Indian Wildlife Club Forum

" I think that compensation can only be a temporary solution and that too in areas with low levels of conflict. In the long term, we can solve the conflict( or should I say minimise the conflict) only by maintaining the integrity of elephant landscapes. This means that we should begin in earnest the reversal of fragmentation through protection, strengthening or creating corridors. I think the resources are now available but I am not sure about the will"

                                            -Dr Raman Sukumar

 ( Read the full interview at http://www.hindu.com/nic/raman.htm )

Hi guys,

 I am not an expert in ornithology nor am I an avid bird watcher. But the simple concern over the fact that the most common bird of India is rapidly dissapearing, brought me here.

I have been observing these birds since childhood and now when I sit and analyse, it is shocking to hear the truth. From different sources, the bird is a rare sight in bangalore, hyderabad, chennai city, Kolkatta and other major cities of India.

We know habitat destruction and scarcity of food can bring down the population of any life. Same is happening in the case of sparrows. The source of food is rapidly declining. Man is directly responsible. The air pollution is so high that few of the toxins are reducing the insect population. The adult may rely on seeds but a bay relys on insects. It becomes hard for the parents to forage insects. This way the infant mortality rate becomes very high. The other reason is quite simple. Open lands are converted into buildings in no time. And these buildings lack the holes where the sparrows generally make their nest.

We have to realize that things are changing pretty soon. There is a possibility that we may lose everything. I believe that it is not too late to protect our natural resources. Lets join hands before it is too late.

Thanks so much to Raghavendra Rao for the insight about my questions on Lions and Tigers. I'm sorry I haven't been back on this site for months, but I greatly appreciate the answer. Many thanks to you.

I think it's awesome that both Tigers and Lions have great respect and religious reverence there in India. I hope in your country that wildlife habitat and all the wonderful species can be saved and some like the Cheetah can be reintroduced.

Your nation has the tough task of keeping the economy going and providing needs for the growing population. I see similar conflicts of interest in the United States. In our world there seems to be more people with respect to money ($$$) than the environment. And my country has done more than it's share of destruction of natural areas.

Ankur Chaturvedi's article on human elephant conflict has been published at the following link

http://www.indianwildlifeclub.com/mainsite/clubreviews4.asp

Please read and post your comments in the blog.

There is a question in "Any Other" from Mr. Jason from USA.  Mr. Jason, Tigers and Lions are still in India, but they do not occupy the same forest ranges.

The Tiger inhabits well covered grassland forests in the rainy forests. The Lion on the other hand inhabits a small pocket in India in Gir- Gujarath. These are scrub jungles, as the bush country in Africa. So there is no conflict between the two great cats in their natural environment. However talking about conflicts,sometimes by mistake a tiger and a lion have been put into the same moated enclosures and the tiger has always come out the victor.  Some zoos in India have witnessed this. Now for the sports arenas-there are no recorded instances of any tiger -lion confrontations for spectator entertainment. 

Lastly the Tiger and the Lion are both revered equally in Hindhu Mythology as the Steeds of Durga Matha - the Godess.  Does this satisfy your query are do you want to know more. Please feel free to ask.

Actually, I am fascinated to know that nature's two top cats, once lived in the same country.  (As an American I am also impressed with the widlife heritage of India.)   Anways, according to books I have read, these cats once lived even in the same region.  Thus, I have some questions I am hoping can be answered.

Which species lived in India first? Tigers? Or Lions?  Also, does anyone know if there were any conflicts between these two top predators?  Did one moving into the territory of India cause problems for the other species?  Did past empires of various Indian cultures have them fight each other like in Roman pit fights?  Which cat is viewed as the more dominant of the two in your culture? Or as equals?  Did these species simply avoid each other? If they did have conflicts naturally or man made, who was more often the victor? Has it been so long since the two once lived in the same natural areas that widlife officials won't put them in the same parks for fear of them conflicting violently?

I hope someone knows the answers to these questions.  I also, sincerely, hope that your nation as well as mine(USA) work to save the last remaining wildlife areas all around the globe. I hope they both can be saved. I fear after your cats are poached, they will come after our big cat, the Cougar (bigger than leopards, but much smaller than tigers and Lions).  Our bears are already being poached in California for the markets of East Asian countries.

If anyone has questions about american animals I will do my best to answer them. Thank you, Jason