Date of Publication: 21 April 2015

Vol. XXX, No. 4, April 2015 ISSN 0971-6378 (Print); 0973-2543 (Online)

Magazine of Zoo Outreach Organization

Animal Welfare

Fortnight celebrations report, See Pp. 28-29

Magazine of Zoo Outreach OrganizationVol. XXX, No. 4, April 2015 ISSN 0971-6378 (Print); 0973-2543 (Online)

Workshop on Freshwater biodiversity Conservation at St. Philomena’s College, Mysuru, Karnataka, Ruth Shantha Kumari, Cecilia N.A. D`souza and B.A. Daniel, Pp. 1-2

The Nobility of Birds, Photographers Joel Sartore and Grace Young & Text Sally Walker, Pp. 3-7

Transportation and Shipping (Part Four Chapter 23, Zoo Animal Management extracted from ZOOKEEPING), Andrea Drost, Pp. 8-14

Existing status of Chilkigarh Sacred Grove in Midnapore, West Bengal, S. Kar, S. Pathak and P. Singh, Pp. 15-17

Announcement: Zoological Society of London Symposium on Health and disease in translocated wild animals on 14 and 15 May 2015, P. 17

A preliminary checklist of Mosquito Fauna of Lahore: Pakistan, Farkhanda Manzoor and Rabia Butt, Pp. 18-19

Anuran Biodiversity of Barak Valley, Assam and Impact of Human Interference, Mithra Dey, Jayanta Roy, Dulumoni Tamuly and Pammi Singh, Pp. 20-26

Book Review: A Field guide on Butterflies - R. Bhanumathi, P. 27

Education Reports, Pp. 28-32

Contents

Anuran Biodiversity of Barak Valley, Assam and Impact of Human Interference, Pp. 20-26

The Nobility of Birds, Pp. 3-7

Workshop on Freshwater biodiversity Conservation, Pp. 1-2

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXX, Number 4 April 2015 1

A two-day workshop was organized on 28 and 29th March 2015 jointly by the Department of Zoology, St. Philomena’s College, Mysuru and Zoo Outreach Organization, Coimbatore with the financial support of the University Grants Commission, New Delhi. Selected 46 students from the department of Zoology took part in it. The main objective of the workshop was to impart knowledge on the status of the freshwater biodiversity and to teach them active learning tools. The workshop had both indoor and outdoor activities to help the participants to understand about the importance of freshwater biodiversity and the need for its conservation.

Rev. Fr. Leslie Moros, Principal of the College inaugurated the workshop. During the inaugural he said that the present generation should commit themselves to do something for the betterment of the environment. Individual responsibility is needed to bring in mass positive attitudinal change among the society. With this introduction the session started with know each other. The third author gave introduction to the workshop and its objective. He also introduced the The Sahyadri Freshwater Teaching Guide that was used throughout the workshop and also other education materials developed by ZOO with the support of CEPF.

Some of the activities tried during the workshop day are: assessment tools (both Brain map and attitude assessment), facts about the Sahyadri, map reading, water footprint and value of freshwater, freshwater types, species assessment, illustrated history of Western Ghats, know your species – odonates, fish, mollusc and aquatic plants, species status and

trends, and a demo on the Sahyadri education packets.

The teaching guide that was used for the workshop was developed during the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund in 2013. The purpose of a Teaching guide for educators is to translate scientific data from the report of ‘The status and distribution of Freshwater biodiversity in the Western Ghats, India’ (http://data.iucn.org/dbtw-wpd/ edocs/RL-540-001.pdf) into

stimulating concepts and messages that appeal to stakeholders and connect with their emotions and personal benefits. For any educator, it is difficult to generate interest among the audience in freshwater fish, dragonflies, water plants,

Workshop on Freshwater biodiversity Conservation at St. Philomena’sCollege, Mysuru, KarnatakaRuth Shantha Kumari1, Cecilia N.A. D`souza and B.A. Daniel2

1 Associate Professor, Department of Zoology, St. Philomena’s College, Mysuru. 2 Scientist / Education Coordinator, ZOO. Email: badaniel@zooreach.org

Workshop setup and classroom session

Tracing the History of Western Ghats through illustrations was a fun activity

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXX, Number 4 April 2015 2

snails and slugs. The teaching guide provides a means of making those freshwater critters and systems interesting to youngsters through games, competitions, drawings, song writing, role play and live debates, etc. This guide also helps to engage any age group by relating the pitfalls of ignoring freshwater habitats and by learning about the animals fascinating lives and habitats. The manual and other teaching tools such as handouts, posters, packet materials (in 5 south Indian languages) and graphics can be downloaded http://zooreach.org/ZOO_WILD_Activities/2012/Aug2012_Edu_Cons_FWBWG.htm

The participants interaction during the attitude assessment was very good and they understood the concept and the assessment methods. The sahyadri mapping activity helped them to understand all facts related to the Western Ghats, rivers, freshwater species and associated people who benefit out its resources. The illustrated history helped them to trace out the entire history of the Western Ghats starting from 5000 BC. They took part in the drawing and also in the presentation with great involvement that gave them a high satisfaction. Some of them used colouring materials for the first time in their life time and that made them feel proud. These activities helped them to identify their hidden skills as well. Using laminated illustrated cards to make the

participants understand about the freshwater types was very useful. They could easily find out the difference between 15 water body types and understand different freshwater habitats. The animal examples freshwater species selected for the workshop were very apt and their ecological role was well understood.

Spreading the word of species conservation is one of the objectives of the workshop. This workshop encouraged the participants to create awareness among different stakeholders. During the workshop the participants were encouraged to share what they learned today with as many as people as possible. Use of packets facilitated to achieve that goal. A demonstration was given to all participants, ways and means to reach out the public using the resource materials. At the end of the workshop participants took an oath and pledged to contribute individually towards the conservation of freshwater species.

On the second day a full-day field visit was organized. All the participants were taken to Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary. The Bird Sanctuary established in 1940 has records of 170 birds visited the water body over years. The participants were taken around the bird sanctuary and they observed 16 different kinds of birds against 34 birds reported during that season, mammals, reptiles and many invertebrates.

Play way learning is the best method to teach complicated scientific topics. During the field trip games were played to make them understand how researchers develop their observation skills to study species or habitat. Fishing game to explain sustainable utilization was played with selected members while others watched the game. At the end adaptations game was played to explain them how species are adapted to live successfully and to meet the challenge in the environment. The organizers would like to thank University Grants Commission, New Delhi for the financial assistance to organise this programme and for ZOO and CEPF for free education materials. Thanks to Mr. Babu, Department of Malayalam and the Laboratory assistants for their support in organizing the workshop.

Fishing game to understand sustainable utilisation

Field trip at Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary

ZOO’s Packet demo

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXX, Number 4 April 2015 3

The Nobility of Birds Photographers Joel Sartore and Grace Young & Text Sally Walker

Almost every animal, including ourselves, will have their moments when they look very serious, even grave, as if the whole world awaited their action or dictat.

Human individuals will interpret these moments in a different way, whether they are looking at another human or an animal.

All the animals can display their gravity in their own moments. My choice is Birds. Birds, particularly the larger birds, are very apt in displaying their their seriousness. See the birds below and by studying their eyes and posture you may note their array of display and human-like portraits.

A white-rumped vulture (Gyps bengalensis) at the Kamla Nehru Zoological Garden, Ahmedabad, Gujarat

The Himalayan griffon vulture can turn his head 180 degrees. He looks as if he is a senior officer of the vulture army in a portrait on the wall of the most distinguished soldiers.

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXX, Number 4 April 2015 4

The Black Kite above relays fear, ruffled feathers and open mouth. In the above photo, the Black Kite is like a airplane ready for take-off holding forth like a Captain.

Close-up head of Black kite (Milvus migrans) at the Assam State Zoo in Guwahati, Assam, India

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXX, Number 4 April 2015 5

A Grey turaco (Corythaixoides concolor) at PN Himalayan Zoological Park, Darjeeling, West Bengal holds his regal head high. Rest of them are for you to describe.

Barn owl (Tyto alba) at the Kamla Nehru Zoological Garden, Ahmedabad, Gujarat shows a more playful personality!

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXX, Number 4 April 2015 6

White-crested kalij pheasant (Lophura leucomelanos hamiltoni) at Himachal Pradesh, Himalayan Nature Park, Kufri

Cheer pheasants (Catreus wallichii) at PN Himalayan Zoological Park, Darjeeling, West Bengal

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXX, Number 4 April 2015 7

Kalij pheasant (Lophura leucomelanos) at the Assam State Zoo in Guwahati, Assam

Kalij pheasant (Lophura leucomelanos) at PN Himalayan Zoological Park in Darjeeling, West Bengal

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXX, Number 4 April 2015 8

IntroductionLive animal shipping can be challenging. Whether animals are being moved domestically or internationally, the shipments must occur quickly and efficiently without jeopardizing their well-being. The primary goal is to limit stress on the animal, as well as to ensure an efficient shipment so that all goes well in a timely manner. No two shipments are ever the same. Instead of providing a step-by-step account of a particular shipment, a more general sequence of steps will be described to demonstrate what is involved in live animal shipping. The steps are as follows:

• the relevance of obtaining background information on the proposed animal to be transported • permitting and health requirements • crates and crate training • modes of transportation • shipment date selection • notification of proposed animal transport to all relevant parties • documentation package preparation • "day of" arrangements • tracking of the shipment • notification of successful animal transport.

After studying this chapter, the reader should understand • methods of and approaches to the transportation of common zoo animals • the importance of planning in animal transportation, and the types of preparation required • specific considerations relating to each step of the live-animal shipping process • general approaches to transportation of common zoo taxa.

Obtaining All Relevant Information on the Animal Once it's been decided that a specific animal will be transferred out of a particular zoo's collection, internationally or domestically, the first step is always the same. A copy of the animal's record should be provided from the sending zoo, the consignor, to the receiving zoo, the consignee. These records will outline the animal's history, which includes its date of birth, sex, parentage, and any other pertinent information. Most accredited zoos in North America compile this information in a document referred to as the "specimen report". One of the key pieces of information in the animal records and/or the specimen report is the country of origin. This information is pertinent when crossing international borders, as it could influence permitting applications. (This will be covered in further detail below.) In addition to the specimen report, a diet sheet and medical records should be supplied to the consignee. The medical records will also provide information needed when addressing what pre-shipment health testing is required.

Permitting and health testing requirements As a general rule, every country will have a minimum of two federal bodies that regulate the movement of live animals across its borders. One of these federal bodies will usually be a wildlife office. In Canada, this is Environment Canada's (EC) Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS). In the United States, all zoos are familiar with the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). It is through offices like these that Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) permits are issued. Animals will be listed as either CITES I, CITES II, CITES III, or non-CITES. A non-CITES animal requires no CITES permitting. A CITES II and III animal requires that an export permit be issued by the exporting country before transport of the animal can occur. A CITES I animal requires that an export permit be issued by the exporting country and that an import permit be issued by the importing country before transport of the animal occurs. These permits must travel with the animal while it is in transit from one country to the other. CITES permits are only required when crossing international borders. At the time of shipment, the original CITES permit must be handed over to the exporting countries' wildlife authority to be validated. For example, a CITES I listed animal being moved from the United States to Canada will have its US CITES I export permit validated by USFWS during its exit inspection. Validation simply means that the USFWS officer will fill in information in a box located at the bottom of the permit, and then stamp the permit with the authorizing USFWS stamp. This occurs while the animal is still in the United States. When the animal reaches the first Canadian port of entry, the validated original US CITES I export permit and the original Canadian CITES I import permit must now be surrendered to the Canadian Border Service Agency (CBSA), Canada's customs officials. Now the CITES-listed

Transportation and Shipping (Part Four Chapter 23, Zoo Animal Management extracted from ZOOKEEPING)Andrea Drost*

*Curatorial Assistant, Toronto Zoo, Toronto, Ontario. Email: adrost@torontozo.ca

© 2013 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission.

