Himalayan Salamander facing extinction in Darjeeling Hills

Introduction :

Salamanders are amphibians of the order Caudate (also called urodela) . This taxon includes the newts , a group of rough-skinned species in the salamander family Salamandridae. Salamander are differentiated from other amphibians (frogs and caecilians) conspicuously by the presence of a tail in all larvae, juveniles and adults, and by having limbs set at right angles to the body with forelimbs and hindlimbs of approximately equal size . Salamanders are distinguished from frogs and caecilians also by numerous characteristics of there skeleton and musculature.

Many salamanders have a biphasic life cycle containing an aquatic larval form with external gills and metamorphosed terrestrial adult form that breathes by lungs or through moist skin. Some species lack metamorphosis and retain a larval appearance throughout there life, whereas other species lack the aquatic larval stage and hatch on land as terrestrial forms that resemble miniature adults. The general association of longs with terrestrial animals and gills with aquatic ones is not universally true among salamanders : terrestrial plethodontid salamanders lack lungs and breathe through the skin whereas aquatic adult amphiumas lack gills and use lungs to breathe. Salamanders are carnivorous in the larval, juvenile and adult stages of there life cycles: they prey mainly on small arthropods.

Himalayan Salamander is one of the rarest and oldest amphibian creature existed before the giant dinosaurs to be found in the hills of Darjeeling, scientifically known Tylotrotriton verrucosus. Once regarded as totally extinct from this planet earth, it was found living in the hills of Darjeeling in 1964 at Jorepokhari, 20 km from Darjeeling. It is understood that this Himalayan Salamander is a very premitive and highly endangered species. It figures in the Red Data Book of IUCN and included in schedule No I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 in India.

This Himalayan newt has rough-skin, measuring about 160 mm to 170 mm when it reaches full adulthood. This species mostly confined to Eastern Himalayan, from 4000 ft. to 8000 ft. elevation in this mountain region.

Darjeeling is endowed with plenty of Natural ponds and marshy land where water logging is formed during the months of May to September. As Salamander has to come to the water for mating and breeding during this period such ponds needs to be protected if we really go for its conservation programme. Latter eggs laid in the marshy land, pond develop into tadpoles which breath through gills like fish. It remains in the water till such time when its lungs are not fully developed and functionable but after full development of its lung as it can come out from the water enabling it to have extensive area for food availability. With the advent of cold atmosphere in the Darjeeling hilly region it starts looking for warm safe place in the crevices, under the tree root, under the big boulders from the month of late September to May next year. It hibernates during the period of winter months and only comes out with the advent of monsoons. They come out and congregate in ponds breeding. They mostly feed on aquatic vegetations insects, smaller earthworm etc.

The Himalayan Salamander:

The Himalayan Salamander, an endangered, threatened and zoologically important species of Amphibia is still in the living stager in certain water pockets in the lap of the Himalayas in Darjeeling district. Its actual distribution and abundance is yet to be determined by through systematic field investigating and survey. It is believed that these salamanders which flourished in Europe in Miocene age (between 13-25 million years ago) is now completely extinct in that part of the globe but fortunately they are still surviving in a few isolated water pockets in our area. One of such pockets was detected in 1964 at Jorepokhari. The Himalayan Newt (Salamander-Tylototriton verrucosus is now on the verge of extinction. This endangered species is listed in schedule 1 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. The aquatic habitat at Jorepokhari has been totally destroyed by the tourism development.works undertaken by Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council in the year 1998-99. Eastablishment of a Park and costly bungalow and other concrete structures of god and goddesses on the forested hillock and devotees throwing in bulks undermining ecologically sensitive area have further aggravated the situation. The aquatic habitat having a good forest cover is no more now,disturbances caused by cattle grazing nearby, human interference, poaching etc. the entire area is lying in a state of disrepair and neglect.

