Indian Wildlife Club Ezine (November, 2003)

'I believe any trip in search of wildlife can be coupled with physical activity and elements of cultural diversity to form a thrilling opportunity '
John H.Eickert

A man in Govind Ghat warned me the valley was haunted! He related how only devout sadhus journeyed into the valley. I was enchanted by the story. Farther along the trail, I met a Sikh on pilgrimage to Hemkund Lake. We walked together. He explained how Hemkund Lake and the Valley of Flowers is a most holy site for Sikh’s. In the Sikh holy book the Granth Sahib, Guru Gobid Singh wrote of the time he spent meditating on the shores of a lake surrounded by seven high peaks. I rested the night in the village of Gangaria and early the next day finished my trek up the steep five-kilometer path to the Valley of Flowers.

I first heard the name of the place while watching the shadows change on the Taj Mahal. I was captivated by the name of the valley and new I would have to find my way there. The trek begins in the village of Govind Ghat, which can be reached along the road from Delhi and through Haridwar then Joshimath. The trek from Govind Ghat to Gangaria is about 15 kilometers.
The Valley of Flowers is not very large, perhaps ten kilometers by two kilometers. The Pushpawati River splits the valley and tumbles over a series of small waterfalls along its course. The best time to visit the area is mid-July to mid-August. As I recall, I was there in mid-August.

The Valley of Flowers lived up to its name. It was alive with blossoms. I met another man, a botanist from Mumbai. He rambled off the names of so many flowers I could barely write them down. He told me the valley contained nearly 300 species of flowering plant including anemones, asters, fritillaries, gentians, geraniums, larkspurs, lilies, orchids, the Himalayan blue poppy, potentillas, primulas ( picture on left) and marigolds. Phew! As I sat and listened to this learned man, butterflies and hummingbirds whizzed by. The valley was alive with micro wildlife. I guessed Himalayan Thar and blue sheep must also use the valley.

This small sheltered area would be ideal for lambing. If there were lambing grounds here, there would also be snow leopards present then. It was a wonderful day. Eventually, evening shadows crept into the valley and it was time to go. I hurried down the steep path and returned to Gangaria. For some reason, I had an uneasy feeling about being there at night.

Today, I am home in Montana. Though only recently returned, I already miss the Himalaya. Winter is upon us here. The wind blows sharp and cold from the north. Crisp, white new snow blankets the land. It will be a very long time until spring. I close my eyes and dream of the Valley of Flowers. I can smell the blooms and hear the buzzings. My senses tingle. Perhaps the old man in Govind Ghat was right. Perhaps the Valley of Flowers is haunted. Make a plan now to visit next year, take the time and take your time. Cheers.

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This month no one has given all right answers, mhassim@aus.ac.ae has given 9 right answers

Please try our quiz for the current month on Quiz on threatened species

By Susan Sharma

This ground-dwelling, seed eater is endemic to western Himalayan foothills. The bird is globally treatened, probably extinct. The Himalayan quail was last observed in June 1868 at Jerepani, India. Although the critically endangered bird has eluded sighting since 1876, wildlife experts and ornithologists are not willing to write off the bird, especially after several other species thought to have gone extinct have made a reappearance after several decades. ( eg. Jerdon's Courser, Forest Owlet).
The earliest authentic record of the mountain quail's, zoologically called Ophrysia superciliosa, existence dates back to 1836, when a British sportsman, tucker, collected a pair from the vicinity of Mussoorie.
The last mountain quail, a female, was shot on the ridge known as Sherka-Dhanda, overlooking the Nanital lake, in 1876. There is no reliable evidence to suggest that the bird has been sighted since.
Described as a shy bird, the Himalayan quail is believed to be a resident of grassland or scrubland and oak forests at an altitude of 1,650 to 2,500 metres. Drastic changes in vegetation and land use pattern and other forms of disturbances have been responsible for the decline in the population of this species.
According to famous British ornithologist A O Hume, the bird's irregular appearance in areas around Mussoorie and Nainital is due to the fact that it is possibly a migrant from the well wooded south-eastern portion of Chinese Tibet during severe winters. However later ornithologists felt the bird is a poor flier and hence could not have migrated.
Apart from scientific expeditions, amateurs are also looking for the elusive bird. Mr. Yasser Arafat a regular contributer to 'Wildbytes', is on the trail of finding the Himalayan quail. Wildlywise.com are arranging 12 days expeditions in quail territory. We all hope that this cute pheasant will be rediscovered soon.

Schedule I, Part III of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 lists rare and endangered birds which are totally protected throughout the country, live or dead or part thereof. They include Andaman Teal, Sarus crane, Assam Bamboo Partridge, Bazas, Bengal Florican, Blacknecked Crane, Blood Pheasants, , Eastern White Stork, Forest spotted owlet, Jerdon's Courser, Cheer Pheasant, Great Pied Hornbill, Hawks, Great Indian Bustard, Hooded Crane, Hornbills, Houbara Bustard, Humes Bartailed Pheasant, Indian Pied Hornbill, Lammergeier, Large Falcons, Large Whistling Teal, Monal pheasant, Narcondam Hornbill, Nicobar Megapode, Nicobar Pigeon, Osprey, Peacock-Pheasant, Peafowl or Indian Peafowl, Pinkheaded Duck, Scalter's Monal Pheasant, Siberian White Crane, Tibetan Snowcock, Tragopan-Pheasant, Whitebellied Sea Eagle, White-eared Pheasant, White Spoonbill, and Whitewinged Wood Duck.

By Priti Sawant

English name: Plantain; Hindi name: Kela; Scientific name: Musa paradisiaca

To Indians this tree is synonymous with plenitude. It is frequently planted in backyard so that its fruit, combs of bananas, can be offered to the gods in gratitude for the fertility with which they have blessed the earth.

The plantain is also famed for its medical uses. Taken orally, fresh plantain sap is a purgative. When applied locally, it is a styptic. Its leaves are easily disinfected; hence they are used as poultices for open wounds. The dense textured flowers are eaten as delicacy, but when raw they are powdered into a medicine for gynecological ailments. The green fruit is valued for its astringent and cooling properties. The ripe banana, universally known to be rich in minerals and vitamins, is often pulped and given to convalescing patients because it is easily digestible, soothing the mucous membranes and providing a nutrient for hemoglobin.

and Views…………..

" The recent changes in the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 were supported in an extremely positive and non-partisan way by Members of Parliament of all political parties. These changes have been widely acknowledged by experts, officials and even human rights groups to be a vast improvement on the older legislation. For the first time we have, for instance, added a category called Community Conserved Reserves, which will encourage a large number of local communities to lend their purpose and genius to the task of protecting our wildlife.
But all is not smooth sailing. By some estimates perhaps over Rs. 50,000 crores annually may be extracted, legally or illegally, from forests land alone! We know that less than Rs. 500 crores is ploughed back each year for real protection of this natural diversity. Alarmingly, insurrectionist and separatist groups have taken advantage of ineffective and inadequate government mechanisms, to generate funds from forests and from the trade in wildlife contraband to finance their anti-national agenda. "

-Mr. B.G. Deshmukh, President, Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS)