45 snares laid for tigers and leopards found in Bandipur

Forest officials at the Bandipur Tiger Reserve have stumbled on as many as 45 metal traps to snare tigers and leopards, all laid by poachers following a combing operation on Thursday. The findings have shocked officials and come despite their massive vigilance drive.

Following the poaching incidents in February, April and July this year when two leopards and a wild boar were killed by poachers inside the Bandipur reserve, the forest department had launched a strict vigilance drive across the reserve. But, despite their intense efforts, poachers have managed to lay traps at strategic locations in the the park.

Speaking to Bangalore Mirror, field director, Project Tiger, B J Hosmath, who led the combing operation said: “Based on a tip-off, our staff launched a combing operation in the ranges of N Begur and Gundre within the reserve and detected as many as 45 snares. After the poaching incidents, especially the one involving the tragic death of a young tiger on April 30 in Gopalaswamybetta region, we had further intensified our operations.”

Senior forest department officials said they were conducting vehicular patrol daily. However, following the spurt in poaching activities using snares, officials were asked patrol the reserve on foot to curb such practices.

“Most of these snares were made of steel cables, but a few were made of telephone cables and natural tree fibres. We suspect this to be the handiwork of poachers from neighbouring villages at the behest of professional poachers. Though snares are used to catch deer and boar for meat, on several instances tigers and leopards were caught and killed on the spot,” an official said.

The department suspects that the notorious poacher Paapa and his associates Nagarajaswamy, Govinda, Shivaraju and Kumaraswamy could have played a major role in setting these snares. The same gang had poached a tiger in February 2010.

Commenting on the trend, Sanjay Gubbi, wildlife conservationist and member of the state wildlife board said, “Snares have become a serious problem. Unlike major poaching equipments, these are difficult to detect. This incident highlights the importance of patrolling on foot.”

Hit by Staff crunch
The acute shortage of ground level staff in the department has marred plans to safeguard the population of big cats. According to officials in the forest department, Bandipur and the adjacent Nagarhole and Mudumali regions have the largest population of tigers – estimated to be about 300 – in the country.

“We have not given up despite the acute shortage of ground level staff,” an official said. “More staff would help us further augment the combing operation,’’ another senior official said.

Karnataka is the only state in the country which has a Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF).

http://www.bangaloremirror.com/article/10/2010092420100924050243616220ba139/45-snares-laid-for-tigers-and-leopards-found-in-Bandipur.html

NHAI officials to visit NH-6 today

NAGPUR: Forest officials, wildlife experts and National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) officers will undertake a site inspection of controversial patches between Sirpur and Lakhni on NH-6 on Friday.

The four-laning of the 80-km patch between Sirpur and Lakhni breaks the tiger corridor between Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary and Navegaon National Park. The corridor has immense importance as it connects nine tiger reserves and many protected areas (PAs).

Chief conservators of forests (CCF) AK Saxena and Nandkishore, wildlife expert Kishor Rithe, assistant conservator of forest (ACF) Kishore Mishrikotkar, NHAI project director Naresh Wadetwar and other officials will be part of the team visiting NH-6.

In the 80-km patch between Sirpur and Lakhni, work in three forest patches - Mohghata, Sasakuran and Maramjob - comprising 10km, has been stopped for want of forest clearance. Rest of the four-laning work has already been completed.

The NHAI had on August 17 submitted a report prepared by two ex-wildlife officials, to mitigate damage to wildlife due to the four-laning. On September 3, a meeting of NHAI and forest officials was held in which forest officials expressed reservations on the report.

The NHAI report doesn't comply with suggestions made by CCF Nandkishore, who was appointed by the Centrally Empowered Committee ( CEC) to inspect the four-laning work. Friday's visit seems to be a way for officials to point out their reservations on the four-laning.

Although NHAI is ready to construct eight underpasses of 10 feet height and 20 feet width in every 2km forest patch in vulnerable areas, sources said there is basic defect in the underpasses. Forest officials feel identical underpasses cannot be a solution on all the patches, they should be site-specific.

The WTI has disapproved of the report, claiming that mitigation measures in such important areas needs a group of wildlife biologists, geologists, engineers, architects, wildlife managers and conservationists to evolve specific and acceptable designs for wildlife crossings
.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/NHAI-officials-to-visit-NH-6-today/articleshow/6617257.cms

Tiger's pelt recovered from man

CHIKMAGALUR: Rural police arrested a person for possessing a tiger's pelt, which they recovered from him, in Lakshmipura of Chikmagalur taluk.

