NAGPUR: Tiger conservation took a hit on Tuesday when one death was reported inside the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, 475 kms from Nagpur.
This is the 18th tiger death in India since January and comes at a time when census readings are being studied to check if the tally of 1411 from the count four years ago has gone up or down. The new figure will be announced by the Wildlife Institute of India in October this year.
The incident took place at 10am in Zurzura in Tala Range of the reserve. There are conflicting claims not only about the reasons of death but also of the tiger's sex.
Some tourists from Nagpur told TOI that the tiger had died due to suffocation after its neck got entangled in a wire snare which may have been put by villagers to trap herbivores. Others claimed the tiger was hit by a tourist vehicle and died due to injuries.
Forest officials, however, rule out both the possibilities and are giving a completely different view.
CK Patil, field director & conservator of forests at Bandhavgarh, feels that the tiger – a male according to him — could have died in a territorial fight. He denied that it was injured and attacked tourists' vehicles.
Patil was also emphatic that the tiger did not have had wire snares on its neck.
Contradicting his boss' claims, JN Shukla, the Tala range forest officer (RFO), told TOI the dead animal was a three-year-old female and there were no external injury marks on its body. This clearly indicates that the tiger did not die in a territorial fight as is being claimed by Patil.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Award Categories (as discussed) # MEDIA CATEGORIES: 1) Best Brand Integration on Radio Use of radio as a medium by any brand in its pl
NEW DELHI: The environment ministry has formed a panel to examine the impact of 17 projects, relating to mining and infrastructure development, on conservation of tiger.
The four-member committee of former National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) chief P K Sen and NTCA members Prakash Murlidhar Amte, Samar Singh and Urmila Pingle will submit its report within a month.
“The proposals include mining, infrastructure developments and industries projects falling in the buffer and corridor areas of tiger reserves in Tadoba landscape, Bandhavgarh landscape, Kanha landscape, Kanha-Pench corridor and Satpura-Pench corridor of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh,” said NTCA DIG S P Yadav.
Seven of the projects are in the Chindwara district, which is represented by roads minister Kamal Nath. These projects, which are mostly in the mining sector, came up for environmental clearance in April. The committee is expected to examine the proposals in terms of its impact on tiger conservation and submit its recommendation based on which clearance will be given.
Among the projects that will have to await clearance is the Mandla Underground project of Jaiprakash Associates in Chindwara, four coal mine projects of the Western Coalfields Ltd also in Chindwara. There are two coal-based thermal projects in the Umaria district, a 300 MW coal based project in Chandrapur and a 1980 MW thermal power project in Katni will also be studies by this committee before clearance is given.
Environment minister Jairam Ramesh has on several occasion made it clear that his ministry would not okay projects that would adversely impact natural reserves and the environment. Mr Ramesh has stressed that his job was to implement the Environment Protection Act, 1986; the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, and the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, in a “transparent and professional” manner.
The four-member committee of former National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) chief P K Sen and NTCA members Prakash Murlidhar Amte, Samar Singh and Urmila Pingle will submit its report within a month.
“The proposals include mining, infrastructure developments and industries projects falling in the buffer and corridor areas of tiger reserves in Tadoba landscape, Bandhavgarh landscape, Kanha landscape, Kanha-Pench corridor and Satpura-Pench corridor of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh,” said NTCA DIG S P Yadav.
Seven of the projects are in the Chindwara district, which is represented by roads minister Kamal Nath. These projects, which are mostly in the mining sector, came up for environmental clearance in April. The committee is expected to examine the proposals in terms of its impact on tiger conservation and submit its recommendation based on which clearance will be given.
Among the projects that will have to await clearance is the Mandla Underground project of Jaiprakash Associates in Chindwara, four coal mine projects of the Western Coalfields Ltd also in Chindwara. There are two coal-based thermal projects in the Umaria district, a 300 MW coal based project in Chandrapur and a 1980 MW thermal power project in Katni will also be studies by this committee before clearance is given.
Environment minister Jairam Ramesh has on several occasion made it clear that his ministry would not okay projects that would adversely impact natural reserves and the environment. Mr Ramesh has stressed that his job was to implement the Environment Protection Act, 1986; the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, and the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, in a “transparent and professional” manner.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Tiger kills honey collector
Sundarbans (WB), May 19 (PTI) A man, who went to collect honey with fellow villagers, was today killed by a tiger at Pirkhali jungle in Sundarbans mangrove forest.
"Sujan Singh of Kultali died this morning when the tiger attacked him when he alongwith other villagers entered the reserve forest to collect honey," Field Director of Sundarbans Tiger Reserve, Subrat Mukherjee told PTI.
He said the body has been recovered from the forest area and sent for post-mortem.
Other members of the group are safe, officials said.
"Sujan Singh of Kultali died this morning when the tiger attacked him when he alongwith other villagers entered the reserve forest to collect honey," Field Director of Sundarbans Tiger Reserve, Subrat Mukherjee told PTI.
He said the body has been recovered from the forest area and sent for post-mortem.
Other members of the group are safe, officials said.
Vehicle entry fee likely at Sariska, Ranthambore
JAIPUR: The Sariska and Ranthambore Tiger Conservation Foundation has decided to introduce an entry fee on all the vehicles passing through the tiger reserve to generate income.
The decision came at the first meeting of the governing body of the foundation held on Tuesday. The meeting was presided over by forest minister Ramlal Jat.
Presently, devotees coming to the Pandupole temple on Tuesdays and Saturdays are given free entry into the park. However, it was decided that except the local vehicles (registered in Alwar district), all other vehicles would have to pay an entry fee from now onwards.
It was also decided that in order to meet the administrative expenditure of the registration of the tourist vehicles and training of the nature guides, a 5% handling charges would be set apart from the payment of the vehicle owners and nature guides to the foundation.
The meeting also decided that keeping 2008-09 as the base year, the foundation would receive 50% of the extra income generated from the park. Besides, the foundation would be eligible for grant or financial assistance from domestic and foreign organisations. This is apart from the financial grants and assistance from the state and Central governments.
