South India is quite enriched with huge varieties of wildlife as found in multitudes of national parks and sanctuaries. Point Calimere Wild life Sanctuary is a prominent one. It is situated near the coastal region of Coromandel Coast, projecting into the sea a little more than 300 km south of Chennai in the Tamil Nadu state. In the year 1967, it has been acknowledged as a sanctuary, encompassing an area of 17.26 sq km of sand coasts. It then fringed by reduced saline marshlands and thorny scrub around the tidal brooks.

Between the months of October and March, it is thronged with a wide variety of birds, namely, terns, gulls storks, herons and enormous congregations of coastal waders, but the most spectacular are the Lesser and the Greater Flamingos. On a chosen day in winter, huge waves of these lanky birds swoop down, splashing the dull colors of the landscape with their vivid pink and gleaming white.

The endangered Blackbuck, the only Indian antelope, inhabits the open coastal scrubland of Point Calimere . It has a population of at least a thousand. Frequently seen here are also Jackal, Wild Boar and Black-naped Hare, besides several other mammals. Dolphins and Dugong, or Sea cow, have been sighted and small numbers of Olive Ridley Turtles are also known to take shelter here.

Tourist can easily get a glimpse of the beautiful birds. Infact they are the main attraction of the Point Calimere Wild life Sanctuary. There are supposedly more than two hundred and fifty bird species in this safe haven. For easy accessibility, the concerned authorities are providing amenities to the tourists. While striding through the elevated mounds, one can see swamps of birds, animals, thereby maintaining a safe distance from the birds. Jolly boat rides aid in watching birds in some parts of the sanctuary. Woodland birds include Blue-faced Malkoha, Pied Cuckoo, Blue-tailed Bee-cater, Yellow-billed Babbler, Chestnut-tailed Starling, and Asian Paradise-flycatcher. Aquatic birds are found near the water bodies. These are namely Cheater Flamingo, Lesser Flamingo, Spot-billed Pelican, Great Cormorant, Grey Heron, Purple Heron, Western Reef Egret, Eurasian Spoonbill, Northern Shoveler, Red-crested Pochard, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Eurasian Curlew, Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Black-tailed Godwit, Asian Dowitcher, Pallas`s Gull, Caspian Tern, Great Crested Tern, Black-capped Kingfisher etc. The howling of the bird raptors juxtaposes with the other singing birds. White-bellied Sea Eagle, Montagu`s Harrier, White-eyed Buzzard, Peregrine Falcon, Common Kestrel, Osprey are noteworthy

Multitudes of mammalian species are found in every possible nook of the Point Calimere Wild life Sanctuary. Blackbuck, Jungle Cat, Wild Boar, Jackal, Striped Hyena, Spotted Deer (Chital), Bonnet Macaque, Black-naped Hare, Common Indian Mongoose etc are found in abundance.

Point Calimere Wild life Sanctuary has a history behind it. Thanjavur, Almost ninety kms away from the sanctuary, Thanjavur, was the home of the famous Chola kings who ruled during the time period of tenth to the beginning of fourteenth centuries. Remnants of famous medieval temple architecture add glory to the whole of the sanctuary.