Asola wildlife sanctuary

I wonder how many people know that there is actually a wildlife sanctuary inside Delhi; people know about the large parks, about the Ridge, but an actual sanctuary ?
It is the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary, spread over 6,800 acres near Tughlakabad fort in south Delhi. Occupying an area of 6874 acres, the Wildlife Sanctuary is considered the breathing lung of the cosmopolitan city of Delhi. It was established in 1992 with the aim to protect the wildlife in the area between Delhi and Surajkund (Delhi-Haryana border).
The sanctuary is located on the Southern Ridge which is part of the northern terminal of Aravalli Hills (the weather beaten Aravallis are one of the oldest mountain system of the world). The reason for the biodiversity significance of the Ridge lies in its merger with IndoGangetic plains. The legal Status of the Southern Ridge was considered uncertain till 1986 when the community land of villages Asola, Shapur & Maidangari (4707 Acre) were notified & land of Bhatti (2167 Acre) was notified in 1991 as Sanctuary.
The Asola wildlife sanctuary is actually located in South Delhi Distt, all along Delhi Haryana Faridabad & Gurgaun. The approach is from Tughlakabad (Mehruali Badarpur Road) to Surajkund Road (2 Km) near Karni Singh shooting Range or from Mehruali via Chattarpur Temple 6 Km near Sanjay Colony(Bhatti Area).
Distance from I.G.I. Airport is 25 Km
The sanctuary is covered by dense forest with varied fauna and flora. It protects common mongoose, small Indian civet, small Indian mongoose, jungle cat, flying fox, porcupine, palm squirrel, spiny tailed lizards, rufus tailed hare and monitor lizards. Major birds at Asola Wildlife Sanctuary are bee-eaters, cormorants, egrets, grebes, falcons, partridges, quail, peafowl, lapwings, sandpipers, woodpeckers, doves, parakeets, cuckoos, owls, nightjars, barbets, swallows and shrikes. The best time to visit this sanctuary is from November to February.

Attractions

* Nature trail 2 Km exposing floral & faunal element, topography of area.
* Good patches of Anogeissus,Balanite & riparian belt representative of Aravali.
* Large worked out minepits of Bhatti area in process of reclamation & establishment likely to be developed wetland habitat.
* Historical place around sanctuary are surajkund(Haryana), Tughlakabad & Adilabad ruins (N.Delhi), Chattarpur Temple


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