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Mudumalai National Park closed for census
Chennai, Nov 25, 2012(DHNS): The Mudumalai National Wildlife Park in the Nilgiris
district of Tamil Nadu, abutting Karnataka and Kerala, will be shut down for four
days from Sunday to facilitate a census of the animals in the entire
habitat known for a varied range of wildlife. The extensive sanctuary including the wildlife corridors and the
National park, a popular tourist draw, covers a huge area of 429 Sq km,
according to the Tamil Nadu Forest Department. It is a part of the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve and has also been
declared as a Tiger Reserve. The Mudumalai Wildlife Park, situated 67 km from Ooty, is expected to
reopen on November 29 after the animal census is completed, official sources said over telephone this evening.
But they were tight-lipped on the details. The closure would also apply
to the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) area which tourists will not be
able to visit till the reopening of the National park.The MTR had been open to tourists again on last
Tuesday(Nov 20), after the Supreme Court in a recent directive lifted the ban on tourism with
certain conditions that included that tourism activities should not affect tiger conservation efforts there. The ban had been in force for
over four months. Even as tourists inflow began to pick up in the last couple of days with
elephant rides and van safaris resuming at MTR, the Forest Authorities
have now announced the closure of the entire wildlife area for tourists
and visitors to facilitate the animal census in the National park area.
If it is for census counting, they normally close the wildlife park, a
top District official told Deccan Herald over the phone. Due to the continuing foggy
conditions in the hill-station district, the road visibility has poor and the vehicular traffic has
slowed down.
India to host first-ever international conference on bears
NEW DELHI, November 20, 2012: India will host its first international Conference on
Bear Research and Management in Delhi next week. The conference, held every
18 months, had its last two editions in Ottawa (Canada) and Georgia (USA) .
The five-day conference starts Nov 26 and will be hosted by the Ministry
of Environment and Forests in collaboration with three wildlife conservation NGOs ,Wildlife
Institute of India and the Central Zoo Authority. A National Bear
Conservation and Welfare Action Plan will be launched at the conference.
The national plan is a compilation of 26 state welfare action plans. "The national bear action plan outlines directions
for conservation of bears in the country. Whether or not it becomes a
standalone project depends on the ministry," says Rahul Kaul, chief ecologist, Wildlife Trust of India, one of the NGOs involved in
formulating the bear conservation plan. Close to 170 paper presentations by national and international bear
experts from 35 countries are expected to take place in the conference
on themes ranging from bear-human interactions and bear rescue and habilitation. A pre-conference workshop will look at developing a
"conflict mitigation toolkit" in Srinagar.
There are currently four species of bears in the country. Of these,
black bears are on the endangered list of the IUCN ( International Union
for Conservation of Nature. Bears are poached for body parts in north and central India. Bear bile is a
constituent of traditional medicine. In the north-east, they are also poached for meat. Source: The Economic Times
Thai man nabbed with 16 tiger cubs in truck
Bangkok, October 30, 2012 (PTI): Thai authorities have arrested a lorry driver after 16 tiger cubs were
discovered in the back of his vehicle near the border with Laos. The 52-year-old man was arrested in Khon Kaen province in northeastern
Thailand during a routine check by authorities, who found the cubs, aged
between six weeks and two months, in plastic crates.The man was stopped near the border with Laos
after avoiding a police checkpoint.
Survey to count Ganges river dolphins
NEW DELHI, October 5, 2012: A three-day programme for a headcount of river dolphins in
the Ganges river will be carried out October 5-7 in and around Uttar
Pradesh, officials said on Wednesday. The programme is also aimed at
spreading awareness about the endangered mammal. "My Ganga, My Dolphin" is a joint effort between World Wide Fund for
Nature (WWF)-India and the Uttar Pradesh forest department under the
aegis of HSBC Bank. The survey will count the number of dolphins across a 2,800-km stretch
of the Ganges and its tributaries. "It also aims to spread awareness among locals in and around the banks of the Ganges and to help in
capacity building of stakeholders associated with the conservation of
the mammal," Suresh Babu, director of river basins and water policy,
WWF-India said. According to WWF, the last such survey was conducted in 2005, which found around 600 river
dolphins in the rivers of Uttar Pradesh.
The findings of the new survey will be revealed by Uttar Pradesh chief
minister Akhilesh Yadav Oct 7. The Ganges river dolphins are one of the four living species of dolphin that reside in freshwater rivers and estuaries.
However, their numbers have been dwindling due to rising pollution in
the river , indiscriminate fishing and lean flow of water from dams and barrages.
There were 4,000-5,000 dolphins in Indian rivers in 1982. Their number
is believed to be less than 1,800 now. Source: Times of India
Assam: Rhino left bleeding succumbs to injuries, fifth death in 3 days
Guwahati, September 28, 2012 (PTI) : A rhino, left bleeding by poachers who removed its horn,
succumbed to its injuries on Friday taking the number of total pachyderm
deaths to five during the last three days in the Kaziranga National Park.
The male rhino, which strayed from the flooded park, was shot at inside
the Jagadamba Tea Estate bordering Bagori range and its horn removed on
Thursday leaving it bleeding at the spot, officials said. The rhino struggled for its life but succumbed to injuries though a
veterinary team rushed to the spot to treat the injured pachyderm. Seventeen rhinos have been so far killed and their horns removed by
poachers. During the last three days, five rhinos have been killed while during
the current year. Seventeen rhinos have been so far killed and their horns removed by poachers.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said his government has already
recommended a CBI inquiry into rhino killings and was confident that it
would help in nabbing the poachers.He claimed poaching has come down considerably since the days of the
earlier AGP government in the state. "The state forest department was capable of
dealing with the situation and the army would be deployed along the Karbi Hills only to help them,"
Gogoi told reporters while reviewing the flood situation of Morigaon district.
Assam Forest Minister Rockybul Hussain reviewed the prevailing situation
in Kaziranga and held a meeting with forest officials to prevent further
incidents of poaching.
Hundreds of cranes die in Muktsar village
MUKTSAR, November 3, 2012: A team of wildlife department officials on Sunday visited Pakki
Tibbi village of Muktsar district, where hundreds of common cranes were found
dead a day earlier. Although officials are still not clear about the reason behind
deaths, there is a strong suspicion that the birds may have died of pesticides in pond water. Officials have sent the carcass of some birds
for post mortem examination.
"We got information about the death of birds on Saturday. Only
postmortem report will make clear the reason of deaths," said Wild Life
Sanctuary, Abohar range, Inspector Kulwant Singh. Pakki Tibbi village
falls in Lambi constituency , which is represented by chief minister Parkash Singh
Badal. "Thousands of birds had come here around three years ago and made their
nests on trees. The birds started dying around a week back, but on Saturday we saw hundreds of them dead," said Amrik Singh, a villager.
"The possibility of deaths due to use pesticides thrown by farmers into
a pond cannot be ruled out," said Hemant Kumar, Forest Block Officer, Ferozepur Range.
Source: Times of India
SC extends ban on tourism in core areas of tiger reserves
NEW DELHI, August 29, 2012: Extending the ban on tourism activities in the core
areas of tiger reserves, the Supreme Court today pulled up the Centre for the depleting population of the wild cats in the country.
A bench of justices A K Patnaik and Swatanter Kumar put some searching
questions to the Centre as it made a fresh plea for the review of the
apex court's July 24 order banning tourism in the core areas of tiger
reserves. "You are trying to make up. You have done it (guidelines) after due
deliberation. We want to know on what basis you want to do it? What is
the data available? "What are you going to do to save tigers? Earlier it was 13,000, now it
has come down to 1,200. You are more worried about the commercial activities," the bench told the Centre's counsel Waseem Ahmed
Kadiri.
The apex court made the observation after the Centre made a mention of
its affidavits filed in the court for permission to review its earlier
guidelines for conservation of tiger. The apex court earlier on July 24 had imposed an interim ban on tourism
in core areas of tiger reserves on the basis of same guidelines. The ban
extended today would remain in place at least till next hearing on August 29.
"What have you done for the tiger project? What about the core areas you
have promised to take steps for? The Union of India has not done anything except filling affidavits. Why did you initially recommend the
ban?," the court asked the counsel. The apex court later while ordering that its interim ban order would
continue posted the matter for further hearing to August 29.
The Centre had filed an affidavit seeking permission to review the
existing guidelines for conservation of tigers in the wake of the apex
court's order banning tourism in core areas of tiger reserves. In its asffidavit, the Centre had also contended that the states have
expressed concern that many local people depend on tourism for their
livelihood and banning tourism in core areas of the tiger reserves would
result in loss of such income leading to discontent which may be a threat to wildlife and forests. Source: The Economic Times
Elephant killed by speeding train
GUWAHATI, August 3, 2012: An elephant was killed by a speeding train on the outskirts of Guwahati on Wednesday night as the railway tracks continue
to be a deathtrap for the pachyderms in the state. A female elephant was killed in a collision with an inter-city train in
the Kurkuria area under Sonapur forest range of Kamrup district on Wednesday night. The train was going from Guwahati to Tinsukia in upper
Assam.
The elephant, which had been separated from its herd, was dragged
on the tracks by the train. The railway track where the mishap occurred
is close to the Amsang wildlife sanctuary. Forest officials said the
elephant would be around seven years old. With the Wednesday killing, the total death toll of elephants due to
collision with speeding train has increased to four this year. An elephant succumbed to injuries after being hit by a train at Gibbon
Wildlife Sanctuary in Jorhat district last month, while two elephants
were knocked down to death in Karbi Anglong area on February and June.
In May this year, an elephant was injured by a moving train in the Deepor Beel area, also in the outskirt of
Guwahati. Last year, five elephants were killed in collision with moving trains in
different parts of the state, including three jumbo deaths in Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary alone.
In 2010, about seven elephants were knocked down to deaths by speeding
trains in Karbi Anglong and Deepor Beel areas. The Wildlife Trust of
India has identified at least 19 spots where railway tracks passes through
elephant habitats. These spots have been declared sensitive. According to Elephant Task Force
(ETF),Assam tops with a 36 per cent of elephant casualties due to train-hits since 1987, followed
by West Bengal with 26 per cent and Uttarakhand with 14 per cent. Source: Times of India
SC bans tourism in core areas of tiger reserves
New Delhi, July 24, 2012 (PTI): Stepping in to conserve the big cat, the Supreme Court on Tuesday
directed that there shall be no tourism activity in any of the core zones of tiger reserves across the country.
A bench of justices Swatanter Kumar and Ibrahim Kalifulla also warned of
contempt proceedings and imposition of exemplary costs on states which failed to notify the
buffer zones in their respective tiger reserves. "We make it clear that till final directions are issued by this court,
the core zones or core areas in the tiger reserves will not be used for tourism," the bench said in its order.
The apex court was also furious that several states despite its earlier
directions of April 4 and July 10 had failed to notify the buffer zones
in their respective reserves and warned that if they failed to comply
within three weeks the defaulting states shall be saddled with a cost of
Rs. 50,000 each, recoverable from the Principal Secretary, Forest of the
state concerned. The apex court also imposed a cost of Rs. 10,000 each on Andhra
Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Maharashtra and Jharkhand for not
complying with its directions. However, counsel for Arunachal Pradesh and Jharkhand stated that they
were ready with the notification and would file appropriate affidavits
during the course of the day. The court was hearing a PIL filed by conservationist Ajay Dubey
demanding removal of commercial tourism activities from core or critical tiger habitats in the tiger reserves.
On July 10, the apex court had granted two more weeks "as last
opportunity" to states which had defaulted in notifying buffer zones
around tiger reserves to regulate commercialisation of revenue land around big cat habitats and help preserve the
endangered species. On April 4, the court had asked Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Andhra
Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and
Maharashtra to notify the zones within three months. Rajasthan had informed the court that it had notified the zones.
Under Section 38(b) and Explanation 1 and 2 of the Wildlife (Protection)
Act, 1972, the states have to notify the list of core and buffer areas
of tiger reserves undertheir respective jurisdiction. Under the Act, buffer zones are the areas peripheral to the critical
tiger habitats or core areas providing supplementary habitats for dispersing tigers and offering scope for co-existence of human activity.
