The Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Thane district.
It is 90 kms, or one and a half hours drive, from Mumbai.
It covers an area of 355 sq. kms. – more than three times the size of the 103 sq. kms. Sanjay Gandhi National Park.

Yet, according to census reports, Sanjay Gandhi National Park had 20 Indian Leopards in 2007.
Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary had seven leopards in 2005. The number fell to five in 2006, and to two in 2007.
The number has dropped to one in 2008.

And this is a cause for serious concern amongst all environmentalists and lovers of wild life.

Flora
The land vegetation is southern tropical moist deciduous forest.
The major tree species found are Teak, Khair, Ain, Hed, Kalamb, Bibla, etc.
There are small patches of Bamboos.

Fauna

The Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary has a wide range of species.
There are about 50 species of animals, including the Indian Leopard, Sambar, Four-Horned Antelope, Chital, Barking Deer, Mouse Deer, Wild Boar, Hyena, Jackal, Hare, Common Langur, etc.
There are about 200 species of birds.  

Best Time to Visit

The best time to visit Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary is from November to May.

Other Attractions

Other attractions near the sanctuary are the historical Mahuli Fort; Mahadeo Temple at Tilsa and the Suryamal Plateau.

Where to Stay

Accommodation facilities are available at Log House and Ascu Hut at Tansa; and Forest Rest House, Suryamal.
These can be reserved through the D.C.F. Wildlife, Thane.

Indian Leopard

I have written this blog to draw the attraction of my readers to the dwindling number of leopards in this Sanctuary.
The Indian Leopard is one of the most successful members of the Indian big cat family.

It is found throughout the subcontinent, including the neighbouring countries of Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Pakistan and southern China.Its habitat varies from dry deciduous forests, desert ecosystems, tropical rain forests, northern coniferous forests, to the neighbourhoods of human habitation.
Problems

The sanctuary is plagued with a series of problems:
·         The Middle Vaitarna dam project involved the felling of more than 1 lakh trees.
·         Encroachments – there are about 110 villages housing 1,300 families in about 510 hectares of land.
·         Forest fires, often lit by the encroachers.
·         Felling of trees for firewood and for commercial purposes.
·         Rampant grazing of cattle, which leaves little food for herbivorous animals.
·         Inadequacy of funds.
·         And of course, poaching.

All these problems require urgent attention.