Manas National Park

  Ethology and psychology are both fields that study behavior, but they differ in their focus, methods, and perspectives. Focus : Ethology : focuses on the study of animal behavior, especially in natural environments. It emphasizes the evolutionary, biological, and genetic bases of behavior. Ethologists investigate instinctive, innate, and adaptive behaviors in animals. Psychology : Primarily focuses on human behavior and mental processes. It studies learning, cognition, emotions, personality, and social behavior, often within a clinical or experimental context. Psychology may also include research on animals, but the ultimate goal is often to better understand human behavior. Methods : Ethology : Utilizes observational methods, often studying animals in their natural habitats. Ethologists focus on behaviors that have evolved over time due to environmental pressures, using field studies to examine species-specific behavior. Psychology : Employs experimental methods, typically in co...

  A personal reflection on two decades of rhino recovery in Manas National Park, Assam There are landscapes that change your career, and there are landscapes that change your life. For me, Manas National Park has been both. When I first entered Manas more than two decades ago, it was a place carrying the scars of conflict and uncertainty. The silence of its forests was different not the peaceful silence of wilderness, but the silence left behind after wildlife had disappeared, protection systems had weakened, and hope had become fragile. Many people believed Manas had lost its future. Yet, standing in those grasslands beneath the Bhutan hills, I felt the landscape still had something to say. This is the story of how that silence slowly turned into the sound of recovery. Manas is one of the world's most extraordinary protected areas. Stretching across the Himalayan foothills along the India–Bhutan border, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site renowned for its rich grasslands, wetlands,...

 

The air in Chiuluan village was crisp on that November morning. For weeks, the skies over the Tamenglong district of Manipur had been alive with a swirling, synchronized dance of hundreds of thousands of Amur falcons.  Having traveled from Mongolia and Northern China, the raptors had paused in Northeast India to feast, rest, and gather strength for the most perilous leg of their journey. Among the conservationists and villagers gathered on the hillside was a sense of quiet anticipation. Now, three of these incredible long-distance voyagers were to be fitted with lightweight satellite transmitters—tiny backpacks that would beam their location data to scientists across the globe, uncovering the secrets of their trans-hemispheric route. The birds were gently tagged, named, and released back into the autumn wind:   Apapang A robust male falcon with sharp, clear eyes.   Ahu  Afierce and elegant female.   Alang A young, spirited female embarking on her journey with th...

  A warm and friendly relationship exists between India and Bhutan based on shared cultural, geographical, and economic ties. Through various cooperative initiatives, this bond has grown stronger over time. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been focusing on deepening ties with Bhutan in recent years, making his first foreign trip as prime minister to Bhutan in 2014. Over the years, numerous collaborative efforts have further strengthened the relationship between the two nations, encompassing hydropower, education, technology, sports, and security. Bhutan's King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck visited New Delhi last year and engaged in discussions with Prime Minister Modi on advancing economic and strategic partnerships between the two countries. Bhutan remains India's steadfast partner in South Asia, supporting Bhutan's 13th Five-Year Plan (2024-29) and India’s support for RGoB’s Economic Stimulus Programme. Initiatives like the Gelephu Mindfulness City Special ...

    Zero Rhino Poaching Milestone There was a time when the floodplains of the Brahmaputra River resembled a battlefield rather than a sanctuary. From the turbulent 1980s until as recently as 2021, the towering elephant grass of Assam’s protected landscapes concealed a deadly duel between survival and greed. Within those whispering wetlands moved not only the magnificent Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros or Indian rhinoceros ( Rhinoceros unicronis ) but also armed poachers pit diggers, electrocution gangs, and poisoners relentlessly pursuing horn and body parts for international black markets. The sharp crack of gunfire often tore through the stillness of dawn; carcasses lay as brutal testimony to a conservation emergency that threatened to erase decades of painstaking recovery. Images of a hornless mother rhino, her calf bewildered and vulnerable beside her, seared the public conscience and symbolized the depth of the crisis. And yet, history has turned a remarkable page. Assam...