Dijo Thomas Sighted a Rare Species in Auroville – He Named it Thirukuralan!

In the middle of June 2019, I Sighted a Rare Species in Auroville.
It was about 1.30 pm. I saw an animal running ahead of me, abot 3 times the size of a grey mongoose. This animal I have never sighted in the wild, nor seen any pictures or description. It was running in the land.

Description:
It was twice bigger than Malabar Giant Squirrel.

It was Drak Brownish Black in color. It would look almost black, but the brownish shade is clear to see.
It had a thick black line through its back.
The fur was somewhat like the Mongoose, but a little longer.
The first thought that came to my mind was Red Mongoose. But it was bigger & color very different.

I rule out the following: Mongoose, Red Mongoose, Malabar Giant Squirrel, Badger, Honey Badger etc.

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora or Rodentia
Order : Order could be either Carnivora or Rodentia .

It could be a new sub-species or even a New Species.
Another Conservationist also said that he had seen it near the area I saw. A woman said she saw it in a nearby community area.
It could be have been brought from Europe or Africa and released here.
[I don’t see much of a problem in that, as long as it does not a pest in nature. My strong opinion is that a “Forest with Wild Animals is better than one without, even introduced ones. “
I also will say that in the era of Man made Disasters like Ecological Destruction, Climate Change etc, it is always better to have a backup of a Rare Species in a distant place, than the possibility of loosing it altogether.
Further investigations are required.

I am naming it Thirukuralan – in Honour of ancient Tamil Philosophical Text Tirukkural by Valluvar .
I am taking this opportunity to Congratulate the Community [name will be published after getting permission from them] where I sighted it.
I also Congratulate the Auroville Forest Group Members, especially the Pioneers, as this animal’s habitat [where I saw it] is something they created through their hard toil, over the years. The particular animal, in a way, is still living, due to their effort.

I dedicate my Discovery to Members of Auroville Forest Group .

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Dijo Thomas
04 July 2019
Tamil Nadu

Pondicherry