DALTONGANJ: Villages around Palamu Tiger Reserve (PTR) are safe havens for CPI (Maoist) where the Maoists run their writ. One such village is Ukamar under Project Tiger division while another is Ghaseedag village.
At Mandal village, a superintending engineer of north koyal Baijnath Mishra was killed in the late 90s and a small portion of the Mandal dam was also damaged by extremists belonging to Mazdoor Kissan Sangharsh Samiti.
At Kolpurwa village, security forces battled with the Maoists. Hehegara is a village of this tiger division which hit the national news stand not for any sighting of tigers but for the Naxals repeated assault on the rail tracks here.
According to directorate Project Tiger records, there are 199 villages in and around Palamu Tiger Reserve. Villages like Kaer and Labher areNaxal dens where Naxals trigger land mines as easily as children explode crackers, said a tracker of the Betla National Park, who refused to be identified.
The member of the National Tiger Conservation Authority Management Effective Evaluation East and North East D S Srivastava agreed that infestation of Naxals is here in majority of 199 villages here.
Srivastava reminded that Naxals had restored five huge tusks stolen by thieves to the authority in the mid 90s here. Five huge tusks were stolen from the Nature Interpretation Centre in Betla which were later recovered by the Naxals in which top functionaries of the Palamu Tiger Project had also participated.
Srivastava wanted project officials to strike an emotional chord with these villages and their people for a better co ordination. The director, P Upadhaya, has gone on record to say that a large segment of the total 30 segments of the Tiger Reserve here are unwatched because of the infestations of the extremists.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Forest officials refute presence of tiger near Gondia
GONDIA: Wildlife experts have now said that the pugmarks spotted in village Temni near Gondia on January 8 are not of a tiger, but most probably of a hyena.
For the last month or so, rumours have been doing the rounds of Gondia and Goregaon that a tiger is being sighted by nearby villagers. On January 8, the tiger was reportedly seen in village Temni, about 5km from Gondia. The pugmarks of the tiger were also reported to have been recorded and some experts had confirmed that they were of an adult tiger.
However, subdivisional forest officer of Gondia AS Khune said he has studied the four pugmarks and in three of them the nails of the animal could be seen. He said that the nails of the tiger are never seen in a pugmark, so this animal cannot be a tiger. Speaking to TOI, Khune said that there had been rumours of a tiger frequenting this region for the last month or so. However, there have not been any reports of tiger kills in this area. Khune said he had been doubtful about this rumour, and was now sure that it was not a tiger after studying the pugmarks.
For the last month or so, rumours have been doing the rounds of Gondia and Goregaon that a tiger is being sighted by nearby villagers. On January 8, the tiger was reportedly seen in village Temni, about 5km from Gondia. The pugmarks of the tiger were also reported to have been recorded and some experts had confirmed that they were of an adult tiger.
However, subdivisional forest officer of Gondia AS Khune said he has studied the four pugmarks and in three of them the nails of the animal could be seen. He said that the nails of the tiger are never seen in a pugmark, so this animal cannot be a tiger. Speaking to TOI, Khune said that there had been rumours of a tiger frequenting this region for the last month or so. However, there have not been any reports of tiger kills in this area. Khune said he had been doubtful about this rumour, and was now sure that it was not a tiger after studying the pugmarks.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Man accused of killing tiger rearrested
PTI | 02:01 PM,Jan 19,2011
Alwar, Jan 19 (PTI) A person, who had escaped from the custody of forest officials after being nabbed for allegedly killing a tiger, was today rearrested, forest department officials said here. "Kailash Gujjar was arrested from near a village early this morning. He had escaped yesterday from the custody of the forest officials in Sariska on the pretext of going to toilet," an official said. Bhagwanya and Kailash Gujjar were involved in the killing of ST-1 tiger in November last year. They were nabbed near Tehla village on Monday. ST-1, one of the five tigers trans located to the reserve, was poisoned to death and the carcass of the big cat was found on the night on November 14 in Sariska. The forest officials had last month arrested the main accused, Parsadi Gujjar.
Alwar, Jan 19 (PTI) A person, who had escaped from the custody of forest officials after being nabbed for allegedly killing a tiger, was today rearrested, forest department officials said here. "Kailash Gujjar was arrested from near a village early this morning. He had escaped yesterday from the custody of the forest officials in Sariska on the pretext of going to toilet," an official said. Bhagwanya and Kailash Gujjar were involved in the killing of ST-1 tiger in November last year. They were nabbed near Tehla village on Monday. ST-1, one of the five tigers trans located to the reserve, was poisoned to death and the carcass of the big cat was found on the night on November 14 in Sariska. The forest officials had last month arrested the main accused, Parsadi Gujjar.
Villages around tiger reserve safe havens for Naxals Read more: Villages around tiger reserve safe havens for Naxals - The Times of India http://time
DALTONGANJ: Villages around Palamu Tiger Reserve (PTR) are safe havens for CPI (Maoist) where the Maoists run their writ. One such village is Ukamar under Project Tiger division while another is Ghaseedag village.
At Mandal village, a superintending engineer of north koyal Baijnath Mishra was killed in the late 90s and a small portion of the Mandal dam was also damaged by extremists belonging to Mazdoor Kissan Sangharsh Samiti.
At Kolpurwa village, security forces battled with the Maoists. Hehegara is a village of this tiger division which hit the national news stand not for any sighting of tigers but for the Naxals repeated assault on the rail tracks here.
According to directorate Project Tiger records, there are 199 villages in and around Palamu Tiger Reserve. Villages like Kaer and Labher areNaxal dens where Naxals trigger land mines as easily as children explode crackers, said a tracker of the Betla National Park, who refused to be identified.
The member of the National Tiger Conservation Authority Management Effective Evaluation East and North East D S Srivastava agreed that infestation of Naxals is here in majority of 199 villages here.
Srivastava reminded that Naxals had restored five huge tusks stolen by thieves to the authority in the mid 90s here. Five huge tusks were stolen from the Nature Interpretation Centre in Betla which were later recovered by the Naxals in which top functionaries of the Palamu Tiger Project had also participated.
Srivastava wanted project officials to strike an emotional chord with these villages and their people for a better co ordination. The director, P Upadhaya, has gone on record to say that a large segment of the total 30 segments of the Tiger Reserve here are unwatched because of the infestations of the extremists.
Read more: Villages around tiger reserve safe havens for Naxals - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ranchi/Villages-around-tiger-reserve-safe-havens-for-Naxals/articleshow/7314846.cms#ixzz1BTOdraNJ
At Mandal village, a superintending engineer of north koyal Baijnath Mishra was killed in the late 90s and a small portion of the Mandal dam was also damaged by extremists belonging to Mazdoor Kissan Sangharsh Samiti.
At Kolpurwa village, security forces battled with the Maoists. Hehegara is a village of this tiger division which hit the national news stand not for any sighting of tigers but for the Naxals repeated assault on the rail tracks here.
According to directorate Project Tiger records, there are 199 villages in and around Palamu Tiger Reserve. Villages like Kaer and Labher areNaxal dens where Naxals trigger land mines as easily as children explode crackers, said a tracker of the Betla National Park, who refused to be identified.
The member of the National Tiger Conservation Authority Management Effective Evaluation East and North East D S Srivastava agreed that infestation of Naxals is here in majority of 199 villages here.
Srivastava reminded that Naxals had restored five huge tusks stolen by thieves to the authority in the mid 90s here. Five huge tusks were stolen from the Nature Interpretation Centre in Betla which were later recovered by the Naxals in which top functionaries of the Palamu Tiger Project had also participated.
Srivastava wanted project officials to strike an emotional chord with these villages and their people for a better co ordination. The director, P Upadhaya, has gone on record to say that a large segment of the total 30 segments of the Tiger Reserve here are unwatched because of the infestations of the extremists.
Read more: Villages around tiger reserve safe havens for Naxals - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ranchi/Villages-around-tiger-reserve-safe-havens-for-Naxals/articleshow/7314846.cms#ixzz1BTOdraNJ
Tiger killing accused escapes from custody
Alwar, Jan 18 (PTI) One of the two persons who werearrested for their alleged involved in the killing of a tigerin Sarisaka escaped from the custody of forest officials heretoday
"Kailash Gujjar escaped on the pretext of going to thetoilet. Both the accused were being interrogated in connectionwith the killing of ST-1 tiger at that time," an officialsaid.
"We have dispatched the search parties to look for him.
Prima facie, laxity of the staff is behind the incident andthose found guilty will be punished," he said.
Bhagwanya and Kailash Gujjar were involved in the killingof ST-1 in November last year. They were nabbed near Tehlavillage yesterday.
ST-1, one of the five tigers translocated to the reserve,was poisoned to death and the carcass of the big cat was foundon the night on November 14 in Sariska.
The forest officials had last month arrested the mainaccused, Parsadi Gujjar.
"Kailash Gujjar escaped on the pretext of going to thetoilet. Both the accused were being interrogated in connectionwith the killing of ST-1 tiger at that time," an officialsaid.
"We have dispatched the search parties to look for him.
Prima facie, laxity of the staff is behind the incident andthose found guilty will be punished," he said.
Bhagwanya and Kailash Gujjar were involved in the killingof ST-1 in November last year. They were nabbed near Tehlavillage yesterday.
ST-1, one of the five tigers translocated to the reserve,was poisoned to death and the carcass of the big cat was foundon the night on November 14 in Sariska.
The forest officials had last month arrested the mainaccused, Parsadi Gujjar.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Two arrested in tiger''s killing at Sariska
PTI | 10:01 PM,Jan 17,2011
Alwar, Jan 17 (PTI) Two more persons were today arrested by a forest deapartment team in Sariska for their alleged involvment in the killing of a translocated tiger in the national park last year. "Bhagwanya and Kailash Gujjar were involved in the killing of ST-1 in November last year. They were caught from near Tehla village," an official said, adding the duo were being interrrogated. ST-1, one of the five tigers translocated to the reserve, was poisoned to death and the carcass of the big cat was found on the night on Novermber 14 in Sariska. The forest officials had earlier arrested the main accused, Parsadi Gujjar, last month.
Alwar, Jan 17 (PTI) Two more persons were today arrested by a forest deapartment team in Sariska for their alleged involvment in the killing of a translocated tiger in the national park last year. "Bhagwanya and Kailash Gujjar were involved in the killing of ST-1 in November last year. They were caught from near Tehla village," an official said, adding the duo were being interrrogated. ST-1, one of the five tigers translocated to the reserve, was poisoned to death and the carcass of the big cat was found on the night on Novermber 14 in Sariska. The forest officials had earlier arrested the main accused, Parsadi Gujjar, last month.
CCIS: 1801 Sub-adult tiger killed by another tiger near Chanda
Chandrapur: The death of yet another tiger cub in the district has alarmed forest officials. The dead body of a sub-adult tiger cub, aged around 15 months, was recovered from the protected forest under Saoli range on Monday morning. Forest officials have said that the cub was killed in a fight with an adult tiger. This is the third incident of tiger death in the district within a span of just two months.
As per reports, a shepherd from village Sajhagad in Saoli tehsil went in search of his missing cattle and discovered the dead body of the tiger cub. A partially eaten cattle carcass was also recovered near the dead body of the cub. The shepherd informed forest officials about the incident.
Forest department staffers immediately reached the spot and took control of the dead body. CF, Chandrapur forest circle, GRK Rao confirmed the death of a tiger cub and said a fight among tigers was the cause of death. He said that the place is located close to village Sajhagad in compartment no. 1,718 under Saoli forest range.
Rao dismissed the possibility of poaching since all the organs of the dead cub were intact and there was no signs of poisoning of the cattle carcass found there. "It was a male tiger cub aged around 15 months. There were deep injury marks made by canines on the skull and vertebra, while right femur bone was found fractured. Moreover, we have seen signs of a fight between tigers including pugmarks of an adult male tiger at the spot, which corroborates the findings of autopsy," said Rao.
He said that a tigress with two cubs and an adult male tiger are known to frequent this particular forest area. The tiger had made a cattle kill on Sunday evening in Sajhagad beat of the forest. The tigress with two cubs apparently reached there to grab a share, which sparked the fight between one of the cubs and the tiger. While the tigress and one cub were able to escape, the other cub was killed by the adult tiger, Rao speculated.
He said that after the incident the tiger went towards the village lake, where they found its pugmarks. Villagers too claimed to have heard growls during the night, added Rao. He informed that the dead body of the tiger cub was cremated before witnesses on the spot after necessary inquest and post mortem formalities.
Notably, it is the first case of tiger death during this year and third in the span of just 50 days in the district. On November 28, 2010, carcass of a full-grown tiger was found in FDCM Junona range. Later, on December 6, 2010, a tiger cub was found dead in Moharli (territorial) forest range at the outskirt of Tadoba Andhari tiger reserve. Interestingly, all three tigers were killed in fights with other tigers.
Read more: CCIS: 1801 Sub-adult tiger killed by another tiger near Chanda - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/CCIS-1801-Sub-adult-tiger-killed-by-another-tiger-near-Chanda/articleshow/7308129.cms#ixzz1BMH8q900
As per reports, a shepherd from village Sajhagad in Saoli tehsil went in search of his missing cattle and discovered the dead body of the tiger cub. A partially eaten cattle carcass was also recovered near the dead body of the cub. The shepherd informed forest officials about the incident.
Forest department staffers immediately reached the spot and took control of the dead body. CF, Chandrapur forest circle, GRK Rao confirmed the death of a tiger cub and said a fight among tigers was the cause of death. He said that the place is located close to village Sajhagad in compartment no. 1,718 under Saoli forest range.
Rao dismissed the possibility of poaching since all the organs of the dead cub were intact and there was no signs of poisoning of the cattle carcass found there. "It was a male tiger cub aged around 15 months. There were deep injury marks made by canines on the skull and vertebra, while right femur bone was found fractured. Moreover, we have seen signs of a fight between tigers including pugmarks of an adult male tiger at the spot, which corroborates the findings of autopsy," said Rao.
He said that a tigress with two cubs and an adult male tiger are known to frequent this particular forest area. The tiger had made a cattle kill on Sunday evening in Sajhagad beat of the forest. The tigress with two cubs apparently reached there to grab a share, which sparked the fight between one of the cubs and the tiger. While the tigress and one cub were able to escape, the other cub was killed by the adult tiger, Rao speculated.
He said that after the incident the tiger went towards the village lake, where they found its pugmarks. Villagers too claimed to have heard growls during the night, added Rao. He informed that the dead body of the tiger cub was cremated before witnesses on the spot after necessary inquest and post mortem formalities.
Notably, it is the first case of tiger death during this year and third in the span of just 50 days in the district. On November 28, 2010, carcass of a full-grown tiger was found in FDCM Junona range. Later, on December 6, 2010, a tiger cub was found dead in Moharli (territorial) forest range at the outskirt of Tadoba Andhari tiger reserve. Interestingly, all three tigers were killed in fights with other tigers.
Read more: CCIS: 1801 Sub-adult tiger killed by another tiger near Chanda - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/CCIS-1801-Sub-adult-tiger-killed-by-another-tiger-near-Chanda/articleshow/7308129.cms#ixzz1BMH8q900
Man attacked by tiger, escapes
CHAMARAJNAGAR: Even as locals and tribals are demanding that Biligiri Ranganathswamy Hills be declared a tiger reserve, one person sustained injuries in an attack by the big cat.
G Vasantharaju, a resident of a tribal hamlet, was travelling downhill on his two-wheeler, when the tiger attacked him. But he escaped with minor injuries and is admitted to hospital at Yelandur. This is first time that a human has come under attack by the big cat at the forested area, once dominated by slain brigand Veerappan. Some one year ago, a tiger had killed a person at Gopalswamy hills near Bandipur national park.
But wildlife activists said there is no need to worry about tiger attacks, terming Vasantharaju's incident an isolated case. There is no history of humans being attacked by tigers at B R Hills, said H P Ashwin, a wildlife activist working on a tiger project in the forest area. Tribals are in the forested area but there are no instances of any attack, he pointed out, adding that they do not face any threat.
They said tigers generally don't become man hunters unless they are too infirm and can't hunt.
Read more: Man attacked by tiger, escapes - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mysore/Man-attacked-by-tiger-escapes/articleshow/7306663.cms#ixzz1BMH1Hv4k
G Vasantharaju, a resident of a tribal hamlet, was travelling downhill on his two-wheeler, when the tiger attacked him. But he escaped with minor injuries and is admitted to hospital at Yelandur. This is first time that a human has come under attack by the big cat at the forested area, once dominated by slain brigand Veerappan. Some one year ago, a tiger had killed a person at Gopalswamy hills near Bandipur national park.
But wildlife activists said there is no need to worry about tiger attacks, terming Vasantharaju's incident an isolated case. There is no history of humans being attacked by tigers at B R Hills, said H P Ashwin, a wildlife activist working on a tiger project in the forest area. Tribals are in the forested area but there are no instances of any attack, he pointed out, adding that they do not face any threat.
They said tigers generally don't become man hunters unless they are too infirm and can't hunt.
