Muthanga Wildlife Sanctuary is about 20km to the east of Sultan Bathery, covering more than 340sq.km. It is also called Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary. You may be able to spot elephants, deer, wild boar, sambar deer and even tiger. Elephant corridors and waterholes are common within the sanctuary – on a trek, you might just come across a herd of them. The Kerala Forest Department offers elephant rides to tourists.
It is the second largest wildlife sanctuary in the state, and was established in 1973. Now it is part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. It is contiguous with Nagarhole and Bandipur National Parks in Karnataka and the Mudumalai forests of Tamil Nadu.
Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary sanctuary is divided into two disconnected parts known as the Upper Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary in the north and Lower Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary in the south. Different parts of the sanctuary are demarcated by the growth of south Indian moist deciduous teak forests and west coast semi-evergreen forests. The sanctuary is home to tribes such as the Paniyas, Kurumbas, Kattunaikkars, Adiyars, Kurichyas, and Ooralis.