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Atul Dhamankar has spent 23 years studying wildlife in the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve, Maharashtra and various other jungles of India. He was always fascinated by the sheer beauty of deer and antelopes. Their body shape, colours, swiftness, social life, fights, feeding, breeding, behaviour, everything attracted him towards them. He has observed these herbivorous animals for hours together. These animals are not much attracted to people like the tiger, but they have their own elegance. Herbivorous animals are the main prey base of predators like tigers, leopards, wild dogs, jackals, striped hyenas, and grey wolves. So the presence of these herbivores is an assurance of the existence of predators. This book is based on his study of the deer and antelopes and includes some of his precious memories with these fantastic herbivores.

DEER TALES

ATUL DHAMANKAR

Translated from Marathi by Sharvari Bhole

DEER TALES

©Inking Innovations, 2014

First published : 19 March 2014

Published by :Soniya KhareInking Innovations,Ground Floor,India Printing House42, G.D. Ambekar Marg,Wadala, Mumbai 400 031Tel. : (022) 2418 6233 E-mail : ipwsoniya@gmail.com

Picture : Atul Dhamankar (Chandrapur)

Printed by : Anand Limaye India Printing Works India Printing House 42, G.D. Ambekar Marg, Wadala, Mumbai 400 031 Tel. : (022) 6662 4969 E-mail : ipw@vsnl.net

Price : 250/-

to my daughter

Sharvari

who love to leasten my wildlife experiences .....

PREFACE

I have now spent almost 23 years studying wildlife in the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve, Maharashtra and various other jungles of India. I was always fascinated by the sheer beauty of deer and antelopes. Their body shape, colours, swiftness, social life, fights, feeding, breeding, behaviour, everything attracted me towards them. I love to observe these herbivorous animals for hours.

When I started studying deer in Tadoba in the 90s, I would spend entire days sitting on a small wooden machan or on a tree to observe these animals. In Tadoba I spent hundreds of hours watching Chital, Sambar and Barking Deer from superb machans of the Panchadhara waterhole, Anicut, Vasant bandhara, Kala Aamba, Jamunbodi, and Tadoba reservoir. These areas are covered with thick jamun, mango, teak, tendu, Arjun, mahua, haldu, bhera trees and dense bamboo. Similarly, I spent many hours on the Ambathira and Katezari machans

8 Deer Tales

for watching Chowsingha and Nilgai, who came to the water on very hot days.

Barking Deer and Chowsingha are very shy and run away, even if they get a slight smell. So it’s a very difficult task to observe and study their natural behaviour. But for that purpose, I sat on dense jamun trees which were close to waterholes or lakes. So many times I got some excellent observations of these ever shy animals.

I spent more than half my life observing these animals in the jungle. So definitely they are very close to my heart. I love these animals, but never mixed my emotions with them or in their natural behaviour. I tried to hide somewhere near them, so they were free to do all their natural things which they wanted. Even when I saw a tiger killing a sambar, or a leopard stalking a Barking Deer, or a pack of wild dogs tearing a live chital male into pieces, I only watched that scene quietly from distance, but never interrupted them. I thought as a wildlife researcher, and separated my emotions from wildlife and nature. These animals have been here for millions of years and these things have happened regularly in the jungle with them, even when we were not there.

Studying deer and antelopes was always a good experience for me. I watched them in chilly winter mornings, hot summer afternoons or in pouring rain. Those are my unforgettable precious memories with these fantastic herbivores.

These animals are not much attracted to people like the tiger, but they have their own elegance. Herbivorous animals are the main prey base of predators like tigers, leopards, wild dogs, jackals, striped hyenas, and grey wolves. So the presence of these herbivores is an assurance of the existence of predators. Every predator has its own choice. The tiger mainly hunts big deer like sambar and chital. Sometimes it kills Nilgai, but

8 Deer Tales

because this antelope mainly lives in open grasslands, secondary forests, the tiger gets vey less chance to kill Nilgai. Leopards mainly catch prey like chital, sambar fawn, and Barking Deer. But sometimes a big male has even caught a male sambar. Wild dogs normally chase chital and sambar females and fawns in Tadoba. So it is very essential that these herbivorous animals breed in large numbers. The breeding of chital is very fast and after every six months the female is seen with a new fawn. So their numbers in any forest are big. In Tadoba their population has increased in the last few years. Their study can be used in wildlife management and conservation, so it’s a very important aspect for every forest.

I would appreciate and be happy if any reader wants to ask any questions regarding wildlife, their behaviour, the Tadoba jungle, etc. Just email or call me on my cell number for any queries.

I am really happy to present my book in front of readers. I am very thankful to Anand Limaye and Soniya Khare of Inking Innovations and all those who helped to publish this book in such a nice form.

