Recently Hangul was in news !!!
Over rising fear
that the endangered Kashmiri stag Hangul may soon become extinct, the
environment ministry has decided to step in and initiate a conservation process
to check its fast dwindling population.
- The horned stag, which is found only in Dachigam National Park
in Kashmir, has been
reduced from thousands to around 200, raising an alarm over the
possibility of its extinction.
- The environment ministry has, therefore, decided
to step in to conserve the state animal of Jammu and Kashmir through
funding and other technical assistance, official sources said.
- The ministry had earlier sanctioned Rs 22
crore for the recovery programme of the near-extinct species, but due to some
reasons the state wildlife department received only Rs 3 crore for the
conservation, officials said.
- Dachigam
National Park, located 22 km from Srinagar, was once the exclusive hunting
reserve of the Maharaja of Kashmir.
·
- Dachigam was declared a
national park in 1951. According to latest estimates by NGO Wildlife
Trust of India, the number of Kashmiri stags in Dachigam has been reduced
to 200. Historically, the Hanguls were distributed widely across the
state “from north and east of Jhelum to lower Chenab rivers, from
Shalurah in the north to Ramnager in the south”, and even in Gamgul
Siya-Behi Sanctuary in Himachal Pradesh.
·
- The first ever census of the Hanguls by the
International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources was
held about four decades back in early 1970s which sounded alarm bells as
their numbers were found to be mere 170. The State Government
initiated several measures to save the Hangul from extinction.
These included the enactment of Wildlife Act and the setting up of a
full-fledged wildlife department. These and other steps had started
giving great results and the Hangul population increased to over 340 by
1980.
·
- But unfortunately, the outbreak of militancy over two
decades back set the clock back, while the Wildlife Department staff
feared to venture out into the Hangul habitat some nomads reportedly took
undue advantage of the situation and encroached with their sheep into the
designated grazing grounds of Hangul. The Wildlife Institute of India
shockingly found a steep drop in their number ranging somewhere between
117 and 160 making the Kashmir stag critically endangered. However, with
situation on the ground improving in recent years, the conditions for
Hangul’s survival are changing for the better.
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Even the GREAT INDIAN BUSTARD was in newzz !!
- The
endangered birds, Great Indian Bustard and Lesser
Florican have got a dedicated land
for breeding in the Shonkaliya Region of Ajmer District,
Rajasthan. The villagers of Ajmer District have agreed to
conserve 30 hectares of land for the breeding activity of these endangered
birds.
- Population
of the Great Indian Bustard (the state bird of Rajasthan) is reportedly not
sizeable with six males, present in the area. The Great Indian Bustard
needs to lure at least three to four females in number for making of the
family. Nests of the Great Indian Bustard have been noticed in the crop
fields of the area.
- The Lesser Floricans
are available in a large number as compared to the Great Indian Bustards’
in the region. Nest of lesser Floricans have also seen around the crop
lands of the area. Floricans make a visit to this north-western region of
the country during their breeding season of advancing monsoons.
This move
of conservation of the Lesser Floricans and the Great Indian
Bustard is an initiative to use MNREGA, the job guarantee scheme
of the central government as a conservative tool. At the time of Manju Rajpal,
the former collector of Ajmer district, the villagers of Shonkaliya agreed to
earmark a dedicated zone in 30 hectare of land for breeding of the birds from
their total of 100 hectares. From 1st May to 30th September entry of
cattle as well as people will be restricted in the protected land.- According
to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species for birds, the Great Indian
Bustard is on the brink of extinction and is now listed as ‘Critically
Endangered’ species. The population of Great Indian Bustard has
drastically reduced in the past few years due to several factors such as habitat loss and degradation,
and illegal hunting.
- Funds
have been released to the Government of Rajasthan for the Desert National
Park under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme- ‘Integrated Development of
Wildlife Habitats’ for various activities, including
protection of Great Indian Bustard and its habitat.
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Recently the Govt announced a Recovery plan for
endangered birds
- In
a bid to ensure a secure future for two of the most critically endangered
birds—Great Indian
bustard and Jerdon’s Courser - the Forest Department is launching ‘Special Recovery Plans’
from April this year.
- While
the Rs.10-crore
programme for Jerdon’s Courser is all set to begin soon, a similar
proposal has been submitted to the Ministry for Environment and Forests
for its approval for the Great Indian Bustard, according to A.V. Joseph,
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife).
- Jerdon’s
Courser, which is endemic to the State (Andhra Pradesh), was believed to
be extinct until it was rediscovered in 1986 near Reddipalli village,
Kadapa district. It is categorised as “critically
endangered” in the IUCN Red List, indicating that species is closest to
extinction. There might be around 25 birds of this species and are found
only in the Sri Lankamalleswara Wildlife Sanctuary (located in the same
district) in the world.
projects
would be taken up in collaboration with Bombay Natural History Society and
other organisations.
- Under
the plans, infra red cameras would
be installed in the habitats of the endangered birds, their numbers
established, biological behaviour studied and attempts would be made to
breed them artificially. Ultimately they would be released into habitats
in which they would survive.
- The Great Indian
Bustard, which was found widely in the grasslands of India and Pakistan in
the past, is now scattered to the grasslands of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra,
Karnataka, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.
========================================================================
Also Vultures made news !!!
