The number of tigers in Rajaji National Park (RNP) has risen to over 32 but biotic pressure, especially from the population of Van Gujjars living in the national park, is damaging environment in the protected area, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) and Chief Wild-Life Warden Shrikant Chandola said here on Monday.
Speaking at a meeting on the occasion of World Forestry Day, Chandola said 32 tigers had been counted in the park though their population is believed to be around 40. The national park has one of the richest sambhar populations in India, which is favourable for tigers.
But Van Gujjars living in the park are disturbing peace in the area, Chandola said.
Eight tiger deaths have been recorded in the State since April 1, 2010, of which one tiger was shot after being marked a ‘man-eater’. The other deaths were due to natural causes. However, referring to the man killed by a tiger in Corbett National Park on March 11, the CWLW said it was not a man-eater and that the death, though unfortunate, occurred because “the man was in the tiger’s area and hence an easy prey”.
Since Van Gujjars occupy the best lands and utilise water inside Rajaji, it has a negative impact on wildlife, Chandola said. He added that though the Van Gujjars in the past were sensitive towards environment and wildlife, their presence in the park was now associated with the rise in poaching.
Grazing by domestic animals has also led to the spread of lantana throughout the park and, for ensuring the success of conservation efforts, it is essential to relocate humans outside the national park, Chandola said. Moreover, developing the forests of Lansdowne division as a dedicated wildlife corridor is vital for ensuring genetic diversity and allowing free movement of animals between Corbett and Rajaji.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/325977/Rajaji-tiger-count-tops-32-no-thanks-to-Van-Gujjars.html
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Custody of tiger skin accused extended-TNN
NAGPUR: The forest custody remand (FCR) of two youths attempting to sell 53-year-old licensed tiger skin online has been extended till March 23.
Devesh Raut (29) and Kapil Devke (31) from Daryapur near Amravati were arrested on March 16 by the crime branch for attempting to sell a licensed tiger skin for Rs 50 lakh. Their initial FCR was until March 20.
Devesh and Kapil were on Monday taken to their hometown Daryapur by assistant conservator of forest ( ACF) and investigating officer Avinash Anjikar.
"We did not find any additional animal trophies or tiger skins during the search of house of the accused persons. The website launched by the culprits to sell tiger skin mentioned that they dealt in seven wildlife products but this fact, too, could not be established," Anjikar said.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Custody-of-tiger-skin-accused-extended/articleshow/7758204.cms
Devesh Raut (29) and Kapil Devke (31) from Daryapur near Amravati were arrested on March 16 by the crime branch for attempting to sell a licensed tiger skin for Rs 50 lakh. Their initial FCR was until March 20.
Devesh and Kapil were on Monday taken to their hometown Daryapur by assistant conservator of forest ( ACF) and investigating officer Avinash Anjikar.
"We did not find any additional animal trophies or tiger skins during the search of house of the accused persons. The website launched by the culprits to sell tiger skin mentioned that they dealt in seven wildlife products but this fact, too, could not be established," Anjikar said.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Custody-of-tiger-skin-accused-extended/articleshow/7758204.cms
Soon, female tourist guides at Tadoba Mazhar Ali, TNN
CHANDRAPUR: Tourists visiting Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) with families would have a pleasant surprise this summer. They might just be accompanied by female tourist guides for the safari.
Three enthusiastic girls from villages in the reserve's buffer zone have enrolled for the training camp for tourist guides that began in Moharli on Monday to mark International Forest Day. It would be the first instance in Maharashtra, probably in the country, when women tour guides would take tourists on safari in tiger reserves. Kanchan Joshi and Shaila Ramteke, both from Palasgaon village, and Sonali Meshram from Mamla village in the buffer area will be qualified as tour guides after the training currently under way.
The management of TATR has taken up an extensive capacity building programme for villagers living in its buffer zone to develop their earning capabilities. A five-day-long skill upgradation camp for tourist guides began from Monday in Moharli village as a part of the same programme.
What came as a surprise for the authorities was that these three girls turned up to join the training. "Basically it is a skill upgradation camp for existing tourist guides. But the girls were so keen to become tourist guides that we accepted them for training," said CF and field director of TATR Vinaykumar Sinha. At present, there are 60 tourist guides in TATR and they are paid Rs 200 per trip into the tiger reserve. Thirty tourist guides, including the girls, began training in the camp from Monday.
The idea of training women as tourist guides first came up in the concluding programme of a tailoring and leather-bag making training camp for women at the training centre of Indian Institute of Youth Welfare (IIYF) here a fortnight back. Sinha was guest of honour for the programme and all 22 trainee women present in the programme agreed to take up tour-guide as a profession, when the subject came up during an informal discussion.
Impressed by their enthusiasm, Sinha agreed to offer them the opportunity and asked them to forward their application through IIYF centre in-charge Vijay Takey for the training camp scheduled to begin from International Forest Day.
"They would be given both theoretical and field knowledge about basic ecology and ecotourism. Details about behaviour and habitat of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and even the species of the plants found in TATR would be given by experts during the training. The female guides would be ideal to accompany families or group of girls or women coming on their own for safari in TATR," said Sinha. He said that the girls are Std XII pass and if worked on their English speaking skills, they could also escort foreign tourists.
