Zoo's Print October 2011

Magazine of Zoo Outreach Organisation Vol. XXVI No. 10, October 2011

ISSN 0971-6378 (Print); 0973-2543 (Online)

Over one hundred years of solitude: History of the Hollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary, See Pp. 5-8

Date of Publication: 21 October 2011

Magazine of Zoo Outreach Organisation Vol. XXVI No. 10, October 2011

ISSN 0971-6378 (Print); 0973-2543 (Online)

Contents Making conservation work, Kamal Medhi, Pp. 1-2 Samrakshan Trust at Meghalaya carrying out conservation education and rescue operations to reduce wildlife pet keeping in the South Garo Hills district, See Pp. 1-2

Wild boar, a new threat to the Manipur Brow-antlered deer - the Sangai, Khuraijam Jibankumar Singh, Rajkumar Robindro, Mayengbam James and Meiraba Nongmeikapam, Pp. 3-4 Over one hundred years of solitude: History of the Hollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary, Narayan Sharma, Pp. 5-8 Active Learning Activities and What They Can Do? Changing Attitudes and Behaviour of Villagers living in Elephant Conflict Areas in Tamil Nadu, B.A. Daniel, Pp. 9-12 Third Asian Zoo Educators (AZEC) Conference, Taipei Zoo, Taiwan, R. Marimuthu, Pp. 13-14 Stranger than Fiction . . . the Spy from Outer Space : Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Mole, Part II of III, Sally Walker, 15-18 Avian diversity adjacent Manimuthar Dam in the foothills of Kalakad- Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, southern India, J. Patrick David, 19-24 A study of endangered plants of Itchagarh Hill in the Ormanjhi block of Ranchi District in Jharkhand, India Sudhanshu Kumar, Pp. 25-27 Preliminary report on the Bird Diversity in the Veterinary College Campus, Puducherry, D.Sreekumar, R.Sreekrishnan, R.S.Rajkumar & K.Afsal, Pp. 28-30 A happy closing of Wildlife Week in Orissa : Elite and Senior citizens of Bhubaneswar honour Scientists, P. 31 Zoos and Wildlife ... Making the News, P. 32

ZOO organised a series of Human Elephant Coexistence training workshops in Elephant Conflict areas, Coimbatore to change their attitudes and behaviour, Pp. 9-12

The third Asian Zoo Educators’ Conference was held at Taipei Zoo from September 18-22, 2011 with the theme "Focus On Rainforest ‧ EcoSystem Thinking”, See Pp. 13-14 for a report.

Making conservation work Kamal Medhi* Once while eating at a restaurant along the NH37 in the foothills of the Garo hills my attention was drawn to two gentlemen who dismounted from their vehicle and negotiated a deal with a roadside vendor who had something to sell in a few cages. Closer inspection revealed that the transaction involved the sale of Meghalaya’s state bird the Hill Myna. Sadly, it turns out that the illegal trade in Hill Mynas is a regular practice in most roadside markets along the NH37.

“Aebor aami paharar para ano” which in Assamese language means ‘we got these from the Hills’, the lady trader responded to her customers’ query.

The lady’s Hill Mynas were for sale at a rate of Rs 700 each and while the two gentlemen were busy bargaining for the best deal I spotted another cage with common mynas and parakeets on the other side of the road. This pointed to a thriving business involving the sale of wild birds. While the traders are to blame, the two gentlemen who were busy bargaining with the lady trader and numerous other people like them are equally guilty. Sadly many people love to have birds in their homes as such pets are a source of pride and their calls and antics are a source of entertainment.

However, such people never think of the negative impact their actions have on the creatures they have forced to live in their homes or on the populations of their conspecifics.

A few months earlier, I had another experience involving the issue of keeping wildlife as pets. I had gone to the nearest government hospital to get a fitness test done in order to renew my driving licence. Once the Doctor came to know about my involvement with Samrakshan Trust (the wildlife conservation organization that I work with) she expressed her bitterness towards our wildlife rescue work. The Doctor’s callous attitude towards the issue of illegally keeping wildlife as pets points towards a disturbing lack of understanding even among educated sections of our society, with regards to the rights of wildlife to live in their natural habitats alarming pet keeping of wildlife. I felt it necessary to clarify the wrong perception she had about wildlife rescue work. There is an urgent need to raise awareness among all sections of society with regards to the need to protect the wildlife of this region and ensure they continue to live safely in their natural habitats.

I often use the phrase “conservation is a losing battle” in good humour while

Bamboo trap for Hill Myna

Brown Fish Owl joking with my colleagues around our dining table. However, what used to be a frivolous comment has now started playing in my mind and the above-mentioned bitter experiences are forcing me to give serious thought to the question of how difficult promoting and fighting for the conservation cause really is.

Keeping wildlife as pets is a common phenomenon in Baghmara, where I am working and in Akings (equivalent to a village) throughout the Garo Hills.

Nobody seems to see anything wrong in such activities and an oft-sited example is that of the tigers that are shown on TV roaming around drawing

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rooms in New York City. However, just because some people freely keep wildlife as pets does not mean that it is a justifiable pursuit without any negative ramifications. In my experience wildlife kept as pets are subject to numerous hardships and forced changes in their natural behaviour and living patterns. For instance I have often witnessed pet owls who are nocturnal being fed in broad daylight; pet Slow Lorises being taken for a walk along with stray dogs which is sure to impact their health * Team Leader, Samrakshan Trust Meghalaya. balpakram@gmail.com

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Fig 1: Survey of Wildlife kept as Pets: 2009 (Samrakshan Trust) Reptile 10%

Other Mammals 5%

Hill Myna 22%

Slow Loris 2% H. Gibbon 2% Common Myna 2%

Macaque 17%

Other birds 21%

and behaviour; and white rice being given to macaques which can have numerous negative impacts. On the whole the common citizen has little understanding of the various needs of wildlife that results in their mistreatment in captivity. Scientific research sometimes reveals that numerous wildlife species don’t breed in captivity.

Garo Hills is predominately inhabited by the indigenous Garo tribal community who call themselves A`chick in North East India and “Mande” in Bangladesh. Historically, Garos use to keep wildlife as pets and hunt for consumption. Commercial hunting and trade of animal products is a relatively recent phenomenon. These activities are mostly being promoted by and learnt from outsiders. Easy access to black markets for animals and animal produce in Bangladesh, with which Garo Hills shares its boundary, has given a substantial boost to these pursuits. The locals of the region often point out that when the Nagaland and Assam militant movements were at their peak around the 90’s, most of the militants from these states sought refuge in several of Garo Hills pristine forests. While the militants hunted wildlife for their own consumption they are also often credited with being responsible for triggering off large scale commercial trade in animal products, killing of elephants for ivory and meat, commercial supply of meat to other north-eastern markets and opening up the area to numerous traders in wildlife and wildlife related produce from the rest of Northeast India and Bangladesh.

Owl 12%

Hornbill 7%

One of Samrakshan Trust’s main activities is carrying out conservation education and rescue operations to reduce wildlife pet keeping in the South Garo Hills district, one of three districts of Garo Hills. Wildlife pet keeping is rampant in the region and primates and birds are the main targets. While the state of Meghalaya has proudly declared the Hill Myna as its state bird, a sad reality is that there are numerous instances of this beautiful bird either being kept in captivity locally or being supplied to other areas. In several Akings across the landscape, one will often come across long bamboo baskets hanging over trees meant to trap Hill Myna chicks. Removal of wildlife for pet keeping, trade in animal produce is a burning conservation issue in the region. Conservation education programmes are being used as a tool to alter people’s attitude in favour of wildlife and forests. So far

Samrakshan has rescued a couple of Leopard cats, 12 primates and 54 birds. More than 90% birds were released back to the wild while the primates were sent either to Tura zoo or the Centre for Wildlife Conservation and Rehabilitation for further treatment and rehabilitation. In a recent rapid survey in sixteen Akings, it was revealed that birds are the most common pets followed by primates (fig: 1). Birds are mostly removed during the juvenile phase and a high mortality rate among captive chicks was reported.

In addition, the region is also facing several other serious environmental threats namely – forest degradation due to illegal logging and overexploitation; deforestation and forest fragmentation due to population expansion and a shift to forest destructive land use patterns; and illegal coal mining which is rampant in the Garo Hills. Private coal mining is carried out illegally in several Akings across the Garo Hills and the land in question more often than not tends to be forested and home to a variety of wildlife. On the whole this unregulated and unscientific mining is resulting in large scale environmental degradation.

In conclusion, despite the cards being stacked against the conservation cause I still feel there is light at the end of the tunnel however dim it may appear at present. Samrakshan’s humble efforts to combat the threats to wildlife and forests in the Garo Hills are slowly reaping dividends in the form of youth and student movements campaigning for a variety of Environmental causes across the region. It such baby steps which will eventually help us create a more environmentally sensitive society.

My sincere thanks are to Rohan Mukerjee and Marvellous Lynser for their support and editing this article.

Leopard cat

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Wild boar, a new threat to the Manipur Brow-antlered deer - the Sangai Khuraijam Jibankumar Singh, Rajkumar Robindro, Mayengbam James and Meiraba Nongmeikapam* The Manipur Brow-antlered deer (Rucervus eldii eldi) or Sangai (Manipuri) is now threatened by its coinhabitants, the Wild boar. Previously Sangai were threatened mainly by hunting practice of the local inhabitants living at the vicinity of the Keibul Lamjao National park. During a survey conducted in August 2011 at Keibul Lamjao National Park by a team of NECEER, a young Sangai was found killed by wild boars. It was noticed that the lower abdomen and thigh part of the fawn were eaten by wild boars when it was collected by the forest guards (FGs) of the park. This is the first report of Sangai being killed by wild boar and it is a serious concern for the conservation of this endangered mammal. Sangai breed only once in a year and breeding lasts from September to December. One female delivers only one fawn at a time and the life span of Sangai is about 20 years (Sanayaima, 1988; Tombi, 1991). Hence the death of this young deer is a serious threat to the already small number of deer in the park. The number of wild boars in the park is increasing as they give birth to several offspring per year. Wild boar lives in grass or reeds and avoids hilly area. It is an omnivorous animal feeding on roots, tubers, insects, snakes and carrion (Singh, 1978). Due to increasing population of wild boar in the park, the snake population has also reduced significantly. There is urgent need to study the sudden change of food habits among the wild boar which led to the killing of much bigger mammals like Sangai. Improvement in the monitoring practices by the forest guards in the park is required and the highly advanced communication facilities should be provided which would help in proper management of the park.

Sangai, the dancing deer of Manipur The deer is one of the most endangered cervids of the world and Sangai was considered to have gone extinct in 1951 when a small population of deer was re-discovered by the auspices of IUCN in 1953 (Ranjitsinh,1975). Sangai is threatened by poaching (as it is hunted for its hides and antlers), floods, epidemics, habitat infringement and habitat loss (due to the thinning of phumdis due to Loktak Hydel project, transformation of grasslands to agricultural lands), environmental perturbation, due to small size of the population the animal is threatened by inbreeding depression and loss of genetic diversity. Due to the intensive

Forest Guard verifying the deer poaching the species is threatened with risk of extinction and hence was listed in the Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act (1972).

Brow-antlered deer is a medium-sized deer with uniquely distinctive antlers which are bent forward and down before continuing outward to the side.

The full grown deer is usually 115-125 cm in height and weighs 95-110 kg.

The hooves of these deer are specially adapted to walk on phumdis which is the characteristic feature of their habitat and because of which they are also referred as “Dancing deer”. The Sangai deer is one of the three subspecies of Eld’s deer, which is found in Manipur, North east India, with the

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other forms distributed in Myanmar and Thailand.

Sangai prefers open woodland or grasslands in close proximity of water courses, especially the marshy areas.

In India the phumdi in Loktak Lake is the potential habitat of the deer. The Keibul Lamjao National Park conserves the small population of the deer in Manipur, North east India. They are herbivorous and the diet mainly comprises of aquatic vegetation

* Research and Development Division, North East Centre for Environmental Education and Research (NECEER), Imphal. neceer.imp@gmail.com

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protection forum was developed by youths of adjoining villages of Loktak lake for the effective management of habitats of Sangai and to halt the abject illegal poaching. The ex-situ conservation of Sangai was promoted by development of Sangai Breeding centre at Iroishemba Zoological Garden, Imphal where the species is bred in captivity to increase their population.

Acknowledgement The authors are thankful to State Forest Department, Govt of Manipur for providing all the supports and help while carrying out the surveys in the park.

The young Sangai with a portion of the leg eaten by wild boar

References Ranjitsinh, M.K. 1975. Keibul Lamjao Sanctuary and the browantlered deer-1972 with notes on a visit in 1975. Journal of Bombay Natural History Society 72 (2): 214-255.

Sanayaima, D. S. 1988.

Reproductive biology of brow-antlered deer. Ph.D. Thesis, Manipur University, Imphal.

Singh, LS. 1978. Management Plan of Keibul Lamjao National Park (1978-79 to 1982-83). Dissertation 1st Diploma course in Wildlife Management.

Singh, HT. 1992. Role of phumdis in the ecology and survival of Sangai in Keibul Lamjao National Park (KNLP), Manipur. Population and Habitat Viability Assessment Workshop, Breifing Book, Brow-antlered deer of Manipur, 11-14 October 1992, Mysore, India Singsit, S. 2003. The dancing deer of Manipur. Newsletter, Wildlife Institute of India 10(3): 5-7.

Tombi, S. H. 1991. Bioecology of the seriously endangered Brow-antlered deer, Cervus eldi eldi in the only natural habitat Keibul Lamjao of Manipur with special reference to its conservation. Final technical report to the Department of Environment, Government of India, 127 Pp.

A male Sangai in Keibul Lamjao National Park, Manipur, India (usually plants that constitute phumdis), herbs, shoots and grasses.

Zizania latifolia, Saccharum munja, Saccharum bengalensis, Erianthus procerus, Erianthus ravennae etc are the favourite food plants of Sangai (Singh, 1992).

The Keibul Lamjao National Park is the exclusive habitat of Sangai deer so it was declared as Wildlife Sanctuary by the Government of India in the year

1954 with purpose to promote in-situ conservation of the species. With the sustained efforts of Forest Department, local people and clubs and support from the Central Government, the population of Sangai has increased from 14 in 1975 to 162 in 2000. The population of Sangai in latest survey conducted in 2003 was estimated to be 180 animals 65 stags, 74 hinds, and 41 fawns (Singsit 2003). A Sangai

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Over one hundred years of solitude: History of the Hollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary Narayan Sharma* This article first appeared in the Nature Conservation Foundation blog. URL http://conservation.in/blog/over-onehundred-years-of-solitude-2/ Tags: Assam, fragment, hollongapar, primates, tea In One Hundred Years of Solitude, Márquez pens an interesting story that unfolds in a mythical place known as Macondo, somewhere between the mountains and the Caribbean Sea. It is the saga of a family trapped in solitude, both in time and space, and a wonderful account of their adventures and misadventures.

Much before this classic took the world by awe, several seas away in a remote corner of another continent, a similar tale had been composed. The writers of that multi-authored epic came from the Far West to change the fate of a terra incognita, where wilderness abounded and where a thriving civilization had long collapsed, unceremoniously and tragically. It was the story of an unbroken swathe of jungle nestled in the flood-plain of the Brahmaputra river in Assam and its transformation into parcels of land, surrounded by a brewing landscape.