- ATUL DHAMANKARNear Patel High School, Shivaji ChowkChandrapur, 442 402 (Maharashtra)Tel: 7620792206, 9423619933Email: atultiger@rediffmail.com

Preface 9

Deer Tail 11

Chital ........................................................................................13

Sambar .....................................................................................51

Barking Deer ...........................................................................79

Chowsingha ............................................................................95

Nilgai ......................................................................................109

Blackbuck ..............................................................................129

Chinkara ................................................................................143

Mouse Deer ..........................................................................153

CONTENTS

SAMBAR

It was a sultry summer night. I was there since afternoon to observe the animals coming to drink water at the waterhole. We came with the intention of spending the entire night

on the machan. So we walked all the way to the machan, which was in the deep interiors of the forest, lugging enough water and other provisions. Since there is no proper road to reach the machan it is impossible to come here by any vehicle. Some hundred metres from the road, a narrow pathway through thick bamboo trees leads to the machan. This pathway is not man-made but has been made by the innumerable animals who frequent this path on their way to the water.

We came towards this machan very cautiously in the afternoon. This region is known for herbivorous animals. Throughout the day, animals like the chital, sambar, wild boars and gaur graze here. This area is in the interior of the forest, hardly any human beings come here and so the animals roam quite fearlessly. As we came out of the bamboo cluster, we

Sometimes Sambar male, female and fawn live in a small-sized herd

54 Deer Tales

saw four sambar grazing near the water. I immediately bent down. There were three females and one young fawn. Totally at ease, they were grazing comfortably. They were definitely not expecting human visitors.

I stealthily hid behind a jamun tree. I could see the four sambar quite clearly from here. The three females seemed to be of the same age. So one couldn’t really gauge who was the mother of the fawn. After some time, it became clear that the fawn preferred to be near one particular female and was also grazing quite close to her so I assumed that she must be the mother. Though quite young, the fawn was quite alert. It avoided going even a little distance from its mother and the other females. While grazing, it repeatedly raised its head and with its big, round ears tried to take in any signs of danger. It was learning its first lesson that it was dangerous to be away from its mother and the rest of the herd.

I wanted to climb onto the machan. The water of the nullah-like waterhole had accumulated in a slightly deep pit. Wet mud could be seen around as the water seemed to have dried up recently because of the intense heat. Though it was summer the grass on the water banks was getting water and was still lush green. The sambar had come to feast on it. Trees like the mahua, teak and jamun made up the thick forest near the waterhole. The bamboo clusters made it seem even denser. The forest continued along the right side till the top of the hillock. Most of the wildlife came down from this hillock.

Our machan was built on a big broad Arjun tree situated on the banks of the waterhole. The machan had been built for wildlife census during summer. This machan, built with the branches of teak and other trees, was well camouflaged. It had blended so well with the surroundings that it was quite impossible for the animals to notice us. But I wondered how

Sambar 55

I could get to the machan with the sambar right near the waterhole. I postponed my plans and decided to hide behind a big overturned jamun trunk. Leaning against it, I made myself comfortable. I could observe the sambar very well with my binoculars.

As I was wearing green clothes, the sambar had not yet noticed me. Quite some time had passed but the sambar showed no signs of moving away. So I decided to slowly crawl towards the machan under the cover of the tree. I signalled to Satish to follow me. We were crawling very slowly in the grass. In between, we would straighten up for some time behind a tree. Soon we reached the Arjun tree near the machan. We were just near the tree and were about to climb the steps when the sambar sensed our presence. Now the three females and the fawn were gazing at us. We were still and absolutely quiet. Our green clothes had helped us to blend with the surroundings.

Sambar female with her small fawn alertly crossing a forest road

56 Deer Tales

So though the sambar must have been suspicious, they didn’t know what exactly was happening.

Just then, I climbed the first step and the alert sambar noticed it immediately. The big, female sambar who was their leader raised her tail, and stamping her front legs on the ground, gave a loud danger signal ‘PONK’. Though I was expecting this sound, I was greatly startled. Instantly, the sambar turned and ran a few steps. Then they stopped and stared at me. Though I was very quiet, the sambar had sensed my presence. Giving loud alarm calls, they started running and noisily entered the bamboo cluster.

Male sambar live alone sometimes and only go to a female herd in the mating season

Sambar 57

As the sambar disappeared, we quickly collected our belongings and climbed up the machan. Since we were going to spend the whole night there, we arranged our things, adjusting our camera and binoculars carefully. Though the sambar had run away because of our presence, I was sure they would return when everything was quiet again as there was no other source of water for up to five to six kilometres in this region. They would be compelled to return for water and grass.

We had been sitting there for one hour. Suddenly we heard some rustling noise in the bushes behind the machan and turned to look. A big wild boar came out; he was covered with dried mud. He looked as if he had been rolling in the mud somewhere. The moment he came, he started rolling in the mud wallow alongside the waterhole. The pit seemed to be his habitual wallow. My eyes were on the wild boar when Satish poked me and pointed ahead. The sambar which had run away earlier were now

returning. Their silhouettes could be seen through where the bamboo trees had thinned out. Dried leaves could be heard rustling beneath their hooves.

