Grizzled Giant Veverka seen in Pakkamalai Reserve Forest near Gingee in the district of Villupuram. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The Villupuram forest forest division planned to perform a population study by gizzized giant squirrels found in good numbers in Pakkamalai and Gangavaram Hills, an area rich in biological diversity near Gingee in the district.
Official sources stated that the study would help the department to develop a protection strategy by maintaining the rally of the basic data of a squirrel, an endangered species referred to in accordance with the Annex and the Act on the Protection of Wild Animals of 1972, and also provided for a long -waiting demand for the hills as wilderness.
According to the district forest officer K. Karthikeani: “The main objective of the population study would be to draw on the preservation measures. Since the squirrel station has already been identified, the population study has been planned by experts and volunteers to better understand their ecosystem and help us work on nature.”
It is known that in Western Ghats, South India, it is usually known that in Tamil Nadu in Tamil Nadu appears in the western ghats in southern India, which appears in South India in Tamil Nadu. Due to the loss of habitats and poaching, this species was categorized as almost threatened by the Red List and listed according to Annex II CITES.
Request for a declaration of shrine
The requirement to announce the hills and the sanctuary of wild animals was the first time in 2019. The area was first announced as a reserve forest in 1897 and has since provided protection of flora and fauna.
Pakkamalai and Gangavaram have a rich biological diversity and are geographically important areas in the eastern ghats. Forests have a good population of gizzzové giant squirrels, gray crawls, pangoline and critically enangerred Golden Gecko, listed under the Act on the Protection of Wild Animals of 1972.
“The rich assembly of tropical birds, including cave nests of yellow -brown bolt, Nagarjuna Sagar Racer Snake, Leschenaus Snake Eye lizard, and more than 3,000 individuals from amphibians and reptiles from 15 families and 56 species were recorded from official forest departments.
“Bamboo Pit Viper and Gunthes Ropucha, one of the most famous endemic toad, has also been recorded, in addition to the rare observations of large carnivores, such as Leopards and Lneak Bears and various bats.
“It is essential that an area lasting over 7,000 hectares will become a sanctuary of wild animals. The forest department presented the proposal to the government in 2022 and the right decision should be taken in the interest of the environment and its rich biodiversity,” the natural scientists said.
According to K. Raman, a naturalist, “there was no detailed study on why these squirrels attend Eastern Ghats. Population studies will help understand its division throughout the region and identify threats if the existence of the species.
Published – April 18 2025 9:19
