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BENGALURU: To ensure the safety of zoo keepers, veterinarians and animals, proper training and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) should be in place for all zoos. This was one of the observations made at a meeting of representatives of zoo managements of Karnataka, heads of the forest department and officials of the Zoo Authority of Karnataka (ZAK) held recently. The officials were instructed to look for the best practices in zoos of other states and get details of operations from the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) on management methods. The officials from ZAK pointed out that there are no SOPs or guidelines by CZA for them to follow. Thus, there is no one standard method of operation for all zoos in the state. The management and operation of each zoo varies from other. It depends on each zoo's management team, the officials said. The meeting was held following the death of Sameeksha Reddy, 27, veterinarian, Shivamogga zoo. Sameeksha died after she was attacked by a pregnant hippopotamus in the zoo. During the meeting, the need for adequate training for veterinarians was discussed. It was noted that though students have veterinary wildlife health management and healthcare as a subject and those from Bengaluru and Bidar veterinary colleges undergo hands-on training during their internship, the zoo heads said, they were not enough. All veterinary students should be trained and training programmes should be intense. It was pointed out that senior veterinarians should constantly supervise the new recruits. The zoo management and senior veterinarians are responsible for new recruits and students' safety, communication and coordination.
Mumbai: The birth of three penguin chicks at Mumbai's Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan and Zoo has sparked an unexpected row not over their care, but their names. BJP functionary Nitin Bankar from the Byculla Assembly constituency has objected to the chicks being given English names, insisting they be named in Marathi instead. The BMC is expected to respond by June 10, after which Bankar will decide his next move. Speaking to The Free Press Journal, Bankar said, "When penguins were brought from abroad, we accepted that their names would be in English. But these chicks were born on the soil of M ...Read More >
Lucknow: UP is set to celebrate Van Mahotsav from July 1 to 7 under the guidance of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath wherein the forest and wildlife department plans to plant a record 35 crore saplings across Uttar Pradesh, the highest in country.The department, working in close coordination with various other departments, has gathered 52.33 crore saplings and completed advance soil work on 72,912 hectares of land.A review meeting led by forest and environment minister Arun Kumar Saxena was held fo ...Read More >
Bhubaneswar: Nature lovers have a fresh reason to visit Nandankanan Zoological Park in Odisha's Bhubaneswar, as the famed wildlife sanctuary welcomed seven baby yellow anacondas into its reptilian fold on Sunday -- a rare and exciting addition that underscores the zoo's growing reputation as a haven for exotic species. The tiny hatchlings were born to a breeding pair of yellow anacondas brought to Nandankanan from the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust in Chennai in October 2019. With these new arrivals, the zoo now proudly houses a thriving family of 14 yellow anacondas -- two adult males, two adul ...Read More >
BENGALURU: Unidentified persons allegedly poisoned as many as 20 Bonnet Macaques and stuffed them into two gunny bags before dumping them on a roadside linking Kandegala-Kodasoge in Gundlupet taluk of Chamarajanagar district on Wednesday. Of the 20 poisoned macaques, 18 died while two survived. The surviving monkeys have been treated by veterinarians. A wildlife activist in Gundlupet suspects that some villagers might have poisoned the Bonnet Macaques due to their frequent crop raids and nuisance in the area. The dumping is believed to have occurred around 6:30 am on Wednesday, before being d ...Read More >
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 >
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 >
Kolkata: A two-member National Commission for Women team on Sunday visited the south Kolkata law college where a student was allegedly gang-raped last week.The team, accompanied by a videographer, was initially denied entry and asked to produce a formal order. After an hour-long discussion at the college entrance, the team, led by Archana Majumdar, was allowed in under two conditions -- no access to the crime scene and no videography permitted.The visit lasted 10 minutes. "We were denied access to the crime scene and other floors. I will include this in my report," said Majumdar, who was the f ...Read More >
Amritsar: BJP MP Nishikant Dubey from Jharkhand has claimed that Britain assisted India in executing the 1984 Operation Bluestar at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, stoking a new controversy.In a post on X on Monday, Dubey alleged that then PM Indira Gandhi "launched an attack on the Golden Temple in collaboration with Britain", with British Army officers present in Amritsar.He uploaded a classified British document, "Sikh Community", claiming that on Feb 23, 1984, the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office mentioned in a letter that the Indian govt had sought British advice over a plan to remove Si ...Read More >
