Date of Publication: 21 March 2015

Vol. XXX, No. 3, March 2015 ISSN 0971-6378 (Print); 0973-2543 (Online)

Magazine of Zoo Outreach Organization

Green cat snake (Boiga cyanea) at the Assam State Zoo in Guwahati, Assam, India, Pp. 1-5

Magazine of Zoo Outreach OrganizationVol. XXX, No. 3, March 2015 ISSN 0971-6378 (Print); 0973-2543 (Online)

Joel Sartore and Grace Young ... Reptiles and Birds Photos from India, Sally Walker, Pp. 1-5

Government and Legislation in Asia, ZOOKEEPING (Part 10, Chapter 61), Sally R Walker, Pp. 6-10

Study of feeding pattern and total feeding time of Captive Red Pandas (Ailurus fulgens fulgens) at Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park, Darjeeling P. Gupta and A.K. Jha, Pp. 11-13

Spatio-Temporal Dynamics of Snakes in a human-altered landscape in semi-Malnad (Mid-Western Ghats) Region of Shimoga, Karnataka, Jagadeesh, B., Chittaragi and B.B. Hosetti, Pp. 14-18

Rare record on Plaintive Cuckoo (Cacomantis merulinus) from a freshwater wetland of Bankura District, West Bengal, India, Aparajita Mukherjee, Debnath Palit and Santanu Gupta, Pp. 19-21

Announcement: 42nd Annual AAZK National Conference, St. Louis, Missouri from 27th September to 1st October 2015, P. 21

Regions of remarkable biological productivity and high accessibility- Costal and Marine Ecosystems,Biba Jasmine, Pp. 22-26

World Wetlands Day Reports, Pp. 27-29

Animal Welfare Fortnight 2015-Reports, Pp. 30-32

Contents

Animal Welfare Fortnight 2015 celebration at Pondicherry University, Puducherry, Pp. 30-32

Rare record on Plaintive Cuckoo (Cacomantis merulinus) from a freshwater wetland of Bankura District, West Bengal, India, Pp. 19-21

World Wetlands Day celebration with Coimbatore Govt. School, Pp. 27-29

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXX, Number 3 March 2015 1

Joel Sartore, photographer, and Grace Young, his assistant have compiled photos taken on Joel’s trip to India. Joel has a unique method of photographing wild animals that allows viewers to appreciate every hair on every mammal and every feather on every bird, every scale on every reptile and so on.

This set of photographs feature some of the creepy crawlers and the feathered friends. It is important that people recognise their beauty, swiftness, and utility in the world.

For this issue of ZOO’s PRINT we show some of the more unusual fauna. Many people are afraid snakes, for example. Joel & Grace have worked hard to show the beauty of Reptiles, for instance. Reptiles generate horrific “eeks!” or “screeches” instead of wows” even if they are not dangerous.

While it is true that some Reptiles are dangerous either by poisonous bite or suffocating python hugs and other dangerous habits, others are more afraid of you than you them. If you come upon the latter, give them space, take your photo, and quickly move on.

Birds are another story ... few birds are dangerous but most birds are very nervous around human beings and fly away in our presence unless we are behind shrubs and high grass. Complete silence is required. The birds shown in this photo article are mostly water birds, and very lovely ones. Thanks for your interest - S. Walker

Joel Sartore and Grace Young ... Reptiles and Birds Photos from IndiaSally Walker

Joel Sartore - leftGrace Young - right

Green cat snake (Boiga cyanea) at the Assam State Zoo in Guwahati, Assam, India.

Snakes

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXX, Number 3 March 2015 2

Indian flap shell turtle (Lissemys punctata punctata) at the Kamala Nehru Zoo, in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.

Indian flapshell

turtle (Lissemys punctata)

at the Assam State Zoo in

Guwahati, Assam, India.

Indian narrow-headed softshell turtle at the Gharial and Turtle Rehabilitation Center, Kukrail Forest, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India.

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXX, Number 3 March 2015 3

A male red-crowned roof turtle (Batagur kachuga) at the Gharial and Turtle Rehabilitation Center, Kukrail Forest, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Gharials (Gavialis gangeticus) at the Gharial and Turtle Rehabilitation Center, Kukrail Forest, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India.

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXX, Number 3 March 2015 4

Birds

Black-necked stork (Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus) at the Kamala Nehru Zoo,Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.

White-necked stork

(Ciconia episcopus) at

the Kamala Nehru Zoo, in Ahmedabad,

Gujarat, India.

Painted stork (Mycteria leucocephala) at the Kamala Nehru Zoo in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXX, Number 3 March 2015 5

Rosy pelican (Pelecanus

onocrotalus) at the

Kamala Nehru Zoo in Ahmedabad,

Gujarat, India.

Eurasian spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia) held at the Kamala Nehru Zoo in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.

A Black Ibis (Pseudibis

papillosa) at the Kamala

Nehru Zoo in Ahmedabad,

Gujarat, India.

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXX, Number 3 March 2015 6

'Asia" and the topic "legislation" have many commonalities: both entities are large, dissimilar and similar, subtle, uncertain, complex, and even contradictory. Asia, with 43 countries and a few protectorates in five regions, is the most diverse of the world's seven continents. Zoo legislation, or even environmental legislation referring to zoos, is diverse where it exists, reflecting Asian countries' widely varied cultures, attitudes, politics, and economies.

Asia is the largest continent in both area and population. Zoo legislation is patchy in each region and in most of the countries. Unlike other large land areas in North America, Europe, and Australia/New Zealand, each region in Asia contains from 5 to 17 distinct countries. Each has its own government, economy, developmental status, religions, and traditions which affect its concept of a zoo and its administration.

Therefore, many zoos in Asia look good on the outside, with their dramatic size and displays, but are not keeping up on the inside, where ethics, interest, and technical zoo animal management skills are required. Moreover, zoo legislation as such is meager in Asia, and this contributes to the imbalance.

LEGISLATION It would appear that Asian zoo legislation is sparse. Many Asian countries now have wildlife and welfare legislation, which sometimes names zoos generally if any laws in the document apply. That is better than no legislation, but governments should know that specific standards of zoo exhibition and care are of paramount importance, and should include them. These standards are conspicuously absent in many of the Asian countries, whereas they are of primary importance in many other parts of the world. Western countries legislate standards of care and carry out inspections to ensure that zoos are following the law. Zoo associations work together with governments on accreditation or recognition. In Asia, few countries include standards of care, welfare, or display, and none have taxon-specific legislation that details precise values for different animal groups. The United Kingdom, Europe, and Australia have these standards in governmental legislation and national and or regional accreditation, while the American Zoo Association (AZA) covers it in their accreditation program.

It is noteworthy that most Asian national wildlife legislation rarely refers to zoos as part of the conservation effort. Ironically, most Asian forest and wildlife legislation includes strengthening, restocking, or reintroduction for declining wildlife populations, and also the leisure aspect of wildlife without linking zoos. It is as if they cannot conceive of zoos being helpful to wildlife and environmental managers.

Another interesting feature of Asian zoos is the paucity of regional or national zoo associations, "Friends of the Zoo," and other nongovernmental organizations that are so productive, helpful, and appreciated in Western countries. Asian governments seem reticent to recognize the few extant organizations unless they are themselves part of government.

SOUTH ASIA South Asia includes eight countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka. Two of these countries have zoo legislation, and two more have drafts of legislation that are plodding through various governmental offices until their passage. Other South Asian countries will most likely opt for it in the coming years. The South Asian Zoo Association for Regional Cooperation (SAZARC) was founded to encourage zoo legislation and attention to conservation, welfare, and standards.

Sri Lanka was the first country in Asia to pass legislation specifically for zoos and not as part of other legislation. The National Zoological Gardens Act (No. 42 of 1982) provided for administration and management of the National Zoo, a zoo fund, a description of the zoo director's duties and responsibilities, standards of behavior, and penalties for noncompliant visitors.

When India became independent there was great interest in all wildlife, and also in zoos. Decades later it was realized that zoos had proliferated too rapidly and were out of control. Only legislation could bring about restraint. India's story of addressing this and other problems is so remarkable that a case study has been included in this book.

Afghanistan and Bhutan, with only one zoo and one Takin Centre respectively, have yet to see the need for zoo legislation, although both countries plan other wild animal facilities. Current and future zoos would benefit a great deal by having the structure and incentive provided by standards and guidelines.

Bangladesh has about 10 zoos currently managed by different governmental authorities. The government has drafted zoo legislation that various ministries must examine. The South Asian Zoo Association for Regional Cooperation (SAZARC) is a strong encouraging force, but transfer of senior ministry officials who could push legislation is an obstacle to its timely passage.

In Nepal, concerned officials identified a need for captive animal legislation and have acted on it. Now, the Nepalese government has tracked the number of captive facilities or their agencies and has drawn up

Government and Legislation in Asia, ZOOKEEPING (Part 10, Chapter 61) Sally R. Walker

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXX, Number 3 March 2015 7

legislation which is shy of one signature to become law. In addition, the Central Zoo, Kathmandu, which took the lead in convincing government of the need for legislation, has also created a network which brings all zoos in Nepal together for meetings.

There is no central zoo legislation for captive wild animals in Pakistan, but there is wildlife legislation in the four provinces, some of which can be applied to zoos. There are no standards for exhibition of animals or inspections, but animal welfare legislation can be used in some situations. Pakistan has a number of zoos, some of which date from the 19th century and others which are recently constructed.

SOUTHEAST ASIA Southeast Asia includes ten countries: Singapore, Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Vietnam. The zoos in this region have some specific or implied legislated requirements within wildlife legislation. The "connect" between zoos and conservation of wildlife is lacking in these laws, but the regional association, South

East Asian Zoos Association (SEAZA), connects more than 100 zoos and parks and offers training in conservation, helpful inspections, and advice.

Three zoos in Brunei are under some governmental authority: Tamburong Zoo, Louis Mini Zoo, and Hassanal Bookiah Aquarium, all of which are of good repute. All but one of the royal family's private collections, four zoos and an aquarium, are open to the public. His Majesty the Sultan of Brunei is to make rules regarding control of ownership and of import or export of any wildlife species.

Currently the organization of zoos in Thailand is on two levels: official zoo endeavors via the Zoological Parks Organization (ZPO) of the government of Thailand, and independent spurious facilities that are unregulated. In 1992 a Wildlife Preservation and Protection Act (BE 2535) was passed that applied to ex situ conservation in public zoos, as defined in chapter V.29 of the act. It includes rules for permission, establishment of zoos, compliance with notifications, and documenting of species.

Case Study 61.1. Government and Zoo Legislation in India

India, the Largest country in South Asia, probably has done the most of any country in the world Legislatively to improve the quality and control the quantity of its once insufficiently managed but now dramatically proliferating zoos. In the decades after Indian independence (1947) there was official recognition that the existing zoos were not keeping up with the rest of the world, and many well-meant actions were taken to improve them, including establishment of a zoo wing in the Indian Board for Wildlife, the establishment of an Indian expert committee, a visit of American zoo experts, inclusion of zoos in the Wildlife Action Plan, a meeting of Indian zoo directors, and other recommendations which largely stayed on paper.

A seminal event took place in 1987: A list of 187 zoos was published in a zoo magazine (Walker 1987) that challenged the official ministry list of 44. This demonstrated that zoos were springing up faster than government could keep up with. In 1988, the Department of Environment created the post of joint director for zoo affairs in the ministry, and from this point on, regular progress took place. Serious steps had been taken during these four decades to improve existing zoos, but in the end it was determined that the way forward was to develop serious and stringent national legislation. An enthusiastic minister gave the order for ministry officials to create the framework for the new Central Zoo Authority (CZA) and operational principles for implementing zoo legislation. An act establishing CZA was passed in 1991, and another one establishing norms and standards was passed in 1992.

According to law, all zoos were then (as now) required to register with the government. When the registration process was complete, the number of zoos was about 450. According to these new laws, all zoos had to be inspected and given time to improve. The zoos were also given funds by the CZA to do the work in a 50% matching scheme in which their respective states also contributed funds and did the work, after which they would be reinspected and either given recognition or be ordered to close.