Read more: Man attacked by tiger, escapes - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mysore/Man-attacked-by-tiger-escapes/articleshow/7306663.cms#ixzz1BMH1Hv4k
Monday, January 17, 2011
Two more tiger reserves likely in Maharashtra
PUNE: The state forest department has started the process to turn the Nagzira wildlife sanctuary in Bhandara district and the Navegaon national park in Gondia district into tiger reserves. A proposal for the Nagzira tiger reserve has already been sent to the principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF), Wildlife, for approval.
At present, Maharashtra has four tiger reserves - Melghat, Tadoba-Andhari, Pench and Sahyadri.
A K Saxena, chief conservator of forest, Nagpur (Wildlife), told TOI on Sunday that the forest department has prepared a proposal to make the Nagzira wildlife sanctuary a tiger reserve and sent it to the PCCF for approval. "The proposal for the Navegaon tiger reserve is being prepared," he said.
The move came after the state forest department was asked by the Union ministry of environment and forests to send proposals to declare the two sanctuaries as tiger reserves. The idea was to ensure gene flow of tigers and strengthen tiger conservation, said Saxena.
He said that both Nagzira and Navegoan are protected areas. The sanctuaries are potential areas for tiger habitat and prey species. "Once declared as tiger reserves, we can get more funds, help from experts, and plan better strategies for overall conservation," he explained.
"To declare them as tiger reserves, more areas have to be merged into the existing protected areas. In case of the Nagzira wildlife sanctuary, the area of the sanctuary will be expanded from the current 152.58 square km to approximately 350 square km," Saxena said.
He pointed out that a notification of buffer zones for these two protected areas will follow the proposals. A buffer zone is a protective area around the reserve and is necessary for tiger habitats in the country. A 2006 amendment to the Wildlife Conservation Act mandated creation of buffer zones for conservation. No mining or industrial projects are permitted in these buffer zones.
Underlining the importance of these locations, experts point out that the two reserves are near to each other and contain source population of tiger. They are also linked with the Pench-Tadoba corridor.
In another boost to tiger conservation efforts in the state, the Union ministry of environment and forest recently approved the creation of four posts of the rank of inspector general of forests for the three regional offices and the headquarters of the National Tiger Conservation Authority(NTCA) that are going to be set up in Nagpur, Guwahati and Bangalore.
Saxena said that the Nagpur office will not only cater to the needs of Maharashtra but cover all the 39 tiger reserves falling in the 17 tiger states. "It aims at decentralisation of the process of monitoring the conservation of tigers. At present, for all needs and issues pertaining to the tiger reserves, one has to go to NTCA's office in Delhi. With an office in Nagpur, it will be easier and speedier to start process,'' he said.
At present, Maharashtra has four tiger reserves - Melghat, Tadoba-Andhari, Pench and Sahyadri.
A K Saxena, chief conservator of forest, Nagpur (Wildlife), told TOI on Sunday that the forest department has prepared a proposal to make the Nagzira wildlife sanctuary a tiger reserve and sent it to the PCCF for approval. "The proposal for the Navegaon tiger reserve is being prepared," he said.
The move came after the state forest department was asked by the Union ministry of environment and forests to send proposals to declare the two sanctuaries as tiger reserves. The idea was to ensure gene flow of tigers and strengthen tiger conservation, said Saxena.
He said that both Nagzira and Navegoan are protected areas. The sanctuaries are potential areas for tiger habitat and prey species. "Once declared as tiger reserves, we can get more funds, help from experts, and plan better strategies for overall conservation," he explained.
"To declare them as tiger reserves, more areas have to be merged into the existing protected areas. In case of the Nagzira wildlife sanctuary, the area of the sanctuary will be expanded from the current 152.58 square km to approximately 350 square km," Saxena said.
He pointed out that a notification of buffer zones for these two protected areas will follow the proposals. A buffer zone is a protective area around the reserve and is necessary for tiger habitats in the country. A 2006 amendment to the Wildlife Conservation Act mandated creation of buffer zones for conservation. No mining or industrial projects are permitted in these buffer zones.
Underlining the importance of these locations, experts point out that the two reserves are near to each other and contain source population of tiger. They are also linked with the Pench-Tadoba corridor.
In another boost to tiger conservation efforts in the state, the Union ministry of environment and forest recently approved the creation of four posts of the rank of inspector general of forests for the three regional offices and the headquarters of the National Tiger Conservation Authority(NTCA) that are going to be set up in Nagpur, Guwahati and Bangalore.
Saxena said that the Nagpur office will not only cater to the needs of Maharashtra but cover all the 39 tiger reserves falling in the 17 tiger states. "It aims at decentralisation of the process of monitoring the conservation of tigers. At present, for all needs and issues pertaining to the tiger reserves, one has to go to NTCA's office in Delhi. With an office in Nagpur, it will be easier and speedier to start process,'' he said.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
'Man-mauling tigers still in area of attack'
LUCKNOW: The man-mauling tigers of Katarniaghat have been localised. The fresh pugmarks show that big cats are present in the same area, where they had made the killings. Three men have been killed in feline attacks in Katarniaghat between January 6 and 11. The men were killed at different spots and at different points of time.
"There have been no killings after that. We have got fresh pugmarks at the place and can say that tigers are still present in the same area," said a forest officer. The pugmark impression pads have been made in the area to track the movement of tigers. And on the basis of pugmarks obtained, officials said that tigers might have not moved to a new area.
The monitoring is on. The experts from WTI and tiger biologists are present at the spot. The first human killing was reported from Sadar beat of Katarniaghat range on January 6. The man was killed by a feline when he had gone to the sugarcane field in the morning. His body was recovered about 50 metres away from boundary of jungle. The body was intact and not eaten.
The second killing came a day after that and body was recovered from the dense part of forest in the same range. The left foot was missing. There was no way to prove if the body was eaten by the tiger or any other animal. The spot was 12 kms away from the place where the first killing took place. The last killing was made on January 11 in Nishangadha range.
The forest officers at the spot shared that in two cases it could be the tigress which killed the men. "If they are same or different is difficult to say but so far it appears that there are three different tigers," said an officer. Patrolling is on in the area. Elephants have been called for combing operations. Locals are being constantly told to be cautious.
Katarniaghat wildlife sanctuary spread over some 400 sq km has a good tiger population. In the last census, 58 tigers were reported to be present here. The increasing biotic pressure has been a constant problem even in this part of the forest.
Meanwhile, officers denied that any of these man-mauling tigers could also be man-eaters. Though the tigers have not struck after January 11, officers have not even found any natural prey killed by tigers in the area where they have been localised.
"There have been no killings after that. We have got fresh pugmarks at the place and can say that tigers are still present in the same area," said a forest officer. The pugmark impression pads have been made in the area to track the movement of tigers. And on the basis of pugmarks obtained, officials said that tigers might have not moved to a new area.
The monitoring is on. The experts from WTI and tiger biologists are present at the spot. The first human killing was reported from Sadar beat of Katarniaghat range on January 6. The man was killed by a feline when he had gone to the sugarcane field in the morning. His body was recovered about 50 metres away from boundary of jungle. The body was intact and not eaten.
The second killing came a day after that and body was recovered from the dense part of forest in the same range. The left foot was missing. There was no way to prove if the body was eaten by the tiger or any other animal. The spot was 12 kms away from the place where the first killing took place. The last killing was made on January 11 in Nishangadha range.
The forest officers at the spot shared that in two cases it could be the tigress which killed the men. "If they are same or different is difficult to say but so far it appears that there are three different tigers," said an officer. Patrolling is on in the area. Elephants have been called for combing operations. Locals are being constantly told to be cautious.
Katarniaghat wildlife sanctuary spread over some 400 sq km has a good tiger population. In the last census, 58 tigers were reported to be present here. The increasing biotic pressure has been a constant problem even in this part of the forest.
Meanwhile, officers denied that any of these man-mauling tigers could also be man-eaters. Though the tigers have not struck after January 11, officers have not even found any natural prey killed by tigers in the area where they have been localised.
Expert raises ecology doubt on tiger park
G.S. MUDUR
Habitat under doubt
New Delhi, Jan. 15: A government move to declare a wildlife sanctuary in southern Karnataka as a new tiger reserve is unscientific and reflects arbitrary decision-making on tiger reserves, a leading wildlife scientist has said.
The Union cabinet in principle approved on Friday the creation of five new tiger reserves — the Biligiri Ranganatha Temple (BRT) sanctuary in Karnataka, Ratapani in Madhya Pradesh, Sunpeda inOrissa, Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh, and Mukundara hills in Rajasthan.
“The choice defies ecology-based science,” said Ulhas Karanth, director of the Centre for Wildlife Studies, Bangalore, who has conducted research on the ecology of tigers and prey-predator population ecology in several parts of the country.
India’s tiger conservation programme launched in 1972-73 with nine reserves covering about 1,400sqkm has expanded over the years, and now has 39 reserves over an area of 46,390sqkm.
Project Tiger is believed to have helped increase the tiger population from less than 1,000 in the early-1970s to about 1,400 as estimated in 2008.
“This process of continuous expansion of tiger reserve areas appears to have become rather ad hoc,” Karanth said. “You can’t just go on adding areas. Some areas might also need to be deleted from the list of tiger reserves.”
Karanth said areas now devoid of tigers such as Panna in Madhya Pradesh or Sariska in Rajasthan or remote forests such as Indravati in Chhattisgarh, located in areas of civil unrest where wildlife staff do not venture, remain labelled as tiger reserves.
A tiger reserve gets significant extra funds through Project Tiger — and sections of wildlife researchers appear concerned that listing areas with unviable tiger populations or areas that cannot be adequately managed only allows scarce conservation resources to be spent on areas that are unlikely to actually benefit tigers.
Karanth said the move to declare the Biligiri Ranganatha Temple hills sanctuary as a new tiger reserve is an example of arbitrary decision-making that has ignored strong ecological arguments in favour of Kudremukh, also in Karnataka.
The proposed BRT hills reserve is adjacent to Bandipur and Nagarahole — two reserves with high density of tiger population. Kudremukh, on the other hand, is located at a distance in Karnataka’s central Western Ghat region. “Instead of having all tigers in a single corner of the state, it makes better sense to have them in different areas,” Karanth said.
The Biligiri Ranganatha Temple hill area is also ecologically similar to Bandipur-Nagarahole, which has deciduous forests, while Kudremukh has tropical evergreen forests that are also rich in other species. A tiger reserve in Kudremukh would also help conserve its biodiversity, he said.
But wildlife officials and other conservation scientists say demarcating new areas as tiger reserves only helps increase the level of protection to already existing tiger populations in those areas. “We have to take a long-term view,” said a conservation scientist.
“The Biligiri Ranganatha Temple hills sanctuary already has an estimated population of about 35 tigers and appears able to support double the number,” said Milind Pariwakam, a manager of tiger conservation initiatives with the Wildlife Trust of India, a non-government organisation.
Habitat under doubt
New Delhi, Jan. 15: A government move to declare a wildlife sanctuary in southern Karnataka as a new tiger reserve is unscientific and reflects arbitrary decision-making on tiger reserves, a leading wildlife scientist has said.
The Union cabinet in principle approved on Friday the creation of five new tiger reserves — the Biligiri Ranganatha Temple (BRT) sanctuary in Karnataka, Ratapani in Madhya Pradesh, Sunpeda inOrissa, Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh, and Mukundara hills in Rajasthan.
“The choice defies ecology-based science,” said Ulhas Karanth, director of the Centre for Wildlife Studies, Bangalore, who has conducted research on the ecology of tigers and prey-predator population ecology in several parts of the country.
India’s tiger conservation programme launched in 1972-73 with nine reserves covering about 1,400sqkm has expanded over the years, and now has 39 reserves over an area of 46,390sqkm.
Project Tiger is believed to have helped increase the tiger population from less than 1,000 in the early-1970s to about 1,400 as estimated in 2008.
“This process of continuous expansion of tiger reserve areas appears to have become rather ad hoc,” Karanth said. “You can’t just go on adding areas. Some areas might also need to be deleted from the list of tiger reserves.”
Karanth said areas now devoid of tigers such as Panna in Madhya Pradesh or Sariska in Rajasthan or remote forests such as Indravati in Chhattisgarh, located in areas of civil unrest where wildlife staff do not venture, remain labelled as tiger reserves.
A tiger reserve gets significant extra funds through Project Tiger — and sections of wildlife researchers appear concerned that listing areas with unviable tiger populations or areas that cannot be adequately managed only allows scarce conservation resources to be spent on areas that are unlikely to actually benefit tigers.
Karanth said the move to declare the Biligiri Ranganatha Temple hills sanctuary as a new tiger reserve is an example of arbitrary decision-making that has ignored strong ecological arguments in favour of Kudremukh, also in Karnataka.
The proposed BRT hills reserve is adjacent to Bandipur and Nagarahole — two reserves with high density of tiger population. Kudremukh, on the other hand, is located at a distance in Karnataka’s central Western Ghat region. “Instead of having all tigers in a single corner of the state, it makes better sense to have them in different areas,” Karanth said.
The Biligiri Ranganatha Temple hill area is also ecologically similar to Bandipur-Nagarahole, which has deciduous forests, while Kudremukh has tropical evergreen forests that are also rich in other species. A tiger reserve in Kudremukh would also help conserve its biodiversity, he said.
But wildlife officials and other conservation scientists say demarcating new areas as tiger reserves only helps increase the level of protection to already existing tiger populations in those areas. “We have to take a long-term view,” said a conservation scientist.
“The Biligiri Ranganatha Temple hills sanctuary already has an estimated population of about 35 tigers and appears able to support double the number,” said Milind Pariwakam, a manager of tiger conservation initiatives with the Wildlife Trust of India, a non-government organisation.
Tiger strays into human habitation, alert sounded in lakhimpur
An alert was sounded today in Mailani range of South Kheri division after a tiger strayed into human habitations.
"The alert has been sounded due to the presence of a tiger in human habitat", A K Singh, Ranger, Mailani, said.
The tiger, while chasing a deer, strayed into the human habitation where some labourers were engaged in constructing a check dam.
"The residents of four villages living in the vicinity of the area have been cautioned about the movement of the tiger", Singh said.
He ruled out any imminent man-animal conflict, describing the incident of the tiger's killing the deer as a natural phenomenon.
"The alert has been sounded due to the presence of a tiger in human habitat", A K Singh, Ranger, Mailani, said.
The tiger, while chasing a deer, strayed into the human habitation where some labourers were engaged in constructing a check dam.
"The residents of four villages living in the vicinity of the area have been cautioned about the movement of the tiger", Singh said.
He ruled out any imminent man-animal conflict, describing the incident of the tiger's killing the deer as a natural phenomenon.
Bombay HC comes to aid of Koyna wildlife reserve
MUMBAI: The Bombay high court has now come to the rescue of Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary, which forms part of the only tiger reserve in western Maharashtra.
Hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) about illegal felling of trees and setting up of unauthorized windmills and resorts in the sanctuary, the court earlier this month issued notice to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) after allowing it to be added as a party. The court also extended its deadline for the state government to submit its report on the sanctuary by February 22, 2011.
The high court, in October 2010, had directed the state not to allow new windmills or new structures, including resorts in the sanctuary. The authorities were also asked to consider issuing eviction notices to persons who have constructed unauthorized structures inside the sanctuary.
Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary and its neighbouring Chandoli National Park together form the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve, the first tiger reserve western Maharashtra created in January 2010. The reserve, spread over 741 sq km, is home to nine tigers and 66 leopards, besides other birds and wild animals and even a unique species of toad-Bufo koyanansis.
The other three tiger reserves in the state are all in Vidarbha-Melghat, Tadoba and Pench (see box).
The PIL was filed by Satara resident Nana Khamkar, who alleged that state was illegally permitting windmills to be set up and trees to be felled inside the sanctuary. Khamkar relied on information provided under the Right to Information (RTI) Act by the range forest officer (wildlife), Koyna, who stated that around 550 trees were felled in a three-hectare area in the sanctuary.
Further, around 215 windmills and 10 resorts have come up in the sanctuary without any permission from Indian Wildlife Board.
The RTI reply also mentioned that offences were registered against 159 windmills way back in 2001-02 and inquiry was still on.
Khamkar pointed out that the authorities were also trying to have Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary declared as a Unesco Heritage site and the presence of windmills, resorts and encroachments would affect its bid.
The high court in October had asked the chief secretary to hear the petitioners and other parties in the case and submit a report to the court.
The judges had directed the state to ensure that necessary police protection was given to the range forest officer to carry out the high court's orders.
The high court has scheduled further hearing of the case on February 24, 2011.
Hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) about illegal felling of trees and setting up of unauthorized windmills and resorts in the sanctuary, the court earlier this month issued notice to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) after allowing it to be added as a party. The court also extended its deadline for the state government to submit its report on the sanctuary by February 22, 2011.
The high court, in October 2010, had directed the state not to allow new windmills or new structures, including resorts in the sanctuary. The authorities were also asked to consider issuing eviction notices to persons who have constructed unauthorized structures inside the sanctuary.
Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary and its neighbouring Chandoli National Park together form the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve, the first tiger reserve western Maharashtra created in January 2010. The reserve, spread over 741 sq km, is home to nine tigers and 66 leopards, besides other birds and wild animals and even a unique species of toad-Bufo koyanansis.
The other three tiger reserves in the state are all in Vidarbha-Melghat, Tadoba and Pench (see box).
The PIL was filed by Satara resident Nana Khamkar, who alleged that state was illegally permitting windmills to be set up and trees to be felled inside the sanctuary. Khamkar relied on information provided under the Right to Information (RTI) Act by the range forest officer (wildlife), Koyna, who stated that around 550 trees were felled in a three-hectare area in the sanctuary.
Further, around 215 windmills and 10 resorts have come up in the sanctuary without any permission from Indian Wildlife Board.
The RTI reply also mentioned that offences were registered against 159 windmills way back in 2001-02 and inquiry was still on.
Khamkar pointed out that the authorities were also trying to have Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary declared as a Unesco Heritage site and the presence of windmills, resorts and encroachments would affect its bid.
The high court in October had asked the chief secretary to hear the petitioners and other parties in the case and submit a report to the court.
The judges had directed the state to ensure that necessary police protection was given to the range forest officer to carry out the high court's orders.
The high court has scheduled further hearing of the case on February 24, 2011.
Tiger was poached in Andhra Pradesh
CHANDRAPUR: The mystery of the poached tiger whose skin was seized during raids by the local crime branch recently at Gadchandur, has been finally resolved. Investigations have revealed that the tiger was poached on the outskirts of Vempalli village in Kagaznagar range of Andhra Pradesh. Forest officials of Kagaznagar range have arrested the accused Anandrao Madavi who poached the tiger and had recovered the carcass buried in the nullah close to Vempali village.
Acting on a tip-off given by Wildlife Protection Society of India ( WPSI), a joint team of LCB and Gadchandur cops seized a tiger skin from the possession of six couriers on January 6.
The accused revealed that one of their relatives had poached the tiger on the outskirts of Vempalli village in Adilabad district of AP and brought the skin here to seek customers. Following the seizure of the tiger skin, officials of Central Chanda forest division took up the matter and informed their counterparts in Andhra Pradesh. Accordingly, a team of forest officials from Kagaznagar range reached Gadchandur and took details of the case from the police.
Following the information, forest officials of Kagaznagar carried out raids in Vempalli village and arrested the main accused, Anandrao Madavi (32).
"Madavi had put electrified wire to prevent intrusion of wild animals into his farm in the jungle. However, a fully grown tiger got electrocuted by the wire and died on the spot. Madavi then skinned the animal and buried the carcass in the nullah passing through the outskirts of his farm," said ACF, Rajura, KD Kove.
Taking cognizance of the incident, assistant director of Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, a central government agency, Shaik Karimulla visited Vempalli with Kove and inspected the spot where the poaching took place. Kove explained that Madavi might have put the wire to prevent intrusion of herbivores and got enticed by the skin of the tiger died of electrocution.
Madavi allegedly traveled over 40 km on bicycle and brought the skin to his brother-in-law Bhimrao Sidam at Ambezari village in Jiwti tehsil of Maharashtra to seek a customer.
Kove praised the efforts of Kazaznagar forest officials to arrest the accused from the highly Naxal-infested area in AP.
"The poaching was carried out around three weeks prior to the arrest of six couriers. The remains of the tiger unearthed from the ground were fresh, but stinking. Accused Madavi had chopped the skinned carcass into pieces before burying it in the nullah," said Kove. He said that accused Madavi has been sent into magisterial custody remand after Kagaznagar forest officials produced him before the local court.
Police officials from Gadchandur are trying to seek his custody and are likely to approach the authorities in Andhra Pradesh next Monday to fetch him. Meanwhile, the six accused arrested with the tiger skin were sent to magisterial custody remand by Rajura court after their three-day long police custody remand ended on Saturday.
Acting on a tip-off given by Wildlife Protection Society of India ( WPSI), a joint team of LCB and Gadchandur cops seized a tiger skin from the possession of six couriers on January 6.
The accused revealed that one of their relatives had poached the tiger on the outskirts of Vempalli village in Adilabad district of AP and brought the skin here to seek customers. Following the seizure of the tiger skin, officials of Central Chanda forest division took up the matter and informed their counterparts in Andhra Pradesh. Accordingly, a team of forest officials from Kagaznagar range reached Gadchandur and took details of the case from the police.
Following the information, forest officials of Kagaznagar carried out raids in Vempalli village and arrested the main accused, Anandrao Madavi (32).
"Madavi had put electrified wire to prevent intrusion of wild animals into his farm in the jungle. However, a fully grown tiger got electrocuted by the wire and died on the spot. Madavi then skinned the animal and buried the carcass in the nullah passing through the outskirts of his farm," said ACF, Rajura, KD Kove.
Taking cognizance of the incident, assistant director of Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, a central government agency, Shaik Karimulla visited Vempalli with Kove and inspected the spot where the poaching took place. Kove explained that Madavi might have put the wire to prevent intrusion of herbivores and got enticed by the skin of the tiger died of electrocution.
Madavi allegedly traveled over 40 km on bicycle and brought the skin to his brother-in-law Bhimrao Sidam at Ambezari village in Jiwti tehsil of Maharashtra to seek a customer.
Kove praised the efforts of Kazaznagar forest officials to arrest the accused from the highly Naxal-infested area in AP.
"The poaching was carried out around three weeks prior to the arrest of six couriers. The remains of the tiger unearthed from the ground were fresh, but stinking. Accused Madavi had chopped the skinned carcass into pieces before burying it in the nullah," said Kove. He said that accused Madavi has been sent into magisterial custody remand after Kagaznagar forest officials produced him before the local court.
Police officials from Gadchandur are trying to seek his custody and are likely to approach the authorities in Andhra Pradesh next Monday to fetch him. Meanwhile, the six accused arrested with the tiger skin were sent to magisterial custody remand by Rajura court after their three-day long police custody remand ended on Saturday.
To save the tiger, save jungle
Without a holistic approach nothing can protect India's wildlife from human greed and bestiality. If we don’t act now, the tiger, leopard, elephant, deer and even marine and avian species will face extinction
Last Tuesday it was Gurgaon. On Wednesday, it happened on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar. On Thursday, it was near Guwahati. By the time January is out, the toll can only be anticipated to multiply. On an average three to four leopards are mercilessly beaten to death every week by bloodthirsty villagers. Some die in accidents such as the cub that got run over by a train in Assam. But mostly the big cats are mauled to death by gruesome methods. Having encircled and trapped the terrified creature that may have strayed into human habitation in search of food, villagers pelt them with stones; beat them with iron rods and in a few instances are known to have even gouged their eyes out in an orgy of bestiality.
Eyewitnesses say that a carnival atmosphere prevails while the hapless cat cries out in pain. People congregate with drums as if to celebrate victory in battle. Cunningly, the carcass is dragged outside village precincts, sprayed with kerosene and set alight to remove traces of the crime. By the time forest officials or the police arrive, if at all they do, the deed is done. If confronted, belligerent villagers dare the officers to act. Outnumbered, enforcers of the law beat a hasty retreat and file a report blaming unknown persons for the murder. Few are prosecuted; leave alone punished.
In recent years the supposed man-animal conflict has become a one-sided affair with a variety of wild creatures being regularly bludgeoned to death. A recent report said that enraged by the alleged depredations of a herd of elephants, villagers managed to catch hold of a two-year-old calf that got left behind and beat it to death the same way as they often do with leopards. Fearful of the tiger, people don’t venture to kill them in frontal combat, but have increasingly started to use poison with which they lace a bait and wait for the unwary beast to consume it to die a slow, painful death. This has been reported particularly from Rajasthan and eastern Uttar Pradesh where incidents of tigers straying from sanctuaries have risen markedly.
There are two worrisome facets to these developments. First, the Government’s much-hyped conservation efforts are being defeated at the grassroots by villagers unconvinced of the need to preserve the country’s dwindling wildlife. Second, steady encroachment of animal habitats is resulting in migration out of sanctuaries, enhancing the chances of more frequent confrontations between villagers and animals in desperate search of food. Even more than encroachment, the disappearance of animal corridors in Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan, the construction or expansion of highways running through Reserved Forests and the grant of mining leases in protected forest areas has led to the sharpening of the problem.
The tiger is to India’s conservation efforts what cricket is to sport. While Government and private efforts at tiger conservation have heightened consciousness about the majestic creature, the bulk of attention and finances are routed to projects related to it. No doubt, the effort is most laudable and let us hope that the next tiger census (currently underway), conducted by the more scientific camera trap method, will show a rise in numbers beyond the paltry 1,141 that the last headcount revealed. Organisations like NDTV, sponsors like Aircel and others must be complimented for the recent daylong Telethon in which I was honoured to be a participant. So, it is certainly not my case that the tiger is receiving undue attention or funds.
However, I believe that the tiger cannot be protected without a holistic policy towards environment and wildlife. For example, if streams in the jungle dry up because of rampant extraction of groundwater and bottling plants being set up at source, the tigers’ prey too cannot survive. If deer are forced to migrate out of forests or die of thirst, tigers and other predators like leopards would be compelled to move towards human habitations in search of food and water. If forest cover declines or degenerates, wildlife would find less and less greens to forage and over time their reproductive capacity too would be adversely affected. An ecological balance involving forest cover, water sources, prey base for big cats is essential for wildlife to prosper. It is not possible to ensure a significant rise in tiger numbers merely by pumping in funds or relocating some to reserves from which they were eliminated through poaching or inhospitable environs.
Leopards and elephants are at a huge risk in India because of human incursions close to their traditional habitats. The leopard, being a smaller cat compared to the tiger is endangered by the steady decline in its prey base in the jungles. Besides, by nature they live on the outskirts of forests rather than the deep interiors. On the periphery of Mumbai, for instance, leopard sightings were fairly common till recently, just as the Aravali highlands close to Delhi-Gurgaon was the leopards’ terrain not before long. As townships and industrial complexes are built in these areas with mounting speed, the leopard is seriously threatened and compelled to abandon protective jungle cover to hunt for food. The accident last year in which two young leopards were run over by a speeding vehicle on the Delhi-Jaipur Highway (NH 8) is a telling example of the leopards’ predicament.
Unfortunately, there is no quick-fix solution to this, except a long-term policy regarding the peripheries of reserved forests or shrub lands in the Aravalis that are the leopards’ natural habitat. How much encroachment can be allowed to builders of housing colonies, shopping malls and entertainment parks in the neighbourhood of our burgeoning metros? As far as I know, the frenetic expansion of human settlement around Gurgaon, which began in the 1990s, never had any form of environmental clearance whatsoever. Instead of maximising habitation within existing colonies, builders are in the business of promoting golf courses, artificial lakes, sprawling villas and other attractive features to draw high-end buyers to housing and farmhouse complexes being built on lands that were once traversed by a variety of wildlife.
The abuse of areas peripheral to National Parks is so rampant that it hardly bears recalling. With over 700 resorts in operation just outside the perimeter of Corbett National Park, the discomfort caused to and consequent dislocation of wildlife has assumed serious dimensions. While I feel Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh’s heart is in the right place, he has failed miserably to curb human intrusion into tiger reserves. Has anybody thought of the disturbance caused to wildlife by the relentless foray of tourists on jeep safaris in Ranthambhore? As it is, the park is overcrowded, but unchecked movement of people inside the sanctuary must be among the reasons that forced tigress T 13 with her two hungry eight-month-old cubs to venture out of the park, risking death by poisoning or starvation.
Arguably, decades of neglect and unconcern cannot be reversed overnight. But in the absence of holistic thinking the tiger, leopard, elephant, deer and even marine and avian species will become critically endangered in the next few years. So, the cheetah can wait while something concrete is done on a war footing to save our existing, diverse wildlife
Last Tuesday it was Gurgaon. On Wednesday, it happened on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar. On Thursday, it was near Guwahati. By the time January is out, the toll can only be anticipated to multiply. On an average three to four leopards are mercilessly beaten to death every week by bloodthirsty villagers. Some die in accidents such as the cub that got run over by a train in Assam. But mostly the big cats are mauled to death by gruesome methods. Having encircled and trapped the terrified creature that may have strayed into human habitation in search of food, villagers pelt them with stones; beat them with iron rods and in a few instances are known to have even gouged their eyes out in an orgy of bestiality.
Eyewitnesses say that a carnival atmosphere prevails while the hapless cat cries out in pain. People congregate with drums as if to celebrate victory in battle. Cunningly, the carcass is dragged outside village precincts, sprayed with kerosene and set alight to remove traces of the crime. By the time forest officials or the police arrive, if at all they do, the deed is done. If confronted, belligerent villagers dare the officers to act. Outnumbered, enforcers of the law beat a hasty retreat and file a report blaming unknown persons for the murder. Few are prosecuted; leave alone punished.
In recent years the supposed man-animal conflict has become a one-sided affair with a variety of wild creatures being regularly bludgeoned to death. A recent report said that enraged by the alleged depredations of a herd of elephants, villagers managed to catch hold of a two-year-old calf that got left behind and beat it to death the same way as they often do with leopards. Fearful of the tiger, people don’t venture to kill them in frontal combat, but have increasingly started to use poison with which they lace a bait and wait for the unwary beast to consume it to die a slow, painful death. This has been reported particularly from Rajasthan and eastern Uttar Pradesh where incidents of tigers straying from sanctuaries have risen markedly.
There are two worrisome facets to these developments. First, the Government’s much-hyped conservation efforts are being defeated at the grassroots by villagers unconvinced of the need to preserve the country’s dwindling wildlife. Second, steady encroachment of animal habitats is resulting in migration out of sanctuaries, enhancing the chances of more frequent confrontations between villagers and animals in desperate search of food. Even more than encroachment, the disappearance of animal corridors in Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan, the construction or expansion of highways running through Reserved Forests and the grant of mining leases in protected forest areas has led to the sharpening of the problem.
The tiger is to India’s conservation efforts what cricket is to sport. While Government and private efforts at tiger conservation have heightened consciousness about the majestic creature, the bulk of attention and finances are routed to projects related to it. No doubt, the effort is most laudable and let us hope that the next tiger census (currently underway), conducted by the more scientific camera trap method, will show a rise in numbers beyond the paltry 1,141 that the last headcount revealed. Organisations like NDTV, sponsors like Aircel and others must be complimented for the recent daylong Telethon in which I was honoured to be a participant. So, it is certainly not my case that the tiger is receiving undue attention or funds.
However, I believe that the tiger cannot be protected without a holistic policy towards environment and wildlife. For example, if streams in the jungle dry up because of rampant extraction of groundwater and bottling plants being set up at source, the tigers’ prey too cannot survive. If deer are forced to migrate out of forests or die of thirst, tigers and other predators like leopards would be compelled to move towards human habitations in search of food and water. If forest cover declines or degenerates, wildlife would find less and less greens to forage and over time their reproductive capacity too would be adversely affected. An ecological balance involving forest cover, water sources, prey base for big cats is essential for wildlife to prosper. It is not possible to ensure a significant rise in tiger numbers merely by pumping in funds or relocating some to reserves from which they were eliminated through poaching or inhospitable environs.
Leopards and elephants are at a huge risk in India because of human incursions close to their traditional habitats. The leopard, being a smaller cat compared to the tiger is endangered by the steady decline in its prey base in the jungles. Besides, by nature they live on the outskirts of forests rather than the deep interiors. On the periphery of Mumbai, for instance, leopard sightings were fairly common till recently, just as the Aravali highlands close to Delhi-Gurgaon was the leopards’ terrain not before long. As townships and industrial complexes are built in these areas with mounting speed, the leopard is seriously threatened and compelled to abandon protective jungle cover to hunt for food. The accident last year in which two young leopards were run over by a speeding vehicle on the Delhi-Jaipur Highway (NH 8) is a telling example of the leopards’ predicament.
Unfortunately, there is no quick-fix solution to this, except a long-term policy regarding the peripheries of reserved forests or shrub lands in the Aravalis that are the leopards’ natural habitat. How much encroachment can be allowed to builders of housing colonies, shopping malls and entertainment parks in the neighbourhood of our burgeoning metros? As far as I know, the frenetic expansion of human settlement around Gurgaon, which began in the 1990s, never had any form of environmental clearance whatsoever. Instead of maximising habitation within existing colonies, builders are in the business of promoting golf courses, artificial lakes, sprawling villas and other attractive features to draw high-end buyers to housing and farmhouse complexes being built on lands that were once traversed by a variety of wildlife.
The abuse of areas peripheral to National Parks is so rampant that it hardly bears recalling. With over 700 resorts in operation just outside the perimeter of Corbett National Park, the discomfort caused to and consequent dislocation of wildlife has assumed serious dimensions. While I feel Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh’s heart is in the right place, he has failed miserably to curb human intrusion into tiger reserves. Has anybody thought of the disturbance caused to wildlife by the relentless foray of tourists on jeep safaris in Ranthambhore? As it is, the park is overcrowded, but unchecked movement of people inside the sanctuary must be among the reasons that forced tigress T 13 with her two hungry eight-month-old cubs to venture out of the park, risking death by poisoning or starvation.