Police sub-inspector Sathyanarayan and his team arrested Anwar when he was wandering suspiciously at Mallenahalli and found the tiger skin on him, which is valued at Rs 1.50 lakh. Police are investigating how and where he got the pelt and if he is working for somebody.


http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mysore/Tigers-pelt-recovered-from-man/articleshow/6615613.cms

Two tiger cubs spotted in Ranthambore

JAIPUR: For the wild life enthusiasts, there is just a week to go before the Ranthambhore National Park is thrown open to the tourists for tiger sighting. Now, after a span of two years, two tiger cubs, barely three months old, are spotted in the park.

According to sources, tourists from Hyderabad were the lucky firsts to spot a tigress strolling with her two cubs in the Kundal area in Sultanpur, near Zone 1 of the national park on Wednesday morning. While the national park is closed at this point of time, the Sultanpur area is open to the tourists throughout the year.

Eyewitnesses said they saw the tigress carry one cub in her mouth while the other trailed along. According to sources, the tigress has been identified as T-13. However, what is the cause of concern is that the male tiger (T-12) father to the cubs, was the last tiger to be shifted to Sariska National Park. With the male tiger not there to protect the cubs, there could be some threat to the cubs from another male tiger -- T-24 -- which was seen around the tigress (T-13).

Even though the official figures of the new census have not yet been declared, this would take the tiger count up to 34 in the park after five tigers have been shifted to Sariska National Park. Besides, two tigers are said to be in the Kaila Devi area and one in Kota. Incidentally, in March this year, two male cubs, about a year old, were poisoned by villagers in for killing their goats. The T-13 has also had a litter earlier, which is now in zone two, said sources.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/Two-tiger-cubs-spotted-in-Ranthambore/articleshow/6609502.cms

Improved habitat can double tiger count

Eighteen sites in India can support up to 1,500 tigers more than the country’s present big cat’s population, provided resources are utilised for rejuvenating these sites, a global study on tigers has found. There are less than 3,500 tigers in wild around the world of which 1,411 are in India withits habitat falling by over 50 per cent in last 30 years. Globally, tigers now occupy less than seven per cent of their historical geographical landscape.

“India provides powerful, contrasting examples of what works and what does not for saving tigers,” said the report, Bringing the Tiger Back from Extinction. It described India’s bid to save tigers as “confused”.

“Instead of announcing new tiger reserves (which increased from 27 to 39 in two years) the government should focus on providing on best habitats where tigers can survive,” said an expert.

The study by 23 global wildlife experts under the aegis of Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) provides solutions and will be released by Russian president Vladimir Putin in November as part of Global Tiger Initiative, to which India is a signatory.

For India, the recommendation is clear: concentrate on 16 source sites, which have 1,000 tigers over one year of age and can support up to 1,500 tigers, rather than “over wider landscapes”.

The study has identified 42 “source sites”, each with over 25 breeding tigresses, of which 18 are in India.

The best sites in India (see graphic) are Kaziranga tiger reserve in Assam with density of 16.8, where the density can increase to 18 and three sites in Central India and two in Western Ghats, where the density can increase by 60-70 percent.

“These sites have potential for providing safe homes to tigers but we need specific policy framework for this,” said Ravi Chellam, Director of WCS India, whose research contributed to the study.

Protecting and conserving these habitats could mean that number of tigers increases to 3,000 tigers in only 10 per cent of suitable habitat.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Improved-habitat-can-double-tiger-count/H1-Article1-603540.aspx

Tigers don't need wildlife boards to survive; they need to be left alone

I have been roaming in the forests of India for over 40 years and in the first 20 years, in spite of my best efforts the tiger or even its shadow eluded me.

Then, a few years ago I had a distant glimpse at Ranthambore. It either preceded me or showed up after I had left. Since I am a Leo, I was somewhat convinced that a tiger was reluctant to appear before a lion!

Nevertheless, for the last 30-odd years, photographing tigers in the wild has been my all consuming passion and temperatures of 46 degrees are no deterrent. I’m off to Tadoba-Andhari, a tiger reserve situated 155 km from Nagpur and 35 km from the mining town of Chandrapur in Maharashtra.

May and June are the ideal months to encounter a tiger at close quarters. In an open jeep, despite being garbed like a terrorist (head wrapped beyond recognition!), the hot winds blow straight into my face and the dust fully dyes my attire, merging it with the khaki landscape of the forest at this time of the year.

