About Ushakothi Wildlife Sanctuary
Established in 1962 over a forest area of about 285 square kilometres, the Ushakothi Sanctuary is situated at a distance of about 22 kilometres from Sambalpur. To the west of the Sanctuary lies Hirakud dam. Principally comprising of dry deciduous forest type, floral species like sal, sandalwood, arjun, neem, acacia, casuarinas are of frequent occurrence. The fauna includes, amongst others, tigers, elephants, sambar leopards and bison. Presently there are about 15 tigers and 35 elephants in the sanctuary. It is rich in avifaunal wealth and the main attraction of this sanctuary are racket tail drangos and flying squirrel. For night halts there is one two roomed forest rest house inside the sanctuary. The reservations can be done through the Divisional Forest Officer of the same sanctuary, Bankura District, Sambalpur. The nearest town and railwaystation is Sambalpur and the nearest airport is at Bhubaneswar about 300 kilometres away. The best time to visit the sanctuary is between October and May.