He said that Prof Adwait Adgaonkar and Yogesh Dubey from Indian Institute of Forest Management, senior wildlife expert Prachi Mehta, insect expert Radhesham Sharma and reptile expert Sanjay Thakur from WWF would train the tourist guides.
With the forest department planning to develop two more tourist zones in the buffer area to reduce tourism pressure from the core area of TATR, the idea of taking up tourist guide as a profession may be a good idea for the women of the villages.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Soon-female-tourist-guides-at-Tadoba/articleshow/7757263.cms
Three enthusiastic girls from villages in the reserve's buffer zone have enrolled for the training camp for tourist guides that began in Moharli on Monday to mark International Forest Day. It would be the first instance in Maharashtra, probably in the country, when women tour guides would take tourists on safari in tiger reserves. Kanchan Joshi and Shaila Ramteke, both from Palasgaon village, and Sonali Meshram from Mamla village in the buffer area will be qualified as tour guides after the training currently under way.
The management of TATR has taken up an extensive capacity building programme for villagers living in its buffer zone to develop their earning capabilities. A five-day-long skill upgradation camp for tourist guides began from Monday in Moharli village as a part of the same programme.
What came as a surprise for the authorities was that these three girls turned up to join the training. "Basically it is a skill upgradation camp for existing tourist guides. But the girls were so keen to become tourist guides that we accepted them for training," said CF and field director of TATR Vinaykumar Sinha. At present, there are 60 tourist guides in TATR and they are paid Rs 200 per trip into the tiger reserve. Thirty tourist guides, including the girls, began training in the camp from Monday.
The idea of training women as tourist guides first came up in the concluding programme of a tailoring and leather-bag making training camp for women at the training centre of Indian Institute of Youth Welfare (IIYF) here a fortnight back. Sinha was guest of honour for the programme and all 22 trainee women present in the programme agreed to take up tour-guide as a profession, when the subject came up during an informal discussion.
Impressed by their enthusiasm, Sinha agreed to offer them the opportunity and asked them to forward their application through IIYF centre in-charge Vijay Takey for the training camp scheduled to begin from International Forest Day.
"They would be given both theoretical and field knowledge about basic ecology and ecotourism. Details about behaviour and habitat of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and even the species of the plants found in TATR would be given by experts during the training. The female guides would be ideal to accompany families or group of girls or women coming on their own for safari in TATR," said Sinha. He said that the girls are Std XII pass and if worked on their English speaking skills, they could also escort foreign tourists.
He said that Prof Adwait Adgaonkar and Yogesh Dubey from Indian Institute of Forest Management, senior wildlife expert Prachi Mehta, insect expert Radhesham Sharma and reptile expert Sanjay Thakur from WWF would train the tourist guides.
With the forest department planning to develop two more tourist zones in the buffer area to reduce tourism pressure from the core area of TATR, the idea of taking up tourist guide as a profession may be a good idea for the women of the villages.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Soon-female-tourist-guides-at-Tadoba/articleshow/7757263.cms
No decline in tigers in Similipal forest-PTI
Bhubaneswar: There has been no decline in the population of tigers in Similipal forests in Mayurbhanj district, where their number was 61, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said today.
Of the 61 tigers in Similipal, 16 were males, 31 females and 14 cubs, he said replying to a written question in the assembly.
Patnaik, who also holds the forest and environment departments, said the number of tigers in the forest was found during the a census by the state government in 2009 by adopting the pug mark method.
The outcome of the 2010 census conducted by the Ministry of Forest and Environment with help of Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, was not known as all the four phases associated with the head count were yet to be completed.
The economic survey of 2010-11 had, however, said there were 192 tigers and 487 leopards in the state as per the 2004 census as against 173 tigers and 457 leopards counted in 2002.
The WII census of 2006-2007 using the camera trap method had put the number of tigers between 17 and 23 besides tiger cubs in Similipal area but had not given any figure based on gender, he said.
Orissa has two notified tiger reserves - one at Similipal in Mayurbhanj district and another at Satkosia in Angul district.
http://www.zeenews.com/news694719.html
Of the 61 tigers in Similipal, 16 were males, 31 females and 14 cubs, he said replying to a written question in the assembly.
Patnaik, who also holds the forest and environment departments, said the number of tigers in the forest was found during the a census by the state government in 2009 by adopting the pug mark method.
The outcome of the 2010 census conducted by the Ministry of Forest and Environment with help of Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, was not known as all the four phases associated with the head count were yet to be completed.
The economic survey of 2010-11 had, however, said there were 192 tigers and 487 leopards in the state as per the 2004 census as against 173 tigers and 457 leopards counted in 2002.
The WII census of 2006-2007 using the camera trap method had put the number of tigers between 17 and 23 besides tiger cubs in Similipal area but had not given any figure based on gender, he said.
Orissa has two notified tiger reserves - one at Similipal in Mayurbhanj district and another at Satkosia in Angul district.
http://www.zeenews.com/news694719.html
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