Shenduruny Wildlife Sanctuary

Shenduruny Wildlife Sanctuary, located in Kollam district of Kerala, derives its name from Shenduruny tree, which grows in abundance here. The sanctuary was established in 1984. The sanctuary is situated in Pathanapuram, which is located 66 km from the main Kollam town. The park is located by the highway of Kollam-Shencotta. The sanctuary is spread over an area of 100.32 km. It used to fall under the jurisdiction of Thenmala Forest Division before its commemoration.

It has been recently found that there is Stone Age caves located at the north-western part of the Shenduruny River. This study has enlightened the scholars about the fact that the Shenduruny River Valley Civilization is one of the ancient River Valley Civilizations explored till date in India. This is because these excavations date back to 5210 BC - 4420 BC, which means these are much older than the Indus Valley Civilization, which is believed to have flourished from 4400 to 3700 BC. The cave paintings seen here are comparable to the Mesolithic paintings found in the caves of central India.

There is plenty of scope for trekking in this particular part of the Western Ghats. Trekkers would find many different landscapes along with small mountain ranges around the sanctuary area. Taking a walk in the lush greens is also a viable option, as you may come across a wild beast or some other avifauna.

Geography
Shenduruny Wildlife Sanctuary is situated on the southern part of the Western Ghats. The co-ordinates of the place are 8°50' and 8°55'N; 77°5' and 77°15'E. A beautiful artificial lake is situated at the middle of the sanctuary, which was built by the Thenmala (Parappar) Dam and lies between the Shenduruny and Kulathupuzha River. Due to the construction of the dam, about 23sq.km of rich forest cover has been submerged under water. This reservoir supports the wildlife. A number of marine ecosystems have also developed inside the reservoir.

Flora
There are a numerous types of vegetations found in this reserve, which includes the west coast tropical evergreen forest, west coast tropical semi-evergreen forest, southern moist mixed deciduous forest and the southern hilltop tropical evergreen forest. An interesting thing about this sanctuary is the climate of this place that has allowed over 951 species of plants to thrive in this region. Plants found in this part of Kerala have medicinal values. Hence, many pharmaceutical companies send their research teams and scientists to this part of Kerala, in order to explore various herbs and plants found here.

Fauna
This part of the forest has varied fauna which can be explored if one wishes to penetrate deep into the core area. However, this is possible only with the exquisite permission of the forest authorities. Indian bison, the Sambar deer, the Muntjack or barking deer, the Indian chevrotain or mouse deer, wild boar and the Indian elephant wander freely on the soil of this forest. If one goes out for a walk in this forest one is destined to encounter these magnificent beasts. The parts of the sanctuary which are less exploited still serve as a home for various exotic beasts.