Skip to main content

Cheetah Cubs Born in Boma , Do They Have Conservation Value ?

When Aasha gave birth to three cubs in one of the enclosures  of  Kuno national park - there was good news and bad news. The good news is that this is the second litter of cheetah on Indian soil after Siyaya, another Namibia cheetah, gave birth to four cubs in March 2023 and that the animal seems to have acclimatized further in India conditions. Birth in captivity will also enhance their chances of survival. The three newborns  from Aasha have also increased the number of cheetahs in India.  The bad news is that like Siyaya's cubs, they too are born within the confines of a boma and would not get the environmental conditions required to survive in the wild. They would also be reared up by Aasha in the enclosure -safe from predators like leopards. But what does this mean? Kuno Awaits Cheetah Birth in Open Forest Cheetahs were translocated to India with a purpose. The Cheetah action plan envisages saving, conserving and developing India's grasslands .The reason for choosing cheet

Monsoon Magic At Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve

 

Bandhavgarh National Park

Barely a week before Bandhavgarh national park closed down in June for three months, a large number of wildlife lovers visited the park. Many of them returned disappointed as there was no tiger sighting while  asmall number of visitors was still lucky to have some wonderful “chanced sighting “of the big cat. Like the one in Tala range. Barely a week before Bandhavgarh national park closed down in June for three months, a large number of wildlife lovers visited the park. as she took mud bath for a while amd also quenched thirst before proceeding to meet her four 5-month old cubs hidden in a cave deep in the jungle. Rare tiger sighting happens during the monsoon when plenty of water is available in every nook and corner of the jungle and the green forest cover revives after a few showers diminishing the chances of tiger sighting even if it is sitting very close in the bushes.But the showers have left a magical touch in the jungle.

Jungle Make Over 

Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve

After the pre-monsoon showers, the  bamboo shoots have blown making it difficult to look inside the jungle. The tiger sighting is getting more and more difficult until the big cat is crossing meadows and then passes by the jungle track between the rows of gypsies parked on both sides to have glimpses. Though the tiger density in the park still allowed visitors to sight a tiger, those who were able to do so were very few in numbers. In the Magadhi range of the park, the Mahaman Male killed a calf and dragged the carcass from a distance. But only the wildlife tourists boarding two gypsies were witness to the delightful sight of jungle.  By the time the others reached the tiger had just crossed the jungle road. Though   he was sitting with the kill very close to the   road, the bamboo bushes obstructed the view. 

 Also read: Tiger Takes Rest After  Months Of Tourism Stress

“It was the only opportunity of tiger sighting that day in Magadhi zone”, said a gypsy driver. But there are many who enjoyed some marvelous jungle moments like young spotted deer crossing antlers. In fact, deer are enjoying the fresh bamboo shoots and can be seen munching the green leaves in herds of 50 or 60.Friends forever, monkeyswould always accompany them. Together they keep an eye on the presence of tigersaround. Though still awaiting heavy showers, Bandhavgarh cliffs are getting greener and greener. Prospering with high and thick Sal forests, the entire jungle brings a blissful aroma to the surroundings. 

Plenty Of Other wildlife 

Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve

Those who have been visiting the national parks for the past many years may have noticed the variety of people visiting the jungles these days. Many of them are equipped with cannon like camera lenses. Donning the jungle wear, many of them try to produce wildlife vlogs following the Discovery and the National Geographic channels. Wildlife tourism is a costly affair.Only two jungle safaris in a day cost more than Rs 12000. As the cost of visiting parks go on increasing, it is fast  going beyond the reach of the Indian middle -class.

Also read: Why Incredible Tiger Images Keep Coming From Ranthambore ?

This is besides the boarding and lodging cost of the hotel or resort. And whenyou don’t get to see a tiger, it is even more disappointing.  Though there is plenty of wildlife in the park. This time around the frequency of the sighting of slithering monitor lizards and mongoose  was more. There are also good sightings of Gaur or Indian Bison. The powerful herbivores were translocatedin 2011 from Kanha national park.  After shutting down on June 30, the park opens again on October 1. However,  some part of buffer zones of all the national parks in  Madhya Pradesh would remain open through out the monsoon. 

Pics: Deshdeep Saxena

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Tiger Corridor : Now Satpuda Melghat National Parks Connectivity At Risk

Much- hyped wildlife friendly NH7 passing   through the famous Kanha -Pench forest corridor and named after the two famous national parks should have 11.81 kms long under passes to let the wildlife have a safe passage. Instead the National Highways Authority of India (NHA) overlooked the rules and constructed only 4.41 km long underpasses compromising their dimensions.  Similarly in NH6, only 2.95 km of mitigation work was done against a schedule 8 kms length. Not everybody knows this truth.  Now NHAI seems to be completely violating the Wildlife (Protection) act 1973 while constructing a road patch on NH46 ( Hoshangabad -Betul). This is a functional tiger corridor connecting Melghat and Satpura tiger reserves. Now the connectivity is also as threatened as the tiger itself.  No Lessons Learnt From NH6 Kanha- Pench Corridor The reduced length of structures in  MH6  and NH7  -connecting East with the West and  North with the South  respectively -for safety of the wildlife could be achiev

Cheetah Cubs Born in Boma , Do They Have Conservation Value ?

When Aasha gave birth to three cubs in one of the enclosures  of  Kuno national park - there was good news and bad news. The good news is that this is the second litter of cheetah on Indian soil after Siyaya, another Namibia cheetah, gave birth to four cubs in March 2023 and that the animal seems to have acclimatized further in India conditions. Birth in captivity will also enhance their chances of survival. The three newborns  from Aasha have also increased the number of cheetahs in India.  The bad news is that like Siyaya's cubs, they too are born within the confines of a boma and would not get the environmental conditions required to survive in the wild. They would also be reared up by Aasha in the enclosure -safe from predators like leopards. But what does this mean? Kuno Awaits Cheetah Birth in Open Forest Cheetahs were translocated to India with a purpose. The Cheetah action plan envisages saving, conserving and developing India's grasslands .The reason for choosing cheet

Fertility Stories Immortalise Collarwali Tigress of Pench Tiger Reserve

  She was a superstar of Pench tiger reserve . The tigress that livedmore than 16 years and delivered a record number of 29  cubs in8 litters died on January 15 evening. Collarwali, as she was fondly referred toafter a radio collar was put around her neck in 2008, was darling of wildlifetourists who would visit the tiger reserve. They would remember the tigress forher ‘catwalks’ on the pathways of the national park giving them ample opportunitiesto click pictures. She would make easy wildlife photography. Collarwali was immortalizedafter scores of national and international documentaries were made on her. The Departmentof Post in India issued a special cover envelope of Collarwali  on World Sparrow Day in 2015 Besides, NewZealand and Canada too issued personalized stamps on the tigress in the sameyear. The park director said she died because of old age complicationsin her intestine.  Apall of gloom descended over Pench while her funeral was performed on January 16. RIP Collarwali Offic