All I have to say, is... Warp speed on your final mission

Our Hero Kunwar Billy Arjan Singh is no more!

Billy Arjan Singh (15 August 1917-01 January 2010)
Dear Friends,
With great sorrow we learned of the demise of the revolutionary conservationist Billy Arjan Singh. A life totally dedicated to the greatest aspiration of the human race: the building of a better environmental world. His admirable life left behind a wealth of experience, knowledge and inspiration for the new generations so that they can carry on the fight for the tiger future of the whole world. It only remains for me to express my deepest admiration for this exemplary revolutionary. We salute his memory and his work for kheri's Jungles.
I and the people of my district want that dudhwa tiger reserve should be renamed as Billy Arjan Singh Tiger reserve, in memory of our great hero.
please read it
http://krishnakumarmishra.blogspot.com

Krishna Kumar Mishra
Wildlife Biologist & Nature Photographer 

Rare flower blooms in Kheri

Photo&Text by: Krishna Kumar Mishra

Rare flower blooms in Kheri

Amorphophallus  paeoniifolius (Amarphophallus= shapeless penis, paeoniifolius= peony like foliage)

The biggest and one of the rarest flowers in the world is blooming in Salempur village of Kheri district Uttar Pradesh India.

This flower is about 1.5 feet tall and will bloom for only 5-6 days before shedding its leaves. The flower emits an odor most frequently compared to that of rotting flesh. In India, which is home of the Amorphophallus paeoniifolius, the plant is known as the Elephant Yam or Khanta. One of the Earth’s most unusual plants- the Elephant Yam- is now in full flower in the Salempur village. The Flower of the Elephant Yam is a large purple knob with a scent like rotting flesh to attract its pollinators, carrion flies and beetles.  Amorphophallus paeoniifolius, the Elephant Yam, belongs to the Aroid family, Araceae. This family contains many plants recognized as having ornamental appeal such as Arum lilies, Monstera, A. titanium and Syngonium. The family is charecterised by its inflorescence, consisting of fleshy spike of small flowers(spadix) usually subtended by a large bract. Elephant Yam occurs through the tropics, from India to New Guinea and to Australia. The species was previously called Amorphophallus campanulatus.

This plant produces a single inflorescence followed by a solitary leaf. The plant is deciduous, dying back to a large underground corm, weighing up to 9 kg, after the growing season. Some people regard the inflorescence as bizarre. It comprises a large spadix crowned with a bulbous purple knob, encircled by a fleshy purple and green blotched spathe up to 50cm wide. On successful pollination of the female flowers the spadix can extend to 2 meter tall. The fresh inflorescence emits an odore reminiscent of rotting flesh to attract pollinating carrion flies and beetles.Some people regard the inflorescence as bizarre, they believe that the flower is the symbol of Lord Shiva’s phallus. The flowering of Zimikand or Elephant Yam, not usually seen in northern India, In a village has evoked lot of curiosity among people. Salempur, a village near lakhimpur city of kheri district India, has suddenly become a much visited place, thanks to  the great nature mother which has many uniqe biological phenomenon. The people started making a line to the place to see the plant. The inflorescence blossomed in the muddy, home premises of the villagers. The unusual feature of the flower is that its big phallus like flower emerged from the earth in the last week of the May, high temperature may be main cause to the flowering of this plant, I asked to the people of my district that they saw that flower in his life or not, They never seen it in his life, villagers said. It happens only after 9 to 12 year like Bamboo’s flowering.

A number of plants and flower symbol have a different significance from that which is generally given to them, we are all familiar with barely was the symbol of valva in ancient Rome, lotus is found throughout antiquity, in art as well as in religion, was a sexual symbol, representing to the ancients the combination of male and female sexual organs. It is another expression of the sex worship of that time.  In Salempur village the worship of phallic flower, it is the best example of phallicism in India, we can found the sex worship and symbolism of primitive tribes in our literature and sculptures.

The Earth’s smelliest flower has opened in the Kheri district. The bloom is attracting thousands of admires. It is the first time the flower, Elephant Yam, has bloomed in district Kheri, people and botanist said.

