Kerala: Tourists entry banned in Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary till April 15

KOZHIKODE: Entry of tourists to the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (WWS) has been temporarily banned from March 1 to April 15 in view of the intensifying summer and the possibility of forest fires in the 344 sq km sanctuary.
The state wildlife warden has issued an order temporarily banning the entry of tourists in the eco-tourism centres of Muthanga and Tholpetty in the sanctuary which is the prime tiger habitat in the state under Section 33 of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972.
Forest officials said that with mercury rising, large number of wild animals from the contiguous forest areas in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have started trooping to the WWS in search of water and fodder in the largest annual inter-state animal migration in the region. “Also there is a threat of forest fires in the sanctuary due to the summer heat. If tourists are allowed entry in ecotourism zones, it would pose disturbance to wild animals,” WWS warden P K Asif said.
He added that tourist activity inside WWS during the summer months, when wildlife population swells in the sanctuary significantly, could also pose threat to the safety of tourists.