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		<title>Mongabay India</title>
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		<link>https://india.mongabay.com/list/reptiles/</link>
		<description>India&#039;s environmental science and conservation news</description>
		<lastBuildDate>Fri, 09 Oct 2026 08:03:33 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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					<title>Legal system fails to keep pace with India’s growing exotic pet industry</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/legal-system-fails-to-keep-pace-with-indias-growing-exotic-pet-industry/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/legal-system-fails-to-keep-pace-with-indias-growing-exotic-pet-industry/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>01 Oct 2026 11:52:13 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Arathi Menon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/09/30223805/African_Grey_Parrot-3-The_regent_hill-yercaud-salem-India-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=41302</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[From the Wild, For Trade]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Birds, Environmental Law, Law Enforcement, Pet Trade, Primates, Reptiles, Wildlife, Wildlife Protection Act, Wildlife Trade, Wildlife Trafficking, and Zoos]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[This is Part 4 of a series on exotic pet trade. The series looks at the health impacts, legal challenges and the ecological consequences of keeping exotic wild animals as pets. Part 1 explores how the trade enables zoonoses; Part 2 observes how India is emerging as a link in the global primate trade; and [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[This is Part 4 of a series on exotic pet trade. The series looks at the health impacts, legal challenges and the ecological consequences of keeping exotic wild animals as pets. Part 1 explores how the trade enables zoonoses; Part 2 observes how India is emerging as a link in the global primate trade; and Part 3 raises the animal welfare and ecological concerns of abandoned or escaped pets. Jose Louies has witnessed India’s wildlife pet trade scene change dramatically over the last decade and a half. The CEO of the non-profit Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), he calls himself an “old hand in the business”, having relentlessly tracked the trade over the last two decades. In the early years of the millennium, Louies recalls, colourful birds and large parrots such as sulphur-crested cockatoos and macaws were mainly seen in circuses. “Even zoos had very few exotic animals,” he says. Some of the ultra-rich may have kept a parrot or two in their farmhouses, while pet markets at Jama Masjid, Crawford Market in Mumbai and markets in Kolkata had budgerigars, cockatoos and other small exotic birds. “The markets were quite discreet and there were hardly any exotic mammals,” Louies says. Native species such as Alexandrine parakeets and Indian hill myna were seen in illegal markets, while goldfish were mostly preferred as pets. Forest departments and organisations such as PETA and People for Animals (PFA) were also quite active in monitoring or cracking down on illegal trade, he recalls. Louies observed&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/legal-system-fails-to-keep-pace-with-indias-growing-exotic-pet-industry/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Major mugger habitats lie outside protected areas</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/study-finds-major-mugger-habitats-lie-outside-protected-areas/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/study-finds-major-mugger-habitats-lie-outside-protected-areas/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>06 Jul 2026 13:11:29 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sneha Mahale]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[critical habitat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[crocodiles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[habitat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[habitat loss]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[muggers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban areas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban wetlands]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urbanisation]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/07/06111444/A-local-fisherman-and-a-mugger_-the-Kollidam-River_-Jason-Dominic-Gerar-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39004</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Conservation, Dams, Habitat Loss, Reptiles, Rivers, and Wetlands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[From the rocky gorges of Hogenakkal to the coastal marshes of Muthupet, the mugger crocodile has long inhabited the rivers, reservoirs and wetlands of the Kaveri river basin in southern India. A new study estimated that while there are about 2,209 square kilometres of potentially suitable mugger habitat in the river basin, only about 38% [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[From the rocky gorges of Hogenakkal to the coastal marshes of Muthupet, the mugger crocodile has long inhabited the rivers, reservoirs and wetlands of the Kaveri river basin in southern India. A new study estimated that while there are about 2,209 square kilometres of potentially suitable mugger habitat in the river basin, only about 38% falls within the existing protected area network, leaving much of the species&#8217; habitat exposed to human pressures. The study, published in the journal Ecological Applications, assesses mugger habitat across the entire Kaveri (Cauvery) river basin which stretches across parts of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu and covers about 81,155 sq. km. in southern India. &#8220;The number that stays with me is 38%. Only 38% of the habitat our model identified as potentially suitable for muggers falls within the existing protected area network. That means roughly six in every ten hectares of meaningful mugger habitat is outside any formal protection, unmanaged, unmonitored, and subject to the full range of human pressures,&#8221; says co-author Nikhil Whitaker, the Research Director at Madras Crocodile Bank Trust and Centre for Herpetology. Building a basin-wide picture The mugger is one of India&#8217;s three native crocodilian species and is found in rivers, lakes, reservoirs and marshes across much of the subcontinent. Although populations have been studied in river systems such as the Moyar, Kabini and Amaravati, researchers say conservation planning has lacked a basin-wide understanding of where suitable habitat occurs and what factors shape its distribution. “The CRB (Cauvery River Basin) has&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/study-finds-major-mugger-habitats-lie-outside-protected-areas/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>Snake sightings rise even when snakebite deaths fall</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/snake-sightings-rise-even-when-snakebite-deaths-fall/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/snake-sightings-rise-even-when-snakebite-deaths-fall/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>22 Jun 2026 13:59:01 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Arathi M.R.]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[extreme heat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Heat impacts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Heat wave]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heatwave]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[snakebites]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Snakes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban areas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urbanisation]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/06/22103156/3-3-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38767</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Kerala]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animal Behaviour, Biodiversity, Cities and Towns, Climate Change, Human Wildlife Conflict, Impacts of Climate Change, Reptiles, Villages, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Panic struck Kerala this year when eight snakebite deaths were reported from six districts across the state within a span of two months this summer. Six of the eight deaths were reported between April 20 and 26. A constant stream of fear-inducing reports in both the mainstream and social media intensified public anxiety around snakebites. [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Panic struck Kerala this year when eight snakebite deaths were reported from six districts across the state within a span of two months this summer. Six of the eight deaths were reported between April 20 and 26. A constant stream of fear-inducing reports in both the mainstream and social media intensified public anxiety around snakebites. The heightened concern was reflected in the number of calls received by Team SARPA (Snake Awareness, Rescue, Protection App), a network of trained snake rescuers and forest officials. In August 2020, Kerala introduced guidelines for the rescue and release of snakes from human-dominated areas by certified snake rescuers, leading to the formation of the SARPA team and a mobile application. The platform allows residents to report snake sightings and alert nearby rescuers, enabling rapid responses to snake-related incidents, improving documentation, and promoting public awareness of snake safety and conservation. “There are around 3,500 active licensed snake rescuers in the state. But with the intense media attention this year, we started receiving more than 100 calls a day for volunteers, and most of them were panic calls,” says Sandeep Das, research associate at the University of Calicut and SARPA master trainer. “When media focus shifted to election coverage and political developments in the state, the number of calls gradually came down.” “A combination of factors such as the unusually high atmospheric temperatures triggered by the heatwave, the egg-hatching season of venomous snakes such as the Indian cobra, Russell’s viper, and saw-scaled viper led to more human-snake&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/snake-sightings-rise-even-when-snakebite-deaths-fall/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>The changing fate of Kerala’s sacred groves [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/the-changing-fate-of-keralas-sacred-groves-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/the-changing-fate-of-keralas-sacred-groves-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>11 May 2026 18:08:03 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nibha Namboodiri]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sacred groves]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Snakes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tradition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Traditional Knowledge]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/11171600/Sarpa_Kavu_By_Manojk-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38118</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Kerala]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Community based conservation, Conservation, Forests, and Reptiles]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Sacred groves in Kerala are often held up as examples of how tradition can protect biodiversity. For generations, these sarpa kaavus or the traditional sacred groves, survived precisely because they were considered sacred. They were left undisturbed, protected not by law but by belief. But that relationship is beginning to shift. In many parts of [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Sacred groves in Kerala are often held up as examples of how tradition can protect biodiversity. For generations, these sarpa kaavus or the traditional sacred groves, survived precisely because they were considered sacred. They were left undisturbed, protected not by law but by belief. But that relationship is beginning to shift. In many parts of the state, sacred groves are now being altered, reduced or lost,not only because of external pressures such as urbanisation and land-use change, but also because the very rituals meant to sustain them are increasingly being practiced without their ecological context. At the centre of this transformation lies a difficult contradiction: traditions that once protected these landscapes are, in some cases, contributing to their decline. Traditionally associated with serpent worship, sarpa kaavus functioned as informal conservation spaces, preserving native vegetation, water systems and wildlife within otherwise altered landscapes. Protected by belief systems that discouraged disturbance, these groves survived for generations without formal regulation. Yet this protection is now uneven. One such contradiction can be seen in the practice of the ritual kaavu avahana, in which the chaitanya, or sacred essence of a grove, is ritually transferred elsewhere by a tantri (priest). Within the tradition, this is understood as a legitimate continuation of worship. However, in practice, it has often been followed by the clearing of the original grove. A sarpa kaavu at Thirunelli Temple in the Brahmagiri Hills. Sacred groves or sarpa kaavu in Kerala, touted as examples of how tradition can protect biodiversity, are now&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/the-changing-fate-of-keralas-sacred-groves-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Spiny-tailed lizards add insects to the menu</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/spiny-tailed-lizards-add-insects-to-the-menu/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/spiny-tailed-lizards-add-insects-to-the-menu/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>04 May 2026 14:19:02 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Shweta Yogi]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[breeding grounds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[desert]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lizard]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/04111514/1-scaled-e1777873593907-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38007</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Thar Desert]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Ecology, Endemic species, Environment, Habitat Fragmentation, Reptiles, Thar Desert, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In India’s harsh desert landscapes, a lizard isn’t just eating what’s available but precisely selecting nutrients, fine-tuning its diet to meet the changing demands of reproduction, growth and survival across seasons. While nutritional adaptations are well documented in tropical and marine ecosystems, far less is known about how animals in arid habitats cope with extreme [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In India’s harsh desert landscapes, a lizard isn’t just eating what’s available but precisely selecting nutrients, fine-tuning its diet to meet the changing demands of reproduction, growth and survival across seasons. While nutritional adaptations are well documented in tropical and marine ecosystems, far less is known about how animals in arid habitats cope with extreme temperatures and limited food availability. A recent study published in Royal Society Open Science examines seasonal shifts in the intake and retention of macronutrients in the spiny-tailed lizard, Saara hardwickii, in the Thar Desert. The study was conducted in Jorbeer-Gadhwala Conservation Reserve, a landscape of sandy plains where plant availability fluctuates through the year. S. hardwickii, a typically herbivorous species, was also found to consume insects during the breeding period, highlighting how seasonal changes and physiological needs shape its foraging behaviour. Dietary adaptations of spiny-tailed lizards S. hardwickii inhabits the Thar Desert of northwestern India, as well as parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan. “Although the lizard is endemic and largely restricted to the Thar and Kutch regions, it is found in high abundance there, suggesting specialised adaptations that enable it to thrive in these harsh environments,” explains Mihir Joshi, the