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		<title>Mongabay India</title>
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		<link>https://india.mongabay.com/list/big-cats/</link>
		<description>India&#039;s environmental science and conservation news</description>
		<lastBuildDate>Fri, 14 Aug 2026 13:09:38 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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					<title>Nine anchor species could meet India’s biodiversity and climate targets</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/nine-anchor-species-could-meet-indias-biodiversity-and-climate-targets/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/nine-anchor-species-could-meet-indias-biodiversity-and-climate-targets/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>13 Aug 2026 16:33:56 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Shradha Triveni]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[deer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dhole]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gaur]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[king cobra]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[leopard]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pangolin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sloth bear]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wild dog]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/13130954/Indian_Cobra-e1786607057178-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40101</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Big Cats, Biodiversity, Biosphere reserves, Birds, Carbon emissions, Cats, Climate Change, Climate Change Mitigation, Conservation, Ecology, Environment, Forests, Tigers, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[India’s conservation priorities often revolve around charismatic species such as the tiger. But what if the same conservation model is expanded to other species? That’s what researchers explored through a new research published in Conservation Letters. The paper suggests nine “anchor species” whose habitat conservation could simultaneously benefit biodiversity and climate mitigation. Sambar deer (Rusa unicolor), [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[India’s conservation priorities often revolve around charismatic species such as the tiger. But what if the same conservation model is expanded to other species? That’s what researchers explored through a new research published in Conservation Letters. The paper suggests nine “anchor species” whose habitat conservation could simultaneously benefit biodiversity and climate mitigation. Sambar deer (Rusa unicolor), dhole (Cuon alpinus), king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah), gaur (Bos gaurus), sloth bear (Melursus ursinus), Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata), great hornbill (Buceros bicornis), tiger (Pathera tigris) and the leopard (Panthera pardus) make up the anchor species. Habitat protection of at least any one of these nine key species could help conserve more than 700 vertebrates and around 1.1 gigatonnes of carbon (above-ground) across India, notes the study. “Biodiversity is often an afterthought in carbon markets. It’s always carbon first, biodiversity second,” says co-author Aakash Lamba, pointing at how existing frameworks like Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standards frame biodiversity as an added benefit of carbon-financed climate projects, rather than considering biodiversity as central to climate mitigation. A conservation scientist at the Centre for Nature-based Climate Solutions at the National University of Singapore, Lamba emphasises on a species-centred conservation model. The idea is simple: the more you conserve forests, which in this case are the habitats of nine anchor species, the higher the conservation of natural carbon stocks. For each species, researchers measured two things — first, how many other vertebrate species co-occurred in its habitat and second, how much above-ground carbon was stored within that habitat. By&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/nine-anchor-species-could-meet-indias-biodiversity-and-climate-targets/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/nine-anchor-species-could-meet-indias-biodiversity-and-climate-targets/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Tourism, human disturbance linked to higher stress in tigers</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/tourism-human-disturbance-linked-to-higher-stress-in-tigers/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/tourism-human-disturbance-linked-to-higher-stress-in-tigers/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>11 Aug 2026 15:36:27 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sneha Mahale]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[central India]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tiger conservation]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/11130814/AP914619961289-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40039</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animal Behaviour, Animals, Big Cats, Biodiversity, Cats, Conservation, Ecology, Human Wildlife Conflict, National Parks, Protected Areas, Tigers, Tourism, Wildlife, and Wildlife Sanctuary]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[India’s tiger reserves have become both conservation success stories and tourism magnets. Every year, thousands of safari vehicles enter India&#8217;s protected forests, generating revenue for conservation and local communities. But a recent study suggests that this growing human footprint may also come at a physiological cost for the country’s national animal, and may even influence [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[India’s tiger reserves have become both conservation success stories and tourism magnets. Every year, thousands of safari vehicles enter India&#8217;s protected forests, generating revenue for conservation and local communities. But a recent study suggests that this growing human footprint may also come at a physiological cost for the country’s national animal, and may even influence where female tigers establish breeding areas. “Wildlife tourism is growing rapidly around our protected areas. It funds conservation, but more people also means more stress for the animals,” says Govindhaswamy Umapathy, chief scientist at the Laboratory for the Conservation of Endangered Species, CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, and the study’s corresponding author. “Earlier Indian studies looked at just one or two reserves and focused on stress. We wanted the full picture across the country, not only where tigers are stressed, but where tigresses choose to breed,” he adds. However, industry experts also caution against treating tourism as a bigger threat than habitat loss or large-scale development pressures. Tracking stress without disturbing tigers The study was conducted between November 2020 and February 2023, in five tiger reserves: Corbett Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand, Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra, Kanha Tiger Reserve and Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh, and Periyar Tiger Reserve in Kerala. The choice of reserves was deliberate. “We picked the five reserves that between them cover very different tiger densities, habitats and tourism styles, including Periyar&#8217;s year-round boat tourism. That range is what makes the findings national rather than local,” Umapathy says. Rather&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/tourism-human-disturbance-linked-to-higher-stress-in-tigers/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>As herders quit, the skills that helped human-tiger coexistence, disappear [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/as-herders-quit-the-skills-that-helped-human-tiger-coexistence-disappear-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/as-herders-quit-the-skills-that-helped-human-tiger-coexistence-disappear-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>10 Aug 2026 13:23:26 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Varun Sharma]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cattle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[grazing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[herders]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihoods]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livestock]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/09231610/6_Thakre-768x512.png" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39995</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Madhya Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Big