Karimpuzha Wildlife Sanctuary

Karimpuzha Wildlife Sanctuary lies on the western slopes of the Nilgiris in Nilambur taluk, Malappuram district, covering parts of Karulai, Moothedam and Amarambalam villages. It links Silent Valley National Park in Kerala with Mukurthi National Park in Tamil Nadu, forming one continuous protected stretch, and includes the New Amarambalam reserve, with some of the most pristine forest left untouched by people.

The land climbs steeply from about 40 metres to over 2,500 metres, and this sharp gradient explains its rich wildlife. It is the only forest area in Kerala where all seven forest types occur: evergreen rainforest, semi-evergreen, moist deciduous, subtropical hill forest, subtropical savannah, montane grassland and montane wet temperate forest. Almost all the mammals endemic to the Western Ghats are found here, among them the lion-tailed macaque and Nilgiri tahr, along with 226 bird species, 213 butterflies, 33 reptiles, 23 amphibians and several endangered fish.