Kanniyakumari Wildlife Sanctuary

Kanniyakumari Wildlife Sanctuary covers 402.4 square kilometres of forest in Kanyakumari district and was declared in February 2008. It is tiger habitat, and seven rivers rise in its forests, among them the Thamirabarani and the Pahrali.

The area is one of the most diverse wildlife forests in India and a high-biodiversity corridor. New species of plants, amphibians and insects found here are known from nowhere else, and a rare bioluminescent mushroom has been recorded. Besides tigers, the sanctuary shelters Indian bison, elephants, the Indian rock python, lion-tailed macaques, mouse deer, Nilgiri tahr and sambar. A few tribal villages lie within it and the adjoining reserve forests. The clearing of forest for rubber estates and the felling of trees after Cyclone Ockhi have caused concern and local protest.