Satpura Tiger Reserve’s Unusual Mascot:
Nanhi
Satpura Tiger Reserve
Satpura Tiger Reserve (STR), one of the largest Reserves of the country with a total area of 2133.31 sq kms, and located at the south of river Narmada, is a habitat of 52 species of mammals, 31 of reptiles and 300 species of birds, out of which 14 are endangered. STR also a habitat of arboreal mammals like Flying Squirrel, Indian Giant Squirrel and Leaf nosed bats. Eurasian Otter and Smooth coated Otter are also found here.
Based on its rich floral and faunal diversity, it was declared as the first Bio-sphere reserve of India in 1999. STR is a part of one of the largest Tiger habitats in the world extending over 10,000 sq.km. along with forest areas of Betul, Harda, Khandwa and Melghat forest divisions.
Nanhi
Nanhi is the
unusual mascot for STR. Many of India’s Tiger Reserves (TR) possibly have the
Royal Bengal Tiger as their mascot, but I haven’t checked, and could be wrong. STR’s
mascot is the Indian Giant Squirrel, affectionately named Nanhi, a Hindi word
used for a little girl, and for cute and delicate.
Pachmarhi
If you hadn’t
heard of STR, you might at least be familiar with Pachmarhi, the adorable
hill-station of Central India, also known as the Queen of the Satpuras.
During our
recent visit to Pachmarhi, climbing down the steps to visit Jatashankar Mahadev,
we spotted a few Nanhis feeding leisurely on top of the tall trees rising from
the gorge to the skies, and spotted a few more during the rest of our stay.
Mr. L.
Krishnamoorthy, Field Director; Mr. V.B. Singh, Asst. Dir; and other officials
of STR had very graciously facilitated our visits, including a jungle safari,
to the project area.
Indian Giant Squirrel (Ratufa indica)
After return
to Bhopal, I looked up the net to know more about the Indian Giant Squirrel
(IGS). It is India’s largest squirrel, and one of the largest in the world; also
called the Malabar Squirrel, and the Rainbow Squirrel owing to its vivid colour.
It has a life span of about 20 years; an average body length of 10’’ to 18’’ and a tail length of 16’’ to 24’’, can propel an impressive distance of 20 ft; and is diurnal, arboreal, and mainly herbivorous.
Though found
in several parts of the country, it is highly sensitive to environment
degradation. IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) mentions it
as a species of Least Concern.
Captain J Forsyth’s ‘splendid squirrel’
An extract from ‘The
Highlands of Central India’ by Captain J. Forsyth, Bengal Staff Corps. (London:
Chapman And Hall, Limited, 1889):-
“These
deep and gloomy dells that seam the Puchmurree block are the home of a splendid
squirrel (Sciurus maximus), measuring two and a half to three feet in length, and
of a rich, deep claret colour, with a blue metallic lusture on the upper parts
of the body, the lower parts being rufous yellow….
They
are easily captured in the nests when young, but make most foolish and
uninteresting pets, having a singularly vacant expression of countenance, and
nothing of the light-hearted vivacity of the other members of the squirrel
family. If an exquisite fur for a lady’s muff or a sporran is an object, some
pretty shooting may be had in knocking them off the tops of the high trees with
a small rifle.”
Captain
Forsyth did not think the Indian Giant Squirrel would make a good pet, but
considered its fur suitable for a lady’s accessory!
Mascot Selection
I asked Mr.
Suhas Kumar, a very knowledgeable retired Forest Service officer and a friend, ‘Why
was Nanhi picked as the mascot for Pachmarhi?’
‘Do you have
any reservation against it?’ he asked.
‘None,’ I said,
‘but Indian Giant Squirrel is not a threatened species; so, I’m curious as to
why it was chosen as the mascot.’
‘Anil Nagar,
a very capable forest officer, and then in charge of STR, proposed Nanhi as the
mascot. Forest department found it apt, and approved.
Project
Tiger is about conservation of forest as a holistic eco-system, and not merely
for the conservation of the tiger. Other animal species, the trees, and plants,
and even the terrain represent a specific eco-system. STR is one of the richest
bio-diverse protected areas.’
I got Mr
Nagar’s number from Suhas Kumar, and spoke with him. Mr Nagar has retired from the
Indian Forest Service, and now lives in Indore. He was happy to take my call.
‘My Guru,
Suhas Kumar Ji, had alerted me that you might call,’ he said.
He explained
at some length why he and his colleagues thought Nanhi was the best mascot for
this unique biosphere reserve.
‘Isn’t Nanhi
used for females?’
‘It is, but
it also connotes a cute baby.’
(Image Credit: Nanhi’s photo by Anil
Nagar, along with the following touching, poetic tribute:
मखमली लिबास, भीनी धूप और
नाजु़क डालियों की थरथराहट,
यूँ इठला के ना फुदको मोहतरमा,
इन पेड़ों में भी जान होती है।
- अnil नागर..)
‘We also created
a Butterfly Park, and created a cute logo for it. I’ll share it with you.’
‘I spent 10
years, about a third of my career looking after that amazing forest. I have many
fascinating photographs and countless memories.’
‘Looking
forward to meet you and have a leisurely chat soon,’ I said.
It was a delight
to speak with a passionate forester.
***
References:
- Explore Satpura – The Official short
film exploring tourism in Satpura Tiger Reserve by Madhya Pradesh Tiger Foundation Society; available at You Tube.
- Forest.mponline.gov.in
- National Tiger Conservation Authority (ntca.gov.in)
- A-Z Animals.com (https://a-z-animals.com/animals/indian-giant-squirrel/)
- Wikipedia
- ‘The Highlands of Central India’ by Captain J. Forsyth
***
Books by the Author
P.K. Dash has published the following books:
Short story collections:
Tell A Tale and Other Stories
Invisible Poet and Other Stories
The Mysterious Ladies and Other Stories
Fiction
Kathapur Tales
Essays
Pink Diamond and Other Essays
Self-Help
How To Be an Author in 7 Days: A Beginner’s Guide to Self- Publishing
Story books for children:
Cave of Joy: Anand Gufa
Two Tales, Three Tellers: A Fairytale & A Fable
Poetry
RIVER SONG and Other Poems
Songs of Soil: Selected Poems of an Unschooled Bard: Padma Shri Haladhar Nag
O Krishna, O Son! Yashoda’s Sublime Song of Sorrow
***
Note: Print copies of these books, except Pink Diamond and Other Essays, are available at amazon.in, notionpress.com, and flipkart.com. Ebooks are available at Amazon Kindle.
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