ZookeepingAn Introduction to the Science and TechnologyEdited by Mark D. Irwin, John B. Stoner, and

Aaron M. Cobaugh

How to OrderContact the address provided below when you order from South Asia:

The University of Chicago Press, c/o John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Distribution Centre, 1 Oldlands Way,

Bognor Regis, West Susses PO@ 95A UKPhone: (0) 1243 779777; Fax : (0) 1243 820250

Email : cs-books@wiley.co.uk

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXX, Number 4 April 2015 9

animal has legally left the United States and has legally entered Canada.

In addition to the CITES permits, some federal bodies also require further import or export permits, depending on the species of animal being proposed for transport. The USFWS, for example, issues endangered species/threatened species permits if the species is listed as endangered or threatened in the US Endangered Species Act (ESA). The USFWS will also issue import/export permits if the transaction is commercial—that is to say, if money is being exchanged as a condition of the animal's movement. Another potentially required USFWS-issued document is the designated port exception permit, if a USFWS-designated port of entry/exit is not being used. All zoo and aquarium animals imported into or exported out of the United States must be declared with USFWS. As such, USFWS has designated specific cities for the purpose of processing these declarations. Ports (cities) other than the designated ports can be used, but only with the designated port exception permit, on which will be listed the specific nondesignated ports allowed for use.

The second federal body that must be contacted is the agricultural agency. For example, Canada's agricultural agency is the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and the United States' counterpart is the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). Agencies such as these issue their own import permits (normally issued at the agency's national headquarters) and export certificates (normally issued at the local office in the city where the zoo or aquarium arranging the animal's movement is located). These permits and/or certificates are required for some animals, but not all. Agricultural agencies tend to be focused on the protection of their country's livestock industry and are therefore most interested in hoofstock, swine, poultry, and similar domestic species. They are less interested in regulating animals such as amphibian and reptile species, with exceptions (e.g., in Canada, where the import of turtles is regulated by the CFIA to ensure humane transport practices). These agriculture agencies are responsible for deciding what health testing an animal is required to undergo before and after shipment has occurred.

For example, the CFIA requires that a white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) being imported from South Africa undergo testing to certify that it is free of diseases such as bluetongue, trypanosomes, and bovine tuberculosis. The animal must then be retested for these diseases at least 21 days after the initial test date, but within 30 days of its intended importation date into Canada. If these requirements are not met, the rhinoceros will be refused entry into Canada. The same species being imported from the United States to Canada will require no preshipment testing, but only a CFIA inspection at the first port of entry. This demonstrates how testing requirements for a specific species of animal can change depending on the country from which the animal is being imported. This is a direct result of the health status

of countries (i.e., the types and prevalence of diseases present) being different from one another.

Different zoos have different quarantine capabilities. In Canada, the CFIA has three categories of quarantine that an animal is regulated to undergo: nonquarantine, minimum quarantine, and medium quarantine. Any zoo can import an animal directly to its facility if there is no federal CFIA quarantine requirement. Both the minimum and the medium quarantine requirements dictate that the quarantine area must be approved by a federal veterinarian from CFIA before the animal's arrival. Most zoos can do a minimum quarantine as it simply requires that the importation testing requirements be met and that the related information be provided to CFIA. Very few zoos have medium capability for quarantine, as this requires staff to shower when entering and exiting the quarantine area. In addition to this, other requirements of the building must be met, such as a separate air exchange for the quarantine area. When importing nonhuman primates into the United States, the animal must first be quarantined in a Centers for Disease Control (CDC)-approved facility for a minimum of 30 days, and until all import testing requirements have been met. This is because of these species' potential to carry serious zoonotic pathogens and diseases such as Ebola Reston, herpes B virus (Cercopithecine herpesvirus 1), monkeypox, yellow fever, simian immunodeficiency virus, and tuberculosis. It is only after meeting these quarantine requirements that the primate can then be transferred to the zoo of import, where it will then undergo that zoo's non-federally regulated quarantine, normally for an additional 30 days.

It should be noted that once an animal is transported into the importing country, there are specific quarantine requirements to be met for different species. In Canada, for example, an imported toad species requires no federal quarantine even though the importing zoo will have its own import quarantine requirements. The CFIA does not have any federal quarantine requirements for the Puerto Rican crested toad (Peltophryne lemur), but the Toronto Zoo has a 60-day in-house quarantine requirement that must be met before the animal is moved into the collection. An imported Red panda (Ailurus fulgens) from Japan will have a federal CFIA minimum quarantine requirement. This means that the CFIA must inspect the quarantine holding facility before the animal can be imported into the country. Once in Canada, the Red panda must be held in quarantine for a minimum of 30 days, and must undergo further testing before being released from quarantine. A swine species like the warthog (Phacochoerus africanus) must undergo a federal CFIA medium quarantine. Again, the CFIA must inspect and approve the quarantine facility prior to import, but in this case the requirements are more restrictive. The airflow must be regulated within the quarantine space, and keeper staff will be required to "shower in" prior to working with the quarantined warthog and "shower out" after that work is complete. Separate work clothes will be used and kept within the quarantine area. In this way, staff will avoid carrying

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXX, Number 4 April 2015 10

pathogens out of the quarantine area on themselves or their work clothes.

In addition to federal regulations for permitting, jurisdictional requirements must also be met. Some provinces or states require their own separate import and export permits, and also require that a certificate be issued, while other jurisdictions require only that an import number be issued and placed on shipment documentation. In-transit permits might be required if the animal has a connecting flight in a country that is neither the importing nor the exporting country. For example, if cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) are being moved from South Africa to Canada with a flight change in Germany, the German officials may require an in-transit permit indicating the purpose and length of the animal's stay in Germany. It should be noted that this in-transit permit does not cover care and location for any unforeseen delays. It simply informs the in-transit country that the animal is going through that country on a specified date and time. If any unforeseen delay happens to occur in the in-transit country, that country will want the importer or the exporter to hire a local freight forwarder to feed, water, and care for the animal during the delay.

Crates and crate training The International Air Transport Association (IATA) publishes the Live Animal Regulations (LAR). The IATA-LAR stipulates the requirements that must be met for shipping container construction and design for a specific species of animal. This reference material is updated every two years and must be adhered to strictly if the animal is being moved by air, or if the animal is CITES-listed and is being moved internationally. USFWS now requires that all CITES-listed animals being transported internationally must be moved in compliance with the IATA-LAR for that species, even if they are being moved by land. The IATA-LAR regulations are such a useful resource that it is strongly recommended they be used for all non-CITES domestic land transports as well. General considerations to remember when selecting a crate for an animal are that (1) the crate has external access for food and water, (2) the crate is leakproof, (3) the animal can be monitored while it is in the crate, (4) the crate is constructed of appropriate and sturdy material (e.g. wood or metal) which will safely contain the species, and (5) the crate is comfortable (e.g., contains the appropriate amount of bedding) for the animal. One of the most common mistakes when selecting an appropriate crate for a specimen is to provide too much space, the assumption being that a larger crate will provide the animal with increased comfort. Unfortunately, increased space also increases the risk of self-inflicted injury to the animal, which might try to run at the front or side of the crate in panic or in an attempt to escape.

As mentioned before, it is essential that a crate used to transport an animal be well constructed, clean, and leakproof. It must be able to contain the animal at all times, must prevent unauthorized access so that accidental opening of the crates during transit

cannot occur, and must be appropriately ventilated. Generally, the container must be ventilated on at least three sides, with most of the ventilation being provided on the upper portion of the sides. It should be noted, however, that different species have different ventilation requirements. IATA regulation #34 for the gorilla, for example, requires that all four sides and the top of a crate must be ventilated. Ventilation holes must always be small enough to prevent the protrusion of the animal in any way, and in some cases they must be covered with fine mesh, wire, or muslin (a woven cotton fabric that allows for ventilation but restricts visual access). In general, the crate must be made so that the animal inside can stand, turn, and lie down in a natural manner. There are exceptions to this; for instance, some bird crates must incorporate a perch, and the bird must be able to stand and turn in a natural manner.

Crate training for the animal begins the process of providing it with physical and psychological comfort during transport. Key to successful crate training is the development of a plan before starting the process. Much information on training is readily available, but the following are very basic steps that may be followed. Generally, the crate is introduced to the animal and secured safely so that the animal can become used to seeing and/or smelling this novel item. The next step is the introduction of food at the entrance of the crate. This food, which can simply be a portion of the animal's diet, is then placed further and further into the crate over a period of time. The final goal is to ensure that the animal is eating its food with its body fully inside the crate. At this point the animal will usually display behavior indicating that it is comfortable eating in the crate. Generally the animal is not locked into the crate unless there is additional time for training prior to shipment, as once the animal is locked in, it is usually startled and will not go back to the crate again for some time afterwards. One of the main benefits to crate training is that it relieves much of the stress the animal might otherwise experience should it have to be forced into the crate. At the end of crate training the crate will be very familiar to the animal, with the animal's own smell present, and can be essentially the animal's "home away from home". Crate training can also eliminate the need to use sedatives for transport.

It should be noted that for some species using a trailer is a better choice than using a crate. General rules for crates still apply to the trailer; the animal must still be able to stand, lie down, and turn around naturally. Depending on the species, more than one animal can be transported in a trailer. Moving five female bison in a 6 m (20 ft.) trailer is completely acceptable, and can be less stressful on the small group than moving them separately.

Taxon-Specific Transportation While specific methods of shipping animals will vary depending upon the taxa, some basic principles apply in most situations:

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXX, Number 4 April 2015 11

• Shipping containers must be secured to prevent the animal from escaping and unauthorized people from gaining access to the animal. This applies to the primary container, which immediately holds the animal, as well as to the secondary and tertiary containers, when applicable. • No part of the animal should be permitted to extend outside the crate (e.g., through a ventilation hole). • The shipping containers must be ventilated adequately for the animal being shipped. Specifics may be mandated by IATA. • Temperature must stay within a range that is healthy for the animal.

• With some exceptions (noted below), animals should have space to move around within the shipping container.

ReptilesCrates used to transport reptiles need to be adequately ventilated, although it should be noted that reptiles may require less oxygen than other species. A standard reptile crate is made of wood and is usually lined with polystyrene foam. A thin wire mesh or muslin should be fixed between the wood and polystyrene foam, covering the ventilation holes. In some cases a polystyrene foam box within a cardboard box will suffice. Transport of most reptiles will require that a primary container is placed within a crate. It is important to note that reptiles are generally packed dry, with no moisture making direct contact with the animal, although there are exceptions to this general rule. In the case of snakes the primary container can be a cotton bag; for small turtles it can be a cotton bag or a clear plastic ventilated box. Turtles and tortoises must be transported in a natural position, with the plastron on the bottom. No stacking of turtles and tortoises is permitted. Heat packs can be used if there is a concern that the animals might be too cool during transport. If heat packs are used, they cannot come into contact with the primary container or with the animals themselves. Larger reptiles such as crocodilian species must be packed singly, and the direction of the head should be indicated on the outside of each crate. This is in direct contrast to the general rule that an animal must be able to turn around in a crate. The crate containing some of the larger reptile species (e.g., crocodiles or large monitor lizards) must ensure that the animal cannot turn around so that the direction of the head is known at all times. This becomes important when the animal is released from the crate, since not knowing which end of the animal will exit the crate first will pose a greater risk to the keepers' safety. In the shipment of a venomous snake, a translucent fabric bag should be used as the primary container, which then can be placed within a ventilated clear plastic box as the secondary container. The plastic box, in turn, will be placed in the polystyrene foam-lined wooden crate. Thus the venomous animal is said to be "triple contained," which is an important safety measure. It is essential that each of these containers be sealed securely; the bag must be tied tightly and can be secured with an electrical zip tie for added security. Always remember that it is

possible for the venomous animal to see motion through a translucent bag, and therefore can strike and bite through the bag; hence the importance of the secondary container of transparent solid material. The translucent bag should be labeled with the animal's common name, scientific name, and current body weight. It is always a good idea to provide information on the outside of the wooden crate explaining exactly how the venomous animal is contained within.

AmphibiansThe transport of amphibian species is quite similar to the transport of reptile species. The major difference is that amphibians are generally transported on a moist substrate, such as moistened moss, sphagnum, or even moistened paper towels inside their primary container. The primary container can be as simple as a polystyrene foam cup or a clear plastic container. Again, the primary container can be placed inside a polystyrene foam-lined cardboard box or wooden crate. It should be noted that the primary container must be large enough to allow the entire ventral surface of every animal to make contact with the bottom of the container. As with reptiles, heat packs can be used as long as they do not come into direct contact with the primary container or the animal.

BirdsBird species should be crated with great care, as they have the ability to injure themselves greatly within a crate or rigid plastic pet container (kennel). Because of this, the interior must be safe for the bird, all edges must be smooth, and there must be no sharp projections of any kind. Wooden perches must be provided for the majority of bird species and must be placed in a position to ensure that excreta will not fall into the food or water dishes. Ground-dwelling birds normally do not require wooden perches. A nonperching bird should have non-slip flooring and the bird should be able to stand in a natural position. It is recommended for most birds that padding is added to the interior roof to prevent injury should the bird attempt flight within the container. It is particularly important that crates are securely closed, since once a bird escapes during transit, it may be very difficult to catch it again. Larger birds such as ostriches (Struthio camelus), emus (Dromiaus novaehollandiae), and tall cranes can be transported overland via trailer instead of being crated.

MammalsHoofstock. Most larger hoofstock species can best be moved via trailers overland. If space and time allow, the animal can easily be acclimated to the trailer before its shipment. Simply feeding the animal inside the trailer can help with the acclimation process and make the trailer a safe and secure surrounding for the animal. If the animal is being transported by air, then using an IATA-specified crate will be mandatory. This may require the use of a forklift or crane to lift larger, heavily constructed crates. Crates for hoofstock are another exception to the recommendation that a crate be large enough for an animal to turn around in. For hoofstock the crate should be narrow enough to prevent the animal from

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXX, Number 4 April 2015 12

turning around, so that when it is released from the crate its direction can be predicted. For this reason, the direction of the head should be indicated on the outside of the crate.

Carnivores. The larger carnivores such as tigers, lions, and bears should be transported in sturdy, solidly constructed metal crates. As well as ensuring that no part of the animal can fit through a ventilation hole, one must ensure that no person can inadvertently get too close to the crate and come into direct contact with the animal. Padlocks should always be used to secure these crates.

Primates. Smaller primates can be transported in modified pet carriers. Some primate species will require either branching to hang from or shelves to perch upon. Most medium-sized primate crates must have very good ventilation on three sides of the crate. For larger primate species, the roof must be adequately ventilated as well. Padlocks are recommended to secure these crates.

Fish and Aquatic Invertebrates Fish and aquatic invertebrates are generally packed in a strong plastic bag containing two-thirds air (to provide oxygen) and one-third water. Most zoos and aquariums will then place this bag inside another plastic bag of the same size, thereby "double-bagging" the fish or invertebrate. The bag is the primary container and is placed inside a polystyrene foam-lined cardboard box or wooden crate that must have adequate strength to contain the weight of water and resist crushing. Fish are usually fasted for a 24-hour period prior to shipment, so as to reduce excreta and ammonia formation that will foul the water. Fish are directly affected by ambient temperatures, so the shipper must ensure that a suitable temperature is maintained during the entirety of the transport.

Terrestrial Invertebrates Invertebrate species are often placed in a primary container which can be clear plastic or cardboard. They can be packed with some food, which will provide nourishment as well as moisture. The primary container is then placed inside a polystyrene foam-lined cardboard box. Due to the greatly reduced amount of oxygen required by these species, the air in the primary containers at the time of packing is normally sufficient for transport. If additional ventilation holes are required, a thin material should cover them so as to allow the exchange of air but still prevent the escape of animals.

Mode of Transportation When considering what mode of transportation to use, consider what will get the animal to its destination safely and as fast as possible. Always use the most direct route available. If possible, avoid inter-airline transfers. The risk of something going wrong increases significantly if two different airlines are used. Usually a freight forwarder is required, to physically collect the animal from the first airline and

deliver it to the next. A freight forwarder is a company that acts as an agent on the zoo's behalf to arrange an airline booking or to switch an animal between different airlines if necessary. Most airlines now require up to five hours to remove the animal from one plane and move it to the connecting plane, even if the actual physical transfer takes only an hour of real time with the remaining four hours of time spent waiting. It is always best to have minimal layover times, but making that happen has become more and more of a challenge. Also, most airlines now require the animal to be dropped off at least two hours in advance of the departing flight if the shipment's destination is domestic, and four hours in advance if the destination is international. So what appears to be a quick trip for the animal by air could actually involve as much time as moving it by land, if not more. For example, to move a capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) from the Toronto Zoo to the Cleveland Metropark Zoo in Ohio by air could require a route of Toronto-Chicago-Cleveland, with four hours of drop-off time, one hour of flight time to Chicago, five hours of downtime in Chicago to switch planes, one hour of flight time to Cleveland, and one hour of recovery time at the Cleveland airport. All told, the animal would be in transit for up to 12 hours. It would be better for the animal to make the trip via a five-and-one-half-hour drive with a one-hour stop at the border for customs clearance. It is also important to make sure that all live animal restrictions for a particular airline are known. Some airlines will not carry venomous animals. Some airlines that will not fly animals internationally will fly them domestically. Some airlines will fly animals only on direct flights and not on connecting flights. The list of restrictions is extensive.

Moving an animal by air or by land (road) is preferable to moving it by rail or water, simply because of the time involved. It can be argued that moving an animal by road can take just as long as moving it by rail, but during a road trip a transporter is directly responsible for the care of the animal. An animal being moved by rail is considered perishable cargo and will not necessarily receive the same level of care while in transit. Moving an animal by sea may take days, which means that it is crated for a very long time. Airlines now have the capability to move even the largest of zoo animals, and can do so in a fraction of the time it takes to move by water. Most airlines do not have animal-care specialists for layovers, but a freight forwarder or a zookeeper in the layover city can be recruited to care for the animal.

Shipment Data Selection Before a shipment date can be set, several things should be considered. One of the foremost considerations for both the sending and receiving zoos is the weather. Winters can be too cold for live animal shipments, and summers can be too hot. The zoo or aquarium responsible for transporting the animal has to be ready to send the animal, and it will require time to complete crate training if that is deemed necessary. A gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) might be crate trained in just seven days, while a

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXX, Number 4 April 2015 13

moose (Alces alces americana) might require up to four weeks. Another consideration is whether the animal is old enough for transport. The IATA-LAR has very strict guidelines about not moving primate species while they are still nursing from the mother. AZA Species Survival Plans (SSP) also have guidelines for various animals. Both the white rhinoceros SSP and the giraffe SSP recommend that these species not be removed from their mothers before the age of two years. The receiving zoo has to be ready to receive the animal as well. Perhaps it is receiving a species new to their collection, and a new exhibit must be completed first. Or perhaps it needs to move a specimen out to another zoo before it can receive the new animal. Once all these considerations and any others have been addressed and resolved, it's time to select a tentative shipment date.

Notification of All Involved The tentative shipment date must be selected by the zoo sending the animal and agreed upon by the zoo receiving the animal. Once this date is selected, an airline booking is made or land transporter is arranged. Once the mode of transportation is decided upon and booked, the wildlife and agricultural agencies responsible for monitoring animals in transit need to be notified and/or booked for inspections. Inspections are often required in both the exporting and the importing countries. Most agencies require a minimum of 48 hours notice, but some can require as much as 72 hours. Which specific agencies are required for inspection will depend on the species being transported and the regulations of the countries involved. Increasingly, customs brokers have to be used to complete the customs clearances at the first port of entry of the importing country. A customs broker is an employee of a brokerage firm who acts as the zoo's representative during import or export. This involves the preparation of electronic or nonelectronic submissions to customs for clearance. Some ports still allow zoo personnel to present shipment paperwork for customs clearance, but more ports are insisting that brokerage firms be used, and this will therefore add a fee to the overall cost of shipment. Therefore, it is advisable to contact the customs offices of both the importing and exporting countries for verification. In some instances a freight forwarder will have to be used. Most airlines will only allow bookings from "known shippers," which most zoos are not, as they simply do not use airlines often enough to maintain "known shipper status". In this case a freight forwarder would be used to make the booking on the zoo's behalf. This is unfortunate, as the freight forwarder is now a third party, which causes the cost of transportation to rise and could cause a delay in shipment if the freight forwarder is not readily available. Of course, if the animal is being moved domestically, with no international borders being crossed, then the notification process will be simpler, involving the sending zoo, the receiving zoo, and the selected mode of transportation. The state or province from which the animal is being moved will also need to be contacted,

in case there are any state or provincial requirements that must be met.

Preparation and Forwarding of the Document Package Documentation packages should be prepared and forwarded to all parties when they are notified of the shipment. It is at this point that any necessary corrections to the shipment paperwork should be made. Federal veterinarians of every country are very particular about the wording on health certificates and will supply the correct language to be used on documentation. The following is a list of some documents that might be included in a shipment package for an animal being moved from Canada (shipper/consignee) to the United States (receiver/consignor).

1. permits and licenses • CITES I import permit • CITES I, II, or III export permit • USFWS endangered/threatened species permit • USFWS designated port exception permit • USFWS migratory import/export permit • marine mammal transport permit

2. health certificates • standard zoo health certificate issued by the zoo veterinarian for non-federally regulated species • federally issued health certificates for federally regulated species

3. air waybill (for animals transported by air)a document issued by the airline which serves as a means for identifying and tracking the shipment until shipment has been turned over to the consignor

4. manifest (for animals transported by land)a document issued by the land transporter that serves as a record of employment by the zoo to transport the animal from the consignee to the consignor

5. handbill of transporters (for animals transported by land) a document issued by the transporter that serves as a record of employment by the zoo to transport the animal from the consignee to the consignor; also the invoice the transporter will issue to the consignor for payment of services

6. certificate of origina document issued by the shipper certifying the country in which the animal was born

7. specimen report: a document issued by the shipper which provides pertinent information about the animal being transported, including the animal's place of origin, date of birth, sex, identification information, parentage, microchip numbers, tags, bands, tattoos, etc.

8. diet sheet a document issued by the shipper outlining the animal's diet at the consignee zoo

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXX, Number 4 April 2015 14

9. medical recordsa document issued by the shipper outlining the animal's medical history

10. declaration of import/export a document filed by a zoo in the United States to the USFWS outlining that a particular species of animal is scheduled for transport on a particular date, and including the US port of entry or exit, the consignee's address and contact information, the consignor's address and contact information, the animal species (both scientific and common names), the permit numbers required to move the species, the animal's origin (wild-born, captive-born, or unknown), the number of species being moved, the animal's monetary value, and whether or not the species is considered venomous 11. IATA shippers certificate a document issued by the shipper certifying that the shipment has been packed in accordance with the IATA live animal regulations, and specifying whether the animal(s) have been properly acclimatized if taken from the wild, if the animal(s) is a CITES-listed animal; and in the case of reptiles and amphibians, if the animal(s) is healthy and free of any apparent injury and external parasitic infestation; this document also states the air waybill number, airport of departure, and airport of destination

12. commercial invoice a document issued by the shipper certifying the animal's monetary value, which must be declared for customs purposes even if the animal is a donation or on loan

13. AAZK animal data transfer sheet a document issued by the shipper which provides a plethora of information on the animal's identification, diet, medical history, enclosure/holding history, training history, and behavioral history.

"Day of" Arrangements One of the most important arrangements to make for the day of shipment is to ensure that the most experienced keepers are on hand for the crating. These might include the keeper who has been crate-training the animal, or those who have been involved with past shipments of the same species. One must arrange for the appropriate number of staff to assist with moving the crate on the day of shipment, and ensure that all appropriate equipment will be on hand. Moving rhinoceros, elephants, and other large species requires front-end loaders, forklifts, and/or cranes, which may have to be supplied by a company offsite and will require arrangements made in advance. Though an inspection appointment will have already been set upon notification of the regulatory officials, some inspectors also require a phone call on the morning of the shipment day to narrow down an exact time for the inspection. If the animal is being moved internationally, at least one inspection on the day of shipment will always be required. If the animal is being moved domestically, inspections are usually not required by regulatory bodies.

