Indo-Nepal authorities’ recommendations for effective wildlife enforcement in western border

Dharchula (Uttarakhand): Authorities who met at the wildlife enforcement and legal workshop last week in Dharchula, Uttarakhand, unanimously recommended institutionalisation of cross border coordination and joint enforcement operations, among others, for effective wildlife trade control along the western Indo-Nepal border. The recommendations will soon be submitted to the Uttarakhand Forest […] Read more »

Sloth bear cubs seized; indicates shift in trade hub

New Delhi: Two sloth bear cubs were seized and two traders arrested in Keonjhar district in the east Indian state of Orissa by Police authorities, yesterday. The seizure reveals new source areas in sloth bear trade, even as joint action by the Orissa Forest Department and the World Society for […] Read more »

Lack of funds threaten critically-endangered Amur leopards in Russian Primorski region

Primorski (Russia): Despite being home to the Amur leopard – one of the world’s most endangered large cat species with just about 30-35 wild individuals remaining, Kedrovaya Pad Nature Reserve in the south-western Primorski region in Russia has been paralysed by lack of funds. Read more »

Hand-raised wild buffaloes released in the wild

Dibru Saikhowa National Park (Assam): More than half a decade since being rescued as young calves separated from their herds, two hand-raised wild buffaloes were released in Dibru Saikhowa National Park, Assam, by the Forest Department and International Fund for Animal Welfare – Wildlife Trust of India (IFAW-WTI), last week. […] Read more »

MoEF calls for notification of Mansingh Deo WLS

Delhi: To secure a critical tiger habitat in Central India, Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh has pressed for the notification of Mansingh Deo Wildlife Sanctuary in a letter addressed to the Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan. A part of the Kanha-Pench landscape, Mansingh Deo connects […] Read more »

20 years since ivory trade ban, elephants still threatened by poaching, stockpile sales

Delhi: Despite ivory trade being banned 20 years ago, hundreds, if not thousands, of wild elephants continue to fall prey to poachers across their distribution range, each year. Read more »

King cobra ‘rescued’ from a house in Assam

Haldibari (Assam): A 13-feet long king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) accidentally trapped in a house near Haldibari Reserve Forest in Assam, was ‘rescued’ by the Forest Department authorities assisted by International Fund for Animal Welfare – Wildlife Trust of India (IFAW-WTI) team, last week. The snake has been released in Haldibari. […] Read more »

Electric fencing villages near Kaziranga benefits people and animals

Kaziranga (Assam): Six villages in the fringes of Kaziranga National Park in the northeast Indian state of Assam, reported a six-fold increase in annual crop yield, this year. A 15 km stretch of electric fence installed with the aim to reduce crop depredation by wild animals as well as human-animal […] Read more »

Assam empowers Forest Department to use fire arms to protect its natural heritage

Guwahati (Assam): The Government of Assam has passed a notification to equip state Forest Department personnel with fire arms to ensure better protection to its forests and wildlife, particularly rhinos. The order released by the Governor’s office, last month, indicates that the decision was taken to tackle mounting threats to […] Read more »

Training frontline Forest Department staff in Kanha

Kanha NP (Madhya Pradesh): To further strengthen tiger protection in Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh, the state Forest Department and International Fund for Animal Welfare – Wildlife Trust of India (IFAW-WTI), supported by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) began the second phase of the ‘wildlife crime prevention’ training […] Read more »