Owls are natural predators of rodents, of which seven species are agriculturally important pests. Conserving owls will not only result in better rodent control preventing huge crop losses, but will also prevent indiscriminate chemical use, thus preserving the ecological diversity. Educational programs will go a long way in achieving this.

India reported outbreaks of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1 in poultry in the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh (February

India reported outbreaks of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1 in poultry in the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh (February-April 2006); Manipur (July 2007); West Bengal (January 2008) and Tripura (April 2008).