Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary is an animal sanctuary in Wayanad, Kerala, south India. It is on the way from Mysore to Sultan Battery. A variety of large wild animals such as Indian Bison, elephant, deer and tiger are found there. There are also quite a few unusual birds in the sanctuary. In particular, Peafowl tend to be very common in the area.Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary is the second largest wildlife sanctuary in Kerala. It is bestowed with lush green forests and rich wildlife. Also known as the 'Muthanga Wildlife Sanctuary', this wildlife area houses some of the rare and endangered species of both flora and fauna.



Established in 1973, the sanctuary is now an integral part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. It is bounded by protected area network of Nagarhole and Bandipur of Karnataka in the northeast, and on the southeast by Mudumalai of Tamil Nadu.

It is part of the Wayanad Plateau and the vegetation is predominantly of the south Indian moist deciduous teak forests. Also, the sanctuary has pastures of the west-coast semi-evergreen trees. The wildlife sanctuary comes under Protect Elephant and one can spot herd of elephants roaming in the area. Elephant rides are arranged by the Kerala Forest Department. It is spread over 344 km² and is about 16 km east of Sultan Battery, the nearest large town.

Wayanad district has the largest population of Adivasi in Kerala. Scheduled tribes here include Paniyas, Kurumas, Adiyars, Kurichyas, Ooralis and Kattunaikkans. Comprising an area of 2126 km2, Wayanad has a powerful history. Relicts and edicts found in various parts of Wayanad speak of an important prehistoric era. Historians are of the view that organised human life existed in these parts, at least ten centuries before Christ.



The sanctuary is part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. The Western Ghats, Nilgiri Sub-Cluster (6,000+ km²), including all of the sanctuary, is under consideration by the World Heritage Committee for selection as a World Heritage Site.

Flora: Moist deciduous forest consists of maruthi, karimaruthi, rosewood, venteak, vengal, chadachi, mazhukanjiram, bamboos, more, while the semi-evergreen patches comprises veteria indica., lagerstroemia, lanceolata, termianalia paniculata.


Fauna: Elephants, tigers, panthers, jungle cats, civet cats, monkeys, wild dogs, bisons, deer, bears, monitor lizards and a variety of snakes are seen.

Avian-Fauna: Peacocks, babblers, cuckoos, owls, woodpeckers, jungle fowls are a few of the various types of birds seen here.

Wayanad climate is salubrious. Average rain fall in this district is 2322 m.m. Annual rain fall in these high rain fall areas ranges from 3,000 to 4,000 mm. High velocity winds are common during the south west monsoon and dry winds blow in March–April. High altitude regions experience severe cold. This place experiences a high relative humidity which goes even up to 95 per cent during the south west monsoon period. Generally, the year is classified into four seasons, namely, cold weather, hot weather, south west monsoon and north east monsoon. The dale, 'Lakkidi', nestled among the hills of Vythiri taluk has the highest average rainfall in Kerala.

Location: The Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary is located 16 km east of Sulthan Bathery in the state of Kerala.


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Keywords: Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, animal sanctuary, Sultan Battery,wild animals, Indian Bison, elephant, deer, tiger ,Peafowl ,lush green forests ,Muthanga Wildlife Sanctuary, flora,fauna, Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, Wayanad Plateau , elephants roaming, Elephant rides ,Adivasi, Paniyas, Kurumas, Adiyars, Kurichyas, Ooralis,Kattunaikkans,Western Ghats, Nilgiri Sub-Cluster , maruthi, karimaruthi, rosewood, venteak, vengal, chadachi, mazhukanjiram, bamboos, indica., lagerstroemia, lanceolata, termianalia paniculata, bears, monitor lizard,Avian-Fauna: Peacocks, babblers, cuckoos, owls, woodpeckers, jungle fowls , west monsoon,Lakkidi, Vythiri