The result is that tiger population figures have registered an all-time low. India has lost two-thirds of its tigers in the last eight years. Driven by greed and the money they can earn by selling tiger skin and parts to the Chinese market, India's most notorious poachers are decimating tiger populations virtually unchecked.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Tracking the tiger killers - India Today Cover
They are the people responsible for India's iconic animal being threatened with extinction, a tragedy of unimaginable proportions. Two nomadic hunting tribes, along with corrupt or incompetent forest officials, continue to hunt the tiger in its natural habitat using primitive traps.
4 MPs overseeing prime national park areas talk to hardnews.com on Tiger Conservation
Following the tiger trail, Hardnews talks to four MPs on what it takes to save the big cat
Talk of tigers and KC Singh Baba, with child-like gusto, starts narrating his encounters with the animal and how he fell in love with the great predator the first time he saw it. An MP from Nainital, Uttarakhand, some areas of Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR) fall in his constituency and this has given Baba, a nature lover, more than one reason to preserve the flora and fauna of the CTR. On several occasions, he has voiced his opinion on how to save the tiger and its habitat. Hardnews caught up with Baba to discuss various facets of tiger conservation
Firing Near Tiger Reserve Raises Fresh Doubt
A firing incident near the entrance of the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve on Wednesday has once more brought this protected area under sharp focus. This tiger reserve in eastern Madhya Pradesh came under the scanner after a tigress was hit by a rashly driven vehicle and killed inside the core area on May 19.
When contacted, state additional chief wildlife warden T.R. Sharma verified the firing incident but refused to add anything further saying the matter is under investigation. Regarding the estimated tiger population in Madhya Pradesh, he said that according to the 2006 Wildlife Institute of India, there are about 300 tigers (236-300-364) across nine landscapes, which also include the protected areas. The latest WII figures are awaited, he said.
On being approached to comprehensively share views on steps needed to ensure long-term survival of tigers, forest and wildlife experts here expressed concern and pointed out that the tiger habitat is shrinking and declining at a rapid pace and it is time for introspection to review the outcome of what has been done in the last two or three decades for protection of tigers and go for a correction course before it is too late.
Additional principal chief conservator of forests R.N. Saxena told this correspondent that we lack a policy of comprehensive landscape management. The Satpura landscape in the North and South of the Narmada river — starting from Anuppur district in eastern Madhya Pradesh and stretching across Dindori, Mandla, Balaghat, Hoshangabad, parts of Narsinghpur, and Sehore — has three magnificent tiger reserves. They are Kanha, Pench and the Satpura National Park.
Mr Saxena said that the Satpura landscape is witnessing all kinds of fragmentation and this is having an adverse impact on the tiger territory. In fact, he said, growing population and developmental activities are having an adverse impact on the forests of central India. As an analyser of the State of Forest Report regularly brought out by the Forest Survey of India, he has found that every passing report is a reminder that our forest resources are going down on each and every count whether we talk of growing stock, density, site quality, distribution of age, current annual increment, mean annual increment, status of regeneration and susceptibility to biotic pressure. The situation gets compounded by population which is exploding at an exponential rate. At the time of Independence, our per capita forest cover was .60 hectare per person whereas now it has gone down to .06 per person.
Mr Saxena said that there are 8,000 forest beats in Madhya Pradesh and 20 per cent of these are positive for occurrence of tigers. For protection of tigers, he was emphatic in pointing out that the entry and exit in national parks and sanctuaries should be regulated and the movement inside the protected areas should be minimised because it is difficult to differentiate between a genuine resident and a criminal inside a protected area.
He also said that tourism has to be restricted on the basis of the carrying capacity of PAs because these are meant for wildlife protection and tourism is incidental. Tourism cannot be the prime reason for management of protected areas, he said.
http://www.asianage.com/india/firing-near-tiger-reserve-raises-fresh-doubts-167
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Court stays translocation of tigers
Sawai Madhopur, June 3:
A local court here has stayed translocation of tigers from the Ranthambore tiger reserve in this to the Sariska sanctuary in Alwar district till further orders.
The Standing District Lok Adalat headed by District and Session Judge Chandrakala Yadav had issued the stay yesterday on a public interest petition filed by a lawyer Bhola Shankar Sharma and Jitendra Sharma.
The petitioners pleaded that people in Sawai Madhopur district did depend for livelihood, on tourism and the trans-location of the big cats from the district is not in the interest of the tourism industry in this district.
A local court here has stayed translocation of tigers from the Ranthambore tiger reserve in this to the Sariska sanctuary in Alwar district till further orders.
The Standing District Lok Adalat headed by District and Session Judge Chandrakala Yadav had issued the stay yesterday on a public interest petition filed by a lawyer Bhola Shankar Sharma and Jitendra Sharma.
The petitioners pleaded that people in Sawai Madhopur district did depend for livelihood, on tourism and the trans-location of the big cats from the district is not in the interest of the tourism industry in this district.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Tiger poaching continues; funds misused: Conservationist
New Delhi: Tiger, the national animal of the country, is being poached regularly in almost all reserves and authorities are sitting idle, eating up the the funds meant for the animal's welfare, said a Madhya Pradesh-based tiger conservationist.
Addressing a news conference here this afternoon, Ms Shehla Masood said the tigers are being killed by the poachers and nobody is stopping them.
''Even those who have been getting paid to conserve and protect the national animal are helping tourists and well-politically connected people to kill the tigers in buffer zones,'' she alleged.
Talking about Panna reserve, she said lots of tourist facilities are coming up near the tiger reserve centres and the ''well-connected'' people have access to the restricted areas.
Displaying the photographs of a tigress, which was killed recently in Madhya Pradesh reserve, she said it was proved beyond doubt that the animal was killed at the hour when nobody is allowed in the park.
''Some minister's son was named in the killing, few officers of the park have also been suspended but nothing concrete has been done till date,'' she said showing pictures of some private vehicles in the restricted areas of the reserve jungle.
''We had asked for forensic report on those confiscated vehicles but they were let off under pressure as it would have helped reach the culprits. This was done to destroy the evidence,'' Ms Masood said.
''The tigress was killed by repeated hits by a private jeep and the killers were supported by the park authority,'' the conservationist said.
''I'm not alleging, its been proved by the photographs taken by the tiger lovers,'' Ms Masood said adding that the way postmortem was done with an axe and a knife in the open, shows how funds were being misused by the officers.
Nineteen per cent tiger population of the country is in Madhya Pradesh and people responsible for good health of the national animal are helping poachers kill them.
''Police don't even file cases of missing tigers...there is no coordination between them and the officials at various parks...and that's proving dangerous for tigers,'' she said.
No proper report was sent from Panna reserve for the past many years, they sent fake reports giving wrong information about the number of tigers there and later it was proved that no tiger was left the park since 2005..but they were still getting the money for conservation, she said.
Addressing a news conference here this afternoon, Ms Shehla Masood said the tigers are being killed by the poachers and nobody is stopping them.
''Even those who have been getting paid to conserve and protect the national animal are helping tourists and well-politically connected people to kill the tigers in buffer zones,'' she alleged.
Talking about Panna reserve, she said lots of tourist facilities are coming up near the tiger reserve centres and the ''well-connected'' people have access to the restricted areas.
Displaying the photographs of a tigress, which was killed recently in Madhya Pradesh reserve, she said it was proved beyond doubt that the animal was killed at the hour when nobody is allowed in the park.
''Some minister's son was named in the killing, few officers of the park have also been suspended but nothing concrete has been done till date,'' she said showing pictures of some private vehicles in the restricted areas of the reserve jungle.
''We had asked for forensic report on those confiscated vehicles but they were let off under pressure as it would have helped reach the culprits. This was done to destroy the evidence,'' Ms Masood said.
''The tigress was killed by repeated hits by a private jeep and the killers were supported by the park authority,'' the conservationist said.
''I'm not alleging, its been proved by the photographs taken by the tiger lovers,'' Ms Masood said adding that the way postmortem was done with an axe and a knife in the open, shows how funds were being misused by the officers.
Nineteen per cent tiger population of the country is in Madhya Pradesh and people responsible for good health of the national animal are helping poachers kill them.
''Police don't even file cases of missing tigers...there is no coordination between them and the officials at various parks...and that's proving dangerous for tigers,'' she said.
