New Baby Boom for Cheetahs in India After First-in-the-World Reintroduction

Jwala the cheetah and her 5 cubs – credit, @byadavbjp

A female cheetah named Jwala in India’s Madhya Pradesh state has given birth to a litter of 5 cubs, the third since she arrived in the country.

India’s Minister for the Environment wrote on X that the birth increases “the number of Indian-born thriving cubs has risen to 33, marking the 10th successful cheetah litter on Indian soil.”

There have been highs and lows for the growing cheetah population in India, reintroduced in 2022 via several groups of animals from African strongholds of Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa.

Their first destination was Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park, where they were historically located before going extinct in the mid-20th century.

Though iconic to Africa, much like the lion and leopard, these cats spanned the Asian landmass as well, and in fact still live today as an isolated, Critically-Endangered population in Iran.

In India they were hunted for centuries for their pelts, and for sport. The government of long-serving Prime Minister Narendra Modi made “Project Cheetah” a keystone demonstration of his administration’s commitment to the environment.

However, mortality among the reintroduced cats has been high—a consequence typical of these sorts of projects—yet one which Modi has nevertheless taken substantial criticism over. 28 cheetahs were brought from Africa, but more than half have passed away. Some ecologists warned that they would have difficulty adapting to the predator density in Kuno, which harbors a robust leopard population.

There are now 53 cheetahs living in the wild and semi-wild habitats in both Kuno and Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary. They total 11 animals remaining that were translocated from Africa, and 33 India-born cubs, some of which are reaching sexual maturity.

“This achievement reflects the dedicated efforts, skill, and commitment of the veterinarians, field staff and all involved who continue to work tirelessly on the ground,” said Minister Bhupender Yadav on X.

The birth follows a mid-February litter of 3 cubs to another Namibian female cat named Gamini, the second since she arrived in India.

“A moment of pride for Kuno, and for India—may Gamini and her three little sprinters grow strong and carry the nation’s cheetah revival story forward with speed and grace,” Yadev said at the time.

According to Japan Times which reported on Gamini’s litter, the National Tiger Conservation Authority of India, which oversees the cheetah project, said that survival rates and hunting successes are “comparable to other international cheetah reintroduction efforts, with recorded wild prey kills confirming successful adaptation to the Indian landscape.”Another cheetah reintroduction program is taking place in Saudi Arabia, where cheetahs also once lived but went extinct. New Baby Boom for Cheetahs in India After First-in-the-World Reintroduction

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Billionaire Auctions Rembrandt Lion Drawing for $18M to Help Save the Animal it Depicts, Thanks to Tom Kaplan

Schatborn, Peter. “Young Lion Resting” (2017). In The Leiden Collection Catalogue, 4th ed. via Sotheby’s

Yesterday, Sotheby’s oversaw the record $18 million sale of a drawing by Rembrandt: one of 6 drafts he made of lions, and the only one to have resided in private hands.

Those hands belong to Dr. Thomas S. Kaplan and his wife, who along with standing foremost among the world’s private Rembrandt collectors, ride in the vanguard of global wildlife conservation on behalf of the very cat the drawing so vividly depicts.

Founder of both the Leiden Collection of Dutch and Flemish master works and Panthera, the world’s leading conservation organization dedicated exclusively to wild cats big and small, Dr. Kaplan has been able to synergistically marry these two passions, leveraging one to fund the other, as all proceeds from the record-setting, $17.9 million sale will help ensure the lion survives long beyond both Rembrandt’s time, and our own.

Called Young Lions Resting, Rembrandt depicts with superb draftsmanship the languid, fearless pose of the lion through loose, confident strokes, particularly in the modeling of the lion’s paws, and a controlled shading that brings its gaze to life.

Dr. Kaplan, who’s spoken to GNN before about his work at Panthera, explained how it was the most he and his wife had ever paid for an object after they embarked upon their anonymous journey of collection Rembrandt and other Dutch/Flemish masters pieces in 2003.

“We recognized immediately the synergy, as my wife told me when I asked her opinion of it when I took her to see it before buying it: she responded ‘it’s a Rembrandt, it’s a lion, and it’s beautiful; if it’s not for you then who’s it for?” Kaplan told GNN.

Only 6 drawings of lions by Rembrandt are currently known. Young Lion Resting is the first drawing by the master to come to the market in a century, and the $17.9 million sale price sets a new record for a drawing by Rembrandt by almost $15 million.

Kaplan founded Panthera along with renowned and late conservationist Dr. Alan Rabinowitz just one year after he bought the painting in 2005. Highlighting the plight of the lion across its entire native range, the sale of Young Lion Resting at Sotheby’s was paired with a faithful reproduction entitled Young Lion Vanished, wherein the animal Rembrandt so skillfully brought to life on the paper is replaced by a void—a reality on our Earth across 95% of the lion’s former range.

