Ravindran Kamatchi and S Gopala Krishnan were out birding in Kallar Garden in Coimbatore when they saw an unusual dragonfly near a stream. The two began clicking photos of the dragonfly enamoured by its bigger than usual size. Later, they posted the pictures on a WhatsApp group ‘Odonates of the Western Ghats’ only to find […]
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 […]
News Shorts from the Wild
30 June 2019 – 07 July 2019 Impressed Tortoise Seen for the First Time in India Bunty Tao, a ranger under the Hapoli forest division in Arunachal Pradesh’s Kamle district, saw the tortoise in the hands of one of the villagers. He rescued it and thought this one was different. “I’ve seen turtles and tortoises […]
Elephant Rescued From Marsh By Villagers In Tamil Nadu
Watch how a wild elephant stuck in mud for more than 20 hours was rescued by villagers in Tamil Nadu
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 […]
Artificial Coral Reef Structures create Ecosystems and Boost Livelihood
It might not be the real thing, but for fish swimming in southern Indian coastal waters, the artificial coral reef structures, a project initiated by The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) are a good enough place to live and thrive. It is also a reason why fishermen from about 25 villages in Tamil Nadu […]
Ousteri Lake Becomes Tamil Nadu’s 15th Bird Sanctuary
Ousteri Lake, a wetland known for sometime as an important feeding and breeding ground of several bird species has been declared as a bird sanctuary by the Tamil Nadu government taking the number of protected areas in the Southern Indian state to 4 wildlife sanctuaries, 5 national parks, 15 bird sanctuaries, 4 tiger reserves and […]
Living With Elephants: Watch How a Brilliant Idea Resolved Human-Elephant Conflict in India
Elephant and human conflict in India does not seem to come to an end. In fact, with regular reports of elephants raiding crop fields, entering cities and being accidently hit by trains, the clash between the jumbos and humans seems to be only escalating. There is though a solution, a way to maintain peace without […]
‘SMS’ for Elephants: Innovative Idea Resolves Man-Elephant Conflict
CONSERVATION SUCCESS: An early warning system using SMSes or text messages is now showing results, reducing the human-pachyderm conflict in the Anamalai hills of Tamil Nadu. Read the story in this guest post by Ananda Banerjee. One night the watchman at the Parry Agro tea factory in Valparai, Tamil Nadu, saw a man getting off […]
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. […]
Locals become Guardians of the Grizzled Giant Squirrel
The Grizzled Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary at Srivilliputhur in Tamil Nadu has a special protection force quite different from most other sanctuaries. A very energetic group of 67 locals are part of an anti-poaching squad, who along with the forest officials, keep the wildlife sanctuary protected from poaching, forest fires and many other threats. Despite physical […]