No proper report was sent from Panna reserve for the past many years, they sent fake reports giving wrong information about the number of tigers there and later it was proved that no tiger was left the park since 2005..but they were still getting the money for conservation, she said.
Task force to protect Bandipur tigers
Big cats of Bandipur Tiger Reserve can now prowl about in peace. The Karnataka government has decided to speed up its 2008 plans to set up a unique task force to protect tigers of the reserve.
But before that, they got an earful from New Delhi-based National Tiger Conservation (NCTA) and even Union Minister for Environment, Jairam Ramesh, for the deaths of eight tigers since 2009 in the reserve. Four of these deaths occurred since January this year.
In a letter to the State government, the NCTA threatened to cut funding for the tiger reserves in Karnataka if they did not take steps to care for the big cats. The State has been directed to review the monitoring and security of the tiger reserves. Such a letter was also sent to other states that had tiger reserves. Top forest officials, however, denied getting any such letter.
Nevertheless, the State government is moving fast to set up the Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF) by 2011 and plans to set aside Rs 4 crore for it. To be formed as per NCTA guidelines, it will be the first of its kind in South India.
The STPF will be entrusted with keeping a watch on tigers within the State as well as monitor the porous borders of Karnataka adjoining Kerala, where poaching has been reported of late.
The squad will be headed by an assistant conservator of forests and will comprise three range forest officers, 18 foresters and 90 guards, who will be divided into three groups. Each group will be provided a vehicle, arms and other equipment by the NTCA. Even the salary and other perks of the task force will be per the NTCA.
The recruitment process for the STPF would begin from June 13, B K Singh, Principal Chief Conservator and Chief Wildlife Warden, told Deccan Herald. “Those selected after examinations will undergo six months’ rigorous training at Yelahanka Police Training centre,” he said. It will also have a member from NCTA.
But before that, they got an earful from New Delhi-based National Tiger Conservation (NCTA) and even Union Minister for Environment, Jairam Ramesh, for the deaths of eight tigers since 2009 in the reserve. Four of these deaths occurred since January this year.
In a letter to the State government, the NCTA threatened to cut funding for the tiger reserves in Karnataka if they did not take steps to care for the big cats. The State has been directed to review the monitoring and security of the tiger reserves. Such a letter was also sent to other states that had tiger reserves. Top forest officials, however, denied getting any such letter.
Nevertheless, the State government is moving fast to set up the Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF) by 2011 and plans to set aside Rs 4 crore for it. To be formed as per NCTA guidelines, it will be the first of its kind in South India.
The STPF will be entrusted with keeping a watch on tigers within the State as well as monitor the porous borders of Karnataka adjoining Kerala, where poaching has been reported of late.
The squad will be headed by an assistant conservator of forests and will comprise three range forest officers, 18 foresters and 90 guards, who will be divided into three groups. Each group will be provided a vehicle, arms and other equipment by the NTCA. Even the salary and other perks of the task force will be per the NTCA.
The recruitment process for the STPF would begin from June 13, B K Singh, Principal Chief Conservator and Chief Wildlife Warden, told Deccan Herald. “Those selected after examinations will undergo six months’ rigorous training at Yelahanka Police Training centre,” he said. It will also have a member from NCTA.
Tigress' death shakes Madhya Pradesh into action
Bhopal, June 2 (IANS) A tigress' death due to a vehicle hit in Madhya Pradesh's Bandhavgarh tiger reserve has galvanised authorities into action. Two tourist routes inside the park have been shut down and similar moves are being planned in other tiger reserves in the state.
However, locals associated with tourism activities are alarmed and say the initiative will hit their livelihood.
The eight-year-old tigress was discovered lying in an injured condition May 19 and died a few hours later. The autopsy report said it died of haemorrhage due to internal injuries caused by a vehicle hit. Its cubs, aged around five months, are being looked after by the forest department.
The authorities have shut two of the four tourist routes inside Bandhavgarh reserve, located in Umaria district.
Other restrictions being planned to prevent such incidents include curbing the movement of vehicles inside the park, reducing the number of resorts and cutting down the number of tourist guides, according to an official.
'The Bandhavgarh National Park management has already closed down two of the four tourist routes in the park. The heat is on camps, resorts and hotels located in tiger reserves across the state as the forest department is planning to impose restrictions on their activities,' the official told IANS.
Besides Bandhavgarh, such restrictions may also be extended to other prominent tiger reserves in the state - the Pench, Kanha, Panna and Satpura national parks - the official added.
But this could hit at the root of their livelihood, say locals around Bandhavgarh who held a meeting Monday to discuss the situation.
Under the aegis of Jansabha, comprising tourist guides, drivers and resort owners, the locals have also demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the death of the tigress.
'It was a forest department vehicle that hit the big cat and it is very unfair to hit our livelihoods for something which is not our fault,' a report compiled by the Jansabha said.
'Though the officials have quizzed us and even conducted forensic tests on our vehicles, the same interest has not been shown in the case of vehicles of the forest department,' the report added.
The probe conducted by Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) Dharmendra Shukla and the park director C.K. Patil has failed to produce any conclusive results.
Shukla, who is in charge of the probe pertaining to the tigress' death, said it is immaterial whether a tourist or a government vehicle hit the tigress.
'Unregulated vehicles in tiger reserves are a hazard. There is need for regulating their movement. Before the next tourist season commences in October, there will be a system in place that may pinch tourism, but it is necessary for the safety of the animals,' he said, adding that parks were not meant for commercial interest and have to be maintained for future generations.
The last tiger census held in January 2006 and released in 2008 put the average population of tigers in Madhya Pradesh at 300, while the total number of the big cats in the country was put at 1,411.
In the last few years, a number of poaching incidents and accidental deaths of tigers have been reported from the tiger reserves.
http://www.mynews.in/News/Tigress'_death_shakes_Madhya_Pradesh_into_action_N59274.html
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Activist pushes Jairam ministry into action on Tigress death
NTCA Secretary Rajesh Gopal released a status report on the death of a tigress inside Bandhavgarh reserve after visiting the park today. The report is a result of unrelenting pressure built up by local activists lead by Bhopal based Shehla Masood who was the first one to bring out facts related to killing of the tiger. Based on facts gathered from the visit the report clearly states the cause of death to be a vehicle hit and one that probably belongs to a local govt official. The report has suggested the state govt order a CBI enquiry into the killing.
Report available on
‘Tourism overkill endangering Corbett’
Alarmed at the uncontrolled tourist flow into the Corbett National Park, Brijendra Singh, the park’s honorary wildlife warden, has emphasised the need for the State Government to ‘act urgently’ to check tourism and ensure that it did not turn the park into a “glorified, large zoo”.
Talking to The Pioneer at Wycliffe, his residence here, on Monday, Raja Sahib (as he is popularly known) said that the State Government should constitute a committee — consisting of representatives from the fields of forest, tourism and wildlife — which should rethink on the resorts that have come up in places where corridors for animals should have been set up.
Singh said that the committee should make sure that these resorts are removed and compensation is paid to their owners. “And it should decide on the establishment of corridors,” said Singh who has been the honorary wildlife warden of the national park since 1982. “The committee should holistically look into the problems at Corbett,” he said.
Dr Rajesh Gopal, member-secretary of the National Tiger Conser-vation Authority (NTCA), and Brijendra Singh will be at Corbett from June 3 to June 5 to look into the problems arising out of ‘over tourism’ in the park. Singh said if the problems were not sorted out immediately, things would be over for Corbett and it would be reduced to a safari park. “However, all is not lost and things can be worked out even now and some corridors can still be established,” he added.
But, says Raja Sahib, if things are not taken in hand now, then saving Corbett will become a losing battle.
Brijendra Singh, who spends most of his time patrolling the Corbett Tiger Reserve and organising sting operations to nab poachers, says over tourism and lack of involvement of local villagers had been the two major problems that had affected the park.
“We need more efforts to involve the locals. Unfortunately, many locals sold their property to resort owners who came to Corbett from Mumbai and Delhi. And now these villagers, who once owned that land, are working as waiters in these resorts.”
He said it was important to involve the locals as Ramnagar was entirely dependent on tourism. “If at that time the Government had controlled the sale of land around the park, things would have been quite different now,” said Singh, who divides his time among Delhi, Corbett and Mussoorie.
