Wildlife census in KMTR from tomorrow; tourists entry banned

A six-day long wildlife census would be conducted from tomorrow in the Kalakkadu Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR) in the district and tourists entry would be banned during this period.
The census of animals, including tiger, would be carried out with the help of wildlife lovers, a Forest department release said here today.
The tourists would not be permitted in Agasthiar Falls area and other regular tourist spots in the forest, from January 23 to 28, it said.
The KMTR, located in the Western Ghats, is the 17th Tiger Reserve in the country and the only one in Tamil Nadu.
This includes two contiguous Sanctuaries namely Kalakad Sanctuary and Mundanthurai Sanctuary and a part of Kanyakumari Sanctuary. The total area of the Tiger Reserve is 895 sq km.

KMTR is also one of the richest in biodiversity, including 47 species of fish, 47 species of amphibians, 89 species of reptiles, 337 species of birds and 79 species of mammals.