International support for African black fish: HT reporting.

There's a glint of hope at last for the hundreds of African black fish - dark-scaled nocturnal predators - clamoring for life inside fast-shrinking muddy puddles of what used to be Gurgaon's brimming Sultanpur jheel (lake). From Natasha Leite De Moura in Rio De Janeiro (Brazil), to Carin Zellerman in New York (US), from Paola Ghidotti in Milano (Italy) to Indonesia's Yrna Miryana, 200 individuals from across the globe have joined a campaign to save the aquatic animals at Sultanpur wildlife park. Responding to HT's reports on the park management's virtually criminal negligence that has led to the death of a water body that is the lifeline of the centrally protected sanctuary, an international animal rights NGO has begun an online campaign to "relocate" the African black fish and "fill up the lake". It is not merely the drying up of the lake that endangers the fish in the park. More cruel than the lack of water is the park management's lack of empathy. On June 16, HT reported Haryana's Principal Chief Conservator of Forest Dr. Parvez Ahmed, under whose jurisdiction the Park lies, as saying, "It's dryness gives us a good opportunity to do away with the African Black fish that we definitely don't want . It is a bird sanctuary and not a fish sanctuary." Using the HT reports, the NGO, The International Organisation for Animal Protection (OIPA) that is headquartered in Milano, Italy, has posted a petition on a website related to animal welfare and rescue, http://animals.change.org/petitions.​

OIPA's India representative Naresh Kadyan (49), "Support for the African black fish's rescue is pouring in from all over the world. People from all walks of life, from 28 countries, have signed the petition and enlisted for the cause."

Sultanpur National Park lies approximately 46 km to the southwest of Delhi. The national park is famous for its greenery, rich variety of bird species and a splendid lake. The area around Sultanpur Lake, near Delhi, was declared a water-bird reserve in the year 1972. Beautiful lawns, trees, shrubs and bougainvilleas dot the landscape of the park. There is also a small museum and library in the reserve that will familiarize you with the various birds and other creatures that you will come across while in it.

One of the essential items to take with you to the Delhi Sultan Pur Bird Sanctuary is a pair of binoculars. It is necessary in order to watch the wildlife from a safe distance, without disturbing them. Migratory geese and Siberian cranes spend the winter in Sultanpur. Apart from that, one can find other migratory birds here, along with resident birds and wild animals. The best time to visit Sultanpur National Park, especially for watching the migratory birds, is during the months of December and January. 

Birds at Sultanpur Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary serves as the natural habitat of a large number of resident as well as migratory birds. Some of the resident birds found here are Common Hoopoe, Purple Sunbird, Little Cormorant, Eurasian Thick-knee, Indian Roller, White-throated Kingfisher, Spot billed Duck, White Ibis, India Crested Lark, Rose ringed Parakeet, Eurasian collared Dove, Red collared Dove, Laughing Dove, Greater Coucal, etc. 

The popular migratory birds spotted here winter include Siberian Cranes, Greater Flamingo, Ruff, Black-winged Stilt, Common Greenshank, Northern Pintail, Yellow & White Wagtail, Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, Black-tailed Godwit, Spotted Redshank, Starling, Long-billed Pipit, etc. In summer, one can find about 11 species of migratory birds, like Asian Koel, Black-crowned Night Heron, Eurasian Golden Oriole, Comb Duck, Blue-cheeked & Blue-tailed Bee-Eater, etc. 

Wild Animals at Sultanpur Apart from the birds, Sultanpur National Park also boasts of a wide variety of wild animals. One can easily spot antelopes like Neelgai (Blue Bull) and Black Buck roaming around the park. Then, there are a number of other animals, like Indian Porcupine, Wild Cat, Hedgehog, Sambar, Caracal, Rattle/Honey Badger, Wild Dog, Four Horned Antelope, Striped Hyena, Hog Deer, Leopard, Wild Pig, Mongoose, etc.

