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		<title>Mongabay India</title>
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		<description>India&#039;s environmental science and conservation news</description>
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					<title>Crime content on social media threatens wildlife safety</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/crime-content-on-social-media-threatens-wildlife-safety/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/crime-content-on-social-media-threatens-wildlife-safety/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>27 Aug 2026 17:58:48 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Vandana K.]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pets]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildlife crime]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/27174553/crime-reels-collage-Edited-1-scaled-e1787832976456-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40507</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Archives, Biodiversity, Conservation, Endangered species, Environmental Crime, Poaching, Wildlife, Wildlife Protection Act, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In 2025, P.M. Muthanna came across an Instagram reel that showed someone demonstrating how to capture wild animals. This was an activity that could not only harm wildlife but also violate wildlife protection laws. Muthanna, who heads field conservation at Centre for Wildlife Studies (CWS), a wildlife organisation based in Karnataka, couldn’t ignore the reel [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In 2025, P.M. Muthanna came across an Instagram reel that showed someone demonstrating how to capture wild animals. This was an activity that could not only harm wildlife but also violate wildlife protection laws. Muthanna, who heads field conservation at Centre for Wildlife Studies (CWS), a wildlife organisation based in Karnataka, couldn’t ignore the reel that seemed to normalise illegal handling of animals. “My co-workers and I started checking and compiling such videos being circulated on social media, particularly Instagram,” he says. Among the reels he stumbled upon were those showing a civet cat stuck in a jaw trap, which had over 25,000 likes; people hunting monitor lizards; a jaw trap manufacturing workshop, and more. In February 2026, he sent a letter to the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), a government body that combats organised wildlife crime, urging it to take action against eight Instagram accounts that show and sell jaw traps, devices that injure or harm animals, and demonstrate the illegal hunting of monitor lizards, which are protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. These kinds of reels are playing on phone screens across India. Showcased as ordinary moments from the creators’ lives, the content ranges from what an illegally-kept pet Indian star tortoise eats to going on a hunting trip. Cyber-enabled wildlife crime in India is a rapidly emerging threat which is subtle, sophisticated, and sometimes hard to identify, says Pradipty Bhardwaj, a Ph.D. scholar researching the adequacy of Indian law to combat such crimes.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/crime-content-on-social-media-threatens-wildlife-safety/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<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>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Rising illegal wildlife trade across Himalayan countries threatens the mountain ecosystem</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/rising-illegal-wildlife-trade-across-the-himalayan-countries-threatens-the-mountain-ecosystem/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/rising-illegal-wildlife-trade-across-the-himalayan-countries-threatens-the-mountain-ecosystem/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>29 Apr 2026 15:26:33 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Vandana K.]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hindu Kush Himalaya]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[poaching]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildlife crime]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/28120331/Jiten_170719_MG_6031-scaled-e1777358299720-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37911</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Himachal Pradesh and Himalayas]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Conservation, Endangered species, Environmental Crime, Himalayas, Pet Trade, Wildlife, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In February this year, 45 people headed towards jewellery shops in Rohru, a town in Himachal Pradesh. But shopping was not their agenda. The group was a squad of forest rangers, guards and van mitras, on a mission, Operation Clawing Back, to raid shops to seize jewellery allegedly made from claws and teeth of leopards [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In February this year, 45 people headed towards jewellery shops in Rohru, a town in Himachal Pradesh. But shopping was not their agenda. The group was a squad of forest rangers, guards and van mitras, on a mission, Operation Clawing Back, to raid shops to seize jewellery allegedly made from claws and teeth of leopards and feathers of protected birds. This raid illustrates a wider phenomenon in the Himalayas. Illegal wildlife trade is happening across eight countries in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region and has doubled from 2019 onwards compared to 2018 and previous years, found a study published in January 2026. The research was conducted by Babar Khan and Kesang Wangchuk at the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in Kathmandu, Nepal. India and China recorded thousands of seizure incidents, with carnivores, elephants, pangolins, and various endangered animals trafficked for live trade, body parts, and traditional medicine, according to the research. Illegal wildlife trade is the fourth largest illicit transnational activity in the world. It remains an attractive business for poachers and smugglers, with Southeast Asia at the epicentre of much of this crime. Over 12,000 species of animals and plants have been traded internationally in recent years. A threat to biodiversity and the mountain ecosystem The HKH stretches over 3,500 kilometres from west to east, spanning either all or part of these eight countries — Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan. The region hosts four global biodiversity hotspots — Himalaya, Indo-Burma, and the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/rising-illegal-wildlife-trade-across-the-himalayan-countries-threatens-the-mountain-ecosystem/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Indigenous knowledge to track and save the Chinese pangolin</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/indigenous-knowledge-to-track-and-save-the-chinese-pangolin/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/indigenous-knowledge-to-track-and-save-the-chinese-pangolin/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>17 Dec 2025 16:48:30 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nikhil Sreekandan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[camera traps]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farmers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farmlands]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pangolin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Traditional Knowledge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildlife monitoring]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/17124335/LEK-based-camera-trap-image-of-Chinese-pangolin-digging-a-burrow-scaled-e1765961289519-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36099</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Indigenous Knowledge]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Arunachal Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Indigenous Peoples, Wildlife, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[“Earlier, one could find pangolins near the village. But not anymore,” says Odan Ratan of the Adi community, an Indigenous people from the Siang river basin in Arunachal Pradesh. Ratan, who hails from Damro village in the Upper Siang district, works as a field collaborator with the Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF), a wildlife conservation and [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[“Earlier, one could find pangolins near the village. But not anymore,” says Odan Ratan of the Adi community, an Indigenous people from the Siang river basin in Arunachal Pradesh. Ratan, who hails from Damro village in the Upper Siang district, works as a field collaborator with the Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF), a wildlife conservation and research organisation based in Mysore, Karnataka. He is part of a project to study the critically endangered Chinese pangolin in Arunachal Pradesh. In a recent short paper published in the Oryx journal, NCF researchers including Ratan demonstrate improved camera trap capture rates of pangolins in the region when the traditional knowledge of the Adi people was utilised. Pangolins are nocturnal insectivores, encased in scales, that curl up into a tight ball when threatened. They hold the unfortunate title of the most trafficked mammal in the world. The Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) is one of the two pangolin species found in India, the other being Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata). It is distributed across the northeastern states and in northern West Bengal. Arunachal Pradesh is considered one of its strongholds, but there is almost no recent systematic data on the population and distribution status of the species in the region. A view of Damro village from the neighbouring Adi Pasi village in Upper Siang district. Residents say that there was a time when Chinese pangolins — a highly trafficked mammal — could be spotted in the village, but not anymore. Image by Chiging Pilia/NCF. Adopting local ecological&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/indigenous-knowledge-to-track-and-save-the-chinese-pangolin/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>CITES withdraws recommendation to suspend trade of endangered species to India</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/11/cites-withdraws-recommendation-to-suspend-trade-of-endangered-species-to-india/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/11/cites-withdraws-recommendation-to-suspend-trade-of-endangered-species-to-india/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>25 Nov 2025 17:11:17 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[captive animals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CITES]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[IUCN]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildlife crime]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/11/25152050/Orangutan_Pongo_pygmeus_pygmeus-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=35755</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Environmental Crime, Environmental Law, Environmental Politics, Wildlife, Wildlife Protection Act, Wildlife Sanctuary, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) withdrew its earlier recommendation to suspend the trade of endangered species to India, after it failed to garner adequate support by Parties at the ongoing CITES meeting in Uzbekistan. Earlier this month, the CITES Secretariat recommended India halt [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) withdrew its earlier recommendation to suspend the trade of endangered species to India, after it failed to garner adequate support by Parties at the ongoing CITES meeting in Uzbekistan. Earlier this month, the CITES Secretariat recommended India halt the import of species threatened with extinction (listed under Appendix I) until it revised its due diligence mechanisms. The recommendation was made after the Secretariat observed inconsistencies in India’s animal imports during a site visit in September. Without doing so, India ran the risk of importing animals which may have been sourced from the wild and traded as captive-bred, the Secretariat said. Over 40,000 imported animals – including endangered species like cheetahs, chimpanzees, and orangutans – were acquired by Vantara, a private zoo and rescue and rehabilitation centre founded by Anant Ambani of Reliance Industries. The Secretariat’s visit to India was made on the request of several Party members who had raised concerns about the volume and origin of animals being sent to Vantara. When the issue came up for discussion at the CITES meeting on November 23, however, most Parties in the Standing Committee hesitated to support the recommendation for temporary trade suspension to India, leading to its withdrawal. Observers at the meeting said the proceedings were unexpected. “We’re surprised by the amount of support India has received,” said Daniela Freyer, co-founder of the German conservation NGO ProWildlife, who was present during the meeting.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/11/cites-withdraws-recommendation-to-suspend-trade-of-endangered-species-to-india/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>India defends animal imports, calls wildlife governance ‘unmatched’</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/11/india-defends-animal-imports-calls-wildlife-governance-unmatched/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/11/india-defends-animal-imports-calls-wildlife-governance-unmatched/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>14 Nov 2025 16:16:21 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CITES]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Supreme Court of India]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/11/14141822/Pan_paniscus_female-e1763116234859-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=35579</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Environment, Environmental Crime, Environmental Law, Wildlife, Wildlife Protection Act, Wildlife Sanctuary, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[India responded to an investigation of its animal imports by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) this week, arguing that any recommendations for a moratorium on wildlife trade are “premature and disproportionate.” The CITES Secretariat had found lapses in India’s due diligence of wildlife imports, in a [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[India responded to an investigation of its animal imports by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) this week, arguing that any recommendations for a moratorium on wildlife trade are “premature and disproportionate.” The CITES Secretariat had found lapses in India’s due diligence of wildlife imports, in a report published earlier this month. Over 40,000 animals imported by India were headed to Vantara, a private animal rescue and rehabilitation centre founded by Anant Ambani of Reliance Industries. The report expressed concern that the imports may have allowed wild-caught animals to be traded as captive-bred, despite the validity of permits. The Secretariat gave India 90 days to respond to the findings and provide evidence of its revised due diligence mechanisms, recommending the trade of species threatened with extinction be paused till then. In response, India defended the animal imports, calling the scale of its wildlife governance