Asian elephants are ingesting large amounts of plastic from landfills in India
© Unsplash/Paweldotio
According to a new study, endangered Asian elephants in Uttarakhand, India, have been ingesting human garbage, including plastics. How does human waste get there? Plastic waste is found in garbage dumps near forest fringes that neighbour human communities; elephants venture here to eat. Once the plastics are brought into the forest via the elephants’ dung, other species may consume them, causing damage and health threats. Better waste management would help reduce the problem, scientists say.
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Global illegal trade and farming flourish amid tiger conservation efforts
© Steve Winter/National Geographic
As the world celebrates the Year of the Tiger in 2022, humans continue to threaten the cat’s long-term survival in the wild by killing, buying and selling tigers and their prey, and encroaching into their last shreds of habitat. With the world’s second Global Tiger Summit and important international meetings on biodiversity and endangered species looming, it’s a crucial year for tigers. In the wild, some populations are increasing, some stable, and others shrinking: Bengal tigers in India are faring best, while Malayan tigers hover on extinction’s edge.
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New species of bamboo-dwelling bat found in Meghalaya
© The Hindu
Scientists have discovered a new species of bamboo-dwelling bat in the Ri Bhoi district of Meghalaya. The species, found near the forested patch of Nongkhyllem Wildlife Sanctuary, has been named Glischropus meghalayanus. The present discovery is the first report of a thick-thumbed bat not only from India but also from South Asia.
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How Better Road Designs Can Cut Down Roadkill
© Outlook
Wildlife-Vehicle Collision (WVC) almost always results in roadkill. The risk posed by this phenomenon can upend years of conservation efforts by the Indian government. Experts believe that habitat destruction forces wildlife to stray and become prone to roadkill. Despite deaths due to WVC being the leading cause of wildlife deaths, it is hardly prioritised in debates and conversations around urban-animal coexistence.
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Climate Change In Sundarbans: Loss Of Mangroves, Adaptation And Mitigation
© NDTV
Sundarbans, the largest delta in the world, consists of 10,200 sq km of mangrove forest, the largest mangrove forest in the world. Sunderbans is facing the onslaught of climate change which is affecting the lives and livelihoods of the people.
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Orchids vanishing rapidly from wild in India due to habitat destruction
© Wikimedia Commons
According to a new report, colourful fragile orchids that have endured for millennia are now increasingly vanishing from the wild in India due to habitat destruction and degradation, climate change as well as illegal trafficking.
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Giving a traditional twist to wildlife art
© Sudarshan Shaw
The artistic marvels of Odisha and its rich culture had always had a deep influence on South Delhi-based visual artist Sudarshan Shaw, a native of Bhubaneswar. With his maternal grandparents residing in Kolkata, Shaw recalls folk art and traditional, cultural practices being a big part of his upbringing. These influences, in turn, have helped the 28-year-old visual artist develop his signature style—Shaw offers an alternative perspective to folk art and depicts “wonderful stories that come out of our roots”.
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