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Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Sansar Chand: India's deadliest poacher gets 6-year jail term

Notorious poacher Sansar Chand was sentenced to six years jail term by a Delhi court on Wednesday, in a case relating to seizure of a leopard skin in 1995, saying such offence should be dealt with "iron hands".

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Digvinay Singh also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on him while awarding the maximum jail term prescribed under the Wildlife Protection Act. The court said the offences relating to wildlife must be dealt with strict punishment to bring down poaching incidents across the country. The court also raised concern over the rising menace of poaching.

"Despite various steps taken by governments across the globe, offences relating to wildlife are refusing to come down. In the Act, stringent punishment is provided which is awarded time and again to contain the offence, but still the situation does not seem to be improving," the court said.

"In my considered view, such repeated offenders need to be dealt with iron hands, more particularly when there have been previous convictions and involvement in other similar offences," the judge noted.

http://news.rediff.com/slide-show/2010/aug/25/slide-show-1-sansar-chand-indias-deadliest-poacher-gets-jail-term.htm

Buffer marked, money flows in for Tadoba

NAGPUR: At a time when man-animal conflict is raging around Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR), the villagers around the reserve may soon see some respite. The tigers have now started bringing money to be spent in buffer zone for alleviating the conflict.

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), the statutory body under ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) monitoring tiger reserves, has sanctioned Rs 3.63 crore for Tadoba and its buffer under the centrally sponsored scheme (CSS) during 2010-11. Of this amount, Rs 1.87 crore is the recurring cost of the scheme and will be shared on 50:50 basis by the state and the central government. The remaining will be treated as 100% central assistance.

During the last three years, TATR never got more than Rs 2.15 crore. This is for the first time that such a big amount has been sanctioned for tigers and habitat improvement. Not only this, Pench National Park and Tadoba are among the six reserves in India to get early sanctions from NTCA.

Interestingly, an amount of Rs 74 lakh has also been sanctioned for newly-formed Sahyadri Tiger Reserve in Western Maharashtra. SP Yadav, joint director NTCA, said Chandrapur district was worstaffected by man-animal conflict as there was high density of tigers in the Tadoba landscape. At least 62 villagers have been killed by the carnivores in the last five years here. "Another reason to increase grants is because now the reserve has a notified buffer. Habitat improvement works like developing water holes and meadows can now be undertaken.

Besides, staff training and protection will also be priority," Yadav told TOI. The wildlife wing had proposed Rs 17.12 crore for four tiger reserves and 30 sanctuaries and national parks. However, NTCA has till now sanctioned Rs 8.25 crore. Of this, Rs 1.74 crore is to be shared by the state. It has already released Rs 1 crore — Rs 50 lakh in July and Rs 50 lakh in August. Official sources said that of the Rs 8.25 crore, Rs 5.43 crore was earmarked for Pench, Tadoba and Sahyadri reserves. Pench was sanctioned Rs 1.68 crore in July. Melghat is to yet to receive any grant. The NTCA has also not released the proposed Rs 75.50 crore for rehabilitation of villages in Melghat
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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Buffer-marked-money-flows-in-for-Tadoba/articleshow/6429913.cms

Pilibhit Tigers kill one more, dept not ready for maneater tag

Lucknow Pilibhit: Sightings of big cats will strengthen case for tiger reserve

After the recovery of one more body from Bilandapur forest range, bordering Pilibhit district, on late Monday night, the total number of deaths by tigers in the area has gone up to seven since May.

The forest department officials found the half-eaten body of Pratap Singh, a resident of Chhatia village. The postmortem report has confirmed that Singh was killed in a tiger attack.

B K Patnaik, principal chief conservator of forests, however, refused to declare the tigers in the area as maneaters saying: “The incidents have been taking place inside the forest, and the tigers are attacking individuals.”

“We will be getting elephants from West Bengal to search the entire area. Our teams from Dudhwa will soon be camping in the area,” added Patnaik,who visited Pilibhit on Monday.

The department has been directed to send tranquiliser guns, big cages, and other equipment to officials for catching tigers, if need arises.

Meanwhile, the forest department, has found evidence of three adult tigers, including a female, in the area. “The laser cameras have captured images of the tigers,” said V K Singh, Divisional Forest Officer, Pilibhit. Till date, no such sightings had been recorded.

