BANDIPUR WILDLIFE SANCTUARY

BANDIPUR WILDLIFE SANCTUARY

The Bandipur Wildlife Sanctuary is regarded as one of the most beautiful and the better-managed national parks of India. Located amidst the picturesque surroundings of the towering Western Ghat Mountains on the Mysore-Ooty highway in Karnataka, the Bandipur National Park is at a distance of about 80 Km from Mysore and Ooty and 215 km from Bangalore, the Capital city of Karnataka. Created in 1930's from the hunting lands of maharaja Voodiyar, the Bandipur Wildlife Sanctuary covers an area of about 874.2 sq km. The Bandipur Wildlife Sanctuary was expanded in 1941 to adjoin the Madumalai Wildlife Sanctuary of Tamil Nadu in the South, the Wayanad Sanctuary of Kerala in the Southwest and the Nagarhole National Park in the North to create the India's biggest biosphere reserve popularly known as the 'Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve'. In 1973, the Bandipur Wildlife Sanctuary was declared as one of the nine tiger reserves of India under the famous Project Tiger Plan. And soon in 1974, under the Wildlife Protection Act, the sanctuary attained the status of a National Park. The Bandipur National Park occupies a special place in India's efforts towards Eco-conservation.

Endowed with a moderate climate and diverse geographical features, the Bandipur National Park supports a wide variety of flora and fauna. The vegetation of the Bandipur National Park ranges from deciduous and evergreen forest covers to open grassy woodlands. Two of the most valuable timber trees of India- the rosewood and teak- grow abundantly in the park. For your ease the wildlife in the Bandipur National Park can be divided into the following categories.

The Mammals: The Bandipur National Park supports and shelters a variety of wildlife. The park is one of the finest and most accessible habitats of the Asiatic elephant and also one of the best remaining habitats of the Asian elephant in the world. The most prominent  wildlife in the Bandipur National Park include the Asian elephant, Bonner Macaque, Jungle Cat, Wild Boar, Indian Palm Squirrel, Golden Jackal, Indian Grey Mongoose, Bengal Fox, Ruddy Mongoose, Indian Elephant, Indian Pangolin, Langur, Tiger, Chital, Grizzled Indian Squirrel, Dhole, Sloth Bear, Leopard Cat, Stripe-necked Mongoose, Gaur, Lion-tailed Macaque, Leopard and Four-horned Antelope.

The Birds: The Bandipur National Park also has a sizable population of birds. Over 200 species of birds have already been spotted and identified in the park, enough to attract thousands of ornithologists and bird lovers to the park. The Kabini Dam and backwaters of the Kabini River, which flows north of the Bandipur National Park, attracts huge flocks of birds. The most commonly noticed  birds in the Bandipur National Park are Peafowl and the game birds like the Grey Jungle Fowl, Red Spur Fowl etc. Among the woodland birds category the Hawk Eagle, Serpent Eagle, Scops Owl, the yellow-legged Green Pigeon, Parakeets, Woodpeckers, Barbets, Hornbills, Drongos, Scarlet Minivets, and Warblers are the easily seen birds in the Bandipur National Park.

Other major bird species seen in the Bandipur National Park include Black Woodpeckers, Blue-bearded Bee-Eaters, Cormorants, Crested Hawk Eagles, Ducks, Gray Partridges, Gray Headed Firhings, Honey Buzzards, Malabar Pied Hornbills, Hill Mynas, King Vultures, Malabar Trogon, Ospreys, Indian Pittas, Park Malabar Trogon, Parakeets, Paradise Flycatchers, Teals, Herons, Waders, Red Spur Fowl, Shaheen Falcons, Scarlet Minivets, Scimitar Babbler, Fairy Blue Birds, Scimitar Babblers, Malabar Whistling Thrushes, Green Imperial Pigeons, Nightjars and Owls.

The Reptiles: The reptile population in the Bandipur National Park includes the Marsh Crocodile, Monitor Lizard, Rock Python, Bamboo Pit Snake, Rat Snake, Wolf Snake, Vine Snake, Common Krait, and Russell's Viper. The park also houses few variety of turtles, frogs are and amphibians.