HYDERABAD: When the Supreme Court on Friday restored the Animal Birth Control (ABC) protocol and ruled that sterilised and vaccinated dogs must be released back into the same locality they were caught from, animal welfare workers in Hyderabad said the judgment merely reaffirmed what they had long demanded. On the ground, however, they allege the practice of shifting dogs out of affluent colonies and abandoning them in poorer neighbourhoods continues unchecked. The order overturned the August 11 directive calling for mass removal of strays into shelters and reaffirmed that relocation was unla ...Read More >
New Delhi, August 25: In a major step forward for veterinary healthcare, the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD) under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying on Monday released India's first comprehensive national guidelines and standard operating procedures (SOPs) for blood transfusion and blood banks for animals. Blood transfusion is widely recognised as a life-saving intervention for managing trauma, severe anaemia, surgical blood loss, infectious diseases, and coagulation disorders in animals. However, until now, India did not have a structured national fr ...Read More >
New Delhi: An Indian elephant taken on an epic journey to a tycoon's giant zoo is expected to return home after protests by the religious community she came from, officials said Wednesday, following a court battle over the animal's welfare at the temple. The story of the 36-year-old elephant called Madhuri reflects both the passion that some communities have for elephants in India -- and the mind-boggling scale of the self-declared "world's biggest wild animal rescue centre". The elephant spent her adult life at a Jain monastery in Kolhapur in Maharashtra state -- where campaigners from Peop ...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 >
New Delhi, Sep 15 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Monday said there was "no contravention of law" while accepting a clean chit given by its special investigation team to Vantara, the zoological rescue and rehabilitation centre in Gujarat's Jamnagar. A bench of Justices Pankaj Mithal and P B Varale took the SIT's report on record besides noting the probe team's satisfaction on the compliance and regulatory measures in Vantara. The top court on August 25 constituted a four-member SIT headed by a former apex court judge while hearing two PILs alleging irregularities against Vantara on the basis of r ...Read More >
VISAKHAPATNAM: In a first for any zoological park in Andhra Pradesh, the Indira Gandhi Zoological Park (IGZP) in Visakhapatnam has successfully hatched 27 bird chicks through artificial incubation, while seven others were hatched naturally. The chicks belong to five bird species, including Blue Gold Macaw, Lutino Parakeet, Peach-Faced Lovebird, Red Junglefowl, and Indian Peafowl. The zoo's veterinary team, including one senior veterinarian, one conservation biologist, and two paravets and animal keepers, carried out the work. Among the 34 chicks, three Lutino Parakeets and four Peach-Faced ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jul 8 (PTI) Apex drug regulatory body CDSCO has listed 17 drugs which should be flushed down the toilet rather than being thrown in dustbins if they have expired or are unused to help prevent harm to people and pets at home. These include tramadol, tapentadol, diazepam, oxycodone and fentanyl which may be especially harmful and in some cases fatal with just one dose if they are used by someone other than the person for whom the medicine was prescribed, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) said. Most of these medicines are used to control pain, anxiety and other ...Read More >
New Delhi: Protest at the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) against a recently announced fee hike, the long-standing suspension of students' union elections and calls for administrative accountability have entered their sixth day, with students boycotting classes and staging sit-ins at the Bab-e-Syed gate (the iconic entrance of the varsity). The fee structure for different courses has witnessed a sharp revision. Students say the hike ranges from 25% to over 60% across various programmes. Many claim they first learned of the revised fees only while trying to pay through the university's online ...Read More >
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Thursday took strong action against the police officers allegedly responsible for the Bengaluru stampede, suspending several high-ranking officials, including the city's police commissioner. Addressing a press conference, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also announced a one-man commission to probe the lapses that triggered the deadly stampede. "Cubbon Park Police Station police inspector, station house master, station house officer, ACP, Central Division DCP, cricket stadium in-charge, additional commissioner of police, commissioner of police have been susp ...Read More >