“Is it savable? Yes, it is, and with much larger landscapes than with the tiger in India. But, in 26 out of the 48 countries through which it roamed, it’s now extinct,” says Dr. Kaplan, who’s involvement in Panthera goes far beyond his role as its billionaire philanthropist founder, and stretches well into the scientific.

Young Lion Resting (top) Young Lion Vanished (bottom) – credit, supplied by Panthera

While Panthera has achieved incredible results protecting leopards and jaguars, Dr. Kaplan says that as regards the lion, its programs are still about “playing defense.”

“The lion is not there not, but it could be. I don’t believe it will ever be extinct in the wild, but it might come to exist only in fortresses, and we want to see more connectivity.”

Young Lion Resting was co-owned with the chair of Panthera’s board of directors, Jon Ayer, who’s spoken with GNN multiple times, and who provided a statement to mark the sale.

“The pulse of life that Rembrandt captured in this lion’s gaze continues to beat today through our conservation field programs,” said Ayers. “This sale provides Panthera with critical resources to combat poaching and habitat loss globally, ensuring that the majesty Rembrandt admired in the 17th century survives well into the 21st and beyond.”

Those resources come as the organization he chairs and Kaplan founded will celebrate its 20th anniversary this year. The auction proceeds will support science-directed initiatives fostering human-wild cat coexistence and critical landscape protection in some 40 countries across four continents.

“We probably spend 80% of our time working with people to ensure that we’ve protected them from the human-animal conflict that usually precedes the slaughter of the animals. If people don’t have to kill lions, usually they don’t, but if all of your material wellbeing is wrapped up in a cow or a goat, you’re not going to take that loss stoically,” Dr. Kaplan remarked empathetically.

“You’re going to make sure that doesn’t happen again. On the other hand if you create good fences, generally speaking people do not want to kill the cat.”Kaplan told GNN that among those whose job it is to know within the federal government, there is a belief that if Panthera can’t save a wildcat, no one can. If that’s true, then this record Rembrandt auction suggests the lion is in a safe pair of paw Billionaire Auctions Rembrandt Lion Drawing for $18M to Help Save the Animal it Depicts, Thanks to Tom Kaplan

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The Tiger Population Doubled in India in Just Ten Years

Panna Tiger Reserve

Conservation in India successfully doubled the native population of tigers in the decade before the COVID-19 pandemic, a new study reveals.

In 2010, the nations that make up the remaining range countries of the tiger set a target to double the number of wild tigers worldwide—a goal called Tx2—10 at the St. Petersburg International summit on tiger conservation.

The idea was that by 2022—the Year of the Tiger in the Chinese zodiac, the countries across the Indo-Pacific, East and South Asia, and Russia, would have enough time to effectively support tiger conservation.

By 2022, the objective was estimated to have been achieved when measured across the animal’s whole range, but within that achievement were several localized triumphs even more impressive—Nepal, but also India, had seen their native populations of tiger double.

Despite being the world’s most populous state, Indian governments were able to make room for tigers across 53,360 square miles. By 2018, India’s native tiger population clawed its way above 3,600. Along with being 75% of the world’s tiger population, it was twice as many as the best estimates guessed in 2006.

Published in a study in Science recently, extensive monitoring of the big cat across 20 Indian states every 4 years revealed this increase in the number of tigers, but also the amount of protected-tiger habitat.

As well as there being twice as many tigers since 2006, there is 30% more habitat where they live. The study presents findings that tigers do better in areas of higher economic development where locals and visitors can afford tiger-tourism and governments compensate for tiger-related losses. In contrast, poorer states see increases of human-tiger conflict that make it difficult for the world’s largest cat to endure.

Sharing land with the growing Indian population is increasingly difficult for both man and tiger, but conflict isn’t as common as you might think.

“We lose 35 people to tiger attacks every year, 150 to leopards, and the same number to wild pigs. Additionally, 50,000 people die from snake bites,” Yadvendradev Vikramsinh Jhala, the study’s lead author, told the BBC. “In fact, within tiger reserves, you’re more likely to die from a car accident than from a tiger attack.”

The WWF, which was very involved with the Tx2 goal, published an article late last year entitled “5 reasons for hope for Tigers in 2025, detailing how the cats were spreading naturally into the forests of northern Thailand, northeast China, and northern Myanmar, as well as the extensive preparations made by Kazakhstan for the reintroduction of the tiger in the south of that country where it has been extinct for over a century.They didn’t include that camera traps in Sumatra recently recorded 3-times as many sightings of the Sumatran tiger subspecies than ever before. The Tiger Population Doubled in India in Just Ten Years

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Astonishing 916% Increase in Breeding Birds Seen at England’s Premier Rewilding Project

Copyright Knepp Wildland

Birdwatchers can’t believe what’s been appearing through their binoculars on a small landholding in West Sussex, England, where the nation’s premier rewilding project continues to compound on its already staggering achievements.

