LUCKNOW: Pilibhit forest division is in news again. Deoria range of the division is gripped with fear of a man-killing tiger. Though forest officials have not labelled it as a man-eater, yet. The stray big cat has killed and partially eaten five men, at different points of time, over a period of past three months.
The sub-adult tiger made its first killing on May 3. It struck again on June 7, killed and partially ate a 50-year-old man, Ved Prakash of Parewa Turraha village of Pilibhit. The body was lying about 1 km inside forest area. The right arm of the man was eaten by the big cat. On its third appearance on June 23, the tiger killed Bulaki Ram. On July 25, it killed Shyamlal and on July 27, it killed Jamuna Prasad.
Forest officials came into action after the fourth incident was reported on July 25. "We got eight web cameras installed in Deoria range," said V K Singh, DFO, Pilibhit. The camera was installed at 5.10pm and it was within 10 minutes that the first snap of the tiger was clicked by one of the cameras. "We got sure of tiger's presence in the area," said Singh.
The killing on July 25 took place in Deohana beat of the range and July 27 killing happened in Ghundchai beat of the range. There is an aerial distance of about 2 km between the two beats. However, when the tiger killed Jamuna Prasad on July 27, the incident was not clicked by the cameras. But cameras will continue to be in place.
Almost all the killings have taken place in the daytime because victims had gone to the forest area to either collect firewood or grass. Besides, monsoon is also the season for `katarua' mushroom in Pilibhit forests. Villagers collect the mushroom and sell them for Rs 70 to 80 per kg in markets. Bundles of grass, firewood and bags with mushrooms have been recovered from site of killings. Besides, the men have all been attacked while they were squatting on the ground and tiger mistook them to be quadrupeds.
As far as eating men is concerned, tiger has not eaten the men immediately after killing them. Though it has partially eaten all the bodies, it has eaten them a day after the killing. "When men had gone to search Jamuna Prasad in the morning, they had seen tiger eating the man's leg," said Singh. The approaching men, however, had scared the tiger away.
It is a case of man intruding into tiger's territory as all bodies were found lying deep inside the forest. Hence, it does not make any sense in branding the big cat a man-eater, said DFO. However, this has not lessened the seriousness of the incident for the forest department.
The forest department has created three teams headed by range officers to educate and inform villagers about the presence of tiger in the locality. Each team has 9 to 12 members. The teams will hold meetings with villagers and educate them about taking precautions. "We also have decided to get strict," said Singh.
The people who are found entering the prohibited area of forest will be detained for trespassing. Though, they will be allowed to go after initial warning. On second occasion, they will be charged a fine of Rs 250 and on third occasion, they will be arrested, produced in court and sent to jail for 14 days. This effort will continue for a month-long period.
Apart from this, informative posters have been put up at PHCs and primary schools. Deoria range spreads across 712 sq km and has 36 villages on its periphery. All the villages are under watch.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Sariska gets its tiger conservation foundation
JAIPUR: Now, delay in sanction of money for the two tiger sanctuaries in the state will not be a problem. After the Ranthambore National Park, a Tiger Conservation Foundation (TCF) has been formed for Sariska too.
The two separate tiger foundations will now be entitled to receive all monetary grants from the Centre and individuals for spending in the two sanctuaries.
The state government has set up the two foundations to ensure better conservation of big cats. Recently, Sariska saw relocation of two tigers from Ranthambore to take the total number of cats to five.
Ram Lal Jat, the forest minister said, "The Sariska Tiger Conservation Foundation has been set up to conserve biodiversity and strengthening the infrastructure to protect wildlife in the sanctuary. This would also ensure adequate protective measures for felines."
Jat is the chairman of the two foundations, while the field directors of each sanctuary are member secretaries. The foundation will also have respective MLAs from the area besides about four other members from the public domain and from the staff of the department.
Establishing a TCF is mandatory under the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act 2006 in each tiger reserve. The move was brought after tigers were poached in Sariska.
Sariska is also planning to revive its earlier plan of regulating the flow of tourists to the temple, Pandupole, inside the sanctuary. To restrict visitors from using private vehicles that cause pollution and disturbance in the habitat, the state government has floated tenders for purchasing buses to ferry people from Sariska to Pandupole temple at regular intervals.
The project will be under scrutiny for some days before it is finalised.
Currently, 100 home guards and 55 ex-military men are on duty across the park to ensure security of the flora and fauna, including the recently relocated endangered tigers.
The two separate tiger foundations will now be entitled to receive all monetary grants from the Centre and individuals for spending in the two sanctuaries.
The state government has set up the two foundations to ensure better conservation of big cats. Recently, Sariska saw relocation of two tigers from Ranthambore to take the total number of cats to five.
Ram Lal Jat, the forest minister said, "The Sariska Tiger Conservation Foundation has been set up to conserve biodiversity and strengthening the infrastructure to protect wildlife in the sanctuary. This would also ensure adequate protective measures for felines."
Jat is the chairman of the two foundations, while the field directors of each sanctuary are member secretaries. The foundation will also have respective MLAs from the area besides about four other members from the public domain and from the staff of the department.
Establishing a TCF is mandatory under the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act 2006 in each tiger reserve. The move was brought after tigers were poached in Sariska.
Sariska is also planning to revive its earlier plan of regulating the flow of tourists to the temple, Pandupole, inside the sanctuary. To restrict visitors from using private vehicles that cause pollution and disturbance in the habitat, the state government has floated tenders for purchasing buses to ferry people from Sariska to Pandupole temple at regular intervals.
The project will be under scrutiny for some days before it is finalised.
Currently, 100 home guards and 55 ex-military men are on duty across the park to ensure security of the flora and fauna, including the recently relocated endangered tigers.
Movie on tiger conservation
MYSORE: The city-based regional museum of natural history will screen a documentary on tigers on Saturday.
The 40-minute film 'Truth about Tigers' will be screened at RMNH at 3 pm by the Voice for Wildlife, a trust furthering the cause of wildlife conservation.
The NGO is formed by a group of lawyers to focus on environment and wildlife will screen the film by Shekar Dattatri. The government estimates reveal there may be fewer than 1,500 tigers in Indian jungles, H N Nagaraj of the Voice for Wlidlife stated. Why have India's tiger population declined so drastically? What are the problems facing their conservation? And are there any solutions to the crisis? These are some of the aspects covered in the documentary, which also provides pointers to how citizen can contribute towards saving tigers, he stated in a press release.
The 40-minute film 'Truth about Tigers' will be screened at RMNH at 3 pm by the Voice for Wildlife, a trust furthering the cause of wildlife conservation.
The NGO is formed by a group of lawyers to focus on environment and wildlife will screen the film by Shekar Dattatri. The government estimates reveal there may be fewer than 1,500 tigers in Indian jungles, H N Nagaraj of the Voice for Wlidlife stated. Why have India's tiger population declined so drastically? What are the problems facing their conservation? And are there any solutions to the crisis? These are some of the aspects covered in the documentary, which also provides pointers to how citizen can contribute towards saving tigers, he stated in a press release.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Poacher gets 3 yrs in jail
A notorious poacher who killed and ate wild animals like tiger and hyena has been sentenced to three years rigorous imprisonment by a court in Madhya Pradesh.
Dariya Bawaria was on Wednesday also fined Rs 10,000 by a court of JMFC in Sihora in Jabalpur division in connection with a 1988 case.
Bawariya, his wife Bhagwati, and seven others had been booked after a seizure of one tiger skin, tiger bones, four tiger paws, three cans of tiger fat, one hyena skin and eight spring traps from them in Bahoriband range in the state. All the accused were granted bail and subsequently jumped it.
Dariya was arrested on April 28, 2008 from the Corbett Tiger Reserve with two tiger traps and other poaching equipment.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Poacher-gets-3-yrs-in-jail/653662
Big cats hit a low in Pakke sanctuary - Clouded leopard on camera in tiger reserve for first time
Guwahati, July 29: For tiger lovers in the Northeast who were on cloud nine after Kaziranga’s success, Pakke tiger reserve in Arunachal Pradesh is a bit of dampener.
Pakke has recorded a density of only 1.9 tigers per 100 square km compared to Kaziranga’s tiger density of 32 per 100 square km, the highest in the world.
Three months ago in April, Kaziranga had recorded the estimated highest density, overtaking the previous highest recorded density of 19.6 tigers per 100 square km found at Corbett Tiger Reserve.
However, the good news at Pakke is that the density of tigers is up slightly from the 1.15 per 100 square km recorded in 2006. Besides, a clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) has been captured on camera for the first time in the reserve.
However, Jimmy Borah, senior project officer, Tiger Programme, North Bank Landscape, WWF-India, who carried out the camera trapping along with others, said, “Looking at the terrain and the habitat, the density of 1.9 tigers can be considered good enough”.