Over the next decade, CZA gave recognition to almost 200 zoos, while closing more than 200 wild animal facilities and distributing those animals to recognized zoos. Also, a vast number of projects were designed and carried out to bring Indian zoos up to international standard and improve animal welfare. Those projects included training for all levels of zoo personnel, highlevel committees (e.g., zoo design, education, and technical guidance), zoo associations (e.g., for curators, keepers, and educators), institution of small grants and fellowships for zoo personnel to conduct research projects, and establishment of a high-level DNA research facility.

Over the next 15 years there were a number of amendments to the act. Whenever CZA decided an existing statute was insufficient or inappropriate, it would improve the statute as an ongoing process. Later it was decided that CZA would set up regional offices that will have closer relations with zoos of north, northeast, south, west, and central India. These regional offices help insure that needs are met and work completed more effectively and efficiently for the further improvement of zoos.

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXX, Number 3 March 2015 8

Captive facilities in the Philippines include zoos, breeding centers, and rescue centers. Although strengthened with relatively recent legislation, enforcement is not effective. The Department of Environment instituted an accreditation process for zoos and wildlife facilities to control trade and improve standards, but implementation is scant.

Laos (Lao People's Democratic Republic) is a rural country devastated by recent wars. The primary zoo in the country is the Vientiane Zoo, founded in 1992 and located in Vientiane, the national capital. There are other zoos associated with hotels and private menageries. Lao's zoo legislation was passed in 2007 and is the major piece of legislation with application to captive facilities, covering wild capture, use of wildlife for public benefit (zoos, aquariums, etc.), need for veterinary units, and so on.

Wars destroyed the modern zoos established in the cities of colonial Cambodia. Today the Phnom Tamao Zoo, located outside Phnom Penh, founded in 1995 and managed by Department of Forestry and Wildlife, seems the only major zoo in the country. It is large and includes carnivore, bird, and herbivore parks, with native species donated or confiscated locally. Draft circulars have been issued by the State Wildlife Department that refer to zoos, but they are not available.

Currently there are two main zoos in South Vietnam, along with several small ones owned by businesses and private individuals. There are also several breeding and rescue centers for conserving endangered species and reintroducing animals back into the wild. Environmental legislation in South Vietnam is written in Vietnamese. There are translations of Vietnamese laws that include the management of captive bear facilities (due to the bear bile industry) up to the most detailed biodiversity legislation. Also available online are lists of decisions, circulars, and decrees from North Vietnam relating to captive management of bears, wild plants and animals, and management of import and export, including CITES regulations and penalties (Education for Nature-Vietnam: www.envietnam.org/library/law-library.html).

Of importance in Singapore is the Wild Animals and Birds Act, passed in 1965, which has had frequent revisions, most recently in 2002. Many other laws, such as the Animal Welfare Law, apply to captive animals, including licensing for commercial animals (e.g., those for sale and for exhibition), and the Endangered Species Act. Taken together, the requirements that apply to zoos in Singapore are stringent, and Singapore's animal facilities reflect this.

There are three zoos in Myanmar: Yangon Zoo, Mandalay Zoo, and the relatively new Nay Pyi Taw Garden Project. Myanmar's only apparent zoo

legislation is a regulation that provides for the importation of wild animals going to zoos, issued under auspices of the Ministry of Livestock. This requires a valid import license from the Myanmar authority, disease certification, certification of year-long disease-free area of provenance, and quarantine on arrival for a minimum of 14 days.

In Malaysia the Association of Zoological Parks and Aquaria, founded in 1996, is an aid to that nation's zoos. The Malaysian government also encourages good management and maintenance of zoos through its Wildlife Protection Act of 1973. A national zoo policy provides guidelines with minimum standards for safety, animal welfare, veterinary medicine, and enclosure design. Separate territories in Malaysia each have their own wildlife departments and regulations that apply to captive facilities.

Indonesia has made substantial efforts to organize and raise the standards of its zoos. The Indonesian Zoological Parks Association is a partner of the Ministry of Forestry and the Indonesian Scientific Institution. There are a diversity of zoos on three islands, including traditional zoological gardens, aquariums, bird parks, reptile parks, and butterfly parks. The most recent legislation for Indonesia is Ministerial Decree No. 479/Kpts-n/i998, which describes the functions of zoos and special fauna parks.

EAST ASIA Of the six East Asian countries—China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, North Korea, and Mongolia—only Mongolia does not have a zoo or any similar captive animal facility. All other countries in the region have two to hundreds of zoos. None has a trace of zoo legislation as such, but the ways in which the different countries mind their zoos is varied and interesting.

China has as many as 700 zoos, but no specific zoo legislation. It does have a number of laws, acts, and decrees focused upon wild animal protection and management that can be brought to bear on zoos, if there is sufficient coordination between different agencies. The State Forestry Administration (SFA) has demonstrated its ability to issue and implement controls in zoos. The Chinese Association of Zoological Gardens (CAZG), itself a government organization, can, with its connections to other government ministries, put pressure on zoos that are out of line.

Japan lacks specific legislation for zoos but other laws cover some of the need for zoo regulation. The Act on Welfare and Management covers exhibition standards and breeding permits, although it places zoos and pet shops on the same level. The Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums (JAZA), with 89 member zoos, has brought out a husbandry manual

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXX, Number 3 March 2015 9

with standards for care and exhibition and also acts as a monitor for quality and conditions.

Taiwan has at least 14 zoos or zoolike facilities displaying animals for public viewing. The Taiwan Aquarium and Zoological Parks Association (TAZA) currently has 14 institutional members, including zoos, aquariums, bird parks, museums, and rescue centers. There are two major pieces of legislation, the Taiwan Conservation Law and the Taiwan Animal Protection Law, that have to be followed by zoos, aquariums, and animal ranches, although these are not specifically zoo legislation.

Hong Kong is a special administrative region of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and since 1871 has had a public zoo, the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens. There are other zoos in Hong Kong now, most notably Ocean Park Hong Kong. There is no legislation devoted specifically to zoos, but certain portions of other legislation, such as the Amendments to the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance, apply to zoos.

North Korea has one zoo, Pyongyang Central Zoo, with 5,000 individual animals and 600 species. There is no indication of zoo legislation, zoo ethics, or standards of care, as information about policy is not easily forthcoming. Certain animal species have been designated as "natural monuments" by the Cultural Properties Preservation Law.

South Korea can boast about the Seoul Grand Park Zoo, which is the 10th largest zoo in the world. There are also three other zoos in the country. There is no zoo legislation, but it may not be required in this disciplined country. The Animal Protection Act (1991, revised 2004) describes very simple standards of animal care and provides for wild animals to go to a zoo. The Protection of Wild Fauna and Flora Act (2004, revised 2008) purports to prevent extinctions by protecting and managing species in their habitat as well as in "ex-habitat conservation agencies."

WEST ASIA (MIDDLE EAST) West Asia includes two groups: the federation of seven countries known as the United Arab Emirates (UAE)—Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al-Qaiwain, Ras al-Khaimah and Fujaira—and the other countries of the region: Bahrain, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Yemen. Nearly all these countries have zoos, but none have zoo legislation as such. Some include zoos in their wildlife or environmental legislation, and some have no regulation at all. However, in December 2012 a well-attended meeting of Arab zoo personnel was held to discuss the need for an Arab regional zoo association, backed by Al Ain Zoo and its general director, Ghanim Al Hajeri. Representatives from the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) and other regional zoo associations assisted in discussions, and it was

decided overwhelmingly to undertake this important step.

Zoos in the United Arab Emirates are privately owned and "governed" by the wealthy sheikhs who own them. This is also the case in some non-Emirates countries, as some zoos are owned by wealthy individuals and others are not. Many zoos not under the guidance of wealthy patrons are poorly organized and dysfunctional. In some countries, CITES legislation permits the registration of "breeding centers," and zoos that are so recognized can get import/export permits for wild animals. Animal welfare legislation in the Emirates covers captive and wild animals and stipulates adequate diet, safe transport, and medical treatment for them. The Emirates have adopted the IATA Live Animals Regulations (LAR), and were the first in the Middle East to do so.

Of the non-Emirates countries in this region, Georgia, Jordan, and Israel each have an administrative setup that seems to have direction and controls. The Georgia Law on Wildlife, Article 21, covers captivity, ex situ conservation, zoological collection, and the creation and filling of zoos. It includes some standards other than "appropriate care," such as dimensions offences and cages. Jordan, with its Directive No. Z/44(2003), establishes technical and sanitary requirements for zoos and other animal facilities with articles on definitions; a Committee for Licensing Zoos; steps and conditions for licensing, transportation, fences, and cages; penalties for offenses. In Israel the Wildlife Protection Law 5715-1955 empowers the Minister of Agriculture to implement it and to make regulations for wildlife in zoos and other animal facilities. There are 15 known zoos and aquariums, all with different themes and venues, some with unique specialties and objectives. Several Israeli zoos have nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) contributing to their quality and care in various ways.

Saudi Arabia has several small zoos; two private facilities that display and breed animals, Assayd Nature Reserve and Riyadh Zoo (a municipal zoo); and two research centers managed by the National Commission for Wildlife Conservation. There is no obvious zoo legislation in the country, perhaps due to the sheikhs' interest and involvement. In Bahrain, environmental law is pending under pressure from animal welfare groups to pass legislation for general animal welfare protection. Al Areen Nature Reserve protects a large community of local birds and mammals, and is divided into two parts, for researchers and other visitors. The only public zoological facility in Oman is the Oman Mammal Breeding Centre, of Arabian Oryx fame. Oman is credited by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) with establishing one of the world's best records in environmental conservation, along with one of the world's most seriously "green"

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXX, Number 3 March 2015 10

governments. There is a plethora of legislation for wildlife and wildlife protected areas, in the form of ministerial decrees and laws.

The only zoo in Kuwait was destroyed in the 1991 war with Iraq and later rebuilt with volunteer help, but it has no apparent controls or legislation. Iraq has Baghdad Zoo in Baghdad, which was nearly destroyed in the Gulf War, and bits of it were salvaged with help from zoos and welfare NGOs. Zoo legislation may be a long time coming to Iraq. Iran has two significant zoos in Tehran and Mashhad, and a few small zoos, but it still has no obvious zoo laws. The Department of the Environment runs the Pardisan Nature Park and also maintains an animal orphanage with no apparent legal controls. In Qatar, Doha Zoo seems to be the only significant public zoo and is a major tourist attraction in the country, but it is not without problems. Syria's only functioning zoo is Duma Zoo, which is not of a good standard. Another facility, called Zoo Damascus, is under construction and looks very promising, with a sophisticated theme and two very professional architectural firms involved.

CENTRAL ASIA The nations of Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) were once parts of the Soviet Union, and in those days they each had one or more zoos. This region has passed through very difficult times during its civil wars, and its zoos suffered losses of animals, infrastructure, and finance. The new countries are still in the early stages of establishing their various governmental agencies.

Kazakhstan has legislation in place that covers zoos reasonably well, although it is not called zoo legislation and may not apply to the two extant zoos, Almaty Zoo and Karaganda GOVERNMENT AND LEGISLATION IN ASIA 595 Zoo, which are not without problems. The legislation is part of a greater government conservation project that includes the setting up of elaborate state zoological parks.

Turkmenistan's Environmental Law covers some aspects of zoos, such as State Protected Natural Areas (1992) and Protection and Rational use of Fauna (1997). In this country the government has recently opened the National Wildlife Museum Zoo, but a lack of standards is already affecting the animals, which suffer from a shortage of shade and water in 30 °C heat. Tajikistan and Uzbekistan each have at least one public zoo, but no legislation and no effective controls by any agency. Uzbekistan's only official zoo was set up by the Cabinet of Ministers in 1997 and is a member of the European Zoo Association, which has a Code of Ethics and Standards that may compensate for lack of government-imposed standards. Kyrgyzstan's only zoo was private and belonged to the country's now deposed ruler. It is now closed and the animals have been moved outside the country.

REFERENCES Anon. 2009. Zoos in India: Legislation, Policy, Guidelines and Strategies. New Delhi: Central Zoo Authority. Bell, C, ed. 2001. Encyclopedia of the World's Zoos, Vols. I, II, III. Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn. Indian Zoo Yearbook 3:126-97. New Delhi: Indian Zoo Directors Association and Central Zoo Authority,. Kisling, V N, Jr., ed. 200. Zoo and Aquarium History-.AncientAnimal Collections to Zoological Gardens. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. Spitsin, Vladimir, ed. 2009. Information Issue of Eurasian Regional Association of Zoos and Aquariums 28, no. 28. Moscow: Department of Culture. Walker, Sally. 1987. "How Many Zoos?" Zoo's Print: Journal of Zoo Outreach Organisation 2:7-10.

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AbstractThe aim of this study is to investigate the feeding pattern and the total feeding time of Red pandas (Ailurus fulgens fulgens) in captivity at Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park. Observations were carried out on three Red pandas. Feeding behaviour was studied using footage from CCTVs placed inside feeding rooms. The study of the footage was done by dividing the recorded duration into two halves of 12 hours each and the total feeding time was then calculated during each half of the day using focal sampling method.

Keywords: Red panda, feeding, captivity

IntroductionPadmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park houses 14 (6:8) Red pandas and has been involved in the successful conservation breeding program of these species. The success of a breeding program depends on various aspects of the animal’s husbandry. One important aspect is the appropriate nutrition of these animals that not only includes a balanced diet but also correct feeding times and knowledge about its preference and feeding behavior. According to various studies the red panda has evolved to specialize as a bamboo feeder like the giant panda (Glaston 1989, 1994; Wei et al, 1999). Bamboo leaves and shoots account for over 95 % of the diet (Jonhson et al 1988; Yonzon 1989; Reid et al 1991; Wei et al 1995). In captivity their diet is supplemented with fruits and other feeding options to fulfill its nutritional requirements for the benefit of the conservation breeding program. Their activity patterns do not vary much in the wild, however in

captivity due to ready availability of food and a fixed feeding time their activity patterns may vary.

Materials and methodsStudy durationThe monitoring of the feeding behaviour of the captive Red pandas was conducted for a period of one month i.e. October 2013 at the Conservation breeding centre for Red pandas at Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park.

Sample size The sample size consisted of three red pandas (1:2), one male aged 3 months 4 days and two females aged 5 years 2 months 25 days and 3 months 4 days respectively at the time of the study. The study was carried out in these three animals together using focal sampling method.

Feed presentationThe captive animals were provided with normal feed; consisting of 300 g of apple, 2 bananas, 1 sweet bun and 1 egg and 50 ml of honey mixed with 300 ml of milk

per animal. The animals were also provided with 4 kg of fresh bamboo leaves everyday per animal and 1 litter of water. The feed was given inside feeding rooms. The feed was provided twice a day. The first feeding time was between 9-10 am where apples, banana, sweet bun, eggs, honey, milk and water was given and the second feeding time was between 4-5 pm where only bamboo was provided.

Sampling method24 hour footage was obtained from the CCTV cameras. The study of the footage was done by dividing the recorded duration into two halves consisting of 12 hours each from 12 am to 12 pm and 12 pm to 12 am. The total feeding time was then calculated during each half of the day using focal sampling method (Table 1).

Study of feeding pattern and total feeding time of Captive Red Pandas (Ailurus fulgens fulgens) at Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park, Darjeeling P. Gupta1 and A.K. Jha2

1Research Scholar and 2Director Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park, Darjeeling. Email: 1pranita.gupta.subba@gmail.com 2alankarkjha@gmail.com

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXX, Number 3 March 2015 12

Statistical analysis Statistical analysis of the feeding duration of the three red pandas was done with the help of paired t-test (D. Zapletal, 2011) using the

formula, P= , to find out if the pattern of feeding in the red pandas differed significantly between the first and second half of the day. Here, “P” is the t-test value, “d” is the difference between the feeding pattern of the first and second half of the day, “ ” is the sum of all the differences and “n” is the total number of data points.

Graphical representationThe total time spent on feeding was calculated for each week during the month of October, 2013 and represented graphically (Fig 1).

Result and Discussion There is significant difference in the total time spent on feeding by the Red pandas during the first half and second half of the 24 hour period. From Table 1, it can be calculated that the value of P is 0.019372516. Therefore P˂0.05, thus the time spent on feeding during the two halves varies significantly. The average time spent on feeding per day between 12 am to 12 pm is 134.19 minutes and 12 pm to 12 am is 156.13 minutes. The animal feeds more during the second half of the day most notably around 5 pm – 7pm. During the first half of the day the animals are seen to consume most of the fruits and milk between 9 am-10:30 am. The rest of the day they consume the remaining fruits and bamboo. During the first half of the day the feeding activity is increased between 4 am to 7 am.

The Red pandas do not feed continuously. At one time they may feed for as long as 10 minutes to 30 minutes. During the first half they were seen to be moving in and out of the feeding room at an average of 3 times during the total 12 hours duration

Date 12am-12pm(mins)

12pm-12am(mins)

01.10.2013 270 13002.10.2013 180 12003.10.2013 90 12004.10.2013 120 12005.10.2013 120 15006.10.2013 120 18007.10.2013 120 15008.10.2013 120 18009.10.2013 130 15010.10.2013 90 15011.10.2013 180 21012.10.2013 120 18013.10.2013 120 18014.10.2013 150 16015.10.2013 180 12016.10.2013 90 12017.10.2013 120 12018.10.2013 120 18019.10.2013 120 18020.10.2013 130 15021.10.2013 90 18022.10.2013 180 15023.10.2013 120 15024.10.2013 120 21025.10.2013 150 18026.10.2013 120 18027.10.2013 150 16028.10.2013 120 18029.10.2013 150 16030.10.2013 180 12031.10.2013 90 120Total time 4160 4840

Average per day 134.1935484 156.1290323

Table 1. Total time spent on feeding during each half of the day per day for October 2013

Fig 1. Time spent on feeding for each week

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXX, Number 3 March 2015 13

and 5 times during the second half. These observations show that the feeding pattern of the captive pandas differs from their wild counterparts. In the wild, the Red panda is primarily crepuscular but forages for two hours in the midmorning and mid-afternoon. To cope with the lack of food during the winter months, Red pandas have evolved several ways of meeting their energy demands. For instance, Red pandas can spend as much as 13 hours a day looking for and eating bamboo (Johnson, Schaller and Hu 1988; Yonzon, 1991). In the captive facility due to specific feeding times the Red pandas have adapted accordingly. However they are significantly more active during early mornings and late evenings. The feeding during mid day was observed very rarely.

ConclusionFrom this study we see that the Red pandas feed mostly during evenings and mornings and they are rarely seen to feed during mid days. Their total feeding time is also significantly lower than that of the wild because of ready availability of food. Therefore we can conclude that the feeding times at the conservation breeding centre is appropriate for the captive animals. Furthermore we can also study methods of manipulation of the feeding times to include mid day feeding so that the problems related to consumption of feed by animals during transportation and ill health can be minimized. Studying the feeding pattern of Red pandas in captivity aims to aid the breeding of these animals in zoos. With better understanding of the feed preferences and preferred feeding times we can

provide better quality fresh food, fulfilling their nutritional needs and hence benefiting the conservation breeding of these animals.

ReferencesGlatston, A.R. (1989). Red panda biology. SPB Academic Publishing, The Hague, Netherlands.Glatston, A.R., (1994). Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan for Procyonids and Ailurids: the red panda, olingos, coatis, raccoons and their relatives. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland.Johnson, K.G., G.B. Schaller and J. Hu (1988). Comparative behavior of Red and Giant Pandas in the Wolong Reserve, China. Journal of Mammalogy 69: 552-564Reid, D.G., J. Hu and Y. Huang (1991). Ecology of the red panda in the Wolong Reserve, China. J. Zool. London, 225: 347-364.Wei, F.W., Z.J. Feng, Z.W. Wang and J.C. Hu (1999). Current distribution, status and conservation of wild red pandas Ailurus fulgens in China. Biological Conservation 89:285–291.Wei, F., W. Wang, A. Zhou, J. Hu and Y. Wei (1995). Preliminary study on food selection and feeding strategy of red pandas. Acta Theriol. Sin., 15 : 259-266. Yonzon, P.B. (1991). Conservation of the Red Panda (Ailurus-fulgens). Biological Conservation 57(1): 1-11Yonzon, P.B. (1989). Ecology and conservation of red panda in Nepal Himalayans. Ph. D. thesis. Univ. Maine, Orono, USA.Zapletal D., P. Suchy, E. Strakova, F. Vitula, J. Kuchtik (2011). Behaviour patterns of the cagehoused breeding flock of pheasants (Phasianus colchicus). Acta univ. agric. et silvic. Mendel. Brun, Vol- LIX, No. 3: 215–220.

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AbstractA list of snakes rescued and studied in and around Kuvempu University, Shankaraghatta (KUS), Shimoga district of Karnataka, India, from January 2012 to December 2013 is reported. One hundred and Seventy individuals of 22 species belonging to six families and 20 genera were recorded. The numbers of snakes rescued in the monsoons were significantly more since, the majority of the species breed during this season, and usually come into contact with humans. The highest number of snakes rescued was in August. Significantly more non-venomous snakes were rescued than venomous snakes. Furthermore, there was significant difference in the number of snakes rescued from water tanks with that of other different microhabitats. In most cases, non-venomous snakes were found to be the victims in the human-snake conflict. While rescuing the snakes, we also motivated people not to kill snakes instead to inform the concerned authorities, which seemed to create awareness in the public.

IntroductionAccording to Aengals et al. (2011) the Indian landmass harbours 279 species of snakes. However, most of these species have been recorded from Western Ghats and North East India. Their abundance in these ghats attributed to the presence of tropical forests that are typically rich in food sources as well as suitable habitats for snakes (Somanathan, 2008). These fascinating creatures have been adapted to all kinds of landscapes ranging from the hot lowland to the cold mountain tips and from scorching desert to cool forest (Basundhara et al., 2010), including urban areas and a few species have adapted to live near the vicinity of human settlements. Though they are highly diverse

Spatio-Temporal Dynamics of Snakes in a human-altered landscape in semi-Malnad (Mid-Western Ghats) Region of Shimoga, KarnatakaJagadeesh, B., Chittaragi1 and B.B. Hosetti2

1, 2 Department of Applied Zoology, School of Life Sciences, Bioscience complex, Kuvempu University, Shimoga, Karnataka. Email: 1jaggu1947@gmail.com, 2hosetti57@gmail.com

Fig 1. Number of snakes rescued in different months in and around Kuvempu University Shankaraghatta from January 2012 to December 2013

Fig. 2 Chart showing % of snakes rescued in different seasons.

Fig 3. Condition of snakes rescued from Kuvempu University Campus, Shankaraghatta from January 2012 to December 2013

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXX, Number 3 March 2015 15

and play a significant role in the wild food webs, their cryptic nature, low conspicuousness and high seasonal activity have resulted into limited availability of research reports pertaining to them. Presently available conservation strategies are mostly concerned to taxa such as birds and mammals. Smaller and less conspicuous species such as herpetofauna and groups of vast majority of insects are neglected (Vasudevan et al., 2006). The inclusion of minor vertebrates in the species management plan for any particular region is needed for overall conservation of biodiversity at local and landscape levels (Pawar et al., 2007).

Snakes being found everywhere and are frequently found in human habitations too, as found in villages and towns, leading to a serious human-snake conflict. Snakebite is a major medical hazard and it has been estimated that in India as many as 45,900 people die every year irrespective of age, sex and season due to snake bites (Mohapatra et al., 2011). Snakes have been used as a suitable model to investigate certain ecological food chain related problems (Shine and Bonnet, 2000). Thus, it is important to know the diversity of snakes of a particular region and cause of their occurrence in human habitation with additional information on seasonal occurrence, micro-habitat preference and relative abundance. In spite of the above studies, there are no reports on snake diversity in and around Kuvempu University Campus, Shankaraghatta, Shimoga, Karnataka.

