On a green trail

This monsoon, ditch the beach and seek out the sanctuaries in Goa. You're sure to stumble upon some surprises.

When you think ofGoa, only beachescome to mind. Butdid you know that the tinystate has six sanctuariesspread out over 750 sq km ofprotected forests?

Of all these, the BondlaSanctuary is the friendliest.At 8 sq km, its size is notintimidating. Although it isan outcrop of the WesternGhats, the sanctuary standsisolated. In fact, it's an islandof hillocks surrounded by valleyson all eight sides.

Since it's a moist, deciduousforest, the vegetation issparse. Hence, it's easier tospot wild animals lurking inthe bushes. The aestheticallydesigned cottages mergebeautifully with the forest,making it warm and inviting.

Bondla was once ahunter's paradise. But afterDayanand Bandodkar, ahunter-turned-conservationist,took over as the firstChief Minister of Goa in1969, he actively encouragedeco-tourism. The philosophybehind eco-tourism as it ispractised here is interesting:Increase tourism to reducepoaching. The constantpresence of tourists andvehicles is likely to deterpoachers who operate inisolated forests.

Bondla is a birdwatcher'sparadise. We saw six flamebackedwoodpeckers thatcame to roost in the hollowtrunk of a bottle palm; theruby-throated yellow bulbulthat is the state bird of Goa;and a dozen hornbills thatflew overhead and shook thetreetops with the flapping oftheir gigantic wings.

Later, we met PareshPorob, the Range Officer ofBondla, who has earned himselfthe sobriquet of 'Rangerin Danger', for his courageousstand against the junglemafia. He took us to hishome and introduced us to ababy owlet that he hadrecently rescued. It gave usall a welcome peck, mistakingour fingers for food.Paresh told us that he gets upevery three hours at night tofeed the baby, since owlssleep through the day andstay awake at night!

The next day, we trekkedto the watchtower for a bird'seye view of the entire sanctuary.On the way, we cameacross a beautiful nest madeof moss from which a birdflew away, and sat on a farawaybranch. We learnedthat it was the red-throatedflycatcher. This was only thethird time that it had beensighted in Goa.

Later that day, we cameacross a large herd of spotteddeer. Paresh pointed outthat this increase in numberswas a cause of concern.An increase in the numberof spotted deer meant thenumber of predators wasdecreasing. Also, since thespotted deer polish off theentire forest floor, there's littleleft for the smallerspecies, such as the barkingdeer and the mouse deer.Hence, they are dwindling.

En route to our next destination,we discovered vast,'unprotected' forests wheremining was going on in fullswing. The soft, red soil fromthese open mines had coveredthe treetops of manyforests like a shroud. I wondered- despite safe havenslike Bondla, was Goa diggingits own grave?

Gangadharan is a wildlifewriter and photographer

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