Khammam’s Kanakagiri reserve forest captivates wildlife enthusiasts with rich biodiversity

A group of wildlife enthusiasts documents as many as 65 bird species, five mammal species and five fish species in the reserve forest during their exploration

Khammam: Sighting of rare bird and mammal species as well as orchids in Kanakagiri reserve forest in erstwhile Khammam district demonstrates its rich biodiversity and ecological distinctiveness.

A group of wildlife enthusiasts, Pradeep Praj and Naveen Bala of Wild Telangana, Sujeeth Anne of Meraki Organisation, Harikrishna P of VWOLFS Foundation, J Ramesh, Ch Pradeep and others explored a nearly four-kilometre forest area as part of a nature walk.

The team documented as many as 65 bird species, five mammal species and five fish species in the reserve forest of the Tallada range of Sathupalli division in the district. Speaking to Telangana Today, Naveen revealed that the sighting of Blue-eared Kingfisher is the first documented record in Telangana.

The bird species was earlier sighted in Maredumilli forests in the Alluri Sitharama Raju district of Andhra Pradesh. Other notable bird sightings include Black-winged Pike, Rufous Woodpecker, White-rumped Munia, Blue-throated Blue Flycatcher and Black-rumped Shama. Spotting of mammals such as Malabar Giant Squirrel and Termite hill gecko showcases the reserve forest’s rich biodiversity, he said.

Sujeeth informed Telangana Today that they have been organising nature walks every Sunday, beginning with February 16, and there has been a good response from nature enthusiasts. He, along with Naveen and others, have been exploring Kanakagiri hills for the past seven years.

According to the district forest officer Siddharth Vikram Singh Kakakagiri, the reserve forest is spread over 20,000 hectares of which over 14,000 hectares are in Khammam district and the remaining 6000 hectares fall under in Kothagudem district. Puligundala deputy forest range officer Suresh Kumar informed that the forest is spread over 50 hills in both districts.

The DFO informed that for effective 24-hour surveillance, the department has installed 360-degree cameras connected with SIM on 20-foot high poles. The cameras are connected to command control centres at Khammam and Sathupalli.

It might be noted that a rare orchid species ‘Habenaria ramayyana’, first discovered in 1979 by Prof. ST Ramachandra Chary and J J Wood in Mahabubnagar district, was spotted in Chandrugonda range in Kothagudem district in November 2020 by a senior forest officer, A Appaiah. He also found another orchid species ‘Eulophia gramenia’ in the Julurupadu forest range.

Other plant species found in the reserve forest are Hill turmeric (Curcuma pseudomontana)—a rare endangered plant that usually grows in the Western and Eastern Ghats of India—Stemona tuberosa and others.