Camera Trapping – fundraising letter

Friends,

KANS has been gathering photographic evidence of various mammal species in the Melagiris. Mammals are shy and rarely present themselves to be photographed the conventional way. Camera traps are therefore the only alternative to gather photographic records of the mammals of the Melagiris.

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Candid pics of different wild denizens of Melagiri captured using camera traps.

We have been able to catch Leopards, Elephants, Otters, Palm Civets, Small Indian Civets, Porcupines, Wild Pigs, Spotted deer, Sambar deer and Jungle cat. A camera trap also discretely keeps tab on human activity in the areas of interest to us. This has helped us bring problems to the attention of the authorities.

Nearly all the animals have been caught on camera trap within a small stretch of a couple of kilometers in theUrigamRange. Needless to say, there still remain hundreds of spots across the remaining 1200 sq kms. We do not know what surprises Melagiri holds for us!

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The sprawling 1200 sq. km expanse of Melagiri is spread across 3 districts in Tamil Nadu.

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KANS’s 3 existing camera traps are like needles in a haystack, covering hardly more than a few acres of the larger expanse.

Of late, a spill over of Tigers to the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary from BR hills is being reported.  In fact a tiger was sighted just across the Cauvery a couple of months ago. It is quite likely that a tiger might just decide to cross over and make the Melagiris its home once again! Should this happen, it is absolutely essential to get it on film.

We need many more camera traps to try and cover as much area as possible. In fact there are large tracts of forest where KANS has never set foot. Having done camera trapping for the last 5 months, we can rightfully claim some expertise on the subject. We have narrowed down Bushnell camera traps costing approximately $200 per piece in the U.S.

We request you to help us raise the funds required to purchase these camera traps. Please spread the word about this initiative among your friends and contacts. Every bit will be a great help.  If there are ways you can help out, please contact me on my mobile or email.

In the meantime, please enjoy some of the interesting images from the camera traps and the report on camera trapping.

Yours sincerely

Arun Menon
91 9986128760
arunaccess@gmail.com

Maps

Click to enlarge the images

Melagiri

Camera Trap locations

Elephant corridors

Tiger Range

Wild Life Week Lecture Programme

All are cordially invited for the Wildlife Week Lecture organized by KANS.
Topic- WILD LIFE PHOTOGRAPHY

Speaker- Sri T.N.A.Perumal- World Renowned wildlife photographer
Venue : British Council, Bangalore
Date : Saturday, 1st October, 2011.
Timings 6 P.M. to 8 P.M.

This event is organized specially for all wildlife enthusiasts, conservationists, with special accent on photography. Please avail this opportunity to have interaction with the Sri Perumal, an authority on the subject.

All are Welcome

Sanjeev Kumar S.R.
President
Kenneth Anderson Nature Society ( www.kans.org.in)
Contact : Jay- Secretary, KANS- 9242150045

Photo: S. Siva Saravanan