The entire herd came out near the waterhole. The mature female first peeped out of the bamboo cluster and looked around cautiously. She came out as she could not scent any human beings. Her young one and two females followed her. Slowly, they came near the waterhole. The wild boar was busy digging the damp mud with his snout. The sambar started grazing near him. A little later, a red-faced mongoose came to drink water. Sensing a presence, the sambar looked up but on seeing that it was only a mongoose, they continued grazing. The mongoose passed the sambar fearlessly. After drinking

58 Deer Tales

some water accumulated in a pit alongside the waterhole, it swerved and disappeared into the forest.

After the mongoose, the wild boar also disappeared into the jungle. The sun was now vanishing behind the trees. I was feeling much better as it was less hot. As the evening approached the birds twittered around the waterhole. The black drongos and bulbuls were coming again and again for a drink of water. In between, the spotted doves and the little brown doves would come down, drink water, and flapping their wings fly away.

Sambar enter the water many times and feed on water weeds mainly in the hot summer months when fodder is not available in plenty

Sambar 59

As dusk gathered, the nocturnal sounds of the jungle could be heard. The ‘KUP KUP’ of the crow pheasants could be heard continuously from the jamun leaves. The ‘KAK KAA KAAK KAKAAK’ of the grey jungle fowl suggested that it was going towards the waterhole. The peacocks were welcoming the night with their ‘MIAOW MIAOW’.

The sambar were still grazing near the waterhole. Their figures looked quite faint in the twilight.

“Look, a barking deer is coming here from near the jamun tree’’ Satish told me.

I looked up to see a male barking deer coming cautiously towards the waterhole. He must have been extremely thirsty

as his gaze was fixed on the water. As we were watching him, a female sambar made a loud ‘PONK’, signalling danger and startling all of us. For a minute, we were scared out of our wits. The barking deer just turned back and disappeared into the forest. The female sambar again gave a signal and the sambar gathered together. Some predator was coming towards the water. Sensing his presence, she had given the alarm calls. We stared intently into the darkness but could see nothing. Suddenly the sambar ran fast as though something had come there; the dried leaves rustling as they ran through the forest. Shortly, the jungle was quiet again. There was no sound except for the nightjar’s ‘CHAKKU CHAKKU’.

As the night progressed, many animals came to drink water. The first ones to come were a herd of gaurs which came from the hillock, breaking bamboos and pushing small

60 Deer Tales

stones. It was a full-moon night, and I could see the gaurs very clearly as they stood in a row drinking water. After they had their fill, the gaurs started grazing. They were so close that we could hear them munching the grass. Just then a male sambar with huge antlers came there. He came very cautiously. We could see everything very clearly in the moonlight. He also started grazing after drinking water. Then he went near a bamboo cluster and started rubbing his antlers very hard. The sound of the bamboos dashing against each other seemed very loud at night.

No sooner did the male sambar go than the earlier sambar returned. By now, the gaurs had entered the bamboo cluster. All that could be heard was their hooves on dried leaves and the sound of bamboos dashing against each other as the gaurs ate the bamboo leaves. The sambar now started grazing just below our machan. Suddenly a loud ‘PONK’ pierced the silence around. We could not figure out what it could be. The sambar were stamping their hooves repeatedly. They could certainly smell some danger. Maybe they were able to see the predator. The alarm calls could be heard again and again. Now along with the sambar cries, the ‘KUK’ of the chital and the ‘KHAKAR KHAK’ of the langurs were also heard from the jungle on the hillock. A huge, carnivorous predator was surely somewhere near. Though there was some light, the animal could not be seen. Now the alarm calls became louder. The sambar started giving the signals of ‘PONK PONK’ repeatedly.

Either the predator was coming to drink water or it must have been waiting to kill the sambar. Just then the sambar ran below our tree. Now I could hear their calls from the bamboo cluster beside the pathway along which we had come, which meant that the predator was in the forest on the hillock. A little later, the langurs and the chital stopped their calls but the sambar continued for some time. The sambar stopped their

Sambar 61

alarm calls around midnight. Not a single animal came to drink water during the night. The sambar again started their signals from four in the morning and these lasted for quite some time till dawn.

Soon it would be dawn. The sky turned red. A big bear came to drink water. When the sun rose high, we decided to come down from the machan. Having collected our things, we got down and came to the road via the pathway. As we were walking towards the guesthouse, Satish said, “Look, the sambar we saw yesterday are standing at the edge of the road.’’

I saw the same sambar females who had come to drink water thrice yesterday, standing at the edge of the road, in a clearing in the bamboo cluster, watching us.

