Tucked away amidst the lofty peaks of the Western Ghats, the Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary is a well-known Project Tiger reserve. The wildlife sanctuary is called so after the Bhadra River which meanders through the lush forests. The area was declared the Jagara Valley Game Reserve in 1951 by the Government of Mysore.
In 1974, after a census of the animal species in the adjoining areas, the sanctuary was reconstituted as the Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary. The Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary boasts of a substantial tiger population and as such the sanctuary was declared the 25th Project Tiger reserve of India in 1998. Bhadra is popularly known as Muthodi Wildlife Sanctuary, after the village on its fringes.