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Showing posts from July, 2021

Future Tense For Cute Cheetah Cubs of Kuno

  Kuno National park released two short documentaries with beautiful pictures of cheetah cubs and their mothers.The cute cheetah cubs in the moving pictures  attract eyeballs. Cheetah siblings playing in the lush green grasslands after monsoon in Kuno fascinate all and sundry. For record, in the last 24 months, the same number of cheetahs survived- 12 adult cheetahs of the original 20 airlifted from Africa – Namibia and South Africa- and 12 of the 17 cubs born in Kuno. As the Union ministry of Environment ,Forest  and Climate Change (MoEFC&C) celebrates the “two successful years of the cheetah project in Kuno”, lo and behold, all the cheetahs are still in captivity and none of them are free ranging so far.What  is the future of these cubs . Their future  is  linked with the  future of  the cheetah project.  Safe in Boma, Cubs Yet to Face Jungle Threats The documentaries showcase  playful  cheetah cubs in Kuno. The first cheetah cubs  were born in Kuno in March 2023 when a Nambian

Love Life of 'Papa' Tiger: A Threat to Cubs?

Shouldering the responsibility of the four orphaned cubs after the death of his mate on May 15 in Panna tiger reserve , the male tiger seems to have been courting two tigresses ringing alarm bells for the young ones. Initially the tiger apparently refused the company of tigresses . After the death of their mother – the tigress P213-32 - the male tiger 243 has not harmed the four cubs. They have now turned 10 -months old. So far the tiger has protected the cubs from co- predators.  On  July 29, the World Tiger Day, we bring an amazing story of the tiger family from Panna where the park management is learning new lessons on the behavior of the top predator every day.   United they Stand, Kill and Survive On May 15 2021, the tigress 213-32 died of “unknown illness”. The tigress was survived by the four cubs which were about 7 months old and their life was at risk.  But  the tiger P243 .considered as their father  ,always remained around them . The tiger not only protected the cubvs but al

Which animal is on the brink of extinction after increased demand from china

  If you think tiger is the only animal in India which is poached to fetch millions. You are mistaken. As the big cat received all the attention, the wildlife poachers shifted their focus to other animals. Huge demand for Red-crowned roofed turtles in China and  the far east nations has  led to a situation when  only about 500 of them  remained in  the river Chambal .  Besides, pangolin scales are also in demand. Recent conviction of wildlife smugglers by a court in Sagar further emphasized the importance of conservation of other species. Turtle with Courtship Coloration There was a time when the habitat of this beautiful multi-colored turtle would stretch to a great length in central Nepal, northeastern India, Bangladesh and probably Burma where they flourished in deep flowing fresh water rivers .But   their numbers declined drastically after rampant poaching for their meat and shells from countries like China. But the major attraction also seems to be coloured stripes on the top of t

Avni's killing: Core Issue of Tiger Corridors Lost in Oblivion

More than two and half years after a  bullet was fired from a .458 Winchester Magnum rifle by a professional hunter  shooting down  T1 of Avni, the man eater tigress in Yavatmal district of  Maharashtra , controversies continued to surround the shoot out. The case is also being heard in the Supreme Court and  government inquiries are also ordered to probe it. But the core issue of  fragmented  forests of the country and the poor connectivity of tiger corridors has taken a back seat. T1 - and her two cubs - were among the large number of tigers living outside the reserve forests when she became a man eater. The ferocious tigress was drifting around jungles and farmland near the town of Pandharkawada  town where a professional hunter shot her dead on November 2 ,2018. Tigress on the Prowl Avni, perhaps had migrated to Ralegaon area and Pandharkawada from Tipeshwer wildlife sanctuary 50-60km west of Loni village in Yavatmal district. Her first kill was  believed to be a woman named Sonab

Fate of Lion project unknown midst Cheetah translocation in Kuno

Nobody is talking about this issue. What would be the fate of the much awaited Lion project in Kuno Palpur national park where preparations are in full swing to welcome cheetahs, the fastest animal on  the earth.  The MP government is tightlipped over the issue and  so are the IFS ( Indian Forest Service) community of the state . Eight cheetahs  from Namibia and South Africa are expected to be airlifted to Kuno , nestled  in Sheopur district about 390 kms  away from Bhopal ,in November this year. Five male cheetahs and three females will be donated by Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) of South Africa. Work on to Welcome Cheetah There is a lot of excitement and enthusiasm in the state eversince the Supreme Court approved the project in January 2020.A three-member committee comprising former director Wildlife of India Ranjit Singh, DG of Wildlife Institute of India (WII) Dhananjay Mohan and DIG, Wildlife, Union ministry of Environment and Forests to guide the National Tiger Conservation A

Why MP is Denying 105- Yr Old Elephant a Guinness World Record

  She is 105 year old and retired 17 -year ago. Vatsala is the oldest surviving elephant on the earth.  Her name should have entered the Guinness Book of World Records. The female elephant has been in news after reports of deteriorating health conditions in Panna tiger reserve (PTR) , Vatsala’s home.  The director of PTR Uttam Kumar Sharma confirms she is about 105 years old.  thewildlifeindia would want  the state forest department to approach  the Guinness Books to  help Vatsala create a world record . For the last several days she had stopped eating and was unwell, said PTR veterinarian Dr Sanjeev Gupta. “But now she is improving as she has resumed food intake”, he said. From Kerala to PTR, it was a Long Journey The female elephant was shifted to the PTR in 1993 from the Bori reserve forest located in Hoshangabad district. In fact, she was brought to Bori from Kerala's Nilambur forest in 1971.In 2007, when Shahbaz Ahmed was director of the PTR he had initiated a move to get her