Wildlife Guide :: National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries

The Crocodile Specialist Group is a worldwide network of biologists, wildlife managers, government officials, independent researchers, NGO representatives, farmers, traders, tanners, fashion leaders, and private companies actively involved in the conservation of the world’s 23 living species of alligators, crocodiles, caimans, and gharials in the wild.

The CSG has 350 members and eight regional subdivisions, and operates from offices in the Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville, Florida, USA. Its administrative and publishing budget is raised entirely from private donors.

However, the conservation efforts of the CSG are not finished. The seven endangered crocodilian species, and some threatened populations of the more abundant species, require further conservation. Additional populations of all species need protection in national parks and other protected areas. And, of course, vigorous efforts continue to suppress any and all illegal trade.

Crocodiles are very fast over short distances, even out of water. They have extremely powerful jaws and sharp teeth for tearing flesh, but cannot open their mouth if it is held closed, hence there are stories of people escaping from the long-snouted Nile Crocodile by holding its jaws shut. All large crocodiles also have sharp welters and powerful claws. Crocodiles are ambush hunters, waiting for fish or land animals to come close, then rushing out to attack. As cold-blooded predators, they can survive long periods without food, and rarely need to actively go hunting. Despite their slow appearance, crocodiles are the top predators in their environment, and various species have been observed attacking and killing lions, large ungulates and even sharks. A famous exception is the Egyptian Plover which enjoys a symbiotic relationship with the crocodile. The Plover feeds on parasites that infest the crocodile’s mouth and the reptile will open its jaws and allow the bird to enter to clean out the mouth. The crocodile’s bite strength is up to 3000 pounds per square inch, comparing to just 100 psi for a large dog.

The Orissa forest department has once again deferred a proposal to release Gori, the country’s only white crocodile in captivity at the Crocodile Research Centre at Dangamal, in the wild.

Peacocks (Pavo cristatus) are members of the pheasant family. The word peacock actually refers to the male bird, while females are peahens, and the young are peachicks. A group of these together is referred to as a bevy. While the peacock is a wild bird by nature, they have been domesticated in many countries. The raising of these beautiful birds can be both a time consuming and worthy hobby. One of the first things that a new owner of peacocks and peahens will learn is that they can and do become stressed. These grand birds like peace and harmony. Surprisingly, these birds can be found in zoos across the country, wandering about freely at several of them. While these birds seem to have a low stress level when contained on a farm, they seem to deal better with stress if they have more room, as they do when they are able to wander about at these zoos. Keeping this in mind, if you choose to raise peacocks and peahens, give them as much room as you possibly can.

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Peacock or peafowl, large bird of the genus Pavo, in the pheasant family, native to E Asia. There are two main species, the common (Pavo cristatus), and the Javanese (P. musticus) peacocks, both found in deep forest where they travel in small flocks. A third type, the Congo peacock, was discovered recently in Africa. Unusual peacocks are the Argus pheasant, with eyelike spots on its secondary flight feathers, and the white peacock, thought to be a mutation of the common peafowl.

When the term peafowl is used, peacock then refers to the male of a species and peahen to the female. During courtship the crested male common peacock displays his elongated upper tail coverts - a magnificent green and gold erectile train adorned with blue-green eyes - before the duller-plumaged peahen. The peacock is well known as an ornamental bird, though it is quarrelsome and does not mix well with other domestic animals.

The Hill Myna is the common talking myna of the pet trade. It is frequently called Indian Hill Myna, an unfortunate name because the Common Myna is also called the Indian Myna; this species should be called simply Hill Myna to avoid confusion. At least some birds in Miami are attributable to the Greater Hill Myna, race intermedia (B. Neville, pers. obs.), which is the most common form in the pet trade (Bates and Busenbark 1970).

The Hill Myna is native to southeastern Asia, from India to southern China, Indochina, and western Indonesia. Bates and Busenbark (1970) state that the bird occurs in dense jungles in its native range. Vriends (1984) states that they are always found near water. In Florida they are found in suburban areas, where they frequent ornamental plantings and are frequently observed sitting on wires.

According the conservation organization, Wild Orissa, the population of mynas in Simlipal and the forests of Orissa has been declining rapidly over the past two decades. The mynas are easily tracked and captured since their loud and distinctive call, and frenetic activity in the deep sal forests attracts human predators. The tribals, who are excellent trappers, follow their movemnets, trapping them using various methods incluing nets and glue. The kharias identify the nests of the Hill Mynas, located high on the sal tress, and when the chicks are between 10 and 15 days old they are captured and trained. The kharias, of course, are excellent climbers and the mynas, especially the chicks, do not find refuge in the higher reaches of the trees.

Trapping of the Hill Myna chicks is carried out in large numbers during the summer months of May and June, by tribals like the Kharias, Mankadias, etc., who venture unnoticed deep into the forest. These birds are then sold off for only a paltry sums, ranging from between Rs 50 and Rs 100, to middlemen. However, these brids are then sold for anything in excess of Rs 5,000 in urban markets. Juvenile birds are being transported mostly by road, where they find their way to the bird markets of Kolkata like Bow Bazaar.