Photography of bustard now covered under Wildlife Act

The forest department has restricted the movement of people in the Naliya grasslands, a habitat of the Great Indian Bustard. This is because the movement of people was too close to the birds and created disturbance for them. Deputy conservator of forests, #Kutch (West) division, P.A. Vihol said that recently the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) issued guidelines for the #Great #Indian #Bustard Recovery Programme. The guidelines stated that “unethical photography during the breeding season often acts as a constant source of disturbance to the bustards. Incidents of such photography have been reported in Naliya grasslands. Due to the lack of legislative enforcement and protective measures in core breeding areas, such direct threats on Great Indian Bustard population continue unrestricted.” Vihol said, “In order to reduce such direct threats to this critically endangered and #Schedule-I species in NaIiya grasslands, particularly during their breeding season, we are issuing a caution note to the over- enthusiastic and unethical photographers to restrict their movements near the sanctuary areas, breeding and nesting grounds. The breeding season spans from April to October.” He cautioned that “any person found to be disturbing the birds during their breeding or even its nesting shall be prosecuted under the #Wildlife #Protection #Act 1972.” According to officials, the act was there in place, but no such caution was issued and people use to walk very close to the birds. Hence, a decision was taken to impose this caution note based on the guidelines of the MoEF. It has been mentioned in the guidelines that some grassland areas were ploughed during monsoon and post-monsoon season for planting better species of grass and their growth. Such activities also create disturbance to nests, eggs or chicks of the Great Indian Bustard, said a senior official, adding that the department will also impose a curb on such activities.

Courtesy:- Times Of India.

Fencing trap Kills Leopard in Rajula Taluka, Amreli, Gujarat, India

A farmer in Hadmatiya village of Rajula taluka in Amreli was arrested on charges of poaching on Wednesday after a leopard died in his field after being trapped in the fencing surrounding the field. Ramesh Coli was booked under Sections of Wildlife Protection of Act (1972) and sent to judicial custody. According to forest officials, a male leopard was trapped in a device placed on the boundary of the farms’ fencing erected to keep wild animals away from the crops. Officials said that a person who has taken the land on lease for cultivation from the farm owner had laid the fencing around the farms and also placed trap devices with clutch wires to trap the animals that destroy crops. The leopard tried to jump from that place and was clutched to death. Forest officials registered a complaint of poaching against the accused and on Wednesday sent to jail for the crime. “The device which was used by accused is one kind of trap in which the animal once stuck can’t escape and dies”, a senior Forest Officer said. Wildlife activists have expressed concern over the accidental death of wild animal’s as well electric fencing and other type of devices used by farmers to protect their crops. Recently, Right to Information (RTI) Act application filed by a Porbandar-based RTI activist Bhanu Odedara revealed that during the last five years, 171 wild animals died due to various kinds of accidents in Junagadh wildlife division area. Odedra obtained the details about natural deaths, accidental deaths and poaching of Asiatic lions, leopards, hyena, blackbucks and blue bulls. The RTI revealed that 14 wild animals were poached and 449 did natural deaths. Of the total 171 accidental deaths, 53 are leopard’s and3aions. Rests of the animals are blue bulls, blackbucks and hyena. Courtesy:- Times Of India.