A raging fire has gobbled up much of the Tadoba Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra. It is estimated that 4000 acres of the lush green habitat is now a vast black terrain without any trace of plant or animal life.
Maharashtra’s Biodiversity Revealed
India’s western state and economy hub Maharashtra is also blessed with verdant natural beauty. With the biodiversity hot spot Western Ghats beginning from this state, the Zoological Survey of India recently found that the state has 1065 species of vertebrates and 642 species of invertebrates.
Road Block for Tigers
The tussle between environmentalists and urban developers is in the forefront once again in the state of Maharashtra where the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) is keen to widen the National Highway NH-6 but the expansion might ruin the forest and crucial corridor of the Tigers.
Freshwater Crocodiles back from the brink of Extinction in Manjira River
Manjira river is a tributary of Godavari river that flows in three states of India namely – Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. Of late the Manjira River running about 60 km from Hyderabad has seen a surge in freshwater crocodile population nearing 300 in number. This is a direct outcome of the efforts put in by the forest officicers to save the species from becoming extinct as the number had alarmingly fallen to less than 4 pairs in 1974.
Poachers on the Prowl for Blackbuck Meat
In the interiors of Amravati and Yavatmal districts of Maharashtra state, there is a different kind of meat available if asked for – Blackbuck meat. And surprisingly, the meat of this rare and protected animal is cheaper than goat meat!