69 leopards dead in eight weeks-Flora & Fauna-Earth-Health & Science-The Times of India
India’s leopard count has gone down by 69 in the past eight weeks. Statistics show that between January 1 and February 25, 2009, at least 36 leopards were either poisoned, ensnared in traps, killed in accidents or became victims of man-animal conflict. One of them even fell into a well and died in Karnataka last month.
That’s not all. Officials have also seized 33 leopard skins and 9 kilos of bones in these eight weeks in different parts of the country, data gathered by a Delhi-based NGO, Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI), shows.
The killing cuts across all regions ranging from Bandhavgarh in Madhya Pradesh to J&K’s Kishtwar district, from Karnataka’s Udupi district to Bihar’s Madhubani. Uttarakhand, which has India’s largest leopard population, witnessed the highest number of killings: 15. Four skins as well as 4.5 kg bones were also recovered from the hill state. Part of the problem stems from growing man-animal conflicts caused by the habitat loss of the big cat. But wildlife activists also say that a significant number of these deaths are poaching-related. The seizure of leopard skins in states like Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh indicates that illegal wildlife trade is widespread. “In recent times poaching seems to have gone up due to the rise of illegal skin trade in China,” says Advait Edgaonkar, a Bangalore-based carnivore biologist who specialises in leopards.
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Stargazers can look forward to a spectacular celestial view on Saturday as planet Venus will appear together with moon in the evening sky.
As the sun sets, one can look southwest to see the rare phenomenon during which the moon will form the conjunction with Venus, popularly known as goddess of love.
The celestial event will be visible to the naked eye till March 9.
There is a photo mag produced every month by enthusiastic volunteers, at PhotographyBB Online Photography Magazine it is available for FREE download at: http://www.photographyBB.com/magazine. Really is well worth a read, and get all the old issues to also there for download too.
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Nikon Dtown video
Popped up to Marwell zoo for a stroll round at the weekend, they have two birds there that I have never seen before, and they fascinated me. Called a Hamerkop, weird looking bird, they were nest building as well. The Hammerkop (Scopus umbretta), also known as Hamerkop,Hammerkopf, Hammerhead, Hammerhead Stork, Umbrette, Umber Bird, Tufted Umber, or Anvilhead, is a medium-sized wading bird (56 cm long, weighing 470 g). The shape of its head with a curved bill and crest the back is reminiscent of a hammer, hence its name.
