GUWAHATI: The already-diminishing tiger population of India has seen a further cut with two carcasses of the big cat being found from different spots inside the Kaziranga National Park, about 250 km from here, in the past 24 hours.
A highly-decomposed carcass was found near Laudubi camp under Kohra forest range of the park on Wednesday, while the carcass of a full-grown male with a deep injury mark was discovered in the Gerakati area under the Bagori forest range of the park on Thursday. The tiger that was found dead at Gerakati was estimated to be around five years old.
Officials from National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), the apex tiger conservation body, rushed to the park to investigate the deaths of the big cats. Although the post-mortem reports are yet to come, officials from NTCA ruled out any poaching angle in the tiger deaths.
"We don't think the tiger deaths are related to poaching. Preliminary investigation has revealed that the causes of both the deaths were natural. The injury mark in the second tiger's body could have been inflicted by the horn of a wild buffalo. These buffaloes often defend themselves from tiger attacks by rushing at them with their long and pointed horns," an NTCA official said.
Kaziranga divisional forest officer D D Gogoi said all the body parts of the two tigers were found to be intact and the post-mortems were conducted in the presence of officials from NTCA, WWF-India and other NGOs along with park officials.
"There was no involvement of poachers in the two tiger deaths," Gogoi claimed. With this, the tiger casualty toll has increased to four this year in Kaziranga. In February 20, 2010, a decomposed tiger carcass was found in the park. Between November 2008 and September 19, 2009, a total of 12 tigers died in Kaziranga.
Read more: Kaziranga loses 2 more tigers - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/guwahati/Kaziranga-loses-2-more-tigers-/articleshow/6911209.cms#ixzz152i7kpCC
Friday, November 12, 2010
Mystery of the missing Himachal tiger
Shimla: Photographs of a tiger roaming in solitary splendour in the hills surrounding the picturesque tourist resort of Manali have failed to impress Himachal Pradesh's wildlife wing. The tiger does not exist, they say.
It all began when a French trekker Antoine spotted a tiger in the hills of Manali sanctuary - otherwise not known to host tigers - in April this year. He happily clicked not only the big cat but also its pugmarks and sent the pictures to the state's wildlife department, perhaps hoping for a pat on the back.
Instead, the pictures left officials unmoved.
'We conducted extensive searches of the Manali sanctuary in May and June but we couldn't find any evidence of a tiger. We even asked the locals, who too said they had never seen a tiger in the vicinity. We believe it's a farce,' chief wildlife warden A.K. Gulati said.
So why is it so difficult to believe the picture?
Manali sanctuary is spread over 32 sq km in Kullu district. The avifauna is quite good as it supports the endangeed western tragopan, the Himalayan monal, the koklas, the white crested kalij and the cheer pheasant.
It is home to the leopard, Himalayan black bear, antelope, musk deer, the Himalayan tahr - a wild goat that lives on the steepest cliffs - and many other beautiful beasts. Except the tiger.
The nearest place which has a tiger population is Uttarakhand's Rajaji National Park, some 300 km away. And the chances of a tiger sauntering across the state boundary, covering all this distance and then posing for photographs are as good as nil, the experts say.
Hence, the raised eyebrows.
Kullu divisional forest officer B.S. Rana said: 'We surveyed the area extensively in July. We will search again this month as the trekker has sent us mails saying the pictures are real.'
Officials cannot contact Antoine, who's back home in France. So they did the next best thing - ask his guide.
'The guide was a resident of Manali. We took him to the spot where the tiger was apparently clicked. Yes, the surroundings matched the picture, but there was no evidence of the presence of the tiger,' he said.
Other experts too are doubtful of the pictures' authenticity.
Uttam Saikia, a researcher with the high altitude field station of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) in Solan, told IANS it was almost impossible to sight the tiger in the Manali sanctuary.
According to him, the presence of a tiger in the wild in Himachal Pradesh was only recorded in the Simbhalwara sanctuary in Sirmaur district, adjoining Uttarakhand, but not Manali.