Distribution

Tylototriton verrucosus occurs at altitude between 4,000 – 8,000 feet in Darjeeling hills.Some of the important places where Salamanders are still occurring are:

1. Nam Thing, at Sitong, near Shelpu. Under Kurseong Sub-division . Till last 1970-78 a beautiful natural lake surrounded by indigenous forest was harbouring Himalayan Salamanderbut now the forerst is no more and as result water will be seen during rainy season only.Human encroachment is there when the landslide victims were given settlement at the periphery of the lake.
2. Bagora on the Turook-Maldiram ridge,there were many smaller natural ponds where Salamanders were thriving so well now no more to see there as the whole area have been bulldozed to construct Air Base there..
3. Jorepokhari above Sukhiapokhri, no more its habitat due to reasons already discussed.
4. Nakha Pani, at Gopal dhara Tea Estate features: roughly triangular in outline in the valley though it is good enough for Salamanders to complete its breeding there but it is very much feared that spray of pesticide,herbicide and using fertilizers the water is becoming poisonous and might affect Salamanders.
5. Simana-Sukhiapokhri ridge:At many places waterlogging occurs just on the rode side and Salamanders come to place for laying eggs.
6. Mirik Lake and its marshy surrounding places.
7. Raidhap, above Mirik Lake.
8. Pacheng, at Pacheng Tea Estate below Sonada bazar. Completely dry and occupied by dwelling houses ,flower nurseries and vegetable gardens.
9. “Lake” at Margaret Hope Tea Estate, below Gorabari.Still a good habitat
10. Manebhanjyang – polluted by detergent etc.
    

Habitats and Habitat

The Salamander generally prefers to adopt shallow ponds of the hills which receive maximum sunlight. The ponds should have aquatic plants preferably Acorus calamus, polygorum spp. There are a few reasons why these plants are invariably needed to become that pond a good habitat. Firstly plants present coverage to Salamanders and also shade. Secondly plants attract smaller insects which later will be Salamander food. Thirdly and most important is that Salamander needs such plants at which it sticks its sticky gelly eggs and by moving forward all the eggs easily comes out from its body otherwise it will be very difficult for a Salamander to lay eggs in a clean water. The Himalayan Newt is found at the elevation of Darjeeling Hills region from 4000 ft to 8000 ft. The newts can be caught with no difficulty because of their sluggish movements. Sometimes in the winter months when lifted or removed a stone or tree roots Salamander were found hiding. During day time its movement is rather slow but during night it becomes quite energetic and spirited. Salamander crewel at the bottom of pools with the help of its arms and swims principally with tail.

It is a wonder to the biological science that since its evolution in this planet earth these were considerable amount of climatic changes topographical changes but this tiny creature is still in the same size and shape without any physical changes living completely in compromise with the changing environment.


Salamander by natural instinct come out from the crevaces, holes after spending six-seven months in hibernation at the advent of season’s first shower in the month of May for mating and breeding at the pond or water logging areas. By nature they are very particular in their scheduled programme as these are seen gathering at shallow ponds, water logging areas. It was noticed, sighted on the forested high ridge between Sukhiapokhari – Simana, at many places where water logging were taking place due to intermittent rainfall during the months of May – June 2001, Salamander invariably had come to water point to lay eggs. Salamanders laid eggs aplently in that shallow water logging areas but due to sudden change in weather condition that went dry, sunny days for a week the whole eggs because wastages.

On reaching adulthood it looses aquatic character like gills, dorsal fins in favour of internal lungs, strong legs, rough skin etc. the wart that appears on the surface of the body are granular glands that produce and acrid fluid on stimulation and serve as a deterrent to predators.


Federation of Societies For Environmental Protection, Darjeeling raised issues for the protection of Salamander and its Habitat:

This tiny creature was also found at Tiger Hill just adjacent to the Mandir where a small natural pond was in existence. This shallow pond was good enough for Salamander to come there for mating and breeding since time immemorial but the development works of DGHC blindly converted this natural habitat of Salamander into a cemented pond which destroyed all the natural processes in the year 2000-2001. Previously seepage of water released by trees used to collect in the pond but now erecting concrete structure the water ceased to percolate in the pond. To fill the concrete tank with water now artificial arrangement has been arranged by installing pumping gears.. While constructing concrete pond there about fifty Salamanders were brutally killed because salamanders by its natural instinct used to come to the pond as usual to lay eggs but the strict instruction of the officials was that when Salamander come to the pond it should be killed immediately so that other people (environmentally concerned people) would not see and raise objection against the construction.

here are other habitats of Salamander of which most of them are within Tea Garden areas. In many places of Gopaldhara T.E. adjacent to Mirik. where shallow water pond forms within the Tea Garden valleys Salamander invariably come to the pond for breeding. A good number of Salamander can be seen in these areas during summer months. Just below Sonada at Pacheng where previously a good pond used to be formed during the months from May to September, Salamanders were seen in plenty but at present the whole open ground, the breeding place of Salamander has been encroached upon by buildings. At present a good habitat is in existence at Margret’s Hope T.E. where a good lake is there for Salamander to lay their eggs and tadpoles to grow there. At Pokhriabong forest area where a marshy land exists a good number of Salamander were seen during summer months in the year 2007. A group of concern local people rose to the occasion and organized a tree plantation programme in and around of that area in 2007 and also declared that area a holly place so as to provide much attention and protection of the area. In this programme FOSEP provided tree saplings and also tea and snacks for the people who participated tree plantation and cleaning programme in 2007. At Sittong there is a small natural lake “Namthing Pokhari” where Salamander are seen during summer season in good number. This place is almost 55 km away from Kurseong. This beautiful natural lake while there were a good forest in its surroundings was a famous pilgrimage ,a holly lake till seventies but now all the forest has disappeared, instead dwelling houses have come up for landslide victims to stay there removing salamanders, the real owner of the lake .


The most congenial habitat of salamander was the pond of Jorepokhri, just a few meters above of Sukhiapokhri,a village township, almost twenty kilometer away from Darjeeling. In this natural pond a good number of salamander was found for the first time in the Hills of Darjeeling by the researchers in the year 1964.Many scholars took the advantages of studying salamanders camping at Jorepokhri for securing Ph D degree. The local people, precisely speaking, the whole hill people of Darjeeling till then, were quite unaware of the importance of salamander and paid no notice at all but the enlightened people of the plains secretly encashed the value of it by undertaking research studies sponsored by the government agencies. Not a single scholar of the hill was encouraged rather discouraged for want of sponsorship from the government side.


In the year 1998 Gorkha Hill Council under its tourism promotion programme all of a sudden blindly started bulldozing the lake area and, in no time Federation of Societies For Environmental Protection, Darjeeling under the leadership of Shri Bharat Prakash Rai,(Secretary)made hue and cry by sending letters to the Ministry of Environment and Forest, New Delhi, Wildlife Warden, New Delhi, Forest Minister govt of West Bengal, Mrs Maneka Gandhi, Chairperson, People for Animal former Environment Minister.



FOSEP took this matter seriously and discussed with other like minded people but in Darjeeling no one dared to come forward to support FOSEP because the issue was against the most powerful political figure. As per Mrs. Maneka Gandhi’s suggestion FOSEP engaged a lawyer, a renown environment activist from Kolkata and registered a case against DGHC in the Green Bench at Kolkata High Court in the year 1998. The Government of West Bengal prepared a comprehensive report on conservation programme of Salamander undertaken jointly by DGHC and Government of West Bengal at Mirik Lake and sumitted to the Ministry of Environment and Forest, Government of India. The conservation programme report wasjust a eyewash to avoid legal implications from the government side.

Conservation problems :

Housing and agriculture : it was earlier pointed out that the chief threat to the Himalayan salamander is destruction of lentic habitats. This destruction is taking place as a result of the great demand for flat-land for purpose of agriculture and for housing. For example, the habitat at Pacheng Bazar and at Namthing Pokhari are being encroached upon by houses as part of resettlement programmme of the Tea Garden Management for landslide victims .

Disposal of domestic wastes and pollution due to pesticides and fertilizers : At some habitats like Manebhanjyang and also Nakha Pani wastes are directly discharged into these habitats. Clothes are washed at these habitats, and direct urination and defaecation takes place.

Fertilizers, especially rock-phosphates are used in the tea-gardens along with pesticides,herbicides which are suspected to be detrimental to larval salamanders. Domestic wastes and phosphates result in growth of dense mats of aquatic weeds, which choke these lentic-habitats.

Demand for fresh water

Due to scarcity of fresh water, there is tendency to drain wetlands for purpose of supply of drinking water. Such water after draining, is used for agriculture like cardamom fields and winter cropping.

Deforestation

Another cause for siltation is deforestation, especially in the catchment areas. Deforestation also leads to land-slips and land-slides which tend to fill up lake basins.

Introduction of exotic species.

The next great threat to the survival of this specks in Darjeeling is posed by the introduction of exotic species mainly fishes like American Rahu, Grass cabs, Silver Cabs etc. These fishes are voracious eaters and eat anything and Salamanders eggs and small tadpoles become the major food items .

Anthropogenic pressure

Anthropogenic pressure poses the chief threat to conservation of these habitats. Such pressure has led to deforestation, draining of lentic-habitats, siltation of lentic-habitats and their conservation for agriculture and housing, introduction of fish, increase in the number of cattle and goats. All of these lead in some way to the decimation of the habitat of the Himalayan salamander.

The basic causes Anthropogenic pressure are : Socio-logical aspects of the human (local) problem which makes people take a very short-term view of life and immigration across the border.

It is an inescapable fact that wetland habitats in the Darjeeling Himalayas are gradually becoming dry. Despite the fact that there is no data on population, the fact that the wetlands are becoming dry means that there is a gradual decline of the population and the introduction of fish predators mean the eventual extinction of this species from all the wetlands of the region.

Climatic Changes:Salamanders are by instinct very particular in their timely coming out from the crevaces,holes to the water points at which they have been coming every year regularly for mating and breeding.It was a pathetic seen when a huge number of eggs were just scattered in the dried shallow waterlogging place on the Simana-Sukhiapokhri road(June 2001).When there was rainfall in the night Salamander came to the place and laid eggs but the weather condition abruptly changed into sunny,bright for more than one week all the eggs were damaged in the dry weather.


Some Conservation Suggestion :

1. Awareness generation campaign among students, local people.

2. Protection of natural ponds, marshy lands.

3. Damming, dragging and desiltation of habitat.

4. Reafforstation and introduction of such vegetations that grow profusely in marshy land (Acovus calamas, polygonun spp)

5. Complete an on using pesticides, herbicides in Tea Gardens where plenty of marshy land are in extreme and Salamanders are found in those areas.

6. Captive breeding programme to be undertaken.


Conclusion :

Due to rampant deforestation in the hills of Darjeeling water retention capacity of exposed land are becoming lesser and lesser and also marshy lands are being brought under Tea cultivation and other development programmes the habitat of Salamander are vanishing so it is highly important to adopt conservation measures by identifying such habitat from further destruction. Once habitats are protected and improved Salamander will definitely multiply its population. Modern technique will ensure speedy multiplication and resettlement of raised stock in natural biotope.


Propogation of Salamander in different habitats will ensure its preservation and if proper publicity is made in a wider range through internet, a sizeable tourists inflow will start there and that sort of development will ensure some economic benefits to the local people. The Margret’s Hope Salamander Lake, NamThing Pokhari, Nakapani, Rai Dhap when reestablished and propogation will be a centre of attraction in the hills and other areas catering to the needs of Nature Education, recreation and conservation.