Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary

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Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary
Bondla Zoo
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
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Common Sailor (Neptis hylas) in the park
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Location of Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary in Goa
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Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary (India)
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Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary (Asia)
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Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary (Earth)
Location Goa, India
Nearest city Panaji
Coordinates 15°26′22.8″N74°06′21.4″E / 15.439667°N 74.105944°E / 15.439667; 74.105944
Area7.98 km2 (1,970 acres)
Elevation216 m (709 ft)
Established1969
(56 years ago) (1969)
Governing body Government of Goa
Website https://forest.goa.gov.in/node/1189

Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary is located in northeastern Goa, India in Sattari taluka. The total area of the park is 7.98 km2, making it the smallest of the wildlife sanctuaries in Goa. It is a popular destination for both tourists and schoolchildren, as it contains the only zoo in Goa. [1]

Contents

Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary provides sanctuary to leopards who have been injured in human-wildlife conflict, as well as "dancing" bears and cobras who, along with their trainers, need a new life after this treatment of endangered wildlife. Bondla Zoo is known for its successful breeding of gaur. The zoo provides an excellent environment to breed and do research on animals.

Geography

Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary is located 38 km from Madgaon and 46 km from Panaji. It is located next to Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary and Mollem National Park and Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary.

The forest is a moist deciduous forest filled with patches of semi-evergreen trees.

The best time to visit the sanctuary is October to March, when the temperature is moderate.

Fauna

Birds

Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary is home to over 275 species of birds, [2] such as-

Mammals

The sanctuary is home to giant squirrels, jungle palm squirrels and malabar grey langurs.

Reptiles

Many species of reptiles such as the Roux's forest lizard and the Western Ghats flying lizard can be sighted inside the park. Several snake species can be sighted as well.

Amphibians

Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary is home to the Amboli bush frog, a critically endangered species. Other species include the Malabar gliding frog and the Asian common toad. A species of caecilian, Gegeneophis nadkarnii, was discovered in the sanctuary (see Discoveries). [3]

Insects

A recent assessment of the butterfly species in the park sighted 91 species of butterflies, [4] with forty species of nymphalids, 20 species of lycaenids, 13 species of papilionids, 12 pierids, 6 hesperids and one riodinid.

The list of butterflies are given here-

Indian Blue Mormon in the sanctuary Indian Blue Mormon in Bondla.png
Indian Blue Mormon in the sanctuary

Papilionidae

Pieridae

Common Hedge-Blue in the sanctuary Common Hedge-Blue in Bondla.png
Common Hedge-Blue in the sanctuary

Lycaenidae

Riodinidae

Common Lascar in the sanctuary Common Lascar Butterfly in Bondla.png
Common Lascar in the sanctuary
Chestnut-streaked Sailer in the sanctuary Chestnut-streaked Sailer (Neptis jumbah) in Bondla.png
Chestnut-streaked Sailer in the sanctuary

Nymphalidae

Golden Angle in the sanctuary Golden Angle in Bondla.png
Golden Angle in the sanctuary

Hesperiidae

Flora

Asoka in the sanctuary Ashok (Nepali- ashok) (6781532428).jpg
Asoka in the sanctuary

Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary is home to Matti, the state tree of Goa, and the Indian rosewood. Other common trees are the-

Other exotic plants are also found in the gardens inside the park. [6]

Zoo

Leopard Bondla-07.jpg
Leopard
Gaur Bondla-01.jpg
Gaur
Sloth Bear Bondla-06.jpg
Sloth Bear

Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary contains a zoo inside it, commonly called the Bondla zoo. It lies in the middle of the sanctuary. These are some of the animals that have been kept inside the zoo. [7] [8]

Rehabilitation Programs

Animals which have come into close proximity with human settlements are kept in the rehabilitation centers in the park.

Palm Civet Bondla-11.jpg
Palm Civet

Some of the animals which have been successfully rehabilitated are listed below- [7]

Discoveries

In 2004, Gopalakrishna Bhatta and P. Prasanth described Gegeneophis nadkarnii, a species of caecilian, based on two specimens collected from Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary. [9] This species was later merged with Gegeneophis danieli, [10] which had been discovered a year earlier in Maharashtra. [11]

Park-specific Information

The sanctuary contains a botanical garden, which contain exotic and rare types of plants. Nature trails are also found inside the park and trekking and hiking trails are present. These treks are conducted in the presence of a local guide.

A Nature Education Center along with a library is present in the park. Movies and documentaries can be screened on request. [12]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Paul. Harding, Bryn Thomas (2003). Goa. Lonely Planet. ISBN   1-74059-139-9.
  2. ↑ "Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary, North Goa, Goa, India - eBird Hotspot". ebird.org. 30 January 2025. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
  3. ↑ "Observations". iNaturalist. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
  4. ↑ Borkar, Manoj R. (1 January 2004). "Fauna of protected areas 14: Diversity, abundance, and habitat associations of butterfly species in Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary of Goa, India". Zoos' Print Journal.
  5. ↑ "Department of Tourism, Government of Goa, India - Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary". web.archive.org. 15 October 2013. Retrieved 6 February 2025.
  6. ↑ "Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary | Forest Department". forest.goa.gov.in. Archived from the original on 1 July 2024. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
  7. 1 2 "Annual report Zoos". cza.nic.in. Archived from the original on 9 December 2024. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
  8. ↑ "Wayback Machine" (PDF). cza.nic.in. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 November 2024. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
  9. ↑ Bhatta, Gopalakrishna; Prashanth, P. (2004). "Gegeneophis nadkarnii – a caecilian (Amphibia: Gymnophiona: Caeciliidae) from Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary, Western Ghats". Current Science. 87 (3): 388–392. ISSN   0011-3891.
  10. ↑ Gower, David J.; Giri, Varad; Torsekar, Varun R.; Gaikwad, Kshamata (29 January 2013). "On the taxonomic status of Gegeneophis nadkarnii Bhatta & Prashanth, 2004 (Amphibia: Gymnophiona: Indotyphlidae)". Zootaxa. 3609 (2): 204–212. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3609.2.6. ISSN   1175-5334.
  11. ↑ GIRI, VARAD; WILKINSON, MARK; GOWER, DAVID J. (13 November 2003). "A new species of Gegeneophis Peters (Amphibia: Gymnophiona: Caeciliidae) from southern Maharashtra, India, with a key to the species of the genus". Zootaxa. 351 (1). doi:10.11646/zootaxa.351.1.1. ISSN   1175-5334.
  12. ↑ "GTDC | Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary". goa-tourism.com. Retrieved 6 February 2025.
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