Forsten’s cat snake (Boiga forsteni)
FROM THE AR
RCHIVES TIGER IN NALLAMALA
WITH A TIGER IN CAMERA BY A. WIMBUSH, I.F.S. It would be difficult to visualise a tenser moment than stretching your leg under an office desk and touching a tiger which had strolled in from the jungle for some extraordinary reason. THE following unusual incident occurred at Iskagundam on July 19, 1928, in the Nallamalai Hills of Kurnool district in the Madras Presidency, where the writer was camping with Rao Sahib K. R. Venkataramana Iyer Avergal, Conservator of Forests, and Messrs. B. K. Roy and S. Raghunatha Rao, the District Forest Officers of South and West Kurnool divisions. Mr. Venkataramana Iyer was occupying one room in the Forest Rest House, whilst the writer occupied the other, the two District Officers being in tents close by. About 7.30 p.m. Mr. Venkataramana Iyer was doing some office work by the light of a petrol lantern in his room whilst the other three officers were talking in the adjoining room. Suddenly Mr. Venkataramana Iyer appeared, in a state of some excitement, saying that a tiger had just walked into his room. The statement sounded singular if true, but investiga- tion as to whether the “pi dog” had merely passed through his room or was still there seemed to be indicated. A rifle was standing handy, so after loading it, more as a sign of respect for Mr. Venkataramana Iyer’s veracity than with any expecta- tion of using it, two of the officers proceeded to investigate through the door leading on to the back verandah which, luckily, was propped open, about nine inches by means of a stone.
BIG GAME ENCOUNTERS That truth is stranger than fiction was proved by the unmistakable fact that the tiger was underneath the office table diagonally opposite to the back door. It was examining the window behind the table which, though open, was protected by bars. It did not present a perfect shot owing to the fact that it was partly screened by the office chair and a table leg. However, the petrol lamp gave a good light. A few inches of shoulder, though not the neck, were clearly visible. A shot was, accordingly, taken which was followed by a brief moment of pandemonium, after which all was still. The pandemonium resulted in the extinction of the petrol lamp and, as was found afterwards, the disposal of most of the Conservators office work. A fairly lengthy consultation then ensued as to what was to be done next. All concerned were extremely anxious to have dinner, but the feeling that the tiger might also be in the same state ruled out any idea of asking the servants to take the dishes backwards and forwards between the kitchen and the house. The supposition was that the tiger was dead, so the only natural thing to do seemed to be to try to verify this supposition. Fortunately, another petrol lamp was available, so one officer with the rifle and another with the lamp approached the door and peered in. No tiger was to be seen, so with a walking stick the brick which was preventing the door from opening more than about nine inches was pushed further in. As the door opened a tigers tail became visible on the floor. As the tail did not move, the door was pushed further open with some confidence. It immediately became apparent that the tail belonged to a live tiger which was squatting on its haunches more or less behind the opening door. This presented a quandary which led to a discussion as to what on earth had ever induced the officers to join the Forest Service. Something, however, had to be done, so after considering all possibilities, including that of making a hole in the thatched roof, it was decided to go and fetch a crowbar from
WITH A TIGER IN CAMERA the Ranger’s camp close by and make a hole in the mud wall separating the two rooms. This decision was given effect to, but before the crowbar arrived the fatuity of the proposed procedure became apparent and the idea was dropped in favour of making a hole in the roof. Consequently, a ladder and an electric torch were obtained and a Forest Guard very shortly had the hole made, whilst the back and front doors were kept under observation. The Guard, after examining the room by the aid of the torch, and after making several loud enquiries of the tiger as to whether it was dead or not, called for an officer to come up on the roof with the rifle. On arrival up aloft the officer was able to see the tiger, apparently dead, lying with its head resting against the corner of the room. However, the officer, realising that a tiger killed twice is better than one not killed at all, put in another shot, whereupon the tiger, which was not dead at all, proceeded to expire somewhat leisurely. The party then hauled the animal, which proved to be an extremely emaciated tigress, measuring 8 ft. 2 in., on to the verandah and forthwith enjoyed a well-earned dinner. During the process of skinning, which took place immediately after dinner, it was found that the tigress had a bullet wound full of maggots in her stomach, as well as having one of the smaller pads on a back foot badly lacerated. The first shot of the evening had broken her near shoulder to pulp, the bullet having emerged from the base of the neck towards the front. Mr. Venkataramana Iyer, who, in retreating from his office table in the first instance, had actually brushed against the tigress, found, on returning to his room, that the letter which he had been writing was bespattered with blood. With this satisfactorily sanguinary ending to a somewhat unique experience the writer retired to rest at 4.30 in the morning, having pegged out his tiger skin, washed off the innumerable ticks resulting from the skinning, and recorded the events of the night whilst they were still very fresh in his memory. (Reproduced by courtesy of the Indian Forester.)
