Tiger deaths: Under-staffing, poor intelligence main reasons

New Delhi: Lack of funds and quality staff, sloppy intelligence, poorly-armed protection force and delay in relocating villagers from tiger habitats were among the key reasons for big cat deaths, a Parliamentary panel has said.

The committee on 'conservation and protection of tigers' flayed the National TigerConservation Authority for its failure to ensure sufficient funds and staff to check the declining big cat population.

Asking it to plug the gaps, the panel, which tabled its report in Parliament today, has also suggested that the NTCA -- entrusted with the task of implementing Project Tiger in the country -- should speed up village relocation on priority basis to save the animals.

"The implementation of the Project Tiger under NTCA was severely hampered by under-staffing at the level of sanctuaries and the personnel actually employed were also found to be over-aged, under-trained and under-equipped in many cases," said the panel headed by BJP MP Gopinath Munde.

Inadequate arms and ammunition, lack of strike force, poor intelligence gathering and inadequate patrolling camps were some of the other reasons for tiger deaths, it said. "As a result, poaching of tigers continued and touched an annual level of 22 over a period of six years," it said.

Initiated in 1972, Project Tiger has been taking several steps to ensure tiger conservation and protection. The NTCA is an autonomous body under the Environment Ministry.

The panel also took serious exception to fact that the relocation of families in tiger reserves was going on at a snail's pace and "at this rate it will take more than a decade to relocate all the families from the core/buffer area."

Attributing the delay to funds shortage, it noted that "Against the requirement of Rs 11,000 crore to relocate 64,951 families living within the tiger reserves, the allocation in the Tenth Five Year Plan was a meagre Rs 10.50 crore."

In its reply, the Environment Ministry told the panel that since inception of Project Tiger till June 2005, a total of 80 villages (2904 families) have been relocated.

"During the Tenth Plan, under the enhanced package (Rs 10 lakh to each family) Rs 236.79 crore was provided to states for 7782 families' relocation." Pointing out that mitigation of human interference was important for tiger survival, the panel suggested that the Environment Ministry should undertake a special donor-driven project and "link this to the benefits which will accrue to the community by not cutting trees."

http://www.zeenews.com/news623033.html#

Tiger Reserve surrounded by coal mines

The 625 square kilometre protected forest in Chandrapur is home to over fifty tigers, a sanctuary shattered by the hostile coal mines that surround it on at least two sides.

Recently the Prime Minster wrote to Maharashtra asking it to notify crucial buffer zones around tiger parks because in the Tadoba Reserve there is a need for more space.

It was in this crucial tiger corridor that the Adani coal mine was suppose to come up. The permission was denied by the Union Environment Minister but it continues to raise an important question: Why is the Maharashtra state government continuing to drag its feet for over two years on an important piece of legislation, something that will finally notify these buffer zones.

Buffer zones are specially notified areas around parks or reserve forests that are meant to divide the park from areas of human pressure. This division is of vital importance as by law any activity like mining or others that destroy the habitat have to be kept at least ten kilometres from the buffer zone which helps protect the parks habitat.

Without this notification the Tadoba buffer zone is not yet legally out of bounds for mines and industries.

While mining activity is Tadoba's biggest problem, over the last one year, the man-animal conflict has also escalated particularly in the eastern side of the reserve with 14 people and 4 tigers dead.

President, Tiger Research and Conservation Trust, Harshawardhan Dhanwatey says, "It has 60 odd villages and 20-25 years ago, the population was not more than 100/80 people. Today the population has gone up by three times. The impact of these people on Tadoba is quite a bit. Grazing is a big problem here because there is a lot of cattle that these villages own and it is contributing to the degradation of forest."

All this increase the possibility of encounters.

"Unfortunately the status of the forest staff is not up to the mark. At present we have 5 RFO postings out of which 3 are vacant and we want to increase post of RFO, forest guards. Only 34 beats are there so average area of beat is very large. Almost, a beat guard has to protect an average area of 1848 hectares which is certainly a big area to protect," says Sanjay Thakre, Field Director, Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve.

It's a miracle that the tiger population has survived these man-made traps when it desperately needs man-made ecological fillip to thrive and grow.

http://www.ndtv.com/news/india/tiger-reserve-surrounded-by-coal-mines-22109.php

Tiger campaign: The great Panna cover-up

According to wildlife experts Panna Tiger Reserve had two dozen tigers after the census in January 2006, and was left with no tigers by December 2008. However, despite that, no arrests have been made even though it is clear that the tigers were poached.

In May 2009, Pana National Reserve was officially declared tiger-less. In June, an embarrassed Madhya Pradesh government ordered an investigation.

In the investigation report submitted in March 2010, not a single culprit was identified, in fact all the officers in charge were promoted.

It all began in 2005, when Raghu Chundavat, a wildlife scientist found nine tigers he was tracking in Panna missing. His alarm brought down a central investigation team.

Almost on cue, Sanjay Mukhariya, the then Park Director of Panna started the cover-up act.

On March 13, 2005, he said, "There are no less than 34 tigers here. We have decided to conduct the census again.''

On his order, Kanha Park Director Aseem Shrivastav conducted a seven-day census using the outdated pugmark method and ostensibly managed to trace all 34 tigers.

By then the Centrally Empowered Committee on Wildlife said that Panna is showing signs of Sariska. This is like an early warning signal. It is necessary to put it right fast before it's too late.

Then, in June, 2005 Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests H S Pabla wrote in the Sanctuary Magazine that tiger density in Panna has never been better.

Ironically around the same time, a poacher arrested nearby had confessed to having traded eight tigers skins sourced from Panna.

In 2008, P B Gangopadhyay, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests wrote to the Centre that Panna desperately needs a female tiger.

Here is an excerpt from the letter dated May 19, 2008: "Although in thisNational Park no sign of decline in number of tiger population is observed, but in recent years paucity of female and cubs is felt in the national park."

Within months a Central team came to investigate and declared Panna tiger-less.

Since then each and every officer involved in the cover up has been promoted.

Wildlife Activist, Raghu Chundavat says, "Absolutely nothing has happened to people who have failed tigers. That is giving completely wrong signal to the management that leadership is there to protect them what mistake they continue to commit."

And so the denial continues. Even now nobody admits that thirty tigers went missing. Still no lessons learnt from Sariska? So which one is next?

Camera trap captures tiger at Sahyadri reserve

Kolhapur: At a time when tigers are rapidly disappearing from the Indian subcontinent, there is much excitement at the newly-created Sahyadri Tiger Reserve where the first-ever evidence of a tiger has been captured in a “camera trap”.This photographic evidence has come from a camera trap in a forest adjoining the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve which was created in January 2010.

The fourth tiger reserve in Maharashtra, the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve encompasses the Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary and Chandoli National Park and is spread over the districts of Ratnagri, Sangli, Satara and Kolhapur. A 55 km forest corridor separates the Radhanagari Wildlife Sanctuary in Kolhapur from the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve.

According to the chief conservator of forest (wildlife) MK Rao, the department has installed two camera traps in the forest adjoining the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve where the photo of the tiger has been captured.Operational trials of these two cameras were on and additional 40 camera traps will be installed in different areas of Sahyadri Tiger Reserve.

Rao said the sighting of the tiger and other wild animals is very difficult in this reserve considering that the forest is extremely dense. “One cannot see beyond 10 meters in these forests,” he said.

Last year, the wildlife census based on pugmarks showed nine tigers in the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve and Radhanagari Wildlife Sanctuary.

Rao spoke on Friday while inaugurating a wildlife photographs exhibition arranged in Kolhapur by the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and the forest department (wildlife). The state wildlife advisory board’s member Gopal Bodhe and the BNHS’s tiger cell education officer Sanjay Karkare were amongst those who attended the inaugural session.