And it was the story of a family of several souls, whose fate was sealed forever in one such sliced piece: Hollongapar and its primates who continuing solitude of over one hundred years may last to perpetuity.

However, unlike the fate of Macondo’s founding Buendia family—one that eventually perishes after six tumultuous generations—Hollongapar’s family has successfully fought for and earned their lives against all odds. And in contrast to Úrsula’s (the matriarch of the Buendia family) fear of the potential birth of a pig-tailed child in her family—one that eventually comes true at the end of the story—the pigtails of Hollongapar are struggling to further their lineage, ironically for the same reason—an incestuous legacy.

Both are the products of extreme transgressions—one against culture and the other against nature.

However, if one peeled the layers of the history of Hollongapar’s forests, one would find the seed of this story formed long ago, the year 1687 to be precise. An Ahom king, Gadadhar Singha, mobilized several thousands of dhods (lazy persons) of his kingdom— who pretended to be sluggish in order to skip compulsory royal service—to construct a 212-km road through this

forest that connects Kamargaon in Golaghat to Joypur in Dibrugarh. Aptly named the Dhodar Ali (the sluggard’s road), the road came to delineate the southern periphery of Hollongapar.

Perhaps a narrow brown strip of mud and dirt at the time, but a wide, rolling black belt of asphalt years later; today it separates two worlds—one that supports nature’s and other nourish and nurture state’s economy.

could fall back on them whenever they needed timbers to build boats, an indispensible component of their naval fleet. Riding on their strength, the naval infantry of the Ahom kingdom had been able to defeat invaders as formidable as the Mughals. Just as the sal and teak forests of North and South India won the British Crown many a battle, so did these forests for the Ahoms.

The Bhogdoi stream on the eastern flank of the forest, which was deepened to channelise the surplus water of the Disoi River and prevent flooding; also separates the forest from the small dusty and bustling town of Mariani today.

Arriving in the Upper Brahmaputra valley at the behest of the Ahom king to aid the kingdom in defeating Burmese invaders, the British had no

These forests once were an important resource for the Ahom kings, who

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* Doctoral Research Scholar, National Institute of Advanced Studies, IISC campus, Bangalore. E-mail: narayansharma77@gmail.com

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intention of staying back in a land full of “inferior” jungles, wild beasts and a sparse human population; it was not tempting enough to seduce their colonial lust. Then, someone struck ‘green gold’ in the valley. And a war against these forests began. Forgotten were their glorious contribution to Assam’s past and the promise they held for its future. Use of these vast forests now took the form of desecration rather than veneration.

The coming of the colonial British changed the historical trajectory of Hollongapar forever.

One fine morning in the late nineteenth century in Hollongapar, a pair of gibbons wakes up from deep slumber.

The sun had just emerged from the horizon and the cool breeze of the morning had a nostalgic feel. The pair couldn’t help themselves but sing. A song of freedom, of contentment, and of a carefree future. A song of the deep rainforest! Swinging from one branch to another, they looked ethereal. They traversed through the canopy, merging with the dappled sunlight and leaves as they went further.

Since that eventful day when they had discovered a new world beyond the tree line, the gibbons watched tea saplings coming into their jungle from every direction. By the time the pair reached a ripe old age, the saplings which now became bushes, had enveloped the entire forest within it.

Their hearts knew there was no escape from this isolation.

The forest kept shrinking further until one day, it suddenly stopped. Several khaki-clad white men were seen in the forest, clearing edges, erecting pillars and measuring its periphery. The gibbons watched, uncomprehendingly.

Their home even got a new name—the Hollongapar Reserve Forest. That was the summer of 1881.

Only last winter their son had left the family and was seen courting a female in the vicinity of the group. Soon, one more pair of songs added to the forest orchestra, a sign that their son had successful wooed his lover. They might now have a second generation roaming in the remaining forest. But unbeknownst to them, somebody had already decided their fate. Nobody knew who saw it first–some say it was the stump-tailed macaques during their foraging tour—a clearing as straight as the trunk of the hollong through the middle of the forest. Looking at the unfamiliar bare strip, the oldest female, who was leading the troop, decided to abort the tour and adjusted her troop’s route for the rest of the day, never realising it was the start of a new routine that would last forever.

Months later, she saw two long ‘poles’ lying parallel to each other on a raised platform all along the clearing as far as her eyes could see. Their forest was neatly sliced into two unequal parts.

She would never forget the day when a moving beast whizzed passed her with a deafening sound, leaving a trail of black smoke hovering over the forest.

The smoke infiltrated the fragrant forest air with its soot and an obnoxious smell that overpowered all senses.

She wondered about the gibbon pair on the other side of the clearing, who would perhaps never been able to free themselves from the clutches of solitude. And she wondered about the rest of the valley, its forests, its creatures, many of them her kin and cousins, and about her own future.

Suddenly everything turned quiet! The breeze carried an unfamiliar whiff, the sun seemed to blaze harder; they had reached the end of a seemingly eternal freedom.

They found the forest before them had gone. The umbilical strip of trees that kept it connected with the swathe of forests on the other side had been snapped, replaced by numerous saplings of a shrub the world would later know and cherished as Assam tea.

Source: http://siris-archives.si.edu as mentioned in http://tinyurl.com/3szadnc

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During the sojourn many lost their lives to epidemics that broke out on the ships that sailed the Brahmaputra.

Those who discovered the betrayal of the contractors who had lured them with promises of a better future and dared raise their voice, were rested forever at the bottom of the river.

Only those who defied everything reached the valley. Shaken and terrified to the core; each one’s dream had long died in the arduous journey, each one had already resigned to his fate. Exactly the kind of labourers their white masters were looking for.

Illegal logging inside the Dangori Reserve Forest

Like Paul Robson’s Mississippi, Bhupen Hazarika’s Burah Luit kept ferrying these destitutes into the valley, neither affected by the miseries nor moved by their cries. It flowed relentlessly; at once providing hope by enriching the land with its deposits and eroding the same land as if venting its anger. The poor peasants on its banks were always in a conundrum whether to venerate the whimsical river or be terrified by its might.

India was winding up the third anniversary celebrations of its newlyacquired freedom when the young Soneswar prepared to retire to bed. He had been preoccupied with a single thought the whole day. The river was rapidly approaching his land; if it got washed away Soneswar would have no other livelihood. He knew that his fight against the might of the Brahmaputra was an unequal one and sooner or later, he would have to accept the inevitable. But it hardly occurred to him that it would come so early. That evening, the entire valley shuddered in a tremor that shattered everything including Soneswar’s hopes. It was the worst earthquake the valley had witnessed in a century.

Source: http://siris-archives.si.edu as mentioned in http://tinyurl.com/3szadnc

With time, the moving beasts called trains made their brief but unpleasant appearances more frequently, carrying away coal, tea and oil from the valley and bringing in dark-skinned people from far away lands. These terrified and fragile looking, near skeletal people arrived in huge numbers and many settled down along the edges of the forest.

Initially, after their arrival, they were seen working in the middle of the bushes, plucking the leaves with their feeble but deft hands. Their darkskinned bodies and gaunt faces distinct against the light green of the bushes.

Men and women, boys and girls, young

and old, none rested. Only the toddlers, who slept on the cloth hammocks tied to the unfamiliar Albizzia trees amidst the bushes, were free from everything.

Much later, the new people began to come into the forest to collect outenga, dhekia, bamboo, honey and many other things. First only a few, but slowly hordes of them. Abject poverty, frequent hunger and an uncertain future pushed them deeper into the forest.

The journey these wretched people had made to this ‘Promised Land’ had been marred by unthinkable miseries.

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The next day, he sensed something strange about the Brahmaputra. The ‘Old’ river had surprisingly gathered much strength overnight and was looking mightier than ever before.

Within a fortnight, Soneswar had lost his land. He was now one of the many ecological refugees that Brahmaputra creates year after year.

Months later, after the quake, several miles away, the seeming tranquility of the Hollongapar was about to vanish forever. Soneswar was among the first to clear a patch of forest for a new beginning; away from the unpredictable vagaries of nature and in hope for a better future. Many joined him; almost everyone had similar stories to tell. Within a decade or so, Hollongapar was virtually sieged by Madhupur, Lakhipur, Rampur, Fesual, Velleuguri, Afolamukh and Kaliagaon

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leaving human footprints everywhere in the rapidly shrinking forest, which retreated to a mere shadow of its past.

As for the gibbons, the stumptails and others, the solitude was nearing eternal.

The final blow came in 1965 when a huge chunk of Hollongapar was taken away to establish several hutments for the Army under the pretext that the nation’s safety was paramount. Within that chunk, everything was cleared.

The tall hollong trees, the thickets of bamboo; the undergrowth of palms, the carpet of aathubhanga. Nothing survived the mayhem. The slow loris too could not outpace the human’s axe.

And the pigtails and the langurs? These fortunate ones were able to pack themselves into the remaining parcel of forest, competing with each other over depleting space and food.

For the last three years, I have watched closely the remaining populations of primates in Hollongapar.

The forest has received a promotion for successfully protecting its primates for so many decades: it is now the Hollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary —the tall tree and the ape are synonymous with this forest island.

The Dhodar Ali and the railway track have prevailed. The moving beasts still make regular appearances and carry on their tails tea, coal and oil. But it has stopped bringing the dark-skinned souls − known to us today as the “tea tribes”. Old Soneswar is still there, still hoping for a better future and struggling to eke out a living on his meager piece of land. The Army camp and the tea gardens are bustling with their usual activities. Only the bushes and the white masters have been replaced but their legacy endures.

The old female stump-tailed macaque, one who first saw the railway track, is no more, but her descendants have survived this solitude. But, only a few hundred are left. They still come up to the railway track and still never dare cross it. Unlike their predecessors though, they have to comb the entire forest looking for food and shelter.

Even for this, they have competition— with other primates as well as the dark-skinned people who still come inside the forest in huge numbers, pushed by the same century-old forces.

The pair of gibbons on the other side of the railway track have long gone but three other families are still around.

They often come to the edge of the forest, sometimes catching a glimpse of their own kind on the other side of the track, instinctively burst into song.

Today, their voices carry more aggression, and perhaps a note of desperation too. But, maybe both of them understand the futility: neither of them will be able to cross this gap to claim other’s territory or even to console each other. Although the gap is only a few strides, their separation looks eternal.

In Hollongapar, everything has survived these tumultuous centuries: the animals, the trees, the people, the solitude, the poverty, the hunger, the hope. Except the Assamese macaque, for none have been sighted since 2005.

Is it the beginning of the end? Or are one hundred years of solitude too soon to write a requiem for Hollongapar and its primates? http://conservation.in/blog/over-onehundred-years-of-solitude-2/

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Active Learning Activities and What They Can Do? Changing Attitudes and Behaviour of Villagers living in Elephant Conflict Areas in Tamil Nadu B.A. Daniel* Background: In 2007 US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) sponsored a series of workshops on Human Elephant Coexistence (HECx) in India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal. The focus of the project was reduction of death and injury by the simplest thing ‌ teaching and convincing the local people that they must be careful! As part of the project a survey was conducted in Human Elephant Conflict areas nearby Coimbatore, T.N., e.g., (Varapalayam, Jammukandi, Thoomanoor, Sembukarai, Anaikatti, and Aalanthurai). The survey was intended to understand human attitudes towards the issues of Human Elephant Conflict. (Box 1: short report). Interviews of villagers indicated that many of the encounters with elephants which turned into conflict, death and injury, could be avoided entirely with the application of a bit of discipline and common sense.

The interview also revealed that HEC in Coimbatore areas was increasing with the intensity of the problem varying from place to place. Utilizing information gathered through interviews and information, a teaching guide was developed. The interviews were conducted by partners of the project that understood the vernacular.

International Elephant Foundation, IEF, sponsored a series of three training programmes in Coimbatore. Three educators skills training programmes were conducted in July 2011 in areas covered by the survey. The workshops were organized at Thoovaipathy Village covering several nearby villages also.

Local organizations and NGOs, Nilgiri Biosphere Nature Park (NBNP), Anaikatty, The Tulsi Trust, and South Indian Consumer & Human Rights Protection Council, Kalampalayam Branch, and Iyarkkai Pathukappu Nala Sangam, Madathur, Coimbatore collaborated to conduct the programme. The teaching guide and supplementary materials for the programme such as education packets and drama kits were developed exclusively for this audience and translated into local language.

The objectives of all the training series were: - to educate people living in elephant habitat to change their attitudes and behaviour towards elephants to avoid confrontation and conflict; - to deliver innovative educational tools for this purpose; - use the tools to train interns,

Procession - a method to convery conservation message

Age no bar for drama educators, forest wardens, biologists, etc. to bring about better understanding of the conflict and its impact; - to train participants to use information for education more effectively; and - to create a momentum which would continue long after the workshops.

The goal is to provide opportunity for participants to learn a variety of techniques, such as know each other, assessment tools, elephant facts, drama on elephant ecology, map

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activity on historical and current distribution of Asian elephants, information about forests in Tamil Nadu and elephant habitat, understanding the history of Asian elephants through drawings, role of elephants in Asian culture, etc. Participants bring valuable experience and ideas to workshops. The structured mechanism of this training for sharing experiences * Scientist/Education Coordinator, Zoo Outreach Organisation, Coimbatore. badaniel@zooreach.org

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and expertise is an integral part of this programme. The education tools are easily reproducible without much expense and hence the participants after the training can organize programmes with minimum or no budget. Ultimately the programme encourages the development of networks among that persists beyond the event.

Active learning methods and what they do?

The training begins with a ‘know each other’ activity. These activities are designed for about 35 participants to break down social, get people to let go

of self-importance, and relax by humor.

This also helps participants to identify others of their interest and form a bond to help with future programmes in the locality.

Assessment tools are the most important activity in the training. The tool assess whether teaching is effective and measure acquisition of facts, comprehension, feelings and impact on behaviour. Three assessment tools viz., brain/concept map, attitude assessment and content survey are used because they work well with literate as well as non-literate people of all ages. The attitude

Colouring activity helps participants identify with the problem and to change their attitude towards elephants

NBNP the first workshop venue

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXVI, Number 10, October 2011

assessment helps the organisers to understand individual and group opinions about HEC. Attitude assessment tools help the group share their thoughts and experience on HEC without any barrier. Participants clearly understand how people’s attitudes differ from one another based on their experience and knowledge. At the end the group can easily identify the person who has negative attitude.

This way of sharing their experience on the issue of HEC help the organizers to establish a platform and to introduce the objectives of the workshop. The Brain map help the participants to record and compare their knowledge before and after the workshop thereby this help to develop confidence among them about the subject that they will be sharing with their audience after the training.

Most of the participants know that there are two kinds of elephants in the world ie., Asian and African. But during the Elephant facts session they are amazed to know the morphological difference in the head, ears, trunk, skin, tusks, foot and height. It is known from the feedback that good number of the participants learn the difference between these two species at the time of programme and it is an eye opening for them. This activity can be easily used to introduce and teach high scientific facts such as taxonomy and species. This session attract many questions from the participants and hence they get a sense of participating in the workshop.

Illustrations of animal body parts help them to understand the basic difference between these two kinds.

Drama is a powerful education tool used during this training. It has an emotional and intellectual impact on both the participants and audience members. A group will enter in to a workshop mood during Drama time.