Cats, Biodiversity, Camera traps, Cats, Ecology, Forests, Human Rights, Human Wildlife Conflict, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Rights, Mammals, National Parks, Protected Areas, Tigers, Wildlife, Wildlife Protection Act, and Wildlife Sanctuary]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Open forests, interspersed with farmlands and village commons, connect the tiger reserves of Kanha and Pench in the state of Madhya Pradesh. This is the Kanha-Pench Corridor, spread across about 5,900 square kilometres, making up 2% of the area of the state. It offers both refuge and mobility to wildlife. It is also densely populated, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Open forests, interspersed with farmlands and village commons, connect the tiger reserves of Kanha and Pench in the state of Madhya Pradesh. This is the Kanha-Pench Corridor, spread across about 5,900 square kilometres, making up 2% of the area of the state. It offers both refuge and mobility to wildlife. It is also densely populated, with over 400 villages located across the region. Though 97 tigers were recorded in this corridor, human-animal coexistence has become a renewed challenge. According to a news report published last August, more than 14,000 cattle were killed by tigers and leopards across the state in 2024–2025. In such situations, it is easy to overlook the role played by herders. They possess specialised knowledge that helps people coexist with tigers. They serve to locate livestock killed by predators and navigate government compensation systems. Cattle deaths can easily escalate tensions between forest-dwelling cattle holders and the forest department, the main agency dispensing the compensation. Herders don’t just address human-wildlife conflict, they mediate such difficult relations in the best interests of coexistence. One would most likely presume that in such times of peak conflict, the herder should be more indispensable than ever. Instead, herders are quitting their occupation due to economic, ecological, and social pressures. As herding and its associated knowledge disappears, it may undermine forms of coexistence that conservation programmes rarely account for. Cattle signs and compensation To understand what happens to tiger conservation when the practice of herding is a disappearing, it is important to begin&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/as-herders-quit-the-skills-that-helped-human-tiger-coexistence-disappear-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Rare lynx photo puts spotlight on high-altitude rangelands</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/rare-lynx-photo-puts-spotlight-on-high-altitude-rangelands/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/rare-lynx-photo-puts-spotlight-on-high-altitude-rangelands/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>04 Aug 2026 15:20:02 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Manish Chandra Mishra]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Shailesh Shrivastava]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[carnivores]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[eastern himalayas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Eurasian lynx]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sikkim Himalayas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[snow leopard]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[snow leopards]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tibetan plateau]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wolf]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/04131014/Eurasian-lynx-1-Sikkim-Forest-Dept-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39845</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Sikkim]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Big Cats, Biodiversity, Camera traps, Cats, Conservation, Ecology, Endangered species, Himalayas, In-situ conservation, Mountains, Photos, Positive Environmental, Technology and Conservation, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A Eurasian lynx has been recorded in a camera-trap image from the Tso Lhamo plateau in Sikkim. This encounter marks the first confirmed photographic evidence of the species in the state. It is also the second such record from the Eastern Himalayas. The image, captured in January 2026 at an altitude of 5,250 metres in [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A Eurasian lynx has been recorded in a camera-trap image from the Tso Lhamo plateau in Sikkim. This encounter marks the first confirmed photographic evidence of the species in the state. It is also the second such record from the Eastern Himalayas. The image, captured in January 2026 at an altitude of 5,250 metres in Mangan district, shows the animal moving across a rocky, sparsely vegetated high-altitude slope. The sighting comes from a long-term snow leopard and rangeland monitoring programme led by the Sikkim forest department and WWF-India. The initiative tracks snow leopards and associated wildlife while studying the ecological condition of the trans-Himalayan rangelands. The Sikkim record follows a 2025 photographic documentation of a Eurasian lynx in Arunachal Pradesh during a joint survey by WWF-India and the Arunachal Pradesh forest department. “It highlights the ecological significance of our high-altitude rangelands and reinforces our commitment to protecting these fragile ecosystems. The cooperation of the Lachen Dzumsa (traditional local self-governance body) in facilitating access to these remote areas has been important to this work,” Sikkim’s Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), Udai Gurung, said in a press note. At the Tso Lhamo plateau in Sikkim, researchers captured camera-trap images of a Eurasian lynx, along with several other elusive species. High-altitude rangelands like this region have wrongly been dismissed as barren deserts of little ecological value. Image courtesy of Forest &amp; Environment Department, Sikkim, and WWF-India. The images are part of a long-term snow leopard and trans-Himalayan rangeland monitoring programme. Image courtesy of&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/rare-lynx-photo-puts-spotlight-on-high-altitude-rangelands/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/rare-lynx-photo-puts-spotlight-on-high-altitude-rangelands/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Roads a risk to the world&#8217;s smallest wild cat</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/roads-a-risk-to-the-worlds-smallest-wild-cat/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/roads-a-risk-to-the-worlds-smallest-wild-cat/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>27 Jul 2026 15:16:45 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nikhil Sreekandan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[roadkill]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rusty spotted cat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small cats]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[small wild cats]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/07/27131148/Rusty_spotted_cat_1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39631</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Uttar Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Big Cats, Biodiversity, Conservation, Human Wildlife Conflict, Protected Areas, Roads, Wildlife, and Wildlife Sanctuary]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Scientists at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) have reported two roadkill incidents of the rusty-spotted cat (Prionailurus rubiginosus) at the National Chambal Sanctuary in Etawah, Uttar Pradesh. The two records are the first documented occurrence of the small carnivore in southern Uttar Pradesh, according to the research paper published in the Journal of Threatened [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Scientists at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) have reported two roadkill incidents of the rusty-spotted cat (Prionailurus rubiginosus) at the National Chambal Sanctuary in Etawah, Uttar Pradesh. The two records are the first documented occurrence of the small carnivore in southern Uttar Pradesh, according to the research paper published in the Journal of Threatened Taxa in May. Roadkill data for small carnivores