Sri Lanka's Tree Frogs

In 1957, Sri Lankan naturalist Parakrama Kirtisinghe published a monograph titled The Amphibia of Sri Lanka. In it, he recorded the presence of 35 species on the island nation. Over the next three and a half decades, with new species being discovered on a fairly regular basis, this number had swollen to a healthy 53.

Jumbo revival

The dwindling wild elephant population in Thailand may soon see a turnaround with the world's first elephant sperm bank opening for business in Bangkok. Following a series of trials, Thai veterinarians have solved the problem of keeping pachyderm sperm viable after long periods of freezing. Artificial insemination of elephants with sperm from the bank would ease the problem of inbreeding caused by a dearth of bull elephants.

Future jeopardised

union health minister C P Thakur recently announced a plan to commercialise the farming of musk deer for medicinal purposes. To execute this plan, he proposes to set up captive breeding centres in Jammu, Himachal Pradesh and in certain areas of Uttaranchal.

Burden of beast

Theirs is no romantic tale of the desert. Rather the plight of camel herders of Rajasthan today is that of an endless struggle for survival. Time was when Virma Ram proudly watched his herd of camels stretch in an endless line along the dusty horizon. Today, his gaze has turned into a blank stare as the prospect of maintaining his precious livestock appears bleak.

ANIMAL TESTING

Acting on the petition filed by All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) professors, the Delhi High Court has stayed the directions of the Committee for Purpose of Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals (CPCSEA) to close down the laboratory of AIIMS. The petitioners challenged the provisions of the Breeding of and Experiments on Animals (Control and Supervision) Rules, 1998, and the Amendment Rules, 2001. They stated that Rule 4, 6 (a) (B) and 7 of the 1998 rules is illegal as it imposes an "unreasonable restriction on carrying on experiments by institutions".

Unhearthed

Early morning twitter is music to ears. But soon this melody may turn into a requiem with the bird community slowly being driven out of its natural surroundings. Constant human encroachment on the forest cover is forcing these avian creatures to abandon their homes and explore alternate sites for shelter and sustenance.

Hope for vultures

with an aim to save vultures from extinction, a novel programme to breed these birds has been jointly launched by the State Wildlife Preservation Department, Haryana and Bombay Natural History Society (bnhs) at Bir hunting ground near Pinjore.

Losing signals

the Olive Ridley satellite telemetry experiment of the Wildlife Institute of India (wii) has failed, with signals not being received from any of the four turtles involved. The experiment was launched in the last week of August 2001, to unravel the mystery surrounding the whereabouts of Olive Ridleys that come to the state's shores every year and then just disappear after the nesting season is over. Three of the turtles transmitted signals for about two months and one for about four months.

THAILAND

A revised law of the Thailand government banning the use of fishing gear during the peak breeding season cannot be enforced due to strong opposition from commercial fisherfolk, stated Dhammarong Prakobboon, the country's fisheries department chief. Studies by the department indicate that a ban on the use of fishing gear helped increase fish stocks. "However, it was impossible to enforce the ban this year because commercial fisherfolk strongly opposed it," said Prakobboon.

Beastly Existence