Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary

If one wants to see multi-storeyed forests with tall trees and rare plants, where hardly any light reaches the ground, Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary in Goa. It touches the border of Karnataka state and in the lean season, several gaurs are known to come into Cotigao from its neighbourhood. The vegetation is mostly moist-deciduous type, interspersed with semi-evergreen and evergreen patches.

It is situated in Canacona Taluka, in the south of Goa. It lies at about 2 km from Poinguinim , which is 10 km away from Chaudi, the main town of Cancacona taluka on NH17. So the approach is very convenient. Any of the buses running south on NH-17 to Karwar via Chaudi will drop one within 2-km of the gates. However, to explore the inner reaches of the sanctuary, one really needs one's own transport.

Founded in 1968, this is the southernmost sanctuary in Goa. It was established in 1969 to protect a remote and vulnerable area of forest lining the Goa- Karnataka border. Encompassing 86-sq-km of mixed deciduous woodland, the reserve is certain to inspire tree lovers, but less likely to yield many wildlife sightings: its tigers and leopards were hunted out long ago, while the Gazelles, Sloth Bears, Porcupines, Panthers and Hyenas that allegedly lurk in the woods rarely appear.

The sanctuary supports three forest types:-
1) Moist Deciduous Forests - the prevalent forest type
2) Semi-Evergreen Forests
3) Evergreen Forests

The best time to visit the sanctuary is from October to December. The sanctuary supports diverse life forms. It is noted for its animal and plant biodiversity. The lesser-known animals in the sanctuary include the Flying Squirrel, Slender Loris, Indian Pangolin, Mouse Deer, Four-horned Antelope, Malabar Pit Viper, Hump-Nosed Pit Viper, White-bellied Woodpecker, Malabar Trogon, Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, Heart-spotted Woodpecker, Speckled Piculet, Malayan Bittern, Draco or Flying Lizard, Golden-back Gliding Snake and Malabar Tree Toad.

The sanctuary has eight well laid out nature trails traversing it. The length of the nature trails ranges from 500 metres to 5 kilometres. There are six watchtowers in the sanctuary. Also there is one 'tree top;' it is situated about 20 metres high on a tree overlooking a waterhole that attracts a handful of animals around dawn and dusk. Both the Gal and Talpona rivers of Canacona Tlauka originate from the sanctuary. The sanctuary is best visited between the months of October and March. Cotigao is a peaceful and scenic park that makes a pleasant day trip from Palolem beach, 12-km northwest.

At the entrance to the sanctuary there is an ecotourism complex which houses the nature interpretation centre, cottages, toilets, library, reception area and rescue centre, canteen and Range Forest Office. The Nature Interpretation Centre run by the Forest Department is a valuable repository of knowledge. The Department is also capable of providing facilities like snake-proof camping sites, canvas tents, reference material and loads of goodwill. For those who really want to rough it out, there is no end of possibilities.

The sanctuary has been declared a plastic-free zone by the State Government and violators are prosecuted with a fine. The sanctuary is open from 0700 till 1730 for visitors. There are tribal (Velip) hamlets in and around the sanctuary. The Velip are very friendly people and one can interact with them during the visit to discover their lifestyle and culture. There is also a rubber plantation within the sanctuary boundary limits where the processing of rubber is demonstrated.

In addition to the Velip tribal communities, the ancient Jeevottam Partagal Math, known for their Vedic studies, make their home in the forests, as do the Kunbi.