We are still unacquainted of the expanse of wildlife ,flora and fauna present in our vicinity . People living in small townships who neither have any clue of wildlife tourism and has nothing to do with any surrounding local wildlife are many in India. In a comparitively dry region like that of Sri ganganagar in Rajasthan the scenario is quite similar, but there is a distict trend of conservation which is being carried out from generations by a community called Bishnois.
Conservation of any wildlife is carried out at first hand by people those who may not have taken up any serious study in this field but who live immediately next to the wilderness. The locals inhabitants in the vicinity.Without their efforts, its just not conceivable.The spiritual guru of the bishnois ,Guru Jambeshawar was an ecologistan,a nature lover.
He formulated Bis (twenty) + noi (nine) = Bisnoi tenets from which the community derives its name. Almost 90 per cent of the farmers of Desert region gladly accepted the 29 tenets he laid down. Despite a lot of hardships in Thar desert they have been following these rules for years for which they could be also called as the first environmenatlists of India.Their fields are often graze away by herds of balck bucks and blue bulls.Their women have been braving diffciulties to save lives of trees ,have been breast feeding fawns,treating wounded animals and have even given life sacrifices in history to protect flora and fauna.
As times change the challenges also variegate. Every time I visit my home town, an excursion towards the coutry side is all i m looking forward to ,that to be particularly in any Bishnoi villages. Here, it is very much possible to come across the beautiful black bucks in peoples courtyards and also the peacocks dancing fearlessly. The positivity surrounding these homes is just amazing. The rules are simple,live and let live which humanity is forgetting to the crux. The basic concept of conservation has brought peace in this communty to the immersed in their hearts.
But the surrounding areas are occupied by people of different sects who are still so unconcious about these facts that even after these species come under the wildlife protection act, the other communities tend to make a hunt at dark nights. I m often left in shock by the extent of their insensitivity toward animals that how could they relish eating what has died in pain and is being treated by other humas,their own neighbours as a corpse buried with all rituals. The bishnoi community has been striving hard to stop the gun point killing of animals ,however it is not completely possible to keep an eye on such a large area. Very often,the shikaar doesnt even come into notice and the buck is already served in platters.
Apart from the shikaar, speed is another killer. As the highways are turning into mega highways, the local fauna are being flattened out dead at the cost of adavanced, speeding vehicles.No fencing at the edges of the two sides has caused this major problem which has made the roads a killer platform for the passing animals who use it as there animal corridors. Whenever I travel I see bodies of various dead animals including snakes,mongoose,wildcats,go other reptiles and mammals etc. It a sad scene which may not be competently avertible but it can be reduced if some measures for speed control in particular areas are taken up.
Another problem is packs of dogs which hunt black bucks especially in rains when the land is wet and damp and their feet gets stuck which stops them from springing. Hundreds die out of utter shock of lightning ,such tender hearted beings they are.Habitat loss is another factor which has been ignored for a long period especially the grasslands which have been replaced with agriculture lands.Some areas have been conserved like Taal chappar which often resemples grasslands of savannah and is a rich ground for their preservation.
The beauty and elegance of this animal leaves one astounded. They roam around in huge herds. Males rivalry is at show at the time of breeding season.Black buck antelope live in female groups of 15 or 20. There are mixed groups, bachelor groups, and territorial males. Territorial males are dominate and occupy prime grazing areas along with the females groups. The males rut, or fight and spar, year round, although they rarely hurt each other. When the rut (mating season) reaches a peak, one male establishes dominance..
Their scent of body is another factor. These animals are very charming. To display their agility and speed they often spring in air so as to convey their predators that it is only going to be a plain wild goose chase. After a suceesful period of mating the youngs ones are delieverd . The males hold their noses up, placing their horns parallel to their back, to attract the females during the mating season. The female black buck antelope carry their fawn for about 5 months. They generally have 2 fawns per year that are born approximately 6 months apart The fawn joins the mother with the rest of the group at about 2 weeks of age. Up until that time it lies in the grass between nursing. Young male bucks join the bachelor groups when they are between 6 months and one year. Females stay with their mother for up to a year.. After that they live entirely depending on grass as fodder.It is left in a hope that it would rise like a handsome herbivore progenitor .
Many a times if the mother is sick or unfortaunately dead cause of an accident,the villagers spot the fawn and they bring it back to their own house holds. Here the young fawn is treated like aniother member of the family. The affection is to such a great extent that if there is a lactating mother in the village ,she readily offers her breastmilk for the fawn to be shared with her own child. Such a great example of humanity serving nature is no where possible to come across in todays world.
The young one,when it is ready to go back to its original habitat and join the herd is then bade bye and the family is left with wet eyes for the experience of love and the bond shared with the young one.
I hope the incredible efforts made my such communities come into lime light and they serve as an inspiration to others in a way that people should realize any efforts for a better future on the note of ecology and environments begins from their immediate environment. All that is needed is to realize and bring back the sparrows home.Believing that the other cretaures have a life which is equally important like our own and protecting their green home can help in a bug way to save our homes too.
