Tharu Huts: A new attraction at Katerniaghat

This is a good news for the visitors to Katerniaghat. All the six rest houses in the area have been renovated and are full of all basic amenities. Besides these rest houses now Katerniaghat campus has two well equipped 'Tharu Huts'. These huts were constructed to promote the 'eco-tourism wildlife education and awareness' in the area. It was designed by us only. We kept the hut on a height for better look and to keep dampness away. My range officer MK Shukla did a lot to bring it in this shape.

The name Tharu hut came from the local Tharu tribes which resides in and around the sanctuary. Earlier Tharu huts were constructed in Dudhwa National Park for the visitors to stay over. .

It is really remarkable that from April onwards the Tharu Huts are frequently used by visitors 'who know well what the katerniaghat is'...It is an attraction for all who love to spent time in the serene and green surroundings. So..what are you waiting for...

Photo-Tharu Huts at Katerniaghat-Ramesh Pandey

Cheetals are like potatoes...

Potatoes – we eat a lot but never discuss about them. They invariably form a part of our daily food ,but alas are never given a thought - we take them for granted...says Amit Misra, my friend who is a qualified CA and wildlife enthusiast...I think it is ture to a great extent.

Amit Misra Writes:
A very similar plight is that of the Chital or the Spotted Deer. Any person visiting the forest has his first experience of a wild animal in the form of a Chital which is seen the most , in herds, jumping , running and grazing in the grasslands or resting under the shade of the trees. But the eyes keep on looking for the big carnivores and these beautiful and delicate creatures are not given a second thought.

The Chital or Spotted Deer (Axis axis) is one of the most prominent deer species found in India. The are found almost in ever forest of the country but is at its best in the Himalayan foothills , in the jungles of the Terai and in Madhya Pradesh. Its coat is a bright rufus-fawn profusely spotted with white ,at all ages and in all seasons. Old bucks are more brownish in colour and darker. The stag (male) stands at 90 cms at the shoulder and weighs around 85 kgs. The graceful antlers have three tines , a long brow tine set nearly at right angles to he beam and two branch tines at the top. The usual size of a herd is of 10 to 30 animals which may contain two to three stags , but assembly of several hundred have also been seen. They feed till late in the morning and again in the afternoon. These chital have developed a very special relationship with the Rhesus monkeys and Langoors, which on one hand, sitting high in the trees provide the deer with food by dropping leaves and fruits and on the other are the first ones to give an alarm call for the Tiger or Leopard and alert the chitals. Chitals are the primary prey base for the carnivores.

Katerniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary (KWS) has an abundance of chital. In the Katerniaghat Range one can see large herds in the early morning or late afternoon on the Bundha Road. The left of this road are the open grassland where the herds graze with the adult alert at the slightest movement and the young playing around and the right side has water holes which quenches their thirst. There is a constant movement from one side of the bundha to the other.

Katerniaghat has a very special group of chitals , they to the best of my knowledge are the only pairs of Albino Chitals in the wild. Sighting of two male and two female Albino Chital have been reported from the Katerniaghat Range of this forest. These Albino are a one of the Jewels of the Katerniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary.

Really Albino cheetals are one of the attraction of Katerniaghat. My friend wildlife photographer and Orinthologist Suresh Charudhary ji has taken many fascinating photographs of wildlife of the Katerniaghat. The Albino cheetal in a herd is one of the interesting photographs which I display here in this post.

Photo-Albino Cheetal in a herd of normal cheetals..By: Suresh Chaudhary.

Rampurwa FRH invites you once again

This forest rest house is more than 125 years old. It was in abandoned condition for more than 20 years. When I joined this place, I met Mr. Ravi Singh CEO, WWF-India in Dudhwa on 4th of March, 2005 and he informed me regarding this rest house. He told me about its picturesque location and his childhood memories attached with it. That time this rest house was being used by SSB coy for keeping their valuable items. The rest house is located near Rampurwa, which is 'Tharu Village'. The Indo-Nepal border is also very near to this place.

This rest house is basically a monument...which has witnessed the independence of India to downfall of Nepalese Rajshahi. It has seen the old forestry operations to latest wildlife conservation efforts. It has also observed the changes in the cultural and social life of the Tharu tribes in last century.

This rest house is very strategically located particularly to protect the 'moving animals' through Khata corridor, between Katerniaghat and Bardia National Park. Thanks to Project Tiger for providing financial assistance to bring the rest house back in use. The best thing is that we have restored it in is natural shape and size. Now this rest house is an asset for the sanctuary. Recently we organised a field level co-ordination meeting there, for the villagers and forest officials of the Indian and Nepalese side to protect and conserve the moving tigers, rhinos and elephant across the border. Do come and visit this place....