Singh said another problem plaguing Corbett is the trees planted on the fire lines. “It has led to a Catch-22 situation. If these trees are not removed, we cannot have clear fire lines and if they are felled then again we will be in the wrong,” said Singh, who is the longest serving member on the Indian Board for Wildlife.
Brijendra Singh’s association with the park began as a school boy (from The Doon School) in 1957. “We used to go for our mid-term breaks from the school. Thick forests started from Haridwar itself. Corbett was a paradise.”
His love for the park grew with each visit. His active involvement with the park began with his successful campaign to stop construction of a three-star hotel at Khinnanauli by the Tourism Department of Uttar Pradesh, in 1968. This area today is the prime tiger habitat and the pride of Corbett.
Having come from a background where hunting, at the time, was a part of life, Brijendra Singh grew up as a hunter and is well-known in the hills around Mussoorie for having shot many cattle lifting and man-eater leopards in the area. Though he gave up hunting in 1970, he is still called upon by the forest department when in crisis to put away man-eater leopards, a task which he reluctantly undertakes.
Talking to The Pioneer at Wycliffe, his residence here, on Monday, Raja Sahib (as he is popularly known) said that the State Government should constitute a committee — consisting of representatives from the fields of forest, tourism and wildlife — which should rethink on the resorts that have come up in places where corridors for animals should have been set up.
Singh said that the committee should make sure that these resorts are removed and compensation is paid to their owners. “And it should decide on the establishment of corridors,” said Singh who has been the honorary wildlife warden of the national park since 1982. “The committee should holistically look into the problems at Corbett,” he said.
Dr Rajesh Gopal, member-secretary of the National Tiger Conser-vation Authority (NTCA), and Brijendra Singh will be at Corbett from June 3 to June 5 to look into the problems arising out of ‘over tourism’ in the park. Singh said if the problems were not sorted out immediately, things would be over for Corbett and it would be reduced to a safari park. “However, all is not lost and things can be worked out even now and some corridors can still be established,” he added.
But, says Raja Sahib, if things are not taken in hand now, then saving Corbett will become a losing battle.
Brijendra Singh, who spends most of his time patrolling the Corbett Tiger Reserve and organising sting operations to nab poachers, says over tourism and lack of involvement of local villagers had been the two major problems that had affected the park.
“We need more efforts to involve the locals. Unfortunately, many locals sold their property to resort owners who came to Corbett from Mumbai and Delhi. And now these villagers, who once owned that land, are working as waiters in these resorts.”
He said it was important to involve the locals as Ramnagar was entirely dependent on tourism. “If at that time the Government had controlled the sale of land around the park, things would have been quite different now,” said Singh, who divides his time among Delhi, Corbett and Mussoorie.
Singh said another problem plaguing Corbett is the trees planted on the fire lines. “It has led to a Catch-22 situation. If these trees are not removed, we cannot have clear fire lines and if they are felled then again we will be in the wrong,” said Singh, who is the longest serving member on the Indian Board for Wildlife.
Brijendra Singh’s association with the park began as a school boy (from The Doon School) in 1957. “We used to go for our mid-term breaks from the school. Thick forests started from Haridwar itself. Corbett was a paradise.”
His love for the park grew with each visit. His active involvement with the park began with his successful campaign to stop construction of a three-star hotel at Khinnanauli by the Tourism Department of Uttar Pradesh, in 1968. This area today is the prime tiger habitat and the pride of Corbett.
Having come from a background where hunting, at the time, was a part of life, Brijendra Singh grew up as a hunter and is well-known in the hills around Mussoorie for having shot many cattle lifting and man-eater leopards in the area. Though he gave up hunting in 1970, he is still called upon by the forest department when in crisis to put away man-eater leopards, a task which he reluctantly undertakes.
Stalled tigress death probe gets a leg-up
Investigations into the 11-day-old murder mystery of an eight-year-old tigress in the Bandhavgarh reserve in Madhya Pradesh gained momentum on Monday with the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) member-secretary Dr Rajesh Gopal reaching the site to probe the incident and report back to Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh.
The identity of the killer/s continues to be shrouded in mystery. Though Ramesh had sought an immediate report from MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, there has been no response so far.
In view of the delay, Dr Gopal reached the tiger reserve on Monday. There is speculation that a CBI probe may be ordered into the incident.
MP’s Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Dharmendra Shukla, who was earlier probing the incident, said, “The preliminary inquiry report related to circumstances causing the incident and other factors has been submitted to the State, but the criminal investigation is still not over. The report will take some time.”
According to NTCA sources, Gopal will also decide on the rehabilitation of the three cubs after the death of their mother. The three-month-old cubs need special attention.
In another development, nearly 200 villagers under the banner of Jansabha met outside the reserve on Monday to finalise their three-point memorandum to be submitted to Dr Gopal. They are demanding a CBI inquiry, protection of the orphaned cubs and a stable tourism policy for the benefit of the local villagers who largely depend on this trade.
“We are convinced that the Forest department would not be able to do justice to the investigation as one of the officials is involved,” said Dhruv Singh, a local, who spoke to this correspondent over telephone. This, he felt, explains the inordinate delay in the submission of the report, despite the directives of the Environment Minister, adding that it should be handed over to the CBI now.
The safety of the cubs following the death of the mother was also a source of concern for the local villagers. The three cubs continue to be in the prime natural habitat area, which are inhabited by other tigresses, wolves, leopards etc. The prevailing situation may disturb the equilibrium of the habitat. However, Field Director CR Patil said, “The cubs are safe and being monitored round-the-clock. They are being fed from time to time.”
The villagers also threw light on inconsistent tourist policies. The policies change with change in field directors, they said. “They are transferred after every two-three years leaving us at crossroads”, they regretted.
The eight-year-old tigress was found dead in Jhurjhura region of the reserve close to a water source in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve on May 19. The post-mortem report said the big cat died of multiple injuries after she was knocked down more than once by a vehicle.
The identity of the killer/s continues to be shrouded in mystery. Though Ramesh had sought an immediate report from MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, there has been no response so far.
In view of the delay, Dr Gopal reached the tiger reserve on Monday. There is speculation that a CBI probe may be ordered into the incident.
MP’s Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Dharmendra Shukla, who was earlier probing the incident, said, “The preliminary inquiry report related to circumstances causing the incident and other factors has been submitted to the State, but the criminal investigation is still not over. The report will take some time.”
According to NTCA sources, Gopal will also decide on the rehabilitation of the three cubs after the death of their mother. The three-month-old cubs need special attention.
In another development, nearly 200 villagers under the banner of Jansabha met outside the reserve on Monday to finalise their three-point memorandum to be submitted to Dr Gopal. They are demanding a CBI inquiry, protection of the orphaned cubs and a stable tourism policy for the benefit of the local villagers who largely depend on this trade.
“We are convinced that the Forest department would not be able to do justice to the investigation as one of the officials is involved,” said Dhruv Singh, a local, who spoke to this correspondent over telephone. This, he felt, explains the inordinate delay in the submission of the report, despite the directives of the Environment Minister, adding that it should be handed over to the CBI now.
The safety of the cubs following the death of the mother was also a source of concern for the local villagers. The three cubs continue to be in the prime natural habitat area, which are inhabited by other tigresses, wolves, leopards etc. The prevailing situation may disturb the equilibrium of the habitat. However, Field Director CR Patil said, “The cubs are safe and being monitored round-the-clock. They are being fed from time to time.”
The villagers also threw light on inconsistent tourist policies. The policies change with change in field directors, they said. “They are transferred after every two-three years leaving us at crossroads”, they regretted.
The eight-year-old tigress was found dead in Jhurjhura region of the reserve close to a water source in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve on May 19. The post-mortem report said the big cat died of multiple injuries after she was knocked down more than once by a vehicle.
Monday, May 31, 2010
NTCA to re-evaluate tiger reserves
LUCKNOW: National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has decided to re-evaluate the country’s tiger reserves on the basis of their efficiency in management. The move comes amid calls for revamping the Project Tiger with an increase in poaching and decline in big cat population.
‘‘The evaluation would determine whether the reserves need any change in field management,’’ said R L Singh, former Project Tiger director and chairman of one of the five committees set up to evaluate the reserves.
