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Showing posts with the label Elephant Corridor

End of an Era In Bandhavgarh: Tiger Pujari Killed In Territorial Battle With D1

The iconic male tiger, admired by thousands of tourists and feared by rivals, reportedly died after a fierce clash in the Khitauli range. Bandhavgarh National Park has lost one of its most recognizable and beloved tigers. Pujari (priest in English) , the majestic male who ruled hearts as much as territories , is believed to have died following a violent territorial clash with D1, another dominant male from the Khitauli range. Tourist guides noticed his sun-salutation poses at water bodies and a priest  like calm in the cat, giving him the moniker.  For wildlife lovers and regular visitors to Bandhavgarh, the news marks the end of an unforgettable chapter in the park’s rich tiger history. Several WhatsApp groups of tourists, guides, and wildlife enthusiasts have been flooded with tributes to the iconic tiger. While many stories circulating after Pujari’s death may not fully conform to scientific wildlife interpretations, they reflect the immense popularity of the big cat and t...

As You Watch The Elephant Whisperer, Let's Learn The Plight Of The Pachyderm

  The ElephantWhisperer - the Oscar winning  short documentary - may have  touched the hearts of millions as it narrated the story of the two calves and the animal loving couple, a large number of elephant calves are actually not lucky enough to  get such affection and compassion. As the great elephant migration continues   from east to west across India,  the real-life plight of the pachyderm is different from the reel- life love, often portrayed in the movies. L et's pause and  understand  why ,a midst squeezing habitat, food and fodder shortage, the elephant in India is more endangered than the highly protected tiger. These gentle giants need more space and food as compared to the big cat. 100 Elephants Die Every Year  The ever increasing quest for land by a growing human population throughout the Indian elephant’s habitat is leaving  a very little room for the “ intelligent beast” . The situation is further aggravated by Illegal...

Govt Pushes Railway Project: Western Ghats, Tiger & Elephant Corridors Under Threat

 A quarter century old railway project continues to pose a threat to the Western Ghats , one of the eight biodiversity “hottest hotspots” of the world. Like many other jungles of India, the Railways intend to cut a large number of trees as it proposes a 164.44 km Hubballi-Ankola railway project (HARP) through a dense  forest patch , also a corridor for two iconic species- the tiger and the elephant. In fact, not one but three elephant corridors will be impacted. In the times when climate change is a reality,   the governments- both the centre and the state- push the project preferring economics over environment.    Tiger Conservation Of Entire Western Ghats At Stake The railway project, conceived in 1998, is proposed to pass the forests between two major protected areas — Kali Tiger Reserve and Bedthi Conservation Reserve. More than 80% of the  railway line has to pass through the dense forest lands of the Western Ghats, and this entails the diversion ...

Why India Should Rethink Over Coal Mining in Hasdeo Arand Forest

    Promises made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Cop26 climate change summit in Glasgow in November 2021 seem to contradict actions taken by his government back home. Amidst protest and litigation, millions of trees are proposed to be axed for the projects including coal, diamond mining   and river linking projects in Chattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. After protests against Ken Betwa River linking project threatening the very existence of a tiger reserve  and   voices against diamond mining in Madhya Pradesh, indigenous people in Hansdeo Arand , one of the richest bio-diverse Indian forests located in Chattisgarh, hold protests to save their “home”- a pristine virgin Sal forest. An estimated four and half lakh trees are expected to be axed to make way for coal mining in the jungle, an important wildlife corridor which is also the origin of the river Hansdeo. All this is happening when Climate Change has become a reality.  The Environmental W...