Distribution and Status of the Wild Water Buffalo Bubalus Arnee in Bhutan

2008·2.2 MB·

by  Anwaruddin Choudhury

1
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
foodhoardingbehaviourwasnotobservedinthe burrowsof ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
M. plcitythrix(Table 2).
Burrows of M. plcitythrix had one to two brood Our sincere thanks are due to UGC, Hyderabad (Link
chambers (1.3 ±0.5). The mean diameter of the brood no. 804/05-UGC-SERO-1804 dated February 2005) for
chambers was 12.1 ±2.2 cm. The brood chambers were extendingfinancial support.Wearethankfultothe Principal
furnished with a bed ofpebbles. The present observation is and Head of the Department of Zoology, Nehru Memorial
in accordance with the report of Prater (1971). The mean College (Autonomous), forencouragement andsupport. We
number of individuals in a burrow was 1.1 ±0.3 (male), are grateful to the burrow diggers and rodent trappers for
1 ±0 (Female), and 3 ±2.1 (litter). their help during ourfield work.
REFERENCES
Barnett,S.A.&I.Prakash(1975):RodentsofEconomicImportance and Control of Indian desert gerbil, Meriones hurrianae
in India. Arnold Heinemann, New Delhi and London.175 pp. (Jerdon)T. BombayNat. Hist. Soc. 62: 237-244.
Chandrahas, R.K. & A.K. Krishnaswami (1974): Studies on the Prater,S.H.(1971):TheBookofIndianAnimals(Eleventhimpression).
ecologyoftheIndiangerbil, TateraindicaHardwickein Kolar BombayNatural HistorySociety, Mumbai. 324pp.
(Mysore). IndianJ. Med. Res. 62: 971-978. Parshad,V.R.&R.S.Tripathi(2004):Soilecologyandrodents.Rodent
Goyal, S.P. & PK. Ghosh (1993): Burrow structure of two gerbil Newsletter28(1-2): 2-3.
species of Thar desert, India. Acta Theriologica 38(4): Sivaprakasam,C. &G. Durairaj (1995): Burrowecologyoffourrice
453-456. field Rodents ofTamil Nadu, India. International Journal of
Neelanarayanan,R,R. Nagarajan&R.Kanakasabai(1996):Burrow EcologyandEnvironmentSciences21: 231-239.
morphology offield rodents in cauvery delta. J. BombayNat. Soni,B.K.&M.Idris(2005): Burrowingbehaviourofrodentsinrocky
Hist. Soc. 93: 238-241. habitats inaridzone. RodentNewsletter29(1-4): 7-8.
Prakash, I. & R.P. Mathur (1987): Management of Rodent Pests. Urs, Y.L. (1968): Habits and Habitats of rodents. Pp. 25-35.
Indian CouncilofAgricultural Research, New Delhi. 133 pp. In: Majumdar, S.K. (Ed.): Manual ofRodent Control. Central
Prakash,I.,C.GKumbakarani&A.Krishnan(1965):Eco-toxicology FoodTechnological Research Institute, Mysore.
DISTRIBUTION AND STATUS OF THE WILD WATER BUFFALO
3.
BUBALUSARNEE IN BHUTAN
AnwaruddinChoudhury1
'TheRhinoFoundationforNatureinNEIndia,c/oAssamCo. ltd., Bamunimaidam,Guwahati781 021,Assam, India.
