Beams of light bringing delight into the valley

Light sweeping through forest canopy in the morning (Nelliampathy Hills)

Lets see how can I exaggerate myself

A.P. Zaibin

Permanent Address:
Ambalaparambil House,
P.O Irumbuzhi 676 513
Malappuram Dist.,
Kerala State, India.

Present Address:
JRF, SACON (MTHL Project),
Samata Coop. Hsg. Society,
Quarter No. H-5, Plot- 18,
Sector- 4, Sanpada (East),
Navi Mumbai – 400 705

Email: zaibin81@yahoo.co.in


Education:

● Master of Wildlife Science, Aligarh Muslim University,
Uttar Pradesh, India, June 2005.

● Bachelor of Zoology, M. E. S College, Mampad,
Malappuram Dist., (Calicut University), Kerala, India,
March 2003.

Experience

● Working as a Junior Research Fellow, Sálim Ali Centre for
Ornithology and Natural History, Coimbatore in a project
entitled ‘Mumbai Trans Harbour SeaLink Project: A study of
flamingos and migratory birds’ at Mumbai.

● Conducted a three month study entitled 'Vertical
stratification and community structure of birds in the southern Western Ghats: a study in natural forest and plantation' as a part of the MSc. course.

Area of interests:

● Bird community ecology.
● Biogeography and phylogenetics (especially of Western Ghats birds).
● Effects of habitat fragmentation and alteration on birds.
● Philosophy of science and ecology

Reports Submitted:

Zaibin, A. P. (2005). Vertical stratification and community
structure of birds in the southern Western Ghats: a study in
natural forest and plantation. MSc. Thesis submitted to the
Dept. of Wildlife Sciences, Aligarh Muslim University.

Zaibin, A. P. (2005). A preliminary study on some of the
ecological aspects of Golden Valley in the Nelliampathy
Hills. Report submitted to Inheritance India Land
Conservation Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai.

Notes Published:

Zaibin, A. P. (2000). Golden oriole on the ground. Newsletter
for Birdwatchers 40(4): 55.

Zaibin, A. P. (2000). Owlets pecking at a shikra and notes
on a three toed kingfisher. Newsletter for Birdwatchers
40(6): 82-83.

Zaibin, A. P. (2002). Random Notes. Newsletter for
Birdwatchers 42(4): 89.
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My experiences in the wilderness of Nelliampathy Hills

I narrate here my experiences in the wilderness of Golden Valley, Nelliampathy, South India during my three-month study period in these magnificient part of the of the southern Western Ghats.

Since my arrival in the Golden valley I occasionally came upon the indirect evidences of a lone tusker whose ramblings in the area made him a reputed figure among the labourers and locals. Those were the driest part of the season. Most of the water sources in the form of streams, ditches, waterholes etc. shrank considerably in the lower reaches. The forested slope of Karimala still retained few water holes and stagnant pools amidst dried streams at this time of the year. Thus pachyderms had enough reason to climb up to these sources and also to explore the undisturbed slopes of the valley to relish upon their preferred but limited foliage and in turn to retire at late nights

During their sojourns their trampling creates long lasting impressions in the habitats. Their gigantic size demands large quantity of fodder. Elephants are especially fond of particular food items such as palms and bark of trees.

A herd of elephants that usually frequents the valley, systematically searched out, uprooted and finished almost all Fish-tiled Palms, which have been sparsely distributed in the forest fragment. Once along with two visitors - Vijay and Tim, I got an amazing opportunity to watch an elephant herd at close quarters. The herd comprised of at least two females and a tusker, devouring a freshly uprooted palm leaving behind only fibrous pith and root of the trunk. The herd moved off abruptly hearing the noise when Tim stumbled upon a big rock. Later Vijay called such loosely held rocks as “Tim’s rocks”.

My most memorable elephant experience happened on the first week of April. On a cloudy morning the tusker arrived beside the bungalow to savour the bark of White Silk Cotton Cieba pendadra. I was sitting quietly from him keeping only about 15m to get full glimpse of the event. His method extracting the bark was awesome. He virtually stabbed the tree with formidable tusk; peeling off the bark by powerful blows of the trunk; keeping their ends under forefoot he extracted the smooth and fibrous inner layer of the bark. Having satisfied his appetite, he turned towards Mr. Thomas (the steward) and me. He attained a ‘warning posture’ by standing majestically with front raised, scraping the ground with the right forelegs as he extended and perpendicularly held ears and eventually splashing the mud over the body. As we respected his signal, he retreated his steps and walked down stream plucking and eating jackfruit found on the way.

Within couple of days, in the evening, he returned to finish the remaining bark. In the moonlit hours of the night, we heard creaking sounds of his antics. Just before going to bed, as I peeped through the window, I saw him very closely relishing an ornamental grass at hedge in front of the bungalow. I wondered about the freedom with which he roamed in the valley irrespective of the day and night.

Later in the month I could see him or detect his presence in the area many times. This is a testimony that the abandoned shade-coffee plantations like Golden Valley can at least partly meet the enormous ecological requirements and act as corridors between evergreen forest fragments for these ‘elephantine’ mammals.

