Wildlife Conservation on Pitara Kids Network

The Importance of the Mangrove Forest

Thu, 05 Jul 2001 14:13:59 +0000

Tropical coastlines and marshy areas around the world have one thing in common: mangrove forests. These consist of trees and shrubs that throw out many prop roots and sustain a large variety of aquatic animals, birds and plants. These mangroves form a complete ecosystem. That is, they provide a complete base for all the organisms within that environment to live and thrive. That keeps the balance in the larger environment of which humans are a vital part. Marshy and swampy tidal areas near seas and estuaries, where rivers empty into the sea, are ideal for mangrove forests.

The Truth about Zoos

Fri, 03 May 2002 15:04:59 +0000

Last week we carried a piece about the relevance of zoos as the last refuge of endangered species. But in India it appears that zoos should be the last place for animals of any sort, let alone the endangered variety.

It is no secret that most Indian zoos are in a bad state. Although zoos claim to educate people and preserve species, Indian zoos do neither. Most zoo enclosures are quite small, and labels provide little information. Visitors are more interested in entertainment, often at the expense of the animals, than in educating themselves.

Stripes Tiger and the Boy

Wed, 23 May 2001 09:43:29 +0000

“Once upon a time… Stories start like that don’t they? Our story, too, starts like that as my grandma didn’t know when it happened.” Once upon a time, there lived a boy called Rahul in a village. One day, he was walking down a path when he came upon a large tiger trapped in a wooden cage. The villagers had caught him for stealing lambs.

“Hey mister!” cried the tiger as soon as he saw Rahul, “I am so thirsty. Please open the cage so I can get a little drink. There is no water here.”

The Priest, the Tiger and the Jackal

Mon, 24 Jan 2000 23:59:25 +0000

One day a priest was walking along a country road when he came upon a tiger, shut up in a strong iron cage. The villagers had caught him and shut him up there because he had started preying on their fowl and cattle.

As soon as the tiger saw the priest, he pleaded, “Oh, Brother Brahmin, please let me out to get a little drink! I am so thirsty, and there is no water here.”

Long Memory of Female Elephants is Responsible for the Well Being of their Families

Tue, 16 Apr 2002 01:48:40 +0000

You must have heard the phrase ’elephant’s memory’ being used for people with a long memory.

It seems the long memory of elephants, especially female elephants, is directly responsible for the well being of their families. This fact was discovered by a group of researchers of the University of Sussex who studied the elephants of Amboseli National Park in Kenya, the Telegraph newspaper reported.

Elephants live in matriarchal families or families that are headed by the mothers. The oldest mother in the herd leads half a dozen other adult females and their children when they go looking for food. This is because the oldest female elephant is the one with the longest memory in the family. She can differentiate a friend from a foe more than anyone else.

The Truth About Bats

Wed, 26 May 1999 21:30:39 +0000

Bats are among the world’s least appreciated and most endangered animals, thanks to centuries of myth and superstition. Contrary to common misconceptions, bats are not blind, they are not rodents and they won’t get tangled in your hair. The truth is that bats are mong the most gentle and beneficial animals on earth.

A bat is a winged mammal with the ability to fly. It’s ability to maintain sustained flight, unique among mammals, results from the modification of hand-like forelimbs into wings. Bats are mammals just like humans which means all bats are warm blooded, have hair, bear young ones and nurse them.

Sea Turtles

Thu, 31 Jan 2002 20:26:11 +0000

Can you name an animal that returns to the place of its birth, every single year, journeying more than 1,000 km to do so? Well, here is another hint: this animal is a sea creature that originated on earth more than 200 million years ago- making the species older than the oldest ever dinosaur.

Give up? They are none other than marine turtles, more commonly known as sea turtles. Seven existing species of sea turtles exist in the world today of which at least four (the Olive Ridley, Green Hawksbill, Leatherback and Flatback) are fairly common in the waters of the Indian Ocean. The sea turtle, or the Leatherback is the largest living turtle. It can grow up to a length of six feet and is known to weigh about 700 kgs!

