Common Vine Snake rescued from BARC

Lokmat Hello Mumbai . Front Page . Friday . 6 August 2010

भरकटलेल्या 40 सापांची जंगलात पाठवणी

प्रहार प्रतिनिधी

वन अधिका-यांच्या मार्गदर्शनाखाली ‘प्लान्ट्स अँड अ‍ॅनिमल वेल्फेअर सोसायटी’च्या (पॉज) सदस्यांनी या सापांना पकडून जंगलात सोडले आहे. मुंबईतील विविध भागांत नाग, घोणस, फुरसे, मण्यार, हरण टोळ, धामण, दिवड, नानेटी, कुकरी, काविदा, डुरक्या घोणस, अजगर या जातीतील साप आढळले आहेत.

मुंबई- पावसाचे पाणी शिरल्याने बिळातील वास्तव्य धोक्यात आल्यामुळे मुंबईतील नागरी वसाहतीत विविध जातींचे 40 साप आढळून आले होते. वन अधिका-यांच्या मार्गदर्शनाखाली ‘प्लान्ट्स अँड अ‍ॅनिमल वेल्फेअर सोसायटी’च्या (पॉज) सदस्यांनी या सापांना पकडून जंगलात सोडले आहे. मुंबईतील विविध भागांत नाग, घोणस, फुरसे, मण्यार, हरण टोळ, धामण, दिवड, नानेटी, कुकरी, काविदा, डुरक्या घोणस, अजगर या जातीतील साप आढळले आहेत.

जुलै महिन्यामध्ये मुलुंड, भांडुप, कांजुर मार्ग, घाटकोपर, चेंबूर, बीएआरसी आदी भागांतून 40 साप पकडण्यात आले. याबाबत ‘पॉज’ संस्थेचे संचालक सुनीश सुब्रमणिअन यांनी सांगितले की, मुंबईत होणारी जंगलतोड आणि बांधकामे यामुळे सापांचे आश्रय स्थान धोक्यात आले आहे. त्यामुळे सुरक्षित ठिकाणांचा शोध घेताना अनेकदा साप शहरी भागात प्रवेश करून कचरा साचलेल्या ठिकाणी, झाडाझुडपांमध्ये, मातीच्या ढिगा-यांमध्ये वास्तव्य करतात. त्यामुळे पावसाळ्यात रहिवाशांनी आपल्या घराचे दरवाजे बंद ठेवावे तसेच घराच्या खिडक्यांना शक्य असल्यास जाळी बसवावी. परिसरात साप आढळल्यास त्याना ठार न करता,‘ पॉज मुंबई रेस्क्यू हेल्पलाइन’ 9892179542 / 9833480388 क्रमांकावर संपर्क साधावा.

Website link : http://www.prahaar.in/mumbai/28091.html

Kingfisher got new life !

Lokmat Hello Mumbai . Monday . 02 August 2010 . Front Page

MCGM ignores croc carcass in city’s lake

Thursday, July 01, 2010

MCGM and SGNP plays ping-pong over the carcass of a crocodile who was found floating in Powai Lake The increasing pollution in Powai Lake has reached a point that it is endangering the aquatic life of the lake, according to experts. The comments come after a carcass of a crocodile was found floating in the lake near Ganesh Garden since four days. On Wednesday local residents and visitors to the lake complained of the stench emanating from the rotting carcass to the hydraulic department of the Municipal Corporation for Greater Mumbai (MCGM) and the forest department of Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP). “More than four days the authorities denied taking responsibility by tossing the complaint into each others court. The MCGM said SGNP is responsible, while SGNP blamed the civic officials to clear the mess,” said Sunish Subramanian, senior member with Plants and Animal Welfare Society (PAWS). After tireless efforts taking by the volunteers of PAWS and local residents, chief forest officer from SGNP ordered the carcass to be removed. “The team of doctors will remove the carcass and perform a on-site autopsy to determine the cause of death,” added Shree Bhagwan, the chief conservator of SGNP. The incident of the carcass of the top predator from the lake floating isn’t the first of its kind. Previously a 13-feet long carcass of a male crocodile has washed ashore near the isolated north banks of the lake. “The lake has depleted levels of oxygen and no fishes. As fishes remain the primary prey of the crocs, scarcity of them results in hunger and heavy pollutants dissolved in lake poisons the crocs,” explained Gordon Rodricks, General Secretary of the Maharashtra State Angling Association (MSAA). The MSAA has now planned to revive the eco-system of the lake by various plans including introduction of 10,000 spawn of new fishes and installing aerators of fresh oxygen. Efforts from MSAA are the proactive steps to protect the endangered population of the Indian Marsh Crocodile. “The Indian crocs are a Schedule 1 (read Grade 1) reptiles under the Wildlife Act. The crocs are on par with the tigers and were once hunted to extinction for its hide and meat,” explained Rodricks. Website link : http://www.mumbaimirror.com/article/158/201007012010070118533986424b0d49f/MCGM-ignores-croc-carcass-in-city%E2%80%99s-lake.html

HISSS… in your neighbourhood!

