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BIG TROUBLE FOR THE BIG CATS

2/3/2016

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Humans have not left even the cats to live peacefully. The big cats are critically endangered in the present. Big cats include the tiger, lion, jaguar, leopard and snow leopard. Many people can easily distinguish the difference between the tiger and lion but they have a harder time identifying a leopard if placed beside a jaguar.  A couple of key factors, which help to distinguish the difference between them include the pattern on their fur and the size/shape of their head.

Jaguars tend to have larger rosettes (rose like shaped patches) in the middle while a leopard has plain rosettes with no central spot in the middle.
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 Jaguars head is very different when compared to leopards. Jaguar’s head have a much broader forehead and wider jaw.
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Female Leopard
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Female Jaguar at the Caiman Ecological Refuge
Leopards are the 4th largest cat in the world. This animal is found in regions of Africa, West Africa, and the Middle East, south and Southeast Asia to Siberia.

 Leopards can survive in the wild because of their camouflaged fur and strength to move heavy carcasses into tress. They can adapt to various habitats such as rainforest and hilly areas.  The key ability, which helps leopards to survive in such harsh habitats is their speed. They can run up to 58 kilometres per hour.

 Unfortunately, leopards are listed as NEAR THREATENED on the IUCN RED LIST. There are only 14000 leopards in south Asia. Main reason for the declination in their population is their habitat loss. People destroy their habitat intentionally and illegally to sell them in the wildlife trade for decorative purpose. People hunt down the animal for its beautiful skin and horns. A single animal can fetch up to 5000 US dollars in the market.
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Leopards are a part of the food chain. Every animal is. Leopards are food for crocodiles. If the big cat disappears from the food web, then crocodiles will lose their food. If all such preys of crocodile become extinct, then eventually even crocodiles become extinct. In this way every animal disappears including us, the humans! If we disturb nature, it affects us very badly. Every animal should be taken care of.                 
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There are many "big cat" organizations designed to rescue or save big cats. These organizations are in control of few citizens who care about animals. Change is best achieved when a majority of citizens in the world act to protect leopards. It is the time for us to stand up and take necessary action before it’s too late. Learning is a part of the process of change. Learn what is happening to the big cats. Share that information. Some say owning exotic pets is one answer, but I implore you to research this. Exotic ownership is usually about the human's desires and caring well for an exotic animals is neither easy, cheap nor often well understood.  The best place for exotic animals is in the wild, and when that can't happen, then a sanctuary that is not a circus or zoo, is a second choice.

Awareness programs can be set up by you! It doesn't have to be a professional. You can do your part to help others learn. You cano spread the news about the importance of leopards in the food chain, and how time is running short if  we are going to save them.

Initiative 1401 is carefully designed to help save endangered animals. The measure would prohibit the purchase, sale and distribution of products made from a list of 10 endangered species being exploited or poached to the point of potential extinction. The measure will be enforced by strong penalties, including up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine for the worst offenses. Up to $4,000 in fines for each offense will go into a fund to pay for enforcement efforts. The animals protected by I-1401 include: elephants, rhinos, lions, tigers, leopards, cheetahs, marine turtles, pangolins, sharks and rays. Many such initiatives should establish in many other countries.  The forest should be preserved and the rain forest should be extended. This move not only helps to increase leopard count, but also helps to decrease global warming. Also, laws should be strengthened on poachers.   
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MAN'S BEST BUDDIES

1/25/2016

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​One of the many ways for a man to be one with the nature is taking pets. Seventeenth-century English author John Donne said, “No man is an island”. Man is a social animal. While a man deals with a fellow man in his daily activity, which in this world always drags him to selfish ends, which in a way I think unnatural thing to happen, a pet animal in his house keeps him near to the nature. All the negative impressions he carries during the day are detached by interacting with his favourite pets at home.  A pet animal because of its innocence and playfulness creates atmosphere where natural happiness is generated. Ultimately happiness is what a man desires in the end.
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But taking a pet is becoming a luxury in the present day modern cities.  While in villages we see natural bonding between animals and man, in cities people are remotely concerned with animals. The middle class and lower class has either no time to take pets or cannot afford to take one. In affluent countries like European and American countries, we see pets in home more common, but in countries like Asia and Africa we cannot expect much.
To this proportion man is losing the bond with the nature. Again economics dictating everything.
 