Singh will head a committee to evaluate Cluster-III tiger reserves - Valmiki (Bihar), Indravati, Achanakmar, Udanti-Sitanadi (Chhattisgarh), Similipal, Satkosia (Orissa), Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam (Andhra Pradesh) and Palamau (Jharkhand). The cluster comprises some reserves in Maoist-affected areas and their management would be evaluated keeping this in mind.
‘‘The evaluation would determine whether the reserves need any change in field management,’’ said R L Singh, former Project Tiger director and chairman of one of the five committees set up to evaluate the reserves.
Singh will head a committee to evaluate Cluster-III tiger reserves - Valmiki (Bihar), Indravati, Achanakmar, Udanti-Sitanadi (Chhattisgarh), Similipal, Satkosia (Orissa), Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam (Andhra Pradesh) and Palamau (Jharkhand). The cluster comprises some reserves in Maoist-affected areas and their management would be evaluated keeping this in mind.
GIS to unravel information on Manas Tiger Reserve
Guwahati, May 30 (IBNS): An unique web-based geographical information software MANTRIS that is expected to help in tiger conservation efforts in western Assam’s Manas National Park, which is covered under Project Tiger, has been unveiled.
The software has been developed by a research team of Aaranyak, a prominent scientific and industrial research organization based here, and is expected to contribute further tiger conservation efforts in protected areas of the country.
By virtue of this new software that has been dedicated to Manas Tiger Reserve, under Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) in Assam, detail information about the much celebrated tiger reserve will now be available in a single package called ‘MANTRIS’.
MANTRIS - Manas Tiger Reserve Information System— was formally handed over to the forest department of BTC through the BTC deputy chief, Kampa Borgoyari, in a function held a Kokrajhar a couple of days back, which was attended by field director of Royal Manas National Park (in Bhutan), Tenzing Wangchuk, head of forest department under BTC,G C Basumatary, Manas National Park field director Aninda Swargiary besides a host of dignitaries.
MANTRIS happens to be the first such web-based information soft ware on any of the wildlife protection areas in the North East.
A core group of researchers from Aaranyak has developed the unique information database MANTRIS in collaboration with Forest Department of BTC.
MANTRIS is basically a web-based Geographical Information System (GIS) that unravels information about varied aspects of enchanting Manas Tiger Reserve bordering Bhutan Himalayas at the click of the mouse.
MANTRIS is the first of its kind information software that will be of immense help for park managers and stakeholders besides nature and wildlife enthusiasts.
MANTRIS is designed for the entire Manas Tiger Reserve area that extends from Sankosh river in the west to Dhansiri river in the east long the India-Bhutan border. Manas Tiger Reserve comprises of 18 ranges covering a total area of over 2800 square kilometer.
MANTRIS contains detail information on almost all aspects of the picturesque tiger reserve including administrative centers, forest boundary, land use pattern, drainage, forest villages, NGO locations, roads network , ride line, elephant points, golden langur points, digital elevation model (topographic model) of tiger reserve.
This web-based and extremely user friendly information system has been developed after two years of extensive field work and research carried out by a team of Aaranyak comprising team leader Bibhuti P Lahkar, Pranjit Kr Sarma, Hillojyoti Sinha, Santanu Dey, Bipul Das, Bikram Choudhury, Arup Das, Ananta Bora, T R Marak. Aaranyak Secretary General Bibhab Talukdar guided the team.
The whole project was financially supported by Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) that focuses on conservation of bio-diversity hotspots.
The software is now available in digital format with Aaranyak which has plan to make it available in the internet subject approval of Forest Department, BTC. The digital copy of MANTRIS is available for public on request.
MANTRIS can be the basic platform for habitat linkages within Manas Tiger Reserve and other key habitats of Bhutan Biological Conservation Complex as well as North Bank Landscape.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Major fire in Valmiki Nagar tiger reserve, 10 hectares of forest gutted
BAGAHA (Bihar): A major fire broke out in Valmiki Nagar tiger reserve at Madanpur range near Indo-Nepal border, destroying about ten hectares of forest, a forest official said today.
The fire which broke out last evening continued for nearly 12 hours till this morning before forest guards could control it, forest ranger Zunaid Ali said.
He said work had already begun to assess the loss of animals and birds.
The cause of the fire was being ascertained.
The fire which broke out last evening continued for nearly 12 hours till this morning before forest guards could control it, forest ranger Zunaid Ali said.
He said work had already begun to assess the loss of animals and birds.
The cause of the fire was being ascertained.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Aurangabad police nab three for tiger skin poaching
Aurangabad Police nabbed three poachers and seized a prized skin of a tiger from them on Wednesday.
Acting on a tip off, the officials nabbed the three suspects before they could sell the tiger skin.amesh Ghorale, Assistant Commissioner of Police of Aurangabad, said: "These poachers had planned to sell the tiger skin for Rupees 2.2 million dollars.
"We got the skin of a tiger and also seized a Khukri (traditional dagger of Gorkhas of Nepal)...and one car. We also arrested three people...out of them two are from Aurangabad and one is from Jalna," he added.
Further investigation to ascertain the source of this tiger skin and also the proposed destination is in progress. (ANI)
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Bandhavgarh “Tigress was killed by Reserve vehicle ”
NEW DELHI: Who killed the Bandhavgarh tigress? While wildlife officials blamed tourist vehicles, tourists and locals are now pointing the finger at the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve's officials themselves. Locals and tourists say it was an official vehicle of the Reserve that originally hit the eight-year-old lactating tigress as she was attempting to cross the road and reach her three cubs early on the morning of May 19.
Tourist vehicles spotted the injured tigress and informed the Reserve officials. They say it finally died when she charged a vehicle of the Reserve that was sent out to investigate. Two tourists say they were harassed by officials to put the blame on their own driver.
On May 25, three Reserve officials, including an assistant director and two rangers, were suspended, according to National Tiger Conservation Authority director Rajesh Gopal. He refused to comment on who was responsible for the death, saying an enquiry was on.
Earlier reports from Wildlife Department officials and the Reserve authorities suggested several contradictory reasons for the death, including a territorial fight and a wire snare. Finally, after a post-mortem showed internal injuries caused by the impact of a hard, blunt object, the Reserve's field director said he suspected collision with a tourist vehicle. Rumours also suggested that a relative of a Madhya Pradesh Minister was involved.
Jainandni Rathore and her husband Vikramaditya Singh of Jaipur were among the first tourists at the scene, accompanied by their experienced driver and a guide. When they arrived at the water hole at 6.10 a.m., they found two other tourist vehicles already present. Together, they watched the tigress drooping near the water.
“She looked very angry and distressed…she seemed aggressive and was acting abnormally. So our driver suggested that we back off. Within seconds, she suddenly took off and came charging at us…we rushed away. I was really shook up and just wanted to get out of there, but the driver said we should stop and inform officials at the central point,” she says.
The driver also warned off other tourist vehicles heading towards the site and then informed forest rangers, who closed the route. With permission, Ms. Rathore and her husband then left the park and returned to their hotel. “Less than an hour after we reached the room, we were told two forest officials came to meet us. We thought they may want to pacify us, but they were very aggressive.”
The two officials were assistant director R.P. Pandey and range officer J.N. Shukla — both of whom were suspended — who had come to get a statement.
“They tried to pressure us to say it was our driver's mistake. Why should I tell a lie when he is innocent? In fact, I am only alive because of my driver's quick thinking,” Ms. Rathore says.
“They even threatened my husband and asked if he was driving the jeep. If we had been at fault, why would we take the trouble to come and report the tigress' condition to the authorities?”
Ms. Rathore says the officials repeatedly harassed them and came for their statement three or four times. However, when they went to complain to the director, they found their statement conveniently missing. In fact, a statement copy was only delivered to them the night before they left Bandhavgarh on May 24.
‘Animal was already hit'
Dhruv Singh — a Bandhavgarh resident representing a community organisation called Jan Sabha who was present at the post-mortem and witnessed parts of the investigation — says the tourists' information was only taken into account after a senior Mumbai police officer in one of the other vehicles submitted his statement.
