PANAJI: Protection of the flagship species like tiger in Mhadei wildlife sanctuary is a golden opportunity for Goa not only to conserve the big cat but also halt the spreading tentacles of destruction, say environmental activists. Carving out a tiger reserve in the eco-sensitive region will lead to focused protection of the tiger as well as the entire ecology. "This is a great opportunity for Goa to protect the region's lifeline, River Mhadei from diversion," says Bicholim-based activist, Ramesh Gawas.
Concurring with him, Sujeet Dongre, co-ordinator, centre for environmental education (CEE) said, "The status of the project tiger site will certainly enhance the level of protection even as it enjoys a certain status as a wildlife sanctuary. And the state will receive more funding for focused protection of the tiger and consequently the surrounding environment," he added. Some environmentalists are satisfied that the status of the flagship species is no longer that of a visitor to the state.
Says Clinton Vaz, co-ordinator of wild Goa, an NGO. "It is now official that they are residents of Goa," he said. Jairam Ramesh, union minister of environment and forest had referred to the resident status of the Goa tiger in his letter to chief minister Digambar Kamat. But some are aware of the Goa government's lack of seriousness in mooting a proposal for a tiger reserve. "It is very reluctant about it only because of mining interests," Gawas said. The preliminary report that the samples of tiger bones found in the Keri poaching case did not belong to the big cat was an indication of it. "Secondly, it was the Centre that had to prod the state to submit a proposal on the tiger reserve," Gawas added. Agrees Vaz, "The people have been crying hoarse for a long time that the tiger is a resident of Goa," he said. Sawant said that on-field evidence gathered by wildlife lovers suggests that Goa may have more big cats than is assumed. "Tigers have existed in Goa since time immemorial," he said.
Environmentalists believe that the next step is to work together. "Both sides (people and the forest department) are now accepting the fact that tigers are residents of Goa," says Vaz. But Siddarth Karapurkar, a Margao-based social activist said that people's protection should be woven into habitat protection. "They have lived for centuries and are better forest protectors than the forest department," he said. Activists in Bicholim and Sattari are also satisfied about Tuesday's development. "The proposal should have come much earlier, but it should not be delayed to allow further destruction," Amrut Singh of the Animal Rescue Squad said. He and various other activists said that the Swami Vivekanand Paryawaran Sanghatana, Keri, headed by Rajendra Kerkar, and the Bombay Natural History Society had contributed in creating awareness about the issue. "The government has to respond immediately as there are several benefits to the state," Gawas concluded.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Greens-roar-with-delight-at-tigers-permanent-status/articleshow/9044148.cms
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Cat and mouse game over Rajasthan's tigers
Jaipur, June 29 (IANS) The Rajasthan government's failure to speed up relocation of villages inside the two tiger reserves in the state has once again raised doubts over its decisiveness to protect the majestic cats, experts say.
Since the relocation was announced in 2008, the forest department has been able to shift only three of the 92 villages falling inside the Sariska Tiger Reserve in Alwar district and the Ranthambore National Park in Sawai Madhopur district.
In 2005, the forest department had planned to shift these villages after tigers in Sariska were completely wiped out on account of poaching.
The man-animal conflict inside the reserves pose a serious threat to the wild cat, as the villagers often poison the tigers to protect their livestock and families.
According to wildlife experts, Rajasthan has around 45 tigers left.
"One village - Bhagani - has been shifted from Sariska, while Indala and Machanki have been moved from Ranthambore since 2008. The process of relocating six villages from Sariska and seven from Ranthambore is underway," a forest department officer told IANS.
However, the department is yet to start relocation of the remaining villages.
"With this pace, the government might never be able to shift all villages and this poses a serious threat for the wildlife," said Babu Lal Jaju, state incharge of NGO People for Animals.
The state government had faced widespread protests in 2004-05 when it was reported that Sariska did not have any tigers left.
A report in March 2005 by the Wildlife Institute of India confirmed that poaching had wiped out the wild cat population.
Facing flak from different quarters, the state government decided to relocate tigers from Ranthambore to Sariska. From 2008, five tigers, including two males, have been relocated to the reserve.
However, in November 2010, the first relocated tiger died due to poisoning.
Experts say lopsided land acquisition too has slowed down the relocation process, but the state government disagrees.
"We give Rs.10 lakh and land as compensation to each relocated family, but the consent of the family is required. In many cases, we don't get it, so it becomes hard for us to convince the villagers to shift," said the forest officer.
"We are discussing steps to speed up the process and will soon implement them," he added.
Ranthambore National Park, which covers an area of around 400 sq km, is one of the finest tiger reserves in the country. The park's abandoned fortress, lakes and above all, around 40 majestic tigers, have made it one of the most filmed wildlife reserves in the world.
