Some lesser known fact about insects killed by pesticides

There are no pests, no weeds, in nature. There are beings who get in the way of humans ..

Once, India worshipped and respected animals

Goats: The brightest ungulates on earth

The business of vegan hotels and retreats

Fish won’t save you, but beans and berries might

Every few years a company's marketing strategy becomes a hit and a new “superfood” is born. Currently, it is Macha ..

Why do you buy products that are tested on animals?

When you buy German cars you have given your consent to them for all the monkeys and humans they have maimed and killed. It has now ..

The absorbing lives of frogs

While frog populations are disappearing, we discover new species just in time to see what magical creatures we are losing. Nothing ..

Animals and methane emissions

An interesting scientific experiment took place last year. Two reasons. One is because it is about the air expelled from the anuses ..

Dogs' day out

I am in Argentina for a few days to attend a Child Labour Conference. Buenos Aires has wide roads, green trees which are almost the ..

Ethical aspects of poultry farming

One of the most important reports to come out in the last few years is the August 2017 CSIR -NEERI report on poultry farms in India ..

'Vegetarian Course' in hotel management

A few months ago, a friend of mine said that his son wanted to do hotel management but he was not going to allow him since he didn’t ..

The plight of bulls

I feel so sorry for the magnificent animal that is the bull. I was at a banking mela organised by the local administration in Alwar ..

Why are bees important?

Last week I received a frantic email from a teacher in Puducherry. The school principal had decided to remove all the beehives on the ..

Importance of preserving native cattle breeds

The White Revolution was launched in 1970, with a view to making India milk sufficient. It made India into the world's largest ..

China's craze for fish bladder may wipe out rare species

The trouble with China’s new found wealth and middle class is that they are not only eating every animal and fish in their own ..

Treating yeast infection in dogs

Last week I brought a dog, called Sweeney, home from my hospital Sanjay Gandhi Animal Care Centre. She had been thrown there by a family ..

The dangers of farmed fish

Now that the agriculture ministry has announced that it is putting a huge emphasis on commercial fish production, you should know what ..

Diet and prevention of chronic diseases

In India, we are still in awe of scientists, doctors and researchers. In a way I am glad, because Physicians Committee for Responsible ..

Why Jains oppose ban on use of peacock feathers?

It is extraordinary that a religion claiming to be completely based on ahimsa should be the reason for the extinction of our national ..

Nation hounours young achievers

New Delhi: The President Pranab Mukherjee gave away awards to children for their outstanding achievements on the occasion of Children’s ..

Artificial Food Dyes

Since the colour of food influences consumers, many food manufacturers use dyes in foods ranging from meat and candies to wine. The ..

Rape happens in animal kingdom too

In male humans, rape is hardly ever about sexual attraction. It is usually about finding someone physically weaker and more vulnerable ..

Ants and Humans are more similar than you think

When I started writing about animals, I thought I wrote to educate people so that they would become kinder and more scientific. Now ..

The wonderful world of Parasites

One of the most disturbing movies I have seen was in 1975 – a virus comes through the water system of a building and turns everyone ..

The bizarre world of animal reproduction

There is only one purpose to all life – to reproduce itself. This cosmic order has been given to every cell in every being. It ..

Animal intelligence

Birds in tropical climates face predators- larger birds, mammals and snakes- who rob their nests, stealing eggs or killing chicks. ..

The life that lives on us

I think it is possible that what we see as the Universe could simply be a collection of blood cells floating in plasma/ether inside ..

Bacteria are everywhere!

My favourite Zen story is when a question is asked of a Zen monk – ‘‘A house is on fire. What is the most important ..

The menace of insect smuggling

There is a type of “tourist” who comes to India to steal our treasures. Not the same one who takes away old statues from ..

Mosquito matters

When you spend a weekend watching Hollywood horror movies based on mosquitoes – ‘Mosquito Man’, ‘Skeeter’, ..

The need for good veterinary practices

I am really sad that Dr. Sanjeev Balyan has been moved out of the Animal Husbandry department which he headed as MOS Agriculture for ..

Magnificent Animals

Twenty five years ago I wrote a quiz book called Wise and Wonderful published by Rupa. The idea was to get people familiar with the ..

Why don’t the police stop using horses?

Shaktimaan, the police horse, will probably be the deciding factor in the Uttarakhand elections. NO matter how much Ganesh Joshi protests, ..

Disgusting things in your food

How many disgusting things do you eat in your food that you are not aware of? Let’s list a few based on dead insects, animal ..

"Dog menace" and "Monkey menace": Some facts

I hate press conferences. I always manage to talk myself into controversy. The problem is that I am always trying to think of better ..

Animals with amazing powers

If you meditate properly, over a period of time you can develop parts of your brain to do things that normal people can’t do: ..

Humans are naturally herbivores

Why are we so sick? Why are 40% of the planet’s humans obese, which is an allergic reaction of the body? Why are so many millions ..

Stop Animal abuse

The police need to take animal abuse seriously. Every survey done by crime squads across the world shows that animal abuse is directly ..

The ugly truths behind pigeon racing

Last week the administration of Agra banned pigeon racing in the district. The administration of Lucknow followed soon after. These ..

Take what the world offers freely and naturally

Sikhs for some strange reason pride themselves on their meat eating habits. According to them carnivorism is allowed by the religion ..

A few tricks to keep animals out of your farm…

I have a vegetable garden. The monkeys take my brinjals, the parakeets take the chillies, the moles take the cauliflower, leaf curl ..

Ants - super pest controllers

Sooner or later the world is going to have to stop using chemical pesticides. The statistics in India WHO says cancer shows an increase ..

How safe is the milk you consume?

Last month a municipal gaushala in Patiala fed its cows the normal green fodder. 39 died within a few hours. A mob gathered and the ..

How smarter are the dogs?

Thousands of animals were killed at a food festival in China. It outraged the world, even those people that eat every other animal ..

How camels keep our borders safe...

In 1965 after the first Indo Pakistan war, when the Pakistan Army ingressed through the Rann of Kutch, the Indian Government decided ..

The hardest working members of animal kingdom

While humans get a choice, of having to work hard or not, to survive, most animals have no option but to toil if they are to survive ..

Change the world for the good by making travel choices

Many years ago, the Jain and Gujarati community in Mumbai controlled the stock market to a large extent. They entered into an informal ..

Vets need to rediscover their original mission

Once a week I get an application from a fresh veterinary doctor to join my hospital / shelter. They come completely raw, unable to ..