http://www.shelfari.com/o1516947822
janwar aur insan
Sunday, September 27, 2009
White roof tops proposed to offset carbon footprint
I read today on how painting your rooftop with an insulating white paint can actually cool your house and reduce our electricity bill spent on ACs etc.
I am researching on the topic and will go for it soon.
26th of September,2009
THey say that there is a special paint that comes for it. I am frogetting its name but our regular painter has heard of it and knows about it well. THe only hitch is ,he says that rain would spoil it.. SO now is the time. I will get my roof top done now.
Afterall, there is a reason in every season to have planted a tree in the season before....... Plant trees for life.......
At last my prayers have been heard.
I had been seraching for some NGO that undertook greening Delhi since long. From Kalpavriksh, Toxic Links, Trees for Delhi ...my search has ended with "WE THE CHANGE" NGO of Kamalendu Jha.-- THe CNN "Be the CHange" guy from India. He started a Monsoon Wooding drive in Delhi since last year. I have signed up as a volunteer and am waiting to get a call from them.
17.7.08 No call as yet. Neither from " We the CHange" nor from MC Mehta's NGO. Nothing By the way many cities ,especially Bangalore , Pondicherry etc are busy covering themselves up regularly since long. Delhi unfortunately continues to bare itself.
6.10.08
It has been two months since I wrote the above. Thankfully I could not stop at merely Google searching for somebody but have actually planted five Gulmohur trees in sector 36 Noida near our house, thanks to Vasudha Mehta's (of WIldlife SOS) encouragement . It is not an easy job but the satisfaction that it brings is immense. THe most important thing that I learnt from this exercise was that I did not need any NGO's support or backing to plant any trees anywhere.I just had to find a suitable vacant space that could nurture a tree and then go ahead.
The steps are:
1. Select any place that can hold up and nurture a tree eg a roadside, an empty park area etc.
2. Go to a nursery or to any big petrol pump near you and buy a tree or get it free from the pump. Ideally the taller the plant say 3 to 5 feet , the better it is.Also buy some manure. One sack is enough for five trees.
3. Any Govt DDA park autnority near your house will gladly give you any number of tree guards. THey feel very happy to meet planting people and go out of their way to help you.
4. Get someone to dig a pit for your tree, about two feet deep and a foot wide. Put manure in it.
5. Plant your tree.
6. Put the tree guard over it
7. Water it.
THe fledgeling tree will shed all its original leaves for once despite the rainy season. But regular watering shows encouraging results.
THe WWF India was carrying out a tree planting drive and I went to look them up .as I had a lofty plan of putting around 50 to 100 trees in a bare patch. THey promised a lot iitially but cannot do much apart from giving you good trees to plant and dig for yourself. Let us see when do I manage to plant more trees.
I would love to hear of other people planting too. ANd a number of youngsters are doing it. We will exchange AUTOGRAPHS.
7.10.08
BY the way a Tree Helpline has been launched in Delhi to report cutting down of or choking of or putting hoardings and ads on tree trunks etc.
Phone number: 3378513) It is a single window to lodge all complaints regarding threats to Delhi trees. ...
15.1.09
It has been six months since i put them in soil . My trees are doing fine except that two out of five have died.But that is normal .They had been transplanted quite big. The other three can manage on their own come drought or sunshine.
2.8.09
IT has been a year since I last planted and I am going to plant a few more this year. Maybe 20 to 25 trees. I have identified the sites, all close to home and will go about it tomorrow.
Its September 09 now and I am glad that I did put about 70 trees in the earth this monsoon.Of the 25 saplings that I put near my house five have perished. BUt I am glad that I put 45 more. I would like to tell you that the task was quite easy.THere are so many people that are there to help you. Of course I had taken our Residents Welfare Association people into confidence and had taken permission from the Noida Authority guys in our areas.THey were just too willing to have somebody ELSE plant trees for them.
The last couple of weeks a realization has hit me… when I don't go into stores, I want far little (this goes for wanting to buy things for my son and relative's children). Our lives are full, we all have what we need and more. As a birthday or an anniversary approaches I have ventured out into the stores on a few occasions and BAM! "Oh,she would like this and that… isn't that pretty… this would look great on the table…"
Commercials seem to have this effect on my us, when kids in the family get to watch television they suddenly want EVERYTHING. There is nothing I see advertised that I then think, "oh, I want that". Get me into the mall and my head starts spinning. Suddenly all the soft fabrics, shiny crockery and bright things grab my attention. It becomes an internal fight to NOT buy. I know I am not alone here, so my advice to you is to stay out of the stores. It's hard to stick with such a pledge if you browse the offer on Ebony or meander through a shopping mall or when just everybody around you seems to be dressed for the Oscars night. Stay home. If you feel the need to shop, hit the cinemas or plan the weekend out for some nature trailing or some sporting activity in a paid entry club etc. Better yet refill your tea mug, sit back and open a book. That's so much better than being mad at the mall." P.S. : My twenty year old sarees, five year old salwaar kameezes are making me proud for wanting little and not being embarrassed about being seen in the same dress.
Probably the biggest environmental story of the week came from one of the most remote places in the world. Svalbard, a group of Arctic Norwegian islands, opened the Global Seed Vault this week. The vault is more commonly known as the Doomsday Vault, because it contains seeds for all the worlds most important crops and plant species to be used in the event of a massive global catastrophe. I'm not quite sure this was as good an idea as they thought it was. If there's a global catastrophe that wipes out agriculture, it's also going to make it difficult for us to travel that far into the Arctic. The vault will contain around 10 million seeds from over 250,000 species around the world.
In an effort to crack down on the illegal wildlife trade China has begun targeting online shops and auction sites, where parts of threatened and endangered animals are openly sold.
Most illegal animal parts are used in traditional medicines. Image by Chris
The illegal wildlife trade is common in parts of East Asia. Recently we covered a story on Borneo, where critically endangered tiger parts were openly sold in dozens of markets on the island. Last week a wildlife photographer published several photos of the wildlife markets open in a Burmese casino town.
Last year the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and Traffic conducted research into the online wildlife trade in China. They found thousands of illegal animal parts or items made from animal parts for sale on major Chinese web auction sites.
In a 10-month study in 2007 IFAW found more than 1,900 illegal items, created from 30 protected species, for sale on the major Chinese auction sites. Traffic said it found almost 4,300 advertisements for illegal animal products on sites in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.
While there were a wide variety of illegal animal products for sale, there were two particularly popular species. Elephant ivory and tiger bone products were the most popular sellers in China. Ivory is usually sold in carved souvenir form and bought by collectors, while the tiger bone products are usually bought for use in traditional medicines for arthritis.
Many of the online vendors are able to get around auction filters because of the tonal quality of the Chinese language. The word for elephant can also have several other meanings if pronounced slightly differently. This means the sellers can use a word that has a different meaning than elephant to describe the ivory, but is still easily recognizable.
It's not the way I wanted to start my Saturday, reading that James Lovelock, the author of the Gaia hypotheses, is predicting that we have already passed the tipping point and so we might as well "enjoy life while you can." Worse, I have heard a similar prediction from Dr. Andrew Weaver, Canada's highly respected climate scientist and Nobel-winning lead author on the IPCC report.
Dr. Weaver gave it more like 40 years, but then he and most scientists are quite conservative about these things. I must say, my own research leads me to conclude that, if we have time to make change, it isn't much at all. Unless the world as-a-whole undertakes a radical wartime-like effort to completely retool the economy and eliminate greenhouse gas emissions, it will all be over except the crying.
And, unfortunately, the wars and rape and murder and robbery and all the other things that happen as a civilization collapses. I encourage everyone to do their own research, but certain facts seem incontrovertible:
1. The IPCC predictions are conservative. 2. The IPCC predictions do not take into account certain positive feedback loops that will accelerate climate change and its effects. 3. The actual, measured events have generally occurred much more quickly than predicted.
The Arctic ice melt is the most recent and obvious example of the latter. Scientists are now saying that the summer ice may all be gone within a few years. That would be catastrophic, as the Arctic ocean would then absorb heat rather than reflect it back into space, as happens when it is covered by ice and snow. As the Arctic sea ice goes, it is very likely that methane - 23 times as potent a greenhouse gas as carbon dioxide - will be released in vast quantities from the permafrost.
And there will nothing to stop Greenland from melting - again, likely much more quickly than predicted - raising sea levels 7m or 20 feet. Each one metre rise in sea level will create 100 million refugees, and I would not be at all surprised if that figure was conservative.
So, what to do? I think it is the duty of enlightened people, and the Green Parties, to propose rapid and decisive action. We are faced with a crisis and must respond appropriately. Lovelock predicts that 80% of the human population will be dead by 2100, and I have heard similar predictions elsewhere. It is not hard to imagine that, as civilization collapses, the social effects of the climate crisis - war, murder, rioting, widescale food and water theft - will result in more immediate deaths than actual shortages.
What would you do if you knew the world was going to end in 20-40 years? And what do you think a lot of other people will do?
We must have a plan for this change. Half measures are inadequate, and we certainly don't have time for 'the market' to respond if we simply remove subsidies and implement a carbon tax. We must lay out a program of rapid change that moves us to a green economy with almost zero greenhouse gas emissions within four years. We must retrain all those who lose their jobs, we must invest immediately in clean and green research, we must bring corporations and vested interests to heel, and we must repair our democracy. And we must do it all very bloody fast.
Global Warming is Racist
The world's poorest people are also taking the brunt of global warming's negative effects.
Although the average African produces 13 times less harmful emissions than their North American counterparts, the African ecosystem is suffering far greater damage. Droughts and floods, as well as shifting ecosystems throughout the continent, threaten the welfare of both the people and wildlife of Africa.
Scientists warn that rising temperatures could cause massive extinctions for wildlife, including lions, elephants, and mountain gorillas. The climate change has also been blamed as the alleged cause of droughts which have left nearly 1.8 million Africans without a sufficient supply of clean water. The water shortage has caused outbreaks of malaria and cholera, as well as an increase in poverty.
Experts say most African nations are ill-prepared to fight global warming, although improved land management and natural gas use in place of coal could both help. University of Cape Town climatology specialist Professor Bruce Hewitson says that many African countries do not have the cash to meet the 2005 Kyoto Protocol emission reduction targets.
"The major challenge for developing countries is that they need more money and resources to help them fight the potentially devastating effects of climate change," Hewitson said.
Africa's ecological future largely depends on the actions of the world's largest polluters, including the US, UK, India and China. If these countries don't act to reduce their emissions of harmful pollutants, Africa likely faces devastating climate problems in the future.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the UN panel which recently won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for its efforts to disseminate knowledge about man-made climate change, has warned that greenhouse gas emissions will continue to rise over the next decade, further threatening Africa's already precarious future.
Only time will tell if the rest of the world will fight to improve their emissions and help end the scourge of global warming, or sacrifice Africa through inaction
Birth Defect Explosion in China
October 30, 2007
40% more children in China are born with birth defects than 6 years ago according to a World Health Organization study.
The WHO study found that birth defects rose from 104.9 per 10,000 births in 2001 to 145.5 per 10,000 last year. The higher number has mostly been attributed to high levels of environmental pollution.
China is well known in environmental circles for its appalling pollution record, and it appears the population is suffering the effects. Shanxi province, home to a variety of heavy industry including coke and coal plants, had the highest level of birth defects
A scientist from the UN-affiliated World Meteorological Organisation announced today that the spread of deserts due to global warming could result in serious food shortages in the near future.
Speaking prior to a UN conference on desertification in Madrid at the beginning of September, M V K Sivakumar told a Geneva news conference that it was time to worry about land being ruined for agriculture through heat waves, floods, landslides and forest fires.
At the present time, 11% of the world's land surface is suitable for food production. However, as climate change causes extreme weather events, and desert areas increase, this will reduce and make it harder to feed the rapidly growing global population. In Sivakumar's words, "Will we be able to feed the 8.2 billion that we expect to populate the globe in 2020 if even less land is available for farming?"
Desertification is expected to affect sub-Saharan Africa and central Asia the hardest, but southern Europe is also at risk. This summer's forest fires in Greece are thought to have destroyed vegetation on 268834 hectares of land. Italy has suffered four serious droughts since 1990 and is thought to have ten million hectares of land at risk of desertification, according to Francesco Ferrante, director of charity Legambiente.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has predicted that, due to climate change, agriculture dependent on rain-fall could be cut in half by 2020.
This warning comes in the same week that newspaper The Guardian voiced concern over world food supplies, as increasing commitment to biofuel crops takes agriculture away from food production. 20% of maize grown in the US is now sold for biofuel production. America is the main exporter of maize worldwide, and as a result its price has doubled in 10 months; meanwhile, the price of wheat has risen by about 50%.
Lester Brown, president of the American Worldwatch Institute thinktank, told the Guardian that in seven of the past eight years the world has actually grown less grain than it consumed.
Sivakumar concluded that it is vital for the international community to help put innovative and adaptive land-management practices into action to prevent a world food crisis in the future.
The annual conference of the Royal Geographical Society was rocked yesterday by the announcement by an international team of scientists that arsenic contamination in drinking water is "the largest identified man-made environmental catastrophe". A presentation by Cambridge University researchers revealed that 60 countries over 5 continents have been affected by arsenic contamination, with South East Asia, particularly Bangladesh, as the worst off. The health of 140 million people is threatened by the presence of arsenic, mostly in developing countries.
Whilst arsenic is naturally present in groundwater in some areas, it is through human error that it has entered the food chain in such large quantities. The pollution occurs when dead organic matter in the rock layers around the groundwater decay, creating an environment without oxygen. This leads to the microbial dissolution of iron oxides, releasing the arsenic that is usually strongly bound to the iron oxides.
Despite a heavy natural arsenic presence in the Ganges Plain of India and Bangladesh, international aid agencies, including UNICEF and the World Bank, began the practice of digging down to access groundwater to avoid the surface contamination in the 1970s. The project was initially a success, with levels of diarrhea-type illnesses and infant mortality cut in half. However, concerns about arsenic contamination surfaced, and Dipankar Chakraborti brought the problem to international attention in 1995. His research found 900 villages with arsenic above the government limit, but he described this figure as "only the tip of the iceberg."
Allan Smith of the University of California, Berkeley, commented that in the long term 1 in 10 persons with high concentrations of arsenic in their drinking water die from it. Arsenic is a carcinogen, causing many cancers, but most often affecting the lungs. Smith added "Other environmental exposures do not result in commensurable mortality risks…I don't know of one government agency which has given this the priority it deserves."
Contamination on a large scale has been found throughout Asia in countries such as China, Cambodia and Vietnam, as well as in South America and Africa, though it is less of a problem in North America and Europe where most water is provided by utilities. Peter Ravenscroft of Cambridge University said his team has developed a model to enable them to identify regions at high risk of contamination.
In addition to concerns about drinking water, researchers have found that arsenic could be transferred from soil to rice crops, leading to concerns for people whose diet included large amounts of rice. Andrew Meharg of Aberdeen University suggested that this could be an issue, not just for those who live in contaminated areas, but for anybody worldwide for whom rice formed a staple part of their diet
It's a huge part of the national psyche. Rumours abound that it can be seen from space (it generally can't). Kafka wrote a short story about it. But now the Chinese news agency Xinhua reports that parts of the wall are being destroyed – not by the Mongolian hordes it was built to deter, but by sandstorms.
The Great Wall is not a continuous structure, but was built in sections, with different dynasties favouring different building methods. The section under attack is that built during the Han dynasty, composed of bricks of packed earth.
An estimated 25 miles of wall in the dry and remote Gansu province have already been eroded. Archaelogist Zhou Shengrui commented that "Frequent storms not only eroded the mud, but also cracked the wall and caused it to collapse or break down."
The wall is also under threat from human behaviour, with partygoers and migrant workers using sections as a toilet, and tourists hunting for souvenirs. Farmers also attack the stonework to reuse it for their own buildings
The Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP), a document compiled by more than 500 wildlife experts and one of the most highly respected reference sources on UK endangered wildlife, has included hedgehogs and house sparrows among species requiring protection. The number of endangered species has doubled since the first BAP was launched in 1997.
However, the latest figures show that certain species have benefited from their inclusion on the original BAP list.
SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Conservation efforts appear to be helping China's endangered giant panda expand its habitat in parts of western China, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday.
The animal's droppings were recently discovered in areas beyond its known habitat in the bamboo forests of the 220,000 hectare (550,000 acre) Baishuijiang Nature Reserve, on the border of Gansu and Sichuan provinces.
"This indicates an expansion of the giant panda's habitat — and probably of its population
The Chinese government has seen sense and decided not to run a tarmac highway halfway up Mount Everest.
The road, replacing an older dirt track, was to have reached 17,000 ft up the world's tallest mountain. The authorities had argued that the road was necessary in order to allow the Olympic Torch procession to reach the summit of the mountain in 2012.
However, scientists were concerned about the environmental impact of the road. The ecosystem on the mountain is already fragile, with glaciers receding at an alarming rate. The road would also have ruined one of the world's most spectacular landscapes.
Friends of the Earth welcomed the collapse of the G4 world trade negotiations in Potsdam, Germany on 21st June. The current proposals would have further impoverished the world's poorest people and caused irreparable damage to the environment.
