High On Wilderness

A Vanishing Shola

2011-11-27T20:15:00.001+05:30

Sharp naked rock

Jutting onwards to the heavens
In defiance of the Earth the ghats rise
Cradling within it innumerable beings
Carved into a niche of their own

A meandering river and vanishing grasslands
becoming one with the distant horizon
A green blue ocean of a remaining virgin Shola stretches
A thin wind lashing against the peak
Whistles the mournful tune of an aching forest

The pine casts an unearthly shadow
Its ground laden with slippery leaves and hardy cones
holds not a blade of grass

The wattles and the eucalyptus have established their hold
Aided by man, their legions expands
The Shola trees are vanishing
leaving behind the king and his denizens
battling the deathly hug of the wattles

The sweet smelling forests of Thally

2011-05-01T15:52:00.003+05:30

I have always felt a pull towards the dry deciduous and the scrub forests, the heat, the stunted trees, the amount of thorns, the looks of a bad bad west!, the surprise of life scurrying away at every corner. Thally forests fall into this category of scrub forests, it was love at first sight alright!

I got selected to the Javalagiri range as range coordinator from KANS during the Mammal Survey conducted by the Tamilnadu forest department at Hosur Forest Division during a hot weekend of March. I walked the South Thally beat with the most honest forest guard I have ever had the privilege to meet, Sivasubramaniam who had won the best guard award by the department. We spoke in a broken English and exchanged a lot of news.

The forests of Thally like elsewhere in the Melagiris are reeling under the tell-tale signs of encroachment, extensive cattle grazing, firewood collection, undergrowth clearance by fire. Surprisingly, these fires which I could observe at many places were controlled fire, meant to encourage growth of grass for cattle and also sometimes to snare the hare when they come to nibble on the fresh new grass. It was indeed depressing to witness the degeneration of these beautiful forests. I came across cattle grazers with goat inter-spread with sheep (Grazing goat in the reserves is illegal since they eat away the tender new shoots and stop regeneration),Illegal sand mining, Illegal fire wood collectors with scythes, Mr Sivasubramaniam promptly caught hold of them and seized the scythes. (we had to release it to them anyway, they unrelentingly followed us and our survey was under the danger of their disturbance.

On a positive note despite all the disturbances a few ungulates have managed to survive escaping the poachers, we noted a few hoof marks of the guar, pug marks that stood told us a healthy pack of wild dogs busy hunting a while ago, jungle fowl, elephants. Sadly the last of leopards have left these forest.

The direst evidence survey yielded nothing in my charts. Even the most exciting, water hole count on a pond on the foothills of Devarabetta failed to mark a positive presence. However on the final day of doing a dung count via line transect we walked way up that gave a wonderful view of the entire Thally valley and left our finishing lines under the shades of most sweet smelling flowers I have ever known. The Jalri trees (Styrax species, also called Sambrani in Kannada) flower only once a year. Shivaratri coincides its flowering and the hills are ablaze with its sweet smell lingering profusely.

I left the Thally forests with a heavy heart and wondering if the measures by the FD to build a solid Elephant proof trench and Solar fencing might bring some relief after all.

photo credits: Shilpa Narayanan

The yellow pansy

2011-01-02T23:47:00.000+05:30

I visited Uganiyam on the last of the weekends of 2010. We travelled on bikes anticipating a really bad road that would either break our neck or at least spare us with a few scratches.

We had so little time since we entered the range at around 2pm, so we hurried through on the loose gravel road where the 2 bikers (Ananth and Anbu) admirably made it through albeit a few scratches each.

As we made our way I had a chance glimpse of this buttefly that at first glance seemed to be like a danaid but whose spots were yellow, I dared not stop the bike, which would have meant us surely sliding headlong into the steep road. I was trying to figure out if I know this one, when a second butterfly caught my eye with the self same yellow spot and then it opened its wings and took my breathe away, there at the bottom of its Upper fore wing, on both sides lay a blue spot like pupils. That was my first ever encounter with a yellow pansy.

For more details on this butterfly check - http://www.naturemagics.com/butterfly/precis-hierta.shtm

2010-11-05T16:30:00.038+05:30

BUTTERFLYing at Anshi

The 340 square kilometer National park adjoins the Dandeli wildlife sanctuary and are together called Anshi-Dandeli Tiger reserve. It is situated in the North Western Ghats montane rain forests and moist deciduous forests eco-regions. The forest in this area was declared Dandeli wildlife sanctuary in 1956. Subsequently, Anshi national park was carved out of this in 1987. Anshi and Dandeli were granted the status of Project Tiger sanctuaries in 2007.

The unique feature of the park is that the black panther are found here naturally. The forest area was known for its manganese in the past, the mining for which resulted in wildlife moving away from the forest. In the recent past, the mining has been stopped and various conservation activities and regeneration of the forests is resulting in the larger mammals slowly returning back.

October is not the season for visiting Anshi. I found that first hand :( . Filled with exhilaration of going to Anshi, close to my birth place Dandeli, I pumped up the expectations imagining a Jurassic park of birds. But the day we landed at Anshi town, we were welcomed by torrential rains typical to this region. Whether rains are to be expected in October in Anshi is beyond my knowledge, I simply went with the knowledge that rains stops at Dandeli in September.

Having had no private vehicles we dropped in at the Anshi range office who happily dropped us to the nature camp which is close to 3 km from the town. What followed the next 2 and half days were a gloomy weather that refused to budge filtering down a patchy sunlight for a few minutes at the most. The prospects of seeing animals was anyway low, but the birding front too diminished. We still trekked atleast 3 trek routes each day soaking up whatever the beautiful forests of Anshi had to offer, and we weren't disappointed. We did have manage to get a respectable number of the avians

We had fun finding the frogs. There are simply so many of them. Although we did photograph them, our knowledge of amphibians is too poor, we did only manage to distinguish the toads from the frogs :) However the catch of this trip were butterflies. We saw myriad butterflies; this being my first butterflying experience, after having prepared myself reading the Butterfly India mails and Isaac Kehimkar's book. I was simply spell bound by the sheer variety and beauty of the delicate darlings. We managed to Id most of what we saw and Ananth captured a handful of their timeless beauty in his camera.

Anshi Bird and butterfly Checklist

We stayed at the deluxe tents, which was more luxury than I anticipated. The food was excellent, and the forest staff amiable. We walked the return 3km route to Anshi town with all our heavy luggage, to catch the tempo to Dandeli where our bus to Bangalore awaited us. The walk through the forest was something I would always cherish, the sight of the rejuvenating forests. The attempt by the Dandeli forest department to restore these forests is really commendable. They have planted the endemic trees and bamboos and in time, I am sure the forests will rebound to its healthy state.

Some links:
http://www.dandeliwildlife.org/index.htm

Wildlife week celebration by KANS in Hosur Forest Division

2010-10-12T20:11:00.003+05:30

Day 01, 09/10/2010 - Nature Camp

As part of the wildlife week festivities, KANS conducted a nature camp for the students of Sishya and Titan School, Hosur at Aiyur eco-awareness camp.

The idea behind conducting this camp was to bring into sharp focus of the students the area of Melagiri, its history, diversity and to bring into them a sense of responsibility to protect this 1480 sq km area of forest cover falling into Krishnagiri district.

The students, a total of 10 each from the 2 schools were picked up from the Sishya School. On reaching Aiyur they were immediately taken to a short walk on the road leading to the Samieri lake from the camp. During the walk the students were made to listen to the various sounds of the forest and appreciate the diversity of creature that have made these forests their home. The students were briefed about spiders, birds, trees and the various animals that are found.

After breakfast the group of 10 students randomly picked trekked into the Manchi trails. The trek that began at 10am wrapped up at 2pm. The students prepared a checklist of all the birds , animals, butterflies they encountered. The students also learned to identify the animals by their pug marks, birds by their calls and flight pattern and butterflies by their patterns and colours.

