More distressing news - Another reserve looses its tigers

According to today's newspaper reports another reserve, this time a lesser known Sanjay Tiger Reserve in MP has also lost all its big cats. The reports cite the ex director of the park saying during a recently concluded census no tiger was spotted. Even more shockingly the MP govt tabled a report in the state assembly two days back on the status of tigers. Curiously the report doesnt even mention the name of the reserve although it used to be apremier reserve in the once undivided Madhya Pradesh with upto 36 tigers in 1992.

No tiger in Sanjay Tiger Reserve also, says official

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Flora-Fauna/No-tiger-in-Sanjay-Tiger-Reserve-also-says-official-/articleshow/4772968.cms

Living in denial

Yesterday during a debate in the MP assemby the minister of Forests squarely passed the blame of Panna Fiasco on the centre. Citing NTCA guidelines for tiger protection and that many other reserves in the country were faring no better, the minister proudly claimed that MP govt has done there was needed to and if there was a lapse it was on part of the NTCA and the rules framed by the body. Why else, he questioned, would other states too loose tigers as all ofthem have been followig NTCA protocols. Though there is some merit int he argument but to stretch it to absolve its own officials borders on apathy and criminal conspiracy. Tiger consrvation clearly has been a state subject with forest areas under the jurisdiction of state govt. NTCA has so far been drawing out guidelines for states to follow but that doesnt mean the state govts themselves shut their eyes to what is needed beyond the stated guidelines. It is akin to saying The centre told us to set up hospitals but didnt inform us that patients need to be treated to save lives hence state government cant be blamed. The longer this buck passing goes on lesser the chances that anything worthwhile will be done soon to repair the immense damage that has been caused to wildlife in the country in recent years. Madhya Pradesh is not just the heart of the country as their campaign claims, it is also the torch bearer of wildlife prjects in the country and if the premier state doesnt take lead in protecting tigers the hopes of saving big cats from extinction dont brighten up considerably. Rather than indulging in a blame game with the centre, the state government should rather focus their energies on what they can do to aviod Panna like fiascos in teh future. The need of the hour is to streamline the system and strengthen political will. For a senior govt functionary to make such a statement in the assembly doesnt just show callousness on this part but also displays a total lack of sensitivity to what is expected of him as the state's supreme guardian of wildlife. One can only hope that the state government learns from its mistakes and takes corrective steps soon to prevent further loss of tigers in the state.

MP refuses to take Panna blame, tells tiger authority to change policy

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/MP-refuses-to-take-Panna-blame--tells-tiger-authority-to-change-policy/488876

Shocking case of money power being used to twist rules

A piece carried in The Organiser by Sangeet Verma exposes the mis deeds of private resort owners in Satpura national park. According to the story resort owners have been appaently promoting acvities that are not allowed within the boudaries of the park. Obvisouly it has been going on with the connivance of local forest officials who have been looking the other way and worse still have benefitted illegally from such activities. With rampant politicisation of forest departments in states, it it hardly difficult to lure guards and officials who are already low on morale into either looking the other way to getting them to conspire into breaking rules of the jungle. The incident comes on the heels of a report owner cruching a tiger cub under the wheels of his jeep inside bandhavgarh forest a few months back ostensibly to provide a better dekho to his foreign clients. State governments need to de politicise forest departments to allow them function in the interests of convervation rather than for private ones. Increasing cases of laws being broken with impunity by people who can afford to buy them are making a mockery of forest conservation efforts. The centre could also pitch in by instituting a central body which closely investigates every incident within national parks. If it means changing the laws to make forest conservation and joint State and centre subject then it should be done at the earliest. Leaving this important issue under the domain of state goverments alone is clrealy causing immense damage.

Plunder of biodiversity
Bio-smugglers target MP forests
By Sangeet Verma

http://www.organiser.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=300&page=4

Can we have some real action now !

