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Magazine
CONSERVATION
In the white mountains
SWARNA V. AND S. RAMAKRISHNAN
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The jungles of BR Hills offer several memorable and endearing sightings.
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Photo: S. Ramakrishnan
Well camouflaged: One needs a keen eye to spot these cats.
Less than five hours south-west of the frenzied metropolis of Bangalore lies an ecological paradise – the 540 sq km Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple wildlife sanctuary (BRT) part of the BR Hills range. Locally called Biligiri betta (meaning ‘white mountains’ from the exposed pale cliff-face), an invigorating mix of mountain air and golden sunshine welcomes you when you cross the forest check-post at the foothill. Located in the Yelandur taluk of Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka, these hills are contiguous to the Satyamangalam range southwards, in Erode district of Tamil Nadu.
One evening, we raced against time to reach BR Hills, afraid that we may not make it across the check-post before 6.00 p.m. We had planned to stay at the Jungle Lodges’ K Gudi Camp for the night. With the sun setting rapidly, our senses were on full alert as we drove along the jungle road. The roosting calls of birds filled the forest, the sun-down churring of the nightjars were also audible, and the cicadas were the loudest with their continuous clamour.
Welcome sight
We turned a bend and lo behold! There was a small cat walking leisurely in front of our car. We slowed to a halt and scrambled for our photography gear. The animal, it seemed, was on a twilight stroll, pausing very often to sniff the ground and looking around. It did not notice our presence and, as we could see only its back side with its bushy tail, we quickly jumped to the conclusion that it was the rare and elusive leopard cat. Our jubilation was cut short after a round of not-so-good images. We realised that it was actually a juvenile leopard, probably learning to find its food in the forest.
Thrilled by our sighting, we thanked the jungle gods for the wonderful welcome and drove on to the camp. While this sighting of the cat was one of our most unforgettable, BR Hills has graciously displayed many of its leopards to us. We have been lucky to spot and photograph at least one leopard in almost every visit to these jungles. They are usually found sitting atop a rock or on a tree trunk. However, one needs a keen eye to spot these well-camouflaged cats.
Hotspot
The geographical location of BR Hills — at the junction of the ecologically fragile Western and Eastern Ghats — makes it a biodiversity hotspot. It also forms a crucial corridor for wild animals (especially elephants and tigers) between the south-east and south-west facilitating an active exchange of gene pools between them.
BR Hills has an amazing diversity of vegetation types such as scrub, dry and moist deciduous, evergreen, coffee plantations, sholas and high-altitude grasslands. This diversity of forest types supports a rich variety of fauna, avifauna, insects and butterflies.
The birdlife is incredible — Paradise flycatchers, Bee-eaters, Crested, Serpent & Black eagles, Ioras, Orioles, Thrushes — over 275 species! There are also over 100 known butterfly species here and a variety of amphibians and reptiles.
Then again, the forest is most notable for its population of the Indian Gaur, the largest wild cattle in the world. With its dark rippling muscular frame and white stocking-like legs, these bovines abound in BR Hills in large herds — fairly tolerant towards humans on jeeps. The monsoon months are the best to sight them with their young ones and observe the protective behaviour of the adult females.
Tribal belt
Yet another aspect of BR Hills is its indigenous tribal population — the Soligas (‘bamboo people’). About 3000 of them inhabit these hills and live in small jungle hamlets called podus.
The Soligas are nature worshippers and revere a giant Champaka tree called Dodda Sampige in the local language. They find God in the surrounding forests and invoke Him through their traditional songs that are known to have ancient wisdom and provide insights into their unique culture, religion and beliefs.
The NGO, Vivekananda Girijana Kalyana Kendra (VGKK), has been working unstintingly for the last 25 years for the development of the BR Hills Soligas. Headed by Dr. Sudarshan, a Padma Shri award winner, VGKK has been using an integrated approach to tribal development and empowerment by focussing on their health, education, livelihood security and biodiversity conservation.
In fact, Dr.Sudarshan’s vision is “a self-reliant and empowered tribal society rooted in its culture, living in harmony with nature.” A stop at the NGO’s training centre for tribal youth, the hospital and also the forest produce store is highly recommended for every visitor.
Charming
The jungles of BR Hills have generously offered us several memorable and endearing sightings — a sloth bear mother with cub on its back; the majestic black eagle feeding its young one; a lone tusker holding fort in the middle of our jeep trail; nesting blue-bearded bee-eaters; nuthatches feeding their young; a jungle pool with terrapins (fresh water turtles) falling all over each other and many more such charming spectacles.
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Quick facts
Nearest railway head: Mysore (80km) via Chamarajanagar
Nearest airport: Bangalore (220km)
Best time: While the climate is cool through the year, November to March is the best time to watch wildlife.
Stay: Currently only one stay option: Jungle Lodges and Resorts’ K.Gudi Wilderness Camp.
What to wear: Earth-coloured clothes; warm clothing for the winter months of December and January, especially for the early morning/ evening safaris.
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