Dawn and Dusk PQs

Dawn creates magic. So does dusk.

Yesterday while at the golf course, the dawn was simply spectacular. I could capture its colours in my cell phone.

Later in the evening, while waiting for the movie in RSI open air cinema, the sky after sunset caught the eye. It was dusk and its silent beauty.

Here are two PQs- picturesque quotes on the pictures of dawn and dusk.

The PQ on Dawn is based on Rabindranath Tagore's famous line 'Faith is the bird that feels the light when the dawn is still dark'. We derive strength in our life with faith. Don't we? 

It is the original picture, not photoshopped except for watermarking.

The PQ on Dusk is inspired by Bernard Williams simple words 'It is almost impossible to watch a sunset and not dream'. Dreams are important to move on!

Here are some of the earlier PQs related to sunsets and sunrises.

 

Gautam Buddha had famously said that 'What we do today is what matters most'!

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     - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/ 24th Feb 2020

#PQs #picturesquequotes #dawn #dusk #nature #tagore #bernardwilliams #sunrise #sunsets #ghumakkadhb #ghumakkadharsh

Leopard in Jaipur?

Jaipur is famous for:
Hawa Mahal
Amer Fort
Galta Ji
Ram Bagh Palace
And many other places.

Leopard in Jaipur? Yes, Jaipur also has a Leopard Safari in the heart of the city.

It is called Jhalana Leopard Safari Park. 
Where is it located?
Just 5.4 kms N-E of Jaipur airport. Mere 15 minutes drive. See the maps below.

Fact Sheet:
Set up by Rajasthan Forest Department in 2016 and opened to public in 2018


Erstwhile game reserve of the Royal Family
Spread over 23 sq kms
Has 38 Leopards. Thus it has the highest density of leopards per sq km in the world.

Two Safari sessions every day in the morning and evening.
In each session only 10 vehicles with 6 persons each permitted.
On-line booking through Rajasthan Forest Department website. You have to register before making a safari booking.

Private vehicles not permitted.
The Park has two zones. As of now, the vehicles can cross over from one zone to the other. But in future when the number of visitors goes up, the safari vehicles may be restricted to one zone only.

Cost of a Safari
Safari ride for Indian nationals costs Rs 390/- per head including taxes. Govt ID is mandatory for buying a ticket.

Ghumakkad took the afternoon Safari on 15th Feb.
Pictures.

A bit of history of the Park as displayed in the Interpretation Centre.

How are Leopards Identified?
Each leopard has unique set of spots and rosettes as explained below.

The Safari Begins

Those who have not been on a jungle safari, see the short clip below to get a feel of the jungle and how the safari vehicles navigate.

When multiple vehicles converge on a spot in the jungle- a short 30-second clip will interest you.

The blue sky in winter months is not to be missed!

As with many National Parks in India, there are monuments, temples, villages and other human settlements located inside the park. Jhalana reserve has a Kali Mandir inside the park. It has been fenced to provide security from the animals. The visitors have access during limited hours. See the picture below.

The safari continues past the temple.

The Park has an old hunting tower called 'Shikar Haudi'. Additional fee is charged to visit it.

Although we paid the fee but we could not visit it due to failing light. 
We waited at a water point hoping that the leopard will come to have water. See the video clip below.

We spotted more foreign tourists that afternoon. One couple had taken nine safaris earlier! Talk of patience!

All we could spot were Blue Bulls-Neel Gai नील गाय both male and female and variety of birds. See the pictures.

We then spotted a half-eaten kill of a blue bull. It indicated that the leopard was not far away. However, further wait did not bear fruit.

After a long wait lasting almost two hours, we were a bit disappointed. To add to our woes, three passengers in our vehicle became very impatient. They wanted to abort their safari and requested to be dropped back at the main entrance. We thus lost 30 minutes of safari time (total 3 hours) to drop the impatient visitors. Ganesh our driver, drove the electric vehicle at break neck speed to save time.

We rejoined rest of the vehicles waiting for the leopard. As the light was fading, we started the return leg of our safari rather reluctantly. We were still hopeful of a sighting. Not for me but for my brother Raj and his wife Sarita- both first time safari tourists. As they say first time lucky! While these thoughts were crossing my mind, our vehicle was moving slowly on the dirt track.

Another few minutes up an incline and a bend and we saw a dark shape moving ahead! We slowed down and cut all the noise whatsoever. It was a leopard ahead. Some 50 feet ahead. Walking on the sand track.
Excitement built up. Camera whirred. For my 300 mm lens on 1/800 speed setting for a moving vehicle, the light was really low. But the shutter won't stop. See the 5 second video clip first. The voice over is in a whisper.

The above video was then followed by a series of pictures. We kept following the leopard till he decided to ease himself in a bushy patch. We respected his privacy. See the series of pictures below.

We shot a 30-second video as we followed the leopard. Our driver alerted the other vehicles in the vicinity. One of these vehicles approached our vehicles and applied brakes. That disturbed the leopard and he disappeared into the bushes. Talk of disciplined wildlife tourists!

After another wait, we sighted the leopard again. This time we went solo to make sure the leopard is not disturbed. Here is a minute and a half long video clip of the leopard leading us. Once again, the voice is in a whisper to avoid disturbing the leopard.

The sun had already set. All vehicles have to clear the park before 6.30 pm in winter. We had our fill. Except that we had to forego the visit to Shikar Haudi. May be the next time.
Raj and Sarita sure proved first time lucky!

The evening clouds in otherwise clear sky cast a magical spell to the forest. We hope that the 'man' does not destroy the forest.

Mahatma Gandhi's words on the importance of forests echoed my mind. Here is a PQ- picturesque quote superimposed on the Jhalana forest.