Since the tigress was hit before the tourist vehicles arrived, and since only Reserve vehicles are allowed into the park before 6 a.m., investigations are now focussed around Reserve officials.
http://www.hindu.com/2010/05/27/stories/2010052762991300.htm
2 more tigers in Sariska by June
May 26: Two more tigers are being relocated to Sariska from the Ranthambore tiger reserve in the third week of June. Rajesh Gopal, member secretary of National Tiger Conservation Authority, pointed out that the next round of relocation, which will have a male tiger, should come as a boost to revive the tiger population in this sanctuary.
The earlier relocation had the tiger mate with the tigresses but that did not result in any pregnancy.
A wildlife official pointed out that there was a possibility that the earlier male tiger brought to Sariska may have had a low sperm count. But the relocation process received a boost when a translocated tigress for the first time gave birth to three cubs in Panna reserve.
The earlier relocation had the tiger mate with the tigresses but that did not result in any pregnancy.
A wildlife official pointed out that there was a possibility that the earlier male tiger brought to Sariska may have had a low sperm count. But the relocation process received a boost when a translocated tigress for the first time gave birth to three cubs in Panna reserve.
3 Bandhavgarh Officials Suspended For Cover-Up
Three forest officers have been suspended for allegedly attempting to cover up the killing of a 30-month-old tigress which died in the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh on May 19.
The tigress was crossing a road in the reserve along with her three cubs on the night of May 18 when a forest department jeep with SDO R.C. Pandey sitting in it allegedly hit it.
Without attending to the injured tigress, the officer scrambled back to his home and reported the matter to range officers Lalit Pandey and J.N. Shukla. The trio allegedly misinformed their boss, reserve field director C.K. Patil, that the tigress had been wounded by a tourist vehicle or else sustained internal injuries in a fight with another tigress over territorial rights.
The injured animal was, however, spotted at 6 am next morning by a group of tourists amongst whom was a senior police official belonging to the Maharashtra cadre who took photographs of the animal.
All the three forest officers tried putting the blame on the tourist jeep for hitting the tigress and may have succeeded in this ploy were it not for the intervention of the tell-tale photographs taken by the police official.
The local Bandhavgarh population, which is heavily dependent on tourism for their livelihood, also pressured Patil to have the forest department vehicles checked by forensic experts.
Environmentalist Dhruv Singh from Bandhavgarh told this reporter on the phone, “Patil agreed to have the vehicles checked and when he realised his own officials were involved in a cover up, he suspended them immediately.”
Mr Pandey has been accused of financial bungling and had been served with a transfer order. Mr Patil has ruled out the possibility of the tigress having been hit by the tourists jeep in the reserve.
Before the feline died, it entered a water body in Tala range, Mr Patil said, adding there was no external injury mark on the tigress’ body.
He said the post-mortem of tigress will be done as per the guidelines.
http://www.asianage.com/india/3-bandhavgarh-officials-suspended-cover-017
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
12 get three yrs RI for poaching tigers
LUCKNOW: In a judgment that will go a long way in wildlife protection in UP, Allahabad additional district judge S N Agnihotri on Tuesday awarded 12 poachers three-year rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10,000 each under Section 51 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Ten of these poachers, who belong to Katni in Madhya Pradesh, are women.
Two men, Insatt and Sushil, and 10 women, including Mirsana, Sarojini, Sukhchain, Suhana, Rafeli, Meenabai, Juhi Chawla, Kiloran, Rango and Chillo , were arrested in December 2007 in Allahabad along with four traders by a team of police and Special Task Force led by Civil Lines CO Arvind Chaturvedi . The police were assisted by the Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI). All the 12 poachers belonged to the Bahelia caste and three tiger skins and 75 kg of tiger bones were seized from them.
Giving this information, Tito Joseph of WPSI told TOI: ‘‘ The court had separated the cases of Bahelia poachers and traders’’ . ‘‘ All the 12 poachers did not get bail and were lodged in jail since December 2007,’’ added lawyer Ved Prakash Mishra.
Forest department officials believe that Bawaria and Bahelia poachers are major threat to tigers in the region. Kala Sona, Black Mushroom, Kasturi, Chivi, Kumbh Boda and Safeda are just some of the code words that these poachers use to mislead the police.
Two men, Insatt and Sushil, and 10 women, including Mirsana, Sarojini, Sukhchain, Suhana, Rafeli, Meenabai, Juhi Chawla, Kiloran, Rango and Chillo , were arrested in December 2007 in Allahabad along with four traders by a team of police and Special Task Force led by Civil Lines CO Arvind Chaturvedi . The police were assisted by the Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI). All the 12 poachers belonged to the Bahelia caste and three tiger skins and 75 kg of tiger bones were seized from them.
Giving this information, Tito Joseph of WPSI told TOI: ‘‘ The court had separated the cases of Bahelia poachers and traders’’ . ‘‘ All the 12 poachers did not get bail and were lodged in jail since December 2007,’’ added lawyer Ved Prakash Mishra.
Forest department officials believe that Bawaria and Bahelia poachers are major threat to tigers in the region. Kala Sona, Black Mushroom, Kasturi, Chivi, Kumbh Boda and Safeda are just some of the code words that these poachers use to mislead the police.
DNA analysis to nail lie on tiger counts
Exaggerated tiger counts presented by forest officials all across the country can be nailed.
Laboratory for Conservation of Endangered Species, a part of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad has a foolproof method to know not only the number of tigers in a tiger reserve but their genetic diversity and number of male and female tigers.
The lab has developed the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technology that allows one to examine even miniscule amounts of DNA present in faecal samples of tigers. It would expose the exaggerated tiger counts presented by forest officials all across the country.
The technology is 99.9 per cent accurate. The forest officials will only have to collect tigers’ faecal from the tiger reserves and send it to the CCMB for DNA analysis. The centre is even willing to send its scientist to tiger reserves to train forest officials how to collect tigers’ faecal.
The PCR technology can also easily differentiate between male and female tigers apart from providing the exact count to the big cats in tiger reserves.
It is also the only scientific method available all across the globe that can also point out if there is any genetic inbreeding of tigers in a particular tiger reserve.
If there is any such problem then the CCMB can ask the state government of that particular tiger reserve to import tigers from other reserves to solve the problem.
Former director of CCMB Dr Lalji Singh and his team members have developed this technology and wants to introduce it in all tiger reserves in the country.
“We have successfully carried out the pilot study with faecal samples of tigers collected from two tiger reserves to estimate tiger population in 2006,” says Dr Singh.
“It is the technology of the future. The pugmark and camera trap methods have inherent drawbacks. For carrying out tiger census the DNA technology can also be used with the pugmark and camera trap methods,” he adds.
So why the forest officials have not adopted the PCR technology to estimate tiger population?
“We are not getting full cooperation. Only some states are cooperating. To save tigers we need cooperation from all states,” says Dr Singh.
“All over Europe and some states in US are using the PCR technology for carrying out census of wild animals,” Dr Singh adds.
We can help the states that are not cooperating. We can send our staff there to collect tigers’ faecal. The states can even send the samples through courier or we can also collect, Dr Singh stated.
Scientist and wildlife experts say the states are shying away from carrying out the tiger census through the DNA analysis because it would expose tall claims about tiger population in their respective states.
“Figures about tiger count in almost all the states including Uttar Pradesh are exaggerated. If actual numbers are quoted then the forest officials will be exposed,” said a senior scientist.
For how long the states would manipulate with tiger count and put into jeopardy the survival of our national animal.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/DNA-analysis-to-nail-lie-on-tiger-counts/Article1-548437.aspx
Rajasthan to dig ponds in water-starved sanctuaries
Rajasthan will construct small dams and ponds in its water-starved wildlife sanctuaries - a move that could also stop animals from straying into nearby villages in search of the precious resource.
“In the first phase we would spend Rs.410 million (Rs.41 crore) on the construction of 85 such waterbodies inside Sariska, Ranthambore and Sawai Mansingh sanctuaries,” a senior forest official told IANS.
“In the next phase, all other sanctuaries and parks would be covered under the scheme. A sum of Rs.3-4 billion (Rs.300-400 crore) is expected to be incurred on this,” he said.
The forest department would identify places where these water bodies are to be constructed and later the water resource department would construct them, the official said.
The water bodies are expected to be constructed by November.
India's desert state boasts of two tiger projects, one bird sanctuary and 25 wildlife sanctuaries. These protected areas offer great eco-tourism opportunities for both domestic and foreign tourists.