Friday, July 09, 2010 . ADC City . Page 2

As breeding season ends, snakes and other ‘refugees’ straying into residential areas

On Tuesday, an adult Wolf Snake was rescued from the BARC colony by the wild life rescue team of PAWS. “The locals called and informed us about the snake, which was found sitting inside the post box by a postman in BARC colony. Though it is a small snake and also non-poisonous, he got scared when he opened the box to take the letters out and saw it sitting in there,” said R.V. Raghavan, a member of the Wildlife Rescue team, PAWS.

“It is common to find baby snakes these days as the breeding season is over. During the rains, the burrows get filled-up with water, so they come out and stray into residential areas. Another reason is that in Mumbai, snakes are losing their natural habitat to rampant construction,” said Sunish Subramanian, founder and secretary, PAWS, Mumbai.

In a span of two weeks, two Spectacled Cobras, four Rat Snakes, four Wolf Snakes, one Checkered Keel Back Snake and one Russell’s Viper were rescued from Mulund and Chembur areas were rescued by PAWS.

So what should one do to keep these slithering beauties away from our houses and localities?

“Remove all the debris, garbage and unkempt bushes as it is a hiding place for them. Put nets on windows and washroom and keep the doors closed. Stop keeping your pet birds on windows and trim the branches of trees that touch the windows. Fill all the holes around the resident areas especially rat holes. Try to trim the bushes and make them small as it then becomes easier to spot a hiding snake,” advised Sunish.

“If you spot any snake in a residential area, don’t kill it. Call a snake rescue team. Keep a watch till rescue team arrives and don’t disturb the snake,” added Sunish.

Five days ago, 17 little ones of poisonous cobra were rescued from a building under construction at Dombivli. One Common Egret, three Barn Owls and one Monitor Lizard were also rescued in the last two weeks.

Helpline numbers:

*For snakes or injured birds: PAWS-Mumbai: 9892179542, 9833480388

Common snakes found in residential areas:

*Spectacled Cobra, Russell’s Viper, Saw-Scaled Viper, Common Indian Krait and Common Vine Snake are venomous snakes.
*Rat Snake (Dhaman), Checkered Keelback, Buff-Striped Keelback, Banded Kukri, Common Wolf Snake, Common Sand Boa and Indian Rock Python are non-venomous snakes.

First aid tips in case of snake bite (most victims are bitten by cobras and Russell’s Vipers):

*If the bite is on the hand, tie a tourniquet (a cloth piece) above the elbow on the arm
*If the bite is on the leg, tie the tourniquet above the knee, on the thigh
*This stops the poison from spreading in the other parts of the body
*Incision method: If two prominent fang marks are visible, then give a quarter centimetre cut, lengthwise, breadthwise and widthwise as this will help around 50 per cent of the poison to flow out of the body.
*Potassium Permanganate: Mix 4-5 crystals of Potassium Permanganate in half a glass of water and pour it continuously on the bitten area. This helps neutralise some enzymes of the poison. There are 26 enzymes in a snake’ poison out of which 50 per cent can be neutralised.
*Immobilise the person who has been bitten, as making him walk fast or run will increase the blood circulation and the poison will spread in the body.
Following these steps gives the patient two hours of time to be taken to a hospital.

Floating for days, dead crocodile taken out of Powai Lake and buried

04th - 10th July 2010 . Front Page

No post-mortem carried out to ascertain cause of death. Lake water sample sent for testing. Local residents blame pollution of water body for the reptile's death.

The local water body of Powai Lake has its crocs remain in news for some reason or the other. On Sunday morning a local resident and animal activist Siddarth Tayde spotted a dead crocodile floating in the water hyacinth at the Ganesh Visarjan Ghat. He immediately informed PAWS about the dead croc.

Nisha Kunju of PAWS said, “It may be due to ongoing beautification work of the lake by the BMC which has taken toll of the Powai Lake's eco-system and its habitat. BMC should check the pollution in the lake and Forest Department should conduct a post mortem to find out the reason of death. It is very important to take this issue seriously”.

The dead crocodile, floating for several days was finally removed on Wednesday evening and buried near the bank, without a post-mortem as the carcass was too far decomposed.

Environmentalists said, “The BMC should conduct a complete environment impact assessment of the lake to ensure the bio-diversity of the region is not in danger. We should also find out the current count of crocodiles.” Residents fear the carcass has contaminated the water and have demanded that the BMC test it.

Sunish Subramainan of Plant & Animal Welfare Society, who had first reported the presence of the carcass, said, “Even if it were highly decomposed, the forest officials should not have quietly buried it. A post-mortem was necessary to find out if the death was natural or if the water is in good condition.”

BMC's hydraulic engineer Vinay Deshpande said he had inspected the lake and found no evidence of danger to animal life. “Usually if there is any contamination, we'd have found dead fish in the water. That was not the case here. However, as a precaution, I have asked my department to collect water samples for tests. Tests will be done at our labs in Bhandup complex or Dadar; samples will also be sent to the Thane Municipal Corporation laboratory.

