The rhino count in Assam has gone down yet again as a full grown male one-horned rhino succumbed to the attack of poachers in Orang National Park in Assam. Authorities at the park found the carcass near Pichola anti-poaching camp in the park. The missing horn was tell-tale evidence of the incidence of poaching. There […]
Tracing The Evolutionary History Of Asian Horned Frogs, Without Fossil Records
If you are in Nagaland, the next time you put frogs in the cooking pot, beware – you might be an unsuspecting contributor to wiping out evolutionary history. A culinary delight to many Southeast Asian communities, frogs are no stranger to Nagaland’s food menu. Held in high gastronomic regard, aficionados here claim that frogs taste […]
Turtle Thought To Be Extinct In The Wild, Discovered In Nagaland
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists the black soft shell turtle as Extinct in the Wild (EW) which means wild population of the species are no more present in the world though they could be present in captivity. It comes as a huge surprise therefore when this freshwater turtle was discovered recently […]
Primate Fossil Discovered From Jammu & Kashmir, Shows A Lemur Like Primate Once Lived Here
A fossil of a new primate species discovered in Kashmir has been found to be a distant relative of the lemurs and might help change the known evolutionary history of primates of India and the world. Fossil hunters have found the jawbone fossil of a new primate species from Kashmir that lived 11 to 14 […]
Saving An Endangered Tree Through Sustainable Use
Rainforest Trust’s partner Applied Environmental Research Foundation (AERF) in India uses unique economic opportunities to encourage communities to sustainably manage natural resources. Flowering Pterocarpus marsupium. Photo courtesy of AERF. After dedicating extensive time and resources to planting saplings of a threatened tree species, many people would find it incredibly discouraging to come across a pile […]
When Snares Set for Wild Boars Spell Trouble for Karnataka’s Tigers
The deaths of tigers and other wildlife have brought to the forefront a situation where the ‘management’ of one animal leads to the accidental deaths of another. A hundred and twenty-one snares were dismantled in a single day by the Karnataka forest department in a massive combing operation around the Nagarhole National Park boundary on January 31. […]
Mother Bear Electrocuted By Poachers in MP; Cub Rescued
Tragedy struck at the Sanjay-Dubri Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh’s Sidhi district when a seven-year old sloth bear and her two-month old cub were electrocuted while they were looking for food. The resultant injuries took the life of the mother leaving the young cub orphaned. Madhya Pradesh Forest Department officials report that a high-voltage trap […]
Frogs Have The Unique Ability To See Colours In Extreme Darkness
The night vision of frogs and toads appears to be superior to that of all other animals. They have the ability to see colour even when it is so dark that humans are not able to see anything at all. This has been shown in a new study by researchers from Lund University in Sweden. […]
Why Life Isn’t A Walk On The Beach For Odisha’s Olive Ridley Turtles
A look at the many natural and man-made hurdles faced by Olive Ridley Turtles from the time their mother lays the eggs on the beaches of Odisha to adulthood. Know why, only 1 in 1000 survive to become adults. A record number of eggs have been laid on the beaches of Odisha this year by […]
Why Do Whales Leap In The Air
Whales, the world over have been observed to leap into the air and crash back into the water, slapping their tails and fins as they touch the water. This behaviour of whales is called breaching. Clearly, it requires a lot of energy and is observed when whales migrate and are fasting. Scientists therefore inferred that […]
Census Spots 55 Irrawady Dolphins In Gahirmatha, Bhitarkanika, Odisha
Bhitarkanika national park and Gahirmatha marine sanctuary in Odisha with their salt-water estuaries form an ideal habitat for endangered Irrawaddy dolphins. A census made recently by the Odisha forest department estimated their number at 55 in the water-bodies of Bhitarkanika and Gahirmatha. These numbers indicate a slight drop from the last census which was conducted […]