With the rise in mercury levels, several small water reservoirs have become parched while others are on the brink of drying up. Though the forest department claims to have put a plan in place for proper water supply through tankers and tube wells, animal rights activists were not fully convinced.
“Some of the wildlife reserves and parks are facing an acute water shortage this summer,” said Babulal Jaju, the state in-charge of the NGO People for Animals (PFA).
He said the measures adopted by the state government have been few. “This plan of constructing anicuts and ponds is good, provided it is taken up seriously by the forest department,” Mr. Jaju said.
The situation is really bad in the Dara Wildlife Sanctuary near Kota in Rajasthan. The anicut and small ponds here have completely dried up, forcing wild animals to search for water in villages.
“This situation is really bad. We are now always in danger as wild animals, including panthers, have started coming to our villages in search of water,” said Nanuram, a resident of Laximipura village close to the Dara Wildlife Sanctuary area.
There has been a rise in cases of panthers straying into villages, he said. Recently a panther was beaten to death in Bhojipura village near here.
Similarly, incidents of bears straying into human habitations in Jalore district, in southwest Rajasthan, have shown an increase in the recent past.
The Keoladeo Bird sanctuary in Bharatpur, not far from Agra, is also facing a water crisis which has already taken its toll on the turnout of the winged migratory visitors.
The sanctuary was a favourite destination for a variety of rare birds from India and abroad. A large part of the water bodies in the sanctuary have turned into dry land. The entire area had been receiving scanty rainfall for the last couple of years.
http://beta.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/article438198.ece
Acute water shortage in Uttarakhand's Corbett Reserve
Ramnagar (Uttarakhand), May 25 (ANI): The Corbett Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand is facing acute water shortage, as natural sources of water have dried up on account of the rising temperature.
"The main purpose of making water holes at regular distance, as the animals are spread along the entire forest area. So, it makes easy for them. There was a pipe for supply of water," said B. L. Bhatt, Range Officer, Corbett Tiger Reserve.
"But nowadays, even the source has dried up, so there is no water. That's why we are using tankers," he added.
Tankers are needed eight to nine times in a day.
"In all, there are 16 water holes. Due to scarcity of water, we come here and provide water through tankers at least eight to nine times a day," said Veer Singh, a forester. (ANI)
The authorities here have made arrangements to meet the water requirements of the wildlife, by bringing water through tankers and putting it in water pits.
"The main purpose of making water holes at regular distance, as the animals are spread along the entire forest area. So, it makes easy for them. There was a pipe for supply of water," said B. L. Bhatt, Range Officer, Corbett Tiger Reserve.
"But nowadays, even the source has dried up, so there is no water. That's why we are using tankers," he added.
Tankers are needed eight to nine times in a day.
"In all, there are 16 water holes. Due to scarcity of water, we come here and provide water through tankers at least eight to nine times a day," said Veer Singh, a forester. (ANI)
Captured Royal Bengal tigers released into forest
Barasat (WB), May 25 (PTI) Two Royal Bengal tigers which strayed into villages near the Sundarbans have been released into deep jungles by the forest department, officials said today.
The Forest department captured a tigress last night after it strayed into a village at Hingalganj, adjacent to the Sunderbans in North 24-Parganas district.
It was released today into the Baghmara forest deep into the Sunderbans, the officials said.
On Thursday, a tiger had entered Shamsernagar village after swimming across the two-km wide Raimangal river. It killed livestock before being trapped by the Forest department staff the next day.
It was released into the deep forests on Saturday, they said.
Forest officials said tigers had been regularly entering human habitations ever since cyclone Aila wrought havoc in the Sunderbans.
The Forest department captured a tigress last night after it strayed into a village at Hingalganj, adjacent to the Sunderbans in North 24-Parganas district.
It was released today into the Baghmara forest deep into the Sunderbans, the officials said.
On Thursday, a tiger had entered Shamsernagar village after swimming across the two-km wide Raimangal river. It killed livestock before being trapped by the Forest department staff the next day.
It was released into the deep forests on Saturday, they said.
Forest officials said tigers had been regularly entering human habitations ever since cyclone Aila wrought havoc in the Sunderbans.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Tigress in the death of three officers suspended
Bhopal. Bandhavgarh National Park tigress was killed on Wednesday in the case of three officers have been suspended. Authorities suspended an SDO and includes two Range Officers.
Forest Minister Sartaj Singh, while confirming that the suspension of three officers and Range Officer J. N. Pandey, SDO RP Shukla and Lalit Pande are included. He said the three officers were not around the day of the event. Nor did he cooperate in investigating the incident. That's why they were prima facie guilty of negligence has been suspended.
Here, one of the suspended officials said on condition of anonymity that they were made scapegoats. The purpose of the Department of high - profile individuals have to save, whose name has come up at the event. The day they were Mone incident field, the tigress was he who had the seizure. So to tell them absent from the area are beyond understanding.
Forest Minister Sartaj Singh, while confirming that the suspension of three officers and Range Officer J. N. Pandey, SDO RP Shukla and Lalit Pande are included. He said the three officers were not around the day of the event. Nor did he cooperate in investigating the incident. That's why they were prima facie guilty of negligence has been suspended.
Here, one of the suspended officials said on condition of anonymity that they were made scapegoats. The purpose of the Department of high - profile individuals have to save, whose name has come up at the event. The day they were Mone incident field, the tigress was he who had the seizure. So to tell them absent from the area are beyond understanding.
Tigers attack human habitations
Attacks on human habitations, cattle and domestic animals by tigers of the Sunderbans have seen unprecedented rise since the past few months owing to drastic reduction of forest areas and dwindling numbers of prey for the great cats.
Royal Bengal tigers are often seen invading the villages across the river in both North and South 24 Parganas districts while the residents of Samshernagar village under Hingalganj police station in the North as well as Jemspur and Anpur villages of the South reported attacks of the Royal Bengal tigers, which killed several cattle, including cows, goats and sheep after entering the cattle sheds of a number of houses.
A tiger entered Samshernagar village during two successive nights and killed as many as ten cattle from four cattle sheds on May 22 night. Another tiger entered the village on May 21 night crossing Kundekhali canal of the Jhingakhali range of the Sunderbans and killed four goats, of which one was taken away by the tiger to the forest, locals said.
Incidentally, beat officers of the forest department were in a dilemma in finding a way out to prevent tigers from entering the inhabited areas. They suggested the local Panchayat and the villagers to erect strong fencing. The beat officials also suggested to arrange for night guards in this case.
On the other hand, Jemspur village of South 24 Parganas saw a full grown Royal Bengal tiger killing at least four cattle, including a dog, after entering a cattle shed of a villager during late evening.
As the villagers chased the tiger, it fled from Jemspur to Anpur village, where it also killed a few cattle. The forest officials were also called for help by the villagers. Finally the beast was caught yesterday morning. It was later sedated and brought to the Anpur beat house from where it will be released in the forest after fixing a radio collar as was done for a couple of tigers, which were caught from Chhotomollkhali and Netidhopani villages in South district.
Forest department officials have blamed the man-animal conflict to the degradation of the ecosystem following dwindling of the Sunderban forest area, which was posing a danger to the endangered animals' survival as the number of their prey had reduced considerably.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Huge funds spent, but PTR fails to save even a single tiger
A whopping sum of Rs. 2,774.699 lakh was spent between 2007 and 2009 for tiger conservation in Panna Tiger Reserve (PTR), but the big cat population declined and came to a naught in the reserve by 2009.
The tiger population declined to an estimated number of 15 to 32 in 2006 in the reserve. In 2007, the tiger population was 35 in PTR, the document acquired under the RTI Act by Ajay Dubey, secretary of Prayatna Environment Action Group, said.
The tiger census, carried out by Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehra Dun in 2006, found that there were 15 to 32 tigers in the reserve. WII carried the tiger census with the help of camera trap method, the document said.
Following reports of the Panna being bereft of tiger population in 2009, the WII again carried a camera trap census. Following that, in April 2009, the special investigation team of the Centre declared that there was no tiger in the reserve, the document said.
Before 2006, the tiger census were carried out by pug mark methodology annually and according to it there were 25, 28, 31, 33, 33, 34 and 35 tigers in Panna in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005 respectively, the documents said.
Meanwhile, a tigress out of the two translocated tigers has given birth to three cubs in Panna.
