(February 18, 2021) Sumer Singh Bhatti, resident of village Sawanta near Rasla in Pokhran tehsil is an avid bird-lover and wildlife enthusiast. Being a herder by profession, he has been a major voice for the plight of wildlife being affected from the power distribution lines of solar and windmills set up in the middle of an important GIB landscape outside the Desert National Park Sanctuary (DNP) in Jaisalmer. The grasslands between Devikot, Sawanta, Rasla, Madasar, Sankada, Jaimla and many others used to be a ...

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(February 17, 2021) Counter Wildlife Trafficking NewsletterJanuary 2021 News Scan (January 1-31)Digapahandi forest officials seize 175 kg of tension, deer hide from auto-rickshaw | 1 January 2021Forest officials of Digapahandi division have arrested the owner of an auto-rickshaw after venison weighing 175 kg and its hide was found inside the vehicle.Read moreThree poachers held in Bhitarkanika | 3 January 2021Forest officials are on high alert in Bhitarkanika National Park and its neighbouring areas to thwart ...

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(January 20, 2021) By Anil KumarGolden city, Jaisalmer, is frequented by tourists every year for the magnificence of the Thar Desert landscape, and their needs are catered by the hospitality industry which has well laid out chains from budget to ultra-luxury hotels, resorts and camps. Sam Sand Dunes are a major attraction for lakhs of national and international tourists, and due to such a large influx of tourists, there is plenty of garbage and food-waste generated in the region which are detrimental to the wildli...

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(January 18, 2021) By Anil KumarWe, under our great Indian bustard (GIB) conservation project, are working in Jaisalmer district, Rajasthan, for the conservation of the species by making the local communities partners in our efforts. Both the bird and the livelihood of the rural populations in Jaisalmer are primarily dependent on grasslands for pastoralism, for their survival. While traditionally the grasslands or ‘Gochars’ were protected and considered to be the common property, with changing times an...

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(January 18, 2021) Counter Wildlife Trafficking NewsletterDecember 2020News Scan (December 1-31)Five poachers held with live pangolin | 1 December 2020A combined team of Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) and Shahdol Forest Division nabbed five poachers and rescued a live pangolin from them. The pangolin species is protected under Schedule-I of Wildlife Protection Act 1972. Read moreUP Police arrests 3 poachers, seizes 100 kg of boar meat | 1 December 2020The Banda police have arrested three wildlife poache...

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(January 11, 2021) By Anil KumarThere is an old saying: “If you want to change the environment, start planting a sapling. And if you want to change a generation, start educating the children”. Children are the torchbearers of any change in society if they are guided and motivated rightly from the beginning. The great Indian bustard (GIB) in the Thar landscape is facing existential crisis today, and Jaisalmer in Rajasthan is known to be the only breeding population left in the wild. Education is th...

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(January 07, 2021) The great Indian bustard (GIB) is a ‘Critically Endangered’ species under the IUCN Red List, and has the highest resident breeding population in Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan. It is believed that the total world population of the species in the wild is less than 100 individuals.The Thar landscape in western Rajasthan is home not only to the critically endangered GIB, but it also boasts the highest livestock population in Rajasthan and some of the best quality sheep wool is collecte...

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(December 17, 2020) This is to confirm that Ms. Prakriti Srivastava has left WCS-India. During her tenure with WCS-India, Ms. Srivastava had many outstanding conservation achievements. These include the creation of a program that supports the Government of India’s laudable efforts to counter illegal wildlife trafficking, the creation of a technical team to support efforts to conserve the Great Indian Bustard, the strengthening of efforts to support the livelihoods of communities living near critical wildlife ...

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(December 17, 2020) The Supreme Court of India, in a recent hearing, has directed the powerlines in the great Indian bustard (GIB) landscape to be undergrounded. We, under our GIB Conservation Project, took the initiative in demonstrating the alternatives to save the birds till the undergrounding of powerlines happens in Jaisalmer district. Two stretches of approximately 6.5 kms were selected between Chacha to Dholiya villages in Pokhran tehsil after due consultations with the Rajasthan Forest Department and ground...

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(December 07, 2020) Counter Wildlife Trafficking NewsletterNovember 2020Updates from WCS-IndiaState Forest Training Institute, Walayar, Kerala and WCS-India organised a two-day online training on 17th and 18th November for 49 Beat Forest Officers. The training focussed on capacity building of the trainees to detect, investigate and prosecute wildlife offenders. The training began with the inaugural address by Ms. R. Keerthi, Director, SFTI, Walayar, Kerala.Read moreOn 5th November, WCS-India conducted an online tra...

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