The Knepp Estate has increased the number of breeding birds from just 55 individuals of 22 species in 2007, to 559 individuals of 51 species in 2025, a recent survey determined.

Common nightingale in Belgium – credit CC 4.0. Warrieboy

More than a dozen of these species are threatened with extinction nationally, and the tiny estate is now home to 1% of the entire British nightingale population.

The Knepp Estate stretches across a measly 3,500 acres of once-fallow farmland 41 miles outside of London, where owners Charlie Burrell and his wife Isabella Tree decided in 2000 to take radical action after years of failed crops.

The rewilding project at Knepp has created one of the most biodiverse areas in all of Britain, and it was achieved by “taking our hands off the wheel,” Tree said, in 2021. The estate grounds act as home to nearly all English megafauna, as well as the rarest mammal in Europe, the barbastelle bat.

Rare birds such as turtle doves, peregrine falcons, white storks, and all five species of owls found in Great Britain inhabit the grounds, while one summer the Butterfly Conservatory counted 87 male purple emperor butterflies, an exceptional number for anywhere in England.

At the heart of the Knepp Estate is the River Adur, which was restored to a natural state in 2011 with help from the British government by removing four separate weirs and filing in agricultural drainage canals.

A male (left) and female (right) purple emperor butterfly – credit, SWNS

The restored wetlands surrounding the river’s natural meandering path play host to wading birds, amphibians, water insects, sea trout, and other fish, and important endangered wetland plants like the black poplar.

For Charlie and Isabella, their monetary problems disappeared like their once-fallow fields, and along with controlling the herbivore population with free-range organic wild meat, the estate offers camping and “glamping” in a shepherd’s hut, nomad’s yurt, and tree houses. They also offer safari tours of the grounds, fishing, photography workshops, and rewilding courses.

Having just completed their quarter-century of management, this recent bird richness review provides a lovely postage stamp moment for the couple, who have demonstrated that even a small pocket of land, when restored to a wild, native habitat, can have an outsized impact on the overall conservation landscape.

Insects have gotten a boost too. Earlier were mentioned purple emperor butterflies, well in 2025, a single day’s counting recorded 283 individuals. Dragonflies and damselflies showed an 871% increase between 2005 and 2025, with species diversity up 53%. Red-eyed damselflies alone surged 2,000% over five years.Visitors routinely describe seeing wild encounters with nature, such as a white-tailed eagle getting mobbed by kites, and beavers bumping into wading storks on the River Adur. Astonishing 916% Increase in Breeding Birds Seen at England’s Premier Rewilding Project

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Rare Twins Born to Mountain Gorilla Family in Virunga National Park

– credit, Virunga National Park

The Bageni family has a pair of blue balloons outside their mailbox, after this Congolese gorilla clan welcomed twins.

Now numbering 59 individuals, the twins were born to an adult female named Makufu, who will be closely monitored during the babies’ childhood.

Mountain gorillas are a critically-endangered subspecies of the eastern gorilla. Their strongholds concentrated in the sub-Saharan African countries of DRC, Uganda, and Rwanda.

Among their most guarded haunts is the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Virunga National Park, considering the security environment in the country and the threat of the animals from poaching.

Makufu the now 7th-time mom, used to be part of the Kabirizi family of gorillas, which suffered from poaching, including of her mother.

Nonetheless, mountain gorillas now number around 1,000 individuals, up from 400 in the 1980s, the Independent reports.

“Twin births among mountain gorillas are rare and present additional challenges, particularly during the early months when infants are entirely dependent on their mother for care and transport,” park officials said in a statement.

“Following the births, additional monitoring and protection measures will be deployed to closely observe the twins and support their health and survival during this critical early period.”The boys are the first births of this year, and as they appear to be in healthy, robust condition, it’s hoped they will mark an auspicious year for the clan and the species at large. Rare Twins Born to Mountain Gorilla Family in Virunga National Park

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30,000 Animals Rescued from Illegal Captivity in the Largest Wildlife Trafficking Raid in History

Poaching suspects and the elephant ivory they were holding in Angola – credit, INTERPOL, released

INTERPOL recently executed the largest-ever edition of its annual series of coordinated of raids to dismantle criminal shipments and networks of trafficked and poached wildlife.

Called Operation Thunder, some 30,000 live animals were seized in 4,620 raids across 134 countries, 30% more than last year.

INTERPOL identified 1,100 suspects and issued 69 notices of criminal activity to participating nations’ police forces.

