October 2010 – Melagiris

Urigam Ground Survey – January 2010

A couple of months back I had registered with KANS(Kenneth Anderson Nature Society) as a volunteer. Never thought they’ll respond but they did, two months later. Got a mail asking me to come for a ground survey of Urigam, a place in the Melagiri range of the Hosur forest division. So off I went on a friday evening (left early from office), got picked up by a couple of guys who were going there by car. Reached Ancheti forest guest house by 8 in the night.

After exchanging pleasantries with the rest of the group(14 volunteers), we were briefed on our itinerary for the next day. We were divided into teams of two and would be accompanied by a forest guard during our hike through the forest. My teammate was a girl who was working with Infosys. We were given data sheets on which we had to record the data pertaining to direct and indirect evidences (direct-sighting or hearing animals; indirect-pug/hoof marks, scat/droppings etc.), covers to collect samples(in case of scat/droppings) and GPS(Global Positioning System) to record the exact spot where we found evidences. We had to collect these data while walking along a pre-decided trail. So everything set, we guys finally crashed for the day at almost 12 in the night, on the veranda, chivalrously offering the sole room to the two ladies in the group. I did have second thoughts about giving away the room as it started getting inexorably cold a few hours into the sleep.

Next morning saw us awake by 4:30 and getting ready quickly to set off from the guest house to our respective drop points. My team reached our start point finally at 6:30. We started with the forest guard assigned to us. The guard told me that our trek would be around 12 kilometers which I think was true coz we reached our extraction point only by 12:30 and it did seem like a good hike. Just at the start of our trail I saw a Crested Serpent Eagle, to me it was like a good omen, which would make my hike eventful. Spirits up, we kept moving forward. The first indirect evidences were hoof marks of Wild pigs(Sus scrofa) and Elephant(Elephas maximus) dung at an almost dry waterhole. Then we came across scat of Civet(unsure of the species) which I had to collect. Whoa! what am I talking about, pick up shit?! Yup, thats exactly what I had to do and I did it without a second thought; but then again ensured that I did it in the most hygienic way possible. I put my hand into one of the plastic covers they had given for sample collection and picked up the scat and then turned the cover inside out which made sure that I did not have direct contact with the scat but at the same time it ended up in the cover. After enthusiastically collecting this great piece of evidence, I realized the lack of a bag to carry it. So off went the cover full of scat into my army green cargo’s knee pocket. Then took out the GPS, took a reading and recorded the observations on the data sheet. Later we found a lot of Elephant dung and scat of Wild Dogs/Dhole(Cuon alpinus). The Wild Dog’s scats were quickly collected. Wild dog’s scat is identifiable by the presence of hair(hair of its unfortunate prey). Then we also came across droppings of Bonnet Macaque(Macaca radiata) and Sloth Bear(Melursus ursinus). We also came across a strange scat which the guard claimed was of Wild dogs but I had doubts as it was completely white and without hair, which resembled that of a Striped Hyena(Hyaena hyaena). Anyway to clear doubts, this too was appropriately collected and recorded. During our hike we also found tracks of Sambar(Cervus unicolor), Spotted Deer(Axis axis) and also Sloth Bear. These were photographed like those of the wild pigs. Direct sightings of mammals during the entire hike consisted of only two- Hanuman Langur(Semnopithecus entellus), a troop of which were seen across a valley on another hill and a Spotted Deer doe. Other than mammals quite a few birds were also spotted. Happy with the data sheet being filled reasonably, we reached our extraction point to meet organizers. I excitedly told them about our experiences as to what we had seen and collected. Later during the day we met the other teams and discussed our findings. Some teams had found Leopard(Panthera pardus) scats and pug marks while others had seen Jackals(Canis aureus).

For that night, we were to camp at an Anti-Poaching Camp at Uganiyam, near the Cauvery river. On the other side of the river was Karnataka. The Karnataka side seemed better forested and the tell tale evidences of humans were less as it was a sanctuary whereas the Tamil Nadu side was only a reserve forest. The river bank in one area was littered with plastic left behind by Pilgrims who had come to a temple there for a festival; the sight was heart-breaking! Anyway did some light birding in the vicinity for a couple of hours while waiting for the other teams to arrive. During which time a couple of people went on a coracle ride and spotted the Smooth River Otters(Lutrogale perspicillata)!! After everyone got back, we settled down at the Anti-Poaching camp at Uganiyam. Here we chatted and cracked jokes and spent our time till around 12 in the night. Then some of us slept inside the camp building(me included), while others slept in their respective vehicles and some others, outdoors.

Early next day, I got up and did some birding with a guy who was doing project(MSc project) on birds. While birding we also saw a group of 4 Wild Pigs bounding away after hearing us. Soon after the birding, I handed over the data sheets, photographs and the samples to the organizers. I explained in detail whatever I had seen and collected. That brought my survey to a close. I was happy, elated and felt like I was in the air because I felt I had accomplished something; I had finished a task I was entrusted with, a task that I was more than happy undertaking…

Check out this article on Cauvery forests- http://www.flonnet.com/fl2626/stories/20100101262606400.htm
Arun also blogs at Idle Mind.

Wildlife week celebration by KANS in Hosur Forest Division

Day 01, 09/10/2010 – Nature Camp

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

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

The students, a total of 9 each from the 2 schools were picked up from the Sishya School. On reaching Aiyur they were immediately taken to a short walk on the road leading to the Samieri lake from the camp. During the walk the students were made to listen to the various sounds of the forest and appreciate the diversity of creature that have made these forests their home. The students were briefed about spiders, birds, trees and the various animals that are found.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And the team..

Threats to Melagiri forests

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A night at Rasimanal Watchtower

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Melagiri

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Synchronized Tiger Census In Hosur Forest Division – Feb 2010

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Watch tower at Aiyur guest house

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

Flame of the forest tree

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

Sameri Lake

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

Gutherayan silhouette from Spider valley

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

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

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

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

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

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