About Bandipur Tiger Reserve (BTR):

• It is situated in the Mysore and Chamarajanagar revenue districts of southern Karnataka.
• It is located at the tri-junction area of the States of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala.
• Geographically, it is an “ecological confluence” of the Western and Eastern Ghats.
• It was once a hunting ground for the rulers of the neighbouring kingdom of Mysore.
• It is part of the larger Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, which is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• BTR is surrounded by:
  • Nagarahole Tiger Reserve (Tamil Nadu) in the North West (Kabini Reservoir separates the two).
  • Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (Tamil Nadu) in the South.
  • Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (Kerala) in the South West.
• Rivers: It is surrounded by River Kabini in its north and River Moyar in its south.
• Climate: Bandipur has a typical tropical climate with distinct wet and dry seasons.
• Flora:
  • It comprises diverse vegetation of dry deciduous to tropical mixed deciduous.
  • It includes rosewood, Indian kino tree, sandalwood, Indian laurel, clumping bamboo, and giant clumping bamboo, etc.
• Fauna:
  • It is a shelter for the largest population of wild Asian elephants in South Asia.
  • It comprises other mammals such as the Bengal tiger, gaur, sloth bear, golden jackal, dhole, and four-horned antelope, etc.

About Indian Mouse Deer:

• The Indian Mouse Deer, or Indian Spotted Chevrotain, is a species of even-toed ungulate belonging to the family Tragulidae.
• Scientific Name: Moschiola indica
• It is the smallest deer species found in India and is known for its elusive and shy nature.
• Distribution:
  • It is endemic to the Indian Subcontinent.
  • It is mainly found in peninsular India, with some old records from Nepal.
  • Sri Lanka has a separate species called the spotted chevrotain (Moschiola meminna).
  • Within India, it is commonly encountered in a number of forest areas along the Western Ghats, in the Eastern Ghats up to Orissa, and in the forests of central India.
• Features:
  • It is small, 25-30 cm at shoulder height, and weighs from two to four kg.
  • The fur color is dark brown with white underparts.
  • There are four or five light rows of white spots on the back.
  • Males of this species have tusk-like upper canines.
  • A unique feature of this group is that instead of a four-chambered stomach like in other ruminants, they have a three-chambered stomach.
  • Diet: It forages on the forest floor for fruits, roots, leaves, and herbs. It has occasionally been observed eating insects, crustaceans, and even small mammals.
  • Life Span: 8 to 12 years.
• Conservation Status:
  • IUCN: Least Concern

About INS Savitri :

• It is an indigenously built Offshore Patrol Vessel of the Indian Navy.
• It was built by Mazagon Dock Limited, Mumbai, and commissioned on 7 June 1990.
• It is under the Eastern Naval Command based at Visakhapatnam.
• The ship has wide-ranging operational roles, including aerial surveillance and in search & rescue roles.
• With a top speed of 15 knots (30 km/h), the ship boasts impressive features such as the 40×60 Bofors Gun and a helicopter deck capable of operating the Chetak helicopter.
• In the past, INS Savitri has been deployed for various expeditionary missions.
• It has taken part in patrols off the Maldives, Seychelles and Mauritius.

About Tanzania:

• It is an East African country situated just south of the Equator.
• It encompasses an area of approximately 945,087 sq.km.
• Bordering Countries:
  • It shares borders with eight countries: Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south.
  • The eastern border of Tanzania meets the Indian Ocean.
• Capital: Dar es Salaam (administrative captial), Dodoma (legislative capital).
• The separate states of Tanganyika and Zanzibar gained independence from Britain in the early 1960s and merged to form the United Republic of Tanzania in 1964.
• Form of Government: Presidential Republic
• Official Language: Kiswahili or Swahili, English
• Currency: Tanzanian shilling
• Climate type: Tropical, with a long dry season and two rainy seasons.
• Major lakes: Lake Victoria (the world's second-largest freshwater lake, shared with Uganda and Kenya) in the north, Lake Tanganyika in the west, and Lake Nyasa in the southwest.
• Highest Peak: Mount Kilimanjaro – Highest in Africa, and a dormant volcano
• Major rivers: Several rivers course through Tanzania, including the Great Ruaha, Rufiji, and Kagera rivers.
• Islands:
  • The country also includes a number of major islands and archipelagos.
  • The most significant are Zanzibar, Pemba, and Mafia, all located off the eastern coast in the Indian Ocean.

About Scrub Typhus:

• It is an infectious disease caused by bacteria called Orientia tsutsugamushi.
• It is transmitted through infected chiggers (young mites).
• Several factors, like vector abundance, climatic factors, exposures like farming and owning domestic animals, outdoor activities and sanitation, affect its prevalence.
• This disease is more prevalent in cooler months.
• It will not spread from person to person.
• Symptoms:
  • The symptoms typically include fever, headache, body ache, and sometimes a rash.
  • In severe cases, the infection can lead to respiratory distress, brain and lung inflammation, kidney failure, and multi-organ failure, ultimately resulting in death.
• Treatment:
  • It is treated with doxycycline, which is most effective when administered early.
  • There is no vaccine available for this disease.

