Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary

Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary

The Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary is an important protected forest area located in the Almora district of Uttarakhand in the Kumaon Himalayas. Recently, the Uttarakhand Forest Department launched the sanctuary’s first comprehensive scientific wildlife census to improve biodiversity monitoring and wildlife management.

Binsar was declared a Reserve Forest in 1880 during the British period and later notified as a wildlife sanctuary in 1988. Historically, the region served as the summer capital of the Chand rulers of Kumaon between the 11th and 18th centuries. During colonial rule, British administrator Henry Ramsay also used the area as an administrative centre. The sanctuary derives its name from the historic Bineshwar Mahadev Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva.