Tumakuru's Environment & Heritage Issues

A version of this story 'The last of Bengaluru’s tigers' was published in 'India Today' in December 2014 A sketch of a British hunter on a tiger shikar (hunt). Source :  Arthur J. O. Pollock, ' Sporting days in Southern India',  1894.  In the 19th century the tiger was no stranger to undivided Bengaluru district which included today’s Ramanagar district. There are many accounts in the British literature on the presence of this magnificent cat here. Bengaluru figures prominently in the shikar literature as it was an important cantonment during the entire stretch of the British rule here which started with the annihilation of the Mysore army in 1799. The city was surrounded by open areas that had grasslands and the wildlife depending on it like blackbuck, lesser florican and great Indian bustard. Nevertheless, big cats like tigers and leopards thrived in pockets of woods in and around the city. Tiger killing, a public amusement in early 1800s Among the ...

By Ameen Ahmed A version of this story 'When city was a jungle' was published in the Deccan Herald, Bengaluru (Nov 18, 2014) The blackbuck is an indicator species of the grasslands. There are numerous hunting records of this mammal in and around today's Bengaluru (Bangalore). Pic courtesy: HARI SOMASHEKAR Today’s Bangalore is much different from the small town it was in 16th century, when Kempe Gowda founded it. Akin to any settlement in India those days, it was surrounded by farmlands, grazing fields and wilderness areas like wetlands, grasslands and forests. As time progressed the city grew, attracting the attention of its rulers. While its mud fort was enlarged and rebuilt with stone by Hyder Ali in the 18th century, the British after capturing Mysore Kingdom in 1799 made this town their new headquarters of the Kingdom. They preferred it for its elevation as well as ‘its position on the high road from Madras to Mysore’. Among others Lt-General Colin Mackenzie,C...