This is quite near and I used to come here for walks frequently some time back. The actual forest is fenced off from here to contain not only wildlife, but also to prevent people from making a nuisance, because its a small forest, not more than 40 odd sq kilometers (SORRY, ITS 104 SQ KILOMETERS)and that too, right into the huge metropolis of Mumbai.
And apart from a lot of butterflies that were never still, we saw huge spiders dangling apparently from space! Cat legged spiders ..
And yes, that signboard says the Panthera pardus is loose and take care!
We came upon this water body and took some rest, watching baby monkeys at play.
And then, back home, to a sumptuous lunch!
What a lovely natural forest. 40 kms is a good sized one. It is good it is protected. I cant get over panthers and baby monkeys roaming the area. Fun to watch the babies...........as for the spider - ew!!!! Looks ready to pounce on your head! Thanks for this little meander along the trail. I enjoyed it. Today I am conserving my energy for raking leaves, so no trails, even though the sun is beckoning. Your panthers arent black? They look so like leopards.
ReplyDeleteYes, its the leopard. But I guess its smaller than its Himalayan cousin, and its always been referred to as a panther in local lore.
ReplyDeleteBlacks are rare. But they can climb trees, and they are of course, the predator rex around here. Lovely animals.
I made a mistake in the area, its 104 sq kms or about 40 sq miles.
The forest cover in the park helps provide the ideal habitat for many wild animals. Chital (or spotted deer), Rhesus Macaque and Bonnet Macaque are some of the wild mammals that can easily be spotted roaming inside the park. It also has the jungle cat, barking deer (they are very small, almost cute) and the dreaded hyena.
Reptiles living here include crocodiles in the Tulsi Lake, pythons, cobras, monitor lizards, Russell's Vipers, Bamboo Pit Viper and Ceylonese Cat Snakes.
I have seen a wide variety of butterflies in the area and among the birds, I have still to see the golden oriole ..