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India’s secretive salamanders are losing their breeding grounds

Every monsoon in Darjeeling, the Himalayan salamander emerges to breed in seasonal wetlands. For nearly 90 minutes, males and females perform a slow courtship dance before laying eggs on semi-submerged vegetation, a ritual entirely dependent on fragile ponds known as pokhris.

But these wetlands are disappearing. Drained for housing and tourism, polluted by wastewater, and fragmented by roads, breeding habitats are shrinking fast. Even Jorepokhri — once declared India’s first salamander sanctuary — no longer supports the species after habitat alteration.

The West Bengal Forest Department is now attempting to restore and maintain these shrinking salamander habitats. New sanctuaries have been proposed, degraded ponds are being revived, and invasive plants are being cleared from key breeding sites.

#darjeeling #salamander #amphibians

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