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In Forests of Dooars, North Bengal
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It took more than an hour to unfold. I can't make a 1080p video that long. Plus, i needed a good zoom-camera at very limited budget. My Canon Powershot SX430 IS can do stills at 45X, but can't even focus properly in video at that distance.
A sequence of photos was the best i could do. (01-18-2019, 07:20 PM)Jimmy Wrote: As much for it's historic importance for wildlife, I really don't know how it is holding up at present. I know migration route of elephants passes all the way to Eastern Nepal- Koshi reserve (reserve for Nepalese wild buffaloes)from this exact place but really don't know what other mega faunas are still present, looking at the map, it looks to be on quite a strategic and crucial point for wildlife exchange between Terai and Assam. Reading your post I felt this region has been altered quite drastically with road and tracks maybe for the link between main part of India and Assam, probably government already has development projects and other infrastructures program in place rather than demarking ecological areas here. Also contrary to being on supposedly such an impressive location for wildlife (one of the best biodiversity hotspots place in my view currently if it was to develop that way-what could be more impressive than a point of linkage between Terai -Assam and Himalaya) i haven't heard of any truly famous parks here, what could be the reason? These areas like Dooars or Chhotanagpur plateau that were wildlife hotspots during the British Rule, suffered due to mismanagement by them & subsequent governments post-independence continued those practices until it was too late. Even today, most of the fringe-forest dwellers straining these regions were brought in & settled by them from elsewhere to work as labourers in mines or tea plantation. Today the former legends like Satkosia, Buxa, Palamau are fragmented with huge populations dependent on them. Do you know that they used to mine Dolomite in the Core area of Buxa until few years ago! Similarly, too much stress on tourism than actually conserving the inviolateness of the forests patches meant that they thought that laying rail-tracks through the pristine forest would be a good idea... scenic journey & all. Even major roads are right through the forests & although speed limit is 40-50 km/hr, the minimum speed travelled at is 60 km/hr. That can rise as high as 80-100 km/hr... especially at night. The whole length needs to be littered with rubber speed-humps. (BTW someone shared the following compilation on FB, original footages are all from Jasoprakas Debdas, the best YouTube channel on North Bengal's wildlife. WATCH THOSE. If you haven't seen his work, you're missing something in life!)  *This image is copyright of its original author Bengal has been lagging behind by an era as far as developing conservation mindset is concerned! Thankfully recently another track to Northeast India has been developed farther south of the forests. In future, all trains not catering to the people living along the forested tracts, will follow that route.  *This image is copyright of its original author
Got that @Rishi yeah it's a scenic drive for sure to commuters
 to us wildlife lovers, we want at least some underpass/ overpass in prime wildlife locations, yeah Bengal could have been great wildlife destination if those corridor forests and parks were properly managed, the best thing probably would be the southern alternate route you mentioned, anyway good infos!!
Day 5. Date: 06/01/2019
Mostly spent travelling east from Jalpaiguri District to Alipurduar District (both named after respective dist. headquarter tariffs towns), our destination was Jaldapara NP & Buxa TR.  *This image is copyright of its original author Way to Jaldapara Forest Lodge entrance.  *This image is copyright of its original author The lodge...  *This image is copyright of its original author ...& Jaldapara National Park's jungle behind it.  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author I did visit the Khayerbari Rescue Center, located inside a forest nearby. Saw some leopards hiding in the shelters in the back, waiting to get some peace & tranquility at night. Not only is its maintenance or management much inferior to the one in Jharkhali of Sundarban, but the noisy crowd was absolutely unruly. Atleast FD designated picnic-spot further away to stop them from littering all over the place. Future plan is to turn it into a zoo. Hope they would fence some of the forest & create proper enclosure. It's too small for wildlife anyway... I strongly recommend everyone not to waste time going there.  *This image is copyright of its original author Near the lodge there's a small "Jaldapara Museum" that had taxidermy of a tigress, a huge leopard of almost her size & a black one. All of these were once shot at Jaldapara. Couldn't be very old, as it was not very well maintained. Even had dim lights that looked 1000-years-old.  *This image is copyright of its original author Day 6. Date: 07/01/2019 Jaldapara is almost half grassland and has reached its carrying capacity with more than 200 rhinos, 4 times that of densely wooded Gorumara-Chapramari, despite being not that much larger than them combined. Wild-buffalo was once abundant in North Bengal. Morning car-safari at Jaldapara starts at 5:30am. There's nothing like wind of 2-3°C against your face in an open Gypsy in complete darkness. There aren't many moments in an Indian's life when he misses the sun. This was one of mine.  *This image is copyright of its original author Sunrise over Jaldapara's grassland...  *This image is copyright of its original author ...clearing away the thick fog. Bhutan in the backdrop.  *This image is copyright of its original author Didn't see anything other that this barking deers behind.  *This image is copyright of its original author Hollong Tourist Lodge inside Jaldapara is an old elite Bungalow, where you'd need to be lucky to get to stay. FD does a lottery from whoever applies, same for elephant safari, that starts from here. That also needs a lot of luck, as only 3-4 elephants are allocated for it & the rest are for patrolling duty. At this time one of them was soon to get off-duty due to pregnancy. Beside Hollong lodge there's another salt-lick, less than 50m from the lodge. No barriers except a tiny stream... The lawn has a sign warning the rhino sometimes come upto there.  *This image is copyright of its original author Droppings. Can't tell whether elephant or rhino.  *This image is copyright of its original author Parakeet.  *This image is copyright of its original author This video looks like it was taken there, the gaur being jumpy because people are standing nearby. (01-13-2019, 08:51 PM)Jimmy Wrote: One of the nice side view of a bull gaur walking I have seen, gaurs although large no doubt seem quite agile and alert, they appear more athletic than bulky, a bit twitchy perhaps it's a requirement in tiger territory. Rest of the day was free & we decided to move on to Buxa Tiger Reserve. It's larger forest tract is almost 600sq.km in size & this is a place where the forest is densest in probably all of Dooars. Beautiful Buxa.  *This image is copyright of its original author There's the ruins of Buxa fort in the forest up close to Bhutan. A 4.5km trekking route going up there starts from a forest village where the hills begin. Beyond the fort the path goes ahead into Bhutan. Buxa Tiger Reserve from up the hill.  *This image is copyright of its original author Orchid grown on a tree.  *This image is copyright of its original author Buxa is home to more than 200 avian species. When we were there a birdwatching fest was going on. I however was fortunate enough to capture one (a pair actually) of the rare prizes. The Great Pied Hornbill... They have been sitting right overhead for hours.  *This image is copyright of its original author They were still sitting there when i was returning from Buxa fort.  *This image is copyright of its original author Down on the plains there another settlement called Jayanti on the other side of the forest, from where safari track to more watch towers start. This is where the Jayanti river flows by (Places here are often named after a nearby river). Once a small stream, in 1993 there was a flash flood through the mountain & it washed away half of the fort, the nearby settlement up there. Down here it tripled in width taking away forest offices on its banks, a century old bridge etc.  *This image is copyright of its original author This used to be a road. Now it is stream. Still used as the way to the watch towers. Looks better IMO...  *This image is copyright of its original author Some villages existed in these parts, now most have been shifted out as preparation for tiger reintroduction. At the watch tower. A tusker was here the previous afternoon.  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author Buxa was hands down the most beautiful of them all. Day 7. Date: 08/01/2019 My last day in Dooars. We got lucky to have an elephant safari in the morning. Got on the train back-home later that day. Same schedule as last day. Had to be there at Hollong before sunrise & wait for the elephants. Some people staying at Hollong (50% of elephant seats allotted for them) told stories about a leopard that came to drink at the stream the evening before & a pair of rhinos fought almost all night (Hollong guests are given flashlights... old British ways).  *This image is copyright of its original author Then 4 elephants started out with 4 people each, ripping away shrubbery as they strolled with two calves frolicking along. The path is more or less designated, so that we don't have tourists hanging from branches & vines. There is a trail through the forest that the elephants follow. They cross the stream, passing right by the salt-lick infront of Hollong lodge through a dense forest to a grassland up ahead that is frequented by rhinos. It can go on for maximum an hour & a half. After almost half an hour, there was he was... Not out there in the grasslands, but camouflaged in a dense thicket of tangled inside the jungle, my first rhino!  *This image is copyright of its original author And he was not alone. At that same place farther ahead was a young male sambar.  *This image is copyright of its original author With not much time left, they turned the elephants & headed back by another path.  *This image is copyright of its original author The elephants got out in the opening at the Hollong salt-lick. The bungalow could be seen to the left & we'd get off after another 100m, turning left between the trees, crossing the creek just after the field. But blocking our way was a big old male rhino with the top of his horn cracked & worn away!  *This image is copyright of its original author When was evident that he had no intention of moving away, the lead elephant went forward & challenged him. Hearing her trumpet he slowing walked aside.  *This image is copyright of its original author That's all folks!  *This image is copyright of its original author
Amazing. In one single trip you put in the basket all tree mega-herbivores - rhino, elephant and gaur. For sure highly successful trip!
