Where do our leather bags, belts and such accessories come from? And how?

Where do our leather bags, belts and such accessories come from? And how?

Please don't use leather accessories…

We have no right to kill animals to make some vain fashion statement!

Remember…Killing will stop only when demand dies!

Please send this to as many people as you know…

They are crying for help…..Lets help them survive!

Gandak plays havoc with tiger reserve

Binod Dubey, Hindustan Times
Valmiki Nagar, Bihar, July 08, 2010

The internationally known and Bihar's sole tiger conservation unit, the Valmiki Tiger Reserve in West Champaran district, may soon be history. The changing course of the meandering Gandak river is fast eroding its western edges and devouring large parts of the sanctuary at a fast clip. Admitting thedanger to the wildlife sanctuary, which was the first to be designated under Project Tiger, field director of the Valmiki Tiger Reserve JP Gupta said, "If immediate measures were not taken to prevent the erosion, the project area could be lost forever."

The project area is important, as it is spread over 840 square kilometres with a core area of 335.64 square kilometers consisting of sal and deciduous spread littered with cane breaks, lakes and swamps, live 53 species of mammals, 26 species of reptiles, 13 amphibian species and at least 145 species of birds besides tigers.

"We have already informed the higher authorities of the crisis with the request, that they take up the matter with the Bihar Water Resources Department," Gupta told Hindustan Times.

He, however, could not quantify the exact area of the reserve, already swallowed up by the river.

"The Gandak has developed a tendency to take a course towards its left. In the absence of any survey conducted in the past, we are not in a position to measure the area submerged by the river," a forest expert said on the condition of anonymity.

The forest department is carrying out a survey of the affected area presently, they added.

An appraisal team constituted by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) of the Union Government had also noted the development in its report of November last year and suggested remedial measures.

Confirming it, assistant manager of the Wild Life Trust of India and a member of the appraisal team, Samir Kumar Sinha, said, "A vast expanse of forest land has already been engulfed by the river. It is now posing a serious threat to the existence of the reserve."

A spot visit by the HT team to the sanctuary found that a substantial portion of Chunbhatta and Katraha areas of the Valmiki Nagar forest range and Naurangia and Sirsia falling in the Madanpur range were already submerged.

These are the mixed forests with alluvial grassland and canebrakes inhabited mainly by hog deer, wild dogs, spotted deer, leopard cats, black bucks and wild boars (a preferred food species of the tiger).

The submergence of the land has apparently forced the wildlife including tigers inhabiting the area to migrate to the Chitwan National Park across the border in Nepal, which has no physical barrier to hinder their movement.

"We have no authentic evidence to establish the migration of the animals but its possibility cannot be ruled out," said Gupta.

A part of the Chitwan-Parsa-Valmiki landscape, the Valmiki Tiger Reserve once attracted kings, zamindars and nawabs for hunting expeditions.

King George V and Kind Edward VIII of England are said to have visited the forest, which had a huge wildlife population.

Till 1997, the reserve was home to 53 tigers and 54 leopards. In the years that followed, the sanctuary came under tremendous poaching pressure and the number of the precious animals dwindled. As per a government figure now, the national park has only 10 tigers. The continuous erosion of the forest has also substantially contributed to the flight of the animals.

Forest owlet may replace hariyal as Maharashtra state bird

Priya Ramakrishnan / DNA
Mumbai: The critically endangered forest owlet may soon take over from the green pigeon (Hariyal in Marathi) as the state bird of Maharashtra. The Bombay natural history society (BNHS) is in the process of recommending an elevation in the status of the bird to the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF).

The bird is an endemic species found in the Toranmal reserve forest and the Melghat tiger reserve in Amravati. For 113 years, the forest owlet was thought to be extinct, but was rediscovered in 1997 at the Toranmal forest.

