Wildlife Trust Of India

The Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL), headed by Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, has recommended 32 defence infrastructure proposals involving diversion of land from protected areas and eco-sensitive zones across Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Ladakh and Sikkim. These include construction of strategic roads, helipads, training areas, ammunition depots, housing for troops and artillery regiments, with the bulk of the projects located in Ladakh's ecologically fragile Karakoram and Changthang sanctuaries. In Arunachal Pradesh, the committee cleared two major projects of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) inside Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary: the 56-km Malinye-Balua-Kapuda road (involving 111.29 hectares of forest land and 9.73 ha from the Eco-Sensitive Zone) and the 20.88-km Kapuda-Phuphu road (involving 44.13 ha of forest land). "The animal passage plan for the present proposal should address the wildlife movement for the animals found in the sanctuary

World Wildlife Day, celebrated on March 3, aims to raise awareness about the planet's diverse flora and fauna. Marking the occasion, PM Modi also emphasised the importance of wildlife conservation

The radio collars of six cheetahs at the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh have been removed for their "health examination" by veterinarians from the KNP and experts from Namibia and South Africa, officials said on Monday. Notably, five adult cheetahs and three cubs have died at the KNP in Sheopur district since March this year. A total of 11 cheetahs - six male and five female - are currently inside the boma (enclosure), an official said. "So far, the radio collars of six cheetahs have been removed by KNP veterinarians and experts from Namibia and South Africa on the ground of health examination, the official said. The cheetahs whose radio collars have been removed are identified as Gourav, Shourya, Pavan, Pavak, Asha and Dheera, the official said, adding "the condition of all these cheetahs is healthy." An official release issued on Saturday also said, For the purpose of health examination by the veterinary team of Kuno along with experts from Namibia and South Africa, radio

Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park (KNP), which has seen the death of two cheetahs in less than a month, has "inadequate space" for these felines brought from Africa, a former official of the Wildlife Institute of India has claimed. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), which is overseeing the ambitious cheetah reintroduction project in the country, has called a meeting in New Delhi on Monday in the wake of the death of two cheetahs out of the 20 felines translocated to KNP from Namibia and South Africa over the last eight months, an official said. According to some experts, a cheetah needs about 100 square kilometre area for its movement. The KNP is spread over an area of 748 sq km and has a buffer zone of 487 sq km. The Wildlife Institute of India's (WII) former dean Yadvendradev Vikramsinh Jhala, who was part of the cheetah project in the past, told PTI that KNP has inadequate space for these animals. A 750 sq km area alone is not sufficient...We have to make (more

In a Q&A, S P Yadav says there have been concerns about the reintroduction project in terms of the ecological adaptation of the felines and co-habitation with other species

The prices are no deterrent for those eager to be 'different' or seeking exotic pets as status symbols.

Nature can protect us only if we protect it - that is the simple truth this government needs to recognise

The episode will premiere on August 12 and will be showcased in more than 180 countries across the world on Discovery network of channels

Interview with senior director and chief veterinarian at the Wildlife Trust of India