• Ecology and Animal physiology in relation to environmental contaminants
• Biology of parasites and vectors
• Biosystematics and biodiversity
• Conservation of beneficial birds and evaluation and development of different strategies for bird pest management
• Evaluation and development of different strategies for rodent pest management
• Higher vertebrate pest management

The major awards/distinctions earned by the faculty are listed below:

• Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar Award: Dr. S. S. Guraya
• Basanti Devi Amir Chand Award: Dr. S. S. Guraya
• Indian National Science Academy Young Scientist Award : Dr. K. S. Sidhu
• Gold Medal, Indian Academy of Environmental Sciences: Dr. H S Sehgal
• Best Teacher and Best Researcher Awards of PAU: Dr. S. K. Batis; Dr. G. L. Sadana
• M.S. Randhawa Best Book Prizes variously awarded to : Dr. S. S. Guraya, Dr. V. C. Kapoor, Dr. M. L. Sood, Dr. G. L. Sadana

The faculty has been awarded with the fellowships of the following prestigious academies/societies:

• National Academy of Sciences: Dr. S. S. Guraya
• National Academy of Agricultural Sciences: Dr. S. S. Guraya; Dr. V. C. Kapoor
• Indian Academy of Environmental Sciences: Dr. H S Sehgal
• Inland Fisheries Society of India: Dr. H S Sehgal

Scholarships Abroad (for Post-Doctoral Research)

• University of Washington, USA: Dr. H S Sehgal
• Cambridge University, UK: Dr. V. R. Parshad
• University of North Wales, UK: Dr. R. K. Parshad
• Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, P.R. China: Dr G.K. Sehgal

World Environment Day celebrated by Zoological Society of the Department

Zoological Society of Department of Zoology, College of Basic Sciences & Humanities, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana celebrated world environment day on 5th June 2024. The theme is “Land restoration, desertification and drought resilience” under slogan “Our land, Our future”. An interesting and knowledgeable event was conducted with a focus on animal diversity models using waste material. This event focused on transforming everyday waste material into innovative and sustainable creations. About ten PG students participated in the model making using newspaper, cardboard, waste plastic bottles, waste pipes, agricultural waste, painting colours and many more daily use items which we throw away as waste material on different aspects like animal habitat management, importance of connected & fragmented habitat, effect of microplastics and pollution on animal diversity, industrialization and impact on birds, effect of pollution on aquatic life and conservation efforts, development of ecologically based management methods and application. Principal Ornithologist-cum-Head and Patron of Zoological society Dr Tejdeep Kaur Kler talked about the diversity and conservation of animals during this scenario of climate change. Judges, guest of honor Dr Sharanbir Kaur Bal, Professor and President DDMC, College of Community Science and Dr D.K. Kocher, Professor (Zoology) evaluated the models and awarded certificates to the winners and participants.

Guest Lecture

• A guest Lecture under the aegis of Zoological Society was organized for the celebration of Wildlife Week by the Department of Zoology on 05.10.2023. The lecture entitled "Geospatial Technologies and its relevance for Resilient India" by was given by Dr. Anil Sood, Former Head, Agro-ecosystem and Crop Modelling Division, Punjab Remote Sensing Centre, Ludhiana, Punjab.
• A guest lecture under the aegis of Zoological Society was organized by the Department of Zoology on 13.07.2023. The lecture entitled "Paranomics and Integrated One Health Approach: Current Efforts and Future Directions" was given by Dr Tilak Chandra Nath, Director External Affairs, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet, Bangladesh.

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI VISIT PAU AND PARENT DEPARTMENT 13-03-2023

The Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) and its alumni have made their mark in distinguished fields worldwide. Two of its eminent alumni - Dr Vinay Kumar Arora and Sh Harjit Singh Sandhu visited their parent department – Department of Zoology, College of Basic Sciences & Humanities (CoBSH) today, to recapture their golden time spent in the campus. Dr Vinay Kumar Arora served in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India (GOI) as Advisor, and Member of Planning Commission. While serving the Ministry of Education, he was actively involved in screening state funding for Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. Dr Arora also held the position of Dean, Academics, Punjab Technical University (PTU), Jalandhar, for seven years, and has been serving in the Indian National Science Academy (INSA), New Delhi, for the last five years now. Dr Arora interacted with the faculty and students of the Department of Zoology and apprised them with the advanced software/websites which can prove useful for them in data collection and interpretation of results. He encouraged Ph.D. scholars to explore research related career opportunities in different professional academies/organizations. He briefed them about ‘Young Scientist’ schemes and research proposals based on history of science funded by INSA.