is heavily underreported, and these records were “a matter of chance”, according to Vishnupriya Kolipakam, a WII scientist and one of the paper’s authors. While they add a new locality to the small cat’s known range, the wildlife sanctuary falls within its distribution range, Kolipakam said. “The wild cat has been reported from areas all around Chambal, including Kuno, Rangarh-Vishdhar, Ranthambhore, and Dholpur,” she said. However, this follows a pattern, as seen in recent papers that have curated sighting reports of the strictly nocturnal cat. There were nine records of roadkill from the Saurashtra Peninsula in Gujarat between 2016 and 2024, and four records from Rajasthan between 2000 and 2020. In Nepal, too, where the cat was discovered as recently as 2016, there has been a record of a roadkill. For an elusive small cat that has been rarely observed in the wild, these roadkill records add up to a significant number. There are also not enough studies looking at the effects of roads on small carnivores, noted Shomita Mukherjee, a senior principal scientist at the Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON). “Whatever is&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/roads-a-risk-to-the-worlds-smallest-wild-cat/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Scrublands and ravines offer key habitat for the elusive caracal</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/caracal-prefer-ravines-open-natural-ecosystems-over-protected-areas/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/caracal-prefer-ravines-open-natural-ecosystems-over-protected-areas/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>09 Jul 2026 14:16:47 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sneha Mahale]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Shailesh Shrivastava]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[caracal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildlife monitoring]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/07/09121119/Caracal-in-the-Ranthambhore-Kailadevi-Dholpur-landscape_Ranthambhore-Tiger-Reserve-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39121</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Rajasthan]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animal Behaviour, Big Cats, Biodiversity, Camera traps, Cats, Conservation, Endangered species, Grasslands, Protected Areas, Thar Desert, Wildlife, and Wildlife Sanctuary]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The caracal is one of India&#8217;s most elusive wild cats. With its sandy coat, lean frame and distinctive black ear tufts, it is instantly recognisable. Yet sightings are rare, and much of what researchers know about the species comes from scattered records rather than dedicated research. A recent study from southeastern Rajasthan on caracals and [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The caracal is one of India&#8217;s most elusive wild cats. With its sandy coat, lean frame and distinctive black ear tufts, it is instantly recognisable. Yet sightings are rare, and much of what researchers know about the species comes from scattered records rather than dedicated research. A recent study from southeastern Rajasthan on caracals and their habitats, is looking to change that. Using camera-trap records and habitat modelling, researchers have identified areas likely to support caracals across the Greater Ranthambhore landscape and the environmental features most strongly associated with the species&#8217; occurrence. “Very little was known about its current distribution, habitat requirements, or population status. Most available information came from scattered historical records, opportunistic sightings, and anecdotal observations, making it difficult to develop effective conservation strategies. Our study was motivated by the need to move beyond isolated records and develop a landscape-level understanding of where suitable habitats still exist for the species,” shares Ayan Sadhu, a research scientist at the National Tiger Conservation Authority and Wildlife Institute of India, and a corresponding author of the study. A landscape beyond the tiger reserve The study focused on the Kailadevi landscape, which forms the northern extension of Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve. Situated between Banas and Chambal rivers, the semi-arid region is a mosaic of scrub forests, rocky plateaus, ravines and villages. It supports a diverse carnivore community that includes tigers, leopards, wolves, striped hyenas and jungle cats. To understand how caracals use this landscape, researchers deployed camera traps at 177 locations between January&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/caracal-prefer-ravines-open-natural-ecosystems-over-protected-areas/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Crime against caracal sparks a census project for the cat</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/crime-against-caracal-sparks-a-census-project-for-the-cat/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/crime-against-caracal-sparks-a-census-project-for-the-cat/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>10 Jun 2026 16:21:48 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Madhav Sharma]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[caracal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livestock]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[small wild cats]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildlife crime]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/06/10142147/6-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38591</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Rajasthan]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Big Cats, Biodiversity, Cats, Conservation, Human Wildlife Conflict, Mammals, Thar Desert, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In March this year, a video of a wild cat, a caracal, being burnt on a pile of wood in Rajasthan was widely shared. The Rajasthan police arrested three individuals identified from the video, and recovered the partially burnt remains of the caracal. Samples from the caracal’s remains were sent to the Wildlife Institute of [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In March this year, a video of a wild cat, a caracal, being burnt on a pile of wood in Rajasthan was widely shared. The Rajasthan police arrested three individuals identified from the video, and recovered the partially burnt remains of the caracal. Samples from the caracal’s remains were sent to the Wildlife Institute of India for post mortem. Under wildlife protection laws, those arrested were sent to jail on a 14-day judicial remand. &#8220;The wild animal had killed more than 50 of our livestock,&#8221; they said, indicating a case of retaliatory killing. However, neither the accused nor the village residents have applied to the forest department for compensation which is offered in cases where a wild animal kills livestock. Exactly a year before this incident, the rare and elusive member of the cat family, was recorded by a camera trap for the first time in Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan. On March 14, 2026, a video of three people burning a caracal to death in the Jaisalmer district of the Thar Desert. Two days later, Rajasthan police arrested the individuals and sent samples of the partially burnt remains to the Wildlife Institute of India. Representative image by Gobind Sagar Bharadwaj/WII. Caracals in India The caracal is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. There are varying estimates of its population. Historically, the caracal was reported in 13 Indian states in nine out of 26 biotic provinces. Since 2001, their presence has shrunk to only three&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/crime-against-caracal-sparks-a-census-project-for-the-cat/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/crime-against-caracal-sparks-a-census-project-for-the-cat/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Communities rally to conserve marbled cat</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/communities-rally-to-conserve-marbled-cat/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/communities-rally-to-conserve-marbled-cat/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>05 Jun 2026 13:34:53 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Barasha Das]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[eastern himalayas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marbled cat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marbled cat and leopard cat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Northeast India]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small cats]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[small wild cats]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/06/05121551/1.