Photo-Ramesh Pandey

Anti Conflict Weapons- some innovative ideas

Last year we lost a tiger in a road accident in Motipur range of Katerniaghat. Actually it is a buffer area but rich in tiger population. Assam road passes through it. The road has been improved now with smooth run way. The speed of the vehicle has increased which is a permanent threat to the wild animals which cross the roads mainly during dawn and dusk.

To avoid further such accident we put more than a dozen sinages after certain intervals informing drivers regarding the speed limits, wildlife zone, reserve forests etc. We created many speed breakers also do minimise the speed limit of the passing vehicles. We record movement details also on barrier and educate people to drive slow while passing this area. Then I realise that during night time it is not possible for us to guard the passage round the clock. To alarm people and drivers we have put two cut outs of tigers of actual size along the road which is easily visible from a distance. It was an innovative approach. It worked very well. I have noticed that during nights many a times drivers stop the vehicle after seeing the cut outs.

Similar effective and innovative 'weapons' have been informed by Amit Misra regarding tackling such situations:

Amit Misra suggests: Since both man and animal would be moving inside and around the forests , in my view the easiest way to avoid a conflict is to alert the animal before hand so that it may not be taken by surprise and at may avoid the same path after hearing some “different” noise. Some of my suggestions are as under –
People should wear Bright Coloured Cloths – this might be seen by the animal before hand and it might avoid a conflict.
Empty Plastic disposable bottle could be used to make a crackling sound which can be a very effective tool to create sound.
To avoid sitting down as this might outline the human to be looked as a monkey and induce an attack on him.
People especially those who are cutting grass or working in field should have one person standing and guarding and should also at regular intervals blow a whistle or use the plastic bottle.
People moving on cycles could fit thin metal strips on the tyre rim which would constantly make a rattling sound.
Cycles could be fitted with blow horns which are used at at regular interval.
Usually a fence of some kind drawn around domestic animals. An addition could be the hanging of two or more old tin containers next to each other or glass bottles which would bang against each other when disturbed and create some noise or use of bells (Ghungroo) .
In Sundarbans people wear masks on the reverse of their head while at work. This creates an illusion for the animal and might avoid an attack.
This list is the start for new and more innovative and practical ideas to be thought off. In my view noise can be used as an effective tool to alert and animal and avoid a conflict. I would request every person reading this blog to think of some idea and put them forward , so that a whole arsenal of “Anti Man-Animal Conflict” weapons could be developed and wildlife saved.

Hope it will be of use for the people who believes that such measures can mitigate man-animal conflict with such sincere and continuous efforts.

Photo- Ramesh Pandey

Herpeto-fauna of Dudhwa-Katernia: Awareness and Conservation needed

The Terai of Uttar Pradesh is very rich in biodiversity. We all know it well, but when we talk of wildlife the picture of tigers, elephants and rhinos naturally dominates our mind. There are many species which are equally important but do not get that much attention; reptiles are one of them.

Recently the efforts have been made to enlist the important reptiles found in Dudhwa-Katernia landscape. The first hand information is being mentioned here.

1. Crocodiles: Crocodiles are from Crocodylidae family, the most ancient group of reptiles in existence for millions of years. The land scape have two types of crocodiles-Marsh crocodile or Mugger and Gharial. Mugger or Marsh Crocodile (Crocodylus palustris) is found in Suheli, Mohana rivers of Dudhwa and Girwa and Kaudiyal rivers of the Katerniaghat. The snout of the animal is oval or rounded in shape. Its body length reaches upto 4 mts and weighs up to 200 kg. The other important crocodilian is Gharial ( Gavialis gangeticus). It is endemic and mainly found in Girwa river in Katerniaghat. The species attain a length of up to 7 mts. The long and narrow snout in peculiar feature of the animal which ends in a 'ghara' at the tip of the males. This species have been listed in 'critically endangered' category recently by the IUCN in Red Data Book.

2. Turtles and Tortoises: The fresh water turtles and tortoises are another major type of the reptiles found in this region. They belongs to Order Chelonia. Turtles and tortoises are easily recognised from all other animals by their characteristic bony shell. The shell has two parts, the carapace above and plastron below, joined along the flanks between the fore and hind limbs. The sexes are generally not easily differentiated with but the male generally has a longer tail and concave plastron. The majority of the species occur in the large river system of the Indo-Gangetic plain, many are semi-terrestrial. All turtles and tortoises lay their eggs in soil or sand for incubation. The turtle fauna of India comprises 31 species. 15 species of them are found in UP and all fifteen are found in Dudhwa-Katernia tiger reserve. The list includes:

Indian Roof Turtle (Pungshura tectum), Indian Tent turtle (Pungshura tentoria circumdata), Indian Tent turtle (P. tentoria flaviventris), Brown roofed turtle (P. smithii), Spotted pond turtle (Geoclemys hamiltonii), Crowned River Turtle ( Hardella thurjii), Three striped Roofed turtle (Kachuga dhongoka), Painted Roofed turtle (Kachuga kachuga), Indian Eyed turtle (Morenia petersi), Indian black turtle (Melanochelys trijuga), Tricarinate Hill turtle (Melanochelys tricarinata), Indian Softshell turtle (Aspideretes gangeticus), Indian Peacock softshell turtle (A. hurum), Indian flapshell turtle (Lissemys punctata), Small headed softshell turtle (Chitra indica), Elongated tortoise ( indotestudo elongata).