systems “unmatched,” and arguing that “a five-day verification visit by a small mission team can, at best, provide an interim snapshot.” India further urged the Secretariat not to take punitive measures “in the absence of verified violation.” It also cited a recent Supreme Court judgement which declared all animal imports into Vantara were legally carried out. “India’s voluntary invitation to the verification mission and full disclosure of all records exemplify the good-faith cooperation that the Standing Committee has historically encouraged and rewarded,” India’s statement said, adding that it “urges all Parties to preserve this trust-based system rather than&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/11/india-defends-animal-imports-calls-wildlife-governance-unmatched/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Thousands of live animals seized in global wildlife trafficking crackdown</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/02/thousands-of-live-animals-seized-in-global-wildlife-trafficking-crackdown/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/02/thousands-of-live-animals-seized-in-global-wildlife-trafficking-crackdown/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>17 Feb 2025 13:31:04 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mongabay.com]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mongabay Editor]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildlife crime]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/02/17122226/07_Iraq-2-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=31510</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Wildlife Trade and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Big cats, birds, primates and pangolins were among the nearly 20,000 threatened or protected animals rescued in a recent global operation against wildlife and forestry traffickers. Led by Interpol and the World Customs Organization (WCO), the campaign, called Operation Thunder 2024, involved police, customs, border patrol, forestry and wildlife officials from 138 countries and regions. [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Big cats, birds, primates and pangolins were among the nearly 20,000 threatened or protected animals rescued in a recent global operation against wildlife and forestry traffickers. Led by Interpol and the World Customs Organization (WCO), the campaign, called Operation Thunder 2024, involved police, customs, border patrol, forestry and wildlife officials from 138 countries and regions. Six transnational criminal networks suspected of trafficking animals and plants protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) were identified, with 365 arrests made, the agencies announced on February 4. The live animals seized were 12,427 birds, 5,877 turtles, 1,731 other reptiles, 33 primates, 18 big cats and 12 pangolins. Significant seizures included 6,500 songbirds discovered in Turkey during a vehicle inspection at the Syrian border, and 5,193 red-eared ornamental slider turtles hidden in passenger suitcases arriving from Malaysia at India’s Chennai International Airport. Read more: [Explainer] Why is India a major hub for wildlife trafficking? 12 live pangolins were seized during the action weeks, such as this one in Mozambique. Image courtesy of Interpol and the WCO. This coral, found in Italy, was one of 493 pieces and 21.41 kilograms (47.2 pounds) of coral seized globally. Image courtesy of Interpol and the WCO. U.S. authorities discovered 1 metric ton of sea cucumbers, considered a delicacy, smuggled from Nicaragua. Australia and the U.K. reported seizures of bear bile, an ingredient in traditional medicine that’s collected using a tube or catheter inserted into the animal’s gallbladder. Such species&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/02/thousands-of-live-animals-seized-in-global-wildlife-trafficking-crackdown/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/02/thousands-of-live-animals-seized-in-global-wildlife-trafficking-crackdown/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>New tarantulas described from the Western Ghats</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/01/new-tarantulas-described-from-the-western-ghats/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/01/new-tarantulas-described-from-the-western-ghats/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>08 Jan 2025 12:34:20 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Liz Kimbrough]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[conservation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[New species]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[species]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Spiders]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tarantula]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Western Ghats]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildlife trade]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildlife trafficking]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/01/08113355/Screenshot-2024-12-31-at-8-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=30992</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India and Western Ghats]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Conservation, New species, Pet Trade, Research, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A researcher described four new species of tarantulas, including one new genus, from India’s Western Ghats, a chain of mountains running along the country’s west coast. “Most people in India are not even aware that there are tarantulas in India when there are more than 60 species in the country,” Zeeshan Mirza, from the Max [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A researcher described four new species of tarantulas, including one new genus, from India’s Western Ghats, a chain of mountains running along the country’s west coast. “Most people in India are not even aware that there are tarantulas in India when there are more than 60 species in the country,” Zeeshan Mirza, from the Max Planck Institute for Biology in Germany, who found and described the species, told Mongabay. Zeeshan Mirza with one of the new tarantula species from the Western Ghats. Mirza has discovered several species of reptiles in India as well. Image courtesy of Zeeshan Mirza. The large, fuzzy spiders live in tree hollows, along streams and forest paths, and in forest patches. They exhibit interesting behaviours, such as females carrying their egg sacs under their mouth parts (or chelicerae) or creating hammock-like web structures to protect their eggs. One of the new species, named Haploclastus bratocolonus (meaning “tree dweller”), makes its home in hollow trees along rivers. Another species, Haploclastus montanus, was found living at elevations higher than 2,000 meters (6,600 feet) in mountain forests, making it one of the highest-living tarantulas known from the region. Some of the new species were found in the rare small fragments of remaining shola forest surrounded by tea plantations. Among the species was an entirely new genus of tarantulas called Cilantica, named after the Tamil word for spider. They can be identified by the unique scattered pattern of curved bristles on their bodies, unlike the C-shaped arrangement of bristles found in other tarantulas. A female&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/01/new-tarantulas-described-from-the-western-ghats/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/01/new-tarantulas-described-from-the-western-ghats/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Rehabilitating trafficked star tortoises using genetic