State of the Rhino 2023
Apart from poaching and habitat loss, climate change-induced droughts have been threatening the rhino population in Africa, pointed out a new report. On the other hand, climate disruptions in Asia can
Poaching
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Tiger poacher falls in trap
The name Abdul Khader Chaudhury does not strike a chord. But he and two others are allegedly responsible for the fast-dwindling tiger population in India. Chaudhury (69), along with two other notorious wildlife traders from Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh, has reportedly smuggled around 600 tiger skins outside the country, in their association spanning more than two decades. He was arrested by the Karnataka State CID Forest Cell on Sunday, from his house in Hyderabad. He was wanted in Hubli and Haliyal cases.
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Wake up call
Sudheendra Aithal of Udupi district was known as an animal lover. He was so fond of wild life that he had almost turned his house into a mini zoo. His dual face was exposed when the CID/Forest Cell of Karnataka police raided his house in October last year. "We were just shocked to see the rare animals he had caged in his house. It was a mini zoo where he had altogether 51 animals and birds, which according to the law cannot be caged or made pets,' says the IGP of CID, Forest, KSN Chikkerur.
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The enemy within
Karnataka might soon have a wildlife crime bureau on the lines of the National Wildlife Crime Bureau, which was set up on the recommendations of the Tiger Task Force. The threat to wildlife in the State is more from indigenous tribes than from outsiders. "We are convinced that the Hakki Pikki tribe is involved in the inter-state poaching racket in Karnataka forests. They have nexus with tribes in other states like the Bahelias in Madhya Pradesh and Pardis in Gujarat,' said Inspector General of Police (CID, Forest Cell) KSN Chikkerur.
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Sumatran tigers 'being sold into extinction'
The wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC issued a wake-up call to the Indonesian authorities this week: stop the illegal trade in Sumatran tiger body parts or the species will be hunted to extinction.
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Risk to wildlife
The Niyamgiri reserve forests are home to spotted deer, sambar, wild boar and leopards. People complain that the Vedanta refinery and its staff quarters and the guesthouse near the hill are
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3 rhino poachers held, ivory seized
The Assam Police today arrested three suspected wildlife poachers involved in illegal trade in wildlife organs from a hotel in Diphu, the district headquarters town of Karbi Anglong hill district, and recovered five pieces of ivory from their possession. Karbi Anglong additional superintendent of police (ASP) N.N. Goswami, who led the operation, informed that acting on a tip-off that traders in wildlife organs were camping in Diphu looking for buyers, the police set up decoys as buyers to track them.
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3 poachers held, ivories seized
Three poachers and wildlife traders were arrested and five ivory pieces recovered from them in Karbi Anglong district today as the State scrambled to save its prized and highly-endangered one-horned rhinos from poachers. Police said the poachers, involved in poaching as well as illegal wildlife trade, were nabbed from a hotel at Diphu. They have been identified as Khamkhan Soum and Gopu Paite, both from Karbi Anglong, and Nur Islam, from Nagaon district. Five ivory pieces were recovered from them, but it was yet to be weighed, police said.
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Jumbos kill one near Dergaon; leopard killed in Teok
Three wild elephants, which were tailing a herd towards Kaziranga National Park, trampled to death one Baap Hazarika (70) and injured two others at Sial Chapori near Dergaon last night. The body of the deceased man was recovered this morning. Hazarika is the fifth victim in jumbo attacks which took place in the riverine areas along the Brahmaputra river this year. Meanwhile, the marauding jumbo herd, which had been driven away towards the national park, destroyed the Mohpora forest camp under Agaratoli range of KNP. There are no reports of any casualty.
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Five poachers' arrested
Five persons have been arrested by the police near the Kaziranga National Park (KNP) in connection with their alleged involvement in rhino poaching. The arrested persons have been identified as Manir Khan (Jakhalabandha), Maman Ahmed (Mathoni TE), Nagina Majhi (Hatikhuli TE), Dhiren Ingti and Biren Ingti (Inglapar). Meanwhile, 100 armed Home Guard personnel and six forest officials have been deployed in the KNP to check poaching, sources said.