Email: [email protected], [email protected]
The Asiatic Wild Water Buffalo Bitbahts amee Kerr Bhutanbeingmountainousdoesnothavemuchhabitat
(bubalisLinn.),henceforthWildWaterBuffalo,isaglobally for the Wild Water Buffalo, which requires grassland with
threatenedspeciesandhasbeenlistedas ‘Endangered’ (IUCN water bodies, preferably on flat terrain. Owing to its
2007).OncewidespreadoverlargepartsofSouthandSouth- occurrence in the Manas National Park in Assam, India
eastAsia, this rare bovine is now mainly confined to north- (Gee 1964; Choudhury 1994), which is located on the
eastern India with small numbers in Nepal and Indo-China internationalboundary,therewasalwayschanceofanimals’
(Corbetand Hill 1992;Choudhury 1994).Theoccurrencein crossing over. The observations made so far indicates
southern Bhutan has been mentioned by Blower (1986), that there are nine areas in Bhutan where the Wild Water
Choudhury (1994) andWangchuketal. (2004). Buffalo is still seen or seen till the recent past. These are:
I had visited parts of southern Bhutan since October (1) Gabhorukunda (Gobarkanda) (26° 46'-48' N; 90°49-
1985 (notfrequently); from September2004 toJune 2007, 53' E), (itisnotapoint location butastretchofgrassyarea)
made frequent visits as part ofmy official work as Deputy (2) Mathanguri (Matharguri) (26° 47' N; 90° 58' E),
Commissioner of Baksa district in Assam (having common (3) Nunmati (26° 47' N; 90° 59'E), (4) Rabang nullah (26°
borderwithBhutan).Duringthesevisits,Ihadtheopportunity 49' N;91°04’E), (5)EastofDoimari(26°49’N; 91°06’E),
toobservewildbuffaloes. Inthisnote,thedistribution,habitat (6) Kukulong(26°47’N;90°45’E), (7)Kalamati (26°47'N;
and status of the wild water buffalo in Bhutan have been 90° 40' E), (8) Saralbhanga (26° 52’ N; 90° 15’ E) and
discussed. (9) Jamduar (26° 44' N; 89° 52' E).
332 J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., 105 (3), Sep-Dec 2008
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
Fig. 1: Mapof Bhutan showingthe main features and the places mentioned in thetext
Blower(1986)sawasmall herdinGabhorukundaarea Gabhorukunda up to River Suidener, and also early in the
inSeptember 1985.DuringmyseveralvisitstoGabhorukunda morningorafterduskinsomeareasofthebedwherethereis
in 2006 and 2007, I saw footprints of lone bulls as well as grass. This is by far the only habitat ofthe Wild Buffalo in
small herds. The Forest Department staff and conservation Bhutan.
volunteers ofAssam's Manas National Park had reportedly AtMathanguri, I had observed a bull on the banks of
observed several lone bulls and 2-3 herds totalling River Manas in October 1985. Subsequently, one small
20-30 animals during the same period. A census operation herd(upto 14animals)wasalsosightedonseveraloccasions,
carriedoutjointly by theProjectTigerauthoritiesand Rhino besides lone bulls (up to two), in the same area crossing
Foundation for Nature in NE India (NGO) on April 16-17, the border to Bhutan only to come back. I observed a
2008,hadcounted32animalsinthreeherdsinGabhorukunda smallherdofsevenanimals’ attheborderonMarch09,2007.
area on the Indian side (Choudhury et al. 2008). Although Since early 1990s, a buffalo khuti (khuti=ca.mp) came
the Bhutan side of Gabhorukunda was outside the purview to the Bhutan side of Mathanguri with several domestic
ofcensusoperation,bulkoftheareawasvisibleandnobuffalo female buffaloes. This prompted a large lone bull to
could be seen. On the Bhutan side of Gabhorukunda, the regularly visit the camp everyday. Occasionally one more
animals mostly go for water as water bodies are limited in bull would come nearby, but only one remained with the
this Bhabartract. There is waterin the riveronly at the spot cows in the khuti. This bull is perhaps the only wild
where it debouched onto the flat ground and the buffaloes buffalo that actually spends bulk of its time inside Bhutan
visitthesitenormallyaftersunset.Daytimesightingsarerare. territory.
The local reports by Forest staff and old hunters indicated ‘Nunmati’ isasaltlicktowardseastofMathangurijust
that during the disturbed period in Manas foradecade from northoftheIndia-Bhutaninternationalboundary.Thiswasa
1989onwards(Choudhury 1989,2006),manybuffaloeswere favourite spot for the Indian One-horned Rhinoceros
killed by poachers in Gabhorukunda area; the animals still Rhinoceros unicornis till early 1990s when bulk of these
avoidthe wide openareawithnocoverduringdaytime. The pachyderms were eliminated by the poachers from Manas.
