A treat for wild life lovers on World Environment Day

New Delhi, June 4 (UNI) Wildlife lovers and conservationists will be treated to exciting and thought-provoking films on the subjects close their heart on World Environment Day tomorrow.

The films will brought to them by TV channel Animal Planet throughout the day.

Why are so many plants and animals changing their age-old habits? Why are the sandhill cranes migrating from their temperate zones later than normal and returning earlier than expected? Why have the golden toad of Monteverdi and other species disappeared from the tropical rainforests of Costa Rica? To answers these questions and show viewers how they can contribute towards the cause of environment conservation, Animal Planet will present twelve engaging programmes from 12 noon to 12 midnight, a spokesperson of the channel here said.

Animals like tiger, panda and dolphin are in danger of extinction across the world. Under threat of fire, habitat destruction, hunting and poaching, environment changes, many other species are becoming endangered.

Highlighting tiger poaching in India, the channel will air an India-specific programme- Tiger Zero. Wildlife conservationist Valmik Thapar, the narrator of the programme will raise concern over the dwindling tiger population.

The programmes will raise issues like the vanishing population of polar bears, seals and penguins living in the Arctic region, as the temperature in the region has been rising by as much as one and a half degree centigrade per decade. The ice cover is reducing posing a threat to these animals.

Among the programmes to be aired is 'Warnings from he Wild' (1500hrs), which highlights the terrifying truth about global warming and its impact on species. By observing changing animal behaviour, scientists try to understand the ongoing global climatic and ecological changing conditions specially those resulting from the human influence in our environment.

Another programme is 'Elephant Rescue' (1300 hrs). It is about the daily joys and troubles of two extraordinary women who have put Thailand on the map of world elephant conservation. Soraida Salwala and Sangduen Chailert used all their money to open the Elephant Nature Park, which now houses more than 35 rescued elephants.

'Gorilla Gorilla'(1800 hrs) tells the story of a major project to create new gorilla groups by rescuing local orphaned African gorillas, and then by relocating young gorillas reared in England in their natural African habitat. Gorilla numbers worldwide have been decimated by man's greed and cruelty and environmental damage caused by incessant African wars, poaching and the rape of the landscape by big businesses.

The film 'This World: Tiger Traffic'(2300 hrs) follows American undercover agent-turned-conservationist Steve Galster and his men as they mastermind a sting to catch a prominent Korean animal dealer, discover a dead tigress in a sadistic snare and secretly film traders selling tiger bones and teeth in a Myanmar market.

The programme 'Tiger Zero'(2100 hrs) reveals the root cause behind India's tiger crisis.

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