Trapping camera destroyed in Palamu Tiger Reserve

TNN | Feb 25, 2013, 02.20 AM IST Palamu Tiger Reserve to get eco-sensitive shieldFemale elephant found deadProject Elephant member sends a missive to guvVijay's hunting for an elephantYaanamalai's elephant head shaped rock DALTONGANJ: A trapping camera installed in Palamu Tiger Reserve was destroyed late on Saturday night with foresters suspecting that the LCD monitor of the camera was damaged by an elephant which might have been irked by its flush light. PTR field director Syed Ehtesham Hussain Kazmi confirmed the damage but he was doubtful if it was destroyed by the elephant. "Had the elephant damaged the trapping camera for its annoying flush light, its image ought to have been there even notionally or so," he said. Asked if the destruction of the camera could be by human being, the director said he did not rule out the possibility as people who usually go inside the forest to collect fuel wood also damage the trapping cameras. However, he said during the past more than one year, half a dozen trapping cameras were damaged or destroyed and in most of the cases the elephants did the damage. The PTR has launched a public campaign saying that the trapping camera is not the one to shoot anyone's photograph either for Aadhaar card or for Red card or for MGNREGA job card. It is only for moving wild life and if any person comes in the range, he, too, will be captured by the camera. "This is to desist and dissuade those who have any motive to steal the camera for any commercial purpose," Kazmi said. The trapping camera has captured a lone wolf in the Garu range suggesting the existence of the animal in the range apart from Mahuadarn where there is a wolf sanctuary. But for lack of awareness, the tourists hardly visit the place. Asked that wolves generally move in pack but how is it that only one wolf is in camera he said ' It is true wolf moves in a pack but this one appeared before the camera and it was captured by lens'. He also told that on many occasions wolf is taken for jackal but here the trapped image is of the wolf for all surety. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ranchi/Trapping-camera-destroyed-in-Palamu-Tiger-Reserve/articleshow/18665986.cms

Forest officer did not allow Bhiwapur tiger to eat cattle it killed

TNN | Feb 25, 2013, 01.37 AM IST Tiger cub dead in Kaziranga, rhino battles for life at OrangRanthambore tigress relocated to SariskaPoaching menace: Government considering shoot-at-sight at Kaziranga N...Thirsty tigers needn't worryVillages involved in poaching will have to live in dark NAGPUR: Although straying of an adult tiger, which caused scare in Manora and Bhiwapur villages on Saturday, ended on a happy note, problem escalated as the tiger was not allowed to consume cattle it killed in the past 10 days. Roheet Karoo, district honorary wildlife warden, said in the past seven days the full-grown male tiger made at least 10 cattle kills in Bhiwapur II round under the South Umred range. "However, on the insistence of range forest officer (RFO) R M Agrawal, all the cattle kills were buried depriving tiger of food. This aggravated the problem," feels Karoo. Agrawal did not respond to the calls made to him. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) guidelines state that a cattle kill should be monitored by the staff. Last month, a tigress had started attacking humans after it was not allowed to consume cattle it killed near Navegaon National Park. The tigress killed five persons and was finally ordered to be shot under political pressure. On Saturday, around 9.30am, panic gripped Bhiwapur and Manora villages after farmers sighted a tiger in the farm owned by Ishwar Janbandhu. The tiger had killed a calf owned by Janbandhu on Friday night. There was high drama on Saturday when forest officials, Nitin Desai, Central India director of Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI), Karoo and others tried to drive the tiger towards forest by bursting crackers and drum beating. "The tiger has retreated towards the Tass forest on Saturday night from where it was suspected to have come. The tiger crossed the tar road to move towards Tass," Desai said. Karoo said due to heavy shower on Saturday night there were trail of pugmarks from where the tiger is suspected to have crossed the road around 9.30pm. Earlier, two males - Bajrang and Chaitram - were identified in Umred-Karhandla wildlife sanctuary. "The tiger sighted on Saturday was not among them. It seems to be a new male, may be trying to create its own territory, Karoo said. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Forest-officer-did-not-allow-Bhiwapur-tiger-to-eat-cattle-it-killed/articleshow/18665641.cms