JAIPUR: Amid growing concerns over straying away of tigers from the Ranthambore sanctuary, chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Sunday visited the national park and ordered the removal of bottlenecks for the park's expansion so that a rising population of tigers can be accommodated.
Gehlot took a state plane to the airstrip at Ranthambore and was accompanied by forest minister Ramlal Jat, principal secretary, forests, V S Singh and principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF) R N Mehrotra.
Gehlot's visit follows the death of tiger T-36 in a territorial war with another tiger T-42. With tiger population multiplying in the park, turf wars and big cats' straying away have become a routine.
Gehlot spotted a tiger, T-17, near the Mallik talab and christened it as Krishna. The T-17 tiger is the daughter of the most photographed tigress in the world Machli.'
"The chief minister has been visiting some of the sanctuaries in the state and this one was to review the situation in Ranthambore in view of the recent tiger death. He has ordered the removal of all obstacles in the expansion of Ranthambore so that more tigers can be accommodated," said PCCF R N Mehrotra.
As a first step, the chief minister ordered expansion of the airstrip on the Madhopur-Lalsot road. Gehlot also called for a time-bound programme for the completion of the boundary wall around the national park.
"There is a narrow airstrip at the Madhopur-Lalsot road. The CM ordered the expansion so that more planes could land there. There are many foreigners who use chartered planes. The expansion of the airstrip will give a fillip to tourism," said a forest official.
Gehlot also called for a time-bound programme for the completion of the boundary wall around the national park.
"He directed that the NREGS and CAMPA funds shall be utilised so that the circumference of the wall could be expanded to 400 kilometre instead of the existing 87 km," said an official.
The CM also announced speedier relocation of the villages on the outskirts the sanctuary. "Once these villages are relocated, the park can accommodate more tigers. The chief minister also directed that no encroachment shall be allowed in the area," said the official.
On the alleged noise pollution just outside the park during the marriage of British comedian Russell Brand and American pop singer Katy Perry, Gehlot formed a committee to be headed by the collector that will look into any violation.
Read more: Gehlot paves way for Ranthambore's expansion - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/Gehlot-paves-way-for-Ranthambores-expansion/articleshow/6806044.cms#ixzz13LWA5MGw
Monday, October 25, 2010
Madhya Pradesh: No space for Panna tigers
Panna Tiger Reserve: Coming as a major setback to tiger conservation in Madhya Pradesh, the Panna tiger reserve will not have the glory of enjoying a buffer zone for the tigers.
Buffer zones are vital as they allow tigers more space to move freely. The decision by the Chief Minister has come as a shock for many and people are reading between the lines for its inherent meaning.
"Humans are more valuable than tigers. One cannot destroy Panna and let just tigers survive. What will they do with such a buffer zone? That is why there is no need for a buffer zone that can cause problems to Panna. No such buffer zones will be made,"said Shivraj Singh Chouhan the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh.
The decision has come just weeks after the Pench and Kanha reserves in Maharashtra were given its notified buffer zones.
In the last decade, Panna has lost 34 tigers, most of them being poached. Under such circumstances ignoring the desperate need of a buffer zone for the tiger reserve has shocked all.
Surprisingly, Chouhan's remarks have come at a time when the forest department has got the consent of 45 of the 69 villages in the proposed buffer zone. Sources say, several local political heavyweights and their associates have a stake in mines in the area under the buffer zone and a notification may stop all that.
Could the Chief Minister's decision have more to do with the mining stakes involved?
"The people who are exposing it is because of lack of understanding or they have rights in ways of illegal mining or extracting wood or maybe some other sources," said Shamendra Singh a Former member of the Madhya Pardesh Wildlife Advisory Committee.
Even as the Wildlife Act makes a buffer zone mandatory for every tiger reserve, the Chief Minister vetoing it in Panna has raised several questions. The concern now is that who will prevail finally? Until then, the fate of Panna remains hanging.
