by Aline Dobbie
“The Gir sanctuary lies to the south west of Gujarat state, covering an area of approximately 1540 square miles. At least 65% of the forest is covered with teak trees and the rest with ber, Flame of the Forest and acacia, sprinkled with the occasional banyan tree. On our visit, most of the leaves were falling from the trees but it still made visibility into the forest very difficult.
There are occasions when the lions come onto the tracks, but they are now few and far between as there are still a lot of cattle herders called Maldharis, who live within the forest, and in turn they and their cattle drive the lions deeper into the forest. The cattle form a very substantial part of the lion’s food, which makes sightings of sambhar, chital and nilgai more difficult as the herdsmen’s cattle push the lions’ wild prey further in as well.
The bird life is abundant, and we were lucky to see fish-owl, black vulture, Bonelli’s eagle and stork, to name but a few, all in beautiful settings especially around the Kamaleshwar dam, which is a very peaceful place to see the birds and huge crocodiles that bask in the sun on the banks.
Julie and I were fortunate enough to see five leopards in our time there. One was just sitting about ten feet from the road relaxing in the morning sunshine. This particular leopard we were able to photograph really well and in close up but the others were some distance away though very visible through binoculars.
Lion sightings were more elusive. There are approximately 327 lions in the sanctuary but it is very difficult to see them. After three safaris, we were just about to admit defeat, when our driver/guide met up with some forest rangers, who were his good friends. They all had quite a discussion and the upshot of that was that having pooled their knowledge they were able to get us within twenty feet of a huge male lion relaxing in the afternoon sunshine. We even went back later in the afternoon to see him and, by that time, he had been joined by another male lion that was sitting behind a bush about 15 to 18 feet away from us; it was a fantastic moment. The following day, we were able to see two lionesses which had just made a kill and we were only about 18 feet away. This was truly marvellous.
On the third day, they took us again to see the same two lionesses, but they had moved into a dip on the side of a hill, we were actually only 15 feet away when they popped their heads up to look at us; it was a heart-stopping moment. It was really marvellous to be so close to those magnificent animals, they are far prettier than the African lions, but with shorter and darker manes. The rangers are not permitted to carry guns, all they have are large sticks, but they go into the forest every day to keep an eye on the lions. If a lion kills one of the Maldharis’ cattle the owners are compensated.
I would imagine that a lot of visitors would be very disappointed as ‘lion sightings’ are very few and far between. The forest itself is a beautiful and tranquil place and it is indeed lovely just driving around, even when one is not lucky enough to see many animals. Unfortunately, both our cameras and my video recorder could not take the dust and heat, so we do not have any particularly good photographs, but we do have a wealth of memories of our stay, and we would definitely like to return some day.”
Leopard, as Annie said is quite easily seen in Gir and, though I talked of the animal briefly earlier on, I feel it is only right to return to it here. I do not now necessarily agree with the various titles given to animals in their kingdom! For me, the tiger is King of the Jungle, but Lions are considered the ultimate ruler of the animal kingdom too by a great many. Surely then, the Leopard is the Prince of Cats? The leopard is recognised to be cleverer than either the tiger or the lion and my father always said they have cunning. They are also one of the most beautiful and graceful animals in the jungle but really dangerous to man.
Like human fingerprints, no two leopard skins are precisely similar in their markings; Colouration varies from the normal buff- or straw-coloured sleek yellow coat with black rosettes to a rich yellow-orange. Leopard is powerful and capable of dragging its prey with an equal weight to itself for 9 metres or up a tree so as not to be harassed by lions, jackals or hyenas. Leopards are spread over much of Gujarat and, in Gir, they have the ideal habitat. Whereas the tiger kills with its great powerful jaws, the leopard principally kills with its claws. It is said that it was the leopard that inspired the camouflage material used for jungle warfare uniforms in the Second World War. Generally, they are smaller than the tiger or the lion but they are a deadly predator and observe all that is happening around them in the forest whilst seldom being seen themselves. Jim Corbett’s book, ‘The Man-Eating Leopard of Rudraprayag’ illustrates the skills of the animal. For eight years, the population around Rudraprayag in the Garwhal region not far from Nainital and Corbett National Park, were in fear of this wily beast until Jim Corbett was able to kill it. This is a book I highly recommend to anyone interested in wildlife who has not yet come across it. It is still published in India.
