Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary

The Mudumalai National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary also a declared Tiger Reserve, lies on the north western side of the Nilgiri Hills (Blue Mountains) in Nilgiri District. The sanctuary is divided into 5 ranges - Masinagudi, Thepakadu, Mudumalai, Kargudi and Nellakota.

The area is home to several species like Indian Elephant, Bengal Tiger, Gaur and Indian Leopard. There are at least 266 species of birds in the sanctuary. There are 48 tigers in the Nilgiri Reserve across which tigers are free to roam. In April 2007, the Tamil Nadu state government declared Mudumalai as a Tiger Reserve, under section 38V of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.

There is a high diversity of animal life in the sanctuary with about 50 species of fishes, 21 species of amphibians, 34 species of reptiles, 227 species of birds and 55 species of mammals.

Of 15 cat species in India, 4 live in Mudumalai : Bengal tiger, Indian leopard, Jungle cat and Leopard cat. Mudumalai Tiger Reserve has the highest density of tigers in the country.