Little Rann of Kutch (Part 1) ~ Wild Ass Sanctuary

The 4953 sq km of nearly barren expanse of the Little Rann of Kutch (LRK) has been protected as the Wild Ass Sanctuary. This unique terrain, a saline desert, is home to nearly 4000 Indian Wild Ass (Equus hemionus khur ). It also boasts of an equally unique ecosystem. The term 'Rann' comes from Hindi - suggesting"salt marsh". This area was a shallow part of the Arabian Sea until its connection with the sea was severed due to continuing geographical uplift, creating a vast lake that was still navigable during the time of Alexander the Great.

Most of the Rann gets flooded during monsoon. However it gets dried up by the end of November or mid-December throwing its length and breadth wide open to visitors. The area is dotted with 74 elevated plateaus or uplands, which turns into islands when flooded. They are known as 'beyts'. The LRK is the only place in the Indian subcontinent which hosts lesser and greater flamingoes in abundance.

The LRK is surrounded by five districts - Surendranagar, Patan, Rajkot, Mehsana and Kutch. Its topography gradually rises some 4m above High Water Line and was once upon a time a centre of shipping with peripheral villages being ports. Natural tectonic events and silt, brought by massive rivers including Sindhu, Banas, Saraswati and Rupen gave rise to the present day Rann.

To protect the endangered (Schedule 1) and endemic Wild Ass, popularly known as 'Ghudkur', the sanctuary was notified in 1973, under the Wildlife Protection Act. As per the 2004 census the population of Wild Ass in the Rann was 3863.

Wild Ass, a member of the horse family (Equidae) was once found in the areas belong Gujarat and as far as Rajasthan, Sindh, Balochistan and right upto Afghanistan and South Eastern Iran.

The Wild Ass grazes a flat grass called 'Suaeda nudiflora' known as 'moral' in local parlance which grows on the beyts and its local fringes, while coarse grasses spring up in the Rann after monsoon. With the advent of summer, the Wild Ass moves from one beyt to another in search of water and grass.

Known for its phenomenal speed and stamina, the swift animal is capable of galloping at a pace of over 30 km per hour for as long as two hours, at a top speed of 70 km per hour for short distances. This animal has the ability to survive in extreme climatic conditions including temperature variations ranging from 1 degree Celsius to 50 degree Celsius.

Wild Ass has a sandy coloured coat and its average length is 210 cm and can be upto 120 cm high at shoulders. It stays in a group in salty mudflats and has an extremely well developed sense of smell.

Wild Ass

Shooting is fun indeed!!

There is no road in Rann..you make your own

Folklores from Bhutan ~ Migoi the Yeti

As the last Shangri-La on earth Bhutan is absolutely mystic and so are some of Bhutan's folklore and practices. We came to know of a very interesting story of Migoi, a Tibetan term for the Yeti.

Although there is no proof to confirm that this mythical creature exists, people living in remote North Bhutan believe that the Migoi does exist! So Bhutan has a very unusual sanctuary dedicated to Migoi's and the sanctuary is known as 'Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary'. There are many folklores and urban legends around these mythical creatures among the local Bhutanese people.Locals say that there have been many sightings of Migoi in this region. Migoi is known for its phenomenal strength,superfast agility, magical powers such as the ability to become invisible and knowing how to walk backwards to fool any trackers. The luxuriant deciduous forests of Sakteng are believed to be the home of these creatures.

Photo courtesy- internet

Sighting of Migoi is also said to bring bad luck. Once two people went hunting and one of them could see the Migoi with his eyes while the other could not. The person who saw died soon after within a few days.

There is one more story regarding the sightings of Migoi that can bring bad luck. A group of hunters were surprised when all their traps failed to trap any meat one day.To understand what could have possibly gone wrong, they started looking around. Soon they found footprints of a Migoi.

One of the hunters in the group was very strong and courageous.He followed the tracks,encountered the animal and killed it. However no one in his village was ready to believe that he had actually killed a giant Migoi. However they soon found the remains of two Migoi covered in blood on the track that the hunter told them. However bad omen fell on the hunter since he had seen a Migoi. He proud hunter died soon after.

However Yeti or no Yeti, the 'Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary' is highly rich is bio diversity. The sanctuary becomes red with thick carpets of rhododendrons.Snow leopards, red pandas, Himalayan black bear, barking deer and Himalayan red fox can be found here. Variety of birds such as the hoary-bellied Himalayan squirrel, Assamese macaw, blood pheasant, grey backed shrike, grey-headed woodpecker, common hoopoe, rufous-vented tit and dark breasted rosefinch are also commonly found. Besides the conifers, plant life and flora of Sakteng wildlife sanctuary includes rare blue poppies, Bhutan’s national flowers. Wild Primulas and gentiana change the sanctuary into a color riot in spring. A very rare mushroom called cordyceps which have medicinal values are also found in this region.

There is also a Bhutanese stamp depicting a Migoi which is definitely a collector's item.

Photo courtesy- internet