Friends of the Earth Trade Campaigner Joe Zacune said:
"The collapse of these secretive trade talks is a good opportunity to develop an alternative approach to trade that works for developing countries and the environment. The proposals on the table have been driven primarily by the EU and the US which put the commercial interests of their corporations before the needs of poor communities and their natural resources. Indeed all latest studies show that the poorest developing countries and their environment would lose out from a WTO deal. Hopefully this signals the nail in the coffin of the Doha Round."
The so-called `Doha Development Agenda' is not about development. Recent studies show that the poorest developing countries will lose out from current proposals. It is clear that the interests of the largest and most powerful countries and their trans-national companies continue to dominate the WTO's agenda.
Furthermore, consideration of the disastrous potential global environmental impact of current negotiating proposals is virtually non-existent within the WTO. This is in spite of the fact that there is increasing evidence elsewhere, including from studies commissioned by the European Commission, that escalating international trade in natural resources is likely to damage global biodiversity and local economies.
Forests and fish and fish products are both sectors slated for complete or exceptionally high levels of liberalisation in the WTO's current negotiations. Yet worldwide, some 60 million indigenous people are almost completely reliant on forest resources for their livelihoods - for food and fuel, medicines and materials - and some 36 million people directly employed in small-scale fishing. Similarly, current negotiations to expand international trade in agricultural products could threaten the livelihoods of millions of small and peasant farmers worldwide.
Those who cause the fewest greenhouse gas emissions suffer the most as the climate changes. But those responsible for the most damage refuse to pay up
By Daniel Howden Tuesday, 29 May 2007
Peru's glaciers are melting. High in the Andes, freak hailstorms and cold snaps are freezing llamas to death. In the north of Kenya, unprecedented droughts have driven herdsmen into deadly battles for the few water holes. In the mountains of Tajikistan, near the border with Afghan-istan, flooding and land
MOST OF SOUTH EAST ASIAN COUNTRIES FARM BEARS
THere is some conjecture in this news but it can be safely believed that most SE Asian countries have bear farmers where private people keep a bear captive in disgusting conditions and use syringes or catheters to extract bile juice from them . SOmetimes the bear dies within 10 years of sickness though its life expectancy in normal conditions is 30 or more.Here is today's news.
Kent MEP stepping up fight to ban bear bile trade
Ms Bowles in a bear suit
POSTED: 07/02/2009 Euro MP Sharon Bowles wants international pressure against the multi-million pound trade of bear bile to be stepped up.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown has supported an online petition against the cruel practice of bear bile extraction in many Asian countries.
Bear bile is highly lucrative, with a single gram fetching up to £14 on the global market. The trade is thought to be worth £ 60 million a year in China alone.
However, leading animal rights organisations, including the charity Animals Asia, have condemned the practice.
Kent MEP Sharon Bowles has been running a campaign on her website and participated in a 'Moon Bear Fun Day' with Animals Asia.
She said: "The Government has done all that is legally possible to ban the trade of bear bile within the UK.
"This is a great success and highlights the hard work of organisations like Animals Asia.
"However, this vile practice has not been banned in many Asian countries and reports indicate that the trade is still widespread.
"The Government and the European Parliament must continue to put pressure on these authorities to bring a global end to the trade of bear bile."
Dave Neale, the UK director of Animals Asia, added: "In China, bear farming continues to incarcerate thousands of bears in despicable conditions.
"Animals Asia are working with the people and the Government of China to close down bear farms, rescue the bears to our China-based sanctuary and promote the many herbal and synthetic alternatives available to consumers.
"If we can stop the demand for bear bile we can ultimately free the bears and end this barbaric practice once and for all".
The trade exists due to the prescription of bear bile by doctors practising traditional Chinese medicine.
The substance contains ursodeoxycholic acid, which is believed to reduce fever, protect the liver, improve eyesight, break down gallstones, and act as an anti-inflammatory.
Only small amounts of bear bile is used in traditional remedies. About 500kg is used by practitioners every year.
But wildlife experts say more than 7,000kg is being produced, with the surplus used in products such as wines, eyedrops, and general tonics.
10.4.08 Vietnam news agency
First bear rescue centre
10.4.08
Department.
First bear rescue centre and quarantine facility opens in vietnam
While it is legal to raise bears in Vietnam, the law forbids the sale of bear meat and bile, both of which are sold in a thriving black market. Many Vietnamese believe bear bile has medicinal benefits, and bear meat is served in underground restaurants.
Bear farmers often extract the bitter green bile from the bears' gall bladders with syringes, then sell it to customers who usually drink it mixed with a shot of rice wine, believing it cures eye, liver and other ailments.
Ending illegal bear farming is difficult because the use of bear bile is a deeply rooted tradition, said Nguyen Van Cuong, deputy director of Vietnam's Forest Protection Department.
If such news hurts, Susan B. of Care2 news network says that its no use signing petitons for these animals,
What you have to do is link to people that are actually working IN China. These are the people that will make change happen. Two groups are known to do fantastic work http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/People4ChineseAnimals/ and http://www.animalsasia.org/
There is a rescue group in China called Beautiful New World. Activists raise funds and send them humane traps so they can catch animals most at risk. These are Chinese people who are trying to make a difference in very difficult circumstances.
IndiaThursday, February 05, 2009
India, China must cap growth of greenhouse gas emissions: UN climate chief
Saturday, February 07, 2009
India's emission cap can help resolve climate impasse: UNEP chief
A 'voluntary signal' from India on where and when it will cap its greenhouse gas emissions can help resolve the current impasse holding up a global deal to combat climate change, says UN Environment Programme chief Achim Steiner.
Industrialised countries point out that India is already the world's fourth largest GHG emitter. Climate change caused by excess GHGs is lowering farm output, making droughts, floods and storms more frequent and more severe, and raising the sea level.
On a visit to the cargo section of Delhi Airport I once had the chance to see a number of large cages that housed big parakeet like birds, very colorful. It was a chilly January evening and it had rained and not abird in them moved. They were all soaked to the bones.
