Nal Sarovar bird sanctuary is a beautiful lake situated in the districts of Ahmedabad and Surendranagar in the State of Gujarat in India. It is a natural sweet water lake with many small islets. For long it has been a haven for both birds and nature lovers. It is a winter home for many migratory birds from Central Asia, Europe and Siberia and India. The NalSarovar Bird Sanctuary is very popular among the tourists who visit Gujarat and local Gujarati Bird and Nature lovers.
Birds like Greater Flamingos, Lesser Flamingos, Geese, verities of Ducks, Open-bill stork, Glossy ibis, Coots, Cranes, pelicans and many other birds visit this sanctuary during monsoon and winter. Community of fisherman live in some of the villages on the isles of the lake. These fisherman live of the income earned by taking the visiting tourists for a boat ride in the lake. But recently the truth came to light that these fishermen also indulge in the illegal activities of fishing and poaching. The news was brought to light by Times of India. I read the two articles and it saddened me. I had always heard stories from visitors that the numbers of birds at Nal Sarovar had decreased but now I also know its cause.
Although there is ban on fishing, it has not stopped the fishermen and tribal’s living in and around the sanctuary for fishing. The TOI report says that 1055 fishing nets have been found and recovered from the area. That itself says it all. If the number of fishes in the lake go down, the number of birds visiting the lake will also go down. And according to the reports there is more, these fishermen and villagers kill birds while fishing at night. These birds especially the flamingos are killed for their meat and is considered a delicacy. The officials themselves seem to have stated to Times of India that they are
aware of this illegal fishing and poaching and according to them little is being done to put a stop this illegal activities. The forest team here is also understaffed.
I personally think that people should express their anguish against the destruction of nature and cruelty towards the birds openly so that the government and world can hear it. It will ultimately also affect the eco-system diversely. I think the least we can do for the nature and saving it is to support these cause by voicing our thoughts in support of the people who are fighting for it.
The original reports:
Posts Tagged ‘Wildlife’
16 Jul
Destroying Nature: Will Nal Sarovar be able to sustain poaching & illegal fishing for long.
6 Jul
Tiger Will Again Roam in Sariska
Tiger released at Sariska.
Sariska was once a place where people from all over came to see the magnificent beast. At one time Sariska had many Tigers. But sadly due to poaching the tigers vanished from Sariska. According to the reports of 2005 there was not a single big cat [tiger] left in Sariska. I was happy to hear that the tiger will once again roam in the Sariska sanctuary.
Tigress released at Sariska.
In fact on Saurday 28th. June, the first phase of re-establishing the tigers in Sariska was implemented successfully. From among the three male tigers which had been selected, a young male Tiger had been tranquilized, caged and then transported to Sariska. Sanctuary area from Ranthambor Sanctuary by airlifting the cage. The operation was successfully completed by afternoon and the male tiger was roaming in Sariska after a long time. According to the news the tiger has adopted well to the new environment and it has also made its first kill. As is well known tigers are very territorial and so during the initial period the tiger will be kept in an 2 hector enclosure which will be very much alike the original place. When the tiger has completely settled and adopted to the new environment it will be released in the wild. The tiger has been radio collared through which it will be monitored 24 hours. In fact on Friday 4th. July a female tigress was also brought to Sariska and successfully released in another enclosure near the first one. The tigress was selected as a mate for the male tiger and the pair will be released in the wild after a few weeks. Let’s hope and pray that the project for breeding and re-establishing tigers in Sariska Sanctuary is a complete success.
Original Stories:
The Times of India – First Male Tiger released.
The Times of India – Tigress released .
23 Mar
SAVE THE GANGES RIVER DOLPHINS
Most of us know about River Ganga or Ganges. It is one of the biggest river of India and considered to be the holiest of rivers. Most of us from India have visited and taken a dip in the holy waters of riverGanges. But do we know that Ganges is the home to fresh water Dolphin. Few of us know that Fresh Water Dolphins [ Platanista gangetica ] live in Ganges have been there for ages.
