Halfway down the Mysore-Ooty highway, the Deccan Plateau meets the wrinkled folds of the Western Ghat mountains. Here lies one of India's best-known wildlife reserves - Bandipur National Park. Endowed with a moderate climate and diverse geographical features, the park supports a remarkable variety of flora and fauna, making it a veritable paradise for wildlife.

Apart from being home to the Asiatic elephant, Bandipur also has a sizable number of tigers. The park is one of the 15 sanctuaries selected across India for Project Tiger, a scheme launched in 1973, by the World Wildlife Fund for Nature in conjunction with the Indian Government.The project is designed to save the tiger and its natural habitat from potential dangers. Other natural inhabitants of this lovely forest are elephants, gaur, sambhar, chital, mouse deer, four-horned antelope, wild boar, jackal, sloth bear, panther, Malabar squirrel, porcupines and the black-knapped hare. Birds like jungle fowl and green pigeon are also found here.