Drama, being a group activity, help them to get close to each other and also help them discuss more about the details of the issue or the theme that they perform. The dramas give them a chance to visualize the real situation and enact. These help them understand the subject in detail and to look for creative ways to convey the message effectively. A minimum of three dramas are played in a workshop. The main idea behind drama is to make them understand certain scientific facts and practical species issues such as poaching, life history, species ecology and causes of human elephant conflict. Some of the titles performed during these workshops are: Human elephant Conflict, Poaching and hunting, why does my village attract elephants! and

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rescuing elephants-avoid dangers. It takes a minimum of 30 minutes to rehearse and practice and about five minutes to perform. This also help them to identify the hidden skills since they bring in creativity to make props such as masks, trees, and any other properties that they use in the drama.

At the end they learn how to create their own dramas in a simple way. The participants, after the performance, are very much satisfied about their involvement since they receive appreciation from rest of the groups.

Another group activity, which attracts much attention from the participants, is the Map. This activity helps the participants to learn about the past and present distribution of Asian elephants and to understand the dramatic decrease in the Asian elephant in its home-range. This activity is related to 100 years of elephant history. They discusses in groups to list out the past and present elephant range countries. The process helps them to assess their level of knowledge in geography and political boundaries where elephants lived historically. At the end they learn and understand terminology such as extinct, fragmentation, population, threats, decline rate etc. A thought process is initiated among the participants, which at most of the time lead them through discussion on ecology and survival status of the elephants. Depending on the interest of the participants further discussion is done to understand the threats and causes of decline of Asian elephants.

The cause of Human-elephant conflict is also discussed.

The teaching guide has a set of activities under ‘elephant characteristics’ that aid to understand some of the adaptive characteristics of Asian elephant.

People learn easily when they compare a subject with a fact familiar to them.

For example, when we demonstrate how many men equals weight of an elephant by way of simple mathematical calculations, it is easy for them to remember and appreciate elephant size. It is always a surprise when the group calculates and find out about 75 men with an average weight of 60kg will make an elephant weight!

Comparing running and walking speed of elephant with that of human being is another way to teach them about the ability of elephants. In real elephants can walk and run faster than human but it is hard for us to believe that it can walk at a speed of 20km/hour and run at a speed of 30 km/hour.

Elephants can run as fast as a sprinter. understanding helps them not to CASE STUDY: VISIT TO HEC AREAS INThis AND AROUND COIMBATORE compete with elephants when they are DISTRICT, INDIA in trouble or to challenge an elephant.

andnearby HEC An exploratory visit by Dr. B.A. Daniel and R.Similarly Marimuthusenses, to threetrunk different localities in Coimbatore District in February 2008 revealed a very wide variation in communication games are certain attitudes, experience and mitigation methods.

The areas were Varapalayam, activities enable better understanding Thoomanoor/Sembukarai and Aalanthurai. Although this visit was not intended as a genuine survey, it is still very much indicativeabout of the elephants. need to take care NOT to lump together HEC or HECx instances, individuals (neither people or animals), or localities.

A summary of the Report, highlighting this variety in HEC / HECx may give an inkling The most colourful activity of this of how far we are or ever will be from a model solution. programme is ‘Illustrated history of Asian Elephants’. The objective of Area 1. Varapalayam this activity is for therange people The village Varapalayam comes under Periyanayakanpalayam forest andtohas a population of about 2000 persons, with the primary occupation, agriculture. that There is understand the relationship a temple called Ponnuthamman at which as many as being 20,000had people gather and since human with elephants celebrate the harvest and other festivals. The temple has a permanent water source time immemorial and toshowers. understand which attracts elephants, particularly during dry months until Monsoon the status ofaway the elephants.

This is the About 28 elephants are roaming in a hilly area about 2 km from the Temple. best indoor activity that any teacher

The Varapalayam village has experienced elephant visits the past two years can use in for a classroom set up. and An this year in particular the visits have increased with daily visitation also in several advantage is that the illustrations can adjoining villages. The villages around Varapalayam have fertile cultivable land owned be displayed for any number of days. by the villagers and some of the lands are electric fenced. Only big land owners who can afford to put fencing can protect their crops maize, samai,history sugarcane Thewhich data are from elephant that we and ragi. provide to a participant allow him/her

to past visualize the situation and to make it The villagers experiencing this situation for the two years were interviewed, to an the illustration. informally. As a whole they are sympathetic in towards elephants, Participants especially as afind it living creature which needs food and water for its survival.

A villager very interesting even ifnamed they draw for Selvakumar said, “... we understand the sufferings of time. human Whey beings they to fill display one footall the first long stomach, and so we could understand and accept the problems of the elephants their illustrations, they try to which has a huge stomach.” understand where and when Asian

According to villagers, elephants are enteringelephants this area mainly water and in the mightfor have affected during process of entry they damage and also eat some Thecauses government is giving theircrops. history, of decline of compensation of 10-15 thousand rupees per patta land but the scheme may be being elephants, how elephant lost their misused by large landowners.

habitats, some threats affect elephant

Mitigating efforts by the villagers: population and hopes for the survival In Varapalayam, villagers initially used to shout at the elephants groups to drive of elephants etc. in This activity take them away, then began using crackers. Currently the elephants do not react either to about 60 minutes to trace back 4000crackers or shouting, nor torches (flashlights).

year-old history. Time to work

So far no death of a human being has been reported from during these villages but there is a individually the training allows farmer who had his land taken away by the government due the death tusker participants toto reflect and of toamake due to electrocution. There is no time frame for the elephant’s visitation.

progress on adapting workshop content

to their own needs.

Area 2. Thoomanoor and Sembukari Thoomanoor and Sembukarai are two small tribal settlements with a population of 477 people in 134 families. The huts at Thoomanoor are clustered but the huts Role play and debate are at two Sembukari are scattered. Each family owns their own land of about 10 to 12 acres to different tools used in the cultivate. Their main occupations are agriculture and cattle rearing. Their teaching family size guide to understand the elephant, the is very small. social impact of conflict issues, and

Interviews with these villagers about elephant visits indicate that theypractices. do not takeIn it conflict management as a serious issue. They said that elephants are lured to their huts by their pet dogs. general people have different views Their dogs bark when the elephants pass their settlement areas. The elephants about Views about become irritated by the barking sound and get angryelephants. and charge the dogs.

The dogs run to the settlement for shelter and thus theelephants elephants enter their area. very from person to person

and their perceptions vary based on

Some beliefs/behaviour towards elephants by the settlement people: their withlanguage. elephants.

1. The tribal people believe that the elephants can experience understand their It isThe objective ofbe these is use to utilize believed that abusive words against elephants should not used.activities Even if we abusive words at low voice it can be heard bythis the difference elephants and they may harmof in perspectives people. So they do not use any abusive words towardand the use elephants. people them effectively to

educate andone involve in resolving 2. They believe that the elephants do not harm them and of thethem observers elephant issues.

Understanding explained how one lady responded to an elephant’s visit.

Once an elephant visitedtheir the settlement area and stood in front of a small perspectives hut where an old resting willlady alsowas help us inside.

She could just see the elephant’s trunk and legs inside the with hut. their Whenattitude. she realized sympathize Inthe role presence of an elephant in front of her hut she took a thin stick and gently touched play participants take different the trunk and told the elephant without fear “Poo samy, Poo samy…’ (Poo = go; Samy characters of different stakeholders – God or title to call an elderly person with respect) repeatedly.

The observer said that after a few minutes the elephant left theand hut without it. expressdisturbing their perception and view about elephants. Through role play

3. Another old lady who was around 80 years was interviewed. She confidently told participants understand how elephants that elephants in no way disturb them. According to her, elephants are considered as influence human culture in art, music, Gods and they are allowed to eat that which the villagers cultivate.

The leftover crops can be taken by them. She explained one interesting event thatpolitics, happened at her hut. songs, products, religion etc Once a mother elephant with its baby visited while her hut.

The hut whichaisconflictvery small has debate models a very narrow entry. The baby elephant which was standing next to its mother resolution process. suddenly tried to enter the hut which was barely big enough for its body. Noticing this, the mother elephant suddenly pulled away the calf using her trunk and prevented it from entering, which would have destroyedExamples the hut! The mischievous calf tried of how the training can be repeatedly but the mother did not allow it to applied enter theinhut.

While this or wasinhappening a classroom HEC areas Continued on next page ...

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXVI, Number 10, October 2011

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Elephants can run as fast as a sprinter.

This understanding helps them not to compete with elephants when they are in trouble or to challenge an elephant.

Similarly senses, trunk and communication games are certain activities enable better understanding about elephants.

The most colourful activity of this programme is ‘Illustrated history of Asian Elephants’. The objective of this activity is for the people to understand the relationship that human being had with elephants since time immemorial and to understand the status of the elephants. This is the best indoor activity that any teacher can use in a classroom set up. An advantage is that the illustrations can be displayed for any number of days.

The data from elephant history that we provide to a participant allow him/her to visualize the situation and to make it in to an illustration. Participants find it very interesting even if they draw for the first time. Whey they display all their illustrations, they try to understand where and when Asian elephants might have affected during their history, causes of decline of elephants, how elephant lost their habitats, some threats affect elephant population and hopes for the survival of elephants etc. This activity take about 60 minutes to trace back 4000year-old history. Time to work individually during the training allows participants to reflect and to make progress on adapting workshop content to their own needs.

Role play and debate are two different tools used in the teaching guide to understand the elephant, the social impact of conflict issues, and conflict management practices. In general people have different views about elephants. Views about elephants very from person to person and their perceptions vary based on their experience with elephants. The objective of these activities is to utilize this difference in perspectives of people and use them effectively to educate and involve them in resolving elephant issues. Understanding their perspectives will also help us sympathize with their attitude. In role play participants take different characters of different stakeholders and express their perception and view about elephants. Through role play participants understand how elephants influence human culture in art, music, songs, products, politics, religion etc while debate models a conflictresolution process.

Examples of how the training can be applied in a classroom or in HEC areas have been practically valuable

the lady was just watching from the side of the hut. She was so happy to praise the good manners of the mother elephant and explained the whole incidence with much enthusiasm.

She said that they are seeing elephants at their vicinity only for the past 15 years.

She does not remember seeing elephants around their living area during her childhood. Another family told us “we used to see the elephants at a distance of about 500 mts and they do not harm us. When we see them at a distance we worship the elephants.”

4. The settlement reports two human deaths caused by elephants. The first death was about 10 years ago where a lady was killed in the forest while she was collecting some produce. The incidence took place in the forested area and they do not know the reason for the death. The second incidence took place at the Sembukarai settlement about 5 years ago. A lady who was sitting in the hut saw elephants eating the crops and so she ran towards them shouting aloud to drive them away. The elephants did not expect this, they charged and killed her on the spot.

Coexistence with the animals: The settlement people on experiencing their crops being eaten by the elephants have now changed their crops and now mostly beans are cultivated. They used to cultivate maize, ragi, samai etc.

Area 3. Aalanthurai We went to another village Valayan Kuttai, Alanthurai. We interviewed the villagers and met the Deputy President of the Town Panchayat. We learned that the elephants are visiting their village only for the past four years. On the day of our visit many elephants paid a visit to the village. A total of 30-35 elephants visit their land everyday throughout the year. The villagers consider this as a nuisance since they damage all the crops. Crops like sugarcane, maize, paddy, ragi and groundnut are cultivated in this area.

Since the villagers are small farmers they take a loan or borrow money from some other source to cultivate. The elephants damage all the crops in a day or two. This leads to frustration among the people. They said that two subsequent crop damage in a year will lead to poverty of the family. The villagers send their children for education and some of their children are settled in cities. If this problem continues for a long time they may sell out the land and settle in city. They feel that fencing entire forest area can prevent the entry of elephants.

Behavioural changes among the villagers: The people who live in this area used to move freely even during midnight by foot.

Nowadays, due to prevalence of elephants in the cultivated lands they have almost stopped coming out of their houses at night. Since the crops on both the sides of the road are tall, the presence of elephants inside the cultivated land cannot be noticed, but so far no human death has been reported from this area.

Mitigating measures: A few years ago people used torch lights to drive the elephants then later used fire lamps. The elephants are used to these things and they do not bother. Now crackers are used to drive the elephants. The small farmers cannot spend 100 Rupees daily to keep off the elephants from their land and in any case, the elephants are accustomed this kind of noise and it is not so effective. The forest department has allotted guards to keep off the elephants from the cultivable land.

Beliefs: The villagers believe that the elephant population has increased, and this trend is the cause for the entry of elephants into human habitations.

resources for participants. Trainings may produce a wide variety of results ranging from changes in teaching practice and development of new learning resources to school-level planning and community-wide action.

In all cases, training time devoted to planning next steps is critical. During the training considerable amount of time is spent to give ideas about planning an education programme.

We cannot expect the participants to practice all the contents of the teaching guide. We emphasize not to get in to trouble by planning three days programme instead suggest them to split the contents of the teaching guide and to cover in different times of an academic year. We encourage them to choose activities so as to plan one or two hours programme or half a day programme or one day programme on special occasions like Wildlife week or

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXVI, Number 10, October 2011

to cover all activities over a period of six months at different intervals during an academic year. The ele-kit packets and drama kits supplied to them are always a boon and encouragement for them to plan an education programme before they forget the training.

At the end of all training programmes, individual commitments are solicited.

A commitment card is given to all the participants and they are requested to write any two immediate action that they can do with in six months from the date of the training. This is to ensure that participants leave the workshop with specific plans for immediate action after the training Workshop evaluations tell us that our most successful training sessions are those taught with good method and practice of teaching.

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Third Asian Zoo Educators (AZEC) Conference, Taipei Zoo, Taiwan R. Marimuthu* The Asian Zoo Educators Conference (AZEC) was instigated from the International Zoo Educators Association (IZE). It provides a platform where professional zoo educators in Asia could meet every two-years to share their ideas and discuss topics of common interest. The first Asian Zoo Educators’ Conference took place in 2007 at Singapore Zoo and the second at Ocean Park, Hong Kong in 2009.

The third Asian Zoo Educators’ Conference was held at Taipei Zoo from September 18-22, 2011 with the theme "Focus On Rainforest ‧ EcoSystem Thinking”. Seventy-seven participants representing 38 organizations from 14 regions attended the conference. This writer participated in the conference as a sponsored delegate and presented a paper on “Teacher Training Programme on Human Elephant Coexistence” and carried ZOO education materials to give sample copies to all participants.

A display of the material was appreciated by all delegates.

Registration and ice breaker was held at the Taipei zoo on the 18 September evening. The conference covered 5 presentation sessions, a field trip to Dongyshan Nature Centre and Leofoo Village Theme Park Zoo, poster presentations, inaugural of the 2nd Cross-Strait Symposium on Giant Panda Conservation (CSGPC) and a workshop.

Poster symposium-sixteen posters were presented at the conference On 19 September, the conference was inaugurated by Jason S. C. Chin, Director of Taipei zoo followed by the speech of Ms. Ya-Wen Ding, Commissioner, Department of Education, Taipei City Government. Mr. Stephen McKeown, Head of Discovery and Learning, Chester Zoo gave a keynote speech on “Yes we can! Zoo Education as a catalyst for behaviour change”.

Two presentation sessions were held.

