Tiger found dead near Dudhwa Park

TNN | May 28, 2012, 02.11AM IST LUCKNOW: A tiger was found dead in Kishenpur wildlife sanctuary near Dudhwa in Lakhimpur district on Sunday. A decomposed carcass was found lying in Kishenpur range of the sanctuary during the combing operation in the area. Locals suspect "poisoning" to be the cause of the death. "The carcass seems to be about three-day old. It was swollen, severely infected with maggots and its rump region was scratched," said Jaswant Singh Kalair, a wildlife activist. The dead tiger was around 4 years old. Dudhwa officers, however, could not be reached for a comment. In a similar incident, two tigers were found dead in Pilibhit, on Friday. The tigers were found dead in Haripur range of the district on UP-Uttarakhand border. "The presence of the tiger in the area was reported by locals for quite some time now," said Sanjay Narain, secretary, Tiger and Terrain. The forest officers in Pilibhit said they are yet to find out the cause of the death. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/Tiger-found-dead-near-Dudhwa-Park/articleshow/13578328.cms

India to help replicate Project Tiger in Russia, China

IANS | May 27, 2012, 06.49PM IST NEW DELHI: Six countries, including Russia and China, have sought India's help to replicate Project Tiger, one of the most successful conservation programmes running in the country to protect the big cats from extinction. During the first stock-taking conference held in the capital in mid-May to review implementation of the Global Tiger Recovery Program (GTRP), tiger range countries such as Bangladesh, Nepal, Russia, Vietnam, Myanmar and China approached India to help them in conserving tigers. Leaving Nepal, none of the countries has done any tiger census and has no idea about the number of tigers present in the wild. "India has been running one of the most successful tiger conservation programnes since 1973 and most of the tiger range countries want us to help them replicate it there," Rajesh Gopal, member secretary, National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), told IANS. He said India would support future programme of action and conservation of tigers in other countries. "Such cooperation will give India an opportunity to come to the centrestage of tiger conservation and come out with a tiger atlas of the world," said Gopal. India has 1,706 tigers in the wild -- the highest numbers in the world. The credit for saving tigers in the country goes to the central government's Project Tiger, launched in 1973. Considering the urgency of the situation, Project Tiger was converted into NTCA, a statutory authority, in 2006 with more power and separate funding for the conservation of tigers. India took a lead in tiger conservation by forming the Global Tiger Forum (GTF), an international body established with members from willing countries to embark on a global campaign to protect the animal. India's Environment minister Jayanthi Natarajan currently chairs the forum. Other members include Bangladesh, Vietnam, Cambodia, Bhutan, Nepal and Myanmar. India and Russia have recently come up with a joint resolution of agreed action to protect tigers. Collaboration on tiger conservation is already going on with Nepal, while Bangladesh, Vietnam and Myanmar want India's help in assessment and capacity building. India's success story in reintroducing tigers from wild to wild has generated keen interest, says Gopal. "India has a good experience in the re-introduction of tigers from wild to wild, which is a success story in terms of planning, execution and monitoring. Considering the interest evinced by the Russian side in leopard and tiger re-introduction, India may share these experiences with Russia for mutual benefit," he said. Besides, India can help in monitoring and electronic surveillance of tiger reserves, training and capacity building of field officers/specialists, landscape planning, cooperation on anti-poaching strategy and planning and exchange programmes to share experiences of best practices in tiger conservation. The main achievements of Project Tiger are excellent recovery of the habitat and consequent increase in the tiger population in the reserve areas, from a mere 268 in nine reserves in 1972 to 1,706 in 39 tiger reserves in 2011. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/India-to-help-replicate-Project-Tiger-in-Russia-China/articleshow/13569798.cms

Poacher admits to killing tiger 45 days ago TNN | May 28, 2012, 02.33AM IST BHOPAL: A tiger was killed in Shivpuri district some 45 days ago by one of the eight poachers, who were arrested in Chhindwara district on the charge of planning to lay trap for electrocuting a big cat in Pench Tiger Reserve. The eight accused were detained on Friday and produced in a court on Sunday after forest department officials registered cases against them at Chhindwara. Except Sanjesh who admitted to killing the striped animal in Shivpuri, all others Zilendar Giri of Sarguja in Chhattisgarh and Rai Singh, Dharma, Dhara, Ishwar, Jorawar and Kismat hailing from Chhitorgarh in Rajasthan have been sent to jail. The court sent Sanjesh in forest department remand for five days, Chhindwara divisional forest officer Ashok Kumar told TOI. "We are going to grill Sanjesh, who hails from Shivpuri, and that is why we sought his remand. He might spill some more vital beans regarding poaching given he had been in Hoshangabad housing Satpura tiger reserve some days ago, " Kumar said. After Sanjesh confessed of having killed a tiger in Shivpuri, the officials are now planning to carry out searches at some places to recover the body parts of big cat. Two days back, the accused were detained with a metal trap, a knife and others implements used to electrocute big cat, at Linga village of Chhindwara district, close to MP's Pench tiger reserve, which spreads over to Maharashtra. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhopal/Poacher-admits-to-killing-tiger-45-days-ago/articleshow/13578572.cms

