Six New Animal Species Discovered in Periyar Tiger Reserve

A four-day wildlife survey in the Periyar Tiger Reserve in Thekkady, Keralam, has recorded six animal species that were never found there before. The new finds include one bird, one butterfly, and four types of dragonflies and damselflies, known as odonate species. Held from September 10 to 13, the exercise brought together 75 delegates from 21 non-governmental organisations, academic and research groups, along with Forest department officials and frontline workers. These participants formed 21 teams and worked across 20 active base camps to check all major ecological zones of the tiger reserve. Officials stated that the newly recorded bird is the golden-headed cisticola. Teams spotted 174 bird species during the event, which pushes the reserve's total bird count up to 347. Kalesh Sadasivan, a research associate with the Travancore Nature History Society, pointed out that this bird is a rare kind usually seen at higher altitudes. He explained that the new findings show how vital the reserve's varied heights, evergreen forests, grasslands, and mixed boundary habitats are for supporting different wildlife groups. Dr. Sadasivan added that healthy ecosystems and clean water bodies in the reserve drive these new records. The survey also logged the common onyx butterfly. With 192 butterfly types seen during the four days, the total documented butterfly count in the reserve now stands at 284. Furthermore, four new odonate species were found in the reserve for the very first time: the parakeet darner, Fraser's clubtail, the spiny horntail, and the Nilgiri clawtail. After documenting 68 odonate species during this event, the total checklist for odonates in the reserve has reached 111. Aside from these groups, the wider assessment recorded 15 mammal species, 30 spider species, 34 ant species, and five cicada species. P.P. Pramod, the field director of the reserve, noted that adding six new distribution records to a place that is already studied so much proves why systematic biodiversity surveys are so important. He stated that these studies help track changes in where species live and how they use their habitats, which builds a stronger base for long-term conservation work. Midhun Mohan, deputy director of the Periyar East division, mentioned that the survey successfully covered widely separated camps with different elevations, habitats, and access levels.