Sultanpur and Najafgarh Jheels - by Peter Jackson
When I moved to Delhi in 1954, the birding place to visit was Najafgarh, a depression at the end of the Najafgarh drain spreading across the Delhi-Haryana boundary, which we reached from Najafgarh town. The drain had been created to allow floodwaters from the river Yamuna to flow into the depression to reduce the threat to Delhi city and areas downstream. After the monsoon, with the drop in the river level the water from the Najafgarh jheel (lake) flowed back to the Yamuna. But in the 1950s the drain was partly clogged and the excess water did not dry up, leaving an extensive jheel which attracted vast numbers of birds. I took Sir Julian Huxley, a famous ecologist and ornithologist, there one day, and because we had a crippled American birder with us I drove right to the edge of the jheel. The birds must have known of my distinguished guest for we had a spectacular show with every bird imaginable in the air, on the water and around us. Sir Julian was amazed.

I was absent from Delhi from 1960 to 1962, and, on my return, found that the Najafgarh jheel no longer existed. The drain had been cleared and had been linked to a series of jheels in Haryana and Punjab to drain monsoon rainwater away and stop water logging of farmland. It was then that I went further out and took the road from Gurgaon towards Farrukhnagar. It soon turned out to be derelict and broken up because of the water logging. I struggled on, despite not having four-wheel drive, and reached a low hill, just short of Sultanpur. Today, with a smooth, pucca road, you probably don't realize it is there, but at that point the road collapsed almost completely, leaving a sandy track. A new road to Farrukhnagar had been built further south and this "road" was left for bullock and camel carts. With a bit of speed to start with, I managed to surmount the hill and looked out on a large jheel, packed with birds. As I drove on there was a smaller jheel on the right before the main one.

Sultanpur had clearly become a major haven for birds now that the Najafgarh jheel had gone. I had a great time, and, for the next eight years, was there frequently. It was then a plain sheet of water, with no mounds or trees as there are today. Further on, across a railway line, was another large jheel on the right, quite good for birds, but I think that has gone now.

I took Peter Scott, Richard Fitter, Dillon Ripley, Salim Ali, Zafar Futehally, and some others to Sultanpur Lake in 1969. That led the following year to my approaching Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to obtain protection for the jheel. The Haryana government was enthusiastic, because the state had few attractions, and they were starting to create picnic sites at various reservoirs. Their plans rather frightened me, because they proposed the mounds and trees, along with the rest house and tourist village, presumably having in mind another Bharatpur, while, to me, Sultanpur was sacred as a natural jheel. Later I came to appreciate the mounds and trees, which surely add to the number of bird species, while Sultanpur and other villages benefited from a pucca road.  I had been across the hill north of Sultanpur to have a look at the old Najafgarh jheel area, and noticed that there were trees on that side, with old nests - in fact, some cormorants were still there. I realized that the nesters could well move to trees on the Sultanpur jheel.

Incidentally, when I went there with Usha Ganguli, a keen Delhi birder, we saw half a dozen Blackbuck, already extremely rare. I don't recall seeing any Nilgai around Sultanpur then, but now they are plentiful and love the mounds.
Who is responsible for killing ?, click here to see

Sultanpur lake to shut door on African fish

Dryness good chance for responsible wildlife Authorities : These officials are responsible for killing of all living creatures over there in Sultanpur lake.
Bhindawas Bird Sanctuary is an man-made wetland constructed to store the excess waters of the Jawaharlal Nehru canal. The 412 hectares low lying storage area has twelve kilometers of motorable embankments running round the perimeter which is planted with acacias and eucalyptus species. 

The large area and the protection provided by the Forest Department makes Bhindawas a safe home for many migratory species in winter. Bhindawas is reminiscent of Bharatpur in some ways. It is much smaller and far more compact, but the species diversity, habitat type and bird-watching strategy is very similar.

OIPA in India / PFA Haryana lodged complaint

Kind attention :-

1. The Director General of Police, Haryana.
2. The Chief Wildlife Warden, Haryana.
3. The Deputy Commissioner, Gurgaon.
4. The Commissioner of Police, Gurgaon.
5. The Chairman / Secretary, Animal Welfare Board of India, Chennai.

Sir,

It is reported that African black fish are being killed by the Haryana Wildlife Department because this species is banned in Haryana but state wildlife department failed to manage dislocation of this fish and killing like this is not justified, which is the violation of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.
The International Organisation for Animal Protection - OIPA in India and People for Animals (PFA) Haryana moved a online petition addressing His Excellency Governor of Haryana, which is supported by many countries, hence OIPA in India lodging this online open complaint for restoration of water in Sultanpur lake, safe dislocation of African fish from Sultanpur lake to river and FIR against all offenders / responsible officials of Haryana State Wildlife Department for the violation of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.

