Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary

         

Visiting Bondla zoo located in Ponda, around 50kms from Panaji, is a rite of passage for hundreds of student in Goa who invariably visit the zoo as participants of the annual school picnic. Bondla may be a smaller wildlife sanctuary as compared to the others in the state, but with a zoo, rose and botanical gardens and deep park in its jurisdiction, it certainly makes the place an attraction option especially if there are children involved.

The animals you can see here in the enclosures are the Gaur or the Great Indian Bison, a massive herbivore which is not only Goa's state animal, but also the mascot of football team FC Goa, the Sambhar deer, a variety of snakes, leopards, porcupines, the mighty lion, panther, crocodiles, reptiles, etc. The wildlife sanctuary itself which is around eight square kms in area has a thick cover of moist deciduous forests in which along with spotted deer, wild hogs, barking mouse, porcupines, scaly ant eaters, Malabar giant squirrels, even flying lizards are commonly spotted.