Discovery & Proving of New Species NeelagiriKaduva by Dijo Thomas on 25 Sep 2014 – Numerous Details & Facts that make it a very Unique & Rarest Episode in the World!!

At Present there are only 7 Big Cats [Lion, Tiger, Leopeard etc.]. The New Species is the 8 th Big Cat in the world ! After 1000s of Years, a New Species, which is bigger than a Leopard, is found! For the First time in the World that a New Species was proved {by FB-SEM} without pictures or direct sightings! It was proven Scientifically [through Features Based - Species Elimination Method] by Dijo Thomas that the animal attacking in Neyyar dam is a New Species. NeelagiriKaduva has the features of both Feline & Canids The Forest Department had forwarded <Features Based - Species Elimination Method> & the <Project NeelagiriKaduva> submitted by Dijo Thomas to WII, Dehradun, an internationally acclaimed Institution. WII has accepted his Findings NeelagiriKaduva {formerly Patti Kaduva} is the rarest animal in the whole world, with a confirmed population [by Dijo Thomas] of initial 4 {now only 2 remaining (as 2 cubs were killed by local people on two different occasions)}, highest probability of 10 and maximum possibility of only 25-30 in the whole world. Finding, Studying & Protecting NeelagiriKaduva is the Most Important Conservation effort in the World! Read More

Discovery & Proving of NeelagiriKaduva by Mr. Dijo Thomas is filled with not 1 or 2, but more than 45 Numerous Details & Facts that make it a very Unique & Rarest Episode in the World! In fact most of the points can be made into a Separate Story, by Media Standards.
This is not an attempt at self congratulation, rather as the Forest Department blocking the Conservation efforts of NeelagiriKaduva; here we are listing the importance of the findings by Mr. Dijo Thomas, so that the Kerala Forest Department is forced to conserve it & the maximum no. of people joins the Conservation of the rarest animal in the world.

Importance of the Conservation of NeelagiriKaduva - Some Plain Truth about Neyyar Dam Episode.

1. NeelagiriKaduva {formerly Patti Kaduva} is the rarest animal in the whole world, with a confirmed population [by Dijo Thomas] of initial 4 {now only 2 remaining (as 2 cubs were killed by local people on two different occasions)}, highest probability of 10 and maximum possibility of only 25-30 in the whole world.
2. It is impossible to discover a New Species as large as a Leopard anywhere in the world.
3. If such a discovery is made, then it is rarest of rare incident.
4. In the present situation Conservation of PattiKaduva is impossible if Media don’t bring out its importance, a wide spectrum of people acts on it, & lot of pressure is applied to conserve it.
5. It is very strange that, there lived in our forests a big cat called NeelagiriKaduva bigger even than a Leopard, 100-150 years before, which was not recorded either by writings, photographs or drawings. It is a very rare occurrence. Even then, it was known to people living near forests as well as Adivasis.
6. Even 100-150 years before, it was very rare Species.
7. NeelagiriKaduva became extinct 100-150years before, from all the places that it once existed.
8. Even Wildlife Experts or Forest Department of that time didn't know that such a thing existed.
9. Even now, till Mr. Dijo Thomas declared about it on 25 Sep 2014, not even a single Wildlife Expert, Conservationalist, Zoologist, Scientist or even the Forest Department didn't know that such a thing existed.
10. It came back from extinction, even through only in one place, after 100 years in Neyyar Dam, Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala.
11. It is for the First time in the World that a New Species was proved without pictures or direct sightings, BUT just by the signs (like the pug marks, droppings, etc.), description, behavior pattern etc., by Dijo Thomas. Only a wildlife expert, who knows the forest and wildlife thoroughly, can do that.
12. It cannot be done by a Textbook wildlife expert or an Academic wildlife expert, who don’t have practical experience in the forests. Their main interest is really monetary, than conservation of Wildlife.
13. A person with intimate, through & firsthand knowledge of the Forest, Wildlife, Wild animal behavior pattern, Characteristics, Physical & other details, etc. can only formulate the theory & provide the necessary proof to prove it.
14. It may also be first time in the world that a New Species was identified within 15 minutes of hearing it's description, { by Dijo Thomas in Neyyar Dam on 25 Sep 2014}.

