A Trip to Konehalli

There was a terrible craving for an expedition among the team. We decided to get out of the city for a couple of days in the outdoors. It was end Oct 2010 when we set out with our back packs to the grassland of Konehalli. It was winter yet the monsoon showers had not died out. It kept raining even in that low rainfall area.

A view of the Konehalli grassland. photo by Guruprasad B.S.

We abandoned our idea of staying out in the tents. Instead we decided to stay in the cattle shed meant for the renowned Amruthamahal cattle. The team felt it as a better option than getting into the barracks of the Guest house. Getting into the guest house meant staying in the concrete block and being far from the creatures of the grassland. On our previous visits we had stayed and used their infrastructure while assessing the biodiversity of this field research station.

Catttle shed

Formerly known as Bidarammanagudi, Konehalli farm-a part of the four centuries old, cattle ranch- Amrithmahal Kaval. Amrithmahal Kaval is basically, home tract for Amruthmahal & Hallikar breeds. ‘Kaval’ means a grazing reserve for cattle. These Kavals were exclusively set aside for Amruthmahal Cattle by the rulers of wodayar dynasty. Amrithmahal are traditional cattle of Indian origin that are protected by the state since the days of the raj. They have a very strong build and their horns stand about three feet upright. A characteristic hunch on the back of the shoulder makes the males look majestic and aggressive.

Amruthamahal cattle, photo by Manu K.

These cattle require vast extents of open grazing areas.  In fact this very grassland, like sixty others, spread out across the plains of Karnataka is set aside for grazing these gregarious cattle. Such grasslands are spread out largely in the six districts of Southern Karnataka -Chickmagalur, Chitradurga, Davanagere, Hassan, Shimoga and Tumkur. 

 Amrithmahal cattle were kept by the armies of medieval rulers to move ammunitions. Farmers used them as draught animals for long. They selectively bred and reared them over the centuries. Today these animals are maintained by the department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services of the University of Agricultural Sciences, which act as a Nucleus Breeding Station for production of seed stock. 

Encroachment of land at Konehalli

The original extant of the grassland might have been up to two thousand acres: today a lot of it is encroached upon. These grasslands are grazed by the Amrithamahal cattle only for a short duration every year. As a result it has become an ideal habitat for several grassland species. Blackbucks also thrive here in good numbers. Manu and friends in their earlier visits have counted up to 130 antelopes. 

It kept on drizzling all through the day and we worked in drenched clothes. We trekked on several transects and collected specimens of grass. Incidentally Amrithmahal cattle were also residing on the grassland. About six hundred strong heads roamed free without any leash or binding. There were only a handful of males, whom we had to be watchful and maintain some distance. By night fall all of cattle were put in a pen specially made for them. There were two similar pens made of strong chain linked mesh. Each one of them enclosed a spacious concrete shed made of asbestos roofs. Their walls were about six feet high and the sheds were thoroughly ventilated. Every evening there would be a ceremonial ordeal of homing the herds into the pen. The cows that had calves had to be separated from the rest. Further the very young ones kept were even locked up till the following morning. This isolation was to avoid any stray predators like a leopard or a wolf. Some times there could also be a stampede within the pen when males tugged and butted one another.

Amruthamahal being herded out.

We took shelter in such a shed where the calves and their mothers stayed. We spread out on two large polythene sheets and arranged the grass specimen on to herbarium sheets in the dim light of the kerosene wick lamp.

Specimen preservation.

A Grass specimen.

We exchanged stories with friends Srikanth and Manohar. They, and the cattle herdsman had a lot of stories about Konehalli and Amrithmahal. In fact they both were working upon the issue since the past couple of years. The night was chill and the supper cooked on wood was too tasty and kept up the spirit of the team. The rain fell all night, embalming the shed in a constant hushing noise. Occasionally when rain stopped munching sound made by the sleepless cud chewing beasts prevailed.

Clitoria sp.

Carissa congesta.

We had to finish off our morning chores before the day break as we had to set out to different destinations. Our greatest difficulty was to walk past the hundreds of silent beasts enclosed in the small pen. We had to sneak through the hundreds of horns scattered all round the shed. The master of the beasts helped us to navigate through the slush, heaps of fresh dung minding the horns and tails. With some special language they gestured them to calm down and we carefully whisked past them. The familiarity with the animals that their masters had was amazing. To our astonishment, they knew each one of them by name and their behavior as well.

As the sun played between the clouds we made more collection of samples. The depression in the eastern coast had kept up its repute and we had to set off soon after lunch so that we could reach Mysore by night fall. The three days expedition had yielded more than fifty species of grass and several shrubs. 

Pellet pile of a Black buck.

Hoof mark of a Blackbuck.

Blackbuck pair.

A befitting launch

How do we start? It was a persistent question in all of us. As if it were means to find an answer we simply wandered in the beaten landscapes of southern Karnataka. Our weekend birdings were all directed towards the scrub forests around Melkote, Gundalpet, Chikkanalli and HD Kote. We devotedly searched for secondary evidence of blackbucks. We took time and patience to speak to the local communities. There were several interesting findings which we felt must be shared with others in this field.

Birding expedition to  Konehalli.

 Konanoor probably being the only place where Black bucks are found near Mysore, our plan was to create awareness amongst the local people to begin with. We were aiming to impress upon them, the need to preserve habitats and to create a sense of pride about the rich biodiversity around them. In the mean time, Manu had gotten into similar issues at Konehalli of Tiptur taluk in Tumkur district. Over the past two years he had collaborated with his friends from MYTHREYA trust that had started a movement to conserve the Grassland ecosystem. Actually this swathe of land is used as a field research station for fodder development, which by default had a thriving population of Blackbucks. Manu and his associates had helped them conduct biodiversity survey and educational programs for the local students and NGOs. 

