T54 aka Matkasur at Tadoba Lake - Exploring Nature Series... · 2017-03-02 · 1 T54 aka Matkasur...

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T54 aka Matkasur at Tadoba Lake

Photo: Dwaipayan Ghosh (Canon 60D/Canon 400 mm)

Exploration Series Seven of Exploring Nature

Wagh Alaa Patil

Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve

By

Subhashish Panja, Dwaipayan Ghosh & Arnab Basu

14th to 20th January, 2017

Reviewed by Anwesha Ghatak

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Wagh Alaa Patil


By




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Wagh Alaa Patil


By




© All the Information and Photographs published in this report

are the properties of Exploring Nature and cannot be used for

commercial or research purposes without the prior permission of

the explorers.

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CONTENTS

Topic Page

Cover Page 01

Copyright Statement 03

Contents 04

Chapter One

Why this visit? 05

Chapter Two

Visit plan and day to day activity 06

Chapter Three 08


Chapter Four 26

From the Shadow to Light End of Story 35

Annexure One: The Explorers’ Profile 37

Annexure Two: The Journey Itinerary 40

Annexure Three: List of Species Identified 42

Annexure Four: Reference 56

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Chapter One:

Why this visit?

Being nature lovers and students of Natural Sciences for more than two decades, the

members of Exploring Nature decided to pay tribute to Mother Nature. They took an

oath to spread cognizance from some of the well traversed as well as relatively

obscure biodiversities around the world. In the light of that, they carry out high level

rapid biodiversity explorations, relentlessly. After culminating some of the biggest

explorations of the year 2016, like Exploration Series – IV – “The Tigers’ Terrain –Visit

to Satpura, Pench and Kanha National Park, with flying colors, the explorers planned,

in the beginning of 2017, to endeavor the “Jewel of Vidarbha” – Tadoba National Park,

Maharashtra. Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve is a tiger reserve in Chandrapur district

of Maharashtra state in central India. It is notable as Maharashtra's oldest and largest

national park. It is one of India's 43 "Project Tiger" - tiger reserves.

Therefore, the team Exploring Nature launched - Exploration Series – VII – “Wagh

Alaa Patil”, in January 2017.

The recognition of Vidarbha as the

“tiger capital of India” is befitting.

Vidarbha, the eastern region of the

Indian state of Maharashtra, boasts

large national reserves as the

Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve,

Pench National Park, Nagzira-

Navegaon Tiger reserve, Melghat

Tiger reserve, Bor Tiger Reserve

and Umred Karhandla Wildlife

Sancuary.

Tadoba National Park and Andhari

Wildlife Sanctuary amalgamated to

constitute the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve. The National Park derives its name

from the local tribal God “Tadu (Taru)”, whereas the Andhari River flowing through the

forest gives the sanctuary, its name.

This is the oldest national park of Maharashtra, equipped with the newest forest

protection norms. As a result, Tadoba has become the best known “maternity centre”

for tigers. With the newer camera trapping technologies available, newly bred tigers

are found travelling long distances into neighboring states, into newest forests to

establish their territories. The tiger reserve is believed to be the “Mother” of all

conservation tools – to provide opportunities to all nature lovers and conservation

activists. To appreciate this venture of tiger conservation, Exploring Nature launched

these series, “Wagh Alaa Patil”.

This report and all the photographs of explorations of Exploring Nature are available at

http://www.exploringnature.org.in

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Chapter Two:

Visit plan and day to day activity

It was a week-long visit, consisting of 10 safaris, by three biodiversity explorers (Refer

Annexure 1 for the profiles of the explorers), which excludes travelling to and fro

between their respective home bases and subjects exploration locations. For detailed

journey itinerary please refer Annexure 2 of this report.

The explorers assembled at the nearest Airport, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar

International Airport, Nagpur (140 km from the reserve via Umrer, Bhisi and Chimur) in

the morning of 14th January, 2017 and then headed towards Chimur, subdivision of

Chandrapur district. From Chimur, they would commence their first 5 safaris through

Kolara gate of Tadoba National Park. The 90 km road trip from Nagpur Airport to

Chimur took 2 hours and at around 10 AM they reached at Safari Hotel of Chimur,

where their accommodation was arranged till 17th January morning. The hotel was

approximately 12 km away from the Kolara gate.

Explorers started their first safari

on the same day afternoon at

2:30 PM, in the Buffer zone of

the reserve; safari ended at 6:00

PM. Next day safari started at

morning 6:30 AM at the Core

zone and ended at 10:30 AM.

After coming back to the hotel,

they finished breakfast and lunch

and then a quick shower, before

they could start their afternoon

safari at 2:30 PM in the Core

zone which concluded at 6:00

PM. Till 16th January evening,

the explorers followed the same schedule. On 17th January morning, at 9:00 AM, they

shifted base towards Moharli gate of the reserve. On the way they finished their

breakfast with local Maharashtrian food and reached at MTDC (Maharashtra Tourism

Development Corporation) resort at 11:00 AM, where their accommodation was

booked till 20th January. The resort was 2 km away from the core zone gate of the

reserve. At Moharli gate, all the five safaris occured in the Core zone, morning safaris

used to start at 6:00 AM and end at 10:30 AM. Afternoon safaris used to start at 2:30

PM and end at 6:00 PM.

There are six gates in the Tadoba Tiger Reserve that gives access to the wild world of

animals consisting of tiger, leopard, sloth bear, hyena, jackal, wild dog, sambar,

cheetal, langoor, nilgai, etc. The movement of tourists inside the park is not restricted

like in other reserves; therefore one can completely enjoy a jeep safari all over the

park.

The names of the gates at Tadoba National Park are listed below:

Moharli Gate: Moharli Gate is the oldest

entrance to the park, which is located

approximately 180 kilometers away from

Nagpur. Entries of total nine vehicles are

allowed each morning and evening for

tiger safari from this gate.

Kuswanda: The distance between

Nagpur and Kuswanda Gate is 140 km.

The number of vehicles allowed for tiger

safari from this gate is four in each

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morning and evening.

Kolara Gate: This gate is located at a

distance of 120 km from Nagpur and the

number of jeeps allowed for tiger safari

from this gate is nine each morning and

evening. Hence eighteen rides are

available for the tourists in a day.

NaveGaon Gate: The distance from

Nagpur to the gate is 140 km. The park

authority permits the entry of six vehicles

each morning and evening for tiger safari

from this gate.

Pangdi Gate: The distance between Pangdi gate and Nagpur is 250 km. The number

of vehicles allowed for tiger safari is two each morning and evening, making it a total

of four rides a day.

Zari Gate: Zari Gate is located at a distance of 190 km from Nagpur and it allows six

vehicles each morning and evening for tiger safari, hence twelve rides are available

for the tourists in a day.

Out of above six gates, explorers did their 10 safaris through Kolara and Moharli gates

(5 safaris through each gate).

The last safari took place on 20th

January morning and then explorers travelled to the

nearest railway station Chandrapur (on the Delhi-Chennai main line), 45 km away, and

then went about their respective home bases via train or flight.

During this 7 day visit, comprised of total ten safaris in open top gypsy vehicles,

around 1065 photographs were taken by the explorers. The instruments used for

photography was a 60D Canon SLR with 400 mm lens, a 600D Canon SLR with 200-

500 mm and 18-55 lens, a D3100 Nikon SLR with 150-600 mm and a D5000 Nikon

SLR with70-300 mm lens and Sony Cybershot Point and Shoot. Out of these 1065

photographs, 60 high impact and effectively informative photographs were

selected to use in this report and published in the website of Exploring Nature.

In these 10 safaris, the explorers had spotted and identified around 93 animal

species. Out of those, there were 8 butterflies, 3 reptiles, 14 mammals and 68 bird

species.

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Chapter Three:


Location: Chandrapur district,

Maharashtra, India

Nearest city: Chandrapur , 45

kilometres

Coordinates: 20°10′0″N 79°24′0″E

Coordinates: 20°10′0″N 79°24′0″E

Area: Core 625.4 square kilometers

(241.5 sq mi), Buffer 1100 square

kilometers

Established: 1955

Governing body: Maharashtra

Forest Department

Tadoba Andhari Reserve is the

largest national park in Maharashtra. Total area of the reserve is 625.4 square

kilometers (241.5 sq mi). This includes Tadoba National Park, created in the year

1955 with an area of 116.55 square kilometers (45.00 sq mi) and Andhari Wildlife

Sanctuary was created in 1986 with an area of 508.85 square kilometers (196.47 sq

mi). The reserve also includes 32.51 square kilometers (12.55 sq mi) of protected

forest and 14.93 square kilometers (5.76 sq mi) of other areas.

Densely forested hills form the northern and western boundary of the tiger reserve.

The elevation of the hills ranges from 200 m (660 ft) to350 m (1,150 ft).

To the southwest, 120 hectares

(300 acres) Tadoba lake is

situated, which acts as a buffer

between the park's forest and

the extensive farmland, which

extends up to Irai water

reservoir. This lake is a perennial

water source which offers good

habitat for Muggar crocodiles to

thrive. Other wetland areas

within the reserve include, the

Kolsa lake and the Andhari river.

Tadoba reserve covers the

Chimur Hills, and the Andhari sanctuary covers Moharli and Kolsa ranges. It’s

bounded on the northern and the western side by densely forested hills. Thick forests

are relieved by smooth meadows and deep valleys, as the terrain slopes from north to

south. Cliffs, talus and caves provide refuge for several animals. The two forested

rectangles are formed by Tadoba and Andhari range. The south part of the park is

less hilly. Recently a Photo captured from this reserve, by Amol Bais, posted on Postal

stamp, to be released on July 29 this year, on World Tiger day.

There are 41,644 people living in and around the reserve in 59 villages, of which 5 are

inside the core zone. The villages in the core zone still do farming activities inside the

core area. The process of rehabilitation is going on, but the Indian bureaucracy has

been at its slowest in the forest department. Recently the Navegaon village is

rehabilitated and grassland is expected on the territory where the village existed.

There are 41,820 cattle with the villagers in the core and buffer zone. While cattle

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grazing are not allowed in the core zone, regulated grazing in the buffer zone is

allowed to cattle that belong to village inhabitants. However, cattle of peripheral

villages sometimes sneak into the reserve and cause additional damage to the habitat.

Forest fires are a constant problem in the dry season, consistently burning between

2% and 16% of the park each year. Killing of domestic livestock by tigers and leopards

is a frequent phenomenon in the areas neighboring villages. This has an adverse

impact on the economic condition of the local people and results in antagonism

towards the management. In the year 2013, up to 4 people and 30-50 cattle have

been killed by leopards, tigers or

sloth bears.

Instead of protecting tigers only

within the Tadoba Sanctuary, the

Tadoba National Park was

created with its core area being

provided with utmost protection.

Later on, by bringing in the

neighbouring Andhari Sanctuary,

the Tadoba – Andhari Tiger

Reserve (TATR) was

demarcated with a distinct core

area and a multipurpose buffer

area to prevent human intrusion

on the core. However, today,

conservationists have evolved a conservation model that aims at protecting the tiger

clan in the entire Chandrapur landscape, also to include the neighbouring

anthropogenic areas. This is an indication that the Maharashtra Forest Department is

now extensively involving local communities to protect tigers, the forest habitat and the

corridors connecting human. Now, with the active involvement of the forest dwellers,

Forest department seems to be working earnestly to protect the apex predator of our

forests.

The forests of TATR, widely spread in Chandrapur, Sindewahi, Bhadrawati,

Brahmaputri and Chimur talukas in the district, are also, notably, identified as the

oldest national park in the state. The Tadoba National park was established in 1955

and was followed by the foundation of Andhari Sanctuary in 1986. Later, on February

23, 1995, the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve was established with an area of

approximately 625.4 sq.km, which was divided into Moharli, Kolsa and Tadoba forest

circles.

Tadoba reserve is a

predominantly southern tropical

dry deciduous forest with dense

woodlands, comprising of 87%

of the protected area. Teak is

the predominant flora. Other

deciduous plant species include

ain (crocodile bark), bija,

dhauda, hald, salai, semal and

tendu. beheda, hirda, karaya

gum, mahua madhuca (crepe

myrtle) and Lannea

coromandelica (wodier tree).

Axlewood (Anogeissus latifolia) is a fire-resistant plant species growing here. Palas or

flame of the forest (Butea monosperma) adds vibrant colour to the forest. Black plum

trees grow in the riparian habitat around the lake. At the waterhole in Panchadhara,

huge arjun trees are seen.

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Patches of grasses are found

throughout the reserve. Bamboo

thickets grow throughout the

reserve. The climber kach kujali

(velvet bean) found here is a

medicinal plant used to treat

Parkinson's disease. The leaves

of bheria are used as an insect

repellent and bija is a medicinal

gum. Beheda is also an

important medicine found here

Along with the keystone species, the Bengal tiger, Tadoba Tiger Reserve is home to

other mammals, including: Indian leopard, sloth bear, gaur, nilgai, dhole, striped

hyena, small Indian civet, jungle cat, sambar, spotted deer, barking deer, chital,

chausingha and honey badger. Tadoba lake sustains the marsh crocodile, which were

once common all over Maharashtra.