intelligence</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/03/rehabilitating-trafficked-star-tortoises-using-genetic-intelligence/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/03/rehabilitating-trafficked-star-tortoises-using-genetic-intelligence/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>13 Mar 2024 15:42:06 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Anusha Krishnan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tortoises]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildlife trafficking]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2024/03/13135758/37378967051_754383e52c_c-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=26921</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species and Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Wildlife, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The Indian star tortoise is rampantly smuggled to serve the illegal pet and animal parts trade. It is endemic to the Indian subcontinent and inhabits two disjoined arid regions – northwestern India (including parts of Pakistan) and southern India (including parts of Sri Lanka). Hundreds of news reports on star tortoises have appeared worldwide over [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The Indian star tortoise is rampantly smuggled to serve the illegal pet and animal parts trade. It is endemic to the Indian subcontinent and inhabits two disjoined arid regions – northwestern India (including parts of Pakistan) and southern India (including parts of Sri Lanka). Hundreds of news reports on star tortoises have appeared worldwide over the five years since it was declared highly endangered and was awarded the highest level of protection under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Between October 2021 and February 2022, over 5,000 star tortoises in India alone were seized by government authorities, from smugglers. Most trafficked animals seized by authorities end up in captivity in zoos or wildlife centres that often lack the expertise to care for them. Many others disappear back into the wildlife trade or are released unscientifically into nearby wildlife sanctuaries. To help curb their unscientific release in India, a team of scientists from the Wildlife Institute of India and Panjab University has used genetic testing and measurements of physical features to understand the species’ distribution. The results of their work show that wild populations of star tortoises in India boast moderate to high genetic diversity, despite decades of illegal poaching. The authors say that these differences may mean that star tortoises are locally adapted to either the northwestern or southern habitats in their range. Therefore, integrating genetic information into the management of this highly trafficked species could help in evidence-based conservation and better rehabilitation decisions for seized tortoises.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2024/03/rehabilitating-trafficked-star-tortoises-using-genetic-intelligence/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/03/rehabilitating-trafficked-star-tortoises-using-genetic-intelligence/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>The silent trade of elusive small cats in Mizoram</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2023/08/the-silent-trade-of-elusive-small-cats-in-mizoram/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2023/08/the-silent-trade-of-elusive-small-cats-in-mizoram/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>03 Aug 2023 13:28:32 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nabarun Guha]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Shailesh Shrivastava]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Asiatic golden cat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marbled cat and leopard cat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small cat]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2023/08/02111439/Leopard_Cat_14840017319-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=23884</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species and Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India and Mizoram]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Big Cats, Biodiversity, Cats, Conservation, Environmental Law, Forests, Human Wildlife Conflict, Protected Areas, Wildlife, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The commercial value of products coming from rarer wildlife species has increased because of their growing demand among the middle class across Asia. The profitability of wildlife trade is high enough to make it the second largest direct threat, after habitat destruction, to the survival of many species, reveals a new study on illegal trade [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The commercial value of products coming from rarer wildlife species has increased because of their growing demand among the middle class across Asia. The profitability of wildlife trade is high enough to make it the second largest direct threat, after habitat destruction, to the survival of many species, reveals a new study on illegal trade in rare small cat species along the Indo-Myanmar border. The paper, focusing on illegal trade in Asiatic golden cats and other small felids, suggests that since the trade in body parts of big cats such as tigers, leopards and snow leopards has become more challenging due to increased international regulatory policies, the pressure on other, smaller felid species has increased. Clouded leopards (Neofelis nebulosa and N. diardi), Asiatic golden cats (Catopuma temminckii) and marbled cats (Pardofelis marmorata) are among those species being substituted for their larger kin, as trade in their parts has increased across Myanmar, India, China, Malaysia and Thailand. Northeast India, which is a part of the biodiversity-rich Indo-Burma hotspot, is home to almost 10 species of wild cats including small cats like the Asiatic golden cat, leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis), marbled cat and fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus). These cats are found in most of the states in northeast India such as Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Nagaland, etc. During the winter of 2022, researcher, wildlife biologist and the lead author of the paper, Amit Kumar Bal, was having a casual conversation with some people living in the vicinity of Murlen National&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2023/08/the-silent-trade-of-elusive-small-cats-in-mizoram/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2023/08/the-silent-trade-of-elusive-small-cats-in-mizoram/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Facing space and resource crunch, North East states to build new shelters for seized wildlife</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2023/06/facing-space-and-resource-crunch-north-east-states-to-build-new-shelters-for-seized-wildlife/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2023/06/facing-space-and-resource-crunch-north-east-states-to-build-new-shelters-for-seized-wildlife/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>20 Jun 2023 11:11:20 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nikhil M. Ghanekar]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2023/06/20104305/Burmese_python_6887388927-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=23236</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas and Connected Environments]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[India’s northeasten states are building new homes for seized exotic animals and rescued native wildlife. The states have been coping with the pressures of housing and proper upkeep of these animals. Consignments of exotic wildlife, smuggled in from the international borders with Myanmar and Bangladesh, are routinely seized by state forest departments, border guarding agencies [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[India’s northeasten states are building new homes for seized exotic animals and rescued native wildlife. The states have been coping with the pressures of housing and proper upkeep of these animals. Consignments of exotic wildlife, smuggled in from the international borders with Myanmar and Bangladesh, are routinely seized by state forest departments, border guarding agencies and Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB). These seized animals are taken to small and mini zoos to provide them shelter. This is, however, increasingly getting difficult with lack of space and resources. The zoos are also coping with the pressures of treating injured, rescued and orphaned native wildlife. Last November, in a meeting with officials of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Central Zoo Authority (CZA), the senior forest officials of all North East States had expressed the challenges in housing exotic and native wildlife, which arrive in their zoos. Some zoos, such as the mini zoo in Lady Hydari Park in Shillong, Meghalaya, had to turn away seized exotic wildlife on multiple occasions, as they had no space to house them, according to Meghalaya forest department officials. Following this meeting, it was decided that new rescue centres should be built to address this challenge. In mid-April this year, the CZA’s technical committee recommended approval for new rescue centres in Mizoram, Tripura and Meghalaya while in Sikkim, it recommended the approval for upgrading an existing rescue centre. As per the proposals and layouts, these new rescue centres will have separate enclosures for&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2023/06/facing-space-and-resource-crunch-north-east-states-to-build-new-shelters-for-seized-wildlife/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2023/06/facing-space-and-resource-crunch-north-east-states-to-build-new-shelters-for-seized-wildlife/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>[Video] Combatting wildlife crime with technology</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2023/05/video-combatting-wildlife-crime-with-technology/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2023/05/video-combatting-wildlife-crime-with-technology/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>03 May 2023 18:55:55 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sharada Balasubramanian]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Hagen Desa]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wildlife conservation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildlife trade]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildlife trafficking]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2023/05/03164435/Banner-for-HAwk-story-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=22698</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India and Kerala]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Technology, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In 2015, under Operation Shikar, the Kerala Forest Department solved one of the most sensational ivory poaching cases in India. The case highlighted an important issue in the process of solving wildlife crimes &#8212; tracking the data. In its bid to tackle wildlife trafficking and to access and monitor the wildlife crime data with ease, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In 2015, under Operation Shikar, the Kerala Forest Department solved one of the most sensational ivory poaching cases in India. The case highlighted an important issue in the process of solving wildlife crimes &#8212; tracking the data. In its bid to tackle wildlife trafficking and to access and monitor the wildlife crime data with ease, the Kerala Forest Department has launched Hostile Activities Watch Kernel (HAWK), a software developed by Leopard Tech Labs based in Kerala. The app developed by the technology lab has helped the state forest department transition from a manual to a digital documenting process. Speaking to Mongabay-India, Manu Sathyan of the Kerala Forest Department explains, “The forest department has a good intelligence network, but it is more personal than institutionalised. When officials are transferred, whatever work they have done, the data, everything is gone. The new person has to redo it and does not have the data. So, now we are trying to institutionalise the intelligence network.&#8221; Apart from cutting down on large amounts of paperwork, HAWK also boasts a robust system that ensures transparency across the hierarchy. HAWK became a mandatory tool for documenting wildlife crimes in Kerala from August 2020. In a single click, forest officials can now track the data of a crime, list of offenders and even animal deaths. Read more: [Explainer] Why is India a major hub for wildlife trafficking? Wildlife and technology experts are confident that in the long run, this tool can help earmark areas prone to wildlife crime,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2023/05/video-combatting-wildlife-crime-with-technology/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>[Commentary] Mobilising resources for biodiversity conservation in the far eastern Himalayas</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/09/commentary-mobilising-resources-for-biodiversity-conservation-in-the-far-eastern-himalayas/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/09/commentary-mobilising-resources-for-biodiversity-conservation-in-the-far-eastern-himalayas/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 Sep 2022 12:23:23 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Kripa Shrestha]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Biodiversity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[protected areas]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2022/09/21113406/Jiten_200122_MG_1095-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=19956</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas, Connected Environments, Nature-based Solutions, and Transboundary Infrastructure]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Himalayas and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Nature-based Climate Solutions, Protected Areas, Tourism, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[One among the many critical biodiversity-rich landscapes spread across the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region, the far eastern Himalayas, is home to several species of rare, endemic, and threatened flora and fauna. Located at the confluence of three global biodiversity hotspots – the Himalayas, the Indo-Burma region, and the mountains of southeast China – the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[One among the many critical biodiversity-rich landscapes spread across the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region, the far eastern Himalayas, is home to several species of rare, endemic, and threatened flora and fauna. Located at the confluence of three global biodiversity hotspots – the Himalayas, the Indo-Burma region, and the mountains of southeast China – the landscape includes eight eco-regions and nine important bird and biodiversity areas (IBAs). Spread across China, India and Myanmar, the landscape is defined by shared ecological, cultural, and socioeconomic features that transcend country borders. It features seven interconnected protected areas (PAs) that act as functional habitat corridors for several rare, endangered, and threatened species, including flagship species such as the tiger (Panthera tigris). Although the three countries have long-standing social and cultural ties, poaching, hunting, habitat encroachment, and illegal wildlife trade are rampant in the border areas, and there is an