New born Tiger babies Patna, May 1: Valmikinagar Tiger Reserve in Bihar has reasons to cheer. According to latest reports, a tigress gave birth to three cubs in Bihar’s only tiger reserve — the second such development in the area in one-and-half years, an official said Wednesday. “It is a positive development for us as a tigress has given birth to three cubs in Muradpur forest range in the (Valmiki) tiger reserve,” said Santosh Tiwari, director-cum-conservator of the Valmiki Tiger Reserve in West Champaran district. He said reserve officials would maintain a strict... 

  Grass eating lion: stupid? No way! What do animals do when they get sick? They can’t go to the doctor. But a surprising number of wild creatures have figured out ways to use herbs, resins, and even alcohol and nicotine for health’s sake. Scientists the ranks of animal pharmacists in the latest issue of Science. First on the list: primates, who are particularly good at exploiting the medicinal properties of plants. Chimpanzees, bonobos, and gorillas have all that swallowing rough leaves can purge their intestines of parasites. And chimps plagued by roundworm infections have been... 

  Bateman Crane in Bharatpur Bharatpur: After battling water shortages for 10 long years, Bharatpur is again ready to host winged visitors in numbers not seen in the bird sanctuary since the 1990s. Water from the Goverdhan drain reached the park last week, promising a permanent solution to the water woes of Keoladeo Ghana National Park. The Goverdhan project, which became functional last Friday, uses a 17.4km pipeline to pump Yamuna flood waters from a reservoir on the Haryana-Rajasthan border to the park. The Rs 56-crore project was expected to kick off in 2009 but was delayed due to re-tendering... 

‘Do not disturb sign’ for sanctuaries: Tiger tourism to be restricted!   New Delhi: India’s top court has suspended tourism in core areas of tiger reserves as the country struggles to stem the dwindling numbers of the endangered wild cats, a lawyer said. The order Tuesday by the Supreme Court in New Delhi came in response to a public interest complaint from wildlife activist Ajay Dubey, who urged tourism be restricted to a buffer zone on the edge of reserves to protect the animals. Dubey, saying he sought a balance between conservation and the tourist industry, claimed various state... 

JNU honours Jadav Payeng: illiterate Assamese who created a 1360 acres forest all by himself!   Jorhat, Assam: It all started way back in 1979 when floods washed a large number of snakes ashore on the sandbar. One day, after the waters had receded, Payeng , only 16 then, found the place dotted with the dead reptiles. That was the turning point of his life. “The snakes died in the heat, without any tree cover. I sat down and wept over their lifeless forms. It was carnage . I alerted the forest department and asked them if they could grow trees there. They said nothing would grow... 

When the tiger roams, criminals flee!   Patna: what does a tiger need to live – a good supply of prey, good places to hide from the human beings and water for drinking and cooling during intense summer heat. It would seem that large parts of Bihar can provide these facilities to the tigers. With a near abundant supply of neelgais, [not to mention the wild boars] their herds roaming several districts of Bihar, daily diet is no problem.  A few days ago, a neelgai [antelope]was even found walking the lanes of Ashok Rajpath where it got trapped inside a shop. Is it really surprising thus... 

200 new species found in Mekong region: but many face extinction!   Hanoi, Vietnam: although recently in October, WWF made the glum announcement that Vietnam has lost its last Javan rhinoceros, leaving a small population of 40-60 Javan rhinos in Indonesia, there is some good news on the environment front for the region.  But before you begin to cheer, listen to the following account! According to reports from the WWF, Scientists have identified more than 200 new species in the Greater Mekong region of south-east Asia. They say that throughout 2010 more than 100 plants, 28 reptiles,... 

World’s biggest insect: New Zealand’s Giant Weta   Recently when a photograph of giant Weta insect was splashed all over the international press, it became widely known that New Zealand’s Little Barrier Island happens to be the home of the world’s largest insect species – the giant weta. This endangered bug, which resembles a very large cricket, can weigh as much as a small bird and has a wingspan that can exceed seven inches across, an inch longer than the school geometry box. The insect was once common throughout New Zealand, but the introduction of rats, and other... 

Sonakshi Sinha may become brand ambassador of Valmikinagar Tiger Reserve!   Patna: currently, the forest officials in Bihar are in a tense state. Reason? An enterprising tiger has left the Valmikinagar Tiger Sanctuary and after crossing more than one river is at this point roaming somewhere amidst the tall grasses of Vaishali diaras. While the forest officials run helter skelter with one of them being seriously wounded by the ‘awara’ tiger, there may be some good news for the Valmikinagar Tiger Researve [VTR]. According to a latest report,  BJP MP and Bollywood veteran Shatrughan Sinha... 

Greater Adjutant bird[Garuda], a highly rare specie finds home in Bhagalpur   Patna: according to a recent report, the number of the endangered Greater Adjutant bird has shown an impressive increase through a conservation programme. Arvind Mishra, coordinator in Bihar and Jharkhand for the Indian Birds Conservation Network who conducted a latest survey on the species found that four years after these endangered birds of the stork family started nesting and breeding in Bihar’s Bhagalpur district, their number has increased four-fold – from 78 to over 300. He said ‘A fourfold increase...