small mammal mail vol:1 no:1 jan-jul 2009

(combined) BAT NET - CCINSA Newsletter and Rat-A-Tattle - RISCINSA Newsletter

Conservation and Information Network of South Asia, Volume 1, Number 1, Jan-July 2009

Bats as SeasonalSources of Meat amongPoor ChepangsGandhiv Kafle and PrakashLimboo

Ethnozoology is the study to knowhow cultures use animal and animalbyproducts. It includesclassification and naming ofzoological forms, culturalknowledge and use of wild anddomestic animals. Ethnozoology isan interdisciplinary subject andcombines anthropological,cognitive and linguisticperspectives with naturalscientific approaches to thedescription and interpretation ofpeople’s knowledge and use ofanimals. The broader focus is onhow animals are perceived, usedand managed in human societies,including their use for food,medicine and personal adornment,as well as their use in divinationand ritual.

This article is based on rapid assessment carried out inSeptember 2008 on ethnozoology of bats in Chepangcommunity of Thumka village of Bhumlichowk VillageDevelopment Committee in Gorkha District of Nepal.Direct observation and key informants’ interview werethe major methods used in this study.

LIBIRD, Pokhara, [email protected]

Bat trap - net

Net infront of Chiuri tree

Newsletter celebrating the most useful yet most neglected Mammals

for CCINSA & RISCINSA -- Chiroptera, Rodent, Insectivore, & ScandensConservation and Information Networks of South Asia

Volume 1 Number 1 Jan -July 2009

(combined) BAT NET - CCINSA Newsletter and Rat-A-Tattle - RISCINSA NewsletterConservation and Information Network of South Asia, Volume 1, Number 1, Jan-July 2009

Chepangs are one of the tribalgroups with semi-nomadicexistence in Nepal. Most of themare still practicing traditionalmeans of subsistence such as foodgathering and hunting. Chepangslive in the Gorkha, Tanahun,Chitwan, Makawanpur and Dhadingdistricts. In Thumka VDC ofGorkha District, more than 40households of Chepangs live inpoor condition. Almost all of thehouseholds have ShiftingCultivation (SC) plots. Theypractice slash and burning of theexisting forests and shrubland insteep slopes and cultivate cerealcrops such as maize and bean.Most of them have no ownregistered land for cultivation.

The production from the SC sitesdoes not meets their annual fooddemand. To sustain their familyfor whole years, they do wagelabour and some of them havegone to Arab countries for jobs.In the past they leave the SCsites fallow for some years toregain the soil fertility butnowadays due to more fooddemand to sustain increasingnumber of family members, theyuse to cultivate the SC sitesregularly with no annual fallow. Ithas fueled up the landdegradation process in this area.

Chiuri (Bassia butyracea) treesare naturally found in forests ofThumka village. It flowers duringOctober and November. Thejuice in the flowers attracts thebats. Bats start to come at Chiuritrees after sunset, but morebetween 8-12 PM. Chepangs arefamiliar with this and they comeprepared for hunting bats in thistime. They use local materials toprepare net for bat trapping. Thebat trap consists of two bamboosticks of about 12-14 metres longand a net of thin plastic wire. Itsstructure is similar to mist net.Only one person is sufficient to

Key informant interview

Net infront of Chiuri tree

2


hold the bat traps – two bambooin two hands on cross-pattern.The net of the bat trap is keptexpanded in front of theflowering branches of the Chiuritree at about 5-8 metresdistance. When the bat comes tosuck flowers, it gets trapped inthe net. The hunter thencollapses/folds the net bybringing two bamboo sticks closertogether. They use two methodsto kill the trapped bats: byplucking the heart, and by bitingthe head. The latter method isrisky because of being bitten bybats. Few Chepangs also usecatapult to kill the bats in steeprocky slopes. They inform thatthe taste of its meat is very goodand is nutritive. Bats formseasonal sources of free meat tothe Chepangs. In the season, onehunter generally collects 3-5 batsa night. Chiuri trees are scarcenowadays. It is because whileconverting forest to shiftingcultivation site, the seedlings ofChiuri trees are generallyremoved. Still the arrival of thebats in remaining Chiuri trees ispromising. It seems essential toinitiate a detailed ethnozoologicalstudy of bats amongs Chepangs indifferent parts of the country tounderstand the relationshipbetween Chepangs, their cultureand bats. Thanks to LIBIRD forarranging the resources for thisshort survey.

ReferencesJohnson, L.M. (2002). Ethnobiology- Traditional Biological Knowledgein Contemporary Global Context.Anthropology 491 study guide,

Athabasca University. p. 71

“Hey! Is there batty tourist living in your home?” An old voice reachedmy ears from the footpath above the house compound. We were insidethe home waiting for dusk so that we could set mist nets afterunsuccessful efforts of the previous day. The old man did not wait fora response from the house residents but began to talk. “A fewyears ago, several bats could be seen in the surrounding area. Batsused to enter to our homes and lite down on our kerosene lamp andcandle. Peoples of the house used to be afraid of the biting of bats.The peoples used to say ‘bats urine damage the eye, so we killed manybats that entered to our houses for fear of bat borne blindness.Since that time Ive never seen or heard of a bat damaging peopleseye”. The man had no time to listen to other people . We were listeningwith great interest from inside. He didnt see us and we didnt ventureoutside, but we let their conversation flow and were entertained tohear his experience. The old ma further asked our house owner “Doyou know the bat cave of the next hill behind the river? I sawthousands of bats there in my childhood. There was tons of crap in thecave. But I heard that there are no bats these days! Where theygone?” (Dhan Khane Muso chot paune Bhyaguto -a Nepali sayingmeansing “Mice destroy the rice, frog getting punishment”.)Meanwhile another adult man came and joined in their talking. Hesaid, “Young boys kills many bats these days too. He One boy had along bamboo stick in hand, foraging bat. At the same time, anotherboy attacks it with a stick and enjoys killing it. People believe the fleshof bat is good to cure the bloody urine problem in cows, buffaloes andox, and even to cure asthma of man. Last year, I fed a few bats to mycowbut unfortunately the cow live no longer”. After half an hour talk,

Bat Story from Eastern Himalaya, Nepal

Email: [email protected]. (Writer is the principal Researcher of the batresearch project at Eastern Himalaya funded by CEPF-WWF, Nepal)

Author holding Least Leaf Nosed bat (Hipposideros cinneraceus) captured atthe house yard of Sulubung - Tari, Ilam District of Eastern Nepal during

November, 2008

Indian False Vampire BatMagaderma lyra

3


Researchers sharing knowledge of the bat and their ecological importance with thestudent and teachers of Kanchenjunga Higher Secondary School Yamphudin-

Taplejung

they ended their bat stories andmoved to their destination. I wasdisappointed with the peoplesexperience. I felt these peoplecould make a significantcontribution for biodiversityconservation and ecologicaltransformation if they knew whatto do. They were unaware of theimportance of bat fauna but havevery interesting experience. As aresearcher, it should be our dutyto teach them the real story ofbats.

This story was documented duringa field trip of “Bat diversity hotspots and its conservationimplication” a project ongoing inMakalu and KanchenjungaSinghalila complex in easternHimalaya. The project hadfinancial support from CriticalEcosystems Partnership Fund(CEPF) in collaboration of WorldWildlife Fund, Nepal. Wesurveyed the bats at Danabari,Chisapani sector, Maipokhari,Sulubung, Maimajuwa, Pyang-jamuna-mabu sector of Ilamdistrict and Yampudin sector ofTaplejung on this trip. Wecaptured t bats from caves,abandoned buildings, temples,human dwellings, schools,wetlands, forests, and bananacultivation with the use of mistnets, scoop nets and harp traps.The bat echolocation sound wasrecorded with the help of Bat-detector for microchiropteranbats. About 22 bat caves werevisited but only 9 of them werefound with bats during our onemonth visit. The entire remainingcaves contained many kilograms ofold bat guano with no single batindicating them as past batroost . Most of the cavescontained partly burned woodenpieces and coals which tell thehistory of cave. Till date,Cynopterus sphinx, Rousettusleschelnaulti, Megaderma lyra,Hipposideros armiger, RhinolophusPussilus, R. Ferrenquinum,Pipistrelus pipistrellus

Miniopterus schrebersi,scotophilous spp. were identifiedwith the help of morphometricanalysis Still some data is underanalysis for suspected myotis,pipistrellus & Hipposiderosspecies. In our guess, the studysite must be a site for twothreatened bats namely; Myotislongipes (kasmir cave bats) andMyotis sicarious (Mendellismouse-eared bats) due to theexisting ecological similarity totheir originally reported sites.Hereafter, Myotis longipes iscurrently reclassified as theMyotis csorbai (Csorbais NepaleseBat), and believed endemic toNepal. We aim to find the statusof these species along with theoverall bat survey.

Peoples response on setting firesin the caves seemed due toconflict with a porcupine- likesmall- mammal which destroystheir crops yearly. In reality, thecaves are not the primary nestingarea of porcupine; it there is onlyan emergency hideout to protectthem from angry farmers. Our

present evaluation of the studyarea is the need of a batconservation awareness programamong ignorant farmers andchildren to stop further anti- batactivities. Since most of thestudents were found to involve toaimless hunt of bats, they need tobe taught different behaviour.The problem of using bat flesh tofeed or cure domestic animals bythe farmers is seems verydangerous. They were foundfeeding the uncooked bat fleshmixing with fodder. It maytransmit several bat bornezoonotic disease likeleptospirosis, rabies, and severalviral disease.

Bicoloured Leaf-nosed BatHipposideros fulvus

4


Contents

Bats as Seasonal Sources of Meat among Poor Chepangs, Gandhiv Kafle and PrakashLimboo, Pp. 1-3

Bat Story from Eastern Himalaya, Nepal, Pushpa Raj Acharya, Pp. 3-4

Notes on Greater False Vampire bat from Lawachara N.P., Bangladesh, MohammadAbdul Aziz, Pp. 6-7

Additional Sightings of Pteropus colonies in plains of Eastern Nepal, Sanjan Bdr.Thapa, P. 8

Notes on Indian Flying Fox (Pteropus giganteus) roosts in Bangladesh, Monsur Rahman& M. A. Aziz, P. 9

Bats and People: Harmony with Conflict, Sanjeev Kumari Paul, Rajender Paul, HarshMitter, Labh Singh, G.S. Chandel, P. 10

Species diversity and distribution of bat in Panchase region of Nepal, Achyut Aryal,and Sanat Kumar Dhungel, Pp. 11-14

Awareness Programme makes a difference in Madan Pokhara Valley, Nepal, HariAdhikari, Pp. 15-16

Status and Conservation of Indian Flying Fox (Pteropus giganteus Sign.) Roosts inKarnataka, Chakravarthy, A.K., Thyagaraj,N.E and.Yeshwanth H.M, Pp. 17-20

Announcing Bats in Captivity Volume 1: Biological and Medical Aspects, the first of afour-volume series covering all aspects of bat care, P. 21-22

Amazing Bat Facts from around the world, Susan Barnard, (http://www.basicallybats.org/basicallybats/index.html), P. 23

Merlin Tuttle: he has given the name Batman a whole new meaninghttp://www.batcon.org/news2/scripts/newsletter.asp?newsletterID=58, Pp. 24-25

Field Training and Bat Exploration by Bat Friends, Niroj Man Shrestha, Pp. 26-27

Progress of ongoing Project PteroCount www.pterocount.org, Sanjay Molur, P. 28

Long Saga of Finding South Asian Bat Photos - still pending, P. 29

Two Training Workshops for 2009, P. 29

Recent Observations of Nicobar Tree Shrew Tupaia nicobarica (Zelebor, 1869) onGreat Nicobar, Island Satish Pande, Niranan Sant, and Shivkumar Pednekar, Pp. 30-31

Mating behaviour of Jungle Striped Squirrel Funambulus tristriatus at Kodanad,Ernakulam District, Kerala, Smitha. K. Komath, P. 32

Sighting of Long eared and Indian hedgehog at Morkhakhra - (Khanpur Range,Panchmahals) Gujarat, Virag R Vyas, Jayendra J Lakhmapurkar and Deepa Gavali, Pp.33-34

Occurrence of Indian Bush Rat (Golunda ellioti) and Spiny Field Mouse (Musplatythrix) in Tiruchirappalli district, TN, India, P. Sakthivel and P. Neelanarayanan,Pp. 35-36

Opportunistic Scavenging by Lesser Bandicoot Bandicota bengalensis (Gray &Hardwicke) in Gulab Bagh Zoo, Udaipur, Rajasthan, Satish Kumar Sharma, P. 36

CCINSA and RISCINSA members, Pp. 37-45Sm

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Introduction: The genus Megaderma (Geoffroy,1810) is a taxon of Old World bats confined to thetropics of Africa, Asia and Australia. This genusincludes two species with wide geographical rangesfrom Afghanistan to the Molucca Islands (Koopman,1993). The family Megadermatidae of the genusMegaderma is an ancient family of carnivorous batswhich includes four genera and five species (Hill andSmith, 1984). Twenty-nine species of bats werereported to occur in Bangladesh (IUCN Bangladesh,2000) among 123 South Asian bat species (Walkerand Molur, 2003). The number of bat species inBangladesh so far reported varied from 16 to 38(Bates and Harrison, 1997; Sarkar and Sarkar, 1988,2005; Khan, 2001; Molur et al., 2002; Srinivasulu andSrinivasulu, 2005). The status of bat speciesassessed in the Red Book of Threatened Mammals ofBangladesh has just revealed the lacunae in ourknowledge (83% data deficient) on this volant andleast studied mammalian species. The presentinvestigation has attempted to provide some crucialfield observations on its status and distribution forthe first time from Lawachara NP, Bangladesh.

Study area: The Lawachara National Park, issituated within 24o30´- 24ο32’ N and 91ο37´- 91ο39´E coordinates and is a part of the once WestBhanugach Forest Reserve. The current notifiedarea of the park covers 1250 hectares including 281hectares proposed area from the West BhanugachForest Reserve. Two ethnic Khasia villages (with 40and 23 households) are located inside the park sincelong. There are 15 houses including forest staffresidences, offices and research organizations inthe park areas. About half of them have beenabandoned for long. These deserted housesprovided a good place for many cryptic wild animalsof the park including bats. The semi-evergreenforest has a rich floral diversity of about 107 plantspecies (Leech and Ali, 1997; Feeroz, 1999; Aziz,2007). The canopy height of forest varies from 10to 30 metres (Feeroz, 1999). The park area ispopulated with 12 species of amphibians, 27 reptiles,93 birds, and 32 mammals (Aziz, 2007). Theaverage maximum temperature was recorded inMarch (33.6°C) and the highest rainfall in June (456mm) (Aziz, 2007).

Methods: Field visits were conducted in theLawachara National Park between September 2005and June 2006. Mist nets were used for trappingbats in different habitat types (Aziz et al., 2007).Two 1.5 inch-meshed mist nets (20 X 12 and 10 X 30feet) were used. These nets were deployed in thefive representative areas covering forest corridor,

bamboo patch, palm tree patch, ethnic homesteads(forest villages inside the park) and near forestsstaff houses, between 17.30 and 19.30 hours. Mistnets were deployed for seven trap nights in theabove mentioned habitat types covering 22 nettinghours. We netted two nights by using two nets at atime in the same study site of ethnic homesteadsand forest staff house and one night with one netfor rest of the study sites. Bats were collectedfrom the net as soon as they were trapped. Batswere then measured, photographed and releasedimmediately. A slide calipers and digital balancewere used for taking measurements.

Observations: A total of seven individuals ofMegaderma lyra were caught and five escaped fromthe net from two of five netting sites. The foreststaff houses which have been abandoned and onehouse in ethnic village inside the forest were usedby this bat as shelter or colony sites. The foreststaff house was made up of corrugated tin sheets asroof and walls made of woven bamboo and woodenmaterials. Traditionally, this house also roofed withextra bamboo-woven roof under the tin to keep thehouse cool during hot summer. On the other hand,most of the ethnic houses were almost similar instructure except for the mud floor. M. lyra wasfound to come out from the spaces between tin shedand the bamboo woven roof. They used smallopening between upper tin shed and lower bamboo-woven roof for coming out from their roost. Therewere, however, no trappings of this bat besidesshort-nosed fruit bats in the other three nettingsites, viz., forest corridor, bamboo patch and palmtree patch. Brosset (1962), however, mentionedcaves, temples, forts, dilapidated old buildings andunderground tunnels as its diurnal roosts in India.

The greater false vampire fled out of their roostafter the short-nosed fruit bat from the samehouse. Between 20 and 40 minutes after sunset,they came out of the roosting places. Three batswere caught near the forest staff houses and therest four in the ethnic homesteads. The averagecatching rate was 1.23 individuals net/hour. Theother bat species caught during this study wereCynopterus sphinx, and Pipistrellus coromandra.

The robust and stout bodied Greater False Vampirebat reacted aggressively after getting trapped inthe net. The first action was to bite the entanglednet around the body and then to cut it out. Surpris-

Notes on Greater False Vampire Bat from Lawachara N.P., BangladeshMohammad Abdul Aziz*

*Assistant Professor, Department of Zoology,Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka 1342,Bangladesh

6


ingly, five individuals freedthemselves. Its sharp, pointedincisors made it possible promptly.Observing this behaviour, Iturned the net down immediatelyafter a bat gets trapped in thenet. The prominent and amazingfeature was its big oval earsjoined just above the forehead.Another prominent structurewhich characterizes and separ-ates this species from others wasits erected noseleaf with longi-tudinal ridges. The wings werebroad. The face and upper cheekswere hairy with naked snout. Thebody was uniformly grey andfaintly painted with brown. Theaverage head-body length, wingspan and ear length were 84.02mm (range = 79.02 - 85.09 mm;SD = 6.03; N = 7), 421.5 mm(range: 401 = 434 mm; SD = 28;N= 7), and 39.01 mm (range:35.02- 42.04 mm; SD = 2.2; N = 7)respectively.

The space used as daytime roostin the forest staff house wassearched with the help of localassistance. The remnants of foodfound out there provided someimportant feeding habits of thisspecies which included legs offrogs, insects, ants, and tails ofwall lizards, etc. However, anarray of food items like beetles,insects, wall lizards, fishes, birds,etc., eaten was recordedelsewhere (Brosset, 1962; Advani,1981).

Conclusion: Present notes on thegreater false vampire bat aresignificantly important not only asthe first record from the areabut also to provide information onits status and behaviouralaspects. The deserted houses inthe park should be maintained intheir present condition. Throughsurvey should be carried out inevery possible area to know moreabout this least studiedchiropteran fauna along with thefalse vampire bat of Bangladesh.

