68th Wildlife Week

Two Special covers on Hump-backed Mahseer and Honey Badger were released to mark the 68th Wildlife Week on 7th October 2022 at Kollegal.

The Honey Badger, also known as the Ratel is native to Africa, south-west Asia and the Indian sub-continent. It favours bee honey and often searches for beehives to get it, thus earning its name 'Honey Badgers' live in self-dug holes. They may hunt frogs and rodents, such as gerbils and ground squirrels, by digging them our of their burrows. They are able to feed on tortoises without difficulty, due to their powerful jaws. They also kill and eat snakes, even highly venomous or large ones such as cobras.

Cover Code: KTK/62/2022

The Hump-backed Masheer, the Tiger of the Cauvery' is regarded as one of the top 20 freshwater mega-fishes on the planet. It is characterized by a distinctive " Hump shaped back and Orange fins" Mahseer plays a vital role in balancing the riverine ecosystem and other bio-diversity in the Cauvery River. It is endemic to the Cauvery River system and s currently listed as critically Endangered under the IUCN Red List of threatened species. The first specimen, recorded in the year 1870, weighed over 40kg and measured around 1.5 meter in length. The skin and skull of this specimen was preserved and can be seen even today at the natural history museum in Mysuru. Today, they can only be found in a handful of isolated patches due to habitat fragmentation by several river engineering projects. Rapid action initiatives have been set on motion to save this legendary species from extinction.

Cover Code: KTK/63/2022