IUCN Species of the Day: Marbled Cat

 

Photo credit: Terry Whittaker

 

The Marbled Cat, Pardofelis marmorata, is listed as ‘Vulnerable’ on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™.

IUCN Species of the Day: Asian Elephant

 

Photo credit: Goldy Rajiv Santhoji

 

The Asian Elephant, Elephas maximus, is listed as ‘ENDANGERED’ on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™. It is found in isolated populations in 13 tropical Asian countries. The Asian Elephant is smaller than its African savannah relative; the ears are smaller and the back is more rounded.

Bush Warriors Photography: Meet Sandesh Kadur, iLCP Photographer of the Month

From behind his camera, Sandesh Kadur sees the world from a very different angle. His passion for wildlife sets him apart and has earned him worldwide respect as one of the most promising photographers and documentary filmmakers of his generation. Through the use of images both still and video, Sandesh exposes the need for conservation and encourages protection of the world’s bio-diversity.

Tattoo of the Day

 

Tattoo by Jason Goldberg.

 

The Red Panda is a small, arboreal, omnivorous mammal that is listed as ‘vulnerable’ on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.  It is found in China, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, and India.  Sadly, red panda populations are undergoing a significant decline and it’s estimated there are now fewer than 10,000 mature individuals remaining in the wild.

To save the red panda, we must first protect its habitat, as habitat loss is the number one threat to their existence. Logging and other types of deforestation have reduced a great deal of the forests this animal relies on.  These activities have also upset the delicate balance that exists between the forest’s dense root systems and the soil.  In Nepal, the lack of the dense root systems has caused the rich soil to cascade down mountainsides during monsoons, burying communities, destroying habitat, and leaving human and animal death in its wake.

In Bhutan, this critter is hunted for its fur, which is used to make hats.  In China, Red Panda pelts can be found in many local markets and poaching pressures have furthered population decines, and has even led to extinction in some areas.  Red Pandas are protected in all of the countries where they are found, with the exception of Myanmar.  In China, the species fortunately receives increased protection where it occurs within Giant Panda reserves.

 

Remember: Tattoos are forever… and so is extinction.  To see all of the FANTASTIC art featured on Bush Warriors Tattoo of the Day, and to learn more about this initiative, please click here.  You can also share photos of your own wildlife tattoos and enjoy others’ at our Facebook group, Bush Warriors Inked Nation for Conservation.

 

Rangers Burn Tiger Cub and Hack Feet Off For Tantric Ritual

An incident that caused a great deal of uproar in the Indian conservation community. This shocking incident of the burning of a mutilated tiger cub’s carcass occurred  in Pench tiger reserve.

Four tiger pads have been recovered and three forest rangers  with the Chairman of the Eco-development Society (constituted by the Forest department) have been arrested under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. The incident has been confirmed by the Chief Conservator of Forests, in-charge of territorial Chindwara circle, G Krishnamurthy.

(images not from the actual incident)

The cubs pads were chopped off to be used for performing certain tantrik ritual, which they believed would make them wealthy.

To read more about this incident click here….

Indian Poachers Shift Spotlight From Tigers To Leopards

With the dwindling tiger population, poachers are increasingly on the prowl for the country’s other big cat. And if figures are anything to go by, the leopard will soon beat the tiger in the extinction race. More than 70 leopards were killed across the country in the first three months of this year. And as many as 290 leopards were killed last year, nearly twice as many as the 157 in 2008 according to records available with the Wildlife Protection Society of India.

But wildlifers said the figure could be higher. Some say that up to 500 leopards are killed yearly in India, which has an estimated population of around 8,000 leopards. “Poachers have shifted focus to leopards because they are near-perfect substitutes for tigers’s body parts,” said wildlife activist Jaswant Singh Kalair. Wildlife activists have demanded a dedicated conservation program — on the lines of Project Tiger — for leopards. But so far, forest authorities have not taken any initiative. “Like Project Tiger, a dedicated conservation program for leopards is a must. Poaching of leopards needs to be checked to ensure they don’t face extinction,” said another activist.

A leopard skin sells for Rs 25,000 in the local black market. In big cities, the price goes up to Rs 50,000 and in the international market, it can fetch Rs 100,000.

To read the full article, click here

Rhino Horn Smuggler Arrested Near Nepal-India Border

A 27-year-old man was arrested in Dhangadi as he tried to smuggle a rhino horn out of Nepal. The arrest of Gagan Lama of Kada-7, Bajhang, occurred at the Dhangadi Bus Park as Lama attempted to sneak out of the country with the rhino horn.

District Forest Officer Ramesh Chand and Geta Area Forest Office Chief Ambika Prasad Proudel led the team that arrested Lama.

Lama is currently being held at the District Forest Office, and forest officials are hopeful that the arrest will lead to more information about rhino horn trading networks operating in the area.

• Map and article courtesy Saving Rhinos
• Photo Credit: Mark Davis

To read the full article, click here

55 Rhinos Killed in 4 Years at Kaziranga National Park – A UNESCO World Heritage Site

Kaziranga National Park, which is a UNESCO world heritage site, has had at least 55 rhinos killed there in the past 4 years; and that is only the number that is certain.  In response rangers have been cracking down on suspected poachers extremely hard, and local villagers are claiming that they have been staging poaching incidents in the park and killing innocent youths in an attempt to bolster their image.  The allegations came about when villagers from Silveta, which is 35 km outside the park border, claimed that the rangers killed an innocent villager on May 21st and claimed that he was illegally poaching within the park.  Officials later produced 4 individuals whom they claimed to be poachers in the park, but refused to release their names.  Villagers are demanding a fair inquiry into the killings be held and those who are responsible brought to justice.

A rhino mother and her baby in Kaziranga National Park.

A one-horned rhino that was shot and killed in Kaziranga National Park.

A ranger from Kaziranga National Park.

To read the full article click here

BUSH WARRIORS RHINO WEEK…….

One of the most endangered species on our planet is the Rhino. These extraordinary creatures  are in danger of extinction in the wild, due mostly to rampant illegal slaughter for their horns and increasingly to habitat loss. If not for conservation efforts, there would be no wild rhinos alive today.

There are five species of Rhinos on our planet:
BLACK

WHITE

INDIAN – Greater one horned

JAVAN

SUMATRAN

As a celebration of these majestic animals we would like to announce this week as a Rhino Week in Bush Warriors. We have teamed up with Saving Rhinos to bring you up to date information about these majestic creatures including posters and fact sheets. Feel free and please share these fact sheets and posters with everyone you know.

As part of the Rhino week, this week’s theme in Photo Of The Day Contest will be Rhinos as well….. so if you have rhino photos that you would like to share with us pls Click Here to go and upload your photos to our Photo of The day Contest page…

Have a GREAT Week.

Dori & The Bush Warriors Clan

**GRAPHIC Video**- Carcass of a freshly slaughtered elephant …No words needed

No words are needed…….