Is India Winning the War Against Pollution? The fight for cleaner air and water intensifies as the nation grapples with the escalating impacts of climate change. From the devastating floods in Assam to the alarming rise in air pollution levels in Delhi, environmental challenges demand urgent action. This week saw crucial discussions on sustainable agriculture and renewable energy sources at the India Climate Change Conference, highlighting the government's commitment to tackling deforestation and promoting biodiversity conservation. But are these efforts enough? Experts warn of looming water scarcity and the need for stricter regulations on industrial emissions. The future of India's environment hangs in the balance, demanding collective responsibility and innovative solutions. Explore Abtak.com for in-depth analysis and the latest updates on environmental policies, climate activism, and the ongoing struggle for a sustainable India. Discover how you can contribute to a greener tomorrow.
Hyderabad: The tiger population has increased from 33 to 36 individuals in the Amrabad Tiger Reserve (ATR). These details were announced by the Forest Department after the successful completion of Phase IV Tiger Monitoring for the year 2024-25 at ATR. The results reveal a significant and encouraging increase in the tiger population, highlighting the impact [...] Hyderabad: The tiger population has increased from 33 to 36 individuals in the Amrabad Tiger Reserve (ATR). These details were announced by the Forest Department after the successful completion of Phase IV Tiger Monitoring for the year 2024-25 at ATR. The results reveal a significant and encouraging increase in the tiger population, highlighting the impact of sustained conservation initiatives under Project Tiger. The 2024-25 monitoring recorded 36 individual tigers compared to 33 in the previous year. The number of adult tigers also rose from 26 to 34, reflecting a steady positive trend, and they are all relatively young. An important aspect noted in the study was the increase in the number of breeding females. Among the 36 tigers, 20 are females and by next year, there is every possibility of these tigers giving birth to about 20 cubs, said a senior official from ATR. "In the next four to five years, the tiger population in Amrabad will increase substantially, making it one of the best reserves in the country," the official said. The monitoring exercise was carried out in accordance with National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) norms. During the exercise, 10 forest ranges were covered, and they were divided into four spatial blocks for effective and systematic data collection. A total of 1,594 camera traps were deployed from December 20, 2024, to May 15, 2025. As many as 797 grid locations (each two square km) were covered, combining camera trap data with indirect signs such as pugmarks, scats, scrape and rake marks. The steady growth in tiger population at ATR was the result of relentless efforts put in by frontline staff and local communities. In addition, focus was laid on habitat protection, anti-poaching strategies, and continuous ecological monitoring under Project Tiger.
Ramnagar: (Uttarakhand): The tiger population is rising consistently in the Corbett Tiger Reserve and the forest fringes around it. These days, many tigresses are sighted frequently with their cubs roaming in the forests. This is a big achievement for the forest department but poses a serious challenge, as well. Tigers increased in Corbett and Forest Division: There are more than 260 adult tigers in the Corbett Tiger Reserve at present. Cubs less than two years of age are not included in this count. Apart from this, according to the last All India Tiger Estimation Report, the presence of 67 ...Read More >
BENGALURU: The death of two 10-day-old tiger cubs and the disappearance of their mother for the past two days in the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary (CWS), 227 km from Bengaluru, has alarmed the forest department and the conservation community. On Monday, a forest foot-patrol team found a dead cub near Kirubanakallagudda in the Holemurdatti range of CWS. The following day, another cub was found dead a few metres away. The carcasses, a male and a female, were estimated to be at least three days old. Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) PC Ray said postmortem examination revealed that ...Read More >
The woman stated her motive was to claim compensation provided due to wild animal attacks. Mysuru: A shocking incident of a woman killing her husband and falsely claiming he died in a tiger attack to seek compensation money was reported from Mysuru district of Karnataka on Friday. The incident took place in Chikkahejjur village in Hunsuru taluk of the district. The accused wife has been identified as Sallapuri, and the deceased husband is 45-year-old Venkataswamy. Police investigation revealed ...Read More >
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has charged five individuals, including goldy Brar, in relation to the 2024 Gurugram club bombing plot, as revealed in a recently filed chargesheet. This case involves a conspiracy to bomb two clubs, aiming to disrupt communal harmony in Haryana, with the banned terrorist group Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) implicated. The NIA's investigation highlights the severity of the plot. Those charged include satinderjit Singh (Goldy Brar), Sachin Talian, Ankit, Bhavish, and Randeep Singh. News Directory 3 provides crucial updates on sensitive cases such ...Read More >
