Location:
Sanguem district, South Goa
Highlights: Dudhsagar Falls, Devil's Canyon, exotic wild animals
Best Time to Visit: October to March
How to Reach: One can hire a private vehicle or a bus from the
Sanguem district in South Goa. It is located on the eastern border of
Goa and can be reached from Panaji (53 kilometers) and Margao (54
kilometers).
The Bhagwan Mahavir wildlife sanctuary is the largest wildlife
sanctuary out of the four sanctuaries located in Goa. Spread over an
area of 240 square kilometers, the Bhagvan Mahaveer sanctuary is located
amongst the thick forest cover on the slopes of the Western Ghats. The
lush green forest cover is home to a variety of animals and birds. The
Bhagwan Mahavir sanctuary also has interesting geographical formations
like the Devil's Canyon and the Dudhsagar Waterfalls. The Devil's Canyon
also makes an ideal watch tower from where one can view the wildlife
here. The core of this wildlife sanctuary consists of the Mollem
national park. It is recommended that you stay here for a couple of days
to view the wildlife in a sanctuary as big as this one. Accommodation
facilities are provided by the Directorate of Tourism.
Flora
The location of the sanctuary on the slopes of the Western Ghats has
enabled a luxuriant growth of vegetation and varied flora over here. The
vegetation consists of a mix of tropical evergreen, semi-evergreen and
moist deciduous forests. One can find plant species like Lagerstroemia,
Xylia and Dalbergia in Bhagwan Mahavir wildlife sanctuary. The thick
vegetation forms a canopy over the sanctuary due to which sunlight is
hardly able to reach the floor of the forest. Thus, the growth of grass
is sparse but one can find bushes and shrubs here.
Fauna
The wildlife in this sanctuary is varied and one can find big, small,
herbivores and carnivores co-existing in natural environment. The
species of animals here include the Indian Bison known as Gaur, Sambhar
Deer, Leopards, Spotted Deer, Slender Toris, Jungle Cats, Malayan Giant
Squirrels, Pythons and Cobras. This sanctuary is particularly noted for
leopards and its numerous reptile species. One can find many species of
poisonous and non-poisonous snakes here. Among the birds one can find
species like Black Woodpecker, Malabar Pied Hornbill, Paradise Fly
Catcher, Drongo, Wag tails, Barbets, Great Indian Horn Bill,
Kingfishers, Shrikes, Emerald Dove, Grey Jungle Fowl, etc.
