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Wayanad (Kerala) | A wild elephant, fondly called 'Muttikkomban', was captured on Friday morning after it posed a threat to people and crops in the Vadakkanad area, forest officials said. The operation was carried out on the orders of the chief wildlife warden following repeated complaints from residents, they said. For nearly a month, the elephant had been entering farms at night, breaking solar fences and damaging crops. Forest teams made several attempts to drive it back into the forest, but it kept returning. Kumki elephants were deployed, and night patrols intensified. "We tried to push the elephant back into the forest multiple times, but it kept returning and posed a danger to people," a forest official said. The elephant was eventually located in the Thathur section and monitored overnight. On Friday morning, a veterinary team led by Dr Arun Zachariah tranquilised it.
Chaibasa (Jharkhand), July 6 (SocialNews.XYZ) A landmine planted by Maoists in the dense Saranda forest of Jharkhand's West Singhbhum district has claimed the life of a young male elephant, Forest Department officials said on Sunday. The six-year-old wild elephant, affectionately called 'Gadru' by local villagers, sustained grievous injuries after stepping on an IED in the Digha area of the Saranda forest on June 24. The powerful blast severely damaged the animal's hind left leg, which left it immobilised and bleeding. Locals later found the wounded pachyderm collapsed near a stream. Villag ...Read More >
The viral video from the Bandipur Tiger Reserve shows the elephant charging at the man and running after him before stomping on him. A dramatic incident unfolded in Karnataka's Bandipur Tiger Reserve when a wild elephant stomped on a tourist who was trying to take a photograph of the animal. The video is circulating on the internet, sparking a backlash against the man and a conversation about interfering with wildlife. Shared by Daniel Osorio, the viral video shows the elephant charging at the ...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 >
Guwahati (Assam) [India], July 5 (ANI): The Meghalaya Forest Department organised an outreach programme for the personnel of the 193rd Border Security Force (BSF) Battalion at Ranikor, Gumaghat Border Outpost (BOP) on the Indo-Bangla border in South-West Khasi Hills (SWKH) district. The main objectives of the outreach programme was to sensitise the BSF personnel on how to deal with herds of wild elephants they often encounter while discharging duty on the international border as well as raise awareness among BOP officials about various forms of wildlife crime, current trends in wildlife traff ...Read More >
Jhansi: A bomb threat delayed the Durg-bound Chhattisgarh Sampark Kranti Express on Friday night, when it was halted at Virangana Laxmibai Jhansi railway station for nearly an hour. The threat turned out to be a hoax, and the train resumed its journey after a thorough inspection. According to SP, GRP, Vipul Srivastav, after the train left Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station in Delhi around 6pm on Friday, a call was recieved at the railway helpline 139, claiming that a bomb had been planted in a sleeper coach of the train. The railway control room in Lucknow started preparations for search of the ...Read More >
Guwahati/Morigaon, Jun 6 (PTI) The flood situation in Assam continued to be critical with over 5.6 lakh people reeling under the deluge in 16 districts, an official bulletin said on Friday. The toll in this year's floods and landslides stands at 21, with two more deaths reported on Thursday. Also Read | Thane Shocker: Wife Booked for Hurling Hot Oil on Autorickshaw Driver During Fight Over Domestic Issues in Kalyan. Wildlife has also been affected with nearly 70 per cent of the Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary in Morigaon district facing inundation, an official said. The Regional Meteorological ...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: Mahadevi, an elephant once rescued from poor conditions at a religious institution in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, might soon be sent back, despite all the care and recovery she received at the Vantara Wildlife Centre in Gujarat. A few months ago, Mahadevi was shifted to Vantara after People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) raised concerns about her health and treatment at the SwastiShri Jensen Bhattarak Pattacharya Mahaswami Sanstha in Nandani village. The Bombay High Court, an ...Read More >
New Delhi, Sep 15 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Supreme Court on Monday accepted the report of the Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by retired apex court judge Justice Jasti Chelameswar, which gave a clean chit to the Vantara wildlife facility in Gujarat's Jamnagar. A Bench of Justices Pankaj Mithal and Prasanna B. Varale opened the sealed-cover report in open court and read out the conclusion of the SIT, which held that the transfers of wildlife in the facility were in conformity with the statutory mechanism. Saying that it would pass a detailed order in chambers during lunch, the Justice Mi ...Read More >
BENGALURU: Release of DNA-based elephant population estimation is the beginning for the scientific and wildlife fraternity. According to experts from Wildlife Institute of India (WII), who prepared the report, a detailed gene pool assessment is being done as the next step, with special concentration on Western Ghats and the Nilgiri Biosphere. According to Status of Elephants in India: DNA Based Synchronous All India Population Estimation of Elephants, Karnataka houses the highest elephant population of 6,013 in India, and the Western Ghats region (Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu) has 11,934, ...Read More >
Golfer Rory McIlroy and his Ryder Cup teammates are playing at the historic Delhi Golf Club. This unique course in New Delhi features ancient Mughal tombs and monuments. Wildlife like peacocks and monkeys roam the grounds. The tournament marks a significant moment for Indian golf. Players find the blend of sport and history special. Rory McIlroy and centuries of history blended beautifully as the Ryder Cup winner tackled a "special" golf course this week in the Indian capital, teeming with wildl ...Read More >
Mumbai: 'Anupamaa' actor Rupali Ganguly, who has consistently spoken up for animal rights, condemned a Jaipur content creator for painting an elephant pink for the sake of a photoshoot and appeals to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take strict action. Mourning the demise of the elephant, that reportedly passed away after the photoshoot, Rupali wrote, "As someone who shares your respect for wildlife and as a supporter of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals India (PETA India), I write with deep sadness about Chanchal, the captive elephant in Rajasthan who was painted bright pink and use ...Read More >
Viral video shows AI cameras spotting a herd of elephants. (Photo: X/susantananda3) Elephants in Odisha's forests often face the threat of train collisions on railway tracks, as highlighted by multiple reports over the years. To prevent such accidents, authorities installed four AI cameras in the Rourkela Forest Division. A post on X (formerly Twitter) by Susanta Nanda, a retired Indian Forest Service officer, stated that the use of AI cameras effectively averted another potential accident. In t ...Read More >
Guwahati: The flood situation across Assam continues to be critical, with over 5.6 lakh people in 16 districts reeling under the severe flood, an official bulletin confirmed on Friday. The cumulative death toll from this year's floods and landslides has now climbed to 21, following two more fatalities reported on Thursday. Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge! The Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) bulletin stated that floodwaters are currently submerging 57 revenue circles and 1,406 villages, impacting a total of 5,61,644 individuals ...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 >
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 >
ISLAMABAD: Indian Deputy Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Rahul R Singh Friday claimed China used the four-day Pakistan-India conflict in May like a "live lab" to test various weapon systems and was providing all possible support to Islamabad in line with its ancient military strategy of killing the adversary with a "borrowed knife". The senior Indian military officer claimed while Pakistan was the "front face", with China extending all possible support to its all-weather ally, Turkiye was also playing a major role by supplying military hardware to Islamabad, adding that India was actually dealing w ...Read More >
Dibrugarh: A baby elephant that had fallen into a muddy pit and remained trapped for nearly two days was rescued by the Deomali Forest Division in Arunachal Pradesh's Tirap district. The rescue operation, which lasted about two hours, was significantly supported by local villagers who joined hands with the Forest Department. Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge! Thanks to their combined efforts, the baby elephant was successfully pulled out of the pit and safely guided back into the nearby forest. Upon receiving information about the stranded eleph ...Read More >
Kolhapur witnessed a massive turnout on Sunday (August 3, 2025) as thousands of locals walked in a silent protest, urging authorities to the bring back 36-year-old elephant Mahadevi, also known as Madhuri, from NGO Vantara's wildlife rehabilitation facility in Jamnagar, Gujarat. Elephant relocated to Gujarat facility run by Vantara from Kolhapur; devotees bid emotional adieu Vantara is the brainchild of Anant Ambani, son of industrialist Mukesh Ambani, and is supported by Reliance Industries Limited and Reliance Foundation The march, led by former Swabhimani Kisan Sangathan president and fo ...Read More >
Setting up the SIT under former judge Justice J Chelameswar, the apex court had on August 25 called for a report on a number of issues, including the acquisition of animals from India and abroad, particularly elephants, and compliance with the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, and rules for zoos. The Supreme Court on Friday said the Special Investigation Team (SIT) inquiring into the affairs of Vantara - the wildlife rescue and rehabilitation centre launched by Reliance Foundation in Gujarat's J ...Read More >
