ANANTAPUR: Lankamalleswara Wildlife Sanctuary in Kadapa district, the only habitat in the world that is home to Jerdon's courser, a highly endangered bird species, has been in the limelight after a big tiger was spotted in the deep forest. Forest department teams identified pug marks of a female tiger near Turuka-salapalli of Balaya-palle forest beat area during ongoing census of wild animals.
This was first time a tiger was spotted there though many other species are frequently seen. The sanctuary is well known for its habitation of the Jerdon's courser which is a critically endangered species. The bird was first discovered in 1848 by surgeon-naturalist Thomas C. Jerdon and was thought to be extinct until its rediscovery in 1986. The bird now inhabits the sparse scrub regions and forests of the Srilanka Malleshwara Sanctuary.
The sanctuary provides home to nearly 1,400 plant species and nearly 176 families of living organisms. It has dry deciduous mixed thorn forests with gorges and steep slopes. Its fauna includes panther, sloth bear, cheetal, sambar, chowsingha, chinkara, nilgai, wild boar and foxes.
Forest department was collecting census of wild animals over a period of one week when the pug marks were found three days back. "Our staff would submit detailed report on pug marks of tiger and other animals in the forest", Proddatur DFO Guru Prabhakar told DC.