The minister MOEF Jairam Ramesh has today spoken about making laws related to wildlife esp Tiger poaching much more stringent. Though no one can deny the need for such a step the key is to convert this talk into action urgently. A report in The Hindu today quotes P K Sen, former director of NTCA saying greens have been pushing for a such a provision for over two decades now without much result. As the case two days back of the female poacher in UP having been finally sent behind bars after comitting two decades of wildlife crimes shows, the need to push for reform in wildlife law is desperate. For every day we delay wildlife across the country falls prey to poaching mafia and with no one to ensure speedy justice, criminals are having a free run in India's supposedly well protected sanctuaries.

The Hindi report also states the minister having disussed the matter with Harish Salve Amicus Curae for Supreme Court on environment matters and one hopes the process of converting talk into action doesnt take too long.

Centre planning legislation for speedy conviction of poachers

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/008200907131251.htm

Better security infrastructure in parks key to tiger protection

Today's DNA carries an on ground report about a recently recruited ex army forest guard going through the grinds of protecting the Ranthambore Tigers against poachers on foot and with a stick in his hands. Though the report exposes nothing new about the pathetic state of reqources available to forest officials to fight well armed gangs of poches but it does highlight the continuing gap between lip serive being paidby the state and central governments and action on ground. Till such time we donot equip and pay our forces better it is unfair for us toexpect them to be able to do a good job. We cant imagine stick carrying ex army officers worried about their next meal to be fully committed to fighting well armed gangs of international poachers. This incident also goes on to hightlight in some ways the deep rooted corruption in the government departments entrusted with forest consevation. Despite ever increasin budgets being allocated for tiger conservation if this is the best we can gie to out forest guards in one of the best known reserves of the country close tothe National capital and one can well imagine the complete apathy that pervades efforts across other lesser know forest areas.

Armed with a stick, Pappu protects the tigers

http://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/report_armed-with-a-stick-pappu-protects-the-tigers_1273166

Speedy justice is important for Prevention of future crime

It is shocking how in our country criminals are able to find so many loopholes in the system to be able to evade any meaningful punishment for prolonged periods of time. Justice dealyed is justide denied and how well are we at denying that to the main focus of conservation efforts in india ; the tiger. In a shocking case of miscarriage of justice a poacher in was convicted by a Pilibhit court apparently after having run a poaching racket for well over 2 decades. According to the report in Indian Express an officials associated with the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau “The gang, operating as poachers, carriers and traders of tiger skin, bones, has been active for at least 30 years before it caught our attention in 2005,” .

30 years for a criminal to operate without being caught can not happen with out official complicity & apathy, a fact that still is not under any sort of

investigation. This poacher and her gang has been under the lens of wild life officials numerous times in the last decade or so and still managed to run her operations with impunity, killing tigers under the noses of forest officials. No wonder we have become masters at paying lip service to tiger conservation and our efforts are falling way short of what is required of us. Though the WCCB officials are hopeful that this conviction will help bring poaching of tigers under some control in UP but going by the amount of time it has taken to achieve it one feels poachers in the state will be emboldened to increase their illegal activities since law might not catch with them for a very long time.

If there is an area the state government and MOEF need to fix apart from saving tiger habitats from encroachment they dont need to look beyond this story. Strengthening of wildlife crime bureaux, arming forest officials with better equipment and giving them more power, setting up fast track courts for wild life crimes and making bail provisions more stringent for suspected poachers will go a long way in acting as detterants for wild life related crimes.

Forest dept relieved as master poacher is behind the bars

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/forest-dept-relieved-as-master-poacher-is-behind-the-bars/487926/