The Ganges River Dolphin or Susu as locally known are found in the Ganges, Bhramaputra , and some other rivers in India, Bangladesh and Nepal. They are also know as blind Dolphins as they do not have lens in their eyes. According to the Hindu mythology as we all know the River Ganges came down from the heaven and from that time the River Dolphins have been a part of the Ganges. The river Dolphin was revered and considered to be a very sacred fish even in the third century BC. during the time of Emperor Ashoka. It was one of the worlds first protected species, as it was protected under a special status given by Emperor Ashoka. Today the River Dolphin is an endangered species, there are many reasons to the reduction of its population. The construction of many barrages and dams is one of the reasons as it has divided and restricted the colony of dolphins. The main reason is pollution. We all know that river Ganges is polluted but do little about it. Fishing is another reason for the decrease in dolphin’s population. As the river dolphin is blind it cannot see the nets and get easily tangled into them. Their habitat is degrading and so are they.
The River dolphins have a chance in form of “Dr Sandeep Behera “The Dolphin Man”. Dr Sandeep Behera is the Freshwater Programme Coordinator for WWF – India. He is know among the local villagers as the Dolphin Man. Dr. Sandeep has worked tirelessly for the last 13 years to try an save the Ganges River Dolphins.
In particular his work has been focused on the 164 km. stretch of river between Bijnor and Narora. This area is about 200 km. from New Delhi. He has been able to persuade the local government to put an ban on commercial fishing and sand mining among the river banks. Due to his involvement and research we now know that as like canaries sent down mines to warn of toxic gases the dolphins in our rivers can also warn of polluted water. A major threat to the Ganges river dolphin has been the extensive damming of rivers for irrigation and electricity generation, which isolates populations and prevents seasonal migration. Other threats include chemical pollution, boat traffic, hunting and human disturbance. This species has also been hunted at times for oil, fish bait and food by local people.
Well, now we know that such a beautiful species is in danger we should help in whatever way we can to make things better and try to save them form getting extinct. It is sad to know that the river dolphin which we in India considered to be a heavenly being and had revered it is near extinction. It is already protected under the wild life act. But unless we the people of India will not co-operate and help there is a limit to which the Government or WWF can do. Stop commercial fishing, stop using soaps and other things while taking a dip at Ganges, stop using the river as a dustbin and if we want to do more the WWF and The Dolphin Man are there to guide us.
Links:
* Swimming blindly down the Ganges
*Ganges River dolphin
*Conserving the Ganges River Dolphin and improving livelihoods
* The Red List of Threatened Species
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9 Mar
SAVE THE TIGERS – The Last Stand
India has been home to Tigers for a very long time. If one has seen a Tiger they are just awed by the beauty, power and aura of the magnificent beast. Tigers were found all over India and still as many as 16 States of India are home to the Tigers. The latest census report released on 12th. February, 2008 by the Government of India reports that there are only 1411 tigers left. The population of the Tiger has been reduced by nearly 50% and that too in a period of 6 to 7 years. It is time that emergency and drastic steps are taken to save the pride of jungle and pride of India from becoming extinct.
[ The above picture shows the tiger population of India 2008 with figures, as on Panda.org. click on the image. ]
The causes of the fast decrease in the Tiger population are well known both by the government and common people. The increasing pressure on Tiger habitats due to agriculture, industrialization and degradation and fragmentation of natural habitats, forests and natural grasslands are one of the main reasons for the decrease of Tiger population and for that matter all wildlife in India. The immediate effect of this is lack of natural food and habitat causes the wild animals to come out of the forest area. This tends to increase the conflicts between the humans and animals. The other reason for the population decrease is Poaching, which has been on rise recently. There is a slogan I have been hearing for quit some time, ” If the buying stops, the selling will stop”. I think the rich people who are the only one who can afford buying the skins for their fancies are probably deaf, as they cannot seem to hear the slogan.
The poaching problem should be dealt with strictly by the Government of India and the concerned State Governments. The Forest Department of India is severely understaffed and they do not have the modern weapons and technology to protect the Forest areas. The laws for the animal protection should be revised. The poachers should be shot dead on sight. How can a forest guard armed with a stick [danda] or an outdated rifle fight the heavily armed poachers to protect the animals. It is time the Government of India acts urgently. The people of India should also join hands to save the Tiger. NDTV India has started a campaign to save the Tigers, please help the cause by signing the petition, please go to the link below to sign the petition online and help the Tiger.
Other links for more information on Tiger Saving projects are:
* WWF
* The WILDLIFE PROTECTION SOCIETY OF INDIA (WPSI)
The World Around Me 