Arguably, decades of neglect and unconcern cannot be reversed overnight. But in the absence of holistic thinking the tiger, leopard, elephant, deer and even marine and avian species will become critically endangered in the next few years. So, the cheetah can wait while something concrete is done on a war footing to save our existing, diverse wildlife
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Tiger poisoned to death in Kaziranga
GUWAHATI: Barely a fortnight after a tiger was poisoned to death in Assam's Orang National Park, a full-grown tigress was killed allegedly in a similar fashion at Kaziranga National Park on Thursday. Forest guards found the carcass of the adult tigress floating on the Brahmaputra near Hoflot forest camp of the park.
"We got information about the tigress floating on the river. It was a tigress, aged about seven," Kaziranga National Park director Surajit Dutta said. Park authorities have conducted a postmortem of the tigress and sent some samples to the state forensic laboratory and wildlife institute to discern the actual cause of its death.
"Our doctors have done the postmortem of the tigress and sent samples for confirmation of the actual cause of death," said Dutta. The director said the big cat might have been killed by some locals of the Char area, who were troubled by the animal for some time. "Four veterinarians conducted the autopsy of the tigress in the presence of officials from National Tiger Conservation Authority, Kaziranga director and other top forest officials at the park. The samples have been sent for forensic tests," said divisional forest officer (Kaziranga) Dibyadhar Gogoi.
He added, "We have found the carcass of an adult female Royal Bengal Tiger near Hoflot forest camp under the northern range (Biswanath ghat) of the park. The area in which the carcass was found was under the newly-proposed sixth addition of the park."
He said, "Although the cause of the animal's death is yet to be determined, from the preliminary investigation by veterinarians and Kaziranga forest officials, it is suspected the tigress died due to consumption of some toxic substance. However, the actual cause would be ascertained after the forensic laboratory test."
The divisional forest officer said, "We have conducted an intensive investigation among all concerned forest range officers and other staff in the sixth addition area of the park to find out if any miscreants were involved in the killing. As there are more than 70 cattle farms in the area, we suspect the tigress might have been killed in retaliation by some cattle farmers whose livestock were killed by the animal."
Gogoi, however, ruled out the possibility of poaching in case of the tiger death and said, "From the circumstantial evidence, we can say it was not an incident relating to poaching." Kaziranga witnessed five tiger deaths last year. Of five tiger deaths in 2010, one was killed in an attack by wild buffalos, while three died in territorial fights. One died due to old age ailments.
On December 27, a five-year-old tigress was poisoned to death at the Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park by villagers from the Panchnoi area of the forest.
"We got information about the tigress floating on the river. It was a tigress, aged about seven," Kaziranga National Park director Surajit Dutta said. Park authorities have conducted a postmortem of the tigress and sent some samples to the state forensic laboratory and wildlife institute to discern the actual cause of its death.
"Our doctors have done the postmortem of the tigress and sent samples for confirmation of the actual cause of death," said Dutta. The director said the big cat might have been killed by some locals of the Char area, who were troubled by the animal for some time. "Four veterinarians conducted the autopsy of the tigress in the presence of officials from National Tiger Conservation Authority, Kaziranga director and other top forest officials at the park. The samples have been sent for forensic tests," said divisional forest officer (Kaziranga) Dibyadhar Gogoi.
He added, "We have found the carcass of an adult female Royal Bengal Tiger near Hoflot forest camp under the northern range (Biswanath ghat) of the park. The area in which the carcass was found was under the newly-proposed sixth addition of the park."
He said, "Although the cause of the animal's death is yet to be determined, from the preliminary investigation by veterinarians and Kaziranga forest officials, it is suspected the tigress died due to consumption of some toxic substance. However, the actual cause would be ascertained after the forensic laboratory test."
The divisional forest officer said, "We have conducted an intensive investigation among all concerned forest range officers and other staff in the sixth addition area of the park to find out if any miscreants were involved in the killing. As there are more than 70 cattle farms in the area, we suspect the tigress might have been killed in retaliation by some cattle farmers whose livestock were killed by the animal."
Gogoi, however, ruled out the possibility of poaching in case of the tiger death and said, "From the circumstantial evidence, we can say it was not an incident relating to poaching." Kaziranga witnessed five tiger deaths last year. Of five tiger deaths in 2010, one was killed in an attack by wild buffalos, while three died in territorial fights. One died due to old age ailments.
On December 27, a five-year-old tigress was poisoned to death at the Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park by villagers from the Panchnoi area of the forest.
Hunt on for Corbett's wounded tigress
Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve: At the Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve, a hunt is on for a wounded tigress that has killed four women since November. What's worse, the maneater was shot on Tuesday but couldn't be tracked down since then.
''A search is on for the man-eating tigress... we have built special machans and cages to trap it... we are trying to get the situation under control,'' said Rajesh Gopal, member, National Tiger Conservation Authority who is at the site to take stock of the situation.
The inability of the Forest Department to nab the tigress has incensed the villagers making the wildlife in this area vulnerable to man-animal conflict.
The adult tigress in question had proved to be a menace for all villagers from Dhikuli area adjoining the park. The four women who died were also from the same village and had entered the forest to
Even though it can, over a period of time, recover from a single-bullet injury on its own, the fact that it remains untraceable is worrisome for not just the villagers but also the authorities. And now, that the tigress is injured and in pain, it can only prove more dangerous.
''We need some time to identify the tigress... we don't want to make any mistakes,'' said Shrikant Chandola, the Chief Wildlife Warden of Uttarakhand.
Despite mobilising dog squads, searches on elephants and placing various kinds of baits, the tigress has not been spotted. Yet, wildlife authorities do not want to push harder because camera traps show presence of four tigers in the area and they don't want to hurt the wrong one.
''A search is on for the man-eating tigress... we have built special machans and cages to trap it... we are trying to get the situation under control,'' said Rajesh Gopal, member, National Tiger Conservation Authority who is at the site to take stock of the situation.
The inability of the Forest Department to nab the tigress has incensed the villagers making the wildlife in this area vulnerable to man-animal conflict.
The adult tigress in question had proved to be a menace for all villagers from Dhikuli area adjoining the park. The four women who died were also from the same village and had entered the forest to
Even though it can, over a period of time, recover from a single-bullet injury on its own, the fact that it remains untraceable is worrisome for not just the villagers but also the authorities. And now, that the tigress is injured and in pain, it can only prove more dangerous.
''We need some time to identify the tigress... we don't want to make any mistakes,'' said Shrikant Chandola, the Chief Wildlife Warden of Uttarakhand.
Despite mobilising dog squads, searches on elephants and placing various kinds of baits, the tigress has not been spotted. Yet, wildlife authorities do not want to push harder because camera traps show presence of four tigers in the area and they don't want to hurt the wrong one.
Tiger pelts put cops in a quandary
MYSORE: Police arrested a youth in possession of tiger pelts and a tusk in the city on Friday. But they have a real task on hand: to confirm if pelts and tusk are genuine.
While Aadil Pasha, 20, of Kalyanagirinagara is booked under the Wildlife Protection Act, police are awaiting confirmation from experts on the recovered products. He is remanded to judicial custody. Pasha was caught when he was trying to dispose of four tiger pelts and a tusk at Sunni Chowk.
Preliminary investigation has revealed that Pasha, a security agency employee, procured it from a person in Shimoga for Rs 15,000 two weeks ago. But he didn't reveal the identity of that person.
DCP (L&O) Basavaraj Malagatti told reporters that he suspects if it is the real tiger skin. "Miscreants could have painted tiger stripes on cattle skin and sold it to Pasha who wanted to make quick bucks," he said.
While Aadil Pasha, 20, of Kalyanagirinagara is booked under the Wildlife Protection Act, police are awaiting confirmation from experts on the recovered products. He is remanded to judicial custody. Pasha was caught when he was trying to dispose of four tiger pelts and a tusk at Sunni Chowk.
Preliminary investigation has revealed that Pasha, a security agency employee, procured it from a person in Shimoga for Rs 15,000 two weeks ago. But he didn't reveal the identity of that person.
DCP (L&O) Basavaraj Malagatti told reporters that he suspects if it is the real tiger skin. "Miscreants could have painted tiger stripes on cattle skin and sold it to Pasha who wanted to make quick bucks," he said.
Big cat collar beeps at Manas
The tiger with radio collar at Manas National Park. Picture by Jimmy Bora
Jorhat, Jan. 14: Forest officials heaved sigh of relief when a Royal Bengal tiger, captured in Sivasagar district after being embroiled in man-animal conflict and released at Manas National Park after being fitted with a radio collar about eight months ago, was located a couple of days back.