Guwahati: The Congress party has raised concerns about a "proposed agreement" between the Delhi Zoo and Vantara, an animal rescue and rehabilitation center operated by the Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani's youngest son Anant Ambani. The party questioned whether this agreement could be a precursor to the privatization of the zoo. Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge! As of now, neither the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, which oversees the zoo, nor the Reliance group has made any official statement on the potential agr ...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 >
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 >
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 >
Mumbai: The Singapore Airlines (SIA) Group and Mandai Wildlife Group have joined hands to enhance the country's appeal as a top travel destination by co-creating customer experiences through exclusive privileges, and spotlighting the crucial work of wildlife conservation for the planet. The partnership will also extend assistance from SIA in transferring animals from Singapore's wildlife parks to accredited zoos across the world. As part of efforts to boost inbound travel from key international markets, SIA has announced to provide its customers with curated wildlife experiences, exclusive c ...Read More >
Bhopal, July 12 (SocialNews.XYZ) In a poignant development from Kuno National Park, a Namibian female cheetah named 'Nabha' has died following injuries sustained during a hunting attempt within her 'Soft Release Boma'. Boma refers to an enclosure, particularly in East and Southern Africa. She was among the 20 Cheetahs who were transported from Namibia in the second phase of India's ambitious 'Cheetah Reintroduction Project' in two batches on September 17, 2022 and February 2023. The 8-year-old cheetah had been under medical care for a week after suffering severe fractures in both the ulna an ...Read More >
Lucknow: Taking cognisance of the potential threat of bird flu, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday directed concerned departments to coordinate and take measures to prevent the prevalence of the H5 virus in the state. He said that efforts should be stepped up in all zoos, sanctuaries, national parks, etc.On Monday, the bird flu virus was diagnosed in the poultry birds in Rampur after an estimated 15,000 chickens died.The chief minister also instructed the health department to conduct an in-depth study of the potential impacts of H5 avian influenza on human health and present a report ...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 >
HYDERABAD: A leopard that had villagers from Veerannapet in Mahabubnagar district, and forest department officials on tenterhooks since July, was finally trapped on Monday. District forest officer S. Satyanarayana said the three month effort of regular monitoring of the leopard's movement, and placing four trap cages on a hillock next to the village that the leopard was mostly moving around on, finally paid off on Monday. "Our staff, on an early morning inspection of the cages, found the animal in a cage. It was immediately sent to the Nehru Zoological Park as it had some abrasion wounds on i ...Read More >
Wayanad: The leopard that had been troubling the residents of Pulinchal in Cheeral was caught in a cage laid by the forest department late on Tuesday. The residents of the village had called for an immediate capture of the leopard, which had been roaming in and out of human settlements for several months. Apart from spreading panic and terror among the residents, the animal also killed a calf belonging to Kadanthodan Saidalavi on Tuesday morning. South Wayanad DFO Ajit K Raman told Onmanorama that the leopard is a one-year-old male. The forest department team, including veterinarians, transf ...Read More >
Chennai: Madras high court has clarified that private self-financing medical colleges are required to pay only a stipend, and not a full salary, to in-service govt doctors pursuing postgraduate or super-specialty courses under the govt quota.A division bench of Justice R Subramanian and Justice K Surender passed the order while partly allowing a batch of appeals moved by Karpaga Vinayaga Medical College and others. They challenged a single judge's order that directed private colleges to pay salaries to in-service doctors studying in their institutions.The appeals were moved based on a GO dated ...Read More >
NBCC (India) Limited moved to a transformative leap in wildlife conservation and Eco-tourism infrastructure by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with FDCM Gorewada Zoo Limited (FGZL), a Government of Maharashtra undertaking. The MoU pertains to the Development of African Safari and Entrance Plaza at the Balasaheb Thackeray Gorewada International Zoological Park, Nagpur. The MoU was signed by Shri Chandrasekharan Bala, CEO, FGZL and Shri Pravin Tukaram Doiphode, Executive Director, NBCC in the presence of Shri Devendra Fadnavis, Hon'ble Chief Minister of Maharashtra who has envisione ...Read More >