Jaipur Zoo parties for first birthday of prized tiger litter

     Jaipur: It was celebration time at the Jaipur Zoo on Sunday as officials cut a cake on the first birthday of four tigers. The bewildered foursome arrived at their new enclosure, a birthday gift, amidst a media blitz as photographers jostled to catch a glimpse of the chubby toddlers. Named "Rudra, Gauri, Mehak, Rambha", the cubs, born to the zoo's oldest feline, have been in news almost ever since birth and not surprisingly hundreds from across the city turned up for their bash. The party began with the traditional Happy Birthday song but it was the huge pineapple cake and a generous helping of raw meat slices that got the felines into the party mood and they obliged both the visitors and the shutterbugs, with a fantastic display of their playful antics. Tigers are extremely endangered in India with their population plummeting to 3700 from roughly 40,000 a century ago, mainly due to rampant poaching. Conservationists suspect the numbers could be less than 2,000 and have warned that the majestic cats are under siege from poachers and people living in protect reserves. Their plight hit headlines earlier this year after Tigers disappeared from Rajasthan's main Sariska sanctuary sparking a national outrage. The issue rattled the Indian government into action, which has since set up a task force to ensure their safety and conservation. State officials said they were hopeful programmes like these would help educate people about precious wildlife. "Through this birthday we want people to get to know the tigers, they should understand them so that they realise that these animals must not be poached, be it in Sariska or anywhere else people should now that these animals are not to killed but saved," said Damodar Sharma, secretary, forest and wild life department of Rajasthan. "Certainly, this will be very very helpful for the community (Tiger community) at large, if we can protect them and provide them an environment like that," Taslim Siddiqui, a visitor, said. The three sisters and one brother meanwhile, officials say, have been growing extremely well on their high-protein milk and meat diet but the extra pampering has left them a bit too moody and also overweight. Officials are now planning to bring in some discipline and their round the clock nannies have been instructed to get more strict and also put in place a rigorous exercise schedule to get the siblings back in shape.
-Aug 28, 2005

Rare Trigger fishes found in Gulf of Mannar  (Go To Top)
by P Subramaniyann

     Tuticorin(Tamil Nadu): Two rare species of ornamental fishes, commonly known as Trigger fish, have been discovered in the Gulf of Mannar by the scientists of Fisheries College and Research Institute of Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu. The presence of grey-coloured queen triggerfish, which belongs to the balistidae family of the ornamental fish, has been recorded for the first time along the coast. "The species ballistus spatelus is commonly called as Trigger fish and is found in Tuticorin waters particularly in the Gulf of Mannar. We have recorded about 10 new species of this trigger fish. Their skin is very thick and most of the leather fishes when they form a bulk catch, they are taken for leather manufacture," said Professor. Venkataramani, Principal Investigator of Fisheries College and Research Institute. The two species were included in the catalogue "Cephalopods of the world" brought out by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Rome recently. The average length of the queen triggerfish was 53 cms.The species was traced at a depth of 15 metres in the Gulf of Mannar, about six km off the Tuticorin coast. The queen triggerfish is distinguished from other Balistidae species by its caudal fin with elongated upper and lower lobes, white colour at the tip of all fins, six grooves on the head, and a small blue groove near the eye. These species normally inhabit coral reefs and feeds on lobsters, shrimps, and polychaete worms. They are usually found in coasts adjoining Indonesia, Madagascar, the United States, Mexico and Brazil. The scientists feel that they could have emigrated to the Indian coast following oceanographic changes and the differences in current patters in the Far East, in the aftermath of the tsunami. While the species is popular as an edible variety in other countries, it is preferred by the Indians only as a dry fish. But its skin could be used to manufacture leather goods because of its thickness. The Gulf of Mannar sea diverse with 117 species of corals which is found in the 20 small islands and the many reefs. The marine national park covers about 200km.
-Aug 27, 2005