Tiger farming might be the last resort to save tigers

There have been arguments galore about whether this will work or not but for all we know there might be no other option left for us if we want to see the big cat alive in real flesh in its natural habitat. Though conservationists across the board have consistently argued about how it is an unworkable idea and how it will not bring in the expected drop in demand for wild tiger parts. In fact to the contrary people belive it might actually stimulate further demand for tiger parts and hence be detrimental to the conservation efforts but one can not ignoare the fact that the pace at which countries like India are loosing tiger to loss of habitat and poaching we might not have any tigers left out side of zoos anyway in another decade's time. Despite the intense pressure being brought about by the green lobby in the past few years and the PMs sporadic efforts at tiger conservation and the role played by the media, some fundamental problems facing tiger conservation in India are not being addressed. As some media reports have suggested, India lost some 45 odd tigers in the last 6months and possiblly more unaccounted ones too. At such a rate of loss once you also factor in loss of habitat to iundustrialisation and farming the future of saving the tiger from extinction in India doesnt look very bright. At most we might be able to have smaller areas inside so called reserves with tigers being allowed to roam inside fenced boundaries. A glorified Zoo is what will be left of the sanctuaries with very few number of tigers and considerably weakened gene pool to sustain future populations. Given all of this it might not be a bad idea for the the MOEF to constitute a committe of scientists and experts from the field of tiger conservation to study the topic in detail and evaluate whether we should look at such a possiblity in the future if not now and how do we prepare for it.

http://www.zeenews.com/news546010.html

Experts suggest tiger breeding to quash poaching

Adani mines in Chandrapur get another lease of life

After the recent annoucement by the Cabinet Minister Jai Ram Ramesh about getting tough with environmental clearances for industrial proects here comes the shocking news of Maharashtra Forest officials trying to push through a highly controversial mining projects in the forests adjoining Tadoba Tiger Reserve. The project has been in news for the last years for the immense potential damage it can cause to the forests around the area and the tiger reserve. But the lure of quick big money is too much to resist for some and despite all the obvious dangers the project just keeps getting a fresh lease of life every now and then. If there was a time to convert words in deeds for the new MOEF this is the best opportunity to ensure tiger habitats are not lost to industry and land mafia. The minister should immediately step in a put the project on hold untill a comprehensive study is carried out to access the impact of the project on the surroinding areas by a well know independent team of researchers and scientists.

A report in DNA today states that despite objections from the green brigade and their own officals the state government esp the Forest Minister seems keen on pushing the project through without proper impact assessment.

Officials in hurry to pass mining project?

http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_officials-in-hurry-to-pass-

mining-project_1272064

Still living in denial - MP govt says only 4 tigers in Panna lost to poaching !!

If things werent bad enough already, the minister of forests for MP made a statement in the assembly citing age, rivalry and poisoning as the main causes for tigers disappering from Panna. Read between the lines and the message is that the goverment doesnt think there is a serious problem which means there isnt any need for forceful corrective measures to be taken. Imagine all the rucus of the last few years and we still have law makers either turning a blind eye to the problem or worse still acting in concert with the land/poaching/industry mafia to rid the states of forest cover.

Its taken years to accept, how many more for action

The MOEF minister in the Rajya sabha yesterday finally accepted that the tiger is in serious trouble in the country. Imagine all the media hype and pressure from the green brigade being brought on the govt has taken 3 years after the Sarika disaster coming to light to accept this. If this is the pace of things to come then one wonders how many years before the government takes credible action to sustain tiger population in the country and whether the big cat will survive in the wild till then. It is all fine to make statements in the parliament accepting there is a problem but what we have not seen being tabled by the minister or his predecessor are steps being taken by the govt to put an end to poaching and loss of tiger habitats. Apart from shfting the blame on state governments and tiger reserves there is need for the centre to get more actively involved in the protecting the national treasure. It is like saving the Taj Mahal. If the monument was in danger, the centre would not wait for the UP govt to act. MOEF needs to show similar leadership in saving the tiger before it is too late.

Ramesh expresses concern over tiger population

Sujay Mehdudia

http://www.hindu.com/2009/07/08/stories/2009070856711800.htm

Great news in Budget for Tiger conservation

As per the budget plans announced by FM today allocation for Tiger Conservation has beenmore than doubled to Rs. 184 Crs. and overall funding tot eh MOEF has been increased by almost 25% to Rs. 2129 Crs. Great news for the green brigade.

