IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Galhano Alves, J.P. | |
| A perfect world | |
| 1996 Down to Earth: 32-34 | |
"All human beings in these parts are kind to animals...," says the legendary monkey-god Hanuman to Bhim, one of the Pandav brothers, in the epic Mahabharat; he was referring to the Sariska valley. Even today, Hanuman's words ring true as far as the people of Sariska valley are concerned. The rural societies of the region have inhabited the heart of what is now the Sariska Tiger Reserve for ages. Established in 1978, most of the reserve's 1,145 sq km is covered by dry tropical deciduous forests. Local fauna includes several wild carnivores (tiger, panther), herbivores (sambhar, nilgai), scavengers, primates, rodents, reptiles and more than 300 species of birds. My study covered four of the 16 villages in the reserve - Sariska, Haripura, Kundalka and Bartary -in a territory of around 40 sq km. Sariska is a small settlement inhabited only by forest department employees and by workers of the two hotels located there. Haripura houses 21 families (150 people) of Gurjar pastoralists. Kundalka (500 people: 57 families) is also inhabitated mainly by Gurjar pastoralists as well as a few agro-pastoralists. Bartary is a bigger village of agro-pastoralists, artisans and traders. |
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