<< Golden cat, marbled cat, leopard cat, clouded leopard, common leopard and tiger were caught on 60 camera traps

The Royal Manas National Park (RMNP) covering 1,057sqkm has been named as a world’s hotspot for wild felids.

The presence of six species of wild felids – golden cat, marbled cat, leopard cat, clouded leopard, common leopard and tiger – and 28 other species of terrestrial mammals were confirmed through camera traps in the park’s 74sqkm area.

World Water Day is held annually on 22 March as a means of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.

It took a GPS tagged crane two hours to reach Kangmar County in Tibet from Phobjikha (Image: UWICE)

Around 2pm on February 27, Ugyen Wangchuck Institute of Conservation and Environment (UWICE) director in Bumthang received an email.

It was from Kangmar County under Shigatse province in Tibet.

What director Ngawang Norbu received on his Gmail account was sent from the backpacked global positioning system (GPS) tag of a black-necked crane, pet named Ugyenling that left Phobjikha in the morning of the same day.

World Wetlands Day was observed on 2 February 2013 in Thimphu by a small group of individuals who are registered members of Royal Society for Protection of Nature (RSPN). The day marks the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on 2^nd February 1971 in Iranian city of Ramsar. The Convention is more popularly known as Ramsar Convention. Currently there are 163 countries as the contracting party to the convention and Bhutan is 161^stmember of the convention with two Ramsar sites (Wetlands of International Importance).

An International Wetland Symposium (IWS): Safeguarding Wetlands; Securing Future was held in the beautiful city of Pokhara, Nepal, between 7- 10 November 2012. It was organized by the  Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation (MFSC)/Conservation and Sustainable Use of Wetlands in Nepal (CSUWN) in collaboration with International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC), WaterAid (WaterAid) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF). 

As the community of Phobjikha valley sheltered themselves in the confines of their warm houses escaping the cold morning and windy afternoon, the majestic Black-necked Cranes punctuated the frost laden wetlands of Phobjikha valley looking for cozy place to feed and play around. The arrival and departure of the cranes is very much the part and parcel of the lives of the locals.