Bengaluru: Concerns have been raised following the report of another tigress' death in Karnataka on Saturday, coming close on the heels of the shocking incident involving the death of a tigress and her four cubs. According to forest officials, the latest death has been reported from the Gundre Forest Range in Bandipur, located in Chamarajanagar district. Authorities, based on preliminary investigation, have stated that the tigress, estimated to be between 4 and 5 years old, appears to have died of natural causes. However, the post-mortem report is awaited for confirmation. The carcass was d ...Read More >
Bhubaneswar: Zeenat, the three-year-old tigress from Maharashtra brought to Odisha's Similipal last year under translocation project, is believed to be pregnant after mating with a melanistic male tiger named T-12 Mahabal in May this year. If her pregnancy is confirmed, Zeenat would deliver cubs around August or September this year, said Prem Kumar Jha, Odisha's Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife). Love blossomed after Zeenat was released into the wild in April this year. She made the forests between Yamunagarh and Gudugudia in Similipal her new home. In May, she came across a r ...Read More >
Bengaluru: In an incident of concern, the unnatural death of a tigress and her three cubs, probably due to poisoning, came to light in the Male Mahadeshwara Hills Wildlife Sanctuary in Karnataka's Chamarajanagar district on Thursday. Addressing media persons in Bengaluru, Forests, Ecology, and Environment Minister Eshwar Khandre announced that an investigation has been ordered into the incident and officials have been directed to submit a detailed report within three days. The probe will be conducted by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF). "Karnataka stands second in the count ...Read More >
New Delhi: The national capital may soon witness a second thriving habitat for leopards, signalling a remarkable ecological revival. However, to make this possible, it is crucial to gain the trust of local communities, who remain wary of the leopard's return due to unpleasant experiences in the past.Asola Wildlife Sanctuary, nestled within the Aravali ecosystem, has long supported a sustainable population of wild leopards. Recently, these apex predators have also been spotted in the Yamuna floodplain, particularly near villages adjacent to the biodiversity park. Since 2016, leopards have been ...Read More >
Mysuru: A tragic incident has unfolded at the Malai Mahadeshwara Wildlife Sanctuary in Chamarajanagar, where a mother tiger and her four cubs were found dead under suspicious circumstances near the Hoogyam forest range. In response to the tragedy, Karnataka Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre has called for a comprehensive investigation. The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) will oversee the inquiry, and the minister has requested a detailed report to be submitted promptly. He has also emphasized that strict action will be taken if any negligence by forest staff is found. Top forest of ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jun 29 (PTI) The Congress on Sunday attacked the Centre and Rajasthan governments over the reported plan to redraw the boundaries of the Sariska Tiger Reserve for the reactivation of over 50 mining operations, saying the move would be "ecologically devastating". The opposition party also said that with the Rajasthan and Union environment ministers both being from Alwar, this "double engine" cannot be supporting such a move. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh shared on X a media report which claimed that a plan to redraw the boundaries of Rajasthan's ...Read More >
MADURAI: Likening the custodial murder of Ajith Kumar in Tiruppuvanam to an 'organised crime by police where the state kills its own citizens,' Madras high court lambasted the Tamil Nadu police and said the action against the perpetrators should be more stringent than in normal murder cases.A division bench of Justice S M Subramaniam and Justice A D Maria Clete pointed to 44 external injuries on the person of Ajith Kumar and said no part of the body was spared by the delinquent cops. "Even an ordinary murderer would not have inflicted such kind of injuries," the bench said on Tuesday.The natur ...Read More >
CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of the state police on Tuesday said it has arrested two accused wanted in several bomb blasts and communal murder cases after being on the run for over 25 years. The key accused among the two is Abubacker Siddique of Nagore. He is allegedly involved in the attempt to plant a pipe-bomb during the rath yatra of former home minister LK Advani in Madurai in 2011, among others. Other cases he is allegedly involved include the bomb blast at Hindu Munnani office in 1995 in Chennai, an explosion in Nagore the same year, and coordinated planting of bo ...Read More >