He said the density at Pakke was similar to other tropical semi-evergreen forests in Southeast Asia. The usual density of tigers varies from 3-12 tigers per 100 square km in the tiger reserves in the country.
The WWF-India carried out the tiger census in collaboration with Arunachal forest department. Automated cameras were used to capture the photographs of wild animals.
The effectively sampled area for camera trapping was 261.81 square km of the reserve’s total area of 862 square km. The camera trap was laid at 30 locations in both Sijusa and Tipi ranges. The census was carried out from February 4 to March 30 this year. “Large areas of the park have still not been covered as they are inaccessible,” an official of Pakke tiger reserve said.
On the camera trapping of the clouded leopard at the reserve, a WWF report stated, “This very beautiful and elusive cat is reported in the landscape from various places of Arunachal Pradesh but its status is not well documented. Change in land use, encroachment into forest areas and hunting of the animal for its pelt, are the main threats to the survival of the species. There is a need to design a long-term conservation plan before its population reaches a critical level.”
The Pakke tiger reserve lies in the foothills of eastern Himalayas in East Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh. It is home to over 2,000 species of plants, 300 species of birds, 40 species of mammals, 30 species of amphibians and 36 species of reptiles. It is one of the last remaining strongholds for many globally threatened species of flora and fauna.
Pakke (earlier Pakhui) was declared a reserve forest in 1962, a wildlife sanctuary in 2001 and a tiger reserve in 2002. The Centre had sanctioned Rs 210.35 lakh under Project Tiger in the 2009-10 fiscal to improve infrastructure in the reserve.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100730/jsp/northeast/story_12746070.jsp
Cheetah rerun
More than six decades after the last cheetah disappeared from India - the only mammal the country has lost in a long time - the government has decided to reintroduce the fastest one.
The experts and the government have proffered few reasons why the spotted cat should be brought back. It's the only mammal whose name is derived from Sanskrit, for one. It will help preserve the grasslands and drylands in India, for another. The first is easily dismissed as posturing but the second reason is worth a serious look.
On any count, it's going to be a costly affair. Experts have suggested a ballpark figure of Rs 300 crore to be spent in the first year itself.
The cheetah sites will require constant money flow through the life of the project (read: endlessly). Much of the initial money is going to be spent on relocating more than 100 human habitations in the three sites where the experts want to set free the first set of imported cats.
The wildlife enthusiasts want to play down the trade-offs: the cheetah is bound to become the conservation star that turns grasslands and drylands into exclusive preserves just as the tiger had for decades in the forested parts of the country. Some of the settlements to be relocated are temporary – used by grazers – the cheetah enthusiasts point out.
That the temporary settlements are traditional livelihood sources for many in the arid Jaisalmer is yet to be discussed. In another site (Kuno-Palpur in Madhya Pradesh) many have been uprooted and displaced under controversial circumstances to bring in the lion, so relocating a few more villages shouldn't be difficult, they say.
To be fair, the cheetah enthusiasts have recommended "adequate and generous compensation with alternate arrangements" for those displaced. But in a country where most of the existing national parks and sanctuaries, including tiger reserves, were created at a time when traditional rights of people living in the forests were summarily dismissed, is yet another symbol of exclusivist conservation required? Almost every tiger reserve and dozens of national parks and sanctuaries continue to be battlefields between displaced local population and the forest department, with rights of the poor unresolved.
The UPA, under Sonia Gandhi, has been trying hard to restore these rights and correct a historical injustice that the government itself claims is one of the causes of alienation of forestdwellers.
Experts suggest the spillovers of tourism from the cheetah will provide livelihood to those displaced.
Five-star hotels at the edges of tiger reserves that earn Rs 40,000 a night showing off cordoned tigers to foreign tourists while the locals run tea shops or get employed as daily labour, one would think, would have taught the government a lesson.
The experts and the government have proffered few reasons why the spotted cat should be brought back. It's the only mammal whose name is derived from Sanskrit, for one. It will help preserve the grasslands and drylands in India, for another. The first is easily dismissed as posturing but the second reason is worth a serious look.
On any count, it's going to be a costly affair. Experts have suggested a ballpark figure of Rs 300 crore to be spent in the first year itself.
The cheetah sites will require constant money flow through the life of the project (read: endlessly). Much of the initial money is going to be spent on relocating more than 100 human habitations in the three sites where the experts want to set free the first set of imported cats.
The wildlife enthusiasts want to play down the trade-offs: the cheetah is bound to become the conservation star that turns grasslands and drylands into exclusive preserves just as the tiger had for decades in the forested parts of the country. Some of the settlements to be relocated are temporary – used by grazers – the cheetah enthusiasts point out.
That the temporary settlements are traditional livelihood sources for many in the arid Jaisalmer is yet to be discussed. In another site (Kuno-Palpur in Madhya Pradesh) many have been uprooted and displaced under controversial circumstances to bring in the lion, so relocating a few more villages shouldn't be difficult, they say.
To be fair, the cheetah enthusiasts have recommended "adequate and generous compensation with alternate arrangements" for those displaced. But in a country where most of the existing national parks and sanctuaries, including tiger reserves, were created at a time when traditional rights of people living in the forests were summarily dismissed, is yet another symbol of exclusivist conservation required? Almost every tiger reserve and dozens of national parks and sanctuaries continue to be battlefields between displaced local population and the forest department, with rights of the poor unresolved.
The UPA, under Sonia Gandhi, has been trying hard to restore these rights and correct a historical injustice that the government itself claims is one of the causes of alienation of forestdwellers.
Experts suggest the spillovers of tourism from the cheetah will provide livelihood to those displaced.
Five-star hotels at the edges of tiger reserves that earn Rs 40,000 a night showing off cordoned tigers to foreign tourists while the locals run tea shops or get employed as daily labour, one would think, would have taught the government a lesson.
Nepal has 155 adult tigers, 5% of world population
KATHMANDU: The number of adult tiger has reached 155 in Nepal's forests, an increase of 28% over last year's population, a top official has said.
The tiger population grew after tiger census was conducted in the Chure area of Chitawan National Park, which was skipped during last year's census, according to Coordinator of the Tiger census 2010 Bivash Pandav, an Indian national, who is working under World Wildlife Fund Nepal office in Kathmandu.
The number of adult tiger has reached 155 in Nepal's forests which is an increase of 28%, announced Gopal Prasad Upadhyaya, director general of Department of National Park's and Wildlife Conservation.
Though this not an increase in tiger population in actual term, but the number has also not declined in the region, he said. In Chitawan National Park located in central Nepal alone, 125 tigers were recorded.
Last year only 91 tigers were found when the census was carried out only in the lowland of the tiger reserve.
The total adult tiger population of 155 (124 to 229) was arrived at after adding other tiger populations from Bardia, Shuklaphanta and Parsa reserves.
The census was done through the latest process of camera trapping which required 3,582 human days and 170 elephant days, according to experts at WWF Nepal.
The monitoring of tiger was done from December 7, 2009 to March 22, 2010. As per the census it is estimated that the tiger area of Nepal has 6.53 adult tigers in 100 km area, which is a good population for breeding purposes, say experts.
WWF Nepal has provided Nepal government with $51,351 to carry out the tiger census. This means Nepal is home to nearly 5 per cent of tiger in the wild worldwide which is estimated to be 3,200.
There are 13 tiger range countries in the world including Nepal, India, China and Myanmar. The tiger range
countries have been working together to conserve the endangered wild animal tiger, to make the number double or around 7,000 in next Year for Tiger 2022.
Nepal government is also committed to double the tiger population to 250 by the year 2022, said minister for forest Dipak Bohara. The government is committed to control poaching, increase tiger habitat and prey animals with a view to double the tiger population in the next 12 years, he said.
The tiger population grew after tiger census was conducted in the Chure area of Chitawan National Park, which was skipped during last year's census, according to Coordinator of the Tiger census 2010 Bivash Pandav, an Indian national, who is working under World Wildlife Fund Nepal office in Kathmandu.
The number of adult tiger has reached 155 in Nepal's forests which is an increase of 28%, announced Gopal Prasad Upadhyaya, director general of Department of National Park's and Wildlife Conservation.
Though this not an increase in tiger population in actual term, but the number has also not declined in the region, he said. In Chitawan National Park located in central Nepal alone, 125 tigers were recorded.
Last year only 91 tigers were found when the census was carried out only in the lowland of the tiger reserve.
The total adult tiger population of 155 (124 to 229) was arrived at after adding other tiger populations from Bardia, Shuklaphanta and Parsa reserves.