राष्ट्रीय पक्षी उद्यान सुल्तानपुर झील में मर रही मछलियों व झील की जानकारी प्राप्त करने के लिए वाइल्ड लाइफ विभाग के प्रिंसिपल चीफ कंजरवेटर अफसर डॉ. परवेज अहमद ने अपनी टीम के साथ बृहस्पतिवार को निरीक्षण किया। दो घंटे चली जांच के दौरान उन्होंने उस स्थान का भी दौरा किया, जिस हिस्से में पानी भरा हुआ था और उसके सूख जाने पर मछलिया तड़प-तड़प कर मर रही थीं।

उन्होंने कहा कि सुल्तानपुर राष्ट्रीय उद्यान सही मायने में मछली केंद्र नहीं, बर्ड सेंचूरी है। इसलिए यहा पर आने वाले विदेशी पक्षी मेहमानों की सुरक्षा व भोजन आदि पर विशेष ध्यान दिया जाता है। उन्होंने झील सूखने से मर रही मछलियों के बारे में कहा कि सिंचाई विभाग से समझौते के अनुसार पक्षी विहार की झील को अगस्त से फरवरी तक पाच क्यूसिक पानी मिलता है। इसी दौरान झील में पक्षी भी आते हैं, जिनके लिए भोजन के रूप में झील के पानी में उसी दौरान छोटी मछलियां डाली जाती हैं। उन्होंने बताया कि गुड़गांव कैनाल के माध्यम से मिलने वाले पानी के रास्ते से ब्लैक अफ्रीकन फिश झील में पहुंच गई थी। इन मछलियों का आकार इतना बड़ा हो गया था कि वे छोटी मछलियों को खाने लगी थीं। इस प्रजाति की मछली मांसाहारी होती है, जो पक्षियों के चूजे और पशुओं के थन को भी अपना भोजन बना लेती है। इस वजह से प्रदेश में इस प्रजाति की मछली पर प्रतिबंध भी लगा है। पिछले दो वर्षों से यह मछली विदेशी पक्षी मेहमानों का भोजन छोटी मछलियों को खा जाती थी। इस वजह से वे समय से पहले ही अपने वतन को लौट जाते थे। इसलिए ब्लैक अफ्रीकन कैटल फिश को मारने के लिए ही झील का पानी सुखाया जा रहा है। झील की खुदाई का भी कार्य कराया जाएगा।

दूसरी ओर, सूत्रों का कहना है कि झील की खुदाई का कार्य करने के लिए अनुमानित 20 लाख रुपये की स्वीकृति प्रदान नहीं की गई है। यदि समय रहते विकास राशि नहीं आई, तो उस हालत में खुदाई का कार्य नहीं हो पाएगा। पर्याप्त पानी न होने से विदेशी पक्षी झील से अपना रिश्ता तोड़ने को मजबूर हो सकते हैं। नवंबर में विदेशी पक्षियों का आगमन शुरू हो जाता है।

उधर, झील पर तैनात वन्य प्राणी निरीक्षक शहीद खान ने बताया कि राष्ट्रीय पक्षी उद्यान सुल्तानपुर की सफाई व्यवस्था के मद्देनजर झील पर आने वाले पर्यटकों व पक्षी प्रेमियों के प्रवेश पर 30 जून तक रोक लगा दी गई है। उन्होंने बताया कि झील तक पहुचने वाले पानी की पाइप लाइन आदि की सफाई का कार्य शुरू कराया जा रहा है, जिसकी वजह से झील में 16 जून से पर्यटकों के प्रवेश पर रोक लगा दी गई है।

Naresh Kadyan,

Representative of the International Organisation for Animal Protection- OIPA in India,
Master Trainer, Animal Welfare Board of India,
Chairman, People for Animals (PFA) Haryana,
C-38, Rose Apartment, Prashant Vihar,
Sector - 14, Rohini, DELHI - 110085.
Mobile - 09813010595.