Guindy national park and crocodile bank

Guidy National Park and Crocodile bank

1. IN-SITU CONSERVATION GUINDY NATIONAL PARK EX-SITU CONSERVATION Crocodile Bank chennai

2. Guindy National Park Guindy National Park   is a 2.70   km 2   (1.04   sq   mi)   Protected area of Tamil Nadu , located in   Chennai ,   South India , is the 8th smallest   National Park of India   and one of the very few national parks situated inside a   city . The park is an extension of the grounds surrounding   Raj Bhavan , formerly known as the 'Guindy Lodge', the official residence of the   Governor   of Tamil Nadu ,   India . The park has a role in both   ex-situ   and   in-situ   conservation and is home to 400   blackbucks , 2,000   spotted deers , 24   jackals , a wide variety of snakes ,   geckos ,   tortoises   and over 130 species of birds, 14 species of mammals, over 60 species of   butterflies   and   spiders   each, a wealth of different invertebrates — grasshoppers ,   ants ,   termites ,   crabs ,   snails ,   slugs , scorpions ,   mites ,   earthworms ,   millipedes , and the like.

3. History Once covering an area of 5 km 2  (1.93 sq mi) of one of the last remnants of tropical dry evergreen forest of the  Coromandel Coast , Guindy Park was originally a  game reserve . In the early 1670s, a garden space was carved out of the Guindy forest and a residence called the  Guindy Lodge was built by Governor William Langhorne (1672–1678). Between 1961 and 1977, about 172 ha of the forest, primarily from the Raj Bhavan, was transferred to various government departments in order to build educational institutions and memorials. In 1977, the forest area was transferred to the  Tamil Nadu Forest Department . In 1978, the whole of the remaining area, popularly known then as the Guindy Deer Park, was declared a national park .

4. Location Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India Nearest city Chennai Area 2.7057 square kilometers (1.0447 sq mi) Established 1977 Visitors Visiting hours 700,000 (in 2006) 9 AM to 6 PM (except on Tuesdays) Governing body Tamil Nadu Forest Department INFORMATION

5. The Map

6. Habitats The ecosystem consists of the rare tropical dry evergreen scrub and thorn forests receiving about 1200 mm of rainfall annually. This vegetation has been reclassified as the  Albizia amara  Boiv. community. The region’s physiognomy occurs as discontinuous or dense scrub-woodlands and thickets, containing species such as introduced  Acacia planifrons ,  Clausena dentata  shrubs, palmyrah palm ( Borassus flabellifer ),  Randia dumetorum ,  Randia malabarica ,  Carissa spinarum ,  Acacia chundra , exotic cactus  Cereus peruviana  and  Glycosmis mauritiana . The park has a tropical dissymmetric climate. The mean annual temperatures are 32.9 °C (maximum) and 24.3 °C (minimum). Rainfall ranges from 522 to 2,135 mm, with an average annual rainfall of 1,215 mm.

7. Flora The park has a  dry evergreen scrub  and  thorn forest , grasslands and water bodies with over 350 species of plants including shrubs, climbers, herbs and grasses and over 24 variety of trees, including the  sugar-apple ,  Atlantia monophylla ,  wood-apple , and  neem . This flora provides an ideal habitat for over 150 species of birds. About one-sixth of the park has been left as open grassland to preserve that habitat for blackbucks.

8. Fauna There are over 14 species of mammals including blackbuck, chital or spotted deer,jackal, small Indian civet, common palm civet, bonnet macaque, hyena, pangolin,hedgehog, common mongoose and three-striped palm squirrel. The park also hasblack-naped hare and several species of bats and rodents. The park has over 150 species of birds including grey partridge, crow pheasant,parrot, quail, paradise fly-catcher, black-winged kite, honey buzzard, pariah kite,golden-backed woodpecker, yellow-wattled lapwing, red-wattled lapwing, blue-faced malkoha, shrikes, Asian koel, minivets, munias, parakeet, tailor bird, robin, drongo, and stone curlew. Bird watchers anticipate migratory birds here like teals,garganeys, pochards, medium egrets, large egrets, night herons, pond herons andopen-billed storks every fall season. The park is home to about 9 species of amphibians. There are also many kinds ofreptiles, including saw-scaled viper and the fan-throated lizard. Some species of tortoise and turtles—especially the endangered star tortoise, lizards, geckos,chameleons and the common Indian monitor lizard—are found here, as well as a large variety of insects including 60 species of spiders and 60 species of butterflies.

9. Ex-situ conservation in Guindy National park For ex-situ conservation, about 22 acres (8.9 ha) of the Guindy National Park has been carved out into a park known as the  Children's Park  and play area at the northeast corner of the national park with a collection of animals and birds. Animals in the Children’s Park include black buck,  sambar, spotted deer, porcupine, jackal, python, grey pelican, night heron,  cormorant,cockatiel , parrot, mongoose, common peafowl, crocodile, common otter, rhesus monkey, bonnet monkey and common langur. The Children's Park also exhibits a fossilised tree specimen which is estimated to be about 20 million years old  and a statue of a Tyrannosaurus at the entrance.

10. Effect of Chennai floods in Guindy National Park New pond at Guindy National Park arrests flooding in area . CHENNAI: While several a reas in the city are struggling to cope with water logging, it's not a problem in and around the Guindy National Park (GNP). Wildlife authorities have d ug out a new pond at the interception point on the south western boundary of the park.

