Tag: world news

Safari vehicles crowd tiger in ‘unwarranted’ behavior in India

Footage showing safari vehicles packed with tourists following closely behind a large tiger has drawn criticism for an obvious reason.

Footage showing safari vehicles packed with tourists following closely behind a large tiger has drawn criticism for an obvious reason.

“The great Indian tiger show. Please maintain some sense & distance,” Susanta Nanda of the Indian Forest Service stated in a tweet.

The footage (posted below) was captured by Swati Yardi from a vehicle in front of the tiger as the majestic animal strolled casually on a dirt path.

Yardi shot back: “These vehicles or crowd you see in back are not unnecessary vehicles but allowed ones in the zone as per department.”

Nanda: “The vehicles are allowed not to chase the wild. The behavior is unwarranted. Don’t forget that the guidelines say to maintain minimum distance of at least half-a-kilometer between two safari vehicles when they are ferrying people in a tiger reserve.”

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Yardi: “Agree sir with you. I just hope this is been followed in all forests because as I have done safaris since more than half decade in different parts of Indian forests, and never seen distance of half km. Sad reality everywhere. I only wanted to mention there was no disturbance to the tiger.”

Some in the comments criticized the Indian government for not enforcing regulations.

Tigers are endangered, but staunch conservation efforts have enabled the tiger population in India to increase from a record low of 1,411 animals in 2006 to more than 3,000 animals.

–Image and video courtesy of Swati Yardi

Baby rhino rescued via helicopter after poachers kill its mother

A rhinoceros calf that was left to fend for itself after poachers in South Africa killed its mother has been rescued via helicopter and taken to a rhino orphanage.

When poachers kill rhinos for their horns, calves that are left behind are almost certain to perish. But for one newly orphaned calf, there’s hope for recovery and, eventually, a return to the wild.

According to the nonprofit, African Wildlife Vets, a ranger and veterinarian for Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park in South Africa spotted the de-horned rhino carcass this week while conducting an aerial search for buffalo.

Wandering nearby was the 6-week-old male rhino calf.

African Wildlife Vets described what happened next on Facebook:

“Dr. Rowan Leeming immobilized the small calf and they placed it on the back seat of the helicopter. The calf was rushed to the Zululand Rhino Orphanage where he was given a drip to rehydrate him and rhino plasma to strengthen his immune system.

“The experienced team at the orphanage will do everything they can to ensure his recovery and then his well being until he is old enough to be released back into the wild.”

Zululand Rhino Orphanage has shared photos and videos via Instagram showing the baby rhino, blindfolded to keep him calm, receiving care from staff.

Rhinos are poached for their keratin-rich horns, which are sold in Asian markets and used largely for medicinal purposes.

Rhinoceros populations have been decimated – about 27,000 wild rhinos exist globally, down from 70,000 in 1970 – and few rhinos survive outside national parks and reserves.

The intentional removal of rhino horns by conservations inside reserves is now a common method designed to keep the animals safe from poachers.