It is 8 am and the sun’s rays are like the needles of an amateur acupuncturist. But I am committed and it is only a committed person who will have the courage to venture under such hostile conditions.

The fear of dehydration is uppermost on my mind and I ensure that enough stocks of water and packets of rehydration powder are handy.

For the next 45 minutes we are patiently waiting at a waterhole for a miracle to happen. There is an eerie silence, punctuated by the occasional mating call of a cheetal deer. There is a rumbling of parched, dried teak leaves and my first reaction is to get the camera ready.

My eyes are focused in the direction of the sound. Suddenly the crumpling of the leaves stops and there is once again that old silence. Then suddenly the forest comes alive with the call of the sambhar, a perfect indicator of a tiger’s presence.

In a few minutes, a full grown two year old female cub emerges from the vegetation and heads straight to the waterhole, totally ignoring our presence in the jeep. We are just 20 ft from this magnificent cat.

A few sips of water, and it settles down to cool off in the muddy pond. It is a God-sent opportunity to be so close to it, in wonderful light and nobody else, except us. The shutter of my camera goes berserk;

Picture upon picture, capturing it’s every conceivable pose. The cub poses for us for a good half an hour and then with a few stretches walks off leisurely into the open. But not before marking its territory by first scratching itself, and then spraying on the tree (a rare sight).

This cub is one of three, and I am given to understand that by the onset of this monsoon, they will all separate from the mother, who unfortunately eludes us. We find the other two, however, blissfully having a nap under a thick forest cover.

The next evening, we are at the beautiful lake inside the sanctuary and set off once again to see the cubs and tigress. Dusk falls and after half an hour, a cute little 8 month old male cub emerges from the thick bamboo vegetation. He heads straight to its personal swimming pool and submerges itself.

This is one of four cubs I learn, and a notorious male. Generally, one cub in a litter is always more active than the others. A few minutes later a second one emerges and then the other two also. They all head for the pool, where their brother has taken centre stage.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/features/et-travel/Tigers-dont-need-wildlife-boards-to-survive-they-need-to-be-left-alone/articleshow/6610485.cms

Karnataka to get a Fifth Tiger Reserve

South India with its large number of National Parks and wildlife sanctuaries has a very good number of the endangered Royal Bengal Tigers roaming its forest. Now the tiger has one additional area of land reserved for its protection. The Centre has approved Karnataka’s proposal to protect Biligiri Ranganatha Temple Sanctuary as a Tiger Reserve.

Tigers have been frequently spotted in this area which consists of an ancient temple dedicated to Sri Ranganatha. The temple is surrounded by wild forest and many wild animals can be seen roaming around here. Hyderabad based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology had seen about 29 tigers during their survey in 2005. Being a forested area the tiger even has a good prey base and hence the sanctuary’s potential as a tiger habitat was highly recommended. The frequent spotting of tigers thus led to the proposal to protect this area for the big striped cats.

Originally Biligiri Ranganatha Temple Sanctuary was spread over 539 sq kms. The new Tiger Reserve will consist of 580 sq km of core area where tigers are generously spotted and over all Biligiri Ranganatha Temple Tiger Reserve will be spread over 800 sq km.

Biligiri Ranganatha Temple Sanctuary is located in Chamrajanagar district of Karntaaka and once notified as a Tiger Reserve, will be Karnataka’s fifth Tiger Reserve. The other Tiger Reserves of Karnataka include Nagarhole Tiger Reserve, Bandipur Tiger Reserve, Dandeli-Anshi Tiger Reserve and Bhadra Tiger Reserve.

Biligiri Ranganatha Temple Sanctuary is named after Biligirirangan Hills and is an important link between the Eastern and Western Ghats. The sanctuary was set up in 1987. "It is a good step to ensure better conservation of not only endangered tigers but also other wildlife in the Western Ghats. The area has a rich prey-base and is habitat of important flora and fauna," said Qamar Qureshi of Wildlife Institute of India in Dehradun.

Along with Biligiri Ranganatha Temple Tiger Reserve, four other new Tiger Reserves were to be formed around the country and were approved by the Centre. These include Sunabeda Tiger Reserve in Orissa, Shahyadri Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra, Pilibhit Tiger Reserve in Uttar Pradesh and Ratapani Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh. Proposals for all the four tiger reserves are submitted by their respective state governments, but the Union Ministry for Forest and Environment is still to confirm their eligibility for funds from Project tiger.

