Science | Nature | Conservation
The year 2012 was a mixed bag in terms of conservation. While the official toll of tiger deaths has risen to 83, the IUCN has taken out Asiatic lions from the critically endangered category because of their stable population in the jungles of Sasan Gir, writes Atula Gupta. Henry Thoreau, a 19th-century writer had once…
Sasan Gir National Park in Gujarat is still the last bastion of the Asiatic lion, and the local Maldharis have lived peacefully with the wild cat. What is upsetting the fragile natural balance is the increasing livestock population that is competing with the wild ungulates for the same forest sources, observes Atula Gupta. Sasan Gir…
The Supreme Court’s order of banning tiger safaris in core areas of all the 42 tigerreserves in the country was made with a simple reasoning – to provide the tiger withmuch needed solitude and let the big cat enjoy its kingdom without the houndingpaparazzi. But leaving the tiger alone is the last thing in the…
Over 3,500 ha of Nagarhole and 2,000 ha of Bandipur Tiger Reserve were destroyed in a recent fire. In the cycle of life and death that is part of Nature, wild fires cause destruction so that regeneration may take place. But when human beings err, things can take a tragic turn, writes Atula Gupta. Normally, the…
The discovery of six slaughtered elephants in two of Thailand’s national parks last month has exposed a nasty secret about the country’s elephant tourism industry. Conservationists point out that baby elephant trade is a lucrative business in the country, writes Atula GuptaThailand’s booming tourism industry owes much of its success to the gentle pachyderm. The…
Tiger numbers shot up to 1,706 this year from 1,411 in 2008. Was this good news or did it deepen the worry lines on conservationists’ faces? It has been that kind of a year for most species. Some good, some bad; some species recovering, some others vanishing, writes Atula Gupta In the beginning of 2011,…
Travel through the Rann of Kutch in winters and the eyes see nothing but barren, white cracked land with not a single patch of green to signal life and break the monotony. But come here during the monsoons and the extremity of the morphological changes can easily amaze and astound. As sea, river and rainwater…
Imagine a world without flowers. A world where there are no fruit-laden trees and no seeds to germinate into a new plant. Such a world is quite frankly, unimaginable. And yet, our planet is moving towards that future because those little things that keep the myriad lifecycles of nature going are themselves disappearing. We are…
The Western Ghats encapsulate a freshwater ecosystem that is self-sustaining and self-sufficient. It is an incredible biodiversity hotspot. This freshwater region supports 400 million people with water for drinking, transport, irrigation and hydroelectric power, together with food and resources to sustain livelihoods. It is also the life-giver for 1,146 species of fishes, molluscs, odonates and…
Not so long ago, the drug Diclofenac, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), was used as a painkiller for humans as well as for veterinary purposes. But in 2006, the government banned the manufacturing as well as the use of this drug for treating animals. The reason – it was poisoning the highly endangered vultures of…