The exhibition includes photographs from the tiger reserves at Pench, Tadoba-Andhari and Melghat.

http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_camera-trap-captures-tiger-at-sahyadri-reserve_1375238

Forest officials stall tiger census in Jharkhand

Palamau (Jharkhand), Apr 23 (ANI): Forest officials in Jharkhand's Palamau District abandoned the tiger census mid-way in Maoist-infested forest areas following threats from the rebels.

Palamau is a Maoist-infested area, with the rebels hampering human and wildlife acclivities.

This year, monitoring and census of wildlife could only be done in 40 percent area of the tiger reserve with the rest of the area being inaccessible due to the presence of Maoists.

"The reason for the decline in tiger population is due to their disturbance in natural habitat. Even the population of people around everywhere because there is no place left where you would not find people. Especially in this region, there is lack of security and problem of Naxalities and due to that we can't go to the interiors of the forest to monitor," said Manoj Singh, Director of the Palamau Tiger Reserve.

Palamau tiger reserve is spread across 1,100 sq. kms. This reserve is a home to 17 tigers, over 200 elephants, over 50 leopards, over a thousand deers, monkeys and bisons.

Poaching and loss of habitat have caused the number of tigers to plunge to an alarming rate in India.

Conservationists say the trade in skin and bones is booming to countries such as China, which has banned the use of tiger parts in medicine but where everything from fur to whiskers to eyeballs to bones, are still used. (ANI)

http://news.oneindia.in/2010/04/23/forestofficials-stall-tiger-census-in-jharkhand.html

Tiger cub found dead in Kanha Tiger Reserve

Mandla (MP), Apr 21 (PTI) A female tiger cub has been found dead in the famous Kanha Tiger Reserve here, officials said today.

The body of the cub was found at Sarhi range of the Reserve yesterday and it had injury marks around its neck and other places, Kanha Tiger Reserve Field Director H S Negi said.

He said the female cub was around nine-month old and had been killed by a tiger of the area. Territorial fights were common in the areas having dense stripped animal population, he said.

The dead animal was one of the four cubs of a tigress in the reserve.

He said after post-mortem of the cub according to the guidelines of National Tiger Conservation Authority, the body was disposed of.

http://www.ptinews.com/news/620316_Tiger-cub-found-dead-in-Kanha-Tiger-Reserve

Another big cat bites the dust

Fresh tiger pelt seized in joint operation by TN forest officials and Banagalore-based wildlife activists. Chetan R reports

Yet another tiger death came to light on April 15 when Tamil Nadu wildlife officials seized the pelt of a 4-year-old tiger from Thekan, a former anti-poaching watcher, at Masinagudi on the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border.

The tiger is said to have been hunted a month ago in the forest on the interstate border.

Besides the tiger pelt, a wild dog, elephant tooth, deer pelt and eight deer horns were also seized from Thekan.

Thekan has been charged with hunting wild animals and trafficking in their skins and other body parts within MTR (Madumalai Tiger Reserve) limits.

"It was a rude shock," said Karthik P, a wildlife volunteer, who was part of the operation. "We were tipped about someone trying to sell a leopard skin. But to our shock we stumbled upon a fresh tiger pelt."

The arrest follows a month-long joint exercise by the Tamil Nadu wildlife officials and some Bangalore-based wildlife volunteer who convinced Thekan that they were businessmen keen on buying his wares.

"The operation is a success," said Rajiv K Shrivastava, field director, Madumalai Tiger Reserve.

"Our team uncovered the trade in wildlife being carried out by Thekan. He has been taken into custody. This is a matter of serious concern."

Thekan, a tamarind collector, who was an anti-poacher once, allegedly changed sides and become a wildlife trader few years ago.

"It's unfortunate that a tiger got killed despite so many initiatives being launched to sensitise people to their dwindling numbers," said Vinod Kumar Naik, a wildlife activist, who specialises in tiger conservation projects.

