Kilinochchi leopard caught in snare rescued by wildlife officers

Snares are the worst death traps for Sri Lankan leopards and their latest would-have-been victim is from Kilinochchi. This leopard was lucky to survive due to the timely and brave action by the wildlife officers of Vavuniya. As soon they received the message, the officers had rushed to the site in Kilinochchi.
They found the leopard in an exhausted state after trying to free itself from the snare. Usually when a leopard gets caught in a snare, the wire tightens around its crotch area damaging the vital internal organs such as the kidneys.
A leopard has to be usually sedated before anyone can get close to it, however, the wildlife veterinarian of the region was engaged in another duty, so there was nobody to tranquilize this trapped leopard.
However the officials realizing that there was no time to be wasted and since the animal appeared to be exhausted they thought of a new tactic to get close enough to it to cut the wire of the snare.
They secured themselves inside a steel cage and got close to the leopard. Holding the exhausted leopard to the ground by using a few sticks, they succeeded in cutting the wire by using a long handled tool. The leopard slowly made its way back to the jungle and although it was exhausted, the officers believed it would survive.
It is believed that a local cattle breeder has setup the snare to trap a leopard which had killed several of his cattle.
Source:http://www.sundaytimes.lk/110501/News/nws_01103.html

Leopard succumbs to gunshot wound

Another full-grown young leopard, about 7 feet from head to tail, died an agonizing death in Balangoda last week. Estate workers of Dethangolla off Balangoda saw the wounded leopard lying near a small stream.
The leopard was alive but could not move because its paralyzed hind legs were stuck under a fallen tree. The Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) was alerted, while estate workers stood watch over the exhausted leopard. The Elephant Transit Home (ETH) of Udawalawe was the closest medical facility belonging to DWC, and a team was immediately dispatched from the home in a bid to save the animal.

Helper holds in palm of his hand the bullet that had penetrated the leopard’s spine.

The leopard had six gunshot wounds, and one bullet had penetrated its spinal cord, paralysing the hind limbs, according to the ETH veterinary surgeon. As there were no signs of a struggle in the vicinity of the dead animal, it is believed that the leopard might have been shot at a distance, and that the animal had dragged itself a long way. The leopard’s underside showed signs of bruises and scratches.
Dr. W. D. L. Udaya Kumara, who oversaw the initial treatment after sedating the animal, said there were maggots in the wound, indicating that the animal might have been shot two or three days earlier.
The leopard was lying in a forested area and taking a vehicle to the spot was a problem. The team had to carry the animal 500 metres along a hill path. The heavy animal was carried to the vehicle with its legs tied to a pole. Although it was late evening, a large crowd had gathered around the DWC vehicle to get a glimpse of the big cat. Dr. Kumara heard from estate workers that the leopard had not been seen in the area before.
On arrival at the Elephant Transit Home, in Udawalawe, medical staff immediately set to attending to the leopard. The hind legs were completely paralyzed. It was found that the leopard had bitten its own legs and tail. The leopard’s condition deteriorated, despite the wildlife officers’ efforts, and the animal died the following day.
The carcass was sent to the Girithale wildlife facility, where Southern Region veterinary surgeon Dr. Vijitha Perera performed a post-mortem. Lead shots removed from the wounds suggested that they had come from a muzzle-loading gun. The vets believed the leopard had been shot sevral times at close range.
Reasons for the shooting remain a mystery. Leopards that live close to human habitats are careful to conceal themselves from humans. They usually do not attack humans and stealthily move away when they sense an encounter.
However villagers aware of the presence of a big cat may panic, fearing the animal might prey on domesticated dogs and cattle. The leopards are therefore hunted to protect livestock or pet animals. Leopards are also vulnerable to poachers who hunt the animals for their skins.
But if this leopard was targeted for its skin, the poacher or poachers would have had time to skin the crippled animal. It is also a known fact that some estate owners like to hunt leopards for the thrill of it, and use hunting dogs for the purpose.

Source:http://www.sundaytimes.lk/110501/News/nws_22.html

Rise in threats to marine fauna

A thousand sea snakes, 100 terrapins, 50 marine turtles and one or two crocodiles get killed every month as a result of being trapped in fishing nets, senior herpetologist Anslem de Silva said. De Silva arrived at these figures during his ongoing islandwide investigation.
"The deaths are very tragic as these reptiles die due to suffocation by getting entangled in the net. Sometimes, the fishermen cut the flippers of turtles if they find them entangled in the nets," he said.
He also observed that 15 percent of sea snakes found discarded from nets at landing sites were gravid (with eggs) females.
According to de Silva, the threats on the country's aquatic herpetofauna, i.e. sea snakes, marine turtles, freshwater terrapins and crocodiles, due to human activities is on the increase at an alarming rate.
"The easiest method of avoiding this situation is to promote the use of the Turtle Excluder Device (TED) which is internationally recognised," de Silva said. "This device allows the turtles to escape the net while keeping the fish in.
The escape patterns of turtles and fish are very different, thus the method is very effective," he said. "The fishing communities need to be made more aware of their responsibility in conserving these animals and they need a supporting hand to implement such methods. On the other hand an effective monitoring mechanism is essential in conservation," he said.
For sea snakes, an inexpensive modification for trawl nets can be introduced in a 15-centimetre square-mesh panel close to the entrance of the net; strong swimming sea snakes can escape upwards out of this window whereas prawns and small fish pass into the other end of the net.
More conservation-oriented methods to save the marine fauna are looked into by the research team led by de Silva.

Source:http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2011/05/01/new32.asp

Lankan scientists introduce Taruga, a new endemic genus of foam-nesting tree frogs.

Boosting Sri Lanka’s image as an amphibian hot spot, a group of Sri Lankan scientists have introduced a new genus of frogs that is endemic to the island. The new group is named Taruga meaning ‘tree climber’ in ancient Sinhalese and Sanskrit. This name is appropriate as the adults of these are tree-inhabiting frogs, rarely come to the ground, even laying their eggs on trees on overhanging foam nests. Taruga fastigo Taruga is currently the only genus of endemic frogs among the tree-frogs (Rhacophoridae). Definition of a new genus is a rare occurrence, and for a vertebrate group, even rarer. The task of separating these species into a new genus is indeed complex and demanding. The researchers have to analyse molecular DNA and morphological data such as the outward appearance as well as the form and structure of the internal parts like bones and organs of both adult frogs as well as tadpoles to distinguish this ancestry unique to Sri Lanka. Dr.Madhava Meegaskumbura, the principal scientist behind this task, said, the research outcome published recently has been already updated in reputed amphibian journals further strengthening Sri Lanka as one of the world’s most important amphibian hotspots. In science, a Genus is a classification used to group one or more species that has common characteristics which is the taxonomic rank just above that of the species name. For example, the four big cats – lion, tiger, jaguar and leopard are classified under the genus Panthera because of the common characteristics they share. Three of the endemic tree frogs that were previously called Polypedates (Whipping tree frogs) were re-classified under this new genus and have been given new scientific names -- Taruga eques, Taruga fastigo and Taruga longinasus. The first part of a scientific name represents the genus, whereas the second part denotes the individual species name. However, a set of cone-like projections around the vent, a curved fold above the ear and a more pointed snout helped scientists to pull out three frogs to new genus Taruga. During a certain tadpole stage, the vent of Polypedates forms a tube between the left leg and tail, and in Taruga, there is only an opening between the leg and tail. There are also several more features of the mouth cavity, such as the number of projections on the tongue and shape of the tongue that distinguishes Taruga from Polypedates. These frogs also show some interesting characteristics with all frogs in this new genus building foam nests. The female is much larger than the male and carries him during amplexus. The female first selects a site usually a branch that hangs over water to make a bubble nest. Fluids secreted from the egg-carrying channel (termed the oviduct) are beaten up into a foamy mass by the female using her hind limbs. The size of a foam nests can range from a ping-pong ball in some species, to a cricket ball in others. The eggs are laid within this foamy mass and the males fertilize the eggs. First the male and then the female leaves the nest, without providing any parental care to the nest. After several days, the eggs hatch and the tadpoles slip into the water from the overhanging foam nest to start their new life in the water. Dr.Meegaskumbura said the tadpoles falling into the water at an advanced stage ensure a higher survivability from aquatic threats than if the eggs were laid in the water. The juvenile frogs that emerge from the water return to an arboreal life on the trees. Rohan Pethiyagoda, another an expert taxonomist who is also involved in this research paper commented that the genus Taruga joins Nannophrys, Adenomus and Lankanectes as the fourth genus of frogs endemic to Sri Lanka. These three species also show restricted distribution, where Taruga eques can be found 1000m above sea level (asl) in the central hills and the Knuckles range. Taruga longinasus: can be found below 600m in the wet-zone lowlands of Sri Lanka while Taruga fastigo is present only at 900m asl in the Rakwana mountains, recording the most restricted range. Dr.Meegaskumbura acknowledges his graduate student, Gayan Bowatte who contributed to this work and other researchers who assisted them. He also acknowledges the support extended by the Department of Wildlife Conservation and Forest Department of Sri Lanka to carryout this work. Amphibians the highest threatened Around the world many species and populations are declining, but amphibians are the worst affected group among the vertebrates. Amphibians are sensitive to changes in the environment, so a small variation can be deadly for the frogs living in an affected area. To add to the problem, many amphibians such as frogs of the genus Taruga are only found in restricted ranges; one species can only be found in a single forest patch, making them vulnerable to localized threats. Sri Lanka currently records 111 amphibians with 92 of them being endemic to Sri Lanka but the IUCN (World Conservation Union) has categorized 11 species of Sri Lankan amphibians as critically endangered and a further 36 as endangered. Some of these species are on the brink of extinction and require urgent conservation attention, or they could disappear even without our knowing about them. Sri Lanka has already lost 21 amphibians, in other words they have been categorized as being extinct. Deforestation, isolation of forests into smaller patches (fragmentation), disease, pollution, and climate change are triggering the extinction of amphibians. “We have now realized that legal protection alone is insufficient to secure the future of these species. They need active conservation intervention, such as captive breeding and improved habitat security, in addition to regular monitoring of the existing populations so that any decline could be detected and addressed,” points out environmentalist Rohan Pethiyagoda, who discovered many frogs as part of his research few years ago. Mr. Pethiyagoda added that at present, the only species on which the government spent money on conservation were elephants. Yet, hundreds of Sri Lanka's endemic species and whole genera are threatened with extinction. If only a fraction of the funds spent on managing elephants were diverted to the conservation also of other threatened species, the outcome for the country's biodiversity would be much better,” he said. To make matters worse many of the protected areas in Sri Lanka are in the dry zone, whereas 80% of endemic fauna are found in wet zone rain forests, hill country cloud forests and related habitats. Many of the threatened amphibians are in the wet zone and mountain areas where the habitats are shrinking faster than in the lowland dry zone (please see map). There are some critically endangered frogs currently surviving in a few areas outside protected areas, so a disturbance of these habitats would be deadly for these tiny amphibians. Source:http://www.sundaytimes.lk/110417/News/nws_82.html

Protect wildlife in Sri Lanka

Protect Elephants in Sri Lanka

Source:http://www.rivira.lk/2011/05/01/vishesha1.htm