Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

An 18-member herd of all female elephants from the forests of Gudiyattam and Pernambattu of Tamil Nadu are currently on the prowl in the Koundinya wildlife sanctuary zone in Chittoor district, apparently “in search of mates”.

About Koundinya Wildlife Sanctuary

• Koundinya Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary and an elephant reserve situated in Andhra Pradesh.
• It is the only sanctuary in Andhra Pradesh with a population of Asian elephants.
• The sanctuary has dry deciduous forests with thorny scrubs interspersed with trees.
• These forests have the Kaindinya and Kaigal tributaries of Palar River.
• Kalyana Revu Waterfalls (also called Kalyan Drive Falls) and Kaigal Waterfalls are located in the Koundinya Wildlife Sanctuary.
• The sanctuary is primarily an elephant reserve and is home to about 78 Indian elephants.
• The vulnerable yellow-throated bulbul is present in the sanctuary.