Sensing that the current security structure at two tiger reserves in the state is inadequate, the Maharashtra government is planning to raise a special task force to protect the animals and current forest guards from poachers. The state finance department has given the nod to create this force in two tiger reserves of the four in the state.
Stating this on Friday, principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife) Dineshchandra Pant said: "The state finance department has decided to give the green signal for the special armed force."
"In addition to setting up the special armed force, the state government has decided to strengthen the wildlife wing, for which the number of posts will be increased," Pant added.
The force's mandate will also be to reduce man-animal conflicts in areas abutting the sanctuaries.
Of the tiger reserves in Melghat, Sahyadri, Tadoba and Pench (bordering MP), the last two will get the protection force. The two together have about 65 tigers.
Each will get 112 additional armed personnel, including 96 forest guards, 12 foresters, three range forest officers and one assistant conservator of forests. The state police department will train them and they will be paid by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
Apart from weapons, the tiger task force will be provided with terrain vehicles.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
NGO tries to make peace in Kaziranga
Jorhat, Feb. 11: Aaranyak, an NGO involved in the ongoing tiger census at Kaziranga National Park, today asked the park authorities not to enforce a total ban on tourist movement in areas already marked as tourism zones, so as not to dent livelihood avenues.
The request came after local organisations, opposed to Project Tiger for its myriad restrictions, asked Aaranyak to stall all its activities and leave Kaziranga.
The organisations, led by the Kaziranga Jeep Safari Association, fear that the tiger project in Kaziranga would hit the flourishing tourism industry, given the restrictions on flow of tourists to the core area of the park once Project Tiger is implemented completely. Besides, they felt that the focus on the big cat would rob Kaziranga of its glamour, since the national park has long been a draw for being the home of the rhino.
Bibhab Kumar Talukdar, secretary general of the NGO, said Aaranyak was supportive of eco-friendly tourism at Kaziranga and felt that the benefits of tourism should reach most of the villages around the park.
“Tourism activities should be promoted uniformly in all the five ranges of the park, including the north bank range,” he said. Talukdar said the ongoing census of tigers using camera traps at Kaziranga was initiated in 2009 in collaboration with the authorities of the park after it was declared a tiger reserve in 2006.
“The objective of the research was to bring out information on the number of tigers using modern scientific techniques and the initial findings have already put Kaziranga in the global focus with respect to successful conservation of habitats that support tigers along with one-horned rhinos and other species,” he said.
Kaziranga was found to have the highest density of tigers in the world in a finding by Aaranyak a few years back.
Punen Gogoi, president of the Kaziranga Jeep Safari Association, however, alleged that Aaranyak members, who are working at Kaziranga did not take the people near the park into confidence.
“They never held any discussion with the local people and worked on their own will. We will not allow them to work here unless they take us into confidence,” he said.
The request came after local organisations, opposed to Project Tiger for its myriad restrictions, asked Aaranyak to stall all its activities and leave Kaziranga.
The organisations, led by the Kaziranga Jeep Safari Association, fear that the tiger project in Kaziranga would hit the flourishing tourism industry, given the restrictions on flow of tourists to the core area of the park once Project Tiger is implemented completely. Besides, they felt that the focus on the big cat would rob Kaziranga of its glamour, since the national park has long been a draw for being the home of the rhino.
Bibhab Kumar Talukdar, secretary general of the NGO, said Aaranyak was supportive of eco-friendly tourism at Kaziranga and felt that the benefits of tourism should reach most of the villages around the park.
“Tourism activities should be promoted uniformly in all the five ranges of the park, including the north bank range,” he said. Talukdar said the ongoing census of tigers using camera traps at Kaziranga was initiated in 2009 in collaboration with the authorities of the park after it was declared a tiger reserve in 2006.
“The objective of the research was to bring out information on the number of tigers using modern scientific techniques and the initial findings have already put Kaziranga in the global focus with respect to successful conservation of habitats that support tigers along with one-horned rhinos and other species,” he said.