Tracking of the Shipment Most if not all airlines have made the tracking of shipments much easier by adding tracking systems to their websites. The tracking number, which often is simply the air waybill number, can be entered on the airline's website to produce an update of where the animal is at any moment in the shipment process. Airlines can also be contacted directly by phone to obtain the same information. If the animal is being moved by road, the driver should carry a cell phone. When the animal is crossing international borders by road, communication between the driver and either the shipper or the receiver is of the utmost importance and should be required for all shipments. If the driver will be late for previously booked inspections, the inspectors need to be notified that the shipment is behind schedule. Once the animal has cleared the border, the driver should notify either the exporting or the importing zoo or aquarium of the delay and provide an updated estimate of arrival time. There can be times when the transporter is moving several animals to multiple zoos. In this case, the routing should have already been established and agreed upon by the transporter and the facilities involved. Generally, the facility closest to the border crossing will unload its animal(s) first, the next closest facility will unload its animal(s) next, and so on.

Notification of Arrival A step sometimes overlooked in an animal shipment is for the receiving zoo to notify the sending zoo of the animal's safe arrival. The welfare of every creature undergoing transfer from one facility to another is very important to the team at the facility of origin. A quick e-mail from the receiving zoo or aquarium indicating the animal's safe arrival will be much appreciated!

SummaryAs indicated in the introduction to this chapter, this information on animal shipping is by no means exact or comprehensive; rather, it provides a formula with which to begin. Obtaining background information on the animal proposed for transport will allow for the receipt of appropriate permits and follow-up on the required health testing. Next, selecting an appropriate crate and proceeding with crate training is imperative to ensuring a successful shipment. Being knowledgeable in the different modes of transportation is also important. Once a choice is made, a shipment date can be selected. At this point, notification of the proposed animal transport must be sent to all relevant parties, followed by the delivery of documentation packages to each. "Day of" arrangements can then be made. Once the animal is in transit, the sending and/or receiving zoo or aquarium should actively track the shipment. Finally, notification of the animal's arrival at its destination should be sent by the receiving institution. Live animal shipping, particularly across international borders, can be quite overwhelming. But following the shipping steps outlined above can ensure that the animal's transfer need not be a stressful experience.

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXX, Number 4 April 2015 15

Right through the history of Protected Areas the common thread is the focus on providing for life now and into the future (Lopoukhine, 2008). Since ancient to the recent epoch conservation of nature harbouring the natural resources has played a vital phase in the lives of various aboriginal communities dispersed all over the world. Indigenous knowledge of local plants, animals, their habitat preferences, distribution, life histories and demographic features, is socially transmitted from one individual to another within and across generations (Gadgil et al. 1998). Adoration of nature and its worship has been a key force in formatting human viewpoint towards environmental and ecological conservation. Traditional maintenance ethics of these people steadfastly or circuitously protected forest patches by dedicating them to local deities or connecting the land part to some local histories. Consequently, such forest areas form the sacred groves. These are relatively small to large portions of customarily and conventionally secluded, nearly virgin forests managed by the local people’s participation and conserved by mans spiritual beliefs, faith and habitual rituals that jog through several generations (Malhotra, et al., 2001). These are imperative repositories of unscathed floral and faunal diversity conserved by a sustainable approach. Indigenous cultural practices and folk beliefs that have distinct conservation consequences have been tagged as ethnoforestry (Pandey, 1998).

Indian sacred groves have pre-vedic origin which are associated with indigenous or tribal communities who mostly believe in divinity of nature and natural resources, therefore distinctly different from icon oriented main stream religions. Grove biodiversity is often highlighted because of the prevalence of endemic and rare threatened members in grove biota (Sukumaran and Raj, 2007). According to Gadgil et al., (1998) the scientific study of sacred groves and sacred trees of India was initiated by Gadgil and Vartak starting from 1975 up to 1981; later Gadgil himself pioneered the view that sacred groves and sacred trees belong to a variety of cultural practices which helped Indian society to maintain an ecologically steady state with wild living resources. In India, there are about 13,720 sacred groves. The maximum numbers of sacred groves are enumerated from Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. It is worth mentioning that the Kodavas of Karnataka maintained over 1000 sacred groves in Kodagu alone (Bhaskar et al. 2000; Malhotra et al. 2001). In Karnataka and Kerala, groves are supposed to provide nutrient rich water to the adjacent

agricultural fields and spice gardens (Induchoodan, 1996). In North Eastern India, the sacred groves are found in Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Sikkim (Dash, 2005). In West Bengal the sacred groves are typically found in the south western districts, where the tribal population is major and industrial expansion has not yet expanded adequately to obliterate indigenous cultural traditions (Deb and Malhotra, 2007). Over 670 sacred grooves are reported from Bankura, Birbhum, Midnapur, Purulia and Jalpaiguri districts (Deb et al., 1997), which are generally less than an acre and are not worn for harvest of any biomass. Bamboo groves are mostly found in Jalpaiguri and Coochbihar districts.

The present study deals with the Chilkigarh sacred grove (latitude 22°15'

– 22°0' N and longitude 86°45' – 87°0' E) popularly known as Chilkigarh (named after its adjacent village on the western side), is situated in the Jamboni police station, 12 km from Jhargram of West Midnapore district in West Bengal. It occupies 58 acres and composed of relict forest patch in its near-climax stage along the east catchment zone of the Dulung river. The landmass is considered sacred as it harbours the historically eminent temple of Kanak Durga (the golden deity) and the Raj Palace. The whole area is maintained and managed by the temple trust. This sacred forest is known to exist long before the Nawab (King) period of Bengal and is said that the Bargees (the raiders) used to take refuge inside the dense forest during the day-time, thus concealing themselves in ambush to strike after nightfall. According to historical evidences during the days of yore, the forest belonged to the royal family of Dhalbhum estate of the Junglemahal province. The king kept the forest intact for defense purpose. The thick green cover acted as a shield against enemy invasion to the Chilkigarh village-based palace. It is reported that there is no taboo whatsoever associated with the sacred grove or its flora, although the forest harbours a large number of socio-religious species, in jagged contrast with the caste-based other sacred groves of Kora and Santal tribes of the same village. In view of the fact that the sacred grove is maintained by the majority Hindu society, social order and doctrine do not play any part. During the annual Durga Puja Festival, people from every hue throng the sacred premises, offering pujas and seeking blessings of the presiding deity. People’s perception about the grove is that it helps people socialize and fostering

Existing status of Chilkigarh Sacred Grove in Midnapore, West BengalS. Kar 1, S. Pathak 2* and P. Singh 3

1,2,3 Botanical Survey of India, CGO- Complex, Salt lake City, Kolkata, West Bengal, India*spathak.bsi@gmail.com (corresponding author)

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXX, Number 4 April 2015 16

solidarity among them. It is an example of local ownership and autonomy. The sacred grove serves as a rallying point when local people need community help and solidarity (Bhakat et al., 2007).

Floristic surveys of this region done by (Kamilya & Paria, 1994)

revealed a total of 388 species of angiosperms covering 295 genera belonging to 89 families. Assemblage of deciduous, semideciduous and evergreen species makes the vegetation a diverse type with several co-dominant species. The assortment of the vegetation as well as flora of the grove is enriched by a number of climbers, woody climbers, parasites, epiphytes, ground orchids and some rare cryptogams like Helminthostachys, Ophioglossum and Selaginella. Furthermore, the grove houses 105 species of medicinal plants which account nearly 36% of the total 288 medicinal plants of the undivided Midnapore district. The forest seems to be the last shelter of once plentiful but currently vanishing medicinal species like Crataeva nurvala, Gymnema sylvestre, Holarrhena antidysenterica, Rauvolfia serpentina, R. tetraphylla, Strychnos nux-vomica and Tylophora asthmatica.

Current ThreatsPresently, the grove is under assorted stresses which are primarily human induced. These include fragmentation, reduction in area, degradation, alien species invasion, over grazing, extraction of resource. Moreover, changes in communal structure, resource administration also affect simultaneously.

Fragmentation is one of the chief factors causing isolation of the grove areas. Furthermore, it stalked from population pressure, biomass and agricultural requirement. Over exposure of the interior of the grove resulted in the utilization of the resources hidden in the core areas. Dry deciduous and light loving members invade different areas, thus changing the floral composition along with the microclimate to a great extent. These modified facilitate establishment of the invasive species within the grove area and leaving the endemic members on the threshold of extermination. Area shrinkage and transformation in microclimate affect the faunal members, as large to medium sized animals cannot stay in a small fragment, thus smaller ones which can accommodate face shortage of food, resources, shelter, which eventually putting constraints on the customary cycle of existence. Modification in the social constitution plays a vital function in plodding declination of grove system. These nature centric worship places in many areas have already been replaced by temples or by solid structures in the name of modernization. Once the deity has been shifted to the temple, the adjacent places become irrelevant to the people, hence instantly occupied for other usage. Consequently, the restricted shelter for

flora and fauna including the bionetwork performance has been completely vanished. Again, with the loss of maintenance of the grove, the condition becomes vulnerable and susceptible due to various factors that affects regeneration, nutrient cycling and moisture preservation, infringement for some other purposes.

ConclusionGroves are perchance the initial democratic approach by the rustic people to defend the nature from over exploitation. The tradition again revoked interest today though with inclusively different perspectives. The present need is to make people aware concerning its importance, involve people in its conservation and management and exploring its potential in livelihood improvement.

ReferencesBhakat, R.K. (2007). People’s Initiative Revives a Sacred Grove, www.ecoinsee.org.

Bhaskar, V., D. Nandini, H.B. Shivaprakash and M. Anjappa (2000). Tree Diversity and Regeneration Status in Devarakadu Sacred Groves of Kodagu District, Karnataka. My Forest, 36(2): 105 – 120.

Dash, S.S. (2005). Kavi Sacred Grove of North Sikkim. Current Science, 89(3):427 – 428.

Deb, D. and K.C. Malhotra (1970). Interface between biodiversity and tribal cultural heritage: a preliminary study, Journal of Human Ecology, 8:157 – 163.

Deb, D. (2007). Sacred Grove of West Bengal: A Model of Community Forest Management, 1 – 45, http://www.scribd.com/doc/6281522/Sacred-Groves-of-West-Bengal.

Gadgil, M., B. Saraswati, R.S. Negi and M.D.S. Chandran (1998). Lifestyle and Ecology eds Baidyanath Saraswati. New Delhi.

Induchoodan, N.C. (1996). Ecological Studies on the Sacred Groves of Kerala. (Ph.D. Thesis) Salim Ali Centre of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Pondicherry University.

Kamilya, P. and N. Paria, (1994). Chilkigarh (Midnapore) – a vegetational pocket. Journal of National Botanical Society, 48:41 – 68.

Lopoukhine, N. (2008). Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity. Protected Areas in Today’s World: Their Values and Benefits for the Welfare of the Planet. Technical Series no. 36: 1 –3.

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXX, Number 4 April 2015 17

Malhotra, K.C., Y. Gokhale and K. Das (2001a). Sacred Groves of India: An annotated bibliography. New Delhi.

Malhotra, K.C., Y. Ghokhale, S. Chatterjee and S. Srivastava (2001b). Cultural and Ecological Dimensions of Sacred Groves in India, INSA, New Delhi.

Pandey, D.N. (1998). Communities, Knowledge and Biodiversity: Theoretical Orientation of Ethnoforestry. Bhopal.

Sukumaran, S. and A.D.S. Raj (2007). Rare, Endemic, Threatened (RET) Trees and Lianas In The Sacred Groves of Kanyakumari District. Indian Forester 133: 1254 – 1266.

Zoological Society of London Symposium on Health and disease in translocated wild animals on 14 and 15 May 2015

Organised by Tony Sainsbury (ZSL), Katherine Walsh (Natural England), Ian Carter (Natural England), John Ewen (ZSL) and Matt Hartley (RSPB).

Celebrating 25 years of the Zoological Society of London/Natural England Partnership in health surveillance for the Species Recovery ProgrammeOver the last 50 years, an increasing number of wild animal translocations have been undertaken for conservation purposes. Wild animal translocations alter host-parasite encounters in the destination environment because each translocated animal represents a biological package of the host and their parasites. Research and observational studies show that changes in host-parasite relations affect the risk of epidemic disease outbreaks in natural ecosystems. Stressors acting on wild animals during transport, or during captive rearing, influence the pathogenicity of commensal parasites through immune-suppression. In addition, non-infectious hazards, such as toxins, have detrimental effects on translocated populations post release. Difficulties in predicting the risks from disease stem from our poor understanding of the identity, number, distribution and pathogenicity of parasites, and inadequate knowledge of the degree of exposure to non-infectious hazards. Making decisions about disease risk management where there is poor knowledge often requires risk evaluation by experts to help inform decision makers in a transparent and defendable way.

This two-day symposium will review the impact of disease on species restoration through translocation, and consider lessons learned to guide effective planning and implementation of future translocation projects. Health management of conservation interventions will be discussed, including methods of disease-risk analysis, evaluation of disease management alternatives, use of molecular tools to unravel disease risks, mitigation of diseases and methods for post-release health monitoring.

Booking and enquiries:Please contact:Jennifer HowesZSL Scientific EventsZoological Society of London,Regent’s Park (Outer Circle)London NW1 4RY, UK.E: jennifer.howes@zsl.org; T: +44 (0)20 7449 6227;F: +44 (0)20 7449 6411http://www.zsl.org/science/whats-on

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXX, Number 4 April 2015 18

A survey of mosquito fauna was carried out at Lahore city from January to September 2014. During the study, 12 different mosquito species viz., Anopheles annularis, An. pulcherrimus, An. stephensi, An. nigerimus, Culex vagans, Cx. theileri, Cx. sitiens, Cx. quinquesfasciatus, Cx. tritaeniorhychus, Cx. pipiens, Aedes albopictus and Ae. aegyptii were collected using different traps.

Study areas 1. Lawrence GardenHabitat: Lawrence Garden has high vegetation like ponds, marshes and ditches.

2. Lahore College For Women University (LCWU)Habitat: The habitat of LCWU is warm and marshy with abundant vegetation.

3. Kot lakh patHabitat: Kot Lakh Pat has semi open large bodies of water with some floating vegetation in open sunlight. Habitat includes large open marshes large stream pools.

4. Multan roadHabitat: Multan road has depressed marshy and boggy lands. It has a high vegetation.

Materials and methodsThe study was conducted in different types of habitats within Lahore city. The mosquitoes were collected employing different traps and installation of traps was chosen according to their different ecological characters and to be as far as possible from one another.

Sampling methodsTraps were placed 1.5 m above the ground and were activated 30 nights per months from January to September 2014. The traps were operated between 18.00 and 06.00 hrs and they were emptied at regular intervals. Specimens were transferred to the previously prepared tubes from the traps at the end of each day and stored in the dry ice boxes. The specimens were brought to the laboratory for identification.

Results and DiscussionA total of 9343 mosquitoes comprising of 6352 females and 2991 males were collected during January to September 2014 after installing traps in different habitats. Taxonomic identification revealed 12 species of mosquitoes belonging to three genera based on Mosquito Fauna of Pakistan by Aslamkhan (1971a,b) (1972).

List of Mosquitoes occurring in Lahore1. Anopheles annularis2. Anopheles pulcherrimus3. Anopheles stephensi4. Anopheles nigerrimus5. Culex vagans6. Culex theileri7. Culex sitiens8. Culex quinquesfasciatus9. Culex tritaeniorhynchus10. Culex pipens11. Aedes albopictus12. Aedes aegyptii

Anopheles species Meigen, 1818

1. Anopheles annulari Van der wulp, 1884.Habitat: It is commonly found in still water bodies with high vegetation like ponds, swamps, rice fields marshes and ditches.Vector: They are mainly zoophilic. But may bite human in the presence of cattle. It is an important malaria vector for Plasmodium vivax in many countries.

2. Anopheles pulcherrimus Theobald, 1902.Habitat: Larvae are found in warm, sunny, sluggish habitats with abundant submerged vegetation where adequately warm, rice fields are used. Females readily bite human and animals.Vector: It is a secondary malaria vector.

3. Anopheles stephensi Liston, 1901.Habitat: Larvae of An. stephensi breed in various mock containers in homes and collections of water associated with construction sites and other industrial locations. In rural areas, An. stephensi larvae utilize freshwater pools, stream margins and stream beds, catch basins, leaching canals, wells and domestic water-storage containers. Larvae have also been found in domestic wells, transparency water tanks, room coolers, cisterns and roof gutters, but greater numbers of larvae are typically found outdoors compared with indoors. In urban areas, An. Stephensi is found the whole year, but is most abundant in the summer months (between June and August), which coincides with the crest period of malaria transmission.Vector: An. stephensi is recognized as an important vector of malaria in urban areas. There are three known types of An. stephensi including the classic form which is an competent vector of urban malaria, the intermediate form, which is typically found in

A preliminary checklist of Mosquito Fauna of Lahore: PakistanFarkhanda Manzoor1 and Rabia Butt

Department of Zoology, Lahore College for Women University, Lahore. Email: 1doc_farkhanda@yahoo.com

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXX, Number 4 April 2015 19

rural villages and periurban areas, but very little is known about its vector status, and the An. stephensi mysorensis form which is restricted to rural areas with poor vectorial capacity due to its highly zoophilic behavior.

4. Anopheles nigerimus Giles, 1900.Habitat: Swamp and valley species that prefers deep, cool, semi-open large bodies of water with some developing or floating vegetation in open sunlight to temperate shade. Habitats include canals, large open marshes, large stream pools and rice fields.Vector: Most probably malaria and filariasis vector.

5. Culex vagans Wiedemann, 1828Habitat: These are found in depressed marshy and boggy lands

6. Culex theileri Theobald, 1903.Habitat: Adults were collected resting in vegetation and were attracted to human bait near sunset and to CDC traps set in secondary forests, and along edges of swamps and rivers. Larvae are reported from stagnant water.Vector: It is the principal vector of Rift Valley fever virus.

7. Culex sitiens Wiedemann, 1828.Habitat: Larvae are found in brackish, salt and fresh groundwater habitats and some artificial containers in coastal areas. Females feed mainly on birds and pigs, but will bite human.Vector: Possible vector of Japanese B encephalitis. It has been found naturally infected with Brugia malayi filariasis.

8. Culex quinquesfasciatus Say,1823Habitat: It is typically closely associated with human habitation, particularly urban.Vector: This species is a vector of avian malaria, a primary vector of Wuchereria bancrofti filariasis.

9. Culex tritaeniorhychus Giles, 1901.Habitat: Larvae are found in many temporary, semi-permanent and everlasting ground water habitats that are sunny and contain vegetation. Habitats include, but are not limited to, ground pools, streams, swamps, and low-salinity tidal marshes. Females are chiefly cattle and pig biters, but will feed on human in their absence.Vector: Primary vector of Japanese B encephalitis in the oriental region.

10. Culex pipiensHabitat: The Culex pipiens is considered to be the most common mosquito in urban and suburban areas Vector: It is a vector of some diseases, such as Japanese encephalitis, meningitis, and urticaria. In the US, it can spread West Nile virus.

Aedes species Meigen, 1818.

11. Aedes aegypti Skuse, 1894.Habitat: Breeds almost in artificial containers, Ae. albopictus is an destructive are opportunistic feeder and breeds in both natural and artificial containers, helping in its migration of suburban and rural areas while accordingly making it more hard to control than other peri domestic mosquitoes.Aedes aegypti originates from Africa, but is now distributed globally in tropical and subtropical areas.Vector: Aedes aegypti has a global distribution in the tropics and subtropics where it is the main vector of both dengue and yellow fever viruses. It is at its peak in rainy season that was a long period from April to July and a short is about from August to September. Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus are the most important yellow fever and dengue virus vectors in most of the world. Although Ae. aegypti preferentially feeds on human.

12. Aedes albopictus: Linnaeus, 1762.Habitat: The Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus (Skuse), was first identified in the United States in Texas in 1985. After a year, the Asian tiger mosquito was found in Florida at a tire deposit site near Jacksonville. Since that time, this species has increase quickly throughout the eastern states, including all of Florida's 67 counties. The arrival of Aedes albopictus has been linked with the cry off in the abundance and distribution of the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus). Vector: Aedes albopictus is known to be a trained vector of more than 30 viruses. Of these 30 only a few are known to manipulate humans; they are eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), Cache Valley virus, dengue, St. Louis and La Crosse encephalitis viruses. Despite being featured as the vicious tiger mosquito.

ReferencesAslamkhan, M. (1971a). The Mosquitoes of Pakistan. I. A Checklist. Mosq. Syst. Newsletter, 3:147-159.

Aslamkhan, M. (1971b). A redescription of Aedes (Aedimorphus) punctifemoris (Ludlow) from Pakistan. Biologia, 17:61-65.

Aslamkhan, M. (1972). The Mosquitoes of Pakistan. II. Mosquitoes originally described from Pakistan. Mosquito Systematics, 4:98-102.

www.wrbu.org/speciespages_non-ano/non-ANO_A.../CXqui_hab.htm

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXX, Number 4 April 2015 20

AbstractIn an inventory of anurans taken from Barak Valley region of South Assam we recorded twenty species belonging to 6 families, namely Bufonidae, Megophryidae, Microhylidae, Dicroglossidae, Ranidae and Rhacophoridae. Microhyla berdmorei, Fejervarya teraiensis, F. pierrei, F. nepalensis, F. syhadrensis, Clinotarsus alticola, Humarana humeralis, Philautus sp. and Chiromantis vittatuswere were recorded for the first time from the study area. Philautus sp. was recorded by its distinctive call from eco-forest. In this study, the major anthropogenic threats to anuran diversity were identified and some conservation strategies to counter the threats have been discussed.

IntroductionNortheast India, is an important part of the Indo-Myanmar biodiversity hotspot and supports some of the areas that are biologically the richest in the world. The region has myriad freshwater ecosystems along with thick tropical vegetation which offer excellent habitats for anurans. Habitat plays a crucial role in the survival of any species and in the case of amphibians both aquatic and terrestrial habitat is needed for their biphasic life history and small degrees of anthropogenic activity might affect their distribution, foraging and breeding (Marsh and Pearman, 1997). Habitat loss and habitat alteration are generally considered the most important causes of amphibian population decline (Wake, 1991; Sala et al, 2000, Young et al, 2001, Cushman, 2006; Pillsbury and Miller, 2008). Urbanization and other developmental activities might cause habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation along with pollution of natural habitats creating unsuitable conditions for anuran survival. Fragmentation of habitat leads to loss of native habitat, movement from one suitable habitat to another, affects foraging ability and also loss of resources. Fragmentation also leads to smaller subpopulations which become prone to extinction. Although larger vertebrates like primates have derived a lot of attention in this region, amphibians have remained neglected regarding their population status, conservation etc.

Compared to the Brahmaputra valley, herpetological knowledge of Barak valley is still lacking although, the region has received herpetological attention as early as 1904 where a Caellian - Gegeneophis fulleri (Alcock, 1904) was reported from Kuttal (Kathal) in Cachar district (Dutta, 1997). The same now, Chikila fulleri has been recorded by Kamei et al., 2012 and is the basis of description of a new family and genus “Chikilidae and “Chikila”. The same has been recorded from several parts of Northeast India

including this region. Dey and Gupta (1999) recorded eleven species of anurans belonging to nine genera and five families and Das et al (2009) recorded 23 species of anurans from the Borail Wildlife Sanctuary which borders the Barak Valley region in the north. Studies on anurans from Barak Valley include the description of Kaloula pulchra (Dey and Gupta, 2002), reporting of Microhyla heymonsi (Grosslet, et al., 2004), feeding habit of anuran tadpoles from Barak Valley (Dey, 2008), and habitat selection of anurans from the valley (Dey, 2010).