For those who can afford, pets range from dogs, cats, parrots to turtles, among other animals. Dogs as pet animals beat all, however some think it is more glamorous to have parrots and turtles, even snakes as pets. The type of the interaction dogs produce is wonderful, in my opinion, and they are such innocent animals. The waving of their tail upon seeing their human is enough to be greatly loved.  Teaching a parrot to speak is anybody’s delight. I think cats are most secretive animals always hiding something. They do not commonly show emotions. But due to their tenderness they make good pets.
 
 Indians are very much connected with pets since the ancient time. Many novels of moral stories were written which include animals in the main characters like the “Panchatantra”. Majority of Indians are interested to grow dogs as pets. They feel that dogs give company and listen to humans. Dogs are faithful and are honest. They never betray their master. Many of the Hindu sacred books tell that dogs are the guardians of hell and heaven. In many of the places especially in the northern parts, people worship dogs in a particular festive season.

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ADogs are a helpful hand for the blind people. They show way to them. The only protection for a blind man travelling on a road is his the dog.

 The brightest star in sky is Sirius, often called as “Dog star”. Dogs show way for the blind people and in the same way Sirius star is bright enough to light the entire dark sky and show us the way throughout the night.

​ This star is a part of Canis Major constellation. Canine teeth are named based on dogs which have sharp teeth to tear flesh. The constellation is named as dog during Greek civilization. Dogs play a vital role in Greek civilization and also in Egyptian history. We can find many sculptures and carving of dogs in tombs of great kings.
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 Many inspirational movies have also being directed such as the BOLT, 101 Dalmatians, MILO and OTIS, The mask.
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Dogs not only give us company but they are also helpful to detect substances such as explosives, illegal drugs, wildlife scat, or blood. Sniffers dogs are trained by police and in case of an investigation they take these dogs with them. More often these dogs are generally in some overlap, with cadaver dogs, trained to search for human remains. Sniffers are used to detect chemical substances cadaver dogs are used as a helping hand by police in a crime scene to detect the criminal. They are trained with some commanding gestures.
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​Example
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J Forensic Sci. 2003 May; 48(3):617-21. Cadaver dog and handler team capabilities in the recovery of buried human remains in the southeastern United States.Lasseter AE, Jacobi KP, Farley R, Hensel L. Department of Anthropology, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0210, USA. 

For more information on such cases visit THIS SITE.
 
The increasing awareness among pet owners regarding the usage of branded pet care products and pet nutritional requirements, via the internet, is also supporting the double-digit growth rates.  Every year, hundreds of young married couples without children adopt pets as a means to simulating family life before they have children.The pet population in India has grown from 7 million in 2006 to 10 million in 2011. On an average 600,000 pets are adopted every year. Owing to the general atmosphere of sensitisation towards pets in the country, more Indian consumers have come to humanise their pets, and pet owners do not mind spending on what they perceive as being necessary or beneficial for their pets, be it pet food, treats, toys, medicines, resort stays or air fare. The multinationals such as Mars International India Pvt Ltd and Royal Canin India Pvt Ltd have maintained their leadership positions in pet food in India. These multinationals continue to leverage their strong distribution channels used for other fmcg products.
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 The Indian pet market is now $800-million-plus industry, and is expected to register strong double-digit retail value growth in the coming years. Every year there is a raise in pet care registration of about 24%.

