Aralam declared as Kerala’s first butterfly sanctuary

The Kerala government has officially renamed the Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary the Aralam Butterfly Sanctuary, making it the first butterfly sanctuary in the State.

The decision was notified through SRO No. 1407/2025, issued under section 18(1) of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. The renaming amends the original 1984 notification that declared the Aralam Farm area as a wildlife sanctuary. The change follows a recommendation made by the State Board for Wildlife, citing the area’s exceptional butterfly diversity and abundance.

Declared a sanctuary in 1984, Aralam spans 55 sq km of evergreen and semi-evergreen forests in Kannur district. The region is known for large-scale butterfly migration and mud-puddling and is also a special habitat of the Schedule 1 Slender loris. It shares boundaries with the Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary in Karnataka, the Kottiyoor Wildlife Sanctuary, and the North Wayanad forest division.

The Cheenkanni river, an important river in Kannur district originating from the Brahmagiri ranges, flows through the dense forests of Aralam, contributing to its rich habitat.

Butterfly surveys conducted over the past 25 years have documented extraordinary diversity in the sanctuary. Of the 327 butterfly species recorded in Kerala, 266 species have been identified in Aralam. Survey teams have reported mass migrations, including the sighting of around 12,000 Common Albatross butterflies in five minutes and the movement of over eight lakh Albatross butterflies through the sanctuary on January 11, 2025. Other species such as the Spotted Butterfly, Buddha Mayuri, Rosy, Thalir Neeli, Okila Butterfly, and Malabar Rose were also recorded.

The renaming aims at strengthening conservation efforts focussed on protecting, propagating and sustaining butterfly species in their natural habitat.