“The last bird count in 2005 estimates its population between 100 and 250. It is now categorised as critically endangered. We are now looking for sponsors and funding to conduct a thorough bird count across the whole Satpura region,” said Raju Kasambe, project manager, important bird areas (IBA), BNHS.

“The green pigeon is found across India and has no special connection to Maharashtra. The forest owlet, by contrast, is found only in Maharashtra and we should be proud of this endemic species,” said Kasambe.

According to him, unlike other owls, forest owlet is diurnal, hunting only in daytime “This bird is on the verge of extinction because it requires a specific habitat at an altitude between 300 and 500 metres. The biggest threat to the bird is the encroachment and conversion of forest areas into agricultural land,” said Kasambe.

Ian Barber, international officer, Asia, royal society for the protection of birds (RSPB), who is working on the project along with BNHS, said, “We need to spread awareness about this unique bird and if it is made the state bird, it would garner more support from various organisations. It is currently facing threat from the tribal population spread across these areas.”

Mommy, where have all the birds gone?

Experts have noticed a sharp decline in the bird population. Some of the factors responsible for it are global warming, environmental pollution, cutting of the trees and illegal hunting.

OUR FOREFATHERS were very wise and generous men, who always respected and worshipped the elements of Mother Nature. They always abided the laws set by the nature and respected every living form. But unfortunately today, the cruel industrial world has affected the lifestyle of every single organism on earth.

The race for survival has made the man more selfish than ever. Man with his selfish ambitions has replaced the jungles with cemented monsters which have drifted the existence of birds toward extinction.The environmentalists have noticed a continuous decline in the diversity of various species of the birds. According to the study conducted by Stanford and Duke Universities, 12% of the existing species would disappear by the end of the century.

What experts say is that besides having natural predators against them, global warming, environmental pollution, cutting of the trees and illegal hunting are some other factors responsible.

Gradually many species have become prone to diseases like bird flu which is even a big threat to the human race.In the never ending list of extinct species: Dodos, Maus, Kangaroo Island Black Emu, Great Elephantbird, Hawaiian Drepanididae, Great Auk, Bonin Wood Pigeon, The Cuban Red Macaw, Guadeloupe Island Caracara, Mysterious Starling are some of the innocent victims of climate change.

The condition of birds in India:From the Trans Himalayan range to dense jungles India has been blessed with 1250 species of birds. Major attraction among them are Peacock, European Roller, "Alectoris chukar"Chukar (juvenile), The Indian Peafowl, Indian Roller, Common Kingfishers, Cuckoo- the Koel, Hill Myna, Racquet tailed drogas , tree pies jungle owlets, Minvets and Sarus Crane. The Indian Peacock is the national Bird of India because of its historical and religious significance since from the days of Rig Veda. Not only these, many Swans, Geese, Ducks, Terns, Swallows, Martins, Warblers and Siberian Cranes also travel India as a part of their seasonal migration. But how long can India preserve this species from disappearance is still a matter of big concern.

There was a time when India was considered as a paradise for bird watching. In India the long list of critically endangered bird species includes: White-backed Vulture, Long-billed Vulture, Jerdon's Courser, Forest Owlet, Sociable Lapwing, Pallas's Fish Eagle, Great Indian Bustard, Lesser Florican, Spot-billed Pelican, Greater Spotted Eagle, Darter, Painted Stork, etc. The deteriorating condition of birds can be traced everywhere in the metropolitan cities. They don’t have proper water to drink, food to eat and air to breath. One may not pay attention, but thousands of scavengers fed themselves on rotten and contaminated waste lying near the Ghazipur slaughter house at Delhi.

The large scale concretisation has drifted the bird population to other places also. Steps to be taken to protect these species:The distinction these common species share is the potential to become uncommon unless we all take initiative to preserve them. Every person can contribute in this process by just sitting at home like: individual energy conservation methods, emission cutting, planting tress and providing shelter in the form of bird house. Individuals can pressurise the Government for protecting the wetlands and forests through emails and creating awareness.