The buffer zones constitute the fringe areas of tiger reserves up to a distance of 10 kms.
Assam flood: Over 500 animals dead in Kaziranga
Golaghat, July 07, 2012 (PTI): *Over 540 animals, including 13 rhinos, have perished in the
world-famed Kaziranga National Park in Assam during the current wave of
floods, perhaps the worst-ever to hit the Park in recent history. Hog deer are the worst hit with 465 of them succumbing to the flood
waters which have inundated nearly 80 per cent of the Park's area. According to the latest official update, the other casualties include 10
swamp deer, 28 wild boars, five porcupine, 16 sambars and two each of
python, wild buffalo and hog badgers. The death toll was expected to rise further with the water level
receding in the UNESCO World Heritage site and more carcasses are being
recovered daily, Park Director Sanjib Bora said yesterday. Speeding vehicles also claimed the lives of about 25 hog deer while two
rhinos were killed by poachers.
The Golaghat district administration has imposed prohibitory orders
under Section 144 Cr P C along NH-37, which passes through the Park and
barricades have been set up at regular intervals to prevent speeding,
Golaghat Deputy Commissioner Sanjiv Gohain Boruah said. Forest guards, along with the people living in the fringe villages and
NGOs, have so far rescued 126 hog deer, two rhino calves, two elephant
calves and four barking deer and they are being treated at the Centre
for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC), Bora said. The devastating floods have caused extensive damage to roads, bridges
and approaches to bridges though the actual extent of the damage was yet
to be ascertained, he said. The Park has been flooded since June 26 and within a couple of days
nearly 80 per cent of the sanctuary was inundated with only the natural
and artificial highlands spared where the animals fled for shelter. The death toll among the hog deer was high primarily because they cannot
survive in water and due to their small size they find it difficult to flee the flood water, wildlife experts said.
63 elephants die in 2 years in Bengal
KOLKATA, June 23, 2012 (PTR): Altogether 63 elephants died in West Bengal either naturally or
by accident in a span of two years, while 139 people were killed in elephant attacks during the same period, state forest minister Hiten Burman said here today.
Giving details on the elephant reserve in the state, Burman said that
there was a stock of 652 elephants comprising 529 in North Bengal and the rest 123 in South Bengal.
Out of the 63 elephant deaths between January 2010-2012, 49 were in
North Bengal and 14 in South Bengal. Of the 49 elephant deaths in North Bengal, 27 were natural and the rest
accidental, but in South Bengal of 14 deaths, seven were natural and as
many accidental, he said. Out of 139 villagers killed in elephant attacks, 88 were in North Bengal
and the rest 51 in South Bengal, he said, adding that a total of 425
persons were injured in such cases. Replying to a question, the minister earlier said in the state
Assembly that the state government disbursed total compensation of about Rs 1.44
crore for the loss of human lives and injuries in elephant attacks. While Rs one lakh was given in cases of death of a person, Rs 50,000 to
each of those rendered immobile, he said. Regarding damage by elephants, the minister said that crops of 8,054
hectares were damaged during the same time frame and for this the state
government had to disburse compensation of Rs 2.85 crore. The state government has a plan to develop two rescue
centres, one at South Khayerbari in North Bengal and the other at Nayagram under West
Midnapore district in South Bengal, covering 100 acres each to shelter rogue elephants, he said.
8 peacocks succumb to heat stroke in Aravalli village
Gurgaon, June 12, 2012 (IANS): 8 peacocks succumb to heat stroke in Aravalli village Gurgaon: At least
eight peacocks died Monday due to heat stroke in Hasanpur village, 12 km
from here in the Aravalli hills, a wildlife official said. Two seriously ill peacocks have been taken for treatment to a veterinary
hospital in Gurgaon district. Villagers informed the wildlife department about the dead peacocks.
"We visited the spot and post-mortems were conducted on three peacocks,including a peahen," said District Forest Officer (DFO) Shyam Sunder.