Reptiles here include the endangered Indian python and the common Indian monitor.

Terrapins, Indian star tortoise, Indian cobra and Russel's viper also reside in Tadoba.

The lake is an ornithologist's paradise with a wide diversity of water birds and raptors.

250 species of birds have been recorded, including three endangered species. The

grey-headed fish eagle, the crested serpent eagle, and the changeable hawk-eagle

are some of the raptors.

Other interesting species include the

orange-headed thrush, Indian pitta,

crested treeswift, stone curlew, crested

honey buzzard, paradise flycatcher,

bronze-winged jacana and lesser

goldenbacked woodpecker. Warblers and

the black-naped blue flycatcher exist

here and the call of the peacock may

often be heard.

74 species of butterflies have been

recorded including the pansies, monarch, Mormons and swordtails.

Insect species include the endangered danaid egg-fly and great eggfly. Dragonflies,

stick insects, jewel beetles and the praying mantis are other insects located in the

reserve.

The signature spider, giant wood spider and red wood spiders are often seen during

the monsoon and soon after. Some hunting spiders like the wolf spiders, crab spiders

and lynx spiders are also common.

The forest of TATR abounds in a variety of biodiversity, including 41 species of

mammals, 250 species of birds, 26 species of spiders, 74 species of butterflies, 23

species of fishes, 30 species of reptiles and 5 species of amphibians.

There are 88 tigers, as of August 2016 in the reserve, and 58 in the forests

immediately outside the reserve.

During their 7 days visit, the explorers spotted 67 bird species, 14 mammal species,

3 reptile species and 8 species of butterflies.

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Refer Annexure Three: List of Species Identified for detail.

Spotted and Identified Species:

Key Reptile spotted and identified by explorers:

1. The mugger

crocodile

(Crocodylus

palustris),

"crocodile of the

marsh", also known

as the Indian,

Indus, Persian,

marsh crocodile or

simply mugger, is

found throughout

the Indian

subcontinent and

the surrounding

countries, like

Pakistan, where the Sindhu crocodile is the national reptile of Pakistan. It

is one of the three crocodilians found in India, the others being the gharial

and the saltwater crocodile. It is a medium-sized crocodile mostly

inhabiting freshwater lakes, ponds, sluggish rivers, swamps and marshes.

Males of the species are said to grow up to 4–5 m (13–16 ft) in length.

Like the other crocodilians, females are smaller. The mugger crocodile

has the broadest snout of any extant crocodile, giving it an alligator-like

appearance. It is a heavier armored species with enlarged scutes around

the neck. Adults are dark grey or brown, while hatchlings are tan colored.

IUCN status : Vulnerable.

Key Birds spotted and identified by explorers:

1. The white-browed fantail (Rhipidura aureola) is a small passerine bird.

The white-browed

fantail breeds

across tropical

regions of the

Indian Subcontinent

and Southeast Asia.

The species ranges

from India east to

Vietnam, also being

seen in Sri Lanka,

Myanmar, Thailand,

Cambodia and

Laos. This Old

World flycatcher

species is found in forest and other woodland. Three eggs are laid in a

small cup nest in a tree. The adult white-browed fantail is about 18 cm

long. It has dark brown upperparts, with white spots on the wings, and

whitish underparts. The fan-shaped tail is edged in white, and the long

white supercilia meet on the forehead. The throat and eyemask are

blackish and border whitish moustachial stripes. The white-browed fantail

is insectivorous, and often fans its tail as it moves through the

undergrowth.

IUCN status: Least Concern.

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2. The pied bush chat (Saxicola caprata) is a small passerine bird, whose

habitat extends from West Asia and

Central Asia to the Indian subcontinent and

Southeast Asia. About sixteen subspecies

are recognized through its wide range of

occupancy, with many island forms. It is a

familiar bird at countryside and open scrub

or grassland, where it is found perched at

the top of short thorn trees or other shrubs,

looking out for insect prey. They pick up

insects mainly from the ground, and are,

like other chats, placed in the thrush family

Turdidae, but are now considered as Old

World flycatchers. They nest in cavities in

stone walls or in holes in an embankment,

lining the nest with grass and animal hair. The males are black with white

shoulder and vent patches, whose extent varies among populations.

Females are predominantly brownish while juveniles are speckled.


3. Temminck's stint

(Calidris temminckii)

is a small wader.

This bird's common

name and Latin

binomial

commemorate the

Dutch naturalist

Coenraad Jacob

Temminck. The

genus name is from

Ancient Greek

kalidris or skalidris,

a term used by

Aristotle for some

grey-coloured waterside birds. Temminck's stint is one of the species, to

which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory

Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.

IUCN status: Least Concern

4. The jungle babbler (Turdoides striata) is a member of the Leiothrichidae

family found in the

Indian subcontinent.

They are gregarious

birds that forage in

small groups of six

to ten birds, a habit

that has given them

the popular name of

Seven Sisters or

“Saat bhai” in

Bengali, with

cognates in other

regional languages,

meaning "seven

brothers". The jungle babbler is a common resident breeding bird in most

parts of the Indian subcontinent and is often seen in gardens within large

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cities as well as in forested areas. In the past, the orange-billed babbler,

Turdoides rufescens, of Sri Lanka was considered to be a race of this

babbler, but is elevated to a species.


5. The Oriental darter or Indian darter (Anhinga melanogaster) is a water

bird of tropical

South Asia and

Southeast Asia. It

has a long and

slender neck with

a straight, pointed

bill and, like the

cormorant; it hunts

for fish while its

body submerged in

water. It spears a

fish underwater,

bringing it above

the surface,

tossing and juggling it before swallowing the fish head first. The body

remains submerged as it swims, and the slender neck alone is visible

above the water, which accounts for the colloquial name of snakebird.

Like the cormorants, it has wettable feathers and it is often found perched

on a rock or branch with its wings held open to dry.

IUCN status: Near Threatened.

6. The black-headed ibis or Oriental white ibis (Threskiornis

melanocephalus) is

a species of wading

bird of the ibis

family,

Threskiornithidae,

which breeds in the

Indian Subcontinent

and Southeast Asia

from northern India,

Bangladesh, Nepal

and Sri Lanka east

up to Japan. It

builds a stick nest in

a tree and lays 2–4

eggs. It resides in marshy wetlands inland and on the coast, where it

feeds on various fish, frogs and other water creatures, as well as on

insects. It walks actively on marshy land probing with its bill into soft mud

and often feeds in shallow water with its head momentarily submerged.

Like storks and Spoonbills, it lacks a true voice-producing mechanism and

is silent except for peculiar ventriloquial grunts uttered when nesting.

IUCN status: Near

Threatened.

7. The bronze-winged jacana

(Metopidius indicus) is a

jacana. It is the only

member of the genus

Metopidius. The jacanas

are a group of waders in

the family Charadriidae,

which are identifiable by

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their huge feet and claws which enable them to walk on floating

vegetation in the shallow lakes which are their preferred habitats. They

are found worldwide within the tropical zone. For the origin and

pronunciation of the name, see Jacana. The bronze-winged jacana

breeds in India and Southeast Asia. It is sedentary, apart from seasonal

dispersion. It lays four black-marked brown eggs in a floating nest. The

males, as in some other wader families like the phalaropes, take

responsibility for incubation.


8. The white-breasted waterhen (Amaurornis phoenicurus) is a waterbird of

the rail and crake

family, Rallidae,

which is widely

distributed across

Southeast Asia and

the Indian

Subcontinent. They

are dark slaty birds

with a clean white

face, breast and

belly. They are

bolder than most

other rails and are

often seen stepping

slowly with their tail cocked upright in open marshes or even drains near

busy roads. They are largely crepuscular in activity and during the

breeding season, just after the first rains, make loud and repetitive

croaking calls.


9. The brown-capped

pygmy

woodpecker or

Indian pygmy

woodpecker

(Yungipicus

nanus) is a

species of very

small woodpecker

found in Nepal,

India and Sri

Lanka. A small

brown and white

woodpecker with

distinctive pink-

rimmed white irises. Barred brown and white above, lightly streaked dirty

white below. Tail is spotted white, paler brown crown (edged red in male)

and eye stripes contras with white supercilia and cheeks.


10. The Asian palm swift (Cypsiurus balasiensis) is a small swift. It is similar

to the African palm swift, Cypsiurus parvus, and was formerly considered

to be the same species. It is a common resident breeder in tropical Asia

from India to the Philippines. The down and feather nest is glued to the

underside of a palm leaf with saliva, which is also used to secure the

usually two or three eggs. This is a bird of open country and cultivation,

which is strongly associated with oil palms. This 13 cm long species is

mainly pale brown in color. It has long swept-back wings that resemble a

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crescent or a boomerang. The body is slender, and the tail is long and

deeply forked, although it is usually held closed. The call is a loud shrill

scream. Sexes are similar, and young birds differ from adults mainly in

their shorter tails. Asian palm

swift has very short legs

which it uses only for

clinging to vertical surfaces,

since swifts never settle

voluntarily on the ground.

These swifts spend most of

their lives in the air, living on

the insects they catch in their

beaks. Asian palm swifts

often feed near the ground,

and they drink on the wing.


11. The black drongo (Dicrurus macrocercus) is a small Asian passerine bird

of the drongo

family, Dicruridae. It

is a common

resident breeder in

much of tropical

southern Asia from

southwest Iran

through India and

Sri Lanka, east to

southern China and

Indonesia. It is a

wholly black bird

with a distinctive

forked tail and

measures 28 cm (11 in) in length. It feeds on insects, and is common in

open agricultural areas and light forest throughout its range, perching

conspicuously on a bare perch or along power or telephone lines. The

species is known for its aggressive behavior towards much larger birds,

such as crows, never hesitating to dive-bomb any bird of prey that invades

its territory. This behavior earns it the informal name of king crow. Smaller

birds often nest in the well-guarded vicinity of a nesting black drongo.

Previously grouped along with the African fork-tailed drongo (Dicrurus

adsimilis), the Asian forms are now treated as a separate species with

several distinct populations. The black drongo has been introduced to

some Pacific islands, where it has thrived and become abundant to the

point of threatening and causing the extinction of native and endemic bird

species there.


12. The southern coucal or crow pheasant (Centropus sinensis parotti), is a

large non-parasitic

member of the

cuckoo order of

birds, the

Cuculiformes. A

widespread resident

in Asia, from India,

east to south China,

Nepal and

Indonesia, it is

divided into several

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subspecies, some being treated as full species. They are large, crow-like,

with a long tail and coppery brown wings and found in wide range of

habitats from jungle to cultivation and urban gardens. They are weak

fliers, and are often seen clambering about in vegetation or walking on the

ground as they forage for insects, eggs and nestlings of other birds. They

have a familiar deep resonant call which is associated with omens in

many parts of its range. IUCN status: Least Concern.

13. The plum-headed

parakeet (Psittacula

cyanocephala) is a

parakeet endemic to

the Indian

Subcontinent. Along

with Psittacula

roseata of the

Himalayas it was

sometimes known

by the name of

blossom-headed

parakeet which is

now used to refer

only to Psittacula

roseata. Plum-headed parakeets are found in flocks, the males having a

pinkish purple head and the females, a grey head. They fly swiftly with

twists and turns, accompanied by their distinctive calls.


14. A parakeet is any one of a large number of small to medium-sized species

of parrot, in multiple

genera, that

generally have long

tail feathers. Older

spellings, still

encountered, are

paroquet or

paraquet. The rose-

ringed parakeet

(Psittacula krameri),

also known as the

ring-necked

parakeet, is a

gregarious tropical

Afro-Asian parakeet species that has an extremely large range. The rose-

ringed parakeet is sexually dimorphic. The adult male sports a red or

black neck ring and the hen and immature birds of both sexes either show

no neck rings, or display shadow-like pale to dark grey neck rings. Both

sexes have a distinctive green color. Rose-ringed parakeets measure on

average 40 cm (16 in) in length, including the tail feathers, a large portion

of their total length. Their average single-wing length is about 15–17.5 cm

(5.9–6.9 in). In the wild, this is a noisy species with an unmistakable

squawking call. It is herbivorous and not migratory. One of the few parrot

species that have successfully adapted to living in disturbed habitats; it

has withstood the onslaught of urbanization and deforestation. As a

popular pet species, escaped birds have colonized a number of cities

around the world. Since the population appears to be increasing, the

species was evaluated as being of least concern by the IUCN in 2012, but

its popularity as a pet and unpopularity with farmers have both reduced its

numbers in some parts of its native range.

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15. The Siberian

stonechat or Asian

stonechat (Saxicola

maurus) is a

recently validated

species of the Old

World flycatcher

family

(Muscicapidae).

Like the other

thrush-like

flycatchers, it was

often placed in the

Turdidae in the past. It breeds in temperate Asia and easternmost Europe

and winters in the Old World tropics. IUCN status: Least Concern.

