International Tiger Day 2022

Background 

Global Tiger Day often referred to as International Tiger Day, is a yearly celebration that takes place on July 29. This day formally started after the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit in 2010. The purpose of the event is to promote tiger conservation initiatives and increase public awareness of the declining wild tiger population. It is observed in numerous tiger range nations around the world, including China, India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Russia. Every year, a variety of activities are held to mark the anniversary. Examples of these include educational occasions, awareness drives, and fundraising initiatives. It's a big problem that the number of wild tigers is declining. 3,890 tigers were thought to still be living in the wild as of 2016. Compared to the estimated 100,000 tigers that were thought to be free-ranging in the 1900s, this is a considerable decline. Loss of habitat, hunting, and poaching are all contributing to the extinction of tigers. Tigers can be protected by people in a number of ways. 

Why are tigers important? 

There are several reasons why tigers are important. As a keystone species, they are first and foremost significant to the ecosystems in which they thrive. In order to prevent overgrazing and guarantee that other animals in the ecosystem have access to sufficient food, tigers help to regulate the number of animals that serve as their prey. Numerous cultures around the world place a high value on tigers. In Asian civilizations, tigers are typically viewed as emblems of power, strength, and luck. They are appreciated for both their beauty and hunting prowess. 

Threats Human conflict, illicit hunting, habitat degradation, and fragmentation pose the greatest threat to tigers. They are being hunted for their body parts and fur, and humans are ruining their habitats. They are one of the most endangered creatures on the globe as a result.

What can you do to help save tigers? 

The purpose of International Tiger Day is to increase public awareness of the vulnerability of wild tigers. People can take a number of actions to protect tigers. Supporting groups that strive to safeguard tigers and their habitat is one thing. Another strategy is to choose your products carefully. Still being marketed illegally are several items including furniture and traditional remedies that contain tiger parts. By avoiding buying them, you can lessen the demand for these goods. By being aware of them and making the decision not to buy them, you can contribute to lowering the demand for these goods. By educating people about the value of tigers and what they can do to conserve them, you can also contribute to their survival. You may, for instance, share posts and stories on tigers on social media. You can also let your family and friends know how important it is to protect these animals. Finally, you can educate people on the value of protecting tigers and their natural environment.

Conclusion

Last but not least, International Tiger Day is a day to celebrate these amazing animals and spread awareness of the problems they encounter. By contributing to conservation initiatives and speaking out against tiger poaching and habitat degradation on this day, we can all do our part to assist tigers. By educating people about tigers and their situation, we seek to motivate them to adopt protective measures. 

    Be alert! Be accountable!

Ant mimic Jumping Spider

Araneae; Salticidae; Salticinae; Myrmarachnini

Ant-mimic Spider Common Name: Ant-mimic Jumping Spider Scientific Name: Salticidae (Family) Size: 10mm Location: Dam side, Pokhara, Nepal Spotting mimic spiders are very hard and I had my first look at a mimic spider inside dense jungle at Rautahat. Fairly small and certainly got the mimicry dialed it certainly had its purposed stated out. The reason behind the mimicry is both as a defense against the ants and also to get to the larva of the ants.

WORLD SNAKE DAY 2022

World Snake Day, held every year on July 16, aims to increase awareness. Not all of them are as scary or poisonous as we believe them to be. These fascinating reptiles are often not given the recognition they deserve just because of the bad reputation they have earned over the years.

On this occasion, we’ve tried to disseminate information regarding snakes, particularly in Nepal, and some conservation measures that we can do from our individual level.

Reptiles are one of the widely diverse vertebrates on the earth. There are more than 3000 species of snakes on the planet. Currently, there are more than 10,000 species of reptiles and 2700 subspecies within those species; the Reptile Database records currently stand at 11690 species and 2198 subspecies (reptile-database.org, 2022) of which only 754 are venomous (Uetz et al. 2020, Shupe 2013). In Nepal, there are 123 species of reptiles (Schleich and Kastle 2002). Shah and Tiwari (2004) have recorded 90 species of serpent whilst reptile-database.org (accessed on July 2022) has listed 91 species.

 Monocled cobra, Parsa National Park ©sanejprasadsuwal

There is a wide range of vertical and horizontal distribution of snakes based on topography and climate. They can be found in grassland, cultivated land, and forest areas. The snakes can be found everywhere except in Antarctica, Iceland, Ireland, Greenland, and New Zealand (nationalgeographic.com accessed in 2022)

The Snakes of Nepal are divided into 5 families of which Typholopidae and Pythonidae are non-venomous while Elapidae and Viperidae are venomous, and Colubridae have one venomous species Rhabdophis subminiatus (Shah and Tiwari, 2004) and few are weakly venomous and more species are non-venomous. The most giant poisonous and non-poisonous snakes of Nepal, which grow more than 5 meters, are King Cobra and Python respectively. The smallest snakes of Nepal are Blind snakes which hardly reach 10cm.  

There are two snake species endemic to Nepal Xenochrophis piscator schnurenbergerii Checkered keelback and Trimeresurus Karanshahi Karan’s pit viper. The Asiatic rock python species is protected under the Department of National Park and Wildlife (DNPWC) Act 1973, the government of Nepal, and 5 species have been recommended for legal protection under the Red Data Book of Nepal (1995) including Eryx conicus, Elachistodon westermanni, Xenochrophis Flavipunctatus schnurenbergerii and Ophiohagus Hannah which are also included in the different threat categories of IUCN and CITES. There are roughly a hundred snake species listed by the IUCN Red List as endangered, typically due to habitat loss from development.

People in Nepal view snakes negatively, and most cannot distinguish between poisonous and non-poisonous! As a result, snakes are killed at sight irrespective of their nature and ecological values. The field of Herpetology (the science of amphibians and reptiles) in Nepal however, has received less priority. Thus, a great opportunity awaits further study in this field (Thapa, S 2007).

What is the significance of World Snake Day?

• ·          It highlights how critical snakes are to the ecosystem.
• ·         The program helps to change the attitudes of people towards snakes in a positive manner.
• goog_1219771923·       It promotes the preservation of snake species since their population is declining due to climate change, habitat loss, illegal killing, and trade.

How we can celebrate World Snake Day 2022

• 1.   Visit the Zoo or online portals. We can visit the nearest zoo or different online portals or social media and check out the varieties of snakes that exist in your areas or regions. This might be quite educational.
• 2.  Raise awareness about non-venomous snake species. Most people think snakes are all harmful which is not true. The myths can be dispelled by posting or sharing presentations on social media or at workshops.
• 3.   Media outreach program. We can make some documentaries or audiovisual.

Some fun facts about snakes

1.      1. Snakes don’t have any eyelids and sleep with their eyes open.

2.      2. Snakes have nostrils but smell the chemicals picked up with their tongue.

3.      3. Snakes can’t chew their prey.