TRACKING: Satellite-linked collars will be soon fitted on six snow leopards in the tribal Spiti valley of Himachal Pradesh to get a deeper understanding of the behaviour of the endangered cat. The $40,450 project (Rs 25 lakh) will benefit the state wildlife department in studying the movement of the snow leopards in the Himalayas where […]
Veerappan’s Ghost Surfaces: New Gang Duplicates Method to Retrieve Elephant Tusks
POACHING: Almost a decade after he was gunned down by Special Task Forces, the ghost of dreaded forest brigand – Veerappan – seems to have resurfaced in the forests bordering Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. A series of elephant-killings has led forest officials to suspect that an organized gang of poachers is operating in the area. […]
7 Spectacular Butterflies of India (Photos)
PHOTOS: According to Hindu mythology when Lord Brahma – the creator, created this world he made the flowers, trees, fishes, animals and insects, but his personal favorites were the plants and the flowers. One day to his horror, Lord Brahma found all plants had been stripped off their leaves. Soon, he found the culprit. It […]
More Areas of Ladakh Declared as Wildlife Sanctuary
CONSERVATION: The enchanting mountainous region of Ladakh in the state of Jammu & Kashmir is soon to have greater protection for wildlife with the government recently declaring an increased area of Ladakh region being converted into wildlife sanctuary. Ladakh has the unique honour of being home to certain rare and elusive species such as the […]
The Song of the Indian Purple Frog
Scientists Study Rare Species With Unique Behavior UNUSUAL: Have you ever come across a weird-looking purple colored frog with a plump body and characteristic pointed snout? Chances are you have never even heard about their existence until now, because these fascinating members of the animal kingdom were only discovered as recently as in 2003. Now […]
Big Bird Day Records 787 Bird Species of India
SURVEY: February 16, 2014 marked an eventful Sunday for birders all over the Indian sub-continent when they celebrated the Big Bird Day. The 468 teams participating in the annual event this year (as compared to last year’s 168 teams) recorded 787 species of birds which accounts for 65 percent of the bird diversity in India. […]
800 Endangered Olive Ridley Turtles found Dead in South India
TRAGEDY: It was a quest to bring the new generation into this world that led to the death of 800 rare and endangered Olive Ridley Turtles in a beach in southern India. The turtles are known to make their yearly voyage to the east coast Indian peninsula to breed and lay eggs in some of […]
Seven Down, More To Go? Rhinos Killed With Impunity
POACHING: We are barely two months into the new-year, and the number of rhinoceros that have fallen to poaching this year has already reached seven. While five rhinos were killed in January, two were killed as recently as last week on consecutive days of February. Of the seven rhinos killed, six were from the Kaziranga […]
Train Stops to Rescue Baby Elephant that Fell into a Ditch (Photos)
RESCUED: It could have been a really sticky situation for one baby elephant when it slipped into a ditch and got stuck in it, in Assam, India. But thanks to a train full of passengers passing bye, the calf was rescued and re-united with its herd. When a herd of elephants was passing a railway […]
Elephants Console each other in Times of Distress
BREAKTHROUGH: Consoling words or a gentle touch of a friendly hand are sometimes all that is needed to lift your mood at times when you feel sad or distressed. But new evidence finds that using physical touches and vocalizations is not a human behavior alone but elephants too are able to console each other in […]
Increase in Flamingo Population in Sambhar Lake,Rajasthan
RISING NUMBERS: The desert state of India is flocking with pink feathered birds this season. The Asian Waterbird Census (AWC) which was completed on January 16th has noted an increase in the number of Greater Flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus) and Lesser Flamingos (Phoeniconaias minor) in the state. The census found 1300 greater flamingos and 1800 lesser […]