Excerpts from “Big Gme Encounters” edited by Stanley Jepson.
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Black-rumped 昀氀ameback (Dinopium benghalense) 30
NAGARJUNASAGAR SRIT H E L A R G E S T T I G E RA B O
SAILAM TIGER RESERVE R E S E R V E I N I N D I A O U T
The Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve (NSTR) is the largest tiger reserve in the country which spreads over 3,727.82 sq km. The conservation of Tiger and its ecosystem has been one of the major accomplishments of the Andhra Pradesh Forest Department. According to the latest tiger estimation exercise, the minimum number of Tigers has grown up to 80 in our NSTR.
Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve (NSTR) is located in the Nallamala hill ranges (o昀昀shoot of Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh). It attained the status of Tiger Reserve in 1983. The total Tiger Reserve is spreads over Prakasam, Nandyal and Palnadu Districts of Andhra Pradesh. Two Wildlife Sanctuaries namely Rajiv Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and Gundla Brahmeswaram Wildlife Sanctuary (GBM) constitute the Tiger Reserve area.
Zone Area in sq km Inviolate/Critical Tiger Habitat 1250.46 Gundla Brahmeswaram WLS (extendedcore) 1193.68 Sub - total (core area) 2444.14 Peripheral Zone (Buffler within the sanctuary) 553.19 Buffler zone of NSTR (Outside the Sanctuary,but within the RF) 730.49 Sub - total (Buffler) 1283.68 Grand Total 1250.46
RIVER KR
KRISHNA
Geologically, one of the oldest rivers, after running placidly through 昀氀at and monotonous country, it forces its way across Nallamalais over 200 Kms. By a deep and narrow gorge with varying width, on either side of which the picturesque wooded slopes of the hills rise almost from the dark waters of the river.
Forsten’s cat snake (Boiga forsteni)
FLORAL DIVER
RSITY OF NSTR
Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve epitomizes a typical Deccan Plateau (6D, 6E) 昀氀ora and fauna. The landscape is characterized by hilly terrain with plateaus, ridges, gorges and deep valleys which support tropical mixed dry deciduous and moist deciduous forests. Around 1629 Angiosperm taxa spread over 149 families along with 317 species of grasses and 353 species of medicinal plants have been documented. The most predominant trees found here are:
Local Name Scienti昀椀c name Nallamaddi Terminalia tomentosa Chirumanu Anogeissus latifolia Billudu Chloroxylon swietenia Yepi Hardwickia binata Peddayegi Pterocarpus marsupium Gumpena Lannea coromandelica Anduga Boswellia serrata Pachaari Dalbergia paniculata Gotti Ziziphus xylopyrus Chennangi Lagerstroemia parvi昀氀ora Tellamaddi Terminalia arjuna
There are certain endemic plants found in Nallamalas like Andrographis nallamalayana, Eriolaena lushingtonii, Crotalaria madurensis var kurnoolia, Dicliptera beddomei and Premna hamiltonii. The land racers of Oryza (wild vari) and Piper (wild miriyalu) in Gundla Brahmeswaram Sanctuary make the Tiger Reserve a prospective germplasm site.
Gotti (ziziphus xylopyrus)
Gumpena (Lannea coromandelica)
Moduga (Butea monosperma)
Changeable hawk-eagle (Nisaetus cirrhatus)
FAUNAL DIVER
RSITY OF NSTR
The faunal diversity documented in NSTR includes 51 species of Mammals, 305 species of Birds, 59 species of Reptiles, 18 species of Amphibians, 55 species of Fishes, 101 species of Butter昀氀ies, 137 species of Moths, 64 species of Insects,46 species of Beetles,62 species of Arachnids and 30 species of Dragon昀氀ies & Damsel昀氀ies. Argiope species
Sloth bear (Melursus ursinus)