Jat appreciated the work of the boundary wall of the Ranthambore and Sariska carried out under the MNREGS and said permanent roads would also be constructed under the scheme in the area. He said the foundation was constituted to promote eco-tourism and bio- diversity and systematic and planned development.
Jat said the foundation would work for the socio-economic development of the people of the area and would ensure that the local people as the stakeholders. This is an important aspect as so long as the local people are the stake-holders, they would care for the animals. Besides, he said the foundation has to find avenues for generating revenue for the upkeep and development of the area.
The meeting was attended by principal secretaries V S Singh (forest and environment) and Usha Sharma (tourism), who emphasised the need for the preparation of an operation manual, chief wildlife conservator R N Mehrotra, principal conservator of forests Abhijeet Ghosh, foundation member Allauddin Ahmed, MLA, and other officials.
The decision came at the first meeting of the governing body of the foundation held on Tuesday. The meeting was presided over by forest minister Ramlal Jat.
Presently, devotees coming to the Pandupole temple on Tuesdays and Saturdays are given free entry into the park. However, it was decided that except the local vehicles (registered in Alwar district), all other vehicles would have to pay an entry fee from now onwards.
It was also decided that in order to meet the administrative expenditure of the registration of the tourist vehicles and training of the nature guides, a 5% handling charges would be set apart from the payment of the vehicle owners and nature guides to the foundation.
The meeting also decided that keeping 2008-09 as the base year, the foundation would receive 50% of the extra income generated from the park. Besides, the foundation would be eligible for grant or financial assistance from domestic and foreign organisations. This is apart from the financial grants and assistance from the state and Central governments.
Jat appreciated the work of the boundary wall of the Ranthambore and Sariska carried out under the MNREGS and said permanent roads would also be constructed under the scheme in the area. He said the foundation was constituted to promote eco-tourism and bio- diversity and systematic and planned development.
Jat said the foundation would work for the socio-economic development of the people of the area and would ensure that the local people as the stakeholders. This is an important aspect as so long as the local people are the stake-holders, they would care for the animals. Besides, he said the foundation has to find avenues for generating revenue for the upkeep and development of the area.
The meeting was attended by principal secretaries V S Singh (forest and environment) and Usha Sharma (tourism), who emphasised the need for the preparation of an operation manual, chief wildlife conservator R N Mehrotra, principal conservator of forests Abhijeet Ghosh, foundation member Allauddin Ahmed, MLA, and other officials.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Ranthambore Villagers who poisoned tiger cubs released as officials fail to file charges
JAIPUR: A local court in Sawai Madhopur has released two villagers, accused of killing two 17-month-old tiger cubs, on bail after forest authorities could not file a chargesheet against them within 60 days.
The two villagers had poisoned the cubs on the outskirts of Ranthambore Tiger Reserve after the big cats killed their goats. Ram Khiladi Gujjar and Mukesh Gujjar of Tadla Khet village, on the outskirts of the reserve, were released by the court last Friday. The two were arrested on March 8, the day the cubs were found dead.
"Forest officials are responsible for not filing the chargesheet even as they had all the details. The forensic lab report had confirmed a case of poisoning; the goats' carcasses were found on the spot; and the shop from where the pesticide was identified," said Fateh Singh, vice-chairman, Tiger Watch, an NGO, in Ranthambore. "This will send a wrong message to the villagers who may take such grievous crimes lightly," added Fateh Singh.
The killing of tiger cubs had sent shock waves across the country and the state forest department acted swiftly by arresting the two accused. "We didn't file the chargesheet as third accused Narsi Gujjar is absconding," explained RS Shekhawat, deputy field director, Ranthambore Tiger Reserve.
Sources in legal circles point out that killing a tiger is a non-bailable offence. However, as per a Supreme Court verdict, if the chargesheet is not filed in such cases within the stipulated 60 days or 90 days as the case may be, the accused can be released on bail.
"The time period for filing the chargesheet varies from crime to crime. In this case, it was 60 days but the authorities mistook it for 90 days and did not file the chargesheet," said a government counsel.
The two villagers had poisoned the cubs on the outskirts of Ranthambore Tiger Reserve after the big cats killed their goats. Ram Khiladi Gujjar and Mukesh Gujjar of Tadla Khet village, on the outskirts of the reserve, were released by the court last Friday. The two were arrested on March 8, the day the cubs were found dead.
"Forest officials are responsible for not filing the chargesheet even as they had all the details. The forensic lab report had confirmed a case of poisoning; the goats' carcasses were found on the spot; and the shop from where the pesticide was identified," said Fateh Singh, vice-chairman, Tiger Watch, an NGO, in Ranthambore. "This will send a wrong message to the villagers who may take such grievous crimes lightly," added Fateh Singh.
The killing of tiger cubs had sent shock waves across the country and the state forest department acted swiftly by arresting the two accused. "We didn't file the chargesheet as third accused Narsi Gujjar is absconding," explained RS Shekhawat, deputy field director, Ranthambore Tiger Reserve.
Sources in legal circles point out that killing a tiger is a non-bailable offence. However, as per a Supreme Court verdict, if the chargesheet is not filed in such cases within the stipulated 60 days or 90 days as the case may be, the accused can be released on bail.
"The time period for filing the chargesheet varies from crime to crime. In this case, it was 60 days but the authorities mistook it for 90 days and did not file the chargesheet," said a government counsel.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Highway threat to wildlife on National Highway 6
A drive in the fast lane on Nation Highway 6 is turning out to be a threat for wildlife. Stretches on this highway form a part of crucial wildlife and tiger corridor that connects the Nagzira Sanctuary and the Navegaon National Park in Maharashtra. Stretching it to four lanes has spelt disaster for the animals.
On either side of National Highway 6, are forests that play a crucial role in the tiger's habitat. In fact, the four-laning project of NH-6 has meant a lot of trees have been cut, and in many places it's already a 4-lane highway.
Under the Forest Conservation Act, cutting trees in protected areas requires permission from the Ministry of Environment and Forests.
To date, no sanction has been sought, but work on the highway is continuing at top speed.
