Dear Reader,

The Special Intensive Revision of rolls by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in Bihar continues to raise hackles over the seeming irregularities in the electoral data. The Reporters’ Collective had last week written of how their investigations into the rolls in the Valmikinagar assembly constituency in Bihar had found more than 5,000 voter entries that were suspect.

Continuing their investigations, the grantee reports that they found over 80,000 voters with fake or erroneous addresses across the three Bihar assembly constituencies of Pipra, Bagaha, and Motihari. Data shows 3,590 addresses across the three constituencies with between 20 and 500 voters each, many of which were bogus or unverifiable. In Bagaha, nine addresses carried over 100 voters apiece, including one with 248 voters at a single house that did not exist. Motihari showed similar anomalies, with up to 294 voters tied to one false address. This, the story asserts, raises serious concerns about the authenticity of the rolls even as the elections in October-November are just two months away. This is despite the ECI’s assertion that rolls are in the draft stage and the process of revision will clean up the list.

Each year, a little more than a million birds from an estimated 109 species migrate to the hospitable habitat of Chilika Lake in eastern Odisha. Many of them are rare and endangered, and are put in peril by poachers, who descend seasonally on the region to trap and shoot them for the local meat industry. An effort by a conservation organisation began in the early 1990s to find unusual new protectors for the birds — the poachers themselves. The poachers turned conservationists spread awareness about the value of birds and urged them to take up other employment, centred around conservation practices in their villages. However, they gradually began migrating outside the state for work, finding it more lucrative.

Three decades later, the trend has reversed once again. Now, The Migration Story finds that hundreds of young men from former poaching families are back to taking up the role of eco-tourism guides at Chilika Lake, a new calling that has emerged with an influx of more ecologically-minded tourists. While some rely on fishing during off seasons, many work through the year as tourist guides, rigorously trained in local ecology, and spreading the joys of conservation.

In Madhya Pradesh too, it has been a happy augury for conservation, with the sighting in July of the elusive ‘Caracal’—a rare wild cat that had not been spotted in the state for twenty years, in the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary in Mandsaur. It was long believed by ecologists that the Caracal habitat was not viable in Madhya Pradesh because of the state’s fragmented landscapes with high human presence. The sighting raises hopes that the state might yet be able to host a population of this critically endangered carnivore, which is part of a list of 22 species on India's Species Recovery Plan.

A month after the sighting, Ground Report speaks to wildlife scientists and biologists to understand its importance and the way forward. Though experts sound caution on reading too much into the sighting of a lone individual Caracal, they see it as an encouraging sign for habitat revival.

On August 11, 2025, the Supreme Court, acting suo motu, directed that all stray dogs in Delhi-NCR be captured and shifted to shelters within eight weeks, citing rising safety concerns. The move triggered sharp criticism from civic bodies, experts, and animal welfare groups, who argued that the region lacks adequate shelters and resources, making mass relocation infeasible. They warned of health risks, high costs, and violations of animal rights, stressing the need for sterilisation and vaccination instead. On August 14, a three-judge Bench heard applications seeking a stay on the order and has reserved its decision. Supreme Court Observer analyses why the order goes against the grain and examines its implications.

For more such stories from the grantees this week, please read on.

Warmly,

Sunil Rajshekhar
IPSMF