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Case study:
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One of my friend Prashasth Sam who is my class mate, is very much fascinated to have dogs as pets. His family includes his father, mother, sister, himself and his beloved dogs named Roar and Terry. Not only is he interested in dogs, his whole family is. Since the time of his grandfather, his family includes dogs. Sam offers his dog full freedom to roam in the house all the time. Every morning he takes them to a walk for about one hour. His dog Terry celebrates its birthday on Dec 30th every year. He gives us party with a cake cut by his dog and himself together. His dog attends a family get-to-gather on its birthday night. He get his dog checked by a veterinary doctor every month.   
 
But then dogs are increasing in uncontrolled number in streets of India. These street dogs are a major distraction for the people who are traveling on the road and becoming a menace. Many of these dogs turn wild and they end up biting and injuring people who are travelling on the road. These wild street dogs bark throughout the night disturbing people. Government should take care of such street dogs. There are many programs initiating to train street dogs to identify threats in market areas but I think it is nowhere close to the reality. Govt. should take care about the diseases they spread. They carry many diseases like Rabies. India has the highest number of human rabies deaths in the world (estimated at 35,000 per annum).  Government should act immediately on this issue before it is too late.   ​

SOURCES:

http://www.iiptf.com/indian_pet_industry.php?page=Fact_and_Figure
http://www.euromonitor.com/pet-care-in-india/report
 http://www.iiptf.com/indian_pet_industry.php?page=Fact_and_Figure
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The Rhinoceros Can Teach Us Something Very Valuable

12/28/2015

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​The rhinoceros or also referred to as a "rhino" and is one of the largest animals on the planet. It's one of five species found in Africa and Asia. 

With its thick coat, legs like pillars, and compact body, this animal has long garnered admiration. Rhinos have a single horn on the front of their nose that has fascinated onlookers and placed them in awe along with elephants, tigers and lions, and of course whales.
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Rhinos have existed for around 50 million years. Their natural habitat consists of thick evergreen forest where the food is plenty. Tragically, these gigantic creatures are critically endangered.
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Though it is an herbivore it is really a wonder why nature has bestowed it with a horn to attack or kill its predators. Rhinos have a thick layer of skin (1.5-5cm) which can protect them from predators. We do not observe this kind of special tool for any other herbivores. More over the size is enough to deter most enemies. No lion or tiger can dare to kill a rhino.
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We can compare their size to a hippopotamus, however, hippos are very timid and weak, and prone to attacks from wild animals and crocodiles.

From all the above factors I find rhino a very interesting and fascinating animal.
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It feels sad when I recognize the fact that this animal is critically endangered. One of the major reasons is loss of natural forest area which is its habitat, to human exploitation. Other reasons are poaching of the animal for its horn. It is said the horn has medicinal values.  Rhinos are hunted down by humans for their valuable horns, which would fetch them a huge fortune. In South Africa, over thousand rhino were killed for their horns. These horns have a insatiable demand  for ornaments and traditional medical purposes. A single rhino horn is sold for an average of $60,000!

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,A study says that at the end of the 17th century, there were around one million Rhinos. During 1970s the number was drastically reduced to only 70,000. At present, there are only 28,000 Rhinos in the whole world, fighting for their survival.

The IUCN Red List (International Union for Conservation of Nature) identified three species of Rhinos as critically endangered.  To save Rhino, IUNC has declared 22nd September as World Rhino Day. There are many organization which try to protect Rhino from extinction. Kaziranga, Orang and Manas National Parks and Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary are established in Assam, India. There were only 3,333 one horned Rhinos in the whole world in 2012. Assam was the state which had around 75% of the whole world one horned Rhino population, which is almost 2500. And good news is that this number is increasing year by year. At present, there are around 2700 Rhinos in Assam. This whole process is taking place under IRV2020 project (India Rhino Vision by year 2020). Organization like Fish and Wildlife conservation in US, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife in South Africa also play a major role in helping Rhino to survive. Indian Govt. has passed a special bill which enables the forest guards to kill the illegal poachers, sending a clear message of how  serious they are about protecting the rhino.
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 If rhinos meet the dodo in extinction, we lose the natural link of evolution between many species. This disturbs the whole food web and create a path for the extinction of many other species. We are all interconnected. If any one species disappears from the food web, it creates a threat to all the other species. This means that every species is important. This is the lesson we must understand!  This is what the rhino can teach us.