ReferencesAdvani, R. (1981). Seasonal fluctuations inthe feeding behaviour of the Indian falsevampire, Megaderma lyra lyra (Chiroptera:Megadermatidae) in Rajasthan.Zeitschrift Saugetierk. 46 (2): 90-93.Aziz, M.A., A.H.M.A. Reza, M.K. Hasan,Tonchanga, P.K., A. Sarker, K.M.Atiquzzaman, S. Dutta, Makayching, and -K.M.Z. Rahaman (2007). Some notes onthree species of bats of JahangirnagarUniversity, Bangladesh. Zoos Print Journal26: 2729-2731.Aziz, M.A. (2007). Utilization of forestflora by the mammalian fauna of theLawachara National Park, Bangladesh.Unpubl. M.Phil. thesis, Department ofZoology, Jahangirnagar University, DhakaBrosset, A. (1962). The bats of centraland western India. Part II. JournalBombay nat. Hist. Soc. 59:1-57.Bates, P.J.J. and D.L. Harrison (1997).Bats of the Indian Subcontinent. HarrisonZool Museum, Kent, England. pp. xvi+ 258.Feeroz, M.M. (1999). Ecology andbehaviour of the pig-tailed macaque(Macaca nemestrina leonina) in Bangla-desh. Unpubl. Ph.D. thesis. University ofCambridge, Cambridge, UK.Geoffroy, E. (1810). Sur les phyllostomeset les megadermes. Annales Mus. Hist.nat. Paris. 15: 157-198.Hill, J.E. and J.D. Smith (1984). Bats: Anatural history. British Museum (NaturalHistory). 243 pp.IUCN Bangladesh (2000). Red Book ofThreatened Mammals of Bangladesh. -IUCN Bangladesh Country Office, Dhaka,Bangladesh. xii+71 pp.Khan, M.A.R. (2001). Status anddistribution of bats in Bangladesh withnotes on their ecology. Zoos Print Journal.16 (5): 479-483.Koopman, K.F. (1993). Chiroptera (137-241p) In: Mammal Species of the World: a

taxonomic and geographic reference (eds.)Wilson, D.E. & Reeder, D.M. 2nd edition,Smithsonian Institution Press,Washington. 137-241pp.Leech, J. and S.S. Ali (1997). ExtendedNatural Resources Survey: Part IV – plantand animals species lists. GoB/WB ForestResources Management Project, TechnicalAssistance Component. MandalaAgricultural Development Corporation,Dhaka, Bangladesh.Molur, S., G. Marimuthu, C. Srinivasulu, S.Mistry, A. M. Huston, P.J.J. Bates, SWalker, K. Padma Priya and A. R. Binu Priya(eds.) (2002). Status of South AsianChiroptera-Conservation Assessment andManagement Plan (C.A.M.P.) WorkshopReport 2002. Zoo Outreach Organization,CBSG-South Asia and WILD, Coimbatore,India. Viii+141pp+CD-Rom.Sarker, S.U. and N.J. Sarker (1988).Wildlife of Bangladesh – A systematicList. Rico Printers, Dhaka,xix+59 pp.Sarker, S.U. and N.J. Sarker (2005). Batsof Bangladesh with notes on the status,distribution and habitat. BATNET -CCINSA Newsletter. 6(1): 19-20.Srinivasulu, C. and B. Srinivasulu (2005). Areview of chiropteran diversity ofBangladesh. BatNet, CCINSA Newsletter,6 (2): 5-11pp.Walker, S. and S. Molur (compliers)(2003). Summary of the status of SouthAsian Chiroptera. Extracted from theCAMP 2002 Report. Zoo OutreachOrganization, CBSG, South Asia andWILD, Coimbatore, India. 1-24 pp.

Acknowledgements: Author greatlyacknowledges Jahangirnagar Universityfor providing grant research scholarshipfor this study. I would like to appreciatethe assistance in the field provided by theWildlife Research Group of JahangirnagarUniversity.

Greater False Vampire Bat

7


During September-December I visited some newPteropus colonies at new areas of Terai (Plain) ofEastern Nepal. A population of about 2000individuals roosting on four silk cotton trees(Bombax ceiba), Simal in Nepalese was found atGadheri Tole, Prakashpur-7, Sunsari district. “Thecolony existed from ten years”-says Mr. Shyam Pal,the trees owner. He added, he resisted manyhunters from hunting as his family takes bats leavingat his compound as Good luck. Although, two werekilled for curing some patients of Asthma. He says,“But, I don’t know the flying fox cures asthma ornot”. A group from Shantinagar, Prakashpur mayhave immigrated this year after the roost (simaltree) was cut down. A colony at the Mrigkunj ofKoshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve, existing a few yearsago has shifted there.

A population of 2000-3000 individuals stay at Jhapa,Taaghandubba-5, formerly headquarter of Jhapadistrict (N 26° 17' 35.8'’, E 88° 08' 52.8'’) at anelevation of 62m. A population of 1000-1500individuals were seen hanging on Siris tree (Albiziasp.) at Kuwari Devi Tea Estate and the remaining on aBan Peepal tree (Sapium insigne) aside.

The locals (Rajbanshi), an ethnic group called flyingfox as chamachil. Satar, another ethnic indigenousgroup kills them for food and medicine. It’s theirfavorite recipe. They remove the skin and dissectout alimentary canal, fry and mix with spices andpickles. The dish is ready.

According to Ghanshyam Choudhary, a staff atRatuamai Reforestration Project Office, Kerkha, asmall population of flying fox remains at Chitlangadh,South from Dudhe.

During my project field visit to Koshi Tappu WildlifeReserve Headquarter, Kusaha, Sunsari, a few armymen of Sri Box Coy, Kusaha informed bats presenceat Nepal Army Eastern Division Headquarters,Itahari, Sunsari district. I visited the place on 8thApril. The ptero-camp can be divided into threeblocks viz; West-North, East-North and Southernblocks. In West-North block an estimation of 395individuals were roosting in 22 trees i.e. 12 Sisso, sixTeaks, each of Simal, Peepal, Kadam and Siris.Maximum population were roosting at Simal andPeepal trees. In East-North block around 290individual roosts in five trees i.e. three Jamun andeach of Sisso and Siris. Maximum number can beseen in Siris. In Southern block about 25 individualswere seen in four Sisso and only five in two largeSimal.

Additional Sightings of Pteropus colonies in plains of Eastern NepalSanjan Bdr. Thapa*

*Central Department of Zoology, Tribhuvan University,Kirtipur, Kathmandu, Nepal

Two large colonies at Taaghandubba, Jhapa:upon Siris down; on Ban peepal

A Pteropus colony at Gadheri Tole, Prakashpur-7

Pterocamp at Itahari

AcknowledgementPtero-camp at ItahariI would like to acknowledge family of Nepal Army,Eastern Division Headquarter, Itahari, Sunsaridistrict, Nepal for their co-operation.

8


An opportunistic surveywas carried out on theroosts of Indian FlyingFox (Pteropus giganteus)located in differentareas of Bangladeshduring 2008-2009. Datawere recorded onspecific roost locations,and some withgeographical positions,surrounding habitattypes where roost treesare located along withroosting trees and roostsize. We used directand branch countingmethods to determineroost size. However,present results are partof an on-going researchand observations are onprogress.

We have come across anarray of threats tothese roosts, viz.,disturbance by localpeople, cutting down theroosting trees, unwillingto support bat roostwithin communities dueto damage of homesteadfruits, and destructionof surrounding habitatsdue to development ofsettlements andinfrastructures. Masslevel awareness amonglocal people andlegislative measurescould help survive theseroosts in the long-run.

Notes on Indian Flying Fox (Pteropus giganteus) roosts in BangladeshMonsur Rahman* & M.A. Aziz**

*M.Sc. Research student, Department of Zoology,Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka 1342, Bangladesh**Assistant Professor, Department of Zoology,Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka 1342, Bangladesh;<[email protected]>

Sl.

No.

Location Hab itat types

around the roost

GPS coordinates Roosting tree(s)/bat

roost

Roost si ze

1 Vill : Khubjipur Union: Khubjipur Thana: Gurudashpur Dist: Natore

Large bamboo patches within urban areas

24°23'26.88"N 89°15'21.54"E

Bambusa tulda 330-360

2 Vill : Vadash Union: Tarash Thana: Tarash Dist: Sirajganj

Graveyard located behind homesteads

24°26'8.60"N 89°22'20.51"E

Ficus bengalensis, Bambosa tulda, Mangifera indica, Dalbergia sissoo

375-425

3 Vill : Monoherpur Union: Baruhash Thana: Tarash Dist: Sirajganj

Bank of pond close to home yard

24°28'36.65"N 89°18'49.55"E

Eucalyptus sp. 45-55

4 Vill : Dighuria Union: Baruhash Thana: Tarash Dist: Sirajganj

Backyard of house within homesteads

24°29'6.64"N 89°17'25.80"E

Tamarindus indica 9

5 Vill : Baragram Union: Biyash Thana: Singra Dist: Natore

Near a pond within urban communites

24°30'33.92"N 89°17'30.14"E

Ficus infectoria 125-135

6 Vill : Talam Union: Talam Thana: Tarash Dist: Sirajganj

Homesteads close to large water bodies

24°30'1.26"N 89°19'36.46"E

Ficus bengalensis 175-225

7 Vill : Binodpur Union: Binshara Thana: Tarash Dist: Sirajganj

On the bank of a pond in village

24°27'0.07"N 89°19'11.77"E

Ficus bengalensis, Borassus flabell ifer

185-200

8 Boldha garden Dist: Dhaka

Botanical garden in old Dhaka city

-- Tectona grandis, Albizia lucida

170-190

9 Vill : Hardinz, Kathal tola Union: Dhamrai Thana: Dhamrai Dist: Dhaka

Fallow land close to homesteads

-- Samanea saman, Albizia lucida

400-450

10 Vill : Kandapara Union: Kaliahoripur Thana: Sirajganj Dist: Sirajganj

Beside pond within homesteads

-- Tamarindus indica 375-425

11 Vill : Tilokpur Union: Lalpur Thana: Lalpur Dist: Natore

Beside Highway

--

Ficus Bengalensis

420-475

12 Vill : Sadarpur Union: Pathalia Thana: Savar Dist: Dhaka

Beside graveyard close to house

23°52'59.78"N 90°15'31.30"E

Tamarindus indica, Bambusa tulda

180-220

9


Kullu, a hilly district of northern India, also known asthe valley of gods, has got so many attractions liketourism, horticulture, beautiful locations, temples,unique local culture, shawls, river beds, GreatHimalayan National Park etc. The local people rearanimals like sheep, goat, cattle, dogs, equines andbuffaloes etc. The beautiful birds like Monal,Western Tragopan and animals like leopards, bearsand Gorals form an attractive component of the wildlife of this area. There are also birds like crows,pigeons, and sparrows etc. which live commonly inthe residential areas. At places where there is co-existence of humans and animals, we may also findhuman-animal conflicts of varying kinds and degrees.In this area also we observed various kinds ofhuman-animal conflicts like human-stray cattleconflict (very common), human-stray dog conflict(very common), human-stray equine conflict(occasional), human-leopard conflict (occasional),human-monkey conflict (common), human-bearconflict (occasional), human-snake conflict(occasional) etc. In all these kinds of conflicts,people often try to resolve the conflicts in legal,humane or sometimes also inhumane and illegal waysto get rid of the problems.

Amongst all these situations of human-animalconflict in this area, we also observe a marvelousexample of “living in harmony with conflict”during the time period from last week of April uptoOctober every year.

The Fruit bats Pteropus giganteus species roostevery year during this part of year at Shamshi inthe campus of GHNP and Parvati forest division onthe trees of Populus and Alnus species. The nearbyflowing river Beas, plenty of Populus trees & enoughspace in the campus, fruits in the surrounding area,congenial climate and of course negligible humandisturbance are the probable attractions thatcompel them to roost at this site every year.

These flying mammals start migrating here duringthe last week of April, live here for about sixmonths and start migrating out of this location inthe month of October.

Although bats do not attack human beings directly,the residents still face some trouble such as are inthe form of typical continuous chap-chap noise, riskof zoonoses, soiling of the ground with bat faecesand the nuisance that they feel most unbearable isthe damage to fruit crops.

Bats and People: Harmony with ConflictSanjeev Kumari Paul*, Rajender Paul*, Harsh Mitter**, Labh Singh**, G.S. Chandel***

*Veterinary Polyclinic Bhuntar, Kullu, H. P., India**Great Himalayan National Park, Shamshi, Kullu, H.P., India ***Parvati Forest Division, Shamshi, Kullu, H.P., India

The farmers feel irritated when they see the batseating and spoiling fruits but still we do not observeanybody harming or killing the bats perhaps becausethey do understand their role and importance inpollination, eating insects along with the fruits andreducing breeding places for the insects (over-ripenfruits etc.) that otherwise might cause more damagedirectly and indirectly to the people of area in theabsence of these flying foxes.

This example of harmonious living in human-animalconflict can be a sign of relief for the peopleworking on wildlife conservation.

10


IntroductionBats are the second most diverse order of mammalsworldwide, with close to 1,000 described species(Koopman, 1993). Although they are one of thelargest groups of mammals in overall abundance, withthe exception of man and possibly rodents (Nicole D,Noel S., 1977), they remain poorly studied andmisunderstood in most parts of the world. They arealso the most relatively inconspicuous only becausethey are active by night, hidden by day and wary ofhuman contact (Malla, 2000).

The Order Chiroptera is comprised of 18 families,approximately 202 genera (Shrestha, 1997), andclose to 1001 recognized species throughout theworld (Koopman, 1993). In Nepal, some 50 speciesare known to live and breed (Walker and Molur,2003). Bats are systematically classified into twosuborders: Megachiropterans are the Old-Worldfruit bats and Microchiropterans are predominatelyinsectivorous bats (Koopman, 1993). Megachiropteracontains a single family (Pteropodidae), 42 genera,and 167 species which are mainly comprised offrugivorous bats. Microchiroptera consists of 16families, 135 genera, and 834 species. Althoughmany microchiropterans feed on non-insect prey, allmembers of Microchiroptera probably originatedfrom an insectivorous ancestor. It is worthmentioning that the taxonomy of Microchiroptera isconstantly being revised, as new species arediscovered and described.

Bats have been reported from almost all thegeographical areas of the world, except for theArctic, Antarctic, extreme desert areas, and a fewisolated oceanic islands (Mickelburgh et. al., 1992;Hustson et. al., 2001). Bats are distributed mainlyalong the tropical belt of both the “Old” and “New”World, and it was probably within the tropics thatthey developed their present variety of species andforms. Hence, the greatest diversity of bat speciesis found near the Equator in the warm, tropicalclimates. A few families have been successful inextending their ranges into the northern andsouthern temperate zones. However, the number ofspecies living in these temperate zones decrease aslatitude increases.

Bats continue to be among the most misunderstoodand feared animals in human society. Many peoplestill view bats as sinister, eerie and demoniccreatures. Unfortunately, this reputation hascaused bats harm and ill-treatment throughout theworld. This superfluous fear and superstition has

contributed to the almost total destruction ofseveral bat species, and has threatened theexistence of many others (Phuyal, 2005).

Bats are natural insect predators and plantpollinators, and have been very beneficial to thehuman economy and the natural environment onwhich we depend. It has been estimated that acolony of just 150 Big Brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus)can eat enough cucumber beetles each summer toprotect local farmers from 33 million root worms.These insect pests cost the United Statesgovernment billions of dollars annually (BatConservation International). Bats also devourmosquitoes in our own backyards, and help keep vastnumbers of night flying insects in balance.Additionally, bat dropping (guano) in caves supportswhole ecosystems of unique organisms, includingbacteria that are useful in detoxifying wastes,improving detergents and producing gasohol andantibiotics. Consequently, bats are extremelyimportant for the economies of developing countrieslike Nepal.

Why BAT Conservation in Panchase?Government of Nepal is established Department ofNational Parks and Wildlife Conservation area forthe conservation of endangered flora and fauna.These flora and fauna are depleted day by day dueto over exploitation, pollution, habitat destruction,poaching and human and livestock pressure in itshabitat (MDO/UNDP, 2006). Government of Nepalis not able to protect these animals outsides of theprotected area due to lack of sufficient manpowerand budget and the present country situation.Panchase is one to the most important biodiversity

Species diversity and distribution of bat in Panchase region of NepalAchyut Aryal*, and Sanat Kumar Dhungel**

The Biodiversity Research and Training Forum (BRTF)Nepal *Corresponding Authors: [email protected]

Figure 1 : Bat Distribution in Panchase region: GIS Map

: Bat Distribution in

11


hotspot of Nepal and proposed Protected Area ofNepal. Panchase forest provide significant habitatfor the different flora and fauna, mostly bat. Thisis a most potential site for bat research andconservation which has not been documented byearlier research work. Therefore this study was toexplore the present status of bat in the wild, itsdistribution area and local people’s perceptiontowards conservation of bat in the Panchase area.Approximately 36,759 people who live in this area(Gurung, Brahmin/Chhetri, Bishwakarma, Nepali,Pariyar and some Newar and Magar) depend on thePanchase forest for firewood/timber/livestockgrazing and illegal poaching. These activitiesdirectly affect the wildlife. They think, in case ofbat it is value less and they don’t seems to know itsimportance. The habitat of bat and its fruit plantsare deforested by local people for fuel wood andtimber, as well as many caves of Panchase area usedby livestock header. They use fire in the cave forremoving bat, and making shelter for their livestockand themselves (MDO/UNDP, 2006). Therefore,the present study was able to indentify the presentbat species diversity and distribution in Panchaseregion of Nepal which will support to furthermanagement of those species in the region.

Panchase Forest and regionThe Panchase Forest is located at the nexus of thedistricts of Kaski, Parbat and Syangja, in thewestern region of Nepal. Panchase Forest is aBiodiversity hotspot, a national forest, and thusowned by Government of Nepal. It is managed bythe DFOs and the Ministry of Forestry and SoilConservation (MFSC). The Panchase Forest isbordered by 10 Village Development Committees(VDCs) spread across Kaski, Parbat and SyangjaDistricts.

Panchase ForestPanchase forest starts from 1450m to 2517m. Theforest is sub-tropical and temperate mixedevergreen forest. The region is very rich in plantsdiversity. Red rhododendron and orchids ofdifferent species are the major blossoming plants.400 species of orchids are found in Nepal. Out ofwhich 112 species are available in Panchase area.Among them, 3 species are available nowhere in theworld. The total area of Panchase forest is 45.93 sqkm. The forest nearby the settlement and thelower part of Panchase forest has becomecommunity forest as per conservation policy. At

Table 6: Bat species diversity in Panchase region,Nepal

Species Scientific name

Asiatic Greater Yellow House Bat Scotophilus heathii Fulvous Fruit B at Rousettus leschenault i Himalayan Whiskered Bat Myotis siligorensis Horseshoe Bat Rhinolophus pusillus

Andersen's Leaf-nosed Bat Hipposideros pomona Nepalese Whiskered Bat Myotis muricola

Short-Nosed Fruit Bat Cynopterus sphinx Hodgson's Bat Myotis formosus

S.N. Place V.D.C. Type of Places

1 Alapeshor Gufa Thuli Pokhari- Parbat Cave

2 Malangdi River Pipal Gachi-Parbat Canal of Malangdi River

3 Phalebans Sanakha Pokhari-9, Parbat Reservoir of Phalebans canal 4 Tuni Khola Kalidaha Wangsing-9- Syangja Den/Cave

5 Dhundure Khola Wangsing-2- Syangja Sloppy Area

6 Tareveer CF Arther Dandakharkha-6- Syangja Sloppy Area/cave

7 Rapu Ward-4 Pamja Deurali- Parbat Banana Leaf 8 Dableswara-5 Arther Dandakharkha- Parbat Bamboo clump, Prunus tree

9 Bharuwaswara-5 Arther Dandakharkha-Parbat Bamboo Clump

10 Tareja-4 Bange Phadke-syangja Ceiling of live stock shed 11. Harpan Bhadaure Tamagi, Kaski Cave

12. Tamagi Village Bhadaure Tamagi, Kaski Cliff/cave

13. Bhadaure Deurali Bhadarue Tamagi, Kaski Tree roosting

Table 1: Bat distribution: main potential areas

12


Figure 3: Buffalo (4 months old) horn chewing by bats

Figure 1:Rhinolophus pusillus in panchase cave Figure 2: Rhinolophus pusillus in Panchase Cave

Figure 1: buffalo (4 months old old) horn chowing by bats

13


present, 68.69% forest is under protected forestand the rest of the forest managed by community ascommunity forest. There are two patches ofPanchase protected forest, one is at and around thepeak and the other is in Pumdibhumdi. The panchaseprotected forest located in Pumdibhumdi will beconverted to community forest.

Methodology: Distribution Area of Bats (roosting)in Panchase regionThe distribution area was identified on the basis ofdirect observation, cave survey, and from interviewof local herders and other knowledgeable person(key informants). These preliminary information willbe vital to find out potential bat roost areas, thatwill also be visited later to confirm the presence ofbats. In addition, the local people in the area wereformally interviewed to confirm any particular batroosts in their area. Confirmed roosting localitieswere recorded using a Global Positioning System(GPS) unit. (In the case of inaccessible roosts, aGPS location was taken at the closest accessiblepoint to the bat roost). Besides, villagers wereasked about their attitude towards bats, formallyand informally. Conclusions concerning potentialthreats were drawn out at formal and informalquestioning.

GIS Distribution MapBased on GPS Point and topographical map of theproject area, bat distribution maps were prepared.Data were collected during field visit, a batdistribution map of Panchase region was createdusing Arc GIS 9.3. (Fig.1)

Results and DiscussionBat Species and DistributionTrees with roosting bats were distributed in allVDCs of Panchase region, every village of Panchaseregion has recorded bat in surrounding the house inlate evening, especially summer time. Total 5 caveswere identified but only three caves had bats in it.Other caves did not have bat because of fire insidethe cave by livestock headers and MAOIST party(during political conflict time) for their shelter.Panchase forest harbours more tree roosting batthan caves roosting bats. Generally bats weredistributed in all village area of Panchase region.Bats regularly come to villagers homes and livestockshed, and they are reported always chew the hornsof young buffalo and cow, a reason why local peopledon’t like bats.

Panchase region provides important habitat of batdiversity. Because of different microclimate inPanchase region there is high diversity of bat. On

the basis of field survey we found 8 species of batin Panchase region, however, more bats should bepresent. An inventory is required to know thespecies present in this area. From the presentstudy it can be concluded that only 10% of speciesfound in this area has been recorded from Panchaseregion so future study on species diversity should bethe priority research on bats for this region.

References:Koopman K.F. (1993). Chiroptera. In mammalspecies of the world: a taxonomic and geographicreference. (eds.) Wilson, D.E. & Reeder, D.M. 2nd

edition. Smithsonian institution press, Washington.(Cited in T. Ritto et. al. 2005)

Malla Rojan (2000). Diet Analysis of Hipposiderosarmiger and Rhinolophus pusillus (Microchiroptera)of Nagarjuna Cave. A thesis submitted to CentralDepartment of Zoology Tribhuvan University inpartial fulfillment of the requirement of the Masters degree of Science (M. Sc.) in Zoology

MDO/UNDP (2006). Panchase BiodiversityManagement Project. UNDP/GEF/SGP/MDO.

Mikelburgh, S.P., A.M. Hutson, and P.A. Racey(Eds.) (1992). Old World Fruit Bats. An Action Planfor their Conservation. IUCN/SSC ChiropteraSpecialist Group. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland.

Duplaix, N. and N. Simon (1977). World Guide toMammals

Phuyal, S.P. (2005). Survey bats of Pokhara ValleyNepal. A report submitted to BCI, USA.

Walker, S. & S. Molur (Compilers) (2003).Summary of the status of South Asian Chiroptera.Extracted from the CAMP 2002 Report. ZooOutreach Organisation, CBSG, South Asia andWILD, Coimbatore, India

AcknowledgmentWe would like to acknowledge Prof. Dr. Paul forsupporting identification of Bat species. We arehighly indebted to Bat Conservation International(BCI), USA for providing funding for this Project.

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BackgroundBats are least studied and known species in Nepal.Out of 1116 species in world only 53 species havebeen reported from some parts of Nepal. There aremany potential sites where they have not beenstudied. Bat conservation in Nepal has been ignoredby Government, Non-Governmental Organizationsand even conservationist. Some students in parts ofNepal have started bat conservation work since2004. There are many misconceptions regardingbats and they are often killed meaninglessly.Preliminary baseline information on bats of Nepal islimited and has not been properly documented.Conservation of these animals is only possible if it isstarted from the grass root level.

Project areaPalpa district is situated in the Lumbini zone ofWestern Development Region of Nepal.Madanpokhara Valley of Palpa District is rich inbiodiversity and has an agricultural land over 2000hectors. Along with insectivorous bats, fruit-eatingbats such as Pteropus giganteus also have beenroosting in that area. Other roosting sites of bats(caves and trees) are present in Palpa district, suchas Siddhapani Cave, Hattilake Cave, Gure cave,Siddha Cave, Balsiddha Cave, Ridika Cave, andSiddesor Cave.

With the view of increasing awareness amongstudents, local people, members of NGOs, CBOs,youth clubs, conservationist, volunteers, etc. anawareness campaign on bats was conducted fromJanuary 2008 to November 2008 in MadanpokharaValley of Palpa district. Different programs wereorganized to make people familiar with bats. Positiveimpact has been observed in that area after thiscampaign. Now, many misconceptions related to batshave been replaced by accurate knowledge.

Objectives accomplished1) Educate students for conservation of batsthrough teaching, publications, radio media andconservation activities.2) Development and presentation of educationalmaterials for the school children in the valley.3) Create understanding in Palpa District about bats.4) Provide management recommendation forfuture course of actions in Palpa District.

Phase I of the programme1) Preliminary information on human attitudes andknowledge on bats was measured through a

structured questionnaire/survey among students,youth clubs and community members.2) Focus group discussions on the importance ofbats were organized among community members,social worker, local conservationist, journalist,teachers, where suggestions for bat conservationwere exchanged.

3) Materials on bats were developed to broadcastthrough different conservation related programsfrom two F.M. stations. Around 5 million peoplewere reached through this programme.

4) Following articles were published in journals,magazines, newspaper, literate persons on theimportance of bats.

“Bats: Ecologically Important Mammals and TheirThreats in Nepal” (Pub In Bimba 2007/2008,Volume 14, Year 15. Nepal Student Union)“History, Importance, Status of Bats and TheirThreats in Nepal”(Published In Prabhat 2007/2008, Volume 1, Publication 14, Year 15. ANNFSU)“Bat Species Richness and Their Distribution inPokhara Valley of Nepal”(Published in The Initiation2008, SUFFREC, Volume 2, Year II)

5) 15 Students from Institute of Forestry (IoF) andother colleges from different districts throughoutNepal got of were oriented on different aspects ofbats. Each was supplied with bat materials and aletter requesting school for providing one-day class.

Awareness Programme makes a difference in Madan Pokhara Valley, NepalHari Adhikari*

*Coordinator of Natural Resources Research andConservation Center (NaReCon), Email:[email protected], [email protected]

Lectures among adults in Madan Pokhara Valley

15


Phase II1) Materials developed for Phase II were leaflets,“Bat Conservation In Palpa” and posters in Englishand “Bat Conservation in Nepal: An Educational Kit” inNepali language, and posters in English language.

2) Three schools on the periphery of roosting sitesof Pteropus giganteus were selected for teachingpurpose. Representative students from Grade 5 to10 were selected by their school. Each student wasgiven educational materials developed for thisproject and additional materials supplied by CCINSA,ZOO and WILD. Students were taught about mistnets and taken to roosting areas of bats for learningbat counting, identifying threats, and describingtheir physical features. One fullday class wasconducted in each school. Essay competition,drawing competition and informal quiz were alsoconducted among students who were given prizes.

3) Students were assisted in making wall magazineson different aspects of bats. Group of students onbats. Introductory information was given tostudents, so that they could publish it in magazines.

4) During this programme we got ample opportunityto participate in assembly of guardians, which wasconducted in Shree Damkada Higher SecondarySchools. During that assembly thirty minuteslectures was conducted on the importance of bats.This programme was helpful in removingmisconceptions regarding bats.

5) Meetings with school headmasters of 3 schools ofPalpa District were conducted with lectures on batswhich had a positive impact on students. Teacherspromised to provide extra lectures on bats besidestheir regular class in each school. Each school wasgiven materials mentioned earlier. Especiallyteachers related to Environment and Sciencesubjects were exposed to special techniques from“Bat Conservation Educator Skills Training” organisedby ZOO at the Institute of Forestry in August2008 for teaching meaningfully.

6) Impact of the overall programme was measuredby using structured questionnaires both before andafter the programme. Above 75% level of knowledgehas been increased among this group.

Materials published and dissemination:The materials developed were deseminated to theDepartment of National Park & Wildlife Reserves,Department of Parks, Recreation and WildlifeManagement, research and conservationorganizations working on research and conservationof mammals, around 10 other F.M. Radio of RupendehiDistrict, Palpa District, Kaski District and

Argakhachi District, Public libraries in differentareas of Nepal, Schools in Palpa District, KaskiDistrict and Rupendehi District, Cave leaseholder indifferent part of Nepal, etc.

RecommendationsBroad level awareness programme on bats throughradio media, television, newspaper, etc should beorganized. Community based bat conservationprojects should be initiated. Strict ban ondeforestation and practices of using pesticides,insecticides in agricultural areas. Broad levelplantation of trees should be carried out. Studentsand community members should act in groups tocarry out conservation project for bats. Networksof bat researchers and clubs need to be formed forbetter sharing of findings, knowledge andinformation. Web pages should be designed to shareinformation about bats of Nepal and e-discussionsshould be started. Communities living in the roostingareas of bats in different parts of Nepal should beorganized and groups like “Friends of Bats” should beorganised. Species richness and distribution ofroosting sites should be identified in Palpa Districtas it will provide preliminary information on bats ofPalpa District.

Acknowledgement:I am indebted to Bat Conservation International(BCI): Global Grass root Award 2008 for providingme financial and technical support and NaturalResources Research and Conservation Center(NaReCon) for providing additional funds. Thanks toBCI team member, Paul A. Racey IUCN SSCCSG,Sally Walker and her team at CCINSA, Dr. AllysonWalsh and team (Lubee Bat Conservancy) andNaReCon members.

School teaching among students near Pteropus roost

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Status and Conservation of Indian Flying Fox (Pteropus giganteus) Roosts inKarnataka,A.K. Chakravarthy, N.E. Thyagaraj, and H.M. Yeshwanth

Department of Entomology University of AgriculturalSciences, G.K.V.K., Bangalore, 5600065, Karnataka,[email protected]

Opportunistic surveys of the roosts of Indian fruitbats (Pteropus giganteus) roosts in eleven districtsof Karnataka revealed that out of 48 roostsobserved, 54% were traditional roosts (Pteropusgiganteus) which are more secure than smaller-sizedroosts that may be formed as extensions of themain bat roosts. Traditional roosts are beingdisplaced and disturbed, which results in thefragmentation of the original population 64.6% ofbats in southern Karnataka.

In coffee, cardamom and areca plantations, severepruning of shade trees disturbed the bats. Themajor threats to bat roosts, however, is destructionof habitat and tree-roosts. It is critically importantto preserve existing bat roosts because bats play avital role in the ecology of forests, seed dispersaland regeneration of forests. Many trees dependon bats for pollination and seed dispersal. Batroosts help preserve local and indigenous elementsof biodiversity. Frugivorous bats damage somefruits in orchards and farmers respond withextreme measures. Chakravarthy and Girish (2003)advocate non-lethal measures such as scaring,partially covering vulnerable portions of the canopy,use of olfaction-based repellents, erecting nets,blocking plantation, planting trap trees, etc. todivert bats from feeding on commercial fruits.

In urban areas, roost trees often include Ficusspecies, Delonix regia, Mango, Jackfruit, Acaciaspecies, and Eucalyptus. In rural areas, roost tressinclude Ficus species, Terminalia, Casuraina,Tamarind, and Eucalyptus. In all, 48 roosts insouthern Karnataka have been monitored till date.The population of bats in the roosts varied from oneto three thousand. There were 12 roosts varyingfrom 500-1000 bats; 20 roosts hosting populationsvarying from 100 to 500 bats and 16 roosts whichhost within 100 bats. It is vital to conservetraditional roosts. Urbanization, widespreadconstruction, widening of roads, tree-felling alongroads and loss of wild fruits has resulted in thedecline of fruit bat populations. Chakravarthy(2007), Chakravarthy et al., (2008). Molur (2007),and Venkatesan (2007) have documented the statusof fruit bats in southern Karnataka. Furtherobservations on fruit bats are in progress.

The above information was collected during Sept-Oct 2008. Some bat roosts were visited during daytime and some during evening when they were aboutto leave the roost for foraging. Our over-all

impression is that wherever cropping pattern hasbeen changed or cardamom has been replaced withrobusta coffee there is a severe impact on batroosts. This would be due to the maintenance ofshade, that is, thinning shade trees by cutting orpruning. In a few places, bats were killed for meatat their roost site itself. Some people kill bats forcausing disturbance in the day with their chittering.Bat roosts in towns and urban areas are relativelysafe and their number is also increasing. In fact,the original bat roosts are disturbed by differentways and their size is dwindling. There is a need toeducate people about the importance of this amazingflying mammal. The role of this tiny creature inecosystems has to be made known.

Finally, there are no bat roosts in the forest tractof Mudigere, either in the reserve forest area or inthe scrub jungle. .

References:Venkatesan, A. (2007). Status of the Indian flyingfox (Pteropus giganteus) in Bengaluru. BAT NET-CCINSA Newsletter, 8(1): 13-15.

Chakravarthy, A.K. and A.C. Girish. (2003). CropProtection and Conservation of frugivorous batsin orchards of hill and coastal regions ofKarnataka. Zoos’ Print Journal, 18(8): 1169-1171.

Chakravarthy A.K. (2007). Observation on roosts ofIndian flying fox (Pteropus giganteus) in Karnataka.BAT NET- CCINSA Newsletter 8(1): 10.

Chakravarthy, A. K., H.M.Yeshwanth and N.R.Prasanna Kumar (2008). Status and Conservation ofRoosts of Indian Flying Fox (Pteropus giganteussign.) in karnataka, South India. BAT NET- CCINSANewsletter 8(2): 12-14.

Molur, S. (2007). Project Pterocount – Progressreport – June 2007. BAT NET- CCINSANewsletter 8(1): 11-12.

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Table 1Observations on bat roosts of P. giganteus in southern Karnataka, 2007-09

Sl.

No.

Location Bat Roost /tree Habitat of Roost Roost

size

Status

1 Gowdaregere’ Channarayapatna, Hassan (120 53’ 51. 90’’ N: 76 0 22’ 44.34’’E ) , road side tree

2 Mangifera indica trees On left side of B ’lore - Hassan road

50-70 Temporary roosts , bats are frequently disturbed by traffic/people & light.

2 Chikmagalur Town DC’s office + police station (130 18’ 44.35’’ N, 750 46’ 15.20’’E)

Casuarina sp. Eucalyptus sp. Mangifera indica , Ficus sp, Samania saman

In town, Urban built up area. heavily used road & residential area

1500-1800

Highly disturbed roost,.jungle crows nuisance.ground littered with fecal pel lets, noisy even during day

3 Bommenahall i, Kunigal,Tumkur (13 0 01’ 12.94’’N, 770 01’ 16.85’’E)

Ficus sp. Road side tree. 70-80 Road side, disturbed, fragmented population.

4 Anchipura, $km away from Nelamangala cross (130 05’ 56.51’’N, 770 23’13.12’’E)

Ficus sp. Road side tree 50-70 Road side. Highly disturbed by moving traffic.

5 Mandya Railway station (120 31’21.94’’N, 760 53’ 49.68’’E) (>50 yrs)

Samania saman, Eucalyptus sp.

Garden, tree groups, protected area

150-180

Temple, religious site, safe wel l protected undisturbed area.

6 Bangalore, Bugle Rock park, Basavanagudi (12056’33.16’’N, 77034’ 24.03’’E )

Ficus sp., Mangifera indica Samania saman Eucalyptus sp., Glyceridia sp.

Garden, tree groups, protected area

650-710

Main drained by BDA. Farm land before roost is undisturbed & ancient one.

7 Padubdri, Mangalore, NH47

(120 52’ 09.70’’N,740 50’33.22’’E) (<5yrs)

Ficus sp. Samania saman

Nuit up area heavily

used by traffic/human activities.

50-60 Fragmented population highly

disturbed.

8 Mangalore town, Hampanaghatta, Mangalore-1 (120 52’ 09.70’’N, 740 50’33.22’’E)(>50 yrs

Ficus sp, Samania saman

Tree groves amidist urban set –up.

50-75 Noisy disturbed.

9 Tiptur town,Tumkur (130 15’ 12.53’’N,76 028’41.48’’E) (<5 yrs)

Urban grove of trees of Ficus sp. Samania saman

Outskirts of town, slightly disturbed area.

50-60 Fragmented roost, noisy, relatively undisturbed.

10 Malleshwarm, Railway station, Bangalore (13o.00’39.10’’N 77033’42.30’’E) (>50 yrs)

Ficus sp. Samania saman Albizzia sp. Cassia sp.

Religious site , slightly disturbed by traffic and humans

100-150

Temple, religious site, big roost with birds l ike Mynahs. Safe & secure roost, undisturbed.

11 Purashanahalli / Belavanga la/ Doddaballapur 13º07'32.46’’N, 77º36’15.60’’'E (>5 yrs)

Ficus sp. A village area undisturbed

800- 900

Relatively undisturbed, but threats of hunting.

12 Bethinagerae /Nelamangala (130 05’ 56.51’’N, 770 23’13.12’’E) (>5 yrs)

Ficus sp. A village social forestry area

600-650

Undisturbed area , but highly threatened by hunting

13 Madhipura/Nelamangala (130 05’ 56.51’’N, 770 23’13.12’’E) (>10 yrs) Bangalore rural

Ficus sp. Village area 500-600

Relatively undisturbed

14 Byatha /Doddabal lapur 13º07'32.46’’N, 77º36’15.60’’'E (>50 yrs)

Ficus sp. Center of village near a temple

700 -800

Disturbed by human activities, highly protected

15 Ardeshahall i/ Doddaballapur 13º07'32.46’’N, 77º36’15.60’’'E (>5 yrs)

Ficus sp. Outside the vi llage 1100-1200

Undisturbed, relatively safe.

16 Banavadi / Soluoor 13° 6' 8 0.00’’N, 77° 23' 24E (>10yrs)

Ficus sp, 3 trees Village area 1500-1600

Undisturbed area, relatively safe.

17 Bettahalli/ Yelahanka 13° 6' 27N, 77° 36' 0.00’’E (>10 yrs)

Ficus sp. Semi urban area 500-600

Disturbed area , with some hunting

18 Gidaddapalya /Kunigal (13 0 01’ 12.94’’N, 770 01’ 16.85’’E) (>50 yrs)

Ficus sp, 30 trees Village area 2600-2800

Undisturbed, safe

19 Sopanahal li / Gubbi 13° 18' 39.28’’N, 76°65’32.04’’ E (>2yrs)

Ficus sp. NH 208 200 Highly disturbed by moving vehicles.

20 Betthadahelli/ Therikerae /Shimoga. 13.9° 55’ 20.10’’N 75.6°34’13.35’’ E (>3 yrs)

Ficus sp. NH 208 200 Highly disturbed fragmented

18


Sl.

No.


size

Status

21 Manasa Gangotri, Mysore Un iversity . 12°18’11.88’’ N 76°38’45.12’ ’ E (> 50 yrs)

Several species of trees Inside the Mysore University

>1000 Traditional roosts, ; undistributed, meets all requirements for bat roosts

22 Aranya Bhavan, University of Wood Sciences and Research Malleshwarm, Bangalore, (13o.00’39.10’ ’N 77033’42.30’’E) (>50 yrs)

Several species of trees Well protected, breeding occurs

>600 <700

Traditional roosts, undistributed bats forage long distances for food.

23 Birur 130 35’ 51, 47’’ N; 750 58’ 00, 31’ ’ E Birur- Lingadhahalli Road

Ficus ballerica 35m tall with wel l spread canopy, inside the Nagadevaru temple more than 60 years old, roost is >50 yrs old, no threats

Well protected, breeding occurs

250-300

Traditional roost, undisturbed in the Birur town, the bats forage in the surroundings culti vated and hil ly tracts covered with indigenous wild vegetation

24 Salapura , 130 18’ 32.10’’ N; 760 14’ 51.89‘ ’ E Banavara –Arasikere Road

Ficus sp. 30m tall , Road side tree, undisturbed

Being an avenue tree, i t a ppears a temporary roost

100-150

An isolated, small roost, numbers although few, highly variable, surrounding vegetation not very supportive.

25 Arasikere town , 130 18’ 32.10’’ N; 760

14’ 51.89 ‘’ E Eucalyptus,neem, Melia sp . Ficus rel igiosa trees, subject to disturbance because it’s on the road side in the town, compound wall broken, cluster of trees disturbed

Highly temporary, not consistently observed but traditional roost i n the area, under disturbance

250-275

This is a disturbed roost, bats may temporarily roost on the cluster of trees, 8-10 numbers, need immediate protection.

26 Bellur cross- Hirisave, Road- Kadabha lly 120 59’ 00.00’’ N; 760 43’ 00.00’’ E

9 km before Hirisave on Bangalore-Hassan road

Highly Temporary, not consistently observed

14-20 Appears to be a off shoot from a main traditiona l roosts

27 Bundinutta, Bhadra river stream in Bal lehonnur town 130 14’’ 33.43’’ N ; 750 39’ 14.56’’ E

0.5 km before Balehonnur town on Aldur - Balehonnur road

Bamboos, canes and silk cotton trees at the edge of the river stream, over hanging about 20m above water

> 1000 A traditional roosts, not wel l protected although inaccessible, breeding observed, important in Malnad

28 Kote Anjaneya Temple, Shimoga 13o 55’ 20.10’ ’ N: 750 34’ 13.35’ ’ E

At the outskirts of the Shimoga town Religiosa

Ficus and other species of Ficus

About 1000

A traditional roost not wel l protected, near Bhadra river stream, near a temple so Well guarded

29 Ginkerehal li, Arasikere, Hassan., 130 18’ 32.10’ ’ N; 760 14’ 51.89‘’ E

In the village, a 150 yrs old Ficus rel igiosa tree well spread canopy, vi llagers a re protecting the roost.

Ficus sp tree, bats co lonized that portion of canopy that is without fo liage, breeding prevalent, roost is 12 yrs o ld

100-150

A traditional, well protected roost, tree holds 10-12 Apis dorsa ta colonies. Honey is ha rvested periodically.

30 Ramjihal ly Koppalu, Gandsi, Arasikere, Hassan, 130 18’ 32.10’’N; 760 14’ 51.89‘’E

A 250 year old Ficus religiosa tree

Ficus religiosa a temple tree, breeding takes place

150 The tree also parasitized by a Neem and other plant parasites. Tree is in a temple area so no shooting is done, villagers are protecting.

31 ZARS, Mudigere Ficus sp. Cidar sp. Mangifera indica Artocarpus hirsutus A. indica

Behind laboratory building

1000-1200

Typ ical ca rdamom ecosystem, less disturbed, not followed the shade regula tion practices, but hunting is seen during night not at roost site, bats have abandoned the site- heavy pruning of roosting trees and mortality due to electrocution.

32 Sharadamba estates, hale kote, Mudigere.

Mangifera indica, Artocarpus hirsutus Ficus sp. (Basari Goni, Halasu)

Cardamom coffee ecosystem just 2-3 km away from ZARS.

700-800

Cardamom ecosystem supports roost, but Robusta coffee system affects the bat roost because of severe shade regulation

19


Sl.

No.


size

Status

33 Halo se estate , Mudigere Silver o ak, Ficus sp .,(Basari Goni, etc )

Robusta coffee ecosystem

600-700

Original bat roost has been distributed by severe tree prun ing (shade regulation).

34 Hassan town DC’s residence and hote l Ashoka

Eucaly ptus sp. In town, urban buil t up area heavily u sed road school area.

2000-2500

Not much distributed re leasing safe roost. Noisy even during da y time particu larly during mating season. (sep-oct)

35 Kesavalalu estate Daradahalli,

Mudigere .

Ficus sp .(Basari), Artocarpu s

sp. (H alasu)

25km away from

Mudigere town heavi ly disturbed.

300-

400

Planters hunt for the meet.

Changed c ropping situation severe shade pruning.

36 Bygoore estate, Chikmagalur Ficus sp . (Basari, Goni,etc ) 30km away from Chikmagalur town

Habitat no t been disturbed very ideal roost site good fo rag ing observed.

37 Giri estate, Chikmagalur Ficus sp . (ba sa ri) Terminali a sp.

30km away from Chikmagalur town , coffee Arabica ecosystem

300-400

High elevatio n no t m uch disturbed long range fo rag ing was seen.

38 Byduvalli esta te , Mudigere Ficus sp . (ba sa ri) Terminali a sp

15 km awa y from mudigere town Robusta coffee+ cardamom ecosystem

150-200 Robusta ecosystem is ho ldin g less roost si ze due to severe tree pruning. People hunting for meat.

39 Chipregathi estate, M udigere Ficus sp . (ba sa ri) Terminali a sp.

15 km awa y from mudigere town Robusta coffee+ cardamom ecosystem

300-350

Robusta ecosystem is ho ldin g less roost si ze due to severe tree pruning. People hunting for meat.

40 Mallandoor esta te , Chikmagalur Ficus sp . Casia sp. Mangifera indica

25km away from Chikmagalur

700-800

Typica l bat roost. No di sturbance, no predator etc.

41. Sannaghattahalli, Thubkere, Doddaballapu ra, Bangalore rural

Ficus re ligiosa –sin gle tree with 0.5 sq.km canopy cover.

15 km from Doddabal lapura town towards west.

800-1000

More than 100 years old tree wi th a smal l temp le a t base, public property, roo st well protected.

42. Vishwa composit p.u college,Kempegowda road, Be lur, Hassan

Eucaly ptus sp., Tamarindus indicu s, Si lver oak

In town 300-400

Disturbed roosts the ba ts were a nuisance to public so tree is cut and the bats took roosti ng i n neighbouring trees

43 Thungariver bridge , Thirthahalli Bamboo 2km away from town at the edge o f the river stream Bridge buil t in 1931. o ver hang ing over 25 feet above .

800-900

40-50 years old, roo sts appear to be safe, no disturbance. During day time noisy.

44 Kushal Sawmill

Devanur road, near town , Banavara Hassan

Ficus re ligiosa 1 km away from

town.

400-

500

25year old, roosts appear to be

same well protected by sawm ill owner.

45 Ara kalgudu,Hassan,Bu s stand ,Arakalgdu-Hassan road

Rain trees- 2 Bus stand Arakalagudu, Traditio nal roosts- 25 years old

550+ No disturbance , P ro tected by public

46 Srin ivaspura Kolar, Near Po lice station

Eucaly ptus tree-8 Nea r Police station 350-400

No disturbance , new and small roo st.

47 Kolar Town Eucaly ptus tree Near KSRP offic e 250-300

New host, small ho sts

48 Holenarasipura, Ha ssan Ficus +rain trees -5 Govt. ho sp ital 450-500

Tradi tio nal roost, no disturbance

20


21


This first volume is a comprehensive book intended foranyone maintaining bats in captivity. It comprises 44papers by 22 contributing authors. Bats in Captivity is theonly book of its kind, detailing the care of captive batsworldwide. This volume, Biological and Medical Aspects,includes a drug formulary, information on public health,anatomy and physiology, controlling reproduction, parasi-tology, and veterinary medicine and surgery, plus manyother related subjects.

BATS IN CAPTIVITYVolume 1: Biological and Medican AspectsSusan M. Barnard, Editor600 pages. First Edition, August 2009.Softcover ISBN: 978-1-934899-03-8 – $74.95Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-934899-02-1 – $99.95Distributed by Ingram, Baker & Taylor and Lightningsource

ContentsHealth Precautions for Bat WorkersAnatomy and Physiology, Controlling ReproductionClinic Environment and Physical ExaminationCommon Injuries, Common Health DisordersBat Vision and OphthalmologyOral FindingsChemical Restraint and AnesthesiaSmall Bat Surgery, RadiographyBlood Collection and Hematological ValuesPathology: Including Necropsy Technique andTissue Collection for the Bat RehabilitatorEuthanasia, ParasitesCare Giver’s Guide to Calculating Drug Dosesand Drug Formulary

Published by Logos Press · Washington, [email protected] · 202.487.0089 · www.Logos-Press.com

About the EditorSusan M. Barnard holds a Bachelor of Science degreefrom the University of the State of New York. Shefounded Basically Bats – Wildlife Conservation Society,Inc. in 1993, and served as Executive Director until 2008.Currently retired from her positionas Assistant Curator of Herpetol-ogy at Zoo Atlanta, Ms. Barnardhas authored over 25 scientificpapers in refereed journals and 2book chapters. She also coauthoredbooks on reptilian parasites andreptilian husbandry, and hasappeared in numerous magazinesand on television, including theNational Geographic special,“Keepers of the Wild.”

Announcing Bats in Captivity Volume 1: Biological and Medical Aspects, the first of afour-volume series covering all aspects of bat care

A note from your Convenor, Administrator and Editorabout Susan Barnard, Editor Bats in Captivity Vol. I

Hi !

I am so proud to tell you that Susan Barnard, editor ofthis high class book is a very old friend of mine. We arenot in touch now much -- just we write to one anotheronce in three years if we want something ! When we wereactive friends, I was not interested in bats. And when Igot interested, I didn’t even think of Susan ! It was onlywhen I learned about BCI and Merlin Tuttle, I remem-bered Susan as she used to talk about him.

How did I meet Susan ? I don’t even remember but it hadto be after I started living in India and working with zoos.And it was probably through the American Association ofZookeepers. However, wherever, whatever I saw her forthe first time when I visited the Atlanta Zoo for thefirst time. I was taking a luxury tour around the UnitedStates, compliments of someone who paid for a 3 monthGreyhound Bus pass for me. I used to travel on the busat night so as to save money for a hotel and time forseeing more zoos. I’d arrange to reach a city or townmorning or early afternoon, go to the zoo there and see asmuch as I could before the next busy. Everywhere I wentpeople loaded me with zoo educational materials, hus-bandry handbooks, zoo guides, etc. and my luggage gotheavier and heavier.

Susan Barnard offered me shelter in her interestinghouse which was filled to the brim with animals. I won’tremember all but there were a variety of reptiles in glassterrariums incluing a very large python. There were alsobats, bats and more bats. At the time (and probably nowalso) Susan was a bat rehabilitator, running a rescue andrehab facility for bats out of her house. She took callsfrom people who had bats in their house or verandha orsomewhere where they didn’t want them but we tooscared to even run them off. Susan took them in and wasnice to the people so that maybe they would have a morekindly feeling toward bats.

Susan “adopted” a zookeeper, Mr. Punderika Rao, ofMysore Zoo, giving him a membership in the AmericanAssociation of Zookeepers and I believe paid his tuitionfee for taking the Animal Management Course of UK.When I visited or soon after she was working on very “hi-fi” stuff ... so much so I couldn’t understand it. She wasseveral people rolled into one, a zookeeper of merit, a batrehabilitator, an author, an researcher, a chiropterist,and a herpetologist of repute.

Susan permitted us to reprint several of her articles andhandbooks over the years. Her dedication, discipline andgenerosity of spirit were an inspiration.

You may like to check out her website http://www.basicallybats.org/basicallybats/index.html

Sally Walker

22


A single little brown bat (myotis) can eat up to 1000mosquitoes in a single hour, and is one of the world’s longest-lived mammals for its size, with life spans of almost 40years.

Bats are more closely related to humans than they are torodents. Several studies indicate that Old World fruit batsand flying foxes may actually be descended from earlyprimates.

There are over 1000 known species of bats, just about afourth of all mammal species. Most of these bats would fit inthe palm of your hand.

Most bats give birth to only a single pup each year, makingthem very vulnerable to extinction. They are slowestreproducing mammals on earth for their size.

The world’s smallest mammal is the bumblebee bat ofThailand which weighs about as much as a dime.

Giant flying foxes that live in Indonesia have wingspans ofnearly six feet.

Bats are very clean animals, and groom themselves almostconstantly (when not eating or sleeping) to keep their furclean.

The pallid bat of western North America is immune to thestings of the scorpions and centipedes upon which it feeds.

A single colony of 150 big brown bats can protect localfarmers up to 33 m or more rootworms each summer.

The 20 million Mexican free-tailed bats from Bracken Cavein Texas, eat 250 tons of insects every night. Theysometimes fly up to two miles high to feed or to catchtailwinds that carry them over long distances, at speeds ofmore than 60 miles per hour.

These Mexican free-tailed bat mothers can find and nursetheir own young, even in huge colonies where many millions ofpups cluster at up to 500 per square foot. The youngsterscan be as curious and playful as many other animal babies.

A nursing little brown bat mother can eat more than herbody weight nightly (up to 4,500 insects).

Many important agricultural plants, like bananas, bread-fruit,mangoes, cashews, dates and figs rely on bats for pollinationand seed dispersal.

Tequila is produced from agave plants whose seed productiondrops to 1/3000th of normal without bat pollinators, such asthe Mexican long-tongued bat.

Contrary to popular misconceptions, most bats have verygood eyesight, have excellent echolocation so they do notbecome entangled in human hair, and seldom transmitdisease to other animals or humans.

Fishing bats have echolocation so sophisticated that theycan detect a minnow’s fin as fine as a human hair protrudingonly two millimeters above a pond’s surface.

African heart-nosed bats can hear footsteps of a beetlewalking on sand from more than 6 feet.

Desert ecosystems rely on nectar-feeding bats as primarypollinators of giant cacti, including the famous organ pipeand saguaro of Arizona.

Bat droppings in caves support whole ecosystems of uniqueorganisms, including bacteria useful in detoxifying wastes,improving detergents, and producing gasohol and antibiotics.

Vampire bats adopt orphans, and are one of the fewmammals known to risk their own lives to share food withless fortunate roost-mates.

An anticoagulant from vampire bat saliva may soon be usedto treat human heart patients and stroke victims.

All mammals can contract rabies; however, even the lessthan half of 1% of bats that do, normally bite only in self-defense and pose little threat to people who do not handlethem.

Nearly 40% of American bat species are in severe decline oralready listed as endangered or threatened. Losses areoccurring at alarming rates worldwide.

Providing bat houses can help build the populations of manyvaluable bat species that eat many crop-damaging insects,such as cucumber and June beetles, stink bugs, leafhoppersand corn worm moths. Bat houses furnish places for bats toroost, hibernate and raise young, in addition to the dwindlingnumber of natural sites available to them.

Red bats, which live in tree foliage throughout most ofNorth America, can withstand body temperatures as low as23 degrees during winter hibernation.

Little brown bats can reduce their heart rate to 20 beatsper minute and can stop breathing altogether for 48 minutesat a time while hibernating. They may hibernate for morethan seven months if left undisturbed, but can starve ifthey are awakened too many times during the winter, whichcauses them to run out of energy reserves before spring.

Tiny woolly bats of West Africa live in the large webs ofcolonial spiders.

The Honduran white bat is snow white with a yellow nose andears. It cuts large leaves to make “tents” that protect itssmall colonies from jungle rains, one of 15 other speciesknown to make tents.

Frog eating bats identify edible from poisonous frogs bylistening to the mating calls of male frogs. Frogs counter byhiding and using short, difficult to locate calls.

Moths are also known to take evasive action when they hearthe echolocation calls of bats, sometimes plummeting to theground in an attempt to escape.

Male Gambian epauletted bats of Africa have pouches intheir shoulders that contain large, showy patches of whitefur, which they flash during courtship to attract mates.

The Chapin’s free-tailed bats have big tufts of white fur ontop of their heads, which they fluff up during courtship.

Two famous bats from literature are Stellaluna, the youngfruit bat from the enchanting children’s book by JanellCannon, and Sunshine, the friendly little bat whose rescuewas described in the book “The Bat In My Pocket”, byAmanda Lollar of Bat World.

Amazing Bat Facts from around the worldSusan Barnard (http://www.basicallybats.org/basicallybats/index.html)

23


Long Saga of Finding South Asian Bat Photos - still pending

Two Training Workshops for 2009

Every year CCINSA and RILSCINSA tries to put on at least one training. For several years this hasbeen a field techniques training, starting with bats only but morphed into bats and rodents, or SmallMammals. We also tried to have the trainings in a different country every year, focusing more on thecountry residents due to cost of air fare between countries in South Asia. Last year we broke withtradition and conducted an educator training in Nepal.

This year we have scheduled two workshops. The first one (planned for 7 - 11 September 2009) willbe a traditional type field techniques training in Bhutan for interested forestry staff and biologists anda very few participants from other countries. Dr. Paul Racey, Chair, Chiroptera Specialist Group IUCNSSC and Michael Jordan, Environmental Consultant and Chair, Reintroduction Specialist Group, Europeand Central Asia will be the resource persons.

The other (planned for 3-7 or 10-14 August 2009) is a first time advanced taxonomy training, to beheld at Madurai Kamaraj University in Madurai with Dr. Neil Furey, a Ph.D. in Conservation Biologyguided by Dr. Paul Racey at Aberdeen University. His Ph.D. research prioritised conservationrequirements for bat populations in Vietnamese Karst. He has worked for FFI in Vietnam for severalyears.

Slots for participation in either of these workshop will be few so it is necessary that you apply andmake a case for your participation. Funding is not guaranteed. If you are interested please send yourrequest to us along with a rationale of how you would use the training and also an up-to-date c.v.which should explain your background with small mammal work. Send this to ZOO,[email protected], [email protected] and [email protected] by 15 June for the SmallMammal Field Techniques training and by 15 July for the Taxonomy training. Sally Walker.

Endemic insectivorous

bats

1. Eptesicus tatei

2. Hipposideros durgadasi

3. Hipposideros hypophyllus

4. Murina grisea

5. Myotis csorbai

6. Myotis sicarius

7. Scotozous dormeri

8. Scotoecus pallidus

For Non-endemic

insectivorous bats

9. Areilulus circumdatus

10. Asellia tridens

11. Barbastella leucomelas

12. Chaerephon plicatus

13. Coelops frithii

14. Eptesicus bottae

15. Eptesicus gobiensis

16. Eptesicus nasutus

17. Eptesicus pachyotis

18. Eptesicus serotinus

42. Myotis formosus

43. Myotis hasseltii

44. Myotis horsfieldii

45. Myotis longipes

46. Myotis montivagus

47. Myotis muricola

48. Myotis mystacinus

49. Myotis siligorensis

50. Nyctalus leisler

51. Nyctalus montanus

52. Nyctalus noctula

53. Otomops wroughtoni

54. Otonycteris hemprichii

55. Philetor brachypterus

56. Pipistrellus abramus

57. Pipistrellus coromandra

58. Pipistrellus kuhlii

59. Pipistrellus paterculus

60. Pipistrellus pipistrellus

61. Plecotus auritus

62. Plecotus austriacus

63. Rhinolophus blasii

64. Rhinolophus hipposideros

It has been interesting to watch the last three or four years as we have tried to collect photographs ofall the South Asian bats. We want these for our website TTMS, Threatened Taxa Monitoring System,where we put up the output of our erstwhile CAMP workshops, now replaced by GA Global Assessmentworkshops. In 2007, having collected fruit bat pictures and some insect bats, we were still missing101 insectivorous bats ... a huge number which seemed almost impossible to gather. Last year 2008we made an appeal again for photos of South Asian bats but the list was for 78 bats instead of 101.This year 2009 we found that some of the photos we gathered since 08 could not be copied so we areat 88 again. We need photos of both endemic and non-endemic insectivorous bats. If you have any ofthese, please send to [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] will study the photo and decide whether it is appropriate for our project before asking for the high

resolution photographs by email or CD. We will negotiate over renumeration on a case-by-case basis.

19. Falsistrellus affinis

20. Harpiocephalus harpia

21. Harpiocephalus mordax

22. Hipposideros armiger23. Hipposideros cineraceus

24. Hipposideros fulvus

25. Hipposideros galeritus

26. Hipposideros larvatus

27. Hypsugo cadornae

28. Hypsugo savii

29. Ia io

30. Kerivolua tenuis

31. Kerivoula hardwickii

32. Kerivoula papillosa

33. Kerivoula picta

34. Miniopterus schreibersii

35. Murina aurata

36. Murina huttonii

37. Murina leucogaster

38. Murina tubinaris

39. Myotis annectans

40. Myotis blythii41. Myotis daubentonii

65. Rhinolophus lepidus

66. Rhinolophus luctus

67. Rhinolophus macrotis

68. Rhinolophus pearsonii

69. Rhinolophus pusillus

70. Rhinolophus rouxii

71. Rhinolophus sinicus

72. Rhinolophus subbadius

73. Rhinolophus trifoliatus

74. Rhinolophus yunanensis

75. Rhinopoma hardwickii

76. Rhinopoma microphyllum

77. Rhinopoma muscatellum

78. Scotomanes ornatus

79. Scotophilus kuhlii

80. Tadarida aegyptiaca

81. Tadarida plicata

82. Taphozous longimanus

83. Taphozous melanopogon

84. Taphozous nudiventris

85. Taphozous theobaldi

86. Triaenops persicus

87. Tylonycteris pachypus88. Vespertilio murinus

24


Merlin Tuttle, who founded BatConservation International in1982 and spent the last 27 yearsbuilding it into the leadingdefender of bats worldwide, isstepping back from his leadershiprole. Merlin is resigning asPresident/Executive Director onMay 31. He will remain a part ofBCI, assuming the title PresidentEmeritus and continuing on BCIsBoard of Trustees. Merlin and John Mitchell, Chair ofthe BCI Board of Trustees,jointly expressed theirconfidence that “this transition inleadership will go smoothly, andBCI can look forward toimpressive achievements in theyears ahead”. The search for anew Executive Director hasbegun. BCIs current ManagementTeam, with the support of theBoard of Trustees, will overseethe organization in the interim. This planned transition is part ofBCIs Strategic Planning Initiative,begun more than a year ago todevelop a blueprint to help theorganization build on its successesand move vigorously into thefuture. Merlin has accepted aone-year sabbatical leave,beginning June 1, to pursuepersonal projects. He will alsowork on select projects with BCI,including efforts to deal with thecrisis triggered by White-noseSyndrome. Merlin Tuttle “has done more forbat conservation than anyone inhistory”, bat biologist Bill Schuttof Long Island University (authorof Dark Banquet: Blood and theCurious Lives of Blood-feedingCreatures) said in an email. “Thatis something that you (and all ofus) should be proud of.”