After Panna became devoid of big cat population, two tigresses, one from Bandhavgarh and another from Kanha, besides a male tiger from Pench, were shifted to Panna to revive the tiger population.
Jairam softens stand on mining in tiger homes
Minister for environment and forests Jairam Ramesh has constituted a committee to "examine the proposals of mining, infrastructure development and industries vis-Ã -vis tiger conservation".
Sources said the move was aimed at shifting the onus of hard and difficult decisions on to non-political and technical persons. "Jairam has been criticised for taking technical decisions based on his own impressions. He is also facing the political consequences of these decisions.
When decisions are made based on technical-committee recommendations, nobody can object," a source said.
About 17 mining proposals in the buffer zones of tiger reserves will be studied and approved by the committee, comprising four members of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
The team will visit sites and hold consultations with the locals before submitting a report to the Centre within a month, an order issued by the ministry said.
The mining proposals to be studied are in the buffer zones of tiger reserves, including Tadoba-Andhari and Chandoli National Park in Maharashtra, Bandhavgarh in Madhya Pradesh and the Gundla Brameswaram wildlife sanctuary in Andhra Pradesh.
Several of these proposals are for Chindwara, the constituency of roads and highways minister Kamal Nath, whom Jairam had angered by stopping the widening of a highway that passes through the Pench tiger reserve.
Jairam also cancelled permission for coal mining in the buffer zone of Tadoba-Andhari tiger reserve in Maharashtra.
This put him in the crosshairs of civil aviation minister Praful Patel. The proposed mine was to supply coal to a power project in Patel's constituency in Gondia district.
But a Jairam who relished such confrontation appears to have disappeared, especially since he was rapped by his "only friend" in the cabinet, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, for criticising India's security measures in China. Also, with his Rajya Sabha term nearing an end, Jairam is said to be working on his conciliatory skills to ensure re-election.
New action plan for Project Tiger in AP
HYDERABAD: The Critical Tiger Habitat (CTH) in the Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve (NSTR) now has a twin. Though developed at different times, it was discovered recently that Gundla Brahmeswara Wildlife Sanctuary (GBMWS), in fact, is a conjoined twin of the famous NSTR. Hence, the government came up with a declaration that GBM should actually be considered the extended core of the NSTR.
Spread over five districts connecting all the three geographical regions of the state, NSTR boasts of roughly 70 tigers. On the other hand, GBMWS, that controls the most dense part of the Nallamalla forest, has about 12 big cats. The two are connected by a wide corridor. The government order, which is in the process of being published as a gazette notification soon, is the result of behind-the-scene developments taking place for the past several years.
Before becoming NSTR in 1983, the place covering the catchment areas of Nagarjunasagar and Srisailam dams was first declared a sanctuary, the Nagarjunsagar Srisailam Wildlife Sanctuary (NSWLS). Later, with the objective of protecting tigers in the area more efficiently, the status of the sanctuary was upgraded to a 'tiger reserve'. This is the only tiger reserve of in the state in which 23 per cent of the total area is forest land.
The birth of GBMWLS took place much later, in 1998. The area under the sanctuary is rich and diverse in flora and fauna. While there are well known species of trees like teak, boswellia and terminalia, bamboo etc. There are numerous plants, shrubs and herbs that await scientific categorization and preservation. The animal world is equally rich there with sloth bear, wild dog, hyena, jungle cat, langur, bonnet monkey, sambar, nilgai, chowsingha, chinkara, mouse deer, monitor lizard, marsh crocodile and python etc. found in abundance. Topping the list are, of course, the tigers and panthers. "The forest is free of human habitation and, at most places, too dense to be accessed even on foot," DFO Tulasi Rao said.
Since the 3,568 square km NSTR came into being, the forest department has been pestered with claims on land in the Nagarjunasagar area of the tiger reserve. Ideally, a tiger reserve should be free from human habitation. But NSTR has considerable number of tribals, especially Lambada population, in the Sagar catchment area.
According to some estimates, the number of Lambadas, Chenchus and others in the area has risen to about 30,000. Many of these people have also been given title books on their claims under the Tribal Act.
Rao said an expert committee set up on the advice of the central government found that the Sagar area has become porous with hardly any tiger population. Therefore, the committee felt 1,000 sq km in Sagar should be delineated from the NSTR. This 1000 sq km would not form part of the CTH, meaning the area is not vital for the survival and growth of tiger population. But at the same time, the area would continue to play a decisive role for the protection of hydrological and other natural heritage. Hence, it would remain within the boundaries of NSTR and considered part of the sanctuary, Chief Wildlife Warden Hitesh Malhotra explained.
He said some six years ago, the forest department had sent a proposal to the Centre to convert the 1196 sq km GBMWLS into a tiger reserve. The government of India suggested that instead of making GBMWLS an independent tiger reserve, it could be connected with NSTR and the entire sanctuary be considered an extended core of tiger habitat. Malhotra summed up the situation by saying that while about 1000 sq km from the NSTR is taken out from CTH, 1196 sq km of GBM has been added. The area of the two sanctuaries together now adds up to 4,763 sq km while within this boundary the CTH for tiger would be 3,763 sq km.
With this new development, the forest department has begun working out a fresh management plan for the core one and core two of the tiger reserve together. The core two or GBMWLS would be brought under the Project Director, Tiger, of NSTR and he would be given more assistant conservators (forests), range officers and other staff to jointly manage the two cores. The objective would be to manage Project Tiger better with improved results, Malhotra said
Spread over five districts connecting all the three geographical regions of the state, NSTR boasts of roughly 70 tigers. On the other hand, GBMWS, that controls the most dense part of the Nallamalla forest, has about 12 big cats. The two are connected by a wide corridor. The government order, which is in the process of being published as a gazette notification soon, is the result of behind-the-scene developments taking place for the past several years.
Before becoming NSTR in 1983, the place covering the catchment areas of Nagarjunasagar and Srisailam dams was first declared a sanctuary, the Nagarjunsagar Srisailam Wildlife Sanctuary (NSWLS). Later, with the objective of protecting tigers in the area more efficiently, the status of the sanctuary was upgraded to a 'tiger reserve'. This is the only tiger reserve of in the state in which 23 per cent of the total area is forest land.
The birth of GBMWLS took place much later, in 1998. The area under the sanctuary is rich and diverse in flora and fauna. While there are well known species of trees like teak, boswellia and terminalia, bamboo etc. There are numerous plants, shrubs and herbs that await scientific categorization and preservation. The animal world is equally rich there with sloth bear, wild dog, hyena, jungle cat, langur, bonnet monkey, sambar, nilgai, chowsingha, chinkara, mouse deer, monitor lizard, marsh crocodile and python etc. found in abundance. Topping the list are, of course, the tigers and panthers. "The forest is free of human habitation and, at most places, too dense to be accessed even on foot," DFO Tulasi Rao said.
Since the 3,568 square km NSTR came into being, the forest department has been pestered with claims on land in the Nagarjunasagar area of the tiger reserve. Ideally, a tiger reserve should be free from human habitation. But NSTR has considerable number of tribals, especially Lambada population, in the Sagar catchment area.
According to some estimates, the number of Lambadas, Chenchus and others in the area has risen to about 30,000. Many of these people have also been given title books on their claims under the Tribal Act.
Rao said an expert committee set up on the advice of the central government found that the Sagar area has become porous with hardly any tiger population. Therefore, the committee felt 1,000 sq km in Sagar should be delineated from the NSTR. This 1000 sq km would not form part of the CTH, meaning the area is not vital for the survival and growth of tiger population. But at the same time, the area would continue to play a decisive role for the protection of hydrological and other natural heritage. Hence, it would remain within the boundaries of NSTR and considered part of the sanctuary, Chief Wildlife Warden Hitesh Malhotra explained.
He said some six years ago, the forest department had sent a proposal to the Centre to convert the 1196 sq km GBMWLS into a tiger reserve. The government of India suggested that instead of making GBMWLS an independent tiger reserve, it could be connected with NSTR and the entire sanctuary be considered an extended core of tiger habitat. Malhotra summed up the situation by saying that while about 1000 sq km from the NSTR is taken out from CTH, 1196 sq km of GBM has been added. The area of the two sanctuaries together now adds up to 4,763 sq km while within this boundary the CTH for tiger would be 3,763 sq km.