Samples of Powai lake water sent for testing

Mumbai . Friday, July 2, 2010 . Page 5

A day after a crocodile carcass was taken off the banks of Powai lake, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has sent water samples collected from the water body for a quality check.

The samples will be tested at a municipal water testing facility at Bhandup complex, said hydraulic engineer Vinay Deshpande.

He added that some samples have been sent to a laboratory run by the Thane Municipal Corporation for third party audit on the water’s quality.

The eight-foot-long carcass was lying on the banks since Sunday.

The hydraulic department, which owns the property, admitted to the delay in fishing it out. Coordination issues with the forest department were blamed for the delay.

While the results for the samples were expected in four days, Deshpande said, “On first look, it did not seem as if marine life in the lake was affected.”

Some of the local residents had blamed pollution in the water body for the reptile’s death. The civic body is carrying out beautification work in and around the banks. Deshpande, however, refuted the claim. “The beautification work being spoken of was halted before the start of monsoon,” he said.

The precise cause of crocodile’s death, however, will be difficult to ascertain. According to Dr S Jangle from the office of the chief conservator of forest in Thane, no post mortem could be performed as the carcass was highly decomposed.

Dead crocodile fished out of lake and buried without postmortem

Mumbai . Friday . July 02, 2010 . Page 2

Mumbai : Floating for days in the Powai lake, a dead crocodile was finally removed on Wednesday evening and buried near the bank, without a postmortem as the carcass was too far decomposed.

“From the extent of putrefaction, it seems the animal died at least a week ago. The carcass was full of maggots,” said SGNP veterinarian Dr Vinaya Jangale, part of the team designated to perform a postmortem on the spot. It was buried after noting down the extent of decay.

Residents fear the carcass has contaminated the water and have demanded that the BMC test it. “The BMC should conduct a complete environment impact assessment of the lake to ensure the bio-diversity of the region is not in danger. We should also find out the current count of crocodiles.”

Sunish Subramainan of Plant & Animal Welfare Society, who had first reported the presence of the carcass, said, “Even if it were highly decomposed, the forest officials should not have quietly buried it. A postmortem was necessary to find out if the death was natural or if the water is in good condition.”

BMC hydraulic engineer Vinay Deshpande said he had inspected the lake and found no evidence of danger to animal life. “Usually if there is any contamination, we’d have found dead fish in the water. That was not the case here. However, as a precaution, I have asked my department to collect water samples for tests. Tests will be done at our labs in Bhandup complex or Dadar; samples will also be sent to the Thane Municipal Corporation laboratory.”

Dead croc story gets buried!

Thursday, July 01, 2010 . Page 24

“Even after a week going by, no one has been able to pinpoint the reason for the crocodile’s death. Looking at the putrefied body, an autopsy is out of question,” said the vets from the forest department on Wednesday, who examined the body of the crocodile that was found dead and floating on the Powai Lake.

It may be recalled that ADC was the only newspaper to report about the sad end of the crocodile, (Tears for the crocodile, June 30).

After an inspection, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) along with forest department officials, at around 8 pm on Wednesday, buried the croc’s body, leaving a question mark over its death.

According to Dr. Jangle, “The body had decomposed to a level where autopsy was simply not possible.”

However, it seems that the BMC official aren’t keen on further investigations, and are assuming that the crocodile could have died a natural death.

Pramod Guhe, Deputy Hydraulic Engineer, said, “There were no injury marks on the body. Neither did the lake have bodies of other animals suggesting that the water is pollution free. All of which indicated that the crocodile must have died a natural death.”

Crocodile carcass floating in Powai lake since Sunday

Jul 01, 2010, Thu . Page 2 . DNA Mumbai Upfront

The carcass of an eight-feet-long crocodile has been lying on the banks of Powai lake since Sunday, when it was first spotted. Despite being informed, the civic body's hydraulic department, which has been carrying out beautification work on the lake, is yet to respond.

Mahesh Karpe, a resident of Powai, said, "On Sunday afternoon, some children who had gone fishing spotted the crocodile's body in the mangroves on the banks of the lake. Though crocodiles have been seen before, it is rare. It is not known how many crocodiles are present in the lake, but spotting one is considered lucky."

When Sishharth Tawde, another resident, learnt about the carcass, he informed the BMC control room, but no action has been taken for three days, raising fear that the lake may get polluted.
Locals then informed an animal activist, Sunish Kunju, from Plants and Animal Welfare Society (PAWS). "The lake falls under the BMC hydraulic department's jurisdiction. It has been working on the beautification of the lake since a year. This could have affected marine life."

Vinay Deshpande, BMC hydrau lic engineer, said, "We did not know whom to contact in the forest department. It will now fish out the carcass. We will check water samples to find out if the water has been contaminated."

Dead crocodile rots 3 days in lake as govt, BMC sort out responsibility

Thu Jul 01 2010 . Mumbai News Line

Mumbai : The carcass of a crocodile has been floating in the Powai lake near Ganesh Garden for more than three days, allegedly because municipal and forest authorities expected each other to remove it. The forest department has now said it would have the carcass removed.

Visitors on Wednesday complained of the stench from the carcass, floating amid the hyacinth since at least Sunday. Sunish Subramainan of Plant & Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) alerted the BMC’s hydraulic engineering department, the Powai police and the forest department.

Subramainan said that for three days, the hydraulic engineering department, which is in charge of the lake, and the forest department, responsible for wildlife in the city, kept shifting the responsibility on each other. “The forest department said Powai lake is under the BMC and the civic authorities said it is the forest officials’ job.”

On Wednesday, Shree Bhagwan, the chief conservator of forest in charge of the city’s wildlife, confirmed that he had asked his officials to remove the carcass. “I have also advised our doctors to visit the spot and conduct a post-mortem immediately. The post mortem will prove if the animal’s death was natural and also the approximate day of the death,” he said.

BMC hydraulic engineer Vinay Deshpande said, “Since this morning, we have been running from pillar to post to contact the right forest department persons to pick up the carcass. Now that they have been informed, we will do the follow-up needed after the carcass is removed.”

Activists were concerned that beautification work could have changed the composition of the lake, suffocating the animals. They feared that the rotting carcass may have poisoned the water. “With the beautification under way, people have also begun going to the lake regularly. Many migratory birds also visit the spot and the lake has marine fauna. All this will be affected if the water is poisoned,” Subramanian said. Deshpande said, “The Powai lake’s water is not used for drinking.”

TEARS FOR THE CROCODILE

Wednesday, June 30, 2010 . Front Page

In what seems to be a deplorable situation, the body of a crocodile has been floating in the Powai Lake for past many days, and it has been more than 24 hours, since one of the locals informed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials, Forest Department and the police. However, none of the authorities have taken the initiative to remove the body, nor do they seem interested in probing the reasons for the animal’s death.
Animal activists have taken a serious note of the issue and have demanded that an autopsy be performed on the dead croc, as they believe, pollutants in the lake might have killed the animal.

According to Sunish Subramanian, founder of Plant and Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) Mumbai, who was informed by the locals about the body, “The ongoing beautification of the lake by the BMC, which is taking much time to complete, has taken its toll on the lake’s eco-system and its inhabitants. The forest officials should conduct a post mortem. The BMC should also check for pollutants in the lake, as high levels will spell doom for the other animals too.”
On Monday afternoon, a local fishermen who was fishing at the lake, noticed the body and immediately informed the authorities and PAWS. The BMC’s hydraulic department staff did visit the spot, but returned without taking any action.

When contacted, Asha Khorke, police sub inspector, Powai police station, said, “The case belongs to the BMC. They had approached us, but we instructed them to fish out the croc’s body on their own.”

Vinay Deshpande, Hydraulic Engineer, when contacted, said he was unaware about the incident and that he would check with his juniors. So did T.N. Patil, the forest officer.

Meanwhile, Siddharth Tayde, a local, said, “Looking at the body, it appears that the crocodile must have died two-three days ago. The stench has greatly inconvenienced locals and tourists.”

Doomed as predicted

About one year ago, the BMC had undertaken the Powai Lake beautification project, including construction of a musical fountain at the lake, which is still in the pipeline. However, many environmentalists and animal activists had opposed the project citing that it would destroy the lake’s eco-system and affect the animals and birds dependent on it.

Animal welfare board calls for action against encroachers

Sunday Times of India . June 20, 2010 . Times City . Page 2

Mumbai: In the backdrop of the illegal construction activity inside the Sanjay Gandhi National Park near Wagle Estate,Thane,which came to light recently,the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) has written to the forest department asking them to take action against the offenders.

The letter,written by the AWBI secretary D Rajshekhar to the principal chief conservator of forests states that the board has received reliable information from animal welfare activists about the illegal encroachments on forest land in Thane.The board functions under the Ministry of Environment and Forests.Sunish Subramanian,secretary of Plant and Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) and also an honorary animal welfare officer said,Over the last few months,there has been a surge of illegal construction activities around the boundary of the park.The encroachers have broken the boundary wall

Satish Phale,assistant conservator of forests,Thane division,said,We are aware that the structures are illegal and have clear records to prove this.The matter is now in court.

Forest officials allege that the even the recent spate of forest fires is man-made.Records show that 91 forest fires occurred within the park area destroying 224.84 hectares of green cover in the last two years.The state has been turning a blind eye to this issue by not providing adequate manpower, said Debi Goenka,trustee of Conservation Action Trust.

Park officials cite lack of manpower as the reason for unchecked encroachments and forest fires.There are only 126 permanent guards;hardly one guard per 5km.We need least 400-450 permanent guards, said a park official.

Animal activist complained about encroachments on forest land, no action yet

HT Live Thane-Mulund, Saturday, June 05, 2010 . Your Neighbourhood . Page 3

Thane : More than threemonths after animal activist Sunish Subramanian brought to light the encroachment on forest land at Hanuman Nagarin WagleEstate,little has been done to remove the encroach- ments.

Subramanian, founder and secretary of PAWS-Mumbai, hadvisited the site in March and found thatashop con- structionhadencroachedupon the forest land.