I asked an airport employee. He informed that these birds are illegal in India. The supposed reciever of this cargo did not turn up and we could not do anything about such cargo so they had to be out in the open. I went closer to see if I could offer to take one or two if alive. Big macaws and parakeets make great companinon birds, sensitive and intelligent and live a long life in captivity. Unfortunately they were all dead about forty of them.
Birds are transported via the railways and the airlines. They are stuffed into cartons or cages, covered with gunny sacks and sent as unaccompanied baggage. Often times, you can see small cages stuffed with birds at the cargo section of the airport. Baby parakeets are stuffed into cartons and flown from Nepal and the towns of UP (where they have been cruelly snatched from their nests) and are taken to the animal markets in the heart of the city. Birds are also sent to Mumbai on trains.
These birds aren't given any food or water during their journey, and by the time they reach their destination, many of them have died.
What You Can Do
A PETA member rescued ten parrots from a roadside pedler. The sight of the bright green, rose-ringed parrots stuffed into cages barely the size of their bodies was enough to tear at even the hardest of hearts. In one cage, two parrots were crammed together so tightly that they couldn't move without trampling each other. The only source of food in one of the cages was a rotting slice of guava, and there was no water.
The activist took the vendor to the local police station and placed a charge against him. The parrots were taken by PETA to a vet. The vet stated that three of them needed vitamins and additional care. Not many people are aware that the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 bans the trapping and trading of all birds in India. Despite this, there is a flourishing illegal bird trade.
Although it is easy to shake your head and say, 'What's the world coming to?' It's easy to help, too. If you see a parrot seller, don't just turn your head and walk away.
Instead, take the person to the local police station and file a complaint under the Wildlife Protection Act. There are police kiosks at every crossing these days. And they are helpful.If would bring about some deterrence .You may even release the birds in a tree grove nearby if a constraint of time demands it.
A young male tiger of two years and a half strayed from the Terai region of UP ie, the Dudhwa belt into the Faizabad area. It killed three human beings in the course of three months.
THe UP State Forest and WIldlife Department declared it a "man eater" and directed that it be shot down .Upon this a wildlife enthusiast by the name of Kaushalendra SIngh who is associated with BIlly's Ark, an NGO of that area, filed a Public Interest Litigation against this shooting order on the plea that every year hundreds of people die due to snakebites and the state forces do not go down combing the undercover to shoot down every such snake and that it is unfair to pass a similar order by the State Wildlife Deptt. against this tiger.
Anyways, the tiger was granted some publicity and protection for a few days when it mauled another homo sapien. Now the WIldlife Deptt guys went ahead and shot at it.
THis happened on the 8th of February 2009. THe deptt has cleverly said that the report of its death is unconfirmed so as to avoid any brou haha at the hands of NGOs and Greens.Kaushalendra SIngh the PIL guy ,has reported that it has not been shot dead but has just been injured.
I am painstakingly scourging the news daily on the fate of the orange stripes.I am angry that I am ignorant of its fate. WHy doesnt Kaushalendra who fought vehementally for it tell us what happened to it. It is not that we arent prepared to hear the worst.WHy should he be ashamed of taking defeat if the stupid State deptt did kill it.despite the stay orders of the Court?
26 februry 2009
THe tiger has been shot dead. It was a tigeress. THis is such a depressing morning. It is painful to think of the fiesty young tiger cornered and shot down by a battery of state forces. THe news says that around a thousand villagers gathered to watch its dead body.THe tragedy just continues. We have tired of hearing of countless deaths of tigers and leopards who strayed into villages as their natural prey are dwindling due to dwindling habitat.
28.2.09
THe latest is that another tiger has surfaced in the same forest belt of UP ANd the same forest in charge has quoted that "We will get him too". Shame shame.
We recently, in March 2008, adopted a bear cub of the WILDLIFE SOS organisation based in Delhi. THe occassion was my son's birthday and what other way to fulfill it than by donating. THis is an adoption for a year when its nurturing would be taken care of at the Agra Bear Sanctuary. We had gone for a smaller doanation but their film on dancing bears and their misery was too much to watch. We ended up adopting one little female cub. THey say she is a fiesty one.We have been promised a look and feel of it on our next trip.
Not only that, I was touched by my cousin's gesture of donating to WWF India in remembrance over the death anniversary of his mother.
THey were rewarded with a lovely toy Panda, a T-shirt, bearing the words "Wildlife Enthusiast" and ane year subscription of their magazine which was really smart and green in its outlook. All this cost was a 1000/ Rs.
Othe animal adoption options are the Nandan Kanan Zoo in Orissa, the Mysore Zoo, and the Lucknow Zoo.
I would like to share with you the ignorance I had to face before adopting an animal.
THe Lucknow Zoo does not have a viable mail address at all , so all queries died down in my heart only. THe same was the case with Mysore zooas it too has talked of adoption in newspapers but its hows and wheres are not clear. I ultimately searched the web for whether it was possible for me to adopt an animal in our Zoos.
I got this reply from WWF London :
COMMENTS -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I want to adopt KURIBA, THe elephant at Jim Corbett NAtional Park for $10 a month. I also want to sponsor a similar gift for my cousin. Must I make a telephone at your UK office or is it possible to make an online transaction ?
Regards, Roopa,
D/99, Sector 36 Noida India 201301 Telephone: 0091--9810160851 E-mail: roopanin@yahoo.co.in
As you live overseas, you will need to phone us on 0044 (0)1483426333 to adopt the elephant. To pay for this by a monthly direct debit, you will need to have a British bank account. If you do not have one, you can still adopt Kiruba by a one-off payment £30 which be for a years adoption.
I hope this information helps and thank you for you interest of WWF.
