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Home > Kerala Wildlife Sanctuaries > Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary Aralam Wildlife SanctuaryAralam is a village in Thalasserry. Aralam wildlife sanctuary is 55 sq.kms in area and is located on the western slopes of the Western Ghats. The Aralam sanctuary is the northern most wildlife sanctuary of Kerala. The sanctuary area falls in Aralam, Kelakam and Kottiyoor revenue villages and is located in the Northwest slopes of Western Ghats contiguous with the forests of Coorg (Kodagu) district of Karnataka state. The Protected Area is comprised of Aralam Range, the only Range of Aralam wildlife division, which is part of Northern Wildlife Circle (Northern Region) Palakkad. It was established in 1984 by carving out areas from the Odanthode Malavaram of Thalassery special division which was an erstwhile private forest, subsequently taken over by Govt. as per the provisions of the Kerala Private Forests (Vesting and assignment) Act 1971 and from the Kottiyoor RF of Wayanad Forest Division. The Vested Forest portion of the sanctuary is 32.64 km2 and the 22.36 km2 is part of Kottiyoor RF (Reserved Forest). Till 30.6.98 this sanctuary was a Range in Wayanad Wildlife Division. It started functioning as an independent wildlife division since 1.7.98. The headquarters of the sanctuary is near Iritty, a small town about 55 kms from Kannur. The sanctuary adjoins the Central State Farm at Aralam a 3060 hectare farm started in 1971 by the Government of India. This is one of the main production centres of hybrid coconut seeds in the country. . It lies between north latitude 11°50' and 11° 52' and east longitude 75° 49' and 75° 57'. Location of Aralam wild life sanctuary[Click on the map to enlarge]
Location: 35 km from Thalasserry and 60 km from Kannur town. The sanctuary can be reached from anywhere in Kerala and Kannur as it well connected by a wide network of roads. Nearest railway station: The nearest railway station is at a distance of 35 kilometers from this sanctuary. Nearest airport: The nearest airport is Karipur airport, located at a distance of 71 kilometers from the sanctuary. Nearest Post Office: The nearest sub-post office is at Odanthode. Nearest Fuelling Station: The nearest fuel filling station is at Iritty where accommodation, medical, communication, taxies etc are available. Topography of Aralam Wildlife SanctuaryThe elevation varies from 50m to 1145m. The highest peak is Katti Betta, rises to a majestic 1145 m above sea level. Climate of Aralam Wildlife SanctuaryThe temperature at the foothills varies from 21° C to 40°C and at the higher reaches from 8°C to 25°C. The sanctuary receives an annual rainfall of about 3,000 mm. The wettest part of the year is from June to August. (south-west monsoon). Forest types of Aralam Wildlife SanctuaryForest coast tropical evergreen and west coast semievergreen forests are predominant. There are about 490 ha of teak and eucalyptus plantations within the forest area. Flora of Aralam Wildlife SanctuaryIn the evergreen areas the following species are found: vellapine (Vateria indica), Mesua ferrea, Mechilus macrantha, Calophyllum elatum, Cullenia rosayroona, Magnifera indica, Toona cillata, Myristica Species, Euphorbia Longana, Strobilanthes. The common trees in the semievergreen areas are Cinnamomum Zeylanicum, Hopea parviflora, Largestroemia lanceolata, Xyliaxylocarpa, Mallotus, Philippinensis. Fauna of Aralam Wildlife SanctuaryA variety of animals and birds usually found in the Western Ghats are seen here. Different kinds of deer, boar, elephant, and bison are quite common. Leopard, jungle cat and various types of squirrels are sighted. Administration of Aralam Wildlife SanctuaryThe sanctuary comes under the Wayanad Division with headquarters at Sultan Bathery. The sanctuary is under the direct charge of an Assistant Wildlife officer whose office is at Chathiroor near Irutti. Wildlife Tourism in Aralam Wildlife SanctuaryOne can reach the Aralam sanctuary by road from Thalasseri (45 kms) and Kannur (45kms). The nearest railway station is Thalassery and the nearest airport is Kozhikkod, 113 kms from Irutti. The infrastructure for tourism development is limited at present, but steps are being taken by the Forest Department to improve the situation. Enquiries to Aralam Wildlife SanctuaryAny enqueries pertaining to the wildlife sanctuary or details of accomodation / booking etc may be directed to the following addresses. 1. The Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Thiruvananthapuram - 695 014, Kerala Phone: 322217 2. The Wildlife Warden, Aralam Wildlife, Division, Kannur. 3. The Assistant Wildlife Warden, Iritty, Kannur Dist. Pin Code: 670 673.
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