16. The rufous-tailed lark (Ammomanes phoenicura), also sometimes called

the rufous-tailed

finch-lark, is a

ground bird found in

the drier open stony

habitats of India and

parts of Pakistan.

Like other species in

the genus it has a

large finch-like bill

with a slightly curved

edge to the upper

mandible. The dull

brown color matches

the soil as it forages

for grass seeds, grain and insects. Males and females are

indistinguishable in the field but during the breeding season, the male has

a courtship display that involves flying up steeply and then nose-diving

and pulling up in a series of stepped wavy dips accompanied by calling.

They forage on the ground in pairs or small groups.


17. The common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis), also known as the Eurasian

kingfisher, and river

kingfisher, is a

small kingfisher

with seven

subspecies

recognized within

its wide distribution

across Eurasia and

North Africa. It is

resident in much of

its range, but

migrates from

areas where rivers

freeze in winter.

This sparrow-sized bird has the typical short-tailed, large-headed

kingfisher profile; it has blue upperparts, orange underparts and a long

bill. It feeds mainly on fish, caught by diving, and has special visual

18

adaptations to enable it to see prey under water. The glossy white eggs

are laid in a nest at the end of a burrow in a riverbank.


18. The long-tailed shrike or rufous-backed shrike (Lanius schach) is a

member of the bird

family Laniidae, the

shrikes. They are

found widely

distributed across

Asia and there are

variations in

plumage across the

range. The species

ranges across much

of Asia, both on the

mainland and the

eastern

archipelagos. The

eastern or

Himalayan subspecies, L. s. tricolor, is sometimes called the black-

headed shrike. Although there are considerable differences in plumage

among the subspecies, they all have a long and narrow black tail, have a

black mask and forehead, rufous rump and flanks and a small white patch

on the shoulder. It is considered to form a superspecies with the grey-

backed shrike (Lanius tephronotus) which breeds on the Tibetan Plateau.


19. The black-shouldered kite (Elanus axillaris), Australian black-shouldered

kite, or simply

Australian kite, is a

small raptor found

in open habitat

throughout

Australia. It

resembles similar

species found in

Africa, Eurasia and

North America,

including the black-

winged kite, a

species that has in

the past also been

called "black-shouldered kite". Measuring 35–38 cm (14–15 in) in length

with a wingspan of 80–95 cm (31–37 in), the adult black-shouldered kite is

a small and graceful raptor with red eyes. Their primary call is a clear

whistle, uttered in flight and while hovering. Black-shouldered kites form

monogamous pairs, breeding between August and January. The birds

engage in aerial courtship displays which involve high circling flight and

ritualised feeding mid-air. Three or four eggs are laid and incubated for

around thirty days. Chicks are fully fledged within five weeks of hatching

and can hunt for mice within a week of leaving the nest. Juveniles

disperse widely from the home territory.


20. The changeable hawk-eagle or crested hawk-eagle (Nisaetus cirrhatus) is

a bird of prey species of the family Accipitridae. It was formerly placed in

the genus Spizaetus, but studies pointed to the group being paraphyletic

resulting in the Old World members being placed in Nisaetus (Hodgson,

19

1836) and separated

from the New World

species.

Changeable hawk-

eagles breed in the

Indian subcontinent,

mainly in India and

Sri Lanka, and from

the southeast rim of

the Himalaya across

Southeast Asia to

Indonesia and the

Philippines. This is a

bird occurring singly

(outside mating season) in open woodland, although island forms prefer a

higher tree density. It builds a stick nest in a tree and lays a single egg.


21. The white-eyed buzzard (Butastur teesa) is a medium sized hawk, distinct

from the true

buzzards in the

genus Buteo, found

in South Asia.

Adults have a

rufous tail, a

distinctive white iris,

and a white throat

bearing a dark

mesial stripe

bordered. The head

is brown and the

median coverts of

the upper wing are

pale. They lack the typical carpal patches on the underside of the wings

seen in true buzzards but the entire wing lining appears dark in contrast to

the flight feathers. They sit upright on perches for prolonged periods and

soar on thermals in search of insect and small vertebrate prey. They are

vociferous in the breeding season and several birds may be heard calling

as they soar together.


22. The painted spurfowl (Galloperdix lunulata) is a bird of the pheasant

family found in rocky

hill and scrub forests

mainly in peninsular

India. Males are more

brightly coloured and

spotted boldly in

white. Males have

two to four spurs

while females can

have one or two of

the spurs on their

tarsus. The species is

found mainly in rocky

and scrub forest habitats unlike the red spurfowl. They are found in the

undergrowth in pairs or small groups, escaping by running and rarely

taking to the wing when flushed.


20

23. The Crested honey

buzzard (Pernis

ptilorhynchus) is a

bird of prey in the

family Accipitridae

which also includes

many other diurnal

raptors such as kites,

eagles and harriers.

This species is also

known as the

Oriental honey

buzzard.

IUCN status: Least

Concern.

24. The brown fish owl (Bubo zeylonensis or Ketupa zeylonensis) is a species

of owl that is part of

the family known as

typical owls,

Strigidae, which

contains most living

owls. It inhabits the

warm subtropical

and humid tropical

parts of continental

Asia and some

offshore islands.[2]

Of the four living

species of fish owl, it

is the most widely

distributed, most

common and best-studied. It occupies a range of over 7,000 km (4,300

mi) from eastern China to Palestine. The four fish owls were previously

generally separated in the genus Ketupa. mtDNA cytochrome b sequence

data is equivocal on which genus name is applied for them, and today

they are commonly lumped with the horned and eagle-owls (Bubo) –

which they also resemble, osteologically so – for the sake of convenience.

Depending on whether some little-studied tropical eagle-owls are closer to

the fish-owls than to the typical eagle-owls, Ketupa might be a valid genus

if these as well as the fishing owls (formerly Scotopelia) are included in it,

although there are a number of osteological differences that suggest that

fishing and fish owls are not directly related to each other.


25. The lesser whistling

duck (Dendrocygna

javanica), also known

as Indian whistling duck

or lesser whistling teal,

is a species of whistling

duck that breeds in the

Indian subcontinent and

Southeast Asia. They

are nocturnal feeders

that during the day may

be found in flocks around lakes and wet paddy fields. They can perch on

trees and sometimes build their nest in the hollow of a tree. This brown

21

and long-necked duck has broad wings that are visible in flight and

produces a loud two-note wheezy call. It has a chestnut rump,

differentiating it from its larger relative, the fulvous whistling duck, which

has a creamy white rump.

IUCN Status: Least concern

Key Mammals spotted and identified by explorers

1. The four-horned antelope (Tetracerus quadricornis), or chousingha, is

a small antelope found in India and Nepal. This antelope has four

horns, which distinguish it from most other bovids, which have two

horns (sparing a few such as the Jacob sheep). The sole member of

the genus Tetracerus, the species was first described by French

zoologist Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville in 1816. Three

subspecies are recognised. The four-horned antelope stands nearly

55–64 centimetres (22–25 in) at the shoulder and weighs nearly 17–

22 kilograms (37–49 lb). Slender with thin legs and a short tail, the

four-horned antelope has a yellowish brown to reddish coat. One pair

of horns is located between the ears, and the other on the forehead.

The posterior horns are always longer than the anterior horns, which

might be mere fur-covered studs. While the posterior horns measure

8–12 centimetres (3.1–4.7 in), the anterior ones are 2–5 centimetres

(0.79–1.97 in) long.

The four-horned

antelope is

diurnal (active

mainly during

the day).

Though solitary

by nature, four-

horned

antelopes may

form loose

groups of three

to five –with one

or more adults,

sometimes

accompanied by juveniles. This elusive antelope feeds on grasses,

herbs, shrubs, foliage, flowers and fruits. It needs to drink water

frequently; as such it stays in places near water sources. The

breeding behavior of the four-horned antelope has not been well

studied. The age at which they reach sexual maturity and the season

when mating occurs have not been understood well. Gestation lasts

about eight months, following which one or two calves are born. They

are kept concealed for the first few weeks of their birth. The young

remain with the mother for about a year. Four-horned antelopes tend

to inhabit areas with significant grass cover or heavy undergrowth,

and avoid human settlements. Earlier common throughout deciduous

forests in India, the antelope now occurs in widely disjunct, small

populations. Most of the populations are in India, and lower numbers

can be found in adjoining Nepal. The four-horned antelope is

threatened by the loss of its natural habitat due to agricultural

expansion. Moreover, the unusual four-horned skull and the horns

have been a popular target for trophy hunters. The four-horned

antelope is classified as Vulnerable by the International Union for the

Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN).

22

2. The gaur (/ˈɡaʊər/, Bos gaurus), also called Indian bison, is the

largest extant bovine, native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. The

species has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since

1986, as the population decline in parts of the species' range is likely

to be well over

70% during the

last three

generations.

Population

trends are stable

in well-protected

areas, and are

rebuilding in a

few areas which

had been

neglected. The

gaur is the tallest

species of wild

cattle. The gaur

is a strong and massively built species with a high convex ridge on

the forehead between the horns, which bends forward, causing a

deep hollow in the profile of the upper part of the head. There is a

prominent ridge on the back. The ears are very large; the tail only just

reaches the hocks, and in old bulls the hair becomes very thin on the

back. In color, the adult male gaur is dark brown, approaching black in

very old individuals; the upper part of the head, from above the eyes

to the nape of the neck, is, however, ashy grey, or occasionally dirty

white; the muzzle is pale colored, and the lower part of the legs are

pure white or tan. The cows and young bulls are paler, and in some

instances have a rufous tinge, which is most marked in groups

inhabiting dry and open districts. The tail is shorter than in the typical

oxen, reaching only to the hocks. They have a distinct ridge running

from the shoulders to the middle of the back; the shoulders may be as

much as 12 cm (4.7 in) higher than the rump. This ridge is caused by

the great length of the spinous processes of the vertebrae of the fore-

part of the trunk as compared with those of the loins. The hair is short,

fine and glossy, and the hooves are narrow and pointed. Classified as

Vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature

and Natural Resources (IUCN).

3. The ruddy mongoose (Herpestes smithii) is a species of mongoose

found in hill

forests of

peninsular India

and Sri Lanka.

This mongoose

along with the

striped-necked

mongoose is

the only

mongoose

species

endemic to

India and Sri

Lanka. The

ruddy mongoose is a very closely related to Indian grey mongoose,

but distinguished by its slightly larger size and black tipped tail

extending for 2 to 3 inches at the distal end. There are two sub-

species of this mongoose, H. smithii smithii in India, and H. smithii

23

zeylanicus (Thomas, 1852) in Sri Lanka. The ruddy mongoose is

mainly a forest living animal in contrast to the grey and small Indian

mongooses and prefers more secluded areas. They have also been

recorded from secluded paddy fields and in comparatively open fields.

Like other mongooses, it hunts by day and by night. IUCN status:

Least Concern.

4. The sloth bear

(Melursus

ursinus), also

known as the

labiated bear, is

a nocturnal

insectivorous

bear species

found wild

within the

Indian

Subcontinent.

The sloth bear

evolved from

ancestral brown bears during the Pleistocene and shares features

found in insect-eating mammals through convergent evolution. The

population isolated in Sri Lanka is considered a subspecies. Unlike

brown and black bears, sloth bears have lankier builds, long, shaggy

coats that form a mane around the face, long, sickle-shaped claws,

and a specially adapted lower lip and palate used for sucking insects.

Sloth bears breed during spring and early summer and give birth near

the beginning of winter. They feed on termites, honeybee colonies,

and fruits. Sloth bears sometimes attack humans who encroach on

their territories. Historically, humans have drastically reduced their

habitat and diminished their population by hunting them for food and

products such as their bacula and claws. These bears have been

used as performing pets due to their tameable nature. The species is

listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN due to habitat loss and poaching.

5. The Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) is the most numerous tiger

subspecies. By

2011, the total

population was

estimated at

fewer than

2,500

individuals with

a decreasing

trend. None of

the 'Tiger

Conservation

Landscapes'

within the

Bengal tiger's

range is considered large enough to support an effective population

size of 250 adult individuals. Since 2010, it is listed as Endangered on

the IUCN Red List. As of 2010, Bengal tiger populations in India have

been estimated at 1,706–1,909. As of 2014, they had reputedly

increased to an estimated 2,226 individuals, but the method used in

the census may not be accurate. Bengal tigers number around 440 in

Bangladesh and 163–253 in Nepal. Prior censuses placed the

population of tigers in Bhutan at around 65-75 individuals, however,

24

the latest census estimated that 103 wild Bengal tigers are living in

the country. Bengal is traditionally fixed as the typical locality for the

binomen Panthera tigris, to which the British taxonomist Reginald

Innes Pocock subordinated the Bengal tiger in 1929 under the

trinomen Panthera tigris tigris. The Bengal, Caspian and Siberian

tigers, and lion rank among the biggest cats. It is the national animal

of both India and Bangladesh

The Bengal

tiger's coat is

yellow to light

orange, with

stripes ranging

from dark brown

to black; the

belly and the

interior parts of

the limbs are

white, and the

tail is orange

with black rings.