Wild Life Conservator Vinod Kumar said: "We are investigating the matter. Reports of other peacocks dying earlier have also come to us,
and we are not sure about the total number of deaths." Jeet Ram, a social worker, said that at least eight peacocks had died
during the past 24 hours till Monday. He said that ponds drying up in the Aravalli and nearby villages could be the main reason behind the
deaths of the national bird. "Some peacocks were buried, while others have been eaten up by animals,"
said Jeet Ram. "Heat stroke was the cause of the deaths," said Devender Singh Joon, the
veterinarian who conducted the post- mortems. According to experts, the temperature in the treeless hilly areas where
the peacocks died, remains two to three degree higher than in the fields.
Poaching lens on cub death in Sunderbans
KOLKATA, June 7, 2012:
The Sunderbans faces its first poaching probe since the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) notified new rules last month.
The carcass of a two-month-old female tiger cub was found floating near the mangroves on the Raimangal river on Tuesday, creating a flutter in
the forests as, according to NTCA rules, all tiger deaths are to be treated as poaching cases until proven otherwise.
Officials of the Sunderbans Tiger Reserve will now conduct a detailed probe and send the post-mortem and viscera
reports to the NTCA. The body was spotted near Jhingakhali by an STR patrolling team. Vet and representatives from World Wildlife Fund and NTCA
were called in to assist in the probe. The cub might have died a day or two back. As of now, it is suspected to
be a drowning case as water was found in the cub's lungs. Since it was only two months old, it didn't even have teeth," said Joydip Kundu,
member, NTCA Schedule I animal handling committee. Source: Times of India
Guards of Maharashtra tiger reserves told to shoot poachers on sight
Mumbai, May 24, 2012 (DNA): The state forest department has issued an order
empowering guards to shoot poachers on sight in Maharashtra's four tiger reserves.
The order was issued after two tigers and three leopards were found killed in the last few weeks.
Forest minister Patangrao Kadam on Tuesday said the high-powered committee of forest officers took the decision to empower the staff. He
said the guards have been provided with logistic support.
"Killing poachers won't be considered a crime and no case will be
registered if the forest staff catch them in the act and open fire. The guards have been provided with state-of-the-art arms. They will also be
given 100 vehicles. The department has been given additional funds for
hiring informants," Kadam said. He said a CID probe has been announced in the killing of two tigers at
the Tadoba reserve to find out whether they were electrocuted or poached. A committee of four forest officers will conduct a parallel
inquiry in the killings.
Kaziranga has over 100 tigers
Guwahati, April 30, 2012: “Kaziranga is one of the highest density tiger habitats in the country
and has a healthy breeding source population,” says a report released on
Monday. It has over 100 tigers, the estimate based on the annual monitoring carried out in 2009, 2010 and 2011 using the camera trap method.The report, “Tigers of the
Kaziranga National Park, Assam, India, 2009-2011,” says 118 tigers were recorded in the reserve over the three
year-period. The figure includes six tigers which died during the monitoring period.The study was a joint initiative of the Assam Forest Department and
biodiversity conservation group Aaranyak. In 2011, it was carried out in collaboration with the Wildlife Institute of India and WWF India.
Senior wildlife biologist of Aaranyak M. Firoz Ahmed, who led the exercise, told The Hindu that individual tigers were identified on the
basis of differences in the stripe pattern on flanks, limbs, tail and forequarters.
The report, released by Assam Forest Minister Rakibul Hussain at a function held in the Kaziranga park, says the tiger population in the
reserve was extrapolated at 106 (minimum 81 to maximum 131) by Jhala et al (2011) as published by the National Tiger Conservation Authority.
Kaziranga, which was declared a tiger reserve in 2008, covers over 1,000 square kilometres. Their major prey there, according to the report, are
hog deer, sambar, swamp deer, Asiatic wild buffalo and wild pigs. Source: The Hindu
Nearly 49 to 54 tigers in Uttarakhand killed in a year
New Delhi, March 28, 2012: Uttarakhand turned into a hub for tiger poaching, with 49 to 54 tigers — one fourth of the total tigers in the
state — killed in less than a year (2010- 11), an internal government memo had revealed.
