Ratanmahal Wildlife Sanctuary
| Ratanmahal Wildlife Sanctuary | |
|---|---|
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area) | |
 Ratanmahal Waterfall | |
   | |
 | |
| Location | Dahod district, Gujarat, India |
| Area | 55.65 |
| Established | 1982 |
Ratanmahal Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area of mixed, deciduous forest, located near Devgadh Baria in Dohad district,[1] at Gujarat's border with Madhya Pradesh, within the Kathiawar-Gir dry deciduous forests' ecoregion.[2] With the area of 55.65 km² it was declared as wildlife sanctuary in 1982. The maximum area covered is in Gujarat. Ratanmahal Sanctuary is near by river Paanam (a major river of Central Gujarat), which helps to preserve the ecological balance in the forest, besides water conservation. The sanctuary is also known as "Ratanmahal Sloth Bear Sanctuary," due to its highest population of sloth bears in the state.[3] As with Purna Wildlife Sanctuary, Ratanmahal has experienced extinctions in its population of birds.[4][5]
Geography
[edit]Ratanmahal wildlife sanctuary is located in Dahod district of Gujarat bordering nearby state Madhya Pradesh. Panam river flows nearby the sanctuary. It is located near tribal towns of Baria and Chhota Udepur.[6]
Flora and fauna
[edit]Flora
[edit]Falling in Kathiawar-Gir dry deciduous forest eco region. The forest of the sanctuary comprise dry teak stands in the foothill regions and mixed deciduous woodlands with dry bamboo brakes along the periphery. High volume of Mahuda trees provide suitable food for sloth bears.[7]
Fauna
[edit]Fauna of the sanctuary include mammal such as sloth bear, Indian leopard, striped hyena, golden jackal, four-horned antelope, Indian grey mongoose, small Indian civet, jungle cat and hanuman langur.[8] Recently tiger has been spotted in the sanctuary.[9] Reptiles include Indian cobra, krait, Saw-scaled viper, Russel’s viper and Bamboo pit viper.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Ratanmahal Sloth Bear Sanctuary". Retrieved 24 May 2012.
- ^ "Kathiarbar-Gir Dry Deciduous Forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 2017-02-14.
- ^ Garshelis, David L.; Joshi, Anup R.; Smith, James L. D.; Rice, Clifford G. "Sloth Bear Conservation Action Plan" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
- ^ Trivedi, Pranav; Soni, V. C. "Significant bird records and local extinctions in Purna and Ratanmahal Wildlife Sanctuaries, Gujarat, India" (PDF). 22. Forktail: 39–48. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 August 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ "Visitors to central Gujarat sanctuaries to be insured". The Times of India. 2021-11-22. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2025-06-07.
- ^ "Ratanmahal Sloth Bear Sanctuary - WildTrails | The One-Stop Destination for all your Wildlife Holidays". wildtrails.in. 2017-09-23. Retrieved 2025-06-07.
- ^ "Ratanmahal Sloth bear Sanctuary".
- ^ "Global Gujarat". www.globalgujarat.com. Retrieved 2025-06-07.
- ^ Staff, O. T. (2025-05-24). "Tiger Spotted At Dahod Sanctuary; Gujarat Welcomes Big Cat After 30 Years". Outlook Traveller. Retrieved 2025-06-07.
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