They were intrigued by the call of Iora and Coucal and were enraptured by the beautiful Blue mormon, lemon and yellow-orange tip butterflies. The guide who is a local gave them an insight into the medicinal properties of the herbs and trees we saw on the trail. By the end of the trek, which covered a distance of around 6-8 kms the students could identify a lot of species and were ever more excited and repeatedly asked for continuing such camps. They realized that forests are inviolate parts of our existence, that their preservation is a must and took a bold stand of spreading this new awareness they gained.

After the lunch, sitting in a circle both the groups recounted their experiences and later we headed out to the view-point of the Spider valley, where Sanjeev, vice president of KANS talked to them into length about Kenneth Anderson, the Indian born Scottish hunter who once roamed these very forests hunting the man-eating tigers and leopards and rogue elephants, the former glory of Melagiris, how KANS came into being and how the students could help KANS conserve these forests.

The students were encouraged to form groups at their school under the guidance of their principal and Sanjeev, which would then be directly involved in surveying the Melagiri in small batches. With the infusion the younger generation closer home, who feel a sense of belonging and responsibility towards these forests, Melagiris is bound to bounce back to the state it was 40-50 years back.

The group then headed towards the Sameeri lake and patiently waited for more than an hour until darkness fell with silence, to catch a glimpse of the elephants. Unfortunately perhaps because of the rains they chose not to visit the lake.

Finally we wrapped up the camp with a 40 min sojourn into the secret life of Tigers and the conservation value and issues surrounding them by screening the movie 'Truth about Tigers' by Shekar Dattatri.

Day 02, 10/10/2010 - Painting Competition, theme - Wildlife

A total of nearly 10 schools in and around participated in the painting competition with a turnover of 467 students in the groups of LKG to 2nd, 3rd to 5th, 6th to 7th and 8th to 10th.

The painting competition took place at St. Joseph's higher secondary school in Hosur and jointly conducted by KANS, HRT and HLC.

The theme of the competition was wildlife and an entry fee of 20 INR was collected. The enthusiasm among the kids was electrifying, from 9.30 to 11.30 the students poured out paints into their sheets and drew, painted and munched on the snacks provided. The registration and handling the students was organized such that it was ensured that each student was escorted back by their own guardian. The panel of judges consisting of Mr.Jaganathan (Art Master, Goverment Boys High school), Mrs.Usha Rani Sridhar ( Civil Engg. BITS Pilani, trained in fine arts and conducts classes in Hosur), Mr.Gowri Shankar ( Drawing master fromTitan watches) and Mr.S.Shiva( Drawing master, winner of top 30 WGC jewellery designers and founder of March Arts Foundation ,Hosur elected a 1,2 and 3rd prices plus 5 consolation prizes in each category.

And the team..

THE GOD THAT LIVES IN THE FOREST

2010-09-18T23:42:00.008+05:30

Whether the temple sustained the forests around it or the forests welcome the temple within them has long been a raging debate. But, it is also true that there are instances where the forests have completely degenerated or disappeared around some of these temples.

I had the opportunity to visit the temple Sorimuthayan with the Atree team who has been working in the KMTR region for quite a while now. The festival that attracts a crowd of whooping 5lakh pilgrims (tourists) for almost a period of 10 days leaves tell-tale signs of post festival debris and other effects that would take the forests a long time to recover from. The festival has been celebrated by the villages that were under the Singampatti Raja for around 150 years now. What was a earlier a crowd of 5000 has now blown out into 5 lakh attendees, with more and more villages adopting Sorimuthayan as their family God. Families camp inside the forests clearing the forest cover to put temporary tents for a period of 10 days bringing along with them food packets wrapped inside plastic bags, and a variety of other items that gets discarded inside the forest.

Sorimuthayan temple during the festival

The amount of plastics littering is phenomenal, even after the Atree team with the help of local students physically checked the tourists for plastic bags the number of plastic bags that still sneaked in was quite high. However the bigger concern isn't the garbage or the forest clearing, the major concern arose with the act of sacrificing thousands of goats at the temple altar, the resulting blood and flesh that flows into the river literally changes the composition of water, also with 5 lakh pilgrims urinating in open on the rocks upstream converts the entire premises as one open air public toilet rather than a holy place!

The irony is the pilgrims not only live for these 10 days in this mind numbing rush of people and stomach churning atmosphere but take bath downstream after defecating upstream! With every year the magnitude of people visiting the temple and the the Dam sites within the Mundanthurai Tiger reserve has gone up exponentially.

Euphorbia Susanholmesiae

The tragedy of this festival is that a very rare cacti, Euphorbia Susanholmesiae cactus, endemic and found only in this region grows on the rocky terrain surrounding the temple. The incoming horde of tourists have trampled the plant and today only a few survive. Despite the repeated fencing and warning boards the pilgrims have no regard and have stripped down the fence and the plant altogether at many places. With such a large number of people, policing is not only tough but next to impossible. The pilgrims every year clear more and more of the undergrowth of the forest surrounding the temple, penetrating more deeper causing irreparable damage to the replenishing of the flora-fauna in this region. Check out the details of the work by Atree in this region here - http://www.atree.org/Smk

Samiyeri Lake

Dabguli is a small settlement close to Urigam in Tamil Nadu within the Uganiyam Reserve Forests. the people here are mainly fishermen surviving on the money they make from fishing in Cauvery. Every year during the temple festival a large number of people from the surrounding villages visit the temple and litter the place with plastic. Several such temple sites in the Melagiris exist, like the one close to the Samiyeri lake in Aiyur reserve forests attracts a large crowd of people who perform sacrificial rites, tent along this lake which is the source of water for the elephants. Here we see not only a possible littering of forests but also possible Man-Animal conflict.

Ulvi Caves

As a kid i have been Ulvi Jatra which is famous for its Chennabasavanna Temple. The jatras are held here during Shivaratri, Makarasankranti, Basavajayanthi and Maghapurnima during which innumerable people, locals and others visit the caves. Rest assured the devotees carry a variety of food packets in plastics and without second thoughts litter the place. Also, the impact of tourist and pilgrims across the year is tremendous since the caves have always been known to the den of some of the big cats like Black panther and Tiger.

My concern is not just these few days in a year when the devotees throng these temples in large numbers, the concern is also the permit that is sanctioned to anybody to trespass into our last few remaining wildlife sanctuaries and reserves under the pretext of visiting the temple. Unlike the tourists the pilgrims are under no obligation to the FD or the wildlife.

The current generation that has drifted from the core ideas of conservation, of worshiping the many mysteries of nature and simply praying because the ancestors did that way, molding every custom to fit their wants, cannot be entrusted on being responsible for the few remaining patches of our forests. What lacks in the common mindset has to be complimented with more scientific analysis of the current situation and a comprehensive solution must be arrived at. Then again, no solution will satisfy every concerned stakeholder. There has been and always be someone who must bear the larger burden and no longer can this be shifted to the forest of this country.

[The opinion in this blog is is personal. Other than the Sorimuthayan temple the other temple instances do not have any reliable scientific data but are merely my personal experience of having been a witness to these festivals at the temples or from the account of people who have been a witness to them]

SUSTAINABILITY OF THE FARMING PRACTICES, AND MAN-ANIMAL CONFLICT, IN KANI TRIBES OF MUNDANTHURAI PLATEAU

2010-09-03T13:04:00.005+05:30

I spent a good amount of a week weaving in and out of Kani Settlements in Mundathurai Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu as part of field work and project execution of the 15 day course on Conservation Science conducted by Atree. A project submission together with a Full blown report and Power Point presentation was mandatory to successfully complete the course. Me and Pradeep Kuttava teamed together to make a mini project of finding if Kani Tribe practiced sustainable way of living in the Mundanthurai plateau. We picked up this project since both of us lacked the scientific knowledge to do more prospective projects that directly dealt with environment and species. You can find the report and PPT at these locations.