Kind regards,
Jen Sanders Supporter Relations Team WWF-UK Panda House, Weyside Park Godalming, Surrey, GU7 1XR telephone: +44 (0) 1483 426333 9-5pm, Monday to Friday website: www.wwf.org.uk FAQ section: www.wwf.org.uk/sitehelp/faqs/faqlist.asp
WWF - for a living planet
I got a helpful message from near home, > Dear Subramanya, > THank you so much for this informaion. I once > went to the Delhi Zoo and asked its big officer if I > could adopt an animal there but they did not have any > such scheme. I will go again soon and find out. > From Delhi how can I adopt one in Mysore or Nandan > kanan in Orissa ?I will also try to find about the > Central Zoo Authority og India . > You have to visit Delhi to see the condn of beggar > eles thee. They are dusty and tired to look at. > Nothing healthy color of black on them like the > beautiful Keral eles.The WIldlife SOS has recently > opened a place for injured and retired eles to spend > the rest of the days of their lives in HAryana > bordering DElhi. > Thanks again
> Regards > Roopa > > >
Dear Ms Roopa, I saw this mail and replying separately. Adopting an animal is simple. YOu have to just visit the nearest zoo and fill in a form and pay the fees for it. Adoption gives you visiting rights and if its a big one your name will be displayed near the enclosure or cage and you can discuss about the well being of the adopted animal with zoo authorities. Sometimes if the animal and that means the adoption fee is high, more than one person or usually a big organization will adopt it. Individuals usually adopt smaller animals or their FAVOURITE class of animals.
I know that animal adoptions regularly take place at Mysore zoo , Karnataka and I am sure similar schemes are there in many zoos coming under Central Zoo Authority of India.
Best Regards Subramanya
Dear Roopa, Nice seeing your mail. I am also a teacher. I teach Political science Mysore University as my profession. I have been involved with care for animals since my childhood. When I look at them, especially their eyes and seeing their plight it touches my heart.
Mysore zoo has adoption schemes and I will find out about it and let you know.
Iif you adopt an animal here I can visit the place on your behalf periodically and give you feedback so that you will feel relaxed and happy to hear about it.
Thanks for the letter and it is always a pleasure to communicate with like minded people who have love and compassion for our dumb animal friends and it is sad that our number is decreasing but we shall always keep our humanitarian spirit up and do what we can.
Best wishes and regards Subramanya
June 18, 2008
THe latest news on animal adoptions has come from Gujarat.. Adoption of animals is now open In two zoos of Gujarat . I will give you their names.
Jan 18., 2009
The BHopal Zoo now has opened its adoptions for people. Recently a young man has adopted atigeress for three months there as a wedding anniversary gift to his wife for 36000 rupees. ANother girl from Indore adopted apython from there for a month. By the way the advertisement that the abovementioned WWF UK had put up for animal adoption of Kripa a female ele at Corbett is for a ghost elephant as no such ele existed there as we visited the park in March 2008.
The year 2008 has been good for India as we become more consciencious towards our wildlife and ecology in general.
Until now I used to be the type who felt outraged at all atrocoties and neglects committed against animals and then feel helpless as most of us couldnt do anythg about it except get depressed. Yet there should be a poll facility or a group that gathers public opinion on these issues and forwards it to the concerned authorities to at least sensitise them?We must thank leading newspapers who gathered online comments and views from people and dispalyed them while shocking wildlife news was still hot and on people's minds. Personally, I think THese newspapers have done their bit :
THe HIndustan TImes
THe TImes of India
THe HIndu
to widen consciousness of these issues in the minds of the public in general. APart from publishing wildlife news, they have even begun to do interviews, write ups and columns on wildlife issues.Our reporters are an enlightened lot and write well researched articles.
THnakfully , we too as responsible citizens have embraced a few things with a burden on our conscience like switching to unleaded petrol cars, CNG engines, and a lot of us have begun to see and experience the great beauty and greenery of India with greater enthusiasm and appreciation.
THank God there has been a mindshift from sitting in a comfortable 3 or 4 star hotel for a holiday to roughing it out in the wilds or in the mountains or in the waters.Not only a holiday or a weekend in these pursuits more refreshing and lighter on the pocket, but is an emotional meeting with nature as it is. It brings a nostalgia for things that are not concrete, electrified and mechanised.
roopa esther,noida,says:It is a very sad picture of our forests. The recently concluded meet at the UN to create a tiger corridor for all of south Asia connecting all the tiger countries from Afghanistan to Indonesia would seek co-operation and govt support from these countries including ours. This cooperation may result in earmarking some areas of forest as inviolable. With the coming of the Tribal People's Act in force recently, there is greater danger to forests as this would legalise their stay therein on certain grounds.
Tibetans say China forcing them to flout wildlife laws Phayul - Tibet A source in India claimed that Chinese local banks were also offering loans to buy the traditional dresses, expensive because they contain banned animal...
India pledges £76m to save its tigers Channel 4 News - London,UK "One particular thing there's always been a lack of money for is moving people," said Vivek Menon, the executive director of the Wildlife Trust of India, ...
DIIR releases a Documentary on Wildlife Protection Phayul - Tibet The traditional Chinese medicine consume far greater number of tiger bones, but the photogenic Tibetan dress trimmed with animal skin has drawn more global ...please go to phayul.com and see this documentary on how the Dalai Lama has brought about a change in the traditional attitudes of the tibetans towards wearing furs and skins as a status symbol.
Here is news of MArch 2008
Increase in tiger population in Tamil Nadu Tirunelveli ( Tamil Nadu ), Mar 8 (ANI): A Tiger census was conducted by Tamil Nadu Forest and Wild Animal Department officials with the help of 150 college students in Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger Rese...
