Page 6 - Wildlife

Asiatic lions have steadily grown in numbers over last few years: PM Modi

On the World Lion Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday that India is proud to be home to the Asiatic lions and has seen a steady rise in their numbers over the last few years. He tweeted, "World Lion Day is an occasion to celebrate the majestic lions that captivate our hearts with their strength and magnificence. India is proud to be home to the Asiatic Lions and over the last few years there has been a steady rise in the lion population in India." "I laud all those working towards protecting the habitat of lions. May we continue to cherish and protect them, ensuring they thrive for generations to come," he added. The day is dedicated to the majestic animal and aimed at raising awareness about it. India has successfully reversed the declining trend in their numbers and lion population has steadily risen over the years.

Uttarakhand to hike aid to next of kin of human-wildlife conflict victims

The relief amount given on the death of a person in a wildlife attack in Uttarakhand will soon be increased from Rs 4 lakh to Rs 6 lakh. Chairing a meeting of the State Wildlife Board on Friday, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami asked officials to bring a proposal to this effect before the state cabinet soon. He also asked them to make arrangements to ensure the distribution of relief amounts among the beneficiaries in cases of human-wildlife conflict within 15 days. The chief minister advised steps like the installation of solar lights in villages near forests, creating public awareness, and appointing an adequate number of forest personnel to reduce human-wildlife conflicts. He said places, where human-wildlife conflicts are more frequent, should be identified so that people can be warned in advance. It was told in the meeting that Human-Wildlife Conflict Prevention Cell and Uttarakhand Human-Wildlife Conflict Prevention Fund have been established and Uttarakhand Wildlife Helpl

India should go for younger cheetahs habituated to humans: African experts

Younger cheetahs that are habituated to management vehicles and human presence are preferred candidates for relocation to India, international experts involved in Project Cheetah have told the government based on lessons learnt from the initial experience in Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park. In a status report submitted to the government recently, the experts emphasised that younger cheetahs are more adaptable to their new environments and have higher survival rates compared to older cheetahs. Younger males display "lower aggression" towards other cheetahs, reducing the risk of intraspecific competition mortality, commonly known as cheetah infighting. Considering the costs associated with relocating cheetahs to India, the experts highlighted that younger cheetahs have a longer life expectancy post-release, offering higher conservation value and breeding potential. The experts said younger cheetahs "habituated to management vehicles and humans on foot" allow easier monitoring of

Cheetahs developing thick coats in anticipation of African winter: Experts

The natural process of cheetahs developing thick coats of fur in anticipation of African winter appears to be proving fatal in India's wet and hot conditions, international experts involved in the Project Cheetah have said. In a report to the government, they suggested interventions such as shaving off the winter coats to deal with fatal infections and prevent any more death. Six of the 20 adult cheetahs relocated to the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh from Africa have died since March this year -- the latest being on Wednesday. The experts said that the thicker coats, high parasite load and moisture create a perfect recipe for dermatitis with fly strike on top of it compounding the infection and compromising the skin's integrity. Infections can spread and the contaminated fluids can run down the spine when the cheetahs sit up on their haunches, they said. A government official associated with the project said that not all the felines have developed thicker coats. "Some of th

Tiger trade syndicate busted, ex-WPSI officer arrested: Govt agency

Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), an apex body constituted by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF & CC) to combat the organised wildlife crime and illegal wildlife trade, issued a red alert to all Tiger reserves and tiger bearing areas to intensify the patrolling and sanitise all above areas from hunting gangs on July 29, 2023.A tiger skin and bones were seized and five offenders were arrested at Guwahati by Assam Forest and police officials on 28 June, 2023, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change said.The case was transferred by the Assam forest department to WCCB for investigation as the case showed involvement of multiple states.According to Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the WCCB constituted an SIT to investigate the Guwahati tiger skin and bone seizure case. The preliminary interrogation of the offenders showed that the tiger body parts seized belong to the Gadchiroli area in Maharashtra. These initial ...