-Marbled-cat-captured-on-camera-trap-in-Nagaland.-PC-Giridhar-Malla-e1780642216526-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38542</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Big Cats, Biodiversity, Cats, Community based conservation, Conservation, Hunting, Indigenous Peoples, Mammals, Tribes, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Conservationists and several communities in Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland gathered on March 1 to mark the first-ever International Marbled Cat Day, drawing attention to one of Asia’s most elusive and least understood wild felids. Conceptualised by the Eastern Himalayas Marbled Cat Project (EHMCP), in collaboration with state forest departments, the Day focused on engaging local [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Conservationists and several communities in Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland gathered on March 1 to mark the first-ever International Marbled Cat Day, drawing attention to one of Asia’s most elusive and least understood wild felids. Conceptualised by the Eastern Himalayas Marbled Cat Project (EHMCP), in collaboration with state forest departments, the Day focused on engaging local communities and creating spaces for shared learning. “This timing was chosen deliberately,” says Giridhar Malla, conservationist and founder of the EHMCP. “It marks a seasonal transition. When forests begin to shift with the onset of spring, there is renewed growth, and communities also start preparing for sowing. We saw this as a meaningful moment for people to reflect on ecological change and connect that sense of renewal with the importance of remembering and conserving the marbled cat across Northeast India.” Community-led conservation Following a camera-trap survey conducted between 2022 and 2025 by the EHMCP, which confirmed the scattered presence of the marbled cat (Pardofelis marmorata) in parts of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Meghalaya, residents of the villages where the species was captured on camera decided to take up conservation measures. These villages include Lokpeng in Siang district and Nyorok in West Siang district in Arunachal Pradesh; Riangmaw in West Khasi Hills district in Meghalaya; and Khonoma in Kohima district and Choklangan in Noklak district in Nagaland. In October 2025, the Hii:ung Hii:eng community forest in Siang district, Arunachal Pradesh, was formally declared India’s first community-conserved area dedicated to the marbled cat by the Lokpeng Welfare&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/communities-rally-to-conserve-marbled-cat/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/communities-rally-to-conserve-marbled-cat/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Bengal tigers from India to be introduced in Cambodia</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/bengal-tigers-from-india-to-be-introduced-in-cambodia/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/bengal-tigers-from-india-to-be-introduced-in-cambodia/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>04 Jun 2026 16:29:04 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Andy BallArathi Menon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mongabay Editor]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tiger conservation]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/06/04153406/Tigers-Cambodia_Mongabay_Andy-Ball-12-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38518</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Big Cats, Cats, Mammals, Tigers, Wildlife, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Sat Born, 56, recalls freezing at the forest’s entrance when he first saw it. “Its head was this big,” he says, wide-eyed, spreading his hands to show the animal’s size. Recollecting that eventful morning in 2001, Born, who now farms bananas and durians, retraces his steps from his home in Trapeang Chheu Trav village in [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Sat Born, 56, recalls freezing at the forest’s entrance when he first saw it. “Its head was this big,” he says, wide-eyed, spreading his hands to show the animal’s size. Recollecting that eventful morning in 2001, Born, who now farms bananas and durians, retraces his steps from his home in Trapeang Chheu Trav village in the rainforests of the Cardamom Mountains in southwestern Cambodia. As he walks up a hill rising above the forest canopy, he points to a spot on the road. “It’s over here. When I saw the tiger, it was 9 a.m.,” he says. “I was really shocked… I couldn’t tell if the tiger was coming towards me.” In 2007, just six years after this fleeting encounter, Cambodia’s last confirmed tiger sighting was logged by a camera trap. In the 1990s, the country was estimated to host hundreds of wild Indochinese tigers, but decades of poaching pressure took a heavy toll. In 2016, tigers (Panthera tigris) were formally declared extinct in Cambodia. That may be set to change with the imminent translocation of a small population of Bengal tigers from India. Sat Born, 56, points to the spot where he claims to have seen a tiger (Panthera tigris) on a morning in 2001 while on his way to the forest to collect ratan. Image by Andy Ball/Mongabay. Although many reintroductions are success stories, this one raises some serious concerns. Why would Cambodia bring in a non-native tiger? Have the people living in these areas been adequately consulted?&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/bengal-tigers-from-india-to-be-introduced-in-cambodia/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/bengal-tigers-from-india-to-be-introduced-in-cambodia/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Predator-prey relationships and habitat quality shape a tiger reserve</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/predator-prey-relationships-and-habitat-quality-shape-a-tiger-reserve/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/predator-prey-relationships-and-habitat-quality-shape-a-tiger-reserve/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>27 May 2026 13:05:52 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sneha Mahale]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[camera traps]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[central India]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildlife monitoring]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/26174318/Predators-appear-closely-tied-to-prey-distribution-rather-than-acting-alone-as-regulators.-Photo-Credit-Supratim-Dutta-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38374</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[The Indian Forest Story]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Madhya Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Big Cats, Biodiversity, Conservation, Ecology, Mammals, Protected Areas, Tigers, Wildlife, and Wildlife Sanctuary]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In 2009, Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh lost all its tigers to poaching. They were reintroduced a few years later and have since re-established populations. While carnivore reintroduction has been considered as an important strategy to restore ecological balance, a recent study highlights that prey abundance and habitat quality also play an essential role. [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In 2009, Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh lost all its tigers to poaching. They were reintroduced a few years later and have since re-established populations. While carnivore reintroduction has been considered as an important strategy to restore ecological balance, a recent study highlights that prey abundance and habitat quality also play an essential role. “Focusing exclusively on the apex predator (for ecosystem recovery) tells only a fraction of the story. The answer lies in the broader mammalian community that supports them,” says Supratim Dutta, research scholar at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and one of the authors of the study. “The real question is not whether tigers came back, but what made that recovery possible.” A landscape built on extremes Panna Tiger Reserve spans 1,574 square