The Endangered Species Act has become unwieldy. Time for a change

Forest guards use mobile ringtones to capture rogue leopards wandering into human settlements

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.