The white tiger is a recessive mutant of the Bengal tiger, which is

reported in the wild from time to time in Assam, Bengal, and Bihar,

especially from the former State of Rewa. However, it is not to be

mistaken as an occurrence of albinism. In fact, there is only one fully

authenticated case of a true albino tiger, and none of black tigers, with

the possible exception of one dead specimen examined in Chittagong

in 1846.

Male Bengal tigers have an average total length of 270 to 310 cm

(110 to 120 in) including the tail, while females measure 240 to 265

cm (94 to 104 in) on average. The tail is typically 85 to 110 cm (33 to

43 in) long, and on average, tigers are 90 to 110 cm (35 to 43 in) in

height at the shoulders. The weight of males ranges from 180 to 258

kg (397 to 569 lb), while that of the females ranges from 100 to 160

kg (220 to 350 lb). The smallest recorded weights for Bengal tigers

are from the Bangladesh Sundarbans, where adult females are 75 to

80 kg (165 to 176 lb). Bengal tigers have exceptionally stout teeth,

and the canines are the longest among all living felids; measuring

from 7.5 to 10 cm (3.0 to 3.9 in) in length.

The basic social unit of the tiger is the elemental one of mother and

offspring. Adult

animals

congregate only

on an ad hoc

and transitory

basis when

special

conditions

permit, such as

plentiful supply

of food.

Otherwise they

lead solitary

lives, hunting

individually for the dispersed forest and tall grassland animals, upon

which they prey. They establish and maintain home ranges. Resident

adults of either sex tend to confine their movements to a definite area

25

of habitat within which they satisfy their needs, and in the case of

tigresses, those of their growing cubs. Besides providing the

requirements of an adequate food supply, sufficient water and shelter,

and a modicum of peace and seclusion, this location must make it

possible for the resident to maintain contact with other tigers,

especially those of the opposite sex. Those sharing the same ground

are well aware of each other's movements and activities

26

Chapter Four:

From the Shadow to Light Explorers in 7

th Heaven

The relationship between man and tiger is in existence since time immemorial. Our ancestors looked upon the tiger as a symbol of power. The tribes still worship tiger as god. Some of their deities are called Waghjai or Waghdev. In the Sundarbans, a little-known goddess Bon-bibi graces its forests. The story goes that Bonbibi, the “lady of the jungle”, was chosen by God to protect people who worked in the Sundarbans against a greedy man-eating half sage half tiger-demon named Dokkhin Rai. Tigers were present in large numbers at the beginning of the twentieth century. They were found in almost all the forests. But since those days man has been determined to make them extinct. Looking at the large number of tigers in India, they will never perish here, is what all hunters seem to agree upon. During the rule of British Empire, tigers dwindled in a big way. Tiger is a very sensitive animal and spotting a tiger in the forest is exciting for any nature lover. The explorers have been searching for this reclusive and enchanting animal of forest for a long time now. They were in Bandipur National Park, in the winter of 2015, when the news of killing of Gaur by a male tiger spreaded across the country and wildlife photographers and experts from all corners of the nation, rushed towards Bandipur, with a hope of sighting the killer tiger. There they spotted another elusive big cat – leopard and also witnessed the rarest natural phenomena of their courtship, but no luck with Bengal Tiger. They took part in one of the most difficult forest trekking of the country – bush walk in the tiger trail of Periyar Tiger Reserve, with Forest Officials and rehabilitated poachers. They felt the presence of the beautiful beast very closely – spotted fresh pug mark of huge male tiger on the muddy trail, heard strong warning call of Sambar in the vicinity of their tents, in core area of the forest, but no sight of the animal itself. They explored forests of central India, in the summer of 2016 – and again they were pretty close to spot the most powerful predator of Indian forests. They heard strong warning calls of Sambar, Langur, Spotted Deer, Jackal, Peafowl, and Jungle Fowl –which were indicative of big cat movements -– the kind of call which they never heard before – nothing could be more affirmative than such calls, to confirm a big cat on the move. Such calls were also corroborated by evidences of fresh pug mark on soil. But the animal didn’t reveal itself. With several close and failed attempts, they almost decided to declare that “they don’t want to spot Bengal Tiger in forest anymore!” And, then, they launched their seventh exploration – at the beginning of New Year, 2017 – in the tiger capital of India, at the jewel of Vidarbha – Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) – as their last dedicated attempt to spot Bengal Tiger in the wild. Just the night before the exploration would start, Dwaipayan called Arnab and the enlightening conversation followed: “I did some numerology!” he sounded super excited. “What Numerology?” “What is the number of this series of our exploration?” “’Wagh Alaa Patil’ is the 7th Exploration of Exploring Nature.”

27

“How many tiger reserves we have visited so far?” “Six already and Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve will be the 7th Tiger Reserve to be visited” “And what is the number of Indian Big 7 member, we are searching for?” “We are in search of the 7th Member of Indian Big-7, i.e. Bengal Tiger, this time….wow everything is falling in line.” – Arnab was amused to notice this symmetry. “And it doesn’t end here” – Dwaipayan kept telling – “Exploration will start on 14th of January 2017, 14 is a multiple of 7; T-Shirt of "Tigers' Terrain (exploration in central India)" was released on 14th of January 2016; "Tigers' Terrain" ended on 14th of May 2016; "In the cave with Orangutan” was announced on 14th July 2016; Exploring Nature in African Safari started on 14th February 2016, therefore, 7 is a lucky number for us, something different will definitely happen this time” That was a hilarious but interesting observation and explorers, literally, to be on the 7

th

heaven this time. On the 14

th of January, at 2:30 PM they started their 7th exploration in the buffer zone

of TATR through Kolara gate. This time they had a third explorer – Subhashish in the team. Spotting rare wild lives in the buffer zone was less likely and so the anticipation was not nail-biting. Guide Praveen was telling them, that, animals are generally shy in the buffer zone, as they are not used to human beings and safari jeeps. Not many tourists visit the buffer zone. Forest is sporadic and there are less colonies or herds of herbivores in this part of the forest. That also reduces the movement of predators in this part. Therefore, spotting predators is more challenging in the buffer zone than in the core area. Praveen was actually telling them; the job of forest guides and gypsy drivers of the core area, is easier than their counter parts in the buffer area, as in the core area they know where a territorial predator can be spotted. Every predator has their defined territory in the core area. But in the buffer zone, they are always in movement, so they need to move throughout the forest to spot them. Literally, they didn’t find even a single spotted deer, which was very unusual for them with respect to their experiences in Indian rain and dry or moist deciduous forest. The most common animal glimpsed in this type of forest is spotted deer.

However, at their surprise, they spotted a big male antelope looking at their gypsy, curious and scared. Driver Ashish stopped the vehicle, so that everybody could get an opportunity to take pictures. Initially they were confused, if it was an Indian Muntjack, but later they realized that, it was one of the rare ungulates to spot in the forest – a four horned antelope or Chausingha. At the same place, where the Chausingha was grazing, they saw one

sacred grove decorated with lot of colorful scarves (dupatta used as part of dress by Indian women). Guide Praveen told them the folklore of a village woman, who was chased by a tiger in this forest. While running away, the woman threw her dupatta and the tiger pounced on the dupatta instead of her and tore it apart. The woman escaped and her life was spared. After that incident, the local villagers started worshipping that place and offered colored scarves, symbolizing protection from tiger attacks. Generally tigers of TATR are not known for man eating; however, just two days before the exploration, reportedly one village woman was killed by a tiger. Driver Ashish told them, there were more such cases of tiger attacks on human, but not all were reported officially. TATR is a good maternity center for Bengal Tiger and number of tigers is on

28

the rise, in good proportion. Currently there are 88 tigers in a 624 sq km forest area. Not enough space for such territorial animals. Based on news published in national print media – “For more than four years now, one person dies in tiger attacks around Tadoba every month—a frequency of conflict higher than anywhere, recorded, except the Bangladeshi Sunderbans, in recent times”. In TATR, most of these incidents took place in the buffer zone. Their first safari ended at 6:30 PM, key species spotted were, Male Nilagai, Northern Plain Langur, Female Bison, Herds of Sambar, Male Wild Boar and 23 different species of birds. Next day onwards, all safaris were in the core zone. The 2

nd safari in the morning of

15th January, started at 6:00 AM. Subhasish could not join, as his entry permit was not

ready, so it was the duo Dwaipayan and Arnab. The early morning was dark and freezing cold, temperature was around 7-8

OC. In the open top moving gypsy, in the

core area of TATR forest, the chilling wind was piercing their bodies. Guide Eknath and driver Nikhil were hopeful and enthusiasts for tiger sightings, as in the previous evening, a tigress with her cubs were spotted near Panderpouni water hole. Explorers were familiar with the kind of enthusiasms from the forest guides, which eventually yielded nothing in all previous cases. So, they were not as cheerful as their fellow forest mates. On top of that, they were struggling to keep their fingers on camera shutters in that biting cold. Gradually the light was improving; accordingly, explorers were adjusting exposure and ISO setting of cameras. At around 6:45 AM, strong call of a spotted deer was heard from the North East direction of their movement. The call did not excite them, as warning call of spotted deer can hardly be trusted. “Wild Boars are running away” – Both Eknath and Dwaipayan whispered at the same time. “Similar situation we witnessed in Kanha, near Munna’s den” – Arnab, was not optimistic enough. An entire herd of spotted deer and two wild boars were found running away to opposite direction. Eknath asked Nikhil to turn around the vehicle and move towards water body number 01, where a forest department watch tower was stationed. Skilled gypsy driver Nikhil, parked the vehicle diagonally opposite to the watch tower and in few seconds, B3 aka Maya, the queen of TATR appeared through bushes. She was moving slowly towards a herd of spotted deer, she was waiting for a kill. The spotted deer was giving warning call furiously. Arnab looked at his watch – it was exactly 7:00 AM! Tiger Tales

The life of the tiger is entwined with the forest. His color, built, size, and habitats are all attuned to that particular forest. A tiger moves around the forest like a predator. A predator has to be superior to its prey, or else it will be difficult for him to survive. Whether it’s a deer, an antelope or a bison, the tiger has to employ several more tactics and his strength to dishearten the prey. In this regard, nature has created tiger in such a manner, that he has all the requisites to be a good hunter. He almost seems like a

29

destructive hunting machine. The tiger is the supreme hunter of the forest. There is no animal in the forest that hunts the tiger for meal; an almost every animal can be a tiger’s prey. So the forests are filled with the terror of the tiger, and celebrated tigress of TATR, Maya’s movement in front of the explorers, in her territory at Panderpouni, was depicting all these features. She was hungry and stalking the herd of spotted deer. The explorers watched her movement for one hour before she disappeared into thick forest. Maya grew up as part of a recognized and noticeable family, by the Telia lake, with three other siblings, two boisterous sisters and a very shy brother. Maya was the most boisterous and gregarious one in her family and till today reigns in the area. After the NTCA directive, Tadoba has cut down on many routes which resulted in overcrowding of vehicles in Maya's territory at Pandharpaoni. Currently, the entire Kolsa range has been kept inviolate as all the premium routes like Kakadghat, Shivanzari, Kuoni, Suklibodi Lake and Yenbodi have been closed for tourism. Besides, the route between Moharli-Kolsa has also been shut. Only village roads from Pangdi and Zari to Kolsa and Rantalodi are open for tourists. Moreover, in Tadoba range, Vasant Bhandara-Katezari-Kala Amba-Ambe Paat route has also been closed. Hence, the other popular tigers like Namdeo, Gabbar, Pandu are not being sighted. Jamni's 'Chhoti Tara' has left for a secluded spot as she is busy nursing her new borns, while 'Sonam' of Telia and her cubs are not regularly sighted. Hence, tourists make a beeline for Maya. When Maya was spotted for the first time, through apertures of trees and the watch tower, the explorers held their breath for a while and for the next few minutes they remained awestruck, in disbelief, that, finally lady luck favored them. They were unaware what was happening around them for the next half an hour, their eyes laid on view finders of the cameras, left hand occupying and adjusting lenses and index finger of right hand was restless pressing the shutters. They could not notice anything but the beautiful creature; they didn’t hear anything but the sound of shutters. Beyond Maya, space-time continuum was standstill. The spectators were hypnotized by her “Maya”, magic spell. After Maya’s disappearance into dense forest, water hens in the water hole number 1 were clicked. Shortly after, Eknath and Nikhil moved their gypsy towards Tadoba lake via Jamni, with a hope to encounter Choti Tara and her cubs. But fate didn’t approve in the next two and half hours of combing through the forest. While passing through the Tadoba lake, Nikhil stopped his gypsy again and Eknath exclaimed “Tiger”!

The very word tiger evokes an image of courage and cruelty, and inspires awe. A huge male tiger T54 aka Matkasur was spotted near Tadoba Lake at 9:30 AM, a living image of that vigor and ferocity. He was moving along the lake-shore, pausing intermittently and looking at the water. A huge marsh crocodile was basking on the bank. Matkasur tried to attack it, and the explorers heard a large noise of water splash, the crocodile jumped into water to save its life. After that, the mighty Matkasur kept walking

again along the brink of the lake and en route, he was halting and smelling tree trunks. Tigers practice it to identify smell of his or any previous tiger’s urine to identify their territory. After 15-20 minutes of walk, the explorers followed him in gypsy; he crossed the road in front of them and vanished into the other side of the forest.