Govt. doubles allocation for tiger conservation

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/002200907061676.htm

Another desperate attempt at protecting tigers

Today's TOI reports a letter sent by teh NTCA to 11 Tiger reserves arcoss the country to create a cordoned off core area for breeding of tigers. With the big cat disappearing at an alarming rate despite all the hype and subsequent efforts the NTCA is trying to come up with desperate measures to protect sustanable tiger populations. This move though has been slammed by Conservationists as ill conceived. According to experts quoted in the report, tigers cant be bred in a zoo type environment and the goverment (read NTCA) would be better of spending their resources in protecting tiger habitats and prevent poaching.

Bid to cordon off big cats sparks row 6 Jul 2009, 0401 hrs IST, Neha Lalchandani, TNN

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Bid-to-cordon-off-big-cats-sparks-row/articleshow/4742282.cms#

Good news confirmed

The Supreme Court appointed CEC has firmly said NO to the widening of Nagpur-Jabalpur National Highway that passes through Pench reserve. Recently, Rajya sabha MP My. Vijay Darda had also taken up the cause of environment protection and written letters to teh Prime Minister and UPA Chairperson to intervence in the matter. Looks like all the efforts have finally paid of.

SC panel against NH-7 widening along Pench

6 Jul 2009, 0512 hrs IST, Vijay Pinjarkar, TNN

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Nagpur/SC-panel-against-NH-7-widening-along-Pench/articleshow/4742374.cms

The upshot of media hype

A TOI report today states increased interest in an obscure post in a wildlife posting based out of Nagpur. With concerns about wildlife and forest protection increasing wildlife officials are a sought after lot these days.

Four in race for wildlife warden's post

6 Jul 2009, 0444 hrs IST, Vijay Pinjarkar, TNN

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Nagpur/Four-in-race-for-wildlife-wardens-post/articleshow/4741975.cms#

Finally the Cabinet acts

In line with the announcement made by the Minister the Union cabinet passed a resolution maknig tri partite agreements betweeen the Centre, state govt and tiger parks mandatory before funds flow through to the parks. As news reports say this is an important step towards making all stake holders more accountable. Lets hope this is just the first step towards bringing more accountability in the entire system.

Cabinet approves MoU on tiger conservation

NEW DELHI: In fresh move to strengthen tiger conservation efforts, the Union cabinet on Thursday approved a proposal for implementing the agreement among the environment ministry, state governments and tiger reserves

The MoU seeks to ensure effective tiger conservation by laying out respective responsibilities and reciprocal commitments linked to fund flow to foster public accountability.

The MoU aims at strengthening tiger conservation initiatives and developing approaches to strengthen efforts for conserving tigers in the identified reserves and other tiger-bearing forests of the country.

"It will address the growing concern among the public for saving the tiger," I&B minister Ambika Soni said after cabinet meeting.

Funds are now being disbursed by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) under a pact with states for protecting the animal under Project Tiger.

However, under the new agreement, tiger reserves will also be made accountable for fund utilisation given that many states had failed to fully spend money provided by the Centre.

Excellent piece on Tiger Conservation by Deebie Banks on BBC website

Earning their stripes

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8124176.stm

Next week in Geneva, a prime issue for a UN endangered species committee called Cites will be illegal trade in wild tigers. In this week's Green Room, Debbie Banks argues that a handful of businessmen want to reduce the tigers to nothing more than a luxury commodity.

Business interests have continued to breed tigers speculating that the ban would one day be lifted and that they would be sitting on a valuable stockpile of body parts

"Bagh Bachao, Jungle Bachao, Bharat Bachao" is the rallying cry of NGOs and activists across India, and they're right: Save the Tiger, Save the Forest, Save India.

The future of the tiger and its jungle home are inextricably linked to the survival of all of us, not just the people who live in tiger country.

The forests that are protected in the name of the tiger are vital to mitigate climate change and to secure water resources.

The tiger is an indicator of the health of the ecosystem and thus a symbol of good governance and political commitment to an equitable and sustainable future.

It is also a cultural and religious icon, venerated, feared and revered by communities across Asia and the world.

The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) has been investigating and exposing the illegal trade in tigers and other Asian big cats for over 10 years. We have documented the changes in the markets and the increasing role of organised criminal networks.