The study area before the establishment of the University was barren due to clearing of the forest and was allocated for grazing. However, the establishment of the University has supported regeneration of vegetation to a considerable level. Hence, the present study was also conducted with an intension to know the progress of restoration of herpetofaunal diversity in this region. Since its establishment in 1973 as a Post Graduate Centre of Mysore University, Mysore, the faunal diversity has been surveyed by wildlife scientists and naturalists. A perusal of published literature reveals presence of species diversity of large mammals, birds and plants. Many studies were done on fungi, invertebrates as well as vertebrate fauna, in and around Kuvempu University (Nazneen et al., 2001; Dinesh et al., 2007; Hemavani and Thippeswamy, 2013). However, studies on snakes are scanty. Therefore, an attempt was made to fill this lacuna through the investigation carried out in and around Kuvempu University Campus situated in the Malnad region of the Western Ghats, Karnataka.

Materials and Methods Study AreaKuvempu university Campus (13˚41’N and 75˚38’E; altitude: 680-720m) is located 24 km South-East of Shimoga city and 4 km North of Bhadra Reservoir amidst the dry deciduous forest and is located inside

the Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary of the Sahyadri hills. It is also announced as a tiger reserve in the year 1998. This area is well known for its rich diversity of endemic mammals and birds. The Kudremukh National Park and Mookambika Wildlife sanctuary are located adjoining to Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary. The location is indeed serene, covering 230 acres of forest land, almost totally uncontaminated by any kind of pollution (Gina and Frost, 2001). During past two decades after the establishment of the university, there is growth of secondary vegetation of many tree species. As of now, the predominating vegetation is typically dry-deciduous with considerable similarities with the flora of Wildlife Sanctuary. Common flowering tree species include, Terminalia paniculata, Terminalia elliptica, Bombax ceiba, Delonix regia, Butea monosperma, Spathodea campanulata, Dalbergia latifolia, Mitragyna passiflora, Schleichera oliosa, Acacia auriculiformis, Samanea saman, Anogeissus latifolia, Pongamia pinnata, Helethrix iora, Polyalthia longifolia, Albizia lebbeck, Cassia siamea, Bauhinia racemosa, Bombax malabaricum, Ziziphus glabrata, Ficus religiosa, F. benghalensis, Santalum album, Eucalyptus sp. The dominant shrubs include, Eupatorium odoratum, Lantana camara, and Ziziphus jujuba.

MethodsThe snake rescue study was conducted during January 2012 to December 2013 from different locations in and around Kuvempu University Campus, Shankaraghatta as and when we were informed about their straying into residential areas. The snakes were captured using hooked aluminium sticks and immediately transferred into cloth bags following Das (2002) and Whitaker and Captain (2004). Maximum precaution was taken while handling injured snakes, gravid female or moulting snakes. After transferring the snake into the bag, utmost care was taken while carrying for relocation. The snakes were released back to the nearest suitable habitat. Species identification was done by following Daniel (2002), Das (2002) and Whitaker and Captain (2004). The location, different human habitations (inside the house, in the courtyard, inside shop or in the water tank), time, date and condition (resting, moving, basking, feeding, mating, unhealthy, shedding and male combat) were noted. Chi-square test was performed to find the significant difference between the number of non-venomous and venomous snakes rescued, and to find the difference in the number of snakes rescued in different habitats and seasons.

ResultsA total of 170 individuals belonging to six families, twenty genera and twenty two species were rescued (Table 1). Out of these, Naja naja, Bungarus caeruleus, Ophiophagus hannah, Vipera russelli, and Trimeresurus gramineus were venomous species. Among the rescued snakes, Naja naja was highest in number (28, 16.47%) and Boiga beddomei recorded

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXX, Number 3 March 2015 16

in least number (1, 0.59%). Three individuals of Python molurus were rescued (3, 1.76%). Significantly more non-venomous snakes were rescued than venomous snakes (χ2 35.78, df = 1, p < 0.05) (Fisher and Yates, 1938). There was significantly less number of snakes rescued from water tanks compared to other man made habitats (inside the house, courtyard and in inside shops, χ2=40.02, df =3, p< 0.001) (Table 2). During rescue time, most of the snake species were found to be resting (37.05%) (Fig 3). Furthermore, the number of snakes rescued in the monsoons was relatively more than that of the winter and summer seasons (χ2 = 32.3, df = 2, p < 0.05). The highest number of snakes rescued was in August 2012 and 2013 (Fig 1).

Discussion During the hitherto study on an average 14.17 snakes were rescued per month. Species diversity wise at least twenty two species of snakes were released back into the wild in the study area. Naja naja was found to be the most common and relatively abundant in Kuvempu University area. It is also one of the common of ‘Big-Four’ snakes in India (Daniel, 2002; Das, 2002). All big-four snakes except Echis carinatus were encountered in the study area.

In a similar study, conducted for 10 years in Amaravati District, Maharashtra including Melghat Tiger Reserve rescued 32 snake species belonging to six families. In their study also Naja naja was found

Table 1. List of Snake species rescued in and around Kuvempu University Shankaraghatta from January 2012 to December 2013.

No. Scientific name Common name No of snakes

Average Total Length

(in cms)

% Occuren

ce

Day/Night of rescueDay/Night of rescueNo. Scientific name Common name No of snakes

Average Total Length

(in cms)

% Occuren

ceDay

(0600– 1800 hr)

Night(1800–

0600 hr)I ElapidaeElapidaeElapidaeElapidaeElapidaeElapidaeElapidae1 Naja naja Common cobra 28 116.33±31.99 16.47 21 72 Bungarus caeruleus Common Krait 5 105.7±23.85 2.94 3 23 Ophiophagus hannah King Cobra 2 327.66±45.26 1.18 1 1II ViperidaeViperidaeViperidaeViperidaeViperidaeViperidaeViperidae

4 Vipera russelli Russell’s viper 8 81.83±40.99 4.70 5 35 Trimeresurus gramineus Bamboo pit viper 2 57±4.24 1.18 1 1

III ColubridaeColubridaeColubridaeColubridaeColubridaeColubridaeColubridae6 Ptyas mucosa Rat snake 19 200.20±39.70 11.18 14 57 Coelognathus helena Trinket snake 5 89.74±5.28 2.94 2 38 Lycodon aulicus Common wolf snake 3 58.84±12.07 1.76 1 29 Xenochrophis piscator Checkered keelback 12 69.86±26.06 7.06 8 410 Macropisthodon

plumbicolor Green keelback 7 40.89±22.86 4.12 6 1

11 Amphiesma stolatum Striped keelback 12 56.72±10.26 7.06 10 212 Ahaetulla nasuta Green Vine snake 11 124.05±27.79 6.47 10 113 Boiga trigonata Cat snake 6 94.48±9.14 3.53 2 414 Boiga beddomei Beddome’s Cat snake 1 121.92 0.58 0 115 Sibynophis

subpunctatusBlack headed snake 8 34.68±2.37 4.70 6 2

16 Oligodon arnesis Common Kukri snake 4 42.33±15.51 2.35 3 117 Oligodon taeniolatus Russel’s Kukri snake 2 43.18±3.59 1.18 2 -18 Dendrelaphis tristis Common bronze

back tree snake6 113.09±11.56 3.53 5 1

IV Pythonidae Pythonidae Pythonidae Pythonidae Pythonidae Pythonidae Pythonidae19 Python molurus Indian Rock Python 3 178.81±86.71 1.76 2 1

V UropeltidaeUropeltidaeUropeltidaeUropeltidaeUropeltidaeUropeltidaeUropeltidae20 Uropeltis ellioti Elliot’s shield tail 17 27.86±0.39 10.00 14 3VI TyphlopidaeTyphlopidaeTyphlopidaeTyphlopidaeTyphlopidaeTyphlopidaeTyphlopidae21 Ramphotyphlops

braminusBrahmini worm snake

6 15.03±5.73 3.53 4 2

22 Grypotyphlops acutus Beaked worm snake 3 39.79±17.28 1.76 2 1TotalTotal 170 100 122 48

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to be most common venomous species (Nande and Deshmukh, 2007). N.naja and P. mucosa were found to be relatively abundant near human habitations irrespective of different types of microhabitats. This may be because of occurrence of their prey species such as rats and toads as commensals of human beings. Moreover regarding N. naja, people worship the snake and rarely killed compared to other species.

The number of snakes rescued in the monsoon (July to October) was significantly more probably because the majority of snake species breed during this season, and usually come into contact with humans (Fig. 2). Snakes were found in close proximity to human settlements irrespective of different microhabitats. However, occurrence of less number of snakes in water tanks may be due to their inability to climb up back the smooth surfaces of inner walls of the tanks when either they enter into tanks to catch frogs or fell down accidentally. Since maximum numbers of snakes were found resting, which revealed the habitat preference of snakes adapted themselves to human modified micro-habitats and also more number of snakes were found moving and/or feeding on their prey species which are commonly

found near human settlements. Furthermore, the rescue of Python molurus carried by us (It is protected under Schedule-I, Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972) in the University Campus is worth mentioning. One of them was rescued from the outskirts of the Kuvempu University Campus, Shankaraghatta and the other was rescued by the forest guards. As we rescued both young and adult individuals, it suggests the presence of breeding population of Python molurus in the forest around the Kuvempu University Campus, Shankaraghatta.

In most cases, non-venomous snakes were found to be the victims of human-snake conflict (Anukul Nath et al., 2011; Raju Vyas, 2013). Four harmless snakes (Common Wolf Snake, Trinket Snake, Indian Rat Snake and Black Headed Snake) have been killed before we reached the spot. Lack of awareness was the main reason for the killing. While rescuing the snakes, the people were also motivated not to kill snakes which stray into their residences. Instead, they should inform the concerned authorities, which seemed to create awareness during such situations.

ConclusionAll the snake species observed in the present study, have been recorded earlier elsewhere in Western Ghats and many other parts of India. The present results have thrown light on the snake diversity in the semi-malnad region of Karnataka, India. Snakes are in crisis due to people’s poor knowledge of these creatures, influenced by superstitious beliefs. To protect these animals, education of the general public regarding their biology, ecological value, commensalism and eradication of associated myths must take front phase. Implementation of stringent laws against those violate and illegally manipulate the laws must be punished.

AcknowledgementThe authors humbly thank Convenor, OBC Cell Kuvempu University for awarding JRF to Jagadeesh B Chittaragi. We would also like to thank Mr. Ravikumar, the then DFO wildlife wing, Forest Department, Shimoga Division, for the permission. We would like to offer thanks to Basavaraj Sajjan, Basavaraj Adapur, Dr. Pramod and other members of the department for their assistance during the rescue work.