Bhubaneswar: A heartening chapter is unfolding deep within the emerald wilderness of Similipal Tiger Reserve in Odisha, where a Royal Bengal tigress named Zeenat, originally from Maharashtra, is believed to be carrying a new generation of cubs -- a milestone that could reshape the future of the region's famed tiger population. Brought to Similipal in 2023 as part of a bold genetic diversification project, Zeenat was tasked with an extraordinary mission: to infuse new bloodlines into a population long shadowed by the risks of inbreeding, particularly among Similipal's rare melanistic (black-co ...Read More >
Pilibhit: Fear returned to Pilibhit's Nauria region on Thursday morning as tigers believed to have earlier killed two farmers launched a fresh series of attacks, leaving one woman dead and two villagers -- including a teenage boy and another woman -- seriously injured in separate incidents within two hours. In Mandaria village, 50-year-old Trishna Devi was killed after being attacked by a tiger around 7 AM while she was working in her field. Her mauled body was recovered from the field shortly after the attack. Just 15 minutes earlier, the same or another tiger had attacked Nilesh, a 15-year- ...Read More >
Berhampur: Residents of Baghasala in Gajapati district are living in fear after forest officials found pug marks of a suspected Royal Bengal Tiger on the outskirts of the village in Paralakhemundi forest division on Tuesday. The villagers apparently sighted a big cat early in the morning and reported it to forest officials. A forest department team went to the village and collected the animal's pug marks. "After preliminary analysis, the pug marks have been identified as that of a tiger," said S Anand, divisional forest officer (DFO), Paralakhemundi. Camera traps will be installed in the are ...Read More >
Bengaluru, Jun 27 (PTI) The discovery of a seemingly stale carcass of a cow in Hugyam forest range in Mahadeshwara Hills on Friday strengthens the doubt that the death of a tigress and her four cubs could be due to poisoning, officials said. These five tigers were found dead in this forest on Thursday. It is suspected that the miscreants had poisoned the cow, and after eating it, the tigress and its cubs might have died. "Either the bovine was poisoned before being left in the forest, or the owner of the cattle, after spotting the dead cow, would have spread poison on its body, which the ti ...Read More >
Munnar: The residential areas of Old Munnar are once again gripped by fear as leopard sightings have been reported near human settlements. An inspection by the Forest Department and the Rapid Response Team (RRT) confirmed the presence of a leopard through the discovery of pugmarks in the area. The animal was reportedly spotted by passersby on Thursday night and again on Friday morning near the KDH Club locality, an area where many tourists are also accommodated. Children playing outside their homes also claimed to have seen the leopard. It is suspected that the animal may have been drawn to t ...Read More >
Kolkata, June 28: A political slugfest has erupted in West Bengal after a woman accused Padma Shree awardee monk Kartik Maharaj, who is posted with the Murshidabad unit of Bharat Sevashram Sangha, of allegedly raping her 12 times for six months in 2013. As per the police complaint lodged by the woman, Kartik Maharaj raped her multiple times 12 years ago promising her a job at a local school. The ruling Trinamool Congress is highlighting the issue in a major way and accusing the BJP of being silent on it since the accused monk had been reportedly close to the saffron party. The woman accusin ...Read More >
Karnataka: With a steady increase in the tiger population at the Male Mahadeshwara Hills (MM Hills) Wildlife Sanctuary, Karnataka's Forest, Ecology and Environment Minister Eshwar B Khandre has directed officials to begin the process of declaring the region a tiger reserve. He emphasized the need to first collect public opinion from the local communities before proceeding with formal proposals. Chairing a high-level meeting with senior forest officials, including the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden, at Vikasa Soudha today, Minister Khandre instructed the depar ...Read More >
Bengaluru: Exploring scientific solutions to reduce human-elephant conflict across Karnataka, the forest department Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) for landscape-level conservation of Asian elephants. Renowned ecologist and elephant expert from IISc, Prof Raman Sukumar, and Karnataka chief wildlife warden Prabhash Chandra Ray signed the commencement of the Rs 4.7-crore project, fully funded by the forest department.Admitting an increa ...Read More >
SAMBALPUR: Debrigarh wildlife sanctuary has reported a significant rise in the population of Indian Bison (gaur) with their number increasing to 788 from 659 in just six months. According to the latest census conducted by the Hirakud Wildlife division, the sanctuary is now home to 788 gaurs including 315 juveniles and 128 newborns, indicating the robust breeding and healthy herd dynamics of this Schedule I species. The census was carried out from May 11 to 13 through a three-day direct counting exercise involving 73 units and 147 personnel. It used 122 camera traps and 130 permanent inspecti ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jun 7 (PTI) Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Saturday dismissed Congress leader Jairam Ramesh's criticism regarding the Delhi Zoo's proposed agreement with the Reliance Group's Gujarat-based wildlife facility, saying such collaborations are routine and aimed at improving animal care and management practices. "Some people have made it a habit to create doubts in the mind of the public at every instance," Yadav said on X in response to Ramesh's remarks. He clarified that the National Zoological Park (NZP), also known as the Delhi Zoo, had signed a memorandum of understa ...Read More >
