For those unfamiliar with Tal Chappar, it is a small sanctuary in Rajasthan, some 800 hectares in size. And it's a glowing example of what a humble, self-effacing man like Surat Singh Poonia can do to transform the park, writes Joydev Sengupta
Wildlife sanctuaries in India owe a great deal to individuals who gave the places their all. Some became known for their seminal contributions, but there were many who toiled in relative obscurity, their thriving sanctuaries their only reward. One such remarkable individual is Surat Singh Poonia, the Assistant Conservator of Forests at the Tal Chappar Wildlife Sanctuary, and what follows here is a story of his work.
A humble, self-effacing individual, Poonia is quick to point out that Tal Chappar’s accomplishments were the result of a team effort — of 18 people led by him. Be that as it may, the place today is a testimony to what foresight, dedication, perseverance and sheer hard work can achieve.
For those unfamiliar with Tal Chappar, it is a small sanctuary in Rajasthan, some 800 hectares in size. Originally the private hunting reserve of the Maharaja of Bikaner, it was taken over by the Government and notified as a wildlife sanctuary in 1966. The blackbucks were introduced in this area by the king in the 1920s.
Poonia began his work some years ago when he was asked to prepare a plan to resurrect Tal Chappar, at that time a bare tract of land with sparse grasses and covered with Prosopis juliflora plants. The evolution of that barren land into the Tal Chappar of today was the culmination of a number of Poonia’s initiatives, and these were directed at creating a habitat and protecting the wildlife, securing their food and water, and promoting ecotourism.
The most important purpose a wildlife sanctuary serves is to create a habitat where the wildlife not just feels protected but also multiplies. Doing this in Tal Chappar had its challenges. The park is surrounded by a village, and salt pans and encroachment on the sanctuary land were rampant. The absence of an effective fence around the park meant that the sanctuary served as a thoroughfare for people living on its periphery, and village dogs entering the sanctuary were a perpetual menace. The human presence disturbed the wildlife, and the dogs preyed on the birds and other animals, killing them for food. The lack of a fence also meant that in an area where water is scarce, the sanctuary water holes and the grass were a boon for cattle belonging to the villagers. Poonia and his team marshalled their limited resources to fence the entire perimeter of the sanctuary and his staff today constantly patrols the park to keep the wildlife safe. Notably, the team also runs a rehabilitation centre for injured animals here. Visitors will notice a particular blackbuck coming right up to the vehicles in search of food, a most unusual event considering that they generally move away when vehicles approach. This blackbuck was looked after by the staff in the centre and has today lost all fear of human presence.
The price of success has been bittersweet, however. The safe environment and the care provided by the team meant that as the wildlife flourished and grew in numbers, the sanctuary land requirement went up. At the time when Poonia started his work at Tal Chappar, the sanctuary had a blackbuck population of 800. That number has today climbed to some 2,500-plus blackbucks and counting. It’s a stunning testament to Poonia and his team. The fact of the matter is that Tal Chappar can support a population of 1,200 blackbucks at best, and to keep pace with this growing population, more land needs to be acquired.
The transformation brought about by Poonia within the sanctuary has been even more remarkable. A number of wildlife sanctuaries in India, including Bharatpur, grapple with the spread of the Prosopis juliflora plants, and Tal Chappar is no exception. There was a time not so long ago when over 50 per cent of the Tal Chappar land was covered with the juliflora plant. A plant species native to South America, it has an invasive presence wherever it has grown, edging out native plants from their natural habitat. Studies have shown deleterious effects on animals which eat its fruits, and yet others point out that the plant affects the water table. The team ensured that not a single juliflora plant remains today within the sanctuary, each uprooted and the wood auctioned to generate revenue, and it now maintains a continuous vigil to dispose of any fresh growth from seedlings blown into the land. The tracts of land freed from the juliflora plant are now making way for grassy patches and native species like acacia, salvadora and zizyphus. The way the team facilitates the growing of the grass is another tale by itself. Instead of physically spreading the grass seedlings by hand, the team lets nature do its bit. Right next to the bare patches lay these large mounds of earth into which the seedlings are mixed. As the wind blows, it carries the seedlings and spreads it over the patches, greening them in the process, an idea Poonia attributes to his days in farming. The spread of grasses has had the necessary trickle-down effect. Today, fodder is plentiful, the growing insect population feeds the food chain, and the prey base is intact.
The availability of water is another big issue. Tal Chappar only gets about 300 mm of rain in a year and since the area has little or no sweet water, water is brought in through pipelines from far. The forest officials have connected the water holes with underground pipelines and fill the water holes as per need from a central repository. The water holes, as a result, have water even through the hottest months and there is no wastage of this scarce commodity. Interestingly, a leaking waterline led to a most interesting innovation as far as water distribution within the sanctuary was concerned. Some of the staff described how once one of the pipelines bringing water into the sanctuary developed a leakage inside the sanctuary and the water bubbled up to the surface. The spot where it got collected soon became a water source of sorts for the wildlife, and it is a common sight even now to see the birds drinking from there. Artificial leakages are now used in a planned manner enabling the team to provide water sources all across the sanctuary, without having to deploy resources constructing the water holes or laying pipelines to fill them.
Tourism in the wildlife sanctuaries has always been a hotly debated topic. While excessive commercialisation has been the bane of many sanctuaries in India, Tal Chappar always had the opposite problem. For a variety of reasons, including the absence of a major draw like tigers and a general lack of infrastructure, tourist footfall in the region has been less compared to other sanctuaries. One of the difficulties of visiting Tal Chappar is that there is a dearth of hotels in the area, and the nearest ones are far away and never a viable option for various reasons. This need was addressed by Sharad Sridhar and his team by setting up a forest rest house there. It has good facilities, is spotlessly clean at all times, and is great value for money.
While it is possible to argue that protection and regeneration of habitat and food and water security initiatives would be common to every sanctuary, Poonia’s work with the wildlife is truly unique. When he took over, the area had a documented species list of a little more than 100 species. That count is up to 300-plus today, attributable to two distinct reasons. First, Poonia’s attempts at providing food, water and habitat security is clearly working. Second, a documentation initiative started by Poonia, a daily system of recording the species seen in the area, is equally creditworthy. It enables the team to tabulate the correct number of species there. This simple practice led to the discovery of rare birds like red phalarope, the Kashmir flycatcher and the pale rock sparrow in the area,. The red phalarope, for example, breeds in the Arctic, and migrates southwards. Would anyone realistically expect to see it in the hot climates of Tal ChapparIJ The presence of these birds was noted only because someone tried to document birds in the sanctuary. For a visitor, seeing one of these birds is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and it becomes possible only because of the team’s efforts.
What about the future challenges and plans of the manIJ Poonia talks of trying to instill in his team what he calls “Chapparism”, and form a motivated team with the commitment and a dedication of making Tal Chappar the best that it can be. And if the past is any indication, Poonia will see success here as well.
The writer is a Delhi-based wildlife enthusiast