"The lack of infrastructure for wildlife staff combined with a rise in demand for tiger products in the international market has made tiger poaching nearly unstoppable."

However, officers of the National Tiger Conservation Authority have pulled up their socks after the incident. "This is a very serious issue.

Officials across states (Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala) are working together to tackle issues like wildlife trade and poaching. Investigations are on in this case. We hope to get more leads shortly," said Shrivastava.

http://www.mid-day.com/news/2010/apr/220410-tiger-TN-forest-Banagalore-wildlife-activists-Bela-Vasanthi.htm

From 63 in ’90, tiger population down to 3 in Bihar reserve

In the backdrop of concerns regarding the dwindling number of tigers in the country, the ongoing tiger census has brought some more alarming news from Bihar. At the Valmiki Tiger Reserve — Bihar’s only national park — only three adult tigers have been caught by the trap cameras so far. The census is set to wrap up in June.

While the reserve, spread over 880 sq km, including 340 sq km core area in West Champaran along the Nepal border, boasted of 63 tigers in 1990, the number had fallen to 13 in the last tiger census in 2006.

Ironically, the Valmiki reserve, which was declared a national park in 1991, was categorised as a ‘level I’ reserve on account of the large area, ample vegetation and abundant availability of species of tiger prey. The authorities claim that the tigers may have slipped into Nepal.

“Phase-I data collection on indirect sign of carnivores, encounter rate and concentration of prey species is encouraging. Trap cameras might have shown just three tigers, but the figure should go up from last time. If that does not happen, we will have to assume that some tigers slipped into contiguous Chitwan forest of Nepal,” said J P Gupta, conservator of forest-cum-field director of the reserve.

On March 18, a four-year-old tigress was allegedly poisoned to death and buried near Kanti Tola in Madanpur Range. Forest officials, who claim they have “no wherewithal for enforcement of forest laws”, have asked for a CID probe.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/From-63-in--90--tiger-population-down-to-3-in-Bihar-reserve/609515

In Arunachal Pradesh, a tiger skin is worth 5 kg of rice

Investigations have revealed that the need for a packet of salt and a small bag of rice can fuel the killing of a tiger in the forests of Arunachal Pradesh, bordering China.

Locals say the lack of infrastructure in the state leads to scarcity of food, forcing poverty-hit tribals to target wildlife and sell illegal animal products.

"With little food to eat, villagers depend on tree barks to make 'tussey', an indigenous porridge," said Tagru Tame of Pipsorang village in Kurung Kumey district. "Even money cannot buy anything in the region. So, the easiest option is to seek help from the Chinese, who look for animal products to fuel Asian markets."

"Hundreds of endangered animals are killed in the thick jungles just to eke out a living," said Noory Noshi of Limeking village located 50 km from the International Line of Control. "Poverty-stricken tribals sell the animal skin to Chinese traders. In exchange, they get about 5 kg of rice and a kilo of salt."

In the absence of patrolling, the age-old trade route is now being used for trafficking of wildlife products. Noshi pointed out that this route is also the entry point for illegal immigrants who slip into Arunachal Pradesh.

"At the border, a pack of salt and a pack of rice cost around Rs 200 a kilo each and a packet of noodles costs Rs 300. There are no roads, communication facilities are lacking. So, in the absence of infrastructure, food is scarce," said Rajesh Tacho, a local MLA. "While the Chinese highway is barely 3 km from the line of control, mountain paths on the Indian side extend for up to 50 km, mostly through the inaccessible jungles," said Tacho.

Investigations revealed that most of the animals killed are smuggled through Chinese villages Oganjo, Ume, Dian and Asapila.



The middlemen, who supply the contraband to markets in south east Asia, are of Tibetan origin.

Most of the banned wildlife products are smuggled in haversacks or home-made cane bags. Sometimes, high altitude porters hired by local authorities are involved in the smuggling syndicate, insiders said. At times, Indian traffickers pose as informers and sneak into Chinese villages under the pretext of gathering information.