urgent need for transboundary collaboration at the national level. Some bilateral cooperation has been achieved, including a recent Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at combating timber trafficking and conservation of tigers and other wildlife between India and Myanmar. Given the scale of habitat degradation and biodiversity loss, it is critical that we find innovative and sustainable ways for funding the protection and management of the biodiversity rich landscape. Protected areas and corridors Creating and maintaining protected areas could be one of the simplest solutions to halting habitat degradation and biodiversity loss in the region and sequestering carbon to address climate change. It has been estimated that&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2022/09/commentary-mobilising-resources-for-biodiversity-conservation-in-the-far-eastern-himalayas/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Champhai district in Mizoram is now a hotspot for wildlife trafficking in India</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/09/champhai-district-in-mizoram-is-now-a-hotspot-for-wildlife-trafficking-in-india/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/09/champhai-district-in-mizoram-is-now-a-hotspot-for-wildlife-trafficking-in-india/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>15 Sep 2022 14:17:36 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nabarun Guha]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wildlife conservation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildlife protection act]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildlife trade]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildlife trafficking]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2022/09/15084802/BeFunky-collage-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=19888</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India and Mizoram]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Wildlife, Wildlife Protection Act, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Early morning on May 25, a Tata Sumo ‘maxi cab’ – an SUV commonly used for long distance travel across Mizoram – was stopped at the Khankawn police check gate in Champhai district. Suspicious to find the taxi empty given that passengers generally onboard at Champhai town, the cops interrogated the driver. According to the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Early morning on May 25, a Tata Sumo ‘maxi cab’ – an SUV commonly used for long distance travel across Mizoram – was stopped at the Khankawn police check gate in Champhai district. Suspicious to find the taxi empty given that passengers generally onboard at Champhai town, the cops interrogated the driver. According to the driver, the cab had been hired at Champhai by passengers who were supposed to board mid-route. Following the lead from the taxi driver, the police succeeded in intercepting one of the biggest consignments of live exotic animals seized in northeast India. The seizure took place at Chalbawiha Junction near the check gate. Cops arrested Gospel Chanchintha, from Hmunlai in the Lawngtlai district, and his four accomplices from Zokhawthar in Champhai. The accused first crossed the Tiau river, carrying the boxes of smuggled animals on head load and then planned to evade the check gate by walking on foot. The seized animals included 442 lizards, 11 snakes, four three-toed sloths, four tortoises, four pottos (a primate found in tropical Africa), two beavers and a wild cat. The seized animals included lizards, snakes, three-toed sloths, tortoises, pottos (a primate found in tropical Africa), beavers and a wild cat. Photo from the Mizoram police. Just two weeks before this incident, another significant seizure of exotic wildlife had been made at the same location. Among the rescued were four white cockatoos, eight Guinea pigs, five monitor lizards, three kangaroo rats, two Burmese pythons and one meerkat. Vulnerabilities near the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2022/09/champhai-district-in-mizoram-is-now-a-hotspot-for-wildlife-trafficking-in-india/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<title>West Africa&#8217;s illegal online bird trade finds most buyers in South Asia</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/07/west-africas-illegal-online-bird-trade-finds-most-buyers-in-south-asia/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/07/west-africas-illegal-online-bird-trade-finds-most-buyers-in-south-asia/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>05 Jul 2022 13:28:28 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Elizabeth Claire Alberts]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Nandithachandraprakash]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2022/07/05114046/African-gray-parrot-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=18955</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas and Connected Environments]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, India, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Birds, Environmental Crime, Pet Trade, Wildlife, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The rose-ringed parakeet is a common pet across many countries. The bright green plumage and range of vocalisations make it one of the most sought-after birds in the pet trade. The birds are native to parts of Africa and Asia, where traders capture them to supply the continual demand. The rose-ringed parakeet (Psittacula krameri) has [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The rose-ringed parakeet is a common pet across many countries. The bright green plumage and range of vocalisations make it one of the most sought-after birds in the pet trade. The birds are native to parts of Africa and Asia, where traders capture them to supply the continual demand. The rose-ringed parakeet (Psittacula krameri) has been so widely trafficked that, in 1976, countries moved to list the species on Appendix III of CITES, the global wildlife trade convention, in an effort to monitor and regulate the trade. But in 2007, CITES delisted the rose-ringed parakeet, along with 115 other wild bird species found in West Africa, possibly in response to the European Union banning the import of wild-caught birds in 2005, experts say. While the EU ban did reduce some trade, experts say that sales are picking up in the Middle East and South Asia, and that the lack of CITES regulations has made it very difficult to monitor the trade, particularly when it comes to birds originating from West Africa. Although India has strong domestic restrictions on the importation of wild birds, it&#8217;s prominently involved in the trade, the researchers noted. “We know that the unsustainable trade in wild birds from the region has caused populations of some species to collapse but for most species there is essentially no monitoring of populations in the wild,” Rowan Martin, a wild bird expert who holds positions at both the Centre of Excellence at the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology and the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2022/07/west-africas-illegal-online-bird-trade-finds-most-buyers-in-south-asia/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Global illegal trade and farming flourish amid tiger conservation efforts</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/06/global-illegal-trade-and-farming-flourish-amid-tiger-conservation-efforts/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/06/global-illegal-trade-and-farming-flourish-amid-tiger-conservation-efforts/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>17 Jun 2022 12:44:07 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sharon