Cheeni, the snake catcher!

Cheeni

Narration and photography: Sangamesh Mathad

Dogs thought to have originated from an extant canid species, which were selectively bred for millennia. Cheeni, Pomeranian in breed is around 3⅟2 years old I have kept. She proved to be a very good hunter apart from a perfect watch dog in our house in the outskirts of Mysore.

A sand boa

This incident took place exactly a year ago. It was the first time she encountered a snake in my garden. It was dusk, I was sitting in my room and I heard cheeni barking. The way a dog barks, its master can easily make out what is it up to. So I stormed out. I was trying to figure out what was going on and then I saw a rat snake working its escape plan. It had coiled on one of the hibiscus plant. The plantations were quite dense there. Cheeni noticed my presence and I have no idea from where she got the guts, in a fraction of a second the rat snake was in its mouth. She was holding at almost quarter position of the snake’s body . Rat snake tried to strike the dog but cheeni started to jerk her head. Every jerk made sure that the snake hit hard to the ground. In 5 to 6 jerks  snake was half dead. She then abandoned the kill and moved away . I approached closer to get a better picture of the kill. I found 3 bike marks on the neck region and its bleeding mouth. When cheeni had caught the snake it its mouth, I was expecting it to rip its head off but it had a different method of killing it.  It was literally like hammering with snake’s head on the ground . I am pretty sure that there were many internal damages but externally I could see only few bite marks.

The kill: Spectacled Cobra 

Till date she has killed 7 snakes and we all got amazed when she encountered a spectacled cobra. She has killed 2 cobras,3 rat snake and 2 wolf snakes .her bravery has made her a celebrity in our locality . Well one afternoon my mother got a call from a neighbor saying they have a snake in their garden and asked mom to get cheeni along. As soon as I heard this I ran to their house to rescue it. Well it was a sand boa.

Cheeni, the brave!

Next time if your dog comes up with the same situation try not to get closer unless you are sure of grabbing it and taking away. Two things happen when you are close by, either the dog gets extra dose of energy and goes into a fight or might get distracted by your presence giving an opportunity for a snake bite.

Practical Ecology Lessons for High school students at Bandipur

Haritha Shaji the author of this write up

Pictures by Chethan Prasad M S

There could not have been a better class on Human Evolution 

Amrita Vidyalayam, Mysuru had recently arranged for an educational workshop on Ecology at Bandipur National Park. In fact, an in-house workshop on DNA technologies was planned earlier which was supposed to be carried out by an external agency from outside Karnataka. Since the agency could not make it, the school felt that the enthusiastic students should not be disappointed. The students were given a choice between molecular biology and ecology. The students unanimously voted for ecology! The school wholeheartedly provided an opportunity for the students to learn in outdoors, amidst nature.

The teacher and her taughts 

Excerpts from a girl’s dairy-

 I was very lucky to be one among the students who were taken to Bandipur National Park. We learnt about the evolution and were fascinated to know how we evolved from creatures like Chimpanzees. The fact that baby chimps keep up with human kids in intelligence and learning until they are two year and then start falling behind in development, also mesmerized  me.

Some lessons in Gaja Shashtra

The visit to the interpretation centre which had lot of pictures of Wildlife of Bandipur with some text was really informative. There were relief maps of the sanctuary that gave a realistic picture of the location of Bandipur- wedged between the three southern states of Karnataka, Tamilnadu and Kerala. The extension of the forests of Bandipur across the river Kabini to its North into Nagarhole and to the Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Sanctuary to the South west has made it into a healthy habitat of populations of Elephant and the Tiger.

This huge stretch of forest continues with the Wayanad forests of Kerala and that of Mudumalai in the south. All the forests put together is protected as a Biosphere. This was named as the Nilgiri Biosphere reserve and declared protected in the year 1986. It was all fine to realize the undisturbed stretch of forests set aside for the tigers and were known to contain more than 250 of them.  Bandipur alone was said to have 105 tigers, unfortunately we could not see any during our Safari….., well the existence of prey species suggests the existence of predators.

There weather was pleasant during our stay and we enjoyed the cool breeze. The lush green grass and abundance of lively deer on them filled joy in our minds. Manu sir told us told us the importance of Nature and he revealed the interdependence of various animals in it. 

