Which animals are found in Nagarhole national park?



Kamataka's Nagarhole National Park officially Rajiv Gandhi National Park, spans the two districts of Mysuru and Kodagu together over an area of nearly 650 sq. km. Nagarhole is part of the 2,000-sq.km. Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, which also includes Kamataka's Bandipur Tiger Reserve, Kerala's Wayanad Sanctuary and Tamil Nadu's Mudumalai National Park Nagarhole and Bandipur - both tiger reserves - together account for a high number of not just tigers but also elephants. Named after the river flowing in the area, Nagarhole is full moist deciduous forests comprising rosewood and teakwood, among other species. The landscape also includes dry deciduous forests and swamps, making the region a haven for many species of birds, animals and reptiles. With a good balance between predators and prey, the area is also an example of a healthy ecosystem.



Wildlife



Nagarhole hosts more than 250 species of birds, including barbets, bush chats, buzzards, ducks, eagles, finchlarks, flowerpeckers, flycatchers, hawks, ibises, treepies, hornbills, kingfishers, kites, lapwings, larks, orioles, nuthatches, owls, parakeets, partridges, pipits, quails, sandpipers, shrikes, storks, swifts, teals, tits, vultures, wagtails, warblers and woodpeckers. In addition to the tiger and the elephant, one can also find the leopard, black panther, Indian wild dog, sloth bear, hyena, jackal, spotted deer. sambar, gaur, pangolin, common langur, porcupine, bonnet macaque, civet cat, mongoose, Malabar giant squirrel, wild boar, Russell's viper, Indian rock python, mugger, monitor lizard etc.



Threats and concerns



• Nagarhole like its neighbouring areas such as Bandipur, is prone to forest fires. However, in 2012, the region suffered one of its worst forest fires in recent years, leaving behind trails of large-scale destruction in its wake. In 2017, a drought that had exacerbated the severity of the heat and dry conditions, and gusty winds, raised fears of a repeat of 2012. However, the timely deployment of watchers thwarted this.



• The growth of lantana in the region is a cause for concert - it is an invasive creeper believed to be brought in from South America by the British as a decorative plant. But it chokes off native species of plants that many animals feed on.



• According to a data in 2018, the Nagarhole-Bandipur regions together accounted for 10,000 instances of human-animal conflict over a period of three years. This amounted to as many as nine instances every day, on an average.



 • Poaching of birds and mammals is one of the severe problems of the region. Another equally worrisome act is the continuous exploitation of forest products. leading to the deficits in food sources for the animals.



The Kabini migration



The words animal migration usually make us think of the great wildebeest migration that occurs in Africa annually. But there's an interesting migration happening in our own backyard - the elephant migration. Nagarhole hosts one of the highest populations of the Asian elephants in the world. Add to this the populations in neighbouring regions as well, and the number swells to many hundreds. Every summer when water and grass in their regions dry up, herds of these gentle giants take up the annual ritual of moving towards the Kabini backwaters and the most fertile regions around it. (There are up to 140 water holes in Nagarahole alone, in addition a few streams.) In 2017 though, the story was different - media reports said that following a severe drought the backwaters could not draw in the usual numbers of elephants. However, things changed in two years. Due to rains as late as November in 2019 and with most of the regular water holes still having water, forest officials had predicted that the pachyderms would start their yearly summer march in 2020 slightly later than usual!



 



Picture Credit : Google


What is trophy hunting?



Trophy hunting is the shooting of certain animals - most often rhinoceros, elephant, lion, cheetah, bear, deer, and moose - for recreation. The trophy is the animal or part of it-its head, skin, horns, tusks, antlers, - that the hunter keeps as a souvenir. Its different from poaching because its legal in many countries, although there are some restrictions.



Trophy hunting takes place in most countries of Europe, Africa Asia South America and the US, Canada. Mexico, Australia and New Zealand. Trophy hunting is allowed with varying degrees of transparency and control. The yearly quota is expected to be set based on the conservation status of a species. Highly vulnerable populations are often excluded.



In general a portion of the hunting fee is paid directly to local community members and towards conservation projects to protect the area's wildlife. In most cases, while trophies such as skin or tusk go to the hunters, the meat would all go to the local population. Hunters pay $65.000 to $140.000 to hunt lions in Zimbabwe, for instance.



Can trophy hunting benefit wildlife?



Supporters say that legal well-regulated trophy hunting programmes can deliver benefits for wildlife conservation. Trophy hunting can generate revenue for wildlife management and conservation including anti-poaching activities, for government, private and community landholders. They point out that loss of habitat and prey, and poaching pose a greater threat to these animals and there is an urgent need to boost conservation efforts.



The ground reality



The ground reality, however, is different Cases of poorly conducted and poorly regulated hunting continue in a number of countries aS a result of weak governance, corruption. lack of transparency and excessive quotas. A report in 2015 says government corruption, especially in Zimbabwe, prevents elephant hunting fees from going towards any conservation efforts. A 2011 study found that trophy hunting was the leading factor in the population decline of lions in Tanzania.



Impact on survival of species



Many people object to the killing of individual animals on ethical grounds, regardless of its conservation benefit Hundreds of thousands of wild mammals, including endangered species, are slain by trophy hunters each year. The U.S. legally imports 126,000 animal trophies every year, and the EU imports 11,000-12,000 animals representing 140 species.



Opponents also cite that the genetic health and social behaviours of species are adversely affected because hunters often target the largest or most significant male of a species. They argue that trophy hunting of should stop as it cannot contribute to the survival of a species.



 



Picture Credit : Google