And here's why: In a report submitted in 2008, the deputy conservator of forests has claimed that the highway project is beyond the 10 kilometres safe radius around parks and sanctuaries. But the fact is that the Nawegaon National Park's boundary is within two to three kilometres of the highway.
Violations such as these have only made matters worse in an area that is crucial for tiger survival.
"I have seen a sambhar and a cheetal crushed under a truck's tyres. The best way to deal with this problem right now is to build underpasses for wildlife. At least animals will have some space to cross over from one side to another without any trouble," said Mukund Dhurve from the Satpuda Foundation.
"We have always tried to balance wildlife and development needs. We are looking into the possibility of building underpasses for animals," said Brijeshwar Singh, Chairman, National Highway Authority of India.
Despite a report by the chief conservator of forests which demands a solution to the problem, little has been done on the ground. The matter has now gone to the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, for the animals, this has become yet another battle for survival.
On either side of National Highway 6, are forests that play a crucial role in the tiger's habitat. In fact, the four-laning project of NH-6 has meant a lot of trees have been cut, and in many places it's already a 4-lane highway.
Under the Forest Conservation Act, cutting trees in protected areas requires permission from the Ministry of Environment and Forests.
To date, no sanction has been sought, but work on the highway is continuing at top speed.
And here's why: In a report submitted in 2008, the deputy conservator of forests has claimed that the highway project is beyond the 10 kilometres safe radius around parks and sanctuaries. But the fact is that the Nawegaon National Park's boundary is within two to three kilometres of the highway.
Violations such as these have only made matters worse in an area that is crucial for tiger survival.
"I have seen a sambhar and a cheetal crushed under a truck's tyres. The best way to deal with this problem right now is to build underpasses for wildlife. At least animals will have some space to cross over from one side to another without any trouble," said Mukund Dhurve from the Satpuda Foundation.
"We have always tried to balance wildlife and development needs. We are looking into the possibility of building underpasses for animals," said Brijeshwar Singh, Chairman, National Highway Authority of India.
Despite a report by the chief conservator of forests which demands a solution to the problem, little has been done on the ground. The matter has now gone to the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, for the animals, this has become yet another battle for survival.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Move to revive tiger reserve
Over 1,000 families, predominantly tribals, residing in the core of the Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam tiger reserve are likely to be relocated as part of the efforts to revive the sanctuary, considered to be one of the largest in the country.
The Central government, under whose purview the project lies, has initiated negotiations with the families likely to be affected by offering a compensation of Rs. 10 lakh each for their relocation. “We are working with these families. We cannot shift them forcibly,” Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh says. Mr. Jairam Ramesh, who is currently in the tiger reserve on a two-day visit, sees “great potential” for revival of the area.
MONTHLY PAYMENT
Mr. Ramesh said in an innovative measure to protect the dwindling population of tigers, 400 youth hailing from the Chenchu tribes had been recruited and entrusted the task of monitoring the tiger population in tiger reserve. The tribal youth will be offered payment of Rs. 3,000 to Rs. 4,000 a month for fulfilling their responsibility. “Police and forest guards alone would not be in a position to protect tigers and we have preferred local youth for the purpose,” he said.
Mr. Jairam Ramesh, who held extensive interactions with the ‘new recruits', told The Hindu that these local youth would forthwith be the ‘tiger watchers and protectors'. Though the department had taken up similar initiatives elsewhere, “it is really taking off in Andhra Pradesh.” He said the department was also facing one of the biggest threats to the protection of ecology in the form of grazing. Close to four lakh cattle came to the reserve for grazing and efforts had been initiated to identify lands where fodder could be grown or areas which could be converted into grazing grounds to prevent cattle from entering the reserve. In addition, the location of nine temples in the sanctuary area was creating hindrances in the revival efforts. “We have to first regulate the traffic flow through the forest area and a mechanism is being evolved in this direction.”
He said the Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam tiger reserve, spread over 3,600 sq. km, was by far the number one among the 39 notified areas in the country, but suffered destruction over a period of one decade from 1994 to 2004. Efforts to revive the reserve had started yielding results with the current tiger population, pegged at 70, showing “great scope for revival”.
Cat got Goa babus’ tongue!
Any State that discovers the presence of unaccounted tigers would double up with joy. After all, the national animal is an endangered species and a massive countrywide campaign has been launched to revive its dwindling numbers. But strangely, forest authorities in Goa are desperately downplaying the recent discovery of four new tigers during the ongoing State wildlife census.
While the official response is that the authorities would wait for the analysis of the pugmarks and scat before endorsing the discovery, wildlife activists allege that the Forest department was dragging it feet because official confirmation of tigers would directly hit the politically powerful Rs 6,000-crore mining industry that operates in several ‘tiger zones’.
According to the Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India (WII), the tigers — including a tigress with two cubs — had not been accounted for in the 2005-06 tiger estimation survey.
Although, wildlife activists and greens in the State are all upbeat, the Forest department has been lukewarm to the findings.
Speaking to The Pioneer, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Shashi Kumar, said it was premature to rejoice. “It would be too early to say. We shall await the results and then break the news.” He added the evidence found — scat and pug marks — would be analysed at the Dehradun-based institute.
“Suspected tiger faeces was found at Surla and Nandran, within the Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary at Mollem and pugmarks of a tigress and two cubs along the water’s edge in Anjunem dam near the Goa-Karnataka border,” was all that the reticent Principal Chief Conservator of Forests ventured to say.
Shashi Kumar had earlier caused a furore when he claimed that tigers were not endemic to the State but were ‘migratory’, for which he was debunked by experts.
Wildlife and environmental activists in Goa have long been demanding that Goa’s sanctuaries be notified as tiger reserves. They have accused the Forest department of denying the presence of tigers to appease the politically and economically strong mining lobby.
Goa’s open cast iron ore and bauxite mining industry is digging through most of ‘protected’ forests of Western Ghats that feature in WWF’s 12 topmost biodiversity hotspots of the world.
