Mugger Basking in Plastic Waste, Girnar, Gujarat

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Plastic waste is a common sight in aquatic habitats like ponds, rivers, lakes and oceans and is a major problem. There is a growing body of scientific evidence of the slow degradation of plastic and its impact on aquatic food webs. Plastics also act as physical barriers to animals and impede their movements.

This marsh crocodile (Crocodylus palustris) was seen basking in a pile of plastic waste in a river in Girnar close to the Gir Forest in Gujarat. Muggers … Read More

Nilgiri Striped Squirrel, Palani Hills

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The Nilgiri Striped Squirrel (Funambulus sublineatus) is endemic to the Southern Western Ghats. Members of this genus (family) are found in India and Sri Lanka and can be identified by their dorsal stripes. They are diurnal and are often seen foraging either on the ground or on trees during the day. Habitat loss and deforestation remain their top threats.

This individual was found in Palani Hills foraging at dusk near a small waterfall, visited by tourists. However, like most popular … Read More

Crake Amidst Plastic Waste, Hubli, Karnataka

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This picture is from one of the wetlands near Hubli, North Karnataka, where we would regularly see waterbirds. Rails and snipes were quite common, but that has now been replaced by an assured sighting of garbage.

On one of my recent visits, I saw this Brown Crake (Zapornia akool), one of the bolder rails, with its striking yellow beak. The IUCN Red List ranks it as a species of ‘Least Concern’. However, the wetlands scream a different story. Due … Read More

Oil India Well Blowout Threatens Dibru-Saikhowa National Park and local wildlife

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An oil well blowout – yet to be brought under control 6 days after it started – has been leaking toxic natural gas into its surroundings in Upper Assam, including the fragile Dibru-Saikhowa National Park close by. 

At least 2,000 people have been evacuated even as state-owned Oil India Ltd (OIL) struggles to control the massive eruption or blowout from one of its producing wells in Baghjan oilfield in Upper Assam’s Tinsukia district. Natural gas continued to gush out from … Read More

Tigers with Plastic, Corbett Tiger Reserve

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I saw these 2 sub-adult tiger cubs playing with a plastic bucket / drum that was floating on the Ranganga in the heart of Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR). This was around 4pm on 30th Jan, 2020, near Sambhar road in the Dhikala zone. I handed over the images to the forest department.

According to an article published by the Times News Network (TNN), the park director mentioned, “A group of tourists have given us some pictures where a tigress … Read More

Bird Deaths in Sambhar Lake, Rajasthan, Attributed to Avian Botulism

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UPDATE 2 – 21-Nov-2019: The deaths of over 18,000 birds in Sambhar Lake have been attributed to Avian botulism. Attached is the detailed report by the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), Bareilly. The initial cause of the deaths was suspected to be avian flu, but that has been ruled out. Botulism has been recognised as a major cause of mortality in wild birds since the 1900s. A potential cause of the presence of the bacteria could be toxicity of … Read More

Plastic and the Pup — Red Fox with a Bottle

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Hanle is a small, remote village in Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, India, closer to Tibet, with a population of around 1000 people. It is surrounded by mountains, and marshland at the centre. This village is internationally known for hosting the world’s highest observatory.

Its unique landscape supports a vast range of wildlife and a breeding ground of various birds and mammals. The rocky mountains are home to Eurasian Eagle Owl, Upland Buzzard and the likes. Also there are mammals like … Read More

Cormorant and Plastic, Bangalore

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I photographed this Little Cormorant (Microcarbo niger) with a sheet of plastic in Puttenahalli Lake, Bangalore, on 9th June ’18 while out birdwatching. The bird did not seem entangled in it, so I was unable to understand what was happening. The incident ended in under a minute, with the cormorant suddenly swimming away. Was it looking for a fish under the plastic? Only my speculation!

Despite plastics being non‐biodegradable, most tourists to lakes, wetlands and our wildlife parks consume plastic … Read More

Yellow-throated Marten in Garbage, Sela Pass, Arunachal Pradesh

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I visited Arunachal Pradesh recently for birding, and was enthralled by its beauty. The dense green mountains looked as if they were playing hide and seek with the moving clouds. The place was alive with the continuous chirping of birds. It was like being in paradise. We traveled from Nameri to Dirang and stopped at several places for birding. What really disturbed me was the pile of garbage that we saw in most places. Of the many places that I … Read More

A Whiskered Tern Entangled in Plastic, Mangalajodi, Odisha

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Effects of plastic in, with its innate non-biodegradability, has become a cliche, yet things have not changed much. Here is an image of a whiskered tern dangerously entangled with a plastic carry bag. I photographed this in Mangalajodi, Chilika lake, Odisha on 24th January, 2014.

Plastic in our wilderness is a conservation threat in several ways. Last year Conservation India ran a campaign against plastics in response to a Public Notice issued by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on the … Read More

Chital Chewing Plastic Bag, Bandipur

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While I love to shoot great action and beauty pictures of wildlife, I could not resist shooting this unfortunate scene in Bandipur recently. In my opinion, Bandipur is amongst the most abused national parks in India. It tolerates all sorts of issues caused by picnickers – starting from litter and yelling tourists, all the way to human-animal conflict. Tourists often enjoy a great picnic beside the National Highway that cuts through the park, after which they throw plastic and paper … Read More

Plastic in Ladakh

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Ladakh, the trans-himalayan region of Jammu and Kashmir and home to faunal diversity rarely found elsewhere in the country, is fast becoming a viable destination for various classes of tourism. Ever since the opening up of some areas close to the LoC as well as the elimination of the need for an Inner Line Permit in several of the areas to Indians and, to some extent, international tourists, the inflow of tourists to the region has increased from 527 in … Read More

Protest against Plastics — Act Now!

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The Principal Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a Public Notice on the matter of use of various types of plastic products, with a view to phasing out many of them. Click here to see the order of the Tribunal.

Since many types of plastics create havoc in the environment, CI is urging readers to send their representations to the NGT as soon as possible, i.e., immediately! You can use the template provided below. Feel free to … Read More

Littering — how it impacts birds

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Please do not litter! Especially where birds and animals live. We learn this in school but do not implement it in real life! Nobody cares about the impact of littering. I came across one distressing incident recently. This Darter (Anhinga rufa), a fish-eater, got a piece of cloth entangled in its beak and remained in this position for more than 2 hours. Luckily the bird was finally able to get rid of the cloth; otherwise it could have resulted … Read More

Plastic in Lake, Santragachi, Kolkata

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Just a 20-minute drive from Kolkata lies this 13,75,000 sq feet lake, known as the Santragachi jheel or lake. The Santragachi lake is a great place for many migratory birds. Winter months (October to March) draw 4000 to 5000 ducks and waders to this safe haven. This season thousands of Lesser Whistling Ducks arrived along with Northern Pintails, Gadwalls, the endangered Ferruginous Pochard, Common Teal, Cotton Pygmy Goose and other waterfowl.

What is really the key feature of Santragachi is … Read More