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(October 13, 2022) WCS-India Marine Program participated in a multi-stakeholder Dugong Conservation Workshop organized jointly with the Thanjavur Forest Department, OMCAR (Organization for Marine Conservation, Awareness and Research) Foundation, and Wildlife Institute of India on the 15th of September 2022. The workshop focused on discussing the next steps in the management of the recently notified Dugong Conservation Reserve in Palk Bay, Tamil Nadu. About 70 participants from the Tamil Nadu State Forest De...

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(October 13, 2022) First in India, a sanctuary for slender loris in TN | Times Travel Following the first Dugong Conservation Reserve, Tamil Nadu is now gearing up to set up Slender Loris Sanctuary in India, in Kadavur. The sanctuary has been notified under Section 26 (A)(1)(b) of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. The Kadavur Slender Loris Sanctuary includes Vedasandur, Dindigul East and Natham taluks in Dindigul and Kadavur in Karur district and spreads across 11,800 hectares. Read more here. Y...

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(October 12, 2022) On the evening of the 7th of October 2022, the Wildlife Conservation Society - India, with support from Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies and Rural India Supporting Trust (RIST), hosted 'Nature Without Borders' at the Bangalore International Centre. This event brought together conservation experts from diverse geographies, members of community-conserved areas, scholars, and folk artists to bring about dialogue on inclusive approaches to conservation. The theme was centred on exploring the i...

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(October 08, 2022) ‘Surviving the Odds – Combatting India’s Illegal Wildlife Trade is a short documentary film created as a ready-to-use explainer about India's illegal wildlife trade (IWT) and lists measures to tackle this issue. While we developed the documentary as a resource for enforcement agencies across India, it is an eye-opener for the larger audience highlighting the dire consequences of illegal trade in India and the alarming rate at which we are losing our biodiversity.  W...

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(October 06, 2022) Kerala: Herpetofaunal survey finds capital wildlife division as a biodiversity hotspot | The Hindu Thiruvananthapuram's first-ever herpetofaunal survey has recorded 67 amphibian and 80 reptile species, including many vulnerable, endangered and near-threatened ones. Organised jointly by the Forest Department and Aranyakam Nature Foundation, the survey was conducted by volunteers from various institutions. The survey also recorded many species that were endemic to the Western Ghats. ...

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(September 30, 2022) Counter Wildlife Trafficking Newsletter August 2022 In Focus Multiple seizures involving illegal trade of exotic wildlife species were reported in August. The cases were reported from Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tamil Nadu, and Tripura. Seized wildlife includes exotic species of primates, hornbills, and reptiles, among others. Read full media reports on these seizures here: Passenger from Bangkok caught with live animals, including monkey & snakes at Chennai Airport; arrested...

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(September 22, 2022) India gets its first Dugong Conservation Reserve in Tamil Nadu | The Hindu 448 sq km of coastal waters in Palk Bay have been notified as India's first dugong conservation reserve, covering Thanjavur and Pudukotta. There are only about 240 dugongs in Indian waters, so protecting them and their vulnerable habitats is imperative. Officials explain that the new reserve will not restrict or regulate fishing communities in any way but will focus on collaborating with them in conservation ef...

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(September 15, 2022) New atlas of bird migration shows extraordinary journeys | The Hindu  A recently published online bird migration atlas draws data from a vast amount of scientific and community sources to illustrate the routes of about 450 bird species in the Americas, including warblers. This first-of-its-kind site will host hundreds of GPS and bird-banding data and community science observations. The site enables a user to enter a species and watch its movement's course over time. Read more ...

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(September 13, 2022) The report, ‘Illegal Trade of Marine Species in India: 2015-2021’, aims at providing a comprehensive overview of the illegal marine wildlife trade in India from 2015 to 2021. Publicly available online newspaper articles were collected and analysed by the Counter Wildlife Trafficking team of WCS-India. The report provides insights into the nature, volume and extent of illegal marine trade across the country. In addition, incidents involving illegal sea cucumber trade were further anal...

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(September 08, 2022) Southeast Asia’s big cats like their prey rare — as in really elusive | Mongabay A new study explains the importance of rare prey species like serows for tigers and clouded leopards in Southeast Asia. The population of these cats are threatened by the illegal wildlife trade and the snaring crisis, which also depletes the prey population. Notably, the finding refutes the belief that clouded leopards prefer arboreal prey or small deer. The insights also help inform efforts to bo...

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