Kaziranga was found to have the highest density of tigers in the world in a finding by Aaranyak a few years back.
Punen Gogoi, president of the Kaziranga Jeep Safari Association, however, alleged that Aaranyak members, who are working at Kaziranga did not take the people near the park into confidence.
“They never held any discussion with the local people and worked on their own will. We will not allow them to work here unless they take us into confidence,” he said.
Circle of life moves Ranthambore TNN
JAIPUR: The circle of life goes on at the Ranthambore National Park. The spotting of two cubs after the death of the mother T-5, popularly known as Kachida tigress, has brought cheers to wildlife lovers and forest officials alike.
Another tigress T-31 was recently caught on a trap camera with two cubs. With confirmation of these two new births in Indala region of the park, the official figure of tiger cubs in the park since September last year has reached nine. Earlier, tigress T-13 gave birth to two cubs and tigress T-26 was caught on the camera with three cubs.
Morever, officials of the forests department hinted at two more cubs births though they were yet to be confirmed. "The cub count may reach to 11 but since we have not yet caught the new mother and her cubs on a camera, we cannot confirm their birth. Once their presence is established, the tiger count in Ranthambore will reach the figure of 40," an official said.
The new-born cubs, however, come with safety concerns, including the mothers concerned. "The tigress T-13 and her cubs are outside the park. Even T-26 had ventured outside the park earlier this week. Therefore, the forest department must draw up a specific action plan to ensure the safety of these tigers. They must be monitored 24'7. It is not just enough to take up only damage control after something goes wrong at the park," an activist said.
Officials of the department felt that it was difficult to monitor all the big cats round the clock. "We do keep track of the tigers and whenever any male tries to enter the territory of a mother we try and woo it away. But it is very difficult in a forest to keep a tiger in a particular place," another official said.
He also said the agriculture fields adjoining the park pose a special problem. These fields are filled with mustard and when these crops are four to five feet high they are mistaken as grassland by tigers. The big cats often get lost in these fields and ultimately get into conflict with humans. If the wandering tigresses are lactating mothers, the conflict reaches a higher dimension as they fiercely protect their cubs.
"In such cases, the alternative before us is to distract the them away from these fields by bursting fire crackers. It is a major concern for us as the nearby dwellers are dependent on these fields," the official added.
Another tigress T-31 was recently caught on a trap camera with two cubs. With confirmation of these two new births in Indala region of the park, the official figure of tiger cubs in the park since September last year has reached nine. Earlier, tigress T-13 gave birth to two cubs and tigress T-26 was caught on the camera with three cubs.
Morever, officials of the forests department hinted at two more cubs births though they were yet to be confirmed. "The cub count may reach to 11 but since we have not yet caught the new mother and her cubs on a camera, we cannot confirm their birth. Once their presence is established, the tiger count in Ranthambore will reach the figure of 40," an official said.
The new-born cubs, however, come with safety concerns, including the mothers concerned. "The tigress T-13 and her cubs are outside the park. Even T-26 had ventured outside the park earlier this week. Therefore, the forest department must draw up a specific action plan to ensure the safety of these tigers. They must be monitored 24'7. It is not just enough to take up only damage control after something goes wrong at the park," an activist said.
Officials of the department felt that it was difficult to monitor all the big cats round the clock. "We do keep track of the tigers and whenever any male tries to enter the territory of a mother we try and woo it away. But it is very difficult in a forest to keep a tiger in a particular place," another official said.
He also said the agriculture fields adjoining the park pose a special problem. These fields are filled with mustard and when these crops are four to five feet high they are mistaken as grassland by tigers. The big cats often get lost in these fields and ultimately get into conflict with humans. If the wandering tigresses are lactating mothers, the conflict reaches a higher dimension as they fiercely protect their cubs.
"In such cases, the alternative before us is to distract the them away from these fields by bursting fire crackers. It is a major concern for us as the nearby dwellers are dependent on these fields," the official added.
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