Study areaThe present study was carried out in different sites in Barak Valley Region of South Assam comprises three districts viz. Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj (24˚8′ N and 25˚8′N 92˚15′E and 93˚15′E) is a part of this hotspot. It encompasses an area of 6992 sq. km. occupying about 9% of the total land area of Assam and has a population of over 30 lakhs. The valley, drained by river Barak and its tributaries, is bounded by the North Cachar Hills district of Assam and Jaintia Hills districts of Meghalaya in the North, Mizoram in the South, Manipur in the East and the state of Tripura and Sylhet district of Bangladesh in the West (Fig 1). This region abounds in freshwater systems including wetlands in the flood plains of River Barak and its tributaries, tanks and ponds of varying sizes, streams, pools, marshes and others. The hilly region has tea plantations and agriculture dominates the plains area. A large part of agricultural land has been converted into brick kilns. The primary vegetation is tropical semi-evergreen to moist evergreen forest. The secondary landscape includes cultivated flatlands, bamboo plantation, areca nut and betel vine plantation as well as village gardens. The study was conducted in tea gardens, agricultural fields, forest, wetlands, urban areas, ponds, pools, streams etc. The study area also included Panchgram in Hailakandi District which is an industrial area having the Cachar Paper Mill. A part of the study was conducted in and around the Assam University Campus and an adjacent Tea estate (Rosekandy TE) which is connected by a metalled road. The study area included disturbed and undisturbed habitats. The undisturbed habitat includes the Ecoforest within the Assam University campus without human interference. The disturbed area consists of areas with human settlements where the construction process is going on inside the University Campus or adjacent areas of Eco-forest

Anuran Biodiversity of Barak Valley, Assam and Impact of Human InterferenceMithra Dey1, Jayanta Roy2, Dulumoni Tamuly3 and Pammi Singh4

1,2,3&4Department of Ecology & Environmental Science, Assam University, Silchar, Assam, India Email: 1mithradey@gmail.com

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXX, Number 4 April 2015 21

while the undisturbed area includes the areas which are inside the eco-forest without any human settlements or any other forms of human pressure.

MethodsTadpoles and aquatic adults were collected by the use of dip nets. For more terrestrial species the area was actively searched and visual inspection of various habitats was carried out during the day and night. Adults were caught by hand and flashlights were used during the nocturnal survey (Inger

and Dutta, 1986). During breeding season the call of the male anurans helped in tracing out the frogs/toads. The locality, date, time, microhabitat of each individual was recorded. Some of the specimens collected were deposited at the Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata for identification and for preservation as voucher specimens. The more rare ones were caught, identified, photographed and released back into their habitat. Acoustic searching was also done, species were photographed using NIKON

P-100 camera and due to lack of sound/video recorder the same camera was used for video and sound recording wherever possible. During field survey the following equipments were used: Polythene bags, plastic bottles, snake catching stick, frog catching net, field notebook, leech-guard, high power charging light, torch light, etc.

ResultTable 1 and Table 2 present the checklist of the adults and tadpoles of anuran fauna from Barak Valley region.

Twenty species of anurans belonging to 6 families were recorded, belonging to Bufonidae, Megophryidae, Microhylidae, Dicroglossidae, Ranidae and Rhacophoridae. Microhyla berdmorei, Fejervarya teraiensis, F. pierrei, F. nepalensis, F. syhadrensis, Clinotarsus alticola, Humarana humeralis, Philautus sp. and Chiromantis vittatus were recorded for the first time during the present study (2010-2011) from forest, tea gardens, and other diverse landscapes which included both disturbed and undisturbed habitats. Tadpoles of nine species were recorded and identified by rearing to adult from four areas and is presented in the present study (other sites are omitted in the present discussion). The tadpoles were collected from aquatic habitats within forests, tea garden, urban locality, paddy fields and included both permanent and temporary water bodies (Table 2). Table 3 presents the record of anurans and other herpetofauna from Barak Valley region as recorded by other workers. Table 4 presents total number of herpetofauna found dead on the road due to vehicular movement. Fig 2 presents the number of anurans recorded in undisturbed and disturbed area within the Assam university campus and Fig.3 shows the percentage of herpetofauna found dead due to vehicular movement on the road.

Fig 1. Map of Barak Valley , Assam

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXX, Number 4 April 2015 22

DISCUSSIONThreats and conservation issuesThe present paper focuses on the anuran biodiversity of Barak Valley and on the impact of human activities on them. During the present study the number of anurans recorded in disturbed and undistributed area within the Assam University campus is shown in Fig 2. The number caught in undisturbed area was 402 and in disturbed area was 288 (present study). The Chi-square value was found to be highly significant (χ2 = 18.83, df = 1, p < 0.01) in disturbed and undisturbed area although number of species occurring in the two areas considered was same, i.e. 11 species; three species- Leptobrachium smithi, Hylarana taipehensis and Microhyla berdmorai were found only in the undisturbed area while Kaloula

pulchra, Duttaphrynus melanostictus and Polypedates teraiensis were recorded only from the disturbed areas or area having human settlements. The study showed that human activities affected the distribution of the anurans putting a pressure on their survival.

Road Kill of Anurans and other herpetofauna by vehicular trafficAnurans are an integral part of herpetofauna, which are generally slow moving vertebrates and often move across metalled roads. Due to increase in vehicular traffic they face the threat of being killed by fast moving vehicles (Table 4). During the present study conducted during 2010-2011 on a road running through Assam University campus (from the gate upto Rosekandy TE), a length of 3.5 Kms, 133 individual anurans

were found killed by vehicular traffic, of which Duttaphrynus melanostictus, was highest in number (n=118). Fig. 3 represents percentage of herpetofauna killed on road by vehicular traffic which includes all types of vehicle like trucks, bus, sumo, autorickshaws, light vehicles like cars and two wheelers. Earth cutting and deforestation are part of urbanization and is leading to habitat loss and degradation of quality of habitat. Earth cutting is done for road construction and earth filling of low-lying area is common practice for setting up of small and medium industries as well as construction of residential complex. The construction of six lane Maha Sadhak i.e Silchar- Haflong road and the conversion of meter gauge railway line to broad gauge line between Silchar and Lumding might impact

Sl. No

Species name Family StatusStatusStatus

Northeast India Barak ValleyBarak Valley

Indian WLPA 1972 Status

1 Duttaphrynus melanostictus Bufonidae None LC Common

2 Leptobrachium smithi Megophryidae None LC Common

3 Kaloula pulchra Microhylidae None LC Rare

4 Microhyla ornata None LC Common

5 Microhyla berdmorei Rare6 Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis Dicroglossidae Schedule IV LC Abundant7 Fejervarya teraiensis --- --- Abundant

8 Fejervarya pierrei Schedule IV LC Common

9 Fejervarya nepalensis --- LC Abundant

10 Fejervarya sahydrensis -- -- Abundant

11 Fejarvarya limnocharis LC Abundant

12 Hoplobatracustigerinus Schedule IV LC Common

13 Hylarana taipehensis Ranidae Schedule IV LC Rare14 Sylvirana leptoglossa Schedule IV LC Common15 Clinotarsus alticola - - -16 Humarana humaralis - - -

17 Rana sp. - - -18 Polypedates teraiensis Rhacophoridae None LC Common

19 Philautus sp. - - -20 Chiromantis vittatus - - -

Table 1. Status of anurans (amphibian) in N.E India and Barak Valley.

LC - Least Concerned

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXX, Number 4 April 2015 23

herpetofaunal biodiversity. Both the projects run through and near the Borail Hill Range and Borail Wildlife sanctuary which is very

rich in biodiversity including herpetofauna. Change in land use pattern and conversion of agricultural land to brick kilns have become common practice in the valley as brick kilns are profitable form of business but it is also responsible for loss of habitat. Heat generated in the brick kilns causes rise of soil temperature making it unsuitable for anuran survival.

Ponds were a natural feature in every house in Barak Valley which not only provided water but also served as a habitat for different organisms including the anurans. But due to rapid urbanisation

reclamation of ponds and wetlands is taking place at a fast rate. Filling up these habitats for building of residential complexesis

being practiced which has led to loss of breeding grounds of the amphibian fauna. Anurans in general lay eggs in ponds, ditches and ephemeral pools and loss of aquatic bodies disturb their life cycle. Several breeding sites have been lost between 1999 and the present study mostly due to garbage disposal. Some anuran species like Hoplobatrachus tigirinus, Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis and Fejervarya sp. are valued as food and are hunted in large number during the rainy season at night. Duttaphrynus melanostictus is used for dissection in science classes; killing out of fear and lack of knowledge about the utility of

herpetofauna in the ecosystem leads to loss by killing in large number. Myths and wrong ideas like all frogs are poisonous and that they bite also lead to killing of frogs and reptiles out of fear. Workshops and awareness programs should be conducted to make people aware and this has to be done involving school students with the help of local NGOs. Road kill of some slow moving herpetofauna by vehicular traffic is common with the number of vehicles increasing in the area. In the present study conducted near the Assam University campus revealed 89% of the total herpetofauna killed on road consisted of frogs and Duttaphrynus melanostictus was highest in number. Although studies in this aspect in our country is lacking, Das (2007) recorded high incidence of road kill in reptiles in a highway segment passing along southern boundary of Kaziranga National Park. Deforestation and fragmentation commonly causes losses from tropical forests and the Western Ghat amphibians are facing habitat loss induced by deforestation and fragmentation (Daniels, 1999; Molur and Walker, 1998). The forests of northeast India and in Barak valley are under tremendous pressure of exploitation. Loss of forest cover due to illegal forest felling and also collection of fuel has led to tremendous loss of forest cover. Even inside the ecoforest there is collection of various forest products like bamboo, fire woods, fishes, crabs, honey etc. Since, the ecoforest is dominated by dolu bamboo (Schizostachyum dulooa), the local people usually come to the forest for collecting those bamboos. The landscape and particularly the vegetation have been significantly altered leading to loss and degradation of habitat. Deforestation causes rise in atmospheric temperature and loss of vegetation cover which reduces evaporation and affects hydrological cycle. Changes in

Name of the species

RosekandyTE

Panchgram Durgakona AUS campus

1. Microhyla ornata + + + +2. Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis + + + +3. Duttaphrynus melanostictus

+ + + +

4. P.leucomystax - - + +5. F. limnocharis + - - +6. Leptobrachium smithi + - + -7. Clinotarsus alticola + - - -8. H.tigerinus - + - -9. Microhyla berdmorei + - - -

Table 2. List of tadpoles collected from different sites during 2010-2012

Number of Species Type Location Reported by23 (anuran species) Anuran Borail Wild Life

SanctuaryDas, et.al 2009

1 (Microhyla heymonsi) Anuran Ecoforest, AUS Dutta et.al., 2008 (not found in the present study)

Table 3. Record of herpetofauna of the region reported by other workers

Fig 2: Number of individuals found in Undisturbed and Disturbed area

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXX, Number 4 April 2015 24

rainfall pattern and temperature have affected the anuran habitat in the region (Dey, 2011). Water quality and the structure of the vegetative community are seen to affect the survival of anurans. Changes in water quality like lack of dissolved oxygen, changes in PH, salinity etc. effect not only reproduction but also food availability for both.

Chikila fulleri has been reported from the Barak Valley by Kamei et al., (2012) and from other parts of North east India. This indicates that certain species may be endangered and are also being lost; long term study on anuran population is necessary to understand their present status. Another human activity is the indiscriminate use of fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture and tea gardens which affects the anurans both adults and tadpoles. Extensive study by Daniels (2003) on tea gardens have revealed that heavy rainfall might wash the pesticides from exposed surfaces to water habitats which have immense affect on breeding of anurans. Use of pesticides like DDT, eldrin, malathion affect the immune system of amphibians (Daniel, 2003) and tea gardens in Western Ghats support large number of amphibians which are confronted with environmental contamination. Similarly study on acute toxicity of endosulphan on tadpoles of D. melanostictus, M. ornata and F. limnocharis showed consistent decrease in size (total length) at all the concentrations of endosulfan (a commonly used pesticide) (Dey and Gupta, 2002) and endosulfan was also found to induce behavioural changes such as tremor, convulsions and erratic swimming behaviour in the tadpoles of the three anuran species. Such impact on the lifecycle of anurans is dangerous for their survival. Hence, pesticides and fertilizers should be screened properly for residual effect before application. Insects and other soil microfauna having any residual effect of pesticides and fertizers will have a direct

Species Common Name Number

Family: BufonidaeFamily: BufonidaeFamily: Bufonidae

Duttaphrynus melanostictus Common Asian Toad 118

Family: RhacophoridaeFamily: RhacophoridaeFamily: Rhacophoridae

Polypedates teraiensis Common Tree Frog 7

Family: DicroglossidaeFamily: DicroglossidaeFamily: Dicroglossidae

Hoplobatracus tigerinus Indian Bull Frog 5

Fejervarya nepalensis Nepal Cricket Frog 2

Family: MicrohylidaeFamily: MicrohylidaeFamily: Microhylidae

Kaloula pulchra Painted Balloon Frog 1

Frogs and toads 133

Family: ColubridaeFamily: ColubridaeFamily: Colubridae

Lycodon aulicus Common Wolf snake 3

Xenochrophis piscator Checkered Keelback (Dhura)

7

Lycodon jara Yellow-spotted Wolf snake 1

Ptyas mucosa Indian Rat Snake 1

Family: TyphlopidaeFamily: TyphlopidaeFamily: Typhlopidae

Typhlops diardii Diard’s Blind snake 1

Snakes 13

Family: AgamidaeFamily: AgamidaeFamily: Agamidae

Calotes versicolor 3

Lizards 3

Total 149

Table 4: Total number of Herpetofauna found dead on road due to vehicular movement.

Fig. 3. Percentage of herpetofauna found dead due to vehicular movement on road

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXX, Number 4 April 2015 25

Microhyla berdmorai

Microhyla ornata

Hoplobatrachus crassus

Humerana humeralisFejervarya pierrei

Hoplobatrachus tigirinusLeptobrachium smithi

Kaloula pulchra

Hylarana taipehensis

Fejarvarya sahydrensis Fejarvarya limnocharis

Euphlyctis cyanophylctis

Chiromantis vittatus Clinotarsus alticola Duttaphrynus melanostictus

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXX, Number 4 April 2015 26

effect on the adult amphibians which feed on different insects and soil fauna.

ConclusionTo conserve the anurans and other herpetofauna in urban areas we need to maintain structural complexity in remnant habitat patches, and implement strategic policies and management actions that protect habitat remnants and habitat corridors. Within urban areas maintenance of aquatic habitat like ponds and lakes must be made compulsory which will not only provide suitable habitat but will also act as water storage systems. Massive afforestation programs have to be undertaken to bring back forest cover which serve as important habitat for the anuran biodiversity. Afforestation will also make up for the damage caused by deforestation process. Conservation attitude must be generated in the general public and myths and common beliefs like all herpetofaunas are poisonous and fatal should be removed from the mind of people. Knowledge regarding utility of the anurans like pest control agents, indicator of environmental conditions, providing food for next higher carnivorous vertebrates must be generated among the public, which will help save these vertebrates from extinction. Barak Valley has excellent topography, climate, and landscape for variety of herpetofauna and is also part of the 34 global biodiversity hotspots, hence long term study needs to be taken up with the help of modern techniques and collaboration with wildlife institutes and NGOs dedicated to the cause of amphibians. Conservation attitudes and steps can be shared and collaborations established so that this group of vertebrates may be conserved and saved from mass extinction.

AcknowledgementThe authors are grateful to UGC for Financial Assistance provided and to Department of Ecology and Environmental Science,AUS for all facilities provided.

ReferencesCushman, S.A. (2006). Effects of habitat loss and fragmentation on amphibians: A review and prospectus. Biological Conservation 128: 231–240.Daniels, R.J.R. (1999). Status of amphibian diversity in India. Cobra 35-36: 25-28.Daniels, R.J.R. (2003). Impact of Tea cultivation on anurans in Western Ghats. Current Science 85 (10): 1415-1422.Das, A. (2008). Diversity and Distribution of Herpetofauna and Evaluation of their Conservation Status in the Barail Hill Range (including the Barail Wildlife Sanctuary) Assam, Northeast India. Aaranyak.Das, A., M.F. Ahmed, B.P. Lahkar, & P. Sharma (2007). A preliminary report of reptilian mortality on road due to vehicular movements near Kaziranga National Park, Assam, India. Zoo’s Print Journal 22(7): 2742-2744.Das, A., U. Saikia, B.H.C.K. Murthy, S. Dey & S.K. Dutta (2009). A herpetofaunal inventory of Borail Wildlife

Sanctuary and adjacent regions, Assam, northeastern India. Hamadryad, 34(1). 117-134.Dey, M. & A. Gupta, (1999). Ecology of the anurans of Barak Valley, Assam. Frogleg Vol.III (2), pp. 3-4.Dey, M. & A. Gupta (2002). Acute Toxicity of Endosulphans on three anuran tadpoles. Journal of Ecotoxicology and Environmental Monitoring 12(1): 61-65.Dey, M. (2008). Food habit of Anuran Larvae from Barak Valley, Northeastern India. Hamadryad Vol. 33, pp. 107–117.Dey, M. (2010). A study on the Habitat selection and probable anthropogenic threats of Anuran in Barak Valley, North East India. Assam University Journal of Science & Technology-Biology and Environmental Science 6(1):28-36.Dey, M. (2011). Impact of Urban Development and Climate Change on Biodiversity with Special attention to the Herpetofauna in Barak Valley, North east India. In Proceedings of International Conference on Environmental Technology and Construction Engineering for Sustainable Development, Bangladesh.Dutta, B.K., A. Gupta, A.K. Das & A. De (2008). Ecology and Biodiversity of Assam University Campus; Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Assam University, Silchar, India.Dutta, S.K. (1997). Amphibians of India and Sri Lanka (Checklist and Bibliography). Odyssey Publishing House, Bhubaneswar, pp 342+xxii.

Grosselet, O., S. Sengupta., A. Gupta, M. Vauche and M. Gupta (2004). Microhyla heymonsi Vogt, 1911 (Anura: Microhylidae) from mainland India, with bioacaustic analysis of its adversiting call. Hamadryad 21(1), 131-133.Inger, R.F. and S.K. Dutta (1986). An overview of the amphibian fauna of India.J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 83: 135-146.Kamei et al. (2012). http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/279/1737/2396.full.pdf+htmlMarsh, D.M. & P.B. Pearman (1997). Effects of habitat fragmentation on the abundance of two species ofLeptodactylid frogs in an Andean montane forest. Conservation Biology 11, 1323–1328.Molur, S. & S. Walker (1998). Conservation assessment of the herpetofauna of India-an overview. Hamadryad 23(2): 169-178. Pillsbury F.C. & J.R. Miller (2008). Habitat and landscape characteristics underlying anuran community structure along an urban-rural gradient. Ecological applications. 18:1107-1118.Sala, O.E., F.S.I. Chapin, J.J. Armesto, E. Berlow, J. Bloomfield, R. Dirzo, E. Huber-Sanwald, L.F. Huenneke, R.B. Jackson, A. Kinzig, R. Leemans, D.M. Lodge, H.A. Mooney, M. Oesterheld, N.L. Poff, M.T. Sykes, B.H. Walker, M. Walker, D.H. Wall (2000). Global biodiversity scenarios for the year 2100. ScienceOxford. 287, 1770-1774Wake, D.B. (1991). Declining amphibian populations, Science 253, 860. Young, B. et al. (2001). Population declines and priorities for amphibian conservation in Latin America. Conservation Biology 15(5), 1213-1223.

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXX, Number 4 April 2015 27

This book is the first of its kind in Tamil about butterflies. A very useful and handy book for the butterfly lovers. Books in vernacular language are need of the hour and this book has come out at the right time and also set a model for the need for similar books on other insect groups. The author has given brief introduction to butterflies, body parts, life history, life span, migration, seasonal variations, identification and its status. It has information for 90 butterfly species found in Tamil Nadu state, with 230 photos mostly taken by the author and also from eleven other contributors. Recent scientific names for all butterfly families have been used and in addition, author has coined Tamil names for the butterflies, equivalent to the common names of the species included. The common names in Tamil are very appropriate and much care has been taken to give the right vernacular name considering the characteristic features of the species. To give an example, 17 species are listed under Lycaenidae. It is rightly named as Neelan in Tamil as they are called Blues. I am sure this will create interest among amateur butterfly lovers.

Species information has the common names in Tamil and English, scientific name, characteristic features of the species and its identification key points. The author has put enormous effort to list out the host plants of all species listed. Bilingual listing of host plants has been followed throughout the book and this will be very useful for the readers for proper understanding of the association of the species with their host plants. Other species specific information like its feeding behaviour, preferred habitat, seasonality, flight behaviour etc., will help the users to understand the species better. The author Dr. Bhanumathi has shared her many years of research experience and this book is the outcome of it. Popularising the Tamil common name and coining Tamil common names for the rest of the extent species in Tamil Nadu is very much needed. This is a good resource book that should be kept for reference in all schools and colleges.

To order for copies contact: Cre-A: New No. 2, Ole No. 25, 17th East St. Kamarajar Nagar, Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai 600 041. Email creapublishers@gmail.com; www.crea.in

Book Review: A Field guide on Butterflies - R. Bhanumathi(Tamil: Vannathuppoochigal : arimugak kaiyedu)Published by Cre-A, Chennai, pp. 263.Reviewed by B.A. Daniel

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXX, Number 4 April 2015 28

Animal Welfare Fortnight 2015 - Celebrations

Sri Venkateswara Zoological Park, Tirupati, Andhra PradeshAnimal welfare fortnight was observed at the Sri Venkateswara Zoological Park, Tirupati from 15th January to 30th January 2015 by arranging special activities, which would bring awareness about animals and its welfare. Mostly school children were targeted during this programme but equally the elders and teachers who accompanied children or students group could also be sensitized. In order to brief the activities undertaken, the zoo administration is very grateful for the materials supplied by Zoo Outreach Organization, Coimbatore that specifically designed the promotion materials for this cause.

SVZP, Tirupati is having only outdoor facilities developed for carrying out educational activities currently where around 50 numbers of students can be accommodated at a time. ‘PLAY BEAR’ game was highly appreciated during this fortnight celebration where the necessary drawings were done in the floor of one of the sheltered house where children can sit and enjoy while 2 to 4 players play this game. The drawing is maintained after the animal welfare fortnight celebrations as well because of the children’s interest to play this game, and is equally giving them awareness about this species. The knowledge about the ill-treatment of the bears in our country and the kind of wildlife crime happening for their body parts were shocking to the children as well as the elders who participated in the programme. During the celebration we got around 150 to 200

children mostly belonging to 6th to 10th standard classes as participants.

Education Reports

All the four species of bear’s mask prepared for the children to ‘play bears’

Rishi valley school students Playing Crossword puzzle

Drawings on the shelter house floor to Play Bear game

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXX, Number 4 April 2015 29

The 6th standard students (40 numbers) of Rishi Valley Public school, Madanapally, Chittor district visited our Zoo on 23th January had actively participated in almost all the activities. First they went around the zoo in the morning hours and were enthusiastic about every animal they had come across. They could appreciate the fact that there are different species of bears in our country where sloth bear is the commonly seen bear in this region. While playing the bear game, they could easily remember the ‘sloth bears’ (3 baby bears are released usually along with the mother in our zoo enclosure, and these babies would be playing by climbing the small fruit trees inside the enclosure) they saw in the enclosure named “JAMBAVANTHA VANAM”.

We could feel the level of understanding about wild animals and the facts related to them in these children when they together answered all the 20 questions in the ‘CROSSWORD’ and gained all the 20 gift packets kept for this. Bookmarks were in high demand but they had to satisfy with the limited numbers provided to each school group. These bookmarks conveyed the present status of wild animals, loss of their habitat and survival issues and how human’s activities are mostly the cause for it. Submitted by: Smt. R. Yesoda Bai IFS, Curator. Email: tirupatisvzoo@gmail.com

Regional Museum of Natural History, Mysore, KarnatakaDuring AWF, An interaction with school children was held on 8 Jan. Regional Museum of Natural History, Mysore and Zoo Outreach Organization jointly conducted an interactive programme with children of Arivu School, Lingambhudhi Palya.

Regional Museum of Natural History a long time associate with the patrons of ARIVU, took this opportunity to introduce and conduct a non-formal wildlife study at the premises of the school. The learning packet materials provided by Zoo Outreach Organization have amplified result of the Museum Outreach Educational Activity to a greater extent.

Parents of the children too participated in this. About forty-five children from first standard to seventh standard took part in this ex situ and in situ learning. Mr. B.S. Yogendra Scientist In-charge, RMNH briefed about the museum and Zoo Outreach Organization, Shri. K. Manu, Secretary of Mysore Amateur Naturalist and Sh. S.J. Srinivas, MEP, RMNH, Mysore gave the span and methodology of wildlife conservation and welfare education through the ZOO publication materials and power point presentation. There were outdoor activities based on the education materials supplied.

Dr. Sathya Narayana Bhat, Prinicipal, Govt. Auyurveda College, Mysore interacted with the students and answered their innocent queries during the post presentation. Dr. Manohara convener of the school concluded the function, thanking RMNH & ZOO for the extension of consideration and support to the education activities. Submitted by: Yogendra B.S., Scientist B & Incharge. Email: rmnhmysore@gmail.com

Crossword on board ZOO materials were used to teach wildlife welfare

A presentation on wildlife conservation

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXX, Number 4 April 2015 30

Other Education Reports:

Murray Rabindra Nursery and Primary School exploration visit to the ‘SEA SHORE Murray Rabindra Nursery and Primary School is located at Dare Amma Thotam, Pudupakkam Village, is about 10 kms away from Kovalam beach. During last year World Environment Day, Mrs. Jessie Jeyakaran (Member CEC, IUCN) conducted an awareness programme on the WED theme “Raise your voices not the Sea Level “ at the school. At that time the students had various activities and one among them was preparing model of an Island, which helped them to know better about the climate change impacts on people, plants, animals and overall ecosystem of an Island. After the programme whenever the students visited the seashore with parents on their own time, they recollected the WED theme and shared it with their parents.

As a follow up of this, on 6th March 2015, thirty students of age 9-10 were taken to Kovalam beach for an exploration study to understand seashore life. Mrs. Jessie Jeyakaran briefed about the activities they were going to do at the beach at the school and initiated the activities at the beach. The Headmistress Miss. Geetha Leonard divided the students into 5 groups of 6 each and assigned a teacher to each group. Each group was asked to observe the following: ocean and sky, fishermen, landscape, beach and things washed ashore. The beach near the fishermen colony was full of fishing boats and nets. Some fishermen were setting off with their boats into the sea to catch the fishes.

We interviewed Mr. Mohan, a fisherman, and Mrs. Kalyani, who has been in this trade for more than 25 years. The fishermen go for fishing about three times a day morning, noon and night. Sometimes it takes 12 to 24 hours for them to return with a catch. They fish from 10kms to 50kms away from the

shore. They use nets as well as fish hooks to catch the fishes. They alternate between using hooks and nets. They also alternate the places where they put down their nets or hooks. Sometimes the fishermen come back with few fishes and sometimes with a large haul. These are names of some of the fish they catch in the sea Seer, shark, seela, nethili, parai , prawns, crabs etc. At 4.30 pm the fishermen return to shore with their catches and mainly two fishes Nethilee and Seela. It was sad to see the beach was with debris such as plastic covers, bottles, waste cloth, old nets, dead flowers used for poojas (throwing flowers into the sea is an Indian custom), single slippers etc. Small corals, driftwood, coconut, shells were also washed onto the beach. These items could be used to do art. Many different types of shells and pebbles were also seen on the beach. The students also observed: The straying animals such as dogs, cows, crows, and alos sea gulls were the living things seen on the beach. The coastline of the Kovalam beach is both rocky and sandy. There were small sand dunes and rock formations. The waves hit the rocks continuously & and this makes it

Exploring the fishing boats

Students sketched the beach

A poem written on the spot at seashore

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXX, Number 4 April 2015 31

go up vertically. The waves erode the rock faces and the tides at times also cover the rocks. The waves hit the shore approximately 58 times in 10 minutes. The sky was clear and was so beautiful, as it joined the ocean at the horizon. The sea looked so beautiful as well with different colours of blue green brown and transparent when reaching the shore and after half an hour the distances in the different shades had changed.

The fishermen shared with the students that the tides change at night and day. And during the Full moon and New moon days there are stronger currents due to the moon’s gravitational pull. The whole experience was different as beaches were used for just playing in the water. But now the children view the seashore with a new perspective. The student groups then gathered together and shared their observations after with the rest. The session finished at 5pm. As a follow up activity, the students will share their observations with the entire school the following working day. We thank Mrs. Jessie Jeyakaran for arranging this field trip and all the students had practical knowledge about sea, seashore and sea conservation. Submitted by: Miss. Geetha Leonard. Email: geetha_leonard@yahoo.com

Tata Steel Zoological Park commemorates World Forestry & World Water Day 201World Forestry day and Water Day is celebrated on 21 March and 22 March respectively to spread awareness on the importance of conservation of forests and water. In order to reach out to the

unreachable and to spread the message of conservation amongst the rural masses, this year Tata Steel Zoological Park commemorated these two days.

The Zoo’s Education team led by Biologist cum Education Officer, Seema Rani, along with her team

of volunteers – Jayashree Rammohan, Roma Samanta and Sandeep Raj Singh visited Jorsha village in Patamda Block of East Singhbhum district where the members of a primitive “Sabar” tribe were addressed. During the event a lecture was delivered on “Importance of Forests and Water in our Lives” and a “Touch & Learn” programme was conducted for children and adults. More than 150 rural children and adults participated in the programme.

The Sabar tribe is a primitive tribe and they are found predominantly in East Singhbhum District of Jharkhand and Midnapore District of West Bengal.

Primarily forest dwelling, members of the Sabar tribe are reclusive and often cut off from mainstream civilization. Their numbers are fast depleting and steps are being taken now to provide necessary facilities such as health, education and sanitary facilities so that they are not lost to pressures of the modern world.

They were told about: Forests cover more than 30% of the world's land and contain more than 60,000 tree species, many are yet to be identified. They host and safeguard the planet’s biodiversity and act as our natural defense against climate change. Forests are vital to the planet for many reasons. They are shelters for more than half of the terrestrial species of animals, plants and insects. Forests also act as a balance to maintain oxygen, carbon dioxide and humidity levels in the air and are vital for protecting watersheds, which supply fresh water to rivers. Yet despite all of these priceless benefits, global deforestation continues at an alarming rate - 13 million hectares of forest are destroyed annually.

Due to the same inefficient methods for irrigation of agricultural land, the problem of water waste is severe. Water needs are increasing every year and the proven fact is that clean water is not available to

Sabar tribe were explained about conservation of forests and water resources through a presentation

Touch and Learn activity

ZOO’s PRINT, Volume XXX, Number 4 April 2015 32

1 out of 5 people on earth. The increased demand in water combined with the pollution of water has had many adverse effects on the environment, growth and economy of many countries.

As part of meeting the AICHI TARGET-1 OF THE STRATEGIC PLAN FOR BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION 2020, the Zoo has taken the initiative to make more and more people aware of the value of biodiversity by organising various educational activities such as these throughout the year. Submitted by: Ms. Seema Rani, Biologist cum Education Officer.

Email: cmarani00@rediffmail.com.

Wildlife conservation through education at Kadaperikuppam, Villupuram, TNFreshwater wetland harbours a variety of bird populations. Birds that feed and breed in freshwater wetlands include ducks and geese, wading birds like sandpipers and plovers, gulls and terns, herons, cranes, fish eagles, and a huge number of smaller birds like kingfishers, weavers, warblers and finches. The Ousteri freshwater wetland ecologically diverse site is declared as bird sanctuary by the

government of Puducherry although many regulations have been introduced to combat non-sustainable activities within the wetland and its watershed, it has been subject to severe human interference and mismanagement resulting in degradation of the natural environment and declining in bird population.

Kadaperikuppam is one of the villages sharing the Ousteri Lake located Villupuram district of Tamil

Nadu Around 150 acres of Ousteri wetland belonging to this village and most of the livelihoods such as agriculture, water sources and grazing are tied with this lake, the school students from this village will spend their holidays in this wetland for their recreation. In view of these considerations the wetland and wildlife education program was conducted with 50 students from Swami Vivekananda Middle school, kadaperikuppam were participated in conservation education for wetland birds and wildlife. After the conservation education program the resolutions were made by the students such as not to collect the eggs during the breeding season instead protect the eggs until its fly, don’t killing of reptiles, butterflies, dragonflies and setting up of backyards in order to attract small birds such as sunbirds, tailor birds, house sparrows and butterflies. Submitted by: R. Alexandar, Dept. Ecology & Env. Sciences, Pondicherry University. Email: enviroalexandar@gmail.com

Water birds of Ousteri lake demonstrated through a poster

ZOO materials used to teach about wildlife welfare conservation

Publication Information

ZOO’s PRINT, ISSN 0973-2543Published at: CoimbatoreOwner: Zoo Outreach Organisation, 96, Kumudham Nagar, Vilankurichi Road, CBE 35

Editor: Sally R. WalkerAssociate Editors: R.V. Sanjay Molur and Daniel B. AyyachamyManaging Editor: Latha G. RavikumarEditorial Assistant: R. Marimuthu

Zoo Outreach Organisation Trust Committee and Sr. Staff Managing Trustee: Sally R. WalkerChairman Trustee: R. NandiniExecutive Director Trustee: R.V. Sanjay MolurFinance Director Trustee: Latha G. RavikumarScientist: B.A. DanielResearcher: R. MarimuthuOther staff: B. Ravichandran, R. Pravin Kumar, K. Geetha, S. Radhika, Arul Jagadish, K. Raveendran, S. Sarojamma

ZOOs’ PRINT magazine is informal and newsy as opposed to a scientific publication. ZOOS’ PRINT magazine sometimes includes semi-scientific and technical articles which are reviewed only for factual errors, not peer-reviewed.

Address Zoo Outreach Organisation Post Box 5912, 96, Kumudham Nagar, Vilankurichi RoadCoimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641 035, IndiaPhone: +91 422 2665298Fax: +91 422 2665472E-mail: zooreach@zooreach.orgWebsite: www.zooreach.org, www.zoosprint.org

ZOO’s PRINT Publication Guidelines

We welcome articles from the conservation community of all SAARC countries, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and other tropical countries if relevant to SAARC countries’ problems and potential.

Type — Articles of semi-scientific or technical nature. News, notes, announcements of interest to conservation community and personal opinion pieces.

Feature articles — articles of a conjectural nature — opinions, theoretical, subjective.

Case reports: case studies or notes, short factual reports and descriptions.

News and announcements — short items of news or announcements of interest to zoo and wildlife community

Cartoons, puzzles, crossword and stories

Subject matter: Captive breeding, (wild) animal husbandry and management, wildlife management, field notes, conservation biology, population dynamics, population genetics, conservation education and interpretation, wild animal welfare, conservation of flora, natural history and history of zoos. Articles on rare breeds of domestic animals are also considered.

Source: Zoos, breeding facilities, holding facilities, rescue centres, research institutes, wildlife departments, wildlife protected areas, bioparks, conservation centres, botanic gardens, museums, universities, etc. Individuals interested in conservation with information and opinions to share can submit articles ZOOS’ PRINT magazine.

Manuscript requirementsArticles should by typed into a Word format and emailed to zooreach@zooreach.org. Avoid indents, all caps or any other fancy typesetting. You may send photos, illustrations, tables.

Articles which should contain citations should follow this guideline: a bibliography organized alphabetically and containing all details referred in the following style: surname, initial(s), year, title of the article, name of journal, volume, number, pages.

Editorial detailsArticles will be edited without consultation unless previously requested by the authors in writing. Authors should inform editors if the article has been published or submitted elsewhere for publication.

Magazine of Zoo Outreach Organization

Contact Address: Prof. (Dr.) B.M. Arora, Organizing SecretaryPresident, Association of Indian Zoo and Wildlife Veterinarians (AIZWV)

M-83, BDA, Tibrinath, Nainital Road, Bareilly (U.P.) 243122, IndiaMobile: 09456245380 Email: drbmarora@rediffmail.com, drbmarora@gmail.com