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We are observing Indian Palm squirrel almost on a daily basis in the parks in our colony or wherever we are going for morning walk. They are very cute, small in size but attract our attention because of their sound “chip ,chip, chip…. and mostly activities non stop. You may be surprised to know there are about 270 species of squirrels in the world. They are of three types, tree dwellers, ground dwellers and who can fly..flyers.

As a wild lifer I have been going to different parts of the country and seeing the Squirrels small and big in different Wildlife Parks of the country. My first encounter was in Udanti – Sitanadi National Park in Chhatisgarh. Later on in Achanakmar Tiger Reserve in Chhatisgarh. Later on in Nagarhole National Park in Karnataka. Last month I observed it in Valparai in the State of Tamil Nadu. My son Bharat Goel observed at Satpura Tiger Reserve in M.P in March 2018.

As a wild lifer I have been going to different parts of the country and seeing the Squirrels small and big in different Wildlife Parks of the country. My first encounter was in Udanti – Sitanadi National Park in Chhatisgarh. Later on in Achanakmar Tiger Reserve in Chhatisgarh. Later on in Nagarhole National Park in Karnataka. Last month I observed it in Valparai in the State of Tamil Nadu. My son Bharat Goel observed at Satpura Tiger Reserve in M.P in March 2018.

My friend Uttamraj, a nature lover from Valparai, helped in locating the same on the trees on the roadside. It is a large tree squirrel native to India. It lives in the upper canopy of the tree where it makes its nest. It hardly comes to the ground as it travels from one tree to another. They are good jumpers and can leap more than 20 feet. Typically they are solitary animals and come together during the breeding season. When in danger they freeze themselves on the trunk of the tree.

They have beautiful, multicolored fur having shades of black, brown, orange, maroon and purple. They play substantial role in shaping the eco system of its habitat by dispersing seeds. Viewers would be surprised to know that Malabar Giant Squirrel also known as Indian Giant Squirrel is one of the largest squirrel in the world.

Squirrels are considered sacred in India because of their association with Lord Rama of epic Ramayan. It is believed that during the construction of the Rama Setu (bridge) at Rameswaram in the State of Tamil Nadu, by Lord Rama and the fleet of monkeys, a little squirrel rolled in the beach sand and then ran to the end of the bridge to shake off the sand from its back ,chanting Lord Rama’s name all along. Lord Rama pleased by the creature’s dedication, caressed the squirrel’s back and ever since, the Indian squirrel carried white stripes on its back, which are believed to be the mark of Lord Rama’s fingers.

Image from the wilderness of Valparai taken by me on 26th November 2018 and Satpura Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh, taken in March 2018 by my son Bharat Goel.

About Vinod Goel

He joined Customs & Central Excise service in 1982. As a civil servant, his job takes him to various parts of India, which gave him an opportunity to capture our wild heritage, through his camera. His passion for wildlife photography started in 2004 when he was posted at Raipur (Chhattisgarh) and this passion continues till today.