The census was done through the latest process of camera trapping which required 3,582 human days and 170 elephant days, according to experts at WWF Nepal.
The monitoring of tiger was done from December 7, 2009 to March 22, 2010. As per the census it is estimated that the tiger area of Nepal has 6.53 adult tigers in 100 km area, which is a good population for breeding purposes, say experts.
WWF Nepal has provided Nepal government with $51,351 to carry out the tiger census. This means Nepal is home to nearly 5 per cent of tiger in the wild worldwide which is estimated to be 3,200.
There are 13 tiger range countries in the world including Nepal, India, China and Myanmar. The tiger range
countries have been working together to conserve the endangered wild animal tiger, to make the number double or around 7,000 in next Year for Tiger 2022.
Nepal government is also committed to double the tiger population to 250 by the year 2022, said minister for forest Dipak Bohara. The government is committed to control poaching, increase tiger habitat and prey animals with a view to double the tiger population in the next 12 years, he said.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Fifth tiger relocated to Sariska
SARISKA/JAIPUR: Nearly a week after a tiger was relocated from Ranthambore to Sariska, yet another big cat was brought to the reserve on Wednesday. The two-and-a-half year old female tiger becomes the fifth occupant of the vast forest as two males and two females had already shifted there over a period of two years.
Wednesday's relocation took place amid rain just like the first relocation that took place nearly two years back.
In fact, this time, the relocation was not without any hitch. The female tiger, T-44, from the Gilai Sagar area in Khandar range of Ranthambore, was tranquillised around 11.30 am. Unlike the previous relocation -- when officials preferred the route route -- an IAF helicopter was used as was done in the three other shiftings earlier.
Inclement weather prevented the chopper from taking off in Jodhpur and later at Jaipur where it landed for fuelling. Later on its landing at Sariska, the wait for the tiger's release at the temporary enclosure stretched on as weather played truant again.
"She is the last one to be relocated in the first phase of this exercise. We will not be shifting any more cats to Sariska in the next two years. After that, a male and a female tiger would be relocated every two years," said K Shankar, a scientist of Wildlife Institute of India (WTI) in Dehradun.
According to him, two years later, the tigers to be brought to Sariska may not be from Ranthambore. Instead they might be from Madhya Pradesh. "What we might try out is to get male tigers shifted out of Ranthambore in a bid to stabilise the sex ratio which is currently a skewed one. We would send these males to Madhya Pradesh and get female tigers from there," he added.
In the meantime, the five cats at Sariska will be closely monitored. Not only security has been increased at the park, all the animals are also wearing a radio collar. "If the tigers breed, the results should be out in the next three months. This reserve can hold about 15 tigers," Shankar said.
Wednesday's relocation took place amid rain just like the first relocation that took place nearly two years back.
In fact, this time, the relocation was not without any hitch. The female tiger, T-44, from the Gilai Sagar area in Khandar range of Ranthambore, was tranquillised around 11.30 am. Unlike the previous relocation -- when officials preferred the route route -- an IAF helicopter was used as was done in the three other shiftings earlier.
Inclement weather prevented the chopper from taking off in Jodhpur and later at Jaipur where it landed for fuelling. Later on its landing at Sariska, the wait for the tiger's release at the temporary enclosure stretched on as weather played truant again.
"She is the last one to be relocated in the first phase of this exercise. We will not be shifting any more cats to Sariska in the next two years. After that, a male and a female tiger would be relocated every two years," said K Shankar, a scientist of Wildlife Institute of India (WTI) in Dehradun.
According to him, two years later, the tigers to be brought to Sariska may not be from Ranthambore. Instead they might be from Madhya Pradesh. "What we might try out is to get male tigers shifted out of Ranthambore in a bid to stabilise the sex ratio which is currently a skewed one. We would send these males to Madhya Pradesh and get female tigers from there," he added.
In the meantime, the five cats at Sariska will be closely monitored. Not only security has been increased at the park, all the animals are also wearing a radio collar. "If the tigers breed, the results should be out in the next three months. This reserve can hold about 15 tigers," Shankar said.
Jairam Ramesh plans to bring back cheetah
Minister Jairam Ramesh is moving fast on his promise to bring back the cheetah to India. Three sites have been identified - two in Madhya Pradesh and one in Rajasthan as special sanctuaries for the animal that went extinct from India in the 60s.
Cheetah, the fastest animal on land had vanished from the subcontinent in 1967. Now, determined to bring back the cheetah, the environment ministry has unveiled an ambitious plan
"Three sites have been identified - two sites in Madhya Pradesh and one in Rajasthan. We will take it forward and it will take three to four years before these sites are made completely fit. I would give this the same importance as I would give project tiger or project elephant," said Jairam Ramesh.
The environment ministry plans to release cheetahs brought from Africa in Kuno - Palpur Wildlife Sanctuary inMadhya Pradesh, Nauradehi Wildlife sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh and the Shahgarh sanctuary in Rajasthan.
However, Rs 300 crore will be spent to relocate villages and to prepare these habitats so that they can sustain a viable population of 40 cheetahs. But, given India's poor track record in protecting its existing wildlife; especially tigers the question arises that is this really a good idea?
"I believe it is very complicated because cheetah is a very fragile, precious predator. You have to look after it very well. It has to have lot of grasslands and prey species, "said a tiger expert Valmik Thapar.
"The idea of reintroducing an extinct species in this case can help revive very serious interest in the protection of grasslands. In the 19th century -- a fifth of India had grasslands and much of it is lost now," said an environmentalist Mahesh Rangarajan.
Moreover, if the state governments agree to the plan, six cheetahs will be introduced in each location. But cheetahs require large tracts of land to roam freely. With a booming human population encroaching more and more into wildlife habitats, it seems that these cheetahs could feel hemmed in.
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/jairam-ramesh-plans-to-bring-back-cheetah/127733-11.html
Simlipal staff to blame for jumbo killings: NTCA panel
Very little animal presence was noted in the Simlipal Tiger Reserve. We did not see a single tusker (for which Simlipal is renowned) or fresh elephant dung, even though we travelled over 100 km a day…. In most cases, the field staff who appeared de-motivated and demoralised were aware of the elephant deaths but chose not to report them; rather they deliberately attempted to conceal the elephant deaths/poaching incidents, by destroying the evidence…”
The shocking findings figure in the report of the two-member probe committee, set up following the sensational disclosure of nearly 12 jumbo killings, and reports of burnt carcasses in the reserve last month.
The report has listed at least 10 recommendations that should be implemented as immediate priority and 25 others on the basis of regular priority. The report calls
for stringent action against field staff for concealment of elephant deaths and destruction of evidence.
The committee was constituted by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and its report was at last made public on Wednesday. For reasons unknown, it was kept under wraps for considerable time after its submission. The Pioneer had recently reported on the issue as to why the report of the committee, comprising Biswajit Mohanty, Secretary, Wildlife Society of Orissa and former member National Board of Wildlife along with Belinda Wright, Director, Wildlife Protection Society of India, was kept a closely-guarded secret?
Though the report mentions seven deaths, the members had mentioned that on the day of signing of the report there was “confirmed evidence of three more elephant carcasses and information of seven or eight more dead elephants, bringing the total to possibly 18 dead elephants in Simlipal, all possibly killed by poisoning and gunshot….it does not appear that any of these elephants died a natural death”.
The report states that of the seven elephant deaths analysed, there is enough evidence to suggest that the field staff were involved in the concealment of some deaths. Moreover, there was a concerted effort to destroy the remains of at least two of the elephant carcasses, and perhaps more, which amounts to destruction of evidence without registering a case. The report calls for fixation of accountability if the situation in the reserve is to improve.
It has called for the setting up of an independent monitoring committee by the NTCA. This, however, has already been done by the authority before the report was made public.
Further, a wildlife crime intelligence gathering system should be started. It stressed that apart from a covert informer network system, there is an urgent need to gather overt information from the public.
The committee has found evidence of regular incursions of tribal mass-hunting groups of 100 to 200 members (aka Akhand shikar) from the peripheral villages. They have been entering the park for over a year. They use country-made guns, along with bows and arrows. It is important to seize these illegal arms to prevent large-scale poaching of wildlife. Report recommends for rewards to an informer if his information leads to the recovery of such country-made guns.
The report further stresses that “funds provided by the NTCA and/or STR should not be reallocated or withdrawn since this negatively affects protection measures. It pointed out that in March 2010, there was an acute need for funds to cover the expenses for the relocation of Jenabil village from inside the core area of Simlipal. As a result, the balance funds for critical anti-poaching camps in Baripada Division were withdrawn to cover the financial shortfalls of the relocation.
