In 2006, members of the Delhi Bird Club saw what feral dogs are capable of at the Sultanpur National Park, a popular bird sanctuary in Haryana, about 50 km from Delhi — a pack of dogs hunted down a nilgai (blue bull), which is many times the size and strength of a common stray dog.… Read More
Rewilding in a City; Making of the Aravali Biodiversity Park
I first heard of the Aravalli Biodiversity Park in 2011 from Pradip Krishen, a friend and mentor in the field of rewilding. He asked if I was free to work with a small group of people—a citizens’ initiative—who wanted to plant ‘a million trees’ and create a nature park on an old mining site at the edge of Gurgaon.
The 380-acre site was bleak and forbidding. A former mining site for quartzite rock and its orange, gravelly degrade, known as … Read More
Vasant Vihar Parakeets
She was like any other hawker, selling—persuasively, aggressively—extolling the qualities of her wares. Only she wasn’t ‘just another hawker’. Her wares were illegal; she was hawking parakeets, the trapping and trade of which is prohibited under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
I spotted the woman in Vasant Vihar (near Priya Cinema), Delhi, on my way to visit a very sick friend, and almost turned a blind eye. You know how it is, when the task at hand is overwhelming or … Read More
Sarus Cranes, Noida
Greater Noida may be on the World Map thanks to the F1 Grand Prix, or its world class infrastructural development; but what is surprising is how it is still home to the world’s tallest flying bird. It is an incongruous sight to see this pair with highrises in the background.
The Sarus Crane (Grus antigone) is the only resident crane of India. Wetland loss and degradation are critical problems throughout the range of these cranes. Destruction of wetlands … Read More
Wild Leopard Rescued From South Delhi in Major Operation
In a dramatic seven hour long rescue operation by NGOs Wildlife SOS and Friendicoes SECA with the cooperation of the Delhi Police and the Fire Department, a grievously injured adult leopard was rescued from South Delhi’s chattarpur area.
The wild leopard possibly from the Aravalli hills was spotted leaping onto a high wall of a farm house in Chattarpur DLF farms by a local guard. The leopard in an attempt to scale the 15 foot wall got impaled on the … Read More
Live Blackbuck found on sale in Delhi
A live sub-adult blackbuck was seized in an upmarket Delhi area by the Delhi police, acting on a tipoff. Two persons who were planning to sell the animal were apprehended. Considering the location of the seizure, it is speculated that the animal may have been brought there to service upscale clients who want to serve exotic meat in their social gatherings. The arrested persons said that they had obtained the blackbuck from Meerut. In August 2008, an undercover operation assisted … Read More
Bird Haven Threatened by Builders in Dadri, Noida
Dadri in Greater Noida is now home to a bird species that is rarely seen in the Indian subcontinent — the Bristled Grassbird. Bird watchers have not only spotted breeding grounds of the rare bird but also managed to capture the sight of their breeding on camera for the first time.
Enthusiasts from Delhi, Noida and adjoining areas have recorded the presence of over 220 species of rare migratory and resident birds in the wetlands of Bil Akbarpur village.
But … Read More
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