The Supreme Court of India last Friday stayed the construction work of an 11.5 km stretch road that is supposed to be build between Laldhang-Chillarkhal in the Rajaji Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand. For the promised road, Uttarakhand government had conveniently bypassed statutory clearances and begun the work. The court has issued a notice to Chief […]
Gujarat Fears It Has Lost Its Only Male Great Indian Bustard
In December 2018 the state of Gujarat reported that its lone male Great Indian Bustard was missing. It was a young adult that the officials believed had flown to neighbouring Rajasthan and might return soon. Now six months later, the bird has still not been traced, and as chances of it returning to the state […]
That Elusive Breath of Clean Air
If someone was to mark the cities of the world with the dirtiest air, most of India would be covered in grey. From Gurugram, Ghaziabad, Faridabad, to Patna, Lucknow and national capital Delhi, no city in India, particularly in the Indo-Gangetic plains, is entirely free from the grip of the dense cloud of death hovering […]
Say No to Firefly Festival, Period
Have you ever noticed insects disappearing from your surrounding over the last few years? Try and recall the last time you saw a hawk moth, dragonfly, or butterfly around your house? Fact is, with the expanding city limits and other anthropogenic activities, we are losing wildlife habitats, green spaces, and wetlands in an unusual way. […]
The Last Time We Experienced This Much Carbon dioxide Was Never
On Saturday (May 11), the levels of carbon dioxide in our planet reached 415 parts per million (ppm), as measured by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii. That is more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere than anytime in human history. And in the last 800,000 years. As climate expert Peter Gleick aptly […]
On The Trail Of Lost Species
For field biologists Mahesh Babu and Ganesh Pallela, it was a routine survey of marine biodiversity along River Godavari in Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh when they spotted an unusual shark. It was no longer than three feet and had distinct black markings on its dorsal, pectoral and tail fins. Still, it was hard to pinpoint the exact […]
50 Smuggled Star Tortoises To Return Back To India
50 rare star tortoises that were seized from wildlife traders and being cared for by a Singapore based conservation organisation, are all set to return back into the wild. The organisation ACRE is planning to transport these tortoises back to their native country India next month. Read More: Over 1000 Tortoises Rescued In Bangalore From […]
Chinese Tourists Stopped From Smuggling 15 Shahtoosh Shawls
According to an official statement by customs department, New Delhi, two Chinese women tourists aged about 41 and 39 were detained for trying to smuggle out 15 shahtoosh shawls worth Rs. 45 lakhs as they were set to leave for Shanghai from New Delhi airport on the 18th October, 2018. Read More: Rare Himalayan Serow […]
Bijnor Seizure Unearths Massive Mongoose Massacre
Over 56,000 paintbrushes and 145 kg of mongoose fur were seized in Sherkot in Bijnore beginning of October, unearthing a massacre of unimaginable proportions. According to the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), the consignment represents the death of 10,000 mongooses for making paintbrushes out of their fur. 6 arrests were made in the process, guided […]
Uttar Pradesh To Axe 50,000 Trees In Tiger Habitat To Build A Road
One would assume that the recent floods of Kerala would be a good learning lesson for the nation to think twice before playing with nature. But yet again, the news of the state government of Uttar Pradesh planning to axe prime forest trees to build a road on the Indo-Nepal border, seems to show otherwise. […]
From Kolkata To Munnar, The Race To Save Live Corals
It was a strange predicament for the officers of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) few days back when they seized 20 live corals from a house in Kolkata. Unlike other species usually rescued by them that can be released in safe habitats locally, in order to save the corals, the officers have to restore […]