Bill Street, SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment, USA moderated the first session. Sarita Jnawali, NTNC-

Central Zoo, Nepal：Zoo as a Living Classroom; Emily Lin, Taipei Zoo: Focus On Rainforest Eco-System Thinking; Hiroyuki Takahashi, Chiba Zoological Park, Japan: "Feel the Forest in the Zoo" Program; Henny Noertiningsih, Surabaya Zoo, Indonesia: Ecosystem Sustainability Surabaya Zoo as Forest City; Elaine Y. J. Lin, Endemic Species Research Institute, Taiwan: Biodiversity and Wildlife Education Programs of Wildlife First Aid Station, ESRI; Kasumi Nagakura, Nogeyama Zoological Gardens, Japan: How are Orangutan and Our Life Connected.

After lunch the delegates were taken to behind the scene tour in Taipei Zoo after which Jung Tai Chao, Taiwan Forestry Research Institute moderated the second session, 7 presentations were held. Ya Li Bai, Nanjing Hongshan Forest Zoo, 2011 Year of the Bat Themed Events: “Month of the Bat Protection”; Wing Chi Tsui, Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden, Hong Kong: Learning in the Dark; Shiang Fan Chen, Providence University, Taiwan: Fun Bats at Taipei Zoo; Ming Shih Hung, Hsinchu Zoo, Taiwan: Tree Climbing Education and Conservation; Julia Man, Ocean Park Corporation, Hong Kong: Young Child Education in Ocean Park Summer School; Lucia Ju, Taipei Zoo: The Role of Fragrant Flowers in Forest and Smell in Taipei Zoo; Carol Hsieh, Taipei Zoo: Zoo On Air. *

Zoo Outreach Organisation displayed a range of educational materials for distribution to participants

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXVI, Number 10, October 2011

Education Officer, Zoo Outreach Organisation. marimuthu@zooreach.org

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Amphibian and Reptile House and Insectarium.

Tzu Chau Chang of Natl Taiwan University moderated final presentations 22 September, e.g., Hideto Okuyama, Chiba Zoo, Japan： Penguin Walk-Visitor’s Perceptions and Interests of Penguins; Carl Leong, Ocean Park Corp. HK: Volunteer WorkGreat Opportunity to Educate Companies; Sung-Lin Wu, Taipei Zoo: Learning in Games: the Taipei Frog as an Example; Joann Chang, Taipei Zool Foundation：S is for Snail; David Chen, Natl Museum of Marine Biology & Aquarium： The Way to Take a Photo in an Aquarium.

Taipei zoo staff teaching games at the amphibian and reptile house during behind the scenes tour On 20 September forenoon we visited Dongyanshan Nature Education Center with primary objectives as education, conservation, culture and recreation for students, teachers and public. The staff briefed on their activities for different audiences. We entered Dongyanshan National Forest Recreation Area for trekking through a guided walk. Staff also taught few environmental games. Afternoon we visited the Leofoo Village Theme Park Zoo housing African animals in safari style with train and bus rides.

AZEC participants attended an Opening Ceremony of the 2nd Cross-Strait Symposium on Giant Panda Conservation (CSGPC) September 21, followed with presentations by De Sheng Li, China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda： The Impact of Pro-release Training on Giant Panda Infant Growth and Development, and Jang Jaer Lee, National Taiwan University: Maintenance of Oral Health for Giant Panda.

The third presentation session featured Jason S. C. Chin, Director, Taipei Zoo & Shan Nning Zhang, China Wildlife Conservation Association as moderators. And the presentations are: May Lok, Wildlife Reserves Singapore：Zoolympix 2011-Intl Year of Forest; Guangze Luo：Practice and Exploration of NGO Academic Institutions to Carry out Giant Panda Conservation Knowledge Education; Tracy Lau, Ocean Park, Hong kong: Report & Sharing Education/Guest Experience at Giant Panda Adventure; Julian C. L. Lin, Taipei Zoo：Making Good Use of Main Attraction to Intensify a Zoo’s Educational Function; Yun Hsuan Chiu, Pingtung Rescue

Center, Taiwan：Starting from the Head of the River: Thematic Conservation Education in Endangered Wild Animal Rescue Center.

After 16 poster presentations the 4th presentation session was held moderated by May Lok, WLR, Singapore. Presentors: Francis Tsang, Ocean Park Corporation, Hong Kong：Together We Are Stronger!

Human Resources Strategies for Zoo Education; Tim Hsu, Aletheia University, Taiwan：Learning Experiences of School Pupils through a Hands-on Exhibition: A Case Study of the Travelling Exhibition - “Biodiversity 911”; R. Marimuthu, ZOO, India Human Elephant Coexistence HECx; Jessica Andin, Penang Butterfly Farm, Malaysia：Bring Back the Endangered Yellow Birdwings. Delegates enjoyed a tour to Wetland Ecological Park,

After this, a workshop was conducted

by Bill Street, SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment, USA called “Importance of Innovation in N American Zool Education”. The history of Japanese Zoo and Aquarium Educators was presented by Koji Takada of Marine World Uminonakamichi who is the next host of AZEC 2013. Taipei Zoo volunteers conducted Taipei Zoo Children’s Theatre. The day ended with a Taipei zoo free visit and a gala farewell dinner at which Dr. Tim T.Y. Ting, Dy Mayor of Taipei City Government participated and gave a farewell speech.

As AZEC’s main goal is to share ideas and discuss topics of common interest, it was a platform for Asian Zoo educators to share with one another.

Note: Thanks to Taipei Zoo for my sponsorship to attend and present my paper and also for arranging a wonderful occasion.

AZEC delegates with the host near the Panda House

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXVI, Number 10, October 2011

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Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Mole

Stranger than Fiction . . . the Spy from Outer Space

Sally Walker, THE ILLUSTRATED WEEKLY OF INDIA, JULY 15, 1990 , Part II of III Following her encounter with the sleuths of the CIA, chronicled in the Weekly of July 16, 1989, Sally Walker, the spy from outer space, embarks on “Operation Infiltration”. The target: Seeking and Asking Wing (SAW), the Indian espionage agency.

Will SAW see through her gameplan?

A few days back a couple of CIA agents had come to see me with some confusion about whose operative I was and am. They formerly thought I was just a crazy American who the paranoid sector of Indian society thought must be a CIA agent because I had been here so long. The CIA and the CBI also knew I couldn’t really be a CIA agent because my behaviour in India went against every rule and norm and code of ethics of any respectable (or even disrespectable) spy.

To wit, I had got emotionally entangled with an Indian who wasn’t quite divorced yet and we scandalized everyone by living openly together and conducting a social life as if we were normal. (That ended very unpeacefully, by the way, but certainly in my best interests – he married someone else). I had also started societies in India, two of them, to be exact and had even got government grants, one of them for a plain paper copier! I had also written many, many newspaper articles (about 250 at last count) mostly about zoo and wildlife affairs and policy and usually critical of the government. Spies usually try and keep a low profile. Anyone with any sense does in India whether they are a spy or not and my friends are always telling me this. And I do try - really.

Anyway, their visit gave me the idea of offering my services to the CBI. If everyone thought I was a CIA agent, but I couldn’t be because I was too badly behaved, yet I was one because my unconventional behaviour was a good cover, then who would ever suspect me of being a CBI agent? I could rid the entire country of corruption and no one would even notice. It would be my good deed, not for the day, but for my life! I could be god’s little lollipop creating trouble for trouble-makers, making life better for the good guys.

With this ‘divine’ plan in mind, then, I ran confidently over to our local CBI office in Coimbatore to apply for a job.

Normally, CBI agents won’t be in their office. They will be out investigating people. I know this because they have investigated me on several occasions, some routine and some not so routine.

Foreigners who register in a city are routinely investigated and although it upsets one’s neighbours and landlord, it really is just a friendly investigation.

Although I have lived in India a very long time and have been investigated over and over again. I had never once met at CBI agent (that I knew about anyway). Either I was out of town when they came, or they didn’t even ask for me. The only time one came when I was at home was a disaster. I thought he was paper salesman and asked him to come back later in a manner more suitable for a paper

salesman than a CBI agent and he went off in a huff.

Anyway, when I entered the anteroom of the local CBI headquarters and asked the receptionist to see the incharge, I really didn’t know what kind of person to expect or even whether he would be in the office.

Now, I can understand that CBI agents don’t get many foreigners coming to see them in their office. But really, when I stepped in the office, the receptionist looked at me like I was a tiger or lion coming through the door.

I tried to put him at ease by approaching his desk a little slowly and with my hands up. This is what the police say in movies: “Get your hands up” when they deal with someone they think is dangerous, so I thought it would make him feel safe.

The only effect it seemed to have was to upset him however, because when I lowered my hands to take out my visiting card, he dived under his desk moaning piteously. I felt rather annoyed, actually, after trying to do the Right Thing and all, that he should act like that. Undaunted, I leaned over the desk and held my card in front of his face and said, “I want to meet your Sahib.”

My visiting card is really very attractive. It looks like it was done by a upmarket commercial artist in Bombay or New York. It has a big three-colour logo on it saying ZOO in one inch black letters with a snappy

However, when I failed to pay the insurance on my moped, year after year, all the officials who had thought I couldn’t possibly be a spy, thought all of my bad behaviour was ‘cover’ to put people off the trail. I couldn’t possibly be a spy; therefore I had to be. It was getting confusing.

So the CIA paid me a visit and we had a bit of a confrontation on this matter, of which I must say, I got the better of them, I had them crying in their buttermilk in the end. People like CIA agents are so rigid in their thinking that basically they are very easy to break – like glass, they are. All those guys in the military-industrial-police (MIP) establishment are like that. The real strength is in flexibility, isn’t it?

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yellow cheetah striding across it. My organisation’s name “Zoo Outreach Organisation” is written in bright red underneath and then my name and address. It really is rather striking.

Why, then, this silly man looked at me the way he did, I can’t figure.

He said “Zoo” firmly and peered up at me. Then, before I could react even with a nod or a smile he looked back down at the card again and said, “Zoo?” This time when he looked up at me, I was ready. I smiled modestly in reply.

“Zoo,” he said again and then (you won’t believe this) he said : ‘Who?...

Zoo?” (It rhymes, you see! I wondered if he did it on purpose.)

I said : “Me… Zoo.” Then he said, pointing at me with the card : (I’ll) bet you can guess this time: “You… Zoo?” “All riiiiiigggggtttttttt!” I exclaimed, clapping my hands, “You got it!”

By this time, the local CBI agent whose door was open, couldn’t stand it another minute and came out himself to see what was going on.

The poor receptionist was still crouched under the desk with a death grip on my card, so I took out another and handed it over to the man I came to see with a smile. “Namaskara, Saar,” I said. “May I take a few minutes of your time?”

The agent, a Singh by name didn’t say anything, but he made a vague motion with his hand before turning back into his office which told me that I was welcome to come in. I went in and sat down. His office was no surprise.

There was nothing in it. I mean, there was a desk and two or three chairs and a metal almirah and couple of paperweights, but there was nothing in the office to let one know that a human being occupied it. These MIPs are the same caste all the world over.

Singh looked me right in the eye and said absolutely nothing. The ball, obviously, was in my court.

“Saar,” I said respectfully, “I have come to apply for a job with your agency”.

Singh obviously was practiced in dealing with all types but nevertheless my request for a job threw him. His eyes betrayed him. They flickered.

Then they blinked. Then they drew close together, following his eyebrows, and an unmistakable line of anxiety

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appeared between them. I had definitely surprised him, no doubt about that.

He recovered nicely. “Ah,” he said, “You want to apply for a job.” It was not a question. He got it right away and he believed it. Or he knew that it was very important for him to pretend he believed it.

“Well, well, well”, he said again, rubbing his hands together. “I’m afraid you’re in the wrong office. The CBI doesn’t have anything to do with foreign espionage. You want the Seeing and Asking Wing (SAW). You seeeeee, SAW is India’s intelligence agency, not CBI. CBI is like FBI in your country, you see.”

I SAW. I mean, I Saw. I said “I See”.

Compressing his lips and marshalling his inner strength, he uttered the question which Indians in authority have used from time immemorial to bludgeon unwanted elements into submission and discourage all progress. He said with the confidence and support of the whole of the World’s Official Establishment (WOE) in any department behind him.

“What,” he said smugly, “is your qualification?”

Now it was my turn to lose my cool. I just hhhaaattteee that… when a somebody asks for my qualification.

I said indignantly “What is my qualification? What is my Qualification?

What is my Qualification? You’re asking me what is my Qualification? Isn’t the fact that I’m a foreigner and a lady and controversial figure in the wildlife movement and that I’m here in your office enough! I’ve come to help you, you fool !”

“Um” he said obviously straining to keep his wits in order. “How do you think you might be of service? Um, we have a receptionist. We have a typist too. And um, I’ll have to check the rules, but I think being a foreigner disqualifies you from working in government service. Security, foreign exchange regulations, language problem… you know how it is…”

“Singh” I said, “I’m not interested in being a receptionist or a typist. I’m also not concerned, nor should you be, about the service rules. Singh”, I said drawing myself up into the most dignified of postures, “I want to be a spy!”

“Ohhhh ho!” exclaimed Singh. “You want to be a spy. Well, well, well.

That’s different !” He looked at me with joy and relief.

I was pleased. He seemed to be taking my offer in a positive and constructive manner. But I was mistaken. His relief was not due to his satisfaction over getting a great new spy to help him.

He was relieved because it was not really his department. He didn’t have to deal with it. He didn’t have to make a decision.

“No”, he said “SAW! Seeing and Asking Wing ... it is the seaside to SAW spies.

“A spy for SAW” I mused aloud, feeling myself growing poetic. “She sees spies along the seashore for SAW,” I continued, fascinated.

“Sally Spy sells secrets along the seaside to SAW spies”, said Singh. He was also getting into it.

“Singh says SAW spies sell secrets in Syria”, I exclaimed!

“How did you know that,” Singh shouted, outraged! “You must already be a spy. I should have known better then to let you into my office. All you Americans are spies. It’s true. I’m going to see SAW about Sally.”

“Saar, don’t see SAW! Not yet anyway.

It was just an expression. I didn’t know anything about your espionage activities in Syria. I mean, I didn’t know until you said that. I mean I still don’t know anything. Just tell me how to get to the SAW office and I’ll go over there and see SAW myself. I’m sorry I bothered you. It’s the first time I’m hearing of SAW”.

Singh agreed – anything to get rid of me – and directed me to the SAW office. It was across the hall, it turned out. The receptionist had recovered by this time however, and made me sign my name in the register. Under purpose of visit, I hesitated, however.

If I was to be good spy. I should be able to spy on everyone, including the receptionist, Therefore, no one (except Singh, of course) should know the reason I was going to the SAW office.

I put “per” for personal and told the receptionist I was a neighbour”.

A very nice Singh (not the same Singh as in the CBI) interviewed me. I decided to change my approach a bit.

After all, spies are supposed to be subtle. I said (earnestly), “Singh, did you ever wonder why there are no spy novels about the espionage service in India?

“Why, no,” he said, bemused, “I never did wonder. I don’t read the things

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myself. Is it true? Care for tea?” he said in the same breath.

“Yes” I said positively, “to my knowledge there isn’t a single spy novel having a setting in India much less, about Indian espionage agents.

