Read what shocked BBMP wildlife volunteers discovered when they reached Devanahalli following frantic calls from locals
Read what shocked BBMP wildlife volunteers discovered when they reached Devanahalli following frantic calls from locals
A call to the BBMP's wildlife cell at 11 pm triggered it all. The hysteric caller said the locals had sighted a dinosaur. They needed help to be sent right away.
"We got a call from people who claimed to have seen a dinosaur," said Sharath Babu R, environment advisor, BBMP Forest Cell. "We dispatched volunteers to the spot immediately."
Arun Kumar, a wildlife volunteer with the BBMP, who rushed to Devanahalli, 30 kilometers from Bangalore, recalled how panic struck the locals were.
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"The suspected dinosaur had them all excited. However, the creature that inspired all this fear was a common mammalu00a0 a pangolin.
By the time we reached the spot, the people had chased the hapless animal into a drainage channel."
The volunteers made it clear to the locals that the animal was not a dinosaur as they had suspected. "We told them that the animal they had seen had nothing to with a dinosaur," added Arun.
"This neighbourhood is an habitat of pangolins, which is a harmless creature. They had no reason to panic. It was however clear that despite the pep talk there were skeptics in the crowd we could not convince."
Absence of a wildlife cell at BIA (Bangalore International Habitat), which has come up in Devanahalli, a habitat of many wild animals, including leopards and pangolins, is cause for such confusions, feel experts.
"Such mishaps are caused due to loss of habitat," explained Sharath Babu.
This is why we need wildlife cell here to answer such calls. The cell will rescue animals in distress like this pangolin. It should also help make people aware and sensitive to wildlife in the area."
Did you know?
The legendary ruler, Tipu Sultan was born in Devanahalli in 1750 AD. A signboardu00a0 and a stone tablet surrounded by fields proclaim the birthplace of Tipu.
| What is a pangolin? |
| A pangolin also called scaly anteater or tenggiling, is a mammal that has large keratin scales covering their skin. They are the only mammals with this adaptation and are found in tropical regions of Africa and Asia. The name pangolin derives from the Malay word pengguling, which means 'something that rolls up'. Pangolins are nocturnal animals that use their well-developed sense of smell to find insects. Pangolins spend most of the daytime sleeping, curled up into a ball. |
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