Leopard enters house, takes away cat

COIMBATORE: Fear gripped Valparai and surroundings after a leopard entered a house on Monday night and took away a pet cat.

Jayanthi Sivan (40), a resident of Cooperative Colony in Valparai, was busy in the kitchen when she heard pounding sounds and growls around 8.15pm. When she went to the main hall to check out the noise, she saw the leopard walk out of the house with one of her cats. A shocked Jayanthi cried for help. By the time neighbours arrived, the animal had slipped into darkness.

The house is situated close to Nadumalai Tea Estate, where leopard sightings have become common after dark. Hamsa Bava, a neighbour, said the leopard is likely to return since it knows that about the other cat.

The other cat is so scared that it has not eaten any food so far, said Jayanthi.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/coimbatore/Leopard-enters-house-takes-away-cat/articleshow/18248555.cms

Visakhapatnam beaches give Olive Ridleys a raw deal

A full-grown Olive Ridley turtel found dead on
the sands of RK Beach in Visakhapatnam.

VISAKHAPATNAM: They travel thousands of miles from the coast of Mexico to Visakhapatnam, weathering numerous storms and threats along the way just to breed and nest in peace. But at the fag end of their journey, many of these intrepid travellers meet a ghastly end when they get caught in fishing nets and die of asphyxiation or fall prey to dog attacks on the beach.

The endangered Olive Ridley turtles, listed under schedule one of the endangered species list, land up in thousands on Indian shores between the months of November and March. While Odisha's Rushikulya and Gahirmatha beaches are mass breeding grounds, beaches along the Vizag coast like RK Beach, Rushikonda, Bhimili, Pudimadaka and Jodugudulapalem are sporadic nesting grounds that are proving to be hostile as in Odisha the fisherfolk fiercely guards these turtles and their nests.

According to experts, matured turtles, especially females, that move closer to the beaches to nest get caught in fishing nets due to the practice of bottom trawling followed by mechanized boats and trawlers off the coast of Vizag. "Each year from December to March, at least 40 to 50 matured turtles die each month after getting entangled in nets," said Pradip Nath of Visakhapatnam Society for Prevention and Care of Animals (VSPCA).

"Fishermen are supposed to use nets fixed with the TED (turtle exclusion device) but don't do it as it has not been made mandatory," added Professor Bharata Lakshmi from the Zoology Department of Andhra University.

"When we tried to enforce the TED, fishermen argued that their fish catch comes down by 10 to 20% when the real impact is only a 2% reduction. A turtle needs to surface every 45 minutes for oxygen but when they get entangled in the nets they are held underwater for a period of over 2 hours, which kills them," explained Nath of VSPCA.

The turtles lucky enough to dodge the fishing nets either fall prey to packs of hungry dogs or are crushed by callous beachgoers.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Visakhapatnam-beaches-give-Olive-Ridleys-a-raw-deal/articleshow/18230705.cms

Another rhino killed by poachers in Kaziranga

PTI
JORHAT: A rhino was killed and its horn removed at the Kaziranga National Park in Assam making it the fifth to have fallen prey to poachers this month.

The rhino was killed yesterday near Hatibandi Camp under Bagori range on the southern side of the park along Nagaon and Karbi Anglong districts, divisional forest officer (DFO) D D Gogoi said today.

Two empty cartridges of AK-47 assault rifle were recovered near the carcass, Gogoi said.

The police suspect the involvement of Karbi Peoples Liberation Tiger (KPLT) insurgents in the poaching.

A male rhino was killed on Sunday night near Borholla camp in the Burapahar range of the park.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Another-rhino-killed-by-poachers-in-Kaziranga/articleshow/18236778.cms

India, US join hands to tackle illegal wildlife trade

PTI 
NEW DELHI: India and the US have decided to join hands to tackle illegal wildlife trade, which involves billions of dollars annually.

US and Indian government officials, representatives of NGOs, wildlife lawyers and enforcement officials today discussed some of their challenges and successes in combating wildlife trafficking in the roundtable organised by the US Embassy and WWF/TRAFFIC India — two global organisations engaged in wildlife related issues — here.

"The United States and India have worked together on wildlife conservation for over 25 years. We will continue to work together to combat poaching, manage our wildlife resources, improve enforcement capacity, and reduce consumer demand for illegal wildlife products," said a joint statement issued after the meeting.

Co-chairing a panel discussion on Illegal Trade in Wildlife with WWF-India CEO and secretary general Ravi Singh, US under secretary of state for economic growth, energy, and environment, Robert D Hormats, emphasised the need for high-level political will, public outreach, and greater international coordination and cooperation to combat wildlife trafficking.

He was also of the opinion that regional enforcement networks such as the South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network (SAWEN) should be strengthened to deal with the problem.

Singh noted the intimate link between the decline of India's wildlife species, and alarming trends in illegal wildlife trafficking.

"It is imperative that issues of illegal wildlife trade should be taken up in a strategic manner, linking national agencies and senior government executives. Here, the US government can be an important partner on global wildlife intelligence, networking and sharing of best practices in enforcement," he said.

According to the WWF-India, illegal wildlife trade is estimated at USD 10-20 billion annually, and is among the largest sources of illegal trade.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/India-US-join-hands-to-tackle-illegal-wildlife-trade/articleshow/18242281.cms

Singapore seizes biggest ivory haul in a decade

AFP

Singapore authorities said they had intercepted
1.8 tonnes of ivory from Africa worth 2 million USD in
the city-state's largest such haul in over a decade.
(AFP Photo)

SINGAPORE: Singapore authorities said on Wednesday they had intercepted 1.8 tonnes of ivory from Africa worth $2 million in the city-state's largest such haul in over a decade.

The seizure was made following a tip-off, said Gerald Neo, executive manager of the quarantine and inspection department of the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA).

"AVA and Singapore Customs conducted a joint inspection on a shipment that was declared as 'waste paper' on 23 January. We found 1,099 pieces of raw ivory tusks," Neo said.

The tusks -- valued at Sg$2.5 million ($2 million) -- were in transit from Africa, a joint statement by the AVA and Singapore Customs said. The destination of the shipment was not mentioned.

International trade in ivory has been banned under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) since 1989. Singapore is a signatory to the convention.

The statement said the AVA was "working with local and international agencies to investigate this case".

It was the biggest haul since June 2002 when authorities seized around six tonnes of ivory tusks and cut ivory pieces.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Singapore-seizes-biggest-ivory-haul-in-a-decade/articleshow/18258601.cms