The memo was based on confession of three tiger poachers According to NGO Wildlife Protection Society of India, 61 tigers were
killed in 2011 and 18 till end of February 2012 in the country. This does not take into account the alleged killing of tigers by these three
poachers. The poachers reportedly hired locals to kill tigers in different forest
ranges of the state, including Corbett Tigers Reserve, which has highest
density of big cats in the world. “For each tiger an initial amount of Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 was paid,”
said a senior state forest department functionary. Once the animal was killed and handed over another Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 was paid.
Although the poachers operated separately, their modus operandi was similar. They visited the state to order the killing in three to four
locations and thereafter, the entire operation was run using mobile phones. "For the first time, mobile phones were put on surveillance and it helped us to crack the racket," a senior state forest department functionary said.
Then arrangements were made to transport the body parts to Uttarakhand-Nepal border. "All the tiger body parts were smuggled to a
woman named Aarti in Nepal, who ensured it reached possible clients in
Tibet," he said. Source: Hindustan Times
356 leopard deaths in India in 365 days
Pune, March 2, 2012: The observation that India is losing its leopards faster than
any other wild cat will soon be proved true as according to the latest report by the Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) 356 leopards
died across the country because of various causes last year alone.
The data shows 52 per cent of the deaths were due to poaching.
Since earlier reports show 126 leopards died in 2007, 157 in 2008, 161 in 2009 and 180 in 2010, the latest figures reveal that after 2007 the
death rate among the spotted big cats has only increased and that leopards are in greater danger than tigers in the country.
According to the Nagpur forest department's wildlife division, 81 leopard deaths were reported in the state in 2011 compared to 56 in 2010
and 48 in 2009. The deaths, reported in villages near the city, Junnar, Jalgaon, Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Hingoli and Ratnagiri, are largely
being attributed to poaching. Of the 356 deaths reported in 2011 countrywide, 41 (12 per cent) deaths
were due to conflict with humans, 29 (8 per cent) were due to accidents, 65 (18 per cent) fatalities were ascribed to unknown reasons, and 186
(52 per cent) occurred due to poaching. The report adds that 14 leopards were killed during rescue operations and 21 by other animals. The data shows
that the highest number of deaths was recorded in Uttarakhand; as many as 114 (30 per cent) of the leopard deaths last
year occurred in that state. The many deaths were recorded despite leopards being listed under
Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 and should enjoy the highest degree of protection. According to the forest department, there were fewer than 200 humans
Source: NDTV
India village in Rajasthan relocates to protect tigers
Jaipur, February 18, 2012 (BBC): An entire village has been relocated in the northern Indian state of
Rajasthan to protect tigers, officials say. More than 350 people from 82 families in Umri village, in the Sariska
tiger reserve, moved to a new location. The number of tigers in Sariska had dwindled to zero before growing to
five over the last three years. Tiger numbers have shrunk alarmingly in India in recent decades. A 2011
census counted about 1,700 tigers in the wild. A century ago there were estimated to be 100,000 tigers in India.
Umri is the second village in Sariska to be relocated to help secure a proper habitat for tigers to increase their numbers. The villagers moved
last week. There are 11 villages with a population of nearly 2,500 people located
in the heart of the tiger reserve which need to be relocated to improve the habitat, Rajasthan's chief conservator of forests, PS Somasekhar,
told the BBC. People living in these villages mostly belong to pastoral tribes.
Mr Somasekhar said efforts were being made to relocate four more villages over the next few years.
"It is a long-drawn process because the villagers have to agree to move
out. We can't force them to leave. We can only persuade," he said. The villagers are compensated with land, cash and livestock worth up to
1 million rupees ($20,000) and relocated to the nearest cultivable plots outside the reserve, Rajasthan's chief wildlife warden AC Chaubey told
the BBC. The number of tigers in the 886-sq-km Sariska reserve dropped to zero
from a high of 16 in 2002. India's most recent tiger census, held last year, indicated that numbers
had increased to 1,706 from 1,411 at the last count in 2007.
Birds of Gujarat: Present status and future scenario
SURAT, February 7, 2012: Of the 145 endangered bird species in India, Gujarat is home to
at least 35 of them. Thus it is important that researchers and ornithologists and
people from all walks of life join hands in bird conservation, speakers said at a recently held seminar in Navsari on 'Birds of
Gujarat: Present status and future scenario'. The seminar was organized by Bird Conservation Society, Gujarat
(BCSG) and ASPEE College of Horticulture and Forestry, Navsari Agricultural University
,(NAU) Navsari in alliance with Gujarat Association for Agricultural Sciences (GAAS). At least 450 participants took part in this seminar,
said Adil Kazi, organizing secretary and assistant professor (wildlife & ecotourism) NAU.