An adult male Black buck, photographed by Lokesh Mosale

Discussing about all that had happened at Konehalli we got inspired to try out similar things back home. On looking at the report and photographs of the workshops conducted there, we pondered about what more could be done. Working with the community was our prime interest but we knew it was not an easy task as it demands enormous time, resource and dedication. It cannot be a ‘one off thing’ like in a hit and run game. Also our resources were finite and made us skeptical about how long can programs sustain on personal funds. Above all, what could be done should be decided upon what we are capable of doing? 

Brahminy Starling, photographed by Guruprasad B.S.

At the same time we came across the small Grants program offered annually by ATREE (Ashoka Trust for Research on Ecology and Environment). We thought of giving it a serious shot. All of a sudden we became studious to put on paper our intentions, redefining our aims and writing a game plan for the project. The next bit was to re write in jargon to convince an unknown big wig of the scientific community. All the midnight oil we burnt was to collect every possible paper written on black bucks and to derive a small pinch from them into the stipulated text of the project proposal.

What conservation could be done with a small grant for one year? What should be the game plan? What are we good at? Considering these issues we brainstormed among ourselves. Being non academics we felt nobody would consider our interest in research seriously. Surveys and census may not be the best thing for the species at the moment. We decided upon addressing the school going community. For years, we have been doing this and going with a specific agenda seemed to be just another adventure. All that we needed was to get rightly dressed up for the task. So we decided to work on the issue and prepare the right kind of education material for teachers and the school children. Having prepared the material we intended to take them to the schools surrounding the blackbuck populations. The idea seemed brilliant. Very quickly we worked out the budget to fix up the number of schools. We chose to address about a thousand students of ten schools hand picked from five of the districts from Southern Karnataka. Mysore, Mandya, Chamarajanagara, Hassan and Tumkur were chosen for the project hoping that we would definitely go there to meet the children.

Blue faced Malkoha, photographed by Guruprasad B.S.

We felt relaxed having mailed the proposal just before the deadline. What a feeling? It appeared as though we had gone through a tough spell of examinations. It appeared that we had already lived through the entire process of the project. Peering through the computer screen, our eyes were tired and minds muddled up with fictitious figures that one day would have to become the money spent.

The Beginning

Sorry that I didn’t update the blog all these days, underwent a minor surgery and was recuperating from it.

I would first like to introduce our team.

The team comprises of Mahesh, Kumar, Manu, Hemanth, Guruprasad B.S and me (Ajay).

It all started when Kumar & Mahesh came across a Technical report prepared by Mr.H.N.Kumara et.al. about a Biodiversity Conservation Plan for Mysore Forest Division which mentioned the indirect evidence of blackbucks in a place called Konanoor in Nanjangud taluk of Mysore district just about 36 kms from the bustling city of Mysore. They personally visited the site with Mr. Sapthagirish M.K.,who was on the team that prepared the technical report and confirmed about the presence of blackbuck population in that area. They had seen a herd of seven male sub adults very peacefully grazing around.

Mysore region had lost its blackbuck population at least six decades ago due to hunting, habitat loss and urbanization. The last hunting records by the Maharajas of Mysore date back to the forties. Then the populations was as near as twelve kilometers from the palace of Mysore. In fact a hostel block in the prestigious Sri Jayachamarajendra college of Engineering was once a hunting bungalow. Records say the Maharajas hunted Black bucks here. Alas those days are only history.

 Today it is difficult to even convince this fact to anybody. Even according to the knowledge of the Dept. of forests, the rediscovery of Black bucks in Mysore was unbelievable.

We re-visited Konanoor and sighted these creatures and a thought of doing our bit to conserve these wonderful creatures came up. We then looked up for other available material and got a rough idea about the historical distribution and habitat requirements of these animals. We made a lot of enquiry about their present distribution. We were surprised to notice that large population of blackbucks existed outside protected areas else where in Karnataka.  Another of Kumara’s report on the survey of Large mammals in Karnataka also re-affirmed the fact. Friends from Koppal, Tiptur and Hassan also reported their encounter with stable herds of blackbucks in their vicinity.

Our reasoning bothered a lot. How did they reach out to these new destinations? Had they been there always and is it that they are coming to light only now? The more intriguing question was will they survive in such small pockets of grasslands which are non-protected?

Even though the dept. of forests puts in conservation efforts inside the protected areas, there are little funds and man power to undertake conservation efforts in the non protected areas. So we felt that there is a need to device an alternate conservation plan in such situations.

In these days of rapid decline in habitats more and more species are drifting into situations that give rise to constant conflicts with local communities. On the other hand we also witness very just and compassionate communities that have taken care of wild populations with very little in return. How or why do they do it? Probably the communities must have a longer foresight which surpassed any materialistic gains.

The Bishnoi community of Rajastan is well known for their compassion towards animals and their forests. The village of Keichen is also a text book example of sharing their produce with migratory birds. More familiar is our own pelican village of Kokkare Bellur where the noisy and smelly fish-eating birds share the back yards of the farmers.

These cases impressed us hugely and the thought of community based conservation might work dawned in us. Even as the Conservationists are divided about the issue we simply felt that one must consider the species, the community and the type of interaction between them to work out. So as a first step we decided to get into Conservation Education in the locality. Approaching the community through schools seems one good working model in our country as the target audiences are the future custodians of this world.

We believe, through education, we could conserve….. do you believe in it?

The all male group seen in Konanoor.