The park is also home to animals like the jackal, mongoose, sloth bear and leopard.
Sawai Madhopur is some 175 km from state capital Jaipur.
Sariska, originally a hunting preserve of the erstwhile princely state of Alwar, was declared a wildlife reserve in 1955.
It was declared a tiger reserve in 1978. Spread over 866 sq. km, the area also has animals like leopards, jungle cats, hyenas, jackals, sambars, langurs, wild boars, four-horned deer and many species of birds.
It is located some 110 km from Jaipur.
http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=local&newsid=248029
Since the relocation was announced in 2008, the forest department has been able to shift only three of the 92 villages falling inside the Sariska Tiger Reserve in Alwar district and the Ranthambore National Park in Sawai Madhopur district.
In 2005, the forest department had planned to shift these villages after tigers in Sariska were completely wiped out on account of poaching.
The man-animal conflict inside the reserves pose a serious threat to the wild cat, as the villagers often poison the tigers to protect their livestock and families.
According to wildlife experts, Rajasthan has around 45 tigers left.
"One village - Bhagani - has been shifted from Sariska, while Indala and Machanki have been moved from Ranthambore since 2008. The process of relocating six villages from Sariska and seven from Ranthambore is underway," a forest department officer told IANS.
However, the department is yet to start relocation of the remaining villages.
"With this pace, the government might never be able to shift all villages and this poses a serious threat for the wildlife," said Babu Lal Jaju, state incharge of NGO People for Animals.
The state government had faced widespread protests in 2004-05 when it was reported that Sariska did not have any tigers left.
A report in March 2005 by the Wildlife Institute of India confirmed that poaching had wiped out the wild cat population.
Facing flak from different quarters, the state government decided to relocate tigers from Ranthambore to Sariska. From 2008, five tigers, including two males, have been relocated to the reserve.
However, in November 2010, the first relocated tiger died due to poisoning.
Experts say lopsided land acquisition too has slowed down the relocation process, but the state government disagrees.
"We give Rs.10 lakh and land as compensation to each relocated family, but the consent of the family is required. In many cases, we don't get it, so it becomes hard for us to convince the villagers to shift," said the forest officer.
"We are discussing steps to speed up the process and will soon implement them," he added.
Ranthambore National Park, which covers an area of around 400 sq km, is one of the finest tiger reserves in the country. The park's abandoned fortress, lakes and above all, around 40 majestic tigers, have made it one of the most filmed wildlife reserves in the world.
The park is also home to animals like the jackal, mongoose, sloth bear and leopard.
Sawai Madhopur is some 175 km from state capital Jaipur.
Sariska, originally a hunting preserve of the erstwhile princely state of Alwar, was declared a wildlife reserve in 1955.
It was declared a tiger reserve in 1978. Spread over 866 sq. km, the area also has animals like leopards, jungle cats, hyenas, jackals, sambars, langurs, wild boars, four-horned deer and many species of birds.
It is located some 110 km from Jaipur.
http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=local&newsid=248029
Cat and mouse game over Rajasthan's tigers
Jaipur, June 29 (IANS) The Rajasthan government's failure to speed up relocation of villages inside the two tiger reserves in the state has once again raised doubts over its decisiveness to protect the majestic cats, experts say.
Since the relocation was announced in 2008, the forest department has been able to shift only three of the 92 villages falling inside the Sariska Tiger Reserve in Alwar district and the Ranthambore National Park in Sawai Madhopur district.
In 2005, the forest department had planned to shift these villages after tigers in Sariska were completely wiped out on account of poaching.
The man-animal conflict inside the reserves pose a serious threat to the wild cat, as the villagers often poison the tigers to protect their livestock and families.
According to wildlife experts, Rajasthan has around 45 tigers left.
"One village - Bhagani - has been shifted from Sariska, while Indala and Machanki have been moved from Ranthambore since 2008. The process of relocating six villages from Sariska and seven from Ranthambore is underway," a forest department officer told IANS.
However, the department is yet to start relocation of the remaining villages.
"With this pace, the government might never be able to shift all villages and this poses a serious threat for the wildlife," said Babu Lal Jaju, state incharge of NGO People for Animals.
The state government had faced widespread protests in 2004-05 when it was reported that Sariska did not have any tigers left.
A report in March 2005 by the Wildlife Institute of India confirmed that poaching had wiped out the wild cat population.
Facing flak from different quarters, the state government decided to relocate tigers from Ranthambore to Sariska. From 2008, five tigers, including two males, have been relocated to the reserve.
However, in November 2010, the first relocated tiger died due to poisoning.
Experts say lopsided land acquisition too has slowed down the relocation process, but the state government disagrees.
"We give Rs.10 lakh and land as compensation to each relocated family, but the consent of the family is required. In many cases, we don't get it, so it becomes hard for us to convince the villagers to shift," said the forest officer.
