The efforts will begin soon, once discussions are held with interested principals. The details of the approach and the activities will be posted here on the blog.
Eco-club initiatives
Core-team member Adithya attended a 3-day workshop conducted by ESG. The lessons learnt from there will help form a plan to conduct eco-club activities for children at various schools.
Stop bear dancing
About Daroji bear sanctuary:-Hampi near Hospet, in
Though the sanctuary is relatively new, which began in 1994 in the eastern plains of Karnataka, it has proved to be a suitable habitat for the Indian Sloth Bears in a span of few years.
The rock-strewn hillocks that stretch between Daroji of Sandur taluk and Ramasagar of Hospet Taluk in
It is estimated that about 120 Sloth Bears are living in this sanctuary, apart from Leopards, Hyena, Jackals, Wild Boars, Porcupine, Pangolins, Star Tortoise, Monitor Lizard, Mongoose, Pea Fowls, Partridges, Painted Spur Hen, Quails etc. About 90 species of birds, and 27 species of butterflies have also been identified in this sanctuary in a preliminary survey.
According to Range
Action plan:-
1. Talk to the tribal people about anti poaching.
2. Play in kannada to make them realise the pain bears go through.
3. Look for alternate job option for the bear dancers.
4. Display of posters related to educating students/People in major schools/Colleges/Hotels etc in Bellary
5. Distribute used shoes to the watch gaurds in the sanctuary.
About Indian Sloth Bear
There are eight species of Bears in the world. Indian Sloth Bear is confined to India and
Fore limbs are longer than the hind limbs. The hairless feet are armed with white, blunt, curved claws, which extend up to three inches. Hairless webs unite the pads of the fingertips.
Though the head is comparatively large, the Sloth Bears have relatively small ears and eyes. Hence their sense of hearing and vision is poor. But they have outstanding sense of smell.
Their short-haired, grayish-colored muzzle is extremely flexible and ends in the nose. The nostrils can be closed at will. The lips are extremely loose and two incisor teeth are absent in the upper jaw. All these arrangements are helpful for sucking termites and ants.
Normally, adults attain a length of about six feet and stand three feet at the shoulder. Male adults weigh about 140 kg and female adults about 75 kg. While sommer is their mating period, this is often accompanied by a lot of quarrel and fighting between the males and the females. Usually two to three cubs are born in winter. The newborn cubs are small, hairless and blind for three weeks. The mother rears the cubs for two to three years. The life span of Bears is 40 to 50 years. The Sloth Bears are nocturnal animals.
Food Habits
The Bears are relish on termites, ants and honey. A Bear rips open the termite mound with its stout claws, pokes its muzzle in the hole, and blows the din and debris away. Then it enjoys the termites by sucking them just like a vacuum cleaner. Vacuuming ants and termites is so noisy that it can be heard 300 yards away!
They are crazy over honey. They climb trees to obtain it and no attack from bees can drive them away from the honey.The Bears also eat the fleshy flowers of Mahuva and thus, help in spreading their tribe.
Likewise, all the consumed seeds of the forest fruits go through the acid treatment in the Bear's gastric system. These seeds are distributed throughout the forest in the form of stool and they germinate easily in the monsoon.The Bears are good tree climbers. There are instances of them climbing and drinking even toddy! They are good swimmers too.
Man and Sloth Bear
The Sloth Bears are not aggressive. Most bears run away on hearing and smelling people. But these Sloth Bearsget so absorbed in what they are doing that they neither notice the presence of people nor smell them, until a sudden encounter.
During such sudden encounters, the annoyed animal stands on its hind legs and roars to scare away the people. Some times the frightened Bear might assault and injure people before rushing away in panic.
Some villagers kill these Bears owing to fear and anxiety over losing their crops. The ever-increasing human population is clearing forest for agriculture and deforestation, which eventually results in destroying the habitat ofthe Bears.
Collection of minor forest produces like honey and fruits is also forcing the Bears to move to the neighboring agricultural lands in search of food and water. In this context, Daroji Bear sanctuary has provided them a safe haven. Villagers and the eco-lovers have extended voluntary support towards natural regeneration of forests. Wildlife photographer and Ex-Minister of Karnataka, M Y Ghorpade is the guiding force behind the development of this sanctuary.
Visiting Hours
Visiting hours of the sanctuary is between 6.00 A M and 6.00 P M on all days. To watch the Bears one must be in the watch-tower on a hillock and sit quietly to look at the Bears descending from the opposite Karadikallu Gudda. This hillock has hundreds of caves where the Bears take shelter.