Operation Thunder took place between September 15th and October 15th. It included law enforcement agencies like national police, customs, border security, and forestry and wildlife authorities.

In terms of live animals awaiting transfer or sale into illegal captivity, the operation rescued 6,160 birds, 2,040 terrapins, 1,150 reptiles, 208 primates, 49 pangolins, 10 big cats, and some 19,000 other species, including more infrequently trafficked mammals, fish, amphibians, and a notably larger number of arthropods (insects, arachnids, etc.)

Far larger in number and tonnage was the animal parts and derivates that were seized, such as shark fins, pangolin scales, elephant ivory, tortoise shell, and more.

Encouragingly though, in the largest-ever police bust of wildlife trafficking, merely 7 rhino horns were found amid over 100,000 seized objects, suggesting rhino poaching control is seeing success.

Indeed, large charismatic animals and their body parts are less often found in these annual raids than they used to me. At the same time, increases in exotic arthropods, as well as timber, show the flexibility of poachers. 14,000 tons of illegally logged tree timber were confiscated across the participating nations. This is believed to be as much as one-third of the entire illegal timber market.

Months of preparation for Operation Thunder 2025 centered on the exchange of information, the sharing of actionable intelligence and the coordination of cross-border investigations among participating countries and regions, INTERPOL and the World Customs Organization.

Beyond the immediate arrests and seizures, the intelligence gathered during what is the 9th edition of Operation Thunder will help map global criminal networks. These insights will enable law enforcement agencies worldwide to refine their strategies, anticipate emerging criminal tactics and disrupt illicit supply chain activity, ensuring a sustained and effective response to transnational wildlife crime.INTERPOL did not give estimates on the total valuation of the seizures, but the trafficked goods from just Tanzania exceeded half a million US dollars, suggesting that criminal networks would have lost 7, even 8-figure amounts in illicit revenues. 30,000 Animals Rescued from Illegal Captivity in the Largest Wildlife Trafficking Raid in History

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Botswana gifts India eight Cheetahs, lauds India's landmark wildlife conservation initiative

PIB Photo

Gaborone, (IANS): Beginning a new chapter in India-Botswana cooperation in wildlife conservation, Botswana on Thursday donated eight cheetahs to India under Project Cheetah. The symbolic donation event took place during the visit of President Droupadi Murmu and her Botswana counterpart Duma Gideon Boko to the Mokolodi Nature Reserve during which the two leaders witnessed release of captured cheetahs originating from the Ghanzi region into the quarantine facility by experts from India and Botswana.

"This event marks Botswana’s symbolic donation of eight cheetahs to India under Project Cheetah. This event signifies the beginning of a new chapter in India-Botswana cooperation in wildlife conservation," the President's Secretariat stated.

According to Cheetah Conservation Botswana (CCB), Botswana hosts one of the world’s largest populations of cheetahs, with an estimated population of approximately 1,700 individuals. This accounts for approximately 25 per cent of the world’s remaining wild cheetahs. Due to Botswana's location in the centre of southern Africa, this population is also crucial to facilitate connectivity between other regional populations.

India's Project Cheetah is a landmark wildlife conservation initiative launched on September 17, 2022 aimed at reintroducing cheetahs to India after their extinction in the late 1940s and early 1950s. As the world's first intercontinental large wild carnivore translocation project, it operates under the umbrella of Project Tiger and aligns with the Cheetah Action Plan to restore and conserve the species. Efforts are underway to expand suitable habitats, ensuring long-term survival and ecological balance in India's grassland ecosystems.

Later, Botswana Vice President Ndaba Nkosinathi Gaolathe and Minister of International Relations Phenyo Butale called on President Droupadi Murmu in Gaborone, commending India on its notable development journey.

During the meeting, the two sides discussed strengthening the enduring collaboration of two nations in strategic sectors.

"In separate meetings, His Honor Ndaba Nkosinathi Gaolathe, Vice President of Botswana and Hon’ble Dr. Phenyo Butale, Minister of International Relations, called on President Droupadi Murmu at Gaborone," the President's Secretariat posted on X.

"They both commended India on its notable development trajectory. Several issues of mutual interest were discussed in these meetings to further strengthen and deepen the enduring collaboration of India-Botswana in strategic sectors," it added.

Earlier in the day, President Murmu addressed the members of Indian community and stressed that the ties between two nations are based on trust, respect and shared democratic values.

While addressing members of Indian community, President Murmu said, "The relationship between India and Botswana is based on trust, respect, and shared democratic values. Today, I had a very productive discussion with President Boko of Botswana. We have decided that our countries will further cooperate in areas such as trade, education, health, digital technologies, agriculture, and renewable energy."

