Young male elephant wounded by a train

A 25 years old male elephant was badly wounded by a train in Dehradun. This incident happened on 21 October 2010.  The elephant was killed at 8 in the night.

The elephant was grievously wounded. The elephant has a fracture between its hip joint and thigh. It is badly wounded, but now there is hope that the elephant will survive.

The elephant is being given antibiotics, vitamins and calcium.

Hope the poor elephant recovers.

If you want to know more on this accident have a look at this link http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/6832327.cms

Poaching of Gangetic river dolphins in India



A Gangetic river dolphin



There are River dolphins in India and Bangladesh also. These dolphins are called Gangetic river dolphins. Their scientific name is Platanista Gangetica Gangetica. These dolphins have a long beak, and a triangular ridge for a fin.

Gangetic river dolphins are poached.

But what are the Gangetic river dolphins poached for?

These dolphins are killed by poachers for their fat which is made into oil for lamps.

 In India there are 2,000 Gangetic river dolphins. It is said that the Gangetic river dolphin population has declined by 50% over the last five decades.

These dolphins sometimes are accidently caught in the nets of fishermen.

A few months back, four Gangetic dolphins were killed and poachers were suspected. Later on, an investigation revealed that the poor dolphins had been trapped and then beaten to death. The proof was that the dolphins had several marks on their necks and heads.

Another problem for the Gangetic river dolphin is that the Ganga is getting polluted. The fish they eat are contaminated.

Poor dolphins! With all this they surely are getting extinct.

If you want to know more on the problems of the Gangetic river dolphin have a look at this link http://www.ecologyforchildren.com/wildlife-tales.html You will find an ecological tale about the Gangetic river dolphins here.

Cruelty towards dancing bears in India



Dancing bear



Dancing bears don’t have a happy life. When they are four or five weeks old they are taken away from their mother. If the mother tries to protect her little babies then she is cruelly killed. Then they are taken to the Kalandar’s village. The Kalandars is a nomadic tribe. On the journey to the village of the Kalandar’s many of the baby sloth bears die because of starvation, shock and dehydration. The poor little bears who survive are sold to the Kalandars for 800 RS.

In the Kalandars village the infant bear is put under a basket. It is left without food, water or any contact of the outside world. Like this it spends its first few days. Then it is taken out and tied up to a post in the village where children torment the poor bear. Then a hot needle is inserted into the nuzzle of the bear, without anesthesia. Then a ring is attached to the piercing. This happens before the age of six months. Often a second piercing is done.

Before the cub has reached the age of one year their incisor and canine teeth are knocked out with a hammer. Because of this the bears can only eat soft food, and that causes digestive problems.

Then the bear is trained cruelly. The owner wants the bear to be scared of him. Between 60% or 70% of the poor little bear cubs die before they can be even trained. But infect the cubs who die are lucky. As the owner wants that the bears to be submissive he tortures them, beats them and starves them till they spirit is broken and the they become submissive.

How to train a sloth bear?

Hot coals are placed under their feet. This is to make the bear stand on its hind legs. Once standing the bear’s trainers hit each of the poor bear’s paws with a stick. To avoid that the bear will lift his hind paws in turn. The trainers of the bear tap the bear’s muzzle, so that the bear lifts its paws on its muzzle. Now it is a dancing bear.

The bear works for 6 hours a day and when special occasions are there, they work for 10 hours. The bear and owner travel for long distances on foot for 8 or 9 months a year.

When a bear is sick the owner usually consults the village elders instead of a vet.

Oh, I forgot to tell you one more earth shattering fact.




A sloth bear lives for 30 years in freedom, but in captivity they hardly ever live beyond the age of 8 years.

Once the bear is too old to dance or is sick  (many bears have the disease of tuberculosis) is often send to Pakistan for bear baiting fights. In these fights the bear is tied, then dogs are set on the bear. If the bear survives, when its wounds are fine it will again be in a fight. A bear usually only lasts three fights before it is ripped into pieces.



Bear baiting



Cub in the cupboard

Cub in the cupboard is written by Lucy Daniels.

Cub in the cupboard happens in England.

Cub in the cupboard is part of the series of books of Animal Ark. In this series of books you learn to respect animals like Mandy Hope. She is an animal lover. Mandy’s parents Adam and Emily Hope are vets. Her best friend is James Hunter. He is also an animal lover.

One day Mandy and James discover a mother fox who has gotten caught in a trap. She has recently given birth to baby foxes. Only one fox cub have survived. Mandy and James bring the mother fox and her baby to Animal Ark, where Mandy’s parents run an animal hospital.

After some time the fox cub turns to naughty and he no longer can stay in Animal Ark, but his mother is too sick to go back into the wild. Mandy and James have to find a home for him till they can release him in the wild?

And then Mandy and James discover another fox trap. Can they find out who is the person setting the fox traps?

If you want to know more on animal traps click here

Nasty tiger traps in India



A tiger trap

Tiger traps are usually used to kill or hurt the tigers without damaging their extraordinary fur. This way the poachers get its fur intact. But traps aren’t good for the tigers. They hurt them and give them lots of pain.

Here is a bit you have to know on tiger snares.

Leg hold snares

These leg hold snares are wonderful for the poachers. They are cheap, simple and highly effective.  

A team of hunters can set 60 or more snares per day. This way they can cover maximum region, and that gives them more chance to catch the tigers. And the good thing for the poachers is that these traps aren't  expensive.

A tiger trap that has been found



Before setting the snares there often is a scouting trip. This is so that the poachers know where they have to set the snares. The poachers look for signs like tracks. There also choose the regions where there are lots of tiger prey.

But how is a tiger trap made?

 It often takes a day to set all the snares. A small pit is dug for each snare. Then it is covered with leaves, sticks and debris, this is to hide it. A small and supple tree or tree branch near the snare is needed to act as the spring. Then the poachers put a small log or branch in front of the snare.

But how does this snare work?

Well, the tiger has to step over the log and into the loop of the wire snare. This will trigger the tree spring and tighten the noose round its foot.



A tiger killed by a trap



Neck and Body snares

To make these snares you need two sticks of 130 cm long. They are erected 60 cm apart.

Then a snare is made using steel wires. Then it is placed between the two sticks and the end is attached to a tree that is young, flexible but yet strong.

But how does a tiger get trapped in these snares?

A tiger walking on the path will push the wire releasing the trigger. The tree will get back to its straight position, and this will draw the snare tight around the poor tiger’s body or neck.

Pit traps

A tiger trap that is getting set

Making pit traps is most of the time not used in hunting tigers. One reason for this is that to make a pit trap it is cheap, but it needs lots of labour. It also takes lots of time to dig a pit trap. And you can't digg as many pits, so lass chance to catch a tiger. Another thing is that the poachers have more chance to be caught while digging the traps.

Horrible, isn’t it. Traps really aren’t fun for the tigers.