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Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals, and other organisms. Domesticating wildplant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and hasa major impact on the environment, both positive and negative.

Wildlife can be found in all ecosystems, Deserts, rainforests, plains, and other areas—includingthe most developed urban sites—all have distinct forms of wildlife. While the term in popular culture usually refers to animals that are untouched by human factors, most scientists agree thatwildlife around the world is impacted by human activities.

Humans have historically tended to separate civilization from wildlife in a number of waysincluding the legal, social, and moral sense. This has been a reason for debate throughoutrecorded history. Religions have often declared certain animals to be sacred, and in moderntimes concern for the natural environment has provoked activists to protest the exploitation of wildlife for human benefit or entertainment. Literature has also made use of the traditional humanseparation from wildlife.

Habitat Information

This biodiversity (defined as the diversity of life and its processes) benefits both residents

and visitors. When these resources are sustained, the opportunities for recreation,rejuvenation and economic benefit are retained. The extraordinary natural diversity of 

 plants, animals and natural communities here confers on us certain responsibilities to

conserve natural areas that provide habitat for all of the plants and animals inMassachusetts, for now and future generations.

Because MassWildlife cannot accomplish the task of wildlife and habitat management

alone, partnerships and other kinds of support from other state agencies, conservationorganizations, communities and individual landowners is key to conserving the natural

diversity of the Commonwealth for residents and visitors to appreciate and enjoy.

The habitat of any given species is considered its preferred area or territory. Many processesassociated human habitation of an area cause loss of this area and the decrease the carryingcapacity of the land for that species. In many cases these changes in land use cause a patchybreak-up of the wild landscape. Agricultural land frequently displays this type of extremelyfragmented, or relictual, habitat. Farms sprawl across the landscape with patches of uncleared

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woodland or forest dotted in-between occasional paddocks.

Examples of habitat destruction include grazing of bushland by farmed animals, changes tonatural fire regimes, forest clearing for timber production and wetland draining for city expansion

Overkill

Overkill occurs whenever hunting occurs at rates greater than the reproductive capacity of thepopulation is being exploited. The effects of this are often noticed much more dramatically in slowgrowing populations such as many larger species of fish. Initially when a portion of a wildpopulation is hunted, an increased availability of resources (food, etc) is experienced increasinggrowth and reproduction as Density dependent inhibition is lowered. Hunting, fishing and so on,has lowered the competition between members of a population. However, if this huntingcontinues at rate greater than the rate at which new members of the population can reachbreeding age and produce more young, the population will begin to decrease in numbers.

Populations in confined to islands – whether literal islands or just areas of habitat that areeffectively an “island” for the species concerned – have also been observed to be at greater riskof dramatic population declines following unsustainable hunting.

[edit] Impact of introduced species

Mice, cats, rabbits, dandelions and poison ivy are all examples of species that have becomeinvasive threats to wild species in various parts of the world.

The region has accordingly been divided into three sub zones

• The forested area (Himalayan foot hills) of the Himalayas from Assam to theEastern part of Kashmir.

• The higher altitude of the western Himalayas from Kashmir including Ladakh to

the hills.

• The Eastern Himalayan sub-region.

a) The forested Area of Himalayas (Himalayan Foothills) 

The area covers, bhabar, tarai and siwalik ranges in the south.

The area is characterized by tall grassy meadows with adjoining river-beds and river rainforests of khair and sisoo. This is an area of big mammals. The elephant, sambar, swamp

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deer, cheetel, hog deer, barking deer, wild boar, tiger, panther, wild dog, black and sloth

 bear are found in this area. Hyena, and jackal are scavengers. The great Indian one

horned rhinoceros, which is considered a rare species is found in Assam. Other large bovid, wild buffalo shares its habitat with rhinoceros. Wild buffalo is also an endangered

species . The brow-antlered deer, the dancing deer, which is one of the most threatened

deer in the world is found in Manipur. The Gangetic gharial exists in the Himalayantributaries. Bispid hare and pigmy hog which are on the verge of extinction and golden

langur are found in Manas National Park in Assam.

b) The high altitude sub-region of Western Himalayas 

With increase in altitude in the western part of the Himalayan sub region, the tropical

forests merge into the temperate type.

The animals found in the high altitude region are, wild ass, wild goats, sheep and yak.

The species of wild goat are thar, markhor and ibex.The three species of wild sheep

found here are nayan, bharal and oriel. These sheep feed on the Alpine meadows andgrassy mountain slopes. The antelopes found are chiru and Tibetan gazelle.

Hangul or Kashmir's stag, shou and musk-deer, are the members of the deer family is inthis zone. . The small animals of the Zone are marmot, mouse hare and flying squirrel.

Among mammals of the Zone is snow-leopard. Wolf, fox, black and brown bear, palas,

cats are other predators. A large number of pheasants, snow partridges, snow cocks,golden eagle are the birds of this sub-region.

The National Park in this Zone are Dachigan, Khistwar and Hemis high altitude National

Parks in Jammu and Kashmir, Great Himalayan and Pin Valley National Parks inHimachal Pradesh and Gangotri, Nanda Devi, Govind Pashu Vihar and Valley of flowers

 National Parks in Uttar Pradesh

c) The Eastern Himalayan Sub Zone

The Eastern Himalayan region differs from the western region. There is high rainfall andless snowfall confined to high altitude. The vegetation in this zone consist of oak,

 birches, magnolias, pine, fir, yew, rhododendron dwarf, bamboo and moss and fem. The

typical species of the zone characterized by Indo-Chinese fauna are red pandas, badgers,

 porcupines, ferrests etc. The goats found in this area are serow goral and takin.

The National Park falling in this zone is Khangchandonga, National Park in Sikkim and

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 Neora Valley and Singlila National Park in West Bengal.

Alligator Information

An alligator is a crocodilian in the genus Alligator of the family Alligatoridae. There

are two alligator species: the American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) and theChinese Alligator (Alligator sinensis).

Alligators live near water, in swamps, ponds, lakes, marshy areas or canals. The

American Alligator can be mainly found in American states of Florida and Louisiana,while the Chinese Alligator can be found along the Yangtze River in China. Alligators

are capable of reaching lengths over 13 feet and can weigh over 800 lbs. The

Chinese alligator is endangered and is smaller in size than the American alligator.