As per the last census there are just 1411 tigers in the country. The reservation of forest areas to protect this species contributes a long way in increasing their population through breeding.

http://www.rang7.com/news/national-park/karnataka-get-fifth-tiger-reserve-677.htm

Two more tigers critical at Biological Park

BANGALORE: Two more tigers at the Bannerghatta Biological Park are critical.

Big cats, Arya and Minchu, are suffering from Escherichia coli (Ecoli).

Veterinarians treating them said Arya and Minchu were suffering from liver and kidney dysfunctions and the creatinine level in them had also dropped making chances of their survival very thin.

The biological park reported five deaths - three tigers (King, Divya and a cub) and two lions (Laxman and Shankar) - last week.

The officials of the park have now categorised the remaining animals in three. Arya, a sevenyearold male white tiger, and Minchu, female sibling of the dead female tigress Divya, have been put under the first category.

On condition of anonymity, a senior official of the park said the creatinine level of Minchu was around 9.5 whereas the normal level is 2.

The female tigress has had a kidney failure due to the bacterial infection and there are thin chances of her survival.

Same is the case of Arya which is suffering from liver dysfunction and dehydration, the official said.

Director of the Institute of Animal Health and Veterinarian Biologicals (IAHVB) C Renukaprasad said though the animals were suffering from liver and kidney dysfunctions, they were hopeful that Arya would survive.

"We have put the animals on the new drug Imepenem," he said. "We are hoping that they will recover."

Veterinarian at the park B C Chittiappa said Minchu was still not out of danger. "We are making the best of efforts," he said.

Tigress Anu, mother of the dead tigress Divya, and another tigress Gowri and her four cubs have been placed in the second category.

Rani, an 11yearold tigress and Lava, a 12 yearold tiger, have been put in the third category.

Both of them haven't eaten for the past three days, the park officials said.

Following the autopsy report, the park has banned chicken meat for big cats. The report has pointed out that chicken meat was the possible source of bacteria that led to the death of these animals.

http://expressbuzz.com/cities/bangalore/two-more-tigers-critical-at-biological-park/208611.html

Karnataka first state to form dedicated tiger protection squad

New Delhi, Sept 21 (PTI) Karnataka has become the first state in the country to form a first of its kind dedicated armed squad for protecting endangered tigers. The personnel of the Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF) have already been deployed in Bandipur reserve, Karnataka Chief Wildlife Warden BK Singh said. The STPF is being set up under the guidelines of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) according to which the company should comprise 18 foresters and 90 guards. The Force will be commanded by an Assistant Conservator of Forest (ACF) with three tiger force range officers under him. "We have appointed 18 foresters and 63 frontline guards who are being given training in forestry from September 15. It will take almost an year to complete the training," Singh said. After that they will be given rigorous training in the police and paramilitary courses, a protocol for which is being prepared by the NTCA. Members of the STPF will be armed with modern weapons and facility of telecom network. "We plan to appoint 30 per cent of the total forest guards (90) from among the locals to ensure better conservation," he said. The NTCA will also provide vehicles, arms and other equipment to the STPF personnel which will be entrusted with keeping a watch on tigers within the state as well as monitor the porous borders to keep the poachers at bay. Spread over an area of around 874 sq km, Bandipur sanctuary has been chosen out of Karnataka's four tiger reserves because it has a rich landscape. The vulnerability of the Waynad-Bandipur zone has also been taken into account. States like Uttarakhand and Rajasthan have issued notification declaring their intentition to set up the STPF which the Centre hopes will help in better protection of the endangered tigers.

http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/karnataka-first-state-to-form-dedicated-tiger-protection-squad/340902.html

BRT sanctuary to be tiger reserve soon

The Centre on Monday accorded “in-principle” approval to Karnataka’s proposal to convert Biligiri Ranganatha Temple (BRT) sanctuary into a tiger reserve.

The BRT is the fifth new tiger reserve to get approval after Sahyadri in Maharashtra, Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh, Ratapani in Madhya Pradesh and Sunabeda in Orissa. The approval is understood to have been given on the basis of the state’s identification of close to 580 sq km of critical tiger habitat or core areas. The State now has to identify the buffer area around the core among other things. http://www.deccanherald.com/content/98238/brt-sanctuary-tiger-reserve-soon.html

Now, a tiger reserve in Praful backyard

Even as Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh and his colleague in the government, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel, lock horns over environmental clearances to the Navi Mumbai airport and take pot-shots at each other publicly, Patel has found a reason to thank his counterpart. Jairam’s ministry has given the green signal to the proposal to declare Nagzira-Navegaon Wildlife Sanctuary, which falls in Patel’s constituency, a tiger reserve.