There are hundreds of novels about the CIA, the KGB, M15, the Mossad but there isn’t single book about SAW. I didn’t even know about SAW until recently. It’s really too bad. It’s not good for India’s international image.

People might think that you don’t even have an espionage service. That’s bad for security”.

Singh laughed, “Not have spies in India? Ah Yo! We had spies before North America broke off from the North Pole. Palace espionage! We’re the masters. We taught everybody else!”

“Maybe,” I said, “but what does it matter when the world doesn’t know.

You need good spy fiction to complete your national personality”.

“Well, maybe”, Singh said. “But What’s that got to do with you? Why are you here?” he asked rather anxiously, seemingly just now to comprehend the anomaly of an overweight and middleaged foreign lady coming to visit him in his office.

“Singh”, I said shyly, “ I write”. Then I blushed and went on, “ I love India and I want to do something for my adopted country. I request you to hire me as a spy in SAW so that I can see what’s happening and write novels and stories about it”.

He looked fuzzled, incapable of speech.

So I continued: “ You see, Singh, I have the perfect cover. I’m an American so everybody thinks I’m a CIA agent. However, I have behaved rather, uh, obtrusively in my years in India so I couldn’t possibly be a spy since spies always behave unobtrusively and impeccably to keep up appearances and to maintain a low profile. However, it’s so obvious that I’m not a spy, that I must be one.

Only my doctor knows for sure. So who would ever suspect me of being an agent of SAW? See?” “Not exactly”, he said slowly, sliding sheets of Seeing and Asking Surveys along the sideboard. “But, by all means, do continue”.

“Of course, my primary purpose is to assist you by creating a genre of spy fiction of India, but I could do a little real spying along the way too. I mean, I can’t really get a true picture of SAW unless I see what SAW sees, isn’t it?

Besides I would like to do something to protect India from the forces of the

17

foreign hand as well as boosting her image”.

“Sure” he said thoughtfully, “I can see SAW with a sidekick like Sally Walker.

But tell me, how did you all of a sudden get the idea to do this”.

“Well, a few days ago the CIA came to see me and…”

“What!” Singh exclaimed. “The CIA came to see you? Where? Here?”

“Why, yes” I said, puzzled, “they came to my office in Peelamedu. It was in the afternoon. I gave them some cold buttermilk.” I added eyeing Singh nervously. He seemed to be getting upset.

“Those creeps!” he cried. “Those bigots! Those liars. Those sneaky spies! They’re supposed to contact me whenever they come to town. They

can’t just go bothering our citizens like that. They’re supposed to register with us even for a short social call!”.

“Uh, Singh, “ I said, hoping to pacify him, “as much as I’d like to be, I’m not a citizen of India. I’m still an American and they came to see me. Of course, they did harass me a bit… but I suppose it doesn’t really count - and I definitely had the last word”.

“Of course it counts”, said Singh. “You may not be a pucca citizen, but if you’re living here, you’re our responsibility. We can’t let those goons go around harassing our visitors!”

Seeing my chance, I said : “Well, Singh, perhaps I could make myself doubly useful by informing you if I see these chaps again. I had the feeling they might come back”.

Singh went for it “ You’re hired!” he cried “Report tomorrow for training.

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Nine o’ clock sharp. Wear old clothes.

Tell your office you’re going out of station for two weeks. Welcome to SAW, Sally Walker,” he said saluting snappily.

And it was as simple as that. After only 15 years of living in India, enduring years of agonizing yoga lessons, tedious Sanskrit studies, a revolting romance with a horrid Indian male chauvinist pig, and an exhausting career taming tigers and changing baby chimpanzee nappies, finally, finally, finally, I had achieved my goal.

I had infiltrated the MIP establishment and had a foot in the door of the forest department too. It was just what my superiors had told me – slow and steady wins the race.

Tune in next month for the final installment of ... dum da dum dum ... the Spy from outer Spppaaacccceeee!

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Avian diversity adjacent Manimuthar Dam in the foothills of KalakadMundanthurai Tiger Reserve, southern India J. Patrick David* Introduction Areas bordering forests are beginning to attract attention of conservationists as forest animals use these landscapes as support habitats and as stepping stones to move to suitable habitats (Daily et al. 2001; Buler et al. 2007). Still for some species, their habitats remain outside protected areas in human dominated/modified landscapes. These include bat roosting sites, heronries, irrigation tanks, agricultural fields etc. Hence there is an urgent need to develop a conservation plan for areas bordering the reserve for the protection of such species and to develop biodiversity friendly landscapes around forested areas (Chazdon et al.

2009).

Landscapes adjacent to the forest, where water is plenty are mostly cultivated and support a vibrant community of people and animals. This is very much true of the landscape bordering Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR), on the eastern side. The area is dotted with paddy fields, orchards, plantations, rivers and irrigation tanks. The diversity of trees which adorn the rural landscape attracts a variety of fauna and acts as a support habitat for animals living in the forest. Presently, the landscape is getting modified due to urbanisation, lack of interest in agriculture and changing crop patterns. Hence there was an urgent need to document birdlife in this region and conservation plans devised for the protection of avifauna in this part of the landscape.

Study Site The area adjacent the Manimuthar Dam, in the central part of the reserve along the eastern boundary was chosen for the initial assessment of bird diversity. This area is a mix of rocky scrub, paddy fields, irrigation tanks, canals, plantations and small villages. The diversity of habitats supports a variety of birdlife. However prior to the construction of the dam in 1958, the landscape was mostly arid, predominated by scrubby vegetation (Steffan 2004).

Currently the area under cultivation has increased due to canals and irrigation tanks which is a boon to water birds that are seen in plenty foraging in paddy fields and irrigation tanks. The once dominant scrub has been pushed to the periphery of the reserve. Over the last few decades Sugarcane Saccharum sp, Banana Musa sp and plantations of Coconut Cocos nucifera and Mango Mangifera indica has also cropped up.

Most of the information about avifauna in this region come from within the reserve (Johnsingh & Joshua 1989, 1994; Johnsingh 2001; Raman & Sukumar 2002). However there is plenty of birdlife that use areas adjacent the reserve (such as Manimuthar) which needs to be documented.

These areas could be used by birds as stepping stones to move to the hills or could be the final destination for some bird species in their annual southern migration or could be support habitat for resident birds of the forest. This paper deals with the diversity of avifauna and their status in the area. Recommendations for conserving bird species and habitats are also given.

Method The data presented in this paper is a result of fortnightly census carried out in three trails close to the dam and from an irrigation pond 5km away from the dam at Vairavikulam.

The census was carried out from September 2010-May 2011 during morning hours (06:15 hrs-08:00 hrs). Opportunistic records collected from May 2010 and from other sources is also included. Bird names and families follow Rasmussen and Anderton (2005).

Description of trails Trail 1 runs for 1.7 km parallel to the dam in a south-north direction. The initial part of the trail is dominated by Paddy, Coconut and Banana plantations in the eastern side and by and abandoned recreation park containing planted trees of Peltophorum sp, Bottle Brush Callistemon lanceolatus sp, Neem Azadirachta indica, Rain Tree Samania saman and many species of ornamental plants. Uncut grass patches dominate the lower level. The middle part passes through the main river across a bridge. The latter part is a mix of mango orchards and rocky scrub.

Trail 2 runs in a east-west direction along the Manimuthar main canal for 1.5 km. This trail is dominated by scrub on both sides. Small settlements are located at the distal part of the trail. Here the hills gently slope down and merges with the plains. The vegetation is dominated by Cassia auriculata, Prosopis sp, Dichrostachys cinerea, Canthium parviflorum, Zizyphus oenoplia etc (Saravanan personal communication). Trail 3 is further south-east of trail 2 and is 1km long. On the southern side, the scrub has been cleared for planting teak Tectona grandis and on the northern side plantations of Gooseberry Ribes sp (early stage), mango and tall grass reeds predominate.

Results and Discussion Manimuthar: A valuable support habitat for birds In total, 136 bird species of 54 families were recorded in this area during the study period. Thirty species were wetland birds and the remaining 106 species were terrestrial (Table 1,2). The highest number of species is from family Accipitridae (9), followed by Ardeidae (7) and Cuculidae, Cisticolidae (6). The high diversity of birds in this area is due to the varied habitats such as scrub, irrigation tanks, canals, villages, settlements and tree lined avenues. The proximity of the area to the KalakadMundanthurai Tiger reserve and the location of the trails close to the reserve also add to the reasons for high number of bird species recorded. For instance the Jerdon’s Leaf Bird Chloropsis jerdoniwas sighted on three occasions. On one occasion three birds were observed feeding on flowers of Polyalthia longifolia along the dam trail and on other two occasions it was sighted shunting between a flowering Helictrus isora shrub inside the reserve and the Manimuthar settlement adjacent to it along the canal trail.

* Senior Research Associate, ATREE, Agasthyamalai Community Based Conservation Centre, Mukkavar, Manimuthar. Email: patdavid28@gmail.com

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Similarly several other resident species such as Indian Peafowl Pavo cristatus, Red-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus cafer, Rufous Treepie Dendrocitta vagabunda, Rose-ringed Parakeet Psittacula krameri, Purple-rumped Sunbird Leptocoma zeylonica and the Brown-headed Barbet Megalaima zeylanica use both the forest and the adjacent rural habitat for foraging. For species such as the Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea and Forest Wagtail Dendronanthus indicus it could be a resting habitat on their forward and return migration from the hills. The Grey Wagtail was recorded once each in October and February along the canal trail and in April along the dam trail. The Forest Wagtail was sighted twice in the mango orchard along the Dam trail in March. All these observations indicate that Manimuthar area could be good support habitat for birds and could be stepping stone for some species that move further south or up and down the hill.

Currently, most of the scrub habitat is being converted to Paddy fields, housing colonies and farms, threatening scrub birds such as the Blue-faced Malkoha Phaenicophaeus viridirostris Indian Black Robin Saxicoloides fulicatus and Laughing Dove Streptopelia senegalensis which are mostly confined to the forest boundary and are rarely seen close to villages. A proper management plan should be put in place so that habitat heterogenity is maintained to ensure bird diversity.

Inter-trail differences Seventy eight species were recorded in the dam trail (Trail1), 76 species in canal trail (Trail2), and 40 species in Trail3. Trail3 is not discussed further as data collection here started only in January 2011. Eight species were exclusive to the dam trail and ten species to the canal trail. Prominent among the birds exclusive to the dam trail are the Ashy Drongo Dicrurus leucophaeus, Black-headed Cuckoo shrike Coracina melanoptera, Asian Brown Flycatcher Muscicapa dauurica and the Indian Golden Oriole Oriolus kundoo. Ashy Wood Swallow Artamus fuscus, Grey-headed Starling Sturnia malabarica, Rosy Starling Sturnus roseus, Greybellied Cuckoo Cocomantis passerinus and the Chesnutheaded Bee-eater Merops leschenaulti were recorded only from the canal trail. The dam trail is dotted with tall and widely branched tree species such as Peltophorum sp, Eucalyptus sp, Polyaltia longifolia, Azadirachta indica and other ornamental species while the canal trail is mostly open scrub, which explains the exclusivity of some species to these sites. Moreover the canal trail runs close the tiger reserve boundary.

The Yellow-throated Sparrow Petronia xanthocollis, though recorded from both the sites was more common along the dam trail. Another species which is more common in the dam trail is the Brahminy Kite Haliastur indus. The Whitebrowed Bulbul Pycnonotus luteolus recorded from both the sites was more common in the canal trail.

Wetland Birds The change in the landscape after the construction of the dam in 1958 has greatly benefitted wetland birds. Though there is no record of birdlife in this area before the construction of the dam. Interviews with farmers indicate that water birds were mostly confined to the main river course and the few agricultural lands that existed close to the river. Today, Paddy fields and irrigation tanks are

frequented by Eastern Cattle egret Bubulcus coramandus, Little egret Egretta garzetta, Indian Black Ibis Pseudibis papillosa and Black-headed Ibis Threskiornis melanocephalus.

Lotus flowers and roots are harvested by locals and hence in most of the ponds, lotus occupies a small percentage of the pond area. This has benefitted species such as the Bronzewinged Jacana Metopidius indicus and the Pheasant-tailed Jacana Hydrophasianus chirurgus. Pink Morning Glory Ipomoea carnea which has taken over most of the wetlands also provide refuge to waterbirds like the Purple Swamphen Porphyrio (porphyrio) poliocephalus and Eurasian Coot Fulica atra.

Though a season-wise estimate of abundance is not available, it is clear that the irrigation tanks are important foraging grounds for the Indian Spot-billed Duck Anas poecilorhyncha, Spot-billed Pelican Pelicanus philippensis and the Little Cormorant Phalacrocorax niger which can be seen in plenty in the Vairavikulam tank. The Vairavikulam and Singampatti tanks, since they are close the dam, generally don’t dry up and hence are important for these birds during the summer when water dries up in other tanks.

Recommendations Currently the area adjacent the Manimuthar Dam is witnessing rapid urbanization with more land being converted to housing plots. Sugarcane fields are replacing paddy in some areas to provide raw material to the recently established sugar factory near Idaikkal. Banana fields are also replacing paddy in many areas. These changes in landuse will severely affect scrubland birds. Hence, atleast areas bordering the reserve upto a distance of 200m should be left untouched for scrub forest birds to survive. We also recommend that no high-rise building or apartment devoid of trees be allowed to come up within 5 kms from the reserve boundary. All houses and other commercial and non-commercial establishments must have good tree cover mostly of plant species that provide fruit and insect food for birds (after the findings of Buler et al. 2007), so that this area continues to be a good support habitat for forest birds and stepping stones for migrants.

Our interviews with farmers reveal that they are no longer interested in practicing agriculture. Most of the youth have migrated to cities in search of lucrative jobs. Therefore agricultural lands are being gradually taken over by residential apartments. Once this happens the irrigation ponds and canals will lose their value and will be encroached for some other purpose severely affecting water birds in the region. Hence we recommend that some of the existing irrigation tanks are retained (inspite of urbanization) and conservation plans drawn up to develop buffer zones around ponds, so that water birds continue to thrive in this area.

Another conservation issue concerning the wetlands is the spread of Ipomoea carnea. As the irrigation tanks are connected by canals they have colonized all the wetlands in the area. Some tanks have been completely taken over by this species. If left unchecked other tanks will also be affected. Locals also consider this weed to cause skin irritation and it is also of no economic value till now. Hence

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efforts must be made to control the spread of this invasive weed, without allowing it to spread throughout the entire tank.

References Buler, J. J., Moore, F.R & Woltmann, S. (2007). A multi-scale examination of stopover habitat use by birds.

Ecology 88:1789–1802.

Chazdon, R.L., Harvey, C.A. Komar, O. Griffith, D.M, Ferguson, B.G, Ramos, M.M, Morales, H., Nigh, R., Pinto, L.S., Breugel, M.V., Philpott, S.M. (2009): Beyond reserves: A research agenda for conserving biodiversity in Human-modified Tropical Landscapes.

Biotropica 41(2): 142-153.

Daily, G. C., Ehrilch, P. R. & Sanchez-Azofeifa, G. A. (2001). Countryside biogeography: Use of humandominated habitats by the avifauna of southern Costa Rica. Ecol. Appl. 11: 1–13.

Johnsingh, A.J.T. (2001). The Kalakad–Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve: A global heritage of biological diversity.

Special Section. Current Science 80(3): 378-388.

