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Tripura was once know for its unusual population of 'white elephants' . As elephants are considered sacred and worshipped as a god, they enjoyed royal protection. Legend has it that on hearing of this extraordinary animal, Emperor Akbar sent his emissary to the King of Tripura with orders to send 1000 of these mammals to his capital as a substitute for the annual tribute that the King of Tripura sent to the Moghul court. This put the royal household into a predicament. The king did as ordered but this lead to a local revolt by the tribes. Asking the British East India Company for help in return for giving them a base in the region, he overcame the situation. Today this rare animal seems to have become extinct, though some tribals have reported a sighting or two in the deep impenetrable forests the state. Another rarity found only in the jungles of Tripura is the ' spectacled monkey' . Today due to changing weather, global warming in the forests and haphazard protection measures this beautiful primate is on the verge of extinction.

Today Tripura has 4 wild life sanctuaries. The 18 Sq. Km., Sepahijala Wild Life Sanctuary located 35 kms from Agartala in west Tripura, the Trishna and Gomti Wild Life Sanctuaries in south Tripura and 100 Kms from the capital while the Rowa wild life sanctuary is in North Tripura. Wild life and an incredible variety of plants and trees make all these protected areas well worth a visit.

Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary
Covering an area of 18.35 Sq Kms, this picturesque sanctuary supports a rich variety of flora and fauna. Having in built academic and research centre the sanctuary has over 150 species of permanent birds that have made this their permanent habitat while winter sees the arrival of the migratory birds in the thousands. 5 species of primates also inhabit the forests in the sanctuary including the rare and unusual spectacled monkey. The crab eating mongoose which was thought to have become extinct since the 1930's has been sighted again in the sanctuary. A zoo and a botanical garden with rare plants are also situated within the sanctuary while a lake offers visitors boat rides, an elephant and a toy train are there for joy rides.

Gomti Wildlife Sanctuary
Spread over 389.54 Sq.Kms, this scenic forest land teems with wild life including Elephants, Indian Bison, the four antlered deer, Sambhar and barking deer besides the Serow a kind of wild goat inhabiting the upper hills. Adjacent to the sanctuary is a large reservoir almost 300 Sq.Kms in size, which is home to a number of permanent and temporary winter migratory birds.

Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary
18 kms away from the sub-divisional town of Belonia and connected to Agartala by a state highway the sanctuary stretches over 197.7 sq. kms. Among the highlights of this sanctuary are patches of virgin forests sustaining rare and beautiful plants and rich undergrowth. The Indian Gaur (Bison) is a permanent feature here besides the Capped Langur, Hoolock Gibbon, Golden Langur, Barking Deer and a number of wild pheasants and cocks. The Rowa Sanctuary is a small one with just 88.85 hectares of land supporting rare plants and forests besides 150 bird species, primates and other animals. This natural forest is easily accessible to visitors.