“Thereisaboundary wall demarcating the forest landand the adjoining MIDC land. The shop owner hadbrokendown thewallandextended the shop onto the forest land. This is a clear violation.Whatwerethe forest guards doing when the boundarywallwasdemolished and when the construction began?” said Subramanian.

Subramanian hadalready informed forest rangeofficer Prashant Masurkarabout the encroachment.Butwhennoth- ing came of it, he mailed alet- teronMarch21 along with pho- tographsandvideo to assistant conservator of forests of Sanjay Gandhi National Park (Yeoor forests)SatishPhaleandmarked acopytoenvironment minis- ter Jairam Ramesh, secretary of Animals WelfareBoardof India (AWBI) and other offi- cials.

D. Rajasekar,secretary of AWBI, recently directed the principal chief conservator of forests, Nagpur to takeaction against the encroachments.

Meanwhile,Yeoor forest offi- cialshave registeredanoffence andalso filedacaseintheThane court.
“The other partyhad raised doubts overthe demarcation of land.So,thecourthadordered asurvey forthesamebyagov- ernment agency.But the sur- vey has not yetbeen done.So, we aregoing to request the court in the next hearing on June 14 to go by what we say andorder the demolition of the encroachment,”said Satish Phale.

પશુ-પક્ષીઓને લૂ લાગવાના કિસ્સા

Monday, Apr 19th, 2010

ઉનાળાની ગરમીમાં ફક્ત માણસજાતને જ નહીં, પણ પ્રાણીઓ, પક્ષીઓ અને સરિસૃપ પ્રકારનાં જનાવરોને પણ લૂ લાગે છે. મુંબઈમાં પ્લાન્ટ્સ એન્ડ એનિમલ્સ વેલફેર સોસાયટી (પીએડબ્લ્યુએસ- પોઝ) નામની જીવદયાનું કામ કરતી સંસ્થાને સામાન્યપણે પક્ષીઓને લૂ લાગ્યાના કિસ્સા મે મહિનાથી મળે છે.

આ કિસ્સામાં ગયા વર્ષ કરતાં વધારો થયો છે, એટલું જ નહીં પણ સંસ્થાને માર્ચ મહિનાથી જ પક્ષી-પશુને લૂ લાગ્યાના કોલ મળવા લાગ્યા છે. કબૂતરો, સમડી, ગરુડ અને કાગડા જેવાં પક્ષીઓને લૂની સૌથી વધારે અસર થાય છે. આ વર્ષે પોઝ- મુંબઈને લૂની અસર પામેલાં ૨૫ કબૂતરો, ૧ પોપટ, ૪ સમડી, ૧ ખિસકોલીનું બચચું અને ૧ બાળ ગરોળી કે કાચિંડો મળ્યાં હતાં.

ગરમીની અસર પામેલું ખિસકોલીનું બરચું પ્રાણીપ્રેમી શ્રુતિ ભટ્ટને તેમની ગેલેરીમાંથી મળ્યું હતું જયારે પોઝના સભ્ય આર. વી. રાઘવનને મંડલા બીએઆરસી કોલોનીના દરવાજા પાસેની સિક્યુરિટીમાંથી બાળગરોળી મળી હતી. સારવાર બાદ સાજાં થયેલાં આ જીવોને જંગલ ખાતાના સ્ટાફને સોંપી દેવાય છે.

Web Site Link : http://www.divyabhaskar.co.in/2010/04/19/bird-and-animals-of-hit-wave-886678.html

PAWS expose illegalities in Borivli Natinal Park PAWS expose illegalities in Borivli Natinal Park

Monday, May 31, 2010 . Page 24

Following the sting operation carried out by PAWS, exposing the flourishing encroachment within the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, which was later submitted to the to the forest department, the Ministry of Environment and Forest Department had taken a serious note of the issue and has the Principal Conservator Officer of Forest, Maharashtra to probe into the matter and punish the guilty.

PAWS in their video highlighted the rampant illegal construction coming up near Wagle Estate, Thane. On one hand, where illegal bungalows and shanties at Yeoor are demolished and those dislocated are being relocated, on the other the forest department in truing a blind eye to ongoing encroachment.
According to Sunish Subramanian, Founder, PAWS and also a member of the High Court appointed Committee to Monitor Animal Welfare Laws in Maharashtra, “When I was tipped off in April about the illegal construction work mushrooming within the park, I immediately conducted an inspection and after noticing the encroachment, I decided to come the back next day along with forest officers and catch the culprits red-handedBut when I approached the park officials, they lacked interest, hence I decide to undertake the sting operation.”

After filming the illegal construction, Subramanian forwarded the evidence to animal welfare board and other department, demanding stringent action against the mushrooming encroachment and culprits.

Taking Subramanian’s demand and evidence seriously, last week, the Ministry of Environment and Forest Department has given written orders (copy of which is available with ADC) to the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests to conduct an in-depth enquiry.

When contacted, Dr. P.N. Mundey, Chief Conservator of Forest, under whose jurisdiction Sanjay Gandhi National Park falls, said, “We are yet to receive enquiry order from the Principal Conservator of Forest, Nagpur. Once we receive it we will do the needful.”