Johnsingh, A.J.T, & Joshua, J (1989). The threatened gallery forest of the River Tamirabharani, Mundanthurai Wildlife Sanctuary, south India. Biological Conservation 47: 273-280.

Johnsingh, A.J.T, & Joshua, J (1994). Avifauna in three vegetation types on Mundanthurai Plateau, south India. J. Trop. Ecol 10(3): 323-335.

Rasmussen, P.C. & Anderton, J.C (2005). Birds of South Asia. The Ripley Guide. Vol.1 and 2. Smithosonian Institution and Lynx Edicions, Washington, D.C and Barcelona.

Shankar Raman, T.R., & Sukumar, R. (2002).

Responses of tropical rainforest birds to abandoned plantations, edges and logged forest in the Western Ghats, India. Animal Conservation (5): 201-216.

Stefan, P. (2004). Singampatti- A traditional tamilian village caught in the competition of time- A case study.

ATREE, Genie de l’environment, ENSA & Universitat. Wien.

IECB. 62pp.

Table1: Checklist and status of terrestrial birds in the study site Common Name Phasianidae Grey Francolin Jungle Bush Quail Painted Spurfowl Grey Junglefowl Indian Peafowl Picidae Common Flameback Black-rumped Flameback Capitonidae Brown-headed Barbet Coppersmith Barbet Upupidae Common Hoopoe Coraciidae Indian Roller Alcedinidae Common Kingfisher Stork-billed Kingfisher White-throated Kingfisher Lesser Pied Kingfisher Meropidae Little Green Bee-eater Blue-tailed Bee-eater Chestnut-headed Beeeater Cuculidae Jacobin Cuckoo Small Cuckoo

Scientific Name Francolinus pondicerianus Perdicula asiatica Galloperdix lunulata Gallus sonneratii Pavo cristatus

Common. Encountered on all three trails Calls heard along canal trail Sighted only once in canal trail Occasional calls heard from inside the reserve adjacent canal trail Abundant. Sighted regularly on all three trails

Dinopium javanense Dinopium benghalense

Regularly seen in dam trail and in coconut groves Sighted only once along dam trail

Megalaima haemacephala

Call heard regularly from inside the reserve on the canal trail and from Police campus Common. Regularly seen along the dam trail

Upupa epops

Common. Regularly encountered on the canal trail

Coracias benghalensis

Common. Regularly encountered on dam trail

Alcedo atthis Pelargopsis capensis

Occasional. Infrequent sightings along canal trail Only one sighting along dam trail

Halcyon smyrnensis

Common. Regularly sighted in canal and dam trail

Ceryle rudis

Regularly seen on dam trail from the bridge across the river

Merops orientalis Merops philippinus

Common. Encountered regularly on all three trails Migrant. Can be seen along the canal and dam trail A flock of 14 birds have been regularly sighted since December 2010 along the canal trail

Megalaima zeylanica

Merops leschenaulti Clamator jacobinus Cuculus poliocephalus

Grey-bellied Cuckoo

Cocomantis passerinus

Asian Koel

Eudynamys scolopaceus

Sirkeer Malkoha

Phaenicophaeus viridirostris Taccocua leschenaultii

Greater Coucal

Centropus sinensis

Blue-faced Malkoha

Status in the area

Occasional. Can be seen on dam and canal trail One sighting along the canal trail Can be sighted regularly in monsoon and post monsoon season along the canal trail Abundant. Frequently encountered in canal and dam trail and near human habitations Common. Regularly sighted along canal trail Seen once along the dam trail Common. Regularly sighted/ heard in canal and dam trail and close to human habitations

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Common Name

Scientific Name

Status in the area

Psittacidae Rose-ringed Parakeet

Psittacula krameri

Plum-headed Parakeet Psittacula cyanocephala Apodidae Asian Palm-Swift Cypsiurus balasiensis Little Swift Apus affinis Campephagidae Common Woodshrike Tephrodornis pondicerianus Black-headed Cuckoo Coracina melanoptera Shrike Tytonidae and Strigidae Common Barn-Owl Tyto alba Eurasian Eagle-Owl Bubo bubo Brown Fish-Owl Ketupa zeylonensis Mottled Wood-Owl Strix ocellata Spotted Owlet Athene brama Caprimulgidae Indian Little Nightjar Caprimulgus asiaticus Savanna Nightjar Caprimulgus affinis Columbidae Rock Pigeon Columba livia Laughing Dove Streptopelia senegalensis Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis Eurasian Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto Charadriidae Yellow-wattled Lapwing Vanellus malabaricus Red-wattled Lapwing Vanellus indicus Accipitridae and Falconidae Oriental Honey Buzzard Pernis ptilorhyncus Black-winged Kite Elanus caeruleus Black Kite Milvus migrans Brahminy Kite Haliastur Indus Grey-headed Fish-Eagle Ichthyophaga ichthyaetus Short-toed Eagle Circaetus gallicus

Common. Encountered frequently in dam and canal trail and near human habitations Sighted once each in canal and dam trail Common. Encountered frequently on all three trails A flock of around 50 birds sighted inside the dam A single bird was sighted once along plantation trail Occasional. Sighted a couple of times along dam trail Recorded in villages Calls heard in steep rocky cliffs bordering the reserve Status not known Occasional. Call heard once from coconut plantation Common throughout the area Call heard regularly in open scrub area Heard and sighted once near the plantation trail at dusk Common. Frequently sighted in the area Common. Encountered frequently along canal and dam trail Common. Encountered frequently on all three trails Occasional. Encountered once in plantation and dam trail Occasional. Open dry scrub Common in open scrubs and dried irrigation tanks

Falco jugger

Common Sighted once in dam trail and ATREE field station Not known Common. Regularly seen along dam trail Seen once in dam trail Not known Ocassional. Sighted thrice along the canal trail and also near ATREE field station Common. Sighted throughout the area Sighted only once near ATREE field station A single bird was seen sitting on top of a boulder Sighted only once close to a cliff along canal trail

Pitta brachyura

Only heard once

Chloropsis cochinchinensis

Sighted twice in canal trail and twice in dam trail

Lanius cristatus

Migrant. Seen regularly in canal trail

Dendrocitta vagabunda Corvus splendens Corvus culminatus

Common. Mainly in tree covered areas near habitations Common and abundant Common and abundant

Artamus fuscus

Common. Regularly sighted along canal trail

Oriolus kundoo

Occasional. Sighted twice in the area

Dicrurus macrocercus Dicrurus leucophaeus

Common. Encountered regularly along dam trail and open areas Sighted once on dam trail in the mango orchard

Terpsiphone paradisi

Occasional. Mostly seen along canal trail and near habitations

Aegithina tiphia

Occasional. Calls heard in the distal end of the canal trail

Muscicapa dauurica Copsychus saularis Saxicoloides fulicata

Sighted only once near ATREE field station Sighted twice. Once each in dam and canal trail Abundant. Regularly seen on all three trails

Crested Serpent-Eagle

Spilornis cheela

Shikra Black Eagle Kestrel sp Laggar falcon Pittidae Indian Pitta Choloropseidae Blue-winged Leaf Bird Laniidae Brown Shrike Corvidae Rufous Treepie House Crow Indian Jungle Crow Artamidae Ashy Wood Swallow Oriolidae Indian Golden Oriole Dicruridae Black Drongo Ashy Drongo Monarchidae Asian Paradise Flycatcher Aegithinidae Common Iora Muscicapidae Asian Brown Flycatcher Oriental Magpie-Robin Indian Black Robin

Accipiter badius Ictinaetus malayensis

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Common Name Sturnidae Grey-headed Starling Brahminy Starling Rosy Starling Common Myna Hirundinidae Barn Swallow Red-rumped Swallow Pycnonotidae Red-vented Bulbul White-browed Bulbul Cisticolidae Zitting Cisticola Grey-breasted Prinia Jungle Prinia Ashy Prinia Plain Prinia Common Tailor Bird Sylviidae Blyth’s Reed-warbler Tickell’s Leaf Warbler Timallidae Yellow-billed Babbler Tawny-bellied Babbler Alaudidae Singing BushLark Indian BushLark Bengal BushLark Ashy-crowned Finch-Lark Rufous-tailed Lark Dicaeidae Pale-billed Flowerpecker Nectariniidae Purple-rumped Sunbird Purple Sunbird Loten’s Sunbird Passeridae House Sparrow Yellow-throated Sparrow Motacillidae Forest Wagtail

Scientific Name

Status in the area

Sturnia malabarica Temenuchus pagodarum Sturnus roseus Acridotheres tristis

Sighted only once along canal trail Occasional. Has been sighted along dam and canal trail A flock of five birds was sighted once along canal trail Common on all three trails

Hirundo rustica Hirundo daurica

Migrant. Sighted along canal and dam trail Occasional. Sighted along canal and dam trail

Pycnonotus cafer

Abundant on all three trails Common. Can be sighted chiefly in scrub forest close to the reserve bordering the canal trail

Pycnonotus luteolus Cisticola juncidis Prinia hodgsonii Prinia sylvatica Prinia socialis Prinia inornata Orthotomus sutorius

Seen once in the bund of Vairavikulam irrigation tank Sighted once inside ATREE field station Common. Seen regularly along canal trail Sighted regularly in plantation trail Common. Sighted along all three trails Common. Frequently sighted along dam and canal trail

Acrocephalus dumetorum Phylloscopus affinis

Migrant. Mainly encountered along canal trail Sighted only once along dam trail

Turdoides affinis Dumetia hyperythra

Abundant. Seen frequently along all three trails Seen only once inside the reserve bordering canal trail

Mirafra cantillans Mirafra erythroptera Mirafra assamica Eremopterix griseus Ammomanes phoenicura

Sighted only once along plantation trail Sighted only once along dam trail Common. Seen frequently along canal and plantation trial Sighted only twice in the area Sighted only once along canal trail

Dicaeum erythrorynchos

Occasional. Sighted in the distal part of the dam trail close to the forest

Leptocoma zeylonica Cinnyris asiaticus Cinnyris lotenius

Common. Sighted regularly along all three trails Common. Sighted regularly along all three trails Has been sighted only on six occasions

Passer domesticus Petronia xanthocollis

Rare on all three trails. Frequently seen near human habitations Sighted regularly along dam trail

Dendronanthus indicus

White-browed Wagtail

Motacilla maderaspatensis

Grey Wagtail Ploceidae Baya Weaver Estrildidae Indian Silverbill White-rumped Munia Scaly-breasted Munia

Motacilla cinerea

Rare. Sighted twice along dam trail inside the mango grove Occasional. Can be sighted along dam trail from the bridge across the river and also along canal trail Seen during winter and post monsoon along canal trail

Ploceus philippinus

Rare

Euodice malabarica Lonchura striata Lonchura punctulata

Tricoloured Munia

Lonchura malacca

Rare. Two birds sighted along canal trail Common. Can be seen along dam and canal trail Rare. A flock of six birds were sighted once along plantation trail Common. Seen regularly along dam trail and reed beds of irrigation ponds

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Table 2: Checklist of wetland birds in the area Common Name Anatidae Lesser Whistling-Duck Comb Duck Indian Spot-billed Duck Rallidae White-breasted Waterhen

Scientific Name

Status in the area

Dendrocygna javanica Sarkidiornis melanotos Anas poecilorhyncha

A Single bird was sighted near Vairavikulam tank Occasional visitors in low numbers to Vairavikulam tank Regularly seen in Vairavikulam tank in numbers of 20-30

Amaurornis phoenicurus

Common. Regularly seen in paddy fields and fringes of irrigation tanks

Purple Swamphen

Porphyrio (porphyrio) poliocephalus

Common and abundant in irrigation tanks

Common Moorhen

Gallinula chloropus

Eurasian coot Scolopacidae Wood Sandpiper Common Sandpiper Jacanidae

Fulica atra

Rare. 3 birds were sighted once in Ipomoea infested tank close to Vairavikulam tank Common in irrigation tanks

Tringa glareola Actitis hypoleucos

Seen during post-monsoon in Vairavikulam tank Common in irrigation ponds and water puddles

Pheasant-tailed Jacana Bronze-winged Jacana Charadriidae Black-winged Stilt Recurvirostridae Little-ringed Plover Podicipedidae Little Grebe Anhingidae Oriental Darter Phalocrocoracidae Little Cormorant Indian Shag Ardeidae Little Egret Grey Heron Purple Heron Great Egret Intermediate Egret Eastern Cattle Egret Indian Pond Heron Threskiornithidae Glossy Ibis Black-headed Ibis Indian Black Ibis Pelecanidae Spot-billed Pelican Ciconiidae

Hydrophasianus chirurgus Metopidius indicus

Local migrant. Irregularly seen in Vairavikulam Lotus pads Regularly seen in Vairavikulam and Singampatti Lotus pads

Himantopus himantopus

Occasionally seen in Vairavikulam tank

Charadrius dubius

Rare. Winter migrant

Tachybaptus ruficollis

Rare

Anhinga melanogaster

Regualarly seen, especially during summer

Phalacrocorax niger Phalacrocorax fuscicollis

Seen in large numbers during summer Rare

Egretta garzetta Ardea cinerea Ardea purpurea Egretta alba Egretta intermedia Bubulcus coramandus Ardeola grayii

Common. Sighted throughout the year Rare. Occasionally sighted in Vairavikulam tank Rare. Occasionally sighted in Vairavikulam tank Can be seen in Manimuthar river close to the bridge Common. Seen in paddy fields and Vairavikulam tank Common. Regularly seen in paddy fields and open areas Common. Seen in paddy fields, irrigation tanks and river banks

Plegadis falcinellus Threskiornis melanocephalus Pseudibis papillosa

Status not known

Pelicanus philippensis

Occasional. Can be seen in Vairavikulam tank during summer

Painted Stork

Mycteria leucocephala

Asian Openbill

Anastomus oscitans

Common. Seen foraging in paddy fields and irrigation tanks Common. Regularly seen foraging in paddy fields and open areas

Occasional. Can be seen in Vairavikulam and adjacent tanks during summer Common. Seen in paddy fields

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A study of endangered plants of Itchagarh Hill in the Ormanjhi block of Ranchi District in Jharkhand, India Sudhanshu Kumar* The altitude of Itchagarh Hill is about 1310m (second highest after Parasnath Hill). The area is very rich in plant diversity. Villagers collect forest produce including various medicinal plants found in this area as per the demand of customers. The present study aims to identify only those plants which are over-exploited for medicinal and other purposes.

Material and Methods The research was carried out in the villages situated at the foot edge of Itchagarh hill namely Arra, Keker, Pisca, Hesatu, Dauhu, Kerrom and Kukkui. Both herbarium and digital herbarium of these plants were prepared by regular visits in these areas from 2004 to 2007. The herbarium specimens were submitted to the Department of Botany, P.P.K. College, Bundu. The ethno-botanical and other information about these plants were obtained through questionnaires and personal interviews of vaidyas (Village quacks), pahans (Priests practicing with folk-medicine), cowboys and elderly knowledgeable persons. Botanical identification of these plants were done with the help of Haines (1925) and Singh et al.

(2001). Their medicinal uses were also confirmed with those referred by Jain (1991) and Varghese & Hembrom (2000).

Image 1. Stripped tree of Vitex peduncularis

Enumeration 1. Vitex peduncularis Wall.

