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Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary

Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary is located in northeastern Goa, India in Sattari, Ponda and Sanguem. The total area of the park is 7.98 km2, making it the smallest of the wildlife sanctuaries in Goa. It is a popular destination for both tourists and schoolchildren, as it contains the only zoo in Goa.[1]

Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary
Bondla Zoo
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
Common Sailor in Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary
Common sailor (Neptis hylas) in the park
Map showing the location of Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary
Map showing the location of Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary
Location of Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary in Goa
Map showing the location of Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary
Map showing the location of Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary
Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary (India)
Map
Interactive map of Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary
LocationGoa, India
Nearest cityDharbandora
Coordinates15°26′22.8″N 74°06′21.4″E / 15.439667°N 74.105944°E / 15.439667; 74.105944
Area7.98 km2 (1,970 acres)
Elevation216 m (709 ft)
Established1969
(57 years ago) (1969)
Governing bodyGovernment of Goa
Websitehttps://forest.goa.gov.in/node/1189

Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary provides sanctuary to leopards who have been injured in human-wildlife conflict, as well as "dancing" bears and cobras who, along with their trainers, need a new life after this treatment of endangered wildlife. Bondla Zoo is known for its successful breeding of gaur. The zoo provides an excellent environment to breed and do research on animals.

Geography

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Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary is located 38 km from Madgaon and 46 km from Panaji. It is located next to Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary, and Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary and Mollem National Park.

The forest is a moist deciduous forest, filled with patches of semi-evergreen trees.

The best time to visit the sanctuary is from October to March, when the temperature is moderate.[2]

Fauna

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Birds

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Mammals

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The sanctuary is home to giant squirrels, jungle palm squirrels and malabar grey langurs. The zoo contains leopards, bears, gaurs and jungle cats as well as foxes and civets. It also has chitals and wild leopards roaming the forest.

Reptiles

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Many species of reptiles such as the Roux's forest lizard and the Western Ghats flying lizard can be sighted inside the park. Several snake species can be sighted as well.

Amphibians

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Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary is home to the Amboli bush frog, a critically endangered species. Other species include the Malabar gliding frog and the Asian common toad. A species of caecilian, Gegeneophis nadkarnii, was discovered in the sanctuary (see Discoveries).[4]

Insects

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A recent assessment of the butterfly species in the park sighted 91 species of butterflies,[5] with forty species of nymphalids, 20 species of lycaenids, 13 species of papilionids, 12 pierids, 6 hesperids and one riodinid.

The list of butterflies are given here-

Indian blue mormon in the sanctuary

Papilionidae

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Pieridae

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Lycaenidae

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Riodinidae

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Nymphalidae

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Hesperiidae

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Flora

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Asoka in the sanctuary

Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary is home to Matti, the state tree of Goa, and the Indian rosewood. Other common trees are the-

Other exotic plants are also found in the gardens inside the park.[7]

Zoo

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Rehabilitation programs

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Animals which have come into close proximity with human settlements are kept in the rehabilitation centers in the park.

Palm civet

Some of the animals which have been successfully rehabilitated are listed below-[8]

Discoveries

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In 2004, Gopalakrishna Bhatta and P. Prasanth described Gegeneophis nadkarnii, a species of caecilian, based on two specimens collected from Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary.[10] This species was later merged with Gegeneophis danieli,[11] which had been discovered a year earlier in Maharashtra.[12]

Park-specific information

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The sanctuary contains a botanical garden, which contain exotic and rare types of plants. Nature trails are also found inside the park and trekking and hiking trails are present. These treks are conducted in the presence of a local guide.

A Nature Education Center along with a library is present in the park. Movies and documentaries can be screened on request.[13]

The park was shut down for a few days in 2025 following a viral infection that killed three civets and two cats.[14]

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See also

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References

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  1. ↑ Paul. Harding, Bryn Thomas (2003). Goa. Lonely Planet. ISBN 1-74059-139-9.
  2. ↑ "Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary | Government of Goa". Government of Goa | Official Portal. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
  3. ↑ "Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary, North Goa, Goa, India - eBird Hotspot". ebird.org. 30 January 2025. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
  4. ↑ "Observations". iNaturalist. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
  5. ↑ Borkar, Manoj R. (1 January 2004). "Fauna of protected areas 14: Diversity, abundance, and habitat associations of butterfly species in Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary of Goa, India". Zoos' Print Journal. 19 (10): 1648–1653. doi:10.11609/JoTT.ZPJ.1192.1648-53.
  6. ↑ "Department of Tourism, Government of Goa, India - Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary". 15 October 2013. Archived from the original on 15 October 2013. Retrieved 6 February 2025.
  7. ↑ "Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary | Forest Department". forest.goa.gov.in. Archived from the original on 1 July 2024. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
  8. 1 2 "Annual report Zoos". cza.nic.in. Archived from the original on 9 December 2024. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
  9. ↑ "Annual inventory of animals in Indian zoos" (PDF). cza.nic.in. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 November 2024. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
  10. ↑ Bhatta, Gopalakrishna; Prashanth, P. (2004). "Gegeneophis nadkarnii – a caecilian (Amphibia: Gymnophiona: Caeciliidae) from Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary, Western Ghats". Current Science. 87 (3): 388–392. ISSN 0011-3891. JSTOR 24108949.
  11. ↑ Gower, David J.; Giri, Varad; Torsekar, Varun R.; Gaikwad, Kshamata (29 January 2013). "On the taxonomic status of Gegeneophis nadkarnii Bhatta & Prashanth, 2004 (Amphibia: Gymnophiona: Indotyphlidae)". Zootaxa. 3609 (2): 204–212. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3609.2.6. ISSN 1175-5334. PMID 24699582.
  12. ↑ GIRI, VARAD; WILKINSON, MARK; GOWER, DAVID J. (13 November 2003). "A new species of Gegeneophis Peters (Amphibia: Gymnophiona: Caeciliidae) from southern Maharashtra, India, with a key to the species of the genus". Zootaxa. 351 (1). doi:10.11646/zootaxa.351.1.1. ISSN 1175-5334.
  13. ↑ "GTDC | Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary". goa-tourism.com. Retrieved 6 February 2025.
  14. ↑ Team, Herald (8 April 2025). "Goa's Bondla Zoo Temporarily Closed After Suspected Viral Outbreak, 5 Animals Dead". Herald Goa. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
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