Poaching biggest threat to tiger relocation at Sariska

Anindo Dey, TNN | Oct 15, 2012, 03.49AM IST File photo of a male tiger being airlifted to be relocated to Sariska. JAIPUR: The ambitious but controversial tiger relocation programme at Sariska Tiger Reserve is set to enter the next phase with the introduction of two female and a male tiger in the park before the end of winter. This will take the tiger count to 10 at Sariska. The forest department is gung ho about the plan, more so after the sighting of the first cubs recently. Everybody, though, doesn't share forest department's enthusiasm regarding the project. The debate on if Sariska is safe for tigers is on with conservationists raising concern over poaching still being a big threat. Arguments by conservationists find credence in the report of the state empowered committee on forests and wildlife management (SEC), constituted in February 2005, that stated that all the tigers in the reserve were poached. The results of a similar experiment at the Panna tiger reserve in Madhya Pradesh were an eye-opener. Following a tiger relocation programme in 2009, the reserve today boasts of 12 cubs and five adults. "Even if numbers don't form a scale for comparison, it definitely indicates that there is something wrong with the habitat. Sariska with the vast number of villagers living inside the reserve has a much higher disturbance level," says conservation biologist Dharmendra Khandal of Tiger Watch. "The hype and the support that the Sariska tiger relocation programme received was not channeled. The department should have taken more interest in preparing the habitat than just concentrating on relocating tigers," he says. Khandal cites the incident of leopard poaching, a couple of months ago in Sariska, to validate his concerns. "Moreover, till sometime back they were building anicuts inside the forest with heavy machinery in a gross violation of the Wildlife Protection Act and the Supreme Court directives. There has been little effort to link the community staying inside the reserve area with the conservation programme. Thousands of pilgrims still travel through the forest to reach Pandupole and the problem of heavy traffic on the highway near the reserve is yet to be addressed," he says. No study has been undertaken to understand the bio-diversity of the forest, he adds. The SEC report too while raising concerns on the biotic pressure from the people and cattle living in the villages situated inside the STR and on the periphery had recommended reduction of these existing disturbances and a time bound relocation of villages. The report said: "In Sariska, all the reasons responsible for the disappearance of tigers in toto zero in on one single factor which is that large number of villages exist inside the reserve. No successful rehabilitation of these villages has ever taken place. Therefore, poachers could take shelter here and kill tigers" 'Next phase of project is better planned' After the death of a tiger and an instance of delayed litter, lessons were finally learnt by the initiators of the relocation programme. It was a wake-up call for the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), the Wildlife Institute of India and the state forest department to review the situation. The authorities claimed that the Phase-II of the programme will see a marked change in its approach. The attempt to introduce fresh blood from outside the state is the first attempt in this direction. The SEC (state empowered committee) report urged identification of tigers from identical/similar habitats and even mentioned Kanha tiger reserve in Madhya Pradesh for a possible animal exchange. According to A C Chaubey, chief wildlife warden, Rajasthan, this time only those tigers will be relocated which have a proven history of motherhood, a clear shift from its earlier stance of relocating only virgin tigresses. The move is aimed at warding off chances of a failed motherhood, something that did the rounds when the tigresses had failed to deliver. "The tigress that we are narrowing down to in the Ranthambhore reserve is presently nursing its cubs. But soon they would become adults and leave. That is when we plan to relocate her," officials said. "The once busy Sariska-Thanagazi road (state highway 13) doesn't witness heavy traffic now. Even the Tehla-Sariska (SH 29A) road has only a couple of state roadways buses plying on it now," he said. Both the moves find a mention in the SEC report that asked for "an urgent need to close these roads, at the earliest." Movement has been restricted on the route leading to Pandupole with forest authorities allowing only vehicles with local registration numbers and that too on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Recently, a group of foreign tourists seeking to enter the park on the pretext of visiting the temple was denied entry. Plans are afoot to rope in the community living in and around the park to ensure better conservation of the tigers. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Poaching-biggest-threat-to-tiger-relocation-at-Sariska/articleshow/16815757.cms

