Wildlife enthusiasts are celebrating the presence of ratel or honey badger which was photographed in Cauvery valley. A team of wildlife biologists headed by Sanjay Gubbi have for the first time photo documented a ratel in the wild in Karnataka.
The ratel or tara karadi known in Kannada was documented by the team when they were trying to estimate density of leopard in Cauvery valley around hundred kilometres away from Bangalore.
Sanjay said, “the rare and elusive ratel, popularly called as the honey badger (mellivoracapensis) has been photo documented from the wild for the first time in Karnataka. During a camera trapping exercise carried out in Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary, the presence of ratel was photo documented in Hanur and Halagur ranges of Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary. Camera trapping is being carried out in relation to estimating leopard densities in collaboration with forest department.”
“Kestur, Bilikal and Mallahalli Reserved Forests in Tamil Nadu are contiguous to Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary and have similar in habitats hence ratel could also be found there. Similarly, Sangam, Kaudalli, Gopinatham ranges in Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary and Malai Mahadeshwara Wildlife Sanctuary in Karnataka could also host this species due to similar geography, topography and habitat,” says Sanjay Gubbi.
Being highly elusive, they exist in very low densities across most of their ranges. Their visual observation in India has been extremely rare. Interestingly, one individual was supposed to have been found in a well near Doddaalahalli, Kanakapurataluk in 2003 that was shifted to Mysore zoo and died within a few days.
According to KV Vasanth Reddy, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary this new photo documentation of Ratel in the Cauvery valley enhances the conservation value.There is very little understanding about distribution of this species in Karnataka and elsewhere. The elusive nature of this species also makes it challenging to document.
They are primarily nocturnal and solitary. In Africa they have been documented to have huge home ranges as large as 500 km. These carnivores feed on a range of prey including insect larvae, young ones of ungulates, birds and even poisonous snakes. They are also known to scavenge on kills of other carnivorous animals and weighs 8-10 kilograms.
Ratel is listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972. Though listed as species of least Concern (lC) in the IUCN Red list of Threatened Species due its wide distribution range, they are known to be declining locally due to various factors including retaliatory killing, hunting for its body parts and meat. Though they are known to raid beehives and cause conflict in Africa such incidences are not reported in India.
