Archives for March 2019

Orangutan is a Malay word meaning ”person of the forest.” Orangutans are long haired apes and somewhat orange-red colored primates that are found only in the islands, Sumatra and Borneo. They are highly intelligible creatures and are able to recognize themselves in a mirror. Some people believe that they can speak but choose not to, because of fear that they would be forced to work if they were ever caught talking. Currently these apes are categorized as critically endangered and their population is under constant decline.

Orangutan’s are very large, reaching up to 4 to 5 ft (1.2 to 1.5m) in height.

They can build different tools like sticks to dig insect nests and nests for themselves on trees.

They have 32 permanent teeth just like humans do.

They spend much of their time in trees in their tropical rain forest home.

Orangutans can make about 13 to 15 different kind of sounds.

Adult Orangutans weigh around 73 to 180 lbs.

They use large leaves as umbrellas to protect themselves from getting wet during rains.

The diet of an Orangutan consists of mainly fruits and leaves from rain forest trees. They also eat bark, insects, honey, meat and sometimes eggs on rare occasions. Sometimes they also eat soil and rock.

Orangutans can give birth only once in every eight years.

Orangutans have a life span of 30 to 40 years, though some have lived as long as 60 years in captivity.

Unfortunately human activities like deforestation and hunting has caused a huge decline in their population which has placed them under the threat of extinction.

Kittens are one of the most cute and adorable little things and it’s really fun to play with them. They are also more sociable than grown up cats and like to play and interact with their owners. Like all babies, kittens are also sensitive and delicate. They require special care and attention in the early part of their life. Here are some useful and interesting facts about kittens that could be helpful to people who own cats or plan to get one.

Kittens that are adopted at too young an age tend to bite more than those who spend the early 12-16 weeks with their mothers. So, it would be better to adopt kittens along with the mother.

Kittens are sensitive and can get sick easily. So, owners should get their kittens vaccinated and medicated. They should also visit a vet regularly.

Kittens need their mothers in the early weeks of their life.The mother’s milk is important for a proper and nutritious growth. It also contains essential antibodies that protects the kitten from infectious diseases.The mothers keep their babies warm because young kittens are unable to regulate body temperature.

As Infant kittens can’t regulate their body temperature, don’t bathe your kitten until it is at least 8 weeks old.And use only kitten-safe products for its cleaning. Adult cat or dog products could be toxic.

Keep them confined to a safe room and don’t let them wander off.They may get lost somewhere in your house. So keep them in one location until they are old enough to explore what’s outside.

Take care of hazards like electrical sockets, electrical cords, small toys or pieces of string which they might try to swallow.

Feed the kitten three or four small meals daily until the kitten is 6 months old. Kittens have tiny tummies and can’t eat a load of food at once.

Keep your kitten’s claws clipped so that it doesn’t scratch your skin or any other object.

And finally when they are old enough, let them wander outside and explore the world but make sure they have taken proper vaccines and medications and even when they’re outside, keep an eye on them and don’t let them go near a road where there is a lot of traffic.

Houbara Bustards are a species of large migratory birds found in parts of Asia, Middle East and Africa. The bird is most abundant in Central Asia and Pakistan. The main migration route of these birds is from Kazakhstan to Pakistan and vice versa.

The birds spend the summers in the Central Asian Republics, primarily in Kazakhstan.

During winters they migrate to arid or semi-arid regions, primarily to Pakistan.

The scientific name of the bird is Chlamydotis Undulata.

It’s also known as the African Houbara, in Africa.

They are about 55-65cm in length with a total width of 135-170m including the wings. Females are slightly taller than males.

The birds are brown in color, with black markings on their body.

Weight of these birds range from 1-2.5kg. Males are slightly heavier than females.

Female Houbaras lay eggs in quantities of 3-4. These eggs hatch about 24 days after being laid. The newly hatched birds take 35 days to completely develop their wings.

These birds are omnivores by nature and their diet mainly consists of small seedlings, insects, small snakes, birds and rodents.

They don’t drink water and get their water intake from their food.

Global population of the species is estimated to be somewhere between 50000-100000.

Houbaras are considered vulnerable to extinction because of excessive hunting by humans and urbanization of the habitat of these birds.

It is believed that after every 20 year period, population of this bird is decreased by 30-49%.

Houbaras are under significant threat by humans especially in Pakistan. Every year during the winter season hundreds and sometimes even thousands of the birds are hunted by Arab Sheikhs and Princes who visit Pakistan. Unless, hunting Houbaras isn’t completely banned and steps aren’t taken to conserve this species, the Houbara Bustard may become extinct very soon.