The Indian authorities prefer to look the other way, a matter on which Arunachal Pradesh's Director General of Police, Bimla Mehra, declined comment.

Tracking and killing the prey usually takes days of hard work. It involves trudging and trekking through the dense forest which is infested with poisonous snakes and insects.

Arunachal's Deputy Conservator of Forests, M K Palit, admitting that killing of wildlife was rampant in the state's forests. He attributed it mainly to the age-old tribal traditions and excessive issue of licensed weapons to villagers.

Palit pointed to the emerging role of traffickers in smuggling animal products outside the country in recent months. "Earlier, it was killing for food, but now it is also to make quick money, added Palit. "The situation is not very alarming and the government is doing its best," said the forest officer.

http://www.ndtv.com/news/india/in-arunachal-pradesh-a-tiger-skin-is-worth-5-kg-of-rice-20538.php

Forest dept names accused in tiger killing case

Digital Goa News Service
Panaji, April 20 - Unveiling much sensational chargesheet in tiger killing case, state forest department finally named all the five accused charged of killing a tiger, destroying evidence and possessing unlicenced weapon.

The chargesheet is filed before Judicial Magistrate First Class, Sattari at Valpoi town.

Father and son were amongst five people chargesheeted by state forest department in the sensational tiger killing case reported a year back.

Ganesh Majik and his son, Suryakant Majik, a civil defence service officer, were booked by the department capping year old investigation in the first ever tiger killing case in Goa.

Nagesh Majik, Ankush Majik and Bhiva Gawas were also chargesheeted in this case, which was exposed by renowned environmentalist Rajendra Kerkar.

The tiger was put to death with two gun shots in Cashew plantation adjoining Keri village and later dragged few metres away and burnt allegedly to destroy the evidence.

The case under arms act for using unlicenced weapon to kill the tiger is also registered against the accused by forest department who have managed to seize only one out of two guns involved in the crime.

The chargesheet has named 15 witnesses including Kerkar in this case, which will be tried later this month in the local court.

The forest department has attached forensic report by Dehradun based wildlife Institute of India (WII) to confirm that the remains of animal collected from the site where that of tiger.

“The sample of hair collected from the site matched during the forensic test,” deputy conservator of forest, Dr G T Kumar, who supervised the investigations told reporters.

He said that the department was informed about the killing through a newspaper report that appeared on April 13, 2009 on a national newspaper.

“Entire investigation began depending on the photograph of tiger carcass published on the newspaper,” he said.

The forest department officials found out that the a local youth had clicked the picture of tiger was it was killed on his mobile, which was circulated via Bluetooth to many mobile handsets and even downloaded on the computer.

Kumar stated that the department had not been able to lay hands on the original mobile phone which was used to click the picture.

The entire case had received a setback after initial findings by WII had ruled out that the animal killed was tiger. Later the final report was positive.

“Preliminary report was based on morph meter which means the examinations are done by observing the samples,” Kumar said.

http://digitalgoa.com/ca_disp.php?id=1071

Tiger protection force in UP soon

Lucknow, Apr 20 (PTI) A special force for the protection of tigers, especially from poachers, will be set up in Uttar Pradesh soon.

A meeting, attended by the state Chief Secretary, to work out modalities for setting up the force was held here yesterday, Forest Department sources said.

The force, funded by the National Tiger Conservation Authority, will be deployed in-and-around the Dudhwa National Park in Lakhimpur Kheri and other places.

"Though the threat of poaching is almost negligible in the Park, we cannot be complacent," Park Director Shailesh Prasad told PTI.

However, the threat of poaching exists along the 111-km long Indo-Nepal border in UP, he said adding the deployment of force in the area will help in checking the menace.

