Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary, Nature conservation center in Ponda, India

Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary is Goa's smallest wildlife sanctuary, covering 7.98 km2 of moist deciduous forest with patches of semi-evergreen trees in Sattari, Ponda and Sanguem. At its centre lies Bondla Zoo, the only zoo in Goa, which keeps leopards, sloth bears, gaurs, chitals and jungle cats and is known for breeding gaur.

The sources do not record a founding date for Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary, so the 1969 claim cannot be supported. What is documented is the sanctuary's later role: it takes in leopards injured in human-wildlife conflict and "dancing" bears and cobras, with their trainers, after such use of endangered wildlife. In 2004 Gopalakrishna Bhatta and P. Prasanth described the caecilian Gegeneophis nadkarnii from two specimens collected here, a species later merged with Gegeneophis danieli.

Bondla's zoo keeps leopards injured in human-wildlife conflict and "dancing" bears and cobras taken with their trainers from performances using endangered wildlife. A Nature Education Center with a library stands in the park, and treks run with a local guide.

Visit early in the morning when animals are most active and the forest is still cool. Wear comfortable shoes since you will walk on paths through the woods and open areas.

The site runs a rehabilitation facility for injured wildlife, including leopards caught in human conflicts. This facility also cares for animals previously used in circus or performance shows that now need rescue and recovery.