PPT:
https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B1EVHBDhLF7fMzdjNmIyM2UtNzBiMS00ZDQxLTkzNGEtYTg2NWIxNzNkMDFl&hl=en

Report:
https://docs.google.com/document/edit?id=1ddt6qqW2Ccrzmqz4lkqZbmODLWZPI1E68UAMlKkEOEY&hl=en

A short write up on the above project:

Sustainability of the Farming Practices, and Man-Animal Conflict, in Kani Tribes of Mundanthurai Plateau

The Kani tribals in the KMTR region, have been settled agriculturists, for quite some time. Apart from sustenance through the sale of crops they derive their income from sale of Forest produce and from other sources such as working as guides, and temporary FD jobs. Some of the tribals have been mainstreamed.

The objective of the study was to get an report on the natural farming methods practiced by the Kani tribals, like Multi-mixed cropping, organic cultivation, Shifting cultivation, their different sources of income, their increased dependence on the external world, because of changing food habits, like rice consumption, medicine, and qualitative questions like, the tolerance to crop loss due to wild animal, and their spiritual, emotional and cultural connection to the forest, village maintenance, and house construction etc.. A sustainability index was then calculated based on the data obtained from the study, with a summation for positive indices like traditional crops, and negation for cash crops etc..

The data was collected was based on a questionnaire survey. 20 Individuals, from 4 different Kani settlements, with varying degrees of income, age, and occupation were informally interviewed, over a period of 4 days.

The preliminary results of the study indicated that the majority of the community, led a sustainable life style, with values tending from -1.6 to 7.4, with a mode of 2 to 3. The trend was, however, on the negative side, with people moving towards an exploitative life style, with diminishing traditional food habits and medicine. If the traditional methods of agriculture, with less dependence on cash crops maintained with a minimal external income from other sources, a more sustainable development model, can be formulated for the people in the reserve.

MISTY MOUNTAIN HOP - KUDREMUKH

2010-08-24T16:15:00.010+05:30

A trekking plan to that took nearly 6 months to to materialize found 10 of us headed from the hustling steaming Bangalore to the cool monsoon blessed land of Kudremukh, The largest protected area of a tropical wet evergreen type in Western ghats.

By George Tom

Kudremukh attained the status of a National park in 2001 based on the suggestions given by K Ullas Karanth who made a detailed survey of this region and further suggested Lion Tailed Macaque as the flagship species for the region. Kudremukh national park is spread over a area of approx 600 sq. kms , the Park forms a chain of rolling hills with a mosaic of natural grassland and Shola forest.

Kudremukh has been in news since the past 10 years owning to the Naxalite activities and the on-going opposition to the KIOCL mining company's presence within the national park by various Environmentalists and wildlife conservationists over the threat to the region's bio-diversity by the pollution caused by the mining activities. At least 2 major leakage from the pipeline caused the iron ore silt to flow into the 2 major rivers that flow into the park Tunga and Bhadra. The following link is the detailed report submitted on the impact of the iron ore mining in kudremukh on the Bhadra river - http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/KUDREMUKH%20mining.pdf

Following the protests the government shut down KIOCL and its mining operation on the morning of the first day of 2006. The rehabilitation of the tribal living within the national park has till date been on going. Today, 5 years after the grinding of the mining giant stopped, the park is coming back to life. Please read the following article that maps the progress of the park - Return of the wild

The tempo traveler booked by Sunil brought us to the township of Kalasa where we were joined by Amit who is working with Wildcat-C. After initial refreshments we traveled up to the check point beyond Bhagavati camp to trek up the Gangadikal peak with mounting expectations of feasting on the world's most beautiful place (For objections please lodge your complaints to Amit!)

The fog that kept its hold on our visibility never once spared but for a meagre few seconds. For most of the time we trekked with a visibility of only around 50 mts or so. We still had a amazing time at what ever the misty mountains of Kudremukh had to offer. Panting and sweating even at the freezing temperatures we finally pegged our flags on the peak, which finally dashed our hopes to smithereens! It was not only thickly fogged but to add to out owe started raining too! A few of the brave souls stood to the freezing rain without raincoats. A completely soaked and shivering group trampled down. And that's when we realized that it was more easier to trek up then down! The mossy coated rocks and the rain and the leeches made the return more treacherous. They at least bagged Prakash's ankle who had to hop for the rest of the trip.

By Ananth

We pitched our tent at the Sitanadi nature camp at Someshwara wildlife sanctuary in Hebri.We spent quite some time catching frogs in the night and The next whole day we spent time birding in and around the camp while it almost rained non stop. The guys had blast taking mud bath in the river, courtesy Guru who is always exploring more natural and totally weird ways of doing things!

By George Tom

The rest of day the president and rest of us spent a lot of time discussing matters concerning KANS which was frequented by loads and loads of talks on random matters ranging from Raghu Dixit to Swamy Nityananda!

Overall the trip was fun, probably next time when we trek up to the Kudremukh peak I would be able to give a detailed record of the fauna of Kudremukh!

A THREE SECOND RAINBOW

2010-06-25T16:44:00.005+05:30

800ft above sea level nestled between the willowy mountains of Anaimalai, Top Slip presented us a beautiful promise of get-away from the eternal hustle-bustle of the tough Bangalore life.

We planned a 3 day trip starting a Friday night to Pollachi. Vivek, a native of Pollachi and a wildlife enthusiast, arranged all our accommodation through his many contacts and opened us, to a unique opportunity to experience the forests of Top-Slip first hand.

Annaimalais , a chain in the western ghats abruptly stops to open into the plains that surround Pollachi. They form the link in the Nilgiri bio-sphere thus home to the endemic species, the Vulnerable- Nilgiri Langur, Endangered- Lion Tailed Macaque, Malabar Trogon, Sri Lankan Frogmouth etc., that are unique to this habitat.

Monsoons had already made itself home the time we visited. The 3 day trip left us soaking wet during all the treks despite the many precautions we took. But, the rain in the ghats have a charm of their own, one does not fall sick or suffer with shivers, but with a thirst to have more of them! Well, they bring with them the leeches too and poor visibility conditions that make the wildlife all the more elusive. And sighting of birds falls almost to zero.

The vegetation here changes ever so much, during the 6km trek we must have passed through Moist deciduous to evergreen to dry deciduous to thorny forests! The teak plantation can sometimes be sour to your eyes but they have become a part of this unique place.

We were lucky enough to find this amazing guide, by name Ketan. He can manage with almost 5 languages including English, though he can read and write only in Tamil! He visibly enraptured us with his deep knowledge of the birds and animals in Top Slip. He could name all the creatures in both the local language and in English! Apparently his daughter reads them for him and translates them into Tamil.

We managed to sight Gaurs- solitary bulls that gave a thrilling mock charge, Nilgiri langurs, wild pigs that seemed to have domesticated , a gaur- killed by some predator, that had no signs of puncture marks at the neck and left uneaten for last 5 days, Sambars, loads of Chital, some 40 odd varieties of birds.. all in that downpour!

Most of the times we trekked into the heavy jungles which sometimes unexpectedly opened to give a breathtaking view of the valley. The shades of green copiously pouring out of every corner, the plain bare hills projecting into the heavens, a stream somewhere making its way out, the shrill wind that rose and fell in strength, a thick blanket of fog that shrouded the far-away hills and refused to leave them, the curtain of rain that poured and drizzled alternatively, a seductive smell- a combination of the mysterious flowers in forest, the scent of mud, of rain, of green.. One ought to be in the Rainforests during the monsoons to appreciate the full beauty of the wild and the untamed!

We Stayed at the Tree Top IB on Saturday. There was nothing primitive about the place though, it was well furnished with marble flooring, complete with hot shower bath! It gave a great view of the place with undulating hills and lush green trees swaying in the rain. Sunday night we pitched at Parambikulam WS at Thellikal IB, coz all stays at TS was pre-booked for the day.

Parambikulam opened up for me, with a lot of misgivings. It was too neat, too well organized, too strict, too full of wildlife (At least for the first few stretches!) and too full of promises. Something definitely was amiss. After shopping for a few hats and jacket we set out to a 8km tiring trail, we had already trekked around 4-5 km in TS! Our stay at the Island IB had been canceled because they allowed only 4 people on the boat and we were 5. The undulating trail sprained my knee but I somehow pushed it until the IB. The forests of Parambikulam seemed majorly Teak plantation, and loads of reservoirs and dams. The Highlight were the Emerald Doves and a broken rainbow that descended right onto the ground and lasted for merely 3 heartbeats of a time!