According to wildlife campaigner Rajendra Kerkar, “It is beyond doubt that these forests are a home for tigers. However, if the State’s handful sanctuaries are notified as tiger reserves, mining — illegal and legal — around these, carried out with the blessings of the politicians and State administration would have to cease”.
Kerkar, also a freelance journalist, recently brought to light the poaching of a tiger in the Mhadei Wildlife sanctuary through his articles. Ironically, Kerkar was made abettor in the poaching crime after the former accused the Forest department of sabotaging the probe into the killing of the Schedule 1 animal. The Forest department had to later drop his name after an uproar in the local media.
“Look, many places in Goa are named after tigers. The official census doesn’t show any tigers from Goa when this is a tiger place. The tiger-poaching incident itself reflects that, which means the national count of 1,411 tigers goes up. The Forest department seems to be more concerned with conserving mining in the area than conserving wildlife,” well-known environmentalist Claude Alvares caustically remarked.
While the official response is that the authorities would wait for the analysis of the pugmarks and scat before endorsing the discovery, wildlife activists allege that the Forest department was dragging it feet because official confirmation of tigers would directly hit the politically powerful Rs 6,000-crore mining industry that operates in several ‘tiger zones’.
According to the Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India (WII), the tigers — including a tigress with two cubs — had not been accounted for in the 2005-06 tiger estimation survey.
Although, wildlife activists and greens in the State are all upbeat, the Forest department has been lukewarm to the findings.
Speaking to The Pioneer, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Shashi Kumar, said it was premature to rejoice. “It would be too early to say. We shall await the results and then break the news.” He added the evidence found — scat and pug marks — would be analysed at the Dehradun-based institute.
“Suspected tiger faeces was found at Surla and Nandran, within the Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary at Mollem and pugmarks of a tigress and two cubs along the water’s edge in Anjunem dam near the Goa-Karnataka border,” was all that the reticent Principal Chief Conservator of Forests ventured to say.
Shashi Kumar had earlier caused a furore when he claimed that tigers were not endemic to the State but were ‘migratory’, for which he was debunked by experts.
Wildlife and environmental activists in Goa have long been demanding that Goa’s sanctuaries be notified as tiger reserves. They have accused the Forest department of denying the presence of tigers to appease the politically and economically strong mining lobby.
Goa’s open cast iron ore and bauxite mining industry is digging through most of ‘protected’ forests of Western Ghats that feature in WWF’s 12 topmost biodiversity hotspots of the world.
According to wildlife campaigner Rajendra Kerkar, “It is beyond doubt that these forests are a home for tigers. However, if the State’s handful sanctuaries are notified as tiger reserves, mining — illegal and legal — around these, carried out with the blessings of the politicians and State administration would have to cease”.
Kerkar, also a freelance journalist, recently brought to light the poaching of a tiger in the Mhadei Wildlife sanctuary through his articles. Ironically, Kerkar was made abettor in the poaching crime after the former accused the Forest department of sabotaging the probe into the killing of the Schedule 1 animal. The Forest department had to later drop his name after an uproar in the local media.
“Look, many places in Goa are named after tigers. The official census doesn’t show any tigers from Goa when this is a tiger place. The tiger-poaching incident itself reflects that, which means the national count of 1,411 tigers goes up. The Forest department seems to be more concerned with conserving mining in the area than conserving wildlife,” well-known environmentalist Claude Alvares caustically remarked.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Goa wildlife census shows tiger presence
PANAJI: Evidence of at least three tigers' presence has been found in Goa's wildlife sanctuaries during the ongoing wildlife census in the state by forest department officials.
A forest department official said tiger faeces was found at Surla and Nandran, in the Mollem National Park in the thickly-forested eastern part of Goa, 80 km from here.
"We also found pug marks of a tigress near the Anjunem dam, located near the Goa-Karnataka border," a forest official said, requesting not to be named.
The official said the pug marks found at the Anjunem dam catchment area indicated that a tigress had passed by the water's edge along with two cubs.
The development is a shot in the arm for green activists who have been lobbying for Goa's forest areas being declared as tiger reserves.
However, no forest department official is willing to come on record to acknowledge the development.
According to noted wildlife expert Rajendra Kerkar, there's a reason for the forest department's silence.
"There has always been proof that tigers are there in our forests. But the forest department has been consistently denying the presence of tigers because they are hand-in-glove with the mining lobby," said Kerkar, who recently exposed tiger poaching in the Mhadei wildlife sanctuary.
Kerkar said if the Mhadei, Netravali, Cotigao and the Bhagwan Mahavir sanctuaries were declared tiger reserves, illegal mining near these green havens, secretly endorsed by the several powerful politicians and allowed by the forest department, would have to immediately stop.
Goa's Rs 6,000 crore open cast mining industry rings the state's forests in the north and eastern parts which border with Maharashtra and Karnataka.
According to Leader of Opposition Manohar Parrikar, nearly 20 per cent of the Rs 40 million ore exported from Goa comes from illegal mining.
A forest department official said tiger faeces was found at Surla and Nandran, in the Mollem National Park in the thickly-forested eastern part of Goa, 80 km from here.
"We also found pug marks of a tigress near the Anjunem dam, located near the Goa-Karnataka border," a forest official said, requesting not to be named.
The official said the pug marks found at the Anjunem dam catchment area indicated that a tigress had passed by the water's edge along with two cubs.
The development is a shot in the arm for green activists who have been lobbying for Goa's forest areas being declared as tiger reserves.
However, no forest department official is willing to come on record to acknowledge the development.
According to noted wildlife expert Rajendra Kerkar, there's a reason for the forest department's silence.
"There has always been proof that tigers are there in our forests. But the forest department has been consistently denying the presence of tigers because they are hand-in-glove with the mining lobby," said Kerkar, who recently exposed tiger poaching in the Mhadei wildlife sanctuary.
Kerkar said if the Mhadei, Netravali, Cotigao and the Bhagwan Mahavir sanctuaries were declared tiger reserves, illegal mining near these green havens, secretly endorsed by the several powerful politicians and allowed by the forest department, would have to immediately stop.
