Katepurna Wildlife Sanctuary

Scenic view of Katepurna Wildlife Sanctuary

 The foot of the Katepurna Sanctuary is set on the lands of the Akola district in the Vidharba region of Maharashtra. The catchment of the Katepurna reservoir holds the Katepurna Sanctuary in its proximity. This is one of the popular wildlife sanctuaries in Maharashtra. Let us have a look at the flora and fauna of this wildlife heaven.

Home to various species of different flora and fauna Katepurna is self sufficient in all of it's kind for water management activities.

The fauna :

This sanctuary is quite popular for the wild fauna existing here. It consists of animals which are rarer as compared to other sanctuaries, which gives it a plus point. The forest is quite famous for two of its inhabitants – the Four Horned Antelope and the Barking Deer. These are found mostly in the vicinity of the Katepurna reservoir, which is really a beautiful sight to look at. Other wild creatures that raise the pride of the sanctuary are Leopard, Wolf, Hyenas, Black Buck, Wild Boar, Nilgai, Hare, Monkey, Jungle Cat, etc. Numerous species of avi fauna are also located twittering around in the proximity and insides of this sanctuary. These include common grassland and water birds, which often show sights in the Katepurna reservoir. This water pool also attracts other migratory birds to arrive and enhance the splendor of the Katepurna Sanctuary.

The flora :

Vegetation is of land type here, and some aquatic foliage is seen due to the presence of the reservoir. There are southern tropical dry deciduous trees present among the floral wildlife of the sanctuary. The tree species found most commonly are Tendu, Bahada, Khair, Moha, Dhawada, Salai, Teude, Aola, and so on.

Areial view of Katepurana WLS (google image)

How To Reach?

Nearest Bus-stand: Mahan village. Mangrulpir is also near to katepurna.

Nearest Railway station: Akola

Nearest Airport: Akola or Nagpur(international airport) or Amravati.

Distance from various cities:

Nagpur: 242km

Amravai: 88.1km

Akola: 33.1km

Washim: 52.2km

*Its on route from Akola to Mangrulpir. Near wagha village from there is small entry gate which will lead you to Nature Interpretation Centre of Katepurna.

• Located in the Akola district of Vidarbha region in Maharashtra.
  
• Main attractions of the sanctuary are its 2 species - the Four Horned Antelope and the Barking Deer.
  
• Ideal visiting season is between October and May.
Entery Fees:

20 rs for adults

10 rs for children below 12 yrs.

Forest of Katepurna WLS

Landscape of Katepurna WLS

Whats worth seeing??
Once you enter the sanctuary you can see grasslands that are been developed by Forest department. Also there are chances that you may see Cheetal and Barking Deer. Also its said that if you are lucky enough then you can also sight a Leopard.
Also Nature Interpretation Center at Wagha is worth watching. At NIC you need to pay the official entry  fees that would help in raising funds for wildlife conservation.

Nature Interpretation Centre at Wagha in Katepurna Wildlife Sanctuary

Problems faced by this Protected Area
Major problem faced by this PA is the villages inside the sanctuary. There are 3 villages inside this WLS. Since its inception in 1986 villages haven't been relocated. Lots of efforts are been taken by FD to relocate these villages in order to save and maintain the privacy to wildlife. As these villages cause much more disturbance to wildlife. Also staff is less in number but they are well equipped with arms and ammunition to prevent and check poaching incidences. Not any recent poaching incidence have been recorded in last 5 years.


 So this was my observations and experience in this wildlife sanctuary. If you have any queries feel free to ask and yes if you have some different experience then let us know we will publish it here.
Thanks & Regards.