Eight suspected tiger poachers held near Pench Tiger Reserve

Lemuel Lall, TNN | May 27, 2012, 01.37AM IST BHOPAL: Eight suspected poachers were detained with a metal trap, a knife and others implements allegedly used to electrocute big cats at Linga village of Chhindwara district late on Friday night, close to MP's Pench Tiger Reserve, which spreads over to Maharashtra. In Maharashtra's Chandrapur district, a striped-animal was electrocuted and chopped to 11 pieces for costly body parts a week ago. The detention of the group assumes significance as it comes some 22 days after a warning issued by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) that a big gang has paid advance to Katni district-based local poachers' gang to kill tiger for body parts for big bucks in international market. In the wake of the NTCA warning, a high alert has been sounded in 42 tiger reserves across the country, including five in the state. "We have recovered a metal trap, a knife, sharp iron rods, hammers, wires and wooden rods among other things used to kill tiger from their possession. After trapping the big cat, the modus operandi of poachers is that they put the sharp iron rod inside striped animal's mouth to kill him," Chhindwara divisional forest officer Ashok Kumar told TOI. After killing the tiger, the poachers beat it up with wooden rod to loosen its skin and thereafter remove the hide with specially-designed knife, which they have recovered, he said. Ashok said that the group was also owned one Gypsy jeep and eight motorbikes. "We believe that they had done a recee to kill tiger," he added. The arrested have been identified as Sanjesh of Shivpuri district and Zilendar Giri of Sarguja in Chhattisgarh while Rai Singh, Dharma, Dhara, Ishwar, Jorawar and Kismat, all hail from Chhitorgarh in Rajasthan. "We carried out searches at three places in Shivpuri," Ashok said. He said that right now it was difficult for them to say that if the gang were members belonged to nomadic Pardhi tribe. Pardhi tribe, especially hailing from Katni district was infamous for killing wild animals for an easy living. The big poaching gangs allegedly use this tribe that is believed to have mastered the illegal art of killing wild animals across the country. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhopal/Eight-suspected-tiger-poachers-held-near-Pench-Tiger-Reserve/articleshow/13537758.cms

MoEF diluting rules to boost industry?

Chetan Chauhan, Hindustan Times The ministry of environment and forests is on an industrial overdrive with rules being changed to speed-up clearance of projects at the cost of environment. The standing committee of National Board for Wildlife will loose its power to examine projects in tiger and elephant corridors, instead, there would be sectoral forest advisory committee to decide on diversion of forest land and projects even in dense forests will be allowed. These are some of the changes the ministry has brought in to dispel its image of being a roadblock to industrial development and to ensure easier approvals to the industry. The ministry has silently excluded projects coming up in tiger and elephants corridors from the purview of the standing committee, which has not meet for almost six months apparently because the non-official members refuse to adhere to the government line. "The views of National Tiger Conservation Authority and Project Elephant are taken before deciding on projects in these areas," said a ministry official, explaining that the standing committee causes a lot of delay in deciding in these projects. Incidentally, a large number of projects in India are in or around tiger and elephant corridors. This is not the only step. The ministry is likely to agree to a suggestion of a Group of Ministers headed by Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee to set up several forest advisory committee (FAC) to speed up project approval rate. The GoM had wanted the FAC to work on the lines of about 10 sectoral level Expert Appraisal Committees (EAC). The move is, however, being opposed by non-official members of FAC which believe that it will dilute the mandate of single FAC, constituted under the Forest Conservation Act, to ensure protection of forests. The law provides for one advisory body whose recommendations are not must for the government to follow. On Wednesday, the environment ministry will brief the GoM about the key changes. In light of these fast moving changes, the ministry is expected to inform the GoM that it will approve two key mining projects in dense forests - Chhatrasal and Mahan - with strict environmental conditions. Civil society bodies had opposed these projects saying they will destroy rich biodiversity of the area. The ministry is also expected to inform the GoM regarding its proposal to inviolate areas from mining in dense forests. A survey has been done by Forest Survey of India in this regard but the actual demarcation of forest areas, where no mining will be allowed, has not been done. http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/MoEF-diluting-rules-to-boost-industry/Article1-861942.aspx

Tiger supari case: Poachers hunted down, 18 arrested

Source: DNA | Last Updated 05:20(27/05/12) Bhopal: Following intelligence input about poachers’ prowl to kill 25 tigers across India as contract killing, the state forest officials detained 18 nomads hailing from Bihar, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh in last 24 hours. The detentions were made in Panna, Chindwara, Katni and Shivpuri districts. Intelligence sources have gathered information that an international poaching racket has given `40 lakh to poachers—mostly Pardhis, and Baheliyas—to kill 25 tigers in India. Since then, governments in the states where tigers exist are on high alert. One of the detainees, arrested from buffer zone of Pench tiger reserve, confessed to having killed a tiger - possibly the one that had strayed from Ranthambore National Park to Shivpuri district. While eight of the suspects were detained in Chindwara late on Friday night, 10 more were arrested from near the Panna tiger reserve. Metal traps, nets and sharp edged weapons, eight motor bikes and a Gypsy jeep were recovered from their possession. The officials also recovered some samples of hair from the metal traps which have been sent for scientific examination for identification of the species to the forensic laboratory in Hyderabad. The arrests in Chindwara district were made by officials of Pench tiger reserve and local forest department. The accused have been identified as Sanjesh of Shivpuri, Zilendar Giri of Sarguja in Chhattisgarh and Rai Singh, Dharma, Dhara, Ishwar, Jorawar and Kismat , all from Chhitorgarh in Rajasthan. Senior officials including principal chief conservator of forest (PCCF) wildlife P K Shukla rushed to Chhindwara. The suspects are being interrogated for more details. During interrogation, Sanjesh reportedly confessed to killing an adult tiger at Shivpuri and having sold its skin to three persons in the district. The forest officials also raided some places in Shivpuri “All of them are nomads from different states. How they ganged up is yet to be ascertained,” PCCF Shukla told. Their role in poaching activities in Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in Charndrapur district in Maharashtra is yet to be ascertained. The officials of TATR have reached Chindwara to interrogate the accused. Officials of Panna tiger reserve (PTR) arrested eight persons belonging to the Kirodi community of Bihar. Park director R Srinavasa Murty told that they were arrested from beat 228 during routine patrolling on Friday.