Mr. Negi has personally turned the barren land in the cold desert of Himachal Pradesh into a green oasis. (Source: YouTube) In 1977, the Government of India began an ambitious program to reduce the negative effects of desertification in the hot and cold deserts of this Asian country. Mr. Anand Dhawaj Negi was working in the finance department in charge of the Desert Development Program at the time and had seen millions of dollars spent with no real results. Whenever he asked the scientists and program officials about the results, the answer was always that they lacked the technology to grow any sustainable crops in harsh environments. desert . The son of a farmer himself, Negi was tired of excuses and took a leave of absence in 1999 to fix the problem himself. In 2003, he decided to quit his job to focus all of his energy on his growing desert oasis. Mr. Negi has personally turned the barren land in the cold desert of Himachal Pradesh into a green oasis just for everyone, especially the farmer struggling in the region, seeing desert reclamation as entirely possible. It was not an easy thing to do, but the former official knew what he had to do and had the ambition and patience to get through it. Mr. Negi’s first attempt failed as the seeds did not have enough water to grow. He overcame this first challenge by planting by contour, tilling the soil along a consistent height to capture rainwater and reduce soil erosion. At the same time he works with the local community to create irrigation canal The shallows channel runoff from glaciers about 25km away. After witnessing this process, the local irrigation department also began to cooperate. “The irrigation department supplies water to this area. Before that, water was not provided until before June. I connected to the Kuhls area and managed to get a water supply in April and May. When we did, the Irrigation Department also cooperated and ensured a regular water supply here,” Mr. Negi told Down to Earth. But water is just one of the challenges this frigid desert region poses. Sandy soil lacking nutrients is another problem. To provide enough nutrients for the crops he wanted to grow, Mr. Negi started a farm with about 300 Chigu goats and mixed their manure with earthworms to effectively double the nitrogen content of the soil. . This also helps the clover hectares he planted around the oasis to thrive. In the past, clover would fade away as new plants grew. It was the clover growing area that overcame the problem Mr. Negi had at first, a rodent attack. These species will come to eat the delicious plants, so the farmer must plant clover in the legume family around the more valuable crops. Because hares love clover, when there is an abundance of this plant, they don’t bother with other plants. Since starting his job in Himachal Pradesh, Mr. Negi has spent all his money experimenting with combining local farming techniques with more scientific farming methods. It’s a laborious process, but over time the tree mortality rate drops from about 85% to just 1%. After proving that valuable crops such as peas, potatoes, green beans, apples and apricots could be grown even in harsh desert environments, the former official began to focus on long-lasting greenery. years, as he considers them essential to combat climate change in the region. “My first priority here is reforestation. Fake acacia is the most planted. Then there are willows and wild apricots. As for fruit trees and other crops, including green beans, I planted them only as a model for people to replicate,” said Mr. Negi. With just the help of two volunteers, Mr. Anand Dhawaj Negi transformed a cold desert area of ​​more than 90 hectares into a green oasis, receiving praise from both locals and scientists. People come from far and wide to witness this real-life miracle, some buying Negi’s natural fertilizer to grow their own crops and others bringing their livestock to eat clover, the fodder for livestock. cattle are considered the best in the region. Mr. Anand Dhawaj Negi has turned a cold desert area of ​​more than 90 hectares into a green oasis. Sadly, Anand Dhawaj Negi, the desert healer, passed away last month at the age of 74 from a stroke. He will be remembered as a local hero and the green oasis project hopes to be preserved as a reminder that nothing is impossible. Negi’s family intends to continue his work, but has asked the government to take responsibility for the oasis and help the family in its conservation. Virender Sappa Negi, Mr. Negi’s wife, told The Better India news site: ‘Before he said goodbye to us, he planned to plant some evergreen or conifers such as pines and deciduous trees. We want to fulfill these last wishes of his. In addition, we want the state government to take responsibility for this oasis so that his work can inspire future generations.” Anand Dhawaj Negi has become one of the many Indian legends who devoted their lives to afforestation like Uttarakhan’s “Tree Man” or Aditya and Poonam Singh.

The prairie lynx is a wild cat that is distributed in Africa and possesses the longest legs, of any cat with similar body size. Grass lynx has the scientific name Leptailurus serval. This wild cat species distributed in Africa, was first described in 1776. Grass lynx has a heat cycle that lasts up to four days, and is usually at the time when kittens will be born just before the peak breeding period of local rodent populations. They can be born many litters a year, but usually only if the previous litter dies shortly after birth. The pregnancy cycle lasts 66-77 days and usually produces two kittens, although sometimes more. Kittens are born in dense vegetation or a cave left by a piggy bank. Otherwise they can give birth under a shrub. Grassland lynx has a slender body, medium size, weight from 9kg – 18kg. Grassland lynx can travel 3–4 km per night in search of food. The long legs (longest of all cats of the same body size) show their adaptations to the steppe lifestyle, helping them reach a top speed of 80 kilometers per hour, and large ears with hearing. Very good at allowing them to detect prey, even in the ground. They can jump 2–3 m high to catch birds in flight and can jump up to 3.6 m. They are effective predators with a success rate of up to 50%. Grass lynx has a small head, large ears, an outer coat colored from golden to dark yellow with black spots and stripes, and a short tail with black tops. In particular, the prairie lynx has the longest legs of any cat with similar body size. It is the long legs that help the grass lynx achieve a maximum speed of 80km / h while the large ears allow them to detect prey even in the ground. Grass lynx usually hunts rodents, they also feed on birds, hares, hyrax guinea pigs, reptiles, insects, fish and frogs. Kittens weigh about 250 g at birth, and have not opened their eyes at first, with gray fur. They open their eyes between 9 and 13 days old, and start eating solid foods after about a month. By about six months, they have fangs and begin to learn to hunt, and will leave their mother by about 12 months. They reach maturity between 12 and 25 months of age. Their average lifespan is about 10 years in the wild, and up to over 20 years in captivity. Grass lynx confronted with leopard Clashes between grass lynx and cheetahs caught on the lens of Gavin Newfield, visitors to the Pilanesberg nature reserve, South Africa, Latest Sightings on February 16 reported. While Newfield was engrossed in watching a wildebeest, his girlfriend spotted a lynx nearby and showed it to him. It seems to be in conflict with the cheetahs hunting about the territory. “Four cheetahs, a grassy wildcat and a wild gazelle are the best sight I’ve ever seen,” says Newfield. Before that, he and his girlfriend had never seen a grass lynx. In the video, the grass lynx, despite its smaller size, still tries to confront the leopard. It and the same leopard came out in the middle of the fighting street, while the rest of the leopard was located close by. “In the end, the grass lynx ran away from the territorial battle. Upon seeing the lynx’s action, the leopard also rushed in that direction. Both disappeared from sight. Meanwhile, the 3 predators remained. chasing the wildebeest again, causing the animal to run away, “Newfield said. Grass lynx (Leptailurus serval) is native to Africa. They are skilled hunters, often targeted at rodents, reptiles, birds, frogs, and insects. Grassland lynx rarely has to eat scavengers. They can jump high to catch prey or catch fish swimming in the water. Video of a prairie lynx confronting leopard: