In Forests of Dooars, North Bengal

[Rishi]

(01-26-2019, 08:06 AM)Jimmy Wrote: One of the most impressive skull collection from Kuch Behar. Big and nice quality pic

*This image is copyright of its original author

Most are wild buffaloes skulls, two gaur skulls on the bottom 2nd ones, and one in the top middle, two sambar skulls on top 2nd row on either side with three points, two barahsingha skulls on the bottom either side. Then three rhinos skull on the bottom in the middle. Tiger, wild boar and probably bear skulls? on the floor.

These water buffalos (????) & swamp deers (1954) are both lost from North Bengal now.

Since 1998, a herd of Swamp Deers brought from Lucknow Zoo were kept in semi-wild enclosure of 2.5ha with a water hole inside Jaldapara, for rewilding.
I saw the enclosure.
Total of 28 births were recorded up to July, 2014 from (2♂ and 4 ♀) founder stock. Due to problems like premature death of 50% fawns due to snakebites & 5 dying in a fortnight dur to a disease the deers are now in a safari adjoining Mahananda Sanctuary in Siliguri.
A male escaped once in 2004 though, & survived alone until 2006 until he was "rescued" from 7 kms away.

Hope we bring back water-buffalos someday too... from both Nepal & Assam. Reply