Mass nesting of endangered Olive Ridley turtles starts in Orissa March 8th, 2008
Ganjam (Orissa), Mar 8 (ANI):
Conservationists, residents and wildlife officials in Orissa kept vigil on Friday as thousands of endangered Olive Ridley turtles arrived at a beach for the annual mass nesting. The benign creatures swimming up to shore swarmed the sandy nesting grounds near the Rushikulya River in Ganjam district with the commencement of the nesting season. "Last year, there was no mass nesting. The exact reason is not known why mass nesting did not take place last year. We are happy that mass nesting has again started this year and quite a large number of turtles have come and nested during the current breeding season," said Basudev Triparthy, a scientist with the Wildlife Institute of India. The Olive Ridley turtle, which can grow up to 75 cm (2.5 feet) in length, is found in tropical regions of the Pacific, Atlantic and IndianOceans. With each turtle laying an estimated 120 eggs, large stretches of nesting grounds are now packed with them. Ashok Kumar, a visitor said the laying of eggs by the turtles was an amazing phenomenon to witness. "It is very interesting to watch how they lay eggs and again fill it up, and thumping it then going back. I think the government should spread more awareness among people especially those living around this place so they are more conscious," he added. For the protection of the turtles and their eggs, forest officials and protection groups have divided the entire stretch of beach into 35 segments, each to be manned by 2 persons to keep away any harm either from animals or humans. Rabindranath Sahu, Secretary of the Rushikulya Sea Turtle Protection Committee, said all efforts are being made to protect the turtles. "These turtles lay eggs which are left here for at least one and a half months. These eggs need to be protected from jackals, dogs and hyenas. Our entire team of volunteers and people from the forest department work with the scientists through the entire season," he added. Besides protecting the creatures, members of the group also involved in the counting of eggs and marking of the Olive Ridley turtles to keep track of them. Around 60 forest department staff and 40 residents are participating in the drive to protect the turtles. According to officials, at least 18,000 turtles had so far arrived for nesting. In 2004, over one million turtles came to the Orissa shores to dig, pits and lay eggs, the largest concentration being at Gohirmatha beach. Such large concentrations only occur at a few sites in the world. In 2000, only 700,000 turtles arrived but in 1997 and 1998, the turtles skipped the annual ritual and there was no mass nesting at all.
Delhi gets quarantine facility for wild animals 7 Mar 2008, 1047 hrs IST,IANS
NEW DELHI: Leopards, jackals, snakes and other wild animals straying into human habitations in states neighbouring the capital will now be kept at a special quarantine facility being constructed in the Delhi Zoo.
The quarantine, being set up adjacent to the wildlife hospital in the zoo, will cater to rescued and displaced wild animals, an official said.
The facility will also be used for animals that need to be kept in isolation, including animals brought from foreign countries, or other Indian zoos, and as a transit point for rescued and displaced wild animals.
Wild animals rescued by forest officials from neighbouring areas will be housed here for relief and medical aid.
The foundation stone of the building, being constructed by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), was laid by Meena Gupta, secretary, MoEF.
March 2008
Two endangered bear cubs rescued from poachers in India
Two endangered bear cubs rescued from poachers in India may have been destined for the trade in bear paw soup - a delicacy in some south east Asian countries. The cubs, a male and a female of less than 12 weeks old, were found to be severely traumatised and dehydrated when they were rescued.
The successful rescue operation was carried out by IAR's Indian partners Wildlife SOS in conjunction with the Andhra Pradesh Forest Department. Once the cubs are pronounced fit to travel they will be moved from a temporary holding centre in Hyderabad to one of the permanent rescue facilities funded by International AnimalRescue.
The poacher-trader Malang Shah, aged 23 years, has been sent to Judicial Custody.
Barely 60 days after Wildlife SOS rescued a two week old bear cub from a poacher in Orissa, its Surveillance Network 'Forestwatch' received an intelligence report from Andhra Pradesh about two young cubs brought secretly into Karim Nagar district in the state.
Close on the heels of a ban on elephants being forced to walk the streets of Mumbai, Maharashtra has planned to set up a santuary that will primarily be home to the numerous pachyderms who are rescued from roaming the roads of the metropolis.
The Maharashtra government has earmarked land near Kolhapur for the 'Elephant village' that will in addition to housing the gentle giants and providing them fodder also cater to mahouts and their families.
"Land has been earmarked for the rescue centre for elephants. "Elephants do not belong to the cities. The idea is to return the elephants to the natural surroundings of the forest where they have a lot of water and plenty to eat, " says Mike Pandey, wildlife photographer and conservationist.
The sanctuary that is aiming to shelter 30 elephants will be a public private partnership with the government of Maharashtra, the Earth Matters Foundation, Peta and Health and Suffering. Experts drawn from the government and social organisations concerned will survey the allocated land and work on the shelter will begin soon in October, say officials at Peta. "The Maharashtra government has been very cooperative and acted in a responsible manner to our petition for land and alloted us a landlocked place in Kolhapur," says Sachin Bangera of the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta), which has been campaigning for compassion towards elephants.
> >*Stones, poison kill 21 straying leopards*
> >G.S. RADHAKRISHNA
> >
> > *Hyderabad, April 22:* The hungry, thirsty visitors had stolen in unnoticed. Twenty-one of them were spotted and stoned to death or poisoned. The rest, about thirty-odd, slunk back to their parched homes. A frightening example of cynical hospitality? Not really, just one more case of man-animal conflict in a summer-scorched, arid zone. If last year's unwelcome guests were elephants driven towards Andhra Pradesh's towns and villages from their dry, grass-depleted dwellings, this year's visitors were leopards. The sleek, spotted cats — some 55 of them — had entered villages and even outskirts of cities like Visakhapatnam and the capital Hyderabad in search of food and water after the summer heat dried up water bodies and drove smaller animals — prey for the big cats — out of forests. Figures show the 21 leopards killed since last April were either stoned to death or died after consuming poisoned food and water placed by villagers
A REMARKABLE PUBLIC INTEREST PETITION
Kaushalendra Singh a wildlife enthusiast from Lucknow has filed a remarkable PIL to save a young male tiger facing shooting orders at the hands of the State Wildlife Deptt for having eaten three humans.
His plea is equitous too. He says that every year thousands of our countrymen die by snake bites but the Government Of India does not issue killing orders against the snakes . On this ground he has been given relief by the Lucknow High Court and the tiger now must be trapped alive and not shot down.Long Live The Judge!!!! Bless you Sir!!!!