- Vulture Population Estimation-2013 was
conducted in Panna
Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh by the
State Government. The Vulture Population Estimation-2013 started from 16
January 2013. It was found that there are 867 vultures in the Panna Tiger
Reserve which include 160 migratory birds as well as 48 unidentified
birds. The Technical report of Vulture Population Estimation-2013 would be
submitted by February end 2013. Around 102 live nests were present in this
tiger reserve.
- Yet another
survey would be conducted in April-May 2013 in order to find out the
success of vulture breeding in Panna Tiger Reserve. The Vulture Population
Estimation is undertaken every year in January in the Panna Tiger Reserve
since 2010. The population of vultures was less in comparison to the 2012
population and the reason for their decreasing number is rise in
temperatures in this area.
What was found in the Vulture Population Estimation-2013?
•The Regional Director Panna Tiger Reserve informed that 659 residential vultures were present in the Panna Tiger Reserve during this Vulture Population Estimation-2013.
•Out of the 659 residential vultures, 476 were the Long Billed Vultures, 86 were the White Backed Vultures, 52 were the Egyptian Vultures and 45 were the Red-headed Vultures.
•There were 160 migratory vultures in the Reserve. Out of these, 41 were the European Griffon, 115 were the Himalayan Griffon and 4 were the vultures of cinereous species.
Reasons for decline in vulture population
- Over the past
few years, there has been a sudden decline in the vulture population. Post
mortem as well as the diagnostic tests of the vultures revealed that there
was a decrease in their population because of consumption of veterinary
drug Diclofenac.
- Diclofenac was consumed by the vultures who fed on the carcasses
of livestock. Diclofenac led to deposition of uric acid in the visceral
organs of vultures which caused their sudden death.
- In the year 2006, a ban was created on the use of
diclofenac in the South-Asian region and this ban resulted in the some
fall in the number of deaths reported in case of these vultures.
========================================================================
Even Lion Tailed Macaque was in news !!
- The lion-tailed macaque, one of India’s endangered mascot species,
is no longer on ‘The World’s 25
Most Endangered Primates’ list, after the international body compiling it determined that the
State governments had acted positively to protect it.
- The list of 25 primates is put out by a group of specialist
agencies — the Primate Specialist Group of the IUCN/Species Survival
Commission; the International Primatological Society; Conservation
International (CI); and the Bristol Conservation and Science Foundation.
- The Western Hoolock
gibbon found in northeast India was also
removed from the ‘list of 25’ earlier, though “it is still not doing wel
- The habitat of the
lion-tailed macaque continues to be fragmented though it is getting
positive attention in the Western Ghats. Across India,
the growing problem is one of conflicts among langurs, macaques and
humans, aggravated by lack of understanding of primate behaviour.
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Additional Reading
Critically
Endangered Birds
·
White-bellied Heron - Ardea insignis
·
Spoon-billed Sandpiper -
Eurynorhynchus pygmeus
·
Siberian Crane - Grus leucogeranus
·
White-rumped Vulture - Gyps
bengalensis
·
Indian Vulture - Gyps indicus
·
Slender-billed Vulture - Gyps
tenuirostris
·
Forest Owlet - Heteroglaux blewitti
·
Bengal Florican - Houbaropsis
bengalensis
·
Himalayan Quail - Ophrysia
superciliosa
·
Jerdon's Courser - Rhinoptilus
bitorquatus
·
Pink-headed Duck - Rhodonessa
caryophyllacea
·
Red-headed Vulture - Sarcogyps calvus
·
Sociable Lapwing - Vanellus gregarius
Critically
Endangered Animals (Mammals, Reptiles, Amphibians and Fishes)
·
Knifetooth Sawfish - Anoxypristis
cuspidata
·
Four-toed Terrapin - Batagur baska
·
Red-crowned Roofed Turtle - Batagur
kachuga
·
Namdapha Flying Squirrel -
Biswamoyopterus biswasi
·
Pondicherry Shark - Carcharhinus
hemiodon
·
Large Rock-rat - Cremnomys elvira
·
Andaman White-toothed Shrew -
Crocidura andamanensis
·
Jenkin's Shrew - Crocidura jenkinsi
·
Nicobar Shrew - Crocidura nicobarica
·
Leatherback - Dermochelys coriacea
·
Sumatran Rhinoceros - Dicerorhinus
sumatrensis
·
Hawksbill Turtle - Eretmochelys
imbricata
·
- Fejervarya murthii
·
Fish-eating Crocodile - Gavialis
gangeticus
·
Ganges Shark - Glyphis gangeticus
·
- Indirana gundia
·
- Indirana phrynoderma
·
- Ingerana charlesdarwini
·
Deccan Labeo - Labeo potail
·
- Micrixalus kottigeharensis
·
Kondana Rat - Millardia kondana
·
- Philautus chalazodes
·
- Philautus griet
·
- Philautus ponmudi
·
- Philautus sanctisilvaticus
·
- Philautus shillongensis
·
- Philautus sp 'Amboli Forest'
·
- Philautus sp 'Munnar'
·
Pygmy Hog - Porcula salvania
·
Leichhardt's Sawfish - Pristis
microdon
·
Narrowsnout Sawfish - Pristis zijsron
·
- Rhacophorus pseudomalabaricus
·
Javan Rhinoceros - Rhinoceros
sondaicus
·
Malabar Civet - Viverra
civettina