It smells like a dead animal.  The flower started to bloom at Salempur village, district kheri, Uttar Pradesh, India, at morning Wednesday when a village girl went his home’s premises where this beautiful and unusual flower has emerged from Soil, She started crying “what this is”! People gathered at place where this flower was bloomed, but they could not identified this phallus like flower, They felt it is the symbol of Lord Shiva and start worship of this big flower by flowers.

Amorphophallus is a big genus of some 170 tropical and subtropical tuberous herbaceous plants from the Araceae family. It belongs to a family where most of the members contain calcium oxalate crystals. This substance is toxic fresh and, if eaten, makes the mouth digging in to them. However, calicium oxalate is easily broken down either by thoroughly cooking the plant or by fully drying it and, in either of these states, it is safe to eat the plant. People with a tendency to rheumatism, arthritis, gout, kidney stones and hyperacidity should take especial caution if including this plant in their diet.

The flower are monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female but both sexes can be found on the same plant) are pollinated by flies.

Medical Uses

The root is carminative, restorative, stomachic and tonic. It is dried and used in the treatment of piles and dysentery, the fresh root acts as an acrid stimulant and expectorant. It is much use in our country in the treatment of acute rheumatism.

I found this beautiful flower every year since I discovered it in my district lakhimpur Kheri.

Krishna Kumar Mishra

77, Canal Road Shiv Colony Lakhimpur Kheri

Uttar Pradesh, India

Cellular-+91-9451925997

Two-Headed Viper Found in Kheri- This is a Siamese twins not evolution

Two-Headed Viper

Two-Headed Snake Found- This is a Siamese twins not evolution 

23-07-2006

The hypothesis of Sheshanaga (thousands of Heads in one snake) may be true……………………….

The two-headed Devils of myth may have a basis in reality. Two-headed snakes are rare but not unheard of, and one recently found in Mirpur village of Kheri district Uttar Pradesh India is giving me an opportunity to study how the anomaly affects their ability to hunt, forage and mate.

The snake in India, discovered in agricultural field near the village of Mirpur, is two or three month old deadly venomous Russell’s viper Daboia russelii. It is about twelve inches long. It’s probably lucky it was captured- its chances of surviving in the wild are nil but in the custody of villagers it is not possible because they have no any experience of animal rearing.

You may think about feeding, mating and hunting behavior of two-headed viper when the snake has two nervous systems in single body. Just observing them(two heads) feed, Often fighting over which head will swallow the prey, shows that feeding takes a good deal of time, during which they would be highly vulnerable to predators. They also have a great deal of difficulty deciding which direction to go, and if they had to respond to an attack quickly they would just not be capable of it.

The eggs of hen is the main food of this captured snake given by villagers, Eating is very slow due to fight of each head for seeking food.

And that's assuming that both heads are hungry at the same time, and both are interested in pursuing the same prey.

Even in captivity, there are problems. Snakes operate a good deal by smell, and if one head catches the scent of prey on the other's head, it will attack and try to swallow the second head. 

Two-headed snakes typically occur in the same way that Siamese twins do. A developing embryo begins to split into identical twins but then stops part way, leaving the twins joined. Among humans, 75 percent of conjoined twins are stillborn or die within 24 hours.

Each head of two headed snake would be highly individual because each head has its own brain with one spinal cord. It will be interesting how and whether the two heads cooperate in targeting and capturing prey, and what role two brains play in regulating hunger and mediating other behaviors.

The Russell’s viper belongs to order Squamata and family Viperinae, which is found in Asia throughout the Indian subcontinent, much of Southeast Asia, southern China and Taiwan. It is the senior member of the big four venomous snakes in India.

After reading the literature I found that the two-headed Russell’s Viper is not recorded in world, while other species of double headed snakes have been found in Honduras, USA, Sri Lanka, Argentina and Spain.

The two-headed snake of Kheri died on 27 July 2006 in the captivity of Villagers.

