Latest news with #VNC
Time of India
12 hours ago
- General
- Time of India
Croc, Croc! Charotar Wetlands Witness Jaw-Dropping Rise
Vadodara: Decades ago, this Central Gujarat region earned global fame as the cradle of the 'White Revolution', turning milk-deficient India into a net producer. Now, the NRI-rich villages surrounding India's 'Milk City', Anand, are quietly nurturing a different success story—one that has nothing to do with milk. In a remarkable turnaround, these lush green hamlets have become a beacon of crocodile conservation, with the reptile population rising from just 130 to nearly 550 in 10 years. Just as the country is celebrating 50 years of Project Crocodile, a pioneering initiative that pulled its crocodile species back from the edge of extinction, wetlands in the Charotar region, comprising Anand and Kheda districts, have emerged as the safest haven for these reptiles. The summer 2025 mugger crocodile population count, the latest crocodile count carried out by Vallabh Vidyanagar-based Voluntary Nature Conservancy (VNC), revealed a total of 549 muggers in 42 water bodies across 25 villages of Anand and Kheda. "This has reaffirmed Charotar's status as one of India's unique crocodile landscapes outside the protected areas," said Anirudh Vasava, Executive Director of VNC and member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission (SSC) Crocodile Specialist Group. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với mức chênh lệch giá thấp nhất IC Markets Đăng ký Undo "Fifty years ago, crocodiles were confined to a few shrinking habitats. Today, they live in canals, ponds, and rivers that run through our villages and fields," he said. Crocodile expert Dr Raju Vyas, the India Regional Vice-Chair and member of the IUCN SSC Crocodile Specialist Group, explained: "Charotar stands out as a unique example in crocodile conservation which is nowhere found in the world. It is facilitated by local culture and people's tolerance level." "Since the lakes in these villages are sprawling, the crocodiles get suitable nesting areas, refuge places to hide, and undisturbed habitats which in turn facilitates their healthy population," said Vasava. Also, these lakes are given on lease to the fishermen, which not only promotes commercial activity but also ensures an abundant supply of food to the crocodiles. "More importantly, the crocodiles here do not face any direct threat of poaching, hunting or harassment. People here understand that crocodiles have the right to live here," he said. Local Guardians Safeguard Crocodiles! Vadodara: For the last three years, a unique initiative has ensured that the crocodiles in Charotar remain unharmed. Through the crocodile guardian initiative, villagers, students, youth, and volunteers are designated as crocodile guardians. Around 25 in eight villages actively contribute to the protection of mugger crocodiles and promote human-crocodile coexistence. "This initiative fosters a sense of ownership and pride in crocodile conservation among local communities. They safeguard nesting sites, assist in the rescue of stranded crocodiles, and report important sightings," said Anirudh Vasava, VNC's Executive Director. Children Croc Fests Vadodara: From Busch Wildlife Sanctuary in Florida to Australia, croc fests are an annual feature in many countries. But most of them act as a platform for researchers, scientists, and reptile lovers to raise funds to further research on the reptiles. In 2019, a crocodile fest made its debut even in India. But it was with a marked difference – it was India's first 'children croc fest' or the 'bal mugger melo' - held at Malataj village, 20 km from Anand, to make children, the generation next, learn to live in harmony with the otherwise scary crocodiles. Children of primary schools learn to live with the reptiles through fun games like 'crocs & ladders', 'mugger, mugger, tara inda lav', croc walk, and 'mugger na inda' (crocodile eggs). They spend a day playing specially designed games and competitions revolving around the slogan of 'Maru Gam, Mara Magar' (My village, my crocodiles). And with that comes the learning. In the game 'Mugger Mugger, tara inda laav,' a child has to cross a stretch without harming the female crocodile, played by some other kid, busy protecting her eggs. If the child crosses successfully, he or she is declared the winner, but loses if bitten!