There is no reason, however, to fear them in Gir while visiting the park. The park authorities are very alert to any abnormal behaviour and as long as you abide by the park’s rules no harm will come to you. Leopards do prey on dogs and small children as I have already indicated when they experience a loss of their natural habitat but, even when something untoward occurs, Indian villagers try their best to relocate an animal by luring it to a big trap, often baited with a dog. Then, when successfully trapped, the animal is sedated and transported to the most convenient wildlife park.
As well as lions, leopards and all the other wonderful creatures, Gir is also known for its snake population. However, had it not been designated a lion sanctuary, it could easily have been declared a bird sanctuary. Over 300 species of birds have been identified in Gir over the years and it could easily rival Bharatpur in this respect. The sheer wealth of bird-life and the noise, sometimes loud and chattering but often gentle and individual makes a morning out in Gir memorable and, although it will perhaps not compensate you for not seeing a lion, the beauty of the birdsong is special
India has so many wonderful trees and I did mention a few of my favourites in the first book but it is worth mentioning them again. The red silk-cotton tree, Bombax ceiba, is one of the most beautiful trees of India and it grows up to 40 metres in height. The flowers are brilliant crimson and hold so much nectar that birds and insects converge on it throughout the day in large numbers. As a small child, I clearly remember the silky cotton that the fruit produces, in which the seeds are embedded. I used to decorate my dolls’ beds with this silky cotton stuff. The peepal tree, Ficus religiosa, is considered to be sacred; I love the shape of its leaves which are often used to paint miniature Indian scenes – it dries most beautifully and the skeleton of the leaf is exquisite; a form of fig, it is constantly in demand from birds and monkeys. The banyan, Ficus benghalensis, is a stunning tree with its aerial roots which descend from branches to enter the ground, and then they thicken like a trunk and it is as if one if walking under an arboreal ceiling with arches. Flame of the forest, Butea monosperma, has a slight Scottish connection in that the botanist John Stuart, otherwise the Marquis of Bute, named this tree. It derives its name from the fact that in the spring time the flame-coloured flowers look as if the forest is on fire. All these trees are seen at their most beautiful in springtime which is February to March. There are so many from which to choose but another personal favourite is the neem, Azadirachta indica. This is truly an incredible tree and can be called nature’s pharmacy. Every part of it seems to have medicinal value and neem oil is an antiseptic. The ripe fruit and the oil are remedies for skin diseases. Leaves may be ground into a paste and used to heal wounds. The bark serves as a tonic and the smoke of the leaves acts as an insecticide. If one puts dried leaves in cupboards it helps to ward off insects. In days gone by, the twigs were used as nature’s own toothbrush (but though it was normal to see people using it in my childhood probably now most are converted to a conventional toothbrush). As a child of nine, I was driven nearly mad with the rash and itching of chicken pox but a water made from bo
iling up the leaves soothed the irritated skin. These days I only have to go to my local pharmacist to buy neem products that are produced here in Scotland. I think it is rivalling Tea Tree Oil. Neem trees are especially suited to dry areas as it consumes very little water but is an excellent shade tree and owing to its large leaf area gives out more oxygen than most other trees. The other botanical name for neem is margosa, or certainly the products are sold under that name in Sri Lanka, where Ayurvedic medicine is widely used and respected with good reason.