We have campaigned for more effective enforcement initiatives to disrupt their operations, and know there is so much more that governments could do if they wanted to.

Hijacked conservation

Looking to the future, it is essential to plug some of the gaps in conservation strategies.

Many people living alongside tigers have yet to benefit from the millions of tourist dollars that the "world's favourite animal" generates; but in India, home to the largest remaining population of wild tigers, investment, policy and practice are at least moving in the right direction.

The same cannot be said for other countries, where business interests are hijacking the tiger conservation agenda, calling for the relaxation of trade bans so they can flood the market with farmed tiger parts.

The logic behind such a move is that since tigers breed well in captivity, farming them is an economical solution to satisfying demand whilst alleviating pressure on wild populations.

It's a simplistic logic that rests on critical assumptions about the complex nature and dynamics of the illegal trade in tigers and other Asian big cats.

Can farming tigers reduce pressure on their cousins in the wild?

Assumptions about the motivations of those involved in the trade, the costs of the trade, the scale and type of consumer demand: all plugged in to economic models and squirted out the other side as gospel.

What the followers of this faith have failed to acknowledge is that their version of events does not hold true in the real world. The risk of proceeding with this as an experiment is enormous, and the stake is no less than the extinction of the wild tiger.

So who are these disciples and what is their motivation? There are tiger farms in Thailand but by far the biggest ones are in China, where there are reportedly around 5,000 animals in captivity.

Despite a 1993 ban prohibiting the sale and use of tigers in China, business interests have continued to breed them, speculating that the ban would one day be lifted and that they would be sitting on a valuable stockpile of body parts.

'Conflict of interest'

Some argue that they want to sell tiger bone to save lives. Yet the Chinese medicinal community has long since promoted alternatives to tiger bone, which was never considered a life-saving ingredient in the first place.

Others just want to sell tiger bone wine. In fact, some businessmen are so keen they have already been found in breach of Chinese law, illegally selling the wine in tiger-shaped bottles and in one case, selling tiger meat.

EIA and others have found tiger bone wine being marketed as a general tonic and packaged as the gift that wins promotions and seals deals. Call it a conflict of interest, but there has been no meaningful enforcement action by the relevant authorities to stop this trade.

The very existence of these farms, and the persistent lobbying of the business community, is a distraction which deflates and undermines real tiger conservation efforts.

We're being asked to believe that those who have already dabbled in illegal trade have a real interest in limiting their market, and that the enforcement authorities who have failed to stop them so far will be able to regulate a legal trade to prevent the laundering of poached tiger parts.

A tiger- and bear-themed park in China is used for farming the animals

In June 2007, the international community spoke with one voice; it declared that tigers should not be bred for any trade in their parts and derivatives.

Delegates at the 14th meeting of the Conference of Parties to Cites voted by consensus on a decision to phase out commercial tiger farms.

The move was championed by the governments of tiger range states such as India, Nepal, Russia and Bhutan, all desperately appealing to the international community to remove the farm threat once and for all.

Two years on however, those countries with tiger farms have failed to provide any evidence of progress.

In fact, China's response to a notification from Cites seeking information on what steps they have taken to fulfil the agreed decision was met with a curt and derisive response that told us nothing. All eyes will be on China once again during the Cites meeting in Geneva next week.

EIA firmly believes that if China is truly committed to saving the wild tiger, it should close down the tiger farms and invest in more effective and meaningful enforcement co-operation with range states.

Changes in attitudes and markets show that consumers are responsive to targeted education and outreach, and indeed several markets in China have declined dramatically in the last few years.

Now is not the time to abandon efforts but to reinvest, financially and politically, in their continued success.

In so doing, we bring far greater benefits - not just to the survival of the wild tiger, but also to other endangered species, to the fight against corruption and organised crime and to a better world for all of us. Who doesn't want that?

Debbie Banks is a senior tiger investigator with the EIA.

The Green Room is a series of opinion articles on environmental topics running weekly on the BBC News website.

