Four species of animals which had apparently disappeared from the neglected Valmiki Tiger Reserve have been recently discovered there. These include the grey crab-eating mongoose, a yellow-throated marten, the Himalayan serow and the hoary-bellied squirrel.
The Yellow-throated Marten is also called the honey dog because of its fondness for sweet food.
These four animals were captured by camera traps placed in the reserve by officials of the Bihar Forest Department and by the NGOs WWF-India and Wildlife Trust of India (WTI).
Santosh Tiwari, field director of the tiger reserve, said: “We have discovered four new species with the help of camera traps. None of these four were mentioned in the latest faunal records published by the Zoological Survey of India, which made mentions of 53 species of mammals.”
“Valmiki traditionally was a paradise for wildlife,” said Dr Sinha. “It went through a rough patch but these discoveries only go on to prove that the reserve is on a revival path.”
Dr Sinha added: “Valmiki also has an excellent potential for tiger recovery given its contiguity in its northern boundary with the Chitwan National Park in Nepal. It remains a critical site for undertaking trans-boundary approaches for tiger conservation.”
Talking about the new discoveries, Dr Sinha added: “We are excited by these discoveries, especially the discovery of the presence of the Himalayan serow, which is a goat-antelope found in the Himalayas. This species has been listed as ‘near threatened’ and is on the IUCN red list.”
Poaching, however, remains rampant in this reserve especially during the monsoon months where a large part of the reserve becomes inaccessible due to the bad condition of its roads.
The Valmiki Tiger Reserve has taken the unusual step of preparing a database of suspected poachers which it has shared with the local police.