Our short trek around the IB presented only a pair of Gaur, but the place had potential for good sightings, perhaps we were simply there at the wrong time? We played dumb-charades late into the night with some amazing acting skills by Guru and deciphering the names using places name by zeroing down on them all the way from Asia to Bangalore by Vivek and Ananth. We played so much that, next morning saw all of us still happily snoring in our beds despite the planned birding session early that morning.

We returned to TopSlip for a final trekking, this time around the Ambuli Watch Tower. The trek around this beat was truly a treat. I am betting the place is a paradise in the spring and winter. The watch tower itself built prominently on a hillock faces another bare hill which Ketan informed us is a frequent haunt of a Tiger.

image by Mark Andrews

The return journey from the watchtower to the Glass house where we had parked our vehicle surprised us with the close sightings of the Sambar male and doe, And best of all of malabar hornbill and more surprisingly, a real treat to eye - Malabar Trogon! the bloody red chest of this male Trogon is a sight to behold.

And there ends our 3 day trip in the heart of the jungle and we promise to be back soon!

For more info on Top Slip, check the following links:
http://maps.google.co.in/maps?hl=en&q=top%20slip &um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wl - Google map

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topslip - wiki

A weekend at Kanooru forests

2010-06-03T10:43:00.005+05:30

By Ananth

Sunlight penetrates in tiny patches just enough to give the seeds a chance to sprout but not to grow, creepers as thick as my waist having spiraled round its victim tree, blooms on touching the sunlight, on the canopy above and gripping its victim more securely into a death embrace. Birds whose whistling and cacophony keeps your neck stretched backwards drives you mad with the impossibility of sighting them within the lush green layer or rather floors of leaves. Welcome to the Evergreen forests of Sharavathi Wildlife Sanctuary!

The sanctuary covers the Sharavathi Valley Region, near the western border of Karnataka. It is spread over an area of 431 Kms and is nourished by the Sharavathi River.

Me, Guru and Ananth visited this amazing secret world one weekend. A rather bumpy ride that almost broke our backs, being unfortunate to get the last 3 seats on the KSRTC bus, headed towards Linganamakki, left a red eyed tousled trio embark at Kargal that is around 5kms from Jog. Gangadhar, our guide who had arranged our stay, collected us and dropped us at Kanooru, a tiny village with hardly 8-10 families. Being enthusiast Birders and wary of wild crowds from Bangalore we kept away from the main group to explore the Kanooru forests.

Filling up with the idlis we filed out into the jungle. Having been cautioned with many a thrilling tale of leeches, I fell into a state of anxiety, this being my very first experience of leeches. I almost had exaggerated them into centipede sizes swarming all over, biting into you and slowly leaking out your blood, while you howl with pain. (I know I was reading too much into horror movies!).

I was laughed at my attempts to wear the shoes and socks and a tucked in cargo's into my ankle length army shoes, nothing could possibly prevent the crawlies! Well I had my last laugh! Take my advise, Ankle length shoes with the ends of your pants tucked into them does protect you from leech bites! So I can safely say not even a single one could feast on my blood!

Dharma, our guide took us along a path that steadily went down until it opened up into the stream that eventually joins Sharavathi. Having had enough of leeches we (read Guru and Ananth :)) decided its safer to trek along the stream. The most arduous length was when we has to climb up a vertical cliff to get to the other side, our nimble guide swung himself up and helped us all. Ananth had a hard time climbing up ;).

The guys while engaged in a luxurious river bath and our guide prepared fire to cook our lunch I went to explore upstream and catch some nap.

One of the many irritating thing about being a gal and that too a gal engaged in wildlife conservation is that not only your team thinks twice before taking you along and take manifold precautions and planning before they embark on the trip, that can generally dampen the whole wild experience, but it also means you cannot participate in things like jumping into the river and swim wild like monkey. :( .

Anyway the time I spent upstream, was one of the highlights of my trip, it gave me some time on my own to soak in the beauty of that place. A constantly tumbling water in the stream. An eerie silence of no-activity that sometimes is interrupted by a flutter of wings and sometimes a distant call of some unknown bird. The dance of the light on the water splashing sliver of silvery ribbons. Some wonderfully coloured butterflies and beetles hovering over the stream lazily. A scene of content and perfect solitude.

On a glance it might seem that the Sharavathi Valley is devoid of wildlife, that's just an illusion. The denizens of these forests above all prefer to come out during the times the sun is down. And being there at dawn or dusk still does not increase your chances of catching a glimpse of these shy creatures, they possess another weapon - camouflage not to mention the dense foliage that completely renders them invisible to an untrained eye. The sanctuary is a refuge of the endangered Lion-tailed macaque. Other mammals include tiger, leopard (black panther), wild dog, jackal, sloth bear, spotted deer, sambar, barking deer, mouse deer, wild pig, common langur, bonnet macaque, Malabar giant squirrel, giant flying squirrel, porcupine, otter and pangolin.
Reptiles include king cobra, python, rat snake, crocodile and monitor lizard. Some of the avian species found in the sanctuary include three species of hornbill, paradise flycatcher,fairy blue bird, malabar whistling thrush, blue-throated barbet and Indian lories and lorikeets. There are many butterflies in the sanctuary.

Amidst growing concerns by Dharmanna that we might not be able to leave the forests before dusk, Guru pointed out to the little and only torch we had amidst us and said we will bank on it. How could we hurry? when at every turn the scene grew more beautiful than the previous and dusk brought home, birds near stream and gave us the opportunity to see them. The last mile brought us to a lovely waterfall. This time again the guys had the time of their lives splashing around the fall and faithfully reminding me what a unique experience I have missed. During this time I discovered to my dismay that mosquitoes are not the only insects that syringe you for your blood! There are insects that are much larger with much bigger stingers!

Night brought ten thousand fire-flies! OK some hundreds then.. All good-naturedly blinking from the trees surrounding the house, And as we fell asleep on the porch chatting about this and that I fell into a deep sleep wondering why the fire-flies have abandoned us at cities as everything else that was a part of our childhood , like the multitude of butterflies and sparrows, the little beauties of nature.

The next morning after waiting for Gangadhar who was to be our guide for the day, for quite a while we decided to do with our little buddy Yogaraj. Trekking on the outskirts of the forest we came across this one particular tree that seem to have attracted a lot of our avian friends, I saw my first fairy blue bird. We decided to spend our morning on the roof of the fall to which my friends seemed to very partial and indeed it was worth all the admiration. A clear view of the valley below sheltered by a fruiting tree on whose many branches housed several other creepers like a curtain to this awesome world. Some where down a Malabar whistling thrush was on with its singing routine, I could just imagine him going up and down his favourite tree whistling away to lure his lady love. You have to hear one at its performance and feel one's heart fill with joy as it goes on. You could easily mistake him to be some amateur boy whistling away in the forests, not without reason the Malabar whistling thrush is also called whistling school boy!

After a long time of resting in that blessed place we returned back for a round of breakfast. We soon again crashed into the forests, this time journeying through the open fields to visit the hornbill's nest. A hornbill has a very curious behavior about nesting. It nests in the tree holes. During the time the female hornbill has to lay egg she sheds her feathers (pulls it out on her own!) and makes herself comfortable in the tree hole her mate has found and which she has approved and then shuts herself in by sealing the hole with mud and grit, leaving just a tiny slit through which the male regularly drops in food.

We spent a major part of our afternoon next to a natural swimming pool, with the guys again splashing and posing and exploring upstream around while I spent time sleeping and listening to music. Just to keep Yoga from getting bored I challenged him on who could keep their head-down-first into water for long. Needless to say he won ! The way back was quite a bit of journey, crossing the deep pool over a fallen tree trunk, I did that one on all hands and legs! jumping over rocks to keep my shoes dry which I gave up on the last stretch jumping into the pool thenceforth at every opportunity..

As we trekked back Ananth kept our lungs tickling endlessly by slipping over the dry and wet rocks alike in spectacular fashion. Yoga kept his eyes tuned on him just so he woudn miss the next one coming. So much for the really costly woodland shoes and the really cheap hawaii chappals that he alternated between! My favourite one was the last fall when while wading across the knee length water he fell on his *** with his camera and binocs held high above his head with a very surprised look on his face! Wish I had a snap of that! This much I must say to his credit, he took all the jokes aimed at him good-naturedly :).

The last of our adventure in the Kanooru forest winded up on a half done bridge over a stream that was hardly a trickle that summer afternoon.

After a hasty lunch we returned back to Kargal on an auto whose driver insisted us on showing the secret submerged tunnel that opened up into Linganmakki. For me it was the thrill of seeing the swallows mud house underneath the bridge that made the detour worthwhile.

With a lot of time to kill before the return bus to Bangalore from Sagar at 10pm we had a pit stop at Jog Falls. Despite the disappointment of the front view wiped clean of all trees by a concrete corridor giving a naked fall, The Jog falls by itself is still is a marvel and a beauty to behold. A vertical drop of nearly 900 ft Jog Falls still remains a spectacular sight with multitude of swifts hovering around it. As we three sat there looking at it for a real long time I felt a sense of companionship, like some perfect understanding passed between us unspoken about what lay ahead of us. A commitment to do everything possible to protect the forests of this land. Although I speak here for myself I am sure we all are of the same opinion.

Threats to Melagiri forests

2010-05-25T11:24:00.002+05:30

A strong odour of cattle dung hit us even before our eyes caught sight of it littered everywhere like shopping freaks in Bangalore's Mall. And here we were in the middle of a thick scrub jungle come to do a census on the flora and fauna of the Hosur Forests also called as Melagiris. Kenneth Anderson Nature Society together with Asian Nature Conservation Foundation have taken up several surveys in this region that spreads over an area of almost 1200 sq kms containing a mix of several vegetation but mainly abounded by the dry scrub forest to study these forests and restore the region back to its original state.

These forests face manifold threats and perhaps the one by cattle grazing tops the list. Cattle here are grazed in large numbers and pegged down in large cattle-pen called pattis. The absence of large carnivores and a blind eye by the forest department has made the Hosur forests a cattle grazing grounds for the locals. There is a suspicion that the cattle that's been grazed belongs to the wealthier families in Tamil Nadu living far away from Hosur employing the services of the local. While the locals are allowed to graze cattle and sheep, grazing goats is illegal, though one can frequently come across goats grazing in the Melagiris. This has been made illegal because while the cattle/sheep feed mainly on grass the goat eats up tender shoots thus denying the forests to rejuvenate.

Chital that is so abundant in the other side of the Cauvery, on the Karnataka side, that you yawn when you sight herd after herd thudding away in your wake has in this region become a sight to feast on. So why have the herbivores been thinning out even as the forests remain? Answer, human interference and Cattle Grazing. These herbivores have been hunted down for meat and skin. Also since they naturally avoid man increased human interference has made them to flee these forests. The dwindling grass cover by the cattle even as it sprouts and the foot and mouth disease, poaching for meat has all played a major role in wiping out the larger population of the herbivores. With such a small prey base and poaching has wiped out the tigers, not to mention cattle-kill poisoning carried out by their distraught owners long ago. Although we have recorded pug marks of leopards and wild dogs, tigers and hyena have are no longer to be found although the locals claim to have seen one or two a while.

Thick lantana jungle has sprung up everywhere wiping away the native plant species. Its likely that these dry bushes catch up fire at the slightest chance building up into a roaring furnace and destroying the forest. KANS (Kenneth Anderson Nature Society) has drawn plans to employ locals to remove this invasive weed from the roots. However no amount of de-weeding can remove them forever, the seeds of lantana are spread by birds and need but a brief spell of rain to grow back to numbers. A sustained effort over time only can put a cap on the lantana jungle.

Man-Elephant conflict is on steady rise. The Elephants have taken to crop-raiding due to a variety of reasons - perhaps because the farms have replaced their original forests? or because they face shortage of food within forests due to expansive cattle grazing? Some also say the Elephants have taken a liking to easily available farm produce while others vehemently deny it stating elephants are shy of humans and do everything in their power to avoid human habitation. And having experienced that first hand I must say I agree with the latter belief. Human death toll is getting higher too. Unwary locals and forest guards have been trampled by bulls occasionally.

At several places Villages have taken permanent residence within the forest boundaries. Re-settling these villages from the Melagiris is essential to give the forests and wildlife a chance to revive. However this is a very sensitive issue, the tribals in this region have been living in the forests are called Poojaries and have since time immemorial developed a culture that is deeply associated with the forests. It is indeed very difficult to separate the original settlers from the new families that must have taken residence in the recent past. A fair approach must be followed and enough compensation must be given for the families to persuade them to move out of the forests. A few of the natives could be soaked in as the forest staff as their knowledge of these forests is exhaustive and indispensable towards studying and protecting them.

The locals have been using the forests to extract a variety of forest produce including firewood, tamarind pods, honey to list a few. KANS has drawn up plans to provide LPG gas to the families to cut down on the firewood gathering. Farmlands are extending their tentacles into the forest lands steadily. When the Melagiris assume Sanctuary status, with enough security, it can be said that Timber extraction, poaching and such illegal activities can be capped.

Reckless Tourism is another contributing factor. Although Melagiris are relatively unknown patch of forests it can be predicted that with all the conservation activities in progress, the limelight on the flora and fauna will inevitably attract a steady stream of picnic-goers. Already tourists are seen loitering around. At a prominent lake where the elephants usually gather in large numbers at dusk tourists unmindful of the danger have been seen in groups. Although there is no straight forward solution to the Tourism issue but it must be handled with caution.

Although the list of threats does not end here, they are not new. Our forests throughout India are reeling under the same tell-tale signs. We have only around 3% land under forest cover protecting a fragile eco-system. New lands are almost impossible to secure for the already threatened plants and animals and the majority of the forests in this 3% fall as reserved forests. The forest staff are few, they are underpaid and not well equipped to fight the poachers. There are many problems and many more solutions. Today the cry of the hour is to guarantee the security of our remaining forests, to guarantee a life to the many beasts and wild plants that abound our lands. The time is to act.

A night at Rasimanal Watchtower

2010-05-13T10:47:00.006+05:30

The last of the ground survey by KANS winded up at Rasimanal. Here is an account of the most wonderful time of my life..

Rasimanal Forest Guest house is around 2 hours drive from Anchetty. The narrow roads sneak up the hills and at one point gave a awe inspiring view of the valley. Tiny villages with hardly around 100-150 families have sprung up all along the way.

I tasted the most refreshing coffee and tea at a tea shop on the way that boasted a very interesting water heater, though I would say it was simply the lower part of water filter set up on a stove! The swooshing movement of mixing up the beverage with milk and water by the owner was worth filming!

We waited at the last hamlet for the forest guard (who incidentally never turned up) for the guest house keys. When the waiting became intolerable a few of us started walking along the jungle path for birding, a few of the locals began telling me no to go any further as elephants frequented the path beyond the farm. I would have loved to see some. As fate could have its last laugh I was again denied the elephant encounters. The heat of the afternoon gave way to the soothing evening breeze and my troop giving up the hope of the guest house keys collected the rest of the wandering gang and started moving towards RasiManal. Rasimanal belongs to the Anchetty range and here the Cauvery and Dodhalla meet up and continue their way into Tamil Nadu. With the pre-monsoon showers Cauvery had indeed swollen and was gushing away noisily.

You could feel it in the air that you were about to witness the unexpected. As is usual to me I floated away.. day dreaming wide awake. Wild Jasmine shrubs also called Kadu Mallige in Kannada littered the forest grounds profusely.. Its scent rose in spirals and set the scene of ancient Indian lore, For some reason I began to recount the tale of Shakuntala, that that lovely maiden must have sometime run around here with those wild flowers in her ear lobes..