“At a time when most bat specieswere considered to be ugly andvile, Merlin has singularly shapedpublic perceptions about bats,”says Thomas H. Kunz of theCenter for Ecology andConservation Biology at BostonUniversity. “Over the years, hehas passionately influenced a hostof students and colleagues aroundthe world on the ecological valuesof bats”. “Merlin,” says Mitchell, “is apioneer. When he started, mostof the world was unaware of howimportant and how threatenedbats are. He made the rest of usaware of their great value, andthat had a multiplier effect asother conservation organizationssigned on”. Merlin and BCI have had arevolutionary impact on thepublics understanding of bats andtheir benefits in the UnitedStates and around the world.That required battling centuriesof harmful myths andmisperceptions. There remains along road ahead, but the progresshas been dramatic. Merlin founded BCI in Milwaukee,Wisconsin, when he was Curatorof Mammals at the MilwaukeePublic Museum. The strugglingorganization with virtually nomoney was a nights-and-weekendsenterprise. When he moved BCIto Austin, Texas, in 1986, thatcity was gripped by panic becausehundreds of thousands of batshad moved into roosts beneaththe remodeled Congress AvenueBridge downtown. “Mass fear inthe air as bats invade Austin,”screamed a local newspaperheadline. Much of the publicdemanded the bats extermination.

Merlin Tuttle: he has given the name Batman a whole new meaninghttp://www.batcon.org/news2/scripts/newsletter.asp?newsletterID=58

Merlin Tuttle stepping down? orjust to the side, a little. RecentlyBCI announced that Merlin isresigning from President/Executive Director of BCI, theorganisation he founded, but willremain on the BCI Board ofTrustees as President Emeritus.I didn’t feel bad about thatbecause I know what kind ofperson Merlin is ... he is sort of abat-oriented “Merlin theMagician” and he will never stopworking for bats! I say he is amagician because it is sheer magicfor someone to take on an animalgroup like bats and given them atotally new public image. BCImagazine, BATS, which westarted also, helped a lot, butmostly is Merlin’s magic - hisgreat drive. Many many peoplesee bats today as charming, furry(in a GOOD way), innocent, cute,and most of all USEFUL HEROSOF THE ECOSYSTEM. This is afar cry from the image bats had,as dangerous, rabies carriers,vampire bloodsuckers, witchescompanions, ...you name it ...anything that could be pinned onbats had been pinned. Not thatbat problems are over but now wehave a model for what to do withMerlin as our role model.

Hopefully now that Merlin is (haha) retired, he will have time tovisit India and other South Asiancountries and meet some of us.As we wait for this, I thought youmight like to read this articleabout him which is beingcirculated by BCI.

Best wishes, Sally WalkerConvenor, CCINSA,Editor BatNet/Small Mammal Mail

25


But after a tireless educationcampaign that saw Merlin meetingwith city officials, news media,neighborhood groups andschoolchildren, the fearsgradually subsided. Today thesummer emergences of 1½ million“Bridge Bats” draw manythousands of visitors each yearand generate an estimated $10million in local revenue. NowAustin proudly calls itself the BatCapital of America. Public understanding of batsmakes so much else possible.Under Merlins leadership, BCI,through its Student ResearchScholarships, small-grantsprograms and other efforts hassupported hundreds of criticalresearch, conservation andeducation projects in 76 countriesfrom Argentina and Bangladesh toUganda and Vietnam. Educationalbooks, brochures, videos,audiovisual productions andclassroom curricula developed byBCI and its partners are teachingfacts about bats around theworld. BCI workshops have taughtbat-related research andmanagement techniques to morethan 1,400 biologists, wildlife andland managers and otherprofessionals from 23 countries;many are now leaders in batconservation. Working with members, friendsand many public and privatepartners, BCI sparked creation ofthe American Samoa NationalPark to protect flying foxes;helped install bat-friendly gateson more than 1,000 Americancaves and mines to protectmillions of bats; purchased andprotects Bracken Cave near SanAntonio, summer home to theworlds largest colony of bats, 20million Mexican freetails; ledcontinuing work to ensure safeand stable water supplies for batsin arid western states; launched amajor research program tomitigate the alarming number of

bats killed by wind-energyturbines; and much, much more. Merlin Tuttle has been studyingbats since 1959, when, as aTennessee teenager, he becamefascinated by a colony of graymyotis at a cave near his home.While still in high school, heproved for the first time that thebats migrated between summerroosts and winter hibernationcaves across much of the South.He also learned firsthand thatignorance about bats can lead tocasual vandalism that kills thou-sands, even tens of thousands, insingle incidents. Many peoplereally were convinced back thenthat all bats were vampires, rabid,blind and quite likely to becometangled in your hair.

That early research grew overthe years into Merlins Ph.D.dissertation in population ecologyat the University of Kansas. Athis request, the batteredpopulations of gray myotis wereofficially listed as endangered in1976. Largely through BCIsefforts, this species is recoveringstrongly and seemed almost readyfor graduation off theendangered list – at least untilthe appearance of White-noseSyndrome on the edge of itsrange. (Merlin had a leading rolein organizing and funding a WNSScience Priority Meeting for topscientists in New York lastsummer and is working with TomKunz of Boston University on asimilar session May 27-28 inAustin).

Merlins commitment to educationhas never wavered. He has spokento countless of audiences of allkinds, has appeared often ontelevision and radio and has been

featured frequently in nationaland international magazines andnewspapers. Along the way, hebecame a world-class wildlifephotographer – after concludingthat few existing photospresented bats fairly, since theanimals, usually grasped inunnatural positions, were snarlingin discomfort rather than showingtheir mostly gentle nature.

To commemorate Merlins service tobat conservation and ensure that hisdevotion to education continues farinto the future, Bat ConservationInternational is establishing theMerlin Tuttle Bat ConservationScholarship Fund. This fund willsupport BCI Student ResearchScholarships and Global GrassrootsConservation efforts worldwide. Youcan show your gratitude for all thatMerlin has accomplished and make apersonal difference for batconservation by contributing to thisimportant initiative.

Please visit www.batcon.org/tuttleScholarship or contact BCIsDepartment of Development at (512)327-9721.

Merlins in a bat cave doing whathe likes to do best ... study bats.

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Introduction:Pokhara valley is one of the mostbeautiful valleys in Nepal. Thebeautiful mountain range,(Annapurna) as well as lakes andunique landforms lure manytourists from around the world.Receiving the highest rainfall inNepal, the valley lies in asubtropical zone with Schima-Castanopsis as dominant foresttype. Owing to its unique landfeatures, the valley abounds withcaves, crevices and densharbouring potential roosts forbats. Despite the relatively smallarea from the valley there arealtogether 11 species of batsrecorded from there.Researcher have claimed thatthere are more yet to beexplored. Abundant foragingspecies are primarily (Peepal, Bar,Khanyo, Nimaro) may also beresponsible for Chirotepteronspecies richness.

Birendra Cave is located atNorth-East from Mahendrapool,the central hub of the Pokharacity. The place can be reachedwithin 30 minutes of travel bylocal bus. The cave is situated bythe river and made up oflimestone. Opening is about 2.5mwide and about 120m in length.There is very airy space justinside the entrance which narrowsas one continues along the cave.At the right side the entrancecave divides into anothermoderate space with a narrowopening. The presence of certaindebris suggests evidence of waterflowing inside the cave. This caveis not as famous as MahendraCave though it is very interestingand local as well as outside peoplevisit the cave for recreation.

Putali cave is five minute awayfrom the Birendra cave. ThePutali cave is made up of lime

stone, conglomerate, silicate andsandstone with a continuous flowof water just inside the entrance.The opening is very narrow so itis quite difficult to enter but isinteresting and full of adventure.Visitors to the cave have to crawlthrough at times. After 20minutes (about 200 meters)divides into right and straightpaths inside which are yet to beaccessed because of want of light.

Objectives:· To impart field technique aboutcapturing and handling of bats· To identify resident cave species. To estimate bat population

Methodologies:Before field visit a generalintroduction concerning bats wasdelivered to the six participanttrainees. They were instructed inhandling of equipment,precautions and other measuresto be followed during bat captureand handling for identificationand other purposes in the field.At noon we reached the Birendra

Cave and bats were captured withButterfly net as well as weighedand sexed; Face, color, tail andthumb were observed; alsoforearm, foot length, and wingspan were measured. Hence, usingexternal morphology and keys aswell as referring the book “Batsof the Indian Subcontinent” byPaul J J Bates and David LHarrison, Published by HarrisonZoological Museum in 1997, bat

Field Training and Bat Exploration by Bat FriendsNiroj Man Shrestha*

Giving general introduction to trainees

Inside Birendra Cave

*Coordinator, Bat Friends, Institute ofForestry, Pokhara, Nepal;e-mail: [email protected]

27



species was ascertained. Afteridentification bats were freed.

Population count is arduous taskfor bats because of want ofappropriate equipment likeinfrared camera trapping. One ofchief methods to estimatepopulation of bats’ colony insidecave is polygon count but due toupsetting of light, the bats wereflying with fear so we failed tofollow this method also. At lasteach was estimated the populationintuitively then averaged ourtotals to get a final result.

Equipments used:Butterfly net, head lights andlights, bat bags, cruises, gloves,scales, tapes, balances, digitalcamera, field guide books etc.

Results:Altogether five bats werecaptured from both caves. GivenTable describes morphology ofcaptured bats.

Conclusion:Among four bats captured fromBirendra cave, there were twomale and two female and a singlemale from Putali cave. All ofthem were Hipposideros armigerwith estimated population 300 and250 respectively. Hence bothcaves harbor same species of bati.e. Hipposideros armiger withtotal population 550.

Acknowledgements:To accomplish this program wewere instructed by differentexperienced individuals. Prof. Dr.Paul A. Racey for advising us tocapture and to handle bats; Mr.Raj Kumar Koirala for kindcooperation; Institute ofForestry for providing us requiredequipments; local people forassisting us to enter and findlocation of the caves and visitorsfor ushering us to the Putali caveso; we are highly indebted to all.

Table : Measurement of Hipposideros arm iger

SN 1 2 3 4 5

Fore arm (mm) 92 87 There w as

a hole on

win g so we

released it

as soon as captured

without

measure-

ments

Face, color, and

body st ru cture

resembled to prev iously

measured bats so

identifi ed as prev ious species

and re leased

without any

measuremen ts

Ta il (mm) 52 50

Head and Body len gth (mm)

99 95

W ing Span (mm) 520 515

Weight (gm) 48 40

Remark Male Male Young Female

Female Male

Weighing and identifying

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PteroCount has increased to 92people having registered and 20providing consistent roostinformation. Over 200 roostshave been reported till now fromthree countries in South Asia,e.g.,Bangladesh - 13;India - 186; andNepal - 9.

Roost information is now availablein India for 12 states, all thanksto Pterocount volunteers. Theoutput per Indian state followsbelow, also going by the order ofroost identified and monitored byvolunteers :

Andhra Pradesh - 4;Assam - 11;Gujarat - 4;Himachal Pradesh - 16;Uttar Pradesh - 1;Karnataka - 86;Kerala - 36;Madhya Pradesh - 1;Maharashtra - 2;Rajasthan - 9;Tamil Nadu - 8;Gujarat - 8.

Dr. Sharoukh Mistry, an Indianbatter now teaching at BostonUniversity in USA had conceivedthe idea of volunteer monitoringof fruit bat roosts over time. Dr.Mistry has been a good source ofinformation and encouragement toCCINSA over the years, havingcome over and taught at one ofour training workshops inBangladesh and generally keepingin touch. Sharoukh askedCCINSA for help in organizingthis project and in January 2005,it got off the ground. A websitewas started where all thevolunteers could see the progress,project details, new volunteers,methodology for populationestimation and download datasheets.

Progress of ongoing Project PteroCountwww.pterocount.orgSanjay Molur*

Project PteroCount maintains datasupplied by volunteers as well asextracted from publications withall sources of information orcontribution fully credited. Allroosts with GPS information arebeing mapped on Google EarthPlus. We hope to get more activein lobbying in localities where batroosts have been destroyed as aresult of developmental activities.We need a larger group ofACTIVE volunteers, includingthose who enrolled eagerly whenthe project was initiated.PteroCount invites you toregister in this unique volunteerproject and provide informationfor documenting roost sites andpopulation trends so that bats willget better protection in future.

Names of ACTIVE volunteers

BANGLADESHAziz, Md. Abdul, JahangirnagarUniversity, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Kabir, Kazi Ahmed, University ofBangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh

INDIADavid J.,Patrick, Bombay NaturalHistory Society, Maharashtra

Davis, Ansa, Kerala

Dutta, Hiren, Assam

Kolipaka, Shekar Srinivas, Society forNature Conservation and Education-India,Andhra Pradesh

Mehra, S.P., Rajasthan

Molur, Sanjay, Zoo OutreachOrganisation, Tamil Nadu

Muthuandavan, Latchoumanan, GujaratInstitute of Desert Ecology, Gujarat

Partap Singh, Rajasthan

Paul, Sanjeev Kumari, VeterinaryPolyclinic, Himachal Pradesh

Phukan, Debojit, Megamix Nature Club,Assam

Ravichandran, B, Zoo OutreachOrganisation, Tamil Nadu

Reginald L., Joseph, SACON, Tamil Nadu

Saif, Mohd Umar, TheocraticGeographic Society, Uttar Pradesh

Tiwari, Satyendra, Madhya Pradesh

Varu, Shantilal, Gujarat

Venkatesan, Aravind, Karnataka

NEPALAcharya, Pushpa Raj, TribhuvanUniversity, Nepal

Subedi, Tulsi Ram, Bird ConservationNepal, Nepal

*Deputy Director, ZOOCoordinator, PteroCount

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The Nicobar Tree Shrew Tupaianicobarica (Zelebor, 1869)(Order: Scandentia, Family:Tupaiidae, Subfamily: Tupainae),is a small mammal species endemicto India and its distribution isrestricted to Great Nicobar andLittle Nicobar islands (Corbet andHill, 1992; Alfred et al, 2002,2006a & b; Molur et al, 2005).Since entry to Nicobar islands isrestricted and is allowed onlyafter tedious formal permissionsfrom government authorities, andconsidering the logistics involved,any recent records of poorlyknown, endemic and endangeredspecies like Nicobar Tree Shreware valuable. In thiscommunication, we report ourrecent observations of thisspecies, supported by photographtaken in its wild natural habitat onGreat Nicobar island.

ObservationsOn 11.01.2007 at 09.00 am, duringthe avifaunal survey of Andamanand Nicobar islands (Pande et al,2007), we came across a pair ofNicobar Tree Shrews on GreatNicobar island on the East-WestRoad about 12 km from CampbellBay (70 N, 93054’ E). The pair wasseen on a fruiting tree in therainforest in the lower canopy onthe edge of a ravine throughwhich a perennial mountain streamwas flowing. Author (SP)photographed the species. Thepair was quite active and the twomembers were seen chasing eachother. They were observedwalking over branches and wereseen preferably keeping to theshady parts and were notobserved to leap. They were seeneating fruits. The pair soondisappeared as they moved awayto another tree. The species wasnot seen again during our entiresurvey along a line transect of 45

km on this island. It should bestated here that we did notspecifically search for it, since wewere concentrating on avifaunalsurvey. It is likely that we couldhave overlooked some tree-shrews.

IdentificationThe features that point to theidentification of the species fromphotograph match with thepublished descriptions. (Prater,1971; Menon, 2003; Alfred et al,2002, 2006). The presentphotograph taken by the author(SP) appears to be the firstdetailed visual documentation ofthis species in the wild in itsnatural habitat on Great Nicobarisland.

Threats, protection measuresand recommendationsThis Indian endemic species islisted in C.A.M.P. 1997 asEndangered (EN-b1, 2c); IUCN,2003, Endangered (EN-b1+2c);but is not included in WL(P) Act,1972 (as amended up to 2003(Alfred et al, 2006, a & b), and isfacing high risk of extinction(Molur et al, 2005). The NicobarTree Shrew is protected underCITES: Appendix II and theregion where it occurs is a part ofthe Great Nicobar Biosphere,hence the habitat is protected.The threat to this species arequantitative and qualitativehabitat loss at the rate of <20%decline in the last 30 years and apredicted rate of >20% during thenext 10 years due to agriculture,change in land use pattern, humansettlements, introduction ofdomestic mammals, predation bydogs and cats and naturaldisasters like tsunami (Molur etal, 2005; Pande et al, 2007).There is nothing much knownabout its nesting, reproductive

biology, feeding behaviour, inter-specific relationships, etc. Thereare no captive stocks of theNicobar Tree Shrew. Research,management and conservationmeasures like systematic surveys,taxonomic studies andidentification of new protectedareas are previously recommended(Molur, et al 2005). Knowing thethreats to the Nicobar Tree-Shrew, particularly with news-paper reports of plans of Ministryof Tourism, of opening some ofthe Bay Islands for tourism, wefeel that this endangered speciesneeds to be included in theappropriate schedule of WL(P),Act, for its long termconservation on a priority basis.

AcknowledgementWe gratefully thank Vice Adm. M.P. Awati (Retd.), Chairman ofEcological Society, DirectorGeneral Coast Guard Vice AdmiralF. Contractor, Inspector GeneralS. K. Sharma, Andaman andNicobar Islands, Comdt. RakeshMakwana CO, CGS Kanaklata Baruaand his competent and helpfulstaff, Comm. S. B. Mishra, ChiefStaff Officer, Operations, IndianCoast Guard, Port Blair, Andaman& Nicobar Islands, for making thisexpedition possible. We thank Dr.

Recent Observations of Nicobar Tree Shrew Tupaia nicobarica (Zelebor,1869) on Great Nicobar IslandSatish Pande*, Niranan Sant, and Shivkumar Pednekar

*ELA Foundation, C-9, BhoslaePark, Sahakarnagar-2,Pune,411009EMAIL: [email protected]

Nicobar Tree Shrew Tupaianicobarica

30



M. S. Pradhan (Retd.) Mammologist, Dr. S. S. Talmaleand Dr. Anil Mahabal, from Zoological Survey ofIndia, W. R. S. Akurdi, Pune. We thank SatishRanade, Prashant Deshpande, Premsagar Mestry, Dr.Vaibhav Deshmukh and Dr. Sanjay Kharat of ElaFoundation for participating in this survey with theauthors.

References :Alfred, J.R.B., N.K. Sinha, and S. Chakraborty.(2002). Checklist of Mammals of India. Rec. Zool.Surv. India, Occ. Paper No. 199:1-289 (Published bythe Director, Zool. Sur. India, Kolkata).

Alfred, J.R.B., A.K. Das, and A.K. Sanyal(2006a). Animals of India: Mammals. ENVIS-Zool.Surv. India: 1-236pp.

Alfred, J.R.B., Ramkrishna and M.S. Pradhan(2006b). Validation of Threatened Mammals of India: 1-568. (Published by the Director, Zool. Sur. India,Kolkata).

Corbet, G.B. and J.E. Hill (1992). The Mammals ofthe Indomalayan Region. Oxford University Press.New York. 1-488pp.

Menon, V. (2003). A Field Guide to Indian Mammals.Dorling Kindersley (India) Pvt. Ltd. And Penguin BookIndia (P) Ltd. 1-201pp.

