Documenting India’s civilisational and natural heritage.
The nineteenth edition of Sunday Bird Walk @ NZP was conducted between 7:30 AM and 10:30 AM under the guidance of ornithologist Dr Paritosh Ahmed, with assistance from volunteers associated with the programme. Eighteen participants joined the three-hour activity, observing and documenting birds within a designated area of the zoological park.
Researchers have identified a previously unknown species of microscopic land snail in the Tilari forests of Maharashtra’s Kolhapur district. Named Dicharax tilariensis, the species adds to the remarkable biodiversity of the Western Ghats and highlights the importance of conserving small, often overlooked organisms inhabiting India’s forest ecosystems.
The phenomenon highlights the ecological connections between the Eastern Ghats, the plains of Tamil Nadu and the Western Ghats. It also demonstrates how changes in rainfall, vegetation and environmental conditions influence the movement of wildlife across different landscapes.
Krutha’s investigations demonstrate how systematic wildlife surveillance can help identify emerging biological threats before they cause widespread ecological damage. Her fieldwork also contributed to the documentation of previously unknown amphibian diversity in Kerala.
The three species, identified as Rhysida quadrispinosa, Rhysida coorgensis and Rhysida neyyarensis, belong to the centipede genus Rhysida. Their descriptions were published on October 12, 2026, in the International Journal of Tropical Insect Science.
The research was conducted by a team comprising E. S. Santhosh Kumar, S. M. Shareef, P. P. Anusha, K. A. Rashmi and Rejitha Joseph of JNTBGRI, Palode, Thiruvananthapuram. Their study, titled Comprehensive Checklist of the Flowering Plants of the Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve, South India, consolidates botanical knowledge accumulated through more than a century of scientific exploration.
The investigation began when Wimarithy K. Marak, a researcher associated with Assam Don Bosco University, encountered an unusual small aquatic organism in a village well in Goalpara district. Similar creatures had previously been noticed in local wells, but their biological identity remained unknown.
The bird assessment forms part of India’s National Red List of Flora, Fauna and Fungi – Vision 2025–2030, launched at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in October 2025. Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Kirti Vardhan Singh introduced the national initiative to strengthen India’s biodiversity conservation framework and contribute to international conservation commitments.
On October 11, 2026, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav released six female and two male wild water buffaloes into a 17-hectare acclimatisation enclosure in the Supkhar range of Kanha Tiger Reserve. The animals had been transported from Kaziranga earlier in the year and initially housed in a smaller enclosure for quarantine, monitoring and adjustment to their new surroundings.
The research was led by Kannan Shalu of the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies in Kochi. The international team included Graham Short, Rajeev Raghavan, Ghosh Ramvilas and Kutty Ranjeet, bringing together expertise in marine biology, fish taxonomy and molecular research.
