The termite hill geckos are now scientifically split into 3 species – the Whitaker’s, Sahgal’s and southern termite hill geckos found in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Bhargavi’s Quest for the Lost Bats of India
In 2016, Hipposideros hypophyllus slid to the bottom of a list that no species wants to be on – the ‘Critically Endangered’ section of IUCN’s Red List. The assessors stated that only 150 to 200 of these creatures remain, all of them confined to a single cave near the village of Hanumanahalli in Kolar, Karnataka. Today, the bat […]
New Aquatic Species of Snake Discovered in the Western Ghats
Quick Notes A new species of aquatic snake has been discovered in the Western Ghats. It is endemic to India. The snake prefers to live in fresh water streams. Juveniles and adults have different coloration. The snake was earlier mistaken to be Olive forest snake but was correctly identified after DNA testing to be a […]
From Vulnerable To Endangered, Whale Sharks Closer To Extinction
They are the biggest fish in the world known also as gentle giants because of their calm nature. Whale sharks are sadly one step closer to extinction with International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) re-evaluating their status and putting Whale Sharks in the ‘Endangered’ list from ‘Vulnerable’. With constant decline in the population of […]
Tiger Cub Seen At Sariska Tiger Reserve
Tigress ST-9 was relocated from Ranthambore national park to Sariska tiger reserve in 2013. Now, she has given birth to her first cub in Sariska, raising the number of tigers in the reserve to 14 and triggering hope that the park is back on conservation track. The first indication of the new cub came […]
Eurasian Otter Spotted For The First Time In India
For the first time in India, scientists have proof and photograph of the presence of the rare Eurasian Otter in India. These mammals were photographed using camera traps in the jungles of Satpura Tiger reserve and Kanha-Pench border of Madhya Pradesh. The photo evidence was obtained between November 2015 and February when Wildlife Conservation Trust […]
Indian Rhino: Surviving The Hunt
“Ambling on without a care in the world”, is how one British hunter-naturalist described that most formidable of Indian mega-herbivores, the rhinoceros. Indeed, there was a time when the Indian rhinoceros dominated the wet, swampy grasslands situated in the north of the Indian subcontinent. Seals of the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation of the 3rd century […]
Rare Species of Moth Spotted In Tamil Nadu
A rare species of moth, Indian Owlet moth (Spirama retorta) belonging to the Erebidae family was spotted at the foothills of the Pachamalai hills in Tamil Nadu. Additionally, a species of butterfly , Common banded peacock (Papilio crino) was also seen at the Puliyancholai hills at the base of the Kolli hills by ecologists from […]
All In An Year’s Work: An Environmental Round Up 2015
“When this flood blocks the road, I am worried more by my soil getting washed, than by getting late, to reach my destination,” wrote Nepalese poet Suman Pokhrel. For India, no words could be truer for the year 2015. If something has blocked the road of India’s savvy future in the last year, it has been the […]
Hidden Jungle Animals Caught on Camera by School Children
Living in Pawani village in Maharashtra one would not usually consider the village to be a tiger territory. Rightly so, as the village does not fall within the boundary of any protected tiger reserve. However, the children of this village studying in Jai Seva Adarsh High School have proved everyone wrong. Armed with highly sensitive […]
IUCN Concerned about World Heritage Sites of India
A recent report by the Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has brought forth the question whether the places declared as World Heritage Sites are really well conserved. The assessment made by the IUCN showed that the sites such as the Western Ghats, Kaziranga National Park, Manas Wildlife Sanctuary and Sunderbans in India are under […]