In another incident of man-animal conflict in Uttar Pradesh, a tiger that has so far mauled eight persons is on the prowl, forcing the forest officials to issue order to either tranquillise it or trap it.
This tiger has been on the continuous move from Deoria to Shahjahanpur in the past four months, and according to unconfirmed reports, claimed eight lives. The tiger’s pug marks were found on the fringes of the forest between Shahjahanpur and Kishanpur sanctuary on Tuesday.
Chief Wildlife Warden BK Patnaik said that order has been issued to either trap or tranquillise this big cat. “It is no easy task as tiger is a cunning animal and trapping is very difficult,” Patnaik told The Pioneer.
He said: “Though it is dangerous for farmers and people living in fringes, this tiger has not been declared man-eater.”
It is proving to be an onerous task to trap this tiger in heavy rains as the forest has water everywhere and the animal is on the move all the time. The forest officials, who have teamed up with the WWF and WTI to trap the tiger, heaved a sigh of relief when the tiger moved from the paddy crops into the forest area of Sehramua, Shahjahanpur, on Tuesday.
The incidents of killings were reported from Deoria range of Pilibhit district in May and continued till August 23. Then this tiger moved to neighbouring Shahajahanpur where it reportedly made two killings in the past one week. On August 27-28, the tiger was located in the Suara forest, while on August 29-30, it stayed in Kesaryapur. On August 31, its pug marks were traced to Sehramau forest of Shahjahanpur.
The tiger, a male of four years, has in most probability just been weaned away from its mother.
“It is semi-trained and perhaps made its first kill when it could not hunt the local animals and found an easy prey in men,” said an official on condition of anonymity.
The official said that the tiger has been identified as the same one through proper pug mark identification. “The tiger was first caught on the camera traps in Pilibhit. The pug marks were then picked up because of its movements in the area. Later, when the tiger shifted to Shahjahanpur, it was identified through same pug marks,” said the official, adding that the tiger has been declared as dangerous, but not a man-eater.
“After the first killings, generally they becoming more daring and move from the forest to the fringes and then into the paddy crops which was the case with this tiger,” he said.
For the team that is working on tranquillising the tiger, the major problem was that the tiger had moved to the paddy fields. “It’s difficult to shoot the dart because any blade can deflect it. Add to it the problem of water-logging in the forest. If the tiger falls in the water and it fills its lungs, it could be fatal for the animal,” he said.
The forest officials are now pinning their hopes on the possibility that the tiger moves from the Sehramua forest, which is two kilometres in width, into the thick forests of Kishanpur sanctuary which is connected through many bridges at the Khuta breach canal. “If it moves into Kishanpur forest it will get plenty of prey to eat. But till that time we are waiting to tranquillise it,” said the official.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Hunt still on for man-mauling tiger
LUCKNOW: The combing operation to track the man-mauling tiger continued on Tuesday in Shahjahanpur forest division. A team of experts and forest officials searched for the tiger in the forest area close to Saraiyan village where the big cat was spotted on Saturday. There has been no killing reported from Pilibhit forest division.
Meanwhile, the big cat, which injured a man in Kuriyani village of Mailani range of south Kheri forest division on early Sunday morning, could not be the same tiger which has wandered out of Pilibhit. The attack could have come from the tigress which was hiding in the fields with a cub, said local forest staff. Though officials, when contacted, did not confirm or deny it.
Kuriyani is a village in south kheri forest division. It is about 10 km from Saraiyan village of Khutar range in Shahjahanpur where tiger was spotted on Saturday night at around 9pm by locals. Terai area is reeling under tiger fear. Since May 3, eight humans have been killed and partially eaten by an adolescent tiger. The last human kill was made on August 26 in Bilandapur forest beat of Shahjahanpur.
The forest department has ordered to tranquillise and capture the tiger. Baits have been tied inside forest patches where tiger was reported to be moving. Enclosures have been set up and villagers are told not to venture into forest's periphery.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/Hunt-still-on-for-man-mauling-tiger/articleshow/6471071.cms
Meanwhile, the big cat, which injured a man in Kuriyani village of Mailani range of south Kheri forest division on early Sunday morning, could not be the same tiger which has wandered out of Pilibhit. The attack could have come from the tigress which was hiding in the fields with a cub, said local forest staff. Though officials, when contacted, did not confirm or deny it.
Kuriyani is a village in south kheri forest division. It is about 10 km from Saraiyan village of Khutar range in Shahjahanpur where tiger was spotted on Saturday night at around 9pm by locals. Terai area is reeling under tiger fear. Since May 3, eight humans have been killed and partially eaten by an adolescent tiger. The last human kill was made on August 26 in Bilandapur forest beat of Shahjahanpur.
The forest department has ordered to tranquillise and capture the tiger. Baits have been tied inside forest patches where tiger was reported to be moving. Enclosures have been set up and villagers are told not to venture into forest's periphery.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/Hunt-still-on-for-man-mauling-tiger/articleshow/6471071.cms
`Let tribals guard tiger reserves'
LUCKNOW: Evicting tribals and traditional dwellers from tiger reserves is not always the solution. Creating a stake for them in reserves could also be an option. The biggest tiger reserve of the country, Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam has its security manned by its tribal folks `Chenchus'. The step taken by Andhra Pradesh forest department to employ at least one person from `Chenchu' family has been found effective by committee of experts which evaluated the management of the reserve between August 10 and August 30.
"The young boys and women have been employed, mostly on daily wages," said R L Singh, chairman of the committee. The tribals are employed on basis of daily wages. The idea is to ensure protection and security of wildlife and natural resources of the reserve spread over 3,500 sq km. The tribals are trained in security mechanisms. They are familiar with remote areas of the reserve and can move around even at odd hours. "We have readied certain set of recommendations for better management which we would hand over to GoI," said Singh.
National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), in May, had come up with `Management Effectiveness Evaluation' project. It had 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 reserves had been divided into five clusters, state-wise and region-wise, for evaluation.
The eight tiger reserves lying in Naxalite affected belt had been put in Cluster III. The team of experts constituted by NTCA started its visit from Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam (Andhra Pradesh) on August 10. The team will now move on to Palamau (Jharkhand), Similipal, Satkosia (Orissa), Indravati, Achanakmar, Udanti-Sitanadi (Chhattisgarh) and Valmiki (Bihar).
In Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam, however, the team did not notice any Naxalites. "Employment of tribals has helped in controlling the threat which was there till two years back," said Singh. The women have been employed as wildlife guards. Their job involves surveying the area in groups of 4 to 5 women. The idea is to ensure the presence of forest guards over maximum area of the reserve.
The project report by all committees 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. The management plan of reserves, breedable population of tigers, status of staff, water conservation and prey base are to be studied.
Cluster I reserves
Dudhwa (UP), Corbett (Uttrakhand), Ranthambhore, Sariska (Rajasthan), Melghat, Pench, Tadoba-Andhari, Sahyadri (Maharashtra)
Cluster II reserves
Bandhavgarh , Satpura, Kanha, Pench, Sanjay-Dubri ( MP)
Cluster IV reserves
Bandipore, Nagarhole, Bhadra, Dandeli-Anshi (Karnataka), Periyar (Kerala), Kalakad-Mundanthurai, Annamalai, Mudumalai (Tamil Nadu)
Cluster V reserves
Namdapha, Pakka (Arunachal Pradesh), Kaziranga, Assam, Dampa (Mizoram), Buxa, Sunderbans (West Bengal)
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/Let-tribals-guard-tiger-reserves/articleshow/6471069.cms
"The young boys and women have been employed, mostly on daily wages," said R L Singh, chairman of the committee. The tribals are employed on basis of daily wages. The idea is to ensure protection and security of wildlife and natural resources of the reserve spread over 3,500 sq km. The tribals are trained in security mechanisms. They are familiar with remote areas of the reserve and can move around even at odd hours. "We have readied certain set of recommendations for better management which we would hand over to GoI," said Singh.
National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), in May, had come up with `Management Effectiveness Evaluation' project. It had 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 reserves had been divided into five clusters, state-wise and region-wise, for evaluation.
The eight tiger reserves lying in Naxalite affected belt had been put in Cluster III. The team of experts constituted by NTCA started its visit from Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam (Andhra Pradesh) on August 10. The team will now move on to Palamau (Jharkhand), Similipal, Satkosia (Orissa), Indravati, Achanakmar, Udanti-Sitanadi (Chhattisgarh) and Valmiki (Bihar).
In Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam, however, the team did not notice any Naxalites. "Employment of tribals has helped in controlling the threat which was there till two years back," said Singh. The women have been employed as wildlife guards. Their job involves surveying the area in groups of 4 to 5 women. The idea is to ensure the presence of forest guards over maximum area of the reserve.
The project report by all committees 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. The management plan of reserves, breedable population of tigers, status of staff, water conservation and prey base are to be studied.
Cluster I reserves
Dudhwa (UP), Corbett (Uttrakhand), Ranthambhore, Sariska (Rajasthan), Melghat, Pench, Tadoba-Andhari, Sahyadri (Maharashtra)
Cluster II reserves
Bandhavgarh , Satpura, Kanha, Pench, Sanjay-Dubri ( MP)
Cluster IV reserves
Bandipore, Nagarhole, Bhadra, Dandeli-Anshi (Karnataka), Periyar (Kerala), Kalakad-Mundanthurai, Annamalai, Mudumalai (Tamil Nadu)
Cluster V reserves
Namdapha, Pakka (Arunachal Pradesh), Kaziranga, Assam, Dampa (Mizoram), Buxa, Sunderbans (West Bengal)
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/Let-tribals-guard-tiger-reserves/articleshow/6471069.cms
Delay in tiger protection force a threat to man & animal Read more: Delay in tiger protection force a threat to man & animal
JAIPUR: Delay in the formation of the Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF) for the Ranthambore tiger reserve is not only putting the rising population of cats in the reserve at risk of poaching as they stray, but could cause clashes between foresters and civilians.
"On August 20, when the tiger stepped out of the national park into the Bhuri Pahadi village and killed cattle, the villagers were so infuriated that the mob did not let the forest guards and officials perform their duty of tranquillising the tiger," said officials of the state forest department.
"Even the district administration and police officials present thought it was the duty of the forest department to deal with the mob as well as the tiger as the area lay in close proximity of the forest land," he added.
"Therefore, most of the time of the forest officials were taken up in handling the mob. But forest officials are not trained to handle a mob nor is it their duty. Had there been a force that could tackle both then matters would have been different. They could have tackled the crowd as their forest officials went about handling the tiger," he added.
This is where the STPF's role comes in. To be recruited and trained by the police department but on duty for the forest department, this special force would not only be specially armed but would also receive special training to handle such emergencies.
Rajasthan has been sanctioned one company, consisting of 112 persons, for the Ranthambore tiger reserve. The ministry of forest and environment has given a grant of Rs 93 lakhs out of the total cost of Rs 3.72 crore needed to raise, arm and deploying force in the last financial year.
Despite the Union minister Jairam Ramesh's August 3 reminder to the state to swiftly form the force, little seem to have been done. While the state has now put the onus on the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) for preparing the MoU after which the force would be formed, it is already two months since the state gave its administrative approval.
"The nod has been given by the home and the forest departments of the state. We are now waiting for the NTCA to prepare the MoU so that the force can be finally formed. We have also sent them reminders," said additional principal chief conservator of forests Rahul Kumar.
The NTCA could not be contacted for its views. However, delay in formation of the force can only aggravate matters as Ranthambore struggles to control its rising tiger population.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/Delay-in-tiger-protection-force-a-threat-to-man-animal/articleshow/6477290.cms
"On August 20, when the tiger stepped out of the national park into the Bhuri Pahadi village and killed cattle, the villagers were so infuriated that the mob did not let the forest guards and officials perform their duty of tranquillising the tiger," said officials of the state forest department.
"Even the district administration and police officials present thought it was the duty of the forest department to deal with the mob as well as the tiger as the area lay in close proximity of the forest land," he added.
"Therefore, most of the time of the forest officials were taken up in handling the mob. But forest officials are not trained to handle a mob nor is it their duty. Had there been a force that could tackle both then matters would have been different. They could have tackled the crowd as their forest officials went about handling the tiger," he added.
This is where the STPF's role comes in. To be recruited and trained by the police department but on duty for the forest department, this special force would not only be specially armed but would also receive special training to handle such emergencies.
Rajasthan has been sanctioned one company, consisting of 112 persons, for the Ranthambore tiger reserve. The ministry of forest and environment has given a grant of Rs 93 lakhs out of the total cost of Rs 3.72 crore needed to raise, arm and deploying force in the last financial year.
Despite the Union minister Jairam Ramesh's August 3 reminder to the state to swiftly form the force, little seem to have been done. While the state has now put the onus on the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) for preparing the MoU after which the force would be formed, it is already two months since the state gave its administrative approval.
"The nod has been given by the home and the forest departments of the state. We are now waiting for the NTCA to prepare the MoU so that the force can be finally formed. We have also sent them reminders," said additional principal chief conservator of forests Rahul Kumar.
The NTCA could not be contacted for its views. However, delay in formation of the force can only aggravate matters as Ranthambore struggles to control its rising tiger population.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/Delay-in-tiger-protection-force-a-threat-to-man-animal/articleshow/6477290.cms
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