Poaching continues to be the key threat for Nilgiri Langurs, where their pelt, organs, blood and flesh are used to produce crude medicines and aphrodisiacs. This was highlighted by the National Studbook on Nilgiri Langurs, released recently by the Central Zoo Authority and the Wildlife Institute of India. Prior to the Wildlife Protect Act, 1972, these crude medicines were widely available and even advertised. Karinkorangu Rasayanam was one of the leading products at that time. With the act and campaigning … Read More
An Injured Stump-tailed Macaque Infant, Dzulekie, Nagaland
In a recently concluded Nagaland Biodiversity Survey, team members Dipti Humraskar and Swapna Reddy found this injured stump-tailed macaque infant with a village girl (in a nepali settlement 15kms from Dzulekie). A boy, aged approximately 14 years, who caught the infant claimed that he saw a troupe of about 20 macaques near his house. He aimed at the troupe with his catapult. The infant somehow fell down or was mistakenly dropped by the mother while escaping and was captured by … Read More
Environment Ministry Seeks Restoration of Night Traffic on Highways Through Bandipur
The Karnataka High Court had banned night traffic, between the hours of 9 PM and 6 AM, through the two national highways that cut through Bandipur Tiger Reserve. The Karnataka Forest Department had provided evidence that wildlife including elephants and tigers were being regularly killed after being run over by vehicles and were also being driven out of the forest due to sound and light disturbance. Based on these evidences, the High Court had passed the order. However, the Ministry … Read More
Golden Langur Conservation Awareness in Manas
Locals in Manas, joined hands with the Bodoland Territorial Council, the Assam Forest Department and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) – Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) to create an urgent campaign to save the highly endangered Golden Langur. Less that 2500 individuals are estimated to be found in the wild today. The species has suffered tremendously due to habitat loss and fragmentation, which forces them to descend to the ground where they are vulnerable to accidental death and … 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
Uttarakhand Has High Incidence of Leopard Poaching
Uttarakhand is turning into a killing field for Leopards. There were 136 registered cases of leopard poaching so far in 2011, out of which 51 have been reported from Uttarakhand. In two separate incidents in the last 10 days, the Uttarakhand police have seized three leopard skins. A leopard skin was seized and two persons arrested by the Uttarakhand Special Task Force (STF) in Dehradun on Thursday. Two leopard skins and other animal parts were seized by the SOG, Uttarakhand … Read More
Confidential Report Obtained Through RTI Reveals Poacher-Official Nexus in Panna
A report by Field Director R.S. Murthy, Panna Tiger Reserve to the Chief Wildlife Warden, H.S. Pabla outlines a strong poacher-official nexus leading all the way to the dreaded poacher Sansarchand, as the reason for the decline of tigers in Panna. The report claims that all six tigers poached in 2005 had the collusion of the forest staff. The officials also colluded with local hunting tribes like the Pardhis and the Bahelias, as well as with national and international mafia … Read More
261 Leopards Have Died in 2011
Around 261 leopards have died between January and early September of 2011. Rising human-animal conflict accounts for a large number as well as poaching. Many of the deaths occur when leopards enter human habitations and the scared people try to chase the animal away. According to Belinda Wright of WPSI, this is an issue that needs to go beyond the law and needs creation of awareness amongst people on the need to protect these animals. Praveen Bhargav of Wildlife First … Read More
Presence of Scientific and Conservation Researchers Leads To Reduced Poaching
A project by the Max Planck institute for evolutionary anthropology has studied the impacts of researchers in Tai National Park in Ivory Coast. Three over-harvested species, the red colobus monkey, the diana monkey and Maxwell’s duiker were studied. The results were striking — high densities of red colobus monkey’s could be seen within long-term study sites, but no signs of poaching were found within or in a band of habitat around the site. The same results were obtained by statistical … Read More
Mangalajodi — A Village Of Bird Protectors In Orissa
How do you convert a village of hardened poachers into committed conservationists? Read on to find out.
Mangalajodi village is situated on the banks of Chilika lake in Odisha (formerly Orissa). Chilika Lake is a brackish water lake, with lagoonal characteristics, spread over the Puri, Khurda and Ganjam districts of Orissa state on the east coast of India. It is Asia’s largest brackish water lake. It is the largest wintering ground for migratory birds in the Indian subcontinent. The lake … Read More
Sariska National Park Faces Shortage of Officials
Sariska national park in Rajasthan faces a shortage of officials willing to stay on as District Forest Officers (DFO). Officials do not want to stay in the park because of the big responsibility and the possibility of more tiger deaths. So soon after appointment, they start pulling strings to get transferred to a new location. Rajasthan’s Chief Conservator of Forests, P.S. Somshekar contends that there is a shortage of senior officials who can take up the DFO post. Three out … Read More
First Conviction in Karnataka for Tiger Poaching
Three poachers have been convicted and sentenced to three years imprisonment by the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court in Bangalore. The three had been arrested in an operation in 2008 for possession of tiger paws, tiger pelts and bones. The conviction is a first of its kind for the State. Though the sentence is light, conservationists are happy that convictions have finally started. For many years, arrests have made news but the culprits would eventually go scot-free. The Upparpet police … Read More
Crucial Breakthrough in Cracking Extensive Wildlife Smuggling Ring
The alleged kingpin of an extensive smuggling network that traded in plant and animal wildlife, Veeriya Shekhar of Manipur, was detained at the Chennai airport by immigration authorities and handed over to the Chhattisgarh police. It is believed that he was at the core of an illegal wildlife trading network that dealt in tiger and leopard bones, deer antlers, pangolin scales and red sandalwood. Information about Shekhar’s role emerged after interrogation of persons who had been arrested during a series … Read More
Leopard Enters Siliguri Village; Policemen and Forest Guards Injured
A leopard that strayed into a village near Siliguri injured policemen and forest guards who tried to tranquilize it. Five other villagers were also injured. The leopard eventually died in the evening after being brought to a veterinary center at Sukna. Villagers spotted the leopard in the morning and raised the alarm. The leopard was startled and when the villagers started chasing it around, it tried to flee and injured five villagers in the process. The forest department officials reached … Read More
TRAFFIC Post, July 2011
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
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