<p>Order of the Supreme Court in the matter of M K Ranjitsinh & Others Vs Union of India & Others dated 21/03/2024. The matter related to protection of Great Indian Bustard (GIB) and Lesser Florican.</p>
Pelicans and painted storks have been found dead in Hemmanahalli lake near here under mysterious circumstances.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that bird flu was still a potential threat to infect humans in the region and stressed on preventive measures in this regard.
It is steadily getting worse and could easily spin out of control if it acquires a virulent form. The latest outbreak of the avian influenza sweeping West Bengal is the most serious India has ever faced
India's national bird is facing threat in the desert state of Rajasthan - 30 peacocks have been found dead in various parts of the state. While 21 peacocks were found dead in a village near Jodhpur, poachers killed nine peacocks in a village in Bundi district. "Twenty-one peacocks were found dead in an agriculture field in Salodi village in Jodhpur district last evening,' a police official told IANS yesterday. The forest department has been informed and forest officials have started investigations, he added. The forest department has sent the carcasses of the peacocks found in the field for post-mortem examination. In Sisola village in Bundi district, poachers killed nine peacocks after offering them poisonous substance. A recent survey by People for Animals (PFA) showed that as many as 10 peacocks were being killed everyday in Rajasthan.
In a bid to conserve the avian wild life, industrial, residential and commercial activities have been banned within 2- km area surrounding three sanctuaries in Madhya Pradesh. The decision was taken at a meeting presided over by divisional commissioner (Ujjain) S.K. Vashishth under the directives of the Supreme Court and the Madhya Pradesh government yesterday. Official sources said such activities were prohibited around the division's Gandhi Sagar, Khiwani and Kharmour sanctuaries. Mandsaur district-based Gandhisagar sanctuary, spread over 368 sq km area, was a haven for myriad significant birds, including endangered species of vulture. Besides avian life, it also had murals, Takhaji temple and Hinglajgarh fort.
A bird poaching racket is thriving at this popular sanctuary, located just 50 km from the city. If the 350 odd nets seized and destroyed by the forest department and the arrests of culprits in recent months are any indication, poaching could threaten Nal Sarovar. Forest department officials say, "For four months, from October 2007 to January 2008, six persons have been arrested and 96 birds recovered.' An official said, "Members of the Padhar community, which dominates the villages on the periphery of Nal Sarovar, are engaged in poaching for meat.' The major birds found in Nal Sarovar include storks, spoonbills, pelicans, ducks, flamingos, cranes and coots. The poachers spread the net like a curtain across two poles. When a bird glides down, it gets trapped. Once the bird is caught, poachers immediately twist legs of the bird so that it cannot walk. Next, wings of the bird are clipped. Officials said that even if the forest department were to rescue these birds, it would be useless as they would not be able to walk, swim or fly. An official, pleading anonymity, said that the recovery of these nets from the area in this season was an indication that poaching was rampant. A forest officer said if at all there was trading of birds, it was only within the community. He said a small bird would fetch not more than Rs 15 to 20 while one that is full grown would cost around Rs 30 to 35. The officer further said that there were only 12 staffers to man an area of nearly 120 km and three personnel were sent on deputation to the place during the period between October and March. Deputy conservator of forest BD Modi said that in order to check illegal poaching of birds, the department has designed some 15 routes which the teams have to traverse every day. He said that these rounds had helped curb poaching.
Why is the Keoladeo National Park attracting fewer birds? ONCE THE PRIDE Siberian cranes no longer visit Keoladeo I had heard a lot about Keoladeo and for the last three years had waited for the right time to go there
Ever wondered how many different kinds of winged friends share the city with us? Better still, how many species can one spot in a single day
Forget pollution woes. The city is in the grip of a feathered monster which is slowly but surely driving out other birds from its limits. Sparrows, pigeons, parrots and koels are suffering because of the ever-increasing population of crows. The house crow or the common crow is a common sight in India and are abundantly found in the cities. They are also termed as scavengers for their constant search for edibles and the term has been passed over by the vultures that are facing extinction. The crow population in a few years' time might simply preponderate to other bird population in the country. These abysmal creatures survive on garbage, anything dump carelessly without proper sanitation or dead rodents. At times they even feed on human spit. Speaking to FPJ, Anish Andheria, director, science, natural history and photography, Sanctuary Asia said, " the crow population has grown because of humans; we are extremely poor in getting rid of the waste and dump garbage in an open waste ground. Crows are indicators of solid man-made pollution and reflect what we do to the environment. We need to change our dirty and unhealthy practices or otherwise just watch the crow population mounting.' In addition to this, they are being deemed as a threat to other birds like sparrows, koels, parrots or pigeons that are very vulnerable and defenceless or are simply too weak to retaliate. And at times they don't kill these weak birds like sparrows just because they are hungry but for self-gratification. The next time when you hear a koel croon, listen to it a little longer for you may not hear that crooning after a few years as the birds could be annihilated completely by the destructive crows who are out there to get every other species of birds, feel several environmentalists. These crows ruthlessly attack young, attractive birds unnecessarily which can be hazardous for their population.' States Anish. It is being apparently known that the hapless sparrows are disappearing mainly due to these over-populated black birds that pursue them unconditionally. These abominable creatures are actually killed in Singapore, it being a cleanliness conscious city; these feathered monsters are proved to be an anathema for its immaculate environment and are therefore done away with. On the contrary it has been stated that crows can act as cleanliness agents for the city for they consume everything that is carelessly jettisoned which could be a source of pollution. They regularly eat away the rats that are left dead and mutilated by a speeding vehicle. " It's a meager benefit from these birds and cannot be termed as an advantage, it's the responsibility of the municipality to clean such filth like dead rats and not of crows. It is very unhealthy. The best way is to reduce the garbage and regularly clean the niche provided for garbage to lessen the crow population,' adds Anish.
