In a landmark conservation initiative, the Uttarakhand Forest Department has launched India’s first Flora Rehabilitation Programme to revive rare, endangered, and threatened (RET) plant species native to the Himalayas. A Himalayan Blue Blossom Fights for Survival High up in the Garhwal Himalayas grows a delicate blue flower with a powerful medicinal legacy — Gentiana kurroo, […]
Camera Trap Captures Snow Leopards in Nanda Devi National Park, Uttarakhand
In a rare sighting, camera traps set up at the Nanda Devi National Park in Uttarakhand clicked images of snow leopards roaming around the snow laden forest. The images were taken from January through March, 2020 and show four of the elusive cats including a pair. DK Singh, director of Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve said that […]
Supreme Court Stops Road Construction Through Rajaji Tiger Reserve
The Supreme Court of India last Friday stayed the construction work of an 11.5 km stretch road that is supposed to be build between Laldhang-Chillarkhal in the Rajaji Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand. For the promised road, Uttarakhand government had conveniently bypassed statutory clearances and begun the work. The court has issued a notice to Chief […]
Scientist Finds An Unusual Bond Between Himalayan Bears And Langurs
It was fruiting season of Acorns in the pristine Himalayan alpine forests of the Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary. Researcher Himani Nautiyal was on a field trip to observe the Central Himalayan Langur (Semnopithecus schistaceus) and their interactions with livestock, when she observed an interaction of a very different kind. A Himalayan black bear was prowling in the […]
Tigress knocked down by Train in Uttarakhand
A nine-year old tigress was run down by a train between Ramnagar and Kashipur stations in Uttarakhand. The incident which is the first of its kind in Uttarakhand occurred in the early hours of the morning and the injured body of the big cat was discovered by villagers later on after sunrise. Officials opine that […]
Snow Leopard Seen at the Gangotri National Park
SPOTTED: It is one of the most elusive wild cats in the world, aptly called the mountain ghost by locals. But officials at the Gangotri National Park in India’s northern state Uttarakhand were delighted to sight not one but two snow leopards within a span of a month roaming inside the protected area. This lucky […]
Natural Disaster or Cost of Ecological Sins?
I was visiting Uttarakhand exactly after a year. As the distant hills became visible and the anticipation of once again breathing the fresh mountain air grew, the heart plunged forward – already trekking up the slopes, hugging the Deodars, pines and oaks like a long lost friend. But the rendezvous was not exactly as I […]
Romancing the Rains
It is the time of the year when Indian skies are covered with gray skies and engulfed with the South West monsoon winds originating from the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. The heavy clouds begin to pour and the rains quench the thirst of the parched dry Earth. It is Monsoon in India.
Corbett Tigers get a Complete Silence Zone
Tigers in India’s oldest national park had been lately subjected to the noise made by party goers, and tourists staying in the vicinity of the park and playing loud music till late in the night. But after a high court directive, the state government has now imposed a strict ban on noise pollution in a 500 metre radius across the park.
Swamp Deer Numbers Increase
Jhilmil jheel (lake) in Haridwar is fast growing into a haven for swamp deers, thanks to the conservation effort of the state. The Swamp deer population of the lake has increased many folds since 2005 according to the latest census conducted by Widlife Institute of India (WII)
Himalayan Bird to get Advanced Breeding Centre
The Himalayan Monal, Lophophorus impejanus also known as the Impeyan Monal or Impeyan Pheasant or Danphe is soon to get an advanced breeding centre in Manali after the Central Zoo Authority approved the proposal. The plan pending for a long time will help the state bird of Uttaranchal get greater protection and hopefully help increase […]