Jim Corbett National Park to monitor tiger movements (Go To Top)
by Atul Chauhan

     Jim Corbett National Park (Uttaranchal): In a move to curb poaching, authorities in the Jim Corbett National Park plan to monitor tiger movements throughout the year after the reserve reported a fall in the number of big cats. The number of tigers in the national park fell to 141 this year from 143 in 2003. The census, which is carried out every second year in the sanctuary, also showed a drastic decline in the number of leopards. Ranjeev Bhavtari, director, Corbett National Park said that the authorities were now concentrating on monitoring the tigers throughout the year. "In future what we are trying to do is to identify and monitor each and every individual tiger not just during the census period, but throughout the year. For this new techniques have been developed by the Wildlife Institute of India. The stripe patterns on the tiger body enables identification of individuals and camera traps enables photographing them. These records can be analyzed and the movements of tigers can be recorded," he said. There was uproar in India after reports in March that the entire tiger population at the Sariska forest sanctuary in Rajasthan had been wiped out by poachers, with fears that the situation might be mirrored in other reserves across the country. There were 16-18 tigers at Sariska a year ago. Wildlife experts say an estimated 1,500 tigers have been poached in India in the past decade. In the last year alone there have been around a 100-reported cases of tiger poaching. A century ago, there were some 40,000 tigers in India. Now, officials estimate there are about 3,700 tigers left although some environment groups put the number at fewer than 2,000. Trade in tiger skin and products, is illegal, but poachers still operate with impunity because a single animal fetches up to 50,000 dollars in the international market. Organs, teeth, bones, claws and penises fetch high prices in China and south East Asian nations, where they are used in ancient medicines.
-Aug 27, 2005

Indian Army saves two leopard cubs in Jammu (Go To Top)
by Rajneesh Parihan

     Jammu: Indian soldiers on a routine patrolling in Rajouri forests in Jammu recently rescued two leopard cubs. They were found to be trapped in a ditch and were taken to the nearby Reserve. "The soldiers were out on a patrol. The men spotted the little leopard cubs, could not find their mother and picked them up as they were abandoned," said Sajjad Kichlu, chief warden of the Ramnagar Wildlife Sanctuary on the outskirts of the city. These cubs are believed to have gone a stray while following their mother who went too far in search of food. But now the duo has been housed at Manda Wildlife Park in Jammu. The duo has been kept on a healthy diet of milk and vitamin supplements with two full time nannies giving them loads of care and attention. Two leopard cubs are healthy and progressing well. Officials say they plan to shift them to wildlife rehabilitation centre and hope they might be able to return to the wild someday. Ramnagar Wildlife Sanctuary is situated six kilometres away from Jammu and occupies an area of 31 kilometre. The sanctuary area sustains 8 mammal species including Nilgai and Barking Deer, Wild Boar and Rhesus Monkey. The sanctuary supports 15 species of birds including Indian Mynah, Blue Rock Pigeon, Peafowl, Red Jungle Fowl, Jungle Crow, Golden Oriole, and White Cheeked Bulbul.

Alleppey all geared up to host boat race (Go To Top)

     Alleppey (Kerala): Alleppey, also called the Venice of the East because of its beautiful waterways and canals, is all geared up for Saturday's (August 13) annual snake boat festival. The Nehru snake boat race, named after the country's first Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru, is a gala event for the residents and foreign tourists who throng the venue. Snake boat, or "Chundanvallam" races, as they are known in the local parlance, are very popular in Kerala around Onam, the state's harvest festival in August/September. Scores of long snake boats and other smaller crafts participate in these events. The largest team sport in the world, the snake boat races are preceded by colourful water parades. Usually a snake boat is manned by four helmsmen, 25 singers and 100 - 125 oarsmen who row in unison to the fast rhythm of the vanchipattu (song of the boatman). Thousands of people crowd the water's edge to cheer the huge black crafts as they slice through the waters to a spectacular finish. The oldest of these events have curious legends and myths attached to their origin. Myths closely linked to the rustic people and their beliefs.

     The Nehru Trophy Boat Race is the most colorful water sport in Kerala. It is organized at Punnamada Lake in Alleppey (also called Alappuzha) every year on the second Saturday in the month of August. People from all over the world come over here to witness this prestigious cultural event of Kerala. The trophy was named as Nehru Trophy because the first Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru handed it over to the winners of the first boat race. The event was an impromptu and was held in the honor of the Prime minister who visited Alappuzha in 1952. In the year 1952, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru visited the erstwhile Travancore-Cochin. On his way to Alleppey from Kottayam He was given a roaring reception by the people of Alleppey on his way from Alleppey to Kottayam. After enjoying the sail in the snake boat known as Chundan, Pandit Nehru donated a rolling trophy to be awarded to the winner. The Nehru Trophy Boat Race is celebrated, as a festival by the people of Alleppey and the main attraction of the festival is the sportsman's sprit of the participants of the race. The event is enjoyed equally by the locals as well as the tourists both Indian and foreigners. The trophy is a replica in silver of a snake-boat and is placed over a wooden abacus. Panditji's signature along with the following words is inscribed on the trophy: "To the winner of the boat-race which is a unique feature of community life in Travancore-Cochin". This trophy was later given the name of the 'Nehru Trophy'.

