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Context

• A Division Bench of the Kerala High Court ordered that the wild elephant Arikompan roaming at  Santhanpara and Chinnakkanal in Idukki district be captured, radio-collared, and translocated to the Parambikulam Tiger Reserve.

About Parambikulam Tiger Reserve

• Along with the erstwhile Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary, it is a 643.66 square kilometres protected area lying in Palakkad district and Thrissur district of Kerala state.
• The Wildlife Sanctuary was established in part in 1973 and 1984.
• It is in the Sungam range of hills between the Anaimalai Hills and Nelliampathy Hills.
• Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary was declared as part of the Parambikulam Tiger Reserve on 19 February 2010.
• The Western Ghats, Anamalai Sub-Cluster, including all of Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary, has been declared by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee as a World Heritage Site.

Population

• The Tiger Reserve is the home of four different tribes of indigenous peoples including the Kadar, Malasar, Muduvar and Mala Malasar settled in six colonies.

Fauna

• This sanctuary is referred to as the "state capital for the massive gaur" by wildlife experts.
• Important mammals include: lion-tailed macaques, Nilgiri tahr, elephants, Bengal tigers, Indian leopards, wild boar, dhole, sambar, bonnet macaques, Nilgiri langurs, sloth bears, Nilgiri marten small Travancore flying squirrel and gaur.
• Reptiles of very high importance in Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary include: king cobra, Kerala shieldtail, Travancore kukri snake, Travancore wolf snake, Cochin cane turtle, Travancore tortoise, Indian day gecko and Western Ghats flying lizard.
• Other important reptiles are Indian rock python, Malabar pit viper, Travancore tortoise, South Indian forest ground gecko, South Indian rock lizard, mountain skink, mugger crocodile, varanus, pond terrapin, chameleon and the snakes spectacled cobra, krait, green keelback, olivaceous keelback, western rat snake and vine snake.

Flora

• The sanctuary has a variety of trees mainly teak, neem, sandalwood and rosewood.
• Even the oldest ever teak tree, Kannimara Teak exists here.
• It won the Mahavriksha Puraskar given by the Indian Government.
• Haplothismia exannulata is a rare species of mycotrophic plant found in this area.

https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/kerala-high-court-orders-translocation-of-arikompan-to-parambikulam-tiger-reserve/article66703288.ece

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