The river Gandak in India is called Narayani in Nepal, but ask one Ghariyal, and the trans-boundary differences just merge into one long river path which it took to travel for more than 1000 kilometres from Nepal to India. According to the Wildlife Trust of India, biologist Subrat Behera working on the Gharial Recovery Project […]
River Ganga turning Lifeless in Parts finds Study
Researchers from Banaras Hindu University and Mahatma Gandhi Kashividyapith University in Varanasi have found that the underwater portion of River Ganga has got fragmented into areas where no aquatic life exists – a condition named hypoxia. Pollution of River Ganga with untreated sewage containing toxic metals has reduced the level of dissolved oxygen, especially near […]
In Conversation With The Gharial
Can you introduce yourself? Hello, my name is Gharial. I live in India and Nepal and have become a very rare animal in this world. What are some of the other names given to you? 1. Gavial 2. Fish Eating Crocodile 3. Gavialis gangeticus (In scientific terms) …but I think the name Gharial suits me […]
How The Ken-Betwa Linking Project Might Lead To Loss Of Wildlife
Development and conservation are more often than not at loggerheads. The upcoming Ken-Betwa River linking project is likely to submerge a portion of the Panna Tiger Reserve (PTR) with about 7.2 lakh trees and about 90 square kilometer area of the reserve forest possibly getting submerged. From tigers to gharials, life could change for the […]
Farmers, Forest Officials And WWF Unite To Save The Gharials
A triad of local volunteers called ‘Ganga mitras’, forest department officials and WWF members got together for a good cause – caring for, rearing and reintroducing the critically endangered gharials into the river Ganga. 35 such gharials were released into the Ganga at Hastinapur in February this year. Since the start of the programme in […]
Animals Your Kid Might Not Get To See
India is home to over 45,000 species of plants and over 70,000 species of animals. However many of these species are on the verge of extinction and may not survive if constant efforts are not put to save them and their homes. Here’s an infographic from trodly that shows some of the animals that your kid […]
Eco Travel: Katerniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary, Uttar Pradesh
A monthly focus on one of the many national parks and wildlife sanctuaries of India. The Indo-Nepal border in the Bahraich district of Uttar Pradesh nurtures a beautiful jewel of nature, the Katerniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary, a sprawling Terai jungle riddled with verdant grasslands, marshy swamps and exciting wetlands brimming over with wildlife. Species to Watch […]
Critically Endangered Gharials Tagged in Hope of Saving the Species
In an initiative to restock the numbers of critically endangered (CR) Gharials (Gavialus gangeticus) in the wild, six captive-bred gharials have been satellite-tagged and released into the the River Gandak, bordering the Valmiki Tiger Reserve in Bihar. This is the first time that the rare species have been satellite-tagged. The program was undertaken by the […]
Indian Teenager Wins Prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year Award
Barely 14 and already in the world’s radar – that would be the most apt way to describe Indian teenager Udayan Rao Pawar who won the Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year award by the Natural History Museum and BBC Worldwide for the year 2013. His photograph, “Mother’s little headful,” which shows a mother crocodile […]
From Gharials to Dolphins, Yamuna River Lifeline for Many Rare Species
Most people will agree that the river bodies of India like the Ganga and Yamuna are today a shrunken image of their past glory. With everything from industrial effluents to bodies dumped in these rivers; apart from canals, dams, hydro power projects, drinking water usage drastically altering river beds, it is surely a surprise to […]
School Children to Get Wildlife Protection Training
Why is the forest important? What can children do to save wild cats like tigers and leopards? How can man-animal conflict be resolved peacefully? These are few of the questions that will be answered by forest department officials as they speak to school children living near the Suhelwa and Katarniaghat sanctuaries in Uttar Pradesh. Both sanctuaries are inhabited by tigers, leopards and other wonderfully creatures of the wild that need constant monitoring and protection.