(Verbenaceae) ‘Sim jangha / Chiraigorwa’ [SK-209] The ‘Chirai-gorwa’ tree is distinguished by three foliate leaves with winged petiole, and a pungent bark. A decoction made from the bark is used to ease body ache and weariness after work. Many villagers of this area have become addicted to this drink. The bark’s decoction is also used in cases of malarial fever as febrifuge (one cup twice a day) and also as a blood purifier. Bark’s paste when applied locally over the chest, gradually relieves chest pain. The decoction with ‘Chitway’ (Plumbago zeylanica) root and ‘Khapra sag’ (Boerhaavia diffusa) root is used as a cure for Kala-azar.

Due to its numerous benefits, the bark of this tree is repeatedly being stripped

Image 2. Roots of Clerodendrum serratum collected on demand of traders *

Department of Botany, P.P.K. College, Ranchi. sudhanshu_kumar05@hotmail.com

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Image 3. Pilled bark of Litsea glutinosa

Image 4. Rubia manjith root yielding yellow-orange dye

Image 5. Pueraria tuberosa

Image 6. Holostemma ada-kodien

off (Image 1), leading to the death of the tree. One can hardly find any mature tree in the forest. Mature trees can attain up to 15 meters in height and 1-1.5 meters in girth.

Besides, its wood is strong and light. Villagers exploit this wood for making ‘Yokes’ for their buffaloes. These factors have posed a serious threat to the existence of ‘Chiraigorwa’ tree.

2. Clerodendrum serratum (L.) Moon (Verbenaceae) ‘Saram lutur / Bhaormali’[SK-232] This plant has a pungent smell. The root is used as a component of ‘Ranu’ of ‘Haria’ (Rice beer). The decoction is very effective in checking attacks of bronchitis and it is also used against malarial fever and body ache. Unplanned uprooting of the plant for its roots (Image 2) has caused serious threat to this plant.

3. Litsea glutinosa (Lour.) Robnison (Lauraceae)‘Medh / Menda’ [SK-241] A medium sized tree attaining about 7–9 m in height. Its wood is used for making agricultural tools and its leaves are used as cattle fodder. The paste of the bark is viscous and sticky and is used as sticking material for Agarbatties (incense sticks) in cottage industries. Powdered bark is applied on wounds and bruises inflicted by blows and it is also a cure for skin diseases. The bark’s decoction with ‘Semal’ (Bombax ceiba) thorns, ‘Amra’ (Spondias pinnata) bark and ‘Doka’ (Lannea coromandelica) bark are used orally in case of chicken pox. The bark is also used as plastering material over fractures or sprains in both human and animals. In animals, a good amount of bark is required in each plaster, depending on the fractured part. Repeated stripping of the bark results in the death of the tree (image.

3).

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4. Rubia manjith Roxb. (Rubiaceae) ‘JataSinghi /Birja / Majethi’ [SK-319] Scabrid herbs with four cordate leaves in one whorl at each node of stem (Image 4). Root yields a costly yellow-orange dye called ‘Manjith’. The paste of the root is used to cure leucoderma. The decoction of the root is a good liver tonic and it is also used as a tonic for youth and vigor. This plant is now seen only in a few patches on the hills as it grows only at high altitudes.

5. Pueraria tuberosa (Roxb.) Benth. (Fabaceae) ‘Patal kumhra / Ete kakaru’[SK-218] A twining shrub with stipellate 3-foliate leaves and very large tuberous roots (Image 5). The tubers are attached to the base of the stem by stout lateral roots, which again give way to numerous roots. As a result it is not easy to locate the tuber and so the matrix of roots are removed and damaged at many places leading to the death of the plant.

Boiled tuber is eaten. It is applied to the body in the form of a paste in case of fever and rheumatism. Besides this, it is used in body ache, diarrhea and for lactation in animals.

The tuber is used to kill fishes in streams. In 2006, there was a rumor in the area that one who would bring a red Patal-kumhara would be paid a huge sum of money. This rumor severely damaged many plants in the area.

6. Holostemma ada-kodien Schult. (Asclepiadaceae) ‘Jeevanti / Apang’ [SK-227] A pretty, extensive, laticiferous, twining shrub, often found having two different coloured venation on the leaves, viz: green and purple. A plant with purple pigmented venation is supposed to be more potent medicinally. Leaves, flowers and fruits are eaten as vegetables. The bark yields a fiber reported to be suitable for cordage. Holostemma adakodien root is the most accepted source of ‘Jeevanti’ and reckoned an important (rasayana) drug capable of maintaining youthful vigour and strength. The decoction of the root is used as a propagator tonic for lactation in neonatal mothers. Root paste is used in orchitis. Mundas use the decoction in case of stomach ache. It is also used as a blood purifier, anthelmintic and to cure biliousness and ulcers. In diabetes, a paste of the root is given with cold milk. Root paste ointment is applied to the eyes in case of eye diseases and also in gonorrhea. The paste of the root also cures seasonal skin diseases like itches, rashes, etc.

The root is boiled with milk and taken at night in case of spermatorrhoea (Dhatu rog). Collection of a mature plant is very difficult because before maturity it is used by wood collectors of the area as cord for tying the wood bundles.

Again digging of the root for medicine is another reason for depletion of its population.

ginger), Vidhara seeds (Argyreia nervosa ) are powdered and mixed in equal proportions and a double amount of Gud (Jaggery) is added (Oudhia 2003).

Conclusion In the present study the medicinal and other uses have been discussed to emphasize their commercial value. But at the same time their over exploitation is posing great concern for the environmentalists. Therefore, this study stresses upon their sustainable use for the conservation of the biodiversity and it is high time to educate the people of the area to save these plants through sustainable management.

References Chopra, R.N., S.L. Nayar & I.C. Chopra (1956).

Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. CSIR, New Delhi, 257pp.

Haines, H.H. (1921–25). The Botany of Bihar and Orissa, Vol. I –IV. (Reprint Edition) Botanical Survey of India, Kolkata,712,722,793,452,281,554pp.

Jain, S.K. (1991). Dictionary of Indian Folk Medicine and Ethnobotany. Deep Publications, New Delhi, 188,57,118, 156,152,103pp.

Oudhia, P. (2003). Herbal dishes of Chhattisgarh, India: IV. Jivanti Laddu. Accessed on 9th January 2008 , Available at http://www.botanical.com.

Singh, N.P., V. Mudgal, K.K. Khanna, S.C. Srivatava, A.K. Sahoo, S. Bandopadhyay, N. Aziz, M. Das, R.P. Bhattacharya & P.K. Hazra (2001). Flora of Bihar Analysis. Botanical Survey of India, Kolkata, 407, 399, 443, 248, 154, 310pp.

Varghese, S.V.D. & P.P. Hembrom (2000).

Ethnomedicinal Lore of the Paharias. Centre for Human Ecology, New Link Road, Mumbai,167, 73, 105, 101pp.

Results and Discussion The present study identifies the plants that are becoming endangered in this area due to over exploitation for various purposes. Medicinal use of Vitex peduncularis is given by Chopra (1956) but the use of the stem bark as tea was not/ less known in the area. The natives of Chhattisgarh use a special laddu in case of any type of Bavasir (Piles). To make this laddu root tubers of Jeevanti (Holostemma ada-kodien), fruit pulp of Bhelwa (Semecarpus anacardium), Sonth (dried

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Preliminary report on the Bird Diversity in the Veterinary College Campus, Puducherry D. Sreekumar*, R. Sreekrishnan**, R.S. Rajkumar*** & K. Afsal*** Peninsular India has been well known for its rich bird diversity. With its positive climatic conditions, South India is home for a wide variety of birds. Most of the regions of South India, covered by the States of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka have seasonal rainfall comprising two monsoons annually. Over and above this, non-seasonal rainfall also is received well in these regions.

Hence, the vegetation of these regions tend to be moderate to thick with overlying areas of marshy as well as barren lands.

Puducherry (Pondicherry) is a vibrant coastal town along the east coast bordered by the Bay of Bengal. It is bordered on the north, west and south by Tamil Nadu. Hence, its climate is very similar to that of the adjoining regions of Tamil Nadu. The plant diversity is also similar to that of the surrounding state. However, one major difference is that the Puducherry region was till recently, deficient in rainfall when compared to its neighbour. It receives only the North-East monsoon during the months of October – December. Even during this period, the rainfall is mild and the average rainy days often number in the range of 7-11 only.

Puducherry town lies near to the Kaliveli Watershed region which is recognised as an important wetland in the southeast coastal area of India. The avifauna of this region has been well studied – as evident from various reports (Perennou, 1987; Perennou & Santhanam, 1990; Balachandran, 1994; Ramanujam & Ambarasan, 2007).

Since it was felt that knowledge about the birds of specific sites in the region will facilitate understanding the avifauna better, the results of a monitoring programme on the bird diversity in the campus of Rajiv Gandhi College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences are presented.

The area under study comprised the main campus of the Rajiv Gandhi College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences located at Kurumbapet village in Puducherry. The campus consists of two zones separated by a part of the Perunthalaivar Kamaraj Krishi Vigyan Kendra. The two zones of the campus together cover an area of 58 acres. This location is about 5 km from Puducherry town in the westerly direction. The campus is in the immediate vicinity of industrial area, being bordered on the west by the units of Hindustan Lever Ltd. and the campus of the Pondicherry milk plant (Ponlait). On the eastern side, the outlying residential zone is bordered by the Anglo-French textiles and on the north by the Vazhudavur road. On the south, the campus is bordered by the Krishi Vigyan Kendra as well as a stretch of cultivable land, part of which had been lying barren for a long period.

Different species of grown up trees like neem, mango tree, palm, cashew tree, acacia, rain tree, sapota, coconut tree etc. and a wide variety of shrubs and grasses that support and provide nesting sites for many species of resting and local migratory birds are present in the campus. An artificial pond used for rearing fresh water fishes and an area of about 1 ha., with a lot of trees, shrubs and grasses which have been left almost undisturbed since the inception of the college (14 years back) add to the diversity of bird habitat in the campus. The location of the campus being adjacent to the wetland paddy fields of the Krishi Vigyan Kendra and near to the Ossoudu (Ousteri) lake which was recently declared as a bird sanctuary also adds on to the richness of bird population.

Methodology Birds were observed and identified in the morning, around noon and early afternoon and evening at different parts of the campus. Observations were made individually by the members of the group from their own random positions within the campus and recordings were made accordingly.

These records of observations were then compiled to derive the final data.

The data pertaining to 10 years from 1997 – 2007 form the bird list. Changes in the bird richness during the period under study were also listed out so as to identify new additions, commonly found / very commonly found species and rarely found species in the campus. Those birds observed in the campus throughout the year in greater frequency were designated as very common, while those with lesser frequency as common. Rare birds were those who were migratory in habit and spotted in the campus only in particular season. Standard field guides to the identification of birds were used for the correct identification of birds of each of the species (Ali, 2002; Ali & Ripley, 1987).

Observations and Results Over a period of 10 years, 65 species of birds were recorded in the campus. The list of bird sightings in the campus has been presented in Table-1.

Out of the different species of birds identified, 13 were found to be very common in the campus. Order Passeriformes has the maximum representation. The 34 species of birds were from this order and included in nine families, viz. Pittidae, Irenidae, Corvidae, Muscicapidae, Sturnidae, Pycnonotidae, Silvidae, Nectarinidae and Passeridae. Ten species of birds out of the 34 species, belonging to the order Passeriformes are found to be very common; seven are common and the rest, rare. The other orders represented were Galliformes, Piciformes, Upupiformes, Apodiformes, Strigiformes, Columbiformes and Ciconiiformes. The three other species of birds designated as very common come under the orders Apodiformes and Columbiformes.

Birds like House Crow Corvus splendens, Jungle Crow Corvus macrorhynchos, Common Myna Acridotheres tristis, Black Drongo Dicrurus macrocercus, Indian Treepie Dendrocitta vagabunda, Indian Pitta Pitta brachyura, Blue Rock Pigeon Columba livia, Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis, Rose-ringed Parakeet Pscittacula krameri, Shikra Accipiter badius, Grey Francolin Francolinus pondicerianus, Asian Palm Swift Cypsiurus balasiensis and Spotted Munia Lonchura punctulata have adapted totally to the campus. A few species like Pied Crested-Cuckoo Clamater jacobinus, Hoopoe Upupa epops, Asian Paradise-Flycatcher Terpsiphone paradisi and Small Minivet Pericrocotus cinnamomeus have been found in the campus as seasonal visitors.

* No.B5, Veterinary College Quarters, Kurumbapet, Puducherry- 9. Email: sknest@sifi.com; **No. D32, Srinivas Towers, Oulgaret, Puducherry- 10. Email: rskrishnan5@hotmail.com; ***Former students, Veterinary College, Kurumbapet, Puducherry-9.

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Table 1. List of bird sightings in the Veterinary College, Puducherry campus Classification

Scientific Name

Common Name

Status

Galliformes Francolinus pondicerianus Grey Francolin C Phasianidae Pavo cristatus Indian Peafowl R -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Piciformes Megalimidae Megalaima haemacephala Coppersmith Barbet C Picidae Celeus brachyurus Rufous Woodpecker R Dinopium benghalense Lesser Golden-backed Woodpecker R Dinopium javanense Common Golden-backed Woodpecker C ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Upupiformes Upupidae Upupa epops Common Hoopoe R ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Coraciiformes Alcedinidae Alcedo atthis Small Blue Kingfisher R Halcyon smyrnensis White-breasted Kingfisher C Ceryle rudis Lesser Pied Kingfisher R Meropidae Merops orientalis Small Green Bee-eater R* -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Cuculiformes Cuculidae Hierococcyx varius Brainfever Bird R Clamater jacobinus Pied Crested Cuckoo R Eudynamys scolopacea Asian Koel C Centropodidae Surniculus lugubris Drongo Cuckoo R -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Psittaciformes Psittacidae Psittacula krameri Rose-ringed Parakeet C -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Apodiformes Apodidae Apus affinis House Swift R Cypsiurus balasiensis Asian Palm Swift VC -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Strigiformes Tytonidae Tyto alba Barn Owl R Tyto longimembris Eastern Grass Owl R Srtigidae Bubo bengalensis Indian Eagle Owl R Athene brama Spotted Owlet C -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Columbiformes Columbidae Columba livia Blue Rock Pigeon VC Streptopelia chinensis Spotted Dove VC -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Ciconiiformes Charadridae Vanellus indicus Red-wattled Lapwing R Pteroclididae Pterocles exustus Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse R Ardeidae Bubulcus ibis Cattle Egret R Ardeola grayii Indian Pond Heron R -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Falconiformes Accipitridae Haliastur indus Brahminy Kite R Milvus migrans Black Kite C Accipiter badius Shikra C -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Passeriformes Pittidae Pitta brachyura Indian Pitta R Irenidae Chloropsis cochinchinensis Jerdon’s Chloropsis R Aegithina tiphia Common Iora R Camphiphagiidae Tephrodornis pondicerianus Common Woodshrike R Pericrocotus cinnamomeus Small Minivet R Coracina melanoptera Black-headed Cuckoo-Shrike R Coracina macei Large Cuckoo- Shrike R Coracidae Coracis benghalensis Indian Roller Corvidae Dendrocitta vagabunda Indian Treepie VC Corvus splendens House Crow VC Corvus macrorhynchos Jungle Crow VC Oriolidae Oriolus oriolus Eurasian Golden Oriole R Oriolus xanthornus Black-headed Oriole R Monarchidae Terpsiphone paradise Asian Paradise-Flycatcher R Dicruridae Dicrurus macrocercus Black Drongo VC

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Musicapidae

Copsychus saularis Oriental Magpie- Robin C Saxicoloides fulicata Indian Robin C Myiophonus horsfieldii Malabar Whistling- Thrush R Sturnidae Acridotheres tristis Common Myna VC Sturnus pagodarum Brahminy Starling R* Pycnonotidae Pycnonotus cafer Red-vented Bulbul VC Pycnonotus jocosus Red-whiskered Bulbul C Silvidae Turdoides caudatus Common Babbler VC Turdoides affinis White-headed Babbler R Orthotomus sutorius Common Tailorbird VC Nectarinidae Nectarinia asiatica Purple Sunbird VC Nectarinia lotenia Loten’s Sunbird R Dicaeidae Dicaeum concolor Plain Flowerpecker C Motacillidae Anthus rufulus Paddyfield Pipit R Motacilla flava Yellow Wagtail R Motacilla maderaspatensis Large Pied Wagtail C Estreldidae Lonchura punctulata Spotted Munia VC Lonchura malacca Black-headed Munia C Passeridae Passer domesticus House Sparrow R ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Note: VC – Very Common

C – Common

R – Rare

R* - Initially recorded not found at present

Considerable variation in the bird richness was noticed over the above period with some species disappearing from the campus like Brahminy Starling Sturnus pagodarum and Small Bee-eater Merops orientalis, while some species colonizing. Certain species like House Sparrow Passer domesticus which were common in the campus in the beginning of the study disappeared over a considerable period of time and made a re-appearance towards the end of the study period. It was also interesting to note that species like Indian Treepie and Blank Drongo have increased in number recently, with many nesting sites found in the campus.