The report has called for the provision of at least Rs 2 lakh every year to each of the three territorial DFOs to carry out enforcement raids. The posts of vacant Deputy Director and two Assistant Conservators of Forests should be filled up immediately and park management should exercise greater supervision and control. The staff must be duly motivated to carry out their duties effectively.
It is important that the confidentiality of wireless messages should be maintained, particularly in view of reports of Left-wing extremists moving in parts of the park. It has emphasised on enlisting local community support to keep tab on poachers or hunters.
The members have expressed concern over the fact that there was hardly any animal presence in the reserve during their probe. The situation in Simlipal is chronic and a serious overhaul needs to take place. “It is our considered opinion that unless our recommendations are swiftly implemented by the State and NTCA, that we may soon see a disastrous situation in Simlipal,” the members stated.
The shocking findings figure in the report of the two-member probe committee, set up following the sensational disclosure of nearly 12 jumbo killings, and reports of burnt carcasses in the reserve last month.
The report has listed at least 10 recommendations that should be implemented as immediate priority and 25 others on the basis of regular priority. The report calls
for stringent action against field staff for concealment of elephant deaths and destruction of evidence.
The committee was constituted by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and its report was at last made public on Wednesday. For reasons unknown, it was kept under wraps for considerable time after its submission. The Pioneer had recently reported on the issue as to why the report of the committee, comprising Biswajit Mohanty, Secretary, Wildlife Society of Orissa and former member National Board of Wildlife along with Belinda Wright, Director, Wildlife Protection Society of India, was kept a closely-guarded secret?
Though the report mentions seven deaths, the members had mentioned that on the day of signing of the report there was “confirmed evidence of three more elephant carcasses and information of seven or eight more dead elephants, bringing the total to possibly 18 dead elephants in Simlipal, all possibly killed by poisoning and gunshot….it does not appear that any of these elephants died a natural death”.
The report states that of the seven elephant deaths analysed, there is enough evidence to suggest that the field staff were involved in the concealment of some deaths. Moreover, there was a concerted effort to destroy the remains of at least two of the elephant carcasses, and perhaps more, which amounts to destruction of evidence without registering a case. The report calls for fixation of accountability if the situation in the reserve is to improve.
It has called for the setting up of an independent monitoring committee by the NTCA. This, however, has already been done by the authority before the report was made public.
Further, a wildlife crime intelligence gathering system should be started. It stressed that apart from a covert informer network system, there is an urgent need to gather overt information from the public.
The committee has found evidence of regular incursions of tribal mass-hunting groups of 100 to 200 members (aka Akhand shikar) from the peripheral villages. They have been entering the park for over a year. They use country-made guns, along with bows and arrows. It is important to seize these illegal arms to prevent large-scale poaching of wildlife. Report recommends for rewards to an informer if his information leads to the recovery of such country-made guns.
The report further stresses that “funds provided by the NTCA and/or STR should not be reallocated or withdrawn since this negatively affects protection measures. It pointed out that in March 2010, there was an acute need for funds to cover the expenses for the relocation of Jenabil village from inside the core area of Simlipal. As a result, the balance funds for critical anti-poaching camps in Baripada Division were withdrawn to cover the financial shortfalls of the relocation.
The report has called for the provision of at least Rs 2 lakh every year to each of the three territorial DFOs to carry out enforcement raids. The posts of vacant Deputy Director and two Assistant Conservators of Forests should be filled up immediately and park management should exercise greater supervision and control. The staff must be duly motivated to carry out their duties effectively.
It is important that the confidentiality of wireless messages should be maintained, particularly in view of reports of Left-wing extremists moving in parts of the park. It has emphasised on enlisting local community support to keep tab on poachers or hunters.
The members have expressed concern over the fact that there was hardly any animal presence in the reserve during their probe. The situation in Simlipal is chronic and a serious overhaul needs to take place. “It is our considered opinion that unless our recommendations are swiftly implemented by the State and NTCA, that we may soon see a disastrous situation in Simlipal,” the members stated.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Dudhwa declared ‘critical tiger habitat’
Lucknow In a major step towards conservation of tigers in Uttar Pradesh, the state Forest department has notified Dudhwa National Park, Kishenpur Wildlife Sanctuary and Katar-niyaghat Wildlife Sanctuary as “critical tiger habitat” areas.
The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), which has approved the notification, will evaluate the area — along with 38 other critical tiger habitats across the country — between August 10 and December 15.
Under Section 38-V of the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, an expert committee comprising officials from the NTCA and the state government has approved the notification.
According to the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, critical tiger habitat is the inviolate space required for conservation of tigers. The notification is a legal action to declare a particular national park or a wildlife reserve as a “core” zone. A critical habitat is based on parameters like estimated tiger population over the years, size of the territory and population viability analysis.
Based on these, a total of 1093.79 sq km of area has been notified as critical tiger habitat. Out of this, while 490.29 sq km is in Dudhwa National Park in Lakhimpur Kheri district, 203.41 sq km is in the Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary. The rest — 400.09 sq km — is in Bahraich district’s Katarniy-aghat Wildlife Sanctuary.
Following the notification, as per the National Tiger Conservation project, the state government will ensure that there is no other dwelling in the area. It will also undertake research activities to check if the area is viable for tigers and initiate programmes in this regard.
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) B K Patnaik said: “It was important for us to notify the area as per NTCA guidelines. By doing so, we can ensure better management of the area. Now, the NTCA will support us in conservation and management activities undertaken in the area.”
According to department officials, the notification will also help in relocating tribals and forest dwellers living in the core zone. “There is a provision to relocate dwellers living in the core zone if they are willing. They will be given equivalent land and Rs 10 lakh per family, with each adult being counted as one family. But this can happen only in the notified area, as the provisions of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act 2006 can only be implemented there,” said an official.
R L Singh, Chairman of a NTCA evaluation committee with the charge of core zones in Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, UP, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, said: “We will evaluate core zones across the country, among which Dudhwa is a significant zone. After evaluation is complete, the NTCA will look at the proposals prepared by the state for tiger conservation.”
http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/dudhwa-declared-critical-tiger-habitat/652631/
Hope yet for Sariska tigers?
| Tigers vanished from Panna almost at the same time as Sariska. The government is now taking a more holistic view of the entire conservation programme with external funding support and active involvement of the states. There are plans to involve the World Bank in the tiger conservation initiatives in an indirect way, writes Kalyan Ray | |
| Two years ago when the first tiger was translocated to tiger-less Sariska amidst fanfare, it kickstarted a new chapter in tiger conservation in India. But within a few months, it was clear that the road ahead was not a rosy one. All tigers shifted to Sariska were found to be siblings and conservationists thought and that’s why they are unable to mate and reproduce. The centre approached Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra to borrow a couple of tigers from a different gene pool so that the inbreeding problem can be avoided. But none were ready to let their prized big cats go. The conservationists then turned to science for help. Scat samples Field officers at Ranthambhore collected 12 scat samples and sent then to geneticist Uma Ramakrishnan at the National Centre for Biological Sciences in Bangalore. The samples were collected from different areas within the Ranthambhore tiger reserve – Sultanpur, Sawai Madhopur, Darra gate and Kundera range as well as from Keladevi Sanctuary. The team extracted DNA from the samples with standardised protocol. A species-identification test (PCR) was conducted to ascertain the samples were of the tigers. The NCBS team found only eight samples were from tiger and out of those eight, one sample was not good enough for the analysis. That one was dropped in the final analysis. The remaining seven samples underwent tests at the sophisticated NCBS laboratory. All the seven genotypes were then used to calculate relatedness among the individuals. The researchers compared the genetic make up of various individuals with each other as well as with samples taken from Rajaji and Corbet national parks. “Their relatedness was measured in a scale between 0 and 1 in which 1 means fully related like identical twins and 0 stands for complete strangers. In the same scale 0.5 means siblings and 0.25 means half-siblings like cousins,” Ramakrishnan told Deccan Herald. The question was which specific tigers were most genetically distinct from three tigers currently in Sariska. They found four tigers are related to those at Sariska at the sibling level and a fifth one is related at a sibling level to one individual in Sariska, while it is related at a half-sib level to the other individual in Sariska. That left only two animals – samples known as RNTN2 and RNTN12 – who have the lowest relatedness values to those in Sariska. Both of these tigers are from Sawai Madhopur. On the basis of NCBS analysis, the National Tiger Conservation Authority decided to release those two in Sariska. The first tiger was translocated on July 20 and the second one would be shifted within a month taking the tiger tally to Sariska to five and reviving the hopes of tiger re-population of in Sariska. “First time such tests are done in India before reintroduction,” she said. Ramakrishnan, however, cautioned that re-introducing a tiger from a different gene pool does guarantee a successful mating. “There are many behavioural reasons which determine the mating. There are data showing that sibilings mate and there are also data showing that they don’t. Picking up an animal from a different gene pool only reduces the chances inbreeding, which may result in untimely deaths of the cubs,” she said. Tigers vanished from Panna almost at the same time as Sariska. Following the reports of a tiger-less Panna, two female tigers were relocated from Bandhavgarh National Park and Kanha National Park in March 2009. However, the last male tiger disappeared. The government set up a committee to look into the disappearance of tigers from Panna, which in June 2009, announced that the reserve which had over 40 tigers six years ago, has not a single tiger left. There was only two tigress, which too were brought in a while ago. Subsequent to the findings, the centre cleared a proposal to trans-locate two tigers and two tigresses to the reserve. A young tiger male was moved from Pench but it strayed out of the park shortly in November 2009. However, the tiger was brought back to the park a month later. Finally one of the tigress, translocated from Bandhavgarh, gave birth to three cubs in April 2010. Holistic view Following Sariska and Panna, the ministry is now taking a more holistic view of the entire conservation programme with external funding support and active involvement of the states. The ministry is drawing up plans to involve the World Bank in the tiger conservation initiatives in an indirect way. Likely to be finalised before the World Tiger Summit in St Petersburg in Russia, the project involves the Bank's support for the livelihood security of people living in the non-forest, fringe areas near a tiger park. A second project with the World Bank could be providing for infrastructure for towns and cities that provided the one-end of a demand-supply chain involving a city or town and a forest nearby. “However, the World Bank will not be involved in any way in conservation activities in the core and buffer area of the tiger reserves,” said Jairam Ramesh, union environment minister. The new scientific tiger count that replaced the pug-mark based count, has found that the number of tigers – minus Sunderban and naxal-zones forests in Jharkhand and Chhattishagrh – varies between 1657 and 1165 with an average middle value of 1411. Earlier tiger counts which threw large numbers, were all wrong as most of the tigers were killed by the poachers. The centre changed the organisational structure and created a separate policing mechanism for wildlife crimes like poaching. Also it declared eight new tiger reserves and in-principle approval accorded for creation of four new reserves – Sahyadri in Maharashtra, Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh, Ratapani in Madhya Pradesh and Sunabeda in Orissa. “But we have to involve the states actively at any cost for a better future for the tigers,” said Ramesh. http://www.deccanherald.com/content/83943/hope-yet-tigers.html | |
Climate change forcing farmers into Sunderbans tiger territory
Climate change is forcing an increasing number of farmers in Bangladesh's southern Sunderbans region to move out of their fields and into the region's mangrove forests, leading to a rise in tiger attacks and 'tiger widows,' according to researchers.
