Birds are shielded from electric prison fences
Since California began enclosing 25 of its 33 state prisons with electric fences in 1993, 3,000 migratory birds have been electrocuted, according to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. But state and federal agencies may have a solution: surrond the fences with netting. The Fish and Wildlife Service, the …
- Wildlife award
Dr Sudhakar Kar, a research officer (wildlife) with the Orissa Government , has been named the 1998 Man-of-the-year by the American Biographical Institute (ABI).
Too many kangaroos
The kangaroo population in Australia has boomed to a record 25 million, outnumbering the human population of 18.5 million, according to a new survey published today by the commonwealth scientific and industrial research organisation.
Simlipal is sealed off for tribal hunt ritual
The Simlipal National Park and the sanctuary have been sealed to tribal hunters fro Thursday. A detachment of the Orissa Armed Police Reserve has been deployed to guard the strategic entry points of the park and help the field staff of the Simlipal Tiger Reserve to combat any exigency arising …
Head-hunters of Nepal
They once grazed on a swathe of land stretching from Myanmar to Afghanistan. But over the years, dwindling forests have driven the Great One Horned Rhinoceros into just a few pockets of Nepal and eastern India, where poachers are hunting them to extinction. A variety of other animals, from horned …
Nandankanan wilts with neglect, encroachment
The premier zoo of the state, Nandankanan, has been recording a regular fall in the number of visitors over the last few years. According to the latest annual report, the number of tourists visiting the zoo has declined from 13,22,772 in 1995-96 to 12,31,677 in 1996-97.
Cloning centre to turn commercial
The ROSLIN Institute, which cloned Dolly the sheep, announced Wednesday that it had set up a company that will develop the technology for commercial use.
An ornithologist's dream
Birds can help the Middle East nest : Israel is the central bus station for bird migration. Incredibly, 500 million birds pass through or over this narrow country - storks and eagles and pelicans shuttling twice a year between Europe and Asia or Africa; songbirds wintering in the milder climate …
Case for protecting Mannar reserve
Promotion of regulated and responsible eco-tourism could be one of the ways to protect the fragile environment of the Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve (GMBR) as well as the livelihoods pf the fishworkers there, according to Mr. Graeme Kelleher, the Australian coastal management expert involved with the preparation of a …
Rationing extended in Klang Valley; Seremban to start tomorrow
Water rationing for more than 600,000 people in the Klang Valley has been extended for another two weeks from tomorrow, while the same exercise will begin in Seremban on the same day and could go on for as long as five months. The water in most dams in the Klang …
Shortage of funds aids poaching in Kaziranga
Kaziranga National Park is facing an acute financial crisis which has hampered initiation of long-term measures to stop rhino poaching in the area. According to the forest department sources, the state, which was facing financial problems, had sanctioned only Rs 21 lakhs for 1997-98 whereas Rs 52 lakhs had been …
- Rare macaws lay eggs for the first time in Delhi zoo
After several years, two of the species-- the Eclutus parrot and the blue-yellow macaw-- have laid eggs which, officials say, have a good chance of hatching-- this would be the first time at the zoo. The chicks are due anytime.
- Wild ass kicks salt industry in Kutch
The man-environment conflict has landed the Rs 50-crore salt manufacturing industry and as many as 3.5 lakh family members of salt-pan workers (agarias) into troubled waters. The agarias working in the districts of Surendranagar, Mehsana, Banaskantha, Rajkot and Kutch claim that they will be out of jobs next season due …
Concern over killing of Sangai deer
Though killing or trapping of the world famous sangai brow-antlered deer is banned inside the Keibul Lamjao National Park, the only floating wildlife sanctuary in the world, illegal hunting of the rare species of deer continues unabated, and the recent killing of the animal only confirmed this fact, eliciting concerned …
- Fund squeeze in green belt
One of the greenest belts around Bhubaneswar, the famous Chandaka Dampara wildlife sanctuary may soon degenerate into the wasteland it was in the early 80s. The government apathy to its maintenance is threatening its flora and fauna.
-Orissa coast not safe for hatching of Olive Ridley eggs
The endangered Olive Ridley Turtles on the Orissa coast appear to be facing a hostile climate before and after their mass nesting (arribada). According to conservationists, the eggs laid by them near Rushikulya river mouth face the danger of being devoured by predators as nobody is there to guard them.
- Bangladesh battles hard to save the Sunderbans
The brackish water nourishing Bangladesh's Sunderbans supports a refuge for rare species, but their drinking grounds are getting saltier and the world's largest mangrove forest is facing serious damage, experts say.
- Orissa row on turtle deaths
Minister of State for Fisheries Prakash Chandra Debata came in for sharp criticism from wildlife conservation groups for his statement in the Assembly saying that the large-scale deaths of Olive Ridley turtles on the coast was due to "old age" and toxic industrial waste dumped in the sea.
- Amazing, Amazon, flamingoes charm Uncle Robin
Dr Robin Banerjee and Salim Ali teamed up to find out the mystery behind bird-harakiri at Jatinga valley in North Cachar Hills. Dr Banerjee said: "Usually, birds which fly during daytime do not fly at night but a visit to Jatinga proved me wrong" Some birds which usually fly during …
