DALMA WLS , Jharkhand: : 01 Oct 2015 : National Bird

[Saktipada Panigrahi]

Canon 700D, Canon EF-S 55-250 mm IS II

[Mrudul Godbole]

Nice sighting. I have not been to this Sanctuary yet :(. How were the sightings there? Look forward to more. Thanks for sharing.

[Nishith Kumar]

Nice habitat image...I am planning to visit there during DP holidays..Dalma is famous for elephants..Same question..:-) Any sightings? Especially mammals?

-Nishith

[Sabyasachi Patra]

Good to see an image from Dalma hills. I used to trek there in 1992-1995. In those days there used to be plenty of fresh elephant dung everywhere, so most of my friends used to get tensed about an accidental face to face. Wonder how is the situation in that place.
Cheers,
Sabyasachi

[Roopak Gangadharan]

nice to see this sir.

TFS
Roopak

[Saktipada Panigrahi]

Nishith Bhai,

Dalma Hills Range measuring about 70 odd sq.kms is beautiful. But the unauthorised construction particularly on flat beds along the Subarnarekha River and the untreated effluents discharged into the river by most of the industries barring a few as also by the households have made the river highly polluted.

True, there are about 200 or so Wild Elephants, but most of them use the elephant corridor for migration to Purulia, Bankura and West Medinipore districts of West Bengal every year with arrival of the the monsoon. They are in Bankura and W. Medinipore at present. There are some very good tuskers which are being photographed in Bankura, W.Medinipore, even near Durgapur at present. The forest officials and police keep close watch so as to avoid man-animal conflict. At approriate time they will try to drive them towards Dalma. Some migration to other adjoining forests of Jharkhand also takes place.

These elephants will come back to Dalma after harvesting season is over. One may see them in Dalma in plenty in March- April. There are water bodies on flat slates up in the hills and pucca hides have been built nearby for facilitating watching them. After checking with the forest department whether the Elephants have come back, one may draw up his plan.

I entered through Jamshedpur side (Mango) and went in a Jeep to the top of the hills. At best rhesus monkey and wild boars one may see now during the day. Motor cycles and jeeps are going up to the top of the hill all throughout the day. There are small mammals but in such a sanctuary only during night drive one may see them which is not permitted, I think.

The forest guard accompanying us (armed with an axe) told me that he has seen the last tiger during 2001 and two leopards during the year before last; both during night.

While returning I observed one forest guard armed with an axe was also carrying a Bow and Arrow, little concealed behind the axe.

Kind regards,
SaktiWild

[Nishith Kumar]

Thanks for a detailed review of Dalma WLS sir! It's disheartening to know about the sorry state of affair :-( How in the world a forest guard armed with medieval aged weapons suppose to fight poachers and other miscreants? But then this the story of most of the WLS in India...

-Nishith