Species Man-made Habitats where snakes were found

Man-made Habitats where snakes were found

Man-made Habitats where snakes were found

Man-made Habitats where snakes were found

TotalSpecies

Inside House

Courtyard Inside Shop

Water Tank

Total

Naja naja 9 8 7 4 28

Bungarus caeruleus 2 2 1 - 5

Ophiophagus hannah 1 1 - - 2

Vipera russelli 3 3 2 - 8

Trimeresurus gramineus 1 1 - - 2Ptyas mucosa 7 5 5 2 19Coelognathus helena 3 1 1 - 5Lycodon aulicus 2 - - 1 3Xenochrophis piscator 2 4 3 3 12

Macropisthodon plumbicolor

1 3 2 1 7

Amphiesma stolatum 4 3 3 2 12

Ahaetulla nasuta - 6 4 1 11Boiga trigonata 3 2 1 - 6Boiga beddomei - 1 - - 1

Sibynophis subpunctatus 3 3 2 - 8

Oligodon arnesis 1 1 2 - 4Oligodon taeniolatus 1 1 - - 2Dendrelaphis tristis 3 1 2 - 6

Python molurus - 1 2 - 3Uropeltis ellioti 3 8 5 1 17Ramphotyphlops braminus 2 1 1 2 6

Grypotyphlops acutus - 1 1 1 3

Total 51 57 44 18 170

Table 2. Number of snakes rescued from different human habitations in Kuvempu University Shankaraghatta from January 2012 to December 2013

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXX, Number 3 March 2015 18

ReferencesAnukul Nath, Hilloljyoti Singha and Abhijit Das (2011). Snakes of Bongaigaon municipality area, Assam, India. Reptile rap newsletter 13: 9-13.Basundhara Chettri, Bhoj Kumar Acharya and S. Bhupathy (2010). An overview of the herpetofauna of Sikkim with emphasis on the elevational distribution pattern and threats and conservation. Envis Centre Sikkim Herpetology 233-254.Daniel, J.C. (2002). The Book of Indian Reptiles and Amphibians. Bombay Natural History Society, Oxford University Press, Bombay, India, viii+238pp. Das, I. (2002). A Photographic Guide to snakes and other reptiles of India. New Holand Publication, UK, 144pp.Fisher, R.A. and F. Yates (1948). Statistical tables for biological, agricultural and medical research (III Ed.). London: Oliver and Boyd. pp. 26–27.Gina, C. and S. Frost (2001). Conservation and management of wildlife in Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary, Karnataka. In: B.B. Hosetti and M. Venkateshwarlu (Editors). Trends in Wildlife Biodiversity Conservation and Management. Daya publishing House, Dehli, 25-45.Hemavani, C and B. Thippeswamy (2013). Arbuscularmycorrhizal fungi associated with some plants of Asteraceae in BhadraWildlife Sanctuary. International Journal of Plant, Animal and Environmental Sciences 3(2):106-110K. Nazneen., K.V. Gururaja., A.H. Manjunatha Reddy and S.V. Krishnamurthy (2001). Birds of Kuvempu University Campus, Shimoga District, Karnataka. Zoos’ Print Journal 16(8): 557-560.Dinesh, K.P., S.G. Keshavamurthy., K. Vijayakumar, D.V. Krishnamurthy, H.M. Prakasha, S.R. Sunil Kumar and Gopalakrishna Bhatta (2007). Addition to the birds

of the Kuvempu University Campus, Shimoga District, Karnataka. Zoos’ Print Journal 22(10): 2873.Mohapatra, B., D.A. Warrell, W. Suraweera, P. Bhatia., N. Dhingra, R.M. Jotkar., P.S. Rodriguez., K. Mishra, R. Whitaker and P. Jha (2011). Snakebite Mortality in India: A Nationally Representative Mortality Survey. Public Library of Science, Neglected Tropical Diseases 5(4): e1018. Nande, R. and S. Deshmukh (2007). Snakes of Amravati District including Melghat, Maharastra, with important records of the Indian Egg-Eater, Montane Trinket Snake and Indian Smooth Snake. Zoos’ Print Journal 22(12): 2920-2924.Pawar, S., M.S. Koo, C. Kelley., M.F. Ahmed., S. Chaudhuri and S. Sarkar (2007). Conservation assessment and prioritization of areas in Northeast India Priorities for amphibians and reptiles. Biological Conservation 136: 346-361.Somanathan, E. (2008). Biodiversity in India http://www.isid.ac.in/~som/papers/BiodiversityinIndia_rev.pdf. Retrieved on 20.03.2014.Shine, R. and X. Bonnet (2000). Snakes: A new a ‘model organism’ in ecological research?Trends in ecology and Evolution 15: 221–222.Vasudevan, K., A. Kumar and R. Chellam (2006). Species turnover: The case of stream amphibians of rainforests in the Western Ghats, southern India. Biodiversity and Conservation 15: 3515-3525.Raju Vyas (2013). Snake diversity and voluntary rescue practice in the cities of Gujarat State, India: An evaluation, Reptile Rap. 15: 27–39.Whitaker, R and A. Captain (2008). Snakes of India -The Field Guide. Draco Books, Chengalpet, Tamil Nadu, India, 489pp.

Species Moving Basking Resting Combat Mating Feeding Shedding SickNaja naja 4 3 13 0 0 6 0 2Bungarus caeruleus 2 0 3 0 0 0 0 0Ophiophagus hannah 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0Vipera russelli 2 1 4 0 0 1 0 0Trimeresurus gramineus 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0Ptyas mucosa 4 4 6 2 0 3 0 0Coelognathus helena 1 0 3 0 0 1 0 0Lycodon aulicus 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0Xenochrophis piscator 2 2 3 0 0 3 2 0Macropisthodon plumbicolor

2 2 3 0 0 0 0 0

Amphiesma stolatum 2 1 3 0 4 2 0 0Ahaetulla nasuta 2 3 4 0 0 2 0 0Boiga trigonata 2 1 2 0 0 1 0 0Boiga beddomei 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0Sibynophis subpunctatus 4 2 2 0 0 0 0 0Oligodon arnesis 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0Oligodon taeniolatus 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0Dendrelaphis tristis 3 1 2 0 0 0 0 0Python molurus 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0Uropeltis ellioti 11 3 3 0 0 0 0 0Ramphotyphlops braminus 2 0 4 0 0 0 0 0Grypotyphlops acutus 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0

Total 51 27 63 2 4 19 2 2Percentage 30 15.9 37.05 1.17 2.35 11.2 1.17 1.17

Table 3. Condition of snakes rescued from Kuvempu University Campus, Shankaraghatta from January 2012 to December 2013.

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXX, Number 3 March 2015 19

AbstractHere we report a rare occurrence of the species Cacomantis merulinus from Jamuna Bandh wetland (Bishnupur town, Bankura district, West Bengal) of Eastern India. The first pictures of a live bird are presented along with information on the habits and habitat of the species, and a discussion of its status.

IntroductionThe plaintive cuckoo (Cacomantis merulinus) is a species of bird belonging to the cuckoo family Cuculidae. Plaintive Cuckoo (C. merulinus; Scopoli, 1786) is a widespread resident bird. It is a fairly small cuckoo, 21-23.5 centimeters long. The adult male is grey-brown above and orange below with a grey head, throat and upper breast. There are white tips to the tail feathers. The legs and feet are yellow, the eye is red and the bill is black above and yellow below. The adult female is sometimes similar to the male but often occurs in a "hepatic" morph. This form is reddish-brown above with dark bars. The under parts are paler with fainter barring. There is a pale stripe over the eye and the tail has dark bars along its whole length. Juvenile birds are similar to hepatic females but are paler and have dark streaks rather than bars on the crown and throat. The male has several plaintive whistling calls. These include an ascending series of three-note phrases and a series of 11 or 12 descending notes. The plaintive cuckoo inhabits forest edge, open woodland, scrub, grassland, farmland, parks and gardens. It feeds on invertebrates. It is normally solitary and is often difficult to see. In India, notable observations on C. merulinus were recorded by Sen (2011); Pramanik (2013); Paul (2014); Kool (2014) with a few isolated records by

Grimmett et al. 2011 but available literature does not talk about occurrence of this species in Bankura District.

MethodsBankura - the western most district of West Bengal are covered by natural resources (which lies between, 220 46' to 230 38' N latitude and between 860 36' & 870

46' E longitude covering an area of 687124 sq. km. Bishnupur (23005’N, 87019’E) is a historical town (under Bishnupur block) and a municipality in Bankura District in the state of West Bengal, India.

It is fall under “Hard rock fringe area” hydro-geomorphic zones in Bankura district. It has an average elevation of 59 meters (194 feet). Bishnupur block is characterized by maximum annual

Rare record on Plaintive Cuckoo (Cacomantis merulinus) from a freshwater wetland of Bankura District, West Bengal, IndiaAparajita Mukherjee1, Debnath Palit2 and Santanu Gupta3

1JRF (DST-GoWB), 3INSPIRE Fellow (SRF), Post Graduate Department of Conservation Biology, 2Assistant Professor, Department of Botany, Durgapur Government College, West Bengal. Email: 1aparajitamukherjee87@yahoo.in, 2debnath_palit@yahoo.com, 3conbiodgc_communications@yahoo.com  (Corresponding author)

Fig 1. The adult male of Plaintive Cuckoo (Cacomantis merulinus)

Fig 2. GIS view of observed site (Zulu 1)

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXX, Number 3 March 2015 20

rate of water-level fluctuation along with other blocks of district Bankura comprising Chhatna, Ranibandh, Raipur, Bishnupur, Jaypur, Indus and Kotulpur (4 mts. to 6 mts.). Under Panchet division, Bishnupur range of forest comprises five beats. There are seven freshwater wetlands in this town (area ranges from 4-43 hectare). Bishnupur is famous for its ‘Terracotta temples’ and the ‘Balucheri sarees’.

On the morning of 2nd February 2014 (World Wetland Day 2014), during our regular bird surveys and bird counts (from 9.30 hrs to 3.30 hrs) in Jamuna bandh wetland (Bisnupur block, Bankura), at 13.58 hrs we noticed a male Plaintive Cuckoo (Cacomantis merulinus) flying towards the wires between two electrical poles from the nearby vegetation [Zulu 1 (Fig. 2): N 230 04’ 24.21” , E 870 18’ 24.62” . We were using Olympus binoculars (10X21 RCII; 8x40 DPSII) and photographed a few shots using CANON Power Shot camera (SX 510 IS). The bird was identified in field following “Pocket Guide to the Birds of the Indian Subcontinent” (Grimmett et al. 2011).

Results and DiscussionJamuna Bandh wetland is the largest among the seven wetlands of Bisnupur. Some designated uses of this wetland includes intensive paddy cultivation (surrounding the wetland), organized pisciculture, daily domestic use for bathing, cleaning of utensils etc. (Mukherjee and Palit 2012, Mukherjee and Palit 2013). A sewage fed canal (Biomedical waste) from nearby Bishnupur Sub-divisional hospital is the chief source of pollution of this wetland.

The adult male (Fig 1) was recognized by orange under parts, the design of head and eye coloration which is different to similar species. At Zulu 1, we observed that after resting for only two minutes on the wires, it flew away in the human habitation area adjoining this wetland. The species is Least Concern (Bird Life International 2012) and is mainly a resident species so its record from this part of West Bengal during winter may be a proof of range extension (Fig 3) in this geographical location which needs further research with special emphasis in population study. The global population has not been

quantified (del Hoyo, 1997; Brazil 2009). This observation is a case of rare occurrence from “Wetland habitat” of Bankura district, West Bengal, India in modern times.

Acknowledgements Authors are grateful to Roger Gasper Dolorosa, Associate Professor, Western Philippines University, Philippines and Emilio Pagani-Núñez, Natural History Museum of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain for id-confirmation of this species. The corresponding author is thankful for the financial assistance from Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India (No. DST/INSPIRE Fellowship/2010/ [242] (INSPIRE Program Sl. No. 223).

ReferencesBirdLife International (2012). Cacomantis merulinus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.3. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 16 November 2014.

Brazil, M. (2009). Birds of East Asia: eastern China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, eastern Russia. Christopher Helm, London.

del Hoyo, J., A. Elliott, & J. Sargatal (1997). Handbook of the Birds of the World, vol. 4: Sandgrouse to Cuckoos. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain.

Grimmett R., C. Inskipp & T. Inskipp (2011). Birds of the Indian Subcontinent. Oxford University Press, (Delhi), p.208

Kool, S. (2014). Oriental Bird Images: Plaintive Cuckoo Cacomantis merulinus querulus - Adult Retrived Novembor 16, 2014 from http://orientalbirdimages.org/birdimages.php?p = 3&action =birdspecies&Bird_ID=439&Bird_Family_ID=&pagesize=1

Mukherjee, A. & D. Palit (2013). Appraisal of use pattern

Fig 3. Distribution range of Plaintive Cuckoo (Cacomantis merulinus) in India (IUCN2014)

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in wetlands of Bankura, a drought prone region from Eastern India. Journal of Applied Technology in Environmental Sanitation, 3(4), 141-146.

Palit, D. & A. Mukherjee (2012). Studies on water quality and macrophyte composition in wetlands of Bankura district, West Bengal, India. Indian Journal of Plant Science, 1(2-3), 97-115.

