The Attenborough echidna

The link has a little video clip of the creature.

First ever images prove 'lost echidna' not extinct

By Jonah Fisher and Charlie Northcott

Scientists have filmed an ancient egg-laying mammal named after Sir David Attenborough for the first time, proving it isn't extinct as was feared.

An expedition to Indonesia lead by Oxford University researchers recorded four three-second clips of the Attenborough long-beaked echidna.

Spiky, furry and with a beak, echidnas have been called "living fossils".

They are are thought to have emerged about 200m years ago, when dinosaurs roamed the Earth.

Until now, the only evidence that this particular species 'zaglossus attenboroughi' existed was a decades-old museum specimen of a dead animal.

"I was euphoric, the whole team was euphoric," Dr James Kempton told BBC News of the moment he spotted the Attenborough echidna in camera trap footage.

"I'm not joking when I say it came down to the very last SD card that we looked at, from the very last camera that we collected, on the very last day of our expedition."

Dr Kempton headed a multi-national team on the month-long expedition traversing previously unexplored stretches of the Cyclops Mountains, a rugged rainforest habitat more than 2,000m (6,561ft) above sea level.

In addition to finding Attenborough's "lost echidna" the expedition discovered new species of insects and frogs, and observed healthy populations of tree kangaroo and birds of paradise.

Aside from the duck-billed platypus, the echidna is the only mammal that lay eggs. Of the four echidna species three have long beaks, with the Attenborough echidna, and the western echidna considered critically endangered.

Previous expeditions to the Cyclops Mountains had uncovered signs, such as 'nose pokes' in the ground, that the Attenborough echidna was still living there.

But they were unable to access the highest reaches of the mountains and provide definitive proof of their existence.

That has meant that for the last 62 years the only evidence that Attenborough echidna ever existed has been a specimen kept under high security in the Treasure Room of Naturalis, the natural history museum of the Netherlands.

"It's rather flat," Pepijn Kamminga the collection manager at Naturalis says as he holds it for us to see.

To an untrained eye it's not dissimilar to a squashed hedgehog because when it was first gathered by Dutch botanist Pieter van Royen it wasn't stuffed.

The importance of the specimen only became clear in 1998 when x-rays revealed it wasn't a juvenile of another echidna species but in fact fully grown and distinct. It was then that the species was named after Sir David Attenborough.

"When that was discovered, people thought, well, maybe it's extinct already because it's the only one," Mr Kamminga explains. "So this [the rediscovery] is incredible news."

Dr James Kempton lead the expedition to the Cyclops Mountains

The Cyclops Mountains are precipitously steep and dangerous to explore. To reach the highest elevations, where the echidna are found, the scientists had to climb narrow ridges of moss and tree roots - often under rainy conditions - with sheer cliffs on either side. Twice during their ascent the mountains were hit by earthquakes.

"You're slipping all over the place. You're being scratched and cut. There are venomous animals around you, deadly snakes like the death adder," Dr Kempton explains.

"There are leeches literally everywhere. The leeches are not only on the floor, but these leeches climb trees, they hang off the trees and then drop on you to suck your blood."

Dr Leonidas-Romanos Davranoglou looks at an insect on a treeImage source, EXPEDITION 

Once the scientists reached the higher parts of the Cyclops it became clear the mountains were full of species that were new to science.

"My colleagues and I were chuckling all the time," Dr Leonidas-Romanos Davranoglou a Greek insect specialist said.

"We were so excited because we were always saying, 'this is new, nobody has seen this' or 'Oh my God, I can't believe that I'm seeing this.' It was a truly monumental expedition."

Dr Davranoglou broke his arm in the first week of the expedition but remained in the mountains collecting samples. He says they have already confirmed "several dozen" new insect species and are expecting there to be many more. They also found an entirely new type of tree-dwelling shrimp and a previously unknown cave system.

Local scientist Gison Morib, a PhD student from Cenderawasih University, who was on the expedition, said: "The top of the Cyclops are really unique. I want to see them protected.

"We have to protect these sacred mountains. There are so many endemic species we don't know."

Sacred mountains

Previous expeditions had struggled to reach the parts of the Cyclops mountains where the echidnas live because of the belief of local Papuans that they are sacred.

"The mountains are referred to as the landlady," Madeleine Foote from Oxford University says. "And you do not want to upset the landlady by not taking good care of her property."

This team worked closely with local villages and on a practical level that meant accepting that there were some places they couldn't go to, and others where they passed through silently.

