In many parts of India, people still keep wild animals captive in their homes as pets. This photographer found this captive Malabar Giant Squirrel (Ratufa indica) in a plantation owner’s house near Pala, Kottayyam, Kerala. The forest department was alerted and hopefully the squirrel is now free.
The Wildlife Protection Act (WLPA) prohibits any person (other than a recognized zoo including a rescue centre) from keeping any wild animal (species listed in Schedule I to IV) in captivity … Read More
A parcel containing 601 Indian star tortoises was returned to Chennai from Malaysia and handed over to the Forest department. The tortoises were handed over from Kuala Lumpur after customs officials in the airport found it in an unclaimed parcel that allegedly arrived from Dhaka, Bangladesh. Star tortoises are not protected species in either Malaysia or Bangladesh. They are protected under the Indian Wildlife Protection Act (WLPA). The tortoises will be quarantined for a couple of days in the local … Read More
Poachers have shot and killed a rhino that strayed out of Kaziranga. Gunshots were heard by forest officials in the wee hours and an operation was launched. The carcass of the rhino was found at 915 AM with its horn missing. The poachers were encountered by the forest guards, but they managed to escape after shooting at the guards. Atleast 20 rounds were exchanged between the forest guards and the poachers. Forest officials say that security has been beefed up … Read More
A male rhino has been killed in Kaziranga National Park. The bullet riddled body with its horn chopped off was found on a remote sandbar by the Brahmaputra inside the park. The animal appeared to have been killed two or three days ago.
This is the fifth rhino to be killed by poachers in and around the park this year. On August 30th, a female rhino was killed by poachers for its horn. Patrolling has been intensified in the area. … Read More
As many as 106 leopards and 19 tigers have died in Uttarakhand till Dec 10 of this year. 57 leopards were killed by poachers, 19 died of old age or sickness, 7 were killed in accidents, 6 were killed by the forest department after being declared man-eaters, 6 died in territorial fights, 6 died during rescue operations, 3 were killed by other animals and carcasses of 2 cubs were found. Releasing these figures, the Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) … Read More
Statistics collated by the Wildlife Protection Society Of India (WPSI) indicate that 51-tigers have perished so far in 2011. Uttarakhand leads the states with 14-deaths followed by Karnataka with six and Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh with five each. A tiger killed by policemen using AK-47 machine guns outside Kaziranga National Park in Assam on Monday (5th Nov. 2011) is the latest in that list.
The WPSI Wildlife Crime Database has records of over 19,100 wildlife crimes involving more than 400 … Read More
At least 400 Greater Flamingos have died due to electrocution by high tension cables near their breeding grounds in Gujarat. The flamingos breed in the warm marshes of the Khadir region in Kutch. The chief conservator of forests has admitted to atleast 130 deaths, but locals and ornithologists have recorded much higher number of deaths. Deaths are said to be taking place at nights, when the birds would fly into the near invisible wires after being disturbed by passing vehicles … Read More
Dr. George Schaller, world renowned wildlife biologist and emeritus scientist of New York Wildlife Conservation Society, speaking at a programme organized by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) India at the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) said that the future of tigers depends on India.
He pointed out that tigers were extinct or near-extinct in Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, China and other Asian countries. He called India, “the only ray of hope” and said that tigers will exist provided there is … Read More
Atleast five army jawans participating in an exercise in the Indo-Pak border have been found to have hunted chinkara for meat. After being informed by villagers, officials from the state forest department rushed to the army camp and recovered the severed heads of the gazelles besides the uncooked meat. The officials also recovered the vehicle used in the hunting, which had bloodstains on it. The jawans fled the camp when the officials conducted the raid. They have been booked under … Read More
This image was taken on Tithimathi – Konnankatte road in the heart of Nagarahole National Park in Karnataka. The state transport bus driver was considerate and stopped the bus upon seeing the herd of gaur. The gaur were quite shy and hurried across the road. The bull in the frame was the last one to cross the road.
Highways and roads through protected areas can have a serious impact on wildlife behavior, survival and movement. This is especially true for … Read More
Central India has lost four tigers in the past two and half weeks. The male tiger, 14-year old B2 who was a legend in Bandhavgarh national park, died yesterday after a territorial fight with another tiger. B2 was rescued on the 20th after being found with multiple injuries on his bodies and legs, but died on the way to Shahdol. A four to five year old male was trapped and killed in a wire snare just 500 feet from the … Read More
TRAFFIC Post is TRAFFIC India’s quarterly newsletter on issues related to wildlife trade.
TRAFFIC is an international network, consisting of TRAFFIC International, based in Cambridge, UK with offices on five continents, seven regional programmes in 25 countries and territories, with ongoing research and activities in several others. TRAFFIC came to India in 1991, operating as a division of WWF-India. It has since worked closely with the National and the State Governments and various agencies to help study monitor and influence … Read More
(With inputs from Praveen Bhargav and Ramki Sreenivasan)
Merely visiting a wildlife reserve or being a wildlife photographer does nothing to save wildlife. In fact, uncontrolled visitation by tourists and ‘nature lovers’ is leading to the degradation of reserves and the ‘wilderness experience’ that one craves. But we can offset the impact of our visits (somewhat) by becoming conservation watchdogs.
The number of people visiting wildlife reserves for recreation is increasing rapidly, thanks largely to an upwardly mobile middle class … Read More
Three elephants have been killed by poachers in Simlipal Tiger Reserve, Orissa. The pair of tusks missing from one of the elephants pointed to the fact that this is the work of ivory traders. It appears that the elephants had been poisoned. Conservationists have expressed concerns over poachers being active in Simlipal again. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has also expressed concern over mass killings of elephants. Last year, about 10 elephants were killed in Simlipal. … Read More
CI is a non-profit, non-commercial portal that aims to facilitate wildlife and nature conservation by providing reliable information and the tools needed to campaign effectively.