30

The safari ended at 10:30 AM and other key species identified were Bronze Winged Jacana, Pied Bush Chat and few birds of prey like Oriental Honey Buzzard, White Eyed Buzzard and Changeable Hawk Eagle. While exiting forest, they found another eluding, nocturnal animal, a Tree Shrew and before reaching their base camp at Chimur, one venomous Russel’s Viper snake was spotted sprawling near a paddy field. The explorers began their third safari on the same day, between 2:15 and 6:30 PM. Pug mark of female tiger and cub were noticed at around 4:00 PM. But the animals were nowhere to be found. The 4

th Safari started on 16

th January, at 6:15 AM and ended at 10:30 AM. The forest

was very quiet on that day, with no indication of any big cat movement, which reminded Arnab about the experiences in the forest of Pench and Kanha in last summer. Subhashis missed the drama on previous day and was hopeful of big cat sightings. But so far the situation was disappointing. At around 8:30 AM, pug marks of Leopard and big cat was found on the way towards Navengaon area. Around 10:00 AM near Panderpouni area, mild warning calls of Sambar and Spotted deer was heard. The explorers interpreted the calls to be Maya and her cubs movements from one side of their territory to other.

On their return, the gypsy driver Nikhil was briefing on the tiger community of TATR. He was stating the conflict between Maya and Matkasur. Matkasur wanted Maya’s surrender but the cubs were a hindrance to that. Once Matkasur attacked her cubs, Maya and her sons defeated him, fighting all together. Maya’s cubs were borne by another male tiger Gabbar (also known as Leopard face) aka Sher Khan aka Ma7 (TAD), who was once the undisputed king of TATR. After the rise of Matkasur, the

conflict between Gabbar and Matkasur was inevitable. Recent fight was reported at water body number 97, probably over Maya. Another tigress Choti Tara is incognito in the forest nowadays, as she has young cubs to protect and feed. However, cubs of Choti Tara were borne by Matkasur. Maya had three cubs with Gabbar, out of that one male and one female were separated from her, because of frequent attacks by Matkasur. Now the parted male cub cannot come back to Maya as his brother has grown up and would not allow him to come close to her mother. However, he would not have any problem with her once isolated sister to come back, as he would require a mating partner soon. All these stories suggest that Maya aka B3’s sub adult cub has all the potential to give a good run for the money to all contemporary male tigers of TATR, over right of the territory. The Road Show The 5

th Safari started at 2:30 PM of 16

th January and that was the last safari for the

explorers through Kolara gate. After that, their plan was to move towards Moharli gate which would be around 40 km from their current base location. Three explorers with guide Dilip and driver Vinod started towards North-West direction. Afternoon in the forest of TATR was quite bright and warm with approximately 30-35

O C temperature.

After 30 minutes of driving, pug mark of female with cubs were spotted. They started following the pug mark which lingered into South East direction. Fresh pug mark of sloth bear was spotted along the way. After few kilometers of driving, they moved again into North-West direction, and pug mark of male tiger was observed, along with mild call of Sambar. Their previous guide Eknath was in another gypsy ahead of them, he signaled to move towards water body number 79, close to Nawachila. The explorers, along with 6 other gypsies, stopped in front of water body 79 at Nawachila. They waited there for 15 minutes, but no indication of any movement was

31

sensed. The call stopped long time back. One after another, gypsies left that place, tourists who regarded forest as a zoological park, lost patience in no time. However, Dilip and Vinod decided not to move at all. If there was any possibility of sighting a tiger at all, under the circumstances, it was there in that particular spot. The logic was simple, fresh pug mark followed the route and faded near the bushes, on the side of the forest path. The tiger moves as stealthily as a shadow. It is difficult to believe that, this animal, weighing 150-250 kg, can walk in utter silence. The tiger’s paws are padded. So, their foothills are cushioned while walking, and dry leaves or twigs don’t crackle under his foot. But as their paws are padded, they don’t prefer to walk in thorny undergrowth. The tigers roam the paths in the forests and also the roads. Therefore, there was strong a chance that, a male tiger whose pug mark they followed, had a temporary hideout in the undergrowth alongside the forest path and he would come out at some point of time. However, nobody knew for sure, might be after dusk, might not before tourists leave the forest at the closing hour of safari, defined by forest department. After waiting there for 45 more minutes, at around 3:45 PM, Arnab muttered, “Langur’s call!” Dilip nodded his head in agreement; langur’s call was heard twice. Vinod moved the gypsy little further towards North-West direction, from where the call was coming. Arnab cried again, “Stop, stop!” Around 5-6 langurs were found at a tree top – restless and giving warning calls gazing underneath, inside the forest; as frequent as five times. Dilip advised to go back to the original place, and wait there. Dwaipayan assured, “Definitely there is a tiger, and there is no doubt about it, only it’s a matter of time when it will come out in clear!” Vinod parked the vehicle again in front of water body number 79. Next 15 minutes was plain waiting, in apprehension, realigning position of cameras, checking and readjusting camera settings anticipating from where the tiger could come out and what should be the light setting requirements of that area. “Alarm call again!” yelled Dwaipayan and Dilip almost at the same time. A spotted deer was bellowing ceaselessly, in life and death situation and the call was coming from not more than 500 meters of distance from their gypsy. It was confirmed; as the forest proclaimed to each and every living and non-living beings in the wilderness of TATR, the terror of TATR, the most dreaded predator of any Indian forest, manifested in close proximity. Other gypsies were coming back one by one; everybody in forest heard that call. At around 4:00 PM, one sub adult male tiger appeared near water body number 79, at Nawachila. He was the male descendent of B3 aka Maya. The explorers’ gypsy was at the nearest within 200 meters from the fascinating creature. The explorers froze at the juncture, with their eyes on the view finder, bodies bent over side railing of the gypsy, left hands on lenses, placed carefully on bin bags and index fingers of right hand didn’t know how to stop pressing the shutter. What they saw through the view finders, was a proportionate long body, silent foothills, long back stripes on brownish-orange or tawny coat body, round head - coming closer and closer. With his every sturdy step, he was exuding the message loud and clear – why every animal in the forest should be terrified of him. Through the view finder it seemed, the head was growing bigger and he was approaching right towards them,

32

conquering distances, from 200 meters to 100 meters to 50 meters. His bright yellowish eyes were fixated on them, sending chills down the spine, causing stress on the nervous systems. Was that the time to throw away cameras and scream for life? No way! That was the rarest moment of life, probably would never come again! They could not remove their eyes from the view finder or their right index fingers

from the shutter. That was the moment they were yearning for such a long time, since winter of 2015, since Nagarhole and Bandipur. He started moving towards the course of South-East, sniffing everything around him. He had the requisite to smell urine spread by him or any other previous tigers, to identify the safe territory, he was a cub after all, an adolescent cub who was learning how to live life in the forest without his mother’s protection. Then he needed to spread urine furthermore, to mark the territory and kept walking on the forest path in the same direction. All the gypsies (by that time there were around 50 gypsies gathered, if not more) started following him.

The road show continued for around 10 minutes, before he became invisible in the deep forest. In last 5 minutes, explorers shut their cameras, and enjoyed the whole exhibit through their naked eyes, rather than the view finders of their cameras. Natural phenomena are enjoyed best by natural tools. That was Bhola, the sub adult cub of B3 aka Maya. For most of the forest guides

and gypsy drivers, that very evening was the first moment of seeing him alone, travelling out of his territory and moving from one corner of forest to other. After 15 days of these explorations, Dwaipayan received news from his special source, that Bhola had a fight with T54 aka Matkasur near Panderpouni, resulting in his defeat and eventual expulsion. Probably, very soon, whole of TATR will witness a coronation ceremony of their new crown prince. On 17

th January, in the morning, the explorers left for Moharli gate and reached at

MTDC resort by afternoon. They didn’t have any safari planned for that day, therefore in the evening; they decided to go near the entry gate of the core area of the forest to replenish their rations. The idea was to walk around 2 kms from the MTDC resort to the Moharli gate at around 7:00 PM. However, at the last minute, they changed their plan and booked a cab to go to Chandrapur town, which was 35 kms away from the resort. The road between MTDC resort and Chandrapur passes through the forest area of Tadoba. On their way, they found a Palm Civet on the side of the road, and again at around 9:30 PM, on their way back. Driver Palash informed them about his countless exposures with Leopards while driving through this road, and the incidents of Leopards attacking local villagers. The tale of a man eating Leopard, killing 5-6

33

villagers, before it was caught by forest department and sent to rescue center, was particularly haunting. Then he mentioned something, which left the explorers shivering. On that evening, when he was on his way to pick up the explorers, caught a glimpse of a Leopard near MTDC resort, and that was not an unfamiliar occurrence for him. The explorers were hesitant, their initial idea of walking 2 km to go to the entry gate of the forest from MTDC resort at 7:00 PM, was certainly not wise and they were saved by the bell. The 6

th Safari and the first one from Moharli gate of TATR undertook at 6:30 AM, they

started off South, reached Aswalhira and then Telia lake, which was known for M6 (TAD) aka Sonam’s area. Sonam was residing there with her adolescent cubs. After one and half hour of driving through the forest, they started moving towards North and at around 8:45 AM reached Jamni lake. There were strong calls of spotted deer, but the Safari ended at 10:00 AM without a glance of any big cat. The afternoon safari started at 2:00 PM, towards South again and after crossing Telia Lake, they reached near Jamunbudi. Already 5-6 gypsies were waiting there. Apparently, warning call was heard from the other side of the lake. They waited there for about 30 minutes. One Ruddy Mongoose was spotted multiple times, running here and there; searching for food, gave good photo opportunities for the explorers. After that they started moving towards East and fresh pug marks of female tiger was spotted. After driving 1-2 kms further, they stopped after seeing couple of gypsies waiting there on the forest path at Ayanbodi area. Apparently B3 (Maya) was sleeping in the bushes and people were waiting there with a hope of her spectacle. The anticipation was that, she would wake up in a while and come out of the bush to give a road show.

Gypsies started queuing there and in no time, there were at least 30 gypsies, from all six gates, hopeful to see the celebrity tigress of TATR. As usual, there were huge speculations among all kinds of visitors, likely the “zoological park type”; “selfie type”; “DSLR type”; “so-called forest and wild life experts”; and the forest guides; gypsy drivers – on what route she would follow to give the “road show”. Every time she was moving her head or shaking her hinge legs, swaying her tail tip to keep away flies - the

excitement was getting multiplied. After one and half hours of suspense, Maya woke up and quickly dissipated deep inside the forest. Such an anti-climax! The jungle is where the silence is profound, lend a keen ear and one can listen to the quietude. One would be ignorant to think, he can witness the mysteries of the jungle unfolding in just couple of hours of a jeep safari. The involvement of Edward James Corbett or Kenneth Anderson with India’s wild was long and persistent, which lasted for decades. Disappearance The 8

th safari started on usual time, at 6:30 AM, towards West, on the way to Telia. On

their way, one male sloth bear was spotted grazing. After realizing human invasion, he hid himself into the camouflage of the forest. However, the crackling sound of movements of heavy paws on twigs and undergrowth were still audible. They waited

34

there for some time. The sloth bear came out after 5-10 minutes briefly and dwindled inside the thick bushes. Guide Sanjay suggested, the bear ought to cross the path, but could not, because of human interference. They decided to wait for few more minutes to ensure his unimpeded passage. Driver Kankesh parked the vehicle at a safe distance from his anticipated route. They waited there for another 45 minutes. But the bear didn’t come out in the open and early morning light did not suffice to take snaps. Meanwhile, strong call was ascertained from Jamni water body. When they arrived at Jamni, already few Gypsies assembled there and reportedly, Choti Tara just crossed the forest path, 2 minutes before. The spotted deer were still giving call. The explorers decided to wait there and were all ears to Sanjay’s story on “False mating”. In September, 2016, Maya was seen mating with Gabbar, Sanjay voiced, Maya was bold enough to engage in such strategic “False Mating”. “False mating” is a mother’s desperate measures to confuse all the male tigers in the forest, in order to save her cubs. Normally one male tiger does not kill his own cubs, but he maneuvers to eliminate other contender’s genes. When a female tiger copulates with multiple male tigers, all her pairs in the forest think, her cubs are actually their offspring and let them to thrive. Some local naturalists think that, Maya’s behavior is actually evidence of a crafty new strategy to safeguard her cubs’ survival: “false mating” exists among many mammals—including bears, lions and bottlenose dolphins—male tigers kill the cubs of their rivals whenever they can, so as to precipitate a new estrus cycle and impregnate the tigress with their own offspring. Tiger moms typically seek to protect their cubs from such a fate for 18 to 24 months, before pushing them out to establish their own territories. (Tiger fathers have no role in raising the young, so no help there.). But the crowded conditions in Tadoba and other Indian national parks are making that increasingly difficult. The ranges of several roving rivals frequently overlap with the dominant males, bringing danger precariously close to vulnerable cubs. According to Bilal Habib, a carnivore researcher at the Wildlife Institute of India, “In high-density areas, where there are more males, the best strategy for a female is to try to leave the cubs early, go with the males, and then go back and look for her litter again,” Habib explains. “A brawl with a male might turn out to be lethal for her and the cubs.” The name “false mating”—which occurs among lions and other species—is a little misleading. It refers to actual sex, just not at the time when a female is able to conceive. (Typically, female tigers go into estrus once every three to nine weeks, and are most likely to conceive during three to six days within that period). Habib’s theory is that, Maya deceived the roving male tigers to placate them and perhaps to make them think, they have successfully impregnated her. Afterwards, she could return back to her cubs, leaving the appeased male none the wiser. Explorers waited there for another 2 hours, and there was no indication of any big cat movement, eventually they left the forest to end that safari at 10:30 AM.