“But where is the fawn which was with them? Yesterday, it was sticking close to them.’’ I said.

We wondered where the fawn might have gone. Suddenly I remembered the loud, warning cries of the sambar in the night. A thought flashed in my mind—could it be that the fawn was killed by the predator lurking near the herd yesterday? I looked at the leader female in the herd. According to my observations, she seemed to be the mother of the fawn; she seemed distraught. Suddenly she ran and crossing the road, she ran into the jungle on the left. She stood there, staring helplessly at us. The other two females suddenly turned and entered the jungle behind. We continued forward.

I kept on thinking about the fawn as we walked. Suddenly, something on the road caught my eye—there were fresh pugmarks of a leopard! They seemed to have come from the waterhole to the road. Now I realized what must have happened. It must have been the same leopard which must have waited in hiding to kill the sambar. The sambar had given

62 Deer Tales

the calls because either they must have seen him or sensed his presence. The leopard had been after the sambar since night. Seizing an opportunity at dawn, he must have attacked them. He must have caught the fawn easily as it wouldn’t have been able to run very fast. Forced to see her young one killed in front of her eyes, the female sambar must have been distraught. The drama which had started in the darkness of the night had finally ended at dawn.

The sambar is the largest deer found in India. It has very big antlers. Only male sambar have big antlers. The scientific name of the sambar is Cervus unicolor. It measures up to 150 centimetres till its shoulders. On an average, the male sambar measures between 135 to 140 centimetres. The male is very big and heavy. A fully grown male sambar weighs up to 300 kilos.

The sambar is seen in many places in India. Sambar are usually found in regions with good forests. They prefer

Sometimes Sambar cohabitate with a herd of Chital which increases their safety

Sambar 63

the jungles in mountainous regions. They are found in large numbers in such jungles near agricultural land.

Sambar are brownish yellow in colour. The females are lighter in colour. Their light brown colour has a shade of yellow in it and the area underneath their stomach is lighter in colour than the rest of the body. A fully grown male is darker in colour. Sometimes, oversized, lone antlered stags look almost black in colour. They have long hair on their neck which looks like a beard. The colour of a sambar changes slightly in the summer and winter. In summer, the sparse beard makes them appear pale brown while in winter, because of dense hair growth, they look darker. Young male sambar have antlers which are not very branched. Fully grown antlers have pointed ends. By the time a sambar is four years old, he has fully developed antlers which make him look magnificent.

Sambar belong to the deer family. Their antlers fall off during a particular season and new antlers grow in their place. These antlers are shed at different times in different regions of India. Some seasons are more suitable for shedding antlers than others.

In Central and South India, herds of male sambar lose their antlers from the end of March till the middle of April. The antlers are fully grown when the male sambar are ready to shed them. These antlers start separating from their roots. This loosens them and the sambar experience an itching sensation. To relieve that sensation, they start rubbing their heads against hard tree trunks. As a result, the antlers slowly separate from the head and fall off one by one. These antlers which have been shed are not seen because they fall off in remote areas of the forest. They are often found in areas where sambar generally graze. These places are known to adivasis and villagers who collect these antlers and sell them to traders

64 Deer Tales

and pharmaceutical companies. They are in great demand as they are used in many traditional medicines and so they get a good price. But now, collecting and trading of antlers has been completely banned in India.

After the male sambar lose their antlers by the middle of April, they start growing new ones from around May. These new antlers grow from stump-like parts where the earlier antlers had been. By monsoon, we can see the new antlers with their velvety covering but these are blunt and rounded. Around November, the sambar start rubbing their antlers to remove the soft, velvety covering. When the covering comes off, the hard and pointed antlers can be seen underneath. This makes the sambar look all the more huge and magnificent.

These antlers are small and very delicate when they are growing. The slightest impact can damage them. The velvety covering on the antlers consists of many small blood vessels (capillaries) which continuously provide blood to the growing antlers. These new antlers and their velvety covering are very delicate and sensitive. Sambar always stay in dense forests but this is where they are more likely to damage their antlers. The sambar find it very difficult to protect their antlers from dashing against bamboo or other trees as they wander in the forest. They have to run very fast to protect themselves from predators and at such times, it becomes almost impossible to not dash against trees.

If a sambar is compelled to run under such circumstances, then he takes maximum care of his antlers. Generally, he avoids running in the forest. While running, he raises his head, thereby his face and neck are in the front and the antlers are at the back and so in case of an impact the antlers remain protected while the neck and face bear the brunt. Sometimes the male sambar stay together when their antlers still have the velvety covering.

Sambar 65

Since all of them face the same problem, they find it easier to protect their antlers. Instead of staying in a thick forest, they prefer to stay in open areas. During these times, they frequent the grasslands where the chital graze. They not only find plenty of grass but are also safe from dashing anywhere and damaging their antlers. They need a lot of grass for the good growth of their antlers. Grass is an excellent source of calcium which is necessary for the growth of their antlers. Another good source of calcium is that grass which grows in soil which has plenty of limestone. Many sambar can be seen feeding on such grass.

When the sambar are young, their antlers look like some pointed organ on the head. These antlers are very small and do not have any branches. When the sambar are two years old, these antlers fall off and new ones with little points can be seen. Fully grown antlers have three pointed ends. Each antler having three points is a sign of a fully developed sambar with fully grown antlers. Such antlers are huge.

When the growth of the antlers is complete, the blood vessels in the velvety covering start drying up and as a result the velvety covering also dries up. The sensations thus created make the sambar rub their antlers to remove the covering. They rub their antlers continuously on a hard tree trunk. This constant rubbing tears the covering which starts falling off. It either comes off completely or clings to the antlers in bits and pieces. The velvety covering is seen fallen near the trees on which the sambar rub their antlers. The sambar often eat these coverings; perhaps for the calcium content present in them.

The trees on which the sambar rub their antlers lose the outer bark and the inner hard layer is exposed. The height at which the tree is rubbed tells us whether it was a sambar or a chital which has rubbed his antlers. If the tree is rubbed at a great height, it gives us an idea about the height of the sambar.

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A sambar with big antlers rubs them at a great height from the ground. Some sambar have enormous antlers. Sometimes in Central India, sambar with antlers bigger than three inches have been seen. The size of the antlers depends on the size of the sambar. Huge sambar have very big antlers. Very often, a sambar with very big antlers is a lone ranger.

Sambar in Central India are the ones with the biggest antlers. Some sambar with extremely big antlers have been sighted in Madhya Pradesh. But the sambar in Assam and Burma have antlers which are small and close to each other. They need such small and compact antlers to navigate the extremely dense forests there with ease. Such antlers also enable them to run fast to protect themselves without the antlers proving to be a hindrance. The size of the antlers depends to a large extent on the habitat of the sambar.

Big antlers prove to be useful in many ways. A male sambar with big antlers finds it easy to win females. The antlers are useful when they fight other males to win the female. More females are attracted to male sambar with big antlers. A sambar can protect itself from predators with the help of its antlers. Though these are not so useful in defence against a strong and quick animal like the tiger, the antlers are of some use to defend against the attacks of animals like leopards and wild dogs.

The sambar protects itself with its continuous alertness and excellent eyesight and sense of smell and hearing. But staying in a herd is what offers the best protection.

When a herd grazes or goes to drink water, all the animals are continuously alert. If any sambar senses danger, it immediately alerts the other animals. Here, the animals can also help to save each other. But a lone sambar is an easy prey for any leopard, tiger or a wild dog. It is always easier to hunt a single sambar than going after animals in a herd.

Sambar 67

One hot summer afternoon, I was sitting in a hide near a waterhole. It was unbearably hot. A herd of wild boars was grazing near the water. At the edge of the water, a crocodile was basking in the sun. Many birds were also around. The common wood shrikes were dipping their beaks into the water without pausing in their flight. The black drongos had also come to drink water and catch insects. After some time, many fantailed flycatchers arrived there. Some of them were migratory birds. A pair of lapwings was still near the water. A little away from the waterhole but at a distance from which he could be clearly seen, a Crested Serpent Eagle was scaring the birds with his loud whistles.

This hide was made of wire, like a cage. It was covered with dry grass on all sides to camouflage it. This helped it blend with the surroundings and the animals were hardly suspicious though it was so close to the water. Many sambar used to visit

Sambar grazing (A young sambar with his newly grown antlers which are not very big to fight with other males)

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this waterhole in the afternoons during the summer. Today I was specifically here to observe the sambar and take their transparencies and had already adjusted my binoculars and camera.

As I was observing the Crested Serpent Eagle with my binoculars, I saw a female sambar come out. Looking around cautiously, she came near the waterhole. Here, water had trickled into a small pit, accumulating to form a small pond. Another female sambar and her fawn came to drink water. All of them started drinking at the same time. Even as they drank, one of them would raise its head to be sure that it was safe and then continue drinking again.

Then one of the females and the young one went towards the clearing to graze. The female must be the mother because the young one stayed very close to her. As they were grazing, the female sambar near the water moved forward to put her forelegs in the water and she started eating the floating vegetation. A little later, she immersed herself up to her neck in water to eat the floating vegetation. I was surprised to see her in neck-deep water and that too for such a long time.

Now the female feeding on the grass also came there and lowering herself into the water, started eating the plants in the water. But the young one preferred the grass on the banks. After eating to their heart’s content, they came out of the water and disappeared into the bamboo forest.