With no other means of earning their livelihood, people of the region are turning to the forests to catch fish and crabs or collect wood and honey for sale.
However that means venturing into tiger territory often with unfortunate consequences even with the dwindling number of Royal Bengal tigers that roam the Sunderbans, experts say.
In a society in which widows are relegated to a low social status and have little chance to remarry, tiger attacks have created new suffering to people already struggling with widespread farmland loss to rising sea levels and salt intrusion.
Tiger-people encounters are not new in the region, but with the rising number of farmers who cannot support themselves from their land and venture into tiger territory, these are becoming increasingly frequent and tragic.
Some farmers, however, have been able to take to shrimp cultivation on their fields, hit-hard by sea water intrusion into underground aquifers and salt water driven into even inland fields during cyclone surges.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Tiger expert for Sunderbans rethink
KOLKATA: Conservation methods in the Sunderbans have to be changed to save the Bengal tiger, believes legendary conservationist and tiger expert Fateh Singh Rathod.
Unless steps are taken immediately to root out the imminent threats, the number of big cats will continue to dwindle in the mangrove forest, felt Rathod, better known as the "tiger-man of Ranthambore".
In Kolkata to attend a WWF event on tiger conservation, the veteran pointed out that the methods now being employed in the Sunderbans would not be beneficial to either man or tiger in the long run.
"You can't go on trapping tigers and releasing them elsewhere. This is a short cut that won't help. But this is exactly what they have been doing in the Sunderbans. There has to be a planned approach, keeping the interests of the forest, tigers and the people living on the fringes in mind. Tigers will try and go back if they are trapped and shifted out of their original territories. They will somehow manage to find their way back. In a terrain like the Sunderbans, it is quite possible that they might die trying to swim back across turbulent rivers and passing through forests inhabited by other tigers," explained Rathod.
Research on the Sunderbans tiger could help to devise a plan unique to the mangrove forest, he added. "The big cat here is different from any other. Years of hunting on unfriendly terrain has made them lean and aggressive. They have to tread through slush and step on pneumatophores which perhaps make them irritable. None has ever been able to find out crucial facts like the extent of their territory, or hunting habits. Unless we have these details, conservation efforts in the Sunderbans will remain ineffective," said Rathod.
The conservationist also came down heavily on the use of technology for tiger census which remains untested. "Counting tigers is easy in Ranthambore as it is a dry deciduous forest. In the Sunderbans, the terrain is like a quagmire, so you need sophisticated methods. I am all for the use of technology. But aids like camera traps and radio collars should have been used after a proper survey. These are clearly not suited for the mangrove forest and we have ample proof of that. Most radio collars have come off and camera traps destroyed. That negates the technological edge that we were supposed to have," explained Rathod, who now runs an NGO called Tiger Watch at Ranthambore.
Describing his association with the Ranthambore tiger reserve as a life-long one, he said that a true conservationist never retired. "I have been at Ranthambore since 1961. It's been a constant struggle, a 24-hour job and I enjoy every moment at the park. You need to be committed to the cause of the tiger or else the poacher will win," said Rathod.
Those living in the fringe villages in Sunderbans should be given alternative earning opportunities to reduce their dependence on the forest, he suggested.
"Some amount of straying will happen for tigers always look for easy prey in the villages. We need to find ways of curbing this. But trapping them and transporting them to another island is certainly not the solution. Just as they have now put up nylon nets along the forest borders, constructing walls could also be considered," Rathod said.
Unless steps are taken immediately to root out the imminent threats, the number of big cats will continue to dwindle in the mangrove forest, felt Rathod, better known as the "tiger-man of Ranthambore".
In Kolkata to attend a WWF event on tiger conservation, the veteran pointed out that the methods now being employed in the Sunderbans would not be beneficial to either man or tiger in the long run.
"You can't go on trapping tigers and releasing them elsewhere. This is a short cut that won't help. But this is exactly what they have been doing in the Sunderbans. There has to be a planned approach, keeping the interests of the forest, tigers and the people living on the fringes in mind. Tigers will try and go back if they are trapped and shifted out of their original territories. They will somehow manage to find their way back. In a terrain like the Sunderbans, it is quite possible that they might die trying to swim back across turbulent rivers and passing through forests inhabited by other tigers," explained Rathod.
Research on the Sunderbans tiger could help to devise a plan unique to the mangrove forest, he added. "The big cat here is different from any other. Years of hunting on unfriendly terrain has made them lean and aggressive. They have to tread through slush and step on pneumatophores which perhaps make them irritable. None has ever been able to find out crucial facts like the extent of their territory, or hunting habits. Unless we have these details, conservation efforts in the Sunderbans will remain ineffective," said Rathod.
The conservationist also came down heavily on the use of technology for tiger census which remains untested. "Counting tigers is easy in Ranthambore as it is a dry deciduous forest. In the Sunderbans, the terrain is like a quagmire, so you need sophisticated methods. I am all for the use of technology. But aids like camera traps and radio collars should have been used after a proper survey. These are clearly not suited for the mangrove forest and we have ample proof of that. Most radio collars have come off and camera traps destroyed. That negates the technological edge that we were supposed to have," explained Rathod, who now runs an NGO called Tiger Watch at Ranthambore.
Describing his association with the Ranthambore tiger reserve as a life-long one, he said that a true conservationist never retired. "I have been at Ranthambore since 1961. It's been a constant struggle, a 24-hour job and I enjoy every moment at the park. You need to be committed to the cause of the tiger or else the poacher will win," said Rathod.
Those living in the fringe villages in Sunderbans should be given alternative earning opportunities to reduce their dependence on the forest, he suggested.
"Some amount of straying will happen for tigers always look for easy prey in the villages. We need to find ways of curbing this. But trapping them and transporting them to another island is certainly not the solution. Just as they have now put up nylon nets along the forest borders, constructing walls could also be considered," Rathod said.
Monday, July 26, 2010
New mining threat near Tadoba
CHANDRAPUR: Even as the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) has de-allocated the Lohara and Agarzari coal blocks which pose threat to the tiger corridors of Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR), the abode of around 45 tigers now faces a fresh threat from a couple of other mines proposed very close to the buffer zone boundary. The coal block allocated to Bander Coal Company Private Limited (BCCPL) in Chimur tehsil to the north of the tiger reserve threatens to cut off the only corridor connecting TATR to Melghat tiger landscape.