Jack Dumbacher (Curator of birds and mammals at California Academy of Sciences) has concluded that birds are an important component of our ecosystem, they eat rodents and insects which attack the agricultural crops. There are also evidences when birds go extinct then automatically the trees also go extinct. It's hard to imagine that the disappearance of bird species making much difference to human well-being. It is very important for humans to think differently on how they would interact with the animals around them. The need of the hour is maintenance of the eco system services for preserving the winged beauties.

Mimic 151 Different Types of Birds Sound World Record

For the last three years, Gautam Sapkota has been after birds and only birds. He follows birds in national parks, forests, nearby gardens and the central zoo in Kathmandu and spends his time imitating their sounds -- the way the birds communicate with each other in different situations. And it is hard to believe that within a span of three years, he has been able to mimic 151 different types of birds.

"I know the birds won't be here forever, they are being killed and getting extinct due to loss of habitat and human encroachment," he says. "Although I won't be able to save them, I will preserve their voices."

Although there are many exotic birds, crows are Gautam's best friends. He can communicate with the crows more efficiently. He opines that these birds use only a few basic sounds to communicate things like "come," "go," "run, there's danger," "let's gather, one of us is in danger" and a few others.

It was his long study and experience that allowed him to call a conference of crows during the auspicious festival of Kag Tihar (the first day of the Hindu festival of Deepawali, when people worship the crow, the messenger of Yama, the god of death). Hundreds of crows came, responding to his calls at the Open Theater in Kathmandu.

"They are my friends, and they come to me when I call them," says Gautam. "They know that their friend needs their help and flock to me."

Once hounded by the media, he has been surviving on the presentations that he holds everyday in different schools. So far, he has visited more than 6,500 schools in 45 districts of Nepal, interacting, entertaining and educating the kids about birds, their habitats, their ways of life and their calls.

When asked what inspired him to take up this hobby, he says, "When I was a little kid, I wondered how people imitated animals. … When I grew up, I realized that I could mimic a lot of different sounds, so I started my journey and the beautiful birds became my friends."
He can also imitate other animals. Following and studying the monkeys of Swayambhunath stupa and Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu, he has learned their sounds, too. He can initiate a brawl between two or more monkeys. And if you really pester him, he can arrange for all the monkeys to attack you at once in a gang.

You would never get bored with his bird calls. However, to entertain students better he has composed songs in different bird voices. An album of popular Nepali folk songs remixed in the voice of different birds (particularly the heron's voice) is on the offing.

Although born in a lesser-known Gadhi village of Makwanpur district in central Nepal, he is aspiring to record his feat with Guinness World Records. He is in correspondence with its officials and they are positive about recording this extraordinary feat.

PETA - Indian Animal Rights Organisation enter in Limca Book of Records

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has entered the Limca Book of Records as the largest animal rights organisation. According to a release issued here today, PETA India's chief functionary Anuradha Shawney said, ''to be recognised by the Limca Book of Records is a great honour. Animal rights is a movement whose time has come and the support and recognition that our organisation has garnered shows that people are ready to make this a kinder world for all beings.'' PETA, since its inception in 2001, has been actively involved in grassroot awareness, policy making and has played a crucial role in the recognition of animal welfare.

In its strive to keep animals safe, it had organised a campaign that led to a ban on elephants entering various cities in 2007. It was also responsible for the ending of animal experiments by the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education in 2008.

The organisation has also rescued a number of exploited animals from the circus and exposed the cruel laboratory conditions at the National Institute of Virology Pune. It had also organised a petition drive along with many Bollywood stars to prohibit bullocks from pulling heavy oil tankers in Mumbai.

Leptotyphlops - Worlds Smallest Snake in Guinness Book

A snake that's as thin as a spaghetti noodle with a body small enough to rest comfortably on a U.S. quarter has just been identified as the world's smallest snake, according to a paper published today in the journal Zootaxa .

