Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary
The Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary is a 208.48 km2 (80.49 sq mi) protected area in the Indian state of Goa in the Western Ghats of South India. It is located in North Goa District, Sanguem taluka near the town of Valpoi.The sanctuary is an area of high biodiversity, and is being considered to become a Project Tiger tiger reserve because of the presence of resident tigers. Infrastructure: The sanctuary is administered by the Goa State Forest Department.The Range Forest Officer of Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary is Vishwas Chodankar. The RFO office is near the Forest Department office in Valpoi. The sanctuary is protected by 11 forest guards under the supervision of three round foresters. The sanctuary is divided into 16 beats with the three round foresters stationed in Kodal, Charavane and Caranzol in Sattari taluka. The sanctuary office has a four wheel drive vehicle and a motorcycle for patrolling. There are no public tourist facilities in the sanctuary, but there are Forest Department rest houses at Valpoi and Keri.There is an Irrigation Department rest house above the Anjunem Dam. The Anjunem Dam is located on the Sanquelim - Belgaum highway SH-31 in Chorla ghat at about 10 km (6.2 mi) from Sanquelim town. There are three private eco-resorts in Chorla ghat, the Wildernest Nature Conservation Facility the Adventure Resort and the Swapnagandha Resort. Geography Goa is the only state in India which has protected the complete Western Ghats section within their state. Goa’s four wildlife sanctuaries are located on the eastern side of the state in the Western Ghats covering an area of about750 km2 (290 sq mi).The Mahdei Wildlife Sanctuary and Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary and Mollem National Park all fall within the Mhadei river basin. The Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary is located between 15° 48" 33 to 14° 53" 54 N and 74° 20" 13 to 73° 40" 33 E. Bhimgad Forests,Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary, Goa, India Source: Imperial conversion Elevation among the hills of the sanctuary ranges from 560 m (1,840 ft) in the center to 200 m (660 ft) in the west. The sanctuary includes the Vagheri Hills, some of the highest peaks in North Goa. Vagheri peak at elevation560 m (1,840 ft), the highest in the sanctuary, is near the village of Keri (15°36'54?N 74°3'52?E) in Sanquelim.Other peaks in Goa include Sonsogor, the highest in Goa at 1,166 m (3,825 ft), Catlanchimauli 1,107 m (3,632 ft), Vaguerim 1,100 m (3,600 ft) and Morlemchogar1,000 m (3,300 ft). The Mhadei river, known downstream as the Mandovi river, the lifeline of the state of Goa, originates in Karnataka, travels28.8 km (17.9 mi) in Karnataka, passes 9.4 km (5.8 mi) through the Mahdei Wildlife Sanctuary and meets the Arabian Sea at Panaji after traveling 81.2 km (50.5 mi) in Goa. See map showing rivers in Mhadei Wildlife sanctuary.