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  Mike Pandey
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HINDUSTAN TIMES - HT NEXT

Edition :  New Delhi

Date : September 5, 2005

Thanks to Mike, horseshoe crab may find a safe haven
Monica Sood I NEW DELHI, September 5

Fact Box

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The horseshoe crab is hunted not for food but for its shell. Its shell is crushed and painted on side of boats to prevent barnacles from sticking to boats.
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Research has shown that the crab can provide cure for burns, typhoid, meningitis and even AIDS.
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Habitat loss is one of the main reasons of its dwindling population.

 have been included in Schedule I of the Act, but for its research and medicinal significance. Schedule IV would enable scientists and researchers to probe into the crab’s vast research possibilities. “The crab is one of the most resilient creatures known to man and we have just started to unravel some of its mysteries,” he said.

             In India, research on the crab is being carried at the Indian Institute of Oceanography, Goa, and at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Pune.

FINALLY THERE is some hope for the beleaguered horseshoe crab. After nearly 562 million years of existence on the planet – hunted for its shell, its blood and out of plain ignorance – the crab may actually find sanctuary in India.

            If it does, it will owe its gratitude to none other than renowned wildlife conservationist Mike Pandey. Worried about the fate of these mysterious creatures of the sea, his son, Gautam Pandey along with cousin Arjun Pandey, made a film Timeless Traveller on this endangered species.

          The documentary highlights the plight of the horseshoe crab India, particularly the Balsore area in coastal Orissa. The documentary won the young duo awards at Albert, france earlier this year at the International Film Festival on Wildlife, under the categories of best film for conservation of wildlife and best film for conservation of aquatic life.

          Feeling that awards alone cannot save the crab, Mike Pandey screened the movie in the presence of eminent politicians and activists. His tenacity bore fruit and Union minister for science and technology, Kapil Sibal, recently announced that he would write to the ministry of forest and environment requesting that the crab be included in Schedule IV of the 2973 wildlife Protection Act.

           According to Mike Pandey, the crab, numbering only about 2,000 in India, could

 
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