The newly identified species, Leptotyphlops carlae, measures just 3.9 inches long and was found under a rock on the western Atlantic island of Barbados. Two other extremely small snakes, L. bilineatus from Martinique and L. breuili from Saint Lucia, were identified nearby, suggesting that the world's three smallest snakes are all Caribbean threadsnakes.

Blair Hedges, who made the finds, told Discovery News that "determining the smallest (snake) is not simple."

Hedges, an evolutionary biologist at Penn State University, previously identified the world's smallest frog and lizard on Caribbean islands. He explained that the process of naming the smallest requires measuring adult individuals -- ideally at least one male and one female -- and then comparing the average size to all other known species.

He determined the Barbados threadsnake is the smallest of more than 3,100 known snakes. The snake may even be as miniscule as nature could go for snakes since, if it were any smaller, he believes its young would have nothing to eat. As it stands, Hedges thinks it primarily consumes the tiny larvae of termites and ants.

Females of this smallest species produce just one slender egg. In contrast to larger species that may lay up to 100 eggs in a single clutch, with each egg measuring just a fraction of the mother's body, this snake produces a single hatchling that is half its mother's size.

"The fact that tiny snakes produce only one massive egg -- relative to the size of the mother -- suggests that natural selection is trying to keep the size of hatchlings above a critical limit in order to survive," he explained.

Hedges added that, because of the snake's small size, "almost anything could be a predator, including centipedes and spiders."

Already the species appears to be in grave danger.

"My (two collected) animals were found next to a patch of forest, so I surmise that they require a forest (habitat) like most other native organisms," he said. "The islands were completely covered with forest originally, and now there is almost no forest remaining."

If Barbados residents continue to engage in habitat destruction by replacing forest lands with buildings and farms, the threadsnake could, he said, go extinct "because these animals live on islands, they have nowhere to go when they lose their habitat."

The island isolation likely explains many animal size extremes, both big and small, since species over time evolve to fill ecological niches unoccupied by other organisms. On land, for example, an insect might replace the smallest snake's spot in the food chain but, on water-surrounded Barbados, the snake evolved to fill that spot. Information on other snake size extremes may be found here.

Robert Henderson, curator of vertebrate zoology at the Milwaukee Public Museum, told Discovery News that he agrees with the findings, saying that "the West Indies harbor the smallest species of frog and lizard; may as well have the smallest snake too."

Herpetologist Robert Powell, who is a professor of biology at Avila College, also supports the new research.

"What I find most exciting is that we are seeing how nature pushes the lower size limits of body size," Powell told Discovery News. "I remember as a student being fascinated by the smallest known frog, lizard and snake -- marveling at how all of the necessary parts fit and worked."

"Since then," he added, "those size limits, which we then thought were immutable, have been extended again and again. Dr. Hedges seems to think that this time, nature has run up against a real wall, and that body size for a snake couldn't get any smaller, but I wouldn't bet against him finding a smaller species next year."

Story by http://dsc.discovery.com

TN designates site in Teni for INO project

Six months after the Union Environment Ministry rejected the Singara site in Tamil Nadu's Nilgiris district for the prestigious ''Particle Physics'' project, named 'India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO),'' the alternative site in Theni district seems close to being finalised.

