The grizzled giant squirrel (Ratufa macroura) is the smallest of all giant squirrels. It is found in the riparian forests of Southern India and Sri Lanka. Unlike their cousins, grizzled giant squirrels prefer riverine or riparian forests, which grow next to rivers. They are called ‘grizzled’ due to the white flecks of hair that cover their greyish-brown body. Like all giant squirrels, they are arboreal. They are crepuscular (active at dawn and dusk) and spend most of their … Read More
Conserving tigers against the odds: Lessons from Karnataka
The tiger is one of the most visible icons of conservation in India, and massive investments have been made for its conservation for over five decades. While there have been a few, well-documented success stories at the scale of individual reserves, there have been no concerted efforts to assess the efficacy of long term conservation programs at large regional scales (> 10,000 sq km). In a recent paper titled “Tigers against the odds: Applying macro-ecology to species recovery”, published … Read More
Jackal in Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary
On Oct 13, 2012, in the evening, we saw this jackal feeding on termites by the road side in Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary. The jackal did not seem to be bothered by our presence, though vehicles passing by would scare him. He would hide and come back out to feed when it was safe.
We visit Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary regularly for our volunteer work. Over time, we have observed some positive changes due to the good work by the DFO, Mr.Vasanth … Read More
Grizzled Giant Squirrel, Bheemeshwari, Karnataka
The Grizzled Giant Squirrel (Ratufa macroura) is listed as “Near Threatened” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) due to habitat loss and hunting. The strongholds for the squirrel are Srivilliputtur Grizzled Squirrel Sanctuary and Chinnar wildlife Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu, and the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary in Karnataka.
These arboreal creatures seem to thrive at the Bheemeshwari and Galibore Fishing Camps of Jungle Lodges and Resorts (part of the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary), and the two that … Read More
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