Discussion Some of the species of birds were rarely seen in the campus. The rare sighting of Small Blue Kingfisher Alcedo atthis may be linked to the seasonal / occasional activity of fish rearing in the artificial pond. The Drongo Cuckoo Surniculus lugubris was spotted only three times during September-October, 2004. They were invariably perched on green canopy trees in the same area of the campus. The lone sighting of Eastern Grass Owl Tyto longimembris was in February, 2003, when one bird had taken refuge indoors during day time, trying to escape from crows which were pursuing it.

The period under study has seen many changes in the pattern of rainfall in the campus. The early phase was marked with very heavy summer showers against a normally nominal seasonal rainfall. However, the pattern changed drastically towards the end phase of the study, with the region receiving moderate to heavy rainfall both during the monsoon season and other times. This had a positive influence in the growth of vegetation of all types resulting in many areas of the campus offering a green canopy. At the same time, the fruit bearing trees and cultivated areas in the campus were ensured to be free from

insecticides over a few years. These two factors probably had a positive effect in the progression of insect population in the vicinity. These features were thought to be the reason behind a general increase in the bird population in the campus.

References Ali, S. (2002). The Book of Indian Birds. 13th ed. Bombay Natural History Society / Oxford University Press.

Ali, S. & Ripley, S.D. (1987).Compact Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan together with those of Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan & Sri Lanka. 2 ed. Oxford University Press.

Balachandran, S. (1994). Some interesting bird records from Kaliveli Lake, near Pondicherry. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 91: 317 – 318.

Perennou, C. (1987). Two important wetlands near Pondicherry. Blackbuck 3: 1-9.

Perennou, C. & Santhanam, V. (1990). An anthropological survey of some wetlands of South-east Asia.

Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 87: 354 – 363.

Ramanujam, M.E. & Ambarasan, R.A. (2007). A preliminary report on the vertebrate diversity of the Kaliveli Watershed Region. Zoos’ Print Journal 22 : 2608 – 2616.

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A happy closing of Wildlife Week in Orissa : Elite and Senior citizens of Bhubaneswar honour Scientists Edited by S. Walker The senior citizens and other elite of Bhubaneswar City observed Wildlife Week and on the concluding day, 8th October, honoured four scientists for their life time contributions to society in fields related to environment and biodiversity. Recipients of the honour are : Prof. A. K. Panda (educationist), Dr. J. K. Panigrahi (zoological sciences), Prof. P. K. Chand (botanical sciences), Dr Lala A. K. Singh (wildlife conservation).

The awards were instituted by HONEST (House of Nature, Environment, and Society Trust), a 10 year old Trust of Bhubaneswar. In addition to the programme, prizes were presented to school children who won Essay, Elocution and Art competitions on wildlife themes.

Award as presented to Dr. LAK Singh and other awardees.

Prof. A. K. Panda, Dr. J. K. Panigrahi, Prof. P. K. Chand.

Members of Orissa Environment Society and Jaydev Walkers’ Club who were present at the meeting included high profile academicians and administrators such as the former Vice Chancellors of Utkal University and Sambalpur University, former Principal of the Ravenshaw College (now University), former PCCF and Chief Wildlife Warden, Odisha and serving Chief Conservator Forests. Many other dignitaries from various walks of life participated also, including the Director Trustee of HONEST, Dr. S. N. Patro, a champion of ‘environmental awareness’ who received the State Government’s Biju Patnaik Award for Wildlife Conservation in 2009.

Dr. Lala A. K. Singh, one of Zoo Outreach Organisation’s oldest members, formerly Senior (Wildlife) Research Officer under the Forest and Environment Department, Odisha was awarded prize as ‘Man of the Year 2010’ for ‘Lifetime Contributions in Wildlife Management’.

Congratulations to Lala, Dr. Panda, Dr. Panigrahi, Dr. Chand, and all members of HONEST, Orissa Environment Society, and Jaydev Walker’s club for arranging and supporting this very nice event.

Dr. Singh proudly poses with his awards.

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Zoos and Wildlife ... Making the News Sri Lanka's Second National Zoo Director General of Sri Lanka Zoological Gardens, Bhashwara Senanka Gunarathna recently announced that the first phase of Sri Lanka’s second “National Zoo” would be open by April 2012. We met Sri Gunarathna and his attractive wife at the conference of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA). It was our first time meeting him and his first WAZA conference. Gunarathna has many qualities which will be very useful to build up the zoo community in Sri Lanka. He is not a biologist or zooman but he is quickly becoming both while he uses his skills in business management and economics to push the National Zoological Gardens Department into the 21st Century.

you know that without bats you would have less food on your plate? This is because, bats spread seeds far and wide, resulting in more food and shade. Bats also eat harmful insects and rats thereby reducing vectors that spread these diseases. The Madras Crocodile Bank Trust in Chennai recently organised a bat walk. Wildlife enthusiasts also got to see other reptiles, trees and birds in a 30-minute walk to a village that hosts a banyan tree housing a colony of bats.

The walk, undertaken at dusk enabled one to see bats as they were setting out for their hunt. http:// www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/kids/article2292852.ece

The new zoo has been pending for some time. It is conveniently sited nearby the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage which means that tourists and local visitors both can make a day or a weekend out of their visit and see the two famous attractions. The first stage of the Pinnawela zoo under construction is a 60 million rupee project in a 48-acre land and it will feature only endemic fauna of Sri Lanka and include a special open section displaying the free-roaming Sri Lankan leopard. Only in the second phase of the project will foreign species will be introduced in their own section.

The entire facility will occupy 100 acres at a projected 250 million rupees and combined with the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage it will provide employment to many people living in the area. http://www.colombopage.com/archive_11B/ Oct03_1317616681KA.php

MCBT announces Research Fund In its 35th year of operation, Madras Crocodile Bank Trust/ Centre For Herpetology is proud to announce the initiation of an annual Herpetological Conservation Research Fund of Rs. 25,00,000. Details of the grant program are available at http://www.madrascrocodilebank.org/cms/mcbtcfh-grant/ Application deadline is 31st October 2011. We look forward to receiving proposals from all over India.

Ravi Chellam, Director (Research & Conservation) Madras Crocodile Bank Trust/Centre For Herpetology

Batting for the bat in Hindu Young World Archana Subramanian has written a nice article for kids in the Young World of Hindu newpaper published on October 11, 2011. She suggests some “Do’s” for kids (big and small) can do to “go to bat for bats” as she says “these nocturnal creatures are much needed not only to sustain our ecosystem but also to ensure that pollination takes place”. What you can do (a few suggestions) • • • • •

• •

Save forests Do not disturb trees, caves, buildings that have bats Do not cut trees that have roosts Identify bat colonies in your school and observe without disturbing them.

Observe bats in temples and other sacred places and talk to your friends and relatives appreciating their usefulness.

Start bat clubs in your school Avoid using chemicals in your gardens. Some insecticides may harm bats that naturally get rid of pests, insects that trouble us.

Ecotone - two years old and counting Ecotone magazine celebrated its 3rd upcoming year recently. If you have not seen this publication please have a look and the staff have done a very good job of collecting articles about wildlife and environment. See contents of current issue below. You may please contact: Kripaljyoti Mazumdar, Editor-in-chief or Khuraijam Jibankumar Singh, Mg Editor - email:ecotone.editor@mail.com Contents last issue: 1. Tigers in Kaziranga National Park: field experiences by Kamal Azad ________________________ 7 2. Anti-Dam or Pro-Dam: Should we follow a third line of action for Northeast region? by Mahendra Singh Lodhi __________________________ 10 3. Celebrating Wildlife Week at Mizoram by Nimesh Ved ___________________________________ 11 4. Social and Ethical Dimension of Conservation among the Nunias of Barak Valley, Assam by Pinki Purkayastha _______________________________ 14 5. Reducing threats of endemic and endangered Cochabamba Mountain-finch Poospiza garleppi

by Noemí E. Huanca Llanos _______________________ 18

This is the International Year of the Bat, and it is appropriate to get to know these nocturnal creatures. Did

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXVI, Number 10, October 2011

32

Magazine of Zoo Outreach Organisation ZOO’s PRINT Publication Guidelines

Publication Information

We welcome articles from the conservation community of all SAARC countries, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and other tropical countries if relevant to SAARC countries’ problems and potential.

ZOO’s PRINT, ISSN 0973-2543 Published at: Coimbatore Owner: Zoo Outreach Organisation, 9A Lal Bahadur Colony, Peelamedu, CBE 4

Type — Articles of semi-scientific or technical nature.

News, notes, announcements of interest to conservation community and personal opinion pieces.

Editor: Sally R. Walker Associate Editor: R.V. Sanjay Molur and Daniel B. Ayyachamy Managing Editor: Latha G. Ravikumar Editorial Assistant: R. Marimuthu

Feature articles — articles of a conjectural nature — opinions, theoretical, subjective.

Case reports: case studies or notes, short factual reports and descriptions.

News and announcements — short items of news or announcements of interest to zoo and wildlife community Cartoons, puzzles, crossword and stories Subject matter: captive breeding, (wild) animal husbandry and management, wildlife management, field notes, conservation biology, population dynamics, population genetics, conservation education and interpretation, wild animal welfare, conservation of flora, natural history and history of zoos. Articles on rare breeds of domestic animals are also considered.

Source: zoos, breeding facilities, holding facilities, rescue centres, research institutes, wildlife departments, wildlife protected areas, bioparks, conservation centres, botanic gardens, museums, universities, etc. Individuals interested in conservation with information and opinions to share can submit articles ZOOS’ PRINT magazine.

Manuscript requirements: Articles should by typed into a Word format and emailed to zooreach@zooreach.org. Avoid indents, all caps or any other fancy typesetting. You may send photos, illustrations, tables.

Articles which should contain citations should follow this guideline: a bibliography organized alphabetically and contain ing all details referred in the following style : surname, initial(s), year, title of the article, name of journal, volume, number, pages.

Editorial details: Articles will be edited without consultation unless previously requested by the authors in writing. Authors should inform editors if the article has been published or submitted elsewhere for publication.

Zoo Outreach Organisation Trust Committee and Sr. Staff Managing Trustee: Sally R. Walker Chairman Trustee: R. Nandini Executive Director Trustee: R.V. Sanjay Molur Finance Director Trustee: Latha G. Ravikumar Scientist: B.A. Daniel Researcher: R. Marimuthu Other staff: B. Ravichandran, R. Pravin Kumar, K. Geetha, S. Radhika, Arul Jagadish, K. Raveendran, S. Sarojamma ZOOs’ PRINT magazine is informal and newsy as opposed to a scientific publication. ZOOS’ PRINT magazine sometimes includes semi-scientific and technical articles which are reviewed only for factual errors, not peer-reviewed.

Address: Zoo Outreach Organisation Post Box 1683, Peelamedu Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641 004, India Phone: +91 422 2561087 Fax: +91 422 2563269 E-mail: zooreach@zooreach.org Website: www.zooreach.org, www.zoosprint.org

ANNOUNCEMENT: UFAW Animal Welfare Conference “Recent advances in animal welfare science III” 21st June 2012 As part of its on-going commitment to improving the way we understand and care for animals, the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (UFAW) is pleased to announce the third of its series of unthemed one day conferences on ‘Recent advances in animal welfare science’ which is to be held on 21st June 2012 in York, at the UK city’s medieval Merchant Adventurers’ Hall, Fossgate. The conference aims to provide a forum at which the broad community of scientists, veterinarians and others concerned with animal welfare can come together to share knowledge and practice, discuss advances and exchange views. In keeping with this aim, registration for this meeting has been kept low - £25.00 (lunch not included).

Call for papers We would like to hear from anyone interested in making a contribution to the conference on the open subject of recent advances in applied ethology, veterinary and physiological science and the other disciplines that inform our understanding of animals and their welfare; both from those who are well established in this area and from those just beginning to make a contribution.

Submission of interest should include the title of the proposed contribution, the nature of the contribution – talk or poster, the name and full contact details of all contributors and an abstract, which must be in English, and should be no longer than 400 words. The deadline for submission of abstracts is 1st November 2011.

Registration As part of UFAW’s commitment to providing a forum for the exchange of ideas and to ensure that the meeting is accessible to widest range of those with an interest in animal welfare, the registration fee to attend this conference is kept low, this time at just £25. Note: This price includes refreshments but delegates will need to make their own arrangements for lunch. An electronic registration form can be downloaded from www.ufaw.org.uk/conference2012.php Venue The conference is being held in York, in the medieval Merchant Adventurers’ Hall, Fossgate YO1 9XD. Located next to the pedestrianised centre of York and built in 1357, the timbered Hall and Undercroft make up one of the best preserved medieval guild halls in the world. For further information about the venue and details of hotels in the area, click on link below. http://www.visityork.org/seeanddo/attractions/thedms.aspx? dms=13&feature=1&GroupId=2&venue=1500147&easi=true Background to UFAW UFAW, the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare, is an internationally-recognised, independent, scientific and educational animal welfare charity. The organization promotes high standards of welfare for farm, companion, laboratory and captive wild animals and those with which we interact in the wild.

Contact Details Stephen Wickens, Development Officer, UFAW, The Old School, Brewhouse Hill, Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire, AL4 8AN, UK. Tel: +44 (0) 1582 831818; Fax: +44 (0) 1582 831414; Website: www.ufaw.org.uk; Email: wickens@ufaw.org.uk Further details, including a registration form can be found on the UFAW website: http://www.ufaw.org.uk/animal-welfare-conference.php