(01-22-2019, 03:25 AM)Wolverine Wrote: Amazing. In one single trip you put in the basket all tree mega-herbivores - rhino, elephant and gaur. For sure highly successful trip! Actually sighting the Big 3 is more or less guaranteed here... In only 4 days i came across (not always seen, nor myself) elephants & rhinos twice, gaurs thrice. Due to absence of tigers the numbers of herbivores have reached carrying capacity in all forests here other than Buxa. Leopards have increased to the point that all forest adjoining tea-gardens have leopards in them. Leopard feeding on gaur calf in a tea garden, could be NB. Source: https://m.phys.org/news/2017-05-tea-time...india.html ©Kalyan Verma  *This image is copyright of its original author Surplus one-horned rhinos were being planned to be moved from Jaldapara and Gorumara National Parks to Buxa Tiger Reserve & Patlakhawa Reserve Forest, don't know its present status though.  *This image is copyright of its original author
(01-23-2019, 09:29 AM)Rishi Wrote:Concerning density of giant herbivores this area is probably second only after Kaziranga. Actually I guess in terms of biomass (kilograms per square kilometer) of big animals Kaziranga could rival even Africa. We could calculate. Kaziranga has territory only 430 sq kms while Serengeti - ar. 14 500. But in this small territory (Kaziranga) there are:(01-22-2019, 03:25 AM)Wolverine Wrote: Amazing. In one single trip you put in the basket all tree mega-herbivores - rhino, elephant and gaur. For sure highly successful trip! -2400 rhinos -1900 elephants - 1660 wild buffaloes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaziranga_National_Park While Serengeti plains have an astronomical quantity of wilderbeast, zebra and impala - 2,5 miilion, their average mass is much lower than average mass of Kaziranga herbivores, the elephants in Serengeti are not that much, and rhinos almost none. Here we need to find the average weight of wilderbeast, zebra, impala, giraffe multiply by their numbers and devide to the territory of the park. In same way we have to find average weight of Indian rhino, Indian elephant, water buffalo, multiply by their numbers and devide to the territory of the park. I would be not surprised that in this way the calculated biomass per sq. km in Kaziranga will be not that far from the digits from Africa. (01-26-2019, 08:06 AM)Jimmy Wrote: One of the most impressive skull collection from Kuch Behar. Big and nice quality pic 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. (01-26-2019, 08:40 AM)Rishi Wrote:Actually the stretch of Terai from India and Nepal is so diverse it already has most of the big and popular animals associated with South Asia- elephant, rhino, gaur, buffalo, sambar, nilgai, barahsingha, blackbuck, wolf, dhole, hyena, both black and sloth bears. It would have been awesome to swap those with Assamese animals- since this region seems to be at a carrying capacity with some giant herbivores. It would absolutely aid in accelerating the restocking process. Sometimes I wonder why it is not happening in earnest already, but then I think it's a bit like the dilemma with 'gir' a pride of the place - kind of thing.(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
(01-26-2019, 10:11 AM)Jimmy Wrote: Actually the stretch of Terai from India and Nepal is so diverse it already has most of the big and popular animals associated with South Asia- elephant, rhino, gaur, buffalo, sambar, nilgai, barahsingha, blackbuck, wolf, dhole, hyena, both black and sloth bears. It would have been awesome to swap those with Assamese animals- since this region seems to be at a carrying capacity with some giant herbivores. It would absolutely aid in accelerating the restocking process. Sometimes I wonder why it is not happening in earnest already, but then I think it's a bit like the dilemma with 'gir' a pride of the place - kind of thing. Terai-Duars belt actually spans from Haryana, west of Rajaji Tiger Reserve to Manas Tiger Reserve in Assam, east of which can be called Brahmaputra floodplains. The map in Wikipedia is wrong.  *This image is copyright of its original author Although it's been along the Himalaya for the past century, it once reached south all over North India. But tiger territory seems to end at Chitwan today. Why? Tell me on the plainland forests of eastern Nepal. Is that part too fragmented for forests like Kosi-Tappu to connect the East & West naturally? Thought you'd appreciate these... He's pretty good. Terai grassland by Thomas Jacob.  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author
@Rishi didnot realise that was a painting . Greatone !!! For your quriosity here is the geographic map of Nepal, notice the emerald green 'tropical forest' running from east to west, on the central part of this belt is Chitwan. You can notice that from Chitwan up to East, the forest runs above the agricultural land -in yellow, which means the forest cover has been lost in the plains and converted as settlements or agriculture, the forest still remain in moderate mountainous area but natural grasslands are lost.
