Page 6 - Wildlife

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

Royal Bengal tigress gives birth to 2 cubs in Delhi zoo after 18 years

A Royal Bengal tigress has delivered cubs at the National Zoological Park in New Delhi after a long gap of 18 years.The Royal Bengal Tigress called Siddhi delivered five cubs -- two alive and three stillborn -- on May 4."At present both cubs are attended by the mother and completely dependent on the mother for feed and are doing well. The mother tigress and her cubs are being kept under the surveillance of CCTV Cameras and regularly monitored by the zoo staff," an official release by the Union forest ministry said Monday.National Zoological Park in New Delhi has four adult Royal Bengal Tigers in its collection and the names of these tigers are Karan, Siddhi, Aditi and Barkha.National Zoological Park (Delhi Zoo) has been housing tigers since its inauguration in 1959. On May 14, 1969, the first pair of lion was also received from Junagadh Zoo in exchange for one pair of tiger cubs.From the time of the tiger's acquisition, Delhi Zoo has maintained its population for conservation, ...

Wildfires in Australia likely contributed to unusual La Nina event

Researchers have found that the catastrophic Australian wildfires in 2019-2020 contributed to ocean cooling thousands of miles away, ultimately nudging the Tropical Pacific into a rare multi-year La Nina event that dissipated only recently. The research, led by National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), US, is published in the journal Science Advances. Because the emergence of La Nina can often be predicted months in advance, it's an important phenomenon for seasonal climate forecasts. "Many people quickly forgot about the Australian fires, especially as the COVID pandemic exploded, but the Earth system has a long memory, and the impacts of the fires lingered for years," said NCAR scientist John Fasullo, lead author of the study. While not uncommon, a La Nina occurrence for three consecutive winters is rare. The recent run of La Ninas, beginning in the winter of 2020-21 and continuing through last winter, is only the third string of three in the historical record, which dates

Lions can be brought to Kuno once cheetahs stabilise: Wildlife expert

Lions can also be introduced into the Kuno National Park once the cheetahs brought from Namibia and South Africa stabilise and breed in their new home, renowned wildlife expert and nature conservationist Divyabhanusinh says. Divyabhanusinh, who is also a member of the government's Cheetah Task Force for the animal's reintroduction, tells this in the updated version of his seminal book "The End of a Trail: The Cheetah in India", published in 1995. The new book, titled "The Story of India's cheetahs", aims to arouse interest in the animal and its protection at a time when a cheetah reintroduction programme is underway in India. The introduction of Asiatic lions into Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh has been a highly debated topic. The Asiatic lion, found only in India, is currently restricted to the Gir National Park in Gujarat. In the early 1990s, the Indian government proposed the translocation of some lions from Gir to KNP, as a backup in case of a natural calamity or ...

SC modifies 2022 order, removes ban on development activities around ESZs

The apex court's decision was announced after a three-judge bench, headed by Justice BR Gavai, revised their previous ruling

African Cheetah Uday died of cardiac arrest, others at KNP being monitored

The cause of six-year-old African cheetah Uday's death was heart failure, Madhya Pradesh Forest Department sources said on Monday.

Cheetah deaths: MP forest dept asks Centre for 'alternative site'

The Madhya Pradesh forest department has asked the Centre for an "alternate" site for cheetahs currently introduced at the Kuno National Park, which has seen the death of two felines in less than a month, with officials citing lack of logistical support and space. A senior state forest official on condition of anonymity said they do not have enough logistical support for the upkeep for the cheetahs, brought in two batches of 8 and 12 felines from Namibia and South Africa respectively since September last year. "We need nine staffers to keep an eye on one cheetah round-the-clock. We don't have enough hands," the official told PTI on condition of anonymity. Asked about the space shortage, the official said it was secondary and added that not just space, we need a lot of logistics. Notably, before the cheetahs were imported, some experts had raised doubt over the space shortage likely to affect the cheetah reintroduction project at the Kuno National Park (KNP), which has a core area o

India's cheetah reintroduction plan ignored spatial ecology: Scientists

The introduction of African cheetahs to India was planned without considering their spatial ecology, according to researchers who warn that the released animals may come into conflict with people in the neighbouring villages. Spatial ecology addresses the fundamental effects of space on the movement of individual species and on the stability of multispecies communities. A total of 20 cheetahs from Namibia and South Africa were introduced to Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh since last year to establish a free-ranging populationfor the first time since their extinction in India 70 years ago. Scientists of the Cheetah Research Project of Leibniz-IZW in Namibia argue that in southern Africa, cheetahs live in a stable socio-spatial system with widely spread territories and densities of less than one individual per 100 square kilometres (km). The plan for cheetahs in Kuno National Park assumes that the high prey density will sustain high cheetah densities, even though there is no ...

Online guide launched to help cities reduce light pollution on wildlife

A new online guide was launched on Wednesday to help cities around the world reduce the impacts of light pollution on wildlife