Children inspecting the skull of an Indian Wild Pig.

He vividly explained about pollination and pollinating agents; trees, their seed designs and their dispersal agents. They all have evolved to live in unison and cannot isolate themselves now. Unfortunately I had no clear idea about pollination and dispersal and had thought them to be the same!

After having a delicious course of meal and playing with a pretty cat that enjoyed the comfort of the kitchen, we were divided into four groups and set for a group discussion. 

Students engaged in some group discussion with Manu K

The important factors for the depletion of wildlife and preventive measures that are to be taken up was the topic and we had four different stations to visit for inputs and complete the task. Each of the stations had a different resource person and was from different backgrounds and view points.

Raviraj's station : Students are given a different opinion on the same issue

 Mr. Raviraj highlighted the immediate threats to the wildlife like the road kills and the Man-Animal conflict, Geetha madam highlighted the issues related to invasive species and the devastating effects they have left behind upon native species and Manu sir threw some light on the deterioration of wildlife populations due to Climate change. Later on we were all made to sit upon the lawn and present our findings in groups.

As we were all engrossed in the presentations we witnessed a juvenile monkey being killed by a wild boar. The unfortunate monkey was taken unaware by a young female boar and her two younger cousins(?). They literally tore the primate apart and carried it far away dodging every one who tried to hush up the kill. There was a chatter of unrest and helplessness among other monkeys who were safe upon the tree. We felt sad for the monkey and angry over the boar.

Wild pigs taking taul of an unwary bonnet monkey. 

But there is nothing wrong in it, if we think logically that is how Nature works. Manu Sir explained the interdependence of species and the relationship between prey and their predators. A predator is a necessary factor to keep the prey population fit and healthy.

In the evening we went out for a safari ride through the forest. As the bus went through the forest upon an unbeaten track, we could see bushes of all sorts running parallel to the forest path. Sir explained it as invasive species which have infested the forest in the recent years. We saw several deer, peahen, Indian Gaur and a couple of Common Langurs. I think the tigers were not in a mood to see us. We were eager to see them but couldn’t see any. 

Black mushroom with tar like spores

In the evening we had a documentary session where we saw two movies. One was about the origin of life and the diversification of life forms.  It revealed many truths about DNA and the deviations it takes. The second documentary was about the trade of Wild animals and their products. The cruelty to the animals seemed endless in the south-east Asian countries, in the name of medicine, vanity and   livelihood. 

Mushroom associated with Elephant dung.

Between the two sessions we had a dinner break. We had to walk a little distance for the dining hall across a field. In the night of the dark we could see a thousand eyes shining against a beam of torch light. We had a splendid time watching them graze and lol about in the safety of human settlement.

Early in the morning we went for a nature walk and collected many evidences of the animals that lived in the forest. From droppings to dropped antlers and seeds to feathers we learnt a lot. We were taught to identify the calls and find meanings from it. To me this nature walk was the best of the sessions as I learnt many many things about nature.

All set to go back with a difference.....

Yettina Hole Study Trip in Pictures

The Camp site- a theatre that holds one or two festivals a year is constructed on an altar and gives a wonderful view of the Western Ghats all through the day. 

The Gypsy and his caravan;  early birds do the most waiting.

The Best activity the children enjoyed was putting up their own tents

The boys did not find it hard to get along with the make shift arrangements

Getting on with the makeshift class room, cum studio ...

Typical Lunch time; 

Visiting a Land Loosers house was very touchy. He was in grief to part with the standing coffee, areca and pepper that stands in the back drop of his two room house. 

Visiting a Land Losers house was very touchy. He was in grief to part with the standing coffee, areca and pepper that stands in the back drop of his two room house. 

The tanks that supplied water to Raxidi village placed upon a hillock were not considered a daily essential when water was being discussed with the local community. Incidentally, in spite of the rains the camp site was depending on this water for every use and there was  problem due to power cut.

A water tank used to to store water during the curing season of Coffee. Such tanks were common on the bigger estates such as Poornima and Raxidi. 

A 25HP  diesel motor in possession with an estate right on the banks of one of the streams that is proposed to be taped. The estate needs water for coffee curing. We cant depend on the govt supply says the owner of Purnima Estate.