'We have twice collected fresh tiger scats in the Simbhalwara sanctuary between 2005 and 2007. But migration hundreds of kilometres away to Manali is totally impossible, unbelievable,' Saikia said, shaking his head.
It all began when a French trekker Antoine spotted a tiger in the hills of Manali sanctuary - otherwise not known to host tigers - in April this year. He happily clicked not only the big cat but also its pugmarks and sent the pictures to the state's wildlife department, perhaps hoping for a pat on the back.
Instead, the pictures left officials unmoved.
'We conducted extensive searches of the Manali sanctuary in May and June but we couldn't find any evidence of a tiger. We even asked the locals, who too said they had never seen a tiger in the vicinity. We believe it's a farce,' chief wildlife warden A.K. Gulati said.
So why is it so difficult to believe the picture?
Manali sanctuary is spread over 32 sq km in Kullu district. The avifauna is quite good as it supports the endangeed western tragopan, the Himalayan monal, the koklas, the white crested kalij and the cheer pheasant.
It is home to the leopard, Himalayan black bear, antelope, musk deer, the Himalayan tahr - a wild goat that lives on the steepest cliffs - and many other beautiful beasts. Except the tiger.
The nearest place which has a tiger population is Uttarakhand's Rajaji National Park, some 300 km away. And the chances of a tiger sauntering across the state boundary, covering all this distance and then posing for photographs are as good as nil, the experts say.
Hence, the raised eyebrows.
Kullu divisional forest officer B.S. Rana said: 'We surveyed the area extensively in July. We will search again this month as the trekker has sent us mails saying the pictures are real.'
Officials cannot contact Antoine, who's back home in France. So they did the next best thing - ask his guide.
'The guide was a resident of Manali. We took him to the spot where the tiger was apparently clicked. Yes, the surroundings matched the picture, but there was no evidence of the presence of the tiger,' he said.
Other experts too are doubtful of the pictures' authenticity.
Uttam Saikia, a researcher with the high altitude field station of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) in Solan, told IANS it was almost impossible to sight the tiger in the Manali sanctuary.
According to him, the presence of a tiger in the wild in Himachal Pradesh was only recorded in the Simbhalwara sanctuary in Sirmaur district, adjoining Uttarakhand, but not Manali.
'We have twice collected fresh tiger scats in the Simbhalwara sanctuary between 2005 and 2007. But migration hundreds of kilometres away to Manali is totally impossible, unbelievable,' Saikia said, shaking his head.
Leopard rescued from poachers' wire trap outside TATR
CHANDRAPUR: Even as the forest department is taking efforts to curb poaching, including notifying a buffer zone around Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) for better wildlife management, poachers trapped a leopard in wire traps at the outskirts of the reserve on Thursday. Fortunately, forest officials got information in time and rescued the beast before the poachers could kill it.
Sources said that forest officials of Moharli (territorial) forest range, which borders TATR, got a tip-off about a leopard having been trapped in wire traps. The leopard was reportedly struggling to free itself from the trap near village Adegaon.
RFO Rajiv Pawar and his subordinates immediately reached the spot in the afternoon. Senior forest officials, who were busy with the PCCF's tour of the district, were also informed. The officials rushed to the spot along with a tranquilisation expert and equipment from Chandrapur. A cage was also sent to capture the beast.
The experts tranquilised the beast and put it in the cage. A veterinary doctor examined the sedated beast and declared it fit to be freed into the jungle. The beast was taken to jungles bordering the Irai dam reservoir later in the evening and set free," sources said. However, no details about the investigations by forest officials into this poaching attempt have emerged as yet.
Forest department sources claimed that the traps were laid in the fringes of the forest at the periphery of agricultural fields in village Adegaon. The possibility of involvement of local poachers cannot be ruled out, sources added.
CF, Chandrapur forest circle, GRK Rao and DCF, Chandrapur forest division, P Kalyankumar could not be reached on the phone in the evening. RFO, Moharli range, Rajiv Pawar too was not available for comment.
