An assessment of various threats to the olive ridley turtles at Rushikulya rookery of Orissa in India was investigated during 2003-04 and 2004-05 seasons. Data on adult mortality, predation of eggs and juveniles, beach erosion and Casuarina plantation along the beach were collected. Turtle mortality was low at Rushikulya compared …
The Sariska Tiger Reserve, one of the important tiger habitats of Central India, came into limelight because of the disappearance of tigers from the area. It exemplifies another
Free-ranging horses (Equus caballus) in North America are considered to be feral animals since they are descendents of non-native domestic horses introduced to the continent. We conducted a study in a southern California desert to understand how feral horse movements and horse feces impacted this arid ecosystem. We evaluated five …
A population assessment survey of the endangered Ganges river dolphin was made between February and Apil 2005 in the Brahmaputra River starting from Assam-Arunachal border to the India-Bangladesh border. One hundred and ninety seven dolphins were recorded in the entire 856 km river stretch with an encounter rate of 0.23 …
The African elephant's misfortune has been its teeth, in particular the well developed pair of upper incisors known as tusks for which it is being killed in large numbers. The visible ivory part of the tusks is made up of dentine with an outer layer of enamel, and when viewed …
This article is an analysis of the India Eco-Development Project (IEP) implemented in Sasan Gir National Park and Sanctuary. Statistical data describing the consumption patterns and financial status of the Maldharis was collected from 13 nesses. This information demonstrates the impact of the Maldharis on Gir, a lack of willingness …
This communication elaborates a case study in Kerala, where 61 surveys have been conducted from 1990 to 2008 in 21 protected areas and reserve forests in the southern Western Ghats for monitoring bird fauna using the amateur bird-watcher network. Four different methodologies have been used in these surveys, with encounter-based …
The saltwater crocodile (SWC), Crocodylus porosus is perhaps the largest living reptile in the world. captive breeding of SWCs was initiated by the Forest Department of Orissa in 1975 at Dangmal, the Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary (BWLS). With increase in the SWC population, conflicts with humans and livestock also have been …
This report presents an assessment of the trade in gibbons and orang-utans in Sumatra, Indonesia, including the islands off Sumatra’s west coast (most notably, the Mentawai Islands). Until recently Sumatra and its off-lying islands harboured one of the largest expanses of lowland evergreen rainforest in Southeast Asia. Most of the …
Hangul (Cervus elaphus hanglu) is an endangered cervid restricted to the Kashmir valley. At present, a demographically viable population of Hangul occurs only in Dachigam National Park. Between March 04 and 06, 2004, the Hangul population estimation exercise was carried out at a landscape level in central and southern divisions …
Bustards are magnificent, tall, long-necked and long-legged birds belonging to the avian family Otididae. There are about 23 species of bustards in the world, and the Great Indian Bustard (GIB; Ardeotis nigriceps) is the most endangered among these. (Correspondence)