Broken radio-collar of Sariska tiger replaced

This is today's piece in Hindu, not much news otherwise. The sea link in Mumbai has finally opened so I guess reporters across newspapers are busy with the opening.

New Delhi (PTI): The broken radio-collar of a tiger in Sariska has been successfully replaced with a hi-tech and light-weight gadget by a team of experts from the Wildlife Institute of India and Rajasthan forest officials.

"We executed the operation of replacing the collar successfully on Monday. Though it was raining heavily we managed to locate the wild cat after five days of intense search," K Shankar, a WII scientist, who was the part of the team, told PTI.

The animal was tranquilized and a new radio-collar put around its neck.

Mr. Shankar said the gadget would help in keeping track of the movement of the striped animal in the Rajasthan forest, the two tigress already being radio-collared.

"This time we have used the radio-collar having in-built antenna unlike the earlier one which had external antenna and vulnerable to damages," Mr. Shankar added.

The collars weighing around a kg was given free of cost by Canada-based firm Lotek after its previous gadget failed to function.

"As per norms, the weight of the collar is much less than 5 per cent of the body weight of the animal which is usually around 150 kgs."

Mr. Shankar said collars were an important part of the animal recovery species plan as it would keep a track on the movement of the royal predators-- two female and a male big cat and ward off the poachers.

The wild cats were shifted phase-wise since July last year from Ranthambore tiger reserves in the Northen state. Two more tigers are planned to be relocated to Sariska reserve before 2010.

The scientist explained that the collar contains transmitters that send out information in short pulses, which is picked up by a satellite, which in turn transmits the data to dedicated centres, in this case Argos centres for processing.

Relocating predators to a new habitat — a first of its kind experiment — is aimed at reviving the tiger population at Sariska which had lost all its big cats to poaching by 2004.

Taking cue from Sariska, Madhya Pradesh Government too recently translocated two tigress in Panna reserve where no big cat is left.

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/004200907011254.htm

Recission now hits Tiger relocation !!

TOI had an interesting bit today. Given the high cost of airlifting involved, Govt of Rajasthan has decided to shift the next few big cats to Sarika from Ranthambore by road.

Road route likely for Sariska-bound tigerJAIPUR: It could be economy-class for the male tiger that has to be translocated from the Ranthambore tiger reserve to Sariska some time this July.

The state forest department is seriously contemplating using a custom made trailer for relocating the tiger this time. Till now, all the three big cats that have been relocated to Sariska have had the "luxury" of an air ride on board an IAF helicopter.

Officials of the forestdepartment disclosed that the move is being considered so as to cut costs. "Air travel requires a lot of expenses. For it is not just the one-time ride with the big cat but sometimes the tiger proves elusive, specially in the monsoon season, and the helicopter has to wait for a long time," the official said.

In fact, during the relocation of the second tigress, the third in a row, the helicopter had to fly off without completing the mission as the tigress proved elusive on two occasions. Officials of the WildlifeInstitute of India (WII) had failed to locate the earmarked tigress in a correct position to tranquillise it.

But more than the cost, the state forest department is thinking of betterways to transport the tiger being emboldened by three successful translocations to Sariska. Sunday marked the completion of a year of the first relocation of a tigress to Sariska.

"During these relocations what we learnt was that if the big cat is sedated in a controlled way tit behaves in a docile manner. However, in the event we use a trailer we would take proper precautions so that the tiger is well protected not only from the bumps on the road but from climatic conditions too," said the official hinting at the use of an air-conditioned vehicle or water sprays during travel. In fact tigers have been relocated from Panna to Kanha by road.

However, travel by road from Ranthambore to Sariska would take longer and the cat would have to travel about 50 km extra. "That is not a worry. Once sedated, the tiger remains in that condition for at least 4 to 6 hours. In fact, by road we will be able to monitor the animal better," the official reaffirmed.

The forest department is looking forward to relocating at least two big cats this financial year and three more in the next two years. "Along with this the process of supplementing five big cats every two years will be on," he added.

The relocation this time would also see the forest department use satellite radio collars that would have an embedded antenna and is manufactured by a Canadian company. The standard radio collars suffer from the weakness that the antenna are susceptible to damage. Besides, the relocation would also put into practice the fresh set of protocols for relocation as issued by the Centre.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Jaipur/Road-route-likely-for-Sariska-bound-tiger/articleshow/4717940.cms

States and centre are both complicit

As per the story carried in Indian express yesterday the centre had given a clean chit to the Forest Dept team in charge of Panna National Park as late as last year when it was clear that tigers had been disappearing from the sancturary at an alarming rate.r Even more surprisingly the head of the central team was the same person who as the head of SIT now has slammed the state government and the officials for dereliction of duty. What is not surprising how ever is that now the buck is being passed around to cove up the tracks. Might be a good idea for the new minister to fix accountability for this serious oversight. Charity afterall begins at home.

Central team slams MP for missing tigers but year ago, it sang praises

A Special Investigative Team (SIT) set up by the Ministry of Environment and Forests submitted a damning report early this week saying the Panna Tiger Reserve lost most of its big cats to poaching and blamed Madhya Pradesh government authorities for “being in denial” and failing to see the impending disaster despite repeated warnings.

However, just a year ago, P K Sen, who headed the SIT, submitted a glowing report to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) praising those manning the park as motivated, dedicated and knowledgeable and applauding the support from state officials.

That report put the tiger count at seven — and possibly two more — and observed that there were no incidents of poaching in the recent past. The latest report says there may be no tigers left.

Sen, the former director of Project Tiger, along with Secretary General and CEO of WWF-India Ravi Singh, visited Panna on January 8-10, 2008, for an appraisal of the “Status of Tiger Population” in the reserve.The field director and his staff appeared to be quite motivated and, therefore, their continuity is a must. Even if the field director is promoted, he should be allowed to stay in the park for a considerable period as he has been able to motivate the subordinate staff to a large extent. The staff appears to be quite dedicated, knowledgeable about the terrain and enthusiastic in their work,” was the first recommendation made in the six-page report, a copy of which is with The Sunday Express.

“The highest authorities in the state appear to be supporting the field director in his initiative. The proposed new areas to be included as a buffer of the park should be notified as early as possible,” was the second recommendation.

Sen went on to applaud the park management for a series of steps including setting up 71 patrol camps each managed by a forest guard; 33 wireless-set-equipped Nigrani (vigil) camps for round-the-clock vigil at strategic locations that cover 95 per cent of the area; rehabilitation of 13 villages outside the park; rehabilitation of 91 children of Baheliya and Pardhi tribes — traditionally engaged in poaching — by admitting them in two schools.

However, in his new report, Sen makes an about turn to blame the park management and top state officials in Bhopal, including the Principal Secretary (Forests). This despite the fact that between the first report and the latest one, the top brass of the state Forest Department has remained virtually unchanged. H S Pabla, who was Assistant Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) in 2008, is now PCCF (Wildlife) while P G Gangopadhyay who was PCCF (Wildlife) is now PCCF. IAS officer Prashant Mehta was Principal Secretary (Forests) in 2008 and is now Additional Chief Secretary (Forests). Panna, however, has seen three directors during the same period. During the team’s visit in 2008 it was G Krishnamurty followed by L K Chaudhary and now R S Murthy. Sen’s 2008 report, based on pugmarks, suggested the presence of seven tigers, mostly males, in the areas seen by the team members and maybe two semi-adult tigers. The observation came with a rider: “It must be noted that the team has relied mostly upon pugmarks on PIPs (pugmark impression pads). Other evidences recorded are of a kill, scats and alarm calls. Tigers have been sighted by tourists and staff in the beginning of January, therefore any absence of tiger from the Reserve is not correct.” The report recommended that verification of the population/presence of tigers be done by camera-trapping. “There is a need to bring out more information regarding the reserve and specifically of tigers in the public sphere. This will also underline the good work that has been observed in the Panna Tiger Reserve,” Sen’s report said. The team covered four ranges and found the maximum numbers of pugmarks in the Madla range. On the first day (January 8) of their visit, the team-members saw 30 pugmarks; 50 on the second day, and 10 the last day. The team admitted to seeing over 150 pugmarks but after analyzing them suggested the presence of only seven tigers and the possibility of two sub-adults. When asked to explain this turnaround, Sen said: “There are differences in the two reports because the mandate was different. Moreover, the team hardly spent two days in 2008. The SIT’s investigations extended over three months.” Asked what this difference in mandate was, Sen said: “This time the mandate was to specifically find what went wrong in Panna unlike the last time when the brief was general.” He claimed that in 2008 the team was never “cent per cent sure” about the presence of tigers because the analysis was based on pugmarks, an outdated system. “That’s why we suggested camera trapping to confirm the exact number of tigers and the male-female ratio,” he said. As for his earlier comment that there was no evidence of poaching, Sen said that was “general comment.”

