Did You Know? Festivals
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TAF Newsletter Article February 2009 Issue There are a lot of things we can do as individuals to help save Mother Earth. Let us look at a few things we can do at home to be more eco‐friendly. • Segregate your biodegradable waste from the non biodegradable waste. This solves half the problems of waste disposal in cities. Also, the manure that comes of biodegradable waste is not just eco friendly, but also very effective. • Reuse the plastic that finds its way to your house. Remember to reuse, refuse and recycle. • Avoid wasting water and electricity to the extent possible. • Grow a few trees around your home. • Try and lead the used water from washing machines, etc. into the garden directly. Plants like sweet potato and canna reduce the toxic content in the water. • Avoid too much paving in the garden so that water can seep through the ground and re‐ charge the ground water. • Use conventional eco‐friendly pest control methods like turmeric and neem seeds. Keeping a cat around your house is a better way to keep rats and snakes away rather than using chemicals. • Avoid using fire crackers during Did You Know? festivals. A glass bottle takes 1 million years to decompose, a plastic beverage bottle take 450 years to decompose, and an aluminum can takes anywhere between 80 and 200 years to decompose!! Recycling them and avoiding them to the extent possible is much more eco-friendly! TAF Newsletter Eco-Friendly Tips February 2009 Issue There are a lot of things we can do as individuals to help save Mother Earth. Let us look at a few things we can do at home to be more eco‐friendly. • Segregate your biodegradable waste from the non biodegradable waste. This solves half the problems of waste disposal in cities. Also, the manure that comes of biodegradable waste is not just eco friendly, but also very effective. • Reuse the plastic that finds its way to your house. Remember to reuse, refuse and recycle. • Avoid wasting water and electricity to the extent possible. • Grow a few trees around your home. • Try and lead the used water from washing machines, etc. into the garden directly. Plants like sweet potato and canna reduce the toxic content in the water. • Avoid too much paving in the garden so that water can seep through the ground and re‐ charge the ground water. • Use conventional eco‐friendly pest control methods like turmeric and neem seeds. Keeping a cat around your house is a better way to keep rats and snakes away rather than using chemicals. • Avoid using fire crackers during festivals. Did You Know? Bulls are colour blind, therefore they will usually charge at a matador's waving cape no matter what colour it is ‐ be it red or neon yellow! TAF Newsletter Editorial February 2009 Issue A few days ago, I met a conservationist whose organization had stalled the construction of a bridge. I was impressed initially. After a while, I wondered, “Does stopping the construction of a bridge make one a true conservationist?” Maybe, if we constructed that bridge, it would cut the route short and save a lot of fuel and also reduce the emissions from the vehicles. Perhaps they should have weighed everything before coming to a decision. So, who is an ideal environmentalist? I believe that he is one whose ultimate objective is to ensure that the human race and its fellow species live happily in a sustainable planet. He is one who can strike a balance between conservation of Nature and improving the quality of life of our brethren. An environmentalist looks at protecting the planet in the long term. Development is purely for the human race and very often, short term in nature. Knowing how to improve the quality of life of our people without overt damage to the environment is what makes a true conservationist. Let me cite an example here: Denmark, a small European country, after realizing the pollution in the world, decided to reduce the oil that they use. They used to import 99% of their oil from the Middle East in 1973 and now, they import 0%. This makes them one of the greenest nations in the world and for more than one reason. This is an excellent example of how, when politicians work hand in hand with environmentalists, dramatic changes can be made! It is no mean task to strike this balance, but I think that we should view each issue from several perspectives before we come to a decision. Conservation Quote “When asked, as I frequently am, why I should concern myself so deeply with the conservation of animal life, I reply that I have been very lucky and that throughout my life the world has given me the most enormous pleasure. But the world is as delicate as a spider’s web. If you touch one thread, you send shudders