animals also graze along the left bank of the River Lonebullsaswell as small herdsofwild buffaloesregularly
J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., 105 (3), Sep-Dec 2008 333
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
visitthesite. Infact,theyjustcrossovertoBhutantothelick recorded in 1970s. The animals used to cross overfor short
andcomeback. distance inside Bhutan,justnorthandnorth-eastofJamduar
AtRabangnullah,there isgrassonthebedoftheriver andoccasionallycrossing the rivertowards Kalikhola.
whereanoccasionalanimalisseen.Footprintsofloneanimals From the above it is clearthat Bhutan does not have a
were seen in 2006-07 within a kilometre inside Bhutan. residentpopulationofWildWaterBuffaloes,mainlybecause
Similarly,towardseastofDoimari,theanimalsareoccasional ofits limited habitat. However, more than 30 animals could
visitorsalthoughhereapatchofgrassland isfoundwheretill beinsideBhutanatanytime(e.g.,Gabhorukunda).Till 1989,
early 1990s, even small herds used to visit. thelocal staffandoldhuntersreportedthatthenumberoften
Towards west ofGabhorukunda there are small tracts exceeded 50 when several herds used to loosely congregate
of grassland interspersed with trees up to Kukulong river. forwaterand grazing. The daily range ofthe herds and lone
ThereisalinearpatchalongtheleftbankofKukolongriver, bulls that occur in Bhutan spreads over both sides of the
which is occasionally visited by buffaloes. Farther west is border.
anothersiteofsaltyearthcalled ‘Kalamati’ ontheKanamakra The total grassland habitat available for the animal
river. The buffalo is an occasional visitorto the area, which inside Bhutan is little over 10 sq. km (Fig. 1). Bulk ofthe
is on the border. grassland is located around Gabhorukunda area (Fig. 2).
Fartherwest,therewasnosignificantgrasslandtillthe AllbuttwolocationsareinsideRoyal ManasNationalPark
Saralbhanga and Sankosh rivers. The site where the while the area near Jamduar is a part ofPhipsoo Wildlife
Saralbhanga river debouches into the plains had some Sanctuary.
grassland, which, however, is now underhuman occupation Poaching for meat was the main reason for killing
andatownshipintheformofSarpang-adistrictheadquarter, ofWildWater Buffalo since 1989 (Choudhury 1989, 2006)
has come up in the area. Just south is the border with India and the situation worsened when the anti-poaching camp
wherealsoalargehumansettlement(SaralparaForestVillage) at Gabhorukunda on Assam side was abandoned by staff
came up. It was here, i.e, at the international boundary, that due to attack by underground extremists. An unspecified
threeWildWaterBuffaloes out ofaherd ofsix were hunted number of buffaloes were killed in Gabhorukunda area
down by ashikarparty ofthe then rulerofCooch Beharon (both sides of the border) and meat was sold in the
March 07, 1900 (The MaharajahofCooch Behar 1908). On marketsoftenmixedupwithdeermeat(aslatterfetchesmore
the Bhutan side near Jamduar in Assam, the wild buffalo is money).
no longerfound (also inAssam area). The lastanimals were Situation has improved a lot in Assam’s Manas
334 J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., 105 (3), Sep-Dec 2008
6
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
National Park and there was no significant poaching Wangda (Joint Secretary, Royal Government of Bhutan),
ofbuffalosince2004. OnBhutanside,patrollinghasstarted Karma Drukpa (Sub-divisional Officer, Panbang), Pema
inrecentyearsthusprovidingsomesecurity.Awell-equipped Rinchen (Park Ranger, Royal Manas) and their party,
and active anti-poaching camp at Gabhorukunda on A. RabhaandA. Swargiary(FieldDirectors,IndianManas),
the Bhutan side is strongly recommended, which should R. BhattacharjeeandC.R. Bhobora(DeputyFieldDirectors),
notbenearthewaterspot(toavoiddisturbancetotheanimals) lateAlauddinChoudhury(father),Dr.AnilGoswami,Range
so that in future the wild buffaloes can be seen Officers (P. BrahmaofPanbari andM. BrahmaofBansbari)
againinlargeherdsduringdaytimecomingtothewaterbody. and their staff, Mohabbat Shah Ali, Romu Mazumdar,
Sajjad Choudhury, Imran Mazumdar (Babu), the volunteers
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ofManasPanbariEco-tourismSociety,S.Sharma(Assistant
Executive Engineer, E & D Department), Hakim (driver),
1 thank the following for their help during my visits: M. Saikia, G. Medhi, Das, Talukdar, Baishya (all of
SudhirVyas(India’sAmbassadortoBhutan),DashoTshering Assampolice),SatyaMoosaharyandhisboatmencolleagues.