As per the 2007 census, the number of tigers in UP was 109, Prasad said adding the number had remained static since then.

http://www.ptinews.com/news/618078_Tiger-protection-force-in-UP-soon

Tiger kills honey collector in WB

Canning (WB), Apr 20 (PTI) In a fresh incident of man-animal conflict, a tiger killed a honey collector at Sunderbans in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district, forest officials said.

The incident happened yesterday at Harinbhanga forest, a core area of the Sunderbans, when the honey collector along with five others were about to board a boat on Goashaba river.

The tiger pounced on the man and dragged him inside the forest, they said.

The six had taken permission from the forest department to venture into the core area between April 15 and May 15 -- the honey collecting season, the officials said.

Search is on to recover the victim's body, they said.

http://www.ptinews.com/news/617789_Tiger-kills-honey-collector-in-WB

PM to tiger-range states: Protect big cats

STAFF WRITER 12:53 HRS IST

New Delhi, Apr 20 (PTI) Worried over the dwindling big cat population, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has written to chief ministers of states with tiger ranges to declare buffer areas around the animal's habitat and expedite relocation of villages in national parks.

The Prime Minister's letter has come after conservationists at a recently-held meeting of the National Board of Wildlife, chaired by him, complained of the states' laxity in reducing human-tiger conflicts that often lead to the death of big cats, a senior environment ministry official said.

Singh, in his letter, has asked Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank to regulate growing tourism around Corbett Tiger Reserve while telling the Maharashtra government to quickly expedite the process of notifying the buffer areas around all its tiger sanctuaries.

http://www.ptinews.com/news/617472_PM-to-tiger-range-states--Protect-big-cats

112 tiger cubs spotted in national parks

New Delhi, Apr 18 (PTI) Amidst reports of tiger deaths, there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel with wildlife officials spotting over 112 big cat cubs in national parks across the country.

"This is one good sign of breeding among the female tigresses which we hope would check the decline of the endangered animals," a senior official from National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) said.

"There have been sighting of 112 cubs in reserves like Nagarhole (10 cubs) and Bandipur (12) in Karnataka, Nagarjunsagar (10) in Andhra Pradesh and Kanha (22), Bandhavgarh (12) and Pench (10) in Madhya Pradesh," he said.

In core forest areas of Tadoba reserves in Maharashtra, Dudhawa in Uttar Pradesh and Ranthambore national park in Rajasthan, 13, 16 and 10 cubs respectively, have been sighted with their mothers.

There are total 39 tiger reserves in the country.

http://www.ptinews.com/news/614685_112-tiger-cubs-spotted-in-national-parks

Possible tiger pug marks found in Goa

PANAJI: Pug marks that could be those of a tiger have been seen at Maida within the Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary during a wildlife census sample survey. On Thursday, two experts from the Dehra Dun-based Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and 35-odd forest department officials spotted them along with some from a member of the canine family.

While officials at some levels are in a denial mode about the presence of tigers in Goa, the findings—made in the presence of the two experts—if confirmed beyond doubt could establish the presence of big cats in the state's forests.

The two WWI experts were in Goa to train forest officials for the wildlife census that will begin on April 21. "The three pug marks comprise two of big cats and one of a member of the dog family, which could be a hyena or even a domestic dog" said Gautam Talukdar, one of the two WWI officers. "Further analysis will have to be done to confirm them," he added.

Experts are now relying on the camera trap method, in which two cameras are placed in the wild and they automatically click pictures of any animal entering the range of the lens.

Confirming the sighting, a senior forest official said, "The site where the pug marks of the tiger were seen shows how a tiger has walked in the area. One imprint was very prominent." A forest department source said the pug marks were likely to be that of a tiger as the claw end of the tiger is more than 2 cm long, almost ruling out the possibility of them being of a panther.

Two years back, a bison had been killed in the same area, but forest officials are not sure whether it was a big cat which killed it. "It appeared to have been trapped in some branches, so any carnivore could have attacked it," a source said.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Possible-tiger-pug-marks-found/articleshow/5826916.cms

Chargesheet filed in tiger killing

PANAJI: Almost 14 months after the tiger had been killed at Keri, the forest department filed a chargesheet in the court of the judicial magistrate first class, Valpoi but no further details were available.

