Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary
Encyclopedia
Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Northeastern Goa
, India
in the Ponda taluka of the state. The total area of the park is 8km2. It is a popular destination for both tourists and schoolchildren. A wide variety of animal life can be encountered, including: Sambar Deer
, Indian Bison, Black Giant Squirrel
, Indian Peafowl
and many species of snake.
Bondla provides sanctuary to Leopard
s who have been injured when they ventured too close to human habitation, and dancing bears and cobras who, along with their trainers, need a new life as the age-old tradition of dancing bears and snake charming is now illegal. The elephants and their handlers are more fortunate: the two at Bondla take turns to give visitors a ride, and on their off day are bathed and laze around.
Another surprise at Bondla are the Hindu carvings. These were discovered when the sanctuary gardens were being constructed. They would have been hidden for protection from the Portuguese Catholic Inquisitors.
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in the Ponda taluka of the state. The total area of the park is 8km2. It is a popular destination for both tourists and schoolchildren. A wide variety of animal life can be encountered, including: Sambar Deer
Sambar Deer
The Sambar ' is a large deer native to southern and southeast Asia. Although it primarily refers to R. unicolor, the name "Sambar" is also sometimes used to refer to the Philippine Deer and the Rusa Deer...
, Indian Bison, Black Giant Squirrel
Black Giant Squirrel
The black giant squirrel is a large tree squirrel in the genus Ratufa native to the Indomalayan zootope...
, Indian Peafowl
Indian Peafowl
The Indian Peafowl or Blue Peafowl is a large and brightly coloured bird of the pheasant family native to South Asia, but introduced and semi-feral in many other parts of the world...
and many species of snake.
Bondla provides sanctuary to Leopard
Leopard
The leopard , Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion, and jaguar. The leopard was once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, but its...
s who have been injured when they ventured too close to human habitation, and dancing bears and cobras who, along with their trainers, need a new life as the age-old tradition of dancing bears and snake charming is now illegal. The elephants and their handlers are more fortunate: the two at Bondla take turns to give visitors a ride, and on their off day are bathed and laze around.
Another surprise at Bondla are the Hindu carvings. These were discovered when the sanctuary gardens were being constructed. They would have been hidden for protection from the Portuguese Catholic Inquisitors.