Tiger kills another man in Uttar Pradesh

Lucknow, June 24 (Calcutta Tube) A tiger killed a man in a village adjoining a forest area in Pilibhit district of Uttar Pradesh, an official said Thursday.

The partially eaten body of Bulakiram, 55, was recovered Wednesday evening from the fields on the outskirts of Akora village, which is near Deuriya area of the Pilibhit forest reserve.

‘Pugmarks found at the site indicate that the man was attacked by a male, adult tiger,’ said Divisional Forest Officer V.K. Singh.

‘Significantly, the Deuriya area of the forest reserve is not considered as tigers’ territory. Field investigations carried out following the incident now indicate that two tigers are present in Deuriya,’ Singh told IANS over telephone from Pilibhit, some 250 km from Lucknow.

Bulakiram had left his house Tuesday to collect wood and had been missing since then.

It’s the third such incident in the district in the last two months.

As per the last census, Pilibhit forest reserve was home to 36 tigers.

http://calcuttatube.com/tiger-kills-man-in-uttar-pradesh-2/101563/

6 tiger cubs spotted in Tadoba reserve

There is now hope for India’s tiger conservation programme. Six tiger cubs have been spotted in three ranges (two in each) in Maharashtra’s Chandrapur forest area, bordering the Tadoba Tiger Reserve, 160 km from Nagpur.

At the end of April a tiger census had found that there were 11 tiger cubs in the reserve (this is apart from the six in the forest area abutting the reserve).

Sources at the state wildlife headquarters said three tigresses missing from the north Chanda circle a few months ago, had each given birth to two cubs.

Conservator of Forests (North Chanda circle) RS Yadav said the tigresses may have moved to desolate places for breeding. The six cubs were seen over the past two months, the latest sighting was on Sunday, he said.

“We then installed cameras in the area to know the positions and movements of the tigresses and their cubs,” Yadav added.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/6-tiger-cubs-spotted-in-Tadoba-reserve/Article1-565071.aspx

Tribals to be moved out of state’s tiger reserve

New Delhi, June 30: The Union ministry of environment & forests (MoEF) has beefed up a detailed plan to relocate 1,000 Chenchu tribal families from the core area of the Nagarjungsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve reserve.

The reserve is home to 82 tigers and tiger experts have been pressing for the need to create an undisturbed forest base for these animals. The tribals are likely to be relocated to the fringe areas of the sanctuary and every family member above 18 years is being offered Rs 10 lakh for the relocation.

Anthropologists question whether these hunter gatherer Chenchus who do not practise agriculture will be able to adjust to these changed circumstances.

The environmentalist, Mr Shekar Dattarati, who has personally interviewed many Chenchus, pointed out, “They do not want to remain marooned inside a forest with no prospects. Nor do they want their children to suffer as they have done in the past.” But he did admit, “Resettlement is a sensitive topic. The Chenchus worship the tiger and are known not to attack it. Keen to utilise their tracking and protecting skills, the MoEF has hired 400 young Chenchu boys as forest guards.”

The minister, Mr Jairam Ramesh, confirmed, “The younger generation must be given a stake in conserving the forests. Relocation will not be forced down people. Our aim will be to create a consensus on this move.”

The other tribe living in the forests are the Lambadas who are practising agriculture right in the heart of the tiger reserve. Most of the Lambadas have migrated from Mahrashtra as Andhra Pradesh was the only state that offered them ST status.

The Integrated Tribal Development Authority is working with these tribals at a local level. NGOs regret that the MoEF and ITDA have been working at cross purposes with little co-ordination between them.

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/hyderabad/tribals-be-moved-out-state’s-tiger-reserve-087