Batman of Meghalaya: Caving and cataloguing to save bats
Unlike fictional Gotham City’s Batman and Batgirl, this crew of researchers - some of whom describe themselves as “batman” - did not band up to deal out their brand of…
Mammals News
India’s policy flip flop on the lion and cheetah
It is a tale of two large carnivores. While authorities have dragged their feet over finding another home for the lion to ensure its survival in case of unseen dangers,…
Will indigenous cattle 2.0 be climate resilient breeds?
With climate change expected to adversely affect the milk production and reproductive function of cattle and buffaloes in the country, India is now considering using climate resilient traits of its…
Specimens from the past explain environment problems of the present
A skeleton of a common minke whale that was found stranded along the Myanmar coast in 1804 to a century-old quinine tablet-producing machine— fascinating exhibits are on display at Asia’s oldest museum,…
[Interview] The thrills and spills of trapping snow leopard pictures in the high Himalayas motivates Tashi Ghale
For trekkers on the Annapurna circuit trail, the village of Manang is where the road ends and the trails up to the high mountains begin. Far from the paths walked…
Nipah infection in Kerala: Don’t blame the bats alone; improve public health
The Nipah virus (NiV) infection has claimed 14 lives, from Kozhikode and Malappuram districts of Kerala in the month of May. Siblings Mohammed Sadik (26) and Mohammed Salih (28), died on May…
A small village in Jaldapara is reeling under illegal trading of rhino horns
This is the first article in a two-part series on poaching in Jaldapara National Park. Part Two (published on 28-May) looks at prevention and enforcement efforts. JALDAPARA NATIONAL PARK, India…
Mulai Kathoni: a young man’s dream is now a thriving ‘people’s forest’
In 1980, the social forestry wing of the Assam state forest department in northeastern India launched an experimental programme that aimed to measure how well tree cover could protect against…
Naraikadu: Where citizens conserved a forest for 100 years
We set out before dawn to escape the cruel summer heat of the Tirunelveli plains. By sunrise we had already gained altitude and entered the dense deciduous forests of the…
This draft national forest policy too gives short shrift to grasslands
In 1987, Asad Rahmani, ornithologist and the former director of the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), wrote in the journal Oryx that the greatest threat to the great Indian bustard…