The time to stand up is now! We must take action towards protection of these great creatures. Rhinos are very near to the end of the cliff. “But how to begin?” is the question we often face at the beginning. We have to educate people about the good reasons to save Rhinos and should not get their attention on the tempting prize of Rhino horns. In this generation, social media can help to spread good words and bring awareness in people.

If you have some ideas, feel free to email For All The Animals. Write to jasper at foralltheanimals dot com. 


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​Superstitious Beliefs In India Are Harmful 

12/13/2015

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India is a secular country, which includes many religions. Each religion has its own god and is said to be the most superior way to live and reach god. Each one has many unscientific, astrological beliefs from luck to sacrificing a human for another human. Sati, a cruel act with Indian origins, forces a widow to sacrifice herself after her husband’s death. The people of India even include animals in their foolish behavior. They say that if a black cat obstructs your way, the journey is said to result in a terrible outcome.

Animals are sometimes killed because of superstitions. For example, a cobra is believed to drink milk and many people pour milk in their habitats and kill the poor creatures.  People belief in witches and pray to them as god. It seems silly that a human prays to another human and considers him as superior of 'god-like', when all are equally made by nature, the only known god. People even pollute precious water bodies like the river Ganges believing in astrology.  

 People in India believe that a distant planet, say mars or Jupiter may change their lives. Some astrologers predict the future in a very common way and get their name printed in all the poor minds. Astrology, developed from mathematics, observation and has became fraudulent. The Indians, even the clever, are afraid of god and worship in all the unscientific ways. In India, astrology is more famous than astronomy. The babas are more respected than scientists.

The government is taking steps to suppress the superstitious beliefs and develop India, but many astrologers are major obstacles for the development of our country and superstitious beliefs also impede our country’s development.  

Here's a link to an article about Dabholkar, a 67-year-old medical doctor-turned-activist who “wanted to expose the people who cheat the poor in the name of gods, who promise false cures for cancer or do black magic to perform so-called miracles.” He said that superstition was a disease causing a lot of harm, especially to the poor and the gullible.  READ FULL ARTICLE
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    BLOG BY VARUN
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    I  live in India.

    Author

    My name is Varun. I’m from Hyderabad, Telangana.  I’m 14 years and I’m studying in 9th grade. I like to write articles and influence others through it. Whenever I learn anything new, I just go on writing about it.  I also enjoy drawing animal and birds.

     I daily get up by the sounds of sparrows in my balcony. My mom likes them so much. She feeds them regularly.

    I live near a lake which gets filled up with migratory birds in the months of December and January. My father and I go to the lake to watch them with our binoculars. There is also one more interesting spot near my house. We can find peacocks just a kilometre away from my house! My friends and I often go there to watch them. I’m so happy to live in such a place.

     I enjoy bird watching.  But the sad thing is that I find the count of birds decreasing year by year. I’m want people to understand about the importance of animals and birds. I want them to understand that we (every living being) are interdependent to one other directly or indirectly. I want to give them a clear idea that if we want to live peacefully, we need the help of animals and Aves which maintain ecological balance.   
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    My interest is also in astronomy, sky watching, reading of science magazines and books. I read books by Carl Sagan like “Cosmos” and many others, which tell about our universe. I’m a big fan of Albert Einstein. I am doing research in my own way on his theories about Relativity, entanglement, quantum mechanics etc. and coming to an understanding .I  read many books on him like “Einstein for everyone”, “Dead famous” and still intend to read more.

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