We spotted a pair green imperial pigeon, my very first. Indeed a very beautiful bird found reportedly in the Western Ghats.The forest guard who accompanied us in the jeep prepared us for the sight of a half cooked elephant! Apparently during one of the beats last week they found a dead elephant , and had gathered dry twigs and set fire to the corpse. We found it alright, smelling it, meters away!

Finally we reached Rasimanal, my eyes all hooked at the Watchtower that guaranteed a bird's view of the valley with Cauvery just a few feet away. I accompanied the group that was hurrying to set the camera traps. We set a pair on the banks of the Cauvery around a kilometer or two from the watch tower. There were these huge trees with white bark and roots that almost seemed like skeletons hugging the loose boulders and keeping them in place reminding me of the Angkor Vat temples in Cambodia. I am guessing they were Dhindilu or dhindal , Scientific name Anogeissus latifolia belonging to the family Combretaceae

The Camera traps are motion detectors. When an animal crosses its range of detection, it sets off the camera that normally sleeps during inactivity. If I am not wrong the camera is active only for a period of 5 seconds in a minute. After a lot of circus to hold the camera facing the stretch that seemed to have seen a lot of animal activity we rushed back to the watch tower as it was getting dark and the time for the elephants and the nocturnal animals to come to the river bed. As we crashed back we almost lost our way. Its really a wonder how the forests guards can make out the way even during night. I can easily get lost on the back streets of my house! We were still discussing the camera traps when flash-flash something eerily silver seems to have floated past and my heart simply jumped into my mouth.. On a closer look however they turned out to be trees whose bark had a lustrous silver sheen, I am not sure what they are called though.

Night fall brought a lot of surprises including Mr. Thillai god-bless-him who brought food and beverages (U know ...) During the time the whole troop devoured the fish curry and idlis I sat at the foot of the tower facing the river and the forests listening to light music and watching the greatest drama ever unroll, Nature unleashing its power.

As minutes trickled by dark clouds began gathering at the horizon that until now did not even have the white clouds , wind that ever so gently lifted tufts of my hair began to blow in real earnest almost pinning me to my side. The entire forests quivered in unease as the unrelenting winds grew in strength and a thunderstorm began to brew and very soon lightning forked the skies and a series of ear-splitting thunders rolled almost making you shiver at its intensity and cower in fear. For almost a hour this continued with no sign of relenting and giving way to rain, and we gathered on the watchtower's roof almost scared to stand at full height for fearing the lightning strike us!

And then with a whispering that grew louder than the howling wind it began to rain. Some of us staggered into the jeep some into the safe sanctuary of the watch tower and the rest of us filed on the side of the watch tower that provided at least little bit of shade from the onslaught of the rain. We shivered and laughed enjoying the whole scene like little children enjoying ice-cream.. We talked into sleeping all the adventures we have had every time peeking at the river bed for the sight of the crocs. The over crowded watch tower that day welcome eight of us tightly packed with me, the only girl in the group asleep facing everyone's feet!

Just imagine a perfect morning, a vast blue flushed sky , a mighty river with sandy bed and dark smooth stones jutting into her and you bend down to wash your face with the cool water. I wished my every morning would start that way! Me, Guru and Somyajit walked across for about 2 hours birding and we were lucky to see the Crested Hawk Eagle, a pair of otters who almost sauntered very close by finally beating a hasty retreat realizing our presence.

I almost ran back to the watchtower remembering Thillai's promise for a tasty Maggie for breakfast. Guru made a watery albeit tasty maggie noodles scorching Thillai's shiny vessel with black soot from the make-shift stove we made using half dry twigs and some bricks.

And there ends my most memorable day so far, rested between those soft hills and those dark angry clouds for ever.

Wildlife Tourism

2010-05-13T09:54:00.002+05:30

With the ongoing debate on Tourism people are voicing opinions for and against tourism in the Core Tiger zones. I wholeheartedly agree with the Wildlife enthusiasts that Tourism is not the solution to keep the tigers alive nor do they keep away poachers. And yet you give all the reasons why this must not be done somehow some rich guy will put enough pressure politically or financially and tilt the law to his side. I am not meaning to comment like this as a final act of giving up, No sir! If we can push things and get another few 100 years for the tigers we would keep doing that.

I was thinking just for the sake of finding some solution to this tourism racket for myself. How to keep off the folks who come purely for fun who have no respect for nature and wildlife? How to filter?

And then it struck me why not take away the luxury factor out of the tourism equation in the NPs, Sanctuaries, RF etc.,? After all if they want to experience luxury let them go to the cities and book those 5 stars for heaven's sake! Why do you need 3-4 varieties of food, cozy bed, television, fan, electricity in the jungles? If you have come to experience jungles do it the jungle way! what is the fun after all if you live here like you live it cities? Give them a bed on the ground, just a single toilet and bathroom, plain rice-dal, no electricity and voila! the resulting tourists are the ones that deeply care about the wildlife enough to for-go the modern day comforts to experience wildlife first hand.

Ya, I know Tourism is a booming business and they are the major stakeholders in Indian economy and that their tentacles have reached our core areas, but I hope with all my heart someday we will be able to bring down these resorts and man will be able to experience wild the right way, the forgotten way!

Melagiri

2010-04-29T09:32:00.004+05:30

A troop of five people descend down the narrow trail juggling their glances between the sky to look out for birds, the trail to look out for scat and pug marks and everywhere else to soak in the heavenly view of the towering hills all around. The call of the Common Hawk Cuckoo also called the Brain Fever Bird reverberates all around.

We are the members of a Kenneth Anderson Nature Society, named after the erstwhile legendary hunter turned conversationalist Kenneth Anderson who roamed these very forests of Melagiri. The Melagiris are a range of hills on the Eastern Ghats, bound by the river Cauvery on the west. The total reserve forest area is around 1295 sq. kms. Inspired by the stories of Anderson the first KANS members ventured into these forests to feel the wild in first person. Over the years however the forests have been infiltrated by the locals for cattle grazing and to obtain the forest produce. The reserved forests are shrinking at the rapidly encroaching agricultural lands , the fauna disappearing by the unrestrained poaching activities.

KANS decided to take on the task of securing this habitat for the Tiger, to restore the region back to its original state.This is being achieved through a mix of passive and active conservation activities like community interaction programmes (afforestation, educational programmes, alternative agricultural practices), equipping the ground forest staff (uniforms, torches), field work to control Man-Elephant conflict, removal of invasive species etc.

Last weekend saw the the bio-diversity survey conducted at Anchetty, The objective of the surveys have been to take stock of the forests. To bring to public light the beauty and diversity of these forests and also highlight the socio-economic issues facing conservation in this region. The inventory of the species and inputs on the human-forest interaction issues are to add in to help to achieve the goal of securing Sanctuary status to the Melagiris.(Note: The proposal has not yet been submitted)

As we reached the bed of Dodahalla river, that has been a witness to the glorious past, a time when Majestic Tigers roamed this land, a time when Kenneth Anderson set float his hair raising adventures, We grew excited as we IDied the pug marks of leopards. At least one of the bigger carnivore has escaped the same fate as that of the Tigers, although that could be due to the fact that leopards are tinier than its cousin, have an excellent camouflage, very shy but intelligent creature that can live on smaller prey base and very adaptive. We also spotted pug marks and scat samples of Civet, Chital, etc.,However our joy was shadowed by the presence of large amount of Cattle dung scattered everywhere in generous quantity. Cattles are a menace to the forests. Their rampant grazing not only means less grass cover, dwindling the wild herbivore population but also causes seasonal outbreak of diseases to which the wild animals have no resistance. The tigers in this region have been single-handedly wiped out largely by the locals by poisoning the cattle kill (Tigers finish their food in several sittings thus becoming an easy target.) diminished prey numbers and a variety of other reasons due to the never ending interferences by man. If the forests are to be revived their is no go but to stop cattle grazing withing the boundaries of the forests.

