Markhor struggles to survive in Kashmir as its Hirapora habitat is overgrazed, fragmented by roads and power lines
By Mudassir Kuloo
Abdul Hamid Bhat, 58, of Shopian district in Kashmir, vividly remembers the days he could easily sight a herd of Markhor in the nearby Hirapora Wildlife Sanctuary. But he has not seen any of the famous mountain goats in the last two decades. Surveys by the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) say the Markhor population in Hirapora has fallen from 70 in 2004 to 30-35 now.
“The construction of the Mughal Road and overgrazing by [the sheep and goat flocks of] nomad Bakarwals are the main reasons for decline of Markhor here,” Bhat says. “Authorities have also laid a power transmission line for which a lot of trees were cut, which also disturbed the habitat of animals including Markhor.”
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₹ 1 lakh given to volunteer killed by elephant
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Madurai Wildlife Trust of India, New Delhi, has given ₹1 lakh to the family members of a young volunteer, Muthu Prabhakara Chera Pandiyan of Vilathikulam, who was killed by a wild elephant during a census in Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve in December 2020.
The money through Van Raksha project was handed over by Wildlife Warden, Grizzled Squirrel Sanctuary, Srivilliputtur, Muhamad Shabab.
Chief of Enforcement, Wildlife Trust of India, Josh Louis, and S. Subramaniya Rajha, Green Corridor Champion, WTI, were present.
Members of Wildlife Association of Rajapalayam had supported the family by providing ₹10,000 earlier. The association also thanked Founder-Executive Director & CEO of Wildlife Trust of India, Vivek Menon, and Field Director, STR, Nihar Ranjan, for helping the family members of the volunteer.
Rare birds and animals spotted in 2020
Rare birds and animals spotted in 2020
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January 01, 2021 16:29 IST
From whooper swans in Kashmir to Himalayan serow in Spiti Valley, birds and animals that have rarely been spotted showed up in 2020, much to the excitement of naturalists
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Egrets and gulls at Chilika Lake in Orissa
| Photo Credit:
Samrat Gowda
From whooper swans in Kashmir to Himalayan serow in Spiti Valley, birds and animals that have rarely been spotted showed up in 2020, much to the excitement of naturalists
Four majestic whooper swans were spotted in Kashmir recently for the first time after 50 years. They are not the only birds who made headlines in 2020. The desert finch, usually found in Pakistan and Afghanistan, made its stopover at Gurgaon in Delhi, making it to the first photographic record in India. Greater white-fronted geese were photographed at Wadhwana lake in Vadodara for the first time.
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