Table Of Content.
MISCELLANEOUSNOTES
mammals inthedifferenthabitatsofMudumalai length 12.6 cm; tail length 13.5cm; hind foot
Wildlife Sanctuary, was studied in 1997. Small length 2.5 cm; weight 82g (live individual).
mammals were trapped in Shermantrapsplaced
on the ground in the chosen study grids, baited January 11, 2001 V. MEENA
with coconut. The Malabarspiny dormouse was No.1 Ragavendra Apartments
m
recorded atan elevation of1,000 inthe semi- 4 Kandasamy Gramani Street,
evergreenforestofBenne,inMay.Oneindividual Chandrabagh Avenue Extension,
was captured, preserved and later identified. Its Mylapore, Chennai 600 004,
morphometric measurements were: head-body TamilNadu, India.
Refer ,NCES
Ganesh, T. (1997): The Malabar Spiny Dormouse Kerala. J. Bombaynat. Hist. Soc. 92(2): 258.
(Platacanthomys lasiurus) in the Kalakad Prabhakar, A. (1997): New records of the Spiny
Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, Tamil Nadu. Dormouse{PlatacanthomyslasiurusBlyth)inthe
J. Bombaynat. Hist. Soc. 94(3): 561. Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary, Tamil Nadu.
Jayson,E.A.&G.Christopher(1995):SightingofSpiny J. Bombaynat. Hist. Soc. 94(1):151
Dormouse{PlatacanthomyslasiurusBlyth, 1959) Sankar,K.(1996):IslandsintheWesternGhats.Science
inPepparaWildlifeSanctuary,Trivandrum District, Reporter33(6):9-13.
5. THE WILD ELEPHANTELEPHASMAXIMUSIN MIZORAM
(With a text-figure)
The Asian elephant Elephas maximus near Assam-Mizoram and India-Bangladesh
m
Linn, is distributed in northeastern India in 14 border (less than 100 above msl).
discrete populations (Choudhury 1999). The Tillthe 1950s,theelephantwaswidespread
populationsinMizoramandTripuraweretreated alloverthestate,especiallyinthenorth, westand
asasingleone,withprobablemovementthrough south (source: local reports by villagers, and A.
Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh. A field Laskar, S. Laskar,pers. comm.). However, itwas
trip was made in April 2000 (for 14 days) to nevercommoninrecentmemory, asitsmeatwas
assessthestatusofelephantsinMizoram.During relishedbyallthetribes(Mizo,LaiorPawi,Mara
this trip, all theknownsiteswere visitedandthe or Lakher, Bru or Reang, Chakma, and Hmar)
Forest Department officials, local hunters/ and it was regularly hunted. In the 1960s, when
poachers and other tribal villagers were insurgencystarted,modemfirearmsbecameeasily
interviewed. The state ofMizoram (21° 58'-24° available, resulting in a phenomenal increase in
30' N, 92° 16'-93° 25' E) (area 21,081 sq. km) poaching. Atthesametime, ivoryalsobecame an
(Fig. 1) was referredto inthe past as the Lushai important target (especially for sale in southeast
HillsofsouthernAssam. Theentirearea ishilly, Asia markets to buy arms). With the gradual
being part of the Himalaya-Arakan mountain increase in human population, the destruction of
chain. The terrain is dissected mostly by north- forest through felling and jhum (shifting
south flowing rivers, which make a series of cultivation) has also increased. By the 1970s, the
parallel ranges. The highest ranges are towards main elephant strongholds remained only in the
east with Phawngpui or Blue Mountain (2,157 western and southern areas, with small
mabovemsl)andLengteng(2,141mabovemsl) populations elsewhere. By 1980s, the northern
peaks. The lowest evaluation is in the riverbeds elephant population was reduced to stray
JOURNAL, BOMBAYNATURAL HISTORYSOCIETY, 98(3),DEC. 2001 439
MISCELLANEOUSNOTES
3,32,000(0.33 million)in 1971 to 6,86,000(0.69
million) in 1991, i.e. more than double in two
decades, indicating aphenomenal corresponding
increase injhum cultivation.
The main elephant population is now
confined to Ngengpui Wildlife Sanctuary (110
sq. km), Lawngtlai district in the far south, and
Dampa Sanctuary and Tiger Reserve (500 sq.
km),Mamitdistrictinthewest. In 1996,acensus
partyoftheForestDepartmentlocatedonlyfour
elephants in part of Dampa. Unfortunately, a
makhna from this population died in 1998 due
to accidental strangulation near Lallen. While
sliding down a slope, its head got sandwiched
betweentwotree trunks fromwhichitcouldnot
recover itself(Jain and Saandeep 2001). These
animals occasionally cross over to Bangladesh
also'. Local reports indicate that more than 10
elephants were present in the early 1980s. At
that time, there was a lone bull at Bolung
(S. Laskar,pers. comm.) northeast ofDampa.
NgengpuiWildlifeSanctuaryandadjacent
southern areas have the largest population of
elephants in Mizoram now: however, only of
eight animals. Old villagers of Ngengpui and
Khawmawi report that there were more than 20
animalsintheearly 1980s.Theseelephantsmove
out ofthe Sanctuary to the Ngengpui Reserved
Forest (Lunglei district) as well as unclassed
forests near Mampui.
The third group in the state is in Saiha
district,aroundPalakDil(Dil=lake). Onlythree
are surviving from what was a fairly large
populationofatleast50inthe 1970s. According
totheeldersofPhuravillage, mostofthemwere
Fig. 1: Map ofMizoram showingthe current shot dead formeat and tusksby extremists. The
distribution ofelephants and occasional
|y surviving three cause much damage to standing
migrants from Bangladesh (+)
paddyatPhuravalley,butthevillagers(Maraor
individuals withno future, while the westernand Lakher tribe) do not retaliate, in consideration
southern populations were confined to a few of the very low population and a vanishing
pockets (A. Laskar,pers. comm.). In the 1990s, heritage.
the elephant survived only in three areas, with a Strayelephants, ofteninsmallherds, have
fewstrayanimalsinotherareas.Inthemeantime, been reported from the forests northwest of
the human population of Mizoram grew from Tlabung(Demagiri)inLungleidistrictandParva
440 JOURNAL, BOMBAYNATURAL HISTORYSOCIETY, 98(3), DEC 2001
) .
MISCELLANEOUSNOTES
in Lawngtlai district. These are occasional (where troublesome elephants are occasionally
immigrants from Bangladesh, especially during captured)orMeghalayatoDampaandNgengpui
the paddy season. couldhavesolvedtheproblem,buttheprevailing
These are no reports of occurrence of situation makes it unlikely in the near future.
elephantsinrecentyearsfromAizawl, Serchhip, With better protection, Dampa and Ngengpui
Kolasib and Champhai district. could support larger populations. Conservation
Fromthe above account, it seems that the educationamongthelocalvillagers,withthehelp
total number of elephants in Mizoram is only ofNGOs, is also strongly recommended.
14, with some seasonal migrants from
Bangladesh. Theirchancesoflong-termsurvival Acknowledgements
inthe wildinMizoramarebleak, as the existing
herds are not only very small, but also severely I would like to thank the following for their
fragmented, withno possibility ofcontiguity. assistance during the study, N. Pradhan (ACF),
Habitatdestructionandpoachingcontinue L. Pachuan (FD, Dampa), K. Hramzama (RO,
to be major threats. The decrease ofpopulation Ngengpui)andhiswife,C.Buanga,C.Hranghimea,
in Ngengpui (from 10 in 1993 to 8 in 1997) T.Zakiau,K.Kheilai,K.Ray,Laikung,Zarlansanga,
indicates unreported poaching. Protection Khaikhu, Lalnunzira, S. Saikia, Muankima,
measures in Dampa and Ngengpui should be Rinsanga,Vanlalpeka(allofForestDept),P.Rahlo,
strengthened. PartofDampaisnowvirtuallyout Ms. Bawitei, M. Goswami, J. Paul, Alok,
ofbounds due to insurgencybythe Bru(Reang) J. Mazumdar, Arnar, A. GoswamiandHakim.
militants. Palak Dil and adjacent forests (about
40 sq. km) should be declared as a wildlife April 6, 2001 ANWARUDDINCHOUDHURY
sanctuary(itisalsothelargestlakeinMizoram). The Rhino FoundationforNature in NE India,
Toavoidinbreedingandmaintaingeneticquality, C/o TheAssam Co. Ltd., Bamunimaidam,
translocationofoneortwoelephantsfromAssam Guwahati 781 021, Assam, India.
References
Choudhury,A.U.(1999):StatusandConservationofthe Jain,Niren&R.Saandeep(2001):Incidenceofanelephant
AsianelephantElephasmaximusinnorth-eastern calfElephas maximus trapped between two tree
India.MammalReview23(9): 141-173. trunks.J. Bombaynat. Hist. Soc. 98(1): 99-101
ON LITTLE GREBES TACHYBAPTUSRUFICOLLISBREEDING NEAR
6.
K. KARUNANIDHINAGAR, TIRUCHIRAPALLI, TAMILNADU
Little grebes Podiceps (=Tachybaptus despite the developmental changes in their
ruficollis were common aroundTrichinopoly in habitat. Atthe onset ofthe southwest monsoon,
the 1930s. OneMr. C. McConwayhadcollected whentheruddybrownearthiscarriedintoponds
over one hundred eggs, and washed them (with by rainwater and settles at the bottom, the pond
VimandMonkeybrandsoap)tofindoutwhether water becomes clear. Little grebes arrive
thebrowncolorationonthe eggswas originalor noiselesslyduringcloudyafternoonsinhundreds,
acquired. Hereportedthatthe colorationwasno andrunonthis clearwatersurface, beatingtheir
indication of incubation stage (Baker & Inglis wings. They stay on, breed and leave in mid-
1930.TheBirdsofSouthernIndia,p.485). Sixty January.Thethreemainwaterbodiesfrequented
to seventy years later, they are still common, bythe little grebesare VadugapattyPeriakulam,
JOURNAL, BOMBAYNATURAL HISTORYSOCIETY, 98(3),DEC 2001 441
