Manjampatti White Bison
Encyclopedia
Manjampatti white bison are a type of gaur
, ( kaatteni, or kaattu erumai, meaning “forest buffalo”) occasionally seen in the Manjampatti Valley
, a 110.9 km² (42.8 sq mi) protected area
at the eastern end of Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park
in Coimbatore District
, Tamil Nadu
, South India
. These gaur are notable for their distinctive ash-grey color as opposed to the almost black color of most gaur. Since 1929, there have been at least 19 documented sightings of these rare animals, including the 2004 photographs of N. A. Nazeer.
The white-colored jungle bison is a peculiar subspecies of gaur (Bos gaurus gaurus).Many subspecies of gaur have been described, but only three subspecies are now recognized. Further research is required to precisely determine the taxonomy of this species.
Gaur were previously numerous all over the Palani Hills, but declined greatly during the 20th century. Now they are protected and their numbers are increasing substantially. The endangered gaur are the heaviest and most powerful of all wild bovines. Males have a highly muscular body, with a distinctive dorsal ridge, forming a very powerful appearance. Females are substantially smaller, and their dorsal ridge is less developed. Adult body length is 2.5 metres (8.2 ft) to 3.6 metres (11.8 ft) cm / 8.3-12 ft. Shoulder height is 170 centimetres (66.9 in) to 220 centimetres (86.6 in). Average males stand about 180 centimetres (70.9 in) to 190 centimetres (74.8 in) at the shoulder. Females are about 20 centimetres (7.9 in) less. Tail length is 70 centimetres (27.6 in) to 100 centimetres (39.4 in).
The male Indian gaurs' average weight is 1300 kilograms (2,866 lb). Large individuals may exceed 1700 kilograms (3,747.9 lb). Gaurs in Northern India are the same size as the southern breed, but more of the larger, better specimens can be seen in South India, due to the high concentration of gaur there. Calf and juvenile gaurs have several predators, including tiger
s; panthers; clouded leopard
s; Indian wild dog
s and Asian black bears, but only tigers are powerful enough to kill adult gaur.
Between 1929 and 1937, James L. H. Williams, a British wildlife enthusiast, reported sighting many gaur with light pink or white skin during many trips to Manjampatty Valley. He reported seeing many herds of gaur, with up to 120 animals in a herd. Most herds had some individuals with color varying from light red through the dun
s to pure white. In one herd of 20 animals, every animal was of abnormal color. He reported the white bison had some religious significance to the local Pulayar
tribal residents, and they would gently divert outsiders away from any herds with abnormally colored animals
Before 1939, a Mr. Ranicar shot a white bison in the Talinji area of Manjampatti Valley. Mr. J.C. Gouldsbury reported that Mr. Ranicar presented the mounted specimen of his cow white bison to the High Range Club in Munnar
, where is was subsequently displayed. The pelage was originally almost cream-colored.
The 1939 Madras Forest Department - Administration Report mentions "white" bison in the Manjampatti Valley,
Before 1970, Mr. M. A. S. M. Muthuswamy walked the Munnar-Udumalpet road (SH 17) frequently. He reported seeing a herd of four white bison, which he described as greenish-grey in color, on several occasions in previous years. In 1969, he also saw a fine greenish-grey bull in a herd of normal-colored gaur at Kamanuthu, just off the SH 17 road in the Kombu beat on the Tamil Nadu side of the border. His brother, Mr Padmanabhan, said he had seen a herd of five there also.
In 1969, an ash-colored bull was seen by a dhobi from Amaravathinagar
, who said he saw it while collecting firewood at Kamanuthu. In 1965, Mr. A. J. Packianathan, senior master of the Sainik School, Amaravathinagar
, saw four ash-colored gaur in the same area.
In January 1969, Koolayan, a cattleman of the Malasar tribe, who keeps cattle at Kumulam overlooking the northern slopes of Manjamalai and part of the northern slopes of Mudian Malai, saw one grey-colored gaur, the only one among the many gaur he has ever seen.