After the departure of the sambar, it was quiet for some time except for the twittering of birds. Just then there was a loud crackling of dried leaves which sounded very close by. I assumed that the animal was at close quarters and was ready with my camera. Soon, a huge male sambar with enormous antlers came out. Before coming out of the bamboo cluster, he made a loud noise by rubbing his antlers. With his head poking

Sambar 69

out, he stood there looking at the water. Then he went straight towards the water, went in, and stood in the middle. This stag was really big. I had not seen a sambar with such enormous antlers. He was looking magnificent. I was not going to miss such an opportunity and quickly clicked his photograph.

The stag stood very still in the water for some time. Then lowering his head, he splashed water with his antlers and passed urine. After going ahead, he stopped, lowered his mouth and drank water. He must have been very thirsty because he drank for a long time without lifting his head. After quenching his thirst, he came to the bank. He then went and sat in a shallow pit filled with mud near a big jamun trunk. Shortly, he started rolling in the pit on his back with legs in the air and became completely muddy. I guessed that this pit must be the usual mud wallow of the sambar. In summer, sambar make many such pits near muddy water banks.

On hot summer afternoons the heat is intense. To keep themselves cool, the sambar roll in damp mud and layer themselves with it. The dampness of the mud reduces the body heat of the sambar even in intense heat and so they do not need to drink water every now and then. During hot summer afternoons, predators wait in hiding near waterholes to hunt animals coming to drink water. Naturally, the animals are safer from predators if they don’t have to go for a drink of water every now and then.

In summer, flies and other insects are found in forests in great numbers. They bite the sambar for the water content in the sweat on their bodies and their blood. The sambar can protect themselves with the layer of mud against such attacks. The layer acts as a shield against the bloodsucking insects.

After having rolled in the mud to his heart’s content, the sambar went near a big mahua tree. Standing on his hind legs,

70 Deer Tales

he rested his forelegs on the tree. Initially, I did not understand what he was doing but when he started rubbing his face on the tree, I realized what was happening. There is a large oil-secreting gland near the eye of the male sambar. It secretes a very strong-smelling oil-like liquid. By rubbing the specific area near the eye, the strong-smelling substance gets rubbed onto the tree. The sambar marks his territory with this strong, long-lasting smell. It is an indicator to other male sambar that they should not trespass his territory. Among all deer, the sambar have the most strong-smelling secretions. These help the males to win female sambar during the mating season.

Sambar live in dense forests. The thick trees in such forests make it very difficult for the males to get female sambar during the mating season. These secreting glands become very active during the mating season. The secretion increases and it smells stronger. The sambar utilize this to attract female sambar towards them. During this period, the strong smell left on the trees and the sounds of the male attract the female sambar. The smell warns the other male sambar not to trespass. It also helps the female sambar to identify the big and superior males and then they go for the males they prefer.

Sambar are not uncomfortable about getting into water. The chital enter water very reluctantly while the sambar do so happily. The sambar are excellent swimmers. In some sanctuaries one often sees them in neck-deep water eating aquatic plants. The sambar spend a major part of the day eating these aquatic plants. Even though at times there are crocodiles in the water, the big antlered stags get in fearlessly. It is impossible for the freshwater crocodiles to kill such huge stags. The sambar relish certain plants and sometimes an entire herd gets into neck-deep water to eat these.

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In regions which are extremely cold in winters, the sambar are seen more in water than on the land. They prefer being in water because water is warmer than land and that way they can avoid the dense fog and extreme cold. On very cold days, herds and herds of sambar get into the water to protect themselves from the cold and maintain their body temperatures by staying in warm water.

Like the chital, the sambar are found in the company of other animals. Though the sambar are not as much into cohabitation as the chital, they are seen grazing in the company of animals like langurs, gaurs and wild boars. Sometimes they are found grazing with the nilgais. This ensures greater safety than when grazing alone and also enables them to obtain certain food which they might not have got otherwise. When grazing with the langurs around, the sambar get to eat fruits and leaves on tall trees which the langurs throw while eating. The langurs perched at a height can perceive danger immediately and alert the sambar. Birds like the myna and black drongo are also a help to the sambar. The black drongos trap the insects which fly from the grass when the sambar come to graze. Sitting on the sambar, the black drongos eat the ticks and other insects in their hair, thus bringing great relief to the sambar.

At times lone stags with enormous antlers are seen. Sometimes extremely big male sambar leave the herd and wander alone in the forest, accompanied at times by two, three male sambar. They roam in any part of the forest. Male sambar wounded in fights during the mating season also wander alone, sometimes even after the wounds have healed. Such sambar live alone till they die.

Male sambar return to the herd during the mating season. They fight with the males staying in the herd. During this period, the sambar fight for their habitats. They want a habitat

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that will be an asset when they are wooing the female. The male sambar who wins the battle demarcates his territory with his strong-smelling secretions. He makes a continuous effort to see that other males do not trespass.

