Observations on tool use in captive lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus)

Lion-tailed macaques in Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Garden, Mysore, India were observed to use several tools (plastic piece, candy wrapper, leaf, vegetable leaf, egg-shell and coconut shell) to drink water from the pool. Here we report the simple multiple tool use in the species. The behaviour was first observed in an adult male. This male was confiscated and was probably hand-reared. It started using tools within a short period of introduction. After some time, the other captive monkeys also started to use multiple tools in a similar way to drink water. This may be an example of social learning

Fish Diversity in Huchharayanakere, Shikaripura, Shivamogga District, Karnataka, India

Fresh water wetlands are fragile ecosystems, which are fast deterioring and shrinking due to manmade activities. The fish composition of Huchharayanakere of Shikaripura was studied for a period of twelve months from January to December 2015. The icthyo-faunal diversity of this pond confirmed the occurrence of 13 species of fishes belonging to 5 families. The family Cyprinidae represented by 9 species. Families Anabantidae, Bagridae, Clupeidae and Notopteridae were represented by only a single species. Simultaneously the physico-chemical condition of the water body revealed that water quality is suitable for fish culture. The study of fish fauna of an aquatic body is useful for planning of fisheries development. The pond needs proper management and utilization of this fish wealth and sustainable steps to monitor and conserve the fish health. The present study revealed that Huchharayanakere of Shikaripura harbors wide varieties of fish with economic importance in local and global trade. The study will provide future strategies for development and fish conservation

Status and conservation of lion-tailed macaque and other arboreal mammals in tropical rainforests of Sringeri forest range, Western ghats, Karnataka, India

The lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus), an endangered primate species, was surveyed in the tropical rainforests of Sringeri in the state of Karnataka, south India. A total of 10 groups and a solitary adult male were found in approximately 90 square kilometers of rainforest. The other sympatric arboreal mammals found included common langurs, bonnet macaques and Malabar giant squirrels. The liontailed macaques are sympatric with other primates and giant squirrels in the undisturbed core areas. More towards the human habitations and disturbed areas, the lion-tailed macaques are absent and the forest is occupied by commensal species. The habitat features and the population structure indicate that this region is a potential area for maintaining a biologically viable population of lion-tailed macaques. However, a number of factors such as extraction of fuel wood, collection of minor forest produce, grazing by domestic livestock and plantation of commercial tree species are causing a serious threat to the habitat. The effect of habitat degradation on arboreal wildlife is discussed and the steps are suggested to minimize the effect of human disturbance on habitat

Male migration in lion-tailed macaques

Adult lion-tailed macaque males probably often migrate. Previous observations indicate the presence of solitary adult males in the forest and also the number of adult males in a group varying in repeated counts. This paper reports one fully documented case of a solitary male joining the study group. The resident male was first chased out and then allowed to reenter the group. One female conceived and delivered during the presence of migratory male. Almost all matings with that female were made by the migratory male. The other adult females in the group preferred the migratory male to the resident male in all social interactions including sexual present, approach, proximity, and grooming. The presence of two adult males resulted in a significant reduction in the frequency of social interactions among group members. The fact that the group females easily accepted the migratory male has significant implications for the management of this species inhabiting forest fragments

Faunal component in the diet of lion-tailed macaques

The paper reports the information on the faunal component in the diet of wild lion-tailed macaques. The faunal component accounts for about 19 per cent of the total diet. There is more intake of faunal items during the dry months from December to May when fruit availability is low, as compared to the wet months from June to November. The faunal intake at different times of the day and by different age-sex classes does not differ. Invertebrates constitute the largest portion of the faunal diet. The smaller animals are captured and eaten by all age-sex classes, whereas the larger vertebrates are usually caught and eaten by adult animals, especially males. The method of capturing the prey and the parts of the body eaten are reported

Towards Reforming Sri Lanka Railways: Insights from International Experience and Industry Expert Opinion

Growing of the automobile industry and the demand for personal car use and chronic financial deficits in the balance sheets of rail operators have significantly affected the rail industry deterioration since 1970. However, gradual rail reforms were carried out by many countries to eliminate financial and operational issues and to develop their rail transportation systems. Sri Lanka has more than 150 years of history in railway operations, yet it is still in a weak position in terms of the operational efficiency and the financial position. The main purpose of this paper is to explore the key issues and root causes for the operational and financial deficiencies of Sri Lanka Railways and identify the best reform model in the light of world rail reform experiences and rail industry experts’ opinion. A semi-structured questionnaire was employed to interview twelve railway industry experts. Content analysis, Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) Method, and Policy Delphi Method were the main analytical techniques employed in the study. The results of the analysis showed that the vertical separation of the ownership between rail service operation and rail infrastructure provision is suitable for Sri Lanka Railways and, given the existing operational and financial characteristics, the reform steps should mostly be designed as in the case of the German- Sweden hybrid model of rail reforms

Diversity studies on the endophytic fungi of Vitex negundo L

Abstract A total of 143 endophytic fungal isolates were recovered from 1350 bark, twig and leaf segments of Vitex negundo L. which has important traditional medicinal value in the Indian system of medicine. The isolates belonged to ascomycetes (24%), coelomycetes (21%), hyphomycetes (51%) and mycelia sterilia (4%) groups. Lasiodiplodia sp. was the dominant endophyte in all the plant parts. The endophytic taxa were identified on the basis of morphology and DNA sequence data. Twig samples harboured higher number of endophytic taxa than the bark and leaf tissues of V. negundo. Phylogenetic relationships of the endophytic fungi were estimated from the sequences of the ITS region. Our studies indicate that diverse endophytic genera are grouped into six clades with respective fungal endophytes grouped in separate clades

ES11MA110N OF GLOBAL WARMING DAMAGE COST DUE TO THE FOREST RRES IN THE IMBULPE DIVISIONAL SECRETARIAT DIVISION, 2003 IN SRI LANKA

The objective of the study was to estimate the global warming damage costs caused byman made catastrophic forest fires in the Imbulpe divisional secretariat division (23140ha), Balangoda electorate in the Ratnapura district in Sri Lanka in 2003. The climaticforest fires occur every year during the period June to mid October in this area, creatingnumerous environmental and socio-economic problems such as declining of water table,extinction of endemic flora and fauna species, loss of bio diversity and pollution of air,water, and land and occasionally rendering people homeless. Even though the gravity ofthose forest fires in this region every year was devastating, the majority of the researchersdid not take this aspect into their consideration.Hence to combat this menace the Sabaragamuwa University Centre for Environment andSustainable Development (SUCEDS) had launched a number of projects since 2000 andthe current study is one such project. To accomplish this task primary data (forest fireaffected land areas and types of forests) were collected by means of household surveysand land surveying techniques. In addition to that maps and previous reports pertainingto the area were used to obtain secondary data (land use types, population of that area,endemic plant species). Determination of the extent of burnt land of diverse types and theconsideration of catastrophic forest fires caused in the Imbulpe area were identified using1:50000 map. The estimation of the global warming damage cost of the burnt area wascarried out by carbon Sequestration value of the burnt forest in the Imbulpe area by theTurner's (1994) value of $20. This value has been suggested as the financial damagecaused by every ton of carbon released from burning tropical rain forests, whichcontributes the global warming. The estimated global warming damage costs based onlost carbon sequestration function was Rs. 126.5 millionFurther this research disclosed that the main reasons for such fires were fires set out forunknown reasons, fires to prepare fresh grazing land for cattle feeding, hunters also setfire to forests for poaching of wild animals, fires caused by butt-ends of cigarettes andfires set to clear virgin forests for agricultural purposes.