     Nehru Trophy Boat race has become a very popular event over the years and all the boat clubs desire to win the prestigious Nehru Trophy. Nineteen boats with nearly 100 rowers would literally slither through the backwaters as they vie for the glory. "Preparations are almost at its end. It is a very tough practice, which we are following for the past 12 days, and we will be continuing the practice till the last minute of the event. We hope and are confident that the trophy which we were not able to get for the past 2-3 years this time will be ours," said Vishaghana, a participant. Three boats run at a time in each of the three heats and the fourth and final race is run between the toppers of the three heats. The oarsmen row the boats to the rhythmic beat of drums accompanied by folk songs. Authorities have said they have taken all the necessary arrangements for the hugely popular race. Snake boats are long and narrow country boats, originally designed to transport soldiers to the war front with speeds of about 50 kilometers (31 miles) an hour. But these days they are used exclusively for races. The construction of the boat, usually over 50 metres long, takes nearly two years and costs over 40,000 dollar. Alleppey is famous for the beautiful backwaters surrounding it. Many Kerala Backwater cruises begin or end in Alleppey. The backwaters with water birds and flowers and greenery along their banks are a beautiful and refreshing sight.
-Aug 11, 2005

Goa resorts to trained tuskers to drive away wild ones  (Go To Top)
by Devraj

     Panaji (Goa): Trained elephants from Shimoga in Karnataka have arrived in Goa to help the state's forest department to drive away wild elephants. The government of Goa has requisitioned the services of these five trained tuskers to drive away three wild elephants -- two females and one male calf -- which have terrorised the villages coming under the sub-districts of Bardez and Bicholim taluka in the state. The five trained tuskers called 'Kunki' have arrived along with ten 'mahouts' from Shimoga. "We have brought five elephants from...near Shimoga and, they will be used for driving the wild elephants which have entered the territory and caused damage to private property," said Pradeep Kurdekar, Goa's Assistant Conservator of Forests. "We are very happy that the government has brought some trained elephants from Shimoga to drive the wild elephants away. The wild elephants were causing problems to the local people here," said Sadanand Shet Tanavade, MLA, Tivim, Goa. The trained tuskers are presently being kept at the Amthane Plateau in Bicholim and 'Operation Drive Out' is likely to begin on Tuesday after consultations with forest officials of both states. These elephants will be given time to acclamatise themselves to Goa before they are deployed for tracking and driving away the wild ones. Five mobile teams, each consisting of six personnel are on the job at Revora, Nadora, Pirna and Adwalpal. The control office has been set up at Pirna. The entire cost of the operation will be around 30 lakh rupees (68,182 dollars), which includes the hiring costs of the elephants and their insurance cover. The three wild elephants strayed into Goan territory from neighbouring Maharashtra and have destroyed standing crops, trees and dwellings. A person was also trampled to death by these marauding pachyderms.
-Aug 8, 2005

Delhi plays host to India's first banana festival (Go To Top)
by Vrishti Beniwal

     New Delhi: You must have heard of Delhi hosting mango, flowers and film festivals with regularity. The Indian capital has now come up with another first -- a Banana Festival? Inaugurated this week by Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, the three-day festival features varieties of the fruit from six countries - Indonesia, Philippines, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, Sri Lanka and New Zealand. India is the world's largest producer and consumer of bananas with an estimated production of 16 million tons annually. Its domestic production alone exceeds the entire world's trade of bananas, but the country's exports are not up to the mark due to improper marketing techniques. The festival is mainly targeted at providing national as well as global audience for the banana. Banana farmers at the festival and conference are seeking exposure to new varieties of the crop. The organisers are also making arrangements to facilitate commercialization of banana for its rich nutritional, medicinal values, handicraft small-scale industrial and various other uses. "The Indian government is promoting the cultivation of bananas among the masses and has just hiked the subsidy to 60 percent, that is around Rs.18,500 per hectare," Pawar said. "Now the horticulture department and the agricultural ministry are telling the farmers to enter the international market," he added.