Cheetah deaths at KNP troubling but not unduly alarming: NTCA to SC

The Ministry of Environment and Forests and the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) have told the Supreme Court the death of five adult cheetahs and three cubs at KNP is troubling but not "unduly alarming", and the surviving big cats are being captured and medically examined as a precautionary measure. Under the Project Cheetah, a total of 20 radio-collared animals were imported from Namibia and South Africa to the Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh and later four cubs were born from Namibian cheetah 'Jwala'. Out of these 24 feline, eight including three cubs have died. Some cheetahs were reported to have developed infections due to radio collars. The joint affidavit, filed on behalf of the environment ministry and NTCA, said the provisional diagnosis of mortality events points towards "natural causes" and none of the cheetahs have died due to unnatural reasons such as poaching, snaring, poisoning, road hits, electrocution etc. "It is respectfully submitted that the

India at forefront in taking action on biodiversity conservation: PM at G20

India has consistently been at the forefront in taking action on biodiversity conservation, protection, restoration and enrichment, and has set the bar even higher through the updated targets, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday. Addressing the G20 Environment and Climate Sustainability Ministerial Meeting here via video conferencing, the Prime Minister said he was proud to say that India has led the way through its ambitious "Nationally Determined Contributions." "India achieved its installed electric capacity from non-fossil fuel sources, nine years ahead of the target of 2030. And, we have set the bar even higher through our updated targets. Today, India is one of the top five countries in the world, in terms of installed renewable energy capacity," he said. He further said India had recently launched the "International Big Cat Alliance" for conservation of seven big cats of our planet based on our learnings from Project Tiger, a pioneering conservation initiative. As a .

Cheetahs at Kuno may return to enclosures for examination: Officials

All radio-collared free-ranging cheetahs at the Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh may be brought back to their enclosures for close examination and drones could potentially be used to monitor their movement in the wild, officials said on Monday. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) had on Sunday said media reports attributing the deaths of the big cats to factors such as radio collars were based on "speculation and hearsay, without scientific evidence". However, some experts playing a key role in the cheetah reintroduction project acknowledged that a male cheetah from South Africa did die due to an infection from radio collar use. An official who participated in a Cheetah Project Steering Committee meeting on Monday said: "All radio-collared cheetahs could be brought back to their enclosures for close monitoring." The official said another expert from South Africa would arrive at the KNP on Tuesday to provide essential insights on cheetah observation and ...

India has devised unique biodiversity conservation model: Bhupender Yadav

The Minister stressed the need for ecological conservation of critical ecosystems through conserving the food chain of the ecosystem and ensuring the well-being of the topmost predator

Chhattisgarh highway projects to have dedicated infra for wildlife movement

A six-lane, 2.8-kilometre tunnel with 27 animal passes and 17 monkey canopies is a key component of the three national highway projects in Chattisgharh, the foundation stone for which will be laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday. The tunnel will ensure unrestricted wildlife movement in the Udanti Wildlife Sanctuary area. Noting this, official sources said the development of such dedicated infrastructure for the safe passage of wildlife and their habitation while building national highways and expressways has been a frequent feature of highway development under the Modi government. On Friday, the prime minister will lay the foundation stone for three national highway projects for the Chhattisgarh section of the six-lane greenfield Raipur-Visakhapatnam corridor. "It has been the vision of Prime Minister Modi to minimise the impact of highway development on wildlife," an official said. Citing an example, the sources said the Delhi-Dehradun economic corridor, the foundation

Delhi's Deer Park de-recognised as 'mini zoo', deers to be shifted out

Delhi is set to lose its famous Deer Park with the central authorities cancelling its recognition as a 'mini zoo' and deciding to translocate the animals due to their rapidly increasing numbers and inadequate manpower. An order to this effect was recently issued by the Central Zoo Authority (CZA), a statutory body under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, officials said on Tuesday. "Six deer were introduced in the park in the 1960s and over time, the number swelled to approximately 600. It had been given the status of a 'mini zoo' by the CZA," a senior official said. The park, officially known as A N Jha Deer Park, in south Delhi's Hauz Khas area is a popular picnic spot and a popular hangout zone. It comes under the jurisdiction of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA). The CZA issued the order cancelling the Deer Park's recognition as a 'mini zoo' on June 8. "Rapid growth of population, inbreeding, possibility of spread of disease and lack of trained manpowe

No plans to shift cheetahs from Kuno National Park: Bhupender Yadav

"Indians are leading the world in environment conservation today," Yadav said

A wild tamasha

Even as we virtuously set ourselves goals to arrest climate change, the middle class Indians' knowledge of nature, appears to have barely progressed from 50 years ago

Deaths, runaways, space crunch: Is 'Project Cheetah' on the right track?

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on June 1 reportedly said, "we take responsibility for whatever happened", but asserted that the translocation project will be a major success

We take responsibility for what happened: Bhupender over cheetah deaths

With three cheetahs and as many cubs dying at the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh in three months, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav Thursday said, "We take responsibility for whatever happened", but asserted that the translocation project will be a major success. Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the first batch of eight spotted felines from Namibia into a quarantine enclosure at Kuno in Madhya Pradesh on September 17 last year. In a second such translocation, 12 cheetahs were flown in from South Africa and released into Kuno on February 18. Three cheetahs died in March and April. Of the 17 remaining adult cheetahs, seven have already been released into the wild. The death of three adult cheetahs and three of the four cubs born to a female Namibian cheetah, Sisaya, has prompted questions from several experts on the suitability of the habitat and wildlife management. "It's an international project and we had anticipated mortality. It's mentioned in our report too .