Bengaluru: Following the poisoning of five tigers at MM Hills Wildlife Sanctuary, forest minister Eshwar Khandre on Tuesday ordered an audit of tiger mortality in various tiger reserves (national parks) and wildlife sanctuaries of Karnataka. Delving into the activities of the wildlife wing, shortly after sending errant forest officials of MM Hills sanctuary on compulsory leave, the minister sought within 10 days a complete review of tiger deaths over the past five and a half years.As per the All-India Tiger Estimation report of 2022, Karnataka stood second in the country in tiger population, w ...Read More >
Bengaluru: Forest minister Eshwar Khandre's decision to initiate a departmental inquiry into the recent unnatural death of a leopard in the MM Hills wildlife sanctuary has triggered hopes among conservationists and wildlife enthusiasts about uncovering the truth behind such incidents.In the most recent case, the carcass of the big cat was found mutilated last month.Recollecting similar incidents in the past few years, the activists suspect an organised nexus of poachers could be behind such wildlife crime.A few days before the June 26 death of five tigers in the Hoogyam forest range of MM Hill ...Read More >
Nizamabad: Residents along the Nizamabad and Rajanna Sircilla district border are on edge after repeated sightings of a tiger, identified by its pugmarks as "S12." The forest department has stepped up efforts to track the animal's movements, deploying additional camera traps deep inside the reserve forests. On Thursday, a calf was found dead in Pakala village of Sirikonda mandal, prompting fears of another tiger attack. However, following an onsite inspection, district forest officer B. Nikitha and divisional forest officers Bhavani Shanker and Ramakrishna confirmed the kill was made by a leo ...Read More >
RANCHI/SILLI/PURULIA/KOLKATA: "Bhagwan Krishna ne aaj bacha liya (Lord Krishna has saved us today)," said farmer Puran Chand Mahto (55) of Mardu village in Ranchi district's Silli block, still unable to believe his luck at being alive to tell the tale of how he and his family - his three daughters and a relative, who is a minor - slept peacefully while a tiger silently crouched in a corner of the same room.Around 4.30am Wednesday, Puran was getting ready for the day. As he stepped out of his thre ...Read More >
Bengaluru, June 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said an investigation has been launched into the death of a tigress and its four cubs in the state's Chamarajanagar district, and necessary orders have already been issued, even as two suspects have been held for questioning. Sources said that the authorities have taken two persons into custody on Friday and are questioning them in connection with the incident. Speaking to the media in Bengaluru, CM Siddaramaiah said that appropriate action would be taken once the investigation report is submitted. Minister ...Read More >
Puri: Despite travel uncertainties due to recent conflicts in some parts of the world, people from Europe and elsewhere have reached Puri to witness the annual Ratha Yatra of the sibling deities.As non-Hindus are not allowed inside the 12th-century Jagannath Temple, the Ratha Yatra provides a rare opportunity for devotees across the world to see the deities in their full glory atop their majestic wooden chariots."Back home, we are surrounded by uncertainty and fear. But here, I found peace. I came because this is my only chance to see Lord Jagannath. He comes out for the whole world. This is v ...Read More >
ITANAGAR, 1 Jul: Forest officials in Arunachal Pradesh have discovered a new species of flowering plant, Begonia nyishiorum, in the high-altitude forests of East Kameng district. The species was documented during a challenging expedition by the Seppa Forest Division. Its discovery was recently published in the prestigious international journal Novon: A Journal for Botanical Nomenclature, on 23 June. Named in honour of the Nyishi tribe, the plant stands out for its unique crimson-fringed petioles, an identifying feature not seen in any other Asian begonia, sources in the state Forest Departme ...Read More >
Pune: Passengers on board a Goa to Pune SpiceJet flight (SG-1080) had a scare on Tuesday evening when a window panel was found dislodged while the plane was mid-air.The airline played down the incident, saying the window part that had come off was "a non-structural trim component, fitted onto the window for the purpose of shade".But a person on board the plane -- a Bombardier Q400 -- told TOI the incident triggered anxiety among the passengers. "Two to three layers of the window panel just came off," said Aatish Mishra, the passenger."There was no depressurization, but this shouldn't have happ ...Read More >