Save the Mahseer Cauvery

This endemic fish species is on the brink of extinction, and captive breeding has been taken up by foresters and experts

- BOSKY KHANNA @Bengaluru

It is not a one-day task or one man's job to bring back a critically endangered species from the brink of extinction, but it surely takes one person to start the exercise. Retired Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Sanjai Mohan is working with a team of experts and staffers from the Karnataka forest and fisheries department to save the critically endangered Hump-Backed Mahseer (HBM), endemic to the Cauvery river, from becoming extinct.

"I had conceptualised the project when I was the PCCF, but over time with other things, this took the backseat. Now I want to ensure the project does not fold up, and the fish species survives," Mohan said.

Usually, efforts are made to save large species like cheetahs, dolphins, tigers and elephants, but lesser known species, more so the aquatic kinds, are not given much importance. The Mahseers, especially the HBM, that we are working on, are very important to ensure a healthy and clean Cauvery river," he said.