“The efforts to declare Nagzira-Navegaon a tiger reserve were on for quite some time, however, the clearance from the Environment Ministry came only last week. This will provide a big boost to the area and conservation efforts,” said Patel.

An MP from Gondia, Patel had been making efforts for declaration of the area as tiger reserve. “There are 10-15 tigers in the area,” said Patel. In 2009, a state panel had approved it as a critical tiger habitat following strong demands by the locals and conservationists.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Now--a-tiger-reserve-in-Praful-backyard/684932

A first: UP to get exclusive force to protect wildlife

The Uttar Pradesh Forest Department will soon set up an armed force to tackle poachers and check the crime against wildlife in the state.

The Wildlife Protection Force (WPF) is being constituted on the guidelines of

National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). The personnel will be given training at par with the state police force.

Though the main focus of the security force will be to check crime against wildlife, particularly tiger poaching, it will also check crimes like illegal cutting of trees. The forest department has sent the proposal to state home department seeking training support, and as soon as the proposal is finalised the recruitment process will kick off, said a senior forest department official.

“Wildlife poaching is a major problem in UP. The tiger reserves of Dudhwa in Lakhimpur Kheri and Katarniya Ghat in Bahraich are under constant threat from poachers. After declaring the area as critical tiger habitat, this (forming a special force) is the second step we are taking for tackling wildlife crime and managing tiger conservation in the state,” Minister for Forests and Wildlife Fateh Bahadur Singh told The Indian Express.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/A-first--UP-to-get-exclusive-force-to-protect-wildlife/684208

BBP declares emergency after death of tiger cub

While the death of four-year-old tigress Divya had sent shockwaves through the city, the death of another three-month old tigress cub was reported on Saturday morning.

This has not only put officials on the backfoot but has also forced them to declare an emergency.

The death of the cub was reported at 4am on Saturday and the carcass was taken to the Institute of Animal Health and Veterinary Biologicals (IAHVB) for a postmortem, which revealed that the cub was suffering from an e.coli infection. This led to gastroenteritis and enteritis.

The three-month-old cub was not christened. The daughter of Gowri was still suckling like her other three siblings — two sisters and a brother. Interestingly, Gowri did not have the infection and was not showing any signs of illness. However, the deceased cub had a fever on Friday night and was dull and breathed her last atam. Gowri’s cage was 500 metres away from Anu’s (Divya’s mother) cage and also away from ten other ailing tigers.

It may be noted that cultural tests, postmortem and other tests on Divya also found that the tigress was suffering from salmonella and e-coli infection. Ten other tigers in the safari were suffering from the same infection. While the condition of the eight tigers has improved, Arya and Minchu (Divya’s siblings) are showing only minor signs of improvement and minor diarrhoea. They are eating little.

Speaking to DNA, principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife) BK Singh said that the death of the cub had put all of them in a state of shock and thus as a caution an emergency has been declared. “It has been declared as the situation has become critical. All officials, including myself and other experts, are in the park and constantly monitoring the animals. The veterinarians, caretakers and officials will be attending to the animals day and night and drips will be administered,” he said.

An emergency is declared when the situation is out of control and there are chances of the bacterial infection spreading to others.

The safari area has been infected and this is posing a danger to the other animals as well, and that is something the staff has been unable to handle, say sources.

The emergency was declared at noon on Saturday, after a high-level meeting of experts, veterinarians from IAHVB, BBP and the forest department.

Sources also added that another one-month-old tiger cub has died. But the death is still not confirmed officially. It could be a natural death.

Dr BC Chittiappa, assistant director of veterinary services at the BBP said that the death was due to e-coli infection, which caused the gastroenteritis. “Since it is now possible for other tigers to get the infection, extra care is being taken and an emergency has been declared. This is like an outbreak and so we have called for more experts to leave no scope for any more untoward incidents. The health of the other tigers is improving with the new medication, but Arya and Minchu are still slow to recover and the tigers are still terrified in the presence of humans,” he said.

He added that the same had happened about five years ago, when in the same situation five tigers had died. “We are hoping that the same does not happen and the situation is under control now,” he added.

According to experts, this is a critical situation and there are chances of the disease spreading further. But the BBP officials are not prepared due to lack of infrastructure and facilities.
Speaking to DNA, IAHVB Dr C Renukaprasad said that since there was no meat in the three-month-old cub, “we suspect that the mother could be carrying the bacterial infection”. While infected chicken was the cause of salmonella, now it has been ruled out. But contaminated beef cannot be ruled out.