Chenchus help in managing tiger reserve better

SURESH KRISHNAMOORTHY A tiger at Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve Sanctuary Efforts by the State Forest Department has led to an increase in the tiger population in NSTR The induction of Chenchus belonging to the primitive tribe, mostly living in the Nallamala forests deep inside the Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve Sanctuary has come as a boon to reserve management, together with the use of camera traps to record animal activity. Better management and concerted and sustained efforts by the Andhra Pradesh Forest Department over a few years have established the population of tiger in the NSTR as ranging between 53 to 66 with mid-value excluding an unspecified number of cubs. The initiatives taken by the department like involving Chenchu youth has gone a long way in conservation, according to A.V. Joseph, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests-Wildlife and Chief Wildlife Warden. A vital component of tiger reserve management and monitoring of their movement to establish their population is the camera traps, about 100 of them spread over 400 square km of habitat, he added. Found on the fringes of the NSTR in small settlement that are called ‘gudems’, the Chenchus live in harmony with nature, displaying their strong sense of ownership for the forests and the wildlife and mostly depend on non-timber forest produce like roots, tubers, and seasonal fruits for their livelihood. They work as base camp protection watchers and as tiger trackers assisting field staff in protection and monitoring duty throughout the year and habitat improvement works. Single largest sanctuary The NSTR is the single largest sanctuary for tigers among the 16 such facilities across the country. The large extent of reserve makes it a huge, ideal landscape for conservation of tigers and other wildlife, apart from being famous for its floral and faunal diversity. Tigers apart, there are predators like wild dogs and panthers, herbivores including the spotted deer, ‘Neelgai’, four-horned antelope, apart from birds, rare insects and the like, all contributing to the diversity. The sheer vastness of the tract poses challenges for the department in protecting the rich biodiversity wealth, primarily because of the limited personnel, not to forget the inhospitable terrain. “The threat of poaching posed by organised gangs from outside Andhra Pradesh, like the ‘Bahelias’ and ‘Bawarias’, apart from the wildlife killing due to man-animal conflict, make it imperative for round-the-clock surveillance,” Mr. Joseph said. http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/andhra-pradesh/chenchus-help-in-managing-tiger-reserve-better/article3997253.ece