Landsharks move in for the kill at National Park

CITY . Mumbai Mirror . Friday, March 26, 2010 . Page 12

Illegal construction activity is going on in full swing inside the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, even as authorities choose to look the other way

Construction activity is going on at full throttle inside Sanjay Gandhi National Park near Wagle Estate, Thane. While on one hand bungalows at Yeoor are being demolished and hutments from the park are being resettled elsewhere, the forest department in this case is turning a blind eye.

An animal activist and honorary animal welfare officer with Animal Welfare Board of India, went around the area and shot a video of the activity which he has submitted to the forest department.

“As soon as I got to know about the construction activity I went to the spot to check it out for myself. I saw that the encroacher had broken down the forest territory wall and has started some construction work inside the boundary,” said Sunish Subramanian, founder of PAWS, Mumbai, an animal welfare organisation.

Also an honorary member of the High Court appointed Committee to Monitor Animal Welfare Laws in Maharashtra, Subramanian went back to the spot a day later, this time equipped with a video camera. Before going to the spot he spoke to forest officials in Thane, who gave him “a very lukewarm response”.

“I realised that the encroachers might assault me so I hid the camera and recorded the entire activity. It is proof enough that the structure is inside the SGNP boundary. Moreover, encroachers have dug a huge pit a little ahead in the forest, as if foundation of another structure is to be laid there,” said Subramanian.

He submitted the copy of the video to the Thane forest officials a couple of days ago.

“Instead of swooping down and demolishing the structures and booking the encroachers, the officials simply said they would look into the matter,” said the irked animal lover.

He added, “This is how structures mushroom inside the forest boundary. A few months later, there will be full fledged industrial activity inside and then may be the forest department will wake up. By then, however, it will be too late.”

When Mumbai Mirror contacted Prashant Masurkar, range forest officer, incharge of the region, he said that the matter was sub judice.

PAWS-Mumbai founder received Best Animal Activist Award : Hax World Newsmakers Achievers Award 2010 Dated 1.05.2010

Sunish Subramanian, a young activist & founder of Plant & Animals Welfare Society – Mumbai (PAWS-Mumbai) an NGO working for animal welfare & environment protection, received the Hax World Newsmakers Achievers Award as Best Animal Activist in an international event held at Taj Palace & Tower at Apollo Bunder, Colaba on 1st May, 2010. There was 65 different categories in which awards had given to the people who had achieved an unlike an image that other in this overcrowded world through their works.

Personalities from politics, television, bollywood, advertisement, media, IAS, IPS marked their presence in the grand award event. A superstar of the Millennium Amitabh Bachchan gets Man of the Masses, whereas Raj Thackeray received the Heart Throb of Maharashtra’s award and others like Carliyta Mouhini as Best International Singer, Y.P Singh as Best IPS Officer, Smita Thackeray as Best Outstanding Social Contribution, Nandini Sardesai as Best Teacher, Vinita Kamte as Best Writer, Mahesh Manjrekar as Best Director, Milind Gunaji as Best Travelogue, Bharat Dabholkar as Best Media & Advertisement Person were few of them.

Sunish Subramanian Kunju : Founder of PAWS-Mumbai receiving Hex World NewsMakers Achievers’ Awards 2010 as Best Animal Activist from the hands of Abha Singh (Wife of former IPS officer Y P Singh) and Vaidehi Sachin (Editor in Chief of Afternoon Voice & Beyond the news)

For more information or feedback contact : nishakunju@gmail.com

© S9 News
Editor : Amol Surve
Video by : Surendra K
Video Edited by : Umesh R

Saturday May 1, 2010 . News . Page 3

With summer getting intense it is not only the humans who are suffering, several cases of small birds and animals suffering from heat strokes are being reported by animal welfare organisations. In our own suburb members of Bhandup based PAWS-Mumbai (Plant & Animals Welfare Society) state, "We usually get such calls during the month of May but this year we have started receiving such distress calls from March end itself," informed Sunish Subramanian, founder of PAWS0Mumbai. He added, “This summer our members have found 25 pigeons, one parrot, four kites, one baby squirrel, one monitor lizard and six snakes suffering mainly from heatstroke. A kite fell on the ground due to severe dehydration.”

Sunish attributes a 30 percent increase in the summer related ailments mainly due to factors like axing of trees in the name of development. “Several trees are chopped for beautification and development projects which disturbs the nature’s cycle and results in the drying up of water resources.”

Animal lovers like Saloni Bhatia from Mulund also stated, “I have seen several stray dogs panting heavily which is one of the symptom of heatstroke” In the words of Bhandup based Veterinarian S Y Bhoir, “Like human beings birds and animals also require water to drink on a daily basis. Stray animals and birds suffer from heat related problems like restlessness, dehydration, fever and vomiting as they do not get adequate water and food.”
Animal lovers and vets from our suburb have therefore appealed to citizens to help such small animals and birds by placing bowls of water in balconies, terraces and even public places for the benefit of thirsty birds like crows, pigeons and stray animals like dogs, cats, cows etc. Earthen pots are ideal as these do not tilt easily.