(Reuters) -A wildlife rescue centre run by the philanthropic arm of billionaire Mukesh Ambani's group has been cleared of allegations of illegal animal acquisition and mistreatment, India's Supreme Court said on Monday, citing findings from a court-appointed committee. In August, India's top court appointed a special investigation team (SIT) to investigate complaints from non-profit and wildlife groups alleging animal mistreatment at Vantara and raising questions over how the animals were brought to the centre. However, the court has said the evidence did not support claims of illegal acquis ...Read More >
Kozhikode: "I waited for three days beside a stream, hoping someone would come searching for me. I thought at least a drone might spot me. I stayed in an open space so I could be easily located. But no one came. Slowly, my hope began to fade," recalled Sharanya, the 36-year-old IT professional from Nadapuram, who was found safe on Sunday after going missing during a trek to Tadiandamol peaks in Coorg. Sharanya, a 36-year-old IT professional from Nadapuram, has lived through an ordeal that tested her endurance, patience, and presence of mind. Lost deep inside the dense forests, she spent three ...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 >
New Delhi, Sep 15 (SocialNews.XYZ) On a day when the Supreme Court gave a clean chit to the Vantara wildlife facility in Gujarat's Jamnagar over alleged lapses, Team Vantara on Monday called it a validation of the truth and reiterated its resolve to heal animals. A Bench of Justices Pankaj Mithal and Prasanna B. Varale accepted an SIT's report and rejected allegations made against Vantara wildlife facility over the acquisition of animals from India and abroad, particularly elephants, and compliance with the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, among others. In a statement issued on Monday, Team ...Read More >
Jamnagar: Global football icon Lionel Messi on Tuesday visited Vantara, wildlife rescue, rehabilitation and conservation centre founded by Anant Ambani, where he took part in traditional rituals, toured animal care facilities and interacted with conservation teams. Messi, accompanied by Inter Miami teammates Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul, was accorded a traditional welcome featuring folk music, floral greetings and a ceremonial aarti. He also participated in temple rituals, offering prayers for peace and unity. During the visit, Messi toured various facilities at Vantara, including care ce ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], September 13 (ANI): The Special Investigation Team (SIT), constituted by the Supreme Court to conduct a fact-finding Inquiry into the allegations of unlawful acquisition of animals in Vantara, a dedicated wildlife rescue and rehabilitation organization, in Jamnagar, Gujarat, has submitted its report in a sealed cover. A bench comprising Justices Pankaj Mithal and Prasanna B. Varale recorded the submission, which includes annexures and supporting materials on a pen drive, stating, "It is accepted and directed to be taken on record." Also Read | 'India Committed to Peace and ...Read More >
G.S. Sharanya was located around 5 pm deep within the Pattighat Reserve Forest, near Tadiyandamol, the highest peak in the district. Rescuers spotted her near a rock by a stream, where she had taken shelter to stay visible and maintain access to water. The search had been concentrated around the reserve forest, a dense, trackless stretch of woodland on the far side of the Tadiyandamol peak, which borders Kerala. The terrain is a sharp contrast to the more frequented trekking routes on the other ...Read More >
Guwahati, Jun 6 (PTI) Assam's flood situation remained critical on Friday with over 4.43 lakh people in 16 districts still suffering from the deluge even as major rivers, including the Brahmaputra, were showing a receding trend, according to an official bulletin. There was no report of fatality due to the floods during the day, though a person was reported missing in Kamrup (Metro). The current first wave of floods, along with landslides, triggered by heavy rainfall, has so far claimed 21 lives in the state. The floods have affected 1,296 villages under the 54 revenue circles in 16 district ...Read More >
SHILLONG, July 5: Dawn on the forested ridges of South West Khasi Hills can echo with a very different thunder from rifle fire: the low, urgent rumble of a matriarch leading her herd across the Indo-Bangladesh frontier. In these same shadows, Border Security Force (BSF) sentries often train their binoculars on infiltrators or smugglers, yet it is the sudden appearance of tusked silhouettes that now tests nerves and split-second judgment. Recognising the thin line between security duty and survival on a living corridor, the Meghalaya Forest department spent July 3 coaching the 193rd BSF Battal ...Read More >
Mumbai (Maharshtra) [India], July 19 (ANI): Union Culture and Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has said that the proposal to rename Islampur in Sangli district as Ishwarpur in Maharashtra reflects India ongoing cultural renaissance. He said that it marks an effort to restore historical identities that were once deliberately erased. Speaking to the media on Friday, Shekhawat said, There were many of our subjects, places, history books, and incidents, which were intentionally erased, or attempts were made to erase them. Now that they are coming alive again, and India is going through a ...Read More >