It was a breath taking experience to see hundreds of gigantic pipes laying all around the forests....waiting for a chance to get aligned towards the Eastern plains, up the Western Ghats. An estimated length of 800 kms and more of these pipes are to be put up to carry water from this "Water rich area" to drier districts of Karnataka.

Some biodiversity recorded by the students.

What ever the intention, children had a chance to be close the many creatures they wouldn't have made  an eye contact with. Here a friendly calotis jumps upon the mobile phone they tried to photograph with.

A beautiful fern amidst a gamut of ground cover in a Coffee estate

A colourful Millipede coils like a chakli the moment it is disturbed. This endemic species is harm less and lives on leaf litter making inroads across the topsoil and increasing the porosity of the soil.

This is another species of millipede called the Wood louse. This too has the tendency to curl up into a metallic ball at any instance of disturbance. Its hard shell and jointed legs have brought in another name in the western folk a Armadillo beetle.

Innovative Multidisciplinary Projects in High Schools

Yettina Halla lower reach

Kannadi hole before joining Kempu hole

With the introduction of CCE in high schools across the country many institutions are expressing their unhappiness for not being able to cope up with the schedules and tasks. They are simply not able to accept anything out of the age-old rote method. With great ease any teacher can show how their class room teaching enables children to score high percentages and prove them brilliant. The managements too find it very convenient for they can accommodate up to half a dozen or more sections in each class. But to carry out field based projects in high schools it calls for smaller groups. To make the student groups smaller it takes more number of teachers, which is a very uncommon thing to find in our education institutions.

The recent introduction of multidisciplinary project for class ninth and tenth is another thing seen as a devil by many institutions. Just as many run of the mill teachers are finding innovative methods to dilute or even skip the project work stipulated by the CBSE some good teachers backed by their dedicated institutions are finding innovative projects to put their students to work upon. While a teacher tries to get the pesticide residue analyzed in the turmeric crop in Hassan district another tries to study the fish diversity in Krishnaraja Sagar Dam.

Marked area for the construction of a dam

The teachers of TVS school in Tumkur chose more burning issues related to the state. While the ninth graders chose to find out the feasibility of siphoning water from the west flowing rivers to the drier regions in the eastern plains of Karnataka, their seniors chose to find out the effect of mining in some parts of Bellary. Apart from detailed case study in the classroom they under took extensive field study on site.

Here is one of those study reports in pictures. After zeroing upon a small village called Raxidi near Sakaleshpura, in Hassan district the class made it their base. The community hall kept by a local theatre group and their half constructed proscenium theatre stage was their makeshift field station. The children enjoyed the sun and shine sleeping in tents. The made day trips to the rivulets proposed for taping and the fields they fed, met the people who would loose land, the factory that manufactured the pipe for laying underground and the biodiversity hot spots.

Kids inspecting the pipes

An estate owner explaining what a TMC is

In the evenings they met the community and shared ideas through documentaries about the issue related to water distribution. The six teams working upon different aspects of the same issue finally made a presentation to the High school students at Kyamanahalli. The discussion between the students of the two districts was like a mini summit. The spirited discussion between the little custodians of water at the native district and the beneficiaries of the proposed diversion project was moderated by Manu K of Hasiru hejje. In the presence of local environmental activist Prakash Rakshidi and the school headmistress one of the petitioners of the project Advocate Kishore kumar made a presentation to clear the doubts of many. 

Prasad Raxidi explaining the issue in the local perspective

His affirmative presentation made the children form solid opinion out of all their field work. The entire process might have looked like a child’s play but in some years to come it is these children who would be an engineer, a designer, a politician, a journalist, a lawyer or a naturalist in real life. Exposure to the monsoon climate for four days in the heart of Western Ghats and being in touch with the myriad forms of life it supports would linger on in their memories and become part of their psyches.  

Children interacting with local land loosers

children trying out a hand at Journalistic skills

Documenting biodiversity

The sprawling resorts taking over the coffee estates

CHildren inspecting a calotis

Advocate Kishor kumar addressing the children

Summer camp 2015 at Seetanadi: An experience shared in Sudha, a Kannada weekly, 17th September 2015 edition

Learning by Doing

I start with a story.