Officials of the department said the sightings will help them push forward the case of creating a tiger reserve in Pilibhit. The proposal for a tiger reserve in Pilibhit, which has been approved by Union forest ministry and National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) in 2008, is still pending with the state government.

According to the proposal, the reserve will spread over 1,000 square kilometres, and will help in monitoring the tiger movement as well as the conservation of big cats.

“It is clear that the tiger is expanding its territory and there is not one, but a group of adult tigers in this area. The proposal is pending, as some local politicians have expressed their concerns over the rehabilitation of people in the 15 villages, which may come under the demarcated core zone,” said a forest official, on condition of anonymity.

The official added that the department has changed the maps twice, but nothing has happened so far. “But now, we can push for the case. It is important to declare this region as a tiger reserve for the safety of both the animals and the inhabitants of the villages,” added the official.

The new reserve will bring in all the five ranges of Pilibhit — Barahi, Mala, Deoria, Mahof and Haripur — under a consolidated area. The proposed reserve will spread across Pilibhit, Mala Range, Barahi Range and Nepalsukla Fanta Range. Pilibhit, Khutar and Kakraha will be converted into protected areas.

Rajasthan looks for more tiger habitats

RANTHAMBORE: With instructions from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), the state forest department has begun search for alternative tiger habitats in the state for a Sariska repeat. The instructions came during the recent visit of the director NTCA Rajesh Gopal following four instances of man-animal conflict in and around Ranthambore in the past four months.

The strategy is to disperse an ever growing tiger population on the overburdened national park so as to stop instances of man-animal conflicts mostly along the periphery of the park.

The Darrah (Kota) and Ramgarh Bishdoi (Bundi) sanctuaries have already been earmarked as potential places to house transient tigers from Ranthambore
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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Rajasthan-looks-for-more-tiger-habitats/articleshow/6429462.cms

1 in 10 Sunderbans tigers man-eater

KOLKATA: Bangladeshi tiger researcher Monirul H Khan believes the hostile terrain of the Sunderbans is breeding man-eaters and fears the ratio may increase as it becomes a part of the Royal Bengal's genes.

"One in every 10 tigers that inhabit the Sunderbans is a man-eater. That is the estimation on the Bangladeshi side where 50 people are mauled and eaten by tigers every year. As people fall prey and young cubs, too, feed on human carcass, more tigers will become man-eaters in the future. The only way out is to stop entry of villagers into tiger territory in the core of the forest," Khan said.

The official figure of deaths is much lower as the government only takes into account casualties against the number of entry passes.

While the forest department in Bangladesh claims there are around 400 tigers in the eastern section of the Sunderbans covering 5,770 sq km, Khan says the real figure is half as much. If one goes by his count, based on camera-trapping, relative density and pray density rather than pug marks), there are at least 20 man-eaters in the Bangladeshi section of the Sunderbans.

In the western part that lies in West Bengal, the number of man-eaters would be similar since as many people die each year when villagers enter the forest to collect honey and cut wood. "The man-tiger conflict happens only when people enter the core area. The tiger kills to protect its territory. Unlike in other forests where only tigers that are incapacitated by age or injury turn to prey on man, in the mangrove forests, even healthy tigers turn man-eaters," he said.

Unlike the Sunderbans in West Bengal, across the border tigers get killed by men when they stray into human habitation.

"Every year, around two-three tigers die when they stray into villages. There is no system of tranquilizing and capturing tigers for release in the wilderness unlike the practice here," Khan said, adding that awareness on tiger conservation was low and forest department resources poor.

Khan has through research devised a means to discourage tiger straying by forming vigil teams comprising 15 men and five dogs that receive intensive training to ward off tigers.

In the city to attend a symposium organized by Bengal Tiger Bachaao on man-tiger conflict, Khan felt forest officials on both sides could liaison better to exchange learning and ideas.

"There is a need for greater cooperation to stop poachers and smugglers because they tend to slink away to the other side after the crime. If foresters on both sides act in unison, poaching can be curbed to a great extent," Khan reasoned.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/1-in-10-Sunderbans-tigers-man-eater/articleshow/6429072.cms