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About Aralam Wildlife
Sanctuary
A
mere 55 sq.kms in area and located on the western slopes of the
Western Ghats, the Aralam sanctuary is the northern most wildlife
sanctuary of Kerala. It was established in 1984. The headquarters of
the sanctuary is near Iritty, a small town about 55 kms from Kannur.
The sanctuary adjoins the Central State Farm at Aralam. It lies
between north latitude 11°50' and 11° 52' and east lo ngitude
75° 49' and 75° 57'.
Topography
The
elevation varies from 50m to 1145m. The highest peak is Katti Betta,
which is 1145m. high.
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 wettest part of the year is from June
to August. (south-west monsoon).
Forest
type
Forest
coast tropical evergreen and west coast semievergreen forests are
predominant. There are about 490 ha of teak and eucalyptus plantations
within the forest area.
Flora
In the
evergreen areas the following species are found: 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.
Fauna
A variety
of animals and birds usually found in the Western Ghats are seen here.
Different kinds of deer, boar, elephant, and bison are quite common.
Leopard, jungle cat and various types of squirrels are sighted.
Ad ministration
The
sanctuary comes 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.
Wildlife
Tourism
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 Kozhikkod, 113 kms from Irutti. The infrastructure for
tourism development is limited at present, but steps are being taken
by the Forest Department to improve the situation.
Enquiries
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The Chief
Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Thiruvananthapuram - 695 014, Kerala
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The
Wildlife Warden, Aralam Wildlife,
Division, Kannur.
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The
Assistant Wildlife Warden, Iritty, Kannur Dist. Pin Code: 670 673
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