Snippets from Basavanna at Bandipur...

As I mentioned in the last post, I garnered some interesting snippets from my conversation with the naturalist Basavanna H.S (http://colorsofindia-nita.blogspot.com/2010/04/another-unsung-heroa-naturalist-par.html)

Here is a random compilation of the interesting information:

The Bandipur park has 12 gates, and 20-25 vehicles with visitors enter every day. They have to register when coming in and sign out at the end, to regulate the number of vehicles and ensure that all are out when the gates close at 6.30 pm. Each resort has permission for 3-4 vehicles. Private vehicles are not allowed entry into the forest, so these are left near the reception center and visitors are taken in the forest jeeps.

There are many water holes in the park, with their names written on boards. “Katte” means “water hole” in Kannada. Basavanna says he uses these to find his way about in the jungle.

Round, red marks on some trees indicate the divisions marked for the tiger census conducted last year, which takes place every two years. Volunteers are given accommodation by the forest department, which also imparts basic training in recognizing scat and pug marks to track tigers. Another method used is a camera trap; cameras are fitted on two sides to capture the image of a tiger passing through its regular paths.

There are 6 adult tigers and 11 cubs in the forest, and each one has a different pattern of stripes, by which it is recognized. Two of the tigers in Bandipur: Gauri and Agastyaare supposed to be the most comfortable with humans around, and Basavanna has shot vivid images of both of them at close range. See them at http://www.indianaturewatch.net/view_cat.php?tag=Basavanna+H+S

Hungry elephants often stray into human habitation, to be often hurt. In early times in villages, a rope would be strung up, coated with chilly powder, tobacco and any waste oil, as this combination gave off a smell to deter elephants.

Forest fires are man made and common during January and March, so patrols on foot or manning the watch towers spot and report fires to the department. As soon as an alarm is raised, the forest department personnel rush to the spot to arrest them. Tribals from nearby areas are recruited specially for these 3 months. Forest fires are started to collect firewood, and allow fresh grass to sprout as food for cattle.
The tribals (sometimes driven by poverty and frustration at not being employed) have an innovative method to start forest fires. They tie the rat snake (the fastest snake in the forest), pour kerosense on it and set it alight—killing the snake, burning many acres of land, and with it, birds, eggs and insects.

Some elephants have one tusk, as the other may have been broken in a fight. An elephant is not born with one tusk, as some believe.

The greed of human beings is unmatched. Once, some visitors fed a chital, while others lifted its baby into the car and drove off. Fortunately, a witness alerted the forest department, and the baby was rescued after a long chase. People are known to have offered Rs 10,000 to poachers/villagers to kill a tiger.

According to Basavanna, the practice of sighting tigers from elephant back (as in Corbett park or Ranthambore) is an unhealthy one for both animals. Fortunately, it is not possible in Bandipur, which has a number of wild elephants. The inhumane practice of elephant (joy) rides has been discontinued in Bandipur, as the elephant camp is near the main road and elephants attracted too many visitors driving along the highway. In Kerala, elephants are treated as god, and used only as temple elephants. There is an elephant camp in Bandipur, where they are fed with ragi balls and bananas, and sometimes baby corn and sugarcane! They are also given an oil massage before a bath in the water hole, and checked weekly by a vet. They go to the forest at 6.30 pm, and return to the camp around 10 am. Jaiprakash, one of the camp elephants, will participate in the famous Dussehra procession in Mysore this year. Initially 2 elephants were trained, and since calves are born every 2 years, the number has increased.

Elephants are not dangerous, (except at certain times in the year/life cycle) as long as one does not get out of the vehicle. There are solar fences along the edge of the forest to track elephants that wander off and bring them back with a mild shock! When there is a calf in a herd, the mother stays close to it, while the “aunt” makes a “mock charge” to scare away intruding humans. According to Basavanna, it is a serious charge when the elephant curls its trunk inwards. This is among his most memorable experiences in the jungle, the details of which I shall get on my next visit and post!! There is also an elephant which demonstrates her displeasure of human intruders by throwing stones at the vehicles!!

The elephant has a small hole between the ear and the eye, and this is used to insert a small iron ring to hold the stick used by the mahout to give instructions.

There is a camp house in the forest for the officers and guards of the anti-poaching department. Apart from tiger poaching, poachers cut down rosewood and teakwood, as expensive material for furniture. Basavanna routinely takes extra provisions for them of his own accord.

Chitals come outside the forest boundary around 6.30 pm to avoid the night predators, and then go back to the jungle in the morning!

There are 29 dhole in the forest, 11 adults and 18 pups.

It is not advisable to wear white in the forest--the colors should match with those of the jungle.

A 40 year old lady named Sunni Dhairyam has painted the pictures on the cottage walls—the elephant in the cottage we stayed in took her 3 months to finish! (See photo) Basavanna was full of admiration for the yeoman service she does in the surrounding areas—-for humans and animals alike. I hope to meet her some day!

Another unsung hero...a naturalist par excellence!

As I said in an earlier post, the myriad hues of India are largely due to unsung heroes (like Deepa and Ashish in Sonapani, see http://colorsofindia-nita.blogspot.com/2009/11/road-less-travelled_19.html) who choose the (more difficult) path less travelled, and in so doing, leave permanent footprints. I had mentioned another such person in a post last year(http://colorsofindia-nita.blogspot.com/2009/11/woods-are-lovely-dark-and-deep_09.html)on Bandipur wildlife sanctuary—the naturalist Basavanna H.S. Anyone who has met him once will not settle to go with anyone else for the jungle safari conducted by the Jungle Lodges resort. (See the previous post).

Basavanna is not just knowledgeable and experienced, but spares no effort to show visitors the smallest inhabitants of the forest. As I said in the last post, it is really not essential to sight a tiger (though some feel cheated unless they can boast of seeing one!) –a safari trip with him is immeasurably enriching. The epitome of patience and perseverance, he painstakingly takes the most difficult roads to where some animal may be seen. A more skilled driver would be difficult to find. While driving through the winding, rough and uneven tracks, Basavanna is constantly alert, looking to either side for any signs of life, while the slightest sound elicits identification/information and location of the bird or animal. His knowledge and interest are incredible. His keen eyes miss nothing, like the 5 eggs that I wrote about in the last post!

It is also amazing to see how he finds his way around the 82 square km safari area of the forest (of the total 880 sq km). Apparently, the names of the many water holes and other markings act as signposts. It was incredible how Basavanna drove us in the pitch darkness once, without the benefit of headlights. On occasion, he has had to stay inside the forest till 10.30 pm, when 2 tires have been punctured. Earlier, jeeps were fitted with walky talkies, but their use has been discontinued, as news of tiger sightings led to a congregation of all the safari vehicles near the poor animal.

During our second visit there last week, I sought out Basavanna for an informal interview to get some material for articles and children’s books. Despite his busy schedule (and he is sought out by all visitors, including VIPs!) he graciously and patiently gave me plenty of time and the most interesting information. What follows is the gist of what he told me.

Basavanna turned 27 years on April 6, and has been working with the Jungle Lodges resorts (Karnataka government) for the last seven years. His inspiration has been his uncle, who works in the forest department. Even as a school boy, he enjoyed the wild, and trekking to the nearby hills. Interestingly enough, Basavanna prefers his present employment to even a better one with the forest department, as that would restrict him to a desk job, and keep him away from the daily visits to his beloved jungle!

He learnt some basics from the 3 months Naturalist Training Program conducted by Jungle Lodges, but his vast knowledge comes from experience and reading.
Basavanna's interests are bird watching and catching snakes (from the resort premises etc) to be released in the jungle. The stick with the curved end is used for catching snakes (see 3rd photo).

Apart from driving visitors around the forest both morning and evening on safaris, Basavanna's day is full with accounts (twice a day) and all the other duties at the front desk, as he is the only person with advanced computer skills. He also writes up the daily sightings of animals (with date, locations and time) on a big board set at the entrance. Basavanna has little time for himself, and manages to go home (5 km away) only for a couple of days once in 1-2 months! His spare time is spent in reading books on wildlife, and editing his photographs. However, this is possible only during the off season (June-July) when there are few visitors. We had noticed on our earlier trip that he’s a very accomplished photographer. In fact, his photographs can be seen on http://www.indianaturewatch.net/view_cat.php?tag=Basavanna+H+S

Elephants are his favorite animals, as he says these big animals can teach us a lot about protecting and taking care of babies! Basavanna goes the extra mile for his favorites—sometimes buying sugarcane as treats for the elephants at the Bandipur camp!

He knows the tigers in the forest (6 adults and 11 cubs) by name, and can identify them by their stripes, as each animal has a different pattern. He has taken photos at close range of many of the magnificent creatures of the jungle in their natural habitat.

Given the opportunity, Basavanna would tackle wildlife/nature conservation in the region with a multi-pronged approach:
a) Clearing plastic (which he does while driving inside the jungle)
b) Putting up bigger signboards in all the southern languages and Hindi, in addition to the English that exists. Violations like stopping on the highway (where a board says it is dangerous to do so, in view of the elephants) and sounding the horn (though a board importunes the driver to be a silent passer) are seen all the time.
c) Effective highway patrolling to ensure these strictures are followed.
d) Encourage the planting of trees, specially the Indian beech, neem and other local specimens. His main goal is to extend the forest cover. Beech trees are good for butterflies, while banyan trees shelter birds. Neem trees purify the air
e) Stop grazing, as cattle take away the elephant’s food, forcing him to encroach on villages and causing damage to both sides. Though elephant proof trenches are made around the forests, villagers fill them with mud and encourage the cattle to stray into the forbidden areas.

Basavanna has already initiated measures with the help of a group of friends—10 teachers who teach their charges the importance of planting trees, need to stop cutting firewood in forests and cattle grazing. He hopes that they will go home and pass on the message to their parents. LPG gas is now being supplied to the villages around, so he reiterates that there should be no need for cutting firewood.

While driving on the highway, Basavanna makes it a point to stop offenders (like the ones I mentioned in the last post)—if everyone took upon himself even a little of this responsibility, the world would indeed be a safer place for animals.

When I asked why there was no awareness program at the resort, he said that they ran into trouble when a parent complained that with his wealthy background, it was demeaning for his child to collect plastic packets to clear litter! If this is the attitude of the so called “educated” class responsible for passing on wrong values to the next generation, the future is in serious jeopardy. There are funny sides too—like a visitor asking why lions could not be seen in Bandipur!!

I think Basavanna was amused when I asked him if he ever got fed up or wanted to leave the place—clearly feelings unknown to him! The external trappings of success or lack of them do not seem to bother him. Despite being sought out by the rich and famous, Basavanna is totally unassuming and humble. Many a lesson can be learnt from him---patience, contentment, simplicity, and above all, passionate love for nature, which transforms his work into a labor of love. The greatest testimony to this unsung hero is the relationship he forges with visitors, and the love and respect he commands from them. People like Basavanna are the only hopes to save our country from environmental degradation and extinction of wildlife.

(Read the full interview and responses to it on http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2908748/in_conversation_with_an_indian_naturalist.html?cat=16
(Watch out for interesting snippets garnered from the interview in the next post--http://colorsofindia-nita.blogspot.com/2010/04/snippets-from-bandipur_19.html).

Far from the madding crowd....Himalayan Village, Sonapani

The pictures say it all…..the view from the rugged road on the way to the Himalayan village resort (Sonapani) the pine forest just outside the resort gate--then from the resort, a view of the mighty Himalayas stretched out in the horizon, forests all around, a profusion of flowers and trees laden with fruit around the cottages, a spectacular sunset……the experience cannot be described, only felt!
Look for details at www.himalayanvillage.com. and have a great holiday!

A Wild Get-away...to Bandipur!

A trip to Bandipur national park, 220 km from Bangalore, gives a glimpse of the rich flora and fauna of the Nilgiri Biosphere reserve, of which it is a part. Once the private hunting grounds of the Maharajas of Mysore, it became the first (of the 7) parks under Project Tiger to save the species.









There are rock formations, lush green fields, coconut groves, banana plantations and lakes and ponds on either side of the highway leading to Mysore, and on to Bandipur. One can stop at any number of places for a quick, hot South Indian meal on a traditional plantain leaf!













We stayed at the Bandipur Safari Lodge, situated at the end of and about a km from the Bandipur national park. There are 12 very comfortable cottages, each named after a wild creature! We stayed at the Mayura (peacock) cottage, complete with a huge motif on the wall.






The facilities and food are excellent, and the most attractive feature is trips in the early morning and evening in open top jeeps into the park, with well trained guides. (You can find detailed information on other activities on the “Jungle lodges and resorts' site). Tips for visitors: opt for an open jeep (instead of a covered van, worth the experience, even if it rains) request the person arranging the safari (Mr.Nataraja) for a guide called Basavanna (extremely enthusiastic and knowledgeable) and carry extra sets of clothes and socks (even for a one day trip) in case of sudden showers during the jeep ride!










The view from the resort is lovely, and the road leading to the park affords a view of hills and green countryside. More about the park in the next post.