With the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) working overtime to protect the tiger population, poachers have now shifted their attention to killing leopards and selling their body parts as tiger parts.
The states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh are the epicentre of this illicit trade and the Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) confirms that over 291 leopard deaths were reported in India in 2010. Another 235 and 201 leopards were killed in 2009 and 2008 respectively.
Conservationists conclude that for every tiger killed, there are 10 leopard deaths. The scale of the killing can be estimated from the fact that recently the skins of over 1,200 dead leopard were captured in Ghaziabad.
A senior researcher in WPSI believes this is just the tip of the iceberg and with the illicit international demand for big cat skins and body parts on the rise, the leopard could soon be extinct like the cheetah.
He expressed surprise that while the government has been pursuing a tiger census with great seriousness, while no effort has been made to conduct a leopard census to arrive at the exact number existing within and outside protected areas.
Figures released by the MoEF in 2008 show that there are not more than 11,000 leopards left in the country.
“Leopards live on the periphery of the forests and that makes them more vulnerable,” a senior forest official in the MoEF pointed out. With a declining prey base, leopards are being forced to move to places of high human density where they feed on domestic animals and dogs.
When it attacks livestock, it faces a backlash with communities in and around forest areas supporting poaching and the poisoning of leopards.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Sunderbans big cats shrink as mangroves swell? Prithvijit Mitra, TNN,
KOLKATA: Is the Sunderbans turning denser than ever before, making it difficult for tigers to hunt? A yearlong study by researchers indicates that the mangroves have indeed turned thicker due to the proliferation of species which are dense, making it difficult for animals to penetrate them easily. It might be a reason why tigers in the forest are losing weight and could even have contributed to their leaner look, according to the study done by a team from Jadavpur University's School of Oceanography.
While studying the salinity of water in the rivers of the mangrove forest, researchers found that the mangroves in the core area appeared denser. A scrutiny revealed that two species which are particularly dense avicennia marina and avicennia alba have multiplied in areas like Satjelia in the south and the entire western side of the forest from Namkhana to Kalas. These are within the core area where tiger population is believed to be among the highest in the forest and have recorded frequent straying over the last two years. About 15-cm long and 5-cm wide, the dark green leaves of these shrubs grow very close and make movement through very them difficult. "These are about 20% thicker than the other major mangrove variety. It's difficult to spot prey animals and hunt them down through these shrubs. This could be one of the major reasons why tigers have been finding it difficult to procure food easily in the forest. But this is an assumption since we haven't yet done enough study on tigers to conclude that their physical appearance has changed due to geographical factors," said Pranabesh Sanyal, member of the research team and former director of Sunderbans Tiger Reserve (STR).
Studies are, however, on to co-relate the weight and size of Sunderbans tigers to alteration in the nature of mangroves. While the average weight of an adult male should be around 180 kg, straying Sunderbans tigers have been found to weigh only around 100 kg. A minimum of six tigers need to be observed and studied to draw a definite conclusion. So far, five have been studied.
"We are on the verge of what could be a significant finding. Whatever be the other reasons, geographical factors are indeed responsible for tigers straying so frequently. And perhaps, even for their shrinking size," said a member.
There are others who feel that thicker mangroves could have just a marginal impact on tigers in terms of either hunting or their physical appearance. "It's physical stress due to food shortage that could be a bigger cause. And an inadequate prey base seems to be a more logical reason. A lower body weight is more likely to be the fallout of hunger than anything else. Size can't shrink in 20-30 years. This is the period when the forest has got reduced in size and prey animals have been dwindling," said Gautam Sen, oceanographer.
While dense mangroves could be a cause of worry, there was also good news for the fragile ecological system. Fiddler crabs have been found to be acting as a fertiliser, enriching the soil composition.
While studying the salinity of water in the rivers of the mangrove forest, researchers found that the mangroves in the core area appeared denser. A scrutiny revealed that two species which are particularly dense avicennia marina and avicennia alba have multiplied in areas like Satjelia in the south and the entire western side of the forest from Namkhana to Kalas. These are within the core area where tiger population is believed to be among the highest in the forest and have recorded frequent straying over the last two years. About 15-cm long and 5-cm wide, the dark green leaves of these shrubs grow very close and make movement through very them difficult. "These are about 20% thicker than the other major mangrove variety. It's difficult to spot prey animals and hunt them down through these shrubs. This could be one of the major reasons why tigers have been finding it difficult to procure food easily in the forest. But this is an assumption since we haven't yet done enough study on tigers to conclude that their physical appearance has changed due to geographical factors," said Pranabesh Sanyal, member of the research team and former director of Sunderbans Tiger Reserve (STR).
Studies are, however, on to co-relate the weight and size of Sunderbans tigers to alteration in the nature of mangroves. While the average weight of an adult male should be around 180 kg, straying Sunderbans tigers have been found to weigh only around 100 kg. A minimum of six tigers need to be observed and studied to draw a definite conclusion. So far, five have been studied.
"We are on the verge of what could be a significant finding. Whatever be the other reasons, geographical factors are indeed responsible for tigers straying so frequently. And perhaps, even for their shrinking size," said a member.
There are others who feel that thicker mangroves could have just a marginal impact on tigers in terms of either hunting or their physical appearance. "It's physical stress due to food shortage that could be a bigger cause. And an inadequate prey base seems to be a more logical reason. A lower body weight is more likely to be the fallout of hunger than anything else. Size can't shrink in 20-30 years. This is the period when the forest has got reduced in size and prey animals have been dwindling," said Gautam Sen, oceanographer.
While dense mangroves could be a cause of worry, there was also good news for the fragile ecological system. Fiddler crabs have been found to be acting as a fertiliser, enriching the soil composition.
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