Guynup]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Nandithachandraprakash]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2022/06/17104949/tiger-year-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=18715</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia and Global]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Conservation, Environmental Crime, Tigers, Wildlife, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The illegal tiger-farming business is thriving in parts of Asia. Tigers and bears can be seen pacing inside prison-like cages made of cement and corrugated steel in a new, covert drone footage obtained by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA). Located close to a casino complex on the banks of the Mekong River in Laos, this [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The illegal tiger-farming business is thriving in parts of Asia. Tigers and bears can be seen pacing inside prison-like cages made of cement and corrugated steel in a new, covert drone footage obtained by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA). Located close to a casino complex on the banks of the Mekong River in Laos, this is a newly built, expanded commercial captive-breeding facility. The video reveals that tiger numbers there have doubled since the U.K. nonprofit’s 2015 “Sin City” exposé. Farming tigers for their parts, like pigs and chickens, violates an international treaty, though it continues in Laos, China, Vietnam and Thailand. The illicit trade also violates Laos’s commitment to convert tiger farms to zoos and stop breeding. “This is no zoo,” says Debbie Banks, the EIA’s campaign leader for tigers and wildlife crime. “There&#8217;s no conservation or educational value and [the facility is] not open to the public.” The EIA’s 2015 report documented rampant wildlife trafficking within Laos’s tax-free Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone (GTSEZ), home to the Kings Romans Casino and an adjoining Chinatown district. The EIA called the complex an upscale, lawless playground “catering to the desires of visiting Chinese gamblers and tourists.” Undercover investigators discovered restaurants serving rare and exotic wildlife. Stores sold endangered species products. And a nascent tiger-farming industry allegedly supplied these establishments with tiger parts. When the EIA began its probe in 2014, this new venture had six tigers. Nine months later, there were 35. Now there are about 70. Drone footage obtained&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2022/06/global-illegal-trade-and-farming-flourish-amid-tiger-conservation-efforts/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>[Explainer] Why is India a major hub for wildlife trafficking?</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/06/explainer-why-is-india-a-major-hub-for-wildlife-trafficking/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/06/explainer-why-is-india-a-major-hub-for-wildlife-trafficking/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>08 Jun 2022 12:53:08 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Anusha Krishnan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[exotic species]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[species]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildlife protection act]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildlife trade]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildlife trafficking]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2022/06/07205220/800px-Indian_star_tortoise_by_N._A._Naseer-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=18604</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas and Environment Explained]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Wildlife, Wildlife Protection Act, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Wildlife trafficking, which is the illegal trade of wild animals and plants, either as dead or live specimens, or their parts, has a huge negative effect on the world’s environments, biodiversity, economies, governance, and health. It is a form of transnational organised crime that spans across many countries and involves poaching, smuggling, and illegal collection [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Wildlife trafficking, which is the illegal trade of wild animals and plants, either as dead or live specimens, or their parts, has a huge negative effect on the world’s environments, biodiversity, economies, governance, and health. It is a form of transnational organised crime that spans across many countries and involves poaching, smuggling, and illegal collection or capture, of protected wildlife. According to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), wildlife trafficking is the fourth largest form of transnational organised crime (after smuggling of drugs, human trafficking, and counterfeiting) worth an estimated £15 billion per annum. Despite being a part of the CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild fauna and flora), India is currently one among the top 20 countries for wildlife trafficking, and among the top 10 for wildlife trafficking by air. Due to its megadiverse nature (India has 8% of the world’s wildlife), and dense human population (which makes tracing illegal goods very difficult once they have entered domestic markets), India serves as both, a source, as well as a transit country for illegal wildlife and wildlife products. Added to this, several other factors have made the fight against the illegal wildlife trade increasingly difficult. Amongst these are the porous international borders with China, Myanmar, and other Southeast Asian countries, a growing aviation market and the fast-expanding airport sector, and the use of social media as online marketplaces by wildlife traffickers. Furthermore, smugglers of exotic wildlife species in India have even resorted to misusing the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2022/06/explainer-why-is-india-a-major-hub-for-wildlife-trafficking/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Trafficked kangaroos rescued in north Bengal en route to Indore turn the spotlight on Indian zoos</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/05/trafficked-kangaroos-rescued-in-north-bengal-en-route-to-indore-turn-the-spotlight-on-indian-zoos/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/05/trafficked-kangaroos-rescued-in-north-bengal-en-route-to-indore-turn-the-spotlight-on-indian-zoos/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>10 May 2022 11:08:36 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nabarun Guha]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sahana]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Animals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Biodiversity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Northeast India]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2022/05/10104402/2560px-Buiobuione_-_kangaroo-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=18163</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Environmental Law, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[On April 2, there was a widespread sensation in the Dooars region of West Bengal over the sighting of kangaroos in different parts of the area. Initially, a team from the Belakoba forest range spotted two kangaroos roaming around on the Gajoldoba canal road near the city of Siliguri. Another kangaroo was later rescued from [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[On April 2, there was a widespread sensation in the Dooars region of West Bengal over the sighting of kangaroos in different parts of the area. Initially, a team from the Belakoba forest range spotted two kangaroos roaming around on the Gajoldoba canal road near the city of Siliguri. Another kangaroo was later rescued from