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Time of India
18 hours ago
- General
- Time of India
Inside the wild: 5 real-life animal rivalries driven by survival
From a distance, nature seems calm. Trees sway, birds call, and animals move quietly across the land. But spend enough time observing, and a different story shows up. It's a world of competition– sometimes subtle, sometimes loud. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Animals don't fight because they're angry. They fight because they need something. A meal, a safe path, or maybe a place to drink water. And when two species want the same thing, someone eventually gives way. Here are a few wild rivalries that show how complicated sharing space in nature can be. Lions and Hyenas They don't get along– that much is clear. In the African savannah, they often end up in the same places at the same time, hunting or scavenging. Lions are heavier and stronger. But hyenas? They don't scare easily. They show up in groups, push their luck, and sometimes, even win. The fights can be brutal, but they're never personal. Just a fight over who gets to eat. Chimpanzees and Bonobos You won't find them competing in the same forest– but they're a fascinating comparison. Chimps live in tense, male-led groups where power struggles are constant. Bonobos are the opposite– more peaceful, more social, and led by females. Same DNA, different choices. Evolution took them down two very different roads. Wolves and Coyotes In North America, these two don't always get along. When their ranges overlap, wolves tend to dominate. They're bigger, and they stick together. Coyotes are smaller but flexible– they can live solo, in pairs, or in small packs. They'll shift their range or change their habits to avoid trouble. It's not always a fight– more of a cold war. Elephants and Rhinos No one expects these two to clash– but it happens, especially when water is scarce. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Elephants usually arrive in numbers and take over. Rhinos, more solitary, can get defensive fast. These confrontations aren't daily events, but as wild spaces shrink, they're happening more often than before. Komodo Dragons and Saltwater Crocodiles Two apex predators, one remote corner of Southeast Asia. They don't cross paths often, but when they do, it's a standoff between patience and power. Komodos bite and wait– their venom does the work. Crocodiles strike once– hard and fast. It's rare, but when it happens, neither gives up easily.
Hindustan Times
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Another overarching panel for Great Nicobar project
The Union ministry of environment forests and climate change (MoEFCC) set up a a new 'overarching committee' last year to will ensure the implementation of the report of the high powered committee appointed by it on instructions from the National Green Tribunal to review environmental clearance conditions for the Great Nicobar Holistic Development project that has not been made public for reasons of national security. The formation of the new committee has come to light only now. In annexures submitted by MoEFCC along with its affidavit to the NGT in Ashish Kothari Vs MoEFCC on July 5, the ministry said the overarching committee was formed to oversee smooth coordination between monitoring and implementing agencies for implementation of wildlife conservation plans and tribal welfare plans as per the environmental clearance and coastal regulation zone (CRZ) clearance for holistic development of Great Nicobar Island project. The overarching committee is headed by Chief Secretary, A & N Administration and its members include: Managing Director, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation Limited (ANIIDCO); Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, A & N Administration; Secretary (Tribal Welfare), A & N Administration; Director (Zoological Survey of India); Director (Botanical Survey of India); Director (Wildlife Institute of India); and Executive Director (GNI), ANIIDCO as the member secretary of the committee. Interestingly, the members are the same as the high powered committee except that the high powered committee also included Secretary, MoEFCC; and nominees from ministry of shipping and Niti Aayog. To be sure, environmentalists have pointed out that the disturbing pattern of people reviewing their own decisions continues. The high-powered committee set up by NGT comprised people who were essentially reviewing their own decisions. Now, an 'overarching committee' will comprise the same people ensuring the implementation of their own report. 'The (overarching) committee shall coordinate between the Project Proponent (ANIIDCO), institutions and departments of A&N Administration for resolving issues if any for implementation of wildlife conservation plans and tribal welfare plans as per the environment and CRZ clearance for holistic development of Great Nicobar Island project,' MoEFCC's office memo dated January 2, 2024 states. The memo is also part of the court filings. The members of the new committee met on March 4 and heard presentations from various research institutions on how they will be utilising funds made available for compliance of EC and CRZ conditions. The minutes indicate that most agencies are in very early stages of hiring staff, planning the interventions etc. For example, WII was provided ₹15.72 crores by the Centre for undertaking conservation plans for the leatherback turtles, Nicobar Megapode and Saltwater Crocodiles. WII said it would recruit staff by April ; ₹24.50 crores was released to Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History which said it would start hiring staff to draft conservation plans for bird hazard risk in relation to international airport being constructed; the coconut crab; endemic tree cavity nesting birds of Nicobar archipelago; and Nicobar Long-tailed Macaque. The Ministry of Home Affairs sanctioned ₹88.69 crores in December 2024 for the first year of implementation of various conservation plans. The ministry's high powered committee report which concluded that 'the rigor of environmental appraisal has ensured that adequate environmental safeguards have been incorporated in the general and specific conditions of EC...' The detailed report was submitted to NGT in a sealed cover along with other documents and the affidavit. NGT in its judgment dated April 3, 2023 constituted the high-powered committee headed by the secretary, MoEFCC, to revisit the environmental clearance granted by the ministry to the Great Nicobar township and area development and other infrastructure projects involving an area of 16,610 hectares in the ecologically fragile islands. The report of the high-powered committee (HPC) on the Great Nicobar mega infrastructure project has not been made public as it takes into account issues and facts related to the strategic, defence and national security of the country, the Union environment ministry told the Rajya Sabha last year. 'Why are there so many committees being formed but somehow their members are the same people who have facilitated, proposed or cleared the project? Further, the minutes of the meetings of monitoring committees are not being uploaded on ANIIDCO's website as mandated by the EC or in the case of the High Powered Committee the report is being kept confidential. Why is there so much secrecy around the project and who is ensuring accountability?' asked a researcher who is tracking the project. The Great Nicobar Holistic Development Project has four major components : an International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICCT); an international airport; a power plant; and a township. There is also a Trunk Infrastructure Road that will cut through Great Nicobar Island. The total cost is estimated at ₹81,800 crore. The Nicobar Islands fall in the Sundaland Biodiversity Hotspot and cover the western half of the Indonesian archipelago.