Phew!!! a few more days for him to live and let us see what is the turn the events take.kkkkkk
The PIL tiger has been shot dead. Nothing came of Kaushalendra SIngh's case.THe tiger was shot first on 8th of Feb that left it wounded but mobile. A crackshot from Hyderabad was called in at p and he did him in.I have been spreading this news out of frustration and impotence.
During our recent trip to Dudhwa National park,, we were about to make the same mistake for the sake of finances but Sweet Candidae (ie my husband) suggested that we go by taxi and to our surprise it turned out to be a wise decision as we would have been at sea without our own transport. It took a steady 10 hours from Delhi but was the effort worth it!!!!! We stayed in a lovely place called Sonaripur about ten km. inside the jungle from the reception. SONARIPUR tourist lodge
Oh boy! I was reminded of SD Burman's "Prem ke pujari hum hain ras ke bhikahari" song. "Kahan yeh himalya aisa ,kahan aisa paani......."
The place actually gave you the raw jungle feel as its management hasnt entirely given itself to making it convenient for tourists. It was so quiet out there that we could actually hear leaves (or was it dew drops ?) falling as evening neared. Roopkali and her baby. Unfortunately the ele calf died after a month of its birth in January 2008.
The roads to the heartland were unlighted making it actually scary to pass by car at night. During our stay therei n DEc. 07, the park was visited by a herd of wild elephants and it was fascinating to see their basketball sized footprints here and there. RHINO MOTHER RAJESHWARI AND HER BABY
. SWAMP DEER IN THE TERAI (means wetland)IN THE MIDDLE OF ELEPHANT GRASS
. AN ANTHILL --Baddal, our guide, Sanjiv, Jayanth.
Anthills take decades to buid . Our sages (rishi Vishwamitra etc).went so deep in meditation that anthills would grow above their heads.
A MACHAAN --- A PLACE TO VIEW FROM.
The reason for our choosing Dudhwa that happens to be a relatively unknown or less travelled park is my chancing upon a memorable book by Billy Arjan Singh titled " the Prince of Cats" wayback in 1991 at the reference section of Indore University Library. Incidentally, my "sweet candidate" happens to be one of those who doesnt find it easy to get leave from his work..After fifteen years of "Kitne din yeh dil tersenge, ik din to badal bersenge" ,we ultimately took off to Dudhwa.. Another pressing reason was an interview that I heard in passing of Bill Arjan singh. He looked very very old.about ninety. It proved to be the greatest attraction for us. ----- Meeting the Legend.in person..
Billy Arjan S. , me and Jayanth, my son It was awe inspiring to see how this man had single handedly managed to save this part of Indian forests and its wild creatures.His little house was full of pictures of his different leopards and tigeresses that he had hand reared and then successfully reestablished in the jungle. Incidentally, he has founded an NGO named BIlly's Ark- Tiger SOS. His associate Kaushalendra Singh has filed avery interesting petition at the HC of Lucknow. See WIldlife News of Jan 2009 in my blog.
THe Horse Whisperer by Nicholas Evans. read in Jan 08
This book is about a 14 year old girl and her horse meeting with an accident - shattering the confidences of both as the girl loses a leg and the horse ,its orientations.The very successful mother of this girl who is cold blooded in her professional life somehow connects the emotional and physical recovery..of her daughter with that of the horse that is badly injued.
She begins to look for the legendary horse doctors of the past who could heal devils of horses too. .........She hears of one across the US continent in Montana and flies to meet him then drives her horse and girl to his ranch there and slowly the two patients come round.
A good book for animal lovers.
CHOKHER BALI by Rabindra nath Tagore
A touching book set in the thirties or forties about a young widow and her freindship with her cousin's wife.
THe book deals with this very smart and intelligentwidow's transformation from an unhappy, jealous woman to an extremely respectable person.
Tagore was much much ahead of his times in feminism.THe book also deals with the decadence among Indian men of good families of that time.
THE LIFE OF PI ---read Feb 08
hmmmmm. AN unputdownable book about a young boy of sixteen who is a cast away as his father tranported some zoo animals across the Pacific to try his fortune in setting up a new zoo in the States.
A Royal Bengal tiger gives him company in a small life boat for about six months when they are rescued.
THE GREAT INDIAN MIDDLE CLASS by Pravin Varma------reading still
A well researched book on the changes that have crept into the attitudes of our middle class and the reasons for them.
It also analyses our hypocrisy and desensitivity to various social issues.
" the middle class today is too busy doing well to do any good" is the premise of the book
THROUGH THE TIGER'S EYE by Belinda Wright
I just bought this book and presented it to my cousin.
It gives a very comprehensive view of our wildlife Unlike most books by activists and conservationists whose writings turn out to be very personal accounts or love affairs with particular parks and its animals, this book is much wider in its vision.
It gives ample space to our flora as well as fauna and our indigenous forest dwellers . It also traces the causes of poaching India wide. Very very good book.
CIRCLE OF REASON by AMITAV GHOSH THis was his first book. Is quite a book. He is a master story teller.His tales have that great charm of the ordinary of "oh that could happen to me too" in them.His research is so thorough that you cant help complimenting it. A racy read about the flight of a young bengali boy to Durban on a rickety ship. THe book celebrates the dispassionate researcher.
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
“AH !!!finished the book just now. I think that the book is profound enough to start a discussion on it. In the loveliest of ways it carries these messages: 1. NAture is any day much much more mightier than man' 2. how god has gifted animals with graceful beauty and fine arsenal and how intelligent they are and sensitive too. 3. Frequent references to God in the book surely takes us to a higher realm.
Animal's People by Indra SInha
“A must read. THe book relives the BHopal Tragedy through a boy twisted and contorted by it.Moved me enough to join the Bhopal Clean Up Movement that is aiming to rid the town of tonnes of chemical left by the DOW Company causing them to seep into its watertable and fighting for fair compensation to the victims
Billy Arjan S. , me and Jayanth, my son 