The 9

th safari started in

afternoon at 2:30 PM and the explorers kick-started towards Jamni lake. On the way, another male sloth bear was glimpsed. Immediately after

35

seeing the gypsy, he concealed himself into the dense woods. The explorers started tracking him by the forest path of Aswalhira, covered by heavy bamboo trees and they spotted him again. This time the bear was within 100 meters from their gypsy. He crossed the path and hid inside thick vegetation again. After that not so “sloth”, rather “busy” moments with the bear, the explorers travelled upto Jamni lake, then Tadoba lake, Panderpouni and finally Telia. News emerged that, M6 (TAD) aka Sonam, an adult female tiger was spotted with her sub adult cubs. Already two gypsies were waiting there, and the guide from one of the gypsies asserted them, “Sonam is there, sitting in the grass land”. The grassland of Telia zone is absolutely thick and an ideal hide out for tigers. With little or no effort, the dark stripes on pale fur, breaking up an outline of long slender body, lying in the grassland and well camouflaged – was spotted – the white spots behind the black ears – a characteristic mark of tigers – were also noticed. The presence of the beast was conspicuous, resting in that grass land, but was not obvious, how many of them, one or could be more, an adult or with cubs.

The tiger stood up and started moving, now it was clearly visible even with bare eyes. Sanjay confirmed the striking four-legged to be Sonam. Sonam is part of the famous litter of four very illustrous female cubs, brought up by Madhuri in the Telia Lake area, overseen by their caring father Scarface. She has an S shape mark on her right neck which is noticed easily, but through thick grasses the explorers could not discern that. Sonam became invisible again in the

grasses and the explorers moved towards the fire line, with the hope that she would come out from there. They waited there from 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM, but she was not seen further. They ended the safari there, and while coming out of the forest found one male barking deer crossing the path in front of their gypsy. The last safari of this series was in the morning of 20

th January. They set another goal to spot Sonam and travelled

towards Jamni lake and waited there for 2 hours. There were sporadic calls of peafowl, spotted deer and jungle fowl on seeing of tiger. When the tiger is idle, the calling animals stop at a place and signal. When the alarm call redirects from different places, it implies that the tiger is on the move. Taking into account the motion of the calling animal, the direction the petrified animal signifies, it is easy to trail the movements of the tiger. Birds and animals alert everybody in the forest precisely, if there is a spectre of a tiger. Sometimes, human intrusions alarm Langur and Sambar, but once they recognize human beings, they cease their calls. However, 2 hours of waiting didn’t yield much result and they moved towards Telia lake, but in vain! They concluded their safari at 10:30 AM and retreated to MTDC resort to culminate the series.

End of Story:

The explorations of “Wagh Alaa Patil” discontinued there. While

returning to the comforts of their homes, the explorers were

reminiscing about all the phenomena of the forest in the last week

and the wisdom they are imbibed with. Especially, the story of

36

Roshan who owns a souvenir shop near Kolara gate of TATR.

Once, he worked as a tour guide and also with forest guards for

tree cutting contracts. He used to go inside the forest with daily

wage workers from local villages. Once he was attacked by

Kankrajhuri Male, a famous male tiger of the buffer zone of TATR.

To save his life he climbed up a tree and injured himself.

Thankfully, he was rescued by the forest guards. After that

incident, Roshan was traumatized and decided to cease operating

in the forest and thus, the souvenir shop.

Roshan enlightened us; Kankrajhuri male generally roams in the

buffer zone, where he is seldom defied by human. The tigers in the

buffer zone are more inclined to attack humans, as there is a

scarcity of prey and minimal exposure to mankind.

Definitely the number of tigers is increasing in this so called

“maternity center” of Bengal Tiger in Indian Forests. But the state

of congestion in tiger population, throws TATR at the risk of

aggravating inter and intra species conflict.

The whole series would be memorable for the explorers, as

acquiring knowledge on the behavioral patterns of Bengal Tigers,

the altering traits of tigers in the buffer and core zone; the effect of

space on deriving new survival strategy for female and her cubs.

They also learnt the significance of understanding such

familiarities, to trace those reclusive creatures of Mother Nature.

The explorers endeavored to capture all their experiences in this

report and to promote the biodiversity culture and awareness

among common people; and the explorers of Exploring Nature will

continue to do so.

Till the next exploration bring us together, adieus!

37

Annexure One: The Explorer’s Profile

Dwaipayan Ghosh, Founder Member of Exploring Nature

• Born in Kolkata on 27th

September, 1978 and currently

based out of Hyderabad.

• An Electrical

Engineer by profession and holds

B. Tech in Electrical Engineering

from 2004 batch of University of

Kalyani.

• Has been working for

Construction, Renovation & Modernisation of EHV Electrical Sub-Stations;

Erection, Testing and Commissioning of Power Transformers and

Equipment (Like Transformer, Circuit Breaker, Current Transformer,

Potential Transformer, Isolator, Control & Relay Panels etc.) for last twelve

years.

• Worked for ALSTOM T&D India Limited (Systems Business); Godrej &

Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd. (Electrical Contract Division); and Utility Powertech

Ltd. (A Joint Venture Of Reliance Energy Ltd. & NTPC) etc. Currently

working as Manager – Execution in Genus Power Infrastructure Limited

(ECC Division).

• Holds Certificates in Nature and Wildlife from Wildlife Campus, South

Africa on Digital Wildlife Photography; Anti-Poaching; Birding by

Habitat; Animals Tracks & Signs; Trails Guiding; and Snakes & Reptiles

of Lowveld.

• Participated in about 22 biodiversity expeditions, which include

Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserves, Maharshtra; Jawai Dam and its

surroundings, Rajasthan;Tiger Reserves of Satpura, Pench and Kanha

(Madhya Pradesh); Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary (Karnataka);

Nagarhole National Park (Karnataka); Bandipur National Park

(Karnataka); Eravikulam National Park (Kerala) and Periyar Tiger

Reserve (Kerala); Kaziranga National Park (Assam); Pobitora Wildlife

Sanctuary (Assam); Clouded Leopard National Park/Sipahijala

Wildlife Sanctuary (Tripura); Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary (Tripura);

Bandhabgarh National Park (Madhya Pradesh); Sundarban Tiger

Reserve (West Bengal); Gorumara National Park (West Bengal);

Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary (West Bengal); Mahananda Wildlife

Sanctuary (West Bengal); Rollapadu Wildlife Sanctuary (Andhra

Pradesh); Mahavir Harina Vanasthali National Park (Telangana) – for

Butterfly Photography; Gir National Park (Gujarat); Wild Ass

Sanctuary (Gujrat); and Urban and Sub-Urban Bird Photography in

West Bengal, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh etc.

38

Arnab Basu, Member of Exploring Nature

• Born in Kolkata on 17th

June, 1978 and currently based out

of Bengaluru.

• An Environment, Health

and Safety (EHS) Consultant by

profession and holds B.Sc with

major in Botany and Zoology

from 2000 batch of University of

Calcutta; MBA in Environment

Management from 2004 batch of Indian Institute of Social Welfare and

Business Management (IISWBM), Kolkata; Diploma in Chemical

Engineering and Industrial Safety.

• Has about 12 years of experience in overall management and supervision

of Sustainability, Safety Transformation, Industrial and Construction

Environment, Occupational Health & Safety and Quality Systems;

compliance assessment, assurance, verification and evaluation of EHS

legal requirements and Corporate EHS management system;

implementation, evaluation and assurance of Corporate Sustainability

Reporting and GHG accounting; training and consultancy for Quality,

Health, Safety, Social Accountability and Environmental Management

Systems.

• Worked with National and multinational EHS consultancy farm like

EQMS, Deloitte etc, currently working as Principal Consultant in ERM.

• Has provided consultancy services to a number of major national and

multinational companies including TATA Steel, Shell, Chevron, GAIL,

GSK, Reckitt Benckiser, Boehringer, PEPSI, Raymond, US Pharmacopeia,

Morgan Crucibles, NALCO, Unilever, British Petroleum, Becton

Dickinson, and Vedanta.

• Participated in about 13 biodiversity expeditions, which include

Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve, Maharshtra; Gunug Leuser National

Park, North Sumatra, Indonesia;Tiger Reserves of Satpura, Pench and

Kanha (Madhya Pradesh); Kruger National Park in South Africa,

Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary (Karnataka); Nagarhole National Park

(Karnataka); Bandipur National Park (Karnataka); Eravikulam

National Park (Kerala) and Periyar Tiger Reserve (Kerala); Pobitora

Wildlife Sanctuary (Assam); Gir National Park (Gujrat); Wild Ass

Sanctuary (Gujrat); and Biodiversity study of Ghatshila and Jhargram

(West Bengal), Araku Valley and Vizag Port (Andhra Pradesh), Forest

of Bankura and Midnapore (West Bengal) etc.

• Conducted assessment of urban and sub urban biodiversity at Kolkata,

Salt Lake Wetland, South Bengal (West Bengal).

• Conducted Study on Joint Forest Management and Wild Life in South

West Bengal under the supervision of Department of Forest, Govt. of

West Bengal and under the joint guidance of Environment

*Management department of IISWBM and National Afforestation and

Eco-development Board, Govt. of India.

39

Subhashish Panja, Member of Exploring Nature

• Born in Kolkata on 1st

December, 1977 and currently

based out of Mumbai.

• An engineer by profession

holding Diploma in Mechanical

Engineering

• Currently working as

Procurement Specialist in energy

sector with an US MNC in

Mumbai

• Has been working in energy sector for about 15 years now in various

capacities including Gas Turbine Maintenance, Power Plant

Operations, Supply Chain and Contract Management.

• An enthusiast in wildlife expeditions.

• Participated in tours to Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve, Maharshtra;

Sundarban, Bauxa Forests etc.

40

Annexure Two: The Journey Itinerary

Day One (Saturday, 14thJanuary):

• 0800 Hours: Started from Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport,

Nagpur

• 1000 Hours: Reached at Kolara camp (Safari Hotel), Chimur

• 1300 Hours: Lunch

• 1430 Hours to 1830 Hours: Afternoon Safari at Kolara Gate Buffer zone

• 2000 Hours: Dinner

• 2100 Hours to 2300 Hours: Data logging, species profiling, photo

processing

Day Two (Sunday, 15th January):

• 0630 to 1000 Hours: Morning Safari at Kolara Gate Core zone

• 1100 Hours: Breakfast


• 1430 Hours to 1830 Hours: Afternoon Safari at Kolara gate Core zone


• 2100 Hours to 2300 Hours: Species Profiling, Data logging for the day,

photo processing, book keeping

Day Three (Monday, 16th January):

• 0630 to 1000 Hours: Morning Safari at Kolara Gate Core zone



• 1430 Hours to 1830 Hours: Afternoon Safari at Kolara gate Core zone




Day Four (Tuesday, 17th January):

• 0900 Hours : Started from Chimur to Moharli Gate

• 1105 Hours: Reached at MTDC Resort near Moharli gate


• 1900 to 2200 Hours: Travel from Moharli gate to Chandrapur and back

through forest road and dinner

Day Five (Wednesday, 18th January):

• 0600 to 1030 Hours: Morning Safari at Moharli Gate Core zone



• 1430 Hours to 1830 Hours: Afternoon Safari at Moharli gate Core zone




Day Six (Thursday, 19th January):



41


• 1430 Hours to 1830 Hours: Afternoon Safari at Moharli gate Core zone




Day Seven (Friday, 20th January):



• 1200 Hours: MTDC Moharli to Chandrapur Railway Station by Road

42

Annexure Three: List of Species Identified

Sl. Name of

Species

Scientific Name Date and

Location

IUCN

Conservation

Status

Justification

1. Indian Darter Anhinga melangoster 14th to 20th January,

Tadoba Lake

Near Threatened

ver 3.1

This species is classified

as Near Threatened

because its population is

suspected to be in

moderately rapid

decline owing to

pollution, drainage,

hunting and the

collection of eggs and

nestlings.