"Human resource development is a strong pillar of our cooperation. Many Botswana citizens have received training in India under India's ITEC and ICCR schemes. They are today playing a leading role in Botswana's development – ​​a testament to the depth of our relationship. India and Botswana are also close partners in the diamond sector, and we are expanding cooperation in new areas such as technology, defence and digital connectivity," she added.

She thanked Indian community for the warm welcome in Botswana and said that the people of India living in Botswana are connected to India's soil, culture and values.

Calling Indian community as living bridge of friendship between two nations, President Murmu said, "Despite staying away, you all remain deeply connected to India's soil, culture, and values...You are living bridges of friendship between India and Botswana. I am told that nearly 10,000 Indians are active here in various fields—education, health, accounting, business, and industry.""Your hard work, honesty, and dedication have earned you respect and affection in Botswana society. You have also played a vital role in local employment and skills development. I congratulate all of you for being proud representatives of India. Your spirit of social service and philanthropy is admirable. I am told that almost every week, the Indian community in Botswana gathers to organise social service or charitable events, whether supporting schools, organising health camps, or helping those in need – your compassion embodies the spirit of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam,' she added. Botswana gifts India eight Cheetahs, lauds India's landmark wildlife conservation initiative | MorungExpress | morungexpress.com

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Insects in Textiles

Insects have been used as adornment and recreated in textiles for centuries. sharing a smattering here of some beautiful contemporary textile art of insects. Check out the sensitive textile nature art of Dutch-born Australian artist Annemieke Mein here. She works in various media including textiles, and the textile art includes these beautiful insects:

Textile insects by Annemieke Mein

Born in England and based in Kenya, artist Sophie Standing uses textile art to portray the wildlife she sees. I absolutely love this bee:

Bee textile art by Sophie Standing

She does a lot of the African megafauna, but this dung beetle is charming:

Dung Beetle textile art by Sophie Standing

Michele Carragher is a London costume embroidery for film and TV who has done extraordinary work (for shows like Game of Thrones). Some of her insect-themed work:

The Head Artfact, Hairpin, (c) MCE 2021

The Hand Artefact, Gauntlet detail cicada motif, (c) MCE 2021

Detail of Game of Thrones costume embroidery by Michele Carragher

You can find the delightful work of UK embroiderer Humayrah Bint Altaf on instagram and Etsy as The Olde Sewing Room.

She wished for wings, Papilio Demoleous Swallowtail Butterfly with Goldwork Embroidery

Goldwork scarab beetle with crystals and antique wires

Madelaine (n.), something that triggers memories or nostalgia - gold work dragonfly embroidery

Source: https://magpieandwhiskeyjack.blogspot.com/

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Pamela Anderson asks: 'What's in the middle of Russia?'

Pamela Anderson during a meeting with Sergey Ivanov in Kremlin, Moscow. Picture: Alexey Druzhinin, Ria Novosti 

By Olga Gertcyk: Hollywood celebrity plans a trip with sons to discover what lies between Moscow and Vladivostok. Feted in the Kremlin this week, the actress and model had a rare female Amur leopard named after her. Head of the presidential administration, Sergey Ivanov, presented a certificate and a photographic portrait of the big cat - previously known as Leo 38F - to her. Pamela the leopard is currently in the Land of the Leopard National Park, near Russia's border with China. This big cat has a habit of posing for wildlife camera traps in the park, like her keeper who has featured on Playboy's cover a record 14 times since 1989. 'She is rather posing for cameras instead of ignoring them,' said TASS about the leopard. Ivanov told her about the major conservation progress in keeping alive these Siberian leopards in the wild.' A few years ago, when we focused on their preservation, they really were on the edge of extinction, there were only 30-40 of them left. Now we have 80,' he said. It is the rarest big cat on the planet.

Pamela Anderson and Pamela the leopard. Pictures: Alexey Druzhinin, Ria Novosti and The Land of the Leopard Nature Reserve

Anderson said she wanted to explore Russia further, after two trips in less than half a year, both dedicated to the preservation of wild animals. Indicating she planned to cross Siberia by train, she said: 'I don't know anything about the middle of Russia. I've been to Vladivostok, I've been to Moscow, St. Petersburg. But what's in the middle?' She said: 'So I think I am going to take my kids on a train maybe and go through the whole of Russia.' Later she said she would use a train or plane 'whatever it takes'. 'I have seen some photographs, and I have seen some beautiful places,' she explained, meeting the media. Americans 'have no idea how beautiful' Russia is, she added. 'I would like to know it [Russia], I want to see it,' she said.  The 48-year-old Canadian born celebrity met Ivanov and Russian Natural Resources and Environment Minister Sergey Donskoi. In July, the actress sent a letter to President Putin asking him to block the passage of the Winter Bay cargo vessel through the Northern Sea Route. The vessel was reportedly carrying more than 1,700 tons of whale meat from Iceland to Japan. Later Anderson asked for a meeting with Putin to discuss environmental issues with him. So far she has not met the president. Pamela Anderson claims to have Russian origins on her mother's side. Her great grandmother was Russian, according to her, and she reportedly emigrated from Russia to the Netherlands and then to Canada. Source: http://siberiantimes.com/'