A male sambar who has established his superiority can mate with as many as fifty females. At such times, he struggles to protect his territory and takes great care of the females he is going to mate with. But it is not mandatory for the females to mate with the male who has won them. If they prefer some other male, they mate with him. Big male sambar prefer to be alone after the mating takes place. Then at such times, other small males who had been deprived of an opportunity to mate gather around the females. The bigger male neither reacts in any way nor does he prevent them from mating. But by then, many females are already impregnated by the big male. So though the females roam with the younger small males, very few of these males get a chance to mate with them.

The mating season starts around November-December. The males staying in dense forests find it difficult to spot and gather females. They attract females with their mating calls and strong-smelling secretions. Such males generally do not fight with other males to get females. When they are with females they don’t fight with other males. They usually fight for their territory and good forests. The big stags spend very little time with the females because the mating season is very short. The young males spend a lot of time with the female sambar.

Lone male sambar roam alone, returning to the herd of females for mating. Female sambar give birth to their young ones towards the end of May and June. The fawns are quite healthy when they are born. Soon after birth, they are able to run. This strength and good health helps in protecting themselves from predators. It is quite impossible for weak or

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incapable fawns to survive because they are usually killed by predators.

Sambar are very alert. Tigers, leopards and wild dogs are their traditional enemies. Sometimes, small fawns fall prey to rock pythons and crocodiles. Sambar protect themselves with their intense sense of smell, excellent eyesight and sharp hearing. They can smell any danger immediately. Single sambar are very alert and cautious. So on sensing the slightest danger, they run away at once. Sambar live in herds. Like the chital, their herds are not very big. Generally, a herd consists of five to six animals; rarely do we see herds bigger than this. In a herd, we find a male sambar, some females and fawns. Some herds have no males but consist only of female sambar. Big antlered stags often leave the herd and roam alone in the forest. Sometimes one can see a couple of young stags with them.

Sambar stay in herds and are very cautious. While grazing or drinking water, they take turns to keep watch and some sambar raise their head now and then to make sure that there is no danger. Still they fall prey to tigers and leopards who attack stealthily and also have the advantage of a stronger built.

I had gone to a wildlife sanctuary at the beginning of summer. I spent the entire afternoon in the forest, but all I saw was one or two herds of chital and four wild dogs. We saw a bear and some sambar in the evening. I could observe an antlered sambar stag very closely. The sambar was very big and he had huge antlers. Instead of the usual muddy brown, he had almost turned black. Though the vehicle was close to him, he did not get scared and stood at the edge of the road, looking at us for a long time. Then as if there was nobody around, he slowly came to the road, gave us a look and crossing the road disappeared into the forest. To prevent his antlers from getting entangled, he raised his head to point the antlers backwards.

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At dusk, we were observing the lake through our binoculars, from the guesthouse veranda. Just then a forest official came to inform us that a tiger had been sighted walking on the road in one of the areas and if we left immediately, we would be able to see him. We quickly left in our vehicle, eager in anticipation. But on reaching there, we were disappointed to see that there was no tiger. Driving slowly, we decided to locate him.

As the car turned around a bend, we saw the tiger climbing down a bridge just near the bend. We stopped on the bridge and saw the tiger drinking water from a pond under the bridge. We turned the car to return to the spot but by the time we came back, the tiger was nowhere to be seen. We went ahead. We saw the tiger walking on the road in the light of the car’s headlights. Just then we heard loud alarm calls of the sambar from the bushes to the left. They must have seen the tiger. As our car neared the tiger, he disappeared into the bamboo cluster. We stopped the car. The sambar scared by the presence of the tiger started giving frantic alarm calls and suddenly came out of the bushes to the left. Our car scared them all the more and stumbling they ran towards the very cluster the tiger had entered. A noisy struggle could be heard and with the tiger growling the sambar tumbled out of the bushes and started running in different directions. One of them must have definitely been caught by the tiger as he had been right there when they entered the cluster.

A tiger scares and confuses a herd of sambar and then kills them. Such sambar often run in the direction of the tiger and are caught by him. They are too scared to realize where the danger lies and where they should be heading. They stop running and are killed easily. In summer, thirsty sambar do not make an effort to run away when they see a tiger drinking at a waterhole. The moment he walks away, the sambar come to

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drink water and are easily killed by him. Sometimes a tiger waits in hiding and though the sambar are aware of it, they go along the same way. Generally, the last sambar in their row is killed by the tiger.

Leopards hide themselves and then kill the prey when they get a suitable opportunity. Generally, they don’t kill a male sambar with big antlers. Such stags are very strong and have enormous pointed antlers. Mostly, even a tigress finds it difficult to hunt the male sambar on her own. Antlered stags can defend themselves very well with their antlers and also wound their opponents with their antlers. So generally, leopards and wild dogs prefer hunting female sambar and fawns. The prey is isolated from the herd, brought out in the open and then killed. Their prey is generally a fawn which offers least resistance.

