Nestled in the lush forests of the Western Ghats are fourteen wildlife sanctuaries teeming with rare flora and fauna. Among these are the Neelakurinji, the exotic blue flower that washes the Munnar hillsides in blue once every twelve years, and the endangered Nilgiri Tabr. The Neelakurinji will bloom next in 2006. More than half the world population of the Nilgiri Tabr roam the hills of Eravikulam near Munnar.
The attractive assortment of fauna in the wilds of Kerala include elephants, sambar deer, leopards, lion-tailed macaques, gaurs, sloth gears, tiger, wild boars, bonnet macaques, Malabar giant squirrels, panthers, civet cats, barking deer, king cobras, spectacled cobras, owls, woodpeckers, black eagles, black capped kingfishers, great Indian hornbills, broad billed rollers, black woodpeckers etc. The Periyar Lake and streams have several species of fish including the masher, the famous endangered game fish of India. The otter, the only mammal of the lake, can also be frequently sighted here.
Source: I read the magazines