Buffer zones are vital as they allow tigers more space to move freely. The decision by the Chief Minister has come as a shock for many and people are reading between the lines for its inherent meaning.
"Humans are more valuable than tigers. One cannot destroy Panna and let just tigers survive. What will they do with such a buffer zone? That is why there is no need for a buffer zone that can cause problems to Panna. No such buffer zones will be made,"said Shivraj Singh Chouhan the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh.
The decision has come just weeks after the Pench and Kanha reserves in Maharashtra were given its notified buffer zones.
In the last decade, Panna has lost 34 tigers, most of them being poached. Under such circumstances ignoring the desperate need of a buffer zone for the tiger reserve has shocked all.
Surprisingly, Chouhan's remarks have come at a time when the forest department has got the consent of 45 of the 69 villages in the proposed buffer zone. Sources say, several local political heavyweights and their associates have a stake in mines in the area under the buffer zone and a notification may stop all that.
Could the Chief Minister's decision have more to do with the mining stakes involved?
"The people who are exposing it is because of lack of understanding or they have rights in ways of illegal mining or extracting wood or maybe some other sources," said Shamendra Singh a Former member of the Madhya Pardesh Wildlife Advisory Committee.
Even as the Wildlife Act makes a buffer zone mandatory for every tiger reserve, the Chief Minister vetoing it in Panna has raised several questions. The concern now is that who will prevail finally? Until then, the fate of Panna remains hanging.
Focus on tiger prey base in Sunderbans
KOLKATA: The prey base in Sunderbans has always been under scanner. But a study by Wildlife Institute of India (WII) may actually blow the lid off the issue. If an estimation by the WII is to be believed, about 15 spotted deer per square kilometre (sq km) are surviving in Sunderbans currently. "We have initiated a study on tiger density and prey base in Sunderbans and will come out with the final report in a couple of months. But according to initial investigations, we fear there are not more than 15 deer per sq km," says Y V Jhala of WII.
A recent study by Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) says a full-grown wild tiger needs to eat 50 cheetals a year to survive. "A herd of 500 cheetals is required to provide a sustainable outcome of 50 cheetals per tiger. In other words, 500 cheetals can provide a single tiger 50 cheetals a year for food," says Belinda Wright, executive director, WPSI.
Sunderbans Tiger Reserve (STR) is spread over almost 2,580 sq km, of which nearly 35% is water. Taking into account the rest of forest land, not more than 25,000 deer are reportedly there in Sunderbans.
According to Wright, a prey base of 25,000 cheetals is only enough for 50 tigers. Is the present number of big cats in Sunderbans around 50? The question remains unanswered. And where are the cheetals vanishing and why? The mystery only intensifies.
According to Jhala, herbivores cannot take salinity after a point and that is the main reason behind the shrinking prey base.
Director of Sunderbans Biosphere Reserve, Pradeep Vyas, said: "Once we receive an official intimation, we will definitely look into the matter. No study has yet been done on Sunderbans' prey base and we are waiting for the WII report." According to him, not only deer, tigers depend on wild boars and monitor lizards too for food.
Going by Biswajit Roy Chowdhury of Nature Environment and Wildlife Society, salinity is not only a problem for the deer but it's dangerous for tigers as well. "Salinity has increased by almost 15 times in last 10 years, which is dangerous for both deer and tigers," he says.
Quoting a study by scientists Dr Ullas Karanth and George Schaller, Bangladesh-based tiger expert Monirul H Khan says: "There is always a natural balance between the prey and number of tigers. And 500 deer can provide sufficient food base to only one tiger, keeping in mind the fact that the breeding rate of deer is always balanced by the killing rate of tigers."
Bangladesh forest department recently said there are 70,000 to 80,000 cheetals in their part of Sunderbans, which according to Khan is not capable of providing sufficient food base to 419 tigers there.