kilometres across Madhya Pradesh, with 542 sq km of core and a larger buffer zone. The terrain is rugged, cut through by the Ken River, the only perennial water source. Summers can touch 45°C, and winters drop to around 5°C. Vegetation is largely a tropical dry deciduous forest. The reserve supports a dense mammal community. Tigers and leopards are apex predators. Below them in the chain are wolves, jackals and hyenas. Prey includes chital, sambar, nilgai and wild pig. Around 30,000 people live in settlements in the buffer zone. The Ken River functions as the ecological backbone of the entire mammalian community of Panna, along with around 30,000 people living in the buffer zone. Image by Supratim Dutta. To understand how the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/predator-prey-relationships-and-habitat-quality-shape-a-tiger-reserve/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>Project Cheetah takes new turns as young males explore the wild</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/project-cheetah-takes-new-turns-as-young-males-explore-the-wild/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/project-cheetah-takes-new-turns-as-young-males-explore-the-wild/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 May 2026 14:36:30 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Arathi Menon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cheetah]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cheetahs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[kuno]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kuno National Park]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[project cheetah]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rewilding]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/21101434/AP12051219541-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38288</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Big Cats, Biodiversity, Cats, Conservation, Mammals, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Project Cheetah is entering unchartered territories. And quite literally so. Early this April, a young male cheetah, KP-2, travelled over 150 km from Kuno National Park into Ranthambore Tiger Reserve in neighbouring Rajasthan, leaving a trail of suspense in its wake. Though it was not the first time that KP-2 had undertaken long-range travel, the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Project Cheetah is entering unchartered territories. And quite literally so. Early this April, a young male cheetah, KP-2, travelled over 150 km from Kuno National Park into Ranthambore Tiger Reserve in neighbouring Rajasthan, leaving a trail of suspense in its wake. Though it was not the first time that KP-2 had undertaken long-range travel, the latest dispersal brought the young cheetah deep into the tourist zones of Ranthambore Tiger Reserve. It also led to a rare “triple sighting” for tourists in the landscape where three big cats — a tiger, a leopard and a cheetah — were seen within the same area. KP-2 wandered around Ranthambore for over a month, trying to establish its territory. According to the latest reports, it was eventually caught and brought back to Kuno a few days before Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav’s visit to the national park earlier this month. KP-2 and its three siblings, all males, are sub-adults in their exploratory stage. Its sibling, KP-3, had also left Kuno recently and moved to the Dholpur area of Rajasthan, according to press reports. India’s ambitious wildlife programme, Project Cheetah, introduced African cheetahs into the country decades after the extinction of the Asiatic cheetah in India. Officially launched in September 2022, the goal of the project is to establish a free-ranging cheetah population in India while also using the species as a flagship for restoring and conserving open natural ecosystems such as grasslands, scrublands and savanna-like habitats. In April, a young male cheetah travelled over 150 km from Kuno&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/project-cheetah-takes-new-turns-as-young-males-explore-the-wild/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/project-cheetah-takes-new-turns-as-young-males-explore-the-wild/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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						<item>
					<title>Shrinking forest corridors in central India could disrupt tiger dispersal</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/shrinking-forest-corridors-in-central-india-could-disrupt-tiger-dispersal/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/shrinking-forest-corridors-in-central-india-could-disrupt-tiger-dispersal/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>18 May 2026 12:29:01 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Manjeera Gowravaram]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Achanakmar Tiger Reserve]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[central India]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tiger conservation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tiger reserve]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tiger reserves]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/18001517/Umarpani_Male-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38206</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Big Cats, Biodiversity, Cats, Conservation, Forests, Mammals, Protected Areas, Tigers, Wildlife, and Wildlife Sanctuary]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Across the forests of central India, young tigers set out on long journeys once they reach two to three years of age; they leave their mother’s territory and search for their own. But the surrounding landscapes are no longer as conducive. Once continuous forest blocks are now fragmented by farms, roads, rail lines, and settlements. [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Across the forests of central India, young tigers set out on long journeys once they reach two to three years of age; they leave their mother’s territory and search for their own. But the surrounding landscapes are no longer as conducive. Once continuous forest blocks are now fragmented by farms, roads, rail lines, and settlements. A recent study published in the Journal for Nature Conservation examines how tigers navigate such altered terrain. The study was conducted by researchers from the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing and the Institute of Integrated Learning in Management (IILM) University. “Many studies talk about habitat loss. Our focus is on building computational models that use data to understand [habitat] connectivity,” says Saurabh Shanu, Assistant Dean and an associate professor at IILM University, and one of the study’s co-authors. The goal was to identify which parts of the landscape still allow safe passage for tigers, and which are at risk of being lost. To achieve this, the researchers combined satellite data with two analytical approaches — graph theory and game theory. “Graph theory helps us connect different places on the map. Game theory helps us understand how a tiger responds to things like prey, roads, or other animals,” Shanu explains. Together, these tools map not just where forests remain, but how usable they are for wildlife. The landscape at Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh. Central India hold about 40% of the country’s wild tigers. Image by Kevin Buehler via Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0). A changing&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/shrinking-forest-corridors-in-central-india-could-disrupt-tiger-dispersal/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>Kaziranga hosts a healthy population of fishing cats, finds survey</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/kaziranga-hosts-a-healthy-population-of-fishing-cats-finds-survey/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/kaziranga-hosts-a-healthy-population-of-fishing-cats-finds-survey/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>05 May 2026 14:08:33 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nabarun Guha]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fishing cat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kaziranga]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kaziranga National Park]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[small wild cats]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/05134354/fishing-cat-with-kitten-scaled-e1777969181679-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38038</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Assam