The Gem that is the Western Ghats
The western Ghats have one of the world’s most diverse and vibrant eco-systems. It is a beautiful chain of mountains that run on the western coast of India, which makes it a barrier for the westerly winds and hence has a beautiful and wide range of flora and fauna.
I have had the wonderful experience of living in the foothills in my grandfather’s estate, throughout that time I have seen many different types of wildlife. I have seen leopards, the gaur, deer, porcupines, snakes, many different species of birds and aquatic life, and many more which have no time to mention.
The habitat and the type of food each animal needs are different, nature’s bounty has a plentiful harvest for all. We can study these wonders of nature by getting down on our knees and dirty.
The study of these animals takes a lifetime, to befriend one is the hardest thing of all. I have had the unusual experience of interacting with the Malabar giant squirrel, by feeding over a period of time and taking care of it in its times of need, we have formed a bond that is unlike any other.
But the beauty of the place comes at a cost as it is with life. There are leaches, mosquitos, all manner of danger you could come across and of course the inhospitable places which lack basic needs, but if you want to discover a new part of yourself then it is worth all the misery, the wild can give you a taste of the life which we would have never come by until we went with it and became one with her and once you say goodbye to her, you would have learned several valuable lessons.
Without further delay, I would like to talk about three animals out of the many which I have come across and their lifespan and other things in general.
- Indian spotted Chevrotain (mouse deer)
The Chevrotain is an extremely small deer and for the sake of ease, I shall refer to it as the mouse deer. The mouse deer is a highly nocturnal animal and is extremely rare to catch a glimpse of it in the wild. They mainly forage fruits, roots, herbs, and occasionally insects and other small mammals. It is a very small and timid creature, shy to an extent that if you are to see it in its wild habitat you are extremely lucky.
The females are visibly larger than the males, the males do not have antlers as such but instead have a pair of long canine teeth. To give you a scale of how small it is, it may weigh anywhere between 3 to 4 kgs.
They are solitary animals and come into contact with others of it’s kind only during mating season, it has a lifespan of about 8 to 12 years, the latter is an age which many do not reach due to poaching and other evil practices. But there is much reason to worry about these tiny deer as they may be on the brink of extinction.
- The Gaur
The Gaur, how do I describe this animal as anything other than a large muscular, and handsome beast. It has a solid body with deep-set muscles and is a herbivore. Both males and females have massive horns which curve inward and are yellow at the bottom and slowly turn black towards the tips. The color of their fur is brown or more towards the reddish side, however, on older males, they seem to be velvety black.
These bulls usually live in a herd of 8 to 11 members with a hierarchy, they are extremely protective of their young and it is best not to taunt or provoke them in any way. The elder males may go on to live a solitary lifestyle, they do tend to get angry and are a source of trouble for the owners of plantations as they may dig up newly planted saplings. They may challenge each other with the whistling snort.
The male Gaur tends to mate with several females at once, the females give birth to one calf, which will reach the age of maturity in 2 to 3 years. The males must attract the females and the larger and bigger the male the better are its chances of mating. They have an average life span of 26 years, and after hearing many stories it may be plausible that they may live to the age of 50 if given the right conditions.
I have seen this majestic animal up front and personal, a couple of feet from my car, and have even been chased by one when I went jogging, I was forced to take cover in the gutter.
My grandfather was out in the part of the estate where he had planted mangoes when a male gaur charged at him with rage, he scurred up a mango tree and had to stay there until a couple of hours passed and the workers came and helped him down.
This is an animal you should learn to respect and you must make sure that you do not cross its boundaries.
3. The Malabar giant squirrel
This squirrel is especially close to my heart as one in my grandfather’s estate comes close to our house and then she calls out like a doorbell, waits for us to come out with a fruit, comes down the tree, lets us touch her, then she snatches the fruit and scurries up the tree to eat her delicious meal, and this is something which has been going for years and is very rare to form a bond like this with an animal as elusive as this giant squirrel. Usually, when walking under the trees you would see one of her kind zip through the tree line at incredible speeds, and before you see the maroon squirrel it’s gone.
These squirrels are again herbivores and eat fruits and sometimes like to suck on the sweet nectar of the areca nut. The most curious thing about them is the way they look down at you bobbing their head and then jumping onto another branch and disappearing into the green thicket.
The average life span of the creature is about 20- 25 years, people hunt these animals for their rich velvety fur and meat, which has raised the alarm bell on the survival of these animals, deforestation too is another factor that influence the population.