The Attenborough echidna's elusiveness has, according to local tradition, played a part in conflict resolution.

When disputes between two community members arose one was instructed to find an echidna and the other a marlin (a fish).

"That can sometimes take decades," Ms Foote explains. "Meaning it closes the conflict for the community and symbolizes peace."

Dr Kempton says he hopes that rediscovery of the echidna and the other new species will help build the case for conservation in the Cyclops Mountains. Despite being critically endangered, Attenborough's long-beaked echidna is not currently a protected species in Indonesia. The scientists don't know how big the population is, or if it is sustainable.

"Given so much of that rainforest hasn't been explored, what else is out there that we haven't yet discovered? The Attenborough long-beaked echidna is a symbol of what we need to protect - to ensure we can discover it."

Map showing Cyclops Mountains

Pangolin at GNP

This is exciting if verified.  So much lurking in our backyards that we do not know about.



Eurasian Otter found in Kanha-Pench corridor - NATIONAL - The Hindu

Eurasian Otter found in Kanha-Pench corridor

During this year’s camera trapping exercise by Wild Conservation Trust and Madhya Pradesh Forest Department, Eurasian otter ( Lutra lutra ), one of the rarest Indian mammals, was discovered from Satpura Tiger Reserve Madhya Pradesh and Kanha-Pench Corridor.
There are two more species of otters are known to be present in India — the smooth-coated otter ( Lutrogale perspicillata ) and Asian small-clawed otter ( Aonyx cinerea) — said officials.
The Eurasian otter has a wide distribution covering Europe, Africa and Asia. The species is listed as Near Threatened as per the IUCN Red List (2004, 2008).
Based on indirect evidences and ancient records, Eurasian otter is believed to be found in the Himalayas and in some parts of the Western Ghats. These records of the Eurasian otter from the Satpura Tiger Reserve and Kanha-Pench Corridor not only extends their geographical range to central India but also provides the first-ever photographic evidence of the species in India.
The field work by the Wildlife Conservation Trust in Madhya Pradesh was supported by the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department, the H.T. Parekh Foundation, USAID and Panthera.

The Wounded Otter

The Wounded Otter | Books | The Guardian

A wounded otter

on a bare rock 

a bolt in her side, 

stroking her whiskers 

stroking her webbed feet. 

Her ancestors 

told her once 

that there was a river, 

a crystal river, 

a waterless bed. 

They also said 

there were trout there 

fat as tree-trunks 

and kingfishers 

bright as blue spears - 

men there without cinders 

in their boots, 

men without dogs 

on leashes. 

She did not notice 

the world die 

nor the sun expire. 

She was already 

swimming at ease 

in the magic crystal river.

It's World Pangolin Day

I have not seen a pangolin in the wild. And today I realised why - we seem to have decimated them - as with so many other species.  Why oh Why?

My parents could have done with a pangolin in their midst - they recently discovered that the wooden particle board behind their electrical switchboard  had served as termite food!

Now, if there had been a pangolin around, it would have put out its looong tongue and slurped those termites away

There are eight types of pangolins - 

• Thick-tailed Pangolin (Manis crassicaudata) This is the one we have in India
• Phillipine Pangolin (Manis culionensis) 
• Sunda Pangolin (Manis javanica) 
• Chinese Pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) 
• Three-Cusped Pangolin, also called as African White-Bellied Pangolin and Tree Pangolin (Phataginus tricuspis) 
• Giant Ground Pangolin (Smutsia gigantean) 
• Cape Pangolin, also called as Temminck's Pangolin (Smutsia temminckii) 
• Long-Tailed Pangolin, also called as Black-Bellied Pangolin (Uromanis tetradactyla)

Source:  http://pangolins.org

According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the population of pangolins is at a threatening low.

The Thar desert on a winter morning

12th/13th January 2015

Read about the Great Indian Bustards here.

As we trundled along the flat and straight roads into the desert, visibility was just beyond our noses, and it seemed that only mad hatters and Madrasis were out.  Even the Cinkara stopped and stared in surprise!

As we stared at the khejri-tree filled landscape, something moved in the morning light.  "Desert fox" said Nabeel excitedly.  And there it was, a diminutive little thing with a distinctive white tipped bushy tail.  Vulpes vulpes pusilla

The shy fox, got us animated, and I almost forget the cold.  We were still in our vehicle, and relatively warm.

We got out at Sudasari, and the wind made a mockery of my layers of warm clothing, the monkey cap and gloves I wore, and reminded me that I was meant to be in nice balmy Madras and not in this dreadful cold, looking like a cross between an eskimo and a penguin!

Even more ridiculous were the locals, wrapped in a shawl and walking around as if it was a nice pleasant morning.

The Graceful Prinia looked anything but graceful, as the wind ruffled its feathers, and (according to me at any rate)  it had a miserable look on its face!

The Eurasian collared doves wore their usual mournful look

All over the desert were these bushes - kair - Capparis decidua - once  a year, they produce these berries, which are pickled and eaten through the year.  Kair/sangri - my culinary discoveries on this Rajasthan trip.

The doves took flight and left the Trumpeter Finches, with their yellow beaks for us to see!  My numbed and gloved fingers tried to work the binoculars to focus on them.  Thankfully, they hung around long enough for my inefficient focusing, and for Sekar to take these pictures.  It was a lovely sight, some of them with the distinct pinkish hue.  

The absent sun was higher in the sky presumably, the wind abated a bit, and the walking had warmed me into a better humour.

And then this Bengal fox, which casually crossed the track behind us, improved my mood even further.  He had a cocky and casual air about him, quite unlike the desert fox which seemed to skulk around.  The bushy black-tipped tail is characteristic of Vulpes bengalensis.

He sat and stared at us for a while, scratching himself.  We were obviously not interesting enough as he ambled away in a bored fashion, probably looking for his next meal.

Up on a dune, starkly visible against the sand was a southern grey shrike!  

It flew and perched on the scrub for us all to see.  We didn't see his "larder" of insects, though.

And sudden;y, there loomed two healthy and green Khejri trees.  Prosopsis cinerarea.  The state tree of Rajasthan (and the national tree of the UAE I subsequently discovered!),   Their greenness was a possible indication that there was a water vein below.

On closer examination, we found that they had pods.  Those red legumes are what we were eating as "sangri" at dinner times - I quite loved it actually.  

I guess they are like our coconut tree.  Every part is used.  But, excessive cutting of the tree branches for fodder is leading the the death of khejri trees in Rajasthan.  Later on, on the highways, we came across these trees with all their branches completely lopped off.

Bui - Aerva javanica - is the cotton of the desert, used to stuff pillows and mattresses, and grows widely in the desert in arid conditions.  

We saw the arid scrublands of the fringes of the desert and we saw the sand dunes as well.

Add caption

Unfortunately, there was cloud cover in the evening, and we missed the sight of the setting sun adding colours and hues to the sand dunes.  They were still beautiful, in their vastness, and the endless and infinitely different patterns that the winds created on the dunes.  The sand is soft, and powdery, quite different from the feel of the beach sand that I am used to.

Our desert "caravan".  (Note the rickety plastic stool.  We used that to hoist ourselves onto the cart.)

Bui to the left, khejri in the centre and khair to the right, and the beautiful sand patterns in the foreground.

It was time to say goodbye to the desert, and the "ships of the desert"!

Raju, the camel with the sweetest face and those most lovely eyes.  We saw some wild camels on the way, and they were the darker colour that Raju was.

Bats and trees

Chennai's historic batcave

 GEETA PADMANABHAN

• 
  Special ArrangementFruit bats in the trees at the Egmore Museum.
• 
  Special ArrangementThe plaque that gives information about the fruit bats.

The Egmore Museum does not just house priceless artefacts from the past. It also houses colonies of fruit bats in the trees outside, as a plaque informs visitors

Bats! By the hundreds and thousands! They hang by their feet from the tall tamarind trees, darkening the sky through sheer numbers. They occupy every branch, every twig, with clusters of mini leaves protecting them from the mid-day sun. At those heights, there is nothing to steal into their day-long siesta. The fluttering of wings in that upside-down stance is hardly a bother.

I am in Batland in the backyard of Chennai's museum in Egmore. The bustle of visitors isn't felt here; the steady silence is broken only by the occasional shriek of the birds above. Are these hunter-mammals exchanging notes of last night's adventure, jockeying for the best places to hang from?

These are the Indian flying fox and the greater short-nosed fruit bats, says the plaque nearby, covered with droppings. The WWF has found an insectivore as well. Their weight ranges from 0.75-1 kg, and since they like to roost in large, thousand-strong groups, they pick their trees carefully. Strangely, their wings seem relatively short for their size, but this helps them fly well, says biologist Dr. T. D. Babu. Yes, when individuals roost, they like to keep their distance and fight for space aggressively using teeth, thumbs and “vocalisations”. The fluttering of wings, he tells me, is actually a fanning action to cool down in high temperatures.