Molur, Sanjay, B. Srinivasulu, S. Walker, P.O.Nameer and L. Ravikumar (2005). Status of SouthAsian Non-volant Small Mammals: ConservationAssesment and Management Plan (C. A. M. P.)Workshop Report. Zoo Outreach Organisation.ICBSG-South Asia, Coimbatore, India. 618pp.

Pande, S., N. Sant, S. Ranade, S. Pednekar, P.Mestry, P. Deshpande, S. Kharat & V. Deshmukh(2007). Avifaunal survey of Andaman and NicobarIslands, January 2007. Indian Birds Vol. 3 No. 5:162-180.

Prater, S.H. (1971). The Book of Indian Animals.Bombay Natural History Society (Ed.3) 1-324pp.

Indian Musk Shrew

Common White toothed Shrew

31



On 23rd May 2007 I saw abouteight Jungle Striped SquirrelsFunambulus tristriatus runningaround in our backyard atKodanad. Kodanad is a beautifulvillage about 50kms east of Kochi,situated on the banks of PeriyarRiver. It is located at about23.46kms from Thattekkad and4kms from Malayattoor forest.My house is situated on a hillock,one side of which is rubberplantation and on the other paddyfields. In my backyard we havevarious trees and shrubs likecoconut, mango, guava, waterapple, mulberry, papaya, etc.Squirrels frequent my backyardas these trees provide food anddwellings for them.

On this particular day they werefound to be unusually active.Seeing the frantic manner inwhich they were scurrying acrossthe ground gave an impressionthat they were juveniles busyplaying some game. Then Inoticed them scampering all overthe Ixora and other bushessniffing and looking around forsomething. The whole behaviourlooked very unusual. I had seenthem behaving exactly in the samemanner a few days ago. Theywere running in frenzy, climbinghalf way up the trees and plantssniffing and looking around as ifthey were searching forsomething. I thought they werescared of some predator though Icould not locate any.

About midmorning these squirrelswere still active in the backyard,so I decided to take a fewpictures. One female squirrel(identified as such by the absenceof external genitalia) becameaware of my presence only afterit came very near to me. As it wasusual in their behavior it stoodstill for a few seconds looking at

Mating behaviour of Jungle Striped Squirrel Funambulus tristriatus atKodanad, Ernakulam District, Kerala Smitha.K.Komath*

*Nediyara House, Kuruchilakode,Kodanad P.O., Perumbavoor.e-mail: [email protected]

me. Just then a male squirrel(identified as such by thepresence of male genitalia)approached it and it seemed thefemale was taken by surprise. Itdid try to run, but the male wasquick for her and soon they werefound copulating. The wholeprocedure lasted for exactly 2minutes and 20 seconds. Soonanother male approached themating pair and snarled at them.They did a somersault and weredisentangled. The other maletried to approach the female, butit scooted off to a nearby tree.By then three more males came,and they were sniffing here andthere searching for the female.It seems like there are very fewfemales compared to males in ourplace.

This observation is of interest asthis is a clear indication about thebreeding season of this lessknown and endemic species ofsquirrel in Western Ghats.

Photos: Chasing and copulation behaviourof Jungle Striped Squirrel Funambulus

tristriatus

32



Three species of hedgehog namely long-earedhedgehog (Hemiechinus auritis Gray), Indianhedgehog (Hemiechinus micropus Blyth) and MadrasHedgehog (Hemiechinus nudiventris Horsfield) arereported from India. According to CAMP workshopon Status of South Asian Non-Volant small mammals,the first two species are categorised as LeastConcern, while the Madras hedgehog is identified asNear Threatened (Molur et al., 2005).

In India hedgehogs are confined mainly to the drydesert zone of Kutch, Punjab and parts of Rajasthan(Krishna and Prakash, 1955), Uttar Pradesh (Kumarand Pandey, 1994) and Saurashtra (Singh, 2001). InGujarat long-eared hedgehog has wide distributionand reported from Palanpur, Deesa and Kutch(Acharya 1949); Amreli, Bhabhav, Bhuj, Naliya,Great Rann, Junagadh, Porbandar and Mehsana(Molur et al., 2005). Long-eared hedgehog was alsoreported from Narayan Sarovar Wildlife Sanctuaryand areas in Banaskantha (GES et al., 2002). Indianhedgehog is widely distributed in Gujarat (Singh,2001) reported from Banaskantha, Deesa, Kachchh,Bhuj, Junagadh, Patan, Rajkot, Surendranagar(Molur et al., 2005).

The Indian hedgehog is light coloured and hasparted spines on its head. Its back and flanks arecovered with closely set spines. They feed on fruits,insects, worms, rodents and lizards. They cover longdistance in search of food (Prater, 1971). Long-eared hedgehog is dark grayish in colors. It can beeasily distinguished form the former by presence oflong and prominent ears. Hedgehogs generallyinhabit dry plains and deserts. They shelter by dayin the holes in the sand, or beneath thorny bushes ortufts of grass, coming out to feed at dusk andretiring at dawn (Prater, 1971).

During night surveys carried out in the forests ofKhanpur range, Panchmahal district (23021'’812" Nand 73037’446" E) between 13th July and 14th July2006, both the species of Hedgehog were observed.The exact location is close to village Morkhakhraand Ditwas in Panchmahal district, which is close toRajathan boundary (Figure 1). State highwaytraverses through the area connecting CentralGujarat to Rajasthan. The traffic mainly comprisesof movement of goods across the state and localjeeps ferrying people from one village to another.During the survey a total of five individuals weresighted, which included three individuals of Long-eared hedgehog (Hemiechinus auritis) and two of

Indian hedgehogs (Hemiechinus micropus). Thesighting of both the species indicates that thehabitat preference of both the species is same. Theterrain of the area was flat and the substratumcomprised of clayey soil. The vegetation was thornybushy type with Zizyphus sp. and Prosopis julifloraas the major species. The other floral componentswere Cassia tora, Calotropis gigantea, Ipomeaefistula, Cyperus eraculatus etc. The major cropsgrown in the area are maize and rice.

Long-eared hedgehog were moving along the roadand feeding on the insects which came out just afterfew showers of rain. The activities of the individualswere closely observed from a distance of 7 mts.They could sense our presence at distance of about4 mts. and immediately took shelter in the bushes ofZizyphus sp. nearby. They remain hidden within thebushes until they sense that no one was aroundthem. The feeding was active between 23.30 to01.30 hrs.

A dead individual of Long-eared hedgehog was alsosighted during the day on the road, probably hit by afast moving vehicles. On interactions with localtempo and truck drivers it was revealed that boththe hedgehogs are commonly observed during latesummers and monsoons feeding along the roadside.They also revealed that due to heavy traffic in thearea and slow movement of the animals, both thelong-eared and Indian hedgehogs are prone to road

Sighting of Long-eared and Indian Hedgehog at Morkhakhra - (KhanpurRange, Panchmahals) GujaratVirag R Vyas, Jayendra J Lakhmapurkar and Deepa Gavali*

*Author for correspondence. Gujarat EcologySociety, 3rd floor Synergy House, Subhanpura,Vadodara- 390023; Email: [email protected]

Fig.1: Location of Hedge hog species observed

33



kills. Till date threat to the species have beenidentified as poaching or unknown (Molur et al.,2005), but the report of road kill is documented forthe first time. There is possibility of such threatsbeing prevalent in other parts of the country, wherethe species is reported in large numbers.

For conservation of the species it is requisite toeducate the local drivers on the importance of thisspecies. Apart from this some safety drivingpractices should be encouraged like creation ofspeed breaker at critical points and hoardingsindicating presence of the species.

Acknowledgments: We are thankful to GujaratForest Research Institute, Gandhinagar forsponsoring the project on survey of small mammalsin Central Gujarat.

References:Chakraborty S., C. Srinivasulu, B. Srinivasulu,M.S. Pradhan and P.O. Nameer. (2004). Checklistof Insectivores (Mammalia: Insectivora) of SouthAsia. Zoo’s Print Journal, 19 (2): 1361-1371.

GES, MSU and GUIDE (2002). Conservation ofRare and Endangered Biodiversity of Gujarat. Finalreport submitted by Gujarat Ecology Society, M SUniversity of Baroda and Gujarat Institute ofDesert Ecology to Gujarat Ecology Commission,sponsored by Gujarat State Forest Department.June 2002. 428 pp.

Krishna, D. and I. Prakash (1955). Hedgehogs ofthe Deserts of Rajasthan: Part I. Fossorial habitsand Distribution. Journal of Bombay Natural HistorySociety, 53 (1): 38-43.

Kumar, A. and S.D. Pandey (1994). Notes onLong-eared Hedgehog (Hemiechinus auritus).Journal of Bombay Natural History Society, 91: 22-24

Molur S, C. Srinivasulu, B. Srinivasulu, S.Walker, P.O. Nameer and L. Ravikumar (2005).Status of South Asian Non-Volant Small Mammals:Conservation Assessment and Management Plan(C.A.M.P.) Workshop Report. Zoo OutreachOrganisation / CBSG-South Asia, Coimbatore, India,618 pp.

Pilo, B. and B.J. Pathak (1996). BiologicalDiversity of Gujarat. A report by Gujarat EcologyCommission. 216 pp.

Prater, S.H. (1971). The book of Indian Animals.Third (Revised) Edition. Oxford University Press,Bombay. 325 pp.

Singh H.S. (1998). Wildlife of Gujarat. Publishedby GEER Foundation, Gandhinagar. 123 pp.

Singh H.S., (2001). Natural Heritage of Gujarat.Published by GEER Foundation, Gandhinagar. 236 pp.

Singh, H.S., B.H. Patel, R. Pravez, V.C. Soni,N. Shah, K. Tatu and D. Patel (1999). Ecologicalstudy of Wild Ass Sanctuary, Little Rann of Kutch(A comprehensive study on biodiversity andmanagement issues). RR- Ecos/19/99 GujaratEcological Education and Research Foundation,Gandhinagar. 300pp.

Long-eared HedgehogHemiechinus auritus

34



Rodents constitute the largest order of existingmammals, not only in the multiplicity of taxa but alsoin the enormous swarms of individuals, this groupstands out among all mammals (Agrawal and Prakash,1992). India is endowed with diverse ecologicalconditions hence, the rodent fauna is fairly varied.According to Corbet and Hill (1986), it isrepresented in India by four families, 43 genera and99 species. The earliest consolidated account onIndian rodents are reported by Blyth (1863), Jerdon(1867), Sterndale (1884) and Ellerman (1961).Rodents belonging to 29 families are found in theworld and of them four families namely Sciuridae,Muridae, Dipodidae and Hystricidae occur in India.Of these, the family Muridae is the largest familyand represented in India by 28 genera and 68species; family Sciuridae by 12 genera and 29species; family Dipodidae by one genus and onespecies; and family Hystricidae by 2 genera and 3species (Agrawal, 2000).

Distribution:Golunda ellioti is found practically throughout Indiain suitable habitats. Further, it is also reportedfrom Paikistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and SE lran(Missone, 1990). In Tamil Nadu, this species hasbeen reported to have found in Salem and Maduraiareas (Agrawal, 2000).

It is a rat of jungle and forest, but many ventureinto cultivated lands. A favourite habitat is bushand scrub jungle. It is a slow moving creature, whichin its quest for food follows regular beats and makeslittle paths or “runways” from its nest to its feedinggrounds (Prater, 1971).

Mus platythrix has been reported from some partsof Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, AndhraPradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and WestBengal. As far as Tamil Nadu is concerned thisspecies has been reported only from Nilgiris.

The present study was carried out in Puthanampatti,Vellakkalpatti, Thirupattur and Siruganur ofTiruchirappalli district (10o -11o.30 N ; 77o.45´-78o.50´ E). The Tiruchirappalli district has bothfertile and comparatively dry tracts for cropscultivation. The present study was carried out inthe dry tracts of Tiruchirappalli district.

In the chosen study area the burrows of rodentswere searched with the help of local andexperienced rodent trappers. The identified

burrows were studied visually as to their structure,nature of burrow entrances and their surroundingsas suggested by Prater (1971) and Neelanarayanan etal., (1996). Then the burrows were dug out and theoccupant rodent was trapped alive. The trappedrodents were brought to the laboratory and anaes-thetized. The keys suggested by Agrawal (2000)were used for identification of trapped rodents.

Diagnosis:Golunda ellioti is a medium – sized rat, having thetail shorter than head and body; hindfoot variesfrom 21 to 28 mm. Outer digits of hindfoot and 5thfinger is shortened; ears are moderate in length,mammae are 4 pairs. Its burrows were observedunder bushes near to cultivated fields. Further, the“runways” from its nest to its feeding grounds werealso observed. The observations on the morphologyof the animal and burrow made in the present studycorroborate the earlier report by Agrawal (2000)and Prater (1971).

Mus platythrix is a medium – sized mouse (head andbody length 95 ± 13 mm), having a short tail. Furspiny. Colour of body dusky to dark brown above,white below; tail bicolour, dark above and palerbelow; hindfoot white; mammae 5 (3+2) pairs(Prater, 1971 and Agrawal, 2000).

In the Deccan these spiny mouse live in burrows ofmoderate depth. After entering into the burrowthe animal closes the entrance with small pebbles.The sleeping chamber may also be furnished with abed of pebbles (Prater, 1971). Similar observationswere made during the present study. Theobservations on the morphology of the animal andburrow made in the present study are in accordancewith keys given by Prater (1971) and Agrawal (2000).

During our research work on rodent speciescomposition of a portion of Tiruchirappalli district,we found these two species of rodents. It is worthmentioning that these two species have not beenreported hitherto from this part of Tamil Naduhence it is deemed that occurrence of these twospecies in this area is a new site record.

*P. G. and Research Department of Zoology, NehruMemorial College (Autonomous), Puthanampatti,621007. Tiruchirappalli Distt., Tamil Nadu, India.E-mail: [email protected]/[email protected]

Occurrence of Indian Bush Rat (Golunda ellioti) and Spiny Field Mouse(Mus platythrix) in Tiruchirappalli district, TN, IndiaP. Sakthivel and P. Neelanarayanan*

35



AcknowledgementAuthors are thankful to the Principal andManagement for their encouragement. We would liketo thank the local rodent trappers for their help.

References

Agrawal, V.C. and I. Prakash (1992). Ecologicaldistribution of Indian Rodents. In: Rodents in IndianAgriculture. Eds. Prakash, I and P.K. Ghosh.Scientific Publishers, Jodhpur. Vol. 1. pp 1-9.

Agrawal, V.C. (2000). Taxonomic Studies onIndian Muridae and Hystricidae (Mammalia :Rodentia). Rec. Zool. Surv.India, Occasional PaperNo.180. I-viii, 1-186 p.

Blyth, E. (1863). A memoir on the rats and mice ofIndia. J.Asit. Soc. Bengal, 32 :327-353.

Corbert, G.B. and J.E. Hill (1986). A world list ofMammalian Species. London. (British Museum,Natural History).

Ellerman, J.R. (1961). The fauna of India includingPakistan, Burma and Ceylon. Mammalia, Vol.3(Rodentia), Part I & II. Govt. of India, Delhi.

Jordon, T.C. (1874). The mammals of India.Natural History. John Wheldon, London.

Misonne, X. (1990). New record for Iran : Golundaellioti. Mammalia, 54: 494.

Neelanarayanan, P., R. Nagarajan, and R.Kanakasabai (1996). Burrow morphology of fieldrodents. J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 93 (2): 238-241.

Prater, S.H. (1971). The book of Indian Animals.Bombay Natural History Society. Mumbai, 207p.

Sterndale, R.A. (1884). Natural History ofMammalia of India and Ceylon. Thacker Spink & Co.,Calcutta.

On May 12, 2008, while inspecting cages of the zoo,amidst Gulab Bagh, Udaipur, Rajasthan, I found thatnocturnal, Lesser Bandicoot (Bandicota bengalensis)were freely sharing food in broad day light withcaged animals. They were pilfering grains of maizeand bajra from “walk in aviary” and pakshi-ghar (birdhouse). While observing birds of pakshi-gharthrough wire mesh, I noticed a fullgrown Bandicotabengalensis lifting and carrying a big piece of a fishin its hole. After lapse of few minutes, I noticedone more rat pilfering a big piece of flesh in samemanner. A third rat was seen feeding on a big pieceof flesh in open space. Since piece was heavy, henceit was not possible for the rat to pull it in its holelike others.

Greylag Goose (Anser anser), Comb Duck(Sarkidiornis melanotos), Common Coot (Fulica atra),Great White Pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus), Spot-billed pelican (P. philippensis) and Greater Flamingo(Phoenicopterus ruber) are the inmates kept in thepakshi-ghar. Besides grains and leafy material,fishes and their body pieces are also offered to thebirds everyday. Lesser Bandicoot share bothvegetarian and non- vegetarian food with inmatebirds. Caretaker of the cage told me that LesserBandicoots regularly feed on flesh of fishes inpakshi-ghar and flesh of buffalo in cages ofcarnivorous animals.

Lesser Bandicoot is normally a nocturnal rodentwhich feeds on grains, succulent shoots, roots,leaves, tubers and fruits (Roberts 1997).

Though, primarily Lesser Bandicoot is a vegetarianrodent but it also feeds on Fiddler Crabs Uca spp.and Fresh Water Crab Paratelphusa spinigera(Roberts 1997). Feeding on flesh of fish andbuffalo is an addition to its dietry. In Zoos, thisrodent behaves like a diurnal creature (Sharma2006) and becomes an opportunistic flesh eater.

References :Roberts, T.J. (1997). The mammals of Pakistan.Oxford University Press.Sharma, S.K. (2006). Diurnal feeding behaviour ofLesser Bandicoot Rat Bandicota bengalensis : Rat- a- tattle, RILSCINSA Newsletter 6 (1) : 6.

Opportunistic Scavenging by LesserBandicoot Bandicota bengalensis (Gray& Hardwicke) in Gulab Bagh Zoo,Udaipur, RajasthanSatish Kumar Sharma*

*Zoo Superintendent, Gulab Bagh Zoo, Udaipur,Rajasthan 313001, E-mail: [email protected]

House Mouse

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Acharya, Pushpa RajLecturer, Dept. of ZoologyTribhuvan UniversityKathmandu, [email protected]

Adhikari, HariCoordinator, NaReConKaski Dist., [email protected],[email protected],[email protected]

Alam, Shayer Mahmood IbneyStudent, Dept. of ZoologyUniversity of DhakaDhaka - 1000, [email protected]

Ali, AzadGeneral SecretaryBiodiversity Assessment TroopBidyapara - 783 324, AS.

Anika, Jadhav ShantharamResearcherM.S. University QuartersBaroda - 390 002, [email protected]

Anil kumar, SukumaranResearch Scholar - ConservationBiology Division, TBGRITrivandrum - 695 562, KL.

Aparna, SuvrathanStudentNCBS, TATA Inst. of FundamentalResearch, Bangalore - 560 065, [email protected]

Archana, B.StudentSBM Colony, Bangalore - 560 050, [email protected],[email protected]

Aryal, AchyutTeam Leader, BRTFPokhara, [email protected]

Aryal, Kul ChandraStudent & Radio Journalist, Dept. ofZoology, Tribhuvan UniversityKathmandu, [email protected]

Asela, Muthumunige DulanChandanaEnvironmentalistColombo - 10, Sri [email protected],[email protected]

Aul, BandanaResearch ScholarAndaman & Nicobar [email protected]

CCINSA members

Aziz, Mohammad AbdulAsst. Prof., Dept. of ZoologyJahangirnagar UniversityDhaka - 1342, [email protected],[email protected],[email protected]

Balasingh, JohnsonPrincipal, St. John’s CollegePalayamkottai - 627 002, [email protected]

Bagley, FredProject Coord., Div. of Int. Cons.Dept. of the Interior, US Fish & WidllifeService, Great Ape Conservation FundArlington - VA 22203-1622, [email protected]

Bansode, Ahron GovindraoPrincipal, Ahmed Nagar CollegeAhmed Nagar - 414 001, [email protected]

Baral, Hem SagarHimalayan NatureKathmandu, [email protected]

Baral, NabinStudentPokhara - 17, [email protected],[email protected]

Baruah, ChittaranjanResearch Scholar, Dept. of ZoologyGauhati UniversityGuwahati - 781 014, [email protected],[email protected]

Basistha, Sudip KantaResearcherChristianbasti, Guwahati -781 005, AS.