An independent veterinarian and specialised pathologist Dr Azim Ulla said that three important things are playing a role here — improper management, lack of bio security and lack of hygiene.
He added that since the tigers are infected with salmonella and e-coli, there could be other micro toxins which the officials need to pay attention to. The staff should also ensure that the urroundings are clean and there are no other organisms around like wild birds, rodents or any thing else so that the further spread is curtailed.

http://www.dnaindia.com/bangalore/report_bbp-declares-emergency-after-death-of-tiger-cub_1439962

Long live the tiger

BANGALORE: There are 42 source sites, including 18 in India, that hold the key to the future of tigers, which are on the brink of extinction. Around 22 leading wildlife biologists from across the globe, including Dr K Ullas Karanth from India, made this observation in a paper they published in the prestigious PLoS Biology Magazine.

At a time when Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will be hosting the Tiger Summit to address the dwindling number of tigers across the globe, the paper has suggested pragmatic measures for the protection of this majestic animal.

It has been the Chinese Year of the Tiger, and it is this country which is the largest market for tiger parts. The summit will be held in November, where leaders of 13 tiger range states, supported by international donors, will participate.

SOURCE SITES

Approximately 1.5 million sqkm of suitable habitat still remain in Asia, where tigers are distributed heterogenously, and except in the Russian Far East, are restricted to small pockets, mostly in protected areas.

Source sites are defined as areas which have more than 25 breeding females and having a landscape with the potential to contain more than 50 breeding females. These 42 source sites are home to almost 70% of all remaining wild tigers and though disproportionate, are important for the survival of the species. Collectively, they cover 100,000 sqkm, which is less than 0.5% of their historical range, and just 6% of their current distribution. If Russia is excluded from the analysis, 74% of the world's remaining tigers live in less than 4.5% of the current tiger range.

Source sites are not evenly distributed across the tigers' range, with the most number in India (18), Sumatra (eight) and the Russian Far East (six). Based on available data, no source site was identified in Cambodia, China, Korea, or Vietnam. Surveys in Bhutan and Myanmar have been too limited for their status to be assessed.

Actively protecting tigers at source sites is feasible and pragmatic, and has been successful in many reserves across India, between 1974 and 1986. The Malnad-Mysore tiger landscape currently maintains more than 220 adult tigers, one of the greatest concentrations in the world. This is mainly due to intensive protection of source sites such as Nagarahole National Park, where tiger numbers have increased by 400%, after protection began in the early 1970s.

PRESENT SITUATION

Wild tiger numbers are at a historic low. There is no evidence of breeding populations of tigers in Cambodia, China, Vietnam, and DPR Korea. Current approaches to tiger conservation are not slowing the decline in tiger numbers, which has continued unabated over the past two decades.

The decline of the tiger continues despite much concern, and both their range and total number have collapsed: fewer than 3,500 animals now live in the wild, occupying less than 7% of their historical range. Of these, approximately 1,000 are likely to be breeding females.

Though tigers showed a remarkable recovery between 1970s and 1990s, during the era of Project Tiger, it also became clear that protection and management of many reserves remained inadequate as witnessed in the reserves of Sariska and Panna, where tigers are now extinct.

COST OF PROTECTION

Scientists feel that protecting source sites is financially attainable. The analysis estimates an average cost of protecting and monitoring tigers effectively at all 42 source sites at $82 million per year or $930 per sqkm per year. More than half of these funds are already being committed by range-state governments, and the shortfall is less than $35 million, the paper noted.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bangalore/Long-live-the-tiger/articleshow/6581657.cms

Stray tigress caught in the Sunderbans

A tigress that had strayed into a village and taken shelter in a hut in the Sunderbans created panic before it was tranquillised and caught by the authorities of the Tiger Reserve early Sunday morning.

The tigress had strayed into a village near Budhbarer Bazaar at Kumirmari in South 24-Parganas district on Saturday night. Villagers found that it had taken shelter in a hut and informed the Reserve authorities at 5 a.m., Subrat Mukherjee, STR field director, told The Hindu over telephone.

“A team was rushed to the spot and it was tranquillised and caught. The veterinarian has certified the animal to be fit for release, so it shall be freed in Baghmara, which is deeper in the forest, after being kept in observation for 24 hours,” Mr. Mukherjee added.