From the ground I can't see their fur, but Dr. Babu says they are short, with the longest strands appearing on the head. The colour and texture of the fur vary, depending on sex and age, the male fur growing thicker than the female's. You know you are looking at a young one when the fur is grey-brown, and an adult if it looks lighter. The fur on the head could be reddish orange or shades darker to it, while the underbelly is typically light brown to red. The one chick the female gives birth to clings to the mother for the first few days, and is weaned off within three months.

“One feature distinguishes the fruit bat from other species,” says Dr. Babu. “They have good eyesight while others use echolocation to catch their prey mid-air. Their sense of smell is also well-developed (helps when your diet is restricted to nectar, flowers, pollen and fruits).” Friends who have mango and banana trees in their yard have spotted fruit-bats flying in, but the fliers are partial to figs and guavas as well. They have been seen smartly tearing off the skin with their teeth to reach the pulp. Though silent during flight (in a radius of 40 miles), they can produce high decibel screeches when biting into food.

“We have a huge colony (of around 1,000 plus) at the Theosophical Society,” naturalist Geetha Jaikumar tells me. “They hang out on a banyan tree and others nearby.” I remember them. They appeared suddenly and settled at the society about 10-12 years ago. One can see them flying out at late evening – a spectacular sight! “TS has an extensive orchard of a variety of fruit trees — mango, sapota, jackfruit, gooseberry, guava — could be one reason for their presence there apart from a safe haven.”

I recall the gardener reminding me sombrely, “Fine they are here, but it means a large tree somewhere has been felled forcing them to find a home elsewhere.”

Alas, these mammals are listed as near-threatened species in IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) red list, their main threats coming from loss of habitat (trees) and loss of fruit trees to hunt from. And gardeners — commercial or otherwise — do try to protect their fruit crops, right? But we wipe them out at our own peril; they serve in seed dispersal, pollination and pest control.

As Prof. Chandrasekaran, a bird specialist points out, properly managed, bird-related tourism activities like bird-watching or bird photography can serve as the foundation for a mutually beneficial relationship between people and birds. We have to link local communities to save sites, species and habitats so it can enhance local livelihoods.

A thought strikes me as I walk through the museum's bat grove.

Not far from the spot, in a daring robbery, thieves reportedly broke into the Bronze Gallery on the night of December 27-28, 2013 and carted away “priceless” replicas of Mughal coins and equally valuable artefacts. Investigating officers said they had CCTV footage of a man smashing a window on the top floor from inside the building and another climbing through the window from a nearby tree. Were any of the fruit-hunters witness to the criminal act? Is there a batman in the museum's Gotham grove?

And a squirrel on the Cassia

The summer theme of Cassias in bloom continues, with this lovely picture by Rags, taken from his balcony window in Thiruvanmyur.  Urban wildlife all around us, if we only stop and stare.

See his other lovely pictures at Zenfolio..

Nelliyampathy - a mammalian photo essay

All photos by Mr Ramanan during the MNS trip to Nelliyampathy - Oct 6th to 9th.

Malabar giant squirrel- Ratufa indica - keeps an eye on Mr Ramanan!

Gaur - Bos gaurus - largest cattle species.  (Photo by Mr Ramanan)

Would you like to share the fruit with me, Mr Ramanan?

No?  Oh well, I cant wait anymore!

 "The MNS lot are here!"

Lion tailed macaque - Macaca silenus - endemic to the Western Ghats

A loris on a terrace

Rare little primate found on Sastri Nagar terrace - Times Of India

Why the lady would scream on seeing this little creature is beyond me!

There is a picture of it here.

I see the slender loris for the first time

Last night, along with my son and other members of the MNS, I sighted the slender loris for the first time!

The MNS is doing a project to track the slender loris, which I had written about here. It was in this connection that we set out at 9:30 at night, with head torches, covered with a film of red paper.

It was a lovely night, with the moon almost at paurnami (full moon is on the 18th I think), a strong breeze and clear skies. This summer has been mild by Madras standards. We walked as a group, as quietly as we could, shining our torches and scanning the branches for any sign of those large eyes. The loris-spotting technique is to look for the "eye-shine" in the trees, as you beam the torch.

