Otters in a bird sanctuary at Uppalapadu near Guntur in Andhra Pradesh. | Ch.Vijay Bhaskar/ Mongabay
The unexpected sighting of an otter in the lake waters of the Uppalapadu Bird Sanctuary, on the outskirts of Guntur in Andhra Pradesh recently, has generated excitement among birders, conservationists and the public. The smooth-coated otter, locally called Neeti Kukka or water dog, made its appearance at the end of January this year, at the sanctuary important for the near-threatened spot-billed pelicans (
Pelecanus philippensis).
“We have reports that there are about 15 of the otters in the wetland of the sanctuary that spreads across eight to nine acres now,” said Divisional Forest Officer, G Siva Prasad.
NGT panel inspects damage to mangrove cover on mudflat
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Kumbabhisekham mudflat needs to be restored, opines team
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Kumbabhisekham mudflat needs to be restored, opines team
The Joint Committee constituted by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) was urged to ensure restoration of Kumbabhishekham mudflat on the Kakinada coast, protecting the country’s one of the last surviving mudflats which is home for migratory birds ‘endangered’ Great Knot (Calidris tenuirostris) and ‘vulnerable’ Indian Skimmer (Rynchops albicollis).
The committee headed by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change representative C. Palpandi and Rahul Pandey, Chief Conservator of Forest - Vijayawada, on Thursday investigated how the 30-acre mudflat was ‘destroyed in a phased manner by the GMR group by depositing dredged material’.