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. MISCELLANEOUSNOTES mammals inthedifferenthabitatsofMudumalai length 12.6 cm; tail length 13.5cm; hind foot Wildlife Sanctuary, was studied in 1997. Small length 2.5 cm; weight 82g (live individual). mammals were trapped in Shermantrapsplaced on the ground in the chosen study grids, baited January 11, 2001 V. MEENA with coconut. The Malabarspiny dormouse was No.1 Ragavendra Apartments m recorded atan elevation of1,000 inthe semi- 4 Kandasamy Gramani Street, evergreenforestofBenne,inMay.Oneindividual Chandrabagh Avenue Extension, was captured, preserved and later identified. Its Mylapore, Chennai 600 004, morphometric measurements were: head-body TamilNadu, India. Refer ,NCES Ganesh, T. (1997): The Malabar Spiny Dormouse Kerala. J. Bombaynat. Hist. Soc. 92(2): 258. (Platacanthomys lasiurus) in the Kalakad Prabhakar, A. (1997): New records of the Spiny Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, Tamil Nadu. Dormouse{PlatacanthomyslasiurusBlyth)inthe J. Bombaynat. Hist. Soc. 94(3): 561. Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary, Tamil Nadu. Jayson,E.A.&G.Christopher(1995):SightingofSpiny J. Bombaynat. Hist. Soc. 94(1):151 Dormouse{PlatacanthomyslasiurusBlyth, 1959) Sankar,K.(1996):IslandsintheWesternGhats.Science inPepparaWildlifeSanctuary,Trivandrum District, Reporter33(6):9-13. 5. THE WILD ELEPHANTELEPHASMAXIMUSIN MIZORAM (With a text-figure) The Asian elephant Elephas maximus near Assam-Mizoram and India-Bangladesh m Linn, is distributed in northeastern India in 14 border (less than 100 above msl). discrete populations (Choudhury 1999). The Tillthe 1950s,theelephantwaswidespread populationsinMizoramandTripuraweretreated alloverthestate,especiallyinthenorth, westand asasingleone,withprobablemovementthrough south (source: local reports by villagers, and A. Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh. A field Laskar, S. Laskar,pers. comm.). However, itwas trip was made in April 2000 (for 14 days) to nevercommoninrecentmemory, asitsmeatwas assessthestatusofelephantsinMizoram.During relishedbyallthetribes(Mizo,LaiorPawi,Mara this trip, all theknownsiteswere visitedandthe or Lakher, Bru or Reang, Chakma, and Hmar) Forest Department officials, local hunters/ and it was regularly hunted. In the 1960s, when poachers and other tribal villagers were insurgencystarted,modemfirearmsbecameeasily interviewed. The state ofMizoram (21° 58'-24° available, resulting in a phenomenal increase in 30' N, 92° 16'-93° 25' E) (area 21,081 sq. km) poaching. Atthesametime, ivoryalsobecame an (Fig. 1) was referredto inthe past as the Lushai important target (especially for sale in southeast HillsofsouthernAssam. Theentirearea ishilly, Asia markets to buy arms). With the gradual being part of the Himalaya-Arakan mountain increase in human population, the destruction of chain. The terrain is dissected mostly by north- forest through felling and jhum (shifting south flowing rivers, which make a series of cultivation) has also increased. By the 1970s, the parallel ranges. The highest ranges are towards main elephant strongholds remained only in the east with Phawngpui or Blue Mountain (2,157 western and southern areas, with small mabovemsl)andLengteng(2,141mabovemsl) populations elsewhere. By 1980s, the northern peaks. The lowest evaluation is in the riverbeds elephant population was reduced to stray JOURNAL, BOMBAYNATURAL HISTORYSOCIETY, 98(3),DEC. 2001 439 MISCELLANEOUSNOTES 3,32,000(0.33 million)in 1971 to 6,86,000(0.69 million) in 1991, i.e. more than double in two decades, indicating aphenomenal corresponding increase injhum cultivation. The main elephant population is now confined to Ngengpui Wildlife Sanctuary (110 sq. km), Lawngtlai district in the far south, and Dampa Sanctuary and Tiger Reserve (500 sq. km),Mamitdistrictinthewest. In 1996,acensus partyoftheForestDepartmentlocatedonlyfour elephants in part of Dampa. Unfortunately, a makhna from this population died in 1998 due to accidental strangulation near Lallen. While sliding down a slope, its head got sandwiched betweentwotree trunks fromwhichitcouldnot recover itself(Jain and Saandeep 2001). These animals occasionally cross over to Bangladesh also'. Local reports indicate that more than 10 elephants were present in the early 1980s. At that time, there was a lone bull at Bolung (S. Laskar,pers. comm.) northeast ofDampa. NgengpuiWildlifeSanctuaryandadjacent southern areas have the largest population of elephants in Mizoram now: however, only of eight