study’s corresponding author. These adaptations are closely tied to biological processes, including growth, reproduction, and hibernation, which shape the species’ nutritional needs and metabolic activity. The intake and retention of macronutrients are critical for meeting changing nutritional needs and for coping with seasonal fluctuations. The Thar desert, the habitat of the spiny-tailed lizard, experiences extreme&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/spiny-tailed-lizards-add-insects-to-the-menu/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Prioritise turtle conservation over tourism say experts after budget announcement</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/prioritise-turtle-conservation-over-tourism-say-experts-after-budget-announcement/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/prioritise-turtle-conservation-over-tourism-say-experts-after-budget-announcement/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>18 Feb 2026 14:30:51 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[K.A. Shaji]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[olive ridleys]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[turtle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[turtles]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/18120501/5-e1771401420372-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36951</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Kerala]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Coast, Conservation, Ecology, Environmental Politics, Habitat Loss, Oceans, Reptiles, Tourism, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[On a humid morning at Kolavipalam beach in Kozhikode, at one of Kerala’s earliest community-led turtle conservation sites, volunteer Abdul Rahman walks slowly along the fenced hatchery enclosure, scanning the sand for any sign of disturbance. Two decades ago, he recalls, this stretch of the coast regularly recorded dozens of olive ridley nests each season, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[On a humid morning at Kolavipalam beach in Kozhikode, at one of Kerala’s earliest community-led turtle conservation sites, volunteer Abdul Rahman walks slowly along the fenced hatchery enclosure, scanning the sand for any sign of disturbance. Two decades ago, he recalls, this stretch of the coast regularly recorded dozens of olive ridley nests each season, attracting conservationists, students, and eco-tourists eager to witness hatchlings returning to the sea. Today, months can pass without a single nesting sighting. Just two days before this, the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced, in her budget speech, a proposed “turtle trail” tourism initiative along the coasts of Kerala, Karnataka, and Odisha. “The minister talks about turtle tourism,” says Rahman, looking toward the rock-armoured shoreline. “But first, we need turtles. Almost every night, we patrol the beach and find nothing.” Kolavipalam once symbolised the success of community-driven marine conservation in Kerala, where local fishers maintained day-and-night vigilance against sand mining that could destroy hatcheries. Fishers here have long used turtle-excluding devices in fishing nets, and hatchery maintenance continues, but nesting numbers have declined sharply. Why sea turtles matter Sea turtles play a crucial ecological role in maintaining the health of marine and coastal ecosystems. By grazing on seagrass beds and controlling jellyfish populations, they help sustain marine biodiversity and support fish populations that coastal communities depend on for livelihoods. Nesting activity also contributes to nutrient cycling on beaches, enriching coastal vegetation and stabilising dune ecosystems that protect shorelines from erosion. Globally, all species of sea&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/prioritise-turtle-conservation-over-tourism-say-experts-after-budget-announcement/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Experts divided over reintroducing captive-bred gharials in rivers</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/experts-divided-over-reintroducing-captive-bred-gharials-in-rivers/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/experts-divided-over-reintroducing-captive-bred-gharials-in-rivers/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>04 Feb 2026 17:16:21 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Rajeev Tyagi]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Aquatic life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[captive animals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[captive breeding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[crocodiles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ganga]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gharials]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/04152632/Gharial-release-scaled-e1770199257557-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36736</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[West Bengal]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Conservation, Endangered species, Extinction, Fishing, Mining, Reptiles, Rivers, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In February 2024, 37 juvenile gharials (Gavialis gangeticus) were transported 550 kilometres from the Rasikbeel Mini Zoo to the banks of the Ganga River in Murshidabad, West Bengal. The gharials, which were born out of a captive breeding programme in late 2021, were sheltered individually in ventilated PVC pipes. During the 15-hour overnight trip, forest [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In February 2024, 37 juvenile gharials (Gavialis gangeticus) were transported 550 kilometres from the Rasikbeel Mini Zoo to the banks of the Ganga River in Murshidabad, West Bengal. The gharials, which were born out of a captive breeding programme in late 2021, were sheltered individually in ventilated PVC pipes. During the 15-hour overnight trip, forest staff sprinkled the animals with water every one to two hours to maintain hydration. For the species, it was a return to a historic home. For the conservationists present, it was a moment of &#8220;quiet satisfaction&#8221;, Shahnawaz Khan, the Lead for Aquatic Habitats at WWF-India, said in an email response to Mongabay-India. Khan recalls that there was concern about the animals&#8217; condition after the long journey and the team watched with relief as the gharials, “observed to be alert, responsive, and in good health”, paused briefly before crawling into the river. The reintroduction project was a coordinated effort between the West Bengal Forest Directorate and WWF-India. A recent report, published in the journal Reptiles &amp; Amphibians, outlines the project aimed at enhancing the likelihood of long-term survival of the gharials in the lower Ganga Basin. The gharial’s population has significantly declined over the years due to loss from water impoundment, sand mining, hunting, and intensive fishing. Only about 650 adult gharials remain in the wild. A gharial spotted in the Chambal river, where 77-80% of the global adult gharial population is found. Its population has significantly declined over the years due to loss from water&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/experts-divided-over-reintroducing-captive-bred-gharials-in-rivers/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Scientists warn Malabar pit viper is medically overlooked</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/risks-of-malabar-pit-viper-bites-are-underestimated/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/risks-of-malabar-pit-viper-bites-are-underestimated/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>12 Dec 2025 13:04:48 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Arathi Menon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[antivenom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[human health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[public health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[snakebites]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Snakes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[venom]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/12103922/D85_4224-scaled-e1765516285822-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36033</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Karnataka and Western Ghats]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Ecology, Health impacts, Human Wildlife Conflict, Reptiles, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[What do we know about Malabar pit vipers? Surprisingly little, despite it being a striking, enigmatic reptile endemic to the Western Ghats. The Malabar pit viper (Craspedocephalus malabaricus) is known for its remarkable colour polymorphism; it appears in rare and vivid shades — from almond brown and mustard yellow to sage green, coral and many [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[What do we know about Malabar pit vipers? Surprisingly little, despite it being a striking, enigmatic reptile endemic to the Western Ghats. The Malabar pit viper (Craspedocephalus malabaricus) is known for its remarkable colour polymorphism; it appears in rare and vivid shades — from almond brown and mustard yellow to sage green, coral and many more. Few snakes possess such dramatic variation, making this species one of the Western Ghats’ most aesthetically gifted inhabitants. However, despite it being a medically significant species, there is very little information about Malabar pit viper envenoming as its bites are widely considered insignificant. A team of scientists have published a paper examining various aspects of how venom is passed on through the snake&#8217;s bites in a bid to bridge knowledge gaps and inform clinical management. “One of the reasons why envenoming from pit vipers like these (Malabar pit viper) is not well known, and the reason why we are working on them, is that there are big gaps in snake identification when bites occur,” explains Freston Marc Sirur, associate professor, Centre for Wilderness Medicine at Kasturba Medical College in Manipal, Karnataka, who led the study. “In certain circumstances, the patient has not seen the snake. Sometimes the bite happens at night. Sometimes it’s in grass or shrubs and the snake is not visible,” he elaborates. Malabar pit vipers are arboreal and are masters of camouflage. In many cases, Sirur says, bites happen from the branches of a tree or while the survivors are working&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/risks-of-malabar-pit-viper-bites-are-underestimated/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>Scientists describe a new species of burrowing shieldtail snake</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/scientists-describe-a-new-species-of-burrowing-shieldtail-snake/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/scientists-describe-a-new-species-of-burrowing-shieldtail-snake/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>09 Dec 2025 12:01:25 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Vandana K.]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Snakes]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/09003606/Fig1_Rhinophis_siruvaniensis_1_Umesh_PK-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=35954</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Western Ghats]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Ecology, New species, Reptiles, Western Ghats, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[On a monsoon day in 2015, as grey skies stretched overhead, tourist guide Basil P. Das and his father set out to tend to the plants in their coffee plantation in the village of Jellipara in Palakkad district in Kerala. As they began to till the soil in their three-and-a-half-acre farm, a small black and [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[On a monsoon day in 2015, as grey skies stretched overhead, tourist guide Basil P. Das and his father set out to tend to the plants in their coffee plantation in the village of Jellipara in Palakkad district in Kerala. As they began to till the soil in their three-and-a-half-acre farm, a small black and cream-coloured snake wriggled loose from the earth. They had never seen it before. Das took a photo of the snake and sent it to his friend David V. Raju, a naturalist, who could not recognise the species. On Raju&#8217;s advice, Das handled the snake with a stick and put it in a flower pot with some soil. Over the next few days, he found a similar snake. The snake specimen was eventually handed over to Vivek Cyriac who runs the Shieldtail Mapping Project (SMP), a citizen science initiative to document shieldtail snakes. Now a decade later, it turns out that the Das family had found a new species of snake — Rhinophis siruvaniensis. &#8220;When I learnt it&#8217;s a new species, I was very happy because now I am a part of its history,” said Das. The description of R. siruvaniensis, a new species of shieldtail snake, was published in a research paper in the journal Evolutionary Systematics in October 2025, authored by scientists and researchers from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Wayanad Wild, a rainforest lodge and non-profit Kalinga Foundation. This study is based on three specimens collected from the Siruvani Hills, located in&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/scientists-describe-a-new-species-of-burrowing-shieldtail-snake/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/scientists-describe-a-new-species-of-burrowing-shieldtail-snake/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Golden jackals are a growing threat to endangered crowned river turtles</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/11/growing-threat-gold-jackals-preying-on-endangered-crowned-river-turtles/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/11/growing-threat-gold-jackals-preying-on-endangered-crowned-river-turtles/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>06 Nov 2025 13:17:34 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Shweta Yogi]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[breeding grounds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[extinction]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[golden jackal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Keoladeo National Park]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[turtle]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/11/06104514/2-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=35387</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Rajasthan]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Ecology, Endangered species, Mammals, Protected Areas, and Reptiles]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Endangered crowned river turtles, Hardella thurjii (H. thurjii), are facing a rising and unexpected threat from golden jackals in the Keoladeo National Park (KNP) in Bharatpur, Rajasthan. A recent study by researchers from Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON) documented 48 predation events, where the jackals captured and killed the turtles, over [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Endangered crowned river turtles, Hardella thurjii (H. thurjii), are facing a rising and unexpected threat from golden jackals in the Keoladeo National Park (KNP) in Bharatpur, Rajasthan. A recent study by researchers from Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON) documented 48 predation events, where the jackals captured and killed the turtles, over just five months, from August to December 2023, raising fresh concerns about the turtle population&#8217;s long-term survival. The findings challenge long-held assumptions about predator-prey dynamics in protected areas, where native predators like jackals are typically seen as part of a balanced ecosystem. However, in this case, unchecked predation — especially targeting nesting females — could contribute to the local extinction of an already vulnerable species. According to Aditi Mukherjee, a scientist and the corresponding author of the study, the range of H. thurjii is largely confined to the upper Gangetic basin, and Bharatpur marks the western limit of its known distribution. “There’s still a major gap in our understanding of the species’ natural history, habitat use, and nesting patterns in this region,” she explains. Already threatened by habitat loss, poaching, and the pet trade, H. thurjii has been classified as endangered in the IUCN Red List. “H. thurjii has historically been hunted for its meat due to its large size and also faces habitat loss from dam construction, which may further be restricting its distribution,” says Ramya Roopa, a researcher with Wildlife Conservation Trust, who is not associated with the SACON study. Although earlier reports&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/11/growing-threat-gold-jackals-preying-on-endangered-crowned-river-turtles/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/11/growing-threat-gold-jackals-preying-on-endangered-crowned-river-turtles/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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						<item>
					<title>India’s snakes changing range, thanks to climate change</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/10/indias-snakes-changing-range-thanks-to-climate-change/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/10/indias-snakes-changing-range-thanks-to-climate-change/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>17 Oct 2025 11:49:02 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[T. V. Padma]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate impacts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[snakebites]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Snakes]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/10/17023025/Echis_carinatus_carinatus_49361558-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=35089</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animal Behaviour, Climate Change, Environment, Human Wildlife Conflict, Impacts of Climate Change, Reptiles, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Climate change could lead to shifts in the geographic distribution of certain snakes in India and an increase in the risk of snakebites in certain regions, a new modelling study concludes. The research, conducted by a team of Indian and South Korean scientists and published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, particularly looked at the four [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Climate change could lead to shifts in the geographic distribution of certain snakes in India and an increase in the risk of snakebites in certain regions, a new modelling study concludes. The research, conducted by a team of Indian and South Korean scientists and published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, particularly looked at the four clinically important species of snakes, referred to as the Big Four, found in the Indian sub-continent. India records the highest number of snakebite fatalities worldwide, between 46,000-60,000 annually. Climate change is anticipated to significantly impact the distribution of snakes, leading to notable shifts in their habitats towards human-dominated landscapes, the report says. This may potentially increase the incidence of bites from the Big Four species — common krait (Bungarus caeruleus), Russels&#8217; viper (Daboia russelii), saw-scaled viper (Echis carinatus), and Indian cobra (Naja naja) — and a notable human-health risk that has not yet been assessed in India, the report says. Future snakebite scenarios The study focussed on the potential risk of snakebites from the Big Four species rather than directly assessing their population status. At present, several districts in Karnataka such as Chikkaballapura, Haveri, and Chitradurga and Gujarat (Devbhumi Dwarka and Jamnagar) have emerged as high-priority areas. Under future scenarios, however, many northern and northeastern states are projected to show an increased risk of snakebites, including Assam (Nagaon, Morigaon, and Golaghat districts), Manipur (Tengnoupal district), and Rajasthan (Pratapgarh district). A common krait photographed indoors. A new study anticipates the impact of climate change on the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/10/indias-snakes-changing-range-thanks-to-climate-change/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>Dead snakes can still inject venom</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/09/dead-snakes-can-still-inject-venom/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/09/dead-snakes-can-still-inject-venom/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Sep 2025 13:23:49 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nabarun Guha]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[antivenom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[snakebites]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Snakes]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/09/23131227/Lumii_20220611_174733332-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=34725</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Assam]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Human Wildlife Conflict and Reptiles]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[After a hard day at work, 35-year-old Abinash Marak was returning to his home located in a village on border of Assam and Meghalaya. Hearing a commotion at a neighbour’s house, Marak went over and learned that a black snake that had entered the house had been killed by the owners. “As the snake was [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[After a hard day at work, 35-year-old Abinash Marak was returning to his home located in a village on border of Assam and Meghalaya. Hearing a commotion at a neighbour’s house, Marak went over and learned that a black snake that had entered the house had been killed by the owners. “As the snake was already dead, I volunteered to throw its carcass in the nearby bushes,” Marak, a mahout by profession, tells Mongabay India. “While holding its head, I felt a prick on the little finger of my right hand. As the snake was already dead, I ignored the bite.” However, as the night progressed, Marak&#8217;s condition worsened. He had difficulty breathing and even swallowing water. Next morning, he was taken to a local faith healer but he was not of much help. On the insistence of his friend who lived in Boko in Assam, he was taken to Kamrup Civil Hospital in Guwahati, a 20-minute drive from his home. “At around 12.30 p.m., he was brought to our hospital. On initial examination, he had ptosis (drooping eyelids), difficulty in swallowing, throat pain and body ache,” recalls Dr. Hemen Nath, who treated Marak. “The dead snake was identified to be the lesser black krait. Twenty vials of ASV (anti-snake venom) were immediately injected along with two doses of neostigmine glycopyrrolate and calcium gluconate. However, as his condition deteriorated further, he was shifted to an ICU for ventilation support. His health condition improved after 43 hours of respiratory support. The&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/09/dead-snakes-can-still-inject-venom/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Roadkill study demonstrates urgent necessity for safeguards</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/09/roadkill-study-demonstrates-urgent-necessity-for-safeguards/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/09/roadkill-study-demonstrates-urgent-necessity-for-safeguards/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>02 Sep 2025 11:20:46 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[roadkill]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/09/01195044/1024px-Beddomes_keelback_amphiesma_beddomei_Road_kill-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=34423</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas and India's Iconic Landscapes]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Kerala and Western Ghats]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Reptiles, and Roads]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[When an animal crosses a road, what factors determine its path – and survival? Researchers from University of Mysore, the Zoo Outreach Organisation, and the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON), among others, monitored a single road running through the Western Ghats for an entire year to understand where roadkill occurred the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[When an animal crosses a road, what factors determine its path – and survival? Researchers from University of Mysore, the Zoo Outreach Organisation, and the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON), among others, monitored a single road running through the Western Ghats for an entire year to understand where roadkill occurred the most, and why. “Most studies look at the frequency of roadkill. While doing my research, I realised there was a huge lacuna in the surrounding parameters that are affecting roadkill, so we chose to consider those as well,” said S. Sushanth, a Fellow at the Zoo Outreach Organisation and lead author of the study. Environmental factors such as plantations, water sources, terrain, and undergrowth were found to influence roadkill more than spatial and seasonal variation, the study found.  