Royal beasts are cynosure of all eyes here

Mangalore: Tigers, lions and panthers continue to be the cynosure of all eyes at Dr. Shivarama Karanth Biological Park which has completed 10 years' of its existence.

The park, which was opened on January 12, 2001 with a few animals, now has 550 mammals, and 80 reptile and bird species, according to its director H.J. Bhandary.

It is the only biological park in the State being managed by Pilikula Nisargadhama Society, a registered society, with a governing council approved by the Central Zoo Authority (CZA), a statutory body under the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests for controlling zoos.

Mr. Bhandary said the CZA had listed the park under the category of major zoos. The primary objective of the park was to conserve and breed endangered species found in the Western Ghats. It also functioned as a rescue centre for orphaned animals. A recent addition of such an animal to the park was a two-month-old panther cub.

“The orphaned panther cub was rescued from near Bajpe. It is now in the rescue centre and is being hand fed. The cub will be reared in the park,'' Mr. Bhandary said.

The park has four male and three female tigers. The male tigers have been named as Raja, Vikram, Kumara and Kadamba. The tigresses have been named after the major rivers in the region — Sharavathi, Netravathi and Shambhavi. There are two male (Siri and Bharat) and two female (Sara and Victoria) lions in the park. The park has six panthers of which, three are females. Four panthers have been named as Shwetha, Karna, Chandu and Shankar.

Mr. Bhandary said that each tiger and lion was fed with 6 to 10 kg of meat daily except Sunday. Each panther was fed with 6 to 7 kg of meat daily except Sunday.

Scientific officer at the park Jerald Vikram Lobo said that the animals were subjected to health check-ups twice a day. In morning, while letting them out of the animal houses to display enclosures and in the evening, when they returned to the houses. They were fed late in the evening as they were nocturnal beasts. They were given de-worming tablets after stool test or once in three months. They were vaccinated once a year. Mr. Bhandary said that Sunday's starvation helped animals in digestion.

He said the carnivorous animals were fed late in the evening and the herbivorous during the day.

Source: The Hindu, 11-10-2011

Project to make Pathanamthitta plastic-free

The district administration has chalked a novel scheme to make Pathanamthitta plastic-free from November 14, according to District Collector, P.Venugopal.

An official meeting convened by the Collector here the other day has resolved to make necessary arrangements to supply eco-friendly carry bags made of cloth, priced at Rs 1 and Rs 2, to all shops and other commercial establishments in the district during October 2 to November 14.

Mr Venugopal said Kudumbasree units in the district have been producing cloth bags for supplying it to various commercial establishments. He said the district administration would purchase eco-friendly carry bags from various other agencies too, if needed, to meet its growing requirement during the annual Sabarimala pilgrimage season.

Plastic menace at Sabarimala

Mr Venugopal said the Divisional Forest Officer at Ranni, R.Kamalahar, has prepared a project named `Harita-poonkavanom' with a view to reduce the plastic menace at Sabarimala and surrounding forest areas, especially during the annual pilgrimage season.

Littering of plastic waste has been a major source of environment pollution at Sabarimala situated in the Periyar Tiger Reserve during the Mandalam-Makaravilakku festival when as many as double the population of the State congregate in a short span of two months.

Mr Kamalahar has prepared a project to make Pampa and surrounding reserve forests pollution-free with the help of school-college students, local population and Vana Samrakshana Samiti (VSS) workers. The project stresses the need to make people well aware of the need to make their surroundings clean and litter-free, upholding the slogan of environment conservation.

Adequate publicity would be given through television channels and newspapers in Kerala and neighbouring States on the alarming pollution menace posed by the plastic waste at Sabarimala.

Special check-posts

The collector said special check-posts would be set up at Kanamala, Laha, Plappally, Elavumkal and Angamozhy on the main trunk roads leading to Sabarimala to collect plastic carry bags brought by devotees and replace it with eco-friendly cloth bags on the spot itself.

Mr Venugopal said arrangements would also be made to remove empty pet bottles from Sabarimala, Pampa and surrounding forest areas.

He said six workers would be posted at Pampa Manalpuram round the clock to remove the waste accumulated along the iron fence erected across river Pampa during the annual pilgrimage season. Solid waste would be segregated and degradable waste would be disposed in earthen pits in the forest area itself and the non-degradable waste would be taken outside the forests for recycling, Mr Venugopal said.

Vana Samrakshana Samiti members would deployed at the proposed Pilgrim Service Centres at Vadasserikkara, Laha, Plappally, Angamoozhy, Nilackal and Pampa. This is besides a 24-hour mobile rescue force headed by Forest officials.

The Collector has also sought active support and participation of the general public, traders and all other sections of the society in the administration's efforts to make the district plastic-free and ensure effective environment conservation.

Source: The Hindu October 3, 2011

Restriction on plastic use in Kerala soon

Steps are under way to restrict the use of plastic materials, especially plastic carry bags, as part of implementing the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest's (MoEF) Plastic Waste (Management and Handling) Rules 2011 that replaces the earlier Recycled Plastics Manufacture and Usage Rules 1999. Municipal authorities here had started enforcing the rules which ban the use of plastic carry bags below 40 microns.

Shops and commercial establishments here had been directed to use bags above 40 microns. The initiative is being made as part of improving municipal solid waste management systems envisaged in the rules. The Pollution Control Board (PCB) officials here have already urged municipalities in the district to take steps to implement the rules

that also seek to ensure safe collection, storage, segregation, transportation, processing and disposal of plastic waste. The local bodies are also tasked to set up collection centres for plastic waste involving manufacturers, ensure safe channellisation of plastic waste to recyclers and prevent open burning of plastic waste, they said. Environmental Engineer of the district PCB here A.M. Sheela said that under the earlier rules the minimum thickness of carry bags was 20 microns. The 40-microns norm has now been made uniform standard to be followed across the country, she said. The new rule had also banned plastic materials in sachets for storing, packing or selling gutkha, tobacco and pan masala in the wake of the Supreme Court order, she informed. Under the new rules, foodstuffs would not be allowed to be packed in plastic materials, she added. The additional safeguards under the rules include provisions for marking or labelling to indicate name, registration number of the manufacturers of the plastic carry bags, their thickness and whether they are recycled or compostable. The municipalities are required to establish plastic waste collection centres involving the plastic manufacturers. Municipal officials here, however, say that the plastic carry bags being mused here are mostly manufactured outside the State.

Source:The Hindu October 2, 2011