3. Snakes: Snakes belong to Order Squamata of reptiles. Nearly 270 species of the snakes are found in India in which most of the snakes are harmless to the human life. Some of the important snakes found in Dudhwa-Katernia landscape are: Indian Python (Python molurus), Indian Rat Snake (Ptyas mucosa), Cobra (Naja naja), Russel's Viper (Daboia russelii), Himalayan Pit Viper (Gloydius himalayanus), Common Krait (Bungarus caeruleus), Banded Krait (B. faciatus), Fresh water snake (Enhyris enhydris), Checkered Keelback (Xenochrophis piscator), Blind Snake (Ramphotyphlops braminus), Red Sand Boa (Eryx johnii), Common vine snake (Ahaetulla nasuta), Common Kukri Snake (Oligodon arnensis), Russel's Kukri Snake (O. taeniolatus) and Common Cat Snake (Boiga trigonata).

In Katerniaghat one can easily sight Pythons near Gharial centre and abandoned railway station. Most of the visitors even go and see resting pythons. It has been observed that pythons are breeding naturally and young one are borne every year. The presence of Banded Krait in a new information in Dudhwa and Katerniaghat. At both places the Banded Krait have been seen. I was fortunate enough to sight this snake twice in Katerniaghat. Both the sighting was in winter nights when snakes were usually not seen .

I have noticed that number of turtles are also increasing in the Katerniaghat. It is perhaps due to strict control on poaching and fishing in most of the water bodies in and around protected areas. I could see and photograph 5 different species of turtles in the recent past. At present one can easily see young and new borne Indian Tent Turtles in river Girwa sitting on the fallen trees.

Recently Mr. Brian D. Horne, a post-doctoral fellow based at the San Diego Zoo, who is about to start research on the red-crowned roof turtle (Batagur kachuga) in the Chambal National Sanctuary in association with the Turtle Survival Alliance and Madras Crocodile Bank was in Katerniaghat few month back to assess the area for turtle conservation. Mr. Rom Whitaker and MCBT has already selected Katerniaghat to study and research on population dynamics of Gharials in river Girwa, for which Mr. Abhijit Das has already landed in Katerniaghat and Ms. Laurel Converse will join him some where in October. Mr. PP Singh DD Dudhwa and Mr. Suresh Chaudhari has compiled a very informative brochure on 'Reptiles of Dhudhwa Tiger Reserve' for the common man to know about herpeto-fauna of Dudhwa and Katerniaghat. At field level awareness and conservation has increased but that is only in and around protected areas. There is always serious threat to the turtles in water bodies out of the reserve forests and sanctuary to be poached and smuggled to West Bengal and Bangladesh.

Photo-Branded Krait-Ramesh Pandey

Sirkeer Malkoha spotted in K'ghat

Sirkeer Malkoha - A larger bird of around 42cm. Primarily earthy brown and rufus in colour, and the long heavy tail is edged with prominently white tipped graduated cross-rayed tail feathers , with a close resemblance to that of a Coucal (Crow Pheasant) . Bill is hooked, bright cherry-red and yellow. Sexes are similar, but juveniles are duller and barred above.
Habitat: Largely terrestrial, open scrub and thorn jungle, deciduous secondary jungle. Singly or in pairs. Behaviour: Stalks about amongst thickets like Crow-Pheasant, searching for food; insects, lizards, fallen fruits and berries, etc. . Feeble flier, but ascends trees rapidly, hopping from branch to branch with great agility, like the Coucal. Call: Sharp loud "kek-kek-kek-kerek-kerek-kerek.

This bird was spotted by Amit Misra, Sameer , Shekher and Manaswi on 6th of May 2008 at 6.00 AM when they were on 'Bandha raod' in Katerniaghat Range in the Sanctuary. Amit informed us about this news and has sent photograph which is posted with this news. Amit says when they sighted the bird it looked like Coucal, which was basking the sun on a tree. He took the photograph and identified the bird with the help of the book. Its a great spotting. His contribution is well acknowledged here. Thank you Amit for your input to the blog.

Photo-Sirkeer Malkoha by Amit Misra