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The Sundarbans: Unique Ecosystem for Wildlife

   

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 Image Link Flickr

ISikkim, Kalpana Palkhiwala: The Sundarbans is the largest single block of tidal halophytic mangrove forest in the world. It is the estuarine phase of the

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Ganges as well as Brahmaputra river systems. It lies at the mouth of the Ganges and is spread across areas of Bangladesh and West Bengal, India,

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forming the seaward fringe of the delta. The typical littoral forests of Sundarbans comprises of a host of trees species adopted to the peculiar estuarine condition of high salinity, lack of soil erosion and daily inundation
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by high tides. The tidal forms and the mangrove vegetation in Sundarbans are responsible for dynamic eco-system vigorous nutrient cycling both terrestrial and aquatic. The whole eco-system is sensitive to change in salinity and the continuous cycle of erosion and deposition is affecting the plant continuously adjusting to the new conditions. The great fight goes on between nature and each individual here for survival, and survival for the

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fittest. The forest covers of 4,000 sq km are on Indian Side. It has been declared as a UNESCO world heritage site in 1997. The Sundarbans are separately listed in the UNESCO world heritage list as the Sundarbans for
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India and the Sundarbans National Park, Bangladesh, which is 6000 sq km area. Sundarbans was designated a Ramsar site on May 21, 1992. “Sundarban” literally means “beautiful jungle” or “beautiful forest” in the Bengali Language. The characteristic tree are the Sundari (Heritiera littoralis), from which the name of the tract has been derived It yields a 
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hard wood, used for building, and for making boats, furniture, etc. Other belief is that it is derived from “Samudraban” or “Chandra-bandhe” which was name of a primitive tribe. Read Full: The Sundarbans - Unique Ecosystem for Wildlife | iSikkim,

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Let the tiger breathe in its natural home

By Dharmendra Khandal: The world has been observing July 29 as International Tiger Day for the past three years, ever since heads of states of 13 countries met for a tiger summit at St Petersburg in 2010. All these countries have a significant tiger population, but India accounts for more than 50 per cent of the total tiger count. During the summit, it was pledged that the countries would work towards increasing the support for tiger conservation so as to double the world tiger population by 2022. Now, with the present threat to biodiversity across the globe, is this a possible or an impossible goal? One could say the odds are in the tiger’s favour as it is a very resilient species. Which is evident from the fact that it manages to adapt itself to all kinds of climate and many types of habitat — from minus 40 degree Celsius of Siberia to plus 48 degree Celsius of Ranthambhore; from the rainforests of the north east, marshy mangroves of Sunderbans, arid zones of Rajasthan and high uplands of Bhutan. The field director of Ranthambhore park, YK Sahu, always says that the tiger is also tolerant to the high disturbance of human beings in and around its habitat. Sahu demonstrates that with two examples — millions of pilgrims have been visiting a famous temple in Ranthambhore for scores of years now and the tiger has never created any trouble for any pilgrim. Second, recently a tiger showed amazing stamina when it traversed a distance of around 250 km from Ranthambhore in search of a habitat. It dodged many villages, farms and fields to cover such a long distance. If such ability exists in this buoyant species, why then are these tiger countries worried for this creature? The reason is the growing human population and its never ending needs and demands. An interesting research published by Prof J Blandford estimated the size of global economy and the annual average individual consumption of 1000000 BC to 2000CE. According to Blandford, for 990,000 years, human beings were stagnant in their annual average individual consumption of around Rs 5,600. In 900 years, we further increased it to Rs 40,800. But in last 100 years, the consumption has swiftly increased, it went up to about Rs 3,92,400 in the year 2000. Simultaneous to this, the tiger population chart of the last 100 years in India has decreased. It has come down from 40,000 to 1,706 tigers today while the global wild tiger population is left with just 3,200. The crux of this math is very simple, we human beings not only increased our number in the world, we also increased our consumption manifold! All the steel from mining is for our cars, cement for our houses, and energy for our use — these come from this earth. We have to dig up the homes of tigers, or for that matter the polar bear or panda’s, for maintaining this extravagant, unbalanced life style. So, though we can increase tiger numbers to double with better management and planning, to increase tiger habitat in the same manner is very difficult. It is, therefore, up to you and me to work consciously to let the tiger breathe in its natural home. All it takes is lessening our unnecessary needs. (The writer is a conservation biologist at Tiger Watch, Ranthambore). Source: mydigitalfc.com, Image

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Who let the dogs out, into our wilds?