However, reliable sources in the forest department confirmed the incident and said that the leopard rescued from the trap near Adegaon had no serious injury and hence it was immediately set free.
Experts in wildlife said that such wire traps are usually intended to trap herbivores like spotted deer (chitals) and sambar, but any wild animal including schedule-I animals like tigers and leopards can get caught in these traps. These wire traps are designed in such a way that, once a prey is trapped, the noose tightens further as the animal intensifies its efforts to free itself.
Usually this leads to grievous injuries to the trapped animal, which could lead to death due to bleeding, said the experts. However, fortunately, the leopard that was trapped in the wire traps on Thursday sustained no serious injury. This incident will serve to once again bring the activities of poachers close to the core area of TATR back into the spotlight.
Read more: Leopard rescued from poachers' wire trap outside TATR - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Leopard-rescued-from-poachers-wire-trap-outside-TATR/articleshow/6910046.cms#ixzz152htPU3g
Sources said that forest officials of Moharli (territorial) forest range, which borders TATR, got a tip-off about a leopard having been trapped in wire traps. The leopard was reportedly struggling to free itself from the trap near village Adegaon.
RFO Rajiv Pawar and his subordinates immediately reached the spot in the afternoon. Senior forest officials, who were busy with the PCCF's tour of the district, were also informed. The officials rushed to the spot along with a tranquilisation expert and equipment from Chandrapur. A cage was also sent to capture the beast.
The experts tranquilised the beast and put it in the cage. A veterinary doctor examined the sedated beast and declared it fit to be freed into the jungle. The beast was taken to jungles bordering the Irai dam reservoir later in the evening and set free," sources said. However, no details about the investigations by forest officials into this poaching attempt have emerged as yet.
Forest department sources claimed that the traps were laid in the fringes of the forest at the periphery of agricultural fields in village Adegaon. The possibility of involvement of local poachers cannot be ruled out, sources added.
CF, Chandrapur forest circle, GRK Rao and DCF, Chandrapur forest division, P Kalyankumar could not be reached on the phone in the evening. RFO, Moharli range, Rajiv Pawar too was not available for comment.
However, reliable sources in the forest department confirmed the incident and said that the leopard rescued from the trap near Adegaon had no serious injury and hence it was immediately set free.
Experts in wildlife said that such wire traps are usually intended to trap herbivores like spotted deer (chitals) and sambar, but any wild animal including schedule-I animals like tigers and leopards can get caught in these traps. These wire traps are designed in such a way that, once a prey is trapped, the noose tightens further as the animal intensifies its efforts to free itself.
Usually this leads to grievous injuries to the trapped animal, which could lead to death due to bleeding, said the experts. However, fortunately, the leopard that was trapped in the wire traps on Thursday sustained no serious injury. This incident will serve to once again bring the activities of poachers close to the core area of TATR back into the spotlight.
Read more: Leopard rescued from poachers' wire trap outside TATR - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Leopard-rescued-from-poachers-wire-trap-outside-TATR/articleshow/6910046.cms#ixzz152htPU3g
Outsiders at home
From coexistence to a conservation choice. The lush forests of Biligere Ranganatha Temple (BRT) sanctuary of southern Karnataka, recently given the status of a tiger reserve (in-principle), has a poignant dilemma at hand: whom will the forest nurture, the tigers or the Soligas (tribals of the region)?
Ever since the Centre approved the state's proposal to turn the park into a tiger reserve in September, the 1500-odd Soliga families have been living with the insecurity that they will any day be urged to leave the core area and be relocated outside the forest. The proposal received a further boost, with the tiger census this year giving clear indications of a "healthy presence". In fact, the estimation has revealed 16 direct sightings.
The forest department is determined that the forests are made inviolate. Relocation from the core area will be a voluntary option, but the department cites success stories like Bhadra where ungulate and, in turn, tiger population had increased considerably after the relocation of tribals, to press its case.
"We are not planning to drive anyone out. We will be taking their consent for any relocation and the department is offering a good package of Rs 10 lakh. They will not be relocated to distant places, only to fringe areas. We don't see why concerns should arise," says principal chief conservator of forests B K Singh.