Basnet, Krishna BahadurSch. Teacher & Co-ordinator Bat ClubBoudha Secondary English SchoolKathmandu, [email protected],[email protected]

Bates, Paul J.J.Director, Harrison InstituteKent - TN13 3AQ, [email protected]

Bhardwaj, Chander ShekharTeacher, Dyal Singh College KarnalKarnal - 132 001, [email protected],[email protected]

Bhat, Hari RaghunathRetired Scientist & TeacherErandwana, Pune - 411 004, MH.

Bhattacharyya, TarapadaZSIKolkata - 700 053, WB.

Chakma, SuprioResearch Asst., Encyclopedia of Flora &Fauna Project, Asiatic Society ofBangladesh, Dhaka - 1000, [email protected],[email protected],[email protected]

Chakraborty, SujitService, ZSICalcutta - 700 016, [email protected]

Chakravarthy, Akshay kumarProf., Dept. of EntomologyUniv. of Agri. Sciences, GKVK,Bangalore - 560 032, [email protected],[email protected]

Chandra, Sarker GautamStudent, Dept. of ZoologyJahangirnagar UniversityDhaka - 1342, [email protected]

Chandrashekaran, Maroli K.Prof. & ChairmanJN Centre for Adv. Scientific ResearchBangalore - 560 064, KA.

Chaudhary, Birendra PrasadStudent, Dept. of ZoologyTribhuvan UniversityKathmandu, [email protected]

Chaudhary, GyanendraStudent, Dept. of Env. ScienceKathmandu UniversityKavre, [email protected]

Chowdhury, Md. Abdul WahedResearcher, Dept. of ZoologyUniversity of ChittagongChittagong - 4331, [email protected]

Dahal, SagarStudentBiratnagar, Morang, [email protected]

David, PatrickWildlife Researcher, BNHSMumbai - 400 023, [email protected],[email protected]

Dhandapany, PerunduraiSubramaniamResearch Scholar, Dept. of Bio-chem.Madurai Kamaraj UniversityMadurai - 625 021, TN.

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Digana, Pradana MudiyanselageChandrasekara BandaraField BiologistBoralesgamuwa, Sri [email protected]

Dookia, SumitOrnithologist (Scientist-C)Ecology & Rural Dev. SocietyJodhpur - 342 005, [email protected],[email protected]

Dutta, HirenBharalua VillageDist.Sivasagar - 785 664, [email protected]

Dutta, SubirStudentJahangirnagar UniversityDhaka - 1342, Bangladesh.

Elangovan, VadamalaiAsst. Prof., Dept. of Applied AnimalSci., BBA Central UniversityLucknow, 226 025, [email protected]

Gaikwad, Chandrakant MaheshEnvironment OfficerSatara district - 415 523, [email protected]

Ganesh, T.Researcher, ATREEBangalore - 560 024, [email protected]

Ganjure, Raju MarutiJRF, Dept. of ZoologyAhmednagar CollegeAhmednagar - 414 001, [email protected]

Ghimire, Bipin ChandraStudentBharatpur-8, Chitwan, [email protected]

Ghimire, RameshworStudent, Dept. of Env. SciencePatan Multiple College CampusLalitpur, [email protected]

Ghimire, SudipaStudentChitwan, [email protected]

Ghosh, Mrinal KantiResearcher, ZSIKolkata - 700 053, WB.

Goonatilake, ManoriAsst. Director Entomology & ActingAsst. Director ZoologyDept. of National MuseumsColombo - 7, Sri [email protected]

Habibi, KushalWL & Biodiversity Cons. ConsultantClarksville - MD 21029, [email protected]

Hasanuzzaman, KaziStudent, Dept. of ZoologyUniversity of DhakaDhaka - 1000, Bangladesh.

Hassan, Muhammad Mahmood-ulAsst. Prof., Dept. of WL. & EcosystemUniv. of Vet. & Animal ScienceLahore, [email protected]

Hutson, Antony M.Plumpton Green, East Sussex - BN73BU, [email protected]

Immanuel, Jayaraj KingResearch Scholar, Dept. of ZoologySt. John’s CollegeTirunelveli - 627 002, TN.

Irulan, AmmavasiResearch ScholarDept. of Applied Animal SciencesBB Ambedkar Central UniversityLucknow - 226 025, [email protected]

Isaac, Sundararaj SuthakarLecturer in ZoologySt. John’s CollegeTirunelveli - 627 002, [email protected]

Islam, Feroz Md. ShafiqulPresident, Crown Prince Private Mgmt.Endangered Wildlife Breeding &Conservation CentreAbu Dhabi, [email protected]

Jayasuriya, Angoda LiyanageWildlife RangerMaharachchimulla, Sri Lanka.

Jeyapraba, L.Lecturer, Sarah Tucker CollegeTirunelveli - 627 007, TN.

Joshi, Dilip SavlaramReader, Dept. of ZoologyAhmednagar CollegeAhmednagar - 414 001, [email protected]

Kabir, Kazi AhmedLecturer, School of Envi. Sci. & Mgmt.Independent University BangladeshDhaka - 1212, [email protected],[email protected],[email protected],

Kafle, GandhivNGO WorkerPauwatara, Gorkha, [email protected],[email protected],[email protected]

Kandula, SripathiProf. in Neurophysiology, Sch. of Bio.Sci., Madurai Kamaraj UniversityMadurai - 625 021, [email protected],[email protected],[email protected]

Kaphle, RameshworStudent/Researcher, Central Dept. ofZoology, Tribhuvan UniversityKathmandu, [email protected],[email protected],[email protected]

Karki, LaxmiStudent, Institute of ForestryPokhara, Gandaki Zone, [email protected]

Karthik, ThamizharasuJFR, Gujarat Inst. of Desert EcologyBhuj - 370 001, [email protected],[email protected]

Karuppudurai, ThangavelSRF, Dept. of Animal Beh. & PhysiologySchool of Biological SciencesMadurai Kamaraj UniversityMadurai - 625 021, [email protected]

Kataria, Pratap SinghAssociate Prof.Bikaner - 334 003, [email protected]

Khadka, AnandaStudent, Institute of ForestryPokhara, Nepal.

Khan, AhmadConservation BiologistSwat District, NWFP, Pakistan.

Khan, Md. AyazConservation BiologistMardan - 23200, NWFP, Pakistan.

Khan, Md. IsrarForesterPeshawar, NWFP, [email protected]

Khan, Md. Monirul HasanIUCN-The World Conservation UnionDhaka - 1209, Bangladesh.

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Khan, Md. NiazQuetta, [email protected]

Khanal, ShivaStudent, Institute of ForestryPokhara, [email protected]

Khanal, YajnamurtiStudent, Institute of ForestryPokhara, [email protected]

Khatiwada, Ambika PrasadStudent, Institute of ForestryPokhara, Nepal.

Khatri, Mohmed Husain BapuLIC AgentKhatri Chowk, Bhuj - 370 001, [email protected],[email protected]

Kleiman, Devra G.Zoo-Logic, LLCChevy Chase - MD 20815, [email protected]

Koju, Narayan PrasadStudentBhaktapur, [email protected]

Koli, Ghanshyam HariJRF, Zoology Dept.Ahmednagar CollegeAhmednagar - 414 001, [email protected]

Korad, Vishakha S.Reader, Dept. of ZoologyFergusson CollegePune - 411 004, [email protected]

Krishna Kumar, NarayananDirector, IFGTBCoimbatore - 641 002, [email protected],[email protected],[email protected]

Krishnan, RikiProject Asst., Current Science Assoc.Bangalore - 560 080, [email protected]

Kumarasamy, ParamasivamLecturer, Dept. of ZoologyThe American CollegeMadurai - 625 002, TN.

Kunz, Thomas H.Prof. & Director, Center for Ecology &Conservation Biology, Boston Univ.Boston - MA 02215, [email protected]

Kupwade, Vijay ApparaoProf., Dept. of ZoologyG.S.S. CollegeBelgaum - 590 006, [email protected]

Lily, DurairajLecturer, Sarah Tucker CollegeTirunelveli - 627 007, TN.

Limbu, TulashiStudent, Padma Kanya MultipleCampus, Kathmandu, [email protected]

Madhavan, ArakkalRetired, Prof. of ZoologyThrissur - 680 575, [email protected]

Mahalia, DebangaDirectorRwdwmsal a Bio-Diversity Cons. Org.Tangla - 784521, [email protected]

Mahfuz, S.M. KhaledResearch Asst.Dhaka - 1217, [email protected]

Mahmood, ShahriarStudent, Dept. of ZoologyUniversity of DhakaDhaka - 1000, [email protected]

Malikyar, Ghulam Md.Technical AdvisorSave the Environment - AfghanistanKabul, [email protected]

Manandhar, Purna PrasadGovt. ServiceKathmandu - 10, [email protected]

Manimozhi, A.Biologist, Arignar Anna Zoological ParkChennai - 600 048, [email protected],[email protected]

Marimuthu, GanapathyProf. & Head, Dept. of Animal Beh. &Physiology, Sch. of Biological SciencesMadurai Kamaraj UniversityMadurai - 625 021, [email protected],[email protected]

Marimuthu, RengasamyEducational Officer, ZOOCoimbatore - 641004, [email protected],[email protected]

Masood, JafferResearcherKarachi, Pakistan.

Mathai, JosephLecturer, Dept. of ZoologySt. Stephen’s Maloor CollegePathanapuram, Kollam - 689 695, [email protected]

Mathur, Sanjiv LalShriram Fertilisers & ChemicalJaipur - 302 001, [email protected],[email protected]

Mathur, VirendraResearch Scholar, Dept. of App. Ani.Sci., Sch. for Bioscience &Biotechnology, BB Ambedkar UniversityLucknow - 226 025, [email protected]

Meenakshi, BhagatResearch Scholar, Dept. of Zoology,Reproduction PhysiologyJ.N.V. UniversityJodhpur - 342 001, [email protected]

Mistry, ShahroukhProf., Biology Dept.Westminster CollegeNew Wilmington - PA 16172, [email protected]

Mohananpillai, K.G.Kayamkulam, Alappuzha - 690 537,KL. [email protected]

Molur, Payal B.Founder, Flagship Foundation forFauna, Flora & Fungi (f5)Coimbatore - 641 006, [email protected],[email protected],[email protected]

Molur, Sanjay R.V.Ex. Director ZOO, Secretary WILDCoimbatore - 641 004, [email protected],[email protected],[email protected]

Moore, AndyGlobal Grassroots Coordinator, BCIAustin - TX78716-2603, USA.

Muni, Manoj N.EIA (Wildlife) ConsultantMumbai - 400 072, [email protected]

Muthuandavan, LatchoumananResearcher - WildlifeGujarat Institute of Desert EcologyBhuj - 370 001, [email protected],[email protected]

Nagulu, VangalaAssociate Prof., Dept. of ZoologyOsmania Univ., Wildlife Biology Sec.Hyderabad - 500 007, AP.

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Nair, Nagappan GopukumarS. Research Associate, School ofBiological SciencesMadurai Kamaraj UniversityMadurai - 625 021, TN.

Nakarmi, Asmita PasaStudent, Dept. of Env. SciencePatan Multiple College CampusLalitpur, [email protected]

Nameer, Paingamadathil OmmerAssociate Prof. (Wildlife) & Head,Centre for Wildlife StudiesCollege of Forestry, Kerala Agri. Univ.Thrissur - 680 656, [email protected]

Nathan, ParthasarathyThiruchenthilResearch Scholar, Dept. of Ani. Beh. &Physiology, Sch. of Bio. Sci.Madurai Kamaraj UniversityMadurai - 625 021, TN.

Nathar, KulamLecturer SG Zoology, Dept. of BiologyH.K.R.H. CollegeTheni - 625 533, [email protected]

Neupane, HariStudent, Dept. of Env. ScienceAmrit Science CollegeKathmandu, [email protected]

Noble, AugustineLecturer SG in ZoologyP.M.T. CollegeTirunelveli - 627 953, TN.

Padmanabhan, PattiathScientist, Forest Ecology & BiodiversityCons. Div., KFRIThrissur - 680 653, [email protected]

Panneerselvam, VimalJRF, Forest Protection Div., IFGTBCoimbatore - 641 002, [email protected],[email protected]

Parasharya, Bhavbhuti MukundrayOrnithologist, Biological ControlResearch LaboratoryAnand Agricultural UniversityAnand - 388 110, [email protected],[email protected]

Paul, RajenderVet. Micorbiologist, Vet. PolyclinicKullu Dist. - 175 126, [email protected],[email protected]

Paul, Sanjeev KumariVeterinary Medicine SpecialistVeterinary PolyclinicKullu Dist. - 175 126, [email protected]

Pendharkar, Anand P.Director, SPROUTSMumbai - 400 099, [email protected],[email protected]

Perera, Gunawardane NuwanDileepaResearch Asst., Dept. of ZoologyUniversity of KelaniyaDalugama, Sri [email protected]

Perera, Pallawela Gamege DayaneRatnayakeStudent, Open University of Sri LankaNugegoda, Sri Lanka.

Perera, Sandun JayalalLecturer, Dept. of Natural ResourcesSabaragamuwa University of SLBelihuloya - 70140, Sri [email protected],[email protected],[email protected]

Perumalsamy, KalirajResearch Scholar, Dept. of Ani. Beh. &Physiology, Madurai Kamaraj UniversityMadurai - 625 021, [email protected]

Phukan, DebojitCoordinatorMegamix Nature ClubLakhimpur - 787055, AS.

Phuyal, Sujas PrasadStudentKathmandu, [email protected],[email protected]

Pieris, Mapitiyage WarunaViswanathDept. of National Zoological GardenDehiwala, Sri Lanka.

Pokharel, Krishna PrasadTeacher, Inst. of Science & TechnologyPokhara, [email protected]

Porob, Paresh C.Range Forest OfficerBardez - 403 501, [email protected]

Pradhan, Malhar S.Retired Scientist, ZSIPune - 411 007, [email protected]

Prakash, Antony ArulappanResearch Scholar, Dept. of ZoologySt. John’s CollegeTirunelveli - 627 002, TN.

Prasanna, NanjundaiahResearch Associate - IVPM, Dept. ofZoology, BS & H CollegeGKVK, Univ. of Agri. SciencesBangalore - 560 065, KA.

Priya, Yuvana SatyaCSIR RABB Ambedkar UniversityLucknow - 226 025, [email protected]

Purohit, Ashok kumarLecturer, Dept. of ZoologyJ.N.V. UniversityJodhpur - 342 001, [email protected]

Pushparani, Addline EstherLecturer, Bat Research LaboratorySarah Tucker CollegeTirunelveli - 627 007, TN.

Racey, PaulChair, Chiroptera SG, SSC IUCN &Regius Prof. of Natural HistorySch. of Bio. Sci., Univ. of AberdeenAberdeen - AB24 2TZ, [email protected]

Raghuram, HanumanthanResearch AssociateCentre for Ecological Sciences, IISBangalore - 560 012, [email protected],[email protected]

Rahman, Md HasiburStudent, Dept. of ZoologyJahangirnagar UniversityDhaka - 1342, Bangladesh.

Raj, David AntonyLecturer, PG & Research Dept. ofZoology, The American CollegeMadurai - 625 002, [email protected]

Raja, Naeem AshrafAsst. Inspector General of Forests,Ministry of Env., Govt. of PakistanRawalpindi - 46000, [email protected]

Rajan, Koilmani EmmanuvelLecturer, Dept. of Animal BehaviourSchool of Biological SciencesBharathidasan UniversityTiruchirapalli - 620 024, [email protected]

Rajchal, RajeshStudentBagmati Zone, [email protected],[email protected]

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Raman, RajasekarPost Doctoral FellowCenter for Ecological Sciences, IISBangalore - 560 012, [email protected],[email protected]

Ramanathan, PaulduraiScholar, Dept. of ZoologySt. John’s CollegeTirunelveli - 627 002, TN.

Ramanujam, KarthikeyanResearch Scholar, Dept. of Ani. Beh. &Physiology, Sch. of Biological Sci.Madurai Kamaraj UniversityMadurai - 625 021,[email protected],[email protected]

Ranabhat, Nar BahadurLecturer, Dept. of ZoologyTribhuvan UniversityKathmandu, [email protected],[email protected]

Randeniya, Preethi VidyaLecturer, Dept. of ZoologyUniversity of ColomboColombo - 3, Sri [email protected]

Reginald, Louis JosephResearch ScholarCoimbatore - 641 006, [email protected],[email protected]

Reza, A.H.M. AliTexas Tech UniversityLubbock - TX 79409, [email protected],[email protected]

Ruback, Patricia AnnBIS Specialist/Bat BiologistBanbury Ct., St. Charles - IL60174-4455, [email protected]

Saha, Subhendu SekharResearcher, ZSIKolkata - 700 053, WB.

Sahoo, Santosh KumarChariman, Conservation Himalayas(NGO), CH. - 160 [email protected],[email protected]

Saikia, Uttam KumarNGO CoordinatorTezpur - 784 001, [email protected],[email protected]

Saman Kumara, Koggala M.Senarath AsithaTechnical Asst.Welimada, Sri [email protected]

Samarawickrama, VidanaArachchilage Madura PradeepKumarField EcologistPeradeniya, Sri [email protected]

Sampath, Deepan ChackaravarthyStudent, Dept. of Wildlife & ZoologyA.V.C. CollegeMayiladuthurai - 609 001, [email protected]

Sarker, Sohrab UddinProf. (Supernumerary), Dept. of ZoolUniversity of DhakaDhaka - 1000, [email protected],[email protected]

Sathasivam, KumaranConservationistMadurai - 625 001, [email protected],[email protected]

Senacha, Kalu RamScientist B, BNHSMumbai - 400 001, [email protected],[email protected]

Seneviratne, Sampath S.Student, Dept. of BiologyMemorial UniversitySt. John’s, NL, A1B 3X9, [email protected],[email protected]

Senewirathne, SudusingheHakmanadurage SanjeewaStudentMataia, Sri Lanka.

Sharma, Bidyut BikashStudent, Dept. of Env. ScienceGauhati UniversityGuwahati - 781 014, [email protected]

Sharma, Manju VasudevaResearch Associate, ATREEBangalore - 560 024, [email protected],[email protected]

Sharma, Satish kumarRange Forest OfficerSajjangarh Wildlife SanctuaryUdaipur - 313 001, [email protected]

Shrestha, AnjanaRadio JournalismKathmandu - 22, [email protected],[email protected]

Shrestha, GeetaFounder Chairperson, NATUREKathmandu, [email protected],[email protected],[email protected]

Shrestha, TanujaStudent, Padma Kanya MultipleCampus, Kathmandu, [email protected]

Shrestha, Tej kumarProf., Central Dept. of ZoologyTribhuvan UniversityKathmandu, [email protected]

Sial, NuzhatResearch Officer, Cholistan Inst. ofDesert Studies, Islamia UniversityBahawal Pur, [email protected],[email protected]

Sigdel, PrakashStudentCharali, Thapa, Nepal.

Siliwal, Manju Puranmal JangirResearch Associate, WILDCoimbatore - 641004, [email protected],[email protected]

Singaravelan, NatarajanJRF, Dept. of Animal Behaviour &Physiology, School of Biol. Sci.Madurai Kamaraj UniversityMadurai - 625 021, [email protected]

Sinha, Yadunath PrasadRetired ScientistZSI, Gangetic Plains Regional StationPatna - 800 016, BR.

Sitoula, Bikram KumarStudent, Dept. of Env. ScienceAmrit Science CollegeKathmandu, [email protected]

Sophia, EzhilmathiLecturer, Dept. of ZoologySarah Tucker CollegeTirunelveli - 627 007, TN.

Sreepada, Kanale SreenivasappaReader, Dept. of Applied ZoologyMangalore UniversityMangalagangotri - 574 199, [email protected]

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Srinivasulu, BhargaviResearch ScientistBiodiversity Research & Cons. SocietySecunderabad - 500 011, [email protected],[email protected]

Srinivasulu, ChelamalaAsst. Prof.Biodiversity Research & Cons. SocietySecunderabad - 500 011, [email protected],[email protected]

Subbulakshmi, ChidambaramStudent, Dept. of Animal Behaviour &Physiology, Sch. of Biological SciencesMadurai Kamaraj UniversityMadurai 625 021, TN.

