Marcus Dam KOLKATA: Two Czech nationals, held for allegedly smuggling specimens of beetles and moths from the northern range of the Singalila National Park in Darjeeling district on June 22, were remanded to judicial custody by a local court at a special session on Wednesday after their pleas for bail were rejected for the second time. The insects were found in the possession of the two men, Peter Svacha and Emil Kucera

Karnataka's Tourism Department has unveiled a draft policy that is aimed at making the State a top tourist destination. PHOTOGRAPHS: BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT The Jog Falls. The Sharavathi river plunges from a height of 243 metres here. FROM splendid temples dating back to over a millennium, to the breathtaking valleys and the lush green rolling hills of the Western Ghats, Karnataka offers a diverse bouquet of tourist attractions. Whether heritage tourism or adventure tourism, there are offerings across the State for both budget and luxury tourists.

Aureole Publishing Price: $35, Pages: 151 A wildlife tour of Rajasthan's most prominent national park and tiger reserve, with striking pictures and informative stories of the great cats sighted at play in their deciduous domain.

The lava from an erupting Galapagos volcano did not affect the islands' famed giant tortoises as first feared, Galapagos National Park officials said today. The Cerro Azul volcano on Isabela Island erupted between Thursday and Sunday, unleashing a heavy flow of lava, park authorities said in a statement. Isabela, the largest island in the archipelago, is home to rare and unique flora and fauna, including the Galapagos giant tortoise, which can weigh more than 230 kilos and live more than 100 years.

The federal government is considering a proposal to allow visitors to carry loaded, concealed weapons in some national parks, wildlife refuges and monuments. The National Rifle Association favors the proposed rule, arguing that it would help keep crime down and protect visitors from potentially dangerous wildlife.

Authorities in India's remote northeast said they were increasing security in the world's biggest reserve for the endangered great one-horned rhinoceros to save them from poachers. Poachers have killed at least 10 rhinos in two national parks in Assam state since January, eight of them at the Kaziranga National Park. "We are increasing the number of guards in Kaziranga because of a recent increase in poaching, and a probe has also been ordered," Rockybul Hussain, Assam's forest minister told Reuters on Wednesday.

Fresh pictures and pugmarks from the Jigme Dorji national park (JDNP) show that royal Bengal tigers in Bhutan are being found at altitudes never seen before. In fact, authorities say that the tigers are going so high that they are overlapping the habitat of the elusive snow leopard.

the supreme court on March 28 said it would examine the constitutional validity of the Forests Rights Act which provides right to land to scheduled tribes and traditional forest dwellers. The court