Lawalong Wildlife Sanctuary

Lawalong Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the Chatra district of Jharkhand in the Chhotanagpur plateau region. It covers an area of about 207 square kilometers and was officially notified as a wildlife sanctuary in 1978. The sanctuary was once part of the private Kunda Estate and was known for organized hunting until the ban under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. The terrain is hilly and forested, with dry and moist deciduous forests mixed with tropical shrubs and bamboo.

The sanctuary supports a diverse range of wildlife including elephants, tigers, Indian bison (gaur), leopards, spotted deer, wild boars, sambar deer, hyenas, jackals, and pangolins. It is also home to many bird species such as serpent eagles, paradise flycatchers, kingfishers, bee eaters, peafowls, and woodpeckers.

The sanctuary is important as a habitat and corridor for elephants and hosts 64 villages whose inhabitants have some traditional rights like grazing cattle and collecting firewood within the sanctuary. It is accessible by road and rail, with the nearest railway station being Tori and the nearest airport in Ranchi. The sanctuary plays a key role in conserving the biodiversity of the region on the Chhotanagpur plateau.