Subedi, RajanStudentInstitute of ForestryPokhara, [email protected]

Subedi, Tulsi RamResearcher, Bird Conservation NepalKathmandu, [email protected]

Sunny, RonnyStudent, College of ForestryKerala Agricultural UniversityThrissur - 680 654, KL.

Swamidoss, Devaraj ParamananthaResearch Scholar, Dept. of ZoologySt. John’s CollegeTirunelveli - 627 002, TN.

Tak, Jeeva RamTeacher / ResearcherPali Dist. - 306 708, RJ.

Talmale, Shyamkant SukhadeoraoSr. Zoological Asst.ZSI, WRSPune - 411 044, [email protected],[email protected]

Thabah, AdoraStudentShillong - 793 002, ML.

Thakur, SanjaySr. Project OfficerWWF-India, SML-TCPSeoni, [email protected],[email protected]

Thapa, ArjunStudent, Central Dept. of ZoologyTribhuvan UniversityKathmandu, [email protected],[email protected]

Thapa, Sanjan BahadurStudent, Central Dept. of ZoologyTribhuvan UniversityKathmandu, [email protected],[email protected]

Tharmarajan, RamprasathStudent, Dept. of BiochemistrySchool of Biological SciencesMadurai Kamaraj UniversityMadurai - 625 021, [email protected]

Thilakarathna, WanniarachchiKankanange NoyelDept. of National Zoological GardenDehiwala, Sri Lanka.

Thiyagesan, KrishnamoorthyReader in Zoology, AVC CollegeMayiladuthurai - 609 305, TN.

Tuttle, Merlin D.Founder & President, BCIAustin - TX78716-2603, [email protected],[email protected],[email protected]

Vanitharani, JulietReader, Dept. of ZoologySarah Tucker CollegeTirunelveli - 627 007, [email protected],[email protected]

Vanlalnghaka, ChhakchhuakStudent, Zoology Dept.Ahmednagar CollegeAhmednagar - 414 001, [email protected]

Vantipalli, VijayakrishnaAbhyudaya Degree CollegeKamavarapukota WG Dt. - 534 449, [email protected]

Varu, Shantilal NanalalRetired Govt. ServantKutch Bhuj - 370 020, [email protected]

Vattakaven, JosephResearch Associate, ATREEBangalore - 560 024, KA.

Vidyaratne, Viyannalage KapilaManojWildlife RangerRaddolugama, Sri Lanka.

Wadatkar, Jayant S.Lab. Assistant, Dept. of ZoologyS.G.B. Amravati UniversityAmravati - 444 602, [email protected]

Walker, Sally R.Convenor CCINSA, Founder/Dir. ZOOCoimbatore - 641 004, [email protected],[email protected]

Walsh, AllysonDirector, Lubee Bat ConservancyFlorida - 32609, [email protected]

Wenju, RabiStudent, Dept. of Env. ScienceKathmandu UniversityKavre, [email protected]

Wijesinghe, Thiththala PitigeRekhan ShamikaStudentKandy, Sri [email protected]

Wimalarathna, AmuhengodageChaminda JagathpriyaMakevita, Ja-ela, Sri Lanka.

Yapa, Wipula BandaraSenior Lecturer, Dept. of ZoologyUniversty of ColomboColombo - 3, Sri [email protected],[email protected]

Yardi, Kranti DhananjayProject Incharge, Cummins NatureClub, Cummins India Ltd.Pune - 411 052, [email protected]

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Abeyauardhana, U. TiranStudent, Dept. of BotanyUniversity of PeradeniyaPeradeniya - 20400, Sri [email protected]

Abeygunawardane, Dilini VathsalaTeaching Asst.Pannipitiya - 10230, Sri [email protected]

Aryal, Kul ChandraStudent & Radio JournalistDept. of Zoology, Tribhuvan UniversityKathmandu, [email protected]

Asela, Muthumunige DulanChandanaEnvironmentalistColombo - 10, Sri [email protected],[email protected]

Babu, T. RaveendraResearch AssociateAICRP on Rodent ControlUniv. of Agri. Sci., College of Agri.GKVK, Bangalore - 560 065, KA.

Bahir, Mohomed MujythabaConservation Research BiologistTaprobanica Nature Cons. SocietyHomagama, Sri [email protected],[email protected]

Basnet, Krishna BahadurSch. Teacher & Co-ordinator Bat ClubBoudha Sec. English SchoolKathmandu, [email protected],[email protected]

Bhadauria, Ahibaran SinghAssociate Prof., Dept. of EntomologyC.S.A. Univ. of Agri. & Tech.Kanpur - 208 002, UP.

Bhattacharyya, SaptarshiDurgapur Govt. CollegeDurgwwapur - 713 214, [email protected],[email protected]

Bhattacharyya, TarapadaZSIKolkata - 700 053, WB.

Borges, Renee MariaAsst. Prof., Centre for Ecol. Sci., IISBangalore - 560 012, [email protected]

Chakraborty, RinaScientist D & Depty Director, ZSIKolkatta - 700 016, [email protected]

RISCINSA members

Chakraborty, SujitService, ZSIKolkatta - 700 016, [email protected]

Chakravarthy, Akshay KumarProf., Dept. of EntomologyUniv. of Agri. Sciences, GKVKBangalore - 560 032, [email protected],[email protected]

Chandima Suresh FernandoResearch Asst.Wennappuwa - 61170, Sri [email protected]

Chaudhary, Birendra PrasadStudent, Dept. of ZoologyTribhuvan UniversityKathmandu, [email protected]

Chaudhary, GyanendraStudent, Dept. of Env. ScienceKathmandu UniversityKavre, [email protected]

Chaudhary, VipinTraining AssociateCentral Arid Zone Research InstituteJodhpur - 342 011, RJ.

Chowdhury, Md. Abdul WahedResearcher, Dept. of ZoologyUniversity of ChittagongChittagong - 4331, [email protected]

Dahal, SagarStudentMorang, [email protected]

Dhanushka, Priyadharshana PeirisMoratuwa, Sri Lanka.

Digana, Pradana MudiyanselageChandrasekara BandaraField BiologistBoralesgamuwa, Sri [email protected]

Dissanayake, RajithStudent, Harrow - HA1 1UQ, U.K.

Dutta, SubirStudent, Jahangirnagar UniversityDhaka - 1342, Bangladesh.

Fernando, Saminda PrasadStudent (In field)Jaela, Sri Lanka.

Ganesh, T.Researcher, ATREEBangalore - 560 024, [email protected]

Ghimire, Bipin ChandraStudentChitwan, [email protected]

Ghimire, RameshworStudent, Dept. of Env. SciencePatan Multiple College CampusLalitpur, [email protected]

Ghimire, SudipaStudentChitwan, [email protected]

Giovanni AmoriChair, IUCN SSC Rodent SGCNR-Institute for Ecosystem StudiesRome - 161, [email protected]

Girish, A.C.Project Asst.Center for Ecological Science, IISBangalore - 560 012, [email protected]

Goonatilake, ManoriAsst. Director (Entomology)Dept. of National MuseumsColombo - 7, Sri [email protected]

Goonatilake, Sampath de AlwisEcologist, Forestry & Biodiversity GroupIUCN, Colombo - 7, Sri [email protected], [email protected]

Haberl, WernerChair, Insectivore SG, IUCN SSCVienna - A-1050, Austria.

Habibi, KushalWildlife & Biodiversity Cons. ConsultantClarksville - MD 21029, [email protected]

Idris, Md.Training AssociateCollege of Agri., Univ. of Agri. SciencesBangalore - 560 065, KA.

Jaffer MasoodResearcherKarachi, Pakistan.

Jayahari, Kannambally MadhatilResearch FellowDept. of Wildlife Biology, KFRIThrissur - 680 653, KL.

Jordan, MikeChair (Europe & North Asia) IUCN SSCRSG, Co-chair EAZA RWG & SMTAGChester Zoological GardensChester - CH2 1LH, [email protected]

43



Joshua, JustusScientist, Gujarat Inst. of Desert Ecol.Bhuj, Kachchh - 370 001, [email protected]

Kannan, SoundarapandianHead, Dept. of MicrobiologyAyya Nadar Janaki Ammal CollegeSivakasi - 626 124, TN.

Kaphle, RameshworStudent/Researcher, Central Dept. ofZoology, Tribhuvan Univ.Kathmandu, [email protected],[email protected],[email protected]

Kataria, Pratap SinghAssociate Prof.Bikaner - 334 003, [email protected]

Khan, AhmadConservation BiologistSwat District, NWFP, Pakistan.

Khan, Md. AyazConservation BiologistMardan - 23200, NWFP, Pakistan.

Khan, Md. Monirul HasanService, IUCN-The World Cons. UnionDhaka - 1209, Bangladesh.

Khan, Shahid HafeezLecturer, Dept. of ForestryRange Mgt. & Wildlife Univ. of Agri.Punjab, [email protected],[email protected]

Koju, Narayan PrasadStudentBhaktapur, [email protected]

Kumar, AjithCourse Director, NCBSTata Inst. of Fundamental ResearchBangalore - 560 065, [email protected]

Kumara, Koggala M. SenarathAsitha SamanTechnical Asst.Welimada, Sri [email protected]

Maheswaran, GopinathanScientist ‘C’ Officer-in-ChargeZSI, Arunachal Pradesh Field StationItanagar - 791 113, [email protected],[email protected]

Mahfuz, S.M. KhaledResearch Asst.Dhaka - 1217, [email protected]

Manimozhi, A.Biologist, Arignar Anna Zoological ParkChennai - 600 048, [email protected]

Mohananpillai, K.G.Alappuzha Dist. - 690 537, [email protected]

Molur, Payal B.Founder, Flagship Foundation forFauna, Flora & Fungi (f5)Coimbatore - 641 006, [email protected],[email protected],[email protected]

Molur, Sanjay R.V.Ex. Director ZOO, Secretary WILDCoimbatore - 641 004, [email protected],[email protected],[email protected]

Mudappa, DivyaAssociate EcologistNCF-Rainforest Restoration ResearchStation, Valparai - 642127, [email protected],[email protected]

Mukherjee, ShomenStudent, Dept. of Desert EcologyBen-Gurion University of the Negev,Blaustein Institute for Desert ResearchIsrael - [email protected]

Mukherjee, ShomitaWildlife BiologistMumbai - 400 050, [email protected],[email protected]

Mukthabai, Krishnoji RaoScientist, Food Protection & InfestationControl Dept.Central Food Tech. Research InstituteMysore - 570 013, KA.

Muthuandavan, LatchoumananResearcher- WildlifeGujarat Institute of Desert EcologyBhuj - 370 001, [email protected],[email protected]

Nakarmi, Asmita PasaStudent, Dept. of Env. SciencePatan Multiple College CampusLalitpur, [email protected]

Nameer, Paingamadathil OmmerAssoc. Prof. (WL.) & Head, Centre forWL. Studies, College of Forestry, KeralaAgri. Univ., Thrissur - 680 656, [email protected]

Neelanarayanan,PeriyasamyLecturer, PG & Research Dept. ofZoology, Nehru Memorial CollegeTiruchirappalli - 621 007, [email protected],[email protected]

Neupane, HariStudent, Dept. of Env. ScienceAmrit Science CollegeKathmandu, [email protected]

Padmanabhan, PattiathScientist, Forest Ecology & BiodiversityCons. Div., KFRIThrissur - 680 653, [email protected]

Parshad, Vir RajinderScientist, S. Zoologist (Rodents)Head, Dept. of ZoologyPunjab Agri. Univ.Ludhiana - 141 004, [email protected]

Pathirage, Meneka Nelum KumaraZoologist, National Zool. Garden of SLColombo, Sri [email protected]

Perera, Sandun JayalalLecturer, Dept. of Natural ResourcesSabaragamuwa Univ. of SLBelihuloya - 70140, Sri [email protected],[email protected],[email protected]

Pradhan, Malhar S.Retired Scientist, ZSIPune - 411 007, [email protected]

Rajamani, NandiniStudentChennai - 600 018, TN.

[email protected]

Ramachandran, K.K.Scientist, Wildlife Biology Div., KFRIThrissur - 680 653, [email protected]

Rana, B.D.Proj. Co-ord., AICRP on Rodent ControlCentral Arid Zone Research InstituteJodhpur - 342 003, RJ.

Ranabhat, Nar BahadurLecturer, Dept. of ZoologyTribhuvan UniversityKathmandu, [email protected],[email protected]

Rao, Arasada Murali Krishna MohanCentral Civil Services Group ‘A’National Plant Protection Training Inst.Hyderabad - 500 030, [email protected]

44



Rasheed, TahirServiceBalochistan, [email protected]

Reza, A.H.M. AliTexas Tech UniversityLubbock - TX 79409, [email protected],[email protected]

Samal, BhubaneswarSuperintendent, Orissa State MuseumBhubaneshwar - 751 014, OR.

Samarawickrama, VidanaArachchilage Madura PradeepKumarField EcologistPeradeniya, Sri [email protected]

Sarker, Sohrab UddinProf. (Supernumerary), Dept. ofZoology, University of DhakaDhaka - 1000, [email protected],[email protected]

Senewirathne, SudusingheHakmanadurage SanjeewaStudentMataia, Sri Lanka.

Shanker, KartikATREEBangalore - 560 024, KA.

Sheikher, ChanderLecturer/Researcher, Dept. ofEntomology & Agri., Dr. Y.S.ParmarUniv. of Horticulture & ForestrySolan - 173 230, HP.

Shrestha, TanujaStudent, Padma Kanya MultipleCampus,Kathmandu, [email protected]

Shrestha, Tej KumarProf., Central Dept. of ZoologyTribhuvan UniversityKathmandu, [email protected]

Sigdel, PrakashStudentThapa, Nepal.

Singla, Lachhman DasScientist, Dept. of Vet. ParasitologyCollege of Vet. Science, Guru AngadDev Vet. & Animal Science Univ.Ludhiana - 141 004, [email protected],[email protected]

Singla, NeenaAsst. Zoologist, Dept. of ZoologyCollege of Basic Sci. & Humanities,Punjab Agri. Univ.Ludhiana - 141 004, [email protected],[email protected]

Sinha, Yadunath PrasadRetired ScientistZSI, Gangetic Plains Regional StationPatna - 800 016, BR.

Sirimanna, Geethal Ramyanath D.Harana, Sri [email protected]

Sitoula, Bikram KumarStudent, Dept. of Env. ScienceAmrit Science CollegeKathmandu, [email protected]

Smith, AndrewIUCN SSC Lagomorpha SG ChairLondon - SE13 7JJ, [email protected]

Sood, PankajGovt. Service, Dept. of EntomologyUniversity of Horticulture and ForestryNauni (Solan) - 173 230, HP.

Sridhara, ShakuntalaScientist-Prof., College of Agri.Univ. of Agri. Sci., GKVKBangalore - 560 065, KA.

Srinivasulu, ChelamalaAsst. Prof.Biodiversity Research & Cons. SocietySecunderabad - 500 011, [email protected]

Srivastava, Dinesh ChandraGovt. Service, Entomology Div.Indian Institute of Sugarcane ResearchLucknow - 226 002, [email protected]

Subedi, Tulsi RamResearch WorkerBird Conservation NepalKathmandu, [email protected]

Talmale, Shyamkant SukhadeoraoSr. Zoological Asst., ZSI, WRSPune - 411 044, [email protected],[email protected]

Thakur, SanjaySr. Proj. Officer, WWF-India, SML-TCPSeoni, [email protected],[email protected]

Thapa, ArjunStudentSyangja, [email protected],[email protected]

Thapa, JoyaDarjeeling Dist. - 734 203, [email protected]

Thapa, Sanjan BahadurStudentMorang, [email protected],[email protected]

Thomas, MoniScientistKrishi Vigyan Kendra, Tech. Sch.Campus, Shahdol - 484 001, MP.

Tripathi, Rakesh SharanScientist, Central Arid Zone Res. Inst.Jodhpur - 342 003, [email protected]

Venkataraman, MeenaConsultant, WIIDehradun - 248 001, [email protected],[email protected]

Venkatesan, AravindBangalore - 560 078, [email protected]

Vidyaratne, Viyannalage KapilaManojWildlife RangerRaddolugama, Sri Lanka.

Walker, Sally RFounder/Director ZOO, President WILDCoimbatore - 641 004, [email protected],[email protected]

Wenju, RabiStudent, Dept. of Env. ScienceKathmandu UniversityKavre, [email protected]

Wijesinghe, Mayuri RukshaniSenior Lecturer, Dept. of ZoologyUniversity of ColomboColombo - 3, Sri [email protected]

Wijesinghe, Thiththala PitigeRekhan ShamikaStudentKandy, Sri [email protected]

Wimalarathna, AmuhengodageChaminda JagathpriyaMakevita, Ja-ela, Sri Lanka.

45



Chiroptera Conservation andInformation Network of South Asia

(CCINSA)

CCINSA is a network of South Asian Chiropteraspecialists, educators and enthusiasts. Thenetwork aims to enhance communication,cooperation and collaboration among chiropteraspecialists of this region and thereby create achiroptera conservation “community” for betterbiodiversity conservation

Chair: Sripathi KandulaConvenor and Administrator: Sally Walker

Red List and Technical Expert: Sanjay Molur

Rodentia, Insectivora, and ScandentiaConservation & Information Network of

South Asia

RISCINSA network of South Asia was suggestedby interested biodiversity conservation specialistsand the purpose of this network, then is to linktogether rodent field researchers and their fieldknowledge throughout South Asia (Bangladesh,Bhutan, India, Nepal, Maldives, Pakistan, SriLanka and Afghanistan) so the pooling ofinformation can lead to conservation action.

Scientific Chair: Sujith ChakravortyEditor: Sally Walker

CSG

International Partners of

CCINSA and RISCINSA

Chester Zoo Conservation Fund supports ZOO/

CCINSA office, BAT NET newsletter and trainingin field techniques for bats. Chester Zoo, which hasan outstanding facility for exhibition & breeding of

bats and an active conservation interest inchiroptera is located in Upton on Chester in England

and administered by North of England ZoologicalSociety. See their excellent website:

www.chesterzoo.org

Bat Conservation International BCI is one ofthe most active, innovative and respected bat

conservation organisations in the world. See BCI’swonderful website: www.batcon.org

IUCN SSC Chiroptera Specialist GroupCCINSA represents the IUCN SSC Chiroptera Specialist

Group in the region of South Asia. CSG utilises theCCINSA Network to locate specialists in different

subject areas, to organise training as well asconservation assessment workshops and other

activities to assist the CSG in their mission. Contact :

Chair Paul Racey: [email protected]

RISCINSA network is supported by the KnowsleySafari Park, North England, United Kingdom.

Small Mammal Mail is bi-annual Newsletter celebrating the most useful yet most neglected Mammalsfor CCINSA & RISCINSA -- Chiroptera, Rodent, Insectivore, & Scandens Conservation

and Information Networks of South Asia

Editor: Sally Walker; Technical Advisors: Sanjay Molur, B.A. Daniel, R. Marimuthu; andPublication Assistants: Latha Ravikumar, Ravichandran, Pravin Kumar

CCINSA and RISCINSA are an activity of Zoo Outreach Organisation (ZOO) and Wildlife Information LiaisonDevelopment (WILD) in association with CBSG, South Asia and RSG, South Asia.

Note: ZOOS’ PRINT Magazine, Journal, Newsletters and a variety ofreports can be found on our websites: www.zooreach.org and www.zoosprint.org.

Small Mammal Mail, C/o Zoo Outreach Organisation9A-9B, Lal Bahadur Colony, Peelamedu, Coimbatore 641004 TN INDIA

Phone: 91 422 2561087; Fax 2563269; Email: <[email protected]>Websites: www.zooreach.org, www.zoosprint.org; www.pterocount.org; www.southasiantaxa.org

RILSCINSA

small mammal mail vol:1 no:1 jan-jul 2009

Documents

mist net

ethnozoology of bats

hunting bats

gorkha district of nepal

bat trapping

local materials toprepare

sc sitesdoes

annual fooddemand