PANAJI: Evidence of at least three tigers' presence has been found in Goa's wildlife sanctuaries during the ongoing wildlife census in the state by forest department officials.
A forest department official said tiger faeces was found at Surla and Nandran, in the Mollem National Park in the thickly-forested eastern part of Goa, 80 km from here.
"We also found pug marks of a tigress near the Anjunem dam, located near the Goa-Karnataka border," a forest official said, requesting not to be named.
The official said the pug marks found at the Anjunem dam catchment area indicated that a tigress had passed by the water's edge along with two cubs.
The development is a shot in the arm for green activists who have been lobbying for Goa's forest areas being declared as tiger reserves.
However, no forest department official is willing to come on record to acknowledge the development.
According to noted wildlife expert Rajendra Kerkar, there's a reason for the forest department's silence.
"There has always been proof that tigers are there in our forests. But the forest department has been consistently denying the presence of tigers because they are hand-in-glove with the mining lobby," said Kerkar, who recently exposed tiger poaching in the Mhadei wildlife sanctuary.
Kerkar said if the Mhadei, Netravali, Cotigao and the Bhagwan Mahavir sanctuaries were declared tiger reserves, illegal mining near these green havens, secretly endorsed by the several powerful politicians and allowed by the forest department, would have to immediately stop.
Goa's Rs 6,000 crore open cast mining industry rings the state's forests in the north and eastern parts which border with Maharashtra and Karnataka.
According to Leader of Opposition Manohar Parrikar, nearly 20 per cent of the Rs 40 million ore exported from Goa comes from illegal mining.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Tiger sighted in Valmiki reserve after six months
PATNA: Almost after a gap of six months, a tiger was sighted in Bihar's Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR) on Thursday morning. The Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) assistant manager, Samir Sinha, sighted the big cat near the rest house in the Govardhana range of the reserve. Sinha is looking after the camera trap work of the ongoing tiger census work in the reserve.
"Around 5 am, while moving on the Govardhana-Manguraha forest road for collecting certain census-related data, I sighted the tiger," Sinha told TOI, adding: "I have been working in VTR for the last seven years but didn't have the chance to sight a tiger earlier."
VTR director J P Gupta, who was the first one to be informed about the tiger sighting and who had himself sighted a leopard in the Govardhana range itself a few months back, said: "Such things indicate that the efforts put into making the reserve a safe place for the felines are showing good results."
Prior to this, one tiger was sighted by forest guards in the Someshwar block of the reserve in November last year. A tigress with two cubs was sighted in August in the Manpur area located near the eastern boundary of the reserve last year as well.
The news of tiger sighting from Bihar's only tiger reserve must be music to the ears of wildlife lovers, as VTR, in the past two months, witnessed the killing of a tiger and a leopard.
While the tiger was poisoned to death in the Madanpur range of the reserve in March after it killed one buffalo belonging to locals, a leopard was killed by villagers at Shahpur Parsauni village four days ago after it strayed into the village and killed a villager and injured five others.
The Thursday sighting apart, wildlife lovers can also take solace from the fact that the ongoing tiger census has given some very encouraging signs. "Camera trap data collected from Raghia, Manguraha and Govardhana ranges is very encouraging with movement of tigers being trapped in these cameras on a regular basis," Sinha said.
Refusing to draw conclusions about the exact number of tigers on the basis of these findings, he, however, claimed that such things could be done only after comprehensive analysis of data collected in different stages of the census.
"Around 5 am, while moving on the Govardhana-Manguraha forest road for collecting certain census-related data, I sighted the tiger," Sinha told TOI, adding: "I have been working in VTR for the last seven years but didn't have the chance to sight a tiger earlier."
VTR director J P Gupta, who was the first one to be informed about the tiger sighting and who had himself sighted a leopard in the Govardhana range itself a few months back, said: "Such things indicate that the efforts put into making the reserve a safe place for the felines are showing good results."
Prior to this, one tiger was sighted by forest guards in the Someshwar block of the reserve in November last year. A tigress with two cubs was sighted in August in the Manpur area located near the eastern boundary of the reserve last year as well.
The news of tiger sighting from Bihar's only tiger reserve must be music to the ears of wildlife lovers, as VTR, in the past two months, witnessed the killing of a tiger and a leopard.
While the tiger was poisoned to death in the Madanpur range of the reserve in March after it killed one buffalo belonging to locals, a leopard was killed by villagers at Shahpur Parsauni village four days ago after it strayed into the village and killed a villager and injured five others.
The Thursday sighting apart, wildlife lovers can also take solace from the fact that the ongoing tiger census has given some very encouraging signs. "Camera trap data collected from Raghia, Manguraha and Govardhana ranges is very encouraging with movement of tigers being trapped in these cameras on a regular basis," Sinha said.
Refusing to draw conclusions about the exact number of tigers on the basis of these findings, he, however, claimed that such things could be done only after comprehensive analysis of data collected in different stages of the census.
TN to set up Special Tiger Protection Force
Fully funded by the Centre and on the basis of regulations framed, using the recommendations of the National Tiger Conservation Authority, the Tamil Nadu government will set up Special Tiger Protection Force for Mudumalai Tiger Reserve
The Tamil Nadu government will establish a Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF) for Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, Minister for Forests N. Selvaraj announced in the Assembly on Thursday.
It would be formed under a scheme fully funded by the Centre and on the basis of regulations framed, using the recommendations of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), he said, replying to a debate on the demands for grants to his department.
A senior official of the State Environment and Forests Department said it was planned to rope in tribals who had knowledge about the Reserve.
STIPULATIONS
According to the NTCA's document on security plan for tiger reserves, each tiger reserve must have one or more special strike forces deployed on the field.
The deployment should be at locations where the force would be able to reach a given area within a reasonable amount of time to take charge of any crisis.
In most situations, a strike force is best deployed along the periphery in the Code Red Zone. This will be in response to a threat perception. The Special Tiger Protection Force should be preferably used as a strike force and deployed as such. Strike teams should carry out regular mock drills to test their level of preparedness and their response time. Their visibility will also send out a strong psychological message to poachers, the document states.
Mr. Selvaraj also announced the government's plan to set up a rehabilitation centre at M.R. Palayam in Tiruchi district for elephants, which were orphaned or abandoned by temples and private persons or found in illegal possession of individuals.
Estimated to cost Rs.1.25 crore, it would come up on 19.7 acres.
Of the 737 anti-poaching watchers being employed by the Forest Department on temporary basis, the services of 137 watchers with 10 years' experience would be regularised.
FLYING SQUADS
Minister for Environment T.P. M. Mohideen Khan said three flying squads, headed by Environmental Engineer (Monitoring), would be formed with the headquarters in Erode, Tirupur and Vellore districts, where dyeing and bleaching units and tanneries were located.
They would act against industrial units, which did not comply with environmental laws.
A vigilance and anti-corruption wing would be set up at the headquarters of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board.
Mr. Khan, who also handles Youth Welfare and Sports Development, said Rs. 3.5 crore would be required to form a world-class synthetic track in Tirunelveli, for which an additional Rs.2.16 crore had been sanctioned.
Last year, allocation of Rs.1.34 crore was made.
http://beta.thehindu.com/news/states/tamil-nadu/article429442.ece?homepage=true
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