1 Nov 2016
Giant panda gives birth in China
(Representative photo) BEIJING: A giant panda cub was born on Monday at a breeding centre for the endangered species in southwest China's Sichuan province.
The mother, Dajiao, gave birth to the male cub, weighing about 179 grams, Wu Kongju, a panda expert at the Chengdu Giant Panda centre said.
The mother, born in August 2006, has given birth once before, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
It is said to be the peak season for birth of pandas which are endangered species.
Staff at the centre have gone to great lengths to take care of the mothers and their cubs, the report said.
There are more than 1,300 __wild pandas in Sichuan, 15 per cent more than 10 years ago.
The number of captive pandas in Sichuan is more than 360, accounting for 86.3 per cent of all captive pandas nationwide.
The mother, Dajiao, gave birth to the male cub, weighing about 179 grams, Wu Kongju, a panda expert at the Chengdu Giant Panda centre said.
The mother, born in August 2006, has given birth once before, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
It is said to be the peak season for birth of pandas which are endangered species.
Staff at the centre have gone to great lengths to take care of the mothers and their cubs, the report said.
There are more than 1,300 __wild pandas in Sichuan, 15 per cent more than 10 years ago.
The number of captive pandas in Sichuan is more than 360, accounting for 86.3 per cent of all captive pandas nationwide.
Rhino dies at Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park
(Representative image) TEZPUR: The carcass of a rhino was recovered from near the Timikana camp of the Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park in Assam on Wednesday.
The carcass was spotted by a forest team moving towards the camp, a forest department official said.
The 45-year-old female rhino died of old age, he said.
The carcass was spotted by a forest team moving towards the camp, a forest department official said.
The 45-year-old female rhino died of old age, he said.
Now, an atlas to help save Madhya Pradesh fish Mahseer
INDORE: While radio-collaring of tigers is now common, an atlas for the endangered state fish of Madhya Pradesh — Narmada Mahseer (Tor tor) — is being prepared in a first of its kind experiment in the country. The forest department has begun identifying the occurrence of Narmada Mahseer and is mapping them in protected areas with Global Information System (GIS) technology.
GIS helps in capturing, checking, storing and displaying data on earth's surface and can show different kinds of data on one map. "If you visit a place, you refer to a map. Similarly, for studying a species, we need to know its whereabouts, in what quantity they are found and what places are suitable for breeding," said Shiparna Saxena, a Mahseer expert.
The Nagdwari and Sonbhadra tributaries of Denwa river have been explored. Officials said many juvenile fishes had been found in rivers and they were being mapped. A Rs 5-lakh budget has also been allotted for facilitating the survey.
Additional principal chief conservator of forest (wildlife), Indore, Pankaj Srivastava said a scientific protocol would be made with help of collected data and help of experts and communities to ensure conservation.
"We have started with Satpura and Devas tiger reserves and we will explore other wildlife sanctuaries in the future," said Srivastava.
While conservation plans top the list of forest department, officials said they were facing some problems as many officials on the field do not have enough expertise to recognize the species. "We will be conducting training programmes for forest officials, including forest guards, deputy rangers and rangers to ensure mapping is effective," he said. Forest department had also constructed an artificial flowing water repository in Barwah to conserve Narmada Mahseer.
GIS helps in capturing, checking, storing and displaying data on earth's surface and can show different kinds of data on one map. "If you visit a place, you refer to a map. Similarly, for studying a species, we need to know its whereabouts, in what quantity they are found and what places are suitable for breeding," said Shiparna Saxena, a Mahseer expert.
The Nagdwari and Sonbhadra tributaries of Denwa river have been explored. Officials said many juvenile fishes had been found in rivers and they were being mapped. A Rs 5-lakh budget has also been allotted for facilitating the survey.
Additional principal chief conservator of forest (wildlife), Indore, Pankaj Srivastava said a scientific protocol would be made with help of collected data and help of experts and communities to ensure conservation.
"We have started with Satpura and Devas tiger reserves and we will explore other wildlife sanctuaries in the future," said Srivastava.
While conservation plans top the list of forest department, officials said they were facing some problems as many officials on the field do not have enough expertise to recognize the species. "We will be conducting training programmes for forest officials, including forest guards, deputy rangers and rangers to ensure mapping is effective," he said. Forest department had also constructed an artificial flowing water repository in Barwah to conserve Narmada Mahseer.
With a faint roar, legendary tigress Machhli passes away
When the end came for Ranthambhore's iconic tigress Machhli — at 9.53am on Thursday — it was before a group of mourners and with cameras rolling. Old tigers usually pass away in anonymity, far from human presence. But Machhli, or T 16, the "world's most photographed tiger", died just the way she had lived for a record 19-plus years — close to her legion of admirers.
"Machhli was lying behind the bushes in the national park's buffer zone at Ama Ghati. She had stopped eating since August 11 and had lost a lot of weight. We heard a faint roar and then she was gone," said wildlife filmmaker Nalla Muthu, who had documented the tigress's life for close to 10 years and was there to film the end.
"She died a natural death and was cremated in the evening. It was a touching farewell. We felt we had lost a family member," Muthu added. Machhli was perhaps India's best-known striped cat, with her own Facebook and Wiki pedia pages and a list of `honours' bestowed by various organisations.The tigress arguably did more to increase Ranthambhore's big cat population and popularise the park than any human or organisation.
"What Machhli has contributed to Ranthambhore is remarkable.She ruled over the park at the turn of the century when poaching had reduced the tiger population there. Reproductively, she was a very successful tigress and gave the park 11 offspring. She and her litters helped repopulate not just Ranthambhore, but also Sariska," said wildlife activist and author Valmik Thapar.
Machhli, so called because of stripes on her face resembling a fish, also played a big role in bringing tourists to the national park. "She was an even-tempered, tolerant tigress, never wary of showing herself to people. Her frequent sightings brought people to the park," said Thapar.
Stories of her exploits -her fight with a crocodile, her ability to hunt after losing her canines and living far longer than any other known tiger in the __wild -just added to the Machhli myth. "There was an aura about Machhli. She would look you in the eye. She was an extraordinary animal," says Belinda Wright, executive director of Wildlife Protection Society . In the past few years, as Machhli grew old and hunting became difficult, the park authorities would leave food for her -an act that divided wildlife enthusiasts.
But that alone doesn't explain her longevity . "Even in a zoo, tigers don't live for nearly 20 years. Machhli was a great survivor," said Thapar.
"Machhli was lying behind the bushes in the national park's buffer zone at Ama Ghati. She had stopped eating since August 11 and had lost a lot of weight. We heard a faint roar and then she was gone," said wildlife filmmaker Nalla Muthu, who had documented the tigress's life for close to 10 years and was there to film the end.
"She died a natural death and was cremated in the evening. It was a touching farewell. We felt we had lost a family member," Muthu added. Machhli was perhaps India's best-known striped cat, with her own Facebook and Wiki pedia pages and a list of `honours' bestowed by various organisations.The tigress arguably did more to increase Ranthambhore's big cat population and popularise the park than any human or organisation.
"What Machhli has contributed to Ranthambhore is remarkable.She ruled over the park at the turn of the century when poaching had reduced the tiger population there. Reproductively, she was a very successful tigress and gave the park 11 offspring. She and her litters helped repopulate not just Ranthambhore, but also Sariska," said wildlife activist and author Valmik Thapar.
Machhli, so called because of stripes on her face resembling a fish, also played a big role in bringing tourists to the national park. "She was an even-tempered, tolerant tigress, never wary of showing herself to people. Her frequent sightings brought people to the park," said Thapar.
Stories of her exploits -her fight with a crocodile, her ability to hunt after losing her canines and living far longer than any other known tiger in the __wild -just added to the Machhli myth. "There was an aura about Machhli. She would look you in the eye. She was an extraordinary animal," says Belinda Wright, executive director of Wildlife Protection Society . In the past few years, as Machhli grew old and hunting became difficult, the park authorities would leave food for her -an act that divided wildlife enthusiasts.
But that alone doesn't explain her longevity . "Even in a zoo, tigers don't live for nearly 20 years. Machhli was a great survivor," said Thapar.
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