A tryst with wilderness
By Ervell E. Menezes

WITH eco-tourism getting a fillip in the last few years, the key wildlife sanctuaries like Corbett (UP), Rantambar (Rajasthan), Kasiranga (Assam) and Kanha (MP) have been overburdened. It is, therefore, hoped that the less-known sanctuaries would attract tourists and help take the load off the main ones.

Goa comes under the purview of these lesser-known sanctuaries with the Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary and the Molem National Park being the biggest attractions. Conservator of Forests Richard D’Souza has surely turned things around, giving eco-tourism a clear boost. It is now hoped that Goa, known for its ‘cheap chartered tourists’, will gradually make way for ‘study tourists’ through whom the exchequer will greatly benefit.

"Bondla has always drawn crowds but the trouble is that it has not been properly marketed", says D’Souza, who last year renovated the 11 cottages which were formerly run by the Tourism Department. There is also a canteen where guests can have their meals. In Goa wildlife spots are easily accessible. They are just two hours drive from the three major cities of Panjim, Margao and Mapuca. "In the Andamans and Arunachal the wilderness is remote", says Deputy Conservator of Forests, C.A. Reddy. But though Bondla has an animal population of 148 (including reptiles like crocodiles) with three lionesses, four leopards and three bisons as its main attraction, it is not a zoo but an orphanage for animals or a rescue centre for wounded denizens. It is a place with a distinctive ambience, and for nature and animal lovers a virtual haven.

Ten kilometres up on the Usgao-Valpoi road is a board which says "6 km to Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary". Cut to the right and you start ascending. The vegetation gets denser, the air scarce and the climate cooler, almost bracing. The road winds uphill, and the further you go from habitation the closer you get to mother nature. Minutes tick away with no human being in sight, on and on you drive till you get to Bondla and its denizens.

Covering and expanse of around 8 sq km of hilly tract, it has 48 acres devoted to eco-tourism. Of this the mini zoo covers 28.5 hectares, the farm (growing elephant grass) six hectares and the staff quarters, three hectares. There are cottages, available for Rs 150 per day for those who want to breathe in tranquillity amidst mother nature and its flora and fauna.

But what is today — the Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary — began as a horticulture centre in the early 1960s. It also housed the Animal Husbandry, Agriculture and Tourism Departments till the late-1960s when the Forest Department took it over.Sadly, after the first 10-odd years the government has shown little interest in Bondla. The labour force has been reduced from 300 in the 1970s to just 48 at present. Financial constraints since 1992 have been the cause of drastic cuts but it is time the government realised that in this year of ecological awareness, eco-tourism would be a natural spin-off.

Range Forest Officer Amar Heblekar took us on an extended tour of the place, acquainting us with its needs and problems. He said the government allotment of Rs 18 lakh was scarcely adequate. They needed at least Rs 20 lakh more. Over 13 lakh go towards feeding the animals only. He also felt that the minimum staff strength should be 100.

The greenhouse covers an area of 300 square metres and has over 300 species of indoor ornamental plants, the most impressive to a non-botanist being the variety of cacti. Plans are afoot for an orchard which would cover 600 square metres and house 60 different species.

There are four leopards in cages, excellent specimens. All the animals have no names because some of the animals are released in the forest and giving names would form a sort of attachment. But the pride of the mini-zoo are the three lionesses, a mother and its two cubs, which are now even bigger than the mother. The lion (father) died a few years ago. It seems that Maneka Gandhi asked them to perform a vasectomy on the animals because the lion population in the country is reaching uncontrollable proportions and looking after them is a problem. The vasectomy was performed in Chennai and was said to be successful but the animal died a week later.

The state animal, the gaur or the bison, is also a big attraction. The male is a fine specimen, big, black and very lazy. The brownish-tinted mother and cub suffer greatly by contrast. Deer-stalking was an interesting exercise as the six-hectare deer park zig-zags along the hills and as soon as one spots a herd of deer the car engine is shut off and the photographer jumps out ready to "shoot".But it isn’t easy to get them.You have to get them away from the trees and then again you have to wait for them to face the camera. Some are like female models on the ramp, but even more are camera shy and bolt away at the slightest movement.

But watching the deer move is sheer poetry.Samba stag (male), samba doe (female), cheetal (spotted deer) and chowsingha (four-horned antelope) run around the area.

All the animals are fed once a day at 1 p.m. The elephant is the biggest eater. Its meal comprises 9 kg of rice, one-and-a-half kilo of jaggery, 6 kg of vegetable and 300 kg of elephant grass. The lionesses are fed 4 kg of beef each and the leopards 3 kg of beef. The python eats the least, a chicken every alternate day, and the crocodile ½ kg of beef on alternate days.

What are the problems faced by the Forest Department? Visitors are known to misbehave. They come to Bondla at night, at times under the influence of liquor, and cause trouble. A woman worker was molested and there are other cases of causing nuisance. Police complaints have to be filed, and in order to avoid trouble-makers, the entrance fee has been raised from 50 paise per adult to Rs 5.This may have brought down the number of visitors but has increased the revenue earned by the Forest Department. It was Rs 8,4064 in 1996-97, Rs 2,84,004 in 1997-98 and Rs 4,87873 in 1998-99.