Sita Mata Wildlife Sanctuary

The Sita Mata Wildlife Sanctuary is situated in the Pratapgarh district of Rajasthan and is one of the important wildlife sanctuaries in Rajasthan. It was declared as a protected zone in 1979 and sprawls over an area of 423 sq km. Covered in dense forests, the sanctuary is the chief attraction of Pratapgarh.

The landscape of the wildlife sanctuary is undulating because of the joining of three different topographically distinct landscapes – the Aravalli Ranges, the Vindhyachal Hills, and the Malwa Plateau. The average elevation of the region ranges between 280 and 600 meters.

The temperature of the region in the summer’s hovers between 32 degrees and 45 degrees, while in winter the temperature ranges between 6 degrees and 14 degrees.

The Rivers Tankiya, Budho, Sita Mata, Karmoi, and Jakham flow through the thickly wooded wildlife sanctuary. The sanctuary is situated at a distance of 45 km from Pratapgarh and 108 km from the city of Udaipur. The sanctuary is the only one in the country where high-value teak is found in such abundance.

It is home to a wide variety of plants, trees, and wildlife animals. The Sita Mata Wildlife Sanctuary is often called a Bird Paradise because of the huge abundance of avian species found here. The most commonly found birds in this region include cattle egret, little egret, tawny eagle, Indian darter, grey heron, little grebe, little cormorant, white-eyed buzzard, black-winged stilt, and several others.

Two new bird species names, the white-throated ground thrush, and the black-necked monarch were discovered in the Sita Mata Wildlife Sanctuary.

Among wild animals, the commonly spotted species include the nilgai, wild bear, spotted deer, porcupine, jungle cat, fox, jackal, hyena, leopard, pangolin, wild boar, caracal, and four-horned antelope. The most striking attraction of the Sita Mata Wildlife Sanctuary is the vegetarian mammal flying squirrel. The best time to visit the sanctuary is from October to February.