Ushakothi Wildlife Sanctuary

Ushakothi Wildlife Sanctuary, also known as Badrama Wildlife Sanctuary, was set up in 1962 and covers about 304 sq km of forest some 22 km from Sambalpur, with the Hirakud Dam to its west. Its mainly dry deciduous forest includes sal, sandalwood, arjun, neem, acacia and casuarina.

Tigers, elephants, sambar, leopards and bison live here, with about 15 tigers and 35 elephants counted, and birdlife is plentiful; racket-tailed drongos and flying squirrels are the chief draws. NH-53, the Mumbai–Kolkata highway, cuts the sanctuary in two, and because accidents involving elephants and other animals are common, travel through it is advised only between 6 am and 6 pm. A two-room forest rest house inside the sanctuary can be booked through the Divisional Forest Officer in Sambalpur.