2. Little Cormorant Phalacrocorax niger 14th to 20th January,

Tadoba Lake

Least Concern ver

3.1

3. Greater Egret Casmerodius albus 16th to 20th January,

Tadoba Lake

Least Concern ver

3.1

4. Intermediate Egret Mesophoyx intermedia 18th January, Tadoba

Lake

Least Concern ver

3.1

5. Little Egret Egretta garzetta 16th to 20th January,

Tadoba Lake

Least Concern ver

3.1

6. Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis 16th to 20th January,

Tadoba Lake

Least Concern ver

3.1

7. Purple Heron Ardea purpurea 15th January, Tadoba

Lake

Least Concern ver

3.1

8. Indian Pond Heron Ardeola grayii 15th and 19th January,

Tadoba

Least Concern ver

3.1

9. Woolly-necked Stork Ciconia episcopus 16th January, Tadoba

Lake

Vulnerable

A2cd+3cd+4cd ver

3.1

This newly split species

is listed as Vulnerable

because it is suspected

to be undergoing a rapid

population decline

owing mainly to habitat

loss and persecution.

10. White Stork Ciconia ciconia 17th January, Irai river Least Concern ver

3.1

11. Painted Stork Mycteria leucocephala 17th January, Irai river Near Threatened

ver 3.1

Although one of the

most abundant of the

Asian storks, this species

is classified as Near

Threatened because it is

thought to be

undergoing a

moderately rapid

population decline

owing primarily to

hunting, wetland

drainage and pollution.

12. Black-headed Ibis Threskiornis

melanocephalus

15th to 20th January,

Tadoba Lake

Near

Threatened ver 3.1

In common with most

large wetland species in

Asia, this species is

thought to be

undergoing a

population reduction,

which is suspected to be

moderately rapid. It

faces the full gambit of

threats, from hunting

and disturbance at

breeding colonies to

drainage and conversion

of foraging habitats to

agriculture. It

consequently qualifies

43

Sl. Name of

Species


Location

IUCN

Conservation

Status

Justification

as Near Threatened.

However in some areas

the species is increasing

and further information

is required to ascertain

whether the population

as a whole is decreasing

less rapidly than

currently suspected.

Evidence to demonstrate

this could result in the

species being

downlisted to a lower

threat category.

13. Black Ibis Pseudibis papillosa 15th and 19th January,

Tadoba

Least Concern ver

3.1

14. Lesser Whistling Duck Dendrocygna javanica 16th to 20th January,

Tadoba Lake Least Concern ver

3.1

15. Oriental Honey-

buzzard

Pernis ptilorhynchus 15th and 19th January,

Tadoba

Least Concern ver

3.1

16. Black-shouldered Kite Elanus caeruleus 15th and 19th January,

Tadoba

Least Concern ver

3.1

17. White-eyed Buzzard Butastur teesa 15th January, Tadoba Least Concern ver

3.1

18. Changeable Hawk

Eagle

Spizaetus cirrhatus 15th January, Tadoba Least Concern ver

3.1

19. Painted Spurfowl Galloperdix lunulata 16th to 20th January,

Tadoba

Least Concern ver

3.1

20. Small Buttonquail Turnix sylvatica 16th January, Tadoba Least Concern ver

3.1

21. Indian Peafowl Pavo cristatus 15th to 20th January,

Tadoba

Least Concern ver

3.1

22. Grey Jungle Fowl Gallus sonneratti 14th to 20th January,

Tadoba

Least Concern ver

3.1

23. White-breasted

waterhen

Amaurornis phoenicurus 15th January, at Water

body number 1, Tadoba

Least Concern ver

3.1

24. Bronze-winged Jacana Matopidius indicus 16th to 20th January,

Tadoba Lake

Least Concern ver

3.1

25. Red-wattled Lapwing Vanellus indicus 16th to 19th January,

Tadoba

Least Concern ver

3.1

26. Grey Headed Fish

eagle

Icthyophaga ichthyaetus 16th January, Tadoba Near Threatened

ver 3.1

Although widespread,

this species is now only

locally common and

may have a moderately

small population, which

is thought to be

undergoing a

moderately rapid

population reduction

owing to habitat

degradation, pollution

and over-fishing. It is

therefore classified as

Near Threatened as it

almost qualifies for

listing under criteria

A2cd+3cd+4cd;C1+2a(i).

27. Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus 18th January, Tadoba Least Concern ver

3.1

28. Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinesis 14th to 20th January,

Tadoba

Least Concern ver

3.1

29. Plum-headed Parakeet Psittacula cyanocephala 14th to 20th January,

Tadoba

Least Concern ver

3.1

44

Sl. Name of

Species


Location

IUCN

Conservation

Status

Justification

30. Rose-ringed Parakeet Psittacula krameri 14th to 20th January,

Tadoba

Least Concern ver

3.1

31. Southern Coucal Centropus sinensis

parroti

14th to 20th January,

Tadoba

Least Concern ver

3.1

32. Brown Fish Owl Ketupa flavipes 18th and 20th January,

Tadoba

Least Concern ver

3.1

33. Asian Palm Swift Cypsiurus balasiensis 14th to 20th January,

Tadoba

Least Concern ver

3.1

34. Indian Roller Coracias bengalensis 14th to 20th January,

Tadoba

Least Concern ver

3.1

35. Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis 16th and 19th January,

Tadoba

Least Concern ver

3.1

36. White-throated

Kingfisher

Halcyon smyrnrnsis 14th to 20th January,

Tadoba

Least Concern ver

3.1

37. Common Kingfisher Alcedo hercules 14th to 20th January,

Tadoba

Near Threatened

ver 3.1

This species exists at

naturally low numbers,

as a result of its narrow

habitat requirements,

thus it may have a

moderately small

population, and is likely

to be declining as a

result of habitat loss and

fragmentation

throughout its range. It

is therefore listed as

Near Threatened.

38. Green Bee-eater Merops orientalis 14th to 20th January,

Tadoba

Least Concern ver

3.1

39. Brown-capped Pygmy

Woodpecker

Dendrocopos nanus 20th January, Tadoba Least Concern ver

3.1

40. Black-hooded Oriole Oriolus xanthornus 18th January, Tadoba Least Concern ver

3.1

41. Ashy-crowned

Sparrow Lark

Ermopterix grisea 16th January, Tadoba Least Concern ver

3.1

42. Rufous-tailed Lark Ammomanes

phoenicurus

16th January, Tadoba Least Concern ver

3.1

43. Black Drongo Dicrurus macrocercus 14th to 20th January,

Tadoba

Least Concern ver

3.1

44. Greater Racket-tailed

Drongo

Dicrurus paradiseus 14th to 20th January,

Tadoba

Least Concern ver

3.1

45. Long-tailed Shrike Lanius schach 18th January Least Concern ver

3.1

46. Common Myna Acridotheres tristis 14th to 20th January,

Tadoba

Least Concern ver

3.1

47. Rufous Treepie Dendrocitta vagabunda 14th to 20th January,

Tadoba

Least Concern ver

3.1

48. House Crow Corvus splendens 14th to 20th January,

Tadoba

Least Concern ver

3.1

49. Large-billed Crow Corvus macrorhynchos 14th to 20th January,

Tadoba

Least Concern ver

3.1

50. Red-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus cafer 14th to 20th January,

Tadoba

Least Concern ver

3.1

51. Jungle Babbler Turdoides striatus 14th to 20th January,

Tadoba

Least Concern ver

3.1

52. Tickell’s Blue

Flycatcher

Cyornis banyumas 16th January, Tadoba Least Concern ver

3.1

53. White-browed

Flycatcher

Rhipidura areola 16th January, Tadoba Least Concern ver

3.1

54. Oriental Magpie

Robin

Copsychus malabaricus 14th to 20th January,

Tadoba

Least Concern ver

3.1

55. Indian Robin Saxicoloides fulicata 14th to 20th January,

Tadoba

Least Concern ver

3.1

45

Sl. Name of

Species


Location

IUCN

Conservation

Status

Justification

56. Common Stonechat Saxicola torquata 16th January, Tadoba Least Concern ver

3.1

57. Pied Bushchat Saxicola caprata 16th January, Tadoba Least Concern ver

3.1

58. Paddyfield Pipit Anthus rufulus 15th and 18th January,

Tadoba

Least Concern ver

3.1

59. Oriental White-eye Zosterops palpebrosus 14th to 20th January,

Tadoba

Least Concern ver

3.1

60. House Sparrow Passer domesticus 14th to 20th January,

Tadoba

Least Concern ver

3.1

61. Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus 16th January, Tadoba Least Concern ver

3.1

62. Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus 16th January, Tadoba Least Concern ver

3.1

63. Yellow-footed Green

Pegion

Treron phoenicopetra 15th and 18th January,

Tadoba

Least Concern ver

3.1

64. White-bellied Drongo Dicrurus caerulescens 15th and 18th January,

Tadoba

Least Concern ver

3.1

65. Jungle Prinia Prinia sylvatica 15th January, Tadoba Least Concern ver

3.1

66. Common Hoopoe Upupa epops 14th January, Tadoba Least Concern ver

3.1

67. Eurasian Collard

Dove

Streptopelia decaocto 14th to 20th January,

Tadoba

Least Concern ver

3.1

68. Temminck's stint Calidris temminckii 15th and 18th January,

Tadoba

Least Concern ver

3.1

69. Russel’s Viper Daboia russelii 15th January, on village

road to chimur

Least Concern ver

3.1

70. Marsh crocodile Crocodylus palustris 15th to 20th January,

Tadoba lake

Vulnerable A2cd

ver 3.1

A past population

decline of 30% over

three generations (75

years) has been inferred

due to direct

observations of declines

in abundance,

reductions in range and

habitat quality and

extirpation from part of

the range. These

declines, due to threats

such as habitat

destruction and illegal

poaching, are now

thought to have stopped

with populations

generally stable or

recovering. Total global

population estimated at

less than 8,700 non-

hatchlings and overall

stable and increasing

although continuing

decline is reported in

some areas, populations

are restricted between

drainages, regions and

countries and not in

contact- therefore

fragmented and no

single population

estimated to be more

than 1,000 mature

individuals. An

46

Sl. Name of

Species


Location

IUCN

Conservation

Status

Justification

assessment of

Vulnerable under

criterion A2cd has

therefore been made for

Crocodylus palustris.

71. Common Skink Sphenomorphus aruensis 18th January at MTDC

resort

Least Concern ver

3.1

72. Northern Plains

Langur (pride)

Semnopithecus entellus 14th to 20th January,

Tadoba

Least Concern ver

3.1

73. Indian or Red Muntjac

(male)

Muntiacus muntjak 19th January, Tadoba Least Concern ver

3.1

74. Sambar (herds) Rusa unicolor 14th to 20th January,

Tadoba

Vulnerable

A2cd+3cd+4cd ver

3.1

Sambar is listed as

Vulnerable through

sustained declines

across its range. These

vary in severity between

regions, and in some

areas considerably

exceed the threshold for

Vulnerable. In the last

three generations (taken

to be 24–30 years),

declines in mainland

South-east Asia (Viet

Nam, Lao PDR,

Thailand, Cambodia,

Myanmar, Malaysia),

Bangladesh, and

possibly Borneo and

Sumatra have exceeded

50%, probably by a

substantial margin.

Despite this Sambar

remains common in

some localized logged,

unprotected areas on

Borneo, such as the

Hose Mountains of

Sarawak (where a

national park is

proposed but not yet

enforced), but only

where human access is

difficult. The overall

decline rate in India has

been less, given the

presence of large

populations in a fair

number of well-secured

protected areas which

have probably remained

stable, but a decline rate

averaging 30% is

reasonable in India

outside these areas (i.e.

in the less effective

protected areas and

outside the protected

areas network), and in

Sri Lanka and Nepal.

The situation in China is

unclear as in some areas,

for example Hainan,

population recovery

47

Sl. Name of

Species


Location

IUCN

Conservation

Status

Justification

may be occurring, whilst

major declines in other

regions may have taken

place prior to the 24–30

year assessment

window; the population

on Taiwan appears to be

relatively stable.

Although declines seem

to be reversing very

locally in a few sites,

these numbers are a

very small proportion of

the whole population.

There is no indication

that declines will, at the

species level, slow until

populations are

extinguished outside

well-secured protected

areas, which currently

comprise only a small

proportion of protected

areas holding the

species. Current trends

of wild meat and antler

marketing in South-east

Asia and China suggest

declines have probably

sped up in some areas

especially Lao PDR,

Cambodia and Viet

Nam. Since the 2008

assessment trends in

wildlife exploitation and

natural habitat

conversion in mainland

Southeast Asia, have if

anything increased, thus

although the relative

size of the Southeast

Asian population

subcomponent has

probably decreased

compared with that in

South Asia, the rate of

decline has probably

increased. The global

population trend is still

considered to be a

decline somewhere

between 30 and 50 %

over three generations,

for the past, present and

future. The fact that

Sambar is at least locally

common in a number of

high profile protected

areas, such as Khao Yai

National Park, Thailand

and Cat Tien National

Park, Viet Nam, and is

commonly kept captive

and proliferates in

48

Sl. Name of

Species


Location

IUCN

Conservation

Status

Justification

menageries in the

region, was probably a

significant factor in the

failure to recognize the

plight of the species

prior to the 2008

reassessment. These

same factors no doubt

still to some degree

cloud the issue.

