Taxidermy provides a means of preserving the external appearance of animal specimens for museum display, anatomical teaching and wildlife education. This descriptive report documents the preparation of a single Indian grey mongoose (Urva edwardsii) that died following a road accident on the campus of Assam Veterinary and Fishery University, Khanapara, Guwahati, Assam. The carcass was received by the Department of Veterinary Anatomy and Histology for preparation as an educational specimen. A mid-ventral incision was used to separate the skin, with particular care taken around the head and limbs. Body dimensions were recorded to guide the construction of an artificial form. The procedure included cleaning the skin, immersing it for three days in a solution containing two litres of water, 75 g of salt and 50 g of alum, and shade-drying it. The original preparation also recorded the application of arsenical soap. The treated skin was positioned over a supporting form made from foam and wood wool, stitched, and arranged using wire supports. Artificial eyes and a display base completed the mount. The finished specimen retained a recognisable external body outline and provided a three-dimensional teaching resource. However, neither long-term preservation performance nor educational outcomes were measured. The use of protected wildlife and hazardous preservatives requires appropriate legal authorisation and chemical-safety controls.
The swine industry plays a major role in livestock production and contributes to food security in the Philippines, but its recovery is constrained by animal diseases, production barriers, reproductive inefficiencies, and difficulties in applying reproductive technologies. This review examines the relevance of semen analysis to swine reproduction and industry recovery. This review focuses on Western Visayas, an important hog-producing region comprising Iloilo, Antique, Aklan, Capiz, and Guimaras. Statistics from the Philippine Statistics Authority indicate that Western Visayas produced 57,112.81 metric tonnes of hogs in 2025. Preliminary data for the second quarter of 2026 indicate a 40.1% increase in production compared with the corresponding quarter of the previous year. Nevertheless, sustained production requires attention to herd health and biosecurity, alongside improvements in reproductive efficiency and genetic quality. Artificial insemination is an important component of modern pig breeding, and boar semen quality influences the effective dissemination of selected genetics. Conventional semen-evaluation methods, including the assessment of volume, colour, concentration, motility, and morphology, remain important but do not fully characterise sperm function. Computer-assisted semen analysis, flow cytometry, assessments of membrane and acrosome integrity, mitochondrial function, oxidative stress, and sperm DNA integrity provide additional information that may guide semen-quality management. Emerging methods, including proteomics, metabolomics, seminal plasma biomarkers, extracellular-vesicle analysis, artificial intelligence, microfluidics, and portable semen analysers, may improve the accuracy and accessibility of semen assessment. The review also considers factors influencing boar semen quality, including genetics, age, nutrition, management, heat stress, and bacterial contamination. Particular attention is given to tropical climatic conditions and their relevance to regional semen production. A regional reproductive-biotechnology programme is proposed, incorporating boar selection, semen-quality evaluation units, and artificial insemination. Proposed research priorities include establishing a local semen-quality database, investigating infertility, assessing heat stress, and improving semen preservation under local climatic conditions. The review concludes that strengthening semen-analysis capacity may support effective swine reproductive management and regional production initiatives involving artificial insemination.
Birds are important components of forest ecosystems. They contribute to seed dispersal, pollination, insect population control, and ecological balance. The present study was conducted to document the avifaunal diversity of the ‘Oxygen Zone’ mini-forest area, Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh, India, from June 2022 to May 2024. Fortnightly surveys were conducted using point-count observations and transect-based searches. Bird observations were made mainly during the morning and evening hours, when bird activity was generally high. Binoculars and a Canon EOS 1300D DSLR camera with a 250-mm lens were used for observation and photography. The checklist recorded 82 bird species belonging to 12 orders and 40 families. Passeriformes was the most represented order, comprising 50 species. Species were identified using standard ornithological field guides and online bird resources. The findings provide a baseline record of bird diversity in this forest patch and contribute to the limited site-specific information available for Rajnandgaon. Regional studies from other parts of Chhattisgarh demonstrate the value of local checklists for documenting bird communities and supporting conservation planning (Arjun et al., 2023; Bharos et al., 2023). Continued monitoring and protection of vegetation, nesting sites, and feeding areas are recommended to maintain the avifaunal diversity of Oxygen Zone Forest.
Background: The near-threatened Indian featherback Chitala chitala is a riverine fish of ecological and fisheries importance. Local descriptions of its external characteristics and stomach contents may support habitat-specific biological research, provided dietary measurements are interpreted as observational rather than causal evidence. Methods: The study summarised 148 Chitala chitala specimens associated with ten named localities in the Bhagirathi-Hooghly system during the stated interval from March 2025 to March 2026. Morphometric means and dispersions, thirteen stomach-content categories, gastrosomatic index (GI), and gut-fullness scores were examined as descriptive summaries across four seasonal groups. Collection methods included direct fishing and acquisition through local fishers and landing facilities. Results: Fish remains accounted for 31%, 19%, 32%, and 20% of the seasonal stomach-content composition in the pre-monsoon, monsoon, post-monsoon, and winter groups, respectively. Insects accounted for 15%, 17%, 13%, and 18%, while crustaceans comprised 12%, 14%, 9%, and 13%. All thirteen categories summed to 100% in each seasonal panel. The largest illustrated GI values occurred at Gadiara mouth, while the feeding-index summaries included 75% at Barrackpore during the monsoon and 71% at Katwa during the post-monsoon. Individual-stomach denominators and site-season variability were not specified. Conclusions: The observations are consistent with substantial consumption of animal-origin food items and seasonal variation in the recorded gut assemblage. They do not establish prey selectivity, reproductive investment, population trends, or demonstrated aquaculture performance. Reproducible station-by-season sampling and validated morphometric records are needed before stronger ecological comparisons can be made.
A field experiment at Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Dhule, Maharashtra, India, during the 2025–2026 rabi season compared seven pest-management treatments with an untreated control for diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella) on cauliflower. The experiment followed a randomised block design with three replications. Spinetoram 11.7% SC, emamectin benzoate–lufenuron, spinosad 45% SC, emamectin benzoate 5% SG, Beauveria bassiana, Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki, and azadirachtin were evaluated following two applications. Larval abundance was recorded before treatment and at 3, 7, and 14 days after each application. Across the six post-application assessments, spinetoram had the lowest mean abundance (1.12 larvae per curd), followed by emamectin benzoate–lufenuron (1.25) and spinosad (1.38); the untreated control averaged 5.82 larvae per curd. Among the three biorational preparations, B. thuringiensis var. kurstaki had the lowest mean larval abundance (2.48 larvae per curd). Reported marketable yield was numerically highest with spinetoram (180.24 q/ha), compared with 80.24 q/ha in the untreated control. These findings indicate differences in observed field performance at the study site and during the study season. Their applicability to other seasons, locations, and pest populations remains to be established.
