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Joint-nation tiger census begins
India and Nepal set out to survey Bengal tigers

Officials in India and Nepal are beginning their first ever joint census to find an exact number of Royal bengal tigers living in the Terai Arc region, which spreads across the two countries.

The survey is set to take place in more than 12 wildlife reserves and forests in the 950 kilometre (600 mile) region that covers the Indian states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, and into southern Nepal.

According the the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), who is involved in the study, Terai Arc is home to one of the world's most dense tiger populations, with a current estimate of 500.

Led by the governments of both India and Nepal, the census will involve installing hundreds of camera traps that will allow forest and nature protection officials to identify each tiger.

The survey is also hoped to highlight the availability of prey, which will further assist with future conservation.

Megh Bahadur Pandey, the director general at Nepal's Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, explained that the use remote motion-sensitive cameras means no tiger will be counted twice.

"The same tiger trapped by a camera here on the Nepali side could cross over into India, but that tiger will be trapped by another camera there," he said.

India and Nepal's census comes as part of a large conservation strategy unveiled in 2010, which proposes to double the wild tiger population by 2022.

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Birmingham Dogs Home makes urgent appeal

News Story 1
 Birmingham Dogs Home has issued an urgent winter appeal as it faces more challenges over the Christmas period.

The rescue centre has seen a dramatic increase in dogs coming into its care, and is currently caring for over 200 dogs. With rising costs and dropping temperatures, the charity is calling for urgent support.

It costs the charity £6,000 per day to continue its work.

Fi Harrison, head of fundraising and communications, said: "It's heart-breaking for our team to see the conditions some dogs arrive in. We really are their last chance and hope of survival."

More information about the appeal can be found here. 

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News Shorts
Avian flu confirmed at premises in Cornwall

A case of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 has been detected in commercial poultry at a premises near Rosudgeon, Cornwall.

All poultry on the infected site will be humanely culled, and a 3km protection zone and 10km surveillance zone have been put in place. Poultry and other captive birds in the 3km protection zone must be housed.

The case is the second avian flu case confirmed in commercial poultry this month. The H5N5 strain was detected in a premises near Hornsea, East Riding of Yorkshire, in early November. Before then, the disease had not been confirmed in captive birds in England since February.

The UK chief veterinary officer has urged bird keepers to remain alert and practise robust biosecurity.

A map of the disease control zones can be found here.