Charitable Institution for Tibetan Refugees

Seminar by GIZ, Nainital Introduction A seminar on ‘Preparing the participation of Uttarakhand at the ITB Berlin 2011’ was organized by GIZ and Uttarakhand Shashan on ‘20 Jan 2011’ at Administrative Training Institute (A.T.I), Nainital from 10 am to 5 pm. 30 participants availed this opportunity and most of them being from the Hospitality Industry. The District Magistrate, Mr. Shailesh Bangoli, the Managing Director, Kumaun Mangal Vikas Nigam, Mr. Y.Yadav and Mr. Subrato, Head, GIZ, India were present. This seminar was felicitated by Mr. Alfons Eiligmann a Consultant with...

On 27 and 28 November 2010, a community based conservation and angling workshop was held in Marchula, Bandran, hosted by the Himalayan Outback Camp (an angling lodged owned and operated by Mr. Misty Dhillon), and chaired by Mr. Sumantha Ghosh, the founder and president of Society for Mahseer Conservancy. The aim of the workshop was to discuss ways of saving revrine ecosystem and the species dependent on them (with a focus on the Ramganga River and the golden mahseer), and to discuss ways of promoting Uttarakhand as an angling destination. Workshop attendees included representatives of the Forest...

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT First of all, On behalf of the Institute of Hotel Management, Pusa, New Delhi, we wish toextend our heartfelt gratitude to Shri Sujit Banerjee, Secretary, Shri Sanjay Kothari,Additional Secretary (T) and Shri Devesh Chaturvedi, ADG (T) Ministry of Tourism,Government of India for giving the opportunity to the institute to conduct the audit/ survey ofhotels, lodges, resorts, camps and guest houses in and around Corbett National Park,Uttarakhand. We take this opportunity to convey our sincere thanks to Shri Rajiv Bhartari, AdditionalSecretary, Tourism, Government of Uttarakhand for...

BACKGROUND The following is a report on the findings of a study conducted by Mahseer Conservancy in collaboration with the Wildlife Institute of India on the status of Golden Mahseer populations in the Ramganga River and investigations into possible reasons for their apparent decline. The research was conducted during a 6 week period in March and April 2010. The golden mahseer occurs across the Himalayas and inhabits the streams and rivers that drain the lower Himalayan terrain. The large surface area of its fins, cylindrical body and muscular tail are adapted to suit the montane water environments...

MINING AND DYNAMITING, CAN THE MIGHTY MAHSEER SURVIVE?  The Ramganga River that runs alongside the Jim Corbett National Park is pristine. Casually peering into the river you will inevitably see swarms of golden mahseer darting around in the clear water hunting for small Chilwa. Look along the bank and you may see an Otter swimming in the shallows or a Gharial basking in the sun, point your head skywards and you’ll likely see a flock of Cormorants and perhaps a fish eagle soaring overhead. It is a complete river ecosystem. However, this reality is in stark contrast to the same river just 20km...

Joining Hands to Save Himalayan Aquatic Resources.’ A seminar to raise awareness about Nepal’s aquatic biodiversity.   Save Himalayan Aquatic Resources (SAHAR) kicked off its awareness campaign with a half-day seminar on Friday, 11 June 2010 at the DECC, United World Trade Center, Tripureshwor. It was the intention of SAHAR to use this occasion to raise awareness about the state of Nepal’s aquatic biodiversity, the challenges Nepal faces in protecting this resource so essential to the development of the country, and options to mitigate the loss of our natural heritage. To this end, SAHAR...

It was around 8.45 in the morning on 6th June 2010 when I got a call that a snake has entered in a hut in Garjia village near Dhikuli. I rushed to the location without any delay with a locally prepared tool PVC pipe with a bag fitted on the other end for such purpose. It was suggested to me by my friend Gowri Shankar whom I met during his last visit to Corbett. Gowri is a snake lover and he is doing research on King Cobra. When I reached the place where the snake was I saw lots of people around the hut and some inside the hut as well. I saw the snake and found that it is a King Cobra. The length...

All those who know a little about snake they also know something about king cobra. Most of common men who know about snakes mostly have 90 % wrong information about snakes. Well this is not about to tell you all about the snakes and the facts related to them. This article is about a snake which you can say a ghost amongst snake, yes the King Cobra. King Cobra is rightly called King as it is the top predator amongst snakes and not only by this feature they are supreme amongst their species but also because they respect the humans and play a vital role in the balance of ecosystem. Though the habitat...

Coming from New Zealand, my experience of snakes is pretty limited as we have no snakes back home. So, when we got the call to say that someone had found the carcass of a 20 foot long King Cobra (or Hamadryad, Ophiophagus hannah), I jumped at the chance to go and witness this phenomenon.  A snake that has earned a reputation for its aggressiveness and courage, and is the largest venomous snake in the world, is definitely worth a look!   Myself, Sumantha Ghosh, and Frederique Lacraz all piled into the jeep early on the morning of the 1st May 2010 to head towards Kaladhungi, Nainital District,...