As a first crucial step, the State has disclosed that the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) has bagged consultancy for the project, a multi-institutional effort led by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) and others. The alternative site in Theni district seems to have been de facto favoured for the purpose, as Environment and Forest Minister Jairam Ramesh turned down the Singara site in November 2009 as it "falls in the buffer zone of the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve in the Nilgiris" and also an elephant corridor. Tabling the “Demands for Grants” for the Energy Department in the Assembly, Law Minister Durai Murugan, officiating for the ailing Electricity Minister Arcot Veeraswamy, stated in his policy note that the Rs 900 Crore project "is proposed to be located in Bodi West Hills, Pottipuram village of Theni district". To be funded by the DAE and the Central Department of Science and Technology, the INO would study the interactions of “Neutrinos,” the weakly-interacting, little understood and supposedly mass-less particles. According to top physicists, it is best studied in a lab "necessarily placed underground." The study is expected to have great impact in nuclear physics, particle physics, cosmology and astrophysics. The policy note said that the TNEB has been entrusted with the task of being the “consultant” and “nodal agency” for the project formulation. It will also facilitate in tying up the requisite infrastructure for the underground labs and over-ground residential quarters, office, guest house, etc. About 100 scientists would be working in the underground observatory at any point of time, it said. Asked whether the minister's statement on INO meant that the Theni district site has been finalised for the project, a senior government official told Deccan Herald that The TNEB will prepare the Detailed Project Report, without committing himself about the Centre’s decision. However, some time back DAE and TIFR officials had conducted a public hearing in the area. M R Venkatesh CHENNAI, May 7, DHNS

Project tiger gets Rs 150 crore grant

Here's some good news for Vidarbha's two tiger reserves -Melghat and Tadoba! The Union government has decided to release Rs 150-crore grant to relocate villages in the tiger reserves. The state government had sought the assistance to free animals from human interference.

The grant would enable the state's wildlife wing to relocate 16 villages of Melghat and five villages of Tadoba.

Maharashtra Forest Minister, Patangrao Kadam told Hindustantimes Times that the issue was placed before the union minister for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh during his recent Vidarbha visit and finally the ministry nodded in approval.

The Centre's compensatory financial package is being doled out as a part of its strategy to encourage villagers to move out from the villages located in the tiger reserves, thus making them safe for predators besides other species. As per the financial package, the villagers are either provided Rs 10 lakh per family or a piece of land for their rehabilitation, a process being overseen by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) heading the Tiger Project.

The wildlife wing could relocate Botezhari village from Tadoba recently. However, it could not relocate Kolsa village because of paucity of funds. "If the department succeeds to relocate these villages from the tiger reserves, both the famous tiger projects would be free from human inhabitation," says Dr Nand Kishore, the chief conservator of forests (Wildlife)-Vidarbha region.

The efforts would also boost the wildlife protection and conservation in both the famous tiger reserves in the region. The human habitation within in the parks often causes poaching and poisoning of waterholes, leading to killing of tigers and other animals. One tiger was killed in core area of Tadoba in May last year with the help of villagers within the park.

According to Kadam, the Centre has decided to release Rs 100-crore immediately and the process for releasing the balance is in progress. The state had also made a provision of Rs 25.79-crore in this annual budget for the rehabilitation of villages within the Sahyadri Tiger project in western Maharashtra. Sahyadri was declared as tiger project last year.

Project tiger reserves in the state

* There are four tiger projects in the state--- Melghat, Tadoba, Pench (all in Vidarbha) and Sahyadri (Western Maharashtra).

* The Melghat, the oldest tiger project in the state, is located on southern offshoot of Satpura Hill Range in Amravati district with an area of 1676.49 sq kms. It is the home of around 45 tigers.

* Tadoba (Chandrapur district) is spread over 623 sq kms of high hills and lush valleys and under dense teak and bamboo forests. The reserve is also a home for rare wildlife, like wild dogs, leopards, and sloth bear, and baison, hyena and jungle cats, along with a population of around 46 tigers.

* In Pench tiger reserves, bordering Madhya Pradesh, is located at a distance of 70 kms from Nagpur and home for around 20 tigers.

* Sahyadri, the new tiger project of the state was set up by including Chandoli Natonal Park and Koyana Wildlife Sanctuary of western Maharashtra. The reserves spread over an area of 741.22 sq kms. It houses an appreciable variety of bird and animal life, including nine tigers and 66 leopards.

Pradip Kumar Maitra, Hindustan Times

Email Author

Nagpur, May 06, 2010

Lady-killer elephant being tracked in Indian park

New Delhi - Forest wardens are hunting for a 25-year-old bull elephant suspected of killing at least 12 female elephants in a wildlife reserve in southern India after they spurned his sexual advances, news reports said Wednesday.

Eight female elephants were found dead in the Periyar tiger reserve in Kerala state from February 2009 to June, the Times of India newspaper quoted the state's chief wildlife warden KK Srivastava as saying.

Srivastava said postmortem reports suggested the deaths were caused by the same tusker who has been named Alpha by forest officials.

'Two more females were found dead between March 12 and March 21 this year,' Srivastava said. 'The nature of the injuries point to the same culprit.'

The rogue tusker is believed to have killed another two elephants over the past three years, forest officials said.

Alpha most likely gored these elephants because they resisted his sexual advances while he was in a 'musth' state, the forest officials said.

Musth, which derives from Persian and means intoxicated, is a term used to describe a periodic condition in bull elephants when they show highly aggressive behavior because of increased testosterone levels.

Forensic tests on the dead elephants revealed they had puncture marks on their rears. The wounds matched the dimensions of Alpha's tusks, the Times of India said.

A 15-member expert panel has been set up to track the rogue elephant, the report said.

S Africa ready to give cheetahs to India

Neha Sinha

On the sidelines of the just-concluded climate change meet in Cape Town, India and South Africa — the two countries on Monday released a joint statement, pledging support to tackle climate change as part of the BASIC (Brazil, South Africa, India and China) group — also discussed cheetahs, which the Ministry of Environment and Forests is trying to re-introduce here.

After a meeting between Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh and his South African counterpart Buyelwa Sonjica, the latter has consented to part with cheetahs, extinct in Indian forests, for the re-introduction programme.

“South Africa is willing to give cheetahs to India,” Ramesh said. “Now, we have the option of getting the animals from South Africa, Kenya and Namibia,” he added.

Chhattisgarh UMPP bids may run into environment ministry hurdles

NEW DELHI: Bidders for the ultra mega power project at Chhattisgarh, that are set to put in their pre-qualification bids by May 3, could be in for a major jolt as coal blocks linked to the 4000 mw project is unlikely to get the nod from the environment ministry. In a clear case of where one arm of the government works at cross purposes against the other, the power ministry has called for bids even as the environment and coal ministries have jointly declared the Hasdeo Arand coal belt region as a “no go” area for mining.

The environment ministry, which has been carrying out special audits on the encroachments and violations in the forest areas, has come down heavily over some ambitious mining projects like that of the Vedanta group in Orissa and also rejected a highway project in Madhya Pradesh that transgresses through Pench Tiger reserve.

The ministry has carried out a joint exercise with the coal ministry studying nine major coal mining areas and has concluded that almost 35% of the area under study (primarily in central and eastern India) is not viable for mining activities.

The decision of the environment ministry is likely to raise a crucial question over the fate of this proposed UMPP. For one, coal, the fuel for the power plant will now have to be carted from some other mine which would impact the costing and power tariffs. Also, bidders for this proposed power project may not be so keen on investing unless there is clarity on the fuel linkage.

Power companies, like NTPC, Jindal Power, L&T, Sterlite, were keen on taking part in the Chhattisgarh power project that would involve an investment of almost Rs 20,000 crore.

“The environment ministry has studied the nine major coal belts in India. And we have divided the areas into three broad categories. The first being those which do not pose serious environmental risks, the second being a “no-go” but which would allow remedial measures like compensation foresting and the third category identifies areas that are completely no-go,” environment minister Jairam Ramesh told ET. “The Hasdeo area is one such no-go area where no mining activities will be allowed,” he said.

The matter and decision was flagged by the environment ministry to the power ministry and a joint meeting was taken by officials of the prime ministers office (PMO) and representatives of coal, environment and power ministry in January, a copy of the agenda note that ET has in possession shows.

