FROM TIMES OF INDIA

PUNE: Twenty endangered wild animal species have been prioritised for conservation (captive) breeding in zoos across the country, as these species are vulnerable and need immediate intervention.

The population of these species has dwindled and many are on the verge of extinction. The species include pygmy hog, vultures, red panda, hangul, golden langur, muskdeer, hoolock gibbon, rhino, tragopan, monal, Great Indian bustard and king cobra. The 20 endangered species are the prioritised species of the Central Zoo Authority.

Conservation breeding is carried out to restore the population of wild animal species. Animals are bred in captive condition and later released in the wild.

An ex-situ centre to breed species of animals facing extinction will be taken up at the Rajiv Gandhi zoological park in Katraj. Animals like the rusty-spotted cat, jungle cat, mouse deer, king cobra and the Indian giant squirrel will be taken up for conservation breeding.

According to wildlife experts, wildlife habitat is under severe pressure and a large number of species of wild animals have become endangered, the zoos have not only to sustain their own population, but also augment the depleting populations of endangered species in the wild.

There was an existing list of 61 identified endangered wild animal species to be taken up for conservation breeding in zoos. The programme is in process in case of 19 species. Recently, wildlife experts, ecologists and biologists prioritised 20 species from the existing list based on criteria like their vulnerability, present population in zoos, ecology and research work.

Erach Bharucha, director, Bharati Vidyapeeth Institute of Environment Education, who is also a member of the Central Zoo Authority, told TOI that the list comprises important species that require conservation breeding. “More and more wild species are declining in their population and are on the verge of extinction. Thus, the idea is to develop the capacity to breed them outside protected areas like zoos,” he said.

Co-ordinating and participating zoos that are located in the area that has same geographical range with the endangered species to be taken up for conservation breeding, will be identified. For example, hangul can be bred in Jammu and Kashmir, mouse deer in Uttaranchal and red panda in Darjeeling.

“It is a new avenue and has been carried out successfully for few animals like the endangered vulture, red panda and pygmy hog, which were then released in the wild. This has to be done for other endangered species too,” he said.

“A conservation breeding and species recovery plan is being prepared. Not all zoos can take it up. The animals taken up for conservation breeding will not be displayed and need isolated places for the same. They need special care and at times need to be hand reared too,” Bharucha said.

Visitors to the zoos can see them on CCTV and there will be no human imprinting. The animals will be given proper diet and nutrition which is similar to what they eat in the wild. This will help them to survive when released in the wild.

It will be ensured that animals taken up for conservation breeding are not related (same lineage) as they will have better chances of having a good and strong population.

Wildlife experts point out that the decline in population of the 20 species was due to many factors like habitat shrinkage, corridors getting cut off and genetic connections.

Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, is also associated with the conservation breeding programme. B C Choudhary, scientist, Wildlife Institute of India, said that for conservation breeding there was need to prioritise species, prevent inbreeding and presence of healthy breeding stock. There is a need for professional approach and expertise to do it.

According to experts, in spite of all efforts in the past, the conservation breeding of identified endangered species could not be implemented completely in zoos, as the number of animals of such species in Indian zoos was either small, or the zoos did not have the species in captivity or there was non-availability of technical personnel to monitor the programme as well as financial resources to run the programmes.

FROM HINDUSTAN TIMES

BY AMITAVA BANERJEE

Tibetans ushered in the Year of the Water Dragon with protests, hunger strikes and appealing for immediate United Nations Intervention against alleged systematic human rights violation inside Tibet and the suffering of Tibetan people in the hands of China. It was a truly different Loshar (New Year) this time.

Answering the clarion call by the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) to forgo Loshar celebrations, the Tibetans sat in a day long hunger strike at the Darjeeling Chowrasta from 9am to 5pm on Wednesday.

In his message to the Tibetans on the occasion of Loshar, Lobsang Sangay, the Kalon Tipa (Tibetan Prime Minister) stated “Please do not celebrate Losar this year, but do observe traditional and spiritual rituals by going to the monastery, making offerings, and lighting butter lamps for all those Tibetans inside Tibet who have sacrificed and suffered under the repressive policies of the Chinese government.

News from Tibet continues to be grim. Tibet is virtually sealed off with foreigners not allowed to enter. Even Chinese tourists are prevented from visiting Tibet, and the military buildup is very heavy. The Chinese government has launched a massive crackdown on Tibetans who visited India for the Kalachakra Teachings.

Several hundred Tibetans have been detained and are being forced to undergo political re-education. We are extremely worried over what is happening and what might happen inside Tibet. Under such circumstances, please do pray for all Tibetans inside Tibet.”  Read the rest of this entry »

FROM HINDUSTAN TIMES

With chief minister Mamata Banerjee setting the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) ball in motion in Delhi, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) heaved a sigh of relief. A GJM team led by GJM President Bimal Gurung will be departing for Delhi in a day or two to hold talks with union home minister P Chidambaram.

Banerjee on Wednesday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and apprised him of the delay in the formation of the GTA (an autonomous administrative mechanism for the Darjeeling Hills) which according to her would lead to “further confusion.”

Following the meeting with the PM, Banerjee held a press conference in Delhi in which she stated “I told the Prime Minister that seven months have passed since the signing of the GTA Memorandum of Agreement and that the state government has completed its part. There is unnecessary delay by the centre in sending the GTA Bill (which has been passed by the West Bengal Assembly,) for the President’s assent. Darjeeling is peaceful. Further delay will cause confusion. The Prime Minister has assured me that in the next two days the Centre will clear the pending processes.”

The GTA Bill at present in under inter-ministerial consultation. “We welcome the initiative taken by the chief minister and the assurances of the Prime Minister. This has been long overdue. Finally the Government has set itself a deadline. We expect the CM to bring some good tidings during her visit to Darjeeling” remarked Harka Bahadur Chettri, GJM Spokesperson.  Read the rest of this entry »