The Maldharis are the peaceful livestock owners that have coexisted with the lions for over a century. They are a tribal people, who used to be nomadic but are now pastoralists, with a great concern for their environment and they are strictly vegetarian. Their cattle are milked for the fresh product, which being perishable has to be marketed quickly. Ghee, the product of milk, is not apparently as lucrative a product as fresh milk. They are in fact no threat to the lions and the wildlife but their huge herds of cattle and buffalo are, as they are non-selective eaters and just decimate the vegetation unlike the various herbivores in the park.
An ecosystem can only support a limited number of wildlife and humans. I do not know what the future holds for Gir with the increasing cattle population of the Maldharis, who for obvious reasons want more modern facilities for themselves, which would soon impinge on the park. If a solution could somehow be found to resettle the Maldharis amicably and free their land in order to incorporate it in within the sanctuary, this would be a real step forward.
As a supporter of The Vanishing Herds Foundation here in the United Kingdom, I can explain that the Foundation’s aim is to create a major international education and research foundation. This centre will provide ongoing training for world-class conservation experts within India and will support eco-tourism; thereby, bringing local people and their cultures fully into the ecological and wildlife management equation.
The international centre and educational programme will introduce the issues of Indian wildlife and species in danger to a wide public both at home and abroad. In turn, this will not only facilitate correct management of India’s wildlife to ensure a future with a balanced ecology, but will also heighten public awareness of ecological issues – something that is fundamental to persuading government at all levels to take conservation issues into the realm of urgent action and support.
VHF has already purchased the first 12 acres of land not far from the Forest of Gir and is hoping to purchase a further 30 acres in the near future. The centre will provide both undergraduate and post-graduate programmes in wildlife conservation, ecology and related disciplines affiliated to premier national and international universities.
Education and respect for natural resources are the key to sustaining wildlife; neglect of the environment through non-action or over-exploitation of natural resources leads to depletion of natural resources and degradation of biodiversity, which, in turn, leads to perpetuation of poverty. The two together spiral into an exhaustion of natural resources that ultimately leads to extinction of life. If, however, more information and knowledge is acquired by us all about the earth’s natural resources and biodiversity with a broadening knowledge supported by education, research, and dissemination of information, then a wider awareness about nature and the acknowledgement and respect of nature’s resources in sustenance of life leads to a judicious use of those natural resources in pursuing economic activities.
Nagarahole National Park in Karnataka is a park to which Graham and I very much want to go and so we shall on our next visit to India but, in the meantime, I am including an account of the wild elephants of that beautiful region, written by Suniti Bhushan Datta. Suniti is the resident naturalist of Bagh Van Lodge, at Pench, the newest tiger reserve. Asian Elephants are the most wonderful beasts as I have described elsewhere, but to see them in large numbers in the wild one should go to southern India or Sri Lanka, and a book on India’s great wildlife parks would be inadequate without an account of them in their natural habitat.
Elephants in their Natural Habitat. By Suniti Bhushan Datta.
The early morning mist rising off the Kabini Reservoir gives the land a surreal look. The sun has not risen yet and the grassy banks of the reservoir are calm. A dark shape looms out of the Bamboo on the fringes of the forest; the mist swirls around as it slowly walks to the water’s edge. The elephant has spent the night grazing on the juicy grasses that are abundant at this time of year and needs a drink of water before retreating into the forest. The rising sun soon burns away the last tendrils of mist, beginning another hot day at the Nagarahole National Park in Karnataka, South India.
In a country with a population exceeding a billion people, there is scant place for animals as large as an elephant to survive. From a distribution which spanned most of the Indian subcontinent, elephant habitats have shrunk to a few scattered forests in Northern, Eastern and Southern India. The healthiest population, by far, exists in the diverse forests of South India. Ranging from dry teak to tropical evergreen, these habitats are home to about 15% of the world’s wild Asiatic Elephant population.