Key Facts about Typhus Fever:

• Typhus (or typhus fever) is the name used for several different types of bacterial infections spread by bug bites that cause similar symptoms, like high fever and rash.
• These symptoms can be severe and lead to serious complications if left untreated.
• There are three types of illnesses commonly called typhus:
  • Epidemic Typhus: It is caused by Rickettsia prowazeki and it is spread to people through contact with infected body lice.
  • Scrub Typhus: It is caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi and spread by chiggers.
  • Murine Typhus: It is caused by Rickettsia typhi spread by fleas. It occurs in tropical and subtropical climates around the world.

About Cycad Plant:

• It is the palmlike woody gymnospermous plants.
• It is an ancient plant species that is believed to have coexisted with dinosaurs for over 300 million years.
• Habitat: They occupy a variety of habitats. Some are native to wet rainforests while others are from semidesert climates; others grow in grasslands or seasonally dry forests.
• Distribution: Tropical and subtropical latitudes in the Americas, Caribbean, sub-Saharan Africa, Madagascar, eastern India, China, Japan, southeast Asia, Oceania and Australia. 
• Features of Cycad Plant:
  • They are woody, long-lived, unisexual plants and have main roots thickened, fleshy and often tuberous.
  • They are distinguished by crowns of large pinnately compound leaves and by cones.
  • Cycads in general are fire-adapted, losing leaves to the blaze but soon restoring them in a growth flush.
  • Soil: They may be found growing in rich, organic soils, sand, or rock, in swampy soils or even in halophytic (salty) soils.
  • Cycads are long-lived, don’t reproduce frequently, and most populations are small, putting them at risk of extinction.
  • Threats:   Habitat conversion through agriculture or development, illegal removal of wild plants for horticultural collection, and climate change.

About Mussel:

• It is a bivalve mollusks belonging to the marine family Mytilidae and to the freshwater family Unionidae. 
• Distribution: They are most common in cool seas. Freshwater mussels known as naiads inhabit streams, lakes, and ponds over most of the world.
• Features of Mussel:
  • Appearance: Marine mussels are usually wedge-shaped or pear-shaped and range in size from about 5 to 15 centimetres. 
  • They may be smooth or ribbed and often have a hairy covering.
  • The shells of many species are dark blue or dark greenish brown on the outside; on the inside they are often pearly.
  • They attach themselves to solid objects or to one another by proteinaceous threads called byssus threads.
  • They often occur in dense clusters.
• Benefits of Mussels
  • Food Source: They are edible and considered nutritious, rich in protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and various vitamins and minerals.
  • Pearl Production: Freshwater mussels are used for pearl cultivation.
  • Ecological Role: These species are filter-feeding organisms that absorb a range of contaminants into their tissue, including invisible microplastics.
  • They have been used globally for decades as a barometer of marine pollution.

About River Umngot:

• It is popularly known as Dawki river which flows through the West Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya. 
• Origin: It originates from the Eastern Shillong Peak, which is located 1,800 m above sea level.
• The river builds up an innate boundary between two hills district of Meghalaya one being the Jaintia Hills and other being the Khasi hills.
• It is famous for its picturesque crystal-clear water.
• This surreal phenomenon has earned it the reputation of being the cleanest river in India.
• Umngot River is also known for the annual boat race in the month of March-April.
• It also helps in building a natural one of the international boundaries between India (Meghalaya) and Bangladesh.
• Transportation: The suspension bridge over the Dawki River on NH-40 was constructed way back in 1932 and it is one of the busiest bilateral trade routes between India and Bangladesh.

About Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS:

• It is the third known interstellar object from outside our solar system after 1I/ʻOumuamua(2017) and 2I/Borisov (2019).
• It has hyperbolic orbit and travels at 57–68 km/s speed relative to the Sun.
• It will exit the solar system permanently after a brief interaction with the Sun.
• This interstellar comet was first seen by a NASA-supported telescope in Rio Hurtado, Chile, which is part of the ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System) survey.
• Physical Characteristics of Comet 3I/ATLAS
  • 3I/ATLAS is confirmed to be an active comet, with a visible coma, a cloud of ice particles and dust surrounding the nucleus.
  • As it nears the Sun, it is expected to develop a tail, a characteristic cometary feature formed by solar heating.
  • Photometric analysis shows a reddish hue suggests the surface may be rich in complex organic compounds or water ice.
  • The nucleus is estimated to be 10–30 km wide.

What are interstellar Objects?

• These are celestial bodies that originate outside the solar system, and travel through it. These objects are not gravitationally bound to a star.
• They can come from other solar systems and be thrown into interstellar space (the area between the stars) due to collisions.
• The trajectory of these objects is basically open-ended hyperbolic orbit, where there is a perihelion point (closest to the Sun) but no aphelion.