For the travel enthusiasts, who nurture plans to visit this sanctuary, it is advisable to wear natural dark colored clothes. Avoid white and light colored garments. Arm yourself with binoculars and cameras. The best time to visitthe sanctuary is between August and April.
How To Reach:
By Road:
By Rail: Nearest railway station is Hospet where trains from
Melagiri Restoration
About
About melagiri:-The rolling hills and valleys constitute various reserve forest totaling around 2000 Square kilometers. The area has a rich diversity of mammals, birds, plants and herbs of important medicinal value. A healthy population of resident and migratory elephants are to be found here. The numbers are thought to vary between 150 to 300 heads depending upon the season.
This region also forms a catchment area of the Cauvery river and its wellbeing is of particular importance to the riparian regions in the plains further downstream. In addition to all this it provides invaluable ecological services that are too great to be quantified.
Many hamlets exist in this region, and man animal conflict involving elephants, wild boar etc are all too common, for lack of a comprehensive solution. Human deaths, crop raiding etc are a common problem.
Action plan:-
1. A bio diversity survey of the region is being planned in the region to understand the ecology and character of the area.
2. It is essential that a sanctuary is established here in order to safeguard both the unique habitat and the interests of the people. Adequate measures can surely reinstate the reign of the striped monarch of the Indian jungle
3. Discuss Human-Elephant conflict
About
Duration 1 or 2 days.
Kaggaladu -Habitat conservation
Kaggaladu (Kannada: ಕಗ್ಗಲಡು) is a small village in the historic Sira taluk of Tumkur district in south-eastern part of Karnataka state. Since 1999, the villagers have been a welcome host for Painted Storks and Grey Herons, which annually breed on the trees inside the village and raise their young ones. Kaggaladu is located about 9 km to the north-west of Sira town on the
Painted storks:(Mycteria Leucocephala):-
Field characteristics:-
A typical large stork with long heavy yellow billslightly decurved near the tip, and unfeathered waxy yellow face.Plumage white, closely barred and marked with black above, and with a black band across breasts.The only European white stork having a delicate rose- pink about shoulders and wings.Sexes alike, pairs, parties, large congregations at jheels and marshals.The Painted Stork walks slowly and steadily in shallow waters or adjacent wet and grassland seeking its prey, which, like that of most of its relatives, includes fish, frogs and large insects. It sweeps its head from side to side with its bill half open in water as it hunts for fish.
Distribution:-
Through India,
Physical Characteristics:-
The adult is a large bird, mainly white with black flight feathers. The head is red, and the long down-curved bill is yellow. A medium-sized stork, it is 93-102 cm (37-40 in) tall, 150-160 cm (59-63 in) in wingspan and weighs 2-3.5 kg (4.4-7.7 lbs). The tail and legs are pink, and there is dark barring on the breast. Juvenile birds are a duller version of the adult, generally browner and lacking the bright colours of the adult.
Nesting:-
The large stick nest is built in a forest tree, and 2-5 eggs is a typical clutch.Nesting season varies with the local conditions.
Behavior:-
Painted Storks are found mostly in large colonies and stay near water. The nests, made up of sticks and leaves, are built close to the edge of the water. One can see other stork species, like herons, ibises, cormorants and spoonbills, sharing the habitat with Painted storks. Till 18 months of age, the young ones can make loud calls to attract their parents. However, after this, they lose their speech and use other signals to convey something to their fellow birds.
Mating Behavior:-
The breeding season of the Painted stork starts towards the end of the rainy season. The mating period is the time for the male storks to perform ritualistic displays and attract females. After mating, the nest is built and the female lays around 3 to 5 eggs. The incubation period is between 27 and 32 days and the responsibility is shared by the both the parents. The young ones become fully matured when they attain four years of age.
Senses
The most important as well as the most developed senses of the Painted stork comprise of its eyesight and hearing. The young ones communicate through loud hoarse call. However, after attaining 18 moths of age, the style of communication changes to clattering of large bills or hissing or bowing to each other or spreading the wings, etc.
Wildlife conservation
Too short life and too much to achieve.......................We LIFE'rs beleive we can make a poisitive impact in the society we live in.
All along we have been exploiting our own earth, we have been destroying the homes of our wildlife.we have made the lives of our four legged friend miserable.
It's time to catalyze ourselves into actions and take our initiative ahead to prevent wildlife from loosing their home, from beign poached or traded illegally.
We have messed up the things.It's time to act now to conserve nature......
Give back to nature.
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