Paul, S. (2014). Oriental Bird Images: Plaintive Cuckoo Cacomantis merulinus querulus Juvenile Retrived November 16, 2014 from http://orientalbirdimages. org/birdimages.php?p=2&action =birdspecies&Bird_ID =439& Bird_Family_ID=&pagesize=1

Pramanik, S. (2013). Oriental Bird Images:Plaintive Cuckoo Cacomantis merulinus querulus - Immature Retrived

Novembor 16, 2014 from http://orientalbirdimages.org/birdimages.php?p =8&action=birdspecies&Bird_ID=439&Bird_Family_ID=&pagesize=1

Sen, S.K. (2011). Birds of India: Checklist of Birds, Lava, West Bengal Retrived Novembor 16, 2014 http://www.kolkatabirds.com/hillbirdsofind/lavaclist8.htm

Call for papers

The St. Louis Zoo and the St. Louis Chapter of AAZK are pleased to host the 2015 National AAZK Conference on September 27th - October 1st. Our theme is “Gatway to Animal Excellence” and will highlight how zoo and aquarium professionals work to advance animal care and conservation.

Deadlines for Abstracts is 1 May 2015

Please submit as a Microsoft Word document via e-mail to:pdc@aazk.org and include the following information:

1. Name of the authors and presenter2. Institution/Affiliation3. Position/Title4. Title of Work (please specify poster or paper)5. AV requirements6. Contact information (please include e-mail)

Mailing address is:American Association of Zoo Keepers8476 E Speedway Blvd, Tucson, AZ, United States, Suite 204Tucson, AZ 85710

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXX, Number 3 March 2015 22

Earth’s ecosystems and its peoples are bound together in a grand and complex symbiosis. We depend on ecosystems to sustain us, but the continued health of ecosystems depends, in turn, on our use and care. Ecosystems are the productive engines of the planet, providing us with everything from the water we drink to the food we eat and the fiber we use for clothing, paper, or lumber. Yet, nearly every measure we use to assess the health of ecosystems tells us we are drawing on them more than ever and degrading them, in some cases at an accelerating pace.

Our knowledge of ecosystems has increased dramatically in recent decades, but it has not kept pace with our ability to alter them. Economic development and human well-being will depend in large part on our ability to manage ecosystems more sustainably. We must learn to evaluate our decisions on land and resource use in terms of how they affect the capacity of ecosystems to sustain life — not only human life, but also the health and productive potential of plants, animals, and natural systems.

Marine BiodiversityThe 193 Parties to the CBD agreed to classify a diverse list of marine areas, some renowned for containing 'hidden treasures' of the plant and animal world, as ecologically or biologically significant.

As Approximately 70 percent of the Earth's surface is covered by water, and most of that is marine. Like all biological systems, the oceans are experiencing an ecologically and evolutionarily unprecedented series of stresses, many of which are changing the structure and organization of marine communities. Because humans rely on the oceans for food, mineral resources, and recreation, and because marine life offers potential future benefits to society, such as in the area of biomedical products, it is critical to develop conservation and management strategies that facilitate the long-term sustained use of the sea by humans while minimizing impacts on nature.

Yet to be determined is the ultimate impact of a growing human population on marine biota—from the smallest plankton to the largest whales, living on the bottom or in suspension, at depths ranging from the highest intertidal shores to the gulf. Just like any natural ecosystem, marine ecosystem needs a fundamental change in the approach by which biodiversity is measured and studied in the ocean by emphasizing integrated regional-scale research strategies within an environmentally relevant and socially responsible framework. The new and recent

technological and conceptual advances within the ecological, molecular, and oceanographic sciences make the task a little easier. A major challenge that lies with the scientific community is to find ways to improve prophecy of the effects of the human

Regions of remarkable biological productivity and high accessibility- Costal and Marine EcosystemsBiba Jasmine*

*Nehru-Fulbright Scholar, Sustainable Development and Conservation Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, USA. Email: bibajasmine@gmail.com

Mother nature -Mangrove garden

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population on the diversity of life in the sea, in order to preserve biodiversity and improve conservation and management plans.

Threats to marine biodiversityThreats to the environment that may not seem to directly affect marine biodiversity can have serious affects as well. For instance, global warming can change marine habitats before organisms have a chance to adapt. Sixty percent of the great coral reef has been bleached white because of increased global temperatures (Glausiusz, Josie). The drastic effect these threats have on marine biodiversity is very frightening. This must be seen as a major problem and changes have to be made in order to preserve marine biodiversity.

The most apparent threat to marine biodiversity is from Unsustainable exploitation of natural resources. Unregulated fishing is depleting stocks of fish, prawns and other marine species around the world. Not only does this result in the wiping out of fish populations, it results in the loss of jobs. As one species stocks become uneconomic so fishing targets another species and so on, with increasing effort for a lower return; followed by Habitat loss. Increasing pressure on land for development also leads to loss of coastal habitats. Swamps, marshes and mangroves are drained and cleared to provide land for housing, tourism and industrial development. Paradoxically, increasing development changes the living environment making coastal regions less attractive.

The panel in the COP-11 meet for the Costal and marine conservation, highlighted one of major issue that leads to the unsustainable degradation; and that is what they called ‘Environmental degradation’. Human activities affect the environment in many ways from changes to the atmosphere and potentially the climate to directly polluting local habitats. In coastal zones several activities pose threats to the marine biodiversity. Activities related to domestic and industrial waste disposal, waste from aquaculture, exploitation of minerals and accidents related to oil exploration and transportation can reduce local marine biodiversity and alter coastal habitats. Unregulated Tourism also poses pressure on varied marine elements.

Increasing CO2 levels also affecting marine diversityIn one of the paper titled ‘Addressing biodiversity loss in a changing climate: the importance of coastal marine ecosystem-based regulatory policy in the euro-mediterranean, united states, and California by Michael Vincent McGinnis (http://igov.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/mcginnis.pdf) clearly mentions that how rising CO2 levels in atmosphere are causing deterioration of the marine ecosystem by adversely

affecting the reproduction, metabolism and growth of several species of invertebrates and coastal marine ecosystems. It also explains how climate change will accelerate the existing pressures to biodiversity, such as natural ocean climate, habitat degradation, overexploitation of resources, such as fisheries, and the significant impacts of the introduction of non-native invasive species on coastal marine species. Synergies among extinction drivers under global climate change that reflect the cumulative impacts of the multiple-use of coastal marine resources and anthropogenic climate disturbance, is also well explained in the document.

Mangrove- anchor the edges of the worldMangroves are found between the latitudes of 32ºN and 38ºS of the globe and also in the mouths of estuaries and in intertidal areas. Approximately 1/4th of the world’s tropical coastline comprise mangrove ecosystems which are estimated to extend along an area of between 167,000 and 181,000km2, in 112 countries. Forty percent of mangroves occur in South and Southeast Asia regions and the single largest area of mangroves in the world lies in Bangladesh, in the Sunderbans, extending over 600,000ha. Mangroves anchor the edges of the world. They make up one of the world’s most unique ecosystems because they thrive where no other trees can survive – in the transition zone between the ocean and land. They are also among the world’s most productive ecosystems supporting a wide array of living resources that protect the coastal zone, thus helping in improving socio-economic conditions of the coastal communities and protecting the coastal/marine environment. They are also one of the most productive ecosystems, which can efficiently fertilize the sea, potentially protect the coastal zone and vitally serve as a breeding, feeding and nursery ground for fin/shell fish species.

Mangrove forests- the most productive and valuable ecosystems on earthMangrove forest ecosystems fulfill a number of important functions and provide a wide range of services at the local and national levels. There is immense economic value of the diverse functions they provide such as shoreline protection, nursery habitats and carbon storage. Around 3.2 billion people occupy a coastal strip of 200 kilometers wide, which represents only 10 per cent of the earth’s land surface. According to Giri et al. (2010), mangroves globally encompass an area of only 137,760 km². Approximately 75 per cent of mangroves are concentrated in just 15 countries and barely 7 per cent of these lie in protected areas.

Mangroves not only provide a broad array of goods and services to the local community but also play an important role in-on-and offshore fishery, providing juvenile fish with nursery habitats and shelter. They

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are also a source of timber and fuel wood for the locals. Recreational activities in mangroves are also part of services. Ecotourism is becoming increasingly important and mangroves offer a clear synopsis of the functions and links between marine ecosystems and therefore attract “green-minded” tourists. Alternative uses include apiculture (beekeeping) and aquaculture (fish breeding ponds). Bees use nectar from the mangrove flowers to produce honey while juvenile fish from the mangroves are used for breeding in commercial fish ponds. These benefits show the high dependence of local communities on mangroves for their well-being.

According to the press release on Mangroves among world’s most valuable ecosystems, 2010

“Mangrove forests are the ultimate illustration of why humans need nature,” says Dr. Mark Spalding, lead author of the World Mangrove Atlas. In place after place the book details the extraordinary synergies between people and forests. The trees provide hard, rot-resistant timber and make some of the best charcoal in the world. The waters around mangroves foster some of the greatest productivity of fish and shellfish in any coastal waters. What’s more, mangrove forests help prevent erosion and mitigate natural hazards from cyclones to tsunamis – these are natural coastal defenses whose importance will only grow as sea level rise becomes a reality around the world.

CoP-11 at Hyderabad, India also flagged the concerns over the protection of marine biodiversity.The world's governments not only agreed to increase funding in support of actions to halt the rate of loss of biodiversity at the eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, which ended in October but also laid special emphasis on crafting environmentally responsible and socially relevant basic research program on the causes and consequences of changes in marine biological diversity.

In the CoP-11 meet, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and UN Environment Programme Executive Director, Achim Steiner, said, ‘It is good to see that the CBD signatories has sent a clear signal in delivering additional commitments underlining the fact that biodiversity and ecosystems are a development priority and central to a transition to an inclusive Green Economy’. He also laid stress on increasing funding to support efforts in developing states towards meeting the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. To meet the Aichi Biodiversity Target of ensuring that

10 per cent of marine areas are protected by 2020, says the UNEP report, an additional 8 million square kilometers of marine and coastal areas would need to be recognized as protected - an area just over the size of Australia.

The insignia of marine biodiversity were quite flagrant at the CoP-11. Two expositions that stole the show were depicting marine and costal biodiversity significance. Marine biodiversity is essential to the survival of all life and the public need to be made aware of this. This was the sole idea of the display. It was open for the general public, school children, college students and likeminded people. Life in the ocean is declining rapidly and we have little time left to halt the process. After looking at the displayed mangrove garden, my attitudes toward marine biodiversity changed drastically; I felt as if a cloud of ignorance had been lifted from me. While writing this article I experienced that very change in myself. Enhance understanding of the fundamental processes responsible for the creation, maintenance, and regulation of marine biodiversity and for changes due to anthropogenic effects, is needed. A little education can do much in changing the views of the nations.

Mother Nature and the Mangrove GardenThe Deutshe Gesellshaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), is a non-profit cooperation enterprise for sustainable development and operates in more than 130 countries worldwide. Most of the activities are commissioned by the German Government. Dr. Berthold Seibert, Project Director of GIZ together with GIZ-BCCP Consultant Yvette Co, started to think of creating marine Gigantes. Recognizing the vital role of the youth in the conservation of biodiversity, GIZ and the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) through the Biodiversity and Climate Change Project (BCCP) set up the stage for mangrove garden. The Biodiversity and Climate Change Project by the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity

Mother Nature-Prepared by Yvette Beatrice Co, Consultant at GIZ

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(ACB), aims at strengthening the range of services in the area of biodiversity and its relevance for sustainable development and climate change. It also helps benefit the vulnerable population, who depend on the ecosystem and biodiversity resources for their subsistence.

Mother Nature and the Mangrove Garden was a circular 16-square-meter setup of giant papier-mâché human, marine plant and animal sculptures delicately crafted by a team of artisans from Paete, Laguna, under the helm of BCCP consultant Yvette Co. Its aim was to encourage people to take on the responsibility of conserving what Mother Nature has provided us.