and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Big Cats, Cats, Forests, Mammals, Protected Areas, Wetlands, Wildlife, and Wildlife Sanctuary]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The first scientific survey of fishing cats (Prionailurus viverrinus) in Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve has recorded 57 individuals, confirming that the species is widely distributed and actively reproducing across the reserve’s floodplains. Conducted by Kaziranga’s Tiger Cell in coordination with the Fishing Cat Project, the survey report was released on February 22 – [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The first scientific survey of fishing cats (Prionailurus viverrinus) in Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve has recorded 57 individuals, confirming that the species is widely distributed and actively reproducing across the reserve’s floodplains. Conducted by Kaziranga’s Tiger Cell in coordination with the Fishing Cat Project, the survey report was released on February 22 – International Fishing Cat Day. “This is one of the highest numbers in the freshwater floodplain, which reinstates KNP as one of its finest habitats. It is important for us to know that these are good habitats for fishing cats,” Sonali Ghosh, Director, Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, tells Mongabay-India. Analysing camera trap images The survey drew from bycatch data through camera traps originally set up to monitor tigers. “It is not possible to conduct a separate survey for every species found in KNP, as there are logistical and time constraints. We had to study more than 14 lakh images from the camera traps,” says Ghosh. Analysing these images presented some challenges, says Tiasa Adhya, a wildlife biologist and one of the co-founders of the Fishing Cat Project. “If the weather is foggy, you won&#8217;t get good images. If it is raining, that’s a problem too. Sometimes the animal comes too near the trap, while sometimes only a portion of the body is visible,” she says. As the camera-trap grid was originally designed for larger felids, wildlife officials believe that the number 57 could be an undercount. While this limitation creates uncertainty, it also establishes&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/kaziranga-hosts-a-healthy-population-of-fishing-cats-finds-survey/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/kaziranga-hosts-a-healthy-population-of-fishing-cats-finds-survey/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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						<item>
					<title>Photographic evidence provides clues about tiger presence</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/photographic-evidence-provides-clues-about-tiger-presence/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/photographic-evidence-provides-clues-about-tiger-presence/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>06 Apr 2026 10:21:33 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nabarun Guha]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[big cats]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[protected areas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tiger]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tiger conservation]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/02150558/camera-trap-image-of-tiger-e1775122576347-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37582</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[The Indian Forest Story]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Assam and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Big Cats, Cats, Himalayas, Protected Areas, Tigers, Wildlife, and Wildlife Sanctuary]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The first photographic evidence of the Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris) was recently recorded in Dibru Saikhowa National Park and Biosphere Reserve in Assam. The region had tigers in the 1990s, but there has been no documented evidence to establish the status of the tiger population. Small camera trapping exercises in earlier years did not bear [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The first photographic evidence of the Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris) was recently recorded in Dibru Saikhowa National Park and Biosphere Reserve in Assam. The region had tigers in the 1990s, but there has been no documented evidence to establish the status of the tiger population. Small camera trapping exercises in earlier years did not bear fruit until recently, when around 60 cameras were installed and a tiger’s presence was successfully documented. The Dibru Saikhowa National Park and Biosphere Reserve comes under the Tinsukia Wildlife Division. In 1997, the biosphere reserve, with an area of 765 square kilometres, was declared. Then, in 1999, its core area of 340 sq km was declared a national park. “Since the inception of the national park, this is the first time a tiger has been caught on camera in Dibru Saikhowa,” Bibison Tokbi, the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Tinsukia Wildlife Division, tells Mongabay-India. “We captured the tiger twice on camera trap, first on December 14, 2025, and then on January 1, 2026. Both the images were of the same tiger.” He adds that the staff have recently discovered some pug marks of another tiger as well, indicating the presence of multiple big cats. Small camera trapping exercises bore no fruit in earlier years until recently, when more extensive trapping aided shots of a tiger’s presence in Dibru Saikhowa. Image courtesy of Dibru Saikhowa National Park. There have been prior unconfirmed reports of tiger presence in the region, says Tokbi, whose team set up many cameras&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/photographic-evidence-provides-clues-about-tiger-presence/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Leopard contraception trials aim at managing conflict</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/maharashtra-pilots-contraception-in-leopards-to-manage-conflict/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/maharashtra-pilots-contraception-in-leopards-to-manage-conflict/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>26 Mar 2026 15:04:54 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nikhil Sreekandan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[leopard]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[leopards]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/03/26113824/AP22108260577286-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37479</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Maharashtra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Big Cats, Cats, Human Wildlife Conflict, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In November last year, after months of deliberation, the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) approved the Maharashtra government’s proposal for leopard population control in the state. Although other states have proposed similar interventions, Maharashtra is the first state in the country to trial birth control in leopards to potentially mitigate increasing human-leopard [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In November last year, after months of deliberation, the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) approved the Maharashtra government’s proposal for leopard population control in the state. Although other states have proposed similar interventions, Maharashtra is the first state in the country to trial birth control in leopards to potentially mitigate increasing human-leopard interactions. The state forest department will implement the programme according to the proposal presented by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII). While the proposed population control method has been widely reported as “sterilisation”, Bilal Habib, WII scientist, who led a long-term study in Junnar, clarifies that it is, in fact, immunocontraception — “a temporary vaccination which will prevent these animals from breeding for the next two to three years&#8221;. Unlike sterilisation, a permanent, one-time procedure, immunocontraceptive vaccines stimulate an animal’s immune system to temporarily prevent it from fertilising offspring. The chosen site for the pilot programme is Pune’s Junnar forest division, where negative interactions between humans and leopards are resulting in a rising number of human deaths and