Category National Parks

What are the endangered animals in Eravikulam National Park?

 

There is a rise in the Nilgiri tahr numbers in Eravikulam National Park. The annual census held in April sighted 803 tahrs inside the park compared to 785 last year

The Nilgiri tahr is an endangered mountain goat found only in the hill ranges of the Western Ghats in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

People visiting the Eravikulam National Park (ENP) near Munnar are often amazed to see Nilgiri tahrs grazing nonchalantly in the tourism zone. Most of the park is out of bounds for visitors except for this demarcated area. Here the tahrs are almost tame, even allowing tourists to come close and click pictures!

In stark contrast, the tahrs in the core area of the park, where only park staff and researchers are allowed to go, are extremely shy, fleeing at the sight and sound of humans.

It is said that the tahr in the tourism zone became accustomed to people because of Walter Mackay, the manager of the Rajamalai tea estate in the 1950s. The estate was situated inside the present sanctuary (it was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1975 and a national park in 1978). Mackay would toot his cars horn while driving through the sanctuary, attracting herds of tahrs. They would mob his car to be rewarded with handfuls of biscuits!

Of course, visitors today are forbidden to feed and pet the tahrs.

The tahr feeds on a variety of herbs, shrubs and grass. Sure-footed and agile like others of its kind, it can negotiate sheer cliffs with amazing ease.

The Nilgiri tahr is endemic to the open grasslands in the upper reaches of the Western Ghats. It is found mainly in the Nilgiri the Anaimalai and Nelliyampathy hill ranges. A mature male tahr has a coat of deep brown and is called a saddleback for the broad swathe of lighter-coloured fur down its back. The females are smaller and lighter in colour. Both have horns that curve straight back.

In the Eravikulam National Park (ENP), the leopard is its only known predator.

The females and juveniles stay close together in a herd. sometimes numbering over a hundred. The males are usually loners and join the herd during breeding time. The females calve from January to February. The park is closed to tourists at this time

There are around 800 tahrs in the ENP and small numbers in the Parambikulam Tiger Reserve and Silent Valley National Park in Kerala. The tahr is also found in Tamil Nadu’s Anaimalai hills. Around 60% of tahr habitat in the Western Ghats could be lost to climate change from the 2030s onwards. There are only around 3,120 tahrs left in the wild.

Back from the brink                                                                                            

In the early 1950s, poachers hunted the tahrs (their meat was a much sought-after delicacy) to the point of extinction. The tea company that then owned the area stepped in and declared it a sanctuary. A check post was set up at the site of the present Forest Department outpost, and all vehicles passing through the area were searched for firearms, snares and tahr carcasses. This went a long way in stamping out poaching.

Munnars High Range Wildlife and Environment Preservation Association is an NGO set up in 1928 by conservation-minded British tea planters.

Even today, tea and coffee planters in south India are actively involved in conservation and the Nilgiri tahr is a symbol of their success.

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WHAT IS SPECIAL ABOUT EL VIZCAINO BIOSPHERE RESERVE IN MEXICO?

Dominated by a variety of landscapes, the El Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve in Mexico is an important region for many migratory marine and bird species

Rich in biodiversity

Mexico’s largest protected area, the El Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve spreads over more than 250 sq.km. It covers a large region between Baja California and the Gulf of California (also known as the Sea of Cortes), making it rich in both terrestrial and marine life. Dominated by scrublands, pine forests, coastal dunes, mangroves, and lagoons, the Reserve is fertile too. It supports more than 400 floral species and 300 vertebrates, in addition to several species of fish. It is an important region for many migratory marine and bird species. The Whale Sanctuary of El Vizcaino, which falls within the boundaries. of the Reserve, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993. It is an important reproduction and wintering site for not just the grey whale but also other species such as seals and sea lions.

The Reserve faces threats in the form of agriculture, illegal fishing, and hunting, in addition to infrastructure development projects. It is believed that all these could have a major impact on the biodiversity of the region..