Nilgiri Langur, Lion-tailed Macaque, Bonnet macaque, Malabar Giant Squirrel, Indian Giant Flying Squirrel are the prominent mammals in the valley. The reverberating deep booming calls of Nilgiri Langur and the ‘conversational and agitated’ utterance of Lion-tailed Macaque can be frequently heard. The langurs were usually seen solitary or in pairs. In the twilight hours or cloudy days, one may get an elegant sight of one or two langurs sitting at the summits of towering trees that emerging from the canopy. The langurs show a special liking for the tender leaves and leaf buds of Erythrina Sp..

Lion-tailed Macaques were invariably associated with areas of high and continuous canopy cover. They occurred in a large troop comprising of c.25 individuals including adults, immatures and juveniles. Lion-tailed and Bonnet Macaques along with assortment of birds aggregate on fruiting trees. Occasional inter-specific confrontations do occur between them.

I happened to see Mouse Deer few times. Its typical habit was to freeze to camouflage till I approach close at hand and suddenly bolt into cover. It seems to have a preference for the edge habitats.

Dreys of Malabar Giant Squirrel placed among inaccessible canopy are a common sight here. They used to make ‘cock nest’ to fool the predators. On 3rd February one adult seen carrying green leafy branchlet in it’s mouth to augment an old nest. The species seems to use the nests as night shelters, especially outside the breeding season. The gnawing of bark by the squirrels produce an intriguing sound that leaves the hearer perplexed.

In these dry months ticks are in galore everywhere. These dull brown coloured tiny ectoparasites render discomfort for wildlife inhabitants and human alike. One can see scratched marks of Gaurs and deers on the trunks and elephant’s rubbing impressions on the big rocks. Sambars, Barking Deers and others bathe in the waterholes and smear wet mud over pelt to get rid of ticks and other ectoparasites.

Accumulated dried leaf litter on the forest floor causes great deal of noise when being trodden. It serves as an indication of the presence of ground dwelling wild animals in the proximity and also avoids undesirable close confrontation. While moving in this forested landscape my strategy was to walk for some distance, then pause for couple of minutes to scrutinize the surrounding before resuming the walk.

On 2nd March at around 11.00 hrs I was sitting besides jeepable track that cut through the shade coffee plantation. I heard an approaching sound from the direction of waterhole as if some one climbing the hill at fast pace with gasps. It was a big old Sambar stag with deep brown pelt advancing to me. He sprang to flight as I stood up and saw me at close quarters. The waterhole provides such surprising chance sightings in the area.

In another instance, I spotted a barking deer at banks of the waterhole. Instead of dashing to cover, it behaved in rather unusual way though it detected me. It stalked to cover in measured steps.

Gaur is the one of the most frequently seen herbivore in the area. It normally forms a herd of 12-13 individuals. Few immatures always accompany them. Whenever a herd senses danger, all the members cease their activity, raise their heads in vigilance and wait for a forceful ‘sniff’ signal from the leader-bull. This signal possibly defines the position of the intruder/ predator, direction of flight and inturn avoid segregation of the members. The leader would be the last one to leave.

Wild Dogs or Dholes are one of the prime predators in the area. They travel at great distance in pursuit of preys. They move in loose packs and maintain perfect communication aided by their sophisticated sense organs. I recollect a hair-raising moment that I had with Dholes. I was on a routine bird survey in 20-acre section of the valley. I caught sight of few Wild Dogs inspecting the ground in opposite slope. As if sensed my presence they proceeded towards the spot where I exactly stood. I shouted and hit hard at tree trunks to create a tumult, thinking that it will confuse them. It served the purpose. Just before the pack could have reached the spot, all of them halted at once. A whistle was heard and the pack turned around heading in an opposite direction. With great relief I watched the pack of seven Wild Dogs marching in an array down the hill. When Dholes left, another denizen of the evergreen forest- Stripe-necked Mongoose entered the scene. A pair of them rummaged among the litter on the streamside for more than half an hour.

Various animals are opportunist in using the jeeepable road as a trail during their daily activity. The loose soil of the track retain pugmarks/hoof marks of most frequent trespassers including that of Wild Dog, Mouse Deer, Barking Deer, Sambar, Civets and of course the elephants. It is also a place where one can easily find scats of Leopard, Sloth Bear, Wild Dogs and civets, and droppings/pellets of herbivores.

My Story

Once upon a time (please remember it is the standard way to begin a story!) in a village in Kerala there lived a timid boy named Zaibin.

By formulating this first sentence itself I come to know how difficult it is to tell one’s story and how daunting it is to put on to paper. Though I realise that to do so is a sort of self-indulgence, I can’t resist telling you briefly of my fascinations, blunders, acquaintances and joyful and ‘great’ moments.

My mother says I was born in a hospital. After my infancy I turned out to be so lean and thin that she fed me with bottles and bottles of Ayurvedic ‘medicines’ or kashayams to see me as a ‘fat- cute’ boy. Medicines prescribed by traditional practitioners were meant to improve hunger so that I will eat to her satisfaction. Every thing was in vein. The only out come of that was I detested food altogether, instead I drank lot of kashayams since some of them were mixed with high amount of jaggery as a sweetener. My tongue held a romantic taste to it.