injuries. Since 2021, 22 people have died, another 42 have been injured, and 16,593 cattle have been killed from leopard attacks, according to compensation records obtained by Mongabay-India from the Junnar forest division. During the same period, the department has distributed about ₹190 million in compensation. Surrogate leopard habitats The Junnar forest division covers about 5,826 sq km in the northern part of the Pune district, including the subdistricts of Junnar, Ambegaon, Khed and Shirur. Situated on&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/maharashtra-pilots-contraception-in-leopards-to-manage-conflict/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>What wild poop can teach children about ecology [Book review]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/what-wild-poop-can-teach-children-about-ecology-book-review/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/what-wild-poop-can-teach-children-about-ecology-book-review/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>25 Feb 2026 16:20:55 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Kasturi Das]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Renuka Kulkarni]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[book]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[book review]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/25101620/Thar_Desert_India_Dung_beetle_on_sand-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37033</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animal Behaviour, Animals, Big Cats, Biodiversity, Birds, Mammals, Oceans, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[For human beings, the topic of excreta is considered a subject of disgust and embarrassment. The Big Book of Wild Poop, written by Shweta Taneja, sets out to change the narrative of how humans, children in particular, view poop. In the animal world, excreta is not waste but information, food, camouflage and defence, the book [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[For human beings, the topic of excreta is considered a subject of disgust and embarrassment. The Big Book of Wild Poop, written by Shweta Taneja, sets out to change the narrative of how humans, children in particular, view poop. In the animal world, excreta is not waste but information, food, camouflage and defence, the book says. For a dung beetle or a worm, it is a source of multivitamins. Some spiders disguise themselves with it to escape predators, while hoopoe mothers use it to protect their chicks. “Poop is a shushed subject for kids. We want to bring it out into living rooms, into play areas and schools and talk about this subject openly, without shame,” says Taneja. “It’s not disgusting, it’s scientific.” Taneja, known for writing science and fiction for both children and adults, makes an unglamorous subject like excreta palatable, by blending humour with science. The book takes an easy, humorous approach to explaining how ecosystems function. It shows how animal droppings help disperse seeds, recycle nutrients and even support climate processes by aiding forest regeneration. Publisher: WWF -India, Juggernaut and Indian Pitta Print length: 80 pages Publication date: January 23, 2026 Genre: Nonfiction The Big Book of Wild Poop introduces children ages nine to 13 to the taboo topic of poop, using humour to share the science of how animal droppings reveal behaviour, diet, ecology and more. It is one of the first books on wild animal scat exclusively focusing on India. &nbsp; The book, published by&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/what-wild-poop-can-teach-children-about-ecology-book-review/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Carnivores alter behaviour to coexist in a high-altitude Himalayan valley</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/carnivores-alter-behaviour-to-coexist-in-a-high-altitude-himalayan-valley/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/carnivores-alter-behaviour-to-coexist-in-a-high-altitude-himalayan-valley/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>12 Feb 2026 11:22:48 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sneha Mahale]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[carnivores]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[snow leopard]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[snow leopards]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/11230057/Red-foxes-were-more-common-even-in-areas-used-by-snow-leopards-wolves-and-dogs-likely-because-they-can-exploit-scavenging-opportunities.-Photo-Credit-WII-Camera-Trap-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36842</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Himalayas]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animal Behaviour, Big Cats, Biodiversity, Cats, Ecology, Himalayas, and Human Wildlife Conflict]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[High in the Trans-Himalayan landscape of Spiti, life is shaped by extremes. The air is thin, winters plunge to -40°C, and food is scarce for much of the year. For the region’s carnivores — snow leopards, Himalayan wolves, red foxes, and an increasingly visible newcomer, free-ranging dogs — survival depends on navigating a landscape under [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[High in the Trans-Himalayan landscape of Spiti, life is shaped by extremes. The air is thin, winters plunge to -40°C, and food is scarce for much of the year. For the region’s carnivores — snow leopards, Himalayan wolves, red foxes, and an increasingly visible newcomer, free-ranging dogs — survival depends on navigating a landscape under growing human pressure. New research shows how these predators are quietly rearranging their lives to coexist. “Studying them together is essential because none of them function in isolation; each species’ behaviour and survival are shaped by the others and by human influence,” says Priyanka Justa, Ph.D. student at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and the study’s co-author. A landscape under pressure Himachal Pradesh’s Spiti Valley lies within the Cold Desert Biosphere Reserve, spanning elevations from about 3,600 to over 6,700 metres. Snow leopards and Himalayan wolves occupy the top of the food web, while red foxes operate as smaller, yet highly adaptable mid-ranking predators. In the recent decades, free-ranging dogs have joined this carnivore group, subsidised by food waste from villages and tourism. “Spiti is almost a natural stress test for understanding carnivore coexistence. Everything is scarce, seasonal, and highly concentrated. This naturally intensifies competition and makes trade-offs between risk, food, and space much sharper and easier to detect,” says Justa. For this study, the researchers focused on five areas across Spiti Valley (Chandratal, Kibber, Pin Valley, Mane, and Gue), each differing in tourism intensity, settlements, livestock presence, predator-prey dynamics and the presence of&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/carnivores-alter-behaviour-to-coexist-in-a-high-altitude-himalayan-valley/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>A community-managed goat bank supports farmers for livestock losses</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/a-community-managed-goat-bank-supports-farmers-for-livestock-losses/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/a-community-managed-goat-bank-supports-farmers-for-livestock-losses/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>11 Feb 2026 16:11:45 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nabarun GuhaShailesh Shrivastava]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[communities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fishing cat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihoods]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livestock]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/11111753/Bimal-Mahato-from-Purulia--e1770791008546-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36831</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[West Bengal]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Big Cats, Cats, Community based conservation, Conservation, Forests, Human Wildlife Conflict, Indigenous Rights, Tribes, and Villages]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[During his vacations, Bimal Mahato, a 23-year-old student, takes care of the 15 goats that his family owns. He takes the herd for grazing to a forest near his village Haratan, in West Bengal’s Purulia district. In July 2025, while preparing to return after