Wildlife

While the grey whale is the most significant creature of the region, there are several species of birds and mammals found here. Marine mammals seen here are turtles. seals, sea lions, and dolphins. Among the birds spotted are ospreys, pelicans, egrets, cormorants, gulls, terns, plovers, eagles, and falcons. Migrant species that arrive here include the Pacific black brant and northern pintails. In addition to mammals such as pronghorn, deer, bobcats, coyotes, sheep, and squirrels, there are also many types of reptiles and amphibians, including lizards and snakes.

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WHERE IS THE ESKERS PROVINCIAL PARK LOCATED?

Eskers Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada. The park comprises roughly 4,044 hectares (40.44 km2; 15.61 sq mi) and was created in 1987. Located west of Nukko Lake, which lies northwest of the city of Prince George, it protects an area of the 40-kilometre (25 mi) Stuart River Eskers Complex. Eskers are winding ridges of gravel formed by the glaciers which once covered the British Columbia Interior.

These unique land forms, for which the park is named, are long sinuous gravel ridges. They were created when sand and gravel were deposited in the meltwater channels of ancient glaciers that once blanketed this northern region.

Visitors can enjoy walking and hiking, canoeing, fishing, nature study and wildlife viewing. In the winter the summer hiking trails are turned into an excellent network for snow-shoeing and cross-country skiing enthusiasts. A 3 km beginners loop is located just off the Pine Marsh parking area.

Credit: Wikipedia

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WHAT IS SPECIAL ABOUT CANADA’S MIGUASHA NATIONAL PARK?

Canada’s Miguasha National Park is a treasure trove of natural history, as it holds within  it priceless fossils that educate us about what was in the world millions of years ago.

Spanning more than 215 acres, the Miguasha National Park is located on the southern coast of the Gaspe peninsula in Quebec, Canada. Unlike most parks around the world, this Park is not popular for its animals, plants, birds, reptiles, amphibians, insects, or marine creatures living today. However, it is an extremely important region to trace the history of the planet’s wildlife as we know it, thanks to the fossils in this area.

On the shore of the peninsula are remarkably well-preserved fossil beds from the Devonian period (see box), from millions of years ago. From vertebrates and invertebrates (such as lobe-finned fishes) to plants, algae, and several microorganisms, the astonishing biodiversity of these fossils offers scientists much more than just a glimpse of Devonian life. Even though there are more than 50 Devonian period fossil sites across the globe, “none matches Miguasha in abundance of specimens, quality of fossil preservation and representation of evolutionary events for vertebrates”.

Discovered in 1842, the site has been of great scientific interest and significance the world over, and fossil specimens from the location were sent to museums and universities for studies. In 1999, the Park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is considered “the world’s most outstanding illustration of the Devonian Period”.

Past  forward

The most important contribution of the Miguasha National Park to the study of evolution is through the largest number of and best-preserved fossil specimens of the lobe-finned fish that gave rise to the first four-legged. air-breathing, terrestrial vertebrates the tetrapods

Among the fossils that made Miguasha popular are 21 species of fish fossils. And the most significant among them? The Eusthenopteron foordi- the extinct lobe-finned fish fossil. It is this creature’s “limblike fins and two-way gills-and-lungs respiratory system that led to the present understanding of evolution from fish to four-limbed, land-dwelling vertebrates”. And not surprisingly, this specimen has been named “the Prince of Miguasha”!

Good news but…

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the conservation outlook for this site has been assessed as “good” in the latest assessment cycle (2020).

In fact rigorous and continuous fieldwork and research initiatives have resulted in the discovery of new fossils and resultant inferences on how Devonian fishes and tetrapods evolved over a period of time. Though fossil sites have the potential to be disturbed or damaged by human activity, this site is “secure and well protected”. “Overall site management and protection can be rated as mostly or highly effective.”

In addition to the research initiatives. the educational outreach programmes and “interpretive facilities for visitors” too have been impressive enough to create awareness.

Picture Credit : Google