Dajipur Wildlife Sanctuary

Dajipur is situated on the border of Kolhapur and Sindhudurg districts. Rugged mountains and dense forests engulf this hilly area. This place is quiet and is completely cut-off from human blare. Dajipur is home to bison, wild deer, chital, gawa and many more spectacular wild animals and birds.

Dajipur Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary located in Kolhapur district in Maharashtra. It lies at the southern end of the Sahyadri hills in the Western Ghats.  It is popularly known as the “Bison Sanctuary”.

Dajipur Wildlife Sanctuary (19.61 sq.km.) was declared in 1958. In 1985 the State Government expanded the sanctuary by declaring additional areas of forest in the catchment basins of the two major reservoirs: Kalammawadi Reservoir (a.k.a. Rajarshi Shahu Sagar Reservoir) and Radhanagari Dam & Reservoir (a.k.a. Laxmi Sagar Reservoir) as Radhanagari wildlife sanctuary.

The tributaries of River Krishna namely Bhogavati , Dudhganga , Tulshi , Kallamma  and Dirba  flow through the sanctuary area.  State Highway 116passes through the centre of the sanctuary

Radhanagari Wildlife Sanctuary contains tropical evergreen forests which are typical of the northern Western Ghats. There are 425 species of plants recorded in the sanctuary. Many sacred groves or devrais have been protected by the efforts of the local communities.

The Sanctuary contains 47 species of Mammals, 59 species of reptiles, 264 species of birds and 66 species of butterflies. Amphibians are most visible in the rainy season. 20 species from 2 orders, 5 families and 10 genera are listed in the sanctuary.

Indian Bison or gaur (Bos gaurus) with a population around 610 in 2004, is the flagship species found in this area. Other mammals, living in the sanctuary are Indian Leopard, Sloth Bear, Wild Boar, Barking Deer, Mouse Deer, Sambar, Giant Squirrel and Wild Dogs. There are reports of spotting tigers as well. Birds seen here

This sanctuary is home to the rare and globally threatened Nilgiri wood-pigeon (Columba elphinstonii. This sanctuary is also a favourite nesting place for the speckled piculet, Malabar crested lark, and some species of Himalayan birds such as the Indian blue robin during the winter months.

Threatened species of reptiles and amphibians seen in this sanctuary include: Malabar pit viper, Deccan ground gecko, Gunther’s cat skink, Beddome’s lacerta, Bombay bush frog and Humayun’s wrinkled frog.