The Western Ghats are an ideal canvas to study how changing landscapes affect wildlife. Despite accounting for just 6% of the country’s landmass, the Western Ghats – stretching from Gujarat to Tamil Nadu – are home to 30% of the country’s plant, fish, reptile, amphibian, bird, and mammal species. Of these, 325 species are globally threatened. The conservation and protection of these species is increasingly challenged by deforestation, urbanisation, and an expanding network of roads and railways. Roads and railways – known as linear infrastructure – cut through forest habitats and fragment them. Changes in land use, such as the conversion of forest to agriculture or plantations, similarly transforms habitats, putting wildlife in closer proximity to human&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/09/roadkill-study-demonstrates-urgent-necessity-for-safeguards/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Rising temperatures could change the future for India’s gharials</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/07/rising-temperatures-could-change-the-future-for-indias-gharials/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/07/rising-temperatures-could-change-the-future-for-indias-gharials/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>11 Jul 2025 10:02:55 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sneha Mahale]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[crocodiles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gharials]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/07/10195809/At-around-32%C2%B0C-up-to-89_-of-hatchlings-could-be-male.-But-at-or-below-31.5%C2%B0C-and-at-or-above-33.5%C2%B0C-female-production-dominates.-Photo-Credit-Surya-P-Sharma-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=33568</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Madhya Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Ecology, Global Warming, Reptiles, Rivers, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Along the sun-baked banks of the Chambal river, a quiet crisis is unfolding. The gharial, India’s distinctive, critically endangered crocodilian, known for its slender snout and ancient lineage, is facing a new and growing threat: heat. A new study by researchers from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), published in Evolutionary Ecology, reveals that rising [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Along the sun-baked banks of the Chambal river, a quiet crisis is unfolding. The gharial, India’s distinctive, critically endangered crocodilian, known for its slender snout and ancient lineage, is facing a new and growing threat: heat. A new study by researchers from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), published in Evolutionary Ecology, reveals that rising nest temperatures are skewing the sex ratio of gharial hatchlings, tipping the balance more toward females. This subtle but significant shift could disrupt breeding patterns and eventually push the species closer to extinction. “Our study was prompted by growing concerns from field observations suggesting a female-biased sex ratio in gharials,” says Surya P Sharma, lead author and Project Scientist-I with the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) Project at WII, Dehradun. “Since crocodilians, including gharials, have temperature-dependent sex determination, we suspected that rising ambient and nest temperatures, likely driven by climate change and habitat alterations, might be altering hatchling sex ratios and shifting population dynamics.” During 2017-2019, researchers monitored 17 gharial nests along the Chambal river in Madhya Pradesh and confirmed a growing new threat to the population: heat. Image by Suhas Chandra. What the study found Between 2017 and 2019, the researchers monitored 17 gharial nests over three breeding seasons at Baroli and Nadigaon, which are key nesting sites in the National Chambal Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh. These sites are part of a long-running conservation initiative, where eggs are collected annually to support the “grow and release” programme, under which hatchlings are reared in&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/07/rising-temperatures-could-change-the-future-for-indias-gharials/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<title>How one researcher walked thousands of miles along India’s shores to conserve sea turtles</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/03/taira-malaney-on-filming-a-curious-conservationist-turtles-and-the-human-spirit-interview/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/03/taira-malaney-on-filming-a-curious-conservationist-turtles-and-the-human-spirit-interview/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>07 Mar 2025 12:03:57 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[coast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[coastal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[conservation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Films]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[turtle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[turtles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[women]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/03/05153301/SCAN095-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=31726</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species, Beyond the screen: DCEFF 2025, and Environment and Her]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Conservation, and Reptiles]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Satish Bhaskar was a curious man. From a very young age he was fascinated with the sea and the diverse marine creatures, especially turtles. When he learnt that sea turtles were being exploited in India for their eggs, shells and flesh, he understood the importance of documenting and protecting nesting turtle beaches. In the late [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Satish Bhaskar was a curious man. From a very young age he was fascinated with the sea and the diverse marine creatures, especially turtles. When he learnt that sea turtles were being exploited in India for their eggs, shells and flesh, he understood the importance of documenting and protecting nesting turtle beaches. In the late 1970s, he decided to cover every single beach and island in India, by foot. Over 19 years, Bhaskar surveyed more than 4,000 kilometres of the country’s coastline and published several important reports, filling huge gaps of knowledge about sea turtle distribution. He even chose to maroon himself on an uninhabited island in Lakshadweep for months, equipped with only basic essentials and a transistor, to study turtles. In a documentary about his life and career, titled Turtle Walker, the late conservationist described being with turtles as some of the happiest days in his life. “I am glad I did the things I did,” he said. Satish Bhaskar, the turtle conservationist who surveyed more than 4,000 kilometres of India&#8217;s coastline. Image by Krish Makhija. Produced by Emaho Films and backed by Tiger Baby, HHMI Tangled Bank Studios and Ceres, the 75-minute documentary is already winning international recognition and is set to be screened at the DC Environmental Film Festival 2025 (DCEFF 2025). Mongabay is a media partner for DCEFF 2025 and has interviewed some filmmakers as part of this