running through all other threads. We are not just touching the web, we are tearing great holes in it.” - Gerald Durrell TAF Newsletter Specie February 2009 Issue MALABAR PIT VIPER The malabar pit viper (Trimeresurus malabaricus) has a flat, broad and triangular head, green or brown body with pale or dark brown blotches and light green or yellow below. They have a prehensile tail which is black with yellow spots. Young brown with grey or pale brown underside. They have a pit‐like sensory organ between each eye and nostril. They are venomous snakes. Venom causes moderate pain and swelling to humans and subsides in a day or two. They are found mainly in the hilly regions of southwestern India. They live in tree hollows. This snake is usually seen on small branches, or coiled near rocks near water courses. They are nocturnal and usually inactive in the day. They have a shy temperament, but strike when disturbed. They feed on lizards, geckos, mice and fledging birds. Oops! In the last issue of the TAF newsletter, we made an error about the lesser cats. They are – the rusty spotted cat, golden cat, fishing cat, caracal, desert cat, jungle cat, marbled cat, lynx, leopard cat and Palla’s cat TAF Newsletter Wildlifer of the Month February 2009 Issue FATEH SINGH RATHORE Fateh Singh Rathore is amongst the primary forces for the return of the tiger in the Ranthambhore National Park in Rajasthan. He runs an NGO called “Tiger Watch”. Fateh was the first field director of Ranthambhore. He revived the tigers of Ranthambhore by a slow and troublesome process of relocating 20 villages from the National Park and gradually stabilized the prey base. As the prey base increased, the tiger began to revive slowly but steadily. He is one of the best managers Ranthambore had ever had. He was responsible for creating most of the waterholes (including lakes) and for efficient monitoring and policing of the park. Fateh set up "Tiger Watch" with the aim of monitoring the tigers' health in Ranthambhore and acting as a pressure group for the benefit of the tiger. After his retirement from the Rajasthan Forest Service he has settled down in a farm on the outskirts of Ranthambhore, where among other things he has started a school for local children with an emphasis on wildlife conservation. Fateh is a true “wildlife warrior”. Once, infuriated at the bar on grazing cattle in the protected area, villagers ambushed his vehicle, beat him up and left him bloody and unconscious for dead. Despite this, he is as strong as ever in his commitment and continues to strive for the cause of the tiger. In 1983 Fateh Singh was awarded the International Valour Award for bravery in the field. He has been awarded the status of honourary warden of the park. He is an inspiration for all those who want to save the tiger. He also believes that the revitalization of the corridor between the Sawai Mansingh and Keladevi sanctuaries is critical to the long term survival of Ranthambhore. Widely acknowledged as a tiger guru, Fateh says, "When I die, I hope to be buried in the park, so I can speak to the tigers." TAF Newsletter Forest Info February 2009 Issue Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve is probably the best place in the world to spot wild tigers. It is the only dry deciduous tiger habitat in the world. Ranthambore National Park, Sawai Man Singh Wildlife Sanctuary and the Keladevi Sanctuary (700 sq. km) together form the Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve. The only Tiger Reserve in Rajashtan state, it lies at the confluence of the Aravali and Vindhyan Ranges and spans a total of 1334 sq. km. To the northeast of the Ranthambhore National Park flows the river Banas – a tributary of Chambal River which flows across the eastern region of Ranthambhore NP. Forest Type: Northern Tropical Dry Deciduous Forest. Major Flora: Dhok mixed with Khair, Raunj, Goya, Chhela, Pipal, Vad, Amaltas, Gurjan, Siris Saintha, Gular, Tendu Fauna: Tiger, Leopard, Caracal, Ratel, Jungle Cat, Chital, Sambar, Blue Bull, Chinkara, Sloth Bear, Wild Boar, Jackal, Hyena, Common Langur, Common fox, dhole. Tourist Information: Climate Summer Max: 37.0 °C Min. 23.0 C Winter Max: 29.0 °C Min. 9.1 °C Park Season: Opened During‐ 1st October to 30th June Visiting Shifts ‐ Morning and Afternoon trips Closed During ‐ 1st July to 30th September Nearest Airport: Jaipur (180 km) By Rail: Nearest Rail Head: Sawai Madhopur (10 km) on the Delhi Mumbai rail lines. Several trains a day from Delhi, Mumbai, Agra, Jaipur. By Road: Around 340 km by road from Delhi Around 180 km by road from Jaipur Around 250 km by road from Agra Travel Tips: Light cotton garments are recommended for the hot summer months and woolens are suitable for the winters.