Since ancient times, the cow has held a special place in Hindu culture, yet expounding on the virtues of this sanctity is often interpreted as a sign of rigid orthodoxy today. However, if you have even the slightest understanding of how ecosystems function, a gaushala in the district of Karauli named the Thekra Gaushala Dham might give you some ideas that might be deemed “out of the box”. For instance, I discovered how a jungle once ravaged by mining could be restored without plantation drives and the like.
Caption 1: Day-long struggles between vultures and jackals make this place unique.
The grazing area of this ┬аgaushala is 1790 bighas in size , and it was once decreasing on account of encroachment and of course being heavily damaged as a consequence of illegal mining. Thus ┬аcomplete chaos ensued in the gaushala’s┬аname. Eventually, one fine day a gentleman named Sh. Munna Singh reversed the encroachment on the land with the support of local communities, and also had the illegal mining stopped for good.
2000 cows were given shelter in the Gaushala and due to the untiring efforts of this gentleman, ┬аarrangements for sufficient fodder and water were also made.Just as an ecosystem is nourished with manure and earthworms, in almost the same way, ┬а2000 cows continued to fertilize the mining-afflicted soil with nutrients day and night in this vast area.
Caption 2: Migratory Eurasian Griffons
This area is now a safe ecosystem.┬аI first had the ┬аopportunity to visit ┬аthis area when a man-eating tiger from Ranthambhore called T-104 ┬аmoved towards human habitation and stayed at this gaushala for a week from where the Forest Department moved it to a safer location with the help of the Village Wildlife Volunteers of Tiger Watch. The Village Wildlife Volunteers used to monitor the tiger in this area.
This ┬аecosystem has improved even further with time, and today it is home to over 35 individuals of endemic vulture species and over 200 migratory vultures have been sighted this year. The interactions between these vultures and ┬аjackals is worth observing. There is very slight anthropogenic ┬аmanipulation in the sense that ┬аthe dead cows of the gaushala ┬аbecome an┬аeasy source of food for the vultures and jackals living here.
Caption 3: ┬аAll the vultures give the jackals a tough fight.
Caption 4: ┬аMorning and evening sunlight is very important for the vultures in autumn. Perhaps the light falls straight on the inner wings.
If the Forest Department wishes, it can declare this place a protected area for vultures, so that this endangered group may have another safe haven.┬аFor this move, intense attention will have to be paid to the veterinary ┬аmedicines used in the gaushala and the surrounding areas. Such a campaign can only be taken forward with the cooperation of local people.
Caption 5 : Limitations of food exacerbate conflict.
You can visit this place yourself with the consent of the gaushala management . It is ┬а30 kms from Karauli on the Dholpur road. The gaushala managers are very sensitive towards the vultures, so you must observe the rules set by them.
Caption 6: ┬аSh. Munna Singh, the gentleman responsible for this restored ecosystem.
Mr. Valmik Thapar has published a very unique book documenting tiger behaviour. The book features both photographs and refreshingly new writing on tiger behaviour such as ┬аtiger conflict, hunting, raising of cubs, breeding, other kinds of interaction observed within the species, as well as interspecies interaction involving leopards, sloth bears, striped hyenas etc.
After getting a hold of this book, it is near impossible to put down without poring over all 336 pages in one go. I too have ┬аcontributed to it’s making, and therefore have been mentioned on the cover, so seeing this book for the first time has been both a proud and happy moment for me. The book is largely based on photographs taken during two very long visits to Ranthambhore National Park by Mr. Thapar, ┬аbut also features very insightful commentary on various kinds of behaviour displayed by many tigers in Ranthambhore. I also had the opportunity to accompany Mr. Thapar to the National Park on most occasions during this period .
The exploits of a tiger originally named Charger (T-120) have been documented in minute detail and have been thoroughly analysed by Mr. Thapar drawing on his decades of experience. Mr. Thapar’s wife Ms. Sanjana Kapoor also took many photographs during these visits. Her inputs have been invaluable in covering any gaps in material. In fact, all the people around Mr Thapar for those 40 -50 days began working as a team.┬а Mr. Salim Ali’s years of experience in conducting excursions in Ranthambhore as a naturalist-guide ┬аand his understanding of tiger behaviour made him a central part of this endeavour. Shyam Ji, the veteran driver with SUJAN ┬аSherbagh was flawless at the wheel, and kept us very comfortable during the scorching heat .
The book also features contributions by other celebrated wildlife photographers in India, all of whom happily presented their photographs to Mr. Thapar for this project. Namely – Mr. Aditya Singh, Mr. Kairav Engineer, Mr. Chandrabhal Singh, Mr. Jayant Sharma, Mr. Harsha Narasimhamurthy, Mr. Arijit Banerjee, Mr. Udayveer Singh, Mr. Abhinav Dhar, Mr. Abhishek Chaudhary etc. All have been visiting ┬аRanthambhore National Park for decades now.
According to Mr. Thapar, this book has been published for friends and family, which probably means it will not be available in bookstores nor online platforms like Amazon and Flipkart. This is because Mr. Thapar believes that marketing and promoting a book is ┬аrather cumbersome . Mr. Thapar has appropriately titled this book Tiger Gold, i.e the book in which the tigers ┬аof Ranthambhore have made the ultimate display of their behaviour and Mr. Thapar has done a stellar job in compiling all the ┬аmaterial. His passion and enthusiasm during his 70th birth year is exemplary and an inspiration. You are cordially invited to see this book in my personal collection.
