LUCKNOW: A tiger that had unleashed a rein of terror in western UP last fortnight was finally tranquillised and trapped by a team of state forest department in the jungles of Nagla Hirasingh in Nawabganj area of Farrukhabad on Thursday evening.
A photo-journalist and five others were injured when the cat attacked them before it could be sedated by the officials. Once captured, the tiger was rushed to the forest department base camp for medical examination to assess its health.
District forest officer D K Rao said that once the medical examination was done, the tiger would be sent to the Lucknow Zoo where it would remain in captivity as per the norms for trapped man-eaters.
The forest officials said the cat was initially spotted by local villagers who in turn had informed the department.
With a team in standby, the officials reacted promptly and managed to knock it off using a tranquilliser gun. The wild cat was reportedly in good health and no external injuries on its body.
Read more: Tiger trapped in Farrukhabad - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/Tiger-trapped-in-Farrukhabad/articleshow/6750882.cms#ixzz12Og4ZyVI
Friday, October 15, 2010
Dhoni to be honorary wildlife warden of Uttarakhand
DEHRADUN: Indian cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been appointed as first honorary wildlife warden of Uttarakhand, which also declared him as the brand ambassador of its save the tiger campaign.
The Uttarakhand government has issued a notification regarding appointment of Dhoni as the wildlife warden of the hill state on Sep 27, Additional Secretary, Forest, Sushant Patnaik said today.
Dhoni's appointment letter would shortly be dispatched to him, he added.
Last month, Dhoni had come to Dehradun as part of 'Save the Tiger' campaign and Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhariyal Nishank announced his nomination as the honorary wildlife warden of the state.
Nishank also declared Dhoni as brand ambassador of save the tiger campaign in the state which houses two major national parks -- Jim Corbett and Rajaji.
"I am delighted to accept the honorary wildlife warden post which has been offered to me by the Uttarakhand Chief Minister," The Indian skipper had said.
The Uttarakhand government has issued a notification regarding appointment of Dhoni as the wildlife warden of the hill state on Sep 27, Additional Secretary, Forest, Sushant Patnaik said today.
Dhoni's appointment letter would shortly be dispatched to him, he added.
Last month, Dhoni had come to Dehradun as part of 'Save the Tiger' campaign and Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhariyal Nishank announced his nomination as the honorary wildlife warden of the state.
Nishank also declared Dhoni as brand ambassador of save the tiger campaign in the state which houses two major national parks -- Jim Corbett and Rajaji.
"I am delighted to accept the honorary wildlife warden post which has been offered to me by the Uttarakhand Chief Minister," The Indian skipper had said.
Witnesses turn hostile
Key witness Mustafa Thadvi and three others withdraw their statements under suspicious circumstances
After two days of intense drama over the Jalgaon tiger poaching case (Read: Did poachers get another tiger? Oct 13), its eyewitnesses have withdrawn their statements, nullifying the validity of the case.
However, sources allege that forest department officials silenced the witnesses to protect their own interests.
In his second statement to the Yawal forest department, chief witness Mustafa Thadvi, a local professor, denied any tiger poaching incident in the area.
After two days of intense drama over the Jalgaon tiger poaching case (Read: Did poachers get another tiger? Oct 13), its eyewitnesses have withdrawn their statements, nullifying the validity of the case.
However, sources allege that forest department officials silenced the witnesses to protect their own interests.
In his second statement to the Yawal forest department, chief witness Mustafa Thadvi, a local professor, denied any tiger poaching incident in the area.
In fact, Thadvi even denied being present in the forest during the time of the supposed incident.
Another eyewitness, Ramzan Ebrahim, withdrew his statement too and instead accused local NGO, School of Environment, of bribing him to fake the statement.
Ebrahim added that he was in the forest but did not witness any poaching incidents.
After the outrageous turn of events, the Yawal forest department has assured of tough action against the fraudulent witnesses.
Video evidence
In a guarded move, the forest department video recorded all the four eyewitnesses withdrawing their statements. "They have all denied that any poaching took place.
We recorded their statements to ensure that they don't change their statements again," revealed A U Patil, assistant conservator of Yawal forest department.
However, it is not a routine practice to video record witness statements. And the officials had not recorded the earlier statements alleging the poaching incident.
But increasing pressure from the centre seemed to have triggered this move. "The issue has shaken the ministry which is putting immense pressure on our department.
The witnesses have now denied the incident and we suspect foul play.
We needed proof of their denial which is why we were forced to record," Patil said, revealing that a senior official from the Ministry of Environment and Forests visited Yawal after the issue was made public.
The department has also decided to file a trespassing case against the eyewitnesses for stealing medicinal plants from the forests and disseminating false information.
"We are also going to act against School of Environment for bribing the offenders into making up such claims. They have wasted our valuable time and have cheated the government," Patil grumbled.
Blood confirmation
Meanwhile, the department is cautious in not ruling out the possibility of a tiger casualty. Blood samples collected from the spot have been sent for examination to Hyderabad and the medical report is expected soon.
1,411
No of tigers left in the wild in India, according to the 2006 census
The latest tiger census is ongoing and the results are expected by March 2011
The Other Side
Rejecting the counter-allegations by the forest department, Rajendra Nanaware, School of Environment, said, "We stand by what we have said.
In fact we recorded videos of the first statements made by the witnesses in the case. We have convened a meeting for environmentalists to discuss and demand an enquiry into the matter.
Let the forest department do what they want to. We have not bribed anyone. Tiger deaths are a national issue and we will not let anyone manipulate such a case."
Nanaware also alleged that the department had pressurised key witness Thadvi and forced him to withdraw his statement.
Key Witness
On October 6, Mustafa Thadvi, an Ayurveda practitioner and a professor, registered a tiger poaching case with the Yawal forest department.
Thadvi said that he was in the forests looking for medicinal herbs when he discovered bloodstains and pugmarks, pointing to the disappearance of a tigress and her two cubs.
Another eyewitness, Ramzan Ebrahim, withdrew his statement too and instead accused local NGO, School of Environment, of bribing him to fake the statement.
Ebrahim added that he was in the forest but did not witness any poaching incidents.
After the outrageous turn of events, the Yawal forest department has assured of tough action against the fraudulent witnesses.
Video evidence
In a guarded move, the forest department video recorded all the four eyewitnesses withdrawing their statements. "They have all denied that any poaching took place.
We recorded their statements to ensure that they don't change their statements again," revealed A U Patil, assistant conservator of Yawal forest department.
However, it is not a routine practice to video record witness statements. And the officials had not recorded the earlier statements alleging the poaching incident.
But increasing pressure from the centre seemed to have triggered this move. "The issue has shaken the ministry which is putting immense pressure on our department.
The witnesses have now denied the incident and we suspect foul play.
We needed proof of their denial which is why we were forced to record," Patil said, revealing that a senior official from the Ministry of Environment and Forests visited Yawal after the issue was made public.
The department has also decided to file a trespassing case against the eyewitnesses for stealing medicinal plants from the forests and disseminating false information.
"We are also going to act against School of Environment for bribing the offenders into making up such claims. They have wasted our valuable time and have cheated the government," Patil grumbled.
Blood confirmation
Meanwhile, the department is cautious in not ruling out the possibility of a tiger casualty. Blood samples collected from the spot have been sent for examination to Hyderabad and the medical report is expected soon.
1,411
No of tigers left in the wild in India, according to the 2006 census
The latest tiger census is ongoing and the results are expected by March 2011
The Other Side
Rejecting the counter-allegations by the forest department, Rajendra Nanaware, School of Environment, said, "We stand by what we have said.
In fact we recorded videos of the first statements made by the witnesses in the case. We have convened a meeting for environmentalists to discuss and demand an enquiry into the matter.
Let the forest department do what they want to. We have not bribed anyone. Tiger deaths are a national issue and we will not let anyone manipulate such a case."
Nanaware also alleged that the department had pressurised key witness Thadvi and forced him to withdraw his statement.
Key Witness
On October 6, Mustafa Thadvi, an Ayurveda practitioner and a professor, registered a tiger poaching case with the Yawal forest department.
Thadvi said that he was in the forests looking for medicinal herbs when he discovered bloodstains and pugmarks, pointing to the disappearance of a tigress and her two cubs.
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