wetlands under Ramsar Convention

New rules notified by the environment ministry on Tuesday, September 26, 2017, decentralise wetlands management  by empowering States

1. to identify and notify wetlands under their jurisdiction,
2. to keep a watch on prohibited activities.

The Centre's role under the Wetlands conservation and Management rules, 2017, will be restricted to

1.  monitoring it's implementation by States, Union Territories,
2.  recommending transboundary wetlands for notification and
3.  reviewing integrated management of selected wetlands under Ramsar Convention.

 -  Centre Decentralises Wetlands management. 
    Times Of India, September 28, 2017.

Narsipur - yog centre road

A 50 year old woman farm worker was trampled to death by a wild elephant near Pattiyarkovilpatti village on the Narsipuram - isha yoga centre road on Tuesday.

Sarada had arrived in Pattiyarkovilpatti along with her family, over a week ago to harvest small onions from a field near the village.

Sarada had gone to attend nature's call around 6.45 am.
Her daughter-in-law heard an elephant trumpet, went in search and found the mangled body.

"We had warned the villagers not to venture out in the fields before 8 am, as there were lot of elephants in the area," an official said.

Wild elephant tramples woman farm worker 
Times Of India,  Wednesday, August 23, 2017

International community taken for a ride?

Supreme Court warned that it would put the environment secretary behind bars, if the government failed to give a road map within a week, for conservation of wetlands.

The court said, government was not keen on conserving wetlands.

The bench noted that although the government talked about it's commitment to the Paris Accord on climate change, it was not concerned about environment protection in the country.

"You have taken us for a ride and made the proceedings a joke.
You are a signatory to the 1971 International Convention on Wetlands. 
You are bound to frame a policy for their preservation.
How will you face the international community?
What will you tell them about it's implementation?" , the Court asked. 
And slapped a fine of Rs. 50, 000.

Amit Anand Choudhary
The Times Of India, July 14, 2017

by acquiring land

The Supreme Court on Friday told the Federal government to consider making 27 high priority elephant corridors - in nine member states - human-free by acquiring land.

The Court told the Federation that, it must examine the suggestion thoroughly, before filing its response.

August 5  2017, The Times of India, Chennai

sick jumbo stuck in pond

Tribals in Palamalai heard continuous trumpeting of elephants.
An elephant was noticed lying in a pond.
Forest ranger Palaniraja's team found that the elephant was unable to stand up on it's own.
A JCB was brought to the spot.
The lactating mother was found fatigued;after it got stuck in the slush, in the previous night.

The animal was administered drugs, antibiotics, vitamin and energy boosters, besides being fed with fruits.
Manoharan, the vet administered 50 units of glucose and 20 injections.
Hundreds of worms were found in it's dung.

After 3 hours of struggle, it slowly got onto it's feet and ambled away into the woods, with it's calf.

Sick jumbo stuck in pond, April 1, Coimbatore. 
Deccan Chronicle, Sunday April 2, 2017.  Page 5.

The Rhinoceros

The only way to save a rhinoceros is to save the environment in which it lives.

Because there is a mutual dependency between it and the millions of other species of both plants and animals.

- David Attenborough

fight over one elephant

Komban has lost nearly 2 tonnes in weight.

And is now being forced to obey orders from mahouts.

It would almost seem like the only people who want him, are the ones hoping that  such an animal, can be tamed.

Jose Niveditha in Wild Card
Deccan Chronicle,
Sunday 19 February 2017.

Court issues notice to Tamil Nadu government

With Isha Foundation's high profile Shivratri fest, just a week away, the Madras High Court refrained from passing any orders to stop the function.

As unauthorized construction happened even after dark, wild animals of the reserve forest get disturbed and flee.

Because of earlier construction of these human encroachments, displaced elephants had entered villages

- Court issues notice to state government,  Times Of India, City February 17, 2017.

Electric fence kills 2 elephants

A 30 year old elephant and its 6 year old calf were electrocuted after they came in contact with an electric fence at a farm in Thasampalayam near Nellimalai Reserve forest in Mettupalayam Monday night.

Another 18 month old male calf suffered severe injuries on the trunk.
The injured calf was rescued.
Palanisamy a farmer had illegally installed an electric fence, enclosing his farm.
The elephants were electrocuted when their trunks came in contact with the fence.

T O I, January 18, 2017

Salmonella threatens Mudumalai Wildlife Reserve

Another Veterinarian has been described as a ditch even from the days of the British.

'Sewage from many areas are openly let into this river. The river is now highly polluted,' he says.


T O I,  January 2,  2017.