Kotgarh Wildlife Sanctuary

Kotgarh Wildlife Sanctuary lies in the Baliguda subdivision of Kandhamal district, Odisha, spreading across Kotgarh, the Tumudibandha range and Daringbadi block. Its dense moist deciduous forest, broken by grassland, takes in several reserve forests, among them Madagoda, Haripur, Lassery and Subarnagiri. Around 52 villages of the Kutia Kondh and Desia Kondh communities lie inside it.

About 650 plant species have been recorded, from sal, piasal, kendu, mahua, mango and jackfruit to rare medicinal plants such as Gloriosa superba, Rauvolfia tetraphylla and Saraca asoca. Animals include tiger, elephant, gaur, sambar, spotted deer, leopard, sloth bear, blackbuck, peafowl and red junglefowl, with reptiles such as the rare Boiga forsteni, but the four-horned antelope, or chousingha, is the main draw. The sanctuary has been put forward as part of a proposed elephant corridor. A wooden bungalow at Belghar is popular with nature lovers, and Baliguda is linked to Berhampur by NH-59.