Elephant society is typically headed by the eldest and most experienced female in a herd, known as the matriarch. The matriarchs know, through experience, which areas will have a certain variety of food in a certain season, the location of water in the dry season and areas where they will be safe. Over the centuries, herds have followed rigid migration routes that take them through areas of optimum food and water during the course of the year. These routes are ingrained in the matriarch’s memories. However, in modern times, these routes are being fragmented by man-made obstructions, such as coffee plantations, farms and human settlements. As a result, elephants are increasingly coming into direct conflict with man. The fallout is human casualties by elephants desperate for food and water and elephant deaths due to poisoning and electrocution. In a land dominated by a large and hungry human population, elephants are seen as pests and have little local support.
Despite a bleak prospect, there is hope for these gentle giants. In South India, the elephant still has a fighting chance at survival. That chance lies in the Nagarahole National Park, on the border between northern Kerala and Karnataka. This Park is a part of what is perhaps the largest area of unbroken elephant habitat in India, known as the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. This stretch of forest covering in excess of two thousand square kilometres comprises the larger protected areas of Nagarahole National Park and Bandipur Tiger Reserve in the state of Karnataka, Mudumalai Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu and the Wynaad Sanctuary in Kerala, along with several smaller sanctuaries and protected forests.
For the Nagarahole elephants, the migration routes go through either Kerala in the South, or through the Brahmagiri Hills in the west and north. These migration corridors which are still reasonably intact, allow the elephants a relatively safe passage between the lush monsoon forests in the hills and the grassy banks and abundant water of the Kabini Reservoir in the summer. This reservoir which forms the southern boundary of the Park provides sustenance to a whole host of animals, elephants inclusive, during the hot, dry summer months.
Every year, around November, the waters of the Kabini Reservoir are gradually drained to provide irrigation to the farmers in the catchment areas around the city of Mysore. The resultant mudflats are rich in silt washed down from the Western Ghats and, by the time the forest dries up in April, there is an abundance of fresh grass to sustain the elephants. It is perhaps a unique phenomenon, where a reservoir which has drowned some twenty-five square kilometres of forest, has actually benefited the ecology of that forest. Indeed, the seasonal movements of the Nagarahole herds are intrinsically dependent on the annual drainage cycle of the reservoir.
By the beginning of March, the now lush banks of the reservoir start to fill up with elephants. As summer advances, more and more herds descend from the hills to partake of this annual feast of grass. This is also a social aggregation for the elephants as matriarchs meet each other and the
meadows echo with the rumblings, squeals and trumpets of elephant vocalizations. Calves that were born the previous year are now old enough to eat the soft nutritious grass and they too get a rare chance to play, tugging at each other’s trunks and tails and butting each other. Younger calves stick close to their mothers or gambol playfully with their elder siblings. Adult elephants are remarkably tolerant of their young. The big bull elephants, that are normally solitary, mingle with the herds, getting a chance to mate and pass on their genes. Conflicts occasionally occur as is wont to happen in any society, but these are soon resolved by the matriarchs and peace returns to the vast sea of grazing elephants.
Towards the end of May, the grass has worn away, leaving behind short, dry stubs. These too are kicked up by the elephants, leaving bare, dusty patches of soil. Soon the rains will come and the reservoir will once again fill up and it will be time for the matriarchs to lead their herds back up into the cool green heights of the Brahmagiri hills. The lone bulls remain behind, feeding on the bamboo and fresh leaves of the teak forest. The great elephant congregation dwindles to just a few individuals.
While the Nagarahole National Park is a safe haven for the elephants, many other reserves are not. Killed for their ivory and continually persecuted by man in a land where they are revered as a God and were once allowed to roam free, these animals are now regarded as pests and have little respite. Elephants arriving on the banks of the Kabini frequently carry the scars of shotgun pellets, fired at them by the irate owners of coffee plantations whose land the animals have trampled through. Many are blinded by the pellets or maimed by crude electric fences connected to high-tension cables. In this Park at least, they are well protected and are allowed to live in peace.