collaboration. In this interview with Mongabay India, Taira Malaney, the director of Turtle Walker talks about why she&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/03/taira-malaney-on-filming-a-curious-conservationist-turtles-and-the-human-spirit-interview/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>[Commentary] The indomitable and highly resilient geckos</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/01/commentary-the-indomitable-and-highly-resilient-house-geckos/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/01/commentary-the-indomitable-and-highly-resilient-house-geckos/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>22 Jan 2025 11:46:58 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[R.J. Ranjit Daniels]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gecko]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lizard]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[reptiles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban biodiversity]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/01/22134849/Prashads_Gecko_Hemidactylus_prashadi-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=31196</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Cities and Towns and Reptiles]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Geckos are some of the most fascinating creatures in the animal kingdom. Geckos are lizards, yet not all lizards are geckos. With tails that can be detached and regrown at their will, a flat and flexible tongue that can clean their own eyes, geckos have evolved to thrive in different habitats. They do not have [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Geckos are some of the most fascinating creatures in the animal kingdom. Geckos are lizards, yet not all lizards are geckos. With tails that can be detached and regrown at their will, a flat and flexible tongue that can clean their own eyes, geckos have evolved to thrive in different habitats. They do not have hard scales covering their soft skins. Their eggs however are hard-shelled and round. Many gecko species are even capable of vocalisation. With some exceptions, these generally nocturnal creatures can scale smooth surfaces including glass and even walk upside down defying gravity, earning them the nickname ‘wall lizards’. There are also diurnal gecko species, such as the Andaman emerald gecko (of the genus Phelsuma) and the highly diverse forest-dwelling dwarf geckos (of the genus Cnemaspis). Diversity and adaptations More than 221 species of geckos are known in India which may about 29% of the country&#8217;s reptilian diversity. India’s geckos are placed under two families: Eublepharidae, which includes the few species of ornate geckos popularly called leopard geckos; and Gekkonidae. Geckos in India vary considerably in size. Adults of the forest-dwelling dwarf geckos hardly exceed the length of a finger whereas, giants such as the tokay gecko can be as long as the forearm. Four species of geckos widely inhabit homes and other human dwellings in India. These are the northern house gecko, bark gecko, Brook’s gecko and the waif gecko. With some practice, the four species can be identified without difficulty, including their calls. A bark&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/01/commentary-the-indomitable-and-highly-resilient-house-geckos/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Your Environment This Week: India’s latest tiger reserve, DiCaprio’s Himalayan snake, Empowering waste pickers</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/01/snake-tigers-waste-management/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/01/snake-tigers-waste-management/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>03 Jan 2025 17:50:16 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mongabay India]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Saumitrashinde]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/01/03112349/Juvenile-Anguiculus-dicaprioi-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=30942</guid>

					
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Reptiles, Tigers, and Waste management]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[This week’s environment and conservation news stories rolled into one. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch the latest high quality, original video stories from nature’s frontline in India. To receive a weekly email roundup of stories, please sign-up for our newsletter. Meet DiCaprio’s Himalayan serpent Scientists discovered a new snake species in the western [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[This week’s environment and conservation news stories rolled into one. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch the latest high quality, original video stories from nature’s frontline in India. To receive a weekly email roundup of stories, please sign-up for our newsletter. Meet DiCaprio’s Himalayan serpent Scientists discovered a new snake species in the western Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, which also belongs to a newly identified genus, Anguiculus. Science welcomed multiple new species in 2024 The Western Ghats &amp; Northeast India continue to shine as biodiversity hotspots in India with multiple discoveries of species. Decline in white-bellied sea eagle nests in coastal areas raises concerns Surveys in Kerala reveal a decline in white-bellied sea eagle nests, mainly due to the loss of tall nesting trees. Making sense of the environment: Explainers in 2024 In 2024, we continued our series of environmental explainers that demystified complex environmental topics. We helped break down scientific jargon and policy discussions into relatable information, empowering individuals to understand how these issues impact their lives and communities. Empowering waste pickers with dignified jobs for environmental change SWaCH, a Pune waste pickers’ cooperative, formalizes work, improves conditions, offers training, and ensures fair wages, transitioning members to safer, dignified roles in waste management. When heat rises, incomes fall for the informal workforce Street vendors are among the self-employed and daily wage labourers severely affected by the rise in temperatures. Teething troubles or conservation challenges at India’s latest tiger reserve? After a long wait, Madhya Pradesh’s Ratapani Sanctuary&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/01/snake-tigers-waste-management/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Meet DiCaprio&#8217;s Himalayan serpent</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/01/an-instagram-photo-led-researchers-to-a-snake-discovery/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/01/an-instagram-photo-led-researchers-to-a-snake-discovery/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>03 Jan 2025 16:04:37 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Neha Jain]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[endemic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[endemic species]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Himalayas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[New species]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[reptiles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[research]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Snakes]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/01/03113148/Banner-Image-of-the-new-snake-species-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=30925</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Himachal Pradesh and Himalayas]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Endemic species, New species, Reptiles, and Research]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In June 2020, during the pandemic, Virender Bhardwaj, currently a doctoral student at Mizoram University, was exploring his backyard at his home in Himachal Pradesh in the western Himalayas, when he encountered an intriguing snake. He uploaded its photos on the social media app Instagram, and the images popped up on the feed of his [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In June 2020, during the pandemic, Virender Bhardwaj, currently a doctoral student at Mizoram