This was our first time, while the others had already been on this exploration earlier. Within the first half hour, we had heard the characteristic screech, and seen our first set of eyes as well.

We saw many more, but the one I liked the best was closer to midnight, on an Indian Ash tree, bare in this season, just with the stringy flowers that make for good sightings. I first heard a loud call and quickened my pace down the road.

I caught it in the light of my torch high up on the tree, and upon seeing us, it made its way cautiously down looking for a place to hide. So we had a good sighting of it, and as we tracked it moving downwards, we saw another one too!

Mr Ramanan's photos from his spotting at Ayyalur are here.

Excitement!

Wild wonder: Slender lorises sleeping on a tree on the Kalakshetra campus. — Photo: Tara Gandhi

Mr Ramanan had taken some lovely pictures of the endangered loris, which I wrote about here.

But here they are, in my own backyard!!

Slender lorises sighted on Kalakshetra campus

By P Oppilli

Naturalists are excited after sighting a good number of slender lorises, rare and endangered arboreal primates, inside the Kalakshetra campus. A detailed study on the primates has been taken up by members of the Madras Naturalists' Society (MNS).

G. Vijay Kumar, Secretary of the MNS, said in July last year students of Kalakshetra saw the movement of some animals on the tree. They then sought the help of MNS members to identify the animal. When the members visited Kalakshetra campus, they were taken by surprise by the presence of a large number of the arboreal primates.

Following the sighting, they approached ATREE, a Bangalore-based nature research organisation to fund a study inside the campus. The organisation had provided financial assistance to the tune of Rs.70,000 to take up the study. The six month study began in middle of January this year and will be completed by July.

A total of 20 lorises, including infants, were sighted by the MNS members, who went around the campus between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. The habitat in which they managed to survive needed to be protected and the lorises in Kalakshetra were wild ones, he said.

The MNS members used head lights covered with red cellophane papers, while studying them. As they were very sensitive to light, shining lights directly on to their face would stun them and they would be unable to feed due to this. Hence, the members have tied a paper around the lights to avoid disturbance to them, he said.

K.V. Sudhakar, member of the MNS, said there were not many records of sighting of lorises in and around the scrub jungles in Chennai. One had to travel to Mamandur near Renigunta in Andhra Pradesh to sight them. Similarly, not much information was available about this arboreal primate, except a detailed study by P.J. Sanjeva Raj of the Madras Christian College during 1950s.

Not many records of sighting of lorises in and around the scrub jungles in Chennai are available

So here's another account from Sheila, who was in another group, looking for this creature, (I wont tell you where!), and the excitement of a midnight search!

"About half an hour later, Shreekumar gesticulated wildly, but I guess we couldn't see in the dark, so the gesticulations were lost on us!! Finally Vikas realised he was calling us, and we all went to have a look. Shreekumar shone the torch on a tree on the other side of the road. He was absolutely certain he saw a pair of red eyes. He was very excited. He said he had no doubt about it - he's been a naturalist the last 20 years, and had been good at tracking snakes, etc and he was positive it was a slender loris, not a cat or owl or civet cat!!

We all trooped out onto the road and scanned the branches overhead and in the neighbour's garden. There is a continuous canopy over the road, as the branches from our trees and the neighbours' trees merge over the road. Tara says the slender loris will go from canopy to canopy, and must have gone from through the branches of the trees over the road, and into another garden. But try as we might we couldn't spot it. A couple of motocyclists passing by looked on curiously at us. Thankfully the flashes from the torches did not wake up the neighbours! Nor did they call the police to report the nocturnal activites happening in their backyard.

Vikas was thrilled that finally we were lending credence to his sightings!! "Amma, I told you, but you wouldn't believe me!!" Prasanna mentioned how they went all the way to Ariyalur (or someplace) near Madurai, spent 2 hours in the night 8pm to 10pm, looking for the slender loris, but all in vain!!

Shone our torches all over. Disturbed a barn owl which went screeching by. Vikas pointed out where he saw a bronze backed snake(!) (thankfully some days earlier and not last night!)

12.10am -

Again Shreekumar who was scanning the trees in a methodical way, gestured to us. He had spotted it! Vikas went quickly and saw it too. The next second when I went there, it had already gone. We spent a few minutes scanning the trees, but no sight of it.

This time we distinctly heard the call. 3 times, if I remember correctly. Shreekumar feels it was an alarm call. Also he feels the alram call is a means of communicating with each other about the presence of intruders, so this shows the presence of more than one slender loris.