Conservationist Bandu Dhotre said that the union coal ministry has allocated coal block to the BCCPL, owned by Abhijeet group, wide a letter (13017/78/2008-CA-1) dated May 29, 2009, near Bander village, close to buffer zone boundary of TATR in Chimur tehsil.
The company has initiated the process of seeking mining lease for two of its mines - Bander opencast coal mine and Bander underground coal mine - located adjacent to each other. The company would require 1604.67 hectares (ha) of land for two mines.
This includes 395.67 ha of private land, 38.84 ha of revenue land and 1170.60 ha of forest land. The jungle area required by the company includes 501.19 ha of reserve forest area, 31 ha of FDCM forest and 637.97 ha of other forest land.
"The forest stretch required by the company forms the only corridor that connects Melghat tiger landscape with TATR through forests of Nagpur, Wardha and Bor sanctuary. This corridor has turned into a bottleneck forest patch due to human habitation, agricultural activities and bisecting roads on east, west and southern sides and hence has become extremely sensitive," Dhotre claimed.
He said that the coal block falls within 10 km range from the TATR boundary. The buffer area of TATR is demarcated only up to 7.5 km from the boundary of core area of tiger reserve on this side. Hence, the mining area seems to be outside of the buffer zone, but the mine boundary touches the periphery of the buffer area.
"The aerial distance of the proposed underground mine is 7.5 km from the boundary of core area of the TATR, while that of the open cast mine is 9 km. Almost the entire area falls within 10 km from TATR boundary, which ideally should be an eco-sensitive zone as per the guidelines of Supreme Court," Dhotre said.
"Even though the state government has not yet notified the eco-sensitive zone, the fact remains that any type of mining should not be allowed within such sensitive area," Dhotre claimed.
He said that in 1999, MoEF has rejected the proposal for the same block, citing its adverse impact on the wildlife around Tadoba.
"Now, after 10 years, when the corridor has become degraded and has shrunk, it will be highly irrational to reallocate this once-rejected block for coal mining," he said.
Dhore further said that the proposed mine falls under Bramhapuri forest division. "Man-animal conflict in the area in question is at its peak. Habitat degradation after mining will worsen the problem. Moreover, TATR management has identified this area as a threatened and degraded corridor, and has proposed its restoration under corridor conservation plan. Hence, it would be unwise to further degrade the area," he said.
Dhotre said that he has brought the issue into the notice of MoEF minister Jairam Ramesh in his recent meeting at Delhi.
"Ramesh claimed that his ministry has so far not received any proposal for environment clearance from the company. However, he assured that any project that would be hazardous for the forest, wildlife and tigers will not be sanctioned by his ministry," said Dhotre.
As far as present status of proposed mines is concerned, the company has moved the proposal to Bramhapuri forest division for forest clearance.
Meanwhile, conservator of forests and field director, TATR, Sanjay Thakre in his communication forwarded to chief conservator of forest (wildlife), field director has acknowledged that approving mines in the area will be highly detrimental for wildlife management.
Conservationist Bandu Dhotre said that the union coal ministry has allocated coal block to the BCCPL, owned by Abhijeet group, wide a letter (13017/78/2008-CA-1) dated May 29, 2009, near Bander village, close to buffer zone boundary of TATR in Chimur tehsil.
The company has initiated the process of seeking mining lease for two of its mines - Bander opencast coal mine and Bander underground coal mine - located adjacent to each other. The company would require 1604.67 hectares (ha) of land for two mines.
This includes 395.67 ha of private land, 38.84 ha of revenue land and 1170.60 ha of forest land. The jungle area required by the company includes 501.19 ha of reserve forest area, 31 ha of FDCM forest and 637.97 ha of other forest land.
"The forest stretch required by the company forms the only corridor that connects Melghat tiger landscape with TATR through forests of Nagpur, Wardha and Bor sanctuary. This corridor has turned into a bottleneck forest patch due to human habitation, agricultural activities and bisecting roads on east, west and southern sides and hence has become extremely sensitive," Dhotre claimed.
He said that the coal block falls within 10 km range from the TATR boundary. The buffer area of TATR is demarcated only up to 7.5 km from the boundary of core area of tiger reserve on this side. Hence, the mining area seems to be outside of the buffer zone, but the mine boundary touches the periphery of the buffer area.
"The aerial distance of the proposed underground mine is 7.5 km from the boundary of core area of the TATR, while that of the open cast mine is 9 km. Almost the entire area falls within 10 km from TATR boundary, which ideally should be an eco-sensitive zone as per the guidelines of Supreme Court," Dhotre said.
"Even though the state government has not yet notified the eco-sensitive zone, the fact remains that any type of mining should not be allowed within such sensitive area," Dhotre claimed.
He said that in 1999, MoEF has rejected the proposal for the same block, citing its adverse impact on the wildlife around Tadoba.
"Now, after 10 years, when the corridor has become degraded and has shrunk, it will be highly irrational to reallocate this once-rejected block for coal mining," he said.
Dhore further said that the proposed mine falls under Bramhapuri forest division. "Man-animal conflict in the area in question is at its peak. Habitat degradation after mining will worsen the problem. Moreover, TATR management has identified this area as a threatened and degraded corridor, and has proposed its restoration under corridor conservation plan. Hence, it would be unwise to further degrade the area," he said.
Dhotre said that he has brought the issue into the notice of MoEF minister Jairam Ramesh in his recent meeting at Delhi.
"Ramesh claimed that his ministry has so far not received any proposal for environment clearance from the company. However, he assured that any project that would be hazardous for the forest, wildlife and tigers will not be sanctioned by his ministry," said Dhotre.
As far as present status of proposed mines is concerned, the company has moved the proposal to Bramhapuri forest division for forest clearance.
Meanwhile, conservator of forests and field director, TATR, Sanjay Thakre in his communication forwarded to chief conservator of forest (wildlife), field director has acknowledged that approving mines in the area will be highly detrimental for wildlife management.
Tiger kills man in Uttar Pradesh
A tiger killed a man in a village adjoining a forest area in Uttar Pradesh's Pilibhit district. His partially eaten body was found in the fields, an official said Monday.
The body of the victim, Shyamlal, was recovered late Sunday from the fields in Diunia village, situated on the periphery of the Pilibhit forest reserve.
'The pugmarks found at the site indicate the tiger is an adult male,' Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) V.K. Singh told reporters in Pilibhit, some 250 km from here.
'Till a few months ago, no tiger was present in the Deuriya area of the forest reserve. But field investigations now suggest the area is inhabited by at least four tigers. The presence of tigers in the Deuriya area could be a case of territory expansion by the animals,' he said.
Shyamlal, a 50-year-old resident of Diunia, had left his home Saturday and was missing since then. As he failed to return, his family and other villagers started searching for him and recovered his body from the fields.
According to officials, this is the fourth incident of a tiger killing a person in the last three months in Pilibhit district.
According to the last census, Pilibhit forest reserve is home to around 36 tigers, officials said.
http://sify.com/news/tiger-kills-man-in-uttar-pradesh-news-national-kh0labjgfha.html
Sunday, July 25, 2010
'Operation Monsoon' launched to save tigers in Corbett National Park
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| All About: Dehradun http://sify.com/news/operation-monsoon-launched-to-save-tigers-in-corbett-national-park-news-national-khys4tadcif.html | |||
Self-styled Godman arrested for selling tiger skin in Maharashtra
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| All About: Latur (Maharashtra) http://sify.com/news/self-styled-godman-arrested-for-selling-tiger-skin-in-maharashtra-news-national-khwtacbchac.html | |||
Fading stripes in the North-East
Trucks rumbling down NH-39 usually ferry rice and sugar along various points crisscrossing Manipur, Nagaland and Assam. But sometimes they carry deadly cargo on a highway that stretches right up to the Indo-Myanmar border town of Moreh — tiger parts that sell at jaw dropping prices in the Southeast Asian market.
It’s risky business but the returns are too enticing. Just 10 gm of tiger bones sell for $200 in the international underground market. In the North-East , where tigers are known to have been traditionally hunted for meat, poachers can get up to Rs 2 lakh for killing a tiger. Just the skin will fetch you Rs 1.5 lakh.
Decades of insurgency and relatively easy availability of arms has made the situation even more critical in the region. At least 50 insurgent groups operate in these parts and the lure of easy money draws many to tiger poaching. Corrupt government officials and a section of the police force complete the dirty circle.
