Tourist attractions around Dandeli

Wildlife in Dandeli

On a ride down the river, a variety of birds can be sighted. Hornbills flying around, kingfishers, darters and egrets darting into the waters in search of food, serpent eagles, falcon, magpie, robin, bulbuls, orioles, woodpeckers, weaverbirds and many more.

At the end of the journey, you can either be picked up by a jeep or walk back to your camp. You can also travel inside the forest in a jeep.

The most interesting animal in the sanctuary is the Gaur or the Indian Bison. Once they were plenty in these forests and the sanctuary itself was known as ‘Bison Sanctuary’. But now their numbers have dwindled.

Bison have beautiful, near-perfect horns. Male bison are short and stocky, but sturdy. They weigh between 600 and 940 kg and stand 1.6-1.9 meters at the shoulder. Female bison are only about 10 cm shorter, but lighter in build.

Other animals in the sanctuary include elephants, tigers, black panthers, wild pigs, sloth bears, wild dogs, jackal, sambar, spotted deer, barking deer, mouse deer, common langur, bonnet macaque, slender loris, Malabar giant squirrels, giant flying-squirrels, civets, porcupines, mongoose and several species of snakes.

However, animal sightings in the wild depend on sheer luck. You could either see several in a day, or none for days. During the rains, or immediately after, a tiger or panther could be lurking just a few feet away, but the thick growth and the animal’s camouflage would make it practically invisible.

In and Around Dandeli