Ranipuram Proposed Wildlife sanctuary
Ranipuram Wildlife sanctuary is an accumulation of grassy hills, a bio-diversity hotspot near Panathady town and lies on the Kerala-Karnataka border. Ranipuram was previously known as Madathumala. The wildlife sanctuary is linked to Kanhangad by Kanhangad-Panathur state highway. The proposed wildlife sanctuary of Kanhangad consists of an assortment of flora and fauna that are common only to the Western Ghats. This biodiversity hotspot still remains unexplored completely and there is a lot to study around it. It merges with the Talacauvery wildlife sanctuary. Ranipuram hill station falls in Panathady reserve and is the only spot in the district were we can find the Shola forest. Sholas are patches of stunted evergreen tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forest found in valleys amid rolling grassland in the higher mountain regions of south India.
The Ranipuram wildlife sanctuary is home to different species of animals including the elephants, leopards, deer, wild dogs, wild boars, macaques, jungle cats, leopard cats slender loris, porcupines, malabar giant squirrels, malabar civet cat, many species of birds, rare butterflies and medicinal plants.
Trekking at Ranipuram Blessed with cool climatic conditions the place is ideal for trekking along trails that facilitate uphill and downhill climbing. A soft trek to the hilltop offers you a panoramic view of the hills around. The journey is made much easier by the steps that are laid out in certain places in the track. It is better to start trekking in the morning itself. The rocks are slippery and are not ideal for trekking in the twilight. Since leeches are very common here travellers are advised to take good boots and carry salt with them.
How to reach RanipuramRanipuram can be reached via Kanhangad and Panathady. Though buses are available upto Panathady it is better to hire Jeeps. The spot is 85 km from Kasaragod and 58 from Bekal.