A Roaring Shame

Thu, 19 Nov 1998 15:38:08 +0000

Once upon a jungle
In a land not far away

There was an awful bungle
In a den where lions lay.
There were two mighty
lions…
I’ve made a mistake there…
One was a mighty lioness,
Now, that’s being right and fair.

These two awesome beasties
Were parents fond and proud
Of a litter of loitering lion cubs
That called out clear and loud.

A Roaring Shame [Illustration by Paramita Kar]

The lion cubs, they grew on,
And soon they lost their mew,
All but the strongest, oldest son.

A safety net for cheetahs, vultures, dolphins

Mon, 11 Sep 2006 13:09:03 +0000

Where: Rome, Italy

December 9, 2008 :The fastest moving mammal on earth is now moving – fast – towards extinction. The Guardian reports that cheetah is on a list of 21 names newly added to the United Nations Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals List 1 of endangered species. The Egyptian vulture is on this list too, because it is affected by the excessive use of toxic pesticides.

A safety net for cheetahs, vultures, dolphins []

A species of Asian duck, which is eaten as a delicacy in its native region, three kinds of dolphins, some marine mammals and bird varieties are also on the list. These findings were aired at an international wildlife conference by the UN, which was held in Rome.

Vanishing Vulture

Tue, 15 Mar 2005 02:34:39 +0000

It’s the bird most commonly associated with death. Once a common sight in South Asia, the vulture, or nature’s scavenger, is one of the 78 species in India that is dying out. Faced with a mysterious virus and pesticide poisoning, the population of vultures today is said to be just 5 per cent of what it was (about 20 years ago) in the 1980s. A couple of years ago, the vultures of Keoladeo National Park in Bharatpur numbered 2000. Now there are just four.

Snake People

Sat, 27 Dec 1997 06:49:36 +0000

The Snakes Around Us
Written by Zai and Rom Whitaker
Illustrations by Shekar Dattatri
Published by National Book Trust, New Delhi

This fascinating book gives us glimpses of the lives of the Irula tribals of Tamil Nadu, who are great snake catchers. The authors, who run a snake park in south India, have worked with these “snake people” for over a decade, and talk about their snake-catching abilities. They also talk about “snake people” in other parts of the world, who are great names in the world of research on snakes.

Pelican Trouble

Thu, 07 Jun 2001 01:33:03 +0000

Many people living in Andhra Pradesh may have escaped the wrath of the cyclone that ravaged the state last month, but the migratory pelicans, in a small costal village in northern Andhra, weren’t quite as fortunate.

Pelican Trouble [Illustration by Shiju George]

The storms’ heavy winds and rains didn’t cause as much material damage as was expected, however it proved disastrous for the pelicans as small chicks were blown out of their nests.

Prabhu and the Prawns

Sun, 25 May 2003 08:54:13 +0000

The still, muddy water glistened with oil. There were no signs of any
life as Prabhu stood by the side of the narrow canal and squinted hard,
anxiously searching the depths of the murky pool. But the slick surface
made it hard for him to see anything beneath the surface.

Fear crossed the eight-year-old’s face. If he couldn’t find what he was
looking for, there would be no meal tonight.

Prabhu and the Prawns [Illustration by Anup Singh]

Prabhu is a shrimp seed collector. Every morning, he trudges nearly three kilometres to reach a shrimp farm in Nellore district in Andhra Pradesh. There he picks out tiny, baby shrimps called seeds from small, saline pools where they are grown, and transfers them to huge reservoirs.

Pushed to the Edge

Sun, 30 Mar 2003 03:34:03 +0000

December 27: Leslie Readwin of Britain is in India with a purpose. She wants to see the famous tigers of the Corbett National Park, which nestles at the foot of the Indian Himalayas. The 80 year old is very keen to meet the majestic cats in their natural surroundings. But she might have to return without seeing even one.

The tiger is dying out at Corbett, a Park that was created with the very aim of preserving the region’s tigers.

Squirrelling it Away

Mon, 05 Mar 2001 23:30:19 +0000

Chimpu and his grandfather had gone to the park for an evening walk. After Chimpu had played with his friends for over an hour, he came back sweating and tired, to sit beside his grandfather at the park bench. There he found his grandfather throwing peanuts, brought from home, to the scampering squirrels at his feet.

