Wildlife

Five cubs born under Vantara's cheetah conservation program in Jamnagar

As per Vantara's objectives, these cubs will soon be rewilded to help restore India's biodiversity

Rs 38 crore disbursed for development of wildlife habitats in FY24

Andhra Pradesh is also the only coastal state that has not received any funds under the scheme over the past five years

MP: Subharanjan Sen appointed as new PCCF wildlife after elephant deaths

Weeks after the death of 10 elephants in the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (BTR), the Madhya Pradesh government has appointed Subharanjan Sen as the principal chief conservator of forest (wildlife), an official said on Friday. Sen replaces V K N Ambade, who took charge as PCCF (wildlife) just three months ago. Ambade will serve as the managing director of the MP State Forest Development Corporation (MPSFDC), the official said. According to sources in the forest department, the state government was not happy with Ambade after the death of 10 jumbos due to consumption of some toxic substance at BTR in Umaria district in the last week of October. Speaking to PTI, Sen, who was PCCF (budget and finance), said he is expected to take charge of his new assignment on Friday. As per a government order issued on Thursday, Ambade has been shifted to MPSFDC as MD. In the first week of November, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav suspended two senior officials of the BTR for lapses after a high-level probe

New Zealand may charge visitors to tourist sites; govt seeks feedback

The government is seeking feedback on a range of proposals to modernise how it manages these areas, Conservation Minister Tama Potaka said Friday in Wellington

Fishing ban along Odisha coast begins for Olive Ridley turtle protection

The Odisha government on Friday enforced a seven-month-long prohibition on sea fishing activity within 20 km of the coast at the river mouths of Dhamara, Devi and Rusikulya as part of the annual Olive Ridley turtle conservation programme, officials said. The fishing ban would remain effective from November 1May 31 to ensure the safety of marine animals during their breeding and mating season, they said. The ban has been clamped in accordance with Sections 2, 7 and 4 of the Orissa Marine Fishing Regulation Act (OMFRA), 1982 and provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, they said. The fishing ban imposed along a specified coast of the sea comprising sea turtle congregation area and their buffer zones at the river mouths of Dhamara, Devi and Rusikulya. The prohibition will be strictly implemented as it is done every year as the turtles perish in larger numbers either by getting entangled in fishing nets or hit by fishing trawlers' propellers. It will be a multi-layered patroll

NGT castigates UP officials for mining permissions in turtle sanctuary

The National Green Tribunal has castigated three district magistrates of Uttar Pradesh and the member secretary of the state's pollution control board for granting permission "in a mechanical manner" for mining works in the state's turtle wildlife sanctuary. Issuance of clearances and grant of permission for such activities in the prohibited areas was not only a flagrant violation of environmental laws but also "non-application of mind and exercise of illegal power" by the authorities concerned, the NGT said. A bench of NGT judicial member Justice Sudhir Agarwal and expert member Afroz Ahmad was hearing two connected matters regarding illegal sand mining in the 30-km sanctuary on the banks of river Ganga spread across the districts of Pyayagraj, Mirzapur and Sant Ravidas Nagar (Bhadhoi). Noting the evidence before it, including the reports of two joint committees formed earlier, the tribunal in its order dated October 24 said that mining leases were in the "prohibited area" both ...

Female cheetah to soon give birth to cubs at Kuno National Park: CM Yadav

A female cheetah is pregnant and expected to deliver cubs soon at the Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh's Sheopur district. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav shared the information in a post on social media platform X late Saturday night and said this symbolises a big achievement for the 'Cheetah Project'. On September 17, 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi released eight cheetahs -- five females and three males -- brought from Namibia into enclosures at the KNP as part of the world's first intercontinental translocation of the big cats, nearly eight decades after the cheetahs were hunted to extinction. In February 2023, another 12 cheetahs were translocated to the national park in MP from South Africa as part of the Indian government's project to reintroduce cheetahs into the country. Yadav in the post on X said, "Happiness is coming to Kuno. A female cheetah is soon going to give birth to new cubs in the Kuno National Park of Madhya Pradesh, the 'Cheetah State' of the ...