Will not fence cheetah habitats, it is against tenets of conservation: Govt

India does not want fenced habitats for cheetahs like the ones in South Africa and Namibia as it is against the basic tenets of wildlife conservation, the head of the Centre's high-level committee set up to monitor the cheetah reintroduction project said on Thursday. Experts from South Africa and Namibia, who are helping reintroduce cheetahs in India, have recommended fencing their habitats to prevent poaching, habitat fragmentation and minimise human-animal conflict. However, experts in India say fences can disrupt natural animal movements and impede genetic exchange between populations. "It's absolutely bogus to think of fencing the habitats. It goes against the basic tenets of wildlife conservation. What happened in a fenced park there (in Africa) will not happen here. Our understanding is that regional networks of protected areas should merge into a national network of protected areas so that there is porosity for wildlife gene flow," said Rajesh Gopal, chairman of the 11-member

Cheetah revival project officials to be sent on study tours to Namibia, SA

Union Forest Minister Bhupender Yadav has said officials involved in the cheetah revival plan will be sent on study tours to Namibia and South Africa from where the felines have been brought to the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh. During his meeting with MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan here on Monday, Yadav said he will visit the KNP, located in Sheopur district, on June 6. Money and all logistic support for the safety, conservation and revival of the felines will be provided, the Union minister said. Notably, six cheetahs have died at the KNP since March this year. Three of the four cubs born to cheetah Jwala died earlier this month. Sasha, one of the translocated Namibian cheetahs, died due to a kidney-related ailment on March 27, while cheetah Uday, brought from South Africa, died on April 13. Cheetah Daksha, brought from South Africa, succumbed to injuries following a violent interaction with a male cheetah during a mating attempt on May 9 this year. The Gandhi S

India should fence habitats; worst still to come: Cheetah project expert

South African wildlife expert Vincent van der Merwe on Thursday recommended fencing the cheetah habitats to circumscribe the overall threat to the big cats recently introduced in the country, prevent their "extreme ranging behaviour", and protect the prey base from anthropogenic pressures such as poaching. In an interview with PTI, Van der Merwe said the reintroduction project is going to see even higher mortality in the next few months when cheetahs try to establish territories and come face to face with leopards and tigers at the Kuno National Park. He was sadly on the mark with his prediction as the sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh lost two more cheetah cubs on Thursday, marring further the government's much-vaunted project to repopulate cheetahs in the country. "Very unfortunate, but not unusual for first-time mothers to lose their first litter," he said. Van der Merwe, who is closely involved with the project, said though the cheetah deaths have been within the acceptable range, th

SC notice to Assam on plea to declare eco zone around Pobitora Sanctuary

The Supreme Court has asked the Centre and the Assam government to respond to a plea seeking directions to declare the area around Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary an eco-sensitive zone and remove all encroachments. A three-judge bench of Justices B R Gavai, Vikram Nath and Sanjay Karol has issued notices to the Ministry of Environment and Forests and the state government with regard to the wildlife sanctuary in Assam. "Issue notice, returnable on July 12, 2023. Liberty to serve the standing counsel for the State of Assam is granted," the bench said. The top court was hearing a plea filed by environmental activist Rohit Choudhury seeking directions to precisely demarcate the boundary of the Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary without any further delay. The petition contended that the boundary of the sanctuary notified in 1998 under the Wildlife Protection Act is yet to be precisely marked and the control of a part of the sanctuary area, the Khas land (government controlled land), is yet to be .

55 wildlife creatures suffering from dehydration rescued in Mumbai

At least 55 wildlife creatures including birds and reptiles, many of them suffering from dehydration, were rescued in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region in the last three days, an NGO claimed on Wednesday. The Forest Department and Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare (RAWW) were flooded with calls about dehydrated animals stranded in residential areas, said Pawan Sharma, founder of RAWW, an NGO, and an honorary wildlife warden. An eight-feet-long Indian Rock Python was found in a housing society in suburban Mulund which is located on the edge of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, said Sharma. Joaquim Naik of the RAWW rescued it and released it in the wild, he added. In neighbouring Thane, a pregnant cobra was found severely dehydrated and distressed near a residential area. It was treated by veterinary doctors and kept under observation. The reptile was in severe stress due to which it had abandoned its eggs which were unfertilized, according to Chinmay Joshi, a zoologist attache