Posts tagged Conservation

The thrill of tiger sighting: Kanha National Park

By Neena Bhandari

Kanha (Madhya Pradesh, India) 29.11.2001 (Sydney Morning Herald): As a child I would snuggle into my father’s arms in the “watch towers” strategically positioned in wildlife sanctuaries, and watch a tiger devour its bait. We would wait for hours in the thick of the night, straining our ears to hear that familiar ruffle of leaves caused by a stealthy predator.

Over the years the practise of baiting tigers for viewing has been discontinued, but encounters with big cats are not uncommon in the 27 tiger reserves of India, where this threatened species has learnt to live with man and vehicles.

Watching a proud tigress stretching with three playful cubs frolicking around her, or a majestic tiger enjoying a siesta, slowly turning to stretch a paw and yawn, are images I have grown up with. Having had the opportunity to see tigers at close quarters in sanctuaries from Ranthambore in the west to Sunderbans in the east, Corbett in the north to Periyar in the south, the experience that sticks with me is the Kanha National Park in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.

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Where have all the butterflies gone?

By Neena Bhandari

New Delhi, 01.11.1995 (IPS): While the world tries hard to stop poachers from wiping out tigers and elephants in the wild, the threat from collectors to butterflies — a crucial link in the food chain — has been ignored.

“These delightful creatures may soon disappear,” warns Virendra Singh, an environmentalist. “Foreigners visiting the country on tourist visas are indiscriminately catching and smuggling out butterflies.”

Four large cartons containing some 15,000 moths and butterflies were seized recently from two Germans, Herman Heinrich and Weigert Ludwig. The collection included 400 rare and endangered species of butterflies, carefully packed in small plastic sachets with codes indicating where each was caught.

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