The objective is to save the birds, particularly the threatened species
from poaching like it was recently witnessed in Khadir, Bhavnagar and
parts of South Gujarat and from kite threads. "Ornithology is not only a
study of birds, but a medium to learn about the nature," according to
late Salim Ali, Kazi said, adding that the seminar discussed forest
birds, wetland birds, coastal birds, threatened birds, urban birds and
birds of agricultural landscape. There were 19 oral and 24 poster presentations during the seminar in which 10 lead lectures were also
made on topics like photographic overview of birds of Gujarat, birds
ecological role and environmental services, present status of birds of
Gujarat, vulture conservation in Gujarat, vulnerable bird species of Gujarat etc.
Among those who attended the seminar were veteran ornithologist Digvirendrasinhji, D S Narve, additional principal chief conservator of
forests (research & training) and Gautam Naik, conservator of forests,Rajpipla.
Wetland home to about 200 endangered species sold in Dadri
Greater Noida, January 20, 2012: The Union environment ministry has asked the UP government to probe the
alleged sale of parts of a wetland, home to about 200 endangered species, at Dadri in Greater Noida to a private realty firm. “We’re
probing to find out if parts of the wetland have been encroached upon,” sub
divisional magistrate (SDM) Gyanendra Singh told HT on Thursday. The SDM
said only the areas around the wetland, and not the wetland itself, had been sold.
Since construction activity has begun in the vicinity, environmentalists
fear movement, light and sound will scare away the birds, some of them
are on the list of ‘most protected’ under the Wildlife Protection Act,
at Bheel Akbarpur Lake. The builder, however, said it was building a green megapolis in
conformity with all relevant laws and the wetland would not be disturbed. The union
ministry has asked the UP forest department to conserve the wetland and take
appropriate action to stop construction activities.
The Supreme Court has said water bodies like wetlands have to be
protected. Birds such as pied cuckoo, sandpipers, sarus, blue throats,
spoonbills and even the rare bristled grassbird have visited the wetlands.
In November, experts of the Wildlife Trust of India and World Wildlife
Fund inspected the wetlands and “looked displeased” with construction
activities. “It appears private builders are projecting wetlands as lakes in their
townships,” said Singh. The wetlands have not been declared as a protected area by the UP government. Source: Hindustan Times
Chincholi forest now a wildlife sanctuary
GULBARGA , January 2, 2011: Chincholi forest of Gulbarga has got the tag ‘Chincholi
Wildlife Sanctuary’, becoming the first dry land wildlife sanctuary in
South India, with the state government notifying an area of 14,958.87 hectares of forest land in Chincholi taluk for it on November 28. With
this, the state has got 21 wildlife sanctuaries. Deputy Conservator of Forest of Gulbarga Region Radhadevi on Thursday
received a letter written by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) on December 19 intimating about the government notification.
In the letter, the Principal Chief Conservator has asked the DCF to prepare a management plan for the sanctuary as per the
guidelines of the Indian Wildlife Association, New Delhi, and to submit it to him.
The notification declaring Chincholi Forest as a wildlife sanctuary
stated that the forest area had rich natural canopy cover. This is the
only area in the Hyderabad-Karnataka region that has similar features as
the Western Ghats. The notification said due to biotic and climatic interventions, there was a threat of degradation of rich natural forest.
The wildlife sanctuary covers the forest areas of 28 villages of Chincholi
taluk. The notification said Chincholi Wildlife Sanctuary would not include any
revenue villages, patta lands, revenue lands. Speaking to Express, Deputy Conservator of Forest Radhadevi said the 150
- 200 hectares in Sangapur village, over which Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh were locked in a dispute, had not been included in the
sanctuary. The state forest officials had identified encroachments by
the AP. Efforts were on to hold discussions with the Andhra Pradesh
forest officials. Source: Indian Express news service
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