'Operation Monsoon' launched to save tigers in Corbett National Park

The forest officials of Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand state have launched a patrolling operation in the park in order to save tigers and other animals in the monsoon season. The park is closed down for tourists every year for four months during the monsoon season as the roads become unsafe. The forest officials have launched 'Operation Monsoon' which involves long and short range patrolling to check hunting and other illegal activities during this period. "In the last few years we have improved our security tactics. 'Long Distance Patrolling' is one successful measure. We are trying to enhance the beat-level patrol. All this is done in a positive direction to upgrade the security system. We are also in contact with the surrounding units and often go for joint-patrols. We are also doing an inter-state patrol with Uttar Pradesh," said U. C. Tiwari, Warden of the National Park. The Operation involves about 500 Forest staff. The security guards are divided in to the group of 8-10 members and each group is sent for patrolling in different areas of the forest. "In the forest area surrounding Corbett, where tigers roam, we try to ensure the safety of the tigers. So, we are making efforts to enhance the security of Jim Corbett by involving public support and help in increasing the digit (of number of tigers)," said Tiwari. Jim Corbett National Park, the 1,300-square km reserve at the Himalayan foothills, has 164 tigers of the remaining 1411 tiger population in India. By Vipul Goel (ANI)

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Self-styled Godman arrested for selling tiger skin in Maharashtra

A tiger skin and elephant's tusks have been seized from a self-proclaimed godman by the district police of Latur in Maharashtra following a report that he had sold them to a local resident. Police have arrested Monu Singh, the god man, and registered a case against him under the Wildlife Protection Act. He fell into a trap laid out for him by the police. "We received information that a holy man was selling a tiger skin and elephant's tusks to these persons. So we laid a trap, and we seized a tiger skin and elephant's teeth from him. Then we contacted the forest department and the officials said that it was indeed a tiger skin," said Sudhakar Bavkar, a police officer. The complainant, who had bought the tiger skin from the godman, said that he felt suspicious about the transaction and later informed the police officials. "I bought the tiger-skin from a self-proclaimed god-man. But I developed suspicion about the transaction. So I went to the police and the Superintendent said that he would find that man. The god-man had also told me that if I wanted a gun he would sell that as well," said Ashish Kokate, the complainant. The accused godman said that he had bought it from someone and sold it to someone else. "Even I got from somewhere and sold it off. I got it from a man. It was for 16,000 rupees and I sold it for 21,000 rupees," said Monu Singh Tak, the accused. Conservationists say that despite the ban on the use of tiger parts in medicines, the trade in animal skin and bones is booming in countries of the far East such as China where everything from fur to whiskers to eyeballs to bones, are in great demand. (ANI)

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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.

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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.

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