Goa's Rs 6,000 crore open cast mining industry rings the state's forests in the north and eastern parts which border with Maharashtra and Karnataka.
According to Leader of Opposition Manohar Parrikar, nearly 20 per cent of the Rs 40 million ore exported from Goa comes from illegal mining.
Tiger sighted in Valmiki reserve after six months
PATNA: Almost after a gap of six months, a tiger was sighted in Bihar's Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR) on Thursday morning. The Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) assistant manager, Samir Sinha, sighted the big cat near the rest house in the Govardhana range of the reserve. Sinha is looking after the camera trap work of the ongoing tiger census work in the reserve.
"Around 5 am, while moving on the Govardhana-Manguraha forest road for collecting certain census-related data, I sighted the tiger," Sinha told TOI, adding: "I have been working in VTR for the last seven years but didn't have the chance to sight a tiger earlier."
VTR director J P Gupta, who was the first one to be informed about the tiger sighting and who had himself sighted a leopard in the Govardhana range itself a few months back, said: "Such things indicate that the efforts put into making the reserve a safe place for the felines are showing good results."
Prior to this, one tiger was sighted by forest guards in the Someshwar block of the reserve in November last year. A tigress with two cubs was sighted in August in the Manpur area located near the eastern boundary of the reserve last year as well.
The news of tiger sighting from Bihar's only tiger reserve must be music to the ears of wildlife lovers, as VTR, in the past two months, witnessed the killing of a tiger and a leopard.
While the tiger was poisoned to death in the Madanpur range of the reserve in March after it killed one buffalo belonging to locals, a leopard was killed by villagers at Shahpur Parsauni village four days ago after it strayed into the village and killed a villager and injured five others.
The Thursday sighting apart, wildlife lovers can also take solace from the fact that the ongoing tiger census has given some very encouraging signs. "Camera trap data collected from Raghia, Manguraha and Govardhana ranges is very encouraging with movement of tigers being trapped in these cameras on a regular basis," Sinha said.
Refusing to draw conclusions about the exact number of tigers on the basis of these findings, he, however, claimed that such things could be done only after comprehensive analysis of data collected in different stages of the census.
"Around 5 am, while moving on the Govardhana-Manguraha forest road for collecting certain census-related data, I sighted the tiger," Sinha told TOI, adding: "I have been working in VTR for the last seven years but didn't have the chance to sight a tiger earlier."
VTR director J P Gupta, who was the first one to be informed about the tiger sighting and who had himself sighted a leopard in the Govardhana range itself a few months back, said: "Such things indicate that the efforts put into making the reserve a safe place for the felines are showing good results."
Prior to this, one tiger was sighted by forest guards in the Someshwar block of the reserve in November last year. A tigress with two cubs was sighted in August in the Manpur area located near the eastern boundary of the reserve last year as well.
The news of tiger sighting from Bihar's only tiger reserve must be music to the ears of wildlife lovers, as VTR, in the past two months, witnessed the killing of a tiger and a leopard.
While the tiger was poisoned to death in the Madanpur range of the reserve in March after it killed one buffalo belonging to locals, a leopard was killed by villagers at Shahpur Parsauni village four days ago after it strayed into the village and killed a villager and injured five others.
The Thursday sighting apart, wildlife lovers can also take solace from the fact that the ongoing tiger census has given some very encouraging signs. "Camera trap data collected from Raghia, Manguraha and Govardhana ranges is very encouraging with movement of tigers being trapped in these cameras on a regular basis," Sinha said.
Refusing to draw conclusions about the exact number of tigers on the basis of these findings, he, however, claimed that such things could be done only after comprehensive analysis of data collected in different stages of the census.
TN to set up Special Tiger Protection Force
Fully funded by the Centre and on the basis of regulations framed, using the recommendations of the National Tiger Conservation Authority, the Tamil Nadu government will set up Special Tiger Protection Force for Mudumalai Tiger Reserve
The Tamil Nadu government will establish a Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF) for Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, Minister for Forests N. Selvaraj announced in the Assembly on Thursday.
It would be formed under a scheme fully funded by the Centre and on the basis of regulations framed, using the recommendations of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), he said, replying to a debate on the demands for grants to his department.
A senior official of the State Environment and Forests Department said it was planned to rope in tribals who had knowledge about the Reserve.
STIPULATIONS
According to the NTCA's document on security plan for tiger reserves, each tiger reserve must have one or more special strike forces deployed on the field.
The deployment should be at locations where the force would be able to reach a given area within a reasonable amount of time to take charge of any crisis.
In most situations, a strike force is best deployed along the periphery in the Code Red Zone. This will be in response to a threat perception. The Special Tiger Protection Force should be preferably used as a strike force and deployed as such. Strike teams should carry out regular mock drills to test their level of preparedness and their response time. Their visibility will also send out a strong psychological message to poachers, the document states.
Mr. Selvaraj also announced the government's plan to set up a rehabilitation centre at M.R. Palayam in Tiruchi district for elephants, which were orphaned or abandoned by temples and private persons or found in illegal possession of individuals.
Estimated to cost Rs.1.25 crore, it would come up on 19.7 acres.
Of the 737 anti-poaching watchers being employed by the Forest Department on temporary basis, the services of 137 watchers with 10 years' experience would be regularised.
FLYING SQUADS
Minister for Environment T.P. M. Mohideen Khan said three flying squads, headed by Environmental Engineer (Monitoring), would be formed with the headquarters in Erode, Tirupur and Vellore districts, where dyeing and bleaching units and tanneries were located.
They would act against industrial units, which did not comply with environmental laws.
A vigilance and anti-corruption wing would be set up at the headquarters of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board.
Mr. Khan, who also handles Youth Welfare and Sports Development, said Rs. 3.5 crore would be required to form a world-class synthetic track in Tirunelveli, for which an additional Rs.2.16 crore had been sanctioned.
Last year, allocation of Rs.1.34 crore was made.
http://beta.thehindu.com/news/states/tamil-nadu/article429442.ece?homepage=true
Thursday, May 13, 2010
High tiger density may indicate habitat loss
Conservationists have welcomed the recent finding that the Kaziranga National Park in Assam has the highest tiger density in the world, but warned that it could be an indicator of destruction of habitats in the vicinity and suggested framing of a tiger habitat management policy.