In 1970, His Highness Rajagopala Tondaiman
, the Raja of Pudukottai, saw one white bull gaur beyond Kukal
in Koilan Alai, and he has seen about half a dozen of them in the past 30 years among herds of normal colored gaur.
A ancient Sinhala Kavi verse reads in part: "Having come swiftly, On the day the excellent white gaur was killed, A scoop of blood was given to thee !" ..."
On December 29, 2007, C. R. Jayaprakash made a clear photograph of a white gaur resting near Masingudi on the Sigur Plateau
. This is considerably out of the normal range of the animal in the Annamalai Hills.
A 2007 encounter with a white bison at the jungle lodge near the Chinnar checkpost has been described:
In 2007, a rare Manjampatti white bison was seen in a herd of about eight or 10 normal-coloured bison grazing and resting on mountain downs above Kukkal
at the northeast corner of Manjampatti Valley.
In 2006, this possible subspecies was seen and photographed in Manjampatti Valley by Forest Department staff.
In 2004, the famous and extremely rare white bison was reported at Chinnar. In July 2004, an unusual white gaur, moving with a herd of dark-skinned gaur, was spotted repeatedly over several days in the Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary
and photographed by the wildlife photographer, N. A. Nazeer. This is the only published photographic documentation of Manjampatti white bison.
In 1998, the then Wildlife Warden of Eravikulam, Mohan Alambath, his Range Officer, V. K. Franzis, and a wildlife enthusiast, V. P. Ajithkumar, claimed sighting this animal in Chinnar.Though they reported the matter in the journal of BNHS the photograph they had taken of the animal lacked clarity.
On October 21, 1997 two grayish-white gaur, an adult female and a subadult, were observed along with 9 other gaur on the slopes of Cheevaparamala in the Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary
. On January 3, 1998, a juvenile with the same color was seen at Koottar along with five others. In addition to the white gaur, the majority of the animals in these herds ranged from brick red to light red. In the first herd of 11, there were only four normal-colored gaur, and in the second herd of six, only two normal-colored individuals. This was the first record of white bison in the Chinnar Sanctuary, which shares a long common border with the Manjampatti Valley.
In 1997 in Satpura, four totally white gaur were reported - presumably albinos or some genetic sport, which, amid their black companions, appear like ghosts in a forest.
In 1980, sightings of a herd of white gaur were reported from Bandhar near Munnar.
About 1975, two local guides guiding some Europeans hoping to see the white bison said they had not seen a 'white bison' in the last 15 or 20 years. They admitted quite frankly this was partly because there was no occasion for them to go looking for gaur.
In 1972, Rev. Sam Schmitthenner observed two white gaur in Manjampatti Valley. He said:
In 1970, E. R. C. Davidar, a famous wildlife researcher, spent several months on behalf of the Bombay Natural History Society
in Chinnar trying to spot and photograph this animal. His mission, undertaken to provide scientific evidence to the rumours floating in the air for several decades, did not find success. His report to the BNHS, White Bison of Manjampatti said the white gaur reported by Williams might have become extinct following the outbreak of an epizootic disease that wiped out several herds from the region in those days. But, tribals living in the forests continued to claim white gaurs were still there in Chinnar.
Gaur
The gaur , also called Indian bison, is a large bovine native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. The species is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986 as the population decline in parts of the species' range is likely to be well over 70% over the last three generations...
, ( kaatteni, or kaattu erumai, meaning “forest buffalo”) occasionally seen in the Manjampatti Valley
Manjampatti Valley
Manjampatti Valley is a protected area in the eastern end of Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park in Coimbatore District, Tamil Nadu, South India. It is a pristine drainage basin of shola and montane rain Forest with high biodiversity recently threatened by illegal land clearing...
, a 110.9 km² (42.8 sq mi) protected area
Protected area
Protected areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognised natural, ecological and/or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the enabling laws of each country or the regulations of the international...
at the eastern end of Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park
Indira Gandhi National Park
Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park is a protected area named after Prime Minister Indira Gandhi who visited the park on October 7, 1961. It is often called "Topslip", a village in the northeast corner of the park which is the main visitor center. This name is derived from the local...
in Coimbatore District
Coimbatore District
Coimbatore District is one of the more affluent and industrially advanced districts of the state of Tamil Nadu in India. Coimbatore is known as the Manchester of South India. It one of the most industrialized towns of Tamil Nadu. It has the highest GDP among the districts of Tamil Nadu, even ahead...
, Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, South India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
. These gaur are notable for their distinctive ash-grey color as opposed to the almost black color of most gaur. Since 1929, there have been at least 19 documented sightings of these rare animals, including the 2004 photographs of N. A. Nazeer.
Description
The white-colored jungle bison is a peculiar subspecies of gaur (Bos gaurus gaurus).Many subspecies of gaur have been described, but only three subspecies are now recognized. Further research is required to precisely determine the taxonomy of this species.
Gaur were previously numerous all over the Palani Hills, but declined greatly during the 20th century. Now they are protected and their numbers are increasing substantially. The endangered gaur are the heaviest and most powerful of all wild bovines. Males have a highly muscular body, with a distinctive dorsal ridge, forming a very powerful appearance. Females are substantially smaller, and their dorsal ridge is less developed. Adult body length is 2.5 metres (8.2 ft) to 3.6 metres (11.8 ft) cm / 8.3-12 ft. Shoulder height is 170 centimetres (66.9 in) to 220 centimetres (86.6 in). Average males stand about 180 centimetres (70.9 in) to 190 centimetres (74.8 in) at the shoulder. Females are about 20 centimetres (7.9 in) less. Tail length is 70 centimetres (27.6 in) to 100 centimetres (39.4 in).
The male Indian gaurs' average weight is 1300 kilograms (2,866 lb). Large individuals may exceed 1700 kilograms (3,747.9 lb). Gaurs in Northern India are the same size as the southern breed, but more of the larger, better specimens can be seen in South India, due to the high concentration of gaur there. Calf and juvenile gaurs have several predators, including tiger
Bengal Tiger
The Bengal tiger is a tiger subspecies native to the Indian subcontinent that in 2010 has been classified as endangered by IUCN...
s; panthers; clouded leopard
Clouded Leopard
The clouded leopard is a felid found from the Himalayan foothills through mainland Southeast Asia into China, and has been classified as vulnerable in 2008 by IUCN...
s; Indian wild dog
Dhole
The dhole is a species of canid native to South and Southeast Asia. It is the only extant member of the genus Cuon, which differs from Canis by the reduced number of molars and greater number of teats...
s and Asian black bears, but only tigers are powerful enough to kill adult gaur.
Historic references
There are several herds of gaur (popularly called bison) in Manjampatti Valley. Earlier, the area was well known for many Manjampatti white bison sightings. Only the Manjampatti valley of Udumalpet range is said to harbour white bison, a very rare animal.Between 1929 and 1937, James L. H. Williams, a British wildlife enthusiast, reported sighting many gaur with light pink or white skin during many trips to Manjampatty Valley. He reported seeing many herds of gaur, with up to 120 animals in a herd. Most herds had some individuals with color varying from light red through the dun
Dun gene
The dun gene is a dilution gene that affects both red and black pigments in the coat color of a horse. The dun gene has the ability to affect the appearance of all black, bay, or chestnut -based horses to some degree by lightening the base body coat and suppressing the underlying base color to the...
s to pure white. In one herd of 20 animals, every animal was of abnormal color. He reported the white bison had some religious significance to the local Pulayar
Pulayar
The Pulayar , also Pulayar, Pulaya, or Pulayas or Holeya or Cheramar, are one of the main social groups found in Kerala, Karnataka and in historical Tamil Nadu or Tamilakam.- Traditions :...
tribal residents, and they would gently divert outsiders away from any herds with abnormally colored animals
Before 1939, a Mr. Ranicar shot a white bison in the Talinji area of Manjampatti Valley. Mr. J.C. Gouldsbury reported that Mr. Ranicar presented the mounted specimen of his cow white bison to the High Range Club in Munnar
Munnar
Munnar is one of the most popular hill station in Kerala and in southern India. Munnar is located on the Western Ghats, situated in the Idukki district....
, where is was subsequently displayed. The pelage was originally almost cream-colored.
The 1939 Madras Forest Department - Administration Report mentions "white" bison in the Manjampatti Valley,
Before 1970, Mr. M. A. S. M. Muthuswamy walked the Munnar-Udumalpet road (SH 17) frequently. He reported seeing a herd of four white bison, which he described as greenish-grey in color, on several occasions in previous years. In 1969, he also saw a fine greenish-grey bull in a herd of normal-colored gaur at Kamanuthu, just off the SH 17 road in the Kombu beat on the Tamil Nadu side of the border. His brother, Mr Padmanabhan, said he had seen a herd of five there also.
In 1969, an ash-colored bull was seen by a dhobi from Amaravathinagar
Amaravathinagar
Amaravathinagar is a village in the foothills of Annamalai Hills in Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu, India; 17.6 km south on SH 17 from Udumalpet and around 90 km from Coimbatore city...
, who said he saw it while collecting firewood at Kamanuthu. In 1965, Mr. A. J. Packianathan, senior master of the Sainik School, Amaravathinagar
Sainik School, Amaravathinagar
Sainik School Amaravathinagar is one among the 24 Sainik Schools in India, located in Tamil Nadu.It is an English medium, residential school for boys providing public school education with a military bias up to 10+2 stage as per the Central Board of Secondary Education.-History:Sainik School,...
, saw four ash-colored gaur in the same area.
In January 1969, Koolayan, a cattleman of the Malasar tribe, who keeps cattle at Kumulam overlooking the northern slopes of Manjamalai and part of the northern slopes of Mudian Malai, saw one grey-colored gaur, the only one among the many gaur he has ever seen.
In 1970, His Highness Rajagopala Tondaiman
Rajagopala Tondaiman
Raja Sri Brahdamba Dasa Raja Sri Rajagopala Tondaiman Bahadur was the ninth and last ruler of the princely state of Pudukkottai.- Early life :...
, the Raja of Pudukottai, saw one white bull gaur beyond Kukal
Kukal
Kukal is a Czech and Slavic surname: * Olga Kukal , Czech conductor , Czech oceanologist, geologist and oceanographer...
in Koilan Alai, and he has seen about half a dozen of them in the past 30 years among herds of normal colored gaur.
A ancient Sinhala Kavi verse reads in part: "Having come swiftly, On the day the excellent white gaur was killed, A scoop of blood was given to thee !" ..."
Recent sightings
During the 2008 annual wildlife census in the Amaravati range in the Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary, bison were seen in Thanlinji village, Manjampatti and Mungilpallam and reportedly there was also a white (albino) bison.On December 29, 2007, C. R. Jayaprakash made a clear photograph of a white gaur resting near Masingudi on the Sigur Plateau
Sigur Plateau
Sigur Plateau is a plateau in the north and east of Nilgiri District in the Nilgiri Hills in Tamil Nadu, South India. It covers the portion of the Moyar River drainage basin on the northern slopes of the Nilgiri Hills, south of the Moyar River.The Sigur Plateau is notable as an important wildlife...
. This is considerably out of the normal range of the animal in the Annamalai Hills.
A 2007 encounter with a white bison at the jungle lodge near the Chinnar checkpost has been described:
A white bison reaches the end of the trail and stops at the edge of the clearing. He's huge. Over 1.8 metres (5.9 ft) tall and 2.4 metres (7.9 ft) to 3 metres (9.8 ft) long. Sharp horns over 30 centimetres (11.8 in) long. I have no where to go because the bison herd has blocked the other two exits, so I'm just standing there, hoping white bison will keep walking and I can go back onto the trail. No such luck. He stands there, barely ten feet away from me, and stares. And stares. I'm thinking, wow, I'm totally going to die right now, because I've got white bison in front of me and brown bison to my left, and neither of them like me here... So for about five full minutes we face off, until white bison decides the water is more important, and finally meanders off.
