TR Shankar Raman, a member of the Nature Conservation Foundation has been asked to draft a policy guideline to minimize the adverse impacts of man made intrusions, such as roads, powerlines and railway tracks, on wildlife habitats. Shankar Raman, has already presented a background paper on the subject in meeting held on Jan 24th by the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife. Shankar Raman has identified the issues of fragmentation, spread of alien species, dessication, windthrow and animal … Read More
Human – Tiger conflict: Cause, Consequence and Mitigation
Dr. K Ullas Karanth, Senior Scientist, Wildlife Conservation Society, and Dr. Rajesh Gopal, Member Secretary of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) explain how conflict between humans and tigers can be reduced.
Wherever wild tiger populations survive and come into contact with landscapes dominated by humans, they pose a threat by preying on livestock, and, less commonly, on people. In most parts of India, people are remarkably tolerant of wildlife damage compared with elsewhere in the world, but sometimes, in … Read More
Arrest of six wildlife poachers operating in Corbett and Rajaji National Parks
Six poachers operating out of Uttarakhand and active in Corbett and Rajaji National Parks have been arrested by a joint operation between Police and the Uttarakhand Forest department. Leopard pelts, big cat bones, ivory and firearms have been seized. The arrests include habitual offenders and one among them admitted to supplying a tiger skin and bones of three tigers to a man in Dharchula last year. Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) points out that a poaching nexus of Gujjars … Read More
Nine arrested near Coimbatore for possession of skins of a Tiger and five Leopards
An undercover officer from the Forest Department was shown the skins of a Tiger and five leopards (including a black panther) in Pollachi, by a man named Jailani who demanded five crores. The officer was from a team of plainclothes Forest department officials, who were acting on a tip off. After the skin traders ultimately agreed to sell all the skins for a sum of one crore, the officer told them he had to consult with his friends, after which … Read More
Fresh water turtle survey by the Zoological Survey of India to support conservation efforts
Turtle populations all over India have declined significantly in the last few decades. A variety of human activities are direct and indirect factors attributed to the decline. Six out of twelve species found in the Ganga are deemed endangered and categorised so Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Yet the population of turtles has plunged drastically primarily due to over exploitation, activities along the rivers, waste disposal and habitat loss. Poaching and smuggling of turtles are another … Read More
Running a Conservation Campaign
(With inputs from Praveen Bhargav and Sanjay Gubbi)
Feel helpless in the face of conservation problems? So do most people. But with a proper plan and a carefully thought out strategy, you’ll be surprised by what you can achieve.
There are numerous examples from around the world, which show that determined individuals – acting alone or working as a group – can win conservation battles even against huge odds. To quote renowned anthropologist Margaret Mead, “never doubt that a … Read More
Right to Information (RTI) — a Powerful Tool for Wildlife Conservation
RTI stands for Right To Information and has been given the status of a fundamental right under Article 19(1) of the Constitution. Article 19 (1) under which every citizen has freedom of speech and expression and the right to know how the government works, the role it plays, its functions, and so on. This empowers any citizen to demand access to government files and after scrutinizing the files obtain certified copies of the letters, documents, file notings etc. Another important … Read More
Guidance Document for Non-forestry Activities in Wildlife Habitats
The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and orders of the Hon’ble Supreme Court make it mandatory for following certain procedures for taking up any non-forestry activities in wildlife habitats. Now it is mandatory that all non-forestry activities in wildlife habitats (within PAs and 10 km from PA boundaries), need approval from State and National Board for Wildlife (Standing Committee). In order to facilitate and guide people on the various steps to be followed for taking up non-forestry activities in wildlife habitats, … Read More
Leader of a tiger poaching gang arrested near Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve
CHANDRAPUR: Mul police have finally nabbed the long absconding kingpin of the poachers gang busted by forest officials around one-and-half years back in Bhadrawati tehsil. Accused Shalik Gedam was picked up from Doni village in Mul tehsil and has been sent into MCR. Forest officials are likely to seek his custody after cops produce him before Bhadrawati court on Monday.
Notably, sleuths of Bhadrawati forest range had busted a poachers gang in March 2009. The first breakthrough came thanks to … Read More
Leopard Poachers Convicted to Six Years Imprisonment
Katni, Madhya Pradesh: Shri A.A. Ansari, the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Katni, today sentenced two poachers, Ittu Baiga, Bahilal Baiga to rigorous imprisonment of six years and a fine of Rs. 10,000 each under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972. The third accused Iqbal (alias Atiq Ahmed), is still absconding and his trial is still pending.
On 25 June, 2009, the three poachers had poisoned a water-hole in the Dhimarkheda range of Katni division with an organo-phosphate pesticide (phosphamidan) which led to … Read More
No Two-bit Crime This
Belinda Wright has been crunching some numbers: between 1994 and 2009, out of 691 cases of crimes against tigers filed in Indian courts, 10 cases have resulted in conviction of a total of 30 persons.
“Statistics are so important to get the bigger picture,” says the 57-year-old wildlife conservationist and executive director of Wildlife Protection Society of India or WPSI, an NGO.
Interpol estimates global illegal trade in wildlife products is worth around $20 billion. “It is significant that the
Black Magic Behind Illegal Owl Trade in India
New Delhi, India, 2nd November 2010 — Use of owls in black magic and sorcery driven by superstition, totems and taboos is one of the prime drivers of the covert owl trade, finds a TRAFFIC India investigation into the illegal trade, trapping and utilization of owls in India. TRAFFIC India’s report entitled “Imperilled Custodians of the Night” was launched today by Mr. Jairam Ramesh, Minister of Environment and Forests at his office in New Delhi.
Hunting of and trade in … Read More
40 new mining leases granted near Sariska
JAIPUR: The beauty of the Aravalli-flanked Sariska Reserve may soon be a thing of past with Rajasthan government granting 40 new mining leases in the eco-sensitive zone, something that’ll leave the area pock-marked with quarries and pose a threat to an ambitious tiger rehab project.
The government sanctioned the leases on Tuesday on a plea that Aravalli range, where stone mining had been sanctioned, had contours less than 100 feet, which is not considered as a hill as per state … Read More
Three leopard skins seized in Himachal Pradesh
With the assistance of Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI), the HP police succeeded in seizing three leopard hides, including one of a cub, from three accused with each possessing a leopard hide from tehsil Sangrah of district Sirmaur in Himachal Pradesh.
One of the accused, Mahindra Singh from village Kajwan of the area, is a Government school headmaster.… Read More
Seizure of 920 kg of antlers in Saharanpur near Dehra Dun, North India
There was a huge seizure of deer antlers this morning in the town of Saharanpur in the State of Uttar Pradesh, north of the capital New Delhi.
… Read More
A staggering 920 kg of antlers were seized by the officers of Behat Police Station. Included in the haul were sambar, cheetal and barking deer antlers. Three people have been detained in this known collection centre for antlers. Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) is assisting the police with the investigation.
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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.
