 Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the popular sanctuaries in Kerala. The sanctuary is located is located about 35 km from Thalasseri and 60 km from Kannur. Located on the western slopes of the Western Ghats, the Aralam sanctuary houses a wide variety of animals and is rich in vegetation. The sanctuary was established in the year 1984. The headquarters of the sanctuary is near Iritty, a small town about 55 kms from Kannur. The elevation varies from 50m to 1145m. The highest peak is Katti Betta, which is 1145 high. The Aralam Sanctuary is spread over 55 sq km of undulating forested highlands.
Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary is under the Wayanad Division with headquarters at Sultan Bathery. The sanctuary is under the direct charge of an Assistant Wildlife whose office is at Chathiroor near Irutti. Aralam is also a village in Thalasserry renowned for the Central State Farm. It is a 3060 hectare farm started in 1971 by the Government of India. This is one of the main production centres of hybrid coconut seeds in the country. Flora and Fauna of Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary The Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary houses a variety of animals. The wildlife sanctuary is also rich in vegetation. The sanctuary can be seen covered with tropical and semi evergreen forests. The forest has about 490 hectares of eucalyptus and teak plantations. Some of the evergreen species found here are vellapine (Vateria indica), Mesua ferrea, Mechilus macrantha, Calophyllum elatum, Cullenia rosayroona, Magnifera indica, Toona cillata, Myristica Species, Euphorbia Longana, Strobilanthes. The common trees in the semievergreen areas are Cinnamomum Zeylanicum, Hopea parviflora, Largestroemia lanceolata, Xyliaxylocarpa, Mallotus, Philippinensis. The Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary also provides shelter to many animals like elephant, gaur, sambar, spotted deer, barking deer, Nilgirilangur, Hanuman langur, Malabar giant squirrel and others. The Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary has a soothing climate. The temperature at the foothills varies from 21 C to 40 C and at the higher reaches from 8 C to 25 C. The sanctuary receives an annual rainfall of about 3,000 mm. The months of June to August are the wettest. Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary is easily accessible through rail, road and air. One can reach the Aralam sanctuary by road from Thalasseri (45 kms) and Kannur (45kms). The nearest railway station is Thalassery and the nearest airport is Kozhikode, 113 kms from Irutti. |
| More Articles in Wildlife Sanctuaries of Kerala (8) | |
|
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