Sh Harjit Singh Sandhu is a former IPS officer with four decades of extensive experience in law enforcement, counter-terrorism, anti-corruption, governance, risk management and control improvements, including leadership positions within UN and non-UN institutions. As an IPS officer, he served in various capacities as Superintendent of Police, Commanding Officer of a Battalion, DIG of counter-insurgency operations, etc. At the international level, he had assignments with Interpol, UN Security Council, UN-International Criminal Tribunal, UN World Food Programme, and International Fund for Agricultural Development. He is the proud recipient of several awards and medals like the ‘UN Organizational Noble Peace Prize’, ‘President’s Police Medal’, and ‘International Peace and Justice Medal’. Dr Sandhu also interacted with the faculty and students of the Department of Zoology and shared his seminal views about women empowerment. He stressed upon the importance of International Women’s Day and cited examples of women who excelled in multiple arenas both in India and abroad. He also enlightened the young audience about the lucrative opportunities for students in administrative services.

Both the alumni also met Dr Shammi Kapoor, Dean, CoBSH and voiced their feelings and the unique bond they shared with their parent Department – Zoology, and the University at large. Dr Neena Singla, Principal Zoologist & Head, Department of Zoology, thanked the alumni for paying a visit to the Department and inspiring young minds by offering useful information regarding future job avenues, employability and career goals. The faculty of Zoology also expressed their gratitude to the visiting alumni for the academically rewarding rendezvous.

Zoological Society of Department of Zoology actively celebrated different events regularly:

Vertebrate Pest Management

Various recommendations made on Rodent Pest Management, Depredatory Bird Management and Conservation of Beneficial Birds, by the department have been included in the Package of Practices of PAU for Kharif and Rabi crops (both in English and Punjabi) in the form a chapter on Management of Rodents and Birds. Latest recommendations made for the benefit of farmers of Punjab State includes:

AINP on VPM (Rodent Control)

• Recommendation on “Critical timings and rates of rodenticide application in sugarcane crop for control of rodent pests”.
• Recommendation on “Critical timings of rodent control in groundnut crop fields”.
• Recommendation on "Rodent proofed plinth to prevent rodent damage in outdoor grain storage".
• Recommendation on, “Determination of critical timings and mode of application of rodenticides for management of rodent pests in wheat crop sown with happy seeder.
• Recommendation on “Rodent pest management in pea crop”.

AINP on VPM (Agricultural Ornithology)

• Recommendation on the reflective ribbon as eco-friendly management method for protecting maize crop from pest birds.
• Compact disc of distress /warning calls of parakeets and crows has been prepared, It is being sold by Communication Centre, PAU.
• Importance ‘Conservation of useful Birds’ has been included in the above-mentioned chapter. It pertains to the usefulness of insectivorous and rodentivorous bird species.

Ecology and Animal Physiology

• The albino rats exposed to bisphenol A showed biochemical and histological alterations which were ameliorated by supplementation with Vitamin C.
• Studies conducted on fingerlings of Labeo rohita revealed that exposure of microplastics induced oxidative stress and histological alterations in vital organs of treated fingerlings in dose and time dependent manner.
• The studies conducted on Rohu (Labeo rohita), Catla (Catla catla) and Mrigal (Cirrhinus mrigala) revealed that fishes of South-western region of Punjab are more prone to oxidative stress due to groundwater contaminants and can be used as bioindicator for monitoring the impact of environmental contamination of water of this region.
• The mixture of heavy metals (As, Cd and Pb) present above permissible limits recommended by Bureau of Indian standards (BIS) in drinking water caused reproductive toxicity, hepatoxicity and nephrotoxicity in albino rats which could be ameliorated with dietary components such as Curcumin and Ascorbic acid.
• Different concentrations of sulphur dioxide (SO₂), an air pollutant were found to cause oxidative stress and histopathological damage in lungs and other organs of male and female rats under laboratory conditions.

