In a rare forest, never mind what otters think
In 2019, one of Pamela Malhotra’s camera traps captured a rare sight. Eurasian otters were frolicking at a stream on her 255the acre property bordering Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary.
Little is known about these elusive creatures; there are only a few recorded sightings. So it was a moment of great excitement for
Pamela, 69, (above right) and husband Anil Kumar Malhotra, 78, (right) who own and run SAI (Save Animals Initiative) Sanctuary in Karnataka’s Kodagu district, on the edge of the Western Ghats.
The Eurasian otters are among a wide range of species captured by Pamela’s camera traps. “They have shown us that the sanctuary has become a little creche for birds and animals,” she says. “They feel protected, there’s an abundance of food and water. And they are a great joy for us to look at.”
This wildlife haven used to be an orchard, then a coffee and cardamom plantation. This switch did not suit the climate, what with the region’s intense rainfall, and so the land went up for sale again.
Enter the Malhotras, she an American with a background in healthcare and pharmaceuticals, and he with a background in banking and real-estate. They had been looking to sustain a forest of their own, and had spent a decade in Uttarkashi, trying to buy land and settle in. But they ran up against an ownership cap of 12 acres for non-Uttarakhand residents. Plantation land in Kodagu didn’t have such restrictions. In 1992, they purchased the first 55 acres and set to work trying to rewild it.
“The coffee side of the land was quite denuded. We let it all be and allowed nature to take its course,” Pamela says. “The coffee is also eaten by civets, and we wanted to encourage them to stick around.”
The Malhotras started out rearing cattle, but then decided against it because they wanted to reduce their impact on the land. “Once the cattle were all given away, it made a huge difference in the wildlife coming out in all times of day and night too,” Pamela says. They earn a small living off a four-room ecotourism lodge near their living quarters.
Meanwhile, out on their land, two streams that originate in the Brahmagiri wildlife sanctuary have become watering holes for wildlife. Sambar and deer appear
People have to understand what a massive footprint humans leave behind and how that footprint scares all other life away. PAMELA MALHOTRA
frequently, and sometimes a lone tiger, leopard or dhole (the Indian wild dog). The massive gaur trundle through too, from time to time.
Out of respect for the animals, the Malhotras traverse their property on foot. Their only interference involves checking on the camera traps and water bodies. “We’ve never been in danger, but we are careful,” says Pamela. “You’ll find that the gaur are sweet, but you have to respect their space, and don’t ever come between family members.” Their living quarters are smack in the centre of the property, fuelled by wind, solar power and biogas.
“What we’ve seen around the world this past year, where people were locked down and the wildlife started coming out onto the streets … people have to understand what a massive footprint humans leave behind,” Pamela says, “and how that footprint scares all other life away.”