The call had possibly come from a different direction too, one from a tree nearby and one from the western side, but I can't be sure of this.

We broke up aorund 12.30-12.45, all of us very excited and satisfied at the confirmation of sightings! Its difficult to believe that such a small patch of land has provided refuge to this animal.

Amazing, isn't it? Hope to see it sometime soon..."

I hope so too, Sheila!

Two endangered creatures - the loris and the grizzled squirrel

Mr Ramanan was at Ayyalur and Srivilliputhur recently and made a determined and successful search for the slender loris and the grizzled squirrel.

The Loris tardigradus malabaricus is a species of loris confined to India and mainly found in the south-eastern Ghats. Loris are nocturnal primates, that are quite small, with slender arms and legs but huge saucer-like eyes!

Mr Ramanan's pictures and account (which follow below), intrigued me to learn some more about this strange creature. The loris is arboreal (lives in trees) and has an insectivrous diet, for the most part. I read about their strange habit of urine washing and their fondness for bad-smelling insects!

They are on the endangered list, threatened by habitat destruction as also poaching. If you want to read more about all the ghastly uses their body parts are hunted for, please read Slender Loris Gasps For Survival As Urban India Expands

The Grizzled Gaint Squirrel - Ratufa macroura - is in the near threatened category. This member of the rodent family is under threat due to being seen as a pest by farmers. Supposedly, these squirrels love fruit, and the farmers are not amused or do not take kindly to the ravaging of jackfruit, mango and tamarind trees!

The Wildlife Trust of India is working among the Srivilliputhur farmers to protect these squirrels and come up with solutions to reduce crop damage. Mr Arumugham, a WTI conservationist, is quoted in this article as saying, “The squirrels do cause losses to the farmers. However, these losses can be reduced by simple understanding of the squirrel behaviour. For example, when a squirrel feeds on a jackfruit, say, it will continue to feed on the same fruit if not removed. Only if the farmers pluck out the damaged fruit, the squirrels move on to a new fruit,”

Here is Mr Ramanan's pictures and report!

"On the 7th of August, 2010 after attending my fathers’ anniversary at Gandhigram, we proceeded to Ayyalur with Mr.Ramdass of Gandhigram who has done a project on medicinal plants of that range. (Ayyaluru is on the way to Trichy from Dindigul on
NH45. It is exactly 30KM from Dindigul.The Forest Range Office is very close to the railway station and that is the entry point for Ayyaluru Range. FromChennai it is about 420KM). Many of our MNS members are familiar with Gandhigram for various activities as well as the first BIRD FAIR which was organized at the Deemed University of Gandhigram.

"We were well received by the Forest Range Office of Ayyalur as both Gandhigram and Forest Department have combined together and done a lot of welfare projects for the villagers living there. From the Range office we proceeded to a place called Ayyanarkoil Palathottam. The Ayyalur range has a lot of hillocks. For sighting of Slender Loris we were advised to trek the Beerangi Karadu hill which is also the foot of Ayyanarkoil. The name of the hill is derived because the British had used this hilltop to attack the Tippu Sultan palace of Dindigul with beerangi[cannons] and the remains of it are still seen at the top of the hill, as was narrated to us by the villagers





"As we trekked, I was at home with the terrain that resembled the open thorny, euphorbia scrub forest of our Nannmangalam forest, but without the quarry with water body. Half way up the hillock with the assistance of a local boy Ganesan at 5.40PM we sighted a wild slender loris on a neem tree. But on seeing us it used the neem leaves as a cover and moved away to an unreachable branch in no time and afterwards it was not sighted again.

After scanning and searching for more than an hour in the hill, the local boy took us to the foot of the hill and nearer to the villagers where bananas, coconut and other crops were seen. Nearer to this place at 6.40 PM, a pair and one with infant were sighted,

And at 7.00PM another boy had located the fourth loris rolled like tennis ball fast asleep! On hearing us she also woke up along with her infant. By this time it had become dark even with torchlight we couldn’t locate any of them till 8.30PM, but we heard a number of calls of them from various directions. So we had seen a total of four with two infants in a radius of a kilometer which is good as far as sighting of wild slender loris goes!