Wildlife safaris available at the park are other major attractions at the Bandipur National Park. The visitors can enjoy an elephant or jeep safari to explore the natural wealth of the park. The open grassy woodland with enchanting scenery of mountains, gorges and undisturbed forests, makes Bandipur National Park an exotic paradise for wildlife lovers, a unique and pleasant place to holiday in.

Bandipur National Park is located in Karnataka's Chamarajanagar district, and nestles at the foothills of the Nilgiris. It is part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. It spans over 874 sq km with a wide variety of flora and fauna. Bandipur National Park is among the few well protected areas in the country and is an important Project Tiger reserve. Bandipur forest is known to be home to nearly 70 tigers, though sightings can be quite rare.

The history of Bandipur National Park goes back to the times of Mysore Maharajas, who were ardent game hunters and who set up the Venugopal Wildlife Park in 1931. But it was during the Project Tiger campaign that Bandipur National Park was hived off and a Tiger Reserve was established. From then on, it has been popular wildlife and nature destinations for tourists. In the core zone of Bandipur forest lies Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta, which is ideal for a trek or a drive as it can be accessed by a narrow but picturesque road. The views from top of the hill are breathtaking.

Bandipur National Park has a rich bio-diversity. Apart from tigers, and being home to the endangered Asiatic elephants, it has gaur, leopard, chital, sambar, sloth bear, barking deer, giant squirrel, nocturnal porcupine and blacknaped hare, birds such as peafowl, partridge, quail, hornbill and Ibis are also found here. Apart from these, Bandipur forest also has thick vegetation comprising teak, rosewood, honne, mathi, bamboo and even a large number of sandalwood trees. Bandipur National Park is well planned for tourist movement and has motorable roads close to perennial and seasonal water points, and adequate open space in the jungle allow visitors to observe animals closely, particularl Plans to create eco-sensitive zones (ESZs) around national parks in Karnataka have come under fire from gram panchayats and political leaders who have pointed to legal violations that the ESZ notification entailed.

Even as the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) fields questions about the wisdom of declaring an ESZ over a 10-km radius around Nagarahole National Park, the Mangala Gram Panchayat, near the Bandipur Tiger Reserve, on Sunday submitted a memorandum to the Ministry objecting to an ESZ proposed here.

The gram panchayat, in its memorandum, describes the decision as having been arrived at in a “totally autocratic and undemocratic manner”. It adds that the ESZ violates existing laws, including the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 and the Forest Rights Act 2006.

While the Forest Rights Act 2006 envisages the gram sabha as a statutory authority with powers over the management of forests, the seven-member monitoring committee proposed in the draft ESZ notification are all government officials from the departments of Environment, Urban Development, Revenue, and Forests, the Karnataka Pollution Control Board, and two non-officials from the NGOs, and an expert on ecology, says the memorandum.

In a similar objection to the Bandipur ESZ proposal, Gundlupet MLA, H.S. Mahadeva Prasad, wrote to the MoEF on October 21 pointing out that the local people were not consulted during the drafting of the notification. He also contended that the Karnataka Panchayat Raj Act 1986 specifies that any activity earmarked for the village has to first be approved by the gram sabha.

The notification has several “impracticable” recommendations, he said.

For instance, several activities will be prohibited or regulated in the 138 villages that fall within the proposed ESZ, such as change of land use from agricultural activity, groundwater harvesting, fencing of premises, establishment of poultry and livestock farms, and maintaining village roads.

The Mangala Gram Panchayat's letter contends that the ESZ will encompass the ‘critical tiger habitat' which itself was “illegally” declared without the consent of the gram sabha concerned, as required by the WLPA.

Only last week, MoEF was forced to respond to the Kodagu Zilla Panchayat that opposed an eco-sensitive zone proposed around Nagarahole National Park fearing an impact on livelihoods among other concerns. Activities in the eco-sensitive zones “would be of a regulatory nature rather than prohibitive nature,” the Ministry said.

                                                                      Prof. John Kurakar