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Wildbuzz: Mitti ka sher, Baaz of belief, and parivar’s passion
Fact is the ‘Baaz of belief’ was actually a juvenile Shikra and not to be mistaken for the Northern goshawk, the magnificent raptor historically associated with three Sikh gurus.
MITTI KA SHER
There is an old folk saying: a tiger will starve to death but not eat grass. Imagine the astonishment when Dr Shubh Mohan Singh, a wildlife buff and additional professor of psychiatry at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), stumbled upon a tigress licking dirt in the Dhikala zone of Corbett National Park. When humans resort to eating mud, dirt and grass it can safely be attributed to mental illness. But when I consulted top experts on the feeding kink, they reassured me the tigress was not mad!
One of India’s foremost authorities on tigers, the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Dr K Ullas Karanth declared: “Carnivorous mammals, including domestic dogs and cats, consume small quantities of dirt, grit, vegetation, etc. This is normal behaviour.” The phenomenon of eating such ‘non-nutritive’ material is described technically under the terms, ‘geophagia’ and ‘pica.’
Dr NVK Ashraf, veterinarian, big cat tranquillising expert and chief of conservation at the Wildlife Trust of India, was of the opinion that this was “unusual in cats like tigers.” However, Dr Ashraf said, it may be attributed to the tiger having reacted to the odour in the soil after fresh rains, or the tiger ingested soil to provide relief from gastric discomfort such as food poisoning or presence of parasites in the gastrointestinal system.
Dr Parag Nigam of the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, is a top veterinarian currently working on capturing tigers and collaring them. His view was that “dirt may have been ingested to make up for nutritional deficiencies, such as those suffered by a lactating mother.”
BAAZ OF BELIEF
While the functionaries and devotees at the gurdwara in Sector 49 were elated that the Guru’s ‘Baaz’ had staged a divine entry, the bird itself was not too sure of its status. It had somehow fallen from a nearby nest or tree perch and was traumatised, besides displaying breathing discomfort. Fact is the ‘Baaz of belief’ was actually a juvenile Shikra and not to be mistaken for the Northern goshawk, the magnificent raptor historically associated with three Sikh gurus. The Shikra is, in comparison, a pygmy in size, historical profile and hunting prowess.
A devotee wanted to feed the Shikra with milk, not knowing the bird is a carnivore. Fortunately, Good Samaritan, Ravinderpal Singh Ghai, who undertakes regular ‘sewa’ at the Gurdwara and loves birds, was able to persuade the ‘Baba ji’ to release the Shikra for recuperation and care. Ghai sought the help of wildlife photographer Kulbhushan Kanwar, who took the Shikra back home for water, chicken liver morsels and air-conditioned comfort. However, Kanwar’s efforts to place the bird under veterinary care of animal rights organisation People for Animals or the UT Administration did not meet with success.
PARIVAR’S PASSION
Whenever Sanjeev Verma, an undersecretary with the Haryana government, has a moment to spare, he throws open the windows of his soul to the avian spirit. For 35 years and ever since his teens, Verma has enjoyed a romance with birds. His passion for bird photography infected his homemaker wife, Kamlesh, and three sons. All the five Vermas are bird photographers and armed with five Nikon cameras and a dozen lenses to capture birds in varying moods and situations.
The family’s passion has in recent years extended to photographing elephants and tigers in wildlife sanctuaries. “Without disturbing my official work, I have carved out time and spotted migratory birds around Chandigarh. Though focused on migratory birds, I work as eagerly with everyday species as with rare avians. I do not photograph birds in captivity or use a flash. I also offer assistance to budding photographers and bird enthusiasts of the city, “ Verma told this writer.
The author can be contacted at vjswild1@gmail.com