Mr. Mukherjee said that a radio collar will not be affixed to the animal as the reserve authorities were still awaiting the Wildlife Institute of India to send the equipment which was expected to come by the end of the month.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/article699220.ece

Tiger skin seized from post parcel at airport

CHENNAI: In a first, air customs officers at airport on Friday seized a tiger skin sent from London as parcel.

The tiger skin was 8 feet long from head to tail and 6 feet wide from leg to leg. The body was 2.10 feet in width, said a customs press release.

The parcel was detained by the air intelligence unit of customs under suspicion that it might contain contraband. But it turned out to be a tiger skin when the parcel was opened. The parcel was addressed to a person in Chennai.

Wild Life Crime Control Bureau has confirmed that the skin and skull is genuine and that it belonged to an Indian tiger.

Customs Commissioner R Periasami said the skin was seized after we found that it is a violation of wildlife protection Act. Investigation is on to trace the person who sent it. It might have been sent abroad from India years ago, he said.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Tiger-skin-seized-from-post-parcel-at-airport/articleshow/6581763.cms

The Saturday Interview — Tiger Talk - Valmik Thapar

A vehement Valmik Thapar says there is no hope for our animals unless the forest service is completely revamped and more young people understand Nature

Belonging to a family of politically active, sophisticated intellectuals, adolescent Valmik Thapar escaped the din of the city, and went to Ranthambhore to make a documentary on the deep jungle. The retreat turned into a lifetime mission when he saw his first tiger standing on a ruined monument.

Today, he is India's best known ‘Tiger man', having spoken, written and screamed vociferously about India's national animal threatened with extinction.

Thapar speaks less loudly now, and with smouldering fire. His cynicism, a by-product of having battled against obdurate Governments and blind policies through the decades, has not snuffed out his passion for the mesmerising creature that walks through rapidly shrinking haunts.

Excerpts from an interview with the natural historian, wildlife documentary filmmaker, conservationist and author.

At what moment did you decide that the tiger was going to be most important in your life? And, any regrets?

For weeks, I was at Ranthambhore National Park, when the forest guard said a tiger had entered a walled complex ahead. In our midnight struggle to see this elusive creature, we plunged into the lake. Then, the tiger came up on the wall, and looked at us. A vision…? What keeps me going despite all the scams in this sector is the sheer power and beauty of this animal. My heart stops when I see a tiger, just as it did when I first saw it 35 years ago under the full moon.

I regret that I failed to intervene in the politics to persuade the powers to do more. The Prime Minister (I.K. Gujral) most empathetic to the tiger cause had too little time. Others who showed interest had other issues taking precedence. The trouble is that everyone sees forests as a source of revenue.

Why do you sound more and more pessimistic as you talk about saving the tiger?

In India, when the corporate world changed course, Finance Ministries underwent reform, created new regulations, amended laws. After 35 years in wildlife, serving on 150 committees of Central / State Governments, I know nothing has changed for the forest sector. Hundreds of files and documents reveal shocking governance of 20 per cent of our landmass.

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http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/metroplus/article695186.ece

Presence of tigers in Madhav national park confirmed

Bhopal, Sep 16 (PTI) The Hyderabad-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) has confirmed the presence of tigers in Madhav National Park, Shivpuri in Madhya Pradesh, official sources said today.
The CCMB''s Senior Scientist, Anuradha Reddy, has asked the park officials to send as many scat (dropping) samples as possible from the reserve to confirm exact number of tigers roaming in the national park, they said.
The park had earlier sent scat samples on August 11, 2009, to the CCMB, following which it has confirmed the presence of tiger in the park.
In April this year also, scat samples were sent to the CCMB for examination, the sources said.
Additional Chief Secretary (ACF) Forest M K Roy also met Reddy on the issue and she told him about the confirmation of presence of tigers in the park, they said.
Reddy asked the officials to send as many samples as possible for DNA examination so that exact number of tigers and their gender can be specified in a scientific manner.
Meanwhile, the sources said efforts are on to trace the missing cubs of tigress who was brought to Panna from Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve for mating with a male tiger. PTI MAS AT

http://news.in.msn.com/national/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4390360

The economics of saving tigers

The tiger is a beleaguered animal. Its majesty was taken away long ago. Today its habitat has shrunk dramatically from what it was in 1900. Illegal hunting has done the rest. The search for black and orange stripes is often futile even in protected forests.

There may, however, be good news. In a paper published in the September issue of the online journal PLoS Biology, a group of 21 researchers have plodded through data across Asia to estimate the costs of saving the tiger. Their appraisal is a bit too optimistic. But first the good news, if it can be called that.

