The much neglected Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR) in Bihar has sprung a treasure trove of wildlife surprise. Evidence of four rare species has been found in the Reserve recently — that of crab-eating mongoose, yellow-throated marten, hoary bellied squirrel and Himalayan serow.
These were captured in camera traps placed by the State Forest Department in association with Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
“This camera trapping exercise was being done as a part of the Phase-IV monitoring exercise under the directives of NTCA as a prelude to the forthcoming tiger census, next year,” pointed out Santosh Tiwari, field director of the VTR.
The tiger monitoring work in Valmiki is part of the larger tiger survey being undertaken in India and Nepal across the entire Terai Arc landscape for the first time. WWF-India is also supporting the efforts of the Government to develop Valmiki as a tiger recovery site.
listed in Schedule IV of the Indian Wildlife Act, the crab-eating mongoose is a rare species largely found in Northeast India and South-east Asia. The yellow-throated marten also called honey dog for its fondness for sweet food, is listed in the CITES III appendix in India.
The Himalayan Serow or the goat-antelope native to the Himalayas and Bangladesh has been listed as ‘near threatened’ by the IUCN Red list, due to hunting for food and habitat loss.
The diurnal and arboreal hoary-bellied squirrel is endemic to parts of South Asia is listed under the Schedule II of the Wildlife Protection Act.
“These species are new additions to those mentioned in the latest faunal records published by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), which mentions 53 species of mammals”, pointed out Tiwari.
“Earlier, there was hardly any information on VTR, even on the tiger”, pointed out Samir Kumar Sinha, who was earlier WTI’s Project Head in Bihar.
“These discoveries only go on to prove that VTR is on a revival path. VTR has excellent potential for tiger recovery and also given its contiguity with the Chitwan National Park in Nepal,” he said.
These species have been previously recorded in the Chitwan National Park, which forms the northern boundary of the VTR. The ZSI has recorded 10 species of amphibians, 27 species of reptiles and 75 species of insects in Valmiki, including gaur and Indian wild dog which are not found in rest of the Terai region in India.