Kambalakonda Wildlife Sanctuary

Kambalakonda Wildlife Sanctuary
Kambalakonda Wildlife Sanctuary
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
	Lake in Kambalakonda EDC Visakhapatnam
	Location of Kambalakonda Wildlife Sanctuary in Andhra Pradesh,India
Location	Andhra Pradesh, India
Nearest city	Visakhapatnam
Area	70.70 km2 (17,470 acres)
Established	March 10, 1970
Governing body	Andhra Pradesh Forest Department

The Kambalakonda Wildlife Sanctuary is a forest located near Visakhapatnam. It is under the control of Andhra Pradesh Forest Department since March 10, 1970. Earlier the land was under the control of Maharajah of Vizianagaram. It was named after the local hillock Kambalakonda. It is a dry evergreen forest mixed with scrub and meadows and covers an area of 70.70 square kilometers. The indicator species is the Indian Leopard. ^[1]

Geography

The sanctuary is located between latitudes of 17.34° N to 17.47° N and longitudes of 83.04° E to 83.20° E. The location corresponds to an area west of National Highway 5 (India) on the northern side of Visakhapatnam and Pendurthi in Vizianagaram district. It can be reached by road about 20 km from Visakhapatnam.

The sanctuary has a dry evergreen forest mixed with scrub and meadows. The terrain is hilly with steep slopes.

Flora and Fauna

Flora: There is diverse flora and fauna in this sanctuary representing the Eastern Ghats. Floral diversity is high and includes Tectona grandis, Catunaregam spinosa, Grewia tiliaefolia, and Abrus precatorius.

Fauna: The fauna present in the sanctuary is Russell's Viper (Daboia russelii), Indian Cobra (Naja naja), Chameleon, Asian Paradise-flycatcher (Terpsiphone paradisi), Treepie, quails, partridges, Indian Leopard (Panthera pardus fusca), Indian Muntjac (Muntiacus muntjak), Indian Pangolin (Manis crassicaudata), Chital (Axis axis), and Indian Jackal (Canis aureus indicus). ^[2]