Jaipur has seen many changes. Jhalana Leopard Reserve is one of such changes. You may view our earlier stories on Jaipur by clicking the links below:
'The Changing Face of Jaipur'
'The Pink City Beyond Pink'
'Rural Jugaad'

Thanks for browsing. Your feedback is welcome as always.

     - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Neeta Bhargava/ 19th Feb 2020

#jhalanaleopardsafari #leopards #jaipur #rajasthan #forests #pqs #picturesquequotes #conservation #leopardspots #ghumakkadharsh #ghumakkadhb

Did you know this part of Chandigarh?

Chandigarh is known for many things.
Like the Rock Garden.
Its architect Le Corbusier.
Pinjore Gardens.
Sukhna Lake.
Its warm and fun loving people.

But Chandigarh also has India's first Vulture Conservation and Breeding Centre called Jatayu Conservation Breeding Centre (JCBC). JCBC is a joint project of Central Zoo Authority, Haryana Forest Department and Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS). It is a unique facility created on five acres of forest land on the fringe of Bir Shikargarh Wildlife Sanctuary in Morni Hills of Shivalik ranges of the Himalaya foothills. See the map below.

Reaching the JCBC
Located on the fringe of a wildlife sanctuary, JCBC is not a tourist spot. In fact you need permission to visit the Centre. Despite directions, you can easily miss the turning to the Centre. The route goes along the bank of Kaushalya lake. Who were the visitors? All of us Navy Veterans! Few pictures for you.

Why JCBC?
Vultures are Nature's most efficient scavengers. Vultures help man dispose off the carcasses when their animals die. But sadly the vultures once very common, are nearly extinct in India. 99 percent of the vulture population has died in last 30 years in India. Research led to Diclofenac a veterinary drug administered to cattle for pain relief. If the animal dies within 72 hours of diclofenac dosage, the carcass contains the residue. This residue when consumed by the vultures damages their kidneys and the vultures die. In this way, India has lost more than 99 percent of its vulture population. 

Recognising this ecological disaster, JCBC was set up to breed vultures in captivity.

Vulture Breeding
Why can't vultures breed in their natural environment?  Yes, they can but their reproduction rate is very slow. Consider some of the facts below courtesy JCBC:

• Vultures normally lay a single egg every year.
• Since more than 99% of vulture population had already been lost, reproduction in natural environment would take tens of decades to restore the population
• Although Diclofenac has been banned for animal usage, but its fatal effect on vultures still lingers in some parts of India
• The vultures double clutch within 2-3 weeks if the first clutch is lost during initial period of incubation.
• JCBC takes advantage of this behaviour and the first clutch is removed within 10-15 days of laying. It is then artificially incubated.
• The birds then double clutch in a few weeks.
• The nestling of the first clutch is then swapped for its second egg. The parents accept the nestling readily.
• The second clutch egg is then hatched in  incubator and reared in the nursery.
• This way JCBC could increase the productivity of the parents and fledging success of both the clutches.

Gyps Vultures

BNHS, with the help of the Government of India, State Forest Departments and Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, has been successful in the conservation of Gyps Vultures namely Oriental White-backed Vulture Gyps bengalensis, Long-billed Vulture Gyps indicus and Slender-billed Vulture Gyps tenuirostris. Refer BNHS site for more details. See the pictures below, sadly from picture frames and not in the wild!

Vulture Conservation Centres in India

As a precaution against the three species going extinct, BNHS has set-up four breeding centres for Gyps Vultures:

1. Jatayu Conservation Breeding Centre, Pinjore, Haryana
2. Vulture Conservation Breeding Centre, Rajabhatkhawa, West Bengal
3. Vulture Conservation Breeding Centre, Rani, Assam
4. Vulture Conservation Breeding Centre, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh

Each Centre is equipped with aviaries, surgery and recovery rooms, incubator and brooder facilities, laboratory, food processing room and interpretation centre. Few pictures of JCBC Pinjore.

Here is a short video of the briefing at JCBC by Mr Lalit, Research Team.

So Far

This joint effort has led to successful breeding of the three species. Every year sees new fledglings and by 2019, over 600 vultures had been successfully reared in the four centres. JCBC which we visited, has been able to rear more than 230 vultures. The stage is now set for the captive-bred vultures to be released into the wild.

We wish JCBC, BNHS and other agencies involved in this unique project, all success in their conservation effort. For all of us Navy Veterans, it was an eye opener. We salute the spirit and dedication of Dr Deshmukh and team at JCBC and all other scientists and researchers at all the four centres in India.

We the Navy Veterans had a Reunion in Himachal hills in November 2019. You may browse the previous stories linked below:

Who were these Navy Veterans

Chail Palace- When A Maharaja's Ego was Hurt

Chail Military School- With World's Highest Cricket Ground

More stories of our Reunion will follow:

Stay connected and thanks for browsing

    - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Neeta Bhargava/ 4th Feb 2020

Postscript 12th March 2020: 
Orchha in MP (Madhya Pradesh India) also has resident population of few Long Billed Vultures who reside in the Chatris and ledges of centuries old palace, forts and temples. Due to an over enthusiastic tourism initiative of MP Govt called 'Namaste Orchha', many of the nests of the resident vultures have been destroyed. Readers may browse a detailed report which highlights the dwindling population of vultures in MP.

#vultures #extinction #conservation #jcbc #bnhs #Forestdepartment #vulturebreedingcentre #gypsvultures #orientalwhitebackedvulture #longbilledvulture #slenderbilledvulture #rspb #zsl #icbp #haryana #govtofindia #ghumakkadharsh #ghumakkadhb