A closer and observant look at the Mother Nature exhibit will help understand the timeline of marine biodiversity from being pristine to its present sad and dreadful conditions. Going around the mangrove forest, seen as a circular timeline, one saw the time when the mangroves were still untouched, where biodiversity abounds with beehives, monkeys, birds, small animals, crustaceans, and a very healthy ocean around. Soon after, the mangrove forest becomes denuded as people over harvest its benefits. There is illegal logging, tan barking, unplanned conversion into mariculture ponds (shrimp ponds), trash, and all other threats being done to this ecosystem. Symbolically, the exhibit showed a Greedy human being, taking away the last mangrove tree, having all the living species in its 'skin pockets'. This shrimp eating man, also symbolized that people create too many shrimp ponds without considering that mangrove forests are the best bet to mitigate climate change, because it's soil traps carbon more than any other resources. The exhibit pie moves on to show the Go4BioDev's message for the future - that the scientists, environmentalists, and everyone concerned about the planet's future, will cooperate with each other in order to live sustainably. Thus Mother nature, looks favorable toward this scene, where both man and nature take care of each other. This sharp and subtle concept was created by Dr. Sheila Vergara (ACB), Dr. Berthold Seibert (GIZ), and designed by Yvette Co.

Go4BioDiv Another exhibit that highlighted the importance of costal biodiversity conservation was- Go4BioDiv Exhibition. Group of 35 messengers from across the globe, exhibited in their own way, the importance of marine and costal biodiversity. As it is the young people who will have to bear the consequences of our present behavior and lack of commitment - and it is they who are the most enthusiastic about nature conservation. Therefore their concerns and aspirations should play an important role in international decision-making today. They put forth with their peers - in a very creative way – their

conservation experiences and shared it with the wider public.

Their presence at the CoP-11 not only conveyed the message of saving, the critical biodiversity underneath, to the policy managers but also helped the general public/visitors understand the existence of the most diverse and distinctive world of marine life. They shared their thoughts, vision and conceptions, in all possible ways to reach the hearts

and minds of the world. Their expertise coupled with more than a week long training at the Sundarbans, which is India’s iconic and unique marine World Heritage site, provided credible real-life examples to draw on in the elaboration of conceptual guidelines, technical publications and policy frameworks regarding the costal and marine biodiversity protection.

Initiatives needed for saving dwindling marine biodiversity What we need is a well-defined set of biodiversity research in several different types of regional-scale marine ecosystems. Such studies will permit meaningful comparisons across different habitats of the causes and consequences of changes in biodiversity due to human activities. This outline would require significant advances in taxonomic expertise for identifying marine organisms and documenting their distributions, in knowledge of local

Magnificent coral at Go4biodiv stall

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and regional natural patterns of biodiversity, and in understanding of the processes that create and maintain these patterns in space and time. It could also provide long-awaited, much-needed, and exciting opportunities to develop the interface between taxonomy and ecology and between the ecological and oceanographic sciences.

These initiatives into marine diversity conservation would:• Enhance understanding of the fundamental processes responsible for the creation, maintenance, and regulation of marine biodiversity and for changes due to anthropogenic effects.• Stimulate the development of new techniques for studying linkages between local (ecological) and regional (oceanographic) processes.• Dramatically improve knowledge of the magnitude and distribution of the diversity of animals, plants, and microbes in the marine environment.• Stimulate the field of marine taxonomy and systematics, particularly the incorporation of molecular techniques for species identification and population differentiation.• Lead to the long-term, sustained use of the oceans and marine organisms for food, mineral resources, biomedical products, recreation, and other aesthetic and economic gains.• Provide valuable information for policymakers regarding the preservation and conservation of marine life in the face of rapidly expanding threats from human activities.

These initiatives, if embarked on, would solve several rationales:It would create an environmentally responsible and socially relevant basic research line up on the causes and consequences of changes in marine biological diversity due to effects of human activities; the well-defined research might also help address concurrently related issues in several different regional-scale systems.

Creating partnership between the ecological and oceanographic sciences, both conceptually and methodologically, for explaining biodiversity patterns, processes, and consequences may also be achieved. The ultimate goal of improving predictions regarding future effects of human activities on marine biodiversity, thus facilitating use of the sea for societal needs while minimizing impacts on nature, can also be anticipated.

Thoughts to be taken into account from the forum of CoP-11 and 12, and not forget it as ‘just another event’ ‘Coastal Biodiversity conservation must be a participatory process, with the support of various stakeholders including the general public’, rightly

pointed by Dr. Balakrishna Pisupati (Chairman) National Biodiversity Authority, India, spoke volumes.

My personal deductions from the discussions held at CoP-11, regarding the conservation and protection of costal and marine biodiversity are; a truly comprehensive and integrated assessment of global ecosystems that goes well beyond our pilot analysis is necessary to meet information needs and to catalyze regional and local assessments. It’s high time, representatives from national and international scientific and political bodies begin to explore the merits of, and recommend the structure for, assessment models dealing with marine biodiversity. The forum concluded on a significant notion; that an international scientific assessment of the present and likely future condition of the world’s marine ecosystems was both feasible and urgently needed. They urged local, national, and international institutions to support the effort as stakeholders, users, and sources of expertise. If concluded successfully, the discussions at CoP-11 will generate new information, integrate current knowledge, develop methodological tools, and increase public understanding.

However the issue was given due important at Conference of the Parties in Pyeongchang, South Korea, 2014. On the impacts of ocean acidification on marine and coastal biodiversity, the COP, inter alia: requested the Secretariat to collaborate with the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization - Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission and others, including ILCs, to raise awareness of the key findings on the impacts of ocean acidification on marine biodiversity and facilitate the incorporation of these findings into relevant national strategies and action plans concerning conservation and sustainable use of marine and coastal biodiversity, as well as develop research and monitoring programmes at global, regional and national levels.

The challenge for the 21st century is to understand the vulnerabilities and resilience of ecosystems, so that we can find ways to reconcile the demands of human development with the tolerances of nature. However in the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, in Rio de Janeiro, the urgent need to convert desires into actions was pointed out; if the needs of a booming global population are to be met. The managers also expressed their concerns to urgency of decisive and defining action now rather than in a few years.

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ZOO’s World Wetlands Day Celebration with Coimbatore Govt. School Students World Wetland Day is celebrated on 2 February throughout the world and this marks date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on 1971. Since then the Ramsar Secretariat promote this event by providing materials to government agencies, non-governmental organisations and others in order to help them raise awareness about the important and value of wetlands. This year’s theme was “Wetland for Our Future”.

Zoo Outreach Organisation celebrated this event with Government High School students of Nathegoundanpudur in Coimbatore district with the support from Tulsi Trust. About forty students aged 12-15 years joined in the programme. The programme started with the orientation asking the students naming the wetlands located nearby to their places and how it is useful to human beings, plants and animals. They listed out the wetland names and shared what benefits we are getting out of it.

Then the resource person started his session with the history of the World Wetlands Day and the Ramsar Secretariat functions. As on 11 September 2014, 2186 wetlands are designated in 168 countries in which 26 sites are found in India. Further he told about this year’s theme and followed by types of wetlands and only 3% of the world’s water is fresh but most of that is frozen and how it is useful to all living things. The future of humanity depends on wetlands. The wetlands provides freshwater for all of us; purify and harmful waste from water; feed humanity; home to biodiversity; act as nature’s shock absorbers; help to fight climate change by storing carbon di oxide and provide sustainable livelihood and products.

He further shared on what are the causes for

wetlands loss for example major changes in land use especially an increase in agriculture and grazing, air and water pollution and water diversion. So wetlands became wastelands now. We lost 64% world wetlands since 1900. According to WWF’s Living Planet Index, populations of freshwater species have declined by 76% between1970 and 2010.

In linking with freshwater species, the students were provided with ZOO’s Western Ghats freshwater biodiversity education kits. They went through the various items of the packet. First they tied the wristband (Rakhi) with each other’s hand. By using the booklet they learned about Western Ghats facts, WG Rivers, its biodiversity and then freshwater species of dragon flies and damsel flies, snails, slugs and mussels, fishes and aquatic plants were given. They went through the posters and handouts of WG reptiles, fishes and dragon and damselflies and came to understand species diversity. The students were very interested to wear the masks of dragonfly, snail, leaf and fish. The programme ended with pledge. Students took a pledge by wearing the masks and holding the placard to save the Western Ghats and especially the wetlands and its species.

My sincere thanks to the Headmistress for granting permission and Mr. N. Thiyagarajan, Project Officer and Mrs. Radha of Tulsi Trust for the coordination. Submitted by: Mr. Marimuthu, Education Officer, Zoo Outreach Organization, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. Email: marimuthu@zooreach.org

World Wetlands Day Reports

Tying the wrist band each other

Students go through the WG Freshwater Biodiversity booklet

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Workshop on World Wetlands Day at Vijaipur, RajasthanA one-day workshop on World Wetlands Day was held at Vijaipur, Baran district in Rajasthan on 2 February 2015 to highlight wetland ecosystem conservation. It was organised by Jagaar Sansthan in collaboration with Zoo Outreach Organization, Coimbatore. Ms. Kiran Choudhary inaugurated the event and Mr. Hari Mohan Meena welcomed the participants. Dr. Krishnendra Singh Nama and Mr. Pramod Kumar Jangid spoke about Wetland conservation.

Mr. Meena explained about the theme of World Wetlands Day of 2015 -“Wetlands for our Future”. He described the importance of Vijaipur wetland and why it was selected for World Wetlands Day Celebration.

He further said that he did research study at Baran District Wetlands. The main objective of the study was to prepare avifauna checklist and to assess the anthropogenic pressure on wetlands. The study covered 58 wetlands of the district. Thereafter, Dr. Krishnendra Singh Nama, Research Supervisor, CPU, Kota explained about the importance of wetlands. He said that humans often equate wetlands with wasteland; a place to be drained, filled in, burnt off and re-purposed. In fact, scientific studies show that 64% of the world’s wetlands have disappeared since 1900, measured against 1700, an estimated 87% have been lost.

Ms. Kiran Choudhary, Lecturer, Maa Bharti P.G. College, Kota, Rajasthan was the chief guest and she shared the seven ways wetlands provide for our future as 1.Wetlands ensure freshwater for all of us, 2.Wetlands purify and filter harmful waste from water, 3. Wetlands feed humanity, 4. Wetlands are bursting with biodiversity, 5. Wetlands act as nature’s shock absorbers 6.Wetlands help fight climate change and 7. Wetlands provide sustainable livelihoods and products. She insisted that you could take action for wetlands conservation & awareness i.e. open up your eyes to save the wetlands near to you, educate others about wetlands conservation and change your consumption habits.

Mr. Meena further shared the results of his study done on the wetlands of Baran District, Rajasthan in 2014. During the study, he recorded 200 avifauna species from 58 wetlands.

He also shared his experiences related to Vijaipur Wetland. He was the one who first reported the Painted Stork nesting colony at Vijaipur in 2011. Then with the RAMSAR PPT he explained about what is wetlands, types of wetlands, sustainable use of wetlands etc. Then the participants and guests were taken to Vijaipur wetland for bird watching and they saw 65 species of birds. On the spot quiz competition was organized. Participation certificates were distributed. Submitted by: Mr. Hari Mohan Meena, Research Scholar, CPU, Kota, Rajasthan. Email: pcjagaar@gmail.com

Celebration of World Wetlands Day 2015 at National Zoological Park, New DelhiEvery year, government departments, NGOs and citizens at all the levels of the community celebrate World Wetlands Day on 2 February to raise public awareness about the values of wetlands and its benefits and also about the Ramsar Convention. The day celebrated on a particular theme every year.

