Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary

Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Northeastern Goa, India. The total area of the park is 8 square km. It is a popular destination for both tourists and schoolchildren. A wide variety of animal life can be encountered, including: Sambar Deer, Indian Bison, Black Giant Squirrel, Indian Peafowl and many species of snake.

Bondla provides sanctuary to Leopards who have been injured when they ventured too close to human habitation, and dancing bears and cobras who, along with their trainers, need a new life as the age-old tradition of dancing bears and snake charming is now illegal. The elephants and their handlers are more fortunate: the two at Bondla take turns to give visitors a ride, and on their off day are bathed and laze around.

Another surprise at Bondla are the Hindu carvings. These were discovered when the sanctuary gardens were being constructed. They would have been hidden for protection from the Portuguese Catholic Inquisitors.

The hills to the southeast are populated by Monkeys, Wild Boar, Deer, Gaur, Langurs, Jackals, Pythons, and Leopards. Bondla is also another bird-watching haven like its counterparts at Chorao and Cotigao. Rangado river flows on the east of this forest and Madhel on its north. Bondla forest nest Bison, Wild Beer, Deer, Leopard, various types of serpent and birds. On to its way, the only mosque Safa Shahouri Masjid built by Ali Adilshah in 1560 can be seen at Ponda.

Goa Wildlife

Equatorial forest cover in Goa stands at 1,424 km2 (549.81 sq mi), most of which is owned by the government. Government owned forest is estimated at 1,224.38 km2 (472.74 sq mi) whilst private is given as 200 km2 (77.22 sq mi). Most of the forests in the state are located in the interior eastern regions of the state. The Western Ghats, which form most of eastern Goa, have been internationally recognised as one of the biodiversity hotspots of the world. In the February 1999 issue of National Geographic Magazine, Goa was compared with the Amazon and Congo basins for its rich tropical biodiversity.

Goa's wildlife sanctuaries boast of more than 1512 documented species of plants, over 275 species of birds, over 48 kinds of animals and over 60 genera of reptiles

Rice is the main food crop with pulses, ragi and other food crops are also grown. Main cash crops are coconuts, cashewnuts, arecanuts, sugarcane and fruits like pineapples, mangos and bananas. The State has a rich forest cover of more than 1,424 km². Goa's state animal is the Gaur, the state bird is the Ruby Throated Yellow Bulbul, which is a variation of Black-crested Bulbul, and the state tree is the Asan.
Rice paddies are common in rural Goa.

The important forests products are bamboo canes, Maratha barks, chillar barks and the bhirand. Coconut trees are ubiquitous and are present in almost all areas of Goa barring the elevated regions. A large number of deciduous vegetation consisting of teak, sal, cashew and mango trees are present. Fruits include jackfruits, mangos, pineapples and blackberries. Goa's Forest are rich with Medicinal plants.

Foxes, wild boars and migratory birds are found in the jungles of Goa. The avifauna includes kingfishers, mynas and parrots. Numerous types of fish are also caught off the coast of Goa and in its rivers. Crabs, lobsters, shrimps, jellyfish, oysters and catfish form some of the piscine catch. Goa also has a high snake population, which keeps the rodent population in control. Goa has many famous National Parks, including the renowned Salim Ali bird sanctuary. Other wildlife sanctuaries include the Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary, Molem Wildlife Sanctuary, Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary, Madei Wildlife Sanctuary, Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary and the Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary located on the island of Chorao.

Goa has more than 33% of its geographic area under government forests (1224.38 km²) of which about 62% has been brought under Protected Areas (PA) of Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Park. Since there is a substantial area under private forests and a large tract under cashew, mango, coconut, etc. plantations, the total forest and tree cover constitutes 56.6% of the geographic area.