page_title: List of tourist attractions in Mysore
section_title: Wildlife
hierarchical_section_title: List of tourist attractions in Mysore / Attractions / Wildlife
caption_attribution_description: Elephas maximus, Mysore, India. English: Asian Elephants at Mysore, India.
context_page_description: Mysore was the previous capital city in the state of Karnataka, India. It is the headquarters of the Mysore district and Mysore division and lies about 140 km southwest of Bengaluru, the capital of Karnataka. The city covers an area of 128.42 km² and is situated at the base of the Chamundi Hills.
  Mysore is one of the most prominent tourist areas of India. Mysore is also known as the Palace City of India. The Mysore Palace in the city is the most visited place in India, above Red Fort, Qutb Minar, and even the Taj Mahal as of 2006. The New York Times recently listed Mysore as one of the 31 must-see places on Earth for two consecutive years.
context_section_description: Mysore Zoo is one of the oldest and most popular zoos in India. Located on the outskirts of Mysore, the zoo is home to a wide range of wild species. The official name for the zoo is Shri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens, although it is known most commonly by its shortened name. Mysore Zoo is one of the city’s popular attractions. It was established under royal patronage in 1892, making it one of the oldest zoos in the world.
  Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary, Mandya district is a small Bird Sanctuary,being only 0.67 km². in area, and comprises six islets on the banks of the Kaveri River. The islets came into being when a dam across the Kaveri river was built in the 18th century. The ornithologist Dr. Salim Ali observed that the isles formed an important nesting ground for birds, and persuaded the Wodeyar kings of Mysore to declare the area a Wildlife sanctuary in 1940.The islands are host to numerous small mammals, including bonnet macaque, colonies of flying foxes, and common small mammals like the common palm civet, the Indian gray mongoose, and the monitor lizard. The mugger crocodile or marsh crocodile is a common inhabitant of the riverine reed beds. About 180 types of birds have been observed here. Breeding water birds include the painted stork, Asian openbill stork, common spoonbill, woolly-necked stork, black-headed ibis, black-headed ibis, lesser whistling duck, Indian shag, stork-billed kingfisher, and other common birds like egrets, cormorants, Oriental darter, and herons. The great stone plover, and the river tern also nest here. The park is home to a large flock of streak-throated swallows.
caption: Elephant and calf in the Mysore Zoo
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