Aarav, a six year old boy, is always eager to do something new. If he has nothing to do, he sulks, throws tantrum and gets irritated. Keeping him calm and occupied, at the same time not putting down his enthusiasm is a challenge for his mother. On her part, she engages him in different activities that interests him and enrolled him to an art class as he showed an inclination towards drawing. She also involves him in other activities like gardening, cooking, crafts, reading and even looking after his kid sister, Taanya!

During some days, after all these activities, he jumps up and utters “It’s boring Amma”!!

Aarav’s interests vary from children of his age. At play time in his school he often complains that no one wants to play with him. On enquiry, the teacher found that he wanted to drive an imaginary Jeep into an imaginary forest to photograph wild animals, a concept that his classmates cannot relate with! The teacher also learnt that Aarav wants to go on an excavation trip to collect fossils!  

The other day on a school trip to a park in the city, Aarav was seen alone, picking things under a tree, while the rest of the class played games. When the teacher asked what he was doing under the tree, he turned around and presented her the life cycle of a tree, from seed, bud, flower, and leaves to fruit!

Aarav’s favourite, Suneel uncle, admires his zeal to learn. He makes it a point to work on a project of Aarav’s interest during every visit. During the previous visit, they went on a picnic to Kovai kutralam, a waterfall in the Nilgiris. During the short trek to reach the waterfall, Aarav never left Suneel uncle’s side. They collected leaves, of various natural vegetation of the region and tried to identify each of them! On the way back, he asked Suneel uncle if it was possible to make a miniature jungle!

Aarav and Suneel uncle had already made working models of an erupting volcano, solar system and origami animals. This time, they planned to make a miniature jungle! As planned Suneel uncle brought his treasured miniature animals and spread it in front of Aarav. He was excited to see so many miniature animals and quickly sorted them into groups of wild animals, domestic animals, aquatic animals, and animals that are extinct. He then selected the wild animals for his next project, “The African Jungle”.

Project African Jungle began with great excitement and this is  how they created it.

It required:

1.       Paper mache

2.       A hard board

3.       Craft wire

4.       Gum tape

5.       Sponge

6.       Scotch brite scrub

7.       Thick thread

8.       Adhesive

9.       Paint brush and

10.   Acrylic paint

Here is method used to create Aarav’s African Jungle:

·         Newspaper was torn into tiny bits and soaked in water for an hour, then it was ground in to a pulp and mixed with an adhesive (like fevicol) to make a thick dough. Paper mache was ready and will be used as the jungle terrain.

·         A hard board was used as the base (The Jungle floor). The land and a stream were sketched on the board

·         The paper mache was laid carefully as the jungle terrain over the sketched areas and was allowed to dry in the sun.

·         The jungle required trees, lots of them. To make the miniature tress craft wire, gum tape, scotch scrub and sponge were used.

·         A thick thread was soaked in green paint and the adhesive to make water weeds in the stream.

·         After the terrain dried, terrain, stream and trees were painted.  Then, the animals and trees were fixed into positions.

The entire family lent a helping hand for cutting, pasting, grinding, mixing and so on.  It took a good 6 hours to complete the project. Once complete, there was a collective WOW from everyone. The glint of happiness in Aarav’s eyes were unmissable. And, before completing the African Jungle, Aarav and Suneel uncle were already planning about their future projects!

                         

What does this story have to do with us, the teachers and parents?

Concrete experiences and hands-on work are great ways to learn for kids. When kids work on tasks like crafts, charts and models, they explore their surroundings of people, stuff and places.

The important aspect here is not just keeping the children occupied, but to ignite their ability to create and add life to their imagination. Children of this age enjoy lazily watching their favourite cartoon on TV, but that will not reveal their inner skills nor will it allow them to explore the world around them. It is necessary for every parent to provide a congenial atmosphere to their child to develop skills and enhance interest in exploring their surroundings. Many children will have interests like Aarav, but when they are not nurtured at the right time, they lose interest and prefer watching the TV. In today’s busy and fast paced world, where both parents work, due importance must be given to nurture the interest of their children. These are moments and memories they cherish throughout their lives.

Teachers can also engage the class in such projects as these are group activities. Providing hands on tasks to children not only keeps them engaged but enhances their attentiveness and promotes new learning.

- Champa Jaiprakash