By Dharmendra Khandal: Recently, I visited five different sanctuaries of Rajasthan where I saw active predators in most of these areas. But they were not natural predators, but feral dogs. Some were chasing chinkaras while others were chasing neelgai. The locals there told me that these dogs injured or killed some wild animal in their area every other day. Sometimes they would manage to rescue the wild animal and chase out the dogs, but the fact is that these canines have become a growing menace in many wildlife areas today. The bigger sanctuaries are comparatively safe because wild animals can escape inside the forest. Also, the leopards and tigers, which are the predators of these canines, restrict the intrusion of these dogs. Not so the smaller wildlife areas where there are no such big cats. The canines here are therefore more fearless and can be seen chasing wild animals even in densely forested areas. A small area of desert that is protected by the local community has 500 chinkaras and regularly some animal or the other is injured by these dogs. I also saw carcasses of domestic animals and butcher waste around the region, that are attracting the dogs to the area. I suggested to the community head that they should not throw the carcasses in the forest areas but they said waste dumping was not in their hands as people stealthily threw the garbage and carcasses at night to avoid been seen. Is there any solution to this problem? Animal lovers, however, don’t see it as a problem, presenting the argument that dogs are also part of ecosystem and these neo-predators are now balancing the ecology of our jungles too. They, therefore, have a right to live too. But the figures speak for themselves — globally, there exist about 500 million stray dogs and in India, 20 to 30,000 people die every year because of rabies. Recently, a news came to light that canine distemper virus can cause trouble to tigers too. The National Tiger Conservation Authority issued an alert letter to all reserve directors and suggested vaccination of stay dogs around the tiger reserves. Rabies and CDV can be controlled through vaccination, but what happens to the dogs who are killing wild animals directly? Possibly, we can control their population through sterilisation but that has to be ethically and legally correct. Many people say that if we want to save our wildlife areas, we have to continuously kill or remove the dogs. They say that even after sterilisation, these dogs may not infect wild animals but will still continue to kill them. They also argue that there is no fund and trained manpower available to sterilise this unbounded number of stray dogs. Dog numbers are increasing with human population and one key reason is bad garbage management. This is also an indicator of the fragmenting web of our ecosystem. We do need to get some important wild areas dog-free, but of course, after following due procedure. (The writer is a conservation biologist at Tiger Watch, Ranthambore) Source: Article

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Bihar to turn village into peacock breeding centre

Patna, Bihar plans to turn a village into a breeding centre for the Indian national bird peacock, forest officials officials said Friday. Madhopur-Gobind village in East Champaran district, home to around 500 peacocks, is popularly known as 'mor gaon' or peacock village. "The government has decided to set up a breeding centre for the national bird in the village. It is common to spot over a dozen peacocks in any part of the village, which is a rare thing," said L.B. Manjhi, a forest official. State Chief Wildlife Conservator B.N. Jha last week directed the district forest department to prepare a blueprint for developing the village as a peacock breeding centre. "Forest officials have already begun work in this regard," Manjhi said. According to the official, the forest department is likely to use a vacant plot of land belonging to the water resources department for this purpose. "A wide picket fence would be developed and a pond dug in the area," he said. Another official said plantation of saplings within the area and around the pond is also being planned so that peacocks could hatch their eggs there. Last year, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had visited the village, spread over 700 acres, and directed the authorities to take steps to protect peacocks and facilitate their safe breeding. A couple of peacocks were first brought to the village in 1950 by one Chandrika Singh, according to a forest official. "The number of the birds has swelled over the years. Since there are restrictions against their domestication, the villagers have jointly provided a number of shelters for the birds," the official added. The villagers have also taken the responsibility of protecting the birds from animals and poachers. A pond has been dug in the village especially for the use of peacocks. Most of the birds have become friendly with the humans and they co-exist peacefully. Source: Article, Image: flickr.com

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Wildlife smuggler nabbed

A Czech national is under travel restriction orders in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires after being nabbed at the airport as he was trying to smuggle out almost 250 live animals including venomous snakes. The illicit cargo came to light on one of the airport’s X-ray screening machines.The smuggler has already paid a heavy fine. (AFP),Tags: animals, Czech Republic , smuggling , Argentina, News, Society, World, Читать далее, Source: Voice of Russia. 

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New national park with Amur tigers to open in Primorye

A new national park where Amur tigers are going to be bred will be opened in Primorye, the Putin administration informed. At the moment, the largest population of this species lives in the Russian Far East. Indigenous people residing in Primorsky Krai will take part in managing the park and reducing extinction of the Amur tiger species included on the the IUCN Red List.

