NEWS & UPDATES

Lakhimpur (Uttar Pradesh): Dilipo, a habitual wildlife offender belonging to the Bawaria community, was sentenced to five years and three months of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 50,000 for illegal trade in tiger parts, by the Court of RK Shukla,...

New Delhi: ‘A Shawl to die for’ – a Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) film – won an award for Technical Excellence in Cinematography at the prestigious CMS Vatavaran 2009 film awards – India’s premier festival for Indian and international...

Bharatpur (Rajasthan): The family of a deceased Rajasthan Forest Department driver, Mool Chand, was yesterday provided support of Rs 1 lakh under the nationwide group accident insurance scheme for frontline staff run by the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI). Mool...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 –...

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...

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...

-By Sharada Annamaraju A tiger killed after getting caught in a snare in Bandipur National Park, Karnataka Delhi: Law is a curious, self limiting conundrum. While it attempts to delineate and sustain order, it cannot function in a foolproof manner unless...

Yarmouth Port (MA, USA): Conservationists from 13 tiger range countries met in Bali, Indonesia, along with the World Bank’s Global Tiger Initiative and partner organisations including the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW; www.ifaw.org), this...

Confessions of an ivory poacher -by Jose Louies, Assistant Manager, WTI   Kuttampuza Forest Range (Kerala): “I stood here, hidden behind this tree. The tusker came to the clearings from the bushes, about 15 metres from me. I pulled the trigger”  Aji...

Kaziranga (Assam): A displaced rhino calf was successfully reunited with its mother in Haldibari Reserve Forest near Kaziranga National Park by the Assam Forest Department assisted by a team from the International Fund for Animal Welfare – Wildlife Trust of...

Golaghat (Assam): The Assam Forest Department assisted by the International Fund for Animal Welfare – Wildlife Trust of India run Mobile Veterinary Services (MVS) attended to a case of an injured tusker found in Golaghat near Nambor, on Saturday. The tusker...

Sambalpur (Orissa): Being driven around in the streets of Sambalpur, Orissa, in a newly-purchased goods transport vehicle, Mohd Abdul Kalam is a changed man living a changed life. A former sloth bear trader, Kalam was rehabilitated by the World Society for...

Distributing grain to conserve elephants Pakke (Arunachal Pradesh), June 8, 2009: In a move away from cash compensations, 7700 kgs of rice were given away to 140 farmers whose crops were destroyed by elephants around Pakke Wildlife Sanctuary in the north-east...