Business Wire
4 days ago
- Business
- Business Wire
Cyolo Unveils Major New Capabilities, Expanding Secure Remote Access Coverage for OT and Cyber-Physical Systems
TEL AVIV, Israel--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Cyolo, the leading provider of secure remote privileged access for operational technology (OT) and cyber-physical systems (CPS), has announced the launch of several major new capabilities, headlined by Cyolo Third-Party VPN Control (patent pending). This groundbreaking capability within the company's Cyolo PRO (Privileged Remote Operations) solution delivers visibility and access control for enforced third-party VPN and direct connections without requiring changes to production infrastructure or vendor workflows. In today's increasingly connected industrial environments, even organizations with mature security programs face a critical blind spot: third-party connections they cannot govern or even see. Some vendors insist on using their own legacy VPNs, site-to-site tunnels, or proprietary 'black box' gateways on OT networks, forcing plant managers and industrial operators to accommodate external methods that operate outside of their control. These opaque and unmanaged pathways pose significant risks, leaving organizations unaware of who is connecting, when, where, and what activities are occurring inside their most sensitive networks. The new Third-Party VPN Control capability helps close this gap by enabling visibility and access policy enforcement, even when externally managed VPNs or hardware gateways are used. This Cyolo PRO release includes additional enhancements, each tailored to address critical access and collaboration needs in cyber-physical environments: Instant Collaboration Link: A browser-based, one-time secure link, enabling session owners to invite multiple external participants, i.e., vendors, auditors and engineers into RDP, SSH, or VNC sessions including security controls without agent installations. Secure Remote Assistance: Native, secure technical support for both user-initiated and helpdesk-initiated assistance sessions, allowing organizations to deliver timely support while maintaining complete security and operational governance. Asset Access Hub: Provides a comprehensive view of assets across various business contexts (e.g., function, vendor) and technical attributes (e.g., IP address, zone, access status). This empowers administrators to manage access based on relevant context and quickly assign accurate, role-based permissions. As always, Cyolo PRO integrates seamlessly with legacy remote connectivity setups and supports Zero Trust principles by segmenting access. 'In today's virtual environments, third-party vendors are essential for the unbroken continuity of industrial operations and critical infrastructure—both vital for the economy and national security. However, third-party access methods too often introduce unacceptable risks,' said Almog Apirion, CEO and Co-Founder of Cyolo. 'We are always thinking about the real-world challenges our customers face and endlessly innovating to solve those problems. This latest advance represents the next step in the transformation of OT and CPS access, making it more agile, secure, and seamless for administrators and end users, without forcing vendors to change the tools they rely upon.' With these advanced new capabilities, organizations gain: Zero Trust for VPNs: Segments and restricts third-party access for approved assets, reducing lateral movement risk. Access Visibility: Real-time visibility into incoming access sessions. Compliance-Ready Architecture: Aligns with NERC CIP, ISA/IEC 62443, ISA99, and NIST 800-82 standards. Broad Compatibility: Integrates with all legacy remote connectivity suppliers. To learn more about Cyolo PRO's new Third-Party VPN Control and full range of capabilities, visit About Cyolo Cyolo provides secure remote privileged access for cyber-physical systems. The Cyolo PRO (Privileged Remote Operations) solution enables industrial enterprises to connect employees and third-party vendors to critical assets in ways that are secure, safe, and surprisingly simple. Cyolo offers stronger security and more control than traditional secure remote access (SRA), while simultaneously improving operational agility and productivity. Cyolo PRO adapts to any environment, deploys without disruptions or infrastructure changes, and offers capabilities such as privileged access controls, zero-trust connectivity, identity-based access for legacy systems, and centralized management across multiple sites. Former CISO Almog Apirion co-founded Cyolo in 2020. Frustrated by the limitations of existing SRA tools, he joined forces with industry veterans to build a solution that meets the distinctive access needs of OT environments and cyber-physical systems. With headquarters in Israel and a strong presence in the US and EMEA, Cyolo's network of employees, customers, and partners stretches around the world. To learn more, visit