11. Zoo director K.S.S.V.P.Reddy told TOI that in the past rainwater from Raj Bhavan and Velachery main road used to run off and mix with sewage lines in Velachery. Now, with the formation of a new pond on the south-western part of the park, water runoff during rainy days is totally arrested, he said. Besides the new pond there are six smaller ponds in the area. They can retain water till next May. Several wild animals, including spotted deer and black buck, use the ponds to quench their thirst, Reddy said. The work on the new pond began in March and it was completed in April. The new pond, named ‘Jabbar Odai', is four meters wide and 2.5 meters deep. Its bund extends up to 650 meters, and runs parallel to the Velachery main road, behind the forest department's nursery. After the recent rain, the pond is brimming with water. Chennai Wildlife warden K Geethanjali said besides Jabbar Odai, GNP has six other ponds -- Appalangulam, Kathangollai, Duck pond, Bogi pond, Lab pond, Snake Park percolation pond. The recent rains brought in a lot of water to all the seven ponds inside GNP. The ponds will retain water till June next year, he said. Water from these ponds are pumped through pipes and stored in tanks inside the Children's Park.

12. DONE BY Group : ENLIGHTENMENT Group members : 1. J.V.R.Abishek 2. Nirman Panpatil 3. Naina Mohamed 4 . B.Hariharan 5. Dheeraj Angral 6. Mohideen Park

13. Bio diversity of the crocodile BANK in chenn ai

14. WE HAVE CHOSEN TO DO THE BIODIVERSITY IN CROC BANK AS AN INVESTIGATORY PROJECTS INVESTIGATORY PROJECT

15. THE CROC BANK BEFORE THE FLOODS

16. THE CROC BANK The CrocBank is situated 40 kilometres (25 mi) south of Chennai on the  East Coast Road  at  Vadanemmeli  near  Thiruvidandhai , close to the  Bay of Bengal , on the way to Mamallapuram The Madras Crocodile Bank Trust's stated objectives are as follows: The conservation of nature and natural resources in the broadest sense, with particular focus on the conservation of herpeto fauna and their habitats. To establish breeding, research, educational, dissemination and transfer centers, field stations, and other establishments focusing on ecological and environmental issues.

17. It is the largest breeding center of  crocodiles in India  and has bred thousands of crocodiles since its inception In 2003, a 10-year program for the conservation of freshwater turtles and tortoises was initiated by the bank in collaboration with government forest departments from concerned states across India. In May 2004, the bank successfully bred one of the world's most critically endangered turtles ,

18. At the Croc Bank, education is the ultimate key to long term sustainable conservation. They devote a large part of time and resources towards educating people of all ages and backgrounds in the importance of conserving reptiles and natural ecosystem  

19. ANIMAL CARE AT THE BANK The CrocBank has a veterinary care section with an onsite vet. The veterinary staff coordinates with the curatorial staff ensuring health and maintenance of the animals. Pathological and parasitological examinations are carried out on all the animals on a routine basis and a regular screening and treatment protocol is followed. Individual animals are given a unique identification number by means of pit tags which helps keep track of the animal's medical history.

20. OTHER SPECIES AT THE BANK COMMON SPECIES TOTAL NUMBER Crocodilians   Mugger or marsh crocodile ( Crocodylus palustris ) 2115    Saltwater crocodile ( Crocodylus porosus ) 12 ETC

21. TYPES OF CROCS Cuban crocodile : As the name itself indicates that they are only found in certain swamps of Cuba and Isla de la Juventud, unfortunately this crocodile is highly endangered nowadays. At a mere length of being three meters (9.84′) long, it surely can’t be considered as a large one among crocodiles, and it doesn’t wear a very unusual appearance either, but don’t get fooled by this; it is indeed of the most extraordinary crocodilians, and according to zookeepers who have worked for a long time with them, suggests it to be among the most aggressive of them. Well! A far a humans are concerned, attack on humans are rarely reported. Broad-snouted caiman  : The broad-snouted caiman is a crocodilian reptile spotted in eastern and central South America, including southeastern Brazil, northern Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia. It is found mostly in freshwater marshes, swamps, and mangroves.

22. THE CUBAN CROC Gharial :  The Gharial is considerably the most bizarre looking crocodilian. Its very long, very slender snout is adapted to catch fish, as are the interlocking, needle-like teeth. Gharials are possibly the most aquatic of all crocodilians, and they have very short and weak legs; they actually only leave water to bask in the sun and to lay their eggs.  They are found in India and Nepal and is among the largest of its fellow mates.

23. THE AMERICAN CROC   Freshwater crocodile: This  Australian freshwater crocodile is  another crocodile having a slender snout adapted to prey upon fishes. Although it attacks people on seldom occasions, which happens only when the crocodile is trying to protect its nest or territory, or when it has been infuriated but most of the time it is a very calm and harmless animal.

24. Slender snouted crocodile:   South East Asia, particularly Malaysia and Borneo are their habitats.   They are not so oftenly reported as one of the largest crocodiles but there is plenty of proof of them reaching incredible sizes like 6 to 7 meters. Spectacled Caiman:  o nly caiman that can be spotted in the Northern Hemisphere (its northernmost point marks the states of Chiapas and Oaxaca in Mexico), and is also a very common crocodilian present in the world.

25. THERE ARE MANY OTHER SPECIES OF CROCS BUT SOME OF THEM ARE GETTING ENDANGERED DUE TO HUNTING etc. DUE TO WHICH OUR ECOSYSTEM IS GETTING UNBALANCED AND POLLUTED. NOW IT IS OUR DUTY TO CONSERVE THEM OR ATLEAST WE CAN STOP USING THE LEATHER BAGS OR ANYOTHER ITEMS MADE OF THEIR ANY BODY PARTS

26. THE FEEDING OF CROCS

27. THE CROC BANK AFTER THE FLOODS

28. THANKS !!!! FOR WATCHING !!!! DONE BY: FLORA