animals. Old villagers of Ngengpui and Khawmawi report that there were more than 20 animalsintheearly 1980s.Theseelephantsmove out ofthe Sanctuary to the Ngengpui Reserved Forest (Lunglei district) as well as unclassed forests near Mampui. The third group in the state is in Saiha district,aroundPalakDil(Dil=lake). Onlythree are surviving from what was a fairly large populationofatleast50inthe 1970s. According totheeldersofPhuravillage, mostofthemwere Fig. 1: Map ofMizoram showingthe current shot dead formeat and tusksby extremists. The distribution ofelephants and occasional |y surviving three cause much damage to standing migrants from Bangladesh (+) paddyatPhuravalley,butthevillagers(Maraor individuals withno future, while the westernand Lakher tribe) do not retaliate, in consideration southern populations were confined to a few of the very low population and a vanishing pockets (A. Laskar,pers. comm.). In the 1990s, heritage. the elephant survived only in three areas, with a Strayelephants, ofteninsmallherds, have fewstrayanimalsinotherareas.Inthemeantime, been reported from the forests northwest of the human population of Mizoram grew from Tlabung(Demagiri)inLungleidistrictandParva 440 JOURNAL, BOMBAYNATURAL HISTORYSOCIETY, 98(3), DEC 2001 ) . MISCELLANEOUSNOTES in Lawngtlai district. These are occasional (where troublesome elephants are occasionally immigrants from Bangladesh, especially during captured)orMeghalayatoDampaandNgengpui the paddy season. couldhavesolvedtheproblem,buttheprevailing These are no reports of occurrence of situation makes it unlikely in the near future. elephantsinrecentyearsfromAizawl, Serchhip, With better protection, Dampa and Ngengpui Kolasib and Champhai district. could support larger populations. Conservation Fromthe above account, it seems that the educationamongthelocalvillagers,withthehelp total number of elephants in Mizoram is only ofNGOs, is also strongly recommended. 14, with some seasonal migrants from Bangladesh. Theirchancesoflong-termsurvival Acknowledgements inthe wildinMizoramarebleak, as the existing herds are not only very small, but also severely I would like to thank the following for their fragmented, withno possibility ofcontiguity. assistance during the study, N. Pradhan (ACF), Habitatdestructionandpoachingcontinue L. Pachuan (FD, Dampa), K. Hramzama (RO, to be major threats. The decrease ofpopulation Ngengpui)andhiswife,C.Buanga,C.Hranghimea, in Ngengpui (from 10 in 1993 to 8 in 1997) T.Zakiau,K.Kheilai,K.Ray,Laikung,Zarlansanga, indicates unreported poaching. Protection Khaikhu, Lalnunzira, S. Saikia, Muankima, measures in Dampa and Ngengpui should be Rinsanga,Vanlalpeka(allofForestDept),P.Rahlo, strengthened. PartofDampaisnowvirtuallyout Ms. Bawitei, M. Goswami, J. Paul, Alok, ofbounds due to insurgencybythe Bru(Reang) J. Mazumdar, Arnar, A. GoswamiandHakim. militants. Palak Dil and adjacent forests (about 40 sq. km) should be declared as a wildlife April 6, 2001 ANWARUDDINCHOUDHURY sanctuary(itisalsothelargestlakeinMizoram). The Rhino FoundationforNature in NE India, Toavoidinbreedingandmaintaingeneticquality, C/o TheAssam Co. Ltd., Bamunimaidam, translocationofoneortwoelephantsfromAssam Guwahati 781 021, Assam, India. References Choudhury,A.U.(1999):StatusandConservationofthe Jain,Niren&R.Saandeep(2001):Incidenceofanelephant AsianelephantElephasmaximusinnorth-eastern calfElephas maximus trapped between two tree India.MammalReview23(9): 141-173. trunks.J. Bombaynat. Hist. Soc. 98(1): 99-101 ON LITTLE GREBES TACHYBAPTUSRUFICOLLISBREEDING NEAR 6. K. KARUNANIDHINAGAR, TIRUCHIRAPALLI, TAMILNADU Little grebes Podiceps (=Tachybaptus despite the developmental changes in their ruficollis were common aroundTrichinopoly in habitat. Atthe onset ofthe southwest monsoon, the 1930s. OneMr. C. McConwayhadcollected whentheruddybrownearthiscarriedintoponds over one hundred eggs, and washed them (with by rainwater and settles at the bottom, the pond VimandMonkeybrandsoap)tofindoutwhether water becomes clear. Little grebes arrive thebrowncolorationonthe eggswas originalor noiselesslyduringcloudyafternoonsinhundreds, acquired. Hereportedthatthe colorationwasno andrunonthis clearwatersurface, beatingtheir indication of incubation stage (Baker & Inglis wings. They stay on, breed and leave in mid- 1930.TheBirdsofSouthernIndia,p.485). Sixty January.Thethreemainwaterbodiesfrequented to seventy years later, they are still common, bythe little grebesare VadugapattyPeriakulam, JOURNAL, BOMBAYNATURAL HISTORYSOCIETY, 98(3),DEC 2001 441