"We are discussing steps to speed up the process and will soon implement them," he added.
Ranthambore National Park, which covers an area of around 400 sq km, is one of the finest tiger reserves in the country. The park's abandoned fortress, lakes and above all, around 40 majestic tigers, have made it one of the most filmed wildlife reserves in the world.
The park is also home to animals like the jackal, mongoose, sloth bear and leopard.
Sawai Madhopur is some 175 km from state capital Jaipur.
Sariska, originally a hunting preserve of the erstwhile princely state of Alwar, was declared a wildlife reserve in 1955.
It was declared a tiger reserve in 1978. Spread over 866 sq. km, the area also has animals like leopards, jungle cats, hyenas, jackals, sambars, langurs, wild boars, four-horned deer and many species of birds.
It is located some 110 km from Jaipur.
http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=local&newsid=248029
Since the relocation was announced in 2008, the forest department has been able to shift only three of the 92 villages falling inside the Sariska Tiger Reserve in Alwar district and the Ranthambore National Park in Sawai Madhopur district.
In 2005, the forest department had planned to shift these villages after tigers in Sariska were completely wiped out on account of poaching.
The man-animal conflict inside the reserves pose a serious threat to the wild cat, as the villagers often poison the tigers to protect their livestock and families.
According to wildlife experts, Rajasthan has around 45 tigers left.
"One village - Bhagani - has been shifted from Sariska, while Indala and Machanki have been moved from Ranthambore since 2008. The process of relocating six villages from Sariska and seven from Ranthambore is underway," a forest department officer told IANS.
However, the department is yet to start relocation of the remaining villages.
"With this pace, the government might never be able to shift all villages and this poses a serious threat for the wildlife," said Babu Lal Jaju, state incharge of NGO People for Animals.
The state government had faced widespread protests in 2004-05 when it was reported that Sariska did not have any tigers left.
A report in March 2005 by the Wildlife Institute of India confirmed that poaching had wiped out the wild cat population.
Facing flak from different quarters, the state government decided to relocate tigers from Ranthambore to Sariska. From 2008, five tigers, including two males, have been relocated to the reserve.
However, in November 2010, the first relocated tiger died due to poisoning.
Experts say lopsided land acquisition too has slowed down the relocation process, but the state government disagrees.
"We give Rs.10 lakh and land as compensation to each relocated family, but the consent of the family is required. In many cases, we don't get it, so it becomes hard for us to convince the villagers to shift," said the forest officer.
"We are discussing steps to speed up the process and will soon implement them," he added.
Ranthambore National Park, which covers an area of around 400 sq km, is one of the finest tiger reserves in the country. The park's abandoned fortress, lakes and above all, around 40 majestic tigers, have made it one of the most filmed wildlife reserves in the world.
The park is also home to animals like the jackal, mongoose, sloth bear and leopard.
Sawai Madhopur is some 175 km from state capital Jaipur.
Sariska, originally a hunting preserve of the erstwhile princely state of Alwar, was declared a wildlife reserve in 1955.
It was declared a tiger reserve in 1978. Spread over 866 sq. km, the area also has animals like leopards, jungle cats, hyenas, jackals, sambars, langurs, wild boars, four-horned deer and many species of birds.
It is located some 110 km from Jaipur.
http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=local&newsid=248029
Tiger population increases in Sathyamangalam forest
Erode (TN), Jun 29 (PTI) Population of tigers in the Sathyamangalam forest in the district has risen to 28 in 2011 as against 18 in 2009, a census by forest officials stated.
Forest officials said in 2007, there were only eight tigers. The number declined to seven in 2008 but increased to 10 in 2009 and at the end of that year there were 18 big cats in the area. In 2011, the number increased by 10.
"Camera trapping technique was followed in detecting the number of tigers," they said.
The number of elephants has increased from 815 in 2007 to a little over 900 in four years.
Officials said it was proposed to dig 75 km long trenches in Erode and Sathyamangalam forest divisions following complaints from farmers that elephants were entering their lands and damaging standing crops like banana, coconut and other fruits.
Strict vigil is being maintained to prevent poaching, they added.
Forest officials said in 2007, there were only eight tigers. The number declined to seven in 2008 but increased to 10 in 2009 and at the end of that year there were 18 big cats in the area. In 2011, the number increased by 10.
"Camera trapping technique was followed in detecting the number of tigers," they said.
The number of elephants has increased from 815 in 2007 to a little over 900 in four years.
Officials said it was proposed to dig 75 km long trenches in Erode and Sathyamangalam forest divisions following complaints from farmers that elephants were entering their lands and damaging standing crops like banana, coconut and other fruits.
Strict vigil is being maintained to prevent poaching, they added.
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