On June 26, 2006, 30 kg of tiger parts were seized from police officer Dilip Kakoti’s vehicle, says Moloy Baruah of Early Birds, a Guwahati-based wildlife NGO. Kakoti was coming from the Kalamati forest range in Sonitpur when he was intercepted.
Ideally, the mountainous North-East should have been a haven for tigers, the thick and distant forests sheltering the big cats, much like in the Sunderbans, from poachers. As it turns out, it is this remoteness which has made the animals doubly vulnerable.
Less than 120 tigers are left in the wilds of the North-East , but no one can be sure. Officials claim that at least 25 have been poached in the last five years. There’s no telling how many have been trapped, poisoned, shot or butchered to satisfy the hunger for tiger parts in China, Vietnam and southeast Asia.
Though a proper assessment of the tiger population is yet to be done, it is estimated that till recently the Kaziranga national park in Assam had 100 tigers. The Wildlife Institute of India’s 2008 census, however, says that only 70 tigers are left in the 1,164 sq km forests of Assam. Arunachal Pradesh can boast of only 14 tigers and Mizoram six. These figures are hotly contested by conservationists, but everyone agrees tigers aren’t burning bright anymore. Kaziranga, one of the best protected parks in India, lost 12 tigers in the last two years.
It’s risky business but the returns are too enticing. Just 10 gm of tiger bones sell for $200 in the international underground market. In the North-East , where tigers are known to have been traditionally hunted for meat, poachers can get up to Rs 2 lakh for killing a tiger. Just the skin will fetch you Rs 1.5 lakh.
Decades of insurgency and relatively easy availability of arms has made the situation even more critical in the region. At least 50 insurgent groups operate in these parts and the lure of easy money draws many to tiger poaching. Corrupt government officials and a section of the police force complete the dirty circle.
On June 26, 2006, 30 kg of tiger parts were seized from police officer Dilip Kakoti’s vehicle, says Moloy Baruah of Early Birds, a Guwahati-based wildlife NGO. Kakoti was coming from the Kalamati forest range in Sonitpur when he was intercepted.
Ideally, the mountainous North-East should have been a haven for tigers, the thick and distant forests sheltering the big cats, much like in the Sunderbans, from poachers. As it turns out, it is this remoteness which has made the animals doubly vulnerable.
Less than 120 tigers are left in the wilds of the North-East , but no one can be sure. Officials claim that at least 25 have been poached in the last five years. There’s no telling how many have been trapped, poisoned, shot or butchered to satisfy the hunger for tiger parts in China, Vietnam and southeast Asia.
Though a proper assessment of the tiger population is yet to be done, it is estimated that till recently the Kaziranga national park in Assam had 100 tigers. The Wildlife Institute of India’s 2008 census, however, says that only 70 tigers are left in the 1,164 sq km forests of Assam. Arunachal Pradesh can boast of only 14 tigers and Mizoram six. These figures are hotly contested by conservationists, but everyone agrees tigers aren’t burning bright anymore. Kaziranga, one of the best protected parks in India, lost 12 tigers in the last two years.
Sajnekhali lodge draws Unesco ire
KOLKATA: Construction of a tourist lodge at Sajnekhali in the Sunderbans has evoked sharp reactions from the international community, which has expressed concern over the future of the mangrove forest, a world heritage site. A two-storey structure has been built by the state tourism department within the forest office complex. It was claimed that the building was an extension of the existing tourist lodge that was in bad shape. The new structure, however, has no links with the old one.
Work on the building was called off on July 9 after TOI carried a report on how the tourism department project was coming up within 10 ft of a sweetwater pond frequented by tigers. Environmentalists and conservators, too, raised their voice against the project. Movement of animals would be seriously hindered if the lodge was constructed there, they said.
Such violation of forest protection rules could spell doom for the environment, particularly for tigers, which are under threat not only in the Sunderbans but also around the country, a Unesco report has said.
Seeking an explanation for the violation from the state forest department, Unesco has asked the authorities to ensure that the construction was stopped immediately and that steps were taken to pull down the structure. The forest department will send a report to Unesco within a month.
"This is a serious breach of forest protection rules. No construction is permitted within protected areas like Sajnekhali. More importantly, the Sunderbans being a world heritage site with a fragile eco-system, this could have been dangerous for the environment and the wildlife there. It has also set a bad precedent. Nothing like this has ever happened in Indian forests," said Ram Boojh, programme officer, environment, of Unesco in Delhi.
In a letter to the forest department, the Unesco authorities have called for "corrective steps", including pulling down of the unfinished structure. "No concrete structure like the one that has come up could be permitted in a tiger habitat. So, it has to go," added Boojh.
While the forest department, in an e-mail to Unesco on Thursday, has promised to investigate the matter and prepare a report on the violation "shortly", the latter expects it within a month. "We are giving them a long rope and sufficient time to inquire and find out. We must depend on governments for action. At the moment, we are not planning an independent investigation but not ruling it out either," explained an official.
Meanwhile, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), too, has sought a report on the matter. Like Unesco, NTCA has been informed about the stoppage of work. Asked if the structure was going to be pulled down, NTCA director Rajesh Gopal said a decision would be taken after they received a report from the forest department. "We are happy that the construction work has been stopped. Once we have the report, we will decide on the next course of action," said Gopal.
Work on the building was called off on July 9 after TOI carried a report on how the tourism department project was coming up within 10 ft of a sweetwater pond frequented by tigers. Environmentalists and conservators, too, raised their voice against the project. Movement of animals would be seriously hindered if the lodge was constructed there, they said.
Such violation of forest protection rules could spell doom for the environment, particularly for tigers, which are under threat not only in the Sunderbans but also around the country, a Unesco report has said.
Seeking an explanation for the violation from the state forest department, Unesco has asked the authorities to ensure that the construction was stopped immediately and that steps were taken to pull down the structure. The forest department will send a report to Unesco within a month.
"This is a serious breach of forest protection rules. No construction is permitted within protected areas like Sajnekhali. More importantly, the Sunderbans being a world heritage site with a fragile eco-system, this could have been dangerous for the environment and the wildlife there. It has also set a bad precedent. Nothing like this has ever happened in Indian forests," said Ram Boojh, programme officer, environment, of Unesco in Delhi.
In a letter to the forest department, the Unesco authorities have called for "corrective steps", including pulling down of the unfinished structure. "No concrete structure like the one that has come up could be permitted in a tiger habitat. So, it has to go," added Boojh.
While the forest department, in an e-mail to Unesco on Thursday, has promised to investigate the matter and prepare a report on the violation "shortly", the latter expects it within a month. "We are giving them a long rope and sufficient time to inquire and find out. We must depend on governments for action. At the moment, we are not planning an independent investigation but not ruling it out either," explained an official.
Meanwhile, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), too, has sought a report on the matter. Like Unesco, NTCA has been informed about the stoppage of work. Asked if the structure was going to be pulled down, NTCA director Rajesh Gopal said a decision would be taken after they received a report from the forest department. "We are happy that the construction work has been stopped. Once we have the report, we will decide on the next course of action," said Gopal.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
A House for Mr T-12 - Another controversy around shifting of Tiger to Sariska
So why did the Rajasthan forest department shift a 'wrong' tiger to the Sariska Tiger Reserve, endangering the animal, destroying the 'social structure' of both the reserves, and perhaps betraying the original experiment of tiger conservation?
Akash Bisht Delhi
A day after a new tiger (T-12) from Ranthambore Tiger Reserve (RTR) was introduced in the Sariska Tiger Reserve (STR), wildlife experts in RTR have raised doubts about the procedure involved in selecting the tiger. Many believe that the entire selection process has been nothing but shoddy and the Rajasthan wildlife department has much more to reveal than what meets the eye. The STR reserve had earlier set a rather unfortunate record in tiger conservation whereby all its tigers had disappeared, mostly poached, with the administration playing blind and deaf.
Dharmendra Kandhal, a field biologist in RTR, raised concerns about the entire selection process. "Scat (excreta) samples of tigers were sent to Bangalore for DNA tests to avoid genetic incompatibility. The area from where this tiger was selected was regularly frequented by more than eight tigers -- so how did the forest department determine which scats belonged to whom," he said.
Another wildlife expert corroborated the fact. The forest department was unable to locate the tiger they intended to shift to STR, he claimed. Hence, "in a last minute effort" T-12 was tranquilised and moved to avoid embarrassment.
KK Garg, Field Director, STR, confirmed the news: "We had zeroed down on two tigers. When we were unable to locate the first one, we decided to go with this one." He mentioned that the two tigers --T12 and T33 - had been selected after DNA tests were done by the National Centre for Biological Science in Bangalore.