    The National Horticulture Board, the Agricultural and Processed Food Export Development Authority (APEDA), the Information Network for Farm and Farming Systems Economics (INFARM), the Association for Improvement in Production and Utilisation of Banana (AIPUB) and the Banana Growers Association of India are participating in the festival. Pawar further said that proper attention should be given on exploring the advantages of horticulture for the development of agriculture. He also called for larger investment in the agriculture industry. "I believe horticulture will be the engine of growth in the agriculture sector in this century. This, however, calls for a much larger magnitude of investment in infrastructure and farm industries," he said. Pawar also informed that a National Horticulture Mission has already been launched to promote the development of horticulture including banana. "The mission envisages the forward and backward linkage of the sector and will help in adopting the latest technologies for holistic development of the industry," he said. He also called for joint efforts to boost country's agricultural production. "Our farmers, scientist, entrepreneurs and service providers will have to synchronize their efforts in this direction to tap the global market," Pawar said. Pawar also said that the festival would go a long way in creating awareness among the farmers in banana production, handling, processing and marketing. Agriculture Ministry officials informed that such festivals will be organised in coming years also.

Gulf-bound house maids being trained in Kerala (Go To Top)

     Thiruvananthapuram: The Department of Non-Resident Keralites' Affairs (NRKA) has joined hands with the SCMS Institute of Paramedical and Developmental Studies, Kalamassery to provide training to prospective house maids who plan to go abroad, especially to Gulf countries. This training programme, the first of its kind, is aimed at stopping the harassment of thousands of women who go abroad to work as house maids in wealthy households, but often get exploited economically and sexually. Women in the age group of 35 to 45 and who have studied up to SSLC from the State are being given this training. The training also aims to stop illegal trafficking and flesh trade of women who are trapped by agents who take them abroad on the pretext of finding them jobs. During the last four years, 25 ,000 women aged below 30 have gone to the various countries in Gulf from Kerala to work as house maids. These women have worked as beauticians, sales girls, tailors and hairdressers. Some were also taken abroad with fake immigration permits. The women, hailing mostly from poor families, are promised a monthly salary of aproximatly 184 US dollars to 230 US dollars, annual leave for two months and a free ticket. "Before attending this class, I was afraid to go abroad, as I had heard of many cases of torture and cheating done to house maids. But now, after attending these classes, I feel more confident. I feel I can handle the situation," said Shailaja,a prospective house maid. "We find these classes very useful and valuable to us, things which we didn't know earlier like how to manage a home, have good manners and food preparation skills are being taught here", said Jessy, another prospective house maid. The programme also gives training in language skills and teaches how to operate normal household equipment , tips on cultural practises, baby sitting, cleaning and how to prepare the bed. "This programme is for prospective house maids, who wish to go to Gulf countries or other countries. There are reports from various places that women, who go outside as house maids are subjected to harassment .The other reason is that women lack capabilities and are ignorant of systems, languages and the way in which they should behave," said M.A Aboobaker, central region coordinator of the programme. The training is residential and lasts for a fortnight.
-Aug 4, 2005

Leh hosts national river rafting championship (Go To Top)

     Leh (Ladakh): Ladakh's headquarters Leh recently played host to a four-day national River-rafting championship, the second of its kind. Organised by the Indian Rafting Foundation under the aegis of the International Rafting Federation, this year's national championship saw twelve teams in action, including eight teams from the Army, teams from the Border Security Force(BSF) and Indo-Tibetan Border Police(ITBP), and two teams from Jammu and Kashmir . Riju Raj Singh Jamwal, the judge and organiser of the championship, said the number of teams participating had increased in comparison to the first championship held last year in Himachal Pradesh on Sutlej river. "This time the number of teams had increased. We hope it will keep increasing in the forthcoming years. The event was organised in accordance with the international rules so that when our teams would go to compete outside the country they know the rules there," Jamwal said. Urgan Lundup, Deputy Director, Jammu and Kashmir State Tourism, said that Ladakh had good potential for river-rafting because of its many rivers like Sindhu (Indus), Zanskar, Shayok and Suru. "From the tourism point of view, even our rivers have a lot of potential and the local talents should be tapped for it. They can at least open river-rafting training camps here," says Lundup. Ladakh is a part of Jammu and Kashmir and consists of two districts Leh and Kargil. The region is an ideal destination for adventure enthusiasts. The swift-flowing Sindhu and Zanskar rivers offer rafting enthusiasts excellent venues for white-water rafting in Ladakh. Rafting expeditions are organised from July to September and usually cover the stretches of the Indus river between Hemis to Choglamsar and Nimmu to Phey. Ladakh was once covered by an extensive lake system, the vestiges of which still exist on its south -east plateaux of Rupshu and Chushul - in drainage basins with evocative names like Tso- moriri, Tsokar, and grandest of all, Pangong-tso. Ladakh lies at altitudes ranging from about 9,000 feet (2750m) at Kargil to 25,170 feet (7,672m) at Saser Kangri in the Karakoram.
-Aug 2, 2005