 Features Based - Species Elimination Method [FB-SEM]
15. There was no pictures of the Wild Animal attacking in Neyyar Dam or direct sightings of it by Mr. Dijo Thomas.
In Neyyar dam, due to various factors, conventional way of identifying a New Species was not possible. Like 1. There was no direct sighting by Mr. Dijo Thomas. 2. There were no photographs taken. 3. People in their fear were not able to observe all the important features. 4. All people who saw it thought that it was a Leopard. 5. There are no previously recorded data regarding PattiKaduva.
16. Therefore Mr. Dijo Thomas uses a Novel method devised by himself, for the first time in the World, named Features Based - Species Elimination Method [FB-SEM]; on 25 Sep 2014 to prove that the animal attacking there is a New Species.
17. What is Features Based - Species Elimination Method [FB-SEM]? How is it done?
A. There are only 5 known wild animals; which could be the remotest possibility for the attack that took place in ND. Dijo Thomas proved that it was caused by none of them. B. There is no identified animal with the features of the animal attacking in Neyyar Dam anywhere in the world. All the above points to the fact that the above wild animal is nothing known till now.
18. If any other person had been sent to Neyyar Dam, instead of Mr. Dijo Thomas, they would definitely NOT have been able to identify that it was a New Species. As it seems now, no other wildlife expert knew that such an animal even existed.
19. Many similar attacks had taken place earlier, in different parts of Thiruvananthapuram district, many people now tell Dijo Thomas. These were just classified as any known animal or unknown animal, nobody bothered about it any further. The attacks of PK had taken place in the past 10 years in Kanjiramkulam, Vithura, Ampoori, Kilimanoor etc. of Thiruvananthapuram district. But wildlife experts or Forest Department were not able to identify that these were a New Species.
20. Mr. Dijo Thomas has proven two important things: . A .The animal attacking in Neyyar dam is a new species – by Features Based - Species Elimination Method [FB-SEM].
B. That the New Species is PattiKaduva [90 % chance], which became extinct 100 – 150 years before – by the data he collected over 20 years, from all over Kerala & Karnataka.
21. It is also highly unusual that a wild animal as big a Leopard lived unnoticed by wildlife experts, photographers or forest department in the Thiruvananthapuram forest for all these years.
22. Massive and very expert tracking is required to get photographs and direct sightings of NeelagiriKaduva, if any still remains.
23. We also do not know whether the 2 confirmed adults have also been killed secretely by local people, by now.
24. Even after finding it, lot of care and hardship will be needed to study & conserve it.
25. It is also very rare that an extinct species is found out after a search of 20 years { by Dijo Thomas}.
26. Dr. Jacob Alexander of Thiruvananthapuram Zoo, who had done the Postmortem issued report that the cub of NeelagiriKaduva killed in Neyyar dam was a Feral Dog [Feral dog are ordinary dog living as awild animal] half wild & in forest. The forest department concludes that the attacks were by Feral Dog & closes the case as attacks by an ordinary dog. The Neyyar dam episode would have been closed by that report, had Mr. Dijo Thomas been not fighting hard at various levels, & proving his theory to many, including Textbook wildlife experts, Academic wildlife experts, Enviormentalists, Media, Common people etc. to establish that the animal killed was not a Feral Dog but a NEW Species, NeelagiriKaduva, which is Critically Endangered, & one which should be conserved with utmost importance.
27. The 4 samples taken for DNA tests have not been published even after 4 months [Dr. Jacob Alexander had told me that we will get the results within 3 days]. Now, after 4 months, it is said that, a chemical added to the samples for sending for DNA tests was ‘conveniently‘ a wrong one & therefore DNA test is not possible.
28. Some Officials & individuals with vested interests are trying very hard to prevent the discovery of NeelagiriKaduva being known to the world or to start the Conservation efforts of NeelagiriKaduva.
29. Even after almost 1 year after the discovery of NeelagiriKaduva, Dijo Thomas is not granted permission or provided support by the Government to start the search for NeelagiriKaduva in Thiruvananthapuram District Forests & nearby areas, despite numerous appeals & Written Requests.
30. Written Requests & Projects submitted to the Forest Minister on various occasions have also not yielded any results.
31. In this scenario, total extinction of NeelagiriKaduva may occur in the near future [as it has the face of a dog / if it attacks domestic animals/ The Forest Department is Not at all interested in Conserving it ]