Blower, J.H. (1986): Nature conservation in Bhutan: projectfindings UK.488pp.
andrecommendations.FO:DP/BHU/83/022.FAO,Rome,Italy. Gee,E.P. (1964):TheWildLifeofIndia. Collins,London. 192pp.
55 pp. Green, M.J.B. (compiled) (1993): Nature Reserves of the Himalaya
Choudhury,A.U. (1989): S.O.S. Manas! TheSentinel 7May. andtheMountainsofCentralAsia.IUCNandOxfordUniversity
,
Choudhury,A.U.(1994):Thedeclineofthewildwaterbuffaloinnorth- Press,Oxford,UK.471 pp.
eastIndia. Oryx28(1): 70-73. IUCN (2007): IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. Gland,
Choudhury, A.U. (2006): Manas - looking back, looking forward. Switzerland: IUCN.
SanctuaryAsia26(1): 22-29. TheMaharajahOfCoochBehar(1908):Biggameshootingineastern
Choudhury,A.U., A. Swargiary, C.R. Bhobora & B. Saikia (2008): and north eastern India (originally published as “Thirty-seven
Census ofWild Water Buffalo in Manas National Park. Final years of big game shooting in Cooch Behar, The Duars &
Report. Barpeta Road, India: The Field Directorate, Manas Assam”). Reprint 1985. Delhi: Mittal Publications.
NationalPark,andGuwahati,India:TheRhinoFoundationfor Wangchuk, T., P. Thinley, K. Tshering, C. Thsering & D. Yonten
NatureinNEIndia. 14pp. (2004): A Field Guide to the Mammals of Bhutan. Thimphu:
Corbet, G.B. &J.E. Hill (1992): TheMammalsofthe Indo-Malayan Department of Forestry, Ministry of Agriculture, Royal
Region:ASystematicReview.OxfordUniversityPress,Oxford, GovernmentofBhutan. 179pp.
TWO NEW RECORDS OF DISTRIBUTION OF FOUR-HORNED ANTELOPE
4.
TETRACERUS QUADRICORNIS
Sanjay Gubbi1 Ravi Kumar2and B.M.Akarsha3
,
'Wildlife Conservation Society-India Program, Centre for Wildlife Studies, 1669, 1 th Main, 31st Cross, Banashankari
2ndStage, Bengaluru 560070, Karnataka, India. Email: [email protected]
2No. 22F,J.D. Layout,Jagalur577 528, Karnataka, India. Email: [email protected]
’Department ofAgricultural Economics and Social Sciences, Humboldt University ofBerlin, Philipp str 13, 10115 Berlin,
Germany. Email: [email protected]
The Four-homedAntelope orChowsingha Tetracerus Sharma (2006) reports the distribution of Four-horned
quadricomisisalesserknownantelopeendemictotheIndian Antelope from 122 sites. Within Karnataka, it was already
subcontinent (Krishna et al. 2008), and is one of the six confirmed to be found in Nagarahole, Bandipur, Biligiri
antelope species found in India (Rahmani 2001). It is listed Rangaswamy Temple sanctuaries and other areas (Karanth
under Schedule I ofthe Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and 1986; Karanth and Nichols 2000; Sharma 2006; Krishna
alsodeclared asVulnerable underthe IUCN Red list (IUCN et al. 2008). Here we present two observations of the
2008).Rice(1991)carriedoutaquestionnairesurveytoassess Four-homedAntelope from areas where it is notreported in
its range and distribution, and reported the species from previous literature (Karanth 1986; Rice 1991; Karanth and
83 sitesinIndia. Further, inaliteraturereviewKrishnaetal. Nichols2000; Sharma2006; Krishnaetal. 2009)inthestate
(2009)reportit from 104 sites from India. Anotherstudy by ofKarnataka.
J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., 105 (3), Sep-Dec 2008 335