In a significant setback to elephant conservation efforts in the country, the Kerala state government recently gave the green signal for the commercial use of captive elephants. The controversial proposal requesting for permission to let out captive elephants for hire was put forward by the Chief Conservator of Forests in the Department of Forests in […]
Rarest Egg in the World!
Scientist in Scotland stumbles upon Critically Endangered Indian Bird’s Egg RARE DISCOVERY: In the drawers of the Zoology museum of the University of Aberdeen, lay an egg, preserved but uncatalogued and unrecognised, until Dr Alan Knox found it and sent it for DNA analysis. What he discovered he aptly describes as a ‘eureka moment’ in […]
Rare Butterfly Seen after 74 Years!
RARE SPECIES SIGHTING: Viewing a group of butterflies fluttering by is always a pleasurable sight. However, the joy of naturalists Sanjoy Sondhi and Purnendu Roy doubled when they discovered not any other butterfly but a rare sub-species, the Tibetan Brimstone at Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary in West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh. The Tibetan Brimstone has […]
Vanishing Medicinal Plants of Kashmir Himalaya
RED ALERT: The practice of using local herbs as medicinal remedies for a variety of health conditions is widely known in India. It is a knowledge that has been acknowledged by the world as India’s Ayurvedic medicine tradition. Even as modern drugs gain popularity, the tradition of using herbs to cure a headache, a cough, […]
3 year old Tiger Bitten by Rabid Dog
SPECIES WATCH: In a rather bizarre incident, a three-year old tiger cub was attacked by a rabid dog at Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh causing much concern to park authorities and veterinary doctors. The dog charged at the tiger cub in Hinauta range on September 10. Unfazed initially, the tiger walked away. However on […]
Sikkim becomes the Greenest State of India
PEOPLE FOR PLANET: Sikkim, has added yet another feather to its cap, this time green in colour. The second smallest and least populous state of India has emerged the foremost in green cover among the states. The forest cover has increased from 43.95 percent in 1993 to 47.34 percent in 2013; the only state to […]
Defence Ministry Says No to use of Drones in Kaziranga
CONSERVATION CONCERN: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) more popularly referred to as drones, are successfully being integrated for forest and wildlife surveillance across the globe. However, the apprehensions of the Indian defence ministry are proving to be a major hurdle for the induction of UAVs by the country’s forest department. Recently, the defence ministry turned down […]
A Sackful of Surprise
Having been brought up in Manas Wildlife Sanctuary in Assam, Sangeeta, a nature and wildlife enthusiast always thought that everyone who visited this World heritage site, came to witness the wild animals. That was till the day her aunt visited – a genuine non-lover of wildlife. Read Sangeeta’s hilarious account of what followed that perhaps […]
The Smart Survivors: Animals living in Urban Jungles
Urban living is different from rural living – it is a sentiment that many relate to especially those who have made the shift in their lifetime. Lesser trees -more buildings, lesser meadows -more streets, lesser farms -more factories, the urban environment is a greyer setting that people adapt to and adjust to, to survive. Now […]
Invasive Species Eating Away Forest Cover Of Andaman Islands
The tropical rainforests of Andaman Islands are facing a bizarre ecological as well as economic crisis, due to the no-hunting policy of the Indian Government. Invasive species such as deer and elephants are fast eating into the pristine forest cover of these islands as there are no natural predators to keep their numbers in check. […]
Know Why the Snow Leopard is Endangered
Name – Snow Leopard Scientific Name – Panthera uncia Status – Endangered In India also known as – Barfani tendua, Him chita Population – There are as few as 3,500 to 7,000 snow leopards living in the wild today; the exact number is unknown as they are extremely elusive and hard to survey. Range – […]