Saturday, Aug 8 2020 | Time 14:29 Hrs(IST)
image
  • Plane accident : Puri announces compensation of Rs 10 lakh each to families of those killed
  • Need to focus on interests of river cities by merging urban planning with river management: DG NMCG
  • Wait for investigation by DGCA, revelations available from black box for cause of plane crash : Puri
  • COVID-19: Life remains crippled due to lockdown in Kashmir
  • Davinder case: NIA conduct raids in Srinagar, few other places in Kashmir
  • G C Murmu takes charge as CAG of India
  • Rain fury: Flood-like situation throws life out of gear in Karnataka
  • Odisha reports 12 more Covid deaths,Tally surges to 44,193 with 1643 new cases
  • COVID-19 claims senior politician, six-time LS member Nandi Yellaiah
  • Mahinda Rajapaksa to be sworn in as Prime Minister on Aug 9
  • Courts could meddle with decisions of legislature when decisions violates constitution : Ramakrishnudu
  • Kerala plane accident: Air India, Air India Express blacken their logos on social media
  • Flight Accident : AI CMD, Air India express CEO reaches Calicut, 17, including two pilots dead
  • Country needs to stick to basics till a safe and effective Covid vaccine is found : Experts
  • Noted academician Agha Ashraf Ali no more, demise widely condoled
States » EastPosted at: Jun 19 2019 7:11PM


India to be the next hotspot for pangolin poaching: Biologist

Kolkata, Jun 19(UNI) India could be the next hot spot for Pangolin poachers after African nations, according to Prof Samuel K Wasser, Director Centre for Conservation Biology, University of Washington.
Speaking at a Media Roundtable here at the American Centre on Tuesday, Prof Wasser said pangolin trade may have just surpassed international illegal ivory trade and is estimated at USD 4 billion annually.
India, which is home to at least two species of pangolin-- Manis crassicaudata and Chinese Pangolin M. pentadactyla--is going to be the next target of international wildlife criminal organisations as Africa could be soon depleted of pangolins, he opined.
The biologist said there is very little awareness about this shy animal, which is also the most trafficked animal in the world, mainly for its scales that are believed to cure "anything from acne to cancer" in Southeast Asian countries.
Dr Wasser and his team has been collecting pangolin scats for DNA mapping in Vietnam and Nepal with the help of sniffer dogs and the DNA so extracted is added to the pangolin genetics map.
Similarly, he aims to create a DNA reference map for the pangolin species in India by extracting DNA from pangolin scats.
Talks are also on to develop a pangolin DNA laboratory at the Wildlife Institute of India(WII) in Dehradun, where DNA extraction will be done from pangolin scats, he said.
"As pangolins are solitary creatures, they are not usually visible, until you really look for them,"he said, and added that he is looking to deploy sniffer dogs in India, too, to track pangolin dung.
"DNA reference map is used in cross-referencing the DNA from the seizure, which helps in identifying the poaching hotspots.This will enable enforcement agencies to crackdown on poachers,"he explained.
"There are still a lot of pangolins in India, but if we remain oblivious about their whereabouts, they will vanish even before we know,"Dr Wasser stated.
Prof Wasser said, transnational wildlife trafficking is the fourth largest in the world, and illegal wildlife trade is valued at approximately USD 20 billion annually.
He said India has been successfully able to clamp down on tiger poachers, but certain entities continue to play a major role in moving illegal wildlife products from Africa to east Southeast Asian countries.
"These products don't come to India, but their movement is expedited from India,"he stated.
"They are not really committing this crime in India, but, nevertheless, playing a major role in it,"he said, and added that awareness in this direction would help find ways of arresting the activity.
Prof. Wasser said traditionally India has never been a prominent ivory market. However, Indian elephants now stand at risk, after, recently, the poachers started targetting the giant mammals in Myanmar for their skin for making prayer beads.
"This puts at risk Indian elephants of all ages along with their African relatives. The wildlife traffickers expand their business by generating new demands and spreading rumours about magical cures,"he said.
"Earlier, rhino horn was used as dagger handle, mainly in Yemen, which was a small market. So, someone spread the rumour about it being a great aphrodisiac. That picked up the market.
"However, the prices shot to USD 60,000 a kilo, when it was promoted as a cancer cure in Vietnam,"he stated.
"For the same reason Pangolins are poached massively," he pointed out.
"Initially, the mammal was being traded as meat delicacy in southeast Asia, specially Vietnam , but gradually the market diminished. And, it was then hugely promoted as a cure for variety of diseases, mainly rheumatism,"he said.
"While India has done an unprecedented job in tiger conservation, I think complacency may cost dearly, if enough is not done to safeguard the pangolins here,"he added.
UNI AND
More News
Country needs to stick to basics till a safe and effective Covid vaccine is found : Experts

Country needs to stick to basics till a safe and effective Covid vaccine is found : Experts

08 Aug 2020 | 1:36 PM

Kolkata, Aug 08 (UNI) While India currently has low fatality rate and high recovery rate for Covid patients compared to many other nations like the US and Brazil, the country needs to stick to basics like wearing mask, physical distancing and maintaining hand hygiene and surface disinfection till a safe and effective Covid vaccine is found and the pandemic abates.

see more..
One more death in Meghalaya, COVID cases mount

One more death in Meghalaya, COVID cases mount

08 Aug 2020 | 12:35 PM

Shillong, Aug 8 (UNI) With the death of one more person due to Covid in Meghalaya, the total number of deaths in the state rose to six , while 17 new cases were detected taking the overall active cases to 594 as on Saturday, health officials said.

see more..
Situation worsens in Tripura: Covid unit shifted after major fault found in ICU

Situation worsens in Tripura: Covid unit shifted after major fault found in ICU

08 Aug 2020 | 12:33 PM

Agartala, Aug 8 (UNI) The sudden spike in Covid-19 related death for the past three weeks in Agartala Government Medical College (AGMC) hospital and subsequent detection of a major problem in ventilation system at the ICU of Covid unit yesterday has raised several questions that compelled the authority to shift the unit.

see more..
Arunachal's COVID-19 case tally crosses 2000-mark

Arunachal's COVID-19 case tally crosses 2000-mark

08 Aug 2020 | 12:16 PM

Itanagar, Aug 8 (UNI) Arunachal Pradesh COVID-19 tally has risen to 2049 with detection of 101 new cases.

see more..

Situation worsens in Tripura: Covid unit shifted after major fault found in ICU

08 Aug 2020 | 11:36 AM

Agartala, Aug 8 (UNI) The sudden spike in Covid-19 related death for the past three weeks in Agartala Government Medical College (AGMC) hospital and subsequent detection of a major problem in ventilation system at the ICU of Covid unit yesterday has raised several questions that compelled the authority to shift the unit.

see more..
image