‘Aaranyak’, an environment watchdog, in collaboration with the Assam Forest Department in a recent survey using the ’camera-trap’ method has found that the forest, famous for housing the one-horned rhinos, has a recorded density of 38 tigers in an area of 100 square kilometres.
Describing such an unusual increase of the animals in a single protected area can be a dangerous indicator of habitat destruction, conservationist Bibhab Talukdar of Aaranyak recommended regular monitoring of tigers and prey population in the forest.
“We like to recommend regular monitoring of tigers and prey population to understand the ecology in such a high density tiger habitat,” Talukdar said.
He said the unusual increase of these animals might be attributed to habitat destruction in the surrounding areas as a result of which animals flocked to Kaziranga.
Due to the high-density, human-tiger conflict in the fringe areas of the park might go up and both short and long term measures were necessary to minimize such conflicts, he felt.
Treating Kaziranga and the adjoining Karbi Anglong hills as a single conservation belt was the need of the hour for the long-term survival of the Park and proper dispersal of tiger population, Talukdar pointed out.
“Unless the tigers had a wider dispersal area, myriad problems like infighting and conflict with humans was likely to intensify,” he added.
The corridors linking Kaziranga with Karbi Anglong forests have suffered extensive degradation due to encroachment, illegal logging, stone mining, growing settlements and tourist movements have severely disrupted wildlife movement, particularly during the flood season, said P.J. Bora of WWF-India.
The man-tiger conflict has increased in recent years with high incidence of cattle lifting reported from the fringe villages of Kaziranga and there have been also confirmed cases of retaliatory poisoning by the affected locals.
To ensure future of the tiger, improved management of tiger habitat, including restoration and management of corridors between core areas through land-uses compatible with tiger conservation was necessary, Bora said.
“Creating additional or expanding existing protected areas to support viable, breeding tiger populations, and linking them with habitat corridors should be of utmost priority for both proper management of the Park and tiger,” Talukdar added.
http://beta.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/article428769.ece
Another tigress with 3 cubs spotted in Tadoba
CHANDRAPUR: Its virtually raining tiger cubs in the 625 sq km Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve which recently got a boost when the state government notified its buffer area as per government stipulations. The popular reserve is about 150 kms from the Nagpur.
Even as celebrations to mark the birth of four tiger cubs to the Katekasa tigress of Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) are yet to sink in, there is more good news for wildlife lovers. The Devdoh tigress too has reportedly given birth to three tiger cubs.
The tigress with three cubs was sighted around 10 days back by a villager. Forest officials are making all efforts to track it and confirm the sighting.
The birth of as many as 11 cubs in a span of just eight months has proved that this oldest national park in the state has a rich wildlife habitat and is a healthy breeding place for tigers.
TOI readers too had sent in photos of a couple of tigers and its cubs. These new cubs will not be taken into account when the findings of the tiger census is announced later this year. Cubs have to be two years old to be counted in the tiger population.
Though the birth of the cubs is good news, it also brings to the fore problems like dwindling territory and incest. Devdoh is a perennial water source located near Khatoda gate, exactly on the boundary of Tadoba and Moharli forest ranges of the TATR.
A resident tigress was pregnant and was expected to deliver this summer. The good news finally came a few days ago.
"We have installed camera traps in the area to officially confirm the finding," said Kiran Dhankute, the RFO in-charge of Tadoba range.
"Though the Devdoh water source is located in Moharli range, the movement of the tigress has been traced more on the Tadoba side."
Even as celebrations to mark the birth of four tiger cubs to the Katekasa tigress of Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) are yet to sink in, there is more good news for wildlife lovers. The Devdoh tigress too has reportedly given birth to three tiger cubs.
The tigress with three cubs was sighted around 10 days back by a villager. Forest officials are making all efforts to track it and confirm the sighting.
The birth of as many as 11 cubs in a span of just eight months has proved that this oldest national park in the state has a rich wildlife habitat and is a healthy breeding place for tigers.
TOI readers too had sent in photos of a couple of tigers and its cubs. These new cubs will not be taken into account when the findings of the tiger census is announced later this year. Cubs have to be two years old to be counted in the tiger population.
Though the birth of the cubs is good news, it also brings to the fore problems like dwindling territory and incest. Devdoh is a perennial water source located near Khatoda gate, exactly on the boundary of Tadoba and Moharli forest ranges of the TATR.
A resident tigress was pregnant and was expected to deliver this summer. The good news finally came a few days ago.
"We have installed camera traps in the area to officially confirm the finding," said Kiran Dhankute, the RFO in-charge of Tadoba range.
"Though the Devdoh water source is located in Moharli range, the movement of the tigress has been traced more on the Tadoba side."
Tiger urine deters cats from straying near city
NAGPUR: This could just turn out to be a master stroke to ease if not solve man-animal conflict. In a novel experiment, the Nagpur forest division officials used urine of captive tigers in the city's Maharajbagh zoo and sprinkled it near the spots frequented by tigers in Ranmangli village, as close as 60km from Nagpur. The result: tigers have now stopped encroaching from the Bhiwapur forest range to the village.
It was the idea of Dr S S Bawaskar, a young veterinarian who has been with the Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth-owned city zoo for last eight years. Harried forest officials, who were ready to take any step to ensure that the conflict doesn't flare up, agreed to work on the suggestion.
The Ranmangli tigress, bearing two sub-adult cubs, had killed a woman last month. This was the first case of a human killed in the area. The thirsty wild cats were coming very close to the village for water causing panic among its residents. The forest officials were worried that the conflict area was so close to the city. N Rambabu, conservator of forests for Nagpur Division, says around 250 ml of urine of three female tigers at the zoo was collected and sprinkled at an orange orchard and other spots.
It was the idea of Dr S S Bawaskar, a young veterinarian who has been with the Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth-owned city zoo for last eight years. Harried forest officials, who were ready to take any step to ensure that the conflict doesn't flare up, agreed to work on the suggestion.
The Ranmangli tigress, bearing two sub-adult cubs, had killed a woman last month. This was the first case of a human killed in the area. The thirsty wild cats were coming very close to the village for water causing panic among its residents. The forest officials were worried that the conflict area was so close to the city. N Rambabu, conservator of forests for Nagpur Division, says around 250 ml of urine of three female tigers at the zoo was collected and sprinkled at an orange orchard and other spots.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Bandipur bans night traffic to save tigers
The busy road between Mysore and Ooty is a busy tourist route, and is also a connecting road between Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. But it also happens to cut through the Bandipur National Park, and that's not such great news for the animals.
A huge number of animals, including a tiger, have been killed by vehicles over the years.
"Starting from 2004 to 2007, it was 91 mammals, 56 birds and 75 reptiles. We never expected the number of mammals to rise up to 91. It is higher than poaching," said Rajkumar, Wildlife Conservation Foundation.
The DC of Chamarajnagar enforced a ban on night traffic through the park in June last year. This was lifted following objections mainly from traders in Kerala. The Karnataka High Court's intervention was then sought, and the night ban is now back in place.
"Bandipur is one of our best tiger areas and a lot of animals were getting killed on this road due to reckless driving. At night due to the lights that are used, the animals are blinded and get disoriented," said Praveen Bhargav, Trustee, Wildlife First.
NDTV drove to the main gate after 9 pm, and clearly not all human beings agree with the night traffic ban.
"It is very difficult to carry load. A two day journey becomes a three day journey," said Ravi, a truck driver.
Conservationists believe in the national parks, animals need the right of way, and stopping traffic at night is a step in this direction.
A huge number of animals, including a tiger, have been killed by vehicles over the years.
"Starting from 2004 to 2007, it was 91 mammals, 56 birds and 75 reptiles. We never expected the number of mammals to rise up to 91. It is higher than poaching," said Rajkumar, Wildlife Conservation Foundation.
The DC of Chamarajnagar enforced a ban on night traffic through the park in June last year. This was lifted following objections mainly from traders in Kerala. The Karnataka High Court's intervention was then sought, and the night ban is now back in place.
"Bandipur is one of our best tiger areas and a lot of animals were getting killed on this road due to reckless driving. At night due to the lights that are used, the animals are blinded and get disoriented," said Praveen Bhargav, Trustee, Wildlife First.
NDTV drove to the main gate after 9 pm, and clearly not all human beings agree with the night traffic ban.
"It is very difficult to carry load. A two day journey becomes a three day journey," said Ravi, a truck driver.
Conservationists believe in the national parks, animals need the right of way, and stopping traffic at night is a step in this direction.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Panna reserve now 3 cubs full
Three tiny furballs now hold the success of India's tiger conservation in their tiny paws.
The newborn tiger cubs, spotted on Friday in Madhya Pradesh's Panna national park, herald the success of the controversial plan of relocating the big cats.
A survey last year found that the once-densely populated Panna reserve had lost all its tiger, mostly to poaching. In an effort to repopulate the park, a tigress from Bandhavgarh in Karnataka and a tiger from Pench in MP were moved to Panna.
"On Friday night, we spotted the three cubs with the tigress as they came out of a cave. The tigress apparently had decided to shift her cubs to a more suitable place," an ecstatic Panna National Park Field Director R Sreeniwas Murthy said.
Forest officials again got a clear sighting of the new family the next day — the mother and all three cubs.
Murthy said this was the first instance of a relocated tigress giving birth to healthy cubs.
Earlier, forest department officials had an inkling that the tigress was pregnant because it was not moving out of the cave near a waterfall for more than a month.
The department was keeping a close eye on her movements.
"We got it confirmed on Friday night and have prohibited tourist from visiting the area," Murthy said.
The Panna Tiger Reserve was found to have 24 tigers after the census in January 2006. But by December 2008 all the tigers were gone.
A tiger and a tigress moved from Ranthambore to Sariska in 2008 failed to breed.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Panna-reserve-now-3-cubs-full/Article1-541504.aspx
Tiger kills one and injures four in Bihar
Bettiah (Bihar): A tiger today killed one person and injured four others at Shahpur Parsauni village in Bihar's West Champaran district, police said.
Police said the tiger came out of the Valmiki Tiger Reseve Project and entered the house of one Hoshila Patel and killed him.
Four others includingtwo women were also injured.
The tiger is still inside the house of Patel and forest officials were trying to cage it, police said
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_tiger-kills-one-and-injures-four-in-bihar_1381136
Tourist menace in Corbett National Park
The night comes alive with loud music in one place, it shouldn't. These areresorts edging India's oldest national park, the Corbett.
Illegal resorts, built on the forest's buffer zone are killing tranquility by blocking natural trails.
''Tigers are intensely territorial, and each tiger can have a territory from 25-80 square kilometres. But with land limited and buffer areas increasingly being encroached upon, tigers often end up being poisoned by villagers or poached as they move out in search of new territory, food and water,'' said Imran Khan, Wildlife Expert.
In February, the Uttarakhand Government had declared 466 square kilometres around the Corbett reserve a buffer zone where no commercial activity is allowed, but the decades of delay in arriving at the decision has taken its toll. A clean-up will take years.
''I can tell you that the lack of progress on buffer zones is no accident, but deliberate so as to allow for development of such activities in the area,'' said Jairam Ramesh, Minister of State for Environment & Forest.
In fact, several states have been dragging their feet over declaring areas around tiger habitat's buffer zones.
"These are very, very important areas. By buffer we don't mean to elevate them to status of a park or a sanctuary. All that we are trying to do is to address the source and the dynamics of the tiger to reduce the dependency of the local people in the resources, which are there in the core areas of tiger reserves," said Rajesh Gopal, Head, National Tiger Conservation Authority.
For the survival of tigers, buffer zones around sanctuaries are critical. These are areas tigers use to move from one forest to another. Ironically habitats of our disappearing tigers remain unsecured - caught in bureaucratic paper-pushing and profiteering.
Illegal resorts, built on the forest's buffer zone are killing tranquility by blocking natural trails.
''Tigers are intensely territorial, and each tiger can have a territory from 25-80 square kilometres. But with land limited and buffer areas increasingly being encroached upon, tigers often end up being poisoned by villagers or poached as they move out in search of new territory, food and water,'' said Imran Khan, Wildlife Expert.
In February, the Uttarakhand Government had declared 466 square kilometres around the Corbett reserve a buffer zone where no commercial activity is allowed, but the decades of delay in arriving at the decision has taken its toll. A clean-up will take years.
''I can tell you that the lack of progress on buffer zones is no accident, but deliberate so as to allow for development of such activities in the area,'' said Jairam Ramesh, Minister of State for Environment & Forest.
In fact, several states have been dragging their feet over declaring areas around tiger habitat's buffer zones.
- In Madhya Pradesh, six tiger sanctuaries are awaiting buffer zone notification.
- In Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka three sanctuaries each are also awaiting buffer zone notification.
- The same goes for two sanctuaries in Arunachal Pradesh.
"These are very, very important areas. By buffer we don't mean to elevate them to status of a park or a sanctuary. All that we are trying to do is to address the source and the dynamics of the tiger to reduce the dependency of the local people in the resources, which are there in the core areas of tiger reserves," said Rajesh Gopal, Head, National Tiger Conservation Authority.
For the survival of tigers, buffer zones around sanctuaries are critical. These are areas tigers use to move from one forest to another. Ironically habitats of our disappearing tigers remain unsecured - caught in bureaucratic paper-pushing and profiteering.
Two more arrested in Tadoba tiger poaching case
CHANDRAPUR: Chimur forest officials, who are probing the tiger poaching case inside TATR, have arrested two more accused and have recovered two tiger nails from them.
In all six accused, all residents of two villages inside TATR were arrested. Three tiger nails, 20 bones and six wire traps with 90 snares were seized. After initial round of forest custody remand, five of the six accused have been sent into MCR for 14 days, while the main accused Mangaldas Madavi has been awarded FCR of two days on Wednesday.
"On the basis of information given by Mangaldas, we arrested Kawdu Madavi from Chandrapur and Ramesh Madavi from Jamni on Thursday night. A tiger nail has been recovered from each of them," said RFO BS Padve who is investigating the case.
The two accused purchased the nails for Rs 1,000 each from Mangaldas.
In all six accused, all residents of two villages inside TATR were arrested. Three tiger nails, 20 bones and six wire traps with 90 snares were seized. After initial round of forest custody remand, five of the six accused have been sent into MCR for 14 days, while the main accused Mangaldas Madavi has been awarded FCR of two days on Wednesday.
"On the basis of information given by Mangaldas, we arrested Kawdu Madavi from Chandrapur and Ramesh Madavi from Jamni on Thursday night. A tiger nail has been recovered from each of them," said RFO BS Padve who is investigating the case.
The two accused purchased the nails for Rs 1,000 each from Mangaldas.
Tigers shake off tracking devices
KOLKATA: Sunderbans tigers don't seem game for radio collars or computer chips. So much so, that at least two tigresses have discarded the German-made radio collars that forest department employees tagged on them in February this year while a third big cat's radio collar — which was tagged in March — isn't sending signals to forest officials' computers, making it impossible for them to keep track of her.
The tigresses, captured when they strayed into human habitat, had radio collars tied around their necks before they were released back into the wild. Scientists from the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, came down to the Sunderbans in February to tag radio collars on two tigresses. They also trained state forest employees to perform the task. The training came in handy when forest employees had to tag a radio collar on another tigress in March.
Experts thought of the radio collars as the most effective way to keep track of tigers in the wild. If these functioned normally, they would send regular signals which would pop up on computers of forest officials — particularly useful whenever the big cat was about to stray into human habitat again. In such an eventuality, forest officials would pass on a warning message to residents of villages the tiger was straying into.
However, within months of the radio collars being tagged on the three tigresses, forest officials realised that their computer screens showed no alerts about movements of the animals. Instead, signals from two radio collars indicated that the tigresses had discarded them. Forest employees were then sent into the dense jungle and traced the two radio collars, which were lying abandoned. A third radio collar tagged in March has turned out to be defunct, and isn't sending signals, officials say.
Wildlife experts say the terrain of the Sunderbans, where tigers alternate between land and water, renders radio collars ineffective. Moreover, these can easily come off a tiger's neck as the big cats have to negotiate through dense vegetation, said experts.
State principal chief conservator of forests Atanu Raha said: “We have requested scientists from the wildlife institute in Dehradun to come down to Kolkata on Friday. We intend to seek their suggestions on ways to make radio-collaring more effective."
The tigresses, captured when they strayed into human habitat, had radio collars tied around their necks before they were released back into the wild. Scientists from the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, came down to the Sunderbans in February to tag radio collars on two tigresses. They also trained state forest employees to perform the task. The training came in handy when forest employees had to tag a radio collar on another tigress in March.
Experts thought of the radio collars as the most effective way to keep track of tigers in the wild. If these functioned normally, they would send regular signals which would pop up on computers of forest officials — particularly useful whenever the big cat was about to stray into human habitat again. In such an eventuality, forest officials would pass on a warning message to residents of villages the tiger was straying into.
However, within months of the radio collars being tagged on the three tigresses, forest officials realised that their computer screens showed no alerts about movements of the animals. Instead, signals from two radio collars indicated that the tigresses had discarded them. Forest employees were then sent into the dense jungle and traced the two radio collars, which were lying abandoned. A third radio collar tagged in March has turned out to be defunct, and isn't sending signals, officials say.
Wildlife experts say the terrain of the Sunderbans, where tigers alternate between land and water, renders radio collars ineffective. Moreover, these can easily come off a tiger's neck as the big cats have to negotiate through dense vegetation, said experts.
State principal chief conservator of forests Atanu Raha said: “We have requested scientists from the wildlife institute in Dehradun to come down to Kolkata on Friday. We intend to seek their suggestions on ways to make radio-collaring more effective."
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