Why flying squirrels are slowly gliding towards extinction in India

Last year, Australian scientists Christopher Helgon and Stephan Jackson found two rare gliding squirrels in the Himalayas. According to them, the gliding squirrels of this species were found in the Himalayas after 130 years. For much of the 20th century, it was thought to be extinct, until it was rediscovered in 1994 in northern Pakistan.

According to Helgon, one was a Tibetan flying squirrel, while the other one was Unani. The tails of both the flying squirrels were covered with thick fur. They were like a wolf’s tail. The scientists said that the height of the mountains where these squirrels are found are nearly 5,000m. As such squirrels live far from human settlements, they cannot be seen easily.

The discovery of the two rare flying squirrels might be one good news at a time when they are fighting a battle for survival. They are hunted across the world for their fur. Ergo they are on the verge of extinction.

Raccoons, coyotes, foxes, owls, snakes, cats and dogs easily hunt the flying squirrels. The flying squirrels nestle in the holes, actually made by wood-pickers, on tree branches. Several gliding squirrels live in one hole to keep each other warm in winters.

Their breeding season is between February and June. The female squirrels remain pregnant for 40 days. Between two and seven babies are born to a female squirrel. The ears and the nose of a baby squirrel do not open at the time of their birth. The fingers of their paws remain joined. They have no fur on their bodies. After six days of birth, the ears of a baby squirrel open. The fingers of their paws separate after six days. Fur starts growing after seven days. The eyes open between 24 and 30 days later. This also makes the young ones vulnerable.

There are three kinds of flying squirrels with 50 species across the world. Nearly 12 of them are found in different parts of India. The flying squirrels are nocturnal animals. They come out of their holes made on tree branches in search of food at night. Their eyes are very sharp and bulging, which help them see clearly at night. They are omnivorous. They eat other animals, tree leaves, fruits and seeds. They are fond of flowers, leaves, insects, barks, rodents, eggs, small birds and berry seeds. They stock food for winter. They can collect 15,000 dry fruits and seeds.

At least 12 species of flying squirrels are found in India: Kashmiri gliding squirrels, Travankar flying squirrels, Namdapha flying squirrels, furry gliding squirrels, colourful flying squirrels, giant flying squirrels, Bhutanese flying squirrels, Machuka giant flying squirrels, spotted giant squirrels, Hugson giant gliding squirrels, and Mishmi Hills giant flying squirrels.

A large number of flying squirrels can be found in Madhya Pradesh’s Khalwa forest. The flying squirrels were seen in the forests of Kalibhit in Khandwa district. Their activities were caught in the night vision cameras installed to watch wild animals.

Khandwa forest abounds in rare wild animals, birds as well as medicinal plants. According to the officials of the forest department, bears, cheetahs, leopards and many other wild animals can be seen there. The wildlife experts say that the rare flying squirrels live in the dark deep reserved forest of Sitamata that lies on the Madhya Pradesh-Rajasthan borders.

The flying squirrels are found in Chhattisgarh, too. A few years ago, a flying squirrel was found in Korba district in that state. According to the forest officials, it was injured. The squirrel was sent to Pandari zoo in Bilaspur. Earlier to that incident, the personnel of the security force found a flying squirrel during patrolling in Kanker district of Chhattisgarh. The flying squirrels are opulent in the forest of Harre, Baheda, Tendu and Amla (Indian gooseberry) and jujube trees. They get food in such forests. When there is a shortage of food in forests they come out.

These flying squirrels are also found in Uttarakhand, especially in the dark green forests of Uttarkashi.

How they glide

There is a special type of thin membrane between its front and rear paws. Wildlife experts say that these squirrels glide from one tree to another and, when they do so, the same membrane functions as a parachute. They move from one tree to another with the help of that membrane. The flying squirrels use their spongy legs at the time of landing on other trees to reduce the impact of injuries.

The author retired as director-general of Madhya Pradesh Police and also worked as an officer in the Indian Forest Service. Shrivastava who has done PhD in botany (forest ecology) has been writing articles on wildlife and environment for different national and international magazines for many years. Views expressed are personal.

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Shailendra Srivastava