Officials were tightlipped about the chargesheet and it was not known how many persons have been named in it. Additional principal conservator of forest Shashi Kumar had told reporters just over a week ago that the chargesheet would be filed soon. TOI had first reported the killing on April 13, 2009.

The big cat had been killed in a cashew plantation belonging to the Majik family in Keri after it was trapped in a cable wire snare laid along a stream. After investigations drew a blank for some time, forest officials found bones and other tiger remains on May 31, 2009 and in early June, which raised hopes among wildlife lovers of justice in the case, as the department itself was in a denial mode.

The tiger remains, including an assortment of bones, fur and teeth recovered from the site were sent to the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehra Dun for forensic tests, which was considered crucial to prove that it was indeed a tiger that had been killed.

Though the WWI preliminary report had said that the bones are not that of a tiger, another report received just a few weeks back confirmed that one sample of the remains belonged to the big cat.

During investigations, the forest department had arrested some persons belonging to Majik community and later released them.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Chargesheet-filed-in-tiger-killing/articleshow/5823364.cms

Villager falls prey to tiger in Maharashtra

NAGPUR: The raging tiger-human conflict claimed one more life in rural area of Chandrapur district on Thursday.

Sixty-year-old Tuljabai Jambhole of village Shedegaon in Chimur range had gone with other villagers to collect Mahua flowers, when the tiger attacked her around 8 am in the forests along the peripheral area of Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR), forest officials said. The woman died on the spot.

The spot where the incident occurred is about two km from the place where the previous victim, Bhaurao Masram of Jhari village, had been killed by the tiger on April 4, officials said. They suspect it is the same tiger. The two deaths have spread panic in the villages in the area.

On April 1, a tiger had killed a 30-year-old man on the other side of the forests in Bramhapuri division when he had gone to collect the Mahua flowers, which is an important livelihood source for the impoverished villagers living around the tiger reserve.

The forest department is running a corridor conservation programme in the conflict areas to mitigate the crisis that first precipitated in 2006 and has been aggravating ever since. The area is the biggest tiger-man conflict zone in the country, experts say.

http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_villager-falls-prey-to-tiger-in-maharashtra_1371904

Officials seize a tiger skin from poachers in Tamil Nadu

Mudumalai (Tamil Nadu), Apr 15 (ANI): The Tamil Nadu Forest Department officials recovered a tiger skin from a seven-member gang on Thursday in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve of the state's Niligiri District.

The seizure has once again highlighted the revival of poaching of tigers in the Western Ghats.

Acting on a tip off, the officials nabbed five suspects, before they could sell the tiger skin to a customer.

Officials said that other two members of the gang managed to flee from the scene.

According to Mudumalai Tiger Reserve Field Director, Rajesh Srivatsava, the hunt to nab the other two is on.

"Earlier in the morning today, they recovered the tusk and arrested five accused near Anakati area in Niligiri north division. Whole investigation was going on today. Still two accused are absconding," Srivatsava said.

"We are searching for them and definitely, we are confident that we will still arrest them and we will take stringent action against all concerned," he added.

The Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary was declared as Tiger Reserve in 2007.

According to a recent tiger census, there are just 35 tigers left in Mudumali.

Poaching and loss of habitat have resulted in the dwindling of the big cats population at an alarming rate.

India is a key player in efforts to boost the global tiger population, which numbers just a few thousand which, certain wildlife experts feel could be extinct in another two decades.

Conservationists say the trade in skin and bones is booming to countries such as China, which has banned the use of tiger parts in medicine but where everything from fur to whiskers to eyeballs to bones, are still used.(ANI)

http://news.oneindia.in/2010/04/15/officialsseize-a-tiger-skin-from-poachers-in-tamilnadu.html

Poachers back: Tiger skin seized in Nilgiris

UDHAGAMANDALAM: Forest officials in the Nilgiris on Wednesday seized a 'fresh' tiger skin from a four-member gang in the Sigur forest area near Anaikatty, suggesting a revival in poaching of the big cat in the Western Ghats.