= Viper has thick body up to 5 feet long, head is large, flat, and covered with small scales, nostrils are lateral, eyes are far forwards, there is a sensory pit between the eyes and the nostril in some, pits are sensory organs with which the snake can detect its prey. The scales on the body are keeled. Tail is short and tapers abruptly. The Indian Russell’s viper has enlarged nostrils unlike other vipers, It is pale brown above with three longitudinal series of black rings, each ring is bordered with white, ventrally it is yellowish. Scales on the head are small and keeled. In viper the maxilla is small and bears long, movable fangs (poisonous teeth) with canals, the fangs are erected for biting and folded back against the roof of the mouth when not in use. Vipers are nocturnal, in biting it opens its mouth very wide and strikes like lightning, thursting its long fangs, the poison is deadly. Vipers are viviparous and are found in Indian subcontinent, other vipers have species in Europe, Africa and Asia.

Krishna Kumar Mishra

Wildlife Conservationist& nature Photographer

77 Canal Road Shiv Colony Lakhimpur Kheri-262701

Uttar Pradesh, India

Sareli Village: A Birds' Haven

Birds’ haven in Sareli village & their conservation by local communities in Kheri district


For nature lovers and ornithologist it may be interesting to know that the village with the highest Openbill stork (Anastomus oscitans) breeding colony in their respective district Kheri. The Sareli village is in Mitauli block of Kheri district. It is situated 40 Km. From district headquarter Lakhimpur on Maigalganj road. The area is good birds habitat and water is available in abundance are year round. As a result, in village the birds population are increase. Hunting is not a problem here because the villagers welcome and protect of this bird with the belief that they brings mansoon every year. Because Openbill stork population concentrated near water bodies in sareli village in the begining of monsoon. The birds arrived in this village in first week of June and their departure in last week of October every year. These birds are local migratory. Approximately there were 1000 birds nested every year. They prefers of nesting trees like Peepal, Bargad, Babool and Neem in there vicinity.
A total 265±25 nest of storks were counted in 2001, in 2006 there were 300 nests ,The storks prefers of the nesting tree were mostly Babool, Baniyan, Neem, Tamarind and eukalyptus in the village.
Before freedom, the wonderful matter of birds conservation in village Sareli a came head. At that time this village in undertaking of Mahmoodabad Estate (Riyasat), near about 1905 a Estate officer came in this village, who shot many birds with his gun. From this incidents the whole villagers was afraid. The chief of the village named Baldev Prasad beat the officer badly then the officer put up this case in the court. The case was heard at the disputed place.
It is said that when Baldev Prasad was asked that what is your possession upon these birds. He replied, that these birds are my tamed. How did I know that these are your tamed? The court officer said. Then a wonderful incident took place. Baldev Prasad called them all the birds came at once at that place where Baldev Prasad was standing and the case was dismissed.
Since then the conservation is given to the birds by his family generation to generation. It is a success story of bird conservation by local villagers participation.
There are 19 species of storks in the world. Out of which 8 species found in India, Openbill stork familly ciconiidae in which 17 living species are present. The Openbill stork of the genus anastomus, are widely distributed throughout the tropical region of Africa and Asia. The Openbill stork commonly called as Pahari Chiriya or Baktewta by the villagers.
This bird is a white with black in the wings tail. The legs and feets are dull flesh colour. The adult birds have gap between mandible (beak). The local in habitants are mostly agriculturist, agriculture is the main occupation, with wheat, rice and sugarcane being the main crop. One of the biggest pressure on birds is that of wood extraction of nesting trees both for timber and fuel wood. Some trees are common both inside and outside of village. With large groves of Tamarind, Kusums, Neem, Mango, Bamboo, growing in the cultivated areas. Peepal and Baniyan was once common but now scarce. The territorial and social forestry divisions of the forest division created plantation of Babool, Arjuna and Eucalyptus at both sides of the road and certain areas around the village.
Many wader birds species like Black-necked stork, wooly-necked stork and adjutant stork and Sarus crane that common in this region have now become rare due to wet land losses and hunting of the birds out side of the village.
These birds are also prevent to the diseases caused by helminiths,because these birds are mostally feed on snails which is the vector or intermediate host of Trematodes.The diseased caused by trematodes helminiths constitude trematodiasis some of the most common and wide spread diseased by trematodes like Schistosomiasis, Opisthorchiasis, Paragonimiasis, Fasciolopsiasis and Fascioliasis, Trematodes infection on the primary host sheep and second or intermediate host is a fress water snail.The sign of this disease is liver problem, diarrhea, listlessness, loss of appetite and convolution before death.
It (Liver Fluke) mainly affects the liver but it also causes hepatitis and inflammation in the bile ducts ,Due to this, The bile ducts become thickened which is followed by calcification and finally resulting in to the formation of gall stones.The domestic animal like sheep,pig and goats etc. gets the infection by grazing on marshy land and Human being is also infected when they eat fish and aquatic vegetation .
Storks feed on snails and can be usually employed in removing their population.
Here one good natural way of prevention is to protect and conserve openbill storks.
There are main threats of stork habitat is Encroachment of primary habitats (wetlands) of the Openbilled stork by expanding agricultural land ,residential also pose serious threat to the species in the village. Increasing commercial agricultural leads of the heavy use of harmful pesticides and causing adverse impact on feeding requirements of the birds. Destruction of eggs by Kites, Shikara and Rat-snakes. Some people of few particular casts indulge in poaching of the Openbill storks to the limited extent and stealing of its eggs to considerable extant. The biggest pressure on birds is that of wood extraction of nesting trees both for timber and fuel wood. There are unaware people to meaning of conservation. They are protect of this bird only behalf of ancestral possession.
I therefore recommended most urgently to the wild life division of the forest department Uttar Pradesh to give the village some protected status as soon possible.

