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(December 21, 2018) In the past year alone, as many as 97 elephants have died due to man-animal conflict. A total of 490 elephants have died since 2013.The recent death of a wild elephant that was first chased away by villagers and later died by getting stranded on a railway fence in Karnataka’s Nagarhole National Park, has put the spotlight back on the human-wildlife conflict.In the past year alone, as many as 97 elephants have died due to man-animal clashes. A total of 490 elephants have died since 2013.But...

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(December 18, 2018) “Stop! Sir, please!” cried one of the villagers. “We won’t let you release these leopard cubs here. Keep them trapped in the cages as bait for their mother, and as soon as she enters the cage, please shift them to some other location.” Such scenarios have become an integral part of our work. People want us to rescue leopard cubs from their sugarcane fields, but when it is time for their release, they oppose it. On that day, we were in the same situation; we received...

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(December 18, 2018) Meet Daasi, the tribal woman from the Sollepura resettlement colony, who had no clue about farming few years ago, but is now a model farmer!Written by Manish MachaiahDaasi was a widow with ten children, living in the Nagarahole forest and eking a living from selling minor forest produce. Till an opportunity to move out came her way in the form of a voluntary relocation package. Along with some 60 other families, she left the national park in 2007. She was given a house and three acres of land at...

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(December 14, 2018) A by-product of the fishing industry – lost or abandoned nets, also referred to as ghost nets, are as deadly as their name implies.Drifting with the highs and lows of the ocean currents, they often become tangled together with ropes, buoys and other debris to form what are known as ghost net conglomerates. These swallow or ensnare everything that comes on its way including marine turtles, dugongs, dolphins and whales.Amongst marine life, the most affected species is the Olive Ridley turtle...

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(December 04, 2018) MEET OUR STAFF: MRUNMAYEE AMARNATHFrom a student to a finance/administration head was one big leap. Now, from the office to the field is going to be no less than a launch into fresh challenges. But that isn't deterring Mrunmayee, given her commitment to wildlife conservation.Mrunmayee, most happy outdoorsThe quick transformation within a decade, from a teenager focused solely on studies and volleyball, to becoming the Assistant Director - Finance and Administration of a wildlife conser...

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(November 30, 2018) The Wildlife Protection Act 1972 clearly states that you cannot trap a leopard (Schedule 1 species) only because it has been seen. But this happens everyday somewhere or the other in India. Again, not because the leopard has threatened or killed a person but simply because it has been seen. Often in the shine of the vehicle or torch light.I remember about ten years ago we were called to talk to the management of the Dahanu Thermal Power plant near Mumbai. Their campus was by the side of the sea ...

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(November 27, 2018) IFS officers saw and heard the success story of Bhadra when they went visiting the relocation sites and the tiger reserve.The hushed silence for an hour or more as the forest department jeep trundled on the patchy roads of Muthodi  Range inside Bhadra Tiger reserve was almost reverential. The bamboo dominant moist deciduous forests with its teak and native flora is known to be home to elephants, tigers, leopards, dholes, sloth bear, gaur, cheetal, sambar, muntjac, civets, leopard cats, jung...

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(November 23, 2018) Unusual nesting behaviour of the Streaked Weaver Bird came as a precursor to drought and failed monsoon.In the month of July 2016, bird watchers of WildCAT-C, a wildlife conservation team in Chikmagalur noticed a strange nesting behavior of the Streaked Weaver Bird around Chikmagalur town. The bird is less common compared to the Baya Weaver Bird. The weaver birds nest mostly on reeds in lake beds and ponds and the nesting generally starts in the month of September. However, that year in Chikmaga...

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(November 20, 2018) As conflict situations increase, there are lessons to be learnt from the past. Looking at the source of the conflict and solving it could help provide a long-term solution rather than a shoot-and-kill approach.Leopard seen in Bhadra © Pradeep V HegdeSuddenly and sadly, ‘problem tigers’ and ‘problem leopards’ are everywhere in the country. Following the removal of one tiger in Yavatmal, by means now contested, there are more demands to remove ‘straying’ ca...

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(November 16, 2018) India’s national animal has fallen prey to human-tiger conflict© The New Indian ExpressThe tiger is in the news, and yet again for the wrong reasons. We have lost two of our national animals to targeted killings in two rich landscapes — Yavatmal (Maharashtra) and Dudhwa (Uttar Pradesh). The big cats were victims of human-tiger interface conflict.India is in a leadership position on the tiger front with almost 70 per cent of the global tiger population. We pioneered tiger conserv...

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