This was the first tiger in the state to have been fitted with a radio collar.
The radio collar was fitted by the International Fund for Animal Welfare-Wildlife Trust of India (IFAW-WTI).
“We have been trying to track the tiger for several months now but in vain. However, the tiger was caught on camera a few days back. It’s safe and looks healthy,” the forest official told The Telegraph.
The adult male tiger was tranquillised and captured from a human settlement by the forest department with assistance from the IFAW-WTI in March last year. It had killed two persons in Sivasagar district.
After short-listing three potential areas, Manas National Park was decided on as the most suitable place for the tiger. Accordingly, it was radio-collared for post-release monitoring and released at Manas.
Although the post-release monitoring continued, no signals were received from the tiger’s collar after a month from its release.
“We began receiving the signal again since mid-November, after a long gap. It was photo-captured on camera traps placed by Aaranyak, ATREE and WWF-India at Manas only a few days back. We are continuing to track it, though the signals received are inconsistent as the battery on the radio collar is dying. The radio collar is expected to drop off any time now,” Bhaskar Choudhury, an official of the WTI, said.
He said the best part, however, was the fact that there has no reports of direct conflict between the tiger and people residing near Manas. “There are no reports of the tiger killing any cattle in the last few months,” Choudhury said.
With no reports of attacks on humans reported since the tiger was released at Manas, translocation of a conflict tiger at a different location promises to strengthen the case for rehabilitation of tigers that accidentally come into contact with people.
“The photographs acquired through camera-traps indicate its survival in the wild. And there has been no report of attacks on people by this tiger since its release, presenting hope that rehabilitation can be a viable option for tigers involved in conflicts,” another official of the WTI said.
He said generally tigers involved in killing of humans are sent to zoos after being captured and in most cases these animals are killed.
“When tigers involved in conflict are captured, a nagging fear of further conflict sways the decision against these animals; they are put away ‘safely’ in zoos. Additionally, adult males have a ‘homing’ tendency, raising doubts on the success of such translocation. However, in this case, the authorities took a call in favour of giving the animal another chance and it has paid off,” the official said.
Jorhat, Jan. 14: Forest officials heaved sigh of relief when a Royal Bengal tiger, captured in Sivasagar district after being embroiled in man-animal conflict and released at Manas National Park after being fitted with a radio collar about eight months ago, was located a couple of days back.
This was the first tiger in the state to have been fitted with a radio collar.
The radio collar was fitted by the International Fund for Animal Welfare-Wildlife Trust of India (IFAW-WTI).
“We have been trying to track the tiger for several months now but in vain. However, the tiger was caught on camera a few days back. It’s safe and looks healthy,” the forest official told The Telegraph.
The adult male tiger was tranquillised and captured from a human settlement by the forest department with assistance from the IFAW-WTI in March last year. It had killed two persons in Sivasagar district.
After short-listing three potential areas, Manas National Park was decided on as the most suitable place for the tiger. Accordingly, it was radio-collared for post-release monitoring and released at Manas.
Although the post-release monitoring continued, no signals were received from the tiger’s collar after a month from its release.
“We began receiving the signal again since mid-November, after a long gap. It was photo-captured on camera traps placed by Aaranyak, ATREE and WWF-India at Manas only a few days back. We are continuing to track it, though the signals received are inconsistent as the battery on the radio collar is dying. The radio collar is expected to drop off any time now,” Bhaskar Choudhury, an official of the WTI, said.
He said the best part, however, was the fact that there has no reports of direct conflict between the tiger and people residing near Manas. “There are no reports of the tiger killing any cattle in the last few months,” Choudhury said.
With no reports of attacks on humans reported since the tiger was released at Manas, translocation of a conflict tiger at a different location promises to strengthen the case for rehabilitation of tigers that accidentally come into contact with people.
“The photographs acquired through camera-traps indicate its survival in the wild. And there has been no report of attacks on people by this tiger since its release, presenting hope that rehabilitation can be a viable option for tigers involved in conflicts,” another official of the WTI said.
He said generally tigers involved in killing of humans are sent to zoos after being captured and in most cases these animals are killed.
“When tigers involved in conflict are captured, a nagging fear of further conflict sways the decision against these animals; they are put away ‘safely’ in zoos. Additionally, adult males have a ‘homing’ tendency, raising doubts on the success of such translocation. However, in this case, the authorities took a call in favour of giving the animal another chance and it has paid off,” the official said.
Friday, January 14, 2011
16 killed by tigers in Uttar Pradesh in 10 months
The increasing human-animal conflict due to shrinking habitat for wildlife has led to killing of 16 people by tigers over the past 10 months in Uttar Pradesh, wildlife officials said on Thursday. Attributing the deaths to "unabated human infiltration in the core wildlife areas", chief wildlife
conservator B K Patnaik said: "Increase in the human population and their enhanced penetration into forests is largely responsible for the rise in this conflict that had also left 22 people wounded over the same period."
"The situation has become alarming in Katarniaghat wildlife park, where three killings had occurred over the past one week alone," he said.
With as many as 36 villages in and around Katarniaghat core forest area, human conflict had been on the rise there, Patnaik added. Katarniaghat is in Bahraich district, 130 km from Lucknow.
Ruling out the presence of any man-eater, Patnaik said: "What was worse that each of the three killings appeared to have been done by three different tigers, which speaks volumes about the rising menace."
However, other than setting up four special teams to monitor movement of the state's 110 tigers and 208 leopards in the state's three core tiger areas - Dudhwa National Park, Katarniaghat and Pilibhit Forest Reserve - there was precious little that the government was able to do so far.
"In addition to these four teams that were keeping a watch in each of the tiger areas, a special tranquilising team was also camping here to get into action wherever the need arises", Patnaik said.
"But let me tell you, this is much more than what we were able to do until three years back, when we were terribly short of resources as well as trained manpower," he added.
Patnaik was however of the view that much was still needed to counter the menace.
"Firstly there is need to expand the grasslands in the core forest areas so that we could enhance the availability of food for the herbivorous animals, which in turn form prey for the wild cats and secondly there is need to provide alternative sources of fuel as well as avenues of employment to tribals and other living in villages in and around the core wildlife areas," he stressed.
Claiming that measures taken by the wildlife department had brought down the incidence of poaching, Patnaik emphasised the need for better cooperation by other government departments, "who were totally indifferent to the cause of preservation of wildlife in the state".
He cited the case of the railways that had not paid any heed to repeated demand of the wildlife department for diverting some 70 km of railway track that was passing through core forest areas of the state.
"We have been writing to the rail authorities for the past 30 years but to no avail," the chief wildlife conservator lamented.
conservator B K Patnaik said: "Increase in the human population and their enhanced penetration into forests is largely responsible for the rise in this conflict that had also left 22 people wounded over the same period."
"The situation has become alarming in Katarniaghat wildlife park, where three killings had occurred over the past one week alone," he said.
With as many as 36 villages in and around Katarniaghat core forest area, human conflict had been on the rise there, Patnaik added. Katarniaghat is in Bahraich district, 130 km from Lucknow.
Ruling out the presence of any man-eater, Patnaik said: "What was worse that each of the three killings appeared to have been done by three different tigers, which speaks volumes about the rising menace."
However, other than setting up four special teams to monitor movement of the state's 110 tigers and 208 leopards in the state's three core tiger areas - Dudhwa National Park, Katarniaghat and Pilibhit Forest Reserve - there was precious little that the government was able to do so far.
"In addition to these four teams that were keeping a watch in each of the tiger areas, a special tranquilising team was also camping here to get into action wherever the need arises", Patnaik said.
"But let me tell you, this is much more than what we were able to do until three years back, when we were terribly short of resources as well as trained manpower," he added.
Patnaik was however of the view that much was still needed to counter the menace.
"Firstly there is need to expand the grasslands in the core forest areas so that we could enhance the availability of food for the herbivorous animals, which in turn form prey for the wild cats and secondly there is need to provide alternative sources of fuel as well as avenues of employment to tribals and other living in villages in and around the core wildlife areas," he stressed.
Claiming that measures taken by the wildlife department had brought down the incidence of poaching, Patnaik emphasised the need for better cooperation by other government departments, "who were totally indifferent to the cause of preservation of wildlife in the state".
He cited the case of the railways that had not paid any heed to repeated demand of the wildlife department for diverting some 70 km of railway track that was passing through core forest areas of the state.
"We have been writing to the rail authorities for the past 30 years but to no avail," the chief wildlife conservator lamented.
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