Sometimes pythons also hunt small fawns as it is very difficult for them to swallow big sambar. Still sambar are rarely hunted by pythons. At times, a huge crocodile lies in wait for a herd of sambar. When the sambar come very close to the water, either as they graze or drink water, the crocodile quickly catches hold of a small fawn or a female sambar. The crocodile holds the sambar by its neck and drags it deep into the water.

Cautious and quick sambar are often hunted by the tiger on the banks of lakes. As they graze near the lake, the sambar are attacked and forced to jump into the water where they are overpowered by the tiger. The sambar cannot run very fast in water and so one out of eight times, they are killed by the tiger. On land this ratio is one to fifteen.

One of my friends also had a similar experience. He was staying in a guesthouse beside a lake. At night he heard a loud ‘PONK’ which is the alarm call of the sambar. Then there was a loud splashing of water and the cries of terrified sambar. The splashing of water could be heard for some time. Then it

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seemed as if the sambar were running in the water. The tiger must have attacked them as they were running. After the fearful cries of the sambar, there were the sounds of water splashing, and the air was filled with the cries of the sambar, chital and peacocks.

The tiger must have surely killed a sambar. Nothing could be seen as it was very dark. He decided to go the next morning. Taking a local man along, he left early. On reaching the lake, he noticed the pugmarks of the tiger and hoof marks in the damp mud which gave him an idea of what must have happened.

A herd of sambar was grazing near the lake as this was their usual grazing spot. Since they were in the open, danger from any direction would have been noticed immediately. There was the lake on one side and a wired fence on the other. There was a thick jungle of teak and other trees at the back. The tiger had come from the thick jungle along the wired fence. He hid himself in the dense jamun trees at the edge of the forest and kept an eye on the sambar for a long time. The pugmarks could be seen till the jamun trees. But if the tiger would have attacked from that spot, the sambar could have easily escaped into the forest from the right.

Moving away from the jamun trees, the tiger had stealthily gone towards the right. The sambar must have sensed his presence when he reached the bushes at the edge of the clearing on the right and they had given the first alarm calls. With the fence on the left and the lake in front there was no escape route left for the sambar. Just then the tiger attacked them and the frightened sambar did not know in which direction they should run. The tiger honed in on a medium-sized female sambar who couldn’t run very fast and followed her.

Terrified, the female sambar ran towards the fence and dashed against it with great force. The fence bent due to her

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weight. The tiger had almost caught her. Trying to dodge him, she cleverly ran towards the lake. The tiger had slipped there; it was obvious from his pugmarks in the wet mud. The female sambar ran straight into the water. Now things became easier for the tiger. He caught the sambar when she was about fifteen feet further into the water from the edge and brought her out. The wet mud bore evidence that he had dragged the female sambar. Blood could also be seen in the mud.

My friend decided to follow the pugmarks. At a distance of hundred metres from the lake, there was a thick bamboo cluster. The noise of the crows and the treepies indicated that the tiger must have hidden the sambar there. All the birds were on the tree and so the tiger must still be there. Going a little ahead, we saw the tiger going away. The half-eaten female sambar was lying close by. The tiger had used all his cunning to trap this sambar in the water and then killed it.

Though the sambar are always quick and alert, very often they inexplicably fall prey to or are trapped by the tiger very easily. They have very sharp sense organs which warn them but they keep on giving alarm calls till the last minute instead of making an effort to run away. It is hard to understand why they don’t try to escape. Many forest officials and wildlife enthusiasts known to me have had the same experience.

When a tiger attacks a herd of sambar, he picks out the weakest and slowest sambar. Such a sambar is found among the females, fawns and the old and sick sambar who fall prey very easily. Some animals are weakened by parasites like bloodsucking flies and insects such as ticks. Animals which have a greater number of these insects on their bodies are weaker than the others. It has been noticed that sambar which have parasitic worms on their bodies and in their intestines are easy prey for tigers and other animals. The presence of many worms

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weakens the sambar. When attacked, such sambar cannot run as fast as healthy sambar. In a way, such sambar getting killed regularly is nature’s way of ensuring that no disease spreads in the herd and the herd stays healthy.

Sambar are found cohabiting with other herbivorous animals and langurs as it lessens the danger. That way there is less possibility of their falling prey to predators. Lone sambar are easy targets as there are no other animals to warn them. As compared to them, the sambar in a herd are safer.

Sambar are seen in particular regions of the forest where they come to graze at dawn or dusk. These regions are generally in the interior of the forest. In such grassy clearings in the interiors one can spot a male sambar with four to five female sambar. Their constant walking and movements levels the ground as if it has been rolled out. This area is known as ‘stamping ground’ and is part of the territory of the male sambar. He selects this area for his female mates and young ones and does not allow other males to come there. He fights to drive them away. In the evenings, herds of sambar are often seen with peacocks on such stamping grounds.