Parasitology (Biology of Parasites and Vectors)

• Survey of various types of standing water bodies of different districts of Punjab showed presence of Culex larvae in all types of water samples followed by Anopheles larvae , in paddy fields, road side ditches and gardens. While, Aedes larvae were found only in the water samples collected from desert coolers and earthern pots present in peri-domestic areas.
• The identified cyclopoid, Mesocyclops aspericornis (body size > 1.0 mm) was found to have efficient predatory potential against the I^st instar larvae of Dengue spreading Aedes aegypti mosquito in comparison to Anopheles and Culex, under laboratory conditions.
• Technology for mosquito repellent fabric got commercialized- MOA signed with “Textile firm Swift Corporation Pvt. Ltd, Manesar, Haryana” Sept, 2020.

Ongoing Research Projects

• R&E -200 Establishment of College of Basic Sciences & Humanities .
• ICAR- 36 A- All India Network Project on Vertebrate Pest Management (Rodent Control).
• ICAR-36 B- All India Network Project on Vertebrate Pest Management (Agricultural Ornithology).
• Project entitled “Conservation and Restoration of Ecology of River Beas in the wake of spillage of molasses in river Beas.”
• DST SERB-POWER grant by Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India, New Delhi awarded Project entitled “Evaluation of yeast-encapsulated essential oil based biolarvicide formulation(s) for management of Aedes aegypti mosquito”.

List of Publications (2022-23) with NAAS rating > 7.0

• Arora P, Thukral R, Singla N and Bansal N (2023) Antireproductive changes instigated by efficient drug delivery via papaya seed chloroform extract-based nanoparticles in male rat Bandicota bengalensis. Pesticide Biochemistry and Physiology, http://doi.org/10.1016/j.pestbp.2023.105408 (NAAS rating 10.97)
• Grewal H K, Kler T K and Sidhu S K (2023) Exploring cattle sheds as complementary avifaunal habitat niches in rice dominated agricultural areas in Punjab, India. Emirates Journal of Food and Agriculture 35 (X): 1-9. (NAAS Rating 7.04)
• Kaur G and Singla N (2023) Mitigating neophobia behaviour of Bandicota bengalensis in accepting poison bait and traps using sulphur compounds as additives. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 264 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2023.105947 (NAAS rating 8.57)
• Sidhu A and Singla N (2023) Antifertility effects of quinestrol in male lesser bandicoot rat, Bandicota bengalensis and potential in managing rodent population under field conditions. Integrative Zoology https://doi.org/10.1111/1749-4877.12733 (NAAS rating 8.08)
• Jain S, Singla N, Kalra S and Mahal AK (2023) Effectiveness of different management strategies against Nilgai population (Boselaphus tragocamelus) in Punjab Province of India. Animal Biology 73(4): 43-64. Doi: 10.1163/15707563-bja10096 (NAAS 7.23)
• Babbar B K, Singla N, Kaur H, Verma M, Rani K, Bala B, Jain S (2022) Bio-ecology, behaviour and management of blue bull, Boselaphus tragocamelus. International Journal of Pest Management https://doi.org/10.1080/09670874.2022.2104402 (NAAS rating: 7.91)
• Jain S, Singla N, Kalra S and Mahal AK (2022) Effectiveness of different management strategies against Nilgai population (Boselaphus tragocamelus) in Punjab Province of India. Animal Biology, Pg 1-22. Doi: 10.1163/15707563-bja10096 (NAAS 7.48)
• Kaur A, Kocher D K and Kumar R (2022) Larvicidal potential and residual activity effect of kinnow peel oil against Aedes aegypti L. Journal of Vector Borne Diseases, 59(3): 228-35 (NAAS Rating-7.69).
• Kaur S, Singla N and Mahal AK (2022) Carica papaya modulates the organ histology, biochemicals, estrous cycle and fertility of Bandicota bengalensis rats. Journal of Applied Animal Research 50(1): 289-298.http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09712119.2022.2068556 (NAAS 7.99)
• Sandhu K K, Vashishat N and Sidhu A (2022) Larvicidal potential of copper sulphide nano aqua dispersions against Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus). African Entomology 30: e13589. https://doi.org/10.17159/2254-8854/ 2022/ a13589 (NAAS rating 7.19)

• FIST Lab
• FIST Computer Lab
• Departmental library containing >350 books, 90 Ph. D and 327 M. Sc. Thesis (up to 2021-22)
• Rodent Control Research Lab
• Agricultural Ornithology Research Lab
• Ecology and Animal Physiology Lab
• Parasitology Lab
• Biosystematics and biodiversity Lab
• Zoological Museum of Natural History