In the latest clash in a decade-old war between wildlife rangers and poachers in Kenya, around three wildlife rangers and four suspected poachers were killed in a shoot-out in Kenya's Tana River

The wrongs and rights of ivory sales

FOR anybody who cares about animals, the biggest fixture on the diplomatic calendar is a bunfight that happens every three years to review the working of a convention on the international trade in endangered species, known as cites. At the current gathering, now taking place in The Hague, the sale of elephant ivory has been high on the agenda.

When it comes to Karnataka's forest cover, even a brigand like Veerappan had his uses. His dreaded presence in the jungles in advertantly served to preserve the state's green cover, even though the bandit himself was an unrepentant poacher of elephants. "He kept encroachers at bay," admits ^ ornithologist and bird specialist H M.B.

Zimbabwe has announced plans for culling and contraception to slow down rampant elephant population growth. The announcement comes close to a recent incident in which a rogue elephant trampled to

A trail of dna has helped investigators trace the biggest ever consignment of contraband ivory seized in Singapore in June 2002 to Savannah elephants in Zambia. Scientists extracted dna from 37 tusks

An escalating human-tusker conflict has forced the state Government to urgently re-work its elephant corridor project

PEACE CORRIDORS:

Kansrau-Barkot Corridor: 2.5 x 2 km. Will connect Dehradun forest division and Rajaji National Park.

From now on, animals will be treated at par with human beings, at least when it comes to insurance claims in Rajasthan. In a recent judgement, Rajasthan High Court has adjudged the elephant as a