the Nepali Busty area, and a carcass was found in a locality on the outskirts of the city. The rescued animals were sent to Bengal Safari Park in Siliguri. This was the second incident of kangaroos rescued in north Bengal in 2022. Earlier in March, an adult red kangaroo was rescued from Kumargram near the West Bengal-Assam border in the Alipurduar district. In that incident, two people from Hyderabad were nabbed with the consignment. It&#8217;s not the first time authorities have seized a kangaroo in the country. Two years ago, exotic species, including kangaroos, were seized from Lailapur, a small hamlet on the border of Assam and Mizoram. However, investigations of the recent twin incidents of kangaroo rescues in north Bengal reveal that the consignments were meant for a zoo. The arrested duo (from the March incident) had a purchase order which showed that the kangaroo was going to Kamala Nehru Prani Sangrahalaya, a municipal zoo based in Indore. Speaking to Mongabay-India, Agni Mitra, Regional Director, East Zone, Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), said, &#8220;It looks like both incidents in north Bengal were linked. After the first consignment was caught, the traffickers thought that they&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2022/05/trafficked-kangaroos-rescued-in-north-bengal-en-route-to-indore-turn-the-spotlight-on-indian-zoos/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>[Interview] Priyan Perera: Shining a light on the little-studied Indian pangolins in Sri Lanka</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/04/interview-priyan-perera-shining-a-light-on-the-little-studied-indian-pangolins-in-sri-lanka/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/04/interview-priyan-perera-shining-a-light-on-the-little-studied-indian-pangolins-in-sri-lanka/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>28 Apr 2022 14:35:12 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Dilrukshi Handunnetti]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Nandithachandraprakash]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2022/04/28141431/Indian-pangolin-in-Sri-Lanka-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=18039</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animal Behaviour, Animals, Conservation, Endangered species, Interviews, Research, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Sri Lanka&#8217;s small population of Indian pangolins in the wild have faced a single consistent threat for decades: the domestic meat market. While some believe pangolin parts have medicinal properties for a range of ailments, some others consider the animal&#8217;s meat a delicacy. New trends, however, show how the world’s most trafficked mammal is further [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Sri Lanka&#8217;s small population of Indian pangolins in the wild have faced a single consistent threat for decades: the domestic meat market. While some believe pangolin parts have medicinal properties for a range of ailments, some others consider the animal&#8217;s meat a delicacy. New trends, however, show how the world’s most trafficked mammal is further threatened by a growing export market that sees it smuggled to nearby India on board fishing boats. To date, though, Sri Lanka is not yet considered a key trading or source country for pangolin trafficking. Found in forests, grasslands and human-modified habitats such as rubber, tea and cinnamon plantations, these shy, scaly anteaters are nocturnal creatures that prefer to stay inside their burrows during the day. But villagers in search of pangolin meat know how and where to locate them. Priyan Perera from the Department of Forestry and Environmental Science at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura is Sri Lanka’s top pangolin researcher, having dedicated the past decade to study the elusive creatures. He set up a research site in a forest reserve in southwestern Sri Lanka, and is working with a team of young researchers to help scale up pangolin conservation on the island. “I have tried to increase pangolin research to better understand the evolving threats to the endangered species. The local research has been scanty, and to mount conservation efforts, we need further studies and reliable data,” he tells Mongabay. Before Perera started looking into the pangolins of Sri Lanka, the only available scientific literature&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2022/04/interview-priyan-perera-shining-a-light-on-the-little-studied-indian-pangolins-in-sri-lanka/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>Sri Lanka growing as smuggling hub for star tortoises mainly collected in India</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/03/sri-lanka-growing-as-smuggling-hub-for-star-tortoise-mainly-collected-india/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/03/sri-lanka-growing-as-smuggling-hub-for-star-tortoise-mainly-collected-india/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>28 Mar 2022 14:04:35 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Malaka RodrigoPragati Prava]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Nandithachandraprakash]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2022/03/28104723/indian-star-tortoise-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=17619</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, India, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Conservation, Endangered species, Environmental Law, Wildlife, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In a secretly recorded video, a man is heard confidently saying, “I have 560 pieces of live tortoises of size 5-12 centimetres [2-5 inches] and the tortoises can be sent through India, Sri Lanka and Malaysia as I know helpful people at these airports.” This took place inside an opulent shopping mall in Bangkok, Thailand&#8217;s [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In a secretly recorded video, a man is heard confidently saying, “I have 560 pieces of live tortoises of size 5-12 centimetres [2-5 inches] and the tortoises can be sent through India, Sri Lanka and Malaysia as I know helpful people at these airports.” This took place inside an opulent shopping mall in Bangkok, Thailand&#8217;s capital, where the supplier met a potential customer. “I also have a small [tortoise] farm in Colombo,” he adds. They discuss how to bring live tortoises into the country to sell as pets. The supplier is Wasim Sheriff, alias Mona or Machli, a notorious wildlife trafficker based in India who had somehow managed to evade the authorities for years. But his luck ran out on this occasion as the buyer recording the encounter turned out to be an informant trying to track the illegal tortoise smuggling route. Based on the information, Machli was arrested in October 2017 in India with 1,012 tortoises. A collage of online advertisements and social media posts offering “Sri Lankan star tortoises” for sale. Image by Malaka Rodrigo. A new international trafficking hub This investigation was part of a covert operation code-named Operation Dragon and carried out from 2016 to 2019, by the Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC), an NGO based in the Netherlands. The goal of Operation Dragon was to uncover the illegal tortoise and turtle trade in Southeast Asia. It resulted in the identification of 200 potential persons of interest and revealed eight criminal networks operating across India, Pakistan, Bangladesh,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2022/03/sri-lanka-growing-as-smuggling-hub-for-star-tortoise-mainly-collected-india/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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			</channel>
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