Nature Initiative Kerala

Kerala outshines other tiger States

K S Sudhi, Kochi
The Hindu, July 30, 2019

The tiger population is growing in Kerala with 190 big cats roaming its forests and the State scoring maximum points in mean Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE), according to the Status of Tigers in India-2018 report.
Kerala scored the highest mean MEE score of 90.23 among the 18 tiger States of the country.
The latest Kerala tiger figures mark an increase of 54 individuals against the 136 of 2014, according to the report.
When it comes to the MEE of individual reserves, the Periyar Tiger Reserve scored 93.75% and Parambikulam, the second reserve in the State, 86.72% and was rated as very good in terms of management effectiveness.
The tiger population of the State was estimated to be 46 individuals in 2006, which increased to 71 when its population was estimated four years later in 2010.
Though not a tiger reserve, Wayanad houses the maximum number of tigers in the State with an estimated population ranging between 75 and 80 individuals. During an internal survey conducted in 2017, Forest Department officials could capture exclusive images of 74 individuals.
Since its stripes are unique to individuals like the fingerprints of humans, the photographic identification of the animals based on its stripes can be considered as an accurate counting method. However, one also needs to be aware of the foraying character of the animals and the possibility of overlapping of tiger population in the adjacent tiger habitats, cautioned an official.
Incidentally, the Wayanad tiger area shares its boundaries with the Nagarhole and Bandipur tiger reserves.
Though the 2018 tiger report does not speak about the population of tigers in the individual tiger reserves, the forest areas that come under the Periyar Tiger Reserve are considered to be the home of around 30 to 35 individuals. The dossier of the PTR has digital images of 30 individual tigers captured during the internal assessment done in 2017, said an official.
The PTR shares its boundary with the Meghamali and Srivilliputhur forests of Tamil Nadu.
The population estimation of the large felines in the Parambikulam Tiger Reserve has put the presence of the animals between 20 and 25. The reserve authorities have succeeded in camera-trapping 23 individuals during the internal assessment. Parambikulam shares its borders with the Anamalai Tiger Reserve of Tamil Nadu.

Silent Valley’s core areas took the brunt of 2018 floods

Abdul Latheef Naha, Palakkad
The Hindu, July 15 2019

The rain and floods that devastated the State in August 2018 have struck an unimaginable blow to core areas of the Silent Valley National Park. Much of the damage inflicted by nature’s wrath still remains unassesed and unstudied.
Little did the outside world know about the 50-odd landslips that ravaged the core areas of the Silent Valley. About a dozen of the landslips were so huge that had they been in human inhabited areas, they would have taken quite a number of lives along their trail.
Authorities did not publicise the extensive damage caused to the Silent Valley as there had been many theories doing the rounds about the cause of the floods. When some argued that it was a man-made disaster, others said it was a result of unprecedented copious rain.
The iron bridge across the Kunthi river in the Silent Valley had been destroyed. So were many trek paths deep inside the valley. The roads inside the virgin valley developed cracks like never before. The real extent of destruction caused to plants and wildlife is yet to be studied.

Scientific advice sought

Samuel V. Pachuau, Wildlife Warden of the Silent Valley, said that they were closely monitoring the valley and had sought scientific advice about methods of addressing the damage. He said soil had been washed off and rocks exposed at several places.
“We have been advised by experts to wait and watch through this monsoon,” said Mr. Pachuau.
He indicated that there had been no visible impact on the habitat and population of the wildlife. But he said constant monitoring was needed. “Maybe we will start restoration work from next year,” said Mr. Pachuau.
The reports of unprecedented dryness in April-May this year apart, there have been widespread concerns about the flood’s potential impact on fauna.

Impact on fauna

V. Balachandran, Indian Dragonfly Society secretary who led a study on dragonflies soon after the floods in September last year, said that they could not step into the core area because of the devastation.
He said he had to be content with the buffer zone of the Silent Valley for the dragonfly survey. Although Mr. Balachandran could not come up with any comparable data from the Silent Valley, he found that the number of dragonflies and damselflies had gone alarmingly low.
The Forest and Wildlife Department had closed public entry to the Silent Valley in the wake of the devastation.
Repairs were done to the 23-km stretch from Mukkali to Watchtower and the valley was reopened for the public in February this year.

Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary is tiger kingdom of the State

E M Manoj, Kalpetta
The Hindu, May 15, 2019

Here tigers roam without fear, and it shows in their numbers.
A monitoring programme of the Forest Department for 2017-18 has found that the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (WWS) , a biodiversity hotspot in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, holds the largest tiger population in the State.
The study was organised in association with the Parambikulam and Periyar Tiger Conservation Foundations.

75 in sanctuary

“Of the total 176 tigers in the State, 75 were identified from the WWS, which is part of a large forest complex holding the single largest population of tigers in India,” B.N. Anjan Kumar, Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife), said of the study.
Nine tigers had also been captured by camera stations set up at the North and South Wayanad forest divisions.

Periyar, Parambikulam

The Periyar and Parambikulam tiger reserves followed suit, where 25 tigers each were captured in camera traps, Mr. Kumar said.
“There are no tigers in the Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary and the adjoining Kottayam and Kothamangalam forest divisions as the landscape is cut off from the adjacent mainland (Munnar and Malayattoor forest divisions). The Kasaragod forest division is highly fragmented and degraded and does not show tiger evidence,” he said. Camera traps, where tigers are identified from photographs based on unique stripe patterns, were used to count the tiger population, Mr. Kumar, who supervised the project, said.
The forest area in the State was divided into 10 landscapes and 1,640 camera traps were set up.
It took nearly a year-and-a-half to complete the project. Close to 500 trained front line forest staff participated in the endeavour.
The Nilambur North and South forest divisions were excluded from the study as camera traps could not be set up in the forests due to Maoist issues. These areas are expected to support a good tiger population.
“Demographic simulation suggests that cubs (below one year) may comprise roughly 25% of a healthy tiger population. However, cubs are not included in the data as they have to reach three years of age (mortality rate of cubs is high). Thus, the forests are home to about 250 individuals that may or may not be part of home ranges within the Kerala forests,” he said.

Potential for reserve

“As the WWS and the adjoining tiger reserves in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu constitute a major tiger habitat in the country, the sanctuary has the potential to get the status of a tiger reserve. Such an initiative needs the support of the public,” says Chief Wildlife Warden Surendra Kumar.
Such a move would help get more funds to effectively implement projects to mitigate man-animal conflict in the area, he said.

GPS survey for elephant sanctuary in Idukki

Giji K Raman, Idukki
The Hindu, 14 May 2019

The Forest Department has completed the Global Positioning System (GPS) survey for setting up the first elephant sanctuary in the State. The survey has covered the Anayirangal and Chinnakanal areas in the Munnar region.
The region has witnessed man-animal conflicts claiming over 30 lives since 2010. The number 301 colony of tribespeople in Chinnakanal, where a farmer was killed by wild elephants on Sunday, will also form part of the sanctuary.
The Chief Wildlife Warden had earlier sought a detailed project report from Munnar Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) on the proposed sanctuary and the wild jumbo related issues in Chinnakanal and Anayirangal.
Over 6 sq km (600 ha) area will form part of the proposed sanctuary covering the areas of Number 301 Colony, Enpathekkar and another Scheduled Tribe Colony, a Forest Department official told The Hindu on Monday.
About 386 ha of land leased out to the Hindustan Newsprint Ltd. by the Forest Department and another 290 ha of forest land would be used for the sanctuary, he said.

Reasons

Habitat disturbance and human intrusion were stated to be the reasons for wild animals entering the residential areas.
When the number 301 Colony was created in 2003 to house the landless tribespeople, there was criticism that it was done without considering the report of the Forest Department which had said that the area formed part of an elephant corridor.
The main areas that came under frequent wild elephants’ attacks were in Anayirangal, Munnar, Chinnakanal, Sinkukandam and number 301 colony.
The Forest Department has estimated that 38 wild elephants are stranded in the area and some of them are causing loss to human life and property.

Otters re-emerge in Kadalundi estuary

Abdul Latheef Naha, Malappuram
The Hindu, May 14, 2019

Otters have re-emerged in the estuarine region of the Kadalundipuzha, giving fresh hope to ecologists focusing on the Kadalundi-Vallikkunnu Community Reserve.
Groups of otters were recently seen in the mudflats and mangroves in the Kadalundi estuary, which is home for thousands of migrant birds flying in from beyond continents during winter.
Ecologists vouch that the presence of otters is an indication of a healthy eco-system. “The presence of otters indicates that the riverine or riparian eco-system is strong. Here in Kadalundi, we can presume that the estuary is highly productive with a good amount of fishes and other aquatic lives,” said M. Nasser, professor of zoology from Calicut University.

Vanishing act

Although there had been otters in the estuary decades ago, the carnivorous aquatic mammals disappeared in recent years for unknown reasons.
T.R. Athira, who studies behavioral patterns of shorebirds reaching Kadalundi, noticed a bevy of otters playing in the mudflats recently. There were juveniles also among them.
“For a researcher, otters are a great sign. Their sighting has emboldened me to delve deeply into the unique ecosystem of mudflats and mangroves at Kadalundi,” said Ms. Athira.
Her guide K.M. Aarif, who had spent about a decade studying the foraging habits of migrant visitors of Kadalundi, said it was good news that otters were breeding in the mangroves of Kadalundi.
“From an ecological point of view, it is a wonderful indicator especially as we had a lot of apprehensions in the aftermath of the devastating floods in August last year,” said Dr. Aarif.
Dr. Nasser said that otters would seek to avoid any kind of interactions with human beings. Fishermen and local people in and around Kadalundi are, however, not excited about the presence of otters. Many of the fishermen in Kadalundi have had a bad date with the mammals with sharp teeth.

‘A nuisance’

“They are a big nuisance for us. Apart from devouring the fish that we catch, they destroy our nets and fishing gears,” said Hamza Koya, a local fisherman at Kadalundikkadavu.
As they breed in dens in mangroves, people living in the vicinity are not happy. “We have been living in fear as there may be wild animals in the mangroves. We have not seen any otter so far,” said Amin Faizal.
However, the fact otters rarely come in contact with human beings is a solace for the local people.

Homebound passerines bid adieu to Ghats

E.M Manoj, Kalpetta
The Hindu, May 13, 2019

It’s mid-May with monsoon just around the corner, and the migrant wildlife in the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary is planning to go back home.
Bigger mammals like elephants and gaur will soon be returning to their home turfs in the forests of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Whereas the migratory passerines will bid adieu to the Western Ghats and fly back to their far-away homelands in the Himalayas, South China, North East Europe and Siberia.

In large numbers

“When we talk about migratory birds, quite often the focus is on the large congregation of water fowls including shorebirds, as they are easy to spot and arrive in large numbers. But there are thousands of passerines that arrive from far-off places to the Western Ghats,” C.K. Vishnudas, ornithologist, says.
The State hosts one of the largest tracts of pristine forests of the Western Ghats and is home to a large number of forest birds, Mr. Vishnudas adds. A study led by ornithologist C. Sasikumar recently found that 88 species of avian population in the Western Ghats are annual migrating birds. Passerines form 48 species of these migratory birds — black birds, Orioles, Drongos, Flycatchers and Thrushes. There are also nearly 40 species of waterfowls and waders such as Pipers, Clovers and shanks.
The migration to the Western Ghats occurs usually in August when the monsoon recedes from southwest India. The birds come in hordes and fill the forests.

The tiny brigade

The study also revealed that a few among the species add to the density of avian population in the State’s forests during this phase. The density of Greenish leaf warblers in south Kerala forests is 44 birds per sq km. For migratory bird Blyth’s reed warbler, it is 25 birds per sq km. These birds are so tiny that the average body weight is 8-10 grams.
Yet, the most densely found bird in south Kerala is a native species — the Hill myna that has a count of 50 birds per sq km.
“Most of the migratory forest birds are insectivores and thus play a major role in keeping the insect population in balance. Whatever threat our forests face will thus have an impact on these migratory species,” he adds.

Bat survey in Kerala discovers seven new species

Giji K. Raman, Idukki
The Hindu, May 10 2019

A bat survey conducted in the Munnar Wildlife Division has found seven new species for the first time.
The survey, conducted in two phases in the protected area in April, could spot 20 species belonging to six families including 11 species in general categories. These include 17 insectivorous bats and three fruit bats.
Hipposideros galeritus (Cantor's Leaf-nosed bat), Hipposideros pomona (Anderson's Leaf-nosed bat), Myotis peytoni (Peyton's Whiskered Myotis) and Harpiocephalus harpia (Lesser Hairy-winged bat) were some of the rare bats identified during the survey.
The survey was conducted using advanced bat monitoring and detecting devices, besides traditional methods. Insectivorous bats were identified based on their unique echolocation calls. The devices were installed in various locations inside the Eravikulam, Mathikettan Shola, Anamudi Shola, Pampadum Shola national parks and Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary.
The survey also highlighted the need for long-term monitoring of bats to understand the impact of climate and vegetation changes on bats and other wildlife in Munnar landscape, said Munnar Wildlife Warden R. Lakshmi. This was the first bat survey in Munnar and it underscored the need for protection of the biodiversity, she said.
M.K. Sameer, P.M. Prabhu and S. Sandeep, the assistant wildlife wardens of the Shola, Chinnar and Eravikulam National Parks respectively, supported the survey.
According to Sreehari Raman, who headed the survey team, climate change has been named one of the greatest long-term threats to most species globally. To understand the current status of species that have a restricted distributional range in the mid-high elevation areas of the Western Ghats, regions such as Munnar have to be studied for the long-term conservation of bats and other wild fauna, he said.
Salish Menachery, Rajan Pilakandi, Rajeeve Balakrishnan and Swetha also participated in the survey.