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Site description (2004 baseline):

Sri Penusila Narasimha Wildlife Sanctuary, earlier known as the Veliconda Wildlife Sanctuary, spreads over the districts of Cuddapah and Nellore, Andhra Pradesh. This area encompasses Turupukonda hills, part of the Velikonda Hill range, Somasila Dam and Kandaleru Reservoir. This area was proposed as the Velikonda Wildlife Sanctuary soon after the sightings of the Critically Endangered Jerdon’s Courser on the western slopes of Turupukonda Hills (Bhushan 1994) but it was declared only after about ten years as Sri Penusila Narasimha Wildlife Sanctuary. This IBA site contains Moist Deciduous forest, and Dry Thorn forest on the foothills of Velikonda Hill ranges, apart from Euphorbia scrub forests and monoculture plantation, especially of Eucalyptus and Terminalia arjuna.

AVIFAUNA: Sixty-eight bird species have been recorded in this Sanctuary recently (Jeganathan 2003), of which 3 species fall under Biome-10, 16 species under Biome-11, while 2 are Restricted Range species. Jerdon’s Courser Rhinoptilus bitorquatus was reported from this Sanctuary in 1986 (Bhushan 1994) and Yellow-throated Bulbul Pycnonotus xantholaemus was recorded very recently (P. Jeganathan pers. comm. 2003).

OTHER KEY FAUNA: Leopard Panthera pardus, Sloth Bear Melursus ursinus, Chital Axis axis, Sambar Cervus unicolor, Chinkara Gazella bennettii and Wild Boar Sus scrofa are seen in the forested areas. Even the Wolf Canis lupus has been reported, along with Golden Jackal C. aureus and Indian Fox Vulpes bengalensis (Jeganathan 2003).

MAIN THREATS: Clearance of scrub jungle habitat; Construction of dams and reservoirs; Quarrying on the hills; Illegal felling; Construction of roads inside the Sanctuary to the Sri Penusila Narasimha Swamy temple.

The Sri Penusila Narasimha Swamy temple, present inside the Sanctuary, attracts large numbers of pilgrims, especially during festivals. Disposal of non-degradable litter and plastic bags is a major conservation problem. Illegal felling is common and increases during the pilgrimage period. The proposal to increase the height of the Somasila dam and extend the Kandeleru reservoir will result in further submergence of forest area inside the Sanctuary. Clearing the scrub jungle habitat for lemon farming and monoculture plantations is another issue that needs to be addressed.

Key contributor: Panchapakesan Jeganathan.

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