The Supreme Court acknowledged a clean chit from a special investigation team (SIT) regarding the Vantara zoological rescue and rehabilitation centre in Gujarat's Jamnagar, following allegations of irregularities.
Expressing surprise over the reports that China was planning to lift its ban on trade in tiger parts, India has sought clarification from a United Nations forum in which China a few days ago had pledged to the contrary.
The issue would come up for discussion at the meeting of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) at the Hague on Tuesday when India will insist that the ban should continue to save the endangered species.
White-lipped tamarin is a type of monkey that lives in the Amazon area of Brazil and Bolivia. Prevost's squirrel is a colourful species from the forests in the Thai-Malay Peninsula and nearby islands. Sugar gliders are tiny marsupials - 6.3 to 8.3 inches in length - native to Australia.
'With just 2.4 per cent of global landmass, India houses six to eight per cent of planetary biodiversity and hence is a prime target of wildlife criminals.'
Close on the heels of Kenya, which recently set on fire over a hundred ton of its ivory stockpile, experts in India are mulling a similar provision to destroy the "white gold" to send a strong message against poaching.
The illegal trade in red sanders wood, which sells for up to Rs 80 lakh a tonne in some Asian countries, involves a complex nexus of smugglers and impoverished woodcutters.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances