Nearly 350 tonne of oil spilled into the Sela river of the Sunderbans on Tuesday after an oil tanker collided with an empty cargo vessel in the Bangaldesh side of the mangrove forests. The spill may cross over to the Indian side of the Sunderbans, and cause serious damage to the ecosystem which is home […]
Decades old Elephant Pits pose Danger to Animals in Kerala Forests
About 60 abandoned elephant capture pits that were created a decade ago in the forest ranges of Ernakulam district in Kerala pose a serious threat not only to the pachyderms for which it was first dug, but also other wild animals in these forests. The practice of capturing elephants using pits was officially banned by […]
Road Kills Pose High Risk to Leopards in Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh may soon lose all its leopards if an action plan is not set in place very soon to conserve them. The beautiful spotted feline once found in good numbers in Madhya Pradesh is under grave threat mainly due to road kills. Image via cc/Flickr by Kosala Bandara On 24th September this year, at […]
Open Wells Claim Lives of Two Lion Cubs in Gujarat
As a child, listening to the Panchatantra tale of the lion and the rabbit, I was quite impressed by the clever rabbit which outwitted the greedy lion and tricked it into jumping into a well. Today, however, I realize the importance of each and every species that exist in nature and their contribution to diversity […]
Diclofenac Poisoning Threat Spreading to Vultures Worldwide
Vultures, the huge scavenging birds with their large beady eyes and bald heads perform the very important task of cleaning up remains of dead carcasses of humans, cows and other animals. Once found in large numbers all over India, these birds are now in dire risk of extinction because of Diclofenac, a veterinary drug that […]
Lack of Data Pushing Freshwater Crustaceans of Western Ghats to Extinction
A large number of freshwater shrimps and crabs in the Western Ghats are in danger of becoming extinct due to increasing human activity in their habitat and irregularities in their classification and documentation. More than 90 % of gecarcinucid crabs found in Western Ghats are endemic to the area. A study was conducted recently on […]
India has the Highest Forest Ranger Mortality in the World
Being a forest ranger in India seems to rank top on the list of jobs with high mortality rates. Based on statistics provided by a non profit organization called IRF (International Ranger Federation), past three years saw the death of 72 forest rangers in India. This number is very high as compared to their counterparts […]
Frogs in Western Ghats Affected by Logging even after 40 Years
Frogs living in Western Ghats forests that were logged more than 40 years ago are still recovering from the impacts of deforestation, shows a recent study. Comparatively, unlogged forests had twice the number of frogs. The study also found some species of amphibians to have completely disappeared from logged areas. Rough skinned Bush frog by […]
Whale shark Pups Pay the Price of Damaged Nets
The age old man-animal conflict continues to raise its ugly head from time to time and sadly one or the other seems to pay the price very heavily. This time it is the Whale Shark pups who have been the unfortunate victims of this conflict. Whale shark pups caught as a by catch while fishing […]
Government Report Shows Indian biodiversity Under Serious Threat
India has had a tremendous rate of industrial development and urbanization over the years. Although development is essential for the nation’s growth, it has often been at the cost of some environmental detriment without the consideration that development and environment can work hand in hand. Now an official Government report confirms that Indian flora and […]
Bats in Karnataka in need of a Saviour
Gotham City might be under the comic hero Batman’s protection but who is to protect the eponymous bat species from possible extinction? In the state of Karnataka in India indiscriminate destruction of their natural habitat is putting bats in grave danger everyday. The state, which is home to one-third of the bat species found in […]