75. Spotted Deer (herds) Axis axis 15th to 20th January,

Tadoba

Least Concern ver

3.1

76. Gaur (herds) Bos gaurus 14th to 20th January,

Tadoba

Vulnerable

A2cd+3cd+4cd ver

3.1

The Gaur qualifies as

Vulnerable under

criterion A (VU

A2cd+3cd+4cd). The

population decline in

parts of its range

especially Indochina and

Malaysia, perhaps also

Myanmar and China, is

likely to be well over

70% over the last three

generations (generation

length estimated at 8-10

years), whereas in India

and Nepal the overall

decline rate is

considerably lower. This

reflects that in the

various reasonably well-

protected areas, and a

small number of animals

in some non-protected

areas where they are

protected for cultural

reasons, population

trends are stable, and in

a few areas which have

been neglected but are

the focus of improved

protection, populations

are rebuilding. Karanth

et al. (2010) estimated

average local extinction

rates of Gaur

distribution at 60% over

past 50 years in India

with the rates varying

from 7% from

reasonably protected

habitats to a high of 98%

from unprotected

habitats. The global

distribution of the Gaur

has reduced by over

80% in past 100 years

and Gaur is now mostly

limited to habitats

within protected areas

(Groves and Grubb

2011). Weighting these

by population size gives

an overall decline of at

49

Sl. Name of

Species


Location

IUCN

Conservation

Status

Justification

least 30% over the last

three generations.

Similar reductions are

projected, largely

because the causative

factors (especially wild

meat hunting and

hunting for the trade in

horns in Southeast Asia,

habitat loss and hunting

for meat in South Asia)

are still operative.

Although the proportion

of the global population

which is in relatively

well protected habitats

in India is increasing,

and thus the averaged

global decline rate ought

to decrease, an ongoing

decline of 30% (in the

next three generations)

or more is adjudged

likely. The recent history

in Malaysia proves that

directed Gaur poaching

can induce rapid

declines in regions

previously judged

relatively safe. Poaching

in Malaysia is

undertaken by

international gangs and

it is likely that once

returns in Malaysia drop

they will move to other

countries, though there

is no evidence for this

yet; the patterns in other

high-value species in

more advanced declines

(e.g. southeast Asian

otters) indicate that

incursion even to

southern India is likely.

The species could

potentially qualify for

Vulnerable under

criterion C, although

there are not enough

quantitative data

available.

77. Nilgai (male) Boselaphus tragocamelus 14th January, Tadoba Least Concern ver

3.1

78. Four-Horned

Antelope (male)

Tetraserus quadricornis 14th January, Tadoba Least Concern ver

3.1

79. Indian Wild

Boar(herds)

Sus scrofa 14th to 20th January,

Tadoba

Least Concern ver

3.1

80. Bengal Tiger (male,

female, sub-adult cub)

Panthera tigris tigris 15th, 16th, 18th and 19th

January, Tadoba

Endangered

A2abcd; C1 ver 3.1

The Tiger is listed as

Endangered under

criterion A2abcd.

Comparing a breeding

recent range estimate (42

“source sites” totalling

50

Sl. Name of

Species


Location

IUCN

Conservation

Status

Justification

90,000 km² : Walston et

al. 2010b) to a 2006 total

range estimate (1.1

million km² : Dinerstein

et al. 2007) suggests a

range decline much

greater than 50% over

the last three

generations (7 x 3 = 21

years). As per IUCN

guidelines (Nowell et al.

2007, IUCN 2013), we

calculated generation

length at seven years

based on approximate

age of maturity (four

years) plus half the

length of the

reproductive lifespan

(six years) (based on

Smith and McDougal

1991 and unpublished

information). This

decline continues and at

least two of the source

populations listed in

Walston et al. (2010b)

have apparently been

lost (one from Lao PDR

and one from Thailand).

In 2006, it was believed

that breeding

populations existed in

13 countries, but now

known breeding Tiger

populations occur only

in eight (Bangladesh,

Bhutan, India,

Indonesia, Malaysia,

Nepal, Thailand and

Russia).

In 1998, the global Tiger

population was

estimated at 5,000 to

7,000 Tigers

(Seidensticker et al.

1999). A comparison of

these population

estimates of the 1990s

(many with little

scientific rigour) to

similar current ones

(many of better quality;

see Table 1 in attached

Supporting Material)

suggests a decline of

about 50% (taking the

upper bound of 7,000 as

the number of mature

individuals in 1993,

using a precautionary

approach, declining to

approximately 3,500 in

51

Sl. Name of

Species


Location

IUCN

Conservation

Status

Justification

2014), but differences in

methodologies and

accuracy make such

comparisons uncertain.

This declining trend is

likely to persist in the

face of continuing

threats such as direct

poaching, prey

depletion and habitat

degradation which

continue in all range

states. Although several

sites in India and Nepal

have indeed reported

recent recoveries,

population reductions

may not be reversible in

other areas where Tiger

habitat itself has been

lost. Given the

uncertainties about

future declines, criterion

A4bcd is no longer used.

The Tiger is also listed

as Endangered under

criterion C1 because the

population of mature

individuals may be

fewer than 2,500

individuals. Walston et

al. 2010a estimated 2,154

tigers in 42 protected

source sites where there

is evidence of breeding

(two populations are

since known to have

been lost, as described

above), and the numbers

in Table 1 (see

Supporting material)

could be overestimated.

Generally Tiger status

outside the source sites

is poor and large

breeding populations

are unlikely to exist. To

ensure tiger persistence,

large population sizes

(implying highest

possible densities) and

high survival rates of

breeding adult females

are critical. Although

well-protected tiger

populations may

achieve recruitment

rates that can sustain

annual losses from

mortality and

emigration of 20% or

more (Karanth et al.

2006), some theoretical

52

Sl. Name of

Species


Location

IUCN

Conservation

Status

Justification

models suggest declines

to extinction when

annual mortality of

breeding females

exceeds 15% (Chapron

et al. 2008). Population

declines in recent years

have been most

pronounced outside

protected areas (Walston

et al. 2010b). For the

purposes of Red List

assessment, the

estimated population in

Source Sites is a good

proxy for the breeding

population of adult

Tigers. This population

has declined by over

20% during the last two

generations (14 years);

the decline continues

and may not be

reversible in all sites.

Previously, Tigers were

also listed under

criterion C2a(i), but we

have removed this

criterion because the

population in the

Western Ghats in India

has increased to >250

adults (Karanth

unpublished data).

Other subpopulations in

Terai, Central India, and

Russia may also have

>250 adults (Karanth et

al. 2010).

81. Common Palm Civet Paradoxurus

hemaphroditus 17th January, on the way

between MTDC resort

and Chandrapur town

Least Concern ver

3.1

82. Ruddy Mongoose Herpestes smithii 16th January on the

village road to forest

and 19th January at

Tadoba

Least Concern ver

3.1

83. Sloth Bear Melursus ursinus 19th January, Tadoba Vulnerable A3c ver

3.1

There are no reliable

large-scale population

estimates for Sloth

Bears, nor any reliable

large-scale estimates of

population change.

Since the total occupied

area in India has been

variously estimated at

between 200,000 km²

(Johnsingh 2003, Akhtar

et al. 2004, Chauhan

2006) and 400,000 km²

(Sathyakumar et al.

2012), or even more

(Puri et al. 2015), it is

impossible to gauge

53

Sl. Name of

Species


Location

IUCN

Conservation

Status

Justification

population trend from

changes in occupied

area. However, there is,

throughout most of the

range, a clear trend in

deterioration of habitat,

which has caused Sloth

Bear populations to

decline (Akhtar and

Chauhan 2008). This

deterioration in habitat

is expected to accelerate

in the future.

Habitat outside of

protected areas is under

severe and growing

pressure due to

demands for natural

resources and the ever

increasing populations

of both humans and

livestock in the region

(Akhtar et al. 2006a).

This problem is

compounded by many

factors including that in

India, where the vast

majority of Sloth Bear

habitat is located: 1) the

per capita forest area is

only one-tenth of the

world’s average; 2) there

is a demand–supply gap

for construction timber

leading to over-

harvesting and

degradation of natural

ecosystems; 3) an

estimated 78% of forests

are subjected to heavy

grazing causing

degradation of forest

habitat; and 4) vast

stretches of forest are

still diverted for a

variety of

developmental and

infrastructural projects

(Ministry of

Environment and

Forests, Government of

India 2009). The Food

and Agriculture

Organization of the

United Nations (FAO

2015) reported that India

had a 0.3% rate increase

of forest area during

2010-2015, due to

afforestation. However,

the type and location of

all the forest planted is

unspecified. Much of

54

Sl. Name of

Species


Location

IUCN

Conservation

Status

Justification

this afforestation effort

is occurring in more

urban areas and it is not

known how much is

accessible to Sloth Bears.

The human population

growth in India is

presently the greatest

threat to Sloth Bears. It

drives the loss and

degradation of habitat

and is likely the cause

for growing human-bear

conflicts in the country.

The population of India

is expected to increase

by 366,000,000 people

(roughly 30%) over the

next 30 years (US

Census bureau,

International database

http://www.census.gov

/population/internation

al/data/idb/informatio

nGateway.php). This

extraordinary

population growth is

likely to have major

direct and indirect

impacts on Sloth Bear

populations, especially

those existing outside

protected areas. The

human population

growth of India is

particularly alarming

because 90-95%of the

range of Sloth Bears is in

India. Likewise,

Ratnayeke et al. (2007)

predicted a future

decline in Sloth Bear

numbers in Sri Lanka

due to burgeoning

human densities and

commensurate habitat

deterioration and

increasing conflicts.

The recent extirpation of

Sloth Bears in

Bangladesh (Islam et al.

2013) highlights serious

concerns over

persistence of small,

isolated Sloth Bear

populations, especially

outside of protected

areas, where half or

more of the populations

exist. Sloth Bears are

particularly vulnerable

to loss of habitat because

55

Sl. Name of

Species


Location

IUCN

Conservation

Status

Justification

of their reliance on

lowland areas, which

tend to be the places

most readily used and

developed by people.

Moreover, the

aggressiveness of this

species makes them

incompatible with high

human populations

(Ratnayeke et al. 2014).

Given the lack of

effective measures to

control the rate of

habitat loss and

exploitation, Sloth Bear

populations are

expected to continue

declining, at an

increasing rate, resulting

in a >30% loss over the

next 30 years (three

generations).

84. Southern Tree Shrew Anathana ellioti 15th January, Tadoba Least Concern ver

3.1

85. Five-Striped Palm

Squirrel

Funambulus pennatii 14th to 20th January,

Tadoba

Least Concern ver

3.1

86. Common Crow

Butterfly

Euploea core 15thJanuary, Tadoba Least Concern ver

3.1

87. Common Rose

Butterfly

Pachliopta aristolochiae 15thJanuary, Tadoba Least Concern ver

3.1

88. Common Grass

yellow

Eurema hecabe 16thJanuary, Tadoba Least Concern ver

3.1

89. Danaid Eggfly Hypolimnas misippus 16th January, Tadoba Least Concern ver

3.1

90. Common Jazebel Delias eucharis 16th January, Tadoba Least Concern ver

3.1

91. Common Lime

butterfly

Papilio demoleus 16thJanuary, Tadoba Least Concern ver

3.1

92. Mottled Immigrant 19th January, Tadoba Least Concern ver

3.1

93. Orange tip Anthocharis cardamines 19th January, Tadoba Least Concern ver

3.1

56

Annexure Four: Reference

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/

2. http://www.iucnredlist.org/

3. https://www.tigernation.org

4. https://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in/

5. http://www.openthemagazine.com/article/india/tadoba-s-bloody-

trails

6. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Tourists-make-a-

beeline-for-Maya-as-Tadoba-shuts-many-

routes/articleshow/50469502.cms

7. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/sorry-tiger-dudes-

your-ladies-are-faking-it-2-180959731/

8. Birds of Indian Subcontinent – 2nd edition

9. Birds of India by Krys Kuzmierczal; illustared by Ber Van Perlo

10. The Book of Indian Animals by S.H. Praler

11. The Book of Indian Reptiles and Amphibians by J.C. Daniel

12. Indian Mammals by V. K. Menon

13. Plant Species by H. P. Sharma

14. Jungle Trees of Central India, by Pradip Krishen

15. Flowering Trees – Shrubs and climbers of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka,

Bhutan and Nepal by Rupinder Khullar

16. Maharashtra Unlimited – Volume 5 – Issue 1 – Vidarbha special –

publication of Maharashtra Tourism

17. Trailing the Tiger by Atul Dhamankar

T54 aka Matkasur at Tadoba Lake - Exploring Nature Series... · 2017-03-02 · 1 T54 aka Matkasur...

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Transcript of T54 aka Matkasur at Tadoba Lake - Exploring Nature Series... · 2017-03-02 · 1 T54 aka Matkasur...