Poaching of turtles and tortoises in India

According to media reports, 14 different species of turtle, tortoise are traded illegally in India. Turtles and tortoises are popular with poachers because they are easy to transport from one place to another , compared to fish and other animals which die easily . In the last 6 years, more than 60,000 turtles, mainly from the gangetic plains, were seized by the enforcement agencies
Red crowned roofed turtle is believed to have occult powers and is in demand in south east asia
The tortoises and turtles are poached for meat. They are also kept as pets, as they are believed to bring good luck to the pet owner.

There is often no money involved in the illegal trade of tortoises from India, Indians supply their turtles to Thailand and they get ornamental fish in return, These ornamental fish are then sold by the traders in the indian market for money

Dead snake in pipeline causes water shortage in Canacona, Goa

Many parts of goa remain rural, and there are a large number of snakes which are roaming around. The media reported that a dead snake resulted in a water shortage in Canacona, South Goa . The villagers were not getting any water, so they complained to water supply department
The water supply department said that there was no problem from their end as there was plenty of water
So the villagers continued to complain about the water shortage, so the water supply department employees went to check the tank and connecting pipe.
After investigating they found that there was a dead snake in the pipe connecting the storage tank to the water supply line
After removing the dead snake, water supply was restored
In small towns, there are far more reptile, animal related problems, compared to metro cities like Mumbai, and it can be expensive to deal with these problems, so a person living in a small town requires more money to deal with rats, frogs, cats and other animals

Rat snake found in Agra water treatment plant

The media reported that a rat snake was found in the Agra water treatment plant in May 2018. It was later caught by the wild life authorities. Many snakes are found in the area, as they are attracted towards the sand beds in the water treatment plant. There are many snakes in the river near the water treatment plant.

The rat snake is often confused with the more venomous indian cobra and killed because it is similar in appearance

Thin brown snake spotted at Lake view colony, panaji,goa near St Inez creek

It appears that there are a large number of snakes in Lake View colony and nearby areas, like the government quarters, and Fire Brigade at St Inez.

After a small snake, probably a sand boa or viper was spotted in March 2018, on 17 May 2018 at approximately 6 pm, the domain investor spotted a thin long brown snake near the road for entering Lake view colony. The snake appeared suddenly from the bushes at the side of the st inez creek, wriggled for some time and disappeared just as suddenly.

Compared to the snake spotted earlier it was a longer snake , and was fairly thin
Since it was visible for a very short period of time, no photo could be taken, it appeared to be a rat snake , was light brown in color
There are many homes less than 3 meters from the spot where the snake was spotted, it may enter their house
This is the third snake spotted by the domain investor in the last one year, a black krait was spotted behind the government quarters in June 2017

Surveillance used to mislead turtle owner, google competitor

One of the main problems faced by the google competitor due to the surveillance she is under since 2010, is that most people who she speaks to, are giving her wrong information.

for example she has a red eyed slider turtle who is always hungry. however the pet shop owners are misleading her and telling her that she should give them only one pellet of food at a time, when actually the turtle can consume at least 20-30 pellets at a time, and is always looking for more food

Now the turtle owner, finds that because of the wrong information provided by the pet shop owner, the turtle is also growing very slowly

Crocodile attacks in Andaman islands increase

Though the population and number of tourists visiting Andaman Islands has increased rapidly in the last few years, it is also reported that the number of crocodile attacks on humans in the Andaman Islands has increased.

Due to conservation efforts, the number of salt water crocodiles in the islands which has wild life reserves has increased and these crocodiles are often straying to the beaches which are used by the tourists and also others including migrant labor

In the last year, 6 people were killed in the island by the crocodiles, including one American lady tourist .Once the crocodile attacks the victim, it is very difficult to make the crocodile leave the victim

Media covers Olive ridley turtles, no news of red eyed slider turtles

The Olive ridley turtles are a protected species of turtles which come to beaches in Goa, Odissa and other places for nesting.
Other than leopards which enter residential and other areas and are trapped by forest department staff, no other animals get so much coverage in the indian mainstream media
Major newspapers are covering the news of how these turtles are spotted on the beach, the hatchlings making their way back to the beach, and other weather conditions harming the turtles
However though pet shops are selling turtle food, there is almost no news of the red eyed slider turtles in newspapers, magazines. It would be interesting to find why the mainstream media does not consider the red eyed turtles , relevant enough to be included in the news.

Turtles can climb out of containers

One of the reasons why most aquariums and containers for fish, turtle are made from glass or similar material is because the turtle can move out of any container, which is not large enough
They will simply overturn the container, and move out,
If they are kept on a small stool, they will also jump down and wander around as their shell will protect them. They are using their front legs to check if the area is safe for walking, however if they want to move out, they are willing to jump
It is very difficult to find a turtle who is wandering around, as they can blend with the floor, or may be hiding under the cupboard. There is a great risk that someone will stamp on them, injuring or killing them, when they are wandering around, so it is better to keep them safely.

Red eared slider turtle missing, allegedly stolen in panaji,goa

In keeping with the rising crime rate in panaji, goa, a red eared slider turtle which was purchased approximately 6 months ago is missing, allegedly stolen by the intelligence and security agencies in the area, who have entered the house using duplicate keys
The turtle was present on 19 March 2018, however on 20 March 2018 at around 4 pm the turtle has disappeared
The area in which the turtle was kept has been searched, however there is no sign of the turtle anywhere,
Usually if a fish dies, the dead fish will remain in the tank, however in this case there was no trace of the dead turtle, indicating that it has been stolen using duplicate keys.
Any information about the stolen red eared turtle, name, address of the person who has stolen the turtle will be appreciated. Reward will be offered for details of the turtle robber in panaji, goa with proof

Lizards more likely to get trapped in glue traps than mice

Glue traps are expensive and not easily available, yet they are the most effective way of catching mice and rats who are creating a havoc
However in goa, instead of catching the mice, the lizards and cockroaches are being caught glue traps
After a few lizards and cockroaches are caught in the glue trap, the glue trap cannot be used for catching the rats and mice. the mice and rats are very smart, and easily avoid or often escape from the glue trap.
When the lizard is caught in the glue trap, it remains alive for a few days. It is difficult to remove the lizard from the glue trap.

Snow corn snake

african pygmy mouse

grey rat snake