He said the blame lies with the senior officers based in Bhopal because they failed to act in time. “They failed to effectively monitor what was going on in the park.”

“Even we want to figure out what went wrong and that’s why we have set up an expert committee,” said PCCF Pabla. “Either the committee was not serious then (2008) or its latest report amounts to witch-hunting by talking about fixing accountability,” he said.

“We are not disputing the latest report but we don’t want to jump the gun. There could have been mortality — either by poaching or natural deaths or migration. It could be a combination of several factors. It’s a systemic failure that suggests failure of the present conservation strategy,” he said.

Two tigresses were translocated to Panna, one each from Bandhavgarh and Kanha in March, but there was no mating because the lone male tiger, which forest authorities claimed was there, disappeared.

Now the NTCA has cleared a proposal to shift two tigers and two tigresses to the reserve, preparations for which have already begun.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Central-team-slams-MP-for-missing-tigers-but-year-ago--it-sang-praises/482260

Accountability for disappearing Tigers

In country where millions go to bed hungry every night and where people, especially those living in & around forest areas, have to scratch for a decent living it is hardly a surprise to see the local villagers not completely on board in the government's efforts to save tigers. Accountability is the name of the game these days what with newspapers full of statements made by our new minister on Fixing responsibility on forest officials for dereliction of duty in the case of missing tigers of Panna. As early as 2002 conservationists working inside the park have been warning the state of government of the danger signs. As if to prove to the country that they couldnt care less, officials in the MP Forest Department did not just continously look the other way but went out of their way to cover up for the fact that big cats were disppearing from under their noses when they were writing in magazines on how all the tigers were safe and were scattered in the jungles nearby when the census was carried out. Accountability in isolation is a dangerous sword. What needs to be addressed to avoid reccurance of such cases is to address the root cause of cover ups. State governments, most of them on the brink of a financial crisis, are burdended with the task of meeting basis aspirations of people. If Madhya Pradesh or for that matter any other state has little drinking water available to quench the thirst of its population then it is unfair to expect the chief minister to focus on Tiger Conservation. Priorities are set at the top and officials down the line take a cue from the leader. Hence is it imperative that the Centre takes a larger leadership role in this issue. From quickly raising the tiger protection force to ensuring inter state poaching cases are solved at the earliest, quick and transparent justice will bring in as much benefit to tiger protection as any other step. If, as the centre says, repeated warning of tigers disappearing were ignored by the state government between 2002 & 2008 then the central goverment is also complicit in not ensuring that the poachers were quickly caught and brought to book. With most poaching syndicates operating across state boudaries it is impossible for a state goverment to alone act and apprehend wildlife criminals and thats where the centre has to play a crucial role. Making people living in and around the forests a stake holder in the development is another aspect on which reams has been written but the results achieved have been mixed. Tadoba National park in Maharashatra has been in news recently for many tiger deaths around the peiphery. My recent there relvealed that there are still many villages inside the park and some of the villagers who had moved out earlier have reentered demading better compensation from the goverment. Official apathy, bureaucracy, corruption and confused policies both at the central and state levels is a deadly cokctail that is the biggest impediment to tiger conservation efforts. If the minister has to fixaccountability let him start with removing these ills atleast at the central level, the states will take care of themselves.