one such outing, Mahato counted his goats and found one missing. [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[During his vacations, Bimal Mahato, a 23-year-old student, takes care of the 15 goats that his family owns. He takes the herd for grazing to a forest near his village Haratan, in West Bengal’s Purulia district. In July 2025, while preparing to return after one such outing, Mahato counted his goats and found one missing. “In this forest adjacent to our village, on the other side of which lies Jharkhand, there are quite a few carnivores. I saw flashes of something dragging my goat away but couldn&#8217;t recognise the animal properly,” Mahato describes. “There isn&#8217;t much wolf presence in this forest, and it would be difficult for a small animal like a jackal to drag a goat so quickly,” he added. Mahato predicted that it could’ve been a bigger animal, like a leopard, which took the goat away. He also noted that a leopard was spotted quite a few times last year, so there may be some correlation. A wetland in Howrah. The region hosts carnivores like fishing cats, wolves, hyenas, jackals and leopards, which often prey on livestock. Image by Samrat Chakraborty. In the same month, Mahato received Purulia&#8217;s first &#8216;replacement goat&#8217; as compensation, provided through a Seed Goat Bank. The project, launched in 2024 in the district&#8217;s Simni area is an initiative of the West Bengal-based environmental NGO, Human and Environment Alliance League (HEAL). The community-operated Seed Goat Bank was started with a WWF India-funded pilot project in Purulia for carnivore conservation through a community-based approach, Vasudha Mishra,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/a-community-managed-goat-bank-supports-farmers-for-livestock-losses/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>New DNA analysis reveals tigers feeding on more diverse prey</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/new-dna-analysis-reveals-tigers-feeding-on-more-diverse-prey/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/new-dna-analysis-reveals-tigers-feeding-on-more-diverse-prey/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>02 Feb 2026 14:51:24 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sneha Mahale]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cattle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[deer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dna]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livestock]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[prey]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/02124345/A_tiger_in_Ranthambore_National_Park_2015-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36703</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India and Rajasthan]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Big Cats, Cats, Conservation, Ecology, Forests, Mammals, and Tigers]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Understanding what large carnivores eat is critical for conservation. For tigers, which are apex predators and require large territories and abundant prey, even small changes in diet can have far-reaching ecological and social consequences. Most studies so far have relied on scat analysis to understand tiger diets. The method involves washing scats, extracting undigested remains [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Understanding what large carnivores eat is critical for conservation. For tigers, which are apex predators and require large territories and abundant prey, even small changes in diet can have far-reaching ecological and social consequences. Most studies so far have relied on scat analysis to understand tiger diets. The method involves washing scats, extracting undigested remains such as hair or bone fragments, and identifying prey species under a microscope. While widely used, this approach has important limitations. It can miss prey species with soft tissues, overlook rare prey, and misidentify species whose hair looks similar. Results can also vary depending on observer experience. A new study from Ranthambore Tiger Reserve (RTR) in Rajasthan now tests whether DNA metabarcoding, a molecular technique that extracts and identifies prey DNA directly from scat, can overcome these limitations and offer a clearer picture of what tigers are actually eating. “By directly comparing the two methods, we aimed to assess differences in prey detection, diversity, and taxonomic resolution (identifying species accurately). Specifically, we wanted to understand whether metabarcoding could provide a more comprehensive and less-biased picture of tiger diet, especially by detecting rarer or overlooked prey,” says Sarang Mishrikotkar, wildlife biologist, National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), and co-author of the study. Studying tiger diet in Ranthambore Between December 2019 and February 2020, the researchers carried out field surveys across RTR, repeatedly sampling along the reserve’s forest road network. Fresh scats were collected during five survey rounds, covering more than 2,000 kilometres. Sambar deer in Ranthambore&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/new-dna-analysis-reveals-tigers-feeding-on-more-diverse-prey/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Majority of Asiatic lions are found outside Gir protected areas</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/majority-of-asiatic-lions-are-found-outside-gir-protected-areas/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/majority-of-asiatic-lions-are-found-outside-gir-protected-areas/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>07 Jan 2026 17:30:30 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Simrinsirur]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gir]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lions]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/01/07155423/Asiatic_lion_04-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36375</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Gujarat]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Big Cats, Cats, Mammals, Protected Areas, Wildlife, and Wildlife Sanctuary]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Asiatic lions in Gujarat are increasingly occupying a variety of different landscapes as their population grows, a census exercise by the Gujarat Forest Department found. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Asiatic lions increased from 674 individuals to 891, the census, published as a paper in the Global Ecology and Conservation journal, says. However, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Asiatic lions in Gujarat are increasingly occupying a variety of different landscapes as their population grows, a census exercise by the Gujarat Forest Department found. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Asiatic lions increased from 674 individuals to 891, the census, published as a paper in the Global Ecology and Conservation journal, says. However, of these, only 394 were found in the core areas comprising the Gir National Park, Gir Wildlife Sanctuary, and its adjoining areas. A majority of lions formed satellite populations in several other regions outside the core zone. Asiatic lions are found in Gujarat’s Saurashtra region, which is a semi-arid landscape hosting six protected areas and a diverse range of habitats, including grasslands, dry deciduous forest, and coastal ecosystems. As the population grew, the spatial distribution range of lions also increased, from 30,000 square kilometres in 2020 to 35,000 sq km in 2025, marking a 16.67% increase. “What we&#8217;re seeing is lions reclaiming their original habitats,&#8221; said Mohan Ram, a senior forest officer with the Gujarat Forest Department, and lead author of the study. The growth of satellite populations parallels the recovery of other large carnivores from other parts of the world, such as wolves in Europe and cougars in North America, the paper notes. However, the implications of a growing lion population in India are different, particularly in the rapidly developing Saurashtra region. Emerging habitats &#8220;require a holistic management approach encompassing community engagement, conflict-safe cropping systems, awareness programs, and beneficiary-oriented schemes to foster coexistence,” says&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/majority-of-asiatic-lions-are-found-outside-gir-protected-areas/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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