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Home / Agriculture / Coffee Forests - A Gateway To Wildlifeby Dr. Anand Titus and Geeta N. Pereira Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4 MAJOR THREATS AFFECTING WILDLIFE
CONSERVATION EFFORTS
ELEPHANT: Elephas maximus Order :roboscidea STATUS: Endangered. The Asian elephant numbers have significantly declined. South India houses a population of around 8000 and North India around 7000. In all there are 25,600 to 32,750 Asian elephants (in 13 range Countries) left in the wild with an additional 15,000 in captivity. Elephants are the largest living land animals and are highly intelligent. According to WWF reports, Asian elephants grow up to 21 feet long, stand up to 10 feet tall, and weigh up to 11,000 pounds. They have a matriarchal society (Female is the ruler of the herd) and a herd comprises of a nucleus of 2 to 3 mature cows. The African and Asian elephant are both threatened due to habitat loss and poaching for ivory trade. Elephants exert large pressure on the coffee forests because on an average an adult male consumes about 225 kg of green fodder (roots, grasses, leaves, bark, bananas, and sugarcane) everyday and probably expels an equal amount in the form of dung. They spend almost 12-14 hours a day on feeding. TUSKS: A male elephant’s most prized possession is the ivory tusks. The tusks are used in decorative arts, game pieces and musical instruments. Due to habitat loss elephants now enter wet lands and coffee estates resulting in human animal conflict. BREEEDING: Elephants that are 12-15 years old are sexually active. In the presence of several old bulls, they get a chance to mate only after the age of 25 years. The chances of successful mating increases with the size and age of the bull. The gestation period varies from 20 to 22 months and females will produce a calf every four to five years. An Asian elephant calf is about 260 pounds at birth. The reproductive rate in elephants is rather low. Asian elephants can live to be 60. WILD DOG {DHOLE}: Cuon alpinus Family: Canidae STATUS: Vulnerable.
The Indian wild dog is also commonly referred to as the Dholes. It weighs around 15 to 20 kg and live s in packs. Dholes prey mainly on medium sized animals like deer, wild boar and wild sheep. They have a highly developed sense of smell and eyesight and are mostly nocturnal hunters. Their mode of communication is by whistling. The population is in steep decline in most parts of India due to disease (virulent canine distemper and rabies) exacerbated by contact with domestic dogs. BREEDING: There is no fixed breeding season. Within the pack, the dominant male that gets to mate. The gestation period is about 70 days. The birth rate is quite high with large litters. Most of the species are said to pair for life, with the male taking an active role in bringing up the family. ANTELOPEThere are three kinds of antelopes, the blackbuck, chausingha, and nilgai. Their horns are usually marked with prominent rings. They have a gland under the eyes, which when swollen, attracts attention. These inguinal glands are pounced and aid in communication. BREEDING: Antelopes congregate in herds during the breeding season. Adult males are usually solitary, or clustered in groups known as bachelor herds. Only the best male gets to mate in a herd. BLACKBUCK: Antilope cervicapra
Blackbucks are ruminating herbivores and feed on grass and other crops. Blackbucks live in herds of 20 to 30. They have a moderate sense of hearing and smell but are gifted with keen eyesight and speeds. The blackbuck is the second fastest land animal, after the cheetah. It is gifted with a pair of beautiful spiral horns. Blackbuck males congregate in large herds known as “LEKS “. The females inspect these leks to choose their mate. They breed throughout the year, but the main rut takes place during February and March. Over the years their numbers have considerably declined and are now on the verge of extinction. DEERIndia has the maximum number of deer species in the world. They congregate in large herds, although some may be solitary. They feed on grass, fruits, leaves and shoots. Due to their large numbers they play a very important role in the food chains, especially to large carnivores. Over all deer’s have a keen sense of of smell, hearing and sight. SAMBHAR: Cervus unicolor This is the largest deer and the stags are gifted with a pair of strong antlers. The deer wears a dull brown coarse and shaggy coat. The stag has a majestic look and forms a mane around the throat and neck. Sense of sight is moderate, where as the sense of hearing and smell is acute. Their size and color varies with the area in which they habit. Their food consists of grass, leaves and various kind of wild fruit. They feed mainly at night and retire at day break. Males exert territorial rights. Most stags cast their antlers between end march and mid April. BREEDING: Males and females pair in November and December. Young ones are born in May-June. JUNGLE CAT: Felis chaus.
The distinguishing feature of the jungle cats from all other cats is that it has long legs with a short tail. The color of its coat varies from sand grey to brownish grey. The tail is ringed with black towards the end, with a black tip. It preys on small mammals and birds. It breeds in January and February and the litter consists of three to four kittens. MARBLED CAT: Felis marmosata)
The cat has a marbled coat pattern made up of dark blotches lined with black. It is found in the dense forests of north east India and very little is known about its behavior. It is thought to be a forest cat of arboreal habits feeding on small mammals like rats and squirrels. INDIAN LANGUR: Presbytis entellus GOLDEN LANGUR: Presbytis geei LION TAILED MACAQUE: Macaca silenus
There are 21 species of primates found in the Indian subcontinent. Although these primates are warm blooded they can also withstand periods of intense cold. They live in herds of 12 to 40. Most primates are vegetarian but some supplement their diet with insects, birds and eggs. The special feature of macaques is that they possess cheek pouches to store food and langurs have a special pouch inside their stomach that stores food. BIRDS:
The Western Ghats has been drawing International attention of Bird Watchers. The coffee growing States of South India (Tamil Nadu, Karnataka & Kerala) which produces more than 95 % of the finest shade grown coffee is also a bird paradise. Some of the endemic bird species are present in this hot spot and it has been internationally recognized as the Western Ghat endemic Bird area (WG EBA). The area also acts as a key haven for migratory birds including rare and globally threatened species.
Table-4. Birds endemic to South India:
CONCLUSIONOn a global scale, nearly 525 million hectares of land world wide have been designated as nature parks, wildlife refuges and National reserves. The danger from our point of view is that the management of these game sanctuaries and biosphere reserves is based on political outlook rather than ecological considerations. It is high time that conservationists change their strategy in protecting wildlife. The natural biogeographical zones of an entire ecosystem, with its associated land, water, air and wildlife resources must be managed as a unit if we are to preserve the integrity of these ecologically sensitive hotspots.
We also need to realize that wildlife cannot be safeguarded without mankind’s determined sacrifice to protect them for fear of living in a world of darkness. REFERENCESineedcoffee.com/by/Dr._Anand_Titus_and_Geeta_N._Pereira/ http://www.indiacoffee.org/coffeeregions/ http://www.wii.gov.in/nwdc/pastatistics.htm http://www.wii.gov.in/nwdc/mammals.htm http://www.worldwildlife.org/rhinos/ecology.cfm http://www.karnatakawildernesstourism.org/default.asp?id=1#10 http://www.biodiversityhotspots.org http://www.karnatakaforest.gov.in/ WWF: North Western Ghats WWF: South Deccan Plateau Karnataka National Geographic: Satellite map Nowak, R.M. (1991). Walker's Mammals of the World, 5th edn. The John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London. 1629 pp. Thornback, J. (1983). Wild Cattle, Bison and Buffaloes: Their Status and Potential Value. Pub. By WCMC, Cambridge, U.K. S.K.Chakrabarti. 2003. A walk on the Wild Side. An information Guide to National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries of Karnataka. Karnataka Forest department-Wildlife Wing. Second Edition 2003. Richard Grimmett & Tim Inskipp. 2006- Birds of Southern India - Helm Field Guide Kokan and Malabar - Satish Pande et al. - Birds of Western Ghats, BNHS/Oxford - Conservation International.2000. Biodiversity Hotspots. Conservation International, Tewari, D. N. -1995. Western Ghats Ecosystem - International Book Distributors, Coffee & Cocoa International, 2007.Feb-March '07 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTOur grateful thanks to Aveen & Yogitha Rodrigues (Coffee Planters, MELKODIGE Estate, Javali post, Chikmagalur District) who readily contributed many of the wild life pictures. Avin & Yogitha have completed their Masters programmee in Horticulture and remain keenly interested in the promotion of ecofriendly coffee. They maintain a beautiful plantation in the mountainous region of Chikmagalur. We are particularly grateful to Allen J Pais (Coffee Planter, "Pais Coffee Plantation", Siddapur, Coorg, Kodagu) who has devoted considerable time in providing us with valuable pictures from time to time. His enthusiastic co-operation has enabled us to research more; for the benefit of the planting community. Allen is a progressive Planter and his plantation is a model of good planning and sound cultivation. |