The numbers game in Sunderbans still remains a million dollar question. Is the 2004 census figure, that says the mangrove forest has 274 tigers, believable? The figure, which has been contested fiercely, offers a case study. In the 2008 tiger census, the number of Sunderbans tigers could not be included as authentic figures were missing. Though WII is also set to come out with a preliminary report on tiger census in other parts of the country by November-end, Sunderbans will not be included in this. On being asked why, Jhala offered no comment.
Tushar Kanjilal, well-known social worker who spent long years in Sundarbans, has his take. "Prey base is definitely shrinking, but no concrete study has ever been done. But more and more tigers are moving towards the north from south, resulting in frequent incidents of straying," he says.
Former Project Tiger director, P K Sen, says: "We have been repeatedly saying that there is a shortage of prey base in Sunderbans. When WII comes out with the final report, I believe the actual number of cheetals per sq km will be even lesser than 15."
Wright says that poaching of deer should also be taken into account.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/Focus-on-tiger-prey-base-in-Sunderbans/articleshow/6806096.cms
A recent study by Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) says a full-grown wild tiger needs to eat 50 cheetals a year to survive. "A herd of 500 cheetals is required to provide a sustainable outcome of 50 cheetals per tiger. In other words, 500 cheetals can provide a single tiger 50 cheetals a year for food," says Belinda Wright, executive director, WPSI.
Sunderbans Tiger Reserve (STR) is spread over almost 2,580 sq km, of which nearly 35% is water. Taking into account the rest of forest land, not more than 25,000 deer are reportedly there in Sunderbans.
According to Wright, a prey base of 25,000 cheetals is only enough for 50 tigers. Is the present number of big cats in Sunderbans around 50? The question remains unanswered. And where are the cheetals vanishing and why? The mystery only intensifies.
According to Jhala, herbivores cannot take salinity after a point and that is the main reason behind the shrinking prey base.
Director of Sunderbans Biosphere Reserve, Pradeep Vyas, said: "Once we receive an official intimation, we will definitely look into the matter. No study has yet been done on Sunderbans' prey base and we are waiting for the WII report." According to him, not only deer, tigers depend on wild boars and monitor lizards too for food.
Going by Biswajit Roy Chowdhury of Nature Environment and Wildlife Society, salinity is not only a problem for the deer but it's dangerous for tigers as well. "Salinity has increased by almost 15 times in last 10 years, which is dangerous for both deer and tigers," he says.
Quoting a study by scientists Dr Ullas Karanth and George Schaller, Bangladesh-based tiger expert Monirul H Khan says: "There is always a natural balance between the prey and number of tigers. And 500 deer can provide sufficient food base to only one tiger, keeping in mind the fact that the breeding rate of deer is always balanced by the killing rate of tigers."
Bangladesh forest department recently said there are 70,000 to 80,000 cheetals in their part of Sunderbans, which according to Khan is not capable of providing sufficient food base to 419 tigers there.
The numbers game in Sunderbans still remains a million dollar question. Is the 2004 census figure, that says the mangrove forest has 274 tigers, believable? The figure, which has been contested fiercely, offers a case study. In the 2008 tiger census, the number of Sunderbans tigers could not be included as authentic figures were missing. Though WII is also set to come out with a preliminary report on tiger census in other parts of the country by November-end, Sunderbans will not be included in this. On being asked why, Jhala offered no comment.
Tushar Kanjilal, well-known social worker who spent long years in Sundarbans, has his take. "Prey base is definitely shrinking, but no concrete study has ever been done. But more and more tigers are moving towards the north from south, resulting in frequent incidents of straying," he says.
Former Project Tiger director, P K Sen, says: "We have been repeatedly saying that there is a shortage of prey base in Sunderbans. When WII comes out with the final report, I believe the actual number of cheetals per sq km will be even lesser than 15."
Wright says that poaching of deer should also be taken into account.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/Focus-on-tiger-prey-base-in-Sunderbans/articleshow/6806096.cms
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