Birds, animals killed in Paschim Medinipur hunting festival: W.Bengal
A traditional hunting festival in Paschim Medinipur district killed several birds and animals on Monday, alleged animal activists who accused the forest department and police of inaction.
A Calcutta High Court order in 2019 put a complete embargo on ritual hunting in various districts of south-west Bengal. In another order dated March 21, 2021, the court iterated its earlier order, saying that all such illegal activities have to be completely stopped by the state by exercising police power, if needed.
Animal lovers fear a rerun of the massacre of a range of wildlife on several upcoming dates of ritual hunting in the southwestern districts of Bengal — Paschim Medinipur, Bankura, Jhargram and Purulia.
The kills included wild boars and birds like orange-headed thrush, said members of HEAL (Human and Environment Alliance League), who were in Paschim Medinipur to track the alleged hunters. “The hunters were emboldened by the lack of action of the authorities and were threatening anyone who was documenting the kills. More than 100 vehicles moved towards the forests but not one was stopped by the administration or foresters. No checkpoints seen anywhere. This, despite informing all the relevant authorities well in advance,” said Meghna Banerjee of HEAL.
Poorly studied secretive insects with lace for wings: MANTISPIDS
Mantispids are insects belonging to the Order Neuroptera, which resemble praying mantises in form and behavior.
Around 410 species belonging to the family Mantispidae, have been discovered till now. Despite exhibiting some intriguing and distinct life histories, they remain among the poorly studied groups of insects.
The most interesting aspect of mantispids is their larval development, with larvae feeding on other insect orders, from termites to wasps to spiders.
The fact that both adults and larvae, serve to keep a check on insect population, makes them a species worth conserving. Their lives are both an invitation and a challenge, for humans searching for answers to survive on an increasingly hostile planet.
HC upholds night traffic ban on Dhimbam ghat road, spares locals residents alone: Tamil Nadu
Chief Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari and Justice D. Bharatha Chakravarthy held that the Collector, heading the District Road Safety Committee, was fully empowered to impose restrictions such as night traffic ban, speed limit, maximum permissible weight and height of commercial vehicles and so on even with respect to national highways and that the role of National Highways Authority of India was limited to collection of toll.
“Humans have disproportionately conquered the space on earth. There is very little space for the wildlife to exist,” the Madras High Court observed on Wednesday and upheld the night traffic ban (except for vehicles belonging to the tribals, forest dwellers, local villagers and agriculturalists) imposed on Dhimbam ghat road which was part of a national highway that passes through Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve and connects Tamil Nadu with Karnataka.
Though 10 animals, including three leopards and three spotted deer, had reportedly died in the stretch in 2021 alone, the judges said, since the Supreme Court had extended the fundamental right to life guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution to animals too, the night traffic ban was primarily essential to avoid disturbance to animals, a majority of which were nocturnal, and that road kill was only a secondary reason.
140-year-old NWEA to be revived: Nilgiris
The more than 140-year-old Nilgiri Wildlife and Environment Association (NWEA), could be resuscitated again.
The NWEA, which was originally called the Nilgiri Game Association, was formed by a group of British hunters who had noticed the diminishment of the Nilgiris’ wildlife in the 1800s due to uncontrolled hunting.
After its inception, the NWEA proved instrumental in getting one of the first wildlife protection laws in India passed – Nilgiris Game and Fish Preservation Act of 1879, which stipulated regulations that limited the number of animals that could be hunted. This piece of legislation ensured that the Nilgiris’ fauna, including the Nilgiri tahr, its tiger and elephant populations held out till the enactment of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.
Environment Minister launches ‘Prakriti’ green initiatives for effective plastic waste management
In another step toward eliminating single-use plastic, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Tuesday launched “Prakriti”, a mascot to spread greater awareness about small changes that can be sustainably adopted in the lifestyle for a better environment.
Various green initiatives were taken by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to ensure effective Plastic Waste Management (PWM) in the country, in the presence of the Minister of State, Ashwini Kumar Choubey and senior officials of the government.
“In a drive toward global action on plastic pollution, India will implement a blanket ban on single-use plastic items such as earbuds with plastic sticks, plastic flags, plates, glasses, cutlery, etc to be banned from July 01 2022,” Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) tweeted.
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