Dudhwa's cameras click endangered birds, King Cobra

LUCKNOW: Dudhwa tiger reserve is not just home to tigers but other endangered species as well. The cameras installed inside the reserve to capture pictures of tigers have also recorded two pairs of Bengal Floricans in Sonaripur grasslands.

The Bengal Florican, protected under Schedule (I) of the Indian Wildlife Act, is a lesser known bird except that the loss of grasslands, its habitat, has pushed it to the brink of extinction. Buoyed by its presence in the reserve, UP forest department has started tracking the bird’s movement through a device called platform telemetory terminal (PTT).

Principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife), UP, Rupak De explained that PTT “is an antenna sticking on to the back of the birds.” However, out of the four birds, the device could be attached to only three birds. It’s been done with the permission of the government of India to know more about the birds and their migration routes.

Another grassland-inhabitant bird specie, Swamp Partridge or Swamp Francolin has also been recorded by the camera. “This also is a rare and threatened species,” said deputy director, Dudhwa tiger reserve, VK Singh.

Besides, a herd of 65 elephants spotted in Sathiana and Sonaripur and their continued presence recorded by the camera is the first instance of elephants, which are again protected under Schedule (I) of the Indian Wildlife Act, living permanently in Dudhwa. The reserve is not known to have a resident population of elephants, though migratory herds always crossed over from Uttarakhand.

The cameras have clicked King Cobra, the longest venomous snake, in daylight. On the other hand, there are pictures showing a jackal attacking a young cheetal, hinting that jackal population might be up inside the reserve and the fight for prey would intensify as cheetal is also tiger’s favourite prey.

Bear, which are seen alone, have been clicked in pairs in Dudhwa. A carnivorous honey badger, which is not a native of Terai grasslands, has also been found. In some of the camera feeds, large Indian civet cat has also been seen.

Dudhwa tiger reserve includes Dudhwa national park (680 sq km), Kishenpur wildlife sanctuary (204 sq km) and Katarniaghat wildlife sanctuary (440 sq km). The data collection exercise for tiger census 2014-15 is on since November 2013 in Dudhwa reserve.