Silicon city’s ecological fortress

Photo by Kunal Sharma 

Doddamakali

Grizzled Squirrel

Grizzled Squirrel

Grizzled Squirrel perched on a tree

If you zoom in on the map of Karnataka, you will be surprised to see huge green spaces more or less contiguous between southern Karnataka and north western Tamil Nadu, a part of it bordering Bengaluru.

The forests are connected, beginning from the forests in Kodagu, covering the Nagarhole Tiger Reserve, Bandipur, K Gudi, Male Mahadeshwara hills and finally, the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary.

The landscape not only astonishes you with its scale but also its reputation as an ecological fortress, where a vast expanse of forest thrives, brimming with wildlife and supporting a number of forest fringe communities.

The Cauvery Valley at the border of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, a short drive away from Bengaluru, offers us a glimpse of the rich biodiversity that the entire ecosystem is home to.

The crown of this bountiful landscape is the Cauvery River that nourishes the gigantic arjuna, tamarind, malabar plum, jamun plum, along with majestic honge and ficus trees.

The river is unique in this stretch. The river gains vitality after passing through the Kodagu hills. After its journey through the Cauvery Valley, bound by dense forests on either side, the river passes through a series of wild gorges before entering Tamil Nadu, through the waterfall at Hogenakkal.

This valley is home to a wide range of fauna, from the near-threatened grizzled giant squirrel, orange-fin mahseer, to the smooth-coated otter and the mugger crocodile. The orange-finned mahseer is reported to be endemic to the Cauvery basin and is feared to be losing its habitat.

The sanctuary is perhaps one of the few places in the nation where one can sight the grizzled giant squirrel with certainty. It is also known for its population of elephants, tigers leopards, sloth bears, fish eagles, fish owls, hawk eagles, kingfishers and bee-eaters.

Close, yet far

The valley’s uniqueness lies in its relative remoteness, despite being close to a mega-city. Nature has created this valley and accorded it protection. The sheer drop from the Mysore plateau ensures that there is no unwanted entry into the forests. Much of the original forests remain and all that you can hear is the whistle of birds and the gush of the river. This setting brings forth much needed life into the river systems and unleashes a wealth of diversity.

The Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary was formed in 1987. Bengaluru, which is blessed to have a biodiverse forest near it, may soon be the reason for its destruction, risking the very survival of species such as the large arboreal squirrels.

The grizzled giant squirrel (Ratufa macroura) is found in Sri Lanka and in patches of forests in the Indian states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. In Karnataka, it is found in the riverine forests along the Cauvery River, most notably in the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary. The valley hosts one of the last populations of these squirrels in the state, which thrive due to the availability of fruits from the Arjuna, tamarind, Malabar plum and ficus trees.

The squirrels seldom come down to the ground, as they spend their lives in the canopy feeding, playing and breeding. An interesting thing about these squirrels is that the mother squirrel creates multiple nests for her offspring, to trick predators like the crested hawk-eagle, shikra or the brahminy kite.

Sometimes, these squirrels fall onto the ground while duelling with each other in the canopy, and it is a treat to watch them. The proposed Mekedatu project is going to submerge land in a zone that is an ecological marvel — one where you can spot giant squirrels jumping across the forest canopy, see elephants crossing the river in the distance, or even crocodiles basking on sun-drenched rocks.

If the project comes up, it will lead to the extinction of the grizzled giant squirrel in their northernmost range of the country and leave Karnataka without an iconic species.