"The next day I proceeded to Srivilliputhur for sighting of "white squirrel" as termed by the locals of that place for grizzled giant squirrel. With the help of local SBI staff Mr. Mani we proceeded to Shenbaga thoppu where Pechiamman Koil is situated. Mr. Mani has very great trekking experiences of that place and even trekked to Mudaliaroothu on many occasions. We MNS under the leadership of our beloved Mr. Rajan, the then secretary also trekked and had a nature camp in those days at Mudaliaroothu. As we have seen this squirrel near a stream while on one of the nature camp of MNS in Chinnar, we tried our luck in a stream behind the temple. On the other side of the stream in huge original shola trees surrounded with wild mango trees we sighted three of them playing in the top branches.

In and around the stream there was a lot of elephant’s dung, so we didn’t venture further inside. While standing underneath a tall tree we were hit on our heads continusly with nuts. On looking up the tree was full of jamun fruits and along with the three striped squirrels, two grizzled squirrels were also feeding on these fruits. And whenever the devotees of the temple came there to collect water the grizzled squirrels froze behind the big branches and disappeared for some time until silence returned to the place. We waited patiently for more than three hours and finally they cooperated with us and literally posed for us to photograph them.

Ayyalur is a really fantastic place not only for slender loris but for other animals also present there.The Sand boa snake which is now smuggled out of our country is from this range only. There are so many more wonders, and I can go on an on!"

The Whistling Thrush Bungalow at Nelliyampathy

The Bungalow

Now, that's what I call a name! So intrigued was I with the images of this little bungalow, tucked away in a sleepy hill town, surrounded by woods, birds, meadows and fresh air, that I dragged my unsuspecting husband and son to the hamlet of Nelliyampathy in Kerala and on to the Whistling Thrush Bungalow!

This is not recent, its another 2006 story, but I'm bored with work, the weather outside is conducive to story-telling, and so the regurgitation.

Getting there

Nelliyampathy is a Kerala hill station, a plantation town really, with coffee and cardamom plantations. We took the train to Coimbatore, though Palakkad would've been closer. We were picked up there by a cab, accompanied by the estate manager Mr Subramaniam Pillai, a serious gent - more about him later, though. Anyway, the driver Razzak was quite a speedking, and we all studiously looked out through the side windows!

From Coimbatore to Palakkad was about 45 mins, then without getting into the city, we drove straight on via Kodayur, Nemmara to Nelliyampathy. The hill drive was about an hour, from the Pothundy dam, which was very scenic, and Japanese-like.
Vistas on the way up

Pothundy dam

The hill road was pretty dicey, with most places only allowing a single vehicle, though the PWD was at work trying to broaden it. (I wonder if its been done now.) We saw one vehicle in the ravine below ... pretty hairy. Anyway, in the hills, Mr Razzak drove more cautiously, while giving us a cheerful commentary on all the various kinds of accidents seen along the way!!

I think the local Keralite has a penchant for the gory, and recount such stories with great relish!

The Bungalow is named after the Malabar whistling thrush, not a very impressive looking bird, very shy, but with a lovely call that makes you go looking for it. When we visited, the staff included Justin the cook, Vishalu the housekeeper and Sunil, our guide on walks. All would rattle off in Malayalam, while we grinned idiotically not having understood a word of what they said. We occupied one room, which had an attached bath, with running hot and cold water, a clean double bed, large windows which looked out into the garden. We also had use of the sitting room, a verandah, and our meals were in the dining room.







The garden of the bungalow had lovely crotons, flowers and a little enclosed lawn, where my son practised his diving catches and many a mini cricket match took place in our stay.

A grey wagtail would come every morning while we had coffee and rummage on the lawn for its breakfast, its tail furiously bobbing up and down. The bungalow was in the midst of a coffee and cardamom plantation, and tree pies, malabar parakeets and langurs would make a racket all through the day.








Workers were busy with cardamom harvesting as well. The pods are found at the base of the plant, and the workers have to root among the thick undergrowth to get at them. The humidity of the pantation makes if a happy hunting ground (quite literally) for leeches. The red berries of the coffee vines also looked ready for picking.

Above in the trees, a paper wasp colony had built a nest. When we looked at the nest through our binoculars, we could see the hive teeming with the wasps, which convert dead wood into these hives, mixing the material with their saliva.

Uh oh, leeches!
Morning came and Sunil decided to take us for a walk of the estate. He made us apply a mixture of tobacco and coconut oil and dettol on our legs, to keep the leeches away. My husband, like a hero decided not to use this, and on his son's advice they both tucked their pants into their socks and felt very safe from the leeches!! (For your information, Sunil was in a lungi hitched up over his knees, so bare legs and chappals!! Claimed he had used dettol.)

