At the Xingfu wholesale market in Conghua district of China you will find almost any animal – Snake, tiger, monkey, bear, pangolin and turtle. The display though is not for exhibiting the world of wildlife, but to sell the animals to prospective buyers who will later cook them for a meal. The country’s appetite for […]
Captive Bred Rare Cheer Pheasants to Be Released into the Wild
On the foothills of the Himalayas, on rocky, moist terrains, a bird called the Cheer Pheasant was often seen, flying around in groups, occasionally digging the soil with its beaks and feeding on seeds and small insects. Sadly, as the terrains vanished so did the birds with IUCN marking them as a Vulnerable species. But […]
Pay a Fine if You Step on this Hill! The Unique Tribal Way to Protect Nature
It is often saddening to see the rapidity with which last expanse of wildlife is turning into concrete jungles in India. The growing population and with it the challenges of limited resources is turning even small wilderness pockets into space for high rise buildings. Among such news it is thus a pleasant surprise to find […]
Great Himalayan National Park Becomes a UNESCO World Heritage site
The Western Himalayas are a haven of sorts to numerous rare and threatened species of flora and fauna. The nine year long wait to help protect this haven finally ended a few days ago, when the Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area (GHNPCA) was granted the World Heritage site status by UNESCO. This decision was […]
Critically Endangered Great Indian Bustard gets a Survival Chance
Often, conservation issues surrounding the more recognisable fauna in the world such as lions and tigers receive unprecedented attention, whereas other uncommon species go comparatively unnoticed. However a recent initiative by the Central and the State Governments of India to set up a Conservation and Breeding centre for the Great Indian Bustard in Kutch spells […]
Chasing Monals: A Traveller Spots the State Bird on his Trip to Uttarakhand (photos)
It was a leisurely trip to Uttarakhand’s Chopta village and Tungnath, that brought the Travelling Slacker face to face with the state bird – the striking Himalyan Monal. Surprised to find this colourful bird fearlessly flying around, the blogger clicked furiously to ensure the memory of this chance rendezvous was preserved for everyone to see. Himalayan […]
Poisoned Tiger in Tamil Nadu Raises Concern About the Animal
In a shocking yet bizarre turn of events, tigers living in the state of Tamil Nadu are now in danger of being poisoned to death. With the latest incident occurring as recently as last month, the toll of tigers killed this year alone has already risen to eight, three of which died due to poisoning. […]
New Species Discovery: A Doting Frog Father
While male parenting may be a recent development for human civilizations in general, the animal kingdom is replete with examples of such unusual parenting behavior. One such example would be that of a newly discovered frog species, the male members of which plaster the eggs laid by their mates with swamp mud in order to […]
In Defence of the Narcondam Hornbill
Narcondam Hornbill (Aceros narcondami) gets its name from its small island home ‘Narcondam Islands’. It is a mere 7 square km of land. Nonetheless for this bird, this tiniest patch of green with its fruit and berry laden trees is its only home in the entire world – a habitat as precious as the bird […]
Indian Railways Take Measures to Reduce Lion Mortality on Tracks
The beautiful Gir forest of Gujarat remains the only abode of the majestic Asiatic Lion in the world. Hunted relentlessly and at risk of extinction, it was the Nawab of Junagadh who first afforded protection to the King of beasts in the early 1900s. Since then, owing to the combined efforts of the Government and […]
Scientists Find World’s Highest Number of Song Birds in the Himalayas
There is a new song they sing and that’s what makes them unique. The results of the first ever mapping of birds in the eastern Himalayan region of India has confirmed that there are more than 360 different songbird species in the regions, most of which are not found anywhere else on the planet. Scientists […]