Apart from the umpp, the decision will immediately impact about 30 mining licence given to steel, power and cement companies such as Prakash Industries, Hindustan Zinc, Ultratech and Chhattisgarh Captive Coal Mining. The captive blocks in this field have been allocated between 2003 and 2007 and substantive work on some of the blocks has already been done.

Officials in coal ministry, who wished not to be identified, said that any new policy would also have to look at country’s needs of pushing up GDP growth that would mean that energy production will have to be enhanced rapidly.

Speaking to ET, Coal India chairman Partha S Bhattacharyya expressed concern that new policy will seriously impact its operations. “The country needs a more integrated approach towards environment and forest clearance,” he said.

Do not foresee any problems in Chhindwara plan: Adani Power

The power project of Adani Power Limited (APL) in Madhya Pradesh seems to have run into trouble with the Environment Ministry giving enough indications that it would not approve the proposal of the company to draw water from Pench Tiger reserve for its project in Chhindawara district.

However, the company’s director, Ameet Desai said they haven’t received any official communiqué on the subject from the Ministry. “We do not foresee any problems in Chhindawara project,” he said in an exclusive interview with CNBC-TV18.

This is not the first time that an Adani project has hit a roadblock over environment approvals.

A few months ago, the Environment Ministry had said no to the company's coal mining proposal in Tadoba region in Maharashtra citing threat to tigers in the adjacent Tadoba Andheri tiger reserve.

On a positive note for the company, recently the Reserve Bank had classified infra projects as non-performing loans (NPL) wherein commercial production is behind schedule by four years from the earlier two years.

Desai said the change in guidelines is a welcome step as infra projects do get delayed due to some legal issue or the other.

Commenting on the current average realisation, Desai said, merchant power tariffs have started to firm up in the last few days. “We think this trend will continue to remain till the monsoon period sets in.”

On the capacity front, he said, “In the latter part of last quarter, we have commissioned out the 330 MW unit at Mundra and now we have effective capacity of 660 MW up and running.”

“One More Leopard Lost”

Amravati territorial forest also knows as Pohara-Malkhed forest range is a rich biodiversity forest with many species of wild animals and plants. In spite of heavy human interference this forest has maintained its rich flora & fauna.

This forest is divided in patches between different villages like Pohara, Malkhed, Chirodi, Karala etc. this patches including some patches others are isolated and don’t have corridors connecting them with each other. Hence when leopard population increase in a particular patch (female giving birth to cubs) young leopard march outside the forest area to search a new territory for himself thus giving rise to human conflict which further results in accidental death, easy poaching or retaliatory killing of leopards.

In a series of such incident in Pohara-Malkhed forest on 4^th April 2010 skin of a young leopard was ceased from Jevad bit of Wadali range due to initiative taken by “Youth For Nature Conservation Organization, Amravati” NGO working for wild life conservation in Melghat Tiger Reserve and Amravati territorial forest for many years.

On the base of information gathered from local informer, which is a part of our information network developed in Melghat Tiger Reserve and territorial forest. Dr. Swapnil Sonone president of the organization along with members of organization mr.Shyam Pawar and mr.Rakesh Mahalle rushed to the location told by the informer leopard skin warped in bed sheet between bushes. Information was forwarded to forest department for further investigation, and backup team of youth for nature conservation also rushed to the spot including Saurabh Sutrave, Kunal Potode & Vaibhav Babrekar. While investigation were done by our team two suspicious persons were present some distance away, our team chased them but before the forest department team arrived they will able to escape from that location.

A hut near Chatri-Talav which was observed for illegal activities by our team was also searched in presence of forest official and police department & horns of spotted deer and legs of peacock were ceased from that hut offence were registered against the owner and further investigation is on the way.

Such incidences had happened and will happen again and again until monitoring on the movement of wild animals specially leopard is done properly, and human interferences should be reduced with corridors connecting the sensitive patches should be maintained and developed. We are continuously working on “Leopard Tracking Program” project for the wildlife conservation at Amravati territorial forest.