Power and water lines in the park will have to be removed and those who choose to stay back will face problems in the days to come, says Singh. School and healthcare facilities will become much more inaccessible once the tiger reserve is notified.
According to Singh, the rights of around 1,100 families have been recognized as per the Forest Rights Act; the remaining are in the process.
The rollout, however, does not appear to be all that simple. There are as many as 22 podus (tribal colonies) in the core area of this 540sqkm sanctuary and the life of the Soligas has been intrinsically linked to the ways of the forest for centuries.
There are around 40,000 Soligas in the Chamrajnagar district of southern Karnataka. As many as 42 of the podus are in the fringe areas of BRT forest. Before the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 came into force, they were practising shifting cultivation and collecting non-timber forest produce (NTFP) such as fruits, honey, lichen, soap berry and others. However, since the act was implemented two years later, their right over the produce was gradually curbed. And in 2004, NTFP collection was completely banned.
"Even with the last deputy conservator of forests, we argued and told them how closely our lives are linked to the collection of non-timber produce. We showed him documents from Sunabeda sanctuary in Orissa were the tribals' rights to collect such produce were restored. The DCF temporarily allowed us to collect honey and broomstick. We also submitted a petition to Rahul Gandhi when he came here. But now, we have a more serious problem at hand," says Madegowda C of the Jilla Budakattu Girijana Abhivruddi Sangha.
As far as the gritty Soligas are concerned, they will not evacuate the core area of the forest, irrespective of the compensation offered. While it is apparent that their lifestyles have become modernized and one can no longer expect to see them in tribal clothes, they claim their lives are still entwined with the forest.
"I will not go out, no matter what," says Hanumegowda, a senior Soliga leader who is now a coffee planter. His wife, Pangamma cuts in, "Tell them we will not move even if they give us Rs 50 lakh."
Many tribal leaders also feel that the forest department is able to do its job only with Soliga help. Since they know the forest better and understand animal behaviour, they have been helping the skeletal department staff patrol the area.
"Tribal knowledge says there are at the most 15 to 20 tigers and not 34 tigers as the staff has estimated. Many of us work as watchers for the forest department," says Soliga leader J Bommaiah. "What trouble are we giving to the forest? If they have to relocate us, they have to relocate Lord Biligere himself, who had married a Soliga girl, Kusumale."
Adds Chari Madegowda, a senior leader of the podus: "We have been living with the animals for all these years. They sleep on that side and we on this side. Have we given trouble to each other? We eat fruits and tubers from the forest on a daily basis. If we are taken out, we will be like fish out of water."
Other tribals have a different take. They feel it will be easier for poachers to strike once the Soligas are moved out and the zone is declared a tiger reserve. "Soligas were like wild monkeys. You could not differentiate between them and the wild animals. Even today, tourism puts much more pressure on the ecosystem here than us," says Achugegowda. "The forest department staff are scared of poachers. It is we who have been protecting the forests."
The forest animals, indeed, are worshipped, points out Madegowda. "We worship Huliveerappa, the tiger god. Many clans worship other animals. We have around 487 sacred sites inside the forest where we worship. We have a very deep emotional and cultural relationship with the forest that cannot be overlooked," he says.
Member of the Karnataka State Wildlife Board and a researcher with the Wildlife Conservation Society-India, Sanjay Gubbi, feels a middle ground needs to be struck. "If a sanctuary is declared a tiger reserve, it does not mean people will be forcibly relocated. But if a solution is worked out and accepted by forest dwelling communities, that would benefit both people and tigers," he says.
Read more: Outsiders at home - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Outsiders-at-home/articleshow/6910696.cms#ixzz152hmwUbd
Ever since the Centre approved the state's proposal to turn the park into a tiger reserve in September, the 1500-odd Soliga families have been living with the insecurity that they will any day be urged to leave the core area and be relocated outside the forest. The proposal received a further boost, with the tiger census this year giving clear indications of a "healthy presence". In fact, the estimation has revealed 16 direct sightings.
The forest department is determined that the forests are made inviolate. Relocation from the core area will be a voluntary option, but the department cites success stories like Bhadra where ungulate and, in turn, tiger population had increased considerably after the relocation of tribals, to press its case.
"We are not planning to drive anyone out. We will be taking their consent for any relocation and the department is offering a good package of Rs 10 lakh. They will not be relocated to distant places, only to fringe areas. We don't see why concerns should arise," says principal chief conservator of forests B K Singh.
Power and water lines in the park will have to be removed and those who choose to stay back will face problems in the days to come, says Singh. School and healthcare facilities will become much more inaccessible once the tiger reserve is notified.
According to Singh, the rights of around 1,100 families have been recognized as per the Forest Rights Act; the remaining are in the process.
The rollout, however, does not appear to be all that simple. There are as many as 22 podus (tribal colonies) in the core area of this 540sqkm sanctuary and the life of the Soligas has been intrinsically linked to the ways of the forest for centuries.
There are around 40,000 Soligas in the Chamrajnagar district of southern Karnataka. As many as 42 of the podus are in the fringe areas of BRT forest. Before the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 came into force, they were practising shifting cultivation and collecting non-timber forest produce (NTFP) such as fruits, honey, lichen, soap berry and others. However, since the act was implemented two years later, their right over the produce was gradually curbed. And in 2004, NTFP collection was completely banned.
"Even with the last deputy conservator of forests, we argued and told them how closely our lives are linked to the collection of non-timber produce. We showed him documents from Sunabeda sanctuary in Orissa were the tribals' rights to collect such produce were restored. The DCF temporarily allowed us to collect honey and broomstick. We also submitted a petition to Rahul Gandhi when he came here. But now, we have a more serious problem at hand," says Madegowda C of the Jilla Budakattu Girijana Abhivruddi Sangha.
As far as the gritty Soligas are concerned, they will not evacuate the core area of the forest, irrespective of the compensation offered. While it is apparent that their lifestyles have become modernized and one can no longer expect to see them in tribal clothes, they claim their lives are still entwined with the forest.
"I will not go out, no matter what," says Hanumegowda, a senior Soliga leader who is now a coffee planter. His wife, Pangamma cuts in, "Tell them we will not move even if they give us Rs 50 lakh."
Many tribal leaders also feel that the forest department is able to do its job only with Soliga help. Since they know the forest better and understand animal behaviour, they have been helping the skeletal department staff patrol the area.
"Tribal knowledge says there are at the most 15 to 20 tigers and not 34 tigers as the staff has estimated. Many of us work as watchers for the forest department," says Soliga leader J Bommaiah. "What trouble are we giving to the forest? If they have to relocate us, they have to relocate Lord Biligere himself, who had married a Soliga girl, Kusumale."
Adds Chari Madegowda, a senior leader of the podus: "We have been living with the animals for all these years. They sleep on that side and we on this side. Have we given trouble to each other? We eat fruits and tubers from the forest on a daily basis. If we are taken out, we will be like fish out of water."
Other tribals have a different take. They feel it will be easier for poachers to strike once the Soligas are moved out and the zone is declared a tiger reserve. "Soligas were like wild monkeys. You could not differentiate between them and the wild animals. Even today, tourism puts much more pressure on the ecosystem here than us," says Achugegowda. "The forest department staff are scared of poachers. It is we who have been protecting the forests."
The forest animals, indeed, are worshipped, points out Madegowda. "We worship Huliveerappa, the tiger god. Many clans worship other animals. We have around 487 sacred sites inside the forest where we worship. We have a very deep emotional and cultural relationship with the forest that cannot be overlooked," he says.
Member of the Karnataka State Wildlife Board and a researcher with the Wildlife Conservation Society-India, Sanjay Gubbi, feels a middle ground needs to be struck. "If a sanctuary is declared a tiger reserve, it does not mean people will be forcibly relocated. But if a solution is worked out and accepted by forest dwelling communities, that would benefit both people and tigers," he says.
Read more: Outsiders at home - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Outsiders-at-home/articleshow/6910696.cms#ixzz152hmwUbd
Egg on face for BBC over tigers in Bhutan
The BBC describing its filming of tigers at an altitude of 4,000 meters in Bhutan as a rare discovery has shocked experts, who say presence of big cats in the Himalayan kingdom is a known fact. “Nothing new,” said Charles McDougal, a scientist who has worked for tiger conservation in Nepal and
Bhutan and had filmed tigers in Bhutan in 1998, in an email to conservationists in South Asia. He along with Nepal’s Carma Tshering had submitted a tiger conservation strategy to Bhutan based on camera traps used to film tigers at an altitude of 4,000 meters.
Tigers live and breed in habitat up to 3,000 meters above sea level and use high altitude of more than 4,000 meters to move. The Himalayan range in Bhutan and Nepal, where the BBC had out its camera traps, had been a historical corridor for tigers to move from one region to another.
Bhutan has about 150 tigers mostly found in the range of 3,000-4,000 meters, which is also the only place in the world where tigers, leopards and snow leopards share the same valley.
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) with global tiger conservationist Dr Alan Rabinowitz and wildlife cameraman Gordon Buchanan this summer installed camera traps in the high altitude and were stunned to find wildlife after three months. “The discovery has stunned experts, as the tigers are living at a higher altitude than any other known and appear to be successfully breeding,” the BBC said on its site.
It claimed there was little known about well-being of tigers in the Himalayan foothills of Bhutan and said the discovery could be crucial to a proposed scheme (Global Tiger Initiative) to save the species from extinction. Much before the BBC film the initiative identified the tiger range in Bhutan as region for future tiger conservation.
The story titled “Lost Tigers Discovered in Bhutan Mountains” also said their presence in Bhutan highlands have been confirmed by footage by a BBC natural history camera crew.
The claim evoked a strong reaction with experts saying that tigers had never gone missing in Bhutan. “It was a pity BBC did not acknowledge the amazing work on the high altitude tigers done by scientists in Bhutan and Nepal since 1990’s,” said Belinda Wright, director of Wildlife Conservation Society of India.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Egg-on-face-for-BBC-over-tigers-in-Bhutan/Article1-624191.aspx
Bhutan and had filmed tigers in Bhutan in 1998, in an email to conservationists in South Asia. He along with Nepal’s Carma Tshering had submitted a tiger conservation strategy to Bhutan based on camera traps used to film tigers at an altitude of 4,000 meters.
Tigers live and breed in habitat up to 3,000 meters above sea level and use high altitude of more than 4,000 meters to move. The Himalayan range in Bhutan and Nepal, where the BBC had out its camera traps, had been a historical corridor for tigers to move from one region to another.
Bhutan has about 150 tigers mostly found in the range of 3,000-4,000 meters, which is also the only place in the world where tigers, leopards and snow leopards share the same valley.
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) with global tiger conservationist Dr Alan Rabinowitz and wildlife cameraman Gordon Buchanan this summer installed camera traps in the high altitude and were stunned to find wildlife after three months. “The discovery has stunned experts, as the tigers are living at a higher altitude than any other known and appear to be successfully breeding,” the BBC said on its site.
It claimed there was little known about well-being of tigers in the Himalayan foothills of Bhutan and said the discovery could be crucial to a proposed scheme (Global Tiger Initiative) to save the species from extinction. Much before the BBC film the initiative identified the tiger range in Bhutan as region for future tiger conservation.
The story titled “Lost Tigers Discovered in Bhutan Mountains” also said their presence in Bhutan highlands have been confirmed by footage by a BBC natural history camera crew.
The claim evoked a strong reaction with experts saying that tigers had never gone missing in Bhutan. “It was a pity BBC did not acknowledge the amazing work on the high altitude tigers done by scientists in Bhutan and Nepal since 1990’s,” said Belinda Wright, director of Wildlife Conservation Society of India.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Egg-on-face-for-BBC-over-tigers-in-Bhutan/Article1-624191.aspx
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