Poaching syndicates have reduced state protection for wildlife to a cruel joke

Pangolins are killed all over India for their scales. Seizures added up to 400 kg of scales, equivalent to 350-400 pangolins, in September alone Jay Mazoomdaar Surrounded by cops, Devi Singh Moghiya seemed too soft-spoken and dignified to be a poacher. His melancholic whispers belied the chilling admission that he was one of the six shooters who took out 22 tigers in Ranthambore between 2003 and 2005. They roamed the forest looking for pugmarks. Once a trail was established, they took positions on trees after sundown. One shot in the moonlight was all it would take. How did they get away with killing so many under the nose of 273 forest staff that guarded India's most high-profile reserve? Devi Singh looked puzzled: "You can always dodge them during the daytime recce. And which forest guard comes looking in the night when you fire your gun?" His team earned Rs 40,000-60,000 per tiger. He had no idea how much the traders made in the international market. Orange Laddoos? No, Tortoise Hatchlings Devotees of Lord Vishnu take home hundreds of boxes of Tirupati laddoos through the Chennai airport. In the cargo scanner, the laddoos, like any biological material, appear a shade of warm orange and no security staff gave those little globes a second look till it was discovered how thousands of star tortoise hatchlings tightly packed in sweet boxes were slipping through. Typically, the traders stopped giving the tortoises water days before the transit to avoid the stench of urine. Just before the scanning, the handler would give the boxes a violent shake so that startled hatchlings retreated completely into their shells and appeared suitably round. Some even used a touch of chloroform to discourage movement. Up to 30,000 star tortoises worth crores of rupees are still sourced from southern states for Rs 10-15 each, but the consignments now leave the country for Malaysia and other East Asian destinations through the Kolkata airport. Some also take the Dhaka route. Soaring Demand Last month, when rhinos were poached in Kaziranga, a local source with a past in the trade described how the shooters had hit the rhinos in "all the wrong places" and how the horns were chopped off with "sloppy, unclean slashes". Even parts of ears were torn off to establish the authenticity of horns before the buyers. It seems new operators are at work, a disturbing possibility in the aftermath of the Bodo-Muslim clashes. Brazen, bizarre and desperate in turn, the trade in wildlife is flourishing. The demand overseas is fuelled by an absurd faith in traditional medicine or a craving for exotic fashion, furniture, stationery and pets. The cheap skill of subsistence hunters ensures unhindered supply and there is little check by way of enforcement. With profit to the tune of 20-50 times, top syndicate bosses such as Sansar Chand can afford to flout the toughest laws and engage the country's best legal firms. Why Tusks Shrink The result is worse than decimation. Some species, from the mighty elephant to little otters, have taken such a hit that the trade in their derivatives has actually ebbed. By the late 1980s, the selective killing of male elephants for tusks has had dramatic results. From 20 kg, the average weight of tusks dropped to less than 10 kg and the number of makhna (tuskless by birth) males shot up. Alongside, the standard 1:7 male-female ratio in an elephant population slid to below 1:25 in the forests of Chamrajnagar and Mysore districts in Karnataka and in Tamil Nadu's Sathyamangalam where Veerappan operated for over three decades. "Today, most males are young with just 5-10 kg of tusks, which are not hard enough for carving," said an old trading hand. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/et-cetera/poaching-syndicates-have-reduced-state-protection-for-wildlife-to-a-cruel-joke/articleshow/16799945.cms

Madhya Pradesh yet to form tiger protection force

P Naveen, TNN Oct 14, 2012, 12.42AM IST BHOPAL: A Special Tiger Protection Force (SPTF), aimed at protecting the big cats from poachers, is yet to be constituted and deployed in Madhya Pradesh- the state that has lost it's tag of "Tiger State". A directive from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) to the chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for constitution of SPTF and sanction of funds from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) for the same, besides increased cases of poaching of big cats in the state have failed to stir the forest department. Notably, the decision to hand over the poaching of tigers in Panna reserve that wiped out the big cat population there is also being delayed by the department for almost 4 years. Ads by Google Bhopal Facts Get the facts on the Bhopal Tragedy. www.bhopal.com/bhopalfacts Let’s go in an Alto 800 The new Alto 800 is coming soon. Want to buy it? Book Now. MarutiSuzukiAlto800.com A fresh report submitted by the NTCA (on efforts made for tiger conservation) before the Supreme Court judges hearing a PIL seeking 'ban on tourism in core areas' on September 26, says that Karnataka is the first state to have constituted the SPTF followed by Maharashtra. MP does not find a mention anywhere, said sources. When contacted state forest minister Sartaj Singh pleaded ignorance on the matter. "I will have to check with the officers," he told TOI. Not only the STPF, the state forest department has also been delaying the handing over of "Panna tiger reserve (PTR) poaching case" to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for long. The file for CBI inquiry is being shunted between home and forest department for the last four years. To avoid the much demanded CBI inquiry further, the forest department mooted a proposal of creating a three-member committee to investigate the PTR case. They also sought sanction from home department for including inspector general of police (IG) (Sagar), Pankaj Shrivastava, in the committee. But despite the sanction, the team is yet to be functional. Ajay Dubey- the petitioner - on whose petition the Supreme Court banned tourist activities in core areas of tiger reserves, says that he will file an application seeking directives for formation of SPTF during the next hearing on October 16. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had approved the creation of a SPTF in 2007 after it was revealed that the country's tiger population had fallen to less than half of its population reported in 2002. Later based on the tiger abundance and vulnerability, 13 Tiger Reserves in the country, including three from MP (Pench, Kanha and Bandhavgarh) were identified for raising, arming and deploying the STPF. Panna Tiger Reserve in MP has lost its entire tiger population to poaching by 2009. "A tiger has strayed out of the Bandhavgarh tiger reserve and is being spotted on two lane road between Dhamokar and Koadar jungle. I have inputs that a group of village youths are after it. The tiger could be in trouble if steps are not taken," says wildlife activist Rishi Bhatt insisting upon deployment of SPTF. We have already lost over two dozen big cats in the last one year, he pointed out. Poaching of tigers in Madhya Pradesh is in the focus once again with the killing of two tigers near the state capital recently and cases of poaching from different parts of the state. http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-10-14/flora-fauna/34448084_1_panna-tiger-reserve-special-tiger-protection-force-tiger-population