Jenny Singh, a concerned animal lover from Vikhroli stated, “When you see stray animals desperately licking foul smelling water seeping from the gutters one can imagine their plight. It is our moral responsibility to help them by giving them water and food. I have also appealed to milk booth vendors not to waste the milk collected from leaking packets. These can be collected and given to the dogs and cats to quench their thirst.”

Citizens can give first aid to such animals by placing them in a box with holes for ventilation before calling a vet or animal rescue organisation for help. Keeping such animals at home is illegal because animals and birds such as owls, parrots, kites, snakes are protected under Wildlife protection act 1972. When you spot such birds/animals who are suffering from heat stroke or dehydration call Helpline PAWS 9833480388/25968313.

द ग्रेट एस्केप

7 Jul 2009

पावसाच्या जबरदस्त दणक्याने उघड्यावर आलेल्या प्राणी-पक्ष्यांना सोडवण्याचं काम प्राणीप्रेमी संघटनांनी युद्धपातळीवर हाती घेतलंय.

वाट पाहायला लावून धुंवाधार बरसलेल्या पावसाने प्राण्यांचंही आयुष्य विस्कळीत केलं. अर्थात, याला पावसासोबत माणूसही जबाबदार आहे. पावसाने झाडांच्या फांद्या तुटू नयेत यासाठी त्या ट्रीम करताना, त्यावरची घरटीही खाली टाकणाऱ्या माणसांच्या बेफिकीर वृत्तीमुळे अनेक पक्ष्यांच्या पिलांना जीव गमावावे लागले आहेत, तर कित्येक पक्षी जखमी झाले आहेत. या पक्ष्यांना तसंच पाण्याने बिळं भरल्यानंतर बाहेर आलेल्या सापांना वाचवण्याचं काम प्राणीप्रेमी संघटना करत आहेत.

पावसाळ्याच्या सुरुवातीला पक्षी अंडी घालतात. पावसाळ्यात येणारं गवत तसंच किडामुंगीसारखं भरपूर खाद्य उपलब्ध होत असल्याने निसर्गाची ती योजना असते. मात्र, पिल्लं बाहेर येण्याचा काळ आणि पावसाने झोडपण्याचा काळ एकत्र आल्याने अनेक पिल्लांना जीव गमवावा लागतो. कोकीळ, खार, तित्तर आणि अशा अनेक पक्ष्यांची सुटका नुकतीच प्लॅण्ट््स अॅण्ड अॅनिमल वेल्फअर सोसायटीने (पॉज) केली आहे. यासोबत भाभा अॅटोमिक रिसर्च ऑर्गनायझेशन म्हणजे बीएआरसी परिसर, भांडूप, मुलुंड या भागातून दहा सापांची सुटका करण्यात आली आहे. बिळात पाणी गेल्याने हे साप लपण्याची जागा शोधत परिसरात फिरत होते. यात चार नाग, चार घोणस आणि दोन धामण यांचा समावेश आहे. रसेल वायपर हे आशियातल्या सर्वात विषारी सापांपैकी आहेत. पवईच्या गोपाल शर्मा स्कूलमध्ये हे साप सापडले. कॉलेजमधली मुलं त्यांच्याशी खेळत होती. मात्र हे प्राणघातक होऊ शकलं असतं, असं 'पॉज'चे सेक्रेटरी सुनिश सुब्रमण्यम यांनी सांगितलं. याशिवाय भांडूप परिसरातून दोन सॉफ्ट शेल कासवांनाही सोडवण्यात आले आहे. आज पुन्हा 'बीएआरसी'मधून आणखी दोन सापांची सुटका करण्यात येणार आहे.

दिवाळीच्या फटाक्यांनी घेतला प्राण्यांचा बळी

19 Nov, 2007

फटाक्यांची आतषबाजी... रंगांची बरसात... आवाजांचा जल्लोष... अशा वातावरणाचा काही काळ सुखावणारा दिवाळी सण मात्र शहरातल्या प्राण्यांना जीवघेणा ठरला आहे. परिणामी, पशुवैद्यांकडे दिवाळीत दाखल झालेले बरेच प्राणी किमान दोन महिने ट्रीटमेण्टसाठी हॉस्पिटलमध्ये विश्रांती करणार आहेत.

गव्हाणी घुबडाच्या नुकत्याच जन्मलेल्या चार पिल्लांनाही फटाक्यांचा सामना करावा लागला. या चार पिल्लांबरोबरच त्यांची जन्मदातीही जबर जखमी झाली आहे. त्यामुळे त्यांच्या कुटुंबाची गेले काही दिवस 'सोसायटी फॉर प्रोटेक्शन ऑफ क्रुअॅलिटी टू अॅनिमल्स' काळजी घेत आहे. घारींनाही या फटाक्यांचा सामना करावा लागला होता. ५ ते ७ घारींचे पंख भाजल्याने त्यांनाही एसपीसीएमध्ये दाखल करण्यात आलं आहे.

