Prakriti Observe, Appreciate and Conserve Prakriti Newsletter Volume 1, Issue 3, October 2003 http://www.iitm.ac.in/campus/prakriti         email:   prakriti@iitm.ac.in Campus Wildlife Star Tortoise  (Geochelone elegans) Hindi Kachhua; Tamil Amai; Telugu Tabelu;Malayalam Amah Monthly Meeting Wednesday, 5 November, 5 PM(Nandhinee Canteen Nature walk 26 Sunday, 6.30AM Assemble at Theosophical Society gate : (For de- tails: call 9228, 7-10 PM) Environment Day for  campus school children :18 Saturday, CLT, 8.30 to 12 noon Check Prakriti Website Star Tortoises are terrestrial (living on land) animals found in semi-dry forests and grasslands of our country. IIT Madras campus and adjacent Guindy National Park (GNP) have  few of these reptiles. Star tortoise gets its name from the star-like radiating yellow patterns, centered on a bump, found on its black coloured shell (carapace). The head and front legs of the Star Tortoise have small scales. They are mostly active during the twilight. The rest of the day, they lie under cover. They are most active during the rainy season,  and can be seen even during the day. Star tortoise is omnivorous, but, mostly veg- etarian. It feeds on succulents like  Cissus quadrangularis,('Perandai' in Tamil) which grows in plenty in GNP and IIT, fallen fruits, grass and similar vegetation. Sometimes they feed on snails, and animal and bird excreta. The female lays eggs (usually 3 to 7) in a pit dug with her hind feet. The young tortoise start feeding voraciously within a week of birth, on the same food as the adult. The young attain maturity in about two years. Indian Star Tortoise can live up to about 80 years.  (Source: The book of Indian Reptiles and Ambhibians, J.C.Daniel, BNHS, 2002) Deepavali or Sabdavali? Deepavali signifies the removal of ignorance (symbolized by darkness) with knowledge (symbolized by light). The main message of Deepavali is to celebrate this freshness as symbolized in the customs of taking oil bath, lighting lamp and wearing new clothes. Bursting of crackers do not constitute the tradition of celebration of Deepavali. Bursting of crackers release a large number of harmful chemicals which pollute air, water and soil. Chemicals found in common crackers  include highly toxic heavy metals like cadmium and lead in addition to other metals like copper, manganese, zinc, sodium, magnesium and potassium. Oxides of sulphur, phosphorous and nitrogen, which are very corrosive and highly acidic while carbon monoxide is poisonous are formed during the burning of crackers. Sudden burst of loud noise is harmful and terrifies animals, birds etc.not to mention sick and elderly humans and infants. Should we be so inconsiderate to these fellow-creatures? Cracker industry employs mainly children. Should we support a system that robs children of their childhood and keeps India illiterate? Light a lamp of hope, love and kindness rather than noise, destruction and damage. Parents may think of buying good books for the money spent on crackers. Remember that Deepavali is the Festival of Lamps, not the festival of crackers! Do You Know? Answer Butterflies are seen on  a tree    called    ‘Divi    divi’ (Ceasalpenia coreara),‘Inki maram’in Tamil which is a native of Central America. When you see a star tortoise: In IIT Madras campus, the Star Tortoises are seen mostly around the Stadium. When you see them in the open areas, they are mostly going in search of grass to eat. Do not pick them up and do not put them in wells or lake or water. They live on land and not in water.  They also need some sort of protection from the hot sun. This protection can consist of vegetation, rocks, under-growth or even planted hedges. Cutting and clearing forest areas and under-growth will destroy home of such  small animals, which escape our notice. It is illegal to keep Star tortoise at home as pet (Schedule IV, Indian Wildlife Act). Star tortoises are declining in the wild due to illegal wildlife pet trade in India, Singapore, Hongkong and some Gulf countries. If you see anybody involved in catching star tortoises, please inform the Security Officer and the Wildlife Warden of Chennai (Tel: 24321471).