In fact, bushy-tailed squirrels are a common sight in the city’s parks and gardens. This frisky little rodent is constantly scampering around, and it is indeed rare to come across one perfectly still.

Earth Heroes

Tue, 31 Oct 2000 06:50:28 +0000

July 15: Heroes are people admired for certain noble qualities. Like standing up to wrongs committed by others. And doing something to right those wrongs.

Recently, a few men were honoured as earth heroes for what they have done for wild animals. They were awarded Millennium Awards for Wildlife Service reported The Asian Age newspaper. The awards were started this year by Sanctuary magazine and ABN AMRO Bank.

The earth heroes have fought several battles. With authorities who don’t care what happens to animals. With poachers who don’t respect laws and hunt animals. Even endangered ones. And with hostile locals who don’t understand the need to protect or look after the wildlife in their neighbourhood.

Death Threat

Mon, 07 Jul 2003 08:08:23 +0000

March 19: The Olive Ridleys are olive-green coloured sea-turtles that have existed for more than 200 million years. The Gahirmatha beach in Orissa is one of their nesting sites, but unfortunately the fishermen have started catching these turtles for meat to sell in the local market.

This has alarmed environmentalists. Nature lover and scientist, BR Ray says that this trend will surely lead to the extinction of the turtles.
Thousands of female ridleys travel thousands of kilometres to lay their eggs at Gahirmatha beach. The beach also happens to be one of the four large nesting sites for Olive Ridleys in the world. The others are found in the tropical Pacific, Indian and the South Atlantic Oceans.

The Filmmaker

Tue, 04 Jun 2002 06:04:38 +0000

Shooting ‘Shores of Silence’, was probably more exciting than shooting a high-voltage action thriller for Mike Pandey and his two crewmembers. The small fishing boat that they rode the high seas in, was tossed by huge waves like a cork, threatening their life and equipment several times. But the three hung on, determined to shoot the sequence that was to be the highlight of the film – the capturing and slaughtering of giant whale sharks.

The Lake and the Birds

Wed, 15 Dec 1999 06:46:25 +0000

Where: Himachal Pradesh, India

March 8, 2001: The picturesque Pong Dam lake region in the mountainous state of Himachal Pradesh, is losing its lustre. A great deal of its charm has lain in the fact that it is north India’s largest refuge for migrating birds escaping harsh winters abroad. But not for long, if recent trends are any indication.

A low water level in the lake this year has forced the migratory birds to fly away one month in advance, says a report in The Indian Express.

Army Comes to the Aid of Birds

Wed, 06 Feb 2002 14:07:05 +0000

October 14: Harike sanctuary, a large wetland in India’s Punjab district, has just undergone a massive clean-up operation. The sprucing-up of a large part of the sanctuary has been done to welcome a special group of tourists who had stopped coming to the sanctuary because it had stopped being hospitable.

These tourists used to come all the way from Siberia, China, Central Asia and Ladakh to escape the harsh winter months. They were migratory birds like the cotton teal and common pochard, says a report in ‘The Indian Express’. Almost 360 species of birds have been recorded earlier in the vicinity of the sanctuary.

Operation Rescue of Penguins

Thu, 26 Oct 2000 23:45:28 +0000

July 8: Last week, the South African government was engaged in a very important task – transporting 19,000 penguins from their home in Dassen Island near Cape Town, to safe waters. It was an emergency.

Operation Rescue of Penguins [Illustration by Kusum Chamoli]

The short legged, big bodied birds with pointed beaks did not have the “cute” look that we always see in them. Most of them were covered in slimy oil. Their feathers hung limply by their sides. They were unable to do anything – even eat, and had gone hungry for three days.

Orphanage for Elephants

Sat, 15 Jan 2000 07:02:15 +0000

July 15: Five baby elephants were very sad. They were being returned to the forest. In fact, they broke into tears. But why were they sad to return home?

Orphanage for Elephants [Illustration by Sandeep Johri]

Because they had fallen in love with the orphanage they were staying in before they were returned to the forest. The men who had taken care of them were sad too. There were no dry eyes among them.

In 1700, there were some 60 million buffaloes in North America. Millions we...

Tue, 15 Jan 2002 06:31:37 +0000