I felt my first romance when I was in sixth standard. It all started with a smile from a girl who used to sit opposite to me in our school ‘van’. I soon found out a way to attract her attention and win her favour- to befriend with her younger brother. I offered chocolates (which somehow I managed not to devour myself) to her brother regularly and to my embarrassment he turn out to be gloatingly voracious. Anyway results began showing up.

And one day, by heavens, she approached and talked to me amidst the playing crowds of other boys. There I stood enthralled by every pleasing movement she made. My second romance was with my science teacher at school. Since all girls in my class were naughty and pestering, my charming physics teacher was a welcoming choice. It was love at first sight. Unfortunately, it didn’t last longer for more than an hour. When she took her first class I was so engrossed to please her that I waved my head in affirmative every now and then as she taught. Soon I was asked a question and there I stood like a lunatic and laughter in the class followed. That was an end to another romantic episode.

I believe every one would have felt such indescribable moments of attraction/love in an age when it was not able to fully comprehend the complete meaning of it. That’s why biologist remarks that “it’s all there in our genes”.

Caught freezed just before taking off

Barn Swallow (Sewri mudflat, Mumbai)

Magnificient giant in musth

The tusker who frequents Golden Valley, Nelliampathy Hills

Only God knows whats in thier heads!

Brown- headed Gulls (Sewri mudflats, Mumbai)

What are those two white specs for ?

Rarity always been an attraction

Lion-tailed Macaques in alert (Golden Valley, Nelliampathy Hills)

Impression of a scientist: my mentor

A man with brilliant perspectives.
Dr. T.V. Sajeev (Scientist, Kerala Forest Research Institue Sub-centre, Nilambur) who introduced me to science.

Don't mind! Its a fight in our 'small' world

A world under forest canopy for which we seldom pause to watch

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‘Nonsense’ Questions
(A book review)

Books are in some way like films. They can be thrilling. Certain books can be mind-boggling. Still others can be hilariously funny, simply informative, thought provoking and what not. But few books can be profoundly transforming to the person who reads it. I read one of such books - Worldviews: An Introduction to the History and Philosophy of Science by Richard DeWitt. For me it meant more than that of an introduction to the evolution of scientific thought or underpinnings of philosophy of science. The book was a chilling revelation that shook my very conception of ‘knowledge’, ‘facts’ or ‘evidences’ that we use to conceive of the world and beyond. It tells us that our perception of the world- scientific evidences and facts that we considers as absolutely real- are a part of a jig-saw puzzle or a belief system. New knowledge created within in such a belief system will tend to marvelously fit the jig-saw of our worldview until certain observations or patterns emerge which cannot be no longer explained within the present jig-saw puzzle. Such inconsistencies lead to an entirely new paradigm and everything becomes obvious within the new jig-saw puzzle and old ones are rejected as entirely fallacious. This concept of scientific revolution is not at all a novel one- Kuhn has meddled with it before. But Richard Dewitt in his book shows why observers in Aristotelian times had every reason to believe that earth was flat, it was the centre of the universe and the universe was like a sphere and everything in it revolved around the earth and so on. It is amazing to read that how beautifully their models of planetary motions fitted to their understanding of their times and how accurately they could predict (with complex models) the planetary motions.

Dewitt depicts this transformation beginning with Aristotelian worldview to the Newtonian worldview, and relativity theory and ending with quantum theory. Thus, the book never ventures out of the realm of physics to tell the tale. In earlier times I was never able to comprehend and enjoy physics the way Dewitt stunningly presented the subject in the book. Philosophy of science and well known theories of physics becomes palatable and admirable in view of simple and considerate language the author used to make his point.

The most profound realization the book gives is that we can never say what we conceive is absolutely real or true. It is liable to change and in future it is even possible that most of our cherished theories and beloved concepts will turnout to be absolutely false.

Then what will happen if atoms and electrons are not going to be real. Then how will we be able to explain the technologies we developed based on such very basic concepts. If gravitational force is not real how will we account for the various concepts we faithfully built uponit. How can aircrafts fly if  our understanding of motion and air is false. If so, how aeronautic engineers’ designs of supersonic planes can move elegantly in air. If Darwin’s compelling evolutionary theory is going to be refuted what biologists will do to account for ‘tree of life’ on earth and what will happen to those cherished theories, explanations and evidences. If such things ever going to happen it would be extremely astonishing and revolutionary. There is no doubt in that science will be able to give alternative explanations. The dilemma here is: principles we use to develop a gadget or thing are later end up as false even though the system itself will keep on working unhindered. Or is it that philosophers are wacky bunch of people and their subject itself is weird to ask such ‘nonsense’ questions. After reading Richard Dewitt I feel otherwise.

Forests instill a mysterious temptation

A 'good morning' in Golden Valley, Nelliampathy Hills.

Sharp look ! Admire the perfection in me

A crested Serpent Eagle, Edevanna,Malappuram Dist., Kerala.