Written by :-

Krishna Kumar Mishra
77, Shiv Colony, Canal Road,
Lakhimpur-Kheri-262701
Uttar Pradesh-INDIA
Ph. : (05872) 63571

Indian villagers kill park leopard

Indian villagers kill park leopard

BISWAJEET BANERJEE
Associated Press Writer
Indian villagers kill park leopard
LUCKNOW, India (AP) -- Irate villagers chased, shot and burned to death a 4-year-old leopard after it strayed into their area from a nearby north Indian tiger reserve, a forest official said Friday.

The villagers complained the leopard had killed five people in the past four months, as well as dogs and goats.

Wildlife reserve staff who had been on the animal's trail for the past three months spotted it earlier this week but were unsuccessful in trying to tranquilize it, senior forest official Kartik Kumar Singh told The Associated Press on Friday.

Nearly 3,000 villagers thwarted their efforts by pelting stones at the animal each time it was trapped in the bushes, Singh said.

"The villagers fired shots at the leopard and when the animal entered a hut they set it on fire," he said.

The leopard was burned to death Thursday near Dudhwa National Park, 155 miles southeast of Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh state, he said.

Leopards are considered an endangered animal in India.

Krishna Kumar Mishra, a wildlife biologist working for animal conservation, blamed forest officials for the loss of the leopard.

"We lost five human lives and a leopard due to the apathy of forest officials. The forest officials are neither trained nor equipped to tranquilize animals," he said.

Mishra said the number of leopards in Dudhwa National Park had dropped to half a dozen.

The Wildlife Protection Society of India estimated that 150 leopards were killed across the country in 2007.

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Krishna Kumar Mishra
+919451925997

Another Tiger died in road accident in kheri district

On February 8, 2008 I got an information about tiger death in murahana compartment of mailani range, Kheri district Uttar Pradesh India, I reached there with my friends and observed the situation, I found that the death cause of tiger may be road accident on Assam Road but I am not sure ...........!! The dead body of the tiger lied beside the road and it was the full grown male tiger, I never seen this type of beautiful heavy body tiger in my life before it. Now forest officials of south kheri forest department has been sent the body of tiger to the IVRI Bareilly for post mortem. There is no any official of Dudhwa Tiger Reserve and other responsible person of district administration because all civil officers have the power of assistant wildlife warden and it is their constitutional responsibility as a Indian national. We have lost our another national animal in road accident but do not any proposal or rules for speed control in and around the protected areas and reserve forests where our big cats and other wild animals still survive. High speed traffic is the violation of wildlife Act 1972 but no body think about it............!!



Krishna Kumar Mishra
+91-9451925997

Flower ?- An Unusual Natural Phenomenon

Monglis poisoned to death in Kheri district Uttar Pradesh.......!!

