KOLKATA: The nation will have to wait till monsoon to know the number of Royal Bengal Tigers in Sunderbans. While the numbers of wild tigers in rest of the nation are likely to come out in March, Sunderbans may not figure in that, as Wildlife Institute of India (WII) could complete only two phases of population estimation due to the mangrove forest's difficult ter-rain. Though, the distribution and occupancy data will be out soon.
"Humans are on the menu of tigers when they work in Sunderbans. While working we have found that one needs to be in a group and be very cautious. Overall, the nature of this mangrove forest makes the entire practice a time consuming matter," said WII's Qamar Qureshi, adding that the work of third phase has only started in September. WII, which is working in Sunderbans for almost three years has completed tiger signs collection, ungulate distribution and mapping of the forest. "We have collected scat information of the big cats, done camera traps and have radio collared a few tigers. Now, we are running the ungulate survey and sign survey of tigers to get the number. DNA sampling too will be done in this phase," said Qureshi.
According to him, it can come out with the number of tigers in Sunderbans only in the monsoon. "We are trying our best to make the numbers available by March with the figures of other parts of India, but it seems difficult," he said. Earlier, National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), deputy inspector general, S P Yadav told TOI that the entire census report may get delayed by a couple of months as the Centre would not compromise on standard and reliability.
"Sunderbans is a habitat that is notoriously difficult to negotiate, apart from creek access at high tide. It is thus difficult to scientifically physically estimate the population of tigers here. This is why both the West Bengal forest department and WII are finding it justifiably difficult to arrive at a credible tiger estimate," said Bittu Sahgal, editor, Sanctuary Asia.
Meanwhile, WII will submit its preliminary report on distribution and occupancy of tigers to the Centre in a few weeks. Without divulging much, Qureshi said, forest occupancy of big cats in Sunderbans though will figure in the report. It may be noted that according to the last census in 2008, occupancy of tigers in Sunderbans was about 1586 square kilometres, though the numbers could not be assessed due to lack of reliability.
The last census done in Sunderbans in 2001-02, put the tiger numbers in Indian part of the mangrove forest at 274, of which, Sunderbans Tiger Re-serve had 249 and South 24-Parganas forest division had 25 big cats. But in 2006, Indian Statistical Institute claimed that the number is not more than 75, the report, however, was rejected by the state government. "I personally doubt that 274 cats ever existed in the Sunderbans. Nevertheless, the habitat is imminently suitable for tigers which, apart from herbivores, also feed on carrion washed down by rivers or thrown up by the sea. One way or the other I expect the Sunderbans tiger estimation to surprise everyone," added Sahgal.
"Population estimation is being done by a new methodology called Monitoring of Tigers, Co-predators, Prey and Habitat', developed by the Project Tiger. But work in the final phase is still left and we don't think the Centre will be able to come out with Sunderbans tiger numbers in time," said principal chief conservator of forests Atanu Raha. In Sunderbans, about 35 teams, with 250 forest personnel are taking part in the process.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Tiger sparks panic in Assam
OUR CORRESPONDENT
Nagaon, Nov. 22. A full grown Royal Bengal tiger has created panic in central Assam’s Morigaon district for the past six days.
The tiger, from Orang National Park, crossed the Brahmaputra and entered the district on November 17.
A Nagaon forest department source said villagers of Kandhulimari tracked the movement of the tiger in the area on Wednesday and reported the matter to a local forest department official. It killed a cow in that area and was spotted near Habi Barangabari.
“The tiger has been in Habi Barangabari for the past five days. It killed a pig last night. Our forest department officials are stationed there. All possible attempts are being made to send it back to its original habitat,” said Nagaon divisional forest officer Aftabuddin Ahmed.
Royal Bengal tigers crossing the Brahmaputra and entering villages have become common in the past two years.
Nagaon, Nov. 22. A full grown Royal Bengal tiger has created panic in central Assam’s Morigaon district for the past six days.
The tiger, from Orang National Park, crossed the Brahmaputra and entered the district on November 17.
A Nagaon forest department source said villagers of Kandhulimari tracked the movement of the tiger in the area on Wednesday and reported the matter to a local forest department official. It killed a cow in that area and was spotted near Habi Barangabari.
“The tiger has been in Habi Barangabari for the past five days. It killed a pig last night. Our forest department officials are stationed there. All possible attempts are being made to send it back to its original habitat,” said Nagaon divisional forest officer Aftabuddin Ahmed.
Royal Bengal tigers crossing the Brahmaputra and entering villages have become common in the past two years.
Needed, global action to save the tiger
EDITS | Tuesday, November 23, 2010 | Email | Print | | Back
Stop illicit trade in tiger body parts
The summit hosted by Russia’s Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and attended by his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao among other top leaders from 13 tiger-range countries underscores how serious a concern tiger conservation has become globally. The decline of the wild tiger population has been alarming: From 100,000 big cats the jungles a century ago, only 3,200 tigers are left in the forests of these 13 countries. Three subspecies — Bali, Javan and Caspian — have become extinct. With 104 to 119 tigers falling prey to poachers every year, the forecast by the World Wildlife Fund that there won’t be any tigers left to celebrate the next Chinese Year of the Tiger (2022) doesn’t seem to be unduly alarming. This is all the more so because apart from Russia, all other countries have failed to increase the number of tigers in the wild. India is a case in point. The country continues to witness a steady decline in the number of big cats although the Government launched Project Tiger way back in 1973 to identify and address the limiting factors in tiger reserves. The ongoing decline of the tiger population is, in essence, a comment on the loss of forest cover in Asia. Clearly, tigers are fighting a losing battle for their survival as human beings encroach into their natural habitat and the prey base declines. Shrinking forest cover on account of ill-planned development projects and expanding human habitation is one of the reasons behind the rapidly declining tiger population. But the major factor behind the depletion is poaching. Tigers continue to be killed for their body parts which fetch a fortune; those living near or within tiger reserves are easily lured into this illicit trade with hideous consequences: Casual poaching has now turned into organised crime that transcends national borders.
If the political leaders of the countries concerned take a united and firm stand to combat poaching and marshal all necessary resources to prevent tigers from becoming an extinct species, perhaps the big cat may yet survive in the wild. Those attending the tiger summit are expected to discuss ways to strengthen law-enforcement and management of protected wildlife areas. Needless to add, they should focus on putting an end to cross-border illegal trade in tiger body parts by adopting stringent deterrent measures. Simultaneously, there is need for launching a massive awareness campaign as well as involving local populations in protecting tigers. However, there cannot be a one-size-fits-all approach towards conservation of this endangered animal. Local conditions differ from country to country and require solutions that are region and area specific. For instance, in India the Government can no longer delay relocating human population within tiger reserves and making access to the animal’s habitat as difficult as possible.
Stop illicit trade in tiger body parts
The summit hosted by Russia’s Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and attended by his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao among other top leaders from 13 tiger-range countries underscores how serious a concern tiger conservation has become globally. The decline of the wild tiger population has been alarming: From 100,000 big cats the jungles a century ago, only 3,200 tigers are left in the forests of these 13 countries. Three subspecies — Bali, Javan and Caspian — have become extinct. With 104 to 119 tigers falling prey to poachers every year, the forecast by the World Wildlife Fund that there won’t be any tigers left to celebrate the next Chinese Year of the Tiger (2022) doesn’t seem to be unduly alarming. This is all the more so because apart from Russia, all other countries have failed to increase the number of tigers in the wild. India is a case in point. The country continues to witness a steady decline in the number of big cats although the Government launched Project Tiger way back in 1973 to identify and address the limiting factors in tiger reserves. The ongoing decline of the tiger population is, in essence, a comment on the loss of forest cover in Asia. Clearly, tigers are fighting a losing battle for their survival as human beings encroach into their natural habitat and the prey base declines. Shrinking forest cover on account of ill-planned development projects and expanding human habitation is one of the reasons behind the rapidly declining tiger population. But the major factor behind the depletion is poaching. Tigers continue to be killed for their body parts which fetch a fortune; those living near or within tiger reserves are easily lured into this illicit trade with hideous consequences: Casual poaching has now turned into organised crime that transcends national borders.
If the political leaders of the countries concerned take a united and firm stand to combat poaching and marshal all necessary resources to prevent tigers from becoming an extinct species, perhaps the big cat may yet survive in the wild. Those attending the tiger summit are expected to discuss ways to strengthen law-enforcement and management of protected wildlife areas. Needless to add, they should focus on putting an end to cross-border illegal trade in tiger body parts by adopting stringent deterrent measures. Simultaneously, there is need for launching a massive awareness campaign as well as involving local populations in protecting tigers. However, there cannot be a one-size-fits-all approach towards conservation of this endangered animal. Local conditions differ from country to country and require solutions that are region and area specific. For instance, in India the Government can no longer delay relocating human population within tiger reserves and making access to the animal’s habitat as difficult as possible.
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