About Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary
The Peppara Sanctuary encompasses parts of two other forests - Palode Reserve (24 sq.kms.) and Kottoor Reserve (29 sq. kms.). The Peppara Dam built on the Karamana River occupies an area of 5.82 sq km at the center of this popular Wildlife Sanctuary. Peppara is widely renowned for its verdant tropical forests and an enchanting variety of wild animals and birds.
The most common animals found in Peppara are elephants, sambars, leopards, lions, deer, wild boars, tigers, panthers, wild dogs, the Malabar squirrels, lion-tailed macaque, Nilgiri langur, king cobras and pythons. The different species of birds that are found in the sanctuary include Darter, Little Cormorant, Pied Kingfisher and Egret.
It is also home to a variety of reptiles like the King Cobras and Pythons besides numerous insects like moths and butterflies.
Vegetation at Peppara is in the form of the three major forest belts including Southern hilltop tropical evergreen forests found above a height of 1,000 meters; West coast semi- evergreen forests thriving between elevations of 150 meters to 1,050 meters; and Southern moist mixed deciduous forests found on the lower slopes of the hills.
The most common animals found in Peppara are elephants, sambars, leopards, lions, deer, wild boars, tigers, panthers, wild dogs, the Malabar squirrels, lion-tailed macaque, Nilgiri langur, king cobras and pythons. The different species of birds that are found in the sanctuary include Darter, Little Cormorant, Pied Kingfisher and Egret.
It is also home to a variety of reptiles like the King Cobras and Pythons besides numerous insects like moths and butterflies.
Vegetation at Peppara is in the form of the three major forest belts including Southern hilltop tropical evergreen forests found above a height of 1,000 meters; West coast semi- evergreen forests thriving between elevations of 150 meters to 1,050 meters; and Southern moist mixed deciduous forests found on the lower slopes of the hills.
Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary is nestled in the western slope of southern region of the Western Ghats in Nedumangad Taluk of Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located about 50kms east of Thiruvananthapuram city. The Headquarters of the sanctuary is Peppara. The nearest railway stations is Thiruvananthapuram, 45kms from the sanctuary; nearest bus stations are Vithura 14kms & Thiruvananthapuram 45kms; and the nearest Airport is Thiruvananthapuram International Airport which is 55kms from the sanctuary.
Flora and Vegetation- The floral diversity is very high with a relatively high percentage of endemism. The sanctuary is home to several rare, endemic and threatened plants such as Bentinckia condapanna, Poeciloneuron pauciflorum, Humboldtia unijuga, Eugenia floccose, Eugenia discifera, Ardisia missionis, Eria bonaccordensis, Janakia arayalpatra, Dialium travancorium, Semecarpus auriculata, Polyscias acuminata, Paphiopedilum druryi, Eulophia macrostachya, Eulophia cullenii, Hetaria ovalifolia, Chiloschista glandulosa.The vegetation include-
Southern hilltop tropical evergreen forests
West coast tropical evergreen forest
West coast tropical semi evergreen forest
Pioneer euphorbiaceous scrub
Moist bamboo brakes
Southern secondary moist mixed deciduous forest
Myristica swamp forest
Sub montane hill valley swamp forest
Riparian forest
Grasslands
Southern subtropical hill forest
Ochlandra reed brakes
Bentinckia condapanna brakes
Fauna- Faunal diversity is considered to be a strong indicator of health of any ecosystem. An area of 53sq.km of sanctuary lying continuous with the Neyyar wildlife sanctuary in the Southeast, Agasthyavanam biological park in the West and the Kalakkad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve on the east offers ideal habitat for the long term survival of several species of wildlife. The reservoir formed by the Peppara Dam is the major source of water for the animals and habitat for several water birds.
43 species of mammals, 233 species of birds, 46 species of reptiles, 13 species of amphibians and 27 species of fishes are identified from the sanctuary. Major mammals include Elephant, Gaur, Sambar deer, Lion Tailed Macaque, Nilgiri Langur, Nilgiri Marten, Slender Loris, Sloth Bear, Leopard Cat etc. The occasional presence of Tiger and Leopard adds to the faunistic wealth of the sanctuary.
Of the 233 species of Birds, important sightings include Painted bush quail, Black rumped flameback, Three toed kingfisher, Red winged crested cuckoo, Forest eagle owl, Grey headed fishing owl, Tiger bittern, Nilgiri wood pigeon, Black & orange flycatcher, Kerala laughing thrush etc.
Among the 13 species of Amphibians are Common Indian toad, Indian bull frog, Jerdon’s bull frog, Indian tree frog, Malabar tree frog etc. Among the fishes are species such as Filament barb, Tilopia, Silver fish, Cat fish, Eel etc
Tourist Places around Peppara
Aruvikkara - The Aruvikkara reservoir is situated sixteen km north of Trivandrum city and it supplies water to the city. The place is remarkable for its exquisite scenic beauty and hence, ranks as a popular tourist spot.
Neyyattinkara - This is an ancient town lying 20km south-east of Trivandrum city. The town houses the historically important Sri Krishna Swami Temple.
How To Reach
By Air: The nearest airport to Peppara is at Thiruvananthapuram (55 km away).
By Rail: The nearest railway station is at Thiruvananthapuram which is well connected with major cities like Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi and even Kashmir.
By Road: Frequent buses are available Trivandrum to Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary.
