Poachers say 5 tigers killed in three months
Tiger poaching in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra seems to be on unabated going by the statements of two young poachers who were nabbed on June 6. The two have told officials that they and some other gangs
Vivek Deshpande
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Mating calls lure tiger to Orissa zoo, NTCA wants it released
The Orissa forest department is holding on to a wild tiger that strayed inside Nandankanan Zoo over a week ago, saying they don't know its original habitat and therefore cannot release it. Sources in the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), however, said Nandankanan authorities planned to use the tiger for breeding inside the zoo, which was illegal. NTCA has asked Chief Wildlife Warden J D Sharma to immediately release the tiger.
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Maharashtra lifts ban on Mahyco’s Bt cotton seeds
The Maharashtra government has lifted the ban on sale of Bt Cotton seeds supplied by Mahyco Seeds for the coming Kharif season "in public interest". The ban was imposed last year with the Agriculture Minister
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GPS study finds forest land ‘wrongfully’ given to tribals
A Maharashtra forest department study, based on GPS and satellite imagery, shows that "ineligible forest areas are being claimed and granted for land plots (pattas) under the Forest Rights Act." The FRA
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‘US firms to blame for opposition to GM crops’
Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Sunday blamed companies in countries with GM technology-driven agriculture, like the United States, for the opposition to GM crops in India, adding that they don't want the country to be self-sufficient in food, especially oils. "In the US, the entire soyabean production is done with genetically modified (GM) technology. India has to import edible oils worth Rs 60,000 crore. There is growing opposition to GM technology here, though it helps to increase productivity as is evident from our cotton experience. You have adopted GM in your country but you don't let that happen in India. This is not proper and it is alarming," said Pawar.
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Speaking for the stray cats
The extraordinary spectacle of a tigress sitting in a pond with a crowd of curious onlookers standing perilously close to her, outside the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR), which this newspaper carried on July 3, made the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) sit up and take notice.