The Sarus crane is the world's
tallest flying bird; a large male may stand six feet tall. There are three
recognized subspecies of the sarus crane. The Indian sarus cranes live, as their
name implies, predominately in Asia's subcontinent. In areas dominated by the
Hindu religion, the Indian sarus suffers little persecution. They have, as a
result, lost much of their fear of humans and often nest in rice paddies where
they are regarded as omens for good crops, especially in India.
Eastern
sarus cranes were once abundant in Southeast Asia, but after decades of war they
are missing from most of their former range. The few that remain nest in
Cambodia in small wetlands surrounded by dry forest, but migrate to Viet Nam's
lower Mekong Delta to winter at the Tram Chim National Reserve. There is a
smaller non-migratory population, discovered by ICF staff in 1996, that lives in
Myanmar's Irrawaddy delta. The third subspecies is the Australian sarus crane.
HabitatNorthern and central India, southeastern Pakistan,
southern Myanmar, Cambodia, southern Laos, Viet Nam, and northern Australia. The
Philippine population of sarus cranes is probably extinct.
StatusDespite cultural and religious protections, sarus
cranes are vulnerable in most areas. Roughly 8,000 to 10,000 Indian sarus
remain, though the population is declining due to the loss of wetlands and
increasing amounts of pollution as the human population continues to grow. The
greatest concentration of Indian sarus cranes occur where land use practices
have changed little
from
traditional patterns. Some fear that the whole wetland food web on which sarus
cranes depend may be under stress as pesticides and fertilizers become more
widespread in the subcontinent's rural areas. Even in India's Keoladeo National
Park, the number of sarus nests has decreased since the early 1980s.
The
Eastern sarus population in Southeast Asia is estimated at 500 to 1,500 birds.
This subspecies is subject to hunting, pollution, warfare, heavy use of
pesticides, and development of the Mekong River. A rapidly growing human
population threatens to overwhelm areas that these cranes rely on. There is also
trade in and hunting of both chicks and adult birds in some areas.
Siberian Cranes (Grus leucogeranus), the subspecific population
that breeds in central Siberia.
Black-necked Cranes (Grus
nigricoilis)
The Sambar ( Cervus unicolour ) is the largest deer found in our forests. It is in fact the largest deer in the whole of South- East Asia. It is a handsome animal standing 48 to 56 inches at the shoulder. It reaches a length of 6 to 7 feet and posses a 12-inch tail. It has a winter coat ranging from grey brown to dark brown and sometimes almost black in colour. The winter coat molts into a summer coat of brown to chestnut brown. Its rump, the underside of its tail and the inner side of its legs are light to rusty brown in colour. The tip of its tail is black and the base and back of its ears are whitish. It has an unkept ruff of hair around its neck. The sambar starts acyiring its winter coat sometime in October and is in full possession of it by December. The molt into its summer coat is completed by May.
The gaur ( Bos gaurus) is the largest of the wild cattle found in India. It is an impressive animal standing 64 to 72 inches in its stockings. The gaur reaches a length of 11 to 12 feet, which includes about 3 feet of tail. Bull can weigh upto 800 kilos. 
see
this important animal and it will help the diffusion of local culture or
production to the external national or international visitor.
Mating season is August to
October and March to April. Male buck performs proud heads-up displays (nose up
and horns parallel to the back) to attract the attention of female does. Male
engages in rutting behavior throughout the whole year. The rut consists of
fighting and sparring between males with their horns. The spiral shape of horns
automatically locks the horns together so rarely do the animals get hurt. The
bucks do this as a form of play as well as to assert dominance and breeding
privileges.
The Brow-antlered Deer (Cervus eldi) of Manipur (northeast India), or Sangai, or
Thamin. 
The illegal trade in wildlife is a global issue. From animal parts like tiger
bones and musk glands to live reptiles, birds and ivory, poachers and smugglers
illegally poach and traffic a variety of wild plants and animal species. The two
major categories of traded items are live specimens of wildlife species and
products derived from wildlife species. The wildlife products mostly traded
illegally from the country are musk, ivory, rhino horns, tiger and leopard
skins, pet trade and feather for decoration; turtles for meat and soups and
Tibetan antelope for shawls. About 250 native species are trapped in India and
traded mainly for pet, food, zoo, medicine, black magic falconry and taxidermy.
Millions of birds are caged for trade of which two thirds die during capture or
during transportation
