauhinia, Eucalyptus, Lantana, Silver Oak, Teak and Xylia xylocarpa. 

Fauna

A variety of Bonnet Macaque, deer (barking, mouse and spotted), Indian bison, Malabar Civet, Malabar giant squirrel, pangolin and sloth bear make their home in the forests of the park. Besides, the black panther, elephants and tigers are rare species found in the park.
Reptiles spotted in the park include the King Cobra, Krait, Python, Rat snake and Viper.
Around 200 species of birds are recorded in the park. These include the Adjutant Stork, Ashy Woodswallow, Black-crested Bulbul, Blue-headed Pitta, Brahminy Kite, Broad-billed Roller, Crested Serpent Eagle, Great Hornbill, Golden-backed Woodpecker, Malabar Pied Hornbill, Sri Lanka Frogmouth and Yellow-footed Green Pigeon

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 the park 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 is under consideration by UNESCO as part of The Western Ghats World Heritage site. The Sanctuary and the Palni Hills in Dindigul District form the Anaimalai Conservation Area. 

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. 

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.
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.
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. 

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.