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 lead to the deaths of rhinos. Increased precipitation, longer monsoons and seasonal floods are already resulting in stranding, drowning …
Tigers and Asian big cats were at the centre stage of an important debate at the 14th meeting of the Conference of Parties of the CITES at the Hague, The Netherlands. Led by India and other range states like Nepal, China, Bhutan and Russia, the 14th CoP was able to …
The tiger could be made to pay its way out of crisis if a section of conservationists in the country have their way, the Chinese way, actually. China is now considering legalising trade in products from its tiger farms, an admission that a 1993 ban on trade in animal parts …
a proposal to farm tigers to legally supply the not inconsiderable market for the animal's body parts has, as is only to be expected, sparked a controversy. Ranged against the proposal are animal rights activists whose arguments range from the practical
The first ever poaching of several Asiatic lions In Gujarat has shaken the authorities and wildlife lovers into devising steps to protect the species The poaching of six Asiatic lions in two separate incidents and the death of eight others due to various reasons during the month of March alone …
A trail of dna has helped investigators trace the biggest ever consignment of contraband ivory seized in Singapore in June 2002 to Savannah elephants in Zambia. Scientists extracted dna from 37 tusks recovered from the shipment and compared this data with a continent-wide map showing genetic differences and similarities between …
the Gujarat Lion Conservation Society, an autonomous body for Asiatic Lion conservation, will be registered by March 15, 2007. The society will focus on improving habitat, mobilising resources, developing new areas and funding for conservation, says Pradeep Khanna, principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife), Gir National Park in Gujarat's Junagadh …
the us has officially launched a global initiative to fight illegal wildlife trade. The Coalition Against Wildlife Trafficking (cawt) comes despite the fact that there are two international conventions to control trade in wildlife: the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (cites) and the Convention on Biological Diversity. "Conventions …
The unique and beautiful Tibetan antelope, or chiru, is in imminent danger of extinction from illegal hunting. At current rates of hunting, the species may be extinct in the wild within two years. The chiru is hunted for its underfur, which is used to make a very fine wool called …
RECENTLY, the Rajasthan High Court, concerned about lesser tigers in the Ranthambore tiger reserve, directed that all vehicles should be denied entry into the park. The response was immediate and furious. Conservationists, tiger lovers and tourist operators combined to argue that the ban would destroy the hotel industry and hit …
mount Abu, in Sirohi district, Rajasthan was shut down from November 13 to 15. This was after the state's wildlife department issued a notification on October 4, 2006 declaring the area a wildlife sanctuary. Protests were held at the sub-divisional magistrate's office. About 11,000 tourists were asked to leave town. …
Historically, there was contiguous forest all across the terai region of Nepal and tigers were distributed in high densities. The situation changed during early 1960s because the tiger habitat in the terai was drastically reduced as a result of human resettlement program. The destruction of habitat and fragmentation lead to …
At least one hundred dead elephants were spotted on the border of Chad's Zakouma National Park in the last week of August. Poachers hacked off the animals' heads to remove tusks and left the carcasses behind. The park is located in a wilderness that was home to about 300,000 elephants …
The illegal trade in poached skins between India, Nepal and China is the most significant immediate threat to the continued existence of the tiger in the wild. While the importance of the problem has been recognized and plenty of information is already available, the lucrative illegal trade continues.
blame it all on the "negative impact of political instability' in Nepal. This seems to be the ready excuse for any untoward incident in the country, even if it is related to wildlife. In the last week of July, the Chitawan National Park authorities found three rhinos dead in adjoining …
prime minister Manmohan Singh has given final clearance to establish a Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (wccb). This was decided in a meeting of members of the National Wildlife Board (nwb), chaired by him on June 19, 2006. The prime minister's office (pmo) also proposed to bifurcate the Union ministry of …
lankan fuel crisis: Sri Lanka recently reached a settlement with the Lanka Indian Oil Corporation (LIOC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Indian Oil Corporation, to resolve a fuel crisis in the country. LIOC was unable to import any fuel from India unless the Lankan government paid at least Rs 1 billion …
AFTER the shocking revelation in 2005 that the tigers (Panthera tigris) had vanished from the Sariska reserve in Rajasthan, Ranthambhore, also in the same State, and one of the most popular tiger habitats in the country, is approaching a similar crisis: The National Park may have only 15 big cats …
The Sunderbans are perhaps the last true wild frontier of the Indian Subcontinent and conflict between man and animal is quite common. On the initiative both of the Field Director of the Tiger Reserve and WWF India West Bengal State Office several local youth, who before mostly had been poachers, …
In general, when I tell people that I am an ecologist, I am invariably asked if I am a vegetarian. People are generally shocked to hear that I am not, and that not only do I eat domestic animals, I have no compunctions about consuming wild creatures as long as …
