Vigil at tiger reserves in TN keep poachers at bay

January 9, 2012 DC chennai South Indian states are spearheading the effort by the 17 states to save the tiger with Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala having recorded fewer cases of tiger poaching when compared to states such as Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra, according to a information submitted by minister of state Namo Narayan Meena in the Lok Sabha. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had five years ago constituted the National Tiger Task Force and said that stern action would be taken against poachers. Despite this, poaching big cats had gone up from 2008 to 2010 with only 2011 bringing respite as poaching cases dwindled by about 50 per cent. In 2008, nine tigers were poached, while in 2009, the figure shot up to 17, according to data available with this newspaper. The figure shot up to an alarming 25 in 2010, with respite coming in 2011 when 12 cases were recorded. However, K.V.R.K. Thirunaranan, founder, The Nature Trust, said that there is good vigil in all the three tiger reserves of Tamil Nadu and this has helped the wildlife department reduce the poaching of big cats. However there is a need to enhance the security network as the system is not foolproof and one or two stray poaching cases are reported. The patrolling in Parambikulam tiger reserve in Kerala is excellent and the reserve has witnessed fewer poaching cases compared to other south Indian tiger reserves, he said. http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/chennai/vigil-tiger-reserves-tn-keep-poachers-bay-056