As the number of leopard deaths due to the human-leopard conflict continue to rise in India, experts are trying to understand the leopard’s behaviour and think of out-of-the-box ideas to avoid conflict. “Sing off tune, never mind. Just sing and loud,” advises Puneet Nayyar, Deputy conservator of forest, Surat, Gujarat where leopard-human conflict is on […]
Kashmir plans to save the rare hangul deer by finding the best genes
Hangul (Cervus hangul hangul), also known as Kashmir stag, is the only Asiatic survivor of the red deer group in the Indian subcontinent. The Hangul is considered as important to the region of Kashmir as the tiger is to the whole of India. King Hari Singh, the last king of Jammu & Kashmir was so […]
New roosting site of rarest bats in the world found
Armature birders may never have imagined a bat being named after India’s famed ornithologist Dr. Salim Ali! Indeed, little is known about the Latidens salimalii or better known as Salim Ali’s Fruit Bat. In 1993 however, the bat found its fame when it entered the Guinness Book of World Records as “one of the three […]
How eco-friendly are you? One research says you might be overestimating yourself
How eco-friendly are you? One research says you might be overestimating yourself We are all familiar with environmental jargon like reduce-reuse-recycle or stop using plastic. Many of us also take these motivations seriously and act upon them. But research by the University of Gothenburg with participants from India, Sweden, England, and the United States found […]
32 Species Discovered in India in 2019
India is one of the richest countries in the world when it comes to floral and faunal diversity. The Himalayas, Western Ghats, the Eastern Ghats, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are teeming with species that you have never seen or heard of. It may possibly take a lifetime to see even a small portion […]
How to Save a Fish that Looks and Acts Like a Snake
More often than not all fish in our minds look like a version of the fish we drew in our school colouring books – cute beady eyes, fins, and a tail. The problem with this version is that if there is in the real world, a fish that does not fit the description, and does […]
Your Paintbrush could be Stained in Red
“What brush is this?” “It is sable-hair brush. One of the best brushes.” “Okay, we will buy it. Will you give us a bill for the same?” “Bill…umm…no, it is illegal to sell these brushes.” “Why illegal?” “It is wildlife. Banned in India.” The conversation your read above was between an undercover volunteer from Wildlife […]
Changing Physiology of Plants could be Boosting River Flooding Worldwide
The tiny pores under the surface of the leaves called stomata are primarily responsible for the intake of carbon dioxide that plants need for photosynthesis. During the daytime, the pores are open to allow the maximum intake of the gas in the presence of sunlight so that plants can produce their food. But what happens […]
A Book Dedicated to the Birds of Haryana
This is a guest post by noted ornithologist Harsh Vardhan. Birds of Haryana – A field Guide By Rajiv S. Kalsi, Suresh C. Sharma, and Janak R. Choudhary Can there be a more brilliant and smashing news than this one: first-ever field guide on Haryana birds! The book was formally released at an austere ceremony […]
This Interactive Map Documents Animal Extinction Risks Worldwide
How do you understand the extent of damage done to biodiversity easily? One way is to look at the number of species extinct or endangered over the years primarily due to human actions. A new Animal Endangerment Map has used data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and WWF to show which […]
Extent of Deforestation shows why Human-Elephant Conflict increasing in the Western Ghats
Extent of Deforestation shows why Human-Elephant Conflict increasing in the Western Ghats What has been the extent of deforestation in the Western Ghats elephant habitat in the last 40 odd years? A new study has mapped a total area of over 47,000 sq km across Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala to find that it is […]