Shockingly, Kandhal reveals that T-33 wasn't even among the short-listed tigers. Apparently, that forest department moved the tigers in an unusual hurry. He said, "The problem was that Jairam Ramesh was already there and so was the team from Wildlife Institute of India. To save themselves from humiliation, the forest department decided to dart the other tiger they didn't intend to."
Additionally, according to National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) guidelines, male tigers between 2 to 4 years and females between 2 to 3 years who are independent of the mother but are yet to establish their territory should be chosen for translocation. The guideline reads: "This age group is ideal for translocation as removal of these individuals may not result in disruptions to the source population (turnover of males, territorial fights, infanticide etc). They also have a high reproductive potential and are ideal for starting a new population. Breeding individuals from host populations should not be translocated."
Kandhal says that the newly relocated tiger is between the age group of 6 to 7 years and has a territory of his own in the core area. "Instead of choosing a sub-adult who doesn't have a territory of his own, the forest department went ahead with T-12. Why has the Rajasthan forest department flouted the NTCA guideline and shifted a tiger that could threaten the host population? They are compromising with the social structure of RTR and it will have an adverse implication on the tiger population of the park," Kandhal says.
Meanwhile, the newly shifted tiger has been kept in a one hectare enclosure and would be released once it gets acclimatised. Experts have mentioned that since the relocated tiger isn't a sub-adult and has a territory of its own in RTR, its 'homing instinct' could drive the predator back to its original habitat.
Recently, a tiger relocated to Panna Tiger Reserve (MP) walked 400 kms through hills, fields, human habitations and rivers towards his home at Pench Tiger Reserve (MP) before authorities caught him and transferred it back to Panna. The "homing instinct" is the animal's capability to perceive direction and helps the animal to return home. Experts believe that this unusual trait could be attributed to the animal's sensitivity to the earth's magnetic field. "The tigers shifted to Sariska earlier had no territory and frequented the peripheral forests so they didn't display such instincts. However, with this male, the Panna episode could well be repeated again," concludes Kandhal.
The distance between STR and RTR is 200 kms. However, experts say, since there is no forest or animal corridors between, the tiger's life can be endangered.
NGO demands protection of TATR corridor
CHANDRAPUR: Eco-Pro organisation has taken up the demand for protection and conservation of fast depleting tiger corridor between Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) and the Indrawati tiger project in Andhra Pradesh. A delegation of the organisation brought the various aspects posing a threat to the tiger corridor to the notice of Union minister for forest and environment Jairam Ramesh and member secretary of National Tiger Conservation Authority Rajesh Gopal in New Delhi a couple of days back.
President of Eco-Pro Bandu Dhotre said that a continuous stretch of jungle from TATR passing through Lohara, Junona, Ballarpur, Kothari Dhaba forest areas in Chandrapur district connects it to the Chaprala sanctuary in Gadchiroli district and further to the Indrawati tiger project across the border in Andhra Pradesh. He claimed that there are around 50 tigers in the jungles of Chandrapur district, apart from in TATR.
"This continuous stretch of forest land, though thinned at some places, acts as a corridor for tigers and other wild animals up to Indrawati tiger reserve in Andhra Pradesh. However, tree felling by FDCM authorities in Dhaba forest range and illegal felling and increasing traffic on the roads intersecting the forest areas are causing hindrance to the movement of wildlife and disturbing the corridor," said Dhotre.
He claimed that tigers had vanished from Chaprala way back in 2000. However, a pair of tiger has reappeared in this sanctuary this year, thanks to the same corridor after nine long years. "Any disturbance in this corridor would be detrimental to the wildlife and its movement," he said.
President of Eco-Pro Bandu Dhotre said that a continuous stretch of jungle from TATR passing through Lohara, Junona, Ballarpur, Kothari Dhaba forest areas in Chandrapur district connects it to the Chaprala sanctuary in Gadchiroli district and further to the Indrawati tiger project across the border in Andhra Pradesh. He claimed that there are around 50 tigers in the jungles of Chandrapur district, apart from in TATR.
"This continuous stretch of forest land, though thinned at some places, acts as a corridor for tigers and other wild animals up to Indrawati tiger reserve in Andhra Pradesh. However, tree felling by FDCM authorities in Dhaba forest range and illegal felling and increasing traffic on the roads intersecting the forest areas are causing hindrance to the movement of wildlife and disturbing the corridor," said Dhotre.
He claimed that tigers had vanished from Chaprala way back in 2000. However, a pair of tiger has reappeared in this sanctuary this year, thanks to the same corridor after nine long years. "Any disturbance in this corridor would be detrimental to the wildlife and its movement," he said.
NTCA Team To Check 39 Reserves On Various Parameters
LUCKNOW: The eight tiger reserves identified to be lying in naxalite affected belt of the country will go in for management effectiveness evaluation this August. The three-member team of experts constituted by NTCA will start from Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam (Andhra Pradesh) on August 10 and move on to Palamau (Jharkhand), Similipal, Satkosia (Orissa), Indravati, Achanakmar, Udanti-Sitanadi (Chhattisgarh) and Valmiki (Bihar).
"We have to visit five states -- Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand. We have planned to give at least a month to one state," said R L Singh, former director, Project Tiger, GoI and the chairman of one of the five committees set up for evaluation of reserves. National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), in May, had come up with the project. It has roped in wildlife experts, researchers, conservationists and activists to field visit all 39 reserves in the country and evaluate the effectiveness of their management plans.
The meeting of the study-teams and project tiger officials held on July 7 worked out the nitty-gritties of the project. The project report is to be submitted by December, 2010. The ever rising man-animal conflict, increasing incidents of wildlife crime, poaching threat and subsequent decline in number of tigers has led NTCA to design the said project. "A decade back there were 4 crore tribals living in forests, their number now has shot up to 11 crore," said Singh.
Singh, along with two members of the committee -- one from forest research institute and other from WII -- will evaluate Cluster-III reserves, all of which lie in naxal-affected areas. All 39 tiger reserves of the country have been divided into five clusters, state-wise and region-wise, for evaluation. The five committees, each having a chairperson and two members, will monitor the reserves on Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) framework and assessment criteria independently.
"Prime focus would be on figuring out if there is a sizable, breedable population of tigers present in reserves," said Singh. The status of the staff, water conservation and prey base will also be studied. The management plans for different reserves can then be changed on the basis of the project report with their basic plan being same.
The management evaluation will include finding out if the staff posted at the reserve is trained and if it is deployed in sufficient number. The vegetation in reserve area, if it is more of weeds or palatable grasses, will also be checked to understand technique for regeneration of indigenous vegetation.
The committees will have to see whether the funds allocated to reserves are being used effectively for meeting the objectives of management as laid down in the respective tiger conservation plans. Besides, what activities have been taken up by people living within and on the periphery of the reserve area, status of poaching, cattle-lifting incidents, amount of compensation decided for the victims of tiger attacks by different states and efforts taken up the states for village translocation will all be evaluated independently for each reserve.
"We have to visit five states -- Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand. We have planned to give at least a month to one state," said R L Singh, former director, Project Tiger, GoI and the chairman of one of the five committees set up for evaluation of reserves. National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), in May, had come up with the project. It has roped in wildlife experts, researchers, conservationists and activists to field visit all 39 reserves in the country and evaluate the effectiveness of their management plans.
The meeting of the study-teams and project tiger officials held on July 7 worked out the nitty-gritties of the project. The project report is to be submitted by December, 2010. The ever rising man-animal conflict, increasing incidents of wildlife crime, poaching threat and subsequent decline in number of tigers has led NTCA to design the said project. "A decade back there were 4 crore tribals living in forests, their number now has shot up to 11 crore," said Singh.
Singh, along with two members of the committee -- one from forest research institute and other from WII -- will evaluate Cluster-III reserves, all of which lie in naxal-affected areas. All 39 tiger reserves of the country have been divided into five clusters, state-wise and region-wise, for evaluation. The five committees, each having a chairperson and two members, will monitor the reserves on Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) framework and assessment criteria independently.
"Prime focus would be on figuring out if there is a sizable, breedable population of tigers present in reserves," said Singh. The status of the staff, water conservation and prey base will also be studied. The management plans for different reserves can then be changed on the basis of the project report with their basic plan being same.
The management evaluation will include finding out if the staff posted at the reserve is trained and if it is deployed in sufficient number. The vegetation in reserve area, if it is more of weeds or palatable grasses, will also be checked to understand technique for regeneration of indigenous vegetation.
The committees will have to see whether the funds allocated to reserves are being used effectively for meeting the objectives of management as laid down in the respective tiger conservation plans. Besides, what activities have been taken up by people living within and on the periphery of the reserve area, status of poaching, cattle-lifting incidents, amount of compensation decided for the victims of tiger attacks by different states and efforts taken up the states for village translocation will all be evaluated independently for each reserve.
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