Mukurthi National Park

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Mukurthi National Park" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (November 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Mukurthi National Park
IUCN category II (national park)
Nilgiri tahr in montane grasslands
Location	Nilgiri District, Tamil Nadu
Coordinates	11°16′N 76°28.5′E / 11.267°N 76.4750°E / 11.267; 76.4750
Area	78.46 km2 (30.29 sq mi)
Elevation	2629
Established	12 December 2001
Website	www.forests.tn.nic.in/WildBiodiversity/np_muknp.html

Mukurthi National Park (MNP) is a 78.46 km² (30.3 sq mi) protected area located in the western corner of the Nilgiris Plateau west of Ootacamund hill station in the northwest corner of Tamil Nadu state in the Western Ghats mountain range of South India. The park was created to protect its keystone species, the Nilgiri tahr.^[1]

The park is characterised by montane grasslands and shrublands interspersed with sholas in a high altitude area of high rainfall, near-freezing temperatures and high winds. It is home to an array of endangered wildlife, including royal Bengal tiger and Asian elephant, but its main mammal attraction is the Nilgiri tahr. The park was previously known as Nilgiri Tahr National Park.

The park is a part of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, India's first International Biosphere Reserve. As part of the Western Ghats, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1 July 2012.^[2]