32. Mr. Dijo Thomas has always kept away from media. This has prevented his activities & expertise in Wildlife Conservation, Research etc. being known to the world. In Wayanad, where he was after Wild Elephants, he had politely turned down many times, requests for interview by TV Channels & News Papers, as publicity or fame was not his intention. This in turn has prevented the Discovery, Study & Conservation of PattiKaduva being given its due importance. As a result, conservation of PattiKaduva is at stake.
33. As it is the Great Indian Circus, Mr. Dijo Thomas not only have to spend Time, Effort, Money, Energy & much more to identify the New Species, he is forced to put forward even greater effort & fight to conserve it.
34. A person has to know the behavior pattern 5 Wild animals - Doles [Wild dogs], Hyena, Wild cats, Feral Dogs & Leopard, & other likely wild animals, very thoroughly, in order to formulate the Novel method - Features Based - Species Elimination Method [FB-SEM].
35. Nobody, not even Scientists; has been able to disprove Mr. Dijo Thomas’s Theory FB-SEM & its Proof. They had accepted it.
36. A unique fact about the Conservation effort of NeelagiriKaduva is that, unlike other Conservation efforts in the World, here we have to first search & find out the current location of NeelagiriKaduva.
37. NeelagiriKaduva is the most elusive animal in the world. {That is why it has not been found till now}
38. NeelagiriKaduva is the most endangered animal in the whole world.
39. As the Forest Department has not recognized NeelagiriKaduva; anybody can kill it with impunity; and /as they will not face legal action.
40. It was proven Scientifically [through Features Based - Species Elimination Method] by Dijo Thomas that the animal attacking in Neyyar dam is a New Species.
41. NeelagiriKaduva has the features of both Feline & Canids
42. The Forest Department had forwarded <Features Based - Species Elimination Method> & the <Project NeelagiriKaduva> submitted by Dijo Thomas to WII, Dehradun, an internationally acclaimed Institution. WII has accepted his Findings.
43. The New Species, in Dijo Thomas’s opinion, could well be the ancestor link in the evolutionary chain of the present day Tiger!
44. After 1000s of Years, a New Species, which is bigger than a Leopard, is found!
45. At Present there are only 7 Big Cats [Lion, Tiger, Leopeard etc.]. The New Species is the 8 th Big Cat in the world !
46. Finding, Studying & Protecting NeelagiriKaduva is the Most Important Conservation effort in the World!

Why the above Analysis & stating of Some Plain Truth about Neyyar Dam Episode ?

I have conducted this Analysis because, I found that even after interviewing me thoroughly, the Bureau Chief of a Daily was very reluctant to publish my discovery of a NEW Species, PattiKaduva. In the present situation Conservation of PattiKaduva is impossible if Media don’t bring out its importance & a wide spectrum of people acts on it.

As the Bureau Chief was a very genuine person, intelligent as well as a real professional, I understood that as there are many technical & scientific details in my explanation, it may be difficult for people to understand in the ordinary way.
When I analysed why this happened, it was due to the uniqueness of the whole episode.

Those many uniqueness should be understood first, if one wants to understand how I proved PattiKaduva!
This multiple uniqueness itself is the story!