Aaralam
Wildlife sanctuary
Introduction :
A mere 55 sq.kms in area and located on the western slopes
of the Western Ghats, the Aralam sanctuary is the northern
most wildlife sanctuary of Kerala. It was established in 1984.
The headquarters of the sanctuary is near Iritty, a small
town about 55 kms from Kannur. The sanctuary adjoins the Central
State Farm at Aralam. It lies between north latitude 11°50'
and 11° 52' and east longitude 75° 49' and 75° 57'.
Topography
:The elevation varies from 50m to 1145m. The
highest peak is Katti Betta, which is 1145m. high.
Climate :
The temperature at the foothills
varies from 21° C to 40°C and at the higher reaches
from 8°C to 25°C. The sanctuary receives an annual
rainfall of about 3,000 mm. The wettest part of the year is
from June to August. (south-west monsoon).
Forest
type :
Forest coast tropical evergreen
and west coast semievergreen forests are predominant. There
are about 490 ha of teak and eucalyptus plantations within
the forest area.
Flora
:
In the evergreen areas the following species
are found: vellapine (Vateria indica), Mesua ferrea, Mechilus
macrantha, Calophyllum elatum, Cullenia rosayroona, Magnifera
indica, Toona cillata, Myristica Species, Euphorbia Longana,
Strobilanthes. The common trees in the semievergreen areas
are Cinnamomum Zeylanicum, Hopea parviflora, Largestroemia
lanceolata, Xyliaxylocarpa, Mallotus, Philippinensis.
Fauna
:
A variety of animals and birds usually found
in the Western Ghats are seen here. Different kinds of deer,
boar, elephant, and bison are quite common. Leopard, jungle
cat and various types of squirrels are sighted.
Travel
Information :
One can reach the Aralam
sanctuary by road from Thalasseri (45 kms) and Kannur (45kms).
The nearest railway station is Thalassery and the nearest
airport is Kozhikkod, 113 kms from Irutti. The infrastructure
for tourism development is limited at present, but steps are
being taken by the Forest Department to improve the situation.
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