Wildlife Board approves 5 roads in Ladakh, including Daulat Beg Oldie route

The National Board for Wildlife has approved five critical road projects, four of which pass through the Karakoram Wildlife Sanctuary along the Line of Actual Control, and one road to Daulat Beg Oldie

Cheetahs at Kuno to be released into wild in phases starting late October

"The cheetahs at Kuno National Park will be released into large unfenced areas by the end of the month in a phased manner," an official stated

Monitored wildlife populations plunged 73% in 50 years: WWF report

Monitored wildlife populations have declined by an average of 73 per cent in just 50 years from 1970 to 2020, primarily due to habitat loss, climate change, and pollution, according to a new report by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). The 'Living Planet Report' 2024 also revealed sharp declines in three species of vultures in India, with populations dropping dramatically between 1992 and 2022. The white-rumped vulture population has declined by 67 per cent, the Indian vulture by 48 per cent, and the slender-billed vulture by 89 per cent. Globally, the steepest decline is reported in freshwater ecosystems (85 per cent), followed by terrestrial ecosystems (69 per cent) and marine ecosystems (56 per cent). Habitat loss and degradation, driven primarily by food systems, is the most commonly reported threat to wildlife populations worldwide, followed by overexploitation, invasive species, and disease, the report said. In India, some wildlife populations have stabilized and shown ..

MP's Kuno National Park reopens, but tourists wait to see cheetahs

The Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, the only home of cheetahs in the country, reopened for tourists on Sunday after being shut for the annual monsoon season. But, the two-year wait of visitors to get a glimpse of the cheetahs is not yet over as the felines have not been released into the wild so far. Nearly eight decades after the cheetahs were hunted to extinction, eight large carnivores were brought from Namibia to the KNP in September 2022 and put in bomas (enclosures) to revive their population in India. Later, 12 cheetahs were brought from South Africa in February 2023 as part of the Indian government's project to reintroduce cheetahs into the country. The park, spread over an area of 1,235 sq km including 487 sq km buffer zone, has reopened and visitors are allowed from 6.30 am to 10 am and from 3 pm to 6 pm, KNP's director Uttam Sharma told PTI on Sunday. He said the park is home to 24 cheetahs, the fastest land animals, including 12 adults brought from Namibia and So

Wildlife hospital starts on second anniversary of cheetah reintroduction

A wildlife hospital was inaugurated in Madhya Pradesh's Sheopur district on Tuesday to mark the second anniversary of the arrival of cheetahs at the Kuno National Park (KNP) as part of an ambitious reintroduction program. State Forest Minister Ramniwas Rawat inaugurated the hospital for cheetahs in Palpur area, constructed at a cost of Rs 2.29 crore. That 12 cheetah cubs were born on Indian soil over the last two years testifies to the project's success, claimed the minister, speaking at the function at Sesaipura village. However, the project has also seen setbacks with eight adult cheetahs and five cubs dying during the same period. All surviving cheetahs are currently in enclosures. The Indian government is aiming to revive the cheetah population in the country after the species, the fastest land animal, became extinct in the wild decades ago. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on his birthday on September 17, 2022, released eight cheetahs imported from Namibia -- five females and t

Two years of Project Cheetah: Triumphs, trials and road ahead this year

Several promising births, fewer but painful losses, growing optimism and some criticism marked the second year of the internationally acclaimed Project Cheetah, which looks ahead with renewed hope and ambition amid many challenges. As the grand initiative completes two years on Tuesday, authorities are speeding up efforts to bring in a new batch of cheetahs from Africa to the Gandhisagar Wildlife Sanctuary, which will be their second home in India, and setting up a conservation breeding centre in the Bunni grasslands in Gujarat. They also aim to establish a larger cheetah habitat, spanning the territorial divisions of Neemuch (about 1,000 sq km) and Mandsaur (500 sq km) in Madhya Pradesh, along with the Bhainsrorgarh Wildlife Sanctuary (208 sq km) and Chittorgarh (around 1,000 sq km) in Rajasthan. In a major boost to the project, 13 cubs were born on Indian soil in the second year, though two of them did not survive. Namibian cheetah Aasha gave birth to three cubs in January. Anoth

KNP to hold events for 2nd anniversary of cheetah reintroduction project

The Kuno National Park (KNP) will hold programmes, including the inauguration of a wildlife hospital, on September 17 to mark the second anniversary of the cheetah reintroduction project. The project, launched in 2022, has seen the deaths of eight big cats and five cubs. The KNP management released a video on Sunday with clips of cheetahs and cubs in the park. Under the ambitious Cheetah Reintroduction project, Prime Minister Narendra Modi released eight Namibian cheetahs, five females and three males, into enclosures at the KNP to mark his birthday on September 17, 2022. In February 2023, 12 cheetahs were translocated from South Africa. State Forest Minister Ramniwas Rawat will attend various programmes at the national park, including the inauguration of a wildlife hospital for cheetahs. A KNP official said the forest minister will visit the enclosures of the cheetahs and inaugurate a wildlife hospital for cheetahs in Palpur. Besides meeting residents of villages around KNP, th

Two years of Project Cheetah: India awaits Kenya's approval for new batch

The MoU process to bring a new batch of cheetahs from Kenya is in progress, with India having finalised its part and awaiting approval from the African country, a senior official has said. Cheetahs for the breeding centre being built in Gujarat's Bunni grasslands will also be brought from Kenya, SP Yadav, the director general of the International Big Cat Alliance, told PTI editors during a recent interaction here. As part of the first-ever intercontinental translocation of the big cats, 20 cheetahs have been brought to the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh so far -- eight from Namibia in September 2022 and 12 from South Africa in February 2023. Since they arrived in India, eight adult cheetahs -- three females and five males -- have died. Seventeen cubs have been born in India, with 12 surviving, bringing the total number of cheetahs, including cubs, in Kuno to 24. Currently, all are in enclosures. The grand initiative completes two years on September 17. The 'Action Plan for .

Centre turned to Reliance's wildlife facility after cheetah deaths in Kuno

After three cheetahs died in just over a month last year in Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park, the National Tiger Conservation Authority in May 2023 called in experts from Reliance's wildlife facility in Gujarat to review health monitoring protocols, official records show. The National Tiger Conservation Authority's (NTCA) Assistant Inspector General of Forests Abhishek Kumar wrote to the CEO of Reliance Industries' Jamnagar-based Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre (GZRRC) on May 11, 2023, requesting that a team of experts be sent to Kuno to "review health monitoring protocols" and provide advice to "ensure the welfare of the cheetahs" following the deaths of three spotted felines between March 27 and May 9. Kumar's letter said Project Cheetah was the first intercontinental reintroduction of a wild, large carnivore species with "no comparable historical precedent" and it was not surprising that a project of such a "magnitude and complexity would face many ...

Namibia's drought triggers wildlife culling; Vantara steps in with help

The Vantara Foundation has expressed deep concern over the severe impact of the drought on Namibian wildlife

National Wildlife Day 2024: Why is this observed; all you need to know

National Wildlife Day highlights the critical need to protect endangered species and prevent their extinction, also to encourage a shared sense of responsibility towards all living beings

Revenge tendency among wolves behind attacks in UP's Bahraich: Expert

As Uttar Pradesh's Bahraich grapples with wolf terror, an expert has said the series of attacks on the residents of Mehsi tehsil might be due to wolves "seeking revenge" for possible habitat loss or killing of their cubs. Wolf attacks on humans, including children, have been taking place in Bahraich since March but they saw a spike from July 17 onwards during the rainy season. Till September 2, eight people, including seven children, have died in these attacks while about 36, including women, children and elderly, have been injured. Gyan Prakash Singh, a retired officer of the Indian Forest Service (IFS) and a former forest officer at Katarniaghat Wildlife Division of Bahraich district, said wolves, unlike other predatory animals, have a tendency to seek revenge. "On the basis of my experience, I can say that wolves have a tendency to take revenge. In the past, humans must have caused some kind of harm to their cubs due to which these attacks are happening as revenge," Singh, who i

Namibia's drought crisis: Over 700 wild animals to be killed for food

The drought has depleted 84% of Namibia's food reserves, putting nearly half of the country's 2.5 million people at risk of severe food shortages from July to September