The Aniamal massacre at keshwapur-kalan, dhaurahara subdivision of kheri district uttar pradesh India..........!!!

"The Asian Age-

jackals died due to high toxic poison given by a villager who is the owner of jaggery unit owner. Basically jackals do not harmful for human They came here for feed upon waste byproduct of jaggery but the man who has the sinister evil gave poison intentionally to the innocent Jackals they died in and around jaggery unit (small sugar plant). when villagers found jackals dead bodies in their sugar-wheat field in every morning.........the incident exposed and forest department An FIR has been lodged against a jaggery unit owner,who is now absconding. Another bad incident took place here when the scavengers like dogs,kites, egyptian vulture, and house crow feed upon the poisonous flesh of Jackals they died too. The destruction of our Canis aureus indicus species and avian fauna in my district by the sinister who wear a skin of man..................!!! We have lost dozens of mongli here.......without any issue...............!!

Nearly 16 jackals have been found dead over the past two days in the
forests of Dharaura in Keshavpur Kala village of Lakhimpur Kheri district.
The jackals appeared to have been poisoned to death.
"It appears to be a case of poisoning. The jackals have consumed a byproduct
of jaggery, which contains traces of poison due to the presence
of a chemical called Dicolite which is used for purifying jaggery and can
be fatal if taken beyond a specified dose," said Mr K.K. Singh, a forest
official in the area.
Jackals in the area are usually seen feeding on the waste material that
comes from the jaggery mills in the area. "Though jackals are carnivores,
they feed on waste material when they do not get prey. It is possible
that they may have consumed some poisonous material," said Mr Singh.
Meanwhile, the carcasses have been sent for post-mortem and the
viscera are being sent to the Indian Veterinary Research Institute in
Bareilly and to a chemical laboratory in Pune for examination.
Local sources, however, do not rule out the possibility of the jackals
being deliberately poisoned to death by the local farmers. Jackals are
known to destroy the sugarcane and mustard crops in the region and the
damage is often extensive.
The state government, however, has taken a serious view of the jackal
deaths and minister of state for forests Fateh Bahadur Singh has directed
forest officials to find the culprits and put them behind bars.
The state government has also constituted a high-level committee to
probe the incident.
An FIR has been lodged against a jaggery unit owner, Santosh Kumar,
who is now absconding.
The Asian Age"

Krishna kumar Mishra

Tiger death in road accident in Baharaich district UP India

On December 4, 2007 a tiger was wounded on the road, probably hit by some heavy vehicle in village Nauniha in Kateraniaghat, Motipur range of wildlife division of Bahraich district of Uttar Pradesh. The villegers informed the wildlife authorities who reported very late and left the spot without any remedy under the excuse that they do not have tranquilizing expert with them and cannot touch the big cat, which was so badly hurt that it could not move even. The majestic cat was lying on the road groaning and weeping surrounded by a score of villagers. The tiger tried to hide himself from the crowd but in vain. The tranquilizer expert reached but could not do anything, even the first Aid, even after 30 hours of the incident.

Later on the tiger’s hind leg was tied in a rope and was dragged on the road to cage him but which gave a show to the present crowd under the guise of treatment. The illiterate crowd teased and mocked at the tiger which was groaning and bleeding. Later on the big cat was sent to Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) Bareilly. While on the way to IVRI Bareilly it was made known to the escorting party that the big cat was to be sent to Lucknow not Bareily. However when the Big cat reached Lucknow after 40 hours of the reported incident, it was reported to be brought dead.
In the fitness of the circumstances I have to submit as under-
That a wildlife veterinary doctor be posted at Dudhwa Tiger Reserve Lakhimpur Kheri.
That a Rescue centre for wildlife animals be established at Dudhwa Tiger Reserve for orphaned and injured wildlife animals
That one research officer be posted at Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, Kheri to Aid, advise and inform the updates to wildlife to the wildlife officials.
That disaster management cell (with equipments) be established at Dudhwa Tiger Reserve.
That an enquiry be instituted in the afore-mentioned ‘death’ of the majestic animal at the hands of wildlife officials of the range (area), Baharaich district, Uttar Pradesh.