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Site description (2004 baseline):

This Sanctuary was a game reserve till 1985, when it was declared a wildlife sanctuary. It is a small sanctuary with Tropical Dry Deciduous Forest and scrubland, surrounded by cultivation and grazing land. Two large plantations, one of Eucalyptus and the other of Sandalwood Santalum album, are also located within the Sanctuary. Arabhithittu could be approached from Mysore to Bilikere (25 km), and on to the Sanctuary’s eastern edge (2.5 km), but entry to the forest is highly restricted due to the Ministry of Defence installations nearby. At the same time, their presence has also protected a large chunk of the forest from illegal felling and grazing. The area is mainly covered with scrub forest. One large patch each of Eucalyptus and Sandalwood plantations is present in the area. Other tree species include Ailanthus triphysa, Artocarpus heterophyllus, Anogeissus latifolia, Butea sp., Diospyros melanoxylon, Emblica officinalis and Acacia sundra (Manjrekar 2000).

AVIFAUNA: This site contained a good representative of Tropical Dry Deciduous Forest, including its avian community. The Whitebellied Minivet Pericrocotus erythropygius is often seen here. This site is selected as an IBA due to the presence of vulnerable Yellow-throated Bulbul Pycnonotus xantholaemus.

OTHER KEY FAUNA: The common predators of the Sanctuary include Leopard Panthera pardus and Indian Fox Vulpes bengalensis. The other mammals are Spotted Deer Axis axis, Wild Boar Sus scrofa, Porcupine Hystrix indica, Black-naped Hare Lepus nigricollis and Mongoose Herpestes edwardsi. The Monitor Lizard Varanus bengalensis is among the reptiles widely present.

MAIN THREATS: Grazing; Illegal tree felling.

No information is available on the conservation issues in this IBA.

Key contributor: Thejaswi Shivanand.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Arabhithittu Wildlife Sanctuary (India). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/arabhithittu-wildlife-sanctuary-iba-india on 23/11/2024.