Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary

Feb. 13, 2023

The first-ever bird survey in Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary was conducted recently, and the volunteers recorded 186 species of birds.

About Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary:

Location: It is located in the Thane District of Maharashtra, 90 km northeast of Mumbai in the foothills of the Western Ghats.
It is known to be a paradise for birdwatchers.
It has two rivers, the Tansa and Vaitarna, and the sanctuary gets its name from the former, which divides the sanctuary into two parts.
The sanctuary forms the catchment area of Tansa lake, along with the surrounding forests of Khardi, Vaitarna, Wada, and Shahapur ranges.
Tansa reservoir, along with Vaitarna and Bhatsa reservoirs, is the major source of water for the cities of Mumbai and Thane.
Within Tansa Sanctuary is a fort at Mahuli, situated on a 762 m high hilltop.
Vegetation: The Sanctuary has Southern Tropical Moist Deciduous Forest, with a few patches of Evergreen forest.
Flora: It consists of trees like Kalamb, Bibla, Khair, Hed, Teak, and Bamboo.
Fauna:
- At least 54 species of animals and 200 species of birds exist in the sanctuary.
- Major wild animals are Panther, Barking deer, Mouse deer, Hyena, Wild boar,
- Two Critically Endangered Gyps species of vultures, the Vulnerable Pallas’s Fish-Eagle Haliaeetus leucoryphus, is also seen here.