In 2007, a rare Manjampatti white bison was seen in a herd of about eight or 10 normal-coloured bison grazing and resting on mountain downs above Kukkal
Kukkal
Kukkal is a Panchayat village of terrace farmers at the far western end of the Palani Hills in Kodaikanal block of Dindigul district, Tamil Nadu state, South India. It is from Kodaikanal at: . Elevation is . Kookal is notable for the high biodiversity of the area.-Geography:Kukkal sits at the...
at the northeast corner of Manjampatti Valley.
In 2006, this possible subspecies was seen and photographed in Manjampatti Valley by Forest Department staff.
In 2004, the famous and extremely rare white bison was reported at Chinnar. In July 2004, an unusual white gaur, moving with a herd of dark-skinned gaur, was spotted repeatedly over several days in the Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary
Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary
Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary, , is located 18 km north of Marayoor on SH 17 in the Marayoor and Kanthalloor Panchayats of Devikulam Taluk in the Idukki district of Kerala state in South India. It is one of twelve Wildlife Sanctuaries among the Protected areas of Kerala.It is under the...
and photographed by the wildlife photographer, N. A. Nazeer. This is the only published photographic documentation of Manjampatti white bison.
In 1998, the then Wildlife Warden of Eravikulam, Mohan Alambath, his Range Officer, V. K. Franzis, and a wildlife enthusiast, V. P. Ajithkumar, claimed sighting this animal in Chinnar.Though they reported the matter in the journal of BNHS the photograph they had taken of the animal lacked clarity.
On October 21, 1997 two grayish-white gaur, an adult female and a subadult, were observed along with 9 other gaur on the slopes of Cheevaparamala in the Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary
Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary
Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary, , is located 18 km north of Marayoor on SH 17 in the Marayoor and Kanthalloor Panchayats of Devikulam Taluk in the Idukki district of Kerala state in South India. It is one of twelve Wildlife Sanctuaries among the Protected areas of Kerala.It is under the...
. On January 3, 1998, a juvenile with the same color was seen at Koottar along with five others. In addition to the white gaur, the majority of the animals in these herds ranged from brick red to light red. In the first herd of 11, there were only four normal-colored gaur, and in the second herd of six, only two normal-colored individuals. This was the first record of white bison in the Chinnar Sanctuary, which shares a long common border with the Manjampatti Valley.
In 1997 in Satpura, four totally white gaur were reported - presumably albinos or some genetic sport, which, amid their black companions, appear like ghosts in a forest.
In 1980, sightings of a herd of white gaur were reported from Bandhar near Munnar.
About 1975, two local guides guiding some Europeans hoping to see the white bison said they had not seen a 'white bison' in the last 15 or 20 years. They admitted quite frankly this was partly because there was no occasion for them to go looking for gaur.
In 1972, Rev. Sam Schmitthenner observed two white gaur in Manjampatti Valley. He said:
I took one more hike down into Manjampatti after staying in Kukkal Cave overnight. Early in the morning, we saw a herd of bison, and there on the edge of the herd were two albino calves. Earlier that month I had read an article in Hornbill, a Bombay conservation magazine, about the albino bison of Manjamphatti.
In 1970, E. R. C. Davidar, a famous wildlife researcher, spent several months on behalf of the Bombay Natural History Society
Bombay Natural History Society
The Bombay Natural History Society, founded on 15 September 1883, is one of the largest non-governmental organizations in India engaged in conservation and biodiversity research. It supports many research efforts through grants, and publishes the Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. Many...
in Chinnar trying to spot and photograph this animal. His mission, undertaken to provide scientific evidence to the rumours floating in the air for several decades, did not find success. His report to the BNHS, White Bison of Manjampatti said the white gaur reported by Williams might have become extinct following the outbreak of an epizootic disease that wiped out several herds from the region in those days. But, tribals living in the forests continued to claim white gaurs were still there in Chinnar.
Other references
- Brander, A.A.Dunbar, (1936) White Bison, Journal of Bombay Natural History Society. 38(3): 619-620.
- Whitaker, Romulus. White Gaur of Manjampatti, Hornbill, Bombay, April-June 1979, 30.
- பேச்சு:கடமா