India's 'Tiger Census' will be released on March 28, environment minister Jairam Ramesh announced on Thursday and hoped that the country will be able to report that the big cat's population is more than the existing figure of 1,411 after the results of the exercise are out.
"It is the most comprehensive census we have done so far and very systematically, involving a large number of people. We are releasing it on March 28," Jairam said.
The census was carried out by installing cameras at strategic points, like water bodies in the forests, as also in the respective territories of the big cats and a computer analysis was done to collate the data.
The 2007 census had shown a sharp fall in the number of tigers in 'protected areas' - reserves, national parks and wildlife sanctuaries - in 19 states across the country. According to it, India had only 1,411 wild cats left in its forests.
"I hope that on March 28 we will be able to report that tiger population figure of 1,411 in India is infact more than 1,411," Jairam told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.
However, he expressed concern over the threat to the forest eco-system from multitude of sources, a true representation of the tigers.
"Tiger is a representation of our forest eco-system is under severe threat from our eco-system which is underserious threat from variety of sources, severe threat from poachers, hoteliers, hotels, from mining mafias, from political networks and from people who in made rush of inda becoming the next economic super power," he said.
Jairam said the government's endeavour would be to see tigers in the wild rather than in captivity.
"Over 50% of 3500 tigers in the wild are in India and 17,000 are in captivity. We dont want to see tigers in captivity but in wild," he said.
Asked about the rising cases of man-animal conflict in the Corbett National Park, Jairam expressed hope the government will be able to solve the problem with the state government there.
"I have given a detailed action plan for Corbett to the chief minister. I hope he will take action on that," he said.
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_tiger-census-to-be-released-on-march-28-jairam-ramesh_1521248
Friday, March 18, 2011
Rathore opposed rampant construction at anthambore - TNN
JAIPUR: Rampant construction at the Ranthambore national park seemed to have irked tiger man, the late Fateh Singh Rathore. In a document prepared last year on "Issues and Challenges of Ranthambore" the former director of the park has highlighted unnecessary civil construction in the park as one of the major challenges in it.
Interestingly, his warnings had come much before the recent curbs on construction inside the park by the Central Empowered Committee ( CEC) of the Supreme Court on a petition by Belinda Wright, executive director of the Wildlife Protection Society of India.
In his document, Singh has pointed out the tendency of the forest department to built chowkis whereever there is a need to monitor the tiger or the forest.
Terming this as a new human interference, he wrote: "Forest guards use the same water sources for various requirements like bathing, washing clothes and drinking, which keeps animals away. In order to monitor the forest and tiger it is not required to build new guard posts each time, this can easily be done with the help of monitoring vehicles. The forest department admits due to the conflict with the villagers the guard posts on the periphery remain vacant. But this does not mean that the prime areas which are the central areas of the park be colonised by such choukies."
Singh also took exception to many roads being constructed as many trees had been cut down.
"The park has several roads; tourists use some of them and disturb the animals. Moreover, Ranthambore already has enough roads, hence there is no need for more," he wrote. In particular, he mentioned the road in the heart of the park at Nalghati and said, "uch unnecessary roads should be blocked and new construction should not be encouraged."
Fateh Singh had opposed the moves by the forest department in building annicuts and artificial water bodies. This time the CEC's objection was against those proposed to be build.
"There is a place called Sukhi Talai (dry pond) in Ranthambore, which gives fantastic tiger sightings, but in spite of the name there is water in this place until December. Today there are 50 - 60 such dry ponds created in Ranthambore by the forest department but with no water!" he wrote.
He had also warned of alternation in the habitat due to building of such waterbodies.
Most notable in his advice was to refrain setting up foundation stones in lieu of donations from various bodies. "This is a tiger reserve but it looks like a memorial now in many places!," he wrote.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/Rathore-opposed-rampant-construction-at-anthambore/articleshow/7731578.cms
Interestingly, his warnings had come much before the recent curbs on construction inside the park by the Central Empowered Committee ( CEC) of the Supreme Court on a petition by Belinda Wright, executive director of the Wildlife Protection Society of India.
In his document, Singh has pointed out the tendency of the forest department to built chowkis whereever there is a need to monitor the tiger or the forest.
Terming this as a new human interference, he wrote: "Forest guards use the same water sources for various requirements like bathing, washing clothes and drinking, which keeps animals away. In order to monitor the forest and tiger it is not required to build new guard posts each time, this can easily be done with the help of monitoring vehicles. The forest department admits due to the conflict with the villagers the guard posts on the periphery remain vacant. But this does not mean that the prime areas which are the central areas of the park be colonised by such choukies."
Singh also took exception to many roads being constructed as many trees had been cut down.
"The park has several roads; tourists use some of them and disturb the animals. Moreover, Ranthambore already has enough roads, hence there is no need for more," he wrote. In particular, he mentioned the road in the heart of the park at Nalghati and said, "uch unnecessary roads should be blocked and new construction should not be encouraged."
Fateh Singh had opposed the moves by the forest department in building annicuts and artificial water bodies. This time the CEC's objection was against those proposed to be build.
"There is a place called Sukhi Talai (dry pond) in Ranthambore, which gives fantastic tiger sightings, but in spite of the name there is water in this place until December. Today there are 50 - 60 such dry ponds created in Ranthambore by the forest department but with no water!" he wrote.
He had also warned of alternation in the habitat due to building of such waterbodies.
Most notable in his advice was to refrain setting up foundation stones in lieu of donations from various bodies. "This is a tiger reserve but it looks like a memorial now in many places!," he wrote.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/Rathore-opposed-rampant-construction-at-anthambore/articleshow/7731578.cms
A tiger in a bird sanctuary - Amit Sengupta
At the declining Koeladeo National Park, also popular as the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, the Siberian Cranes have not arrived for quite a while. Nor have rare long-distance bird species, who would fill the water bodies and trees with their exquisite crackling and colourful wings as spring arrives in the forest. However, surprisingly, a new guest has arrived from the dark: a big cat in full bloom.
The tiger from Ranthambhore, T-7, after a long, adventurous journey beyond the national park, hitting the highway literally around the Mathura Refinery, and some rather unsavoury encounters with humans and habitations, has finally found a comfort zone in the deeper interiors of the bird sanctuary. This is because of the rich prey base with not only an abundant nilgai population, but also the hundreds of cows (who are productively useless) abandoned in the wild by their owners to fend for themselves and thereby wait for death. (Incidentally, Hindu religious centre Mathura is the mythical epicentre of the cow-belt, with legends of Krishna around cows, milk, butter and ghee, intrinsic to its memory and culture.)
In the past, inside the back of the sanctuary, where tourists don't go, through the solitary shadows, there was always a surreal sight waiting for adventure-seekers. Dead cows, their skeletons sprawled all over, across the zigzag landscape. In this eerie, tragic landscape, you could see dead cows all over, and living cows waiting to die. This was the dominant memory of these forests, where, suddenly, even the birds stop chirping. As if the graveyard in green has chosen to become speechless.
In this eerie terrain, the Ranthambhore tiger, T-7, has found an ephemeral, happy refuge. Precisely because of the rich prey base. Forest officials say, not less than 1,000 cows have been released in the forests by locals. They are all out there, chewing grass in peace. Suddenly aware that a predator has arrived amidst them.However, the cows have found relief. T-7 was tranquilised and shifted to Sariska, like four of his mates. There, he will have his own, huge, private territory. A new forest home. And a big prey base.
http://www.hardnewsmedia.com/2011/03/3882
The tiger from Ranthambhore, T-7, after a long, adventurous journey beyond the national park, hitting the highway literally around the Mathura Refinery, and some rather unsavoury encounters with humans and habitations, has finally found a comfort zone in the deeper interiors of the bird sanctuary. This is because of the rich prey base with not only an abundant nilgai population, but also the hundreds of cows (who are productively useless) abandoned in the wild by their owners to fend for themselves and thereby wait for death. (Incidentally, Hindu religious centre Mathura is the mythical epicentre of the cow-belt, with legends of Krishna around cows, milk, butter and ghee, intrinsic to its memory and culture.)
In the past, inside the back of the sanctuary, where tourists don't go, through the solitary shadows, there was always a surreal sight waiting for adventure-seekers. Dead cows, their skeletons sprawled all over, across the zigzag landscape. In this eerie, tragic landscape, you could see dead cows all over, and living cows waiting to die. This was the dominant memory of these forests, where, suddenly, even the birds stop chirping. As if the graveyard in green has chosen to become speechless.
In this eerie terrain, the Ranthambhore tiger, T-7, has found an ephemeral, happy refuge. Precisely because of the rich prey base. Forest officials say, not less than 1,000 cows have been released in the forests by locals. They are all out there, chewing grass in peace. Suddenly aware that a predator has arrived amidst them.However, the cows have found relief. T-7 was tranquilised and shifted to Sariska, like four of his mates. There, he will have his own, huge, private territory. A new forest home. And a big prey base.
http://www.hardnewsmedia.com/2011/03/3882
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