The Amur tiger is the strongest felid and the only one managed to adapt oneself to life in the taiga snows. However, over the last century its population reduced by dozens of times. Today around 90 percent of Amur tigers, which is almost 500 individuals, live In the Far Eastern taiga in Russia. The local authorities and residents do their best to increase a breeding adult population. Starting 1992, a federal program of Amur tiger conservation was introduced. Thanks to the program extinction of the predator was stopped, Sergei Aramylev, the coordinator of the Biodiversity

Conservation Program, says. "A series of measures was planned and approved by the government. There are several general directions. First of all, we should put an end to direct extermination of Amur tigers and to any kind of illegal hunting and poaching. We should also increase the ungulates population and conserve natural habitats and their quality as there should be many oaks and cedars growing in the forests," Aramylev adds. The largest untouched area of cedar broad-leafed forests is situated in the Bikin River basin in Primorsky Krai. The area of more than 4,000 km2 is listed as

a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was decided to create a new national park in this unique territory, Mikhail Kreidlyn, the head of the Natural Areas Conservation Program, says. "The south of Far East and Primorsky Krai are very valuable. It’s a unique natural area. The Bikin basin is unique because people have never farmed there. Lumbermen, gold-miners attempted to occupy these territories but we managed to save them," Mikhail Kreidlyn notes. The native population, Udege, who have been living on the Bikin River

banks since  the dawn of time, stood up actively for the forests. That’s why the Udege will be taking part in managing the park. In order to coexist peacefully with tigers, the taiga will be divided into three areas, Sergei Aramylev says. "Udege are forest people who since the dawn of time have been living near the tigers, ungulates and woods. The main purpose of the park is not to prohibit to these people to live there or to ban their activities 

but to conserve the habitat. It goes without saying that we should come to an agreement on all the conditions with people who live in this territory. Areas, where the Udege farm, will be mapped and a list of what is permitted and prohibited there will be created. One can’t cut down trees there but can hunt in a traditional way. Areas, where people don’t farm, are named protected areas. In areas like these everything is forbidden," Aramylev concludes. At the moment, there is no direct threat to the Amur tiger population extinction but we still should protect it. Maria Balyabina. Source: Article

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Snakes in Florida Everglades

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By Kim Brown, In the Florida Everglades there is a problem with snakes and not just any snakes but the Burmese Pythons. Not a native species to North America the snakes have been released to Florida Everglades and are flourishing tremendously with the numbers. This is causing a big problem and disruption within the natural balance of the ecosystem in the Everglades. And to discuss this we are joined by Michael Dorcas, he is the Professor of Biology at Davidson College in North Carolina.Tags: snake, animals, US, Commentary, Society, World,Читать далее, Source: Voice of Russia. 

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Russia to create Arctic nature park

Russia will create the Russian Arctic nature park in the western area of the Arctic coast, the country’s Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev stated Thursday. He signed a decree in this respect after a meeting on the Far East development. The new nature preserve will spread over a territory of 600,000 ha. Interfax, Source: Voice of Russia

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Elephant football in Nepal seeks tourist attention

A match of elephant football took place in Nepal as part of the annual Chitwan Elephant Festival aimed to attract more tourists into the country. Each team comprised four animals guided by their trainers sitting on the elephants` backs. The event traditionally attracts crowds willing to see anunusual show. (RBK) A match of elephant football took place in Nepal as part of the annual Chitwan Elephant Festival aimed to attract more tourists into the country.Each team comprised four animals guided by their trainers sitting on the elephants` backs. Source: Voice of Russia. 

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Wildlife News: 12 peacocks found dead in Bhilwara

1 June 2011, Twelve peacocks were found dead in a farm near the forest area at Hamirgarh at Bhilwara district on Tuesday. The reason behind the deaths are not clear. A team of forest officials have reached the spot to inquire in to, said a forest official. State president of People for Animals Babulal Jaju has demanded strong action against the guilty. Jaju approached the superintendent of police & officers of the forest department to bring the guilty to book. "The rising cases of poaching of peacocks in the district is due to the lackadaisical attitude of the police & the forest department. The head of forest forces & the CMO ought to take up the matter urgently," they said. The Wildlife Conservation Act 1972 provides for six years confinement & a fine of Rs 50,000 for killing the national bird. But in Rajasthan the crime seems unabated. The state has been seeing the poaching of peacocks in places like Haler, Ojaira, Jahajpur etc. "It is the incapability of the police & the forest department that the criminals have not been caught so far while the poaching of the national bird continues," they said. Recently, the Union surroundings minister Jairam Ramesh, concerned over the rise in peacock poaching, ordered a study to evaluate their number in the country. The ministry has asked the Bombay Natural History Society to get the study done.Read Full: Wildlife News: 12 peacocks found dead in Bhilwara:

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