illegal wildlife trade

Tiger Alert – Panna Tiger Reserve has no tigers

by Prakash Rangarajan June 27, 2009
Pix Credits - Avanindra Reddy

Three years back, the Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh had close to 40 tigers. Today, one two tigers exist, not the original striped denziens of the forest, but two tigresses translocated from Kanha and Badhavgarh.

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Illegal Wildlife Trade in India – The Black Market of Life

by Ishrath November 16, 2008
Tiger Poached - Pix Belinda Wright

An adult rhinoceros in Africa, during his late night walk, falls in a perfectly dug pit lined with spikes to die a slow and painful death. Another rhino in India touches a cable wire that sends 11 kilowatts jolt through its massive body, electrocuting it. Their horns are pulled out. Price of each horn: US$450,000

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Tiger population halved in the last 5 years

by Prakash Rangarajan February 13, 2008

The latest tiger census report says it all. Only 1,411 tigers left in the indian subcontintent according to the latest tiger census report by the Govt of India. All the more tragic is the fact that India has lost more than 50% of its tiger population in the last five years, a grim testimony to the rampant poaching, lack of conservation, the feeble will of the government in getting proactive about an issue that needs urgent redressal.

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Chinese Giant Salamander – Dwarfed by Man’s Greed

by Prakash Rangarajan January 24, 2008
Chinese Salamander - Pix Credits Rune Midtgaard

The Chinese Giant Salamader (Andrias davidianus) is an amphibian that has seen it all happen. Pre dating even the Tyrannosaurus rex, the largest living amphibian known to man is finding it quite difficult to escape extinction. Commonly found in aquatic habitats in the United States, China and Japan, it is quite uncommon nowadays to spot them, a sad testimony to man’s mindless destruction of eco habitat.

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The call of the tiger

by Prakash Rangarajan January 9, 2008
Tiger at Corbett National Park - Credits - Ganesh

False dawn. Light hues married to waking shadows. The early birds and jungle fowls kept their tryst. Heralding the march of time and the message of daylight. Almost second nature. The light lit itself for a minute or two before the darkness melted in. Confusion reigns. It happens every day in the mighty jungle. Time in pause before the real dawn breaks free.

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Tribal Resettlement – Reality bytes

by Prakash Rangarajan January 4, 2008

Its time for some rugged measures vis a vis tribal resettlement as also wildlife conservation. Elephants need to forage large tracts for food and have their own corridors for migration. Tigers need large beats. When habitats decrease, the scope of human animal conflict is never greater than now. There is no saner way than tribal resettlement today.

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