University, was exploring his backyard at his home in Himachal Pradesh in the western Himalayas, when he encountered an intriguing snake. He uploaded its photos on the social media app Instagram, and the images popped up on the feed of his colleague, Zeeshan Mirza. This led to three years of detailed investigations to identify the snake. The team recently published a paper revealing the discovery of an entirely new snake genus and species. The snake resembled Liopeltis rappii, a species known to be distributed in the eastern Himalayas. However, the researchers noted that the population from Himachal Pradesh differed from the true Liopeltis rappii found in Sikkim with differences observed in the scales on the head and general colouration. The team confirmed this after examining specimens from natural history museums across Europe, the USA and India. After comparing the DNA sequences generated from this snake with those of known species from across Asia, the researchers concluded that the snake from Himachal Pradesh is related to Liopeltis rappii but differs in several aspects to be called a new species. Both species belong to a new genus, Anguiculus, endemic to the Himalayas. Anguiculus refers to a ‘small snake’ in Latin. In honour of American actor and environmentalist, Leonardo DiCaprio’s work in creating awareness about increased biodiversity loss and climate change, the team named the snake Anguiculus dicaprioi with the suggested common name, ‘DiCaprio’s Himalayan snake’. Compared to other members of its family,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/01/an-instagram-photo-led-researchers-to-a-snake-discovery/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>The lizard caught between myth and modernisation</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/11/the-lizard-caught-between-myth-and-modernisation/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/11/the-lizard-caught-between-myth-and-modernisation/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>07 Nov 2024 12:47:07 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sneha RichhariyaTej Prakash Bhardwaj]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lizard]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[reptiles]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2024/11/07110215/IstLizard_DSC0752-e1730957854799-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=30117</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species, Beyond Protected Areas, and Clean Energy]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India and Rajasthan]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Poaching and Reptiles]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Native to the vast, arid grasslands of Rajasthan’s Pokhran region is a small, burrow-dwelling reptile that can often be hard to spot. The spiny-tailed lizard (Saara hardwickii) is India’s only herbivorous lizard found in the arid and semi-arid regions of Rajasthan, Gujarat and some parts of Haryana. The lizard, found on hard sandy and gravel [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Native to the vast, arid grasslands of Rajasthan’s Pokhran region is a small, burrow-dwelling reptile that can often be hard to spot. The spiny-tailed lizard (Saara hardwickii) is India’s only herbivorous lizard found in the arid and semi-arid regions of Rajasthan, Gujarat and some parts of Haryana. The lizard, found on hard sandy and gravel plains, lives in large colonies or lounges, but prefers the solitude of its burrow, each inhabited by a single individual. It is part of the diet of other desert fauna like raptors, desert foxes and snakes. The reptile is diurnal, spending most of its day basking and foraging, and returning to its burrow at sunset for safety. While burrows offer safety from predator fauna, they are accessible to poachers and hunters. “This one was dug by poachers,&#8221; says wildlife conservationist Radheshyam Bishnoi, sitting next to a freshly dug burrow in one such lizard colony in Pokhran’s Bhadariya Oran. Local wildlife conservator Radheshyam Bishnoi examines a spiny-tailed lizard burrow in Pokhran, Rajasthan. The burrow has been dug out by poachers. Image by Sneha Richhariya. Locally known as ‘sanda’ or ‘sandho,’ the spiny-tailed lizard is endowed with a distinct, fat tail covered in sharp spines, where it stores fat for its long hibernation season &#8211; an evolutionary strategy to survive in the arid ecosystem. However, the very tail that is crucial to the lizard&#8217;s survival also attracts hunters and poachers. Despite being listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and classified as &#8216;Vulnerable&#8217; by&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2024/11/the-lizard-caught-between-myth-and-modernisation/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Baby snakes with toxic traits</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/08/baby-snakes-with-toxic-traits/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/08/baby-snakes-with-toxic-traits/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>30 Aug 2024 12:40:45 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Arathi Menon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[adult]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[antivenom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cobra]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[juvenile]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[neonate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[research]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[russell's viper]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[venom]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2024/08/30111005/Daboia_russelii_127953123-e1724996524955-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=29234</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species and Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Health impacts, Reptiles, and Research]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Who would have thought even shy, unassuming animals like snakes have layers of personality waiting to be peeled off? While trying to understand how the venoms of two clinically important species of snakes in India, Indian spectacled cobra and Russell’s viper, develop from birth to adulthood, a group of scientists have stumbled on a fascinating [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Who would have thought even shy, unassuming animals like snakes have layers of personality waiting to be peeled off? While trying to understand how the venoms of two clinically important species of snakes in India, Indian spectacled cobra and Russell’s viper, develop from birth to adulthood, a group of scientists have stumbled on a fascinating discovery — a baby Russell’s viper bite can hit one harder than that of its mamma. While the venom of Indian spectacled cobra (Naja naja) remained largely the same across developmental stages, Russell’s viper (Daboia russelii) venom showed considerable variation. The venom of the neonates (less than a month old) were found to be far more potent towards mammals, compared to the venom of the juvenile or adult Russell’s vipers. The scientists, from the Evolutionary Venomics Lab at the Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), who conducted the study, attribute these differences to ecological and life-history factors influencing the venom composition of these snakes. Over 200 individuals of both species were studied in captivity, with their venom collected from birth through adulthood. Various experiments were conducted to examine different aspects of the venom, including its composition, function, and potency, and to understand how these characteristics evolved over time in relation to changes in their diet and development. Newborns ace adults Scientist and one of the authors of the paper, Kartik Sunagar, explains that since venom is an adaptation trait, its development is influenced by various ecological factors, including the animal’s diet. In&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2024/08/baby-snakes-with-toxic-traits/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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