ठाणे-मुंबईत वन्यजिवांसाठी काम करणाऱ्या 'प्लाण्ट अॅण्ड अॅनिमल वेल्फेअर सोसायटी' (पीऐडल्ब्यूएस) या पर्यावरणप्रेमी संस्थेलाही घुबडं, कबुतरं, चिमण्या, दयाळ असे पक्षी जखमी अवस्थेत मिळाले आहेत. याशिवाय दयाळ, कबुतरं, चिमण्या फटाक्याने मृत्युमुखी पडल्याचे संस्थेच्या सुनिश सुब्रमण्यम यांनी सांगितलं.

मुक्या जीवांना उन्हाळीचा चटका

28 Apr 2008

गेल्या आठवड्यापासून उन्हाचा पारा तेजीनं वाढतोय. १८ एप्रिलला या पा - यानं ३७ अंश सेल्सिअसवर पोहोचून हंगामाचा उच्चांक गाठला होता. या दिवसागणिक बदलांमुळे सर्वांच्याच अंगाची लाहीलाही होत असून त्याचा सर्वाधिक फटका मुक्या प्राण्यांनाही बसल्याचं चित्र सध्या मुंबई-ठाण्यात दिसू लागलंय. यामुळे प्राण्यांची हॉस्पिटलं तुडुंब भरल्याचं दृष्य असून हॉस्पिटलांत दाखल झालेल्या अनेक प्राण्यांना उन्हाचा तडाखा सहन न झाल्याने आपले प्राणही गमवावे लागल्याचं उघड झालंय.

गेल्या अठवड्यातल्या तापमानातील लाक्षणिक बदलांमुळे मुंबईच्या सोसायटी फॉर द प्रिव्हेंशन ऑफ क्रुएल्टी टू अॅनिमल्स (बॉम्बे एसपीसीए) या संस्थेकडे सुमारे ३० ते ४० पक्षी सध्या ट्रिटमेण्ट घेत असल्याचं संस्थेच्या जे सी खन्ना यांनी सांगितलं. यात आकाशात उंचच उंच घिरट्या घेणाऱ्या घारी, कबुतरं, पोपट, कावळे तसंच कोकीळ पक्षांचा समावेश आहे. याखेरीज, घोडे, गाई हेही दाखल झाल्याचं ते म्हणाले.

एसपीसीएच्या ठाणे शाखेतही दररोज सुमारे पाच ते दहा पक्षी दाखल होत असून यात पक्ष्यांचे पंख तुटणं, उंचावरून पडल्याने पक्षी जखमी होणं तसंच, इतर प्राण्यांच्या नाकातून रक्त येणं यासारख्या आजारांचं प्रमाण जास्त असल्याचं पशुवैद्यक डॉ. सुहास राणे म्हणाले.

भांडुपच्या प्लॅण्ट अॅण्ड अॅनिमल वेल्फेअर सोसायटीकडे सुमारे ३० ते ४० पक्षी गेल्या आठवड्यात ट्रीटमेण्टसाठी आले होते, असं संस्थचे सुनिश सुब्रमण्यम यांनी सांगितलं. यात घारी, घुबडं, कबुतरं यांच प्रमाण जास्त आहे. संस्थेकडे कुत्र्यांच्या ट्रिटमेण्टसाठीही रीघ लागली आहे. उष्णतेमुळे कुत्र्यांची कातडी लाल होऊन अंगावरचे केस जाणं, अंगावर जखमा होणं याच्या घटनाही गेल्या अठवड्यात ३० ते ३५ टक्क्यांनी वाढल्याचं सुनिश म्हणाले.

पाळीव प्राणी आणि पक्ष्यांप्रमाणेच वनराई असलेल्या ठिकाणी आढळणाऱ्या पशुपक्ष्यांनाही उन्हाळ्याची झळ झेपेनाशी झाली आहे. यात खारुताई ते थेट जंगलातल्या सापांनाही या समस्येने ग्रासंलंय. जंगलातील साप वस्तीत येण्याचं प्रमाणही सध्या ४० ते ४५ टक्यांनी वाढलं असल्याचं मुलुंडचे सर्पमित्र संदीप मोरे यांनी सांगितलं.

दिवसागणिक वाढत चाललेल्या या प्राण्यांच्या समस्येवर तोडगा काढण्यासाठी हॉस्पिटल्सची वाट प्राणीमित्रांनी धरली आहे. मात्र, हॉस्पिटल्समध्ये असलेल्या प्राण्यांच्या गदीर्मुळे तसंच पशुवैद्यकांच्या कमतरतेमुळे अनेक मुक्या प्राण्यांना आपले प्राणही गमवावे लागले आहेत.

वाढत्या उष्म्याचा तडाखा गेल्या आठवड्यात परळमध्ये दोन गायींना बसला आणि त्यांनी जागीच प्राण सोडले. तर, ठाण्यात एक घोडा गतप्राण झाला. दिवसेंदिवस उष्म्याचं प्रमाण वाढत चाललंय आणि बाष्पीकरणामुळे पाण्याचे स्रोत आटत चाललेत. पाणवठे कोरडे पडू लागल्यानेही पशुपक्ष्यांना त्याचा फटका बसू लागला आहे.