We trekked a stretch of 8km approx along the Dodhalla river that is being fed by several small streams originating in the forests. This river finally joins the Cauvery, that forms western boundary of the Melagiri forests. While the forests on the other side of the Cauvery within the Karnataka state borders are Sanctuary the Melagiris are only Reserved forests. While the protection provided by the Sanctuary tag has helped sustain the Tigers in the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary they have vanished from the Melagiris.

The Tiger census that yielded the numbers 1411 has created a huge wave of alarm and people across the country have risen up in arms to protect them by raising funds through running marathons and what not. While money is continuously pouring into already protected Tiger Sanctuaries securing them and tightening the protection, we have sadly not hit the mark. The numbers 1411 are of the number of tigers that can be accommodated in the Tiger Reserves. You cannot stuff in more, in fact the recent Tiger Cub deaths we have been reading are by the Adult Tigers is to reduce the competition for territory. Internal fighting have become common, the excess tigers have began to search for new territories and are frequently seen on the fringes of the Sanctuary boundaries inadvertently going for the cattle kill and what happens? A Ranathambore episode is inevitable. Man-Animal conflict is on rise. And here its just not Tigers, Elephants are seasonal migrants. They do not recognize the boundaries set by man.

Bannerghatta National Park (BNP), Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary (CWS), Nagarhole (Rajiv Gandhi NP), Bandipur Tiger reserve, BRT and the Hosur forest Division ( Melagiris) forms a continuous region making it a major bio-diversity belt and Elephant corridor. With Melagiris assuming the Sanctuary status, the excess Tigers from The CWS, BNP and BRT can be soaked by this region. This indeed is an viable option since securing the Melagiris is cheaper than trying to extend the already existing tiger reserves that have swarms of villages littered on its fringes. Not only the Elephant Corridor is secured minimizing Elephant-Human conflict but also sustains the life-source of Karnataka-Tamil Nadu, Cauvery.

With the Anchetty Survey, ends the last of the bio-diversity survey by KANS. KANS with ANCF has found both direct/indirect evidences of the rare Grizzled Giant Squirrel, Four horned Antelope and Leopards. The Flora contains almost 20 Red listed species, these were discovered during the survey, considering the Melagiris are almost 1200sq km (An area covered by putting Nagarhole and Bandipur together) there could be many more surprises waiting to be discovered. Unless this region is declared immediately with effect - Sanctuary, the poaching/ extraction of non-timber forest produce and infringement of the Forests by the local farmers and cattle grazers will only deteriorate them further snatching away the last chance for the Tigers in this zone to grow back to respectable numbers, increasing the Man-Elephant conflict , depleting the Cauvery - a death-blow to the farmers in Tamil Nadu and increasing tension between the two states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

Forest Fires

2010-04-05T17:19:00.000+05:30

The first learning during my stay at Bandipur during the 3rd week of March was Forest Fires. I was under the impression that Forest fires were caused mainly due to dry boughs rubbing against each other (taking into consideration a large amount of dry dead leaves littering the forest floor) , due to lightning during storms and sometimes by man. I was in for a rude shock when I came to know that all forest fires in India were caused by Man!

We are so much influenced by American way of life through the medium of television, that we know a lot more about their wildlife than our native species, we know the emu and the ostrich than the Bustard, we know about the cougar more than we know about our panthers, we know a lot more about African elephants than about their Asian cousins and so also I was under the impression about forest fires through natural causes through the widely televised events shown in TVs about the fires in US.

Indian forests are mostly deciduous type . Even during the driest season they contain enough moisture to rule out fire due to natural causes. Unfortunately the same cannot be told about the invasive species -lantana, eucalyptus and the Australian wattle which the government has planted everywhere to suck out the underground water, to wipe out the native species and thus deny the herbivores that depend on them for food, and hence to go extinction ( the introduced species neither provide good shelter nor do they provide fodder) and to support fire to spread easily (these trees are so dry and the leaves litter do not decompose fast and contain oil thus encouraging fire). Of course that wasn't their idea, their logic seemed to simply rotate around the fast growing nature of these trees. How could the govt without a scientific analysis on the impact from these trees to the native environment do mass planting everywhere ? why do they still continue doing so even after the impact is so visible and screamed out loud by the scientific community?

Our forests are fragile. Every successive fires caused accidentally or deliberately by people living within and the fringes of the forest areas inadvertently causes irreversible damages to the ecosystem. Fires bring down century old trees that are destroyed beyond repair and encourage rampant lantana growth in the successive rainy season. Not to mention the animals that perish in the fires. Bandipur this Summer saw fires breaking out all around. The concerned forest authorities were helpless. They lack resources to control and prevent fires. They lack man-power and motivation. True they don't take steps to secure but dare I point at them? Isn't it true that the number of forest watchers and guards are at their record low? That there haven been any new permanent posting, the govt happy to appoint guards on contract basis and pay them poorly.

So, what is the solution? Encourage forestation with native species. Check the growth of lantanas. Educate the tribal and villages encircling the forests about the menace of forest fires and steps they must take to prevent accidental fires. Educate tourists on the same lines. Post more guards and watchers. Raise their salaries to the level of hawaldars in the civil dept. Provide them with equipments to control fire in case of forest fires. Its a big task ahead of us. Educating the masses , mobilizing them to protect this rare treasure that's in our hands.

Konehalli Farm Episode

2010-04-02T11:12:00.000+05:30

In the damp cold wind;

After a shower of rains;

The landscape purely sedated with life;

Tender green shoots and myriad blooms shooting everywhere;

Miles and miles a golden green haze spread;

Birds chirping the joy of life;

Far away a Black buck majestically trots away.

On these rocks where the wolves gather,

And claim the night,

I feel profoundly at rest.

Tiger Census -1411

2010-04-01T14:36:00.000+05:30

A natural prey,
Whom we are taught to avoid,
A weakling,
Who has encroached our lands,
Claiming our numbers.

Once majestically we roamed,
Roaring mightily, sending shivers down their spine.
Today with numbers and brains they have hunt us down
Our most remote caves laid waste,
To their ever renewing demands.
And our cubs snatched from our sides.

We are not your slaves,
We are not yours to claim.
We are not to be desired,
For fun, for fur, for your unearthly ideas.

We will be gone someday.
And your census will yield no more.
The forests shall never lay its eyes on us.
The timid creatures shall forget us.
You, who enthroned us, national animal in pride,
Shall never again see us return to the wild.

This is not a request,
This is not a plea,
Let us live.
This place belongs to us;
As much as it does to you.

Synchronized Tiger Census In Hosur Forest Division

2010-03-08T10:41:00.003+05:30

I was under the impression that I was in for Tiger Census in the Hosur FD, Although I am generally not very well informed I knew the Tiger Census were over. However keeping my skepticism aside I plunged in volunteering for the task.

A little about the survey, It was organized by KANS (Kenneth Anderson Nature Society) jointly with the forest authorities during the weekend of 20th and21st of Feb. The idea was to gather volunteers, break them into groups and send them to different divisions. The group itself will be broken into at max 2 people plus the Forest Guards to trek into the forests through a path called the beat. Day one was for Direct sighting, so volunteers were to keep their eyes and ear open and of course mouth shut for direct sightings of animals and birds. Day two was for gathering indirect evidences of the fauna through collecting scats (i.e., poop of the animals.. he he) and examining/photographing pug/hoof marks. All the groups would enter the forests at the same time so that the chances of sighting increases and counting the same animal is reduced. We were to establish credential that Tigers/Leopards are in the area. This way the forests that are currently only under Reserve Forests status get promoted to Sanctuary status, as its counterparts in the Karnataka Forest division. Higher the status, more security, hence more chances that the forests are protected from the human interferences.

It has been quite a while I was out in the wilds and in the company of people who felt drawn to nature the way I do. So, I was all for it. When Sanjeev (He is KANS V.P.) said that because of the overwhelming response from all together 80 odd people they have to draw lottery I didn't really think about it. Its like I was almost dead sure to get in, you could say I had some sort of divine foresight :). And Voila! I was in.

Somehow no matter how much of preparation you put to get geared for a trip you know you have missed out A-LOT-OF essential stuff behind. So me minus a cap and jungle tracks packed bags for Hosur.

I had no means of transport and even after the numerous mails being exchanged to carpool and stuff the following day still left me with no clear idea of how to reach the cattle farm at Hosur where all the volunteers were asked to assemble at 6pm. And then Chitra (seriously it was like God sent an angel to my rescue) called the only other female in my group. We were assigned to the same Denkanikottai range.

So, after a few negotiations I was excused from office at 4pm. Me, Arun, Valli and Chandan squeezed into Chitra's car at Silk Board and headed to the cattle farm.

I knew KANS is a well established society, what I didn't expect is the kind of reception that welcomed me. All the people who came together for the survey were the kinds you could call tree huggers, nature freaks, people who were deeply concerned about the retreating forest covers and depleting numbers of the wildlife. We had a roaring discussion until 8-9ish about this and that. Then the ACF, Mrs Padmavathi updated us about the intentions of the survey and the necessary precaution we are to take that included changing your socks and not using perfumes.. :). The DFO, Mr Ganesan then spoke lengthily into the night about his experiences in various forest ranges he has been so far. Most of us felt disgruntled at his attitude for comparing the present range with ones that are known to be thickly populated with wildlife and thus declaring the current region "very-poor-in-wildlife" . But yes, despite his pessimism one must appreciate his never fading sense of responsibility to protect the forests and love for the creatures that live in it. He spoke and lot about Makhanas in particular and the increasing number of their sightings. Makhanas are the male elephants that have no tusks or very small ones hence appear as females. He was speculating about the theory whether this is a reaction to the rampant killing of tuskers in these areas by the poachers. Well, we did keep our eyes peeled to sight a makhana but as luck goes, we did not even sight a single elephant, let alone a makhana.

The guest house at Denkanikottai came as a rude shock to the volunteers who were all geared up with sleeping bags and what not only to be given well maintained rooms with fans and Television sets!

We sat until the late night talking about places we have visited and all the freaky naturalists we have met along the way. Arun recounted all his travelogues while Chitra kept us giggling over this one forest officer, who hit her at the knuckles jovially for not getting the names of the birds right.

Early morning 5am we were divided into groups of 2s, Me and Arun and Chitra and Akshay were given the Aiyur division. We sort of played a bit of politics to get assigned to the most dense region of the Denkanikottai forest range :).

Not until 9am did we actually begin our walk into the beats thanks to the Forest officer who did not get the data sheets and was being severely reprimanded by the DFO. He was asked to get back to the HQ to fetch them and hence the delay. But we were sort of cajoled by the sightings of Yellow wattled Lapwing and the awesome guest house at Aiyur that sported 3 cane huts and a watchtower.

Watch tower at Aiyur guest house

The forests of Aiyur division came as a different surprise all together. The stretch of bamboo forests smoothly mixing into dry shrub forest to deciduous to kinda evergreen where the small springs flowed. However, the dense foliage left us no aerial view hence, denied us of the pleasures of birding. Same with the direct sighting, Even if an animal stood a few feet from us, there was no way we would know. So great would be its camouflage, The only way we would know, would be when it moved, which they wouldn't because they know before they see us, of our coming. So much worse for us since we are not only denied sighting a wild creature but also totally unprotected. The Guards were very jumpy, they had a death of a fellow guard in the hands of an elephant just a few days ago. We still made most of the time we spent in the forests, we have preferred them over all and any paradise man has to offer. We covered a beat area of 3km, the guards did this measurement using a length of rope.

Flame of the forest tree

We did spot morph paradise flycatcher and red vented bulbuls and squeezed in so much talks in between. Arun has this vast enthusiasm for everything about wildlife and forests that kept me hooked in to everything he has to say. The best treat however was at the end, at the Sameri lake. We spotted a Grey headed fish eagle and several drongos and barn swallows hovering lazily. The guards overcome with exhaustion dozed off underneath the bamboo clumps while we sat still for a long time in the shimmering afternoon sun enjoying the voices of the jungle. I had an eerie feeling as if the jungle was observing us, appraising of what promise we held. Of whether we would stand true to our conscience and protect her from our fellow beings. A vast feeling of sadness swept over me for seeing her helpless, of have brought her to this state. If each one of us would wake up to the fact that we are moving rapidly towards a doom, by depleting the forest covers and killing the wildlife relentlessly until they go extinct, has upset the fragile balance of our earth, perhaps there is still some hope for us .

Sameri Lake

We arranged our stay with the DFO to stay the night at Aiyur guesthouse, so that we could be closer to the forests. The idea of returning to Denkanikottai simply did not tempt us. Evening brought us a flood of visitors. Mr. Prasanna (treasurer of KANS) , Mr. jay and few others, mainly a journalist from Frontline , camera crew were in the region, to shoot a documentary about KANS. We accompanied them to the Spider Valley. The view point at Spider valley is simply breathtaking. The rows of hill softly melting into one another, fog that refused to fade even at the height of summer afternoon, the shrill call of the Black Eagle that flew in circles above us all created a sense of solitude. Of being absolutely at peace.

Gutherayan silhouette from Spider valley

Next we hurried to take our places at the Sameri watchtower. Its generally predicted that at dusk the elephants gather at the Sameri lake. However, owning to a large number of people pouring in, the noise levels could not be controlled and we had no such luck with elephant sighting. They must have known about our presence a mile away. Elephants are very sensitive creatures, though their bulk would make you think otherwise. They can catch movements, they pick up sound waves through the ground, through their incredibly sensitive feet. They are extremely smart too, like crows and chimps, they learn very fast, no man made enclosure can keep them bound for long. Of late, elephants have become very aggressive thanks to the poaching of the tuskers and drastic changes in their habitat. They have lost their natural water places and feeding areas to the ever increasing desires of man. Elephants migrate to the same place every year. One time there is a sprawling green bamboo field, next year a village has come up, what would you expect? And thus Man- Animal conflict keeps rising. We need to realize that this place not only belongs to us but to them as well. We must learn to share.

That night we gathered our Binocs and did some amazing star gazing. Just when I was beginning to feel that buying a 10*40 binocs was the worst thing I did, its so heavy, I can't hold it steady for more than a minute and as the experts say higher the power more are the disturbances magnified. I only realized its worth when we did Raptor birding and star gazing. Suddenly my much criticized binocs became a hot commodity! Thanks to Akshay we sat under the star lit skies and identified several constellations and satellites. We were simply amazed at the amount of stars clustered in M31, the globular cluster in constellation Orion.

While the rest turned in early after a sumptuous meal given by the forest officers at the guest house ( I tasted the most yummy rasam ever!) me and Arun took our positions at the watchtower to have a glimpse of the much hyped Mottled owls that were resident at the tree next to the watch tower. Not until 12 or 1 am when we were paying the least attention a huge bird swooped above our heads into the night like some sort of grey ghost. Though we observed only the silhouette we could bet our as**s that it was a Mottled owl. We tried unsuccessfully to go out for a night stroll. The Guards were simply not taking any chances, they had closed the main gates during the night and hoped the trenches all along the guest house borders would keep the elephants from crossing.

The next morning's birding brought another string of surprises, I saw my first ever Indian Pitta. Tiny bird colored in green and the most vibrant blue on its rump and saffron on the vent. We walked right from the guest house until the Sameri lake, a stretch of 5km. Our faithful companion or must I say our Canine guard, the dog at the guest house who I have fondly named Courage, the silly dog :) kept us company all along, sniffing the trails before we reached it. No new sightings, though we did have fun since the guard kept forgetting the way and took us amidst the the thick bamboo groves and thorny lantanas. But as it goes we had no luck getting lost since he kept turning and we ended up on the road again and again. We finished our last trail again by ending up at the lake and observing the Grey headed fish eagle.

Thus my trip to the Hosur forest winds up by us returning to the Hosur cattle farm and giving a few details of our sightings to Sanjeev and returning to Bangalore at around 3pm.

And what follows is disorientation. Like its told in 'Gods must be crazy' re-adapting to the ways of man.