Madhya Pradesh yet to form tiger protection force

P Naveen, TNN Oct 14, 2012, 12.42AM IST BHOPAL: A Special Tiger Protection Force (SPTF), aimed at protecting the big cats from poachers, is yet to be constituted and deployed in Madhya Pradesh- the state that has lost it's tag of "Tiger State". A directive from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) to the chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for constitution of SPTF and sanction of funds from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) for the same, besides increased cases of poaching of big cats in the state have failed to stir the forest department. Notably, the decision to hand over the poaching of tigers in Panna reserve that wiped out the big cat population there is also being delayed by the department for almost 4 years. Ads by Google Bhopal Facts Get the facts on the Bhopal Tragedy. www.bhopal.com/bhopalfacts Let’s go in an Alto 800 The new Alto 800 is coming soon. Want to buy it? Book Now. MarutiSuzukiAlto800.com A fresh report submitted by the NTCA (on efforts made for tiger conservation) before the Supreme Court judges hearing a PIL seeking 'ban on tourism in core areas' on September 26, says that Karnataka is the first state to have constituted the SPTF followed by Maharashtra. MP does not find a mention anywhere, said sources. When contacted state forest minister Sartaj Singh pleaded ignorance on the matter. "I will have to check with the officers," he told TOI. Not only the STPF, the state forest department has also been delaying the handing over of "Panna tiger reserve (PTR) poaching case" to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for long. The file for CBI inquiry is being shunted between home and forest department for the last four years. To avoid the much demanded CBI inquiry further, the forest department mooted a proposal of creating a three-member committee to investigate the PTR case. They also sought sanction from home department for including inspector general of police (IG) (Sagar), Pankaj Shrivastava, in the committee. But despite the sanction, the team is yet to be functional. Ajay Dubey- the petitioner - on whose petition the Supreme Court banned tourist activities in core areas of tiger reserves, says that he will file an application seeking directives for formation of SPTF during the next hearing on October 16. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had approved the creation of a SPTF in 2007 after it was revealed that the country's tiger population had fallen to less than half of its population reported in 2002. Later based on the tiger abundance and vulnerability, 13 Tiger Reserves in the country, including three from MP (Pench, Kanha and Bandhavgarh) were identified for raising, arming and deploying the STPF. Panna Tiger Reserve in MP has lost its entire tiger population to poaching by 2009. "A tiger has strayed out of the Bandhavgarh tiger reserve and is being spotted on two lane road between Dhamokar and Koadar jungle. I have inputs that a group of village youths are after it. The tiger could be in trouble if steps are not taken," says wildlife activist Rishi Bhatt insisting upon deployment of SPTF. We have already lost over two dozen big cats in the last one year, he pointed out. Poaching of tigers in Madhya Pradesh is in the focus once again with the killing of two tigers near the state capital recently and cases of poaching from different parts of the state. http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-10-14/flora-fauna/34448084_1_panna-tiger-reserve-special-tiger-protection-force-tiger-population