 *This image is copyright of its original author You can see this clearly as the Parsa reserve-adjacent to Chitwan rises up and leaves the border of India. Not much distance is there between Parsa and Kshi Tappu to the east, but the forest corridor is for the most part mountainous and due to not being on any projects like 'Terai arc landscspe' is slightly fragmented in places and protection for animals will not be great in those corridors.  *This image is copyright of its original author Tigers were present in Koshi tappu but it was not a royal reserve so protection was limited, it was gazetted as a reserve mainly as a catchment area for Koshi river, it was unhabitable due to massive flooding, and thus left to hardy wild buffaloes, there was very limited prey animals, buffaloes were few around 50 individuals. For the long term this was not viable for tigers both in terms of preybase and small area 175sq km -good part of that is a like a wasteland made up of sand bars stretching on both sides and large swelling river and it's branches. Besides wild buffaloes had no value for poachers, and the reserve did not require mobilizing guards and armies. and the buffaloes simply thrived on neglect. Now there is a talk with better protection, and increase of blue bulls and smaller preys to enlarge the area to the north following along the banks of the river. This undoubtedly opens up riverine grassland habitat and there could possibly be transfer of rhinos there as promised when taking buffaloes from there to Chitwan, and also tigers and swamp deer translocation has been proposed in the area after extension. Regarding animals moving free naturally from east to west, I think the main hurdle is the lack of protection and poaching when they leave the reserve the second I think is fragmentation in places and the third is that, the grassland is limited and it's slight hilly region- the remaining corridor forests. So for animals like rhinos and buffaloes it will be a barrier , for elephants, tigers etc they can traverse those areas Iam sure if it is given enough protection. I had seen with wwf that they had proposed 'Greater Terai arc' spanning all the way to Koshi reserve. Hope to see this come to fruition.  *This image is copyright of its original author
(01-26-2019, 02:31 PM)Jimmy Wrote:Thanks for such detailed reply. The forest cover between Parsa & Kosi-Tappu actually looks better than some parts of the west to me... medium-sized, solid patches. Hope they shift their attention eastwards in future. Also Nepal's middle Himalayas look much more widely cultivated than Uttarakhand, let alone Bhutan or Arunachal. Elephant presence is better in the East.  *This image is copyright of its original author Although conflict is higher too, not unusually so.  *This image is copyright of its original author
(01-27-2019, 01:47 PM)Rishi Wrote:Eastern forest corridor has some chunks of forest left for sure but like I said it is a bit hilly and land mass is made of porous rocks which means water is quickly absorbed by the land thus the land often looks very very dry, though there is green tree cover, water is scarce. Most of the forset in the eastern sector falls in what is known as the Churiya hill range- Lesser Himalayas.(01-26-2019, 02:31 PM)Jimmy Wrote:Thanks for such detailed reply. You are right most of the Nepalese population is made up of hill ethnic who reside in mid hills - north of Churiya range. Mid hills is heavily cultivated apart from plains. this the reason why you don't see any major national parks in this part. I won't say the elephant is doing better in the east simply because, those in the east are often migrants from Bengal region, and huge herd come seasonally and return back, Since the habitat is not great quality it is a cause of conflict with people. Traditional migration route was a bit lower in the plain like your second map shows but now they have no choice but to traverse through mountainous part. Western population of elephants are more residents type, habitat allows them to stay in the area and breed. Though they may travel to Indian side, the corridors are natural/historical one. The east was not intended to have many parks it seems. Rhinos, tigers were already present in the central and Western region so the eastern forest was just there in sort of neglect. Now they may revive these part, already rhinos has been found beyond Parsa reserve into another district east. But I doubt it will be as important as the western forest simply cuz the latter is alluvial region and will support more density of animals. Though proper management of preserving what is left will be a great accomploshment. At least the elephants are showing the migration route of wildlife from Bengal which could reach Chitwan and Bardia with proper corridor management That would be awesome. (01-21-2019, 08:33 PM)Rishi Wrote: Day 5. Date: 06/01/2019 What about quality of accommodation in the local lodges? For those who love wild nature of course question of accommodation, luxury is a second rate issue, but if you want to go make safari with your family members, and they not necessary are nature lovers, questions of quality of accommodation become quite important. I think in India still don't have something like this, some photos from luxurious African safari lodges, South Africa, Botswana, Tanzania:  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author
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