In Asia, India ranks ahead of all other countries in tiger numbers and the relative success of tiger conservation. The paper estimates that there are fewer than 3,500 cats left in the wild, occupying less than 7% of their historical range. Of the 42 “source sites” in Asia, these sites being locations with the potential to maintain at least 25 breeding females, most (18) are located in India.

That’s where the good news ends. Even in India, only five source sites maintain tiger populations close to their estimated carrying capacity. The average annual cost of protecting and monitoring tigers in the 42 source sites across Asia is $930 per sq. km. Take two of our national parks with very different conservation histories, Sariska and Ranthambore, and one sees that the costs of monitoring and protection per year are a pittance: Rs1.27 crore per year for Sariska and Rs1.82 crore per year from Ranthambore. Yet, there is no tiger left in Sariska while Ranthambore has problems in keeping the cats from running away. Clearly, the nature of costs has not been fully understood.

One key difference between the two parks is the presence of humans resident there. The costs of relocating them are serious. Not only are there monetary and physical costs of resettling, but the more serious, and difficult to estimate, costs of ideas. These include giving tribals the right to land in forests when they can be resettled elsewhere at much lower costs and provided better facilities than they get in forests. But how does one estimate the cost of “preserving the tribal way of life”? That is cruel to the traditional forest dwellers as well. At their level of income, it is simply unfair to expect them to conserve forests and not consume what needs to be protected. The marginal propensity to consume at those income levels is too high to ensure the survival of forests and tigers. These are the real costs that India has to bear to save the tiger.

http://www.livemint.com/2010/09/16213245/The-economics-of-saving-tigers.html?h=B

Nagzira tiger reserve proposal before govt

NAGPUR: A proposal to convert Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary in Gondia district into a tiger reserve by making it over 300 sq km from the existing 152 sq km is under active consideration of the state government.

The proposal was submitted to DC Pant, PCCF (wildlife), Maharashtra, recently. He has put up the proposal with the government. Union minister for environment and forests Jairam Ramesh had on September 15, 2009 already written to the chief minister to declare Nagzira-Navegaon a tiger reserve.

Declaring Nagzira a tiger reserve is also a decade-old demand of conservationists and locals. A state panel, on August 10, 2009, has already approved it as a critical tiger habitat (CTH). Way back in 2002, MP Praful Patel too had written to the PCCF (wildlife) to extend the area of Nagzira for the purpose.

Apart from the existing 38 compartments in sanctuary area of around 152 sq km, the fresh proposal includes 38 compartments (126 sq km) of Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra (FDCM) in Bhandara forest division; 15 compartments (27 sq km) of Gondia territorial division and 113 hectares of Thadezari, a relocated village in compartment 101 inside the sanctuary. The total area of the proposed reserve will be 308 sq km.

"The proposal is under consideration but will take some time. It is a long drawn process. Under the new NTCA guidelines, to maintain a viable population of 80-100 tigers (in and around core areas), require an inviolate space of 800-1,000 sq km and hence the extension of areas holding tiger potential," said Pant.

Conservationists said looking at Nagzira`s tiger potential, the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) had recommended in 1988 to upgrade the sanctuary into a national park. A committee on reorganisation on boundaries for wildlife sanctuaries and national parks under Ranjit Sinh had also made a similar recommendation.

The proposal states that Nagzira has strong linkages and hence is a fit case of tiger reserve. Nagzira, which is just 122 km from Nagpur, is connected to Pench tiger reserve (70 km), Kanha (150 km); Navegaon (30 km); Tadoba-Andhari (150 km) and Indravati tiger reserve (200 km). The forest is contiguous and is still a corridor.

On Nagzira potential, the proposal states that Kanha, Navegaon, Indravati, Tadoba and Pench with around 50,000 sq km forest area, will perhaps be the biggest tiger conservation areas in world. The sanctuary is home to many endangered species, including 34 mammals, 202 birds and 36 reptiles.

Nagzira-Navegaon reserve will hold tremendous tourism potential and bring in huge revenue besides jobs for locals. It will also bring in funds for conservation and wildlife protection from the Centre. Tour operators said it is not only Nagzira-Navegaon, places like Darekasa and Dongargarh can also be a star-attraction.

Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh, during his visit to the city on September 13, had made his intentions clear to declare Nagzira-Navegaon as another tiger reserve of the state.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Nagzira-tiger-reserve-proposal-before-govt/articleshow/6569686.cms