So we set out through the plantation, looking around and enjoying the amazing variety in shades of green. A mushroom-laden log lay by the side of the track, and down below we could see a little stream, through the trees of the plantation.



At this point, I happenned to look down at my shoes and let out a yelp - my shoes were crawling with leeches. And so were husband's and son's - and not one on the bared legs of Mr Sunil! Anyway, he calmly flicked them off us, even took a few and carefully put them away among the leaves in the undergrowth. I thought to myself this is the height of environental friendliness, I mean why doesnt he just kill them off? Only later did I realise that they cant be killed off by stepping on - I did try it - or bashing them! They need to be drowned in salt! My first encounter with these creatures.

I must say our ten year old son took all this with great equanimity, saying how he had already been through this in Coorg! After that, the walk was never the same - nervously looking at our shoes every now and then, and the husband urging us to move on and not stop and stare.

So we quickly went past the waterfall, where 2 men were bathing in their chaddis, while the wives looked on very unimpressed, up to the cardamom curing unit - where we got some respite because it was all bricked up and leeches dont like bricks you see. Then up to the top of the little waterfall, and onto the check dam.







Sunil then decided to bring us back through the wilder part of the estate, and we literally ran back, as the undergrowth was just crawling with leeches!! To further my belief about the locals sense of gore, Vishalu proceeded to tell us about how the plantation workers get bitten by leeches near the eyes, on the head, etc. Anyway what a way to earn a living, its no wonder they're having labour scarcity. I shall respect the yelakkai much more from now.

On our return to the bungalow, we all removed our shoes, which were crawling with leeches, Sunil calmly comes by with some salt that he puts on the ground, adds some water, and then one by one puts the leeches in it. Can you believe they were dead in less than 10 seconds? Inspite of all this drama, my son and I escaped unbitten, but husband, who had refused to put repellant did have a bite, and was given a lecture by Sunil. I must say, my good stoic husband did not enjoy it in the least, and declined all further invitations out of the estate!! Our son "comforted" him, and said dont worry daddy, it will stop bleeding (leeches inject some anti-coagulant so the wound bleeds more than a regular hurt).

Hungry after our walk, Justin and Vishalu gave us a sumptuous lunch. Post lunch,
I did go off, smeared with repellant to do some birdwatching - identified atleast 20 species I had never seen before - some really spectacular ones. It was all quite thrilling as my husband had just acquired a new Nikon binocular, which opened our eyes to the world of birds. Small minivets, white-cheeked barbets, racket-tailed drongoes, Malabar parakeets and bank mynahs and tree pies were in plenty. I did have one sighting of the whistling thrush, and a yellow-browed bulbul.

The brave men of my family stayed put in the house and its garden, only coming out for a jeep ride to some view points the next day. There's a place called Sitalakundu, which is like Coakers Walk in Kodai, spectacular views.


Then Sunil proceeded to give us graphic accounts of the various people who've fallen off the cliff! See, what I did tell you!

Mr Pillai saw no humour in our situation, and was rather indignant at our dislike of them leeches. I think he'll make a good president for the Society of Leech Lovers, or a Save the Leech Foundation or some such. For my anti-leech views, I earned a lecture on how leeches only suck the bad blood, are used for traditional medicine, dont pass on anything contagious, etc etc. If you have the stomach for this kind of thing, maybe you should watch Extreme Healing: Leeches in India from National Geographic. My son is fascinated with the clip and watches it over and over again!










While the leech was the primary "adventure", we city slickers also faced a stormy night, without power, and the winds howling through the estate trees. I was glad when morning came, and brought with it some respite from the rain.

The large malabar squirrels also came out, and their call pulled us into the garden.  Lovely, brown coats with a lighter coloured belly, we were lucky to spot a pair of them as they went from tree to tree above us.

Soon, it was time to leave. Our driver going downhill was quite the opposite of Mr Razzak, and we cautiously wound our way down to the plains, reaching Palakkad where there was no power, the roads were full of potholes, and the station had its familiar stench. Armed with freshly fried nendram and tapioca chips, we returned to Madras.

Of course, the veteran MNS members listened in amusement to our first encounter with leeches, having been there done that. And though the whistling thrush bird was a bit of a let down for me, the whole trip, the bungalow and the staff and the mountain terrain of Kerala will draw me back I'm sure.