Full Coverage: Animals

16.07.2008 Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe have been given the go-ahead to make a single sale of a total of 108 tons of government-owned ivory.
+ China gets green light to buy ivory
+ How ivory from 11,000 elephants has disappeared into China's black market

01.05.2008 The vulture population in India has come down by 99.9% since 1992, says a new survey. A drug named diclofenac, used in treating sick cattle, is said to be the main culprit. If strict measure are not taken they are likely to disappear within a decade.

21.04.2008 Animal Angels Foundation, a Pune-based NGO in western India, works on the unique concept of using pets to bring about emotional stimulation among autistic children. This form of therapy has just begun to take roots and may eventually become part of mainstream healing procedures.

17.04.2008 Celebrated Indian wildlife filmmaker Mike Pandey feels that corporate groups should fund documentaries as part of their social responsibilities, which can be used to sensitise urban audiences on the need to preserve nature. He is of the view that most of the policies on environment protection in India remain on paper.

15.04.2008 A project funded by Wildlife Trust of India is helping prevent human conflict with the endangered Asiatic black bears in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir. It has also helped in increased participation of locals in conservation activities in this northern state.

10.04.2008 Despite the ban on hunting since 1991, rampant corruption and poor law enforcement have made it possible for poachers and forest dwellers to feast on some of India's endangered species. The craze for bushmeat is leading many creatures to near-extinction, says Shruti Ravindran

20.03.2008 Do you care for the tiger? Get involved with World Wildlife Fund-India's signature campaign Roar of the Tiger to save the rapidly depleting tiger population from extinction. The objective is to impress upon policymakers for greater efforts on tiger conservation through heightened public awareness.

03.03.2008 When local populace and officials work in tandem, the chances of any conservation efforts succeeding are more. This became clear when villagers in the hilly state of Uttarakhand in northern India and forest department came together to help protect wildlife in the famous Jim Corbett National Park.

21.02.2008 NEW YORK, Feb 21 (OneWorld) - Graphic images of animal cruelty and this week's record recall of U.S. beef have spurred fresh demands to expand a ban on killing sick animals for food consumption.

13.02.2008 The latest government census reveals that more than half of India's tiger population has vanished during the past five years. Wildlife activists blame poaching and urbanisation for the decline and say the authorities must do more to save tigers from humans.

12.02.2008 For bringing that elegance and glistening shine to a piece of fabric thousands of silk worms meet a cruel death. But Kusuma Rajaiah from Andhra Pradesh in southern India has now discovered an eco-friendly and humane way of producing silk without getting to indulge in the carnage of worms.

11.02.2008 Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have agreed to work together to crack down on illegal wildlife trade in the region. South Asia, home to rare and prized species, is one of the prime operating areas of international organised wildlife crime networks.

24.01.2008 NEW YORK, Jan 24 (OneWorld) - A broad coalition is urging consumers and grocery stores to refuse burgers, milk, and other products from cloned animals, following a U.S. government decision to lift a ban on the controversial foods.

11.01.2008 Habitat destructions in India are forcing the shy, solitary leopard into closer proximity to humans, leading to deadly conflicts. Persecuted and feared by people and cursed by its beauty, nature’s most elusive predator has precious little to help protect itself, writes Prerna Singh Bindra.

31.12.2007 Hundreds of villagers stopped a recent public hearing on a proposed methane mining project in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, backed by a report by the Centre for Science and Environment that says the venture will adversely impact hydrology, agriculture and biodiversity. Australia-based Arrow Energy, the Swedish Energy Infrastructure Group, and GAIL India plan to mine methane in the Raigarh and Korba districts of the state.

20.12.2007 Increasing levels of greenhouse gases are threatening the disappearance of plants and animals in mountains globally, warns FAO, while also raising chances of flooding, species migration and loss of crops and life.

30.11.2007

22.11.2007 The Indian elephant is in danger as the numbers of young breeding tuskers fall to a mere 1,200. Coordinated efforts on part of enforcement agencies and better border management can contribute towards fighting poachers and organized crime, says B K Sharma, head of the State Crime Branch of Orissa and leading expert on the illegal wildlife trade.

31.10.2007 To help save vultures from drugged carcasses, Bird Conservation Nepal (BNC) has set up a ‘restaurant’ that will supply the birds with uncontaminated food. The vulture population in Nepal has dwindled sharply in recent times due to eating dead cattle that were administered with an anti-inflammatory drug called Diclofenac.

25.10.2007 Following reports of tigers vanishing from the Sariska Tiger Reserve in the western state of Rajasthan, the state forest department and the Ministry of Environment and Forests have worked out voluntary relocation packages for families living in 11 villages in Sariska. The move will hopefully help bring India’s national animal back to the reserve.