Investigations are on to find out how the gang came into possession of the skin. Officials said a tip-off enabled them to move in before the skin was sold and arrest the four suspects, including two tribals. Interrogation revealed the involvement of three others, who were also arrested.

District forest officer (north) K Soundarapandian, investigating the seizure along with Mudumalai Tiger Reserve field director Rajiv K Srivasatava, said five of the seven suspects were remanded in custody after being charged under the Wildlife (Protection) Act. All were daily wage labourers from Gudalur taluk.

"An informer who works in surveillance alerted us," Srivastava told TOI. "It is a 'fresh' one and must be about two to three weeks old," he added. "The tiger must have been around four years old."

Tiger poaching in the region was last reported in 2007. A recent census estimated tigers in TN at 76, with a lower limit of 56 and upper limit of 95. Mudumalai reserve has the largest number.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Poachers-back-Tiger-skin-seized-in-Nilgiris/articleshow/5806817.cms

Kaziranga, best for tigers

Corbett National Park may have to give up its status as the best home for tigers in India. A non-governmental organisation, Aranyak, has found that the Kaziranga National Park in Assam has 32 tigers for every 100 sq km, as compared to Corbett, which has 20 for the same area.

Tiger density in other reserves hovers between 8 and 12.

The assessment was based on monitoring of tigers with the camera trap technology used by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) for conducting nation-wide tiger census.

"If we go by their assessment, Kaziranga should have 100-120 tigers," said an official of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). Kaziranga, which is also known for its rhinos and elephants, had about 30 tigers in 1972, and 86 in 2007, as per the last tiger census conducted in India.

NCTA officials, however, said the real picture of the tiger population in Kaziranga would emerge only in a couple of months when the tiger census by WII is finalised.

"We expect to complete the first assessment by August," said Qamar Qureshi, a WII scientist, also part of the census.

Aranyak's assessment prompted Environment and Forest Minister Jairam Ramesh to say tiger density in Kaziranga is higher than in Corbett, which he said was under stress because of increased tourism activity.

"Initial indications on tiger census are encouraging. But I cannot say whether the tiger population would be more than 1,400 as estimated in 2007," Ramesh said.

In the first phase of tiger census completed in south India and parts of north India, WII scientists have spotted some tigers in naxal-affected tiger reserves. Scientists entered naxal-affected Indravati Tiger Reserve in Chattisgarh, Palamu Tiger Reserve in Jharkhand and Simlipal in Orissa and got tiger excreta samples.

"Some tigers have also been sighted in Indravati and Palamu," Ramesh said. Ramesh had earlier called these areas the worst tiger homes in India.

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New software to track tigers

The Central government is introducing a new software to make tiger monitoring more accurate, even as the first phase of India's comprehensive tiger census showed some “encouraging trends”.

Launching the M-Stripes system – which involves GPS for field guards and software monitoring — on Wednesday, Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests said that the technology would help increase the transparency of forest surveillance.

“We know that a lot of the information today is doctored and unreliable. People claim that they have gone on patrol, but actually they are just sitting in their offices and generating data,” said Mr. Ramesh. “This system will put an end to that.”

In the past, officials had continued to report tiger sightings at the Sariska and Panna reserves, inflating official figures long after the big cats had vanished from those areas.

The government hopes the current ongoing census will be more accurate, and Mr. Ramesh said that some encouraging trends had been seen in the first phase, which covered around 3.5 lakh sq km of forests, including non-tiger reserve areas, at the beat level.

Tigers were spotted in regions that had been written off earlier, including Buxa, Nagarjuna Sagar and Indravati.

A high tiger density was also reported in the Kaziranga reserve.

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