Ratanmahal Sloth Bear Sanctuary

Ratanmahal Sloth Bear Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary located in Dhanpur taluka of Dahod district, Gujarat, near the Gujarat-Madhya Pradesh border on the Vindhya Range. Notified in 1982 and covering about 55.65 sq km, it is notable as Gujarat's prime habitat for the Indian sloth bear. The sanctuary features dry deciduous forest, hilly terrain and seasonal streams, supporting leopards, hyenas, jackals and diverse birdlife within a protected forest ecosystem.

Visitors can expect a dry deciduous forest landscape with undulating hills, rocky outcrops and seasonal streams on the Vindhya Range. The sanctuary is known for sightings of Indian sloth bears, along with leopards, striped hyenas, jackals, langurs and diverse birds. Exploration is on foot via forest trails and watch towers with a guide, offering nature walks, birdwatching and photography in a quiet, protected forest environment with basic forest department infrastructure.

Notified as a wildlife sanctuary in 1982 by the Gujarat Forest Department to protect the Indian sloth bear (Melursus ursinus) in the Vindhyan dry deciduous forest ecosystem. Covering 55.65 sq km, it is one of the few sanctuaries in Gujarat dedicated primarily to sloth bear conservation.

Located in a tribal belt inhabited by Rathwa and Bhil communities whose traditional livelihoods are linked to the forest; the area reflects local forest-dependent culture and traditional knowledge of flora and fauna.