Skimmer Birds Can’t Breed…

The Indian Skimmer or rynchops albicollis is one of the three species in the skimmer family. It is bright black, white and orange; and its pointed beak cleaves the water as it searches for its prey, mainly fish. It is about 40 centimeters long with a wing span of about 108 centimeters. The skimmer is found only around fresh water, and it may be the only bird that indicates the presence of fresh surface water.



But the population of this rare bird is declining due to global warming. The rise in temperature is responsible for the increased melting of glaciers that sends a spurt of water into the Ganges, submerging the islands and sandy pits where the bird lays its eggs. This is posing a threat to the breeding of the bird.

This crisis is the result of relentless destruction of environment. The rampant destruction of forests has resulted in many species of animals and birds coming to the verge of extinction. We do not have much time left and this beautiful world and its inhabitants could still be saved if we take corrective measures and implement them with sheer dedication and honesty. Otherwise, we will have only stories to tell to our children, and their children, about how there used to be beautiful animals and birds on this beautiful planet.

Killing of Rhinos continue…

A rhino was killed mercilessly outside Kaziranga National Park. Besides its horn, the poachers took away the animal’s bones and flesh. This is the fourth rhino killed in the only World Heritage Site of Assam, India this year. Last year, five rhinos were killed inside the same park.



At Corbett National Park of the Dhikala forst range, forest officials also recovered a tusker’s carcass recently. There are controversies regarding the death of the elephant, as the forest officials are claiming that the tusker died a natural death. At the same national park, a baby elephant was also found in a seriously injured state.

Same way, the tigers are being killed by poachers and their body parts smuggled to China and Tibet, and all over the world. Apparently, the government is not doing enough to protect these majestic animals, who belong to this planet as much as we do.



These rampant brutal killings of our lower cousins need to stop immediately. The government needs to take stringent measures for the safety of these animals. The forest guards need to be equipped with modern gadgets and weapons for surveillance and safety of animals. The people living in the areas close to these national parks need to be taught about the importance of how the existence of these animals is necessary for our eco-system and our Earth. This mindless violence needs to stop immediately if we want carry on living on this planet.

The Conflict between Tigers and Humans

India’s tiger population is on the rise but their habitat is shrinking and we are poised for a conflict between humans and the big cats. Tigers are territorial animals and their rising numbers usually go hand in hand with an increase in their territory. Due to the shrinking of their habitat, tigers are increasingly moving closer to human populations, increasing the chances of conflict and harm to all concerned – the striped predator, livestock and humans.


The shrinking of forest areas also threatens the tiger – and wild flora and fauna – in other ways. Experts say it will lead to the isolation of the ‘source populations’ of the tigers. Source populations are tigers found in stable numbers at the particular geographical area – in India’s case, various tiger reserves and national parks. Source populations are the well springs that sustain tiger numbers. But if they are cut off from other tiger areas, increasing inbreeding weakens the predator strain.

There has been a steep decline in territories occupied by the tiger in India – from 93,600 sq km in 2006 to 72,800 sq km today. The growing population of tigers has less space to expand and has to move into forests categorized as multiple-use areas. Policymakers and the authorities concerned will have to urgently recognize and overcome this problem, otherwise, where will these big cats go? A task force immediately needs to be constituted to suggest and implement new ways of conservation of forests that would safeguard the interests of wildlife and animals.

Stray Animals and Their Conflict with Man

Stray dogs are a harried lot in India and elsewhere in the world. In absence of an effective sterilization campaign, the population of  stray dogs is multiplying and so have the cases of dog bite. With more and more dog bites everyday, the conflict and animosity between man and animal has reached new heights.


According a government report, there are close to 2,60,000 stray dogs in Delhi alone and their population is increasing everyday. Although the government claims to have engaged Non Governmental Organizations for the sterilization of these dogs, nothing remarkable has been achieved so far.

Lack of funds and extremely limited number of sterilization centers are cited as the main reasons behind the growing number of dogs. They also claim not to have enough space to keep these dogs for sterilization or any other medical treatment that they need. In fact, a proposal to the Animal Welfare Board of India to create a special dog home was turned down by the authorities concerned.


In all this process of irresponsibility and insensitivity, dogs and other stray animals are the worst sufferers. They have nowhere to go, nothing to feed on, and no scope for any medical help or assistance. We can’t deny or overlook our responsibility towards our lower cousins as this world belongs to them as much as it belongs to us. We hope, people of the civil society would wake up to this grave situation and take pains to look after these helpless animals who have nowhere to go.

Leopard Burnt Alive

In a barbaric act, an angry mob burnt a leopard alive after threatening to kill forest department officials who tried to stop them in a forested area near Kotdwar in Uttarakhand’s Pauri district in India a few days ago. The mob of around 400 angry residents threatened them with stones and sharp-edged weapons as the officials were trying to tranquilize the seven year old leopard.


The residents were angry as the leopard had mauled three people from the village the previous week. They doused the leopard with kerosene and burnt it alive, and all the forest department officials were forced to be silent witnesses to the ghastly act.

Man’s cruelty and selfishness knows no bounds. First he grabs all the forested land and when he has a clash of interests with animals, he kills them. Innocent animals are being killed all over the world for no fault of theirs. Human beings have built an empire of greed over the dead bodies, blood, bones and skins of their lower cousins, the helpless animals.


This barbaric and unjust treatment of innocent animals must stop immediately. The authorities concerned and the people of this planet must ensure the safety of animals as they have been here before we came into existence. We all must remember that if there would be no animals on the earth, there will be no earth for us to live on.

I Think I Could Turn and LIve with the Animals

I think I could turn and live with animals, they are

so placid and self - contained,

I stand and look at them long and long.

They do not sweat and whine about their condition,

They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins,

They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God,

Not one is dissatisfied, not one is demented with the

mania of owning things,

Not one kneels to another, nor to his kind that lived

thousands of years ago,

Not one is respectable or unhappy over the whole earth.

So they show their relations to me and I accept them,

They bring me tokens of myself, they evince them

plainly in their possession.

: Walt Whitman

The Brutal Killing of Leopards Continues . . .

A leopard, that had no past record of attacks on humans, was cudgeled to death by a mob in Garhmuktwshar, near Delhi, even as forest department officials waited for a tranquilizer dart fired at the cat to take place. The leopard had earlier seriously injured two policemen and had caused minor injuries to five of the hundreds of villagers surrounding the cat. The cat had been trapped by a mob in a sugarcane field.


According to the chief of the Wildlife Protection Society of India, Belinda Wright, as many as 78 leopards have been killed this year alone in incidents as diverse as poaching, road accidents and killings by villagers. This proves the drastically low levels of awareness and sensitivity of the masses about these wild animals. They still seem to live in the sixteenth century when these animals of the wild remained a mystery to the people and were perceived as a major threat to the mankind.

We need to educate people about how these fellow companions of humans are needed to save the ecosystem and ultimately the earth. We need to run awareness campaigns for these people who would corner, attack and kill any wild animal for the fear of life, sheer excitement or fun.


We also need trained forest department staff to handle incidents involving all jungle cats. Besides, Mobile leopard rescue teams are absolutely essential and needed. Wild animals stray into villages for the search of food and this has happened because of the rampant deforestation and their natural habitat being destroyed. Everybody knows that wild animals want to be left alone and live their life peacefully. So why not to leave their forests and them, alone?






Source: TOI