National Zoological Park, New Delhi in collaboration with National Museum of Natural History celebrated the day on 2 February 2015. The theme for the day was “Wetlands for our Future”. The day was successfully celebrated by organizing activities

Painted stork colony at Vijaipur Wetland

World wetland day 2015 banner

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especially for the mentally and physically handicapped children of different age groups. The activities include the craft design competition and awareness programs highlighting the significance of wetlands. The children were taught about the importance of protecting the wetlands, which are the critical part of our natural environment. Various programs like seminars, lectures, video films screening, slide shows based on the wetlands etc. were also organized for zoo visitors. The programme team was Mr. R. A. Khan, Curator (Education), Mr. Saurabh Vashisth and Mr. K. S. Attri Education Coordinator, National Museum of Natural History. Submitted by: Saurabh Vashisth, Zoo Ranger/Education Assistant. Email: vashisth88@gmail.com

Celebration of World Wetland Day at WWF-India-M.P & ChhattisgarhOn 2 Feb. World Wetland Day was celebrated at Van Vihar, near Bhoj Wetland, a Ramsar site. An awareness campaign for the school students was conducted since this year’s theme was 'Wetlands for our Future’. So, we targeted school students of class 8-10. They have a growing interest in environmental issues and have an ability to do something for conservation. They were sensitized about wetlands, their values and importance. They were also taken for a bird watching trail, where they saw large number of wetland birds (resident as well as migratory birds). To sharpen up their writing skills they were asked to write their views on wetlands and

its conservation. The best five write-ups were given prizes. At the end the students pledged to keep the wetland clean and also promised to spread the

message of wetland conservation among their friends and relatives. Zoo Outreach Organization materials, pad and pens were given to all the participants. Submitted by: Ms. Sangita Saxena, State Director. Email: ssaxena@wwfindia.net

Physically challenged children with the organisers

Bird watching at Van Vihar

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Indira Gandhi Zoological Park, Visakhapatnam, Andhra PradeshAWF 2015 was celebrated on 29 January in a grand way at the zoo. It was aimed to bring positive changes in visitors and school children attitudinal towards wild animals living in their native habitats as well as in captivity through the material supplied by the Zoo Outreach Organization, Coimbatore. A full day awareness programme was organized for school students at the Zoo Education Centre – BIOSCOPE. The programme started with a rally by the Pollock‘s High School students. They were calling out slogans such as “Save plants” “Save Animals” “Save Biodiversity” and “Save Environment” with the help of placards. Then the programme was divided into two sessions.

In the first session the students performed a thought-provoking skit on “Animal Welfare and Biodiversity Conservation” and later they played an interesting act with the “cross word puzzle” from the ZOO’s education kit. Zoo visitors were the audience and they appreciated both. The children were really involved in the programme and they understood the importance of saving biodiversity and up keeping animal welfare, which is very importance task in future for the conservation of biodiversity.

In the second session students interacted with the chief guest Sri. G. Ramalingam, DCF and Curator, Zoo Biologist and Education Officer. Later the chief guest addressed the participants on the importance of Animal Welfare and their role in welfare activities. He also explained the importance of biodiversity and role of flora and fauna in various ecosystems. He emphasized how human beings are destroying and over exploiting natural resources and how best we conserve our natural resources for the future generations. He shared many interesting facts on

biodiversity with the students and the students were also enthusiastically participated in the whole programme. At the end the Chief Guest distributed prizes and participation certificates to the children and the programme was ended with vote thanks

Animal Welfare Fortnight 2015-Reports

An activity based on Crossword puzzle

Students with the masks

Bookmarks made into placards

Performing a skit on Animal Welfare and Biodiversity Conservation

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proposed by the Zoo Education Officer.Acknowledgements: We would like to thank Zoo Outreach Organization for generously sending us very informative education material, which was used, and much appreciated by the participants during this programme. Submitted by M. Murtuza, Education Officer & Katta Srinu, Biologist, IGZP. Email:kattas.srinivasarao20@gmail.com.

Pondicherry University - Dept. of Ecology & Env. Sciences, Puducherry (UT)Conservation education is the process of influencing people’s attitudes, emotions, knowledge, and behaviours and perceptions and concern about wildlife and its welfare. These goals can be done through the effective education, well prepared educational materials and efforts of skilled educators and interpreters, who use a variety of techniques, methods, and assessments to reconnect people with the natural world.

Zoo Outreach Organisation’s awareness materials were used to create awareness and motivation on wildlife conservation education and welfare. The

materials were designed to create knowledge on basic understanding on wildlife, address people’s attitude toward wildlife and conservation action. As part of the AWF 2015, approximately 120 nursing graduate students from Sabari Nursing College and Sri Venkateswara Nursing college in Puducherry participated in short term wildlife conservation and welfare programme. As an outcome of this programme, on 14 Feb. 120 students 60 each from Sabari College of Nursing and Kasthuribai Government Girls Higher Secondary School students participated in cleaning of garbage along the lake riparian areas and inside corner of lake which is endangering animal life in that area. Over 700 kg of plastic waste was removed from the lake. This is the first effort done by students which received much appreciation by government authorities, local community and residents around the lake. Submitted by: R. Alexandar, Post-Doctoral Fellow. Email: enviroalexandar@gmail.com.

University of Lucknow, Uttar PradeshBiodiversity and Wildlife Conservation Lab, Department of Zoology, University of Lucknow celebrated Animal Welfare Fortnight from 27-31

January 2015, in collaboration with Regional Science City, Aliganj and Zoo Outreach Organisation ZOO, Tamilnadu. On this occasion awareness was created

among the students and public through an awareness car on Animal Welfare. For the same Hon’ble Vice Chancellor Dr. S.B. Nimse and Mrs. Sulabha Nimse started the Awareness Car with Flag off the on 27

January 2015 from the residence of Hon’ble Vice Chancellor at 10:30 am. Prof. Madhu Tripathi, Head of the Department, Prof. A.K. Sharma Senior Professor Deaprtment of Zoology were also present during the event. The car moved around in the city for 4 days i.e 27-30 January 2015 and covered more than 200 schools. The programme aimed to raise awareness regarding kindness towards animals among the students through Awareness car as well as various competitions at Regional Science City. There was quiz and Art competition on 31 January

Students removing the garbage along the lake riparian zone

Solving Crossword puzzle

Drawing competition on Animal Welfare

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXX, Number 3 March 2015 32

2015 at Regional Science City for students of class 6-12 Standard on the topics of Animal Welfare and Daily Life mistakes towards animals in and around us. Example: hitting dogs, caging birds etc. for quiz and art competition.

During the car rally and at the education programmes we addressed the daily life wildlife’s contribution to the ecosystem, list of daily life mistakes we do and urged them not to do these mistakes ever and other human immoral behavior towards animals such as torture them for own pleasure and at last what we can do for animal welfare.

Daily Life Mistakes: People kill or shoo away animals that play a beneficial role in our lives; Frogs, snakes, bats control insect and rodent populations; Many insects and some bats are pollinators and they are responsible for one-thirds of the food we eat; Shrews and other small rodents spread seeds and also eat up grasses that clog waterways. Worms break down living material for enriching the soil. “Daily Life Wildlife” is a name intended to draw attention to animals that live close to us that we all take for granted. They are so common that human beings treat them like objects, as if they didn’t feel pain. Life without this daily life wildlife and their useful contribution would be far less comfortable. Let’s conserve them! This is also Animal Welfare.

The immoral behaviour towards Animals: Human beings watch the performance of various animals such as monkeys, bears, snakes etc. for their entertainment; In circus also various animals are used, they are ill-treated and the behaviour is unethical towards them; On various festivals like Makar Sankranti and other occasions kite flying is common as a part of celebrations. But this results in injuring and killing of many free flying birds; Due to various myths the snake charmers take the snakes on Nag Panchami to the houses and people even make them drink milk that is harmful to them. The snakes are not kept in hygienic conditions; People also ill-treat their pet animals; They do not provide

them food, water and medicine on time; They go out of station and leave their pets alone at home; The owners also disown their sick and injured pets.

What we can do for Animal welfare: Treat the animals with love and care; Encourage domestication of animals; Admit the injured and sick animals on road to Government Gaushalas or Animal care centres; Keep water and food for birds and animals particularly during the hot summer months when they die due to dehydration; Avoid the illegal buying of animals that are declining or threatened and this will help in stopping illegal trade; If any wild animal such as snake enters your house, do not kill it and inform the Forest Department; Do not capture and kill butterflies for mere enjoyment and pleasure; Do not cage the birds unnecessarily and do not sacrifice them for any ritual such as owl. Submitted by: Dr. Amita Kanaujia, Associate Professor. Email: kanaujia.amita@gmail.com

WWF-India-M.P & Chhattisgarh During Animal Welfare Fortnight a bird watching camp was organized on 14 January 2015 at Kerwa Nursery, Bhopal as Bhopal witnessed lots of migratory birds during this season and to raise

awareness on avifauna. About 35 people attended the camp who were briefed about the role of birds in nature and how to protect them. The participants observed 30 species in the first camp and around 36 species in the second camp of wetland birds both migratory and residential. All of them enjoyed bird watching. Caps, cloth bag, materials from Zoo Outreach Organization, pad and pens were given to all the participants. Submitted by: Ms. Sangita Saxena, State Director. Email: ssaxena@wwfindia.net

Zoo’s AWF materials given to the participants

Students with their Animal Welfare drawings

Publication Information

ZOO’s PRINT, ISSN 0973-2543Published at: CoimbatoreOwner: Zoo Outreach Organisation, 96, Kumudham Nagar, Vilankurichi Road, CBE 35

Editor: Sally R. WalkerAssociate Editors: R.V. Sanjay Molur and Daniel B. AyyachamyManaging Editor: Latha G. RavikumarEditorial Assistant: R. Marimuthu

Zoo Outreach Organisation Trust Committee and Sr. Staff Managing Trustee: Sally R. WalkerChairman Trustee: R. NandiniExecutive Director Trustee: R.V. Sanjay MolurFinance Director Trustee: Latha G. RavikumarScientist: B.A. DanielResearcher: R. MarimuthuOther staff: B. Ravichandran, R. Pravin Kumar, K. Geetha, S. Radhika, Arul Jagadish, K. Raveendran, S. Sarojamma

ZOOs’ PRINT magazine is informal and newsy as opposed to a scientific publication. ZOOS’ PRINT magazine sometimes includes semi-scientific and technical articles which are reviewed only for factual errors, not peer-reviewed.

Address Zoo Outreach Organisation Post Box 5912, 96, Kumudham Nagar, Vilankurichi RoadCoimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641 035, IndiaPhone: +91 422 2665298Fax: +91 422 2665472E-mail: zooreach@zooreach.orgWebsite: www.zooreach.org, www.zoosprint.org

ZOO’s PRINT Publication Guidelines

We welcome articles from the conservation community of all SAARC countries, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and other tropical countries if relevant to SAARC countries’ problems and potential.

Type — Articles of semi-scientific or technical nature. News, notes, announcements of interest to conservation community and personal opinion pieces.

Feature articles — articles of a conjectural nature — opinions, theoretical, subjective.

Case reports: case studies or notes, short factual reports and descriptions.

News and announcements — short items of news or announcements of interest to zoo and wildlife community

Cartoons, puzzles, crossword and stories

Subject matter: Captive breeding, (wild) animal husbandry and management, wildlife management, field notes, conservation biology, population dynamics, population genetics, conservation education and interpretation, wild animal welfare, conservation of flora, natural history and history of zoos. Articles on rare breeds of domestic animals are also considered.

Source: Zoos, breeding facilities, holding facilities, rescue centres, research institutes, wildlife departments, wildlife protected areas, bioparks, conservation centres, botanic gardens, museums, universities, etc. Individuals interested in conservation with information and opinions to share can submit articles ZOOS’ PRINT magazine.

Manuscript requirementsArticles should by typed into a Word format and emailed to zooreach@zooreach.org. Avoid indents, all caps or any other fancy typesetting. You may send photos, illustrations, tables.

Articles which should contain citations should follow this guideline: a bibliography organized alphabetically and containing all details referred in the following style: surname, initial(s), year, title of the article, name of journal, volume, number, pages.

Editorial detailsArticles will be edited without consultation unless previously requested by the authors in writing. Authors should inform editors if the article has been published or submitted elsewhere for publication.

Magazine of Zoo Outreach Organization

Contact Address: Prof. (Dr.) B.M. Arora, Organizing SecretaryPresident, Association of Indian Zoo and Wildlife Veterinarians (AIZWV)

M-83, BDA, Tibrinath, Nainital Road, Bareilly (U.P.) 243122, IndiaMobile: 09456245380 Email: drbmarora@rediffmail.com, drbmarora@gmail.com