With this new development, the forest department has begun working out a fresh management plan for the core one and core two of the tiger reserve together. The core two or GBMWLS would be brought under the Project Director, Tiger, of NSTR and he would be given more assistant conservators (forests), range officers and other staff to jointly manage the two cores. The objective would be to manage Project Tiger better with improved results, Malhotra said
Dead Bandhavgarh tigress hit by tourist jeep?
BHOPAL: A tigress, which died in Bandhavgarh tiger reserve four days ago was possibly hit by a tourist jeep, officials said here on Saturday after autopsy showed that she succumbed to internal injuries.
The feline did not die due a territorial fight as was assumed earlier, National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) representative A B Shrivastava said.
"It died of a liver rupture following which blood rushed to her abdomen after being hit by some blunt object," he
said. The tigress, which has three cubs, died on Wednesday in the Tala range of the reserve.
"We are of the view that a tourist vehicle had hit the tigress after which she died," Badhavgarh tiger reserve field director C K Patil said, adding the animal was 10 years old. "We are investigating the case."
Patil added that around eight tourist vehicles had entered Tala range on May 19.
The feline did not die due a territorial fight as was assumed earlier, National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) representative A B Shrivastava said.
"It died of a liver rupture following which blood rushed to her abdomen after being hit by some blunt object," he
said. The tigress, which has three cubs, died on Wednesday in the Tala range of the reserve.
"We are of the view that a tourist vehicle had hit the tigress after which she died," Badhavgarh tiger reserve field director C K Patil said, adding the animal was 10 years old. "We are investigating the case."
Patil added that around eight tourist vehicles had entered Tala range on May 19.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Did Bandhavgarh tiger choke to death?
NAGPUR: Tiger conservation took a hit on Tuesday when one death was reported inside the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, 475 kms from Nagpur.
This is the 18th tiger death in India since January and comes at a time when census readings are being studied to check if the tally of 1411 from the count four years ago has gone up or down. The new figure will be announced by the Wildlife Institute of India in October this year.
The incident took place at 10am in Zurzura in Tala Range of the reserve. There are conflicting claims not only about the reasons of death but also of the tiger's sex.
Some tourists from Nagpur told TOI that the tiger had died due to suffocation after its neck got entangled in a wire snare which may have been put by villagers to trap herbivores. Others claimed the tiger was hit by a tourist vehicle and died due to injuries.
Forest officials, however, rule out both the possibilities and are giving a completely different view.
CK Patil, field director & conservator of forests at Bandhavgarh, feels that the tiger – a male according to him — could have died in a territorial fight. He denied that it was injured and attacked tourists' vehicles.
Patil was also emphatic that the tiger did not have had wire snares on its neck.
Contradicting his boss' claims, JN Shukla, the Tala range forest officer (RFO), told TOI the dead animal was a three-year-old female and there were no external injury marks on its body. This clearly indicates that the tiger did not die in a territorial fight as is being claimed by Patil.
This is the 18th tiger death in India since January and comes at a time when census readings are being studied to check if the tally of 1411 from the count four years ago has gone up or down. The new figure will be announced by the Wildlife Institute of India in October this year.
The incident took place at 10am in Zurzura in Tala Range of the reserve. There are conflicting claims not only about the reasons of death but also of the tiger's sex.
Some tourists from Nagpur told TOI that the tiger had died due to suffocation after its neck got entangled in a wire snare which may have been put by villagers to trap herbivores. Others claimed the tiger was hit by a tourist vehicle and died due to injuries.
Forest officials, however, rule out both the possibilities and are giving a completely different view.
CK Patil, field director & conservator of forests at Bandhavgarh, feels that the tiger – a male according to him — could have died in a territorial fight. He denied that it was injured and attacked tourists' vehicles.
Patil was also emphatic that the tiger did not have had wire snares on its neck.
Contradicting his boss' claims, JN Shukla, the Tala range forest officer (RFO), told TOI the dead animal was a three-year-old female and there were no external injury marks on its body. This clearly indicates that the tiger did not die in a territorial fight as is being claimed by Patil.
Award Categories (as discussed) # MEDIA CATEGORIES: 1) Best Brand Integration on Radio Use of radio as a medium by any brand in its pl
NEW DELHI: The environment ministry has formed a panel to examine the impact of 17 projects, relating to mining and infrastructure development, on conservation of tiger.
The four-member committee of former National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) chief P K Sen and NTCA members Prakash Murlidhar Amte, Samar Singh and Urmila Pingle will submit its report within a month.
“The proposals include mining, infrastructure developments and industries projects falling in the buffer and corridor areas of tiger reserves in Tadoba landscape, Bandhavgarh landscape, Kanha landscape, Kanha-Pench corridor and Satpura-Pench corridor of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh,” said NTCA DIG S P Yadav.
Seven of the projects are in the Chindwara district, which is represented by roads minister Kamal Nath. These projects, which are mostly in the mining sector, came up for environmental clearance in April. The committee is expected to examine the proposals in terms of its impact on tiger conservation and submit its recommendation based on which clearance will be given.
Among the projects that will have to await clearance is the Mandla Underground project of Jaiprakash Associates in Chindwara, four coal mine projects of the Western Coalfields Ltd also in Chindwara. There are two coal-based thermal projects in the Umaria district, a 300 MW coal based project in Chandrapur and a 1980 MW thermal power project in Katni will also be studies by this committee before clearance is given.
Environment minister Jairam Ramesh has on several occasion made it clear that his ministry would not okay projects that would adversely impact natural reserves and the environment. Mr Ramesh has stressed that his job was to implement the Environment Protection Act, 1986; the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, and the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, in a “transparent and professional” manner.
The four-member committee of former National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) chief P K Sen and NTCA members Prakash Murlidhar Amte, Samar Singh and Urmila Pingle will submit its report within a month.
“The proposals include mining, infrastructure developments and industries projects falling in the buffer and corridor areas of tiger reserves in Tadoba landscape, Bandhavgarh landscape, Kanha landscape, Kanha-Pench corridor and Satpura-Pench corridor of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh,” said NTCA DIG S P Yadav.
Seven of the projects are in the Chindwara district, which is represented by roads minister Kamal Nath. These projects, which are mostly in the mining sector, came up for environmental clearance in April. The committee is expected to examine the proposals in terms of its impact on tiger conservation and submit its recommendation based on which clearance will be given.
Among the projects that will have to await clearance is the Mandla Underground project of Jaiprakash Associates in Chindwara, four coal mine projects of the Western Coalfields Ltd also in Chindwara. There are two coal-based thermal projects in the Umaria district, a 300 MW coal based project in Chandrapur and a 1980 MW thermal power project in Katni will also be studies by this committee before clearance is given.
Environment minister Jairam Ramesh has on several occasion made it clear that his ministry would not okay projects that would adversely impact natural reserves and the environment. Mr Ramesh has stressed that his job was to implement the Environment Protection Act, 1986; the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, and the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, in a “transparent and professional” manner.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Tiger kills honey collector
Sundarbans (WB), May 19 (PTI) A man, who went to collect honey with fellow villagers, was today killed by a tiger at Pirkhali jungle in Sundarbans mangrove forest.
"Sujan Singh of Kultali died this morning when the tiger attacked him when he alongwith other villagers entered the reserve forest to collect honey," Field Director of Sundarbans Tiger Reserve, Subrat Mukherjee told PTI.
He said the body has been recovered from the forest area and sent for post-mortem.
Other members of the group are safe, officials said.
"Sujan Singh of Kultali died this morning when the tiger attacked him when he alongwith other villagers entered the reserve forest to collect honey," Field Director of Sundarbans Tiger Reserve, Subrat Mukherjee told PTI.
He said the body has been recovered from the forest area and sent for post-mortem.
Other members of the group are safe, officials said.
Vehicle entry fee likely at Sariska, Ranthambore
JAIPUR: The Sariska and Ranthambore Tiger Conservation Foundation has decided to introduce an entry fee on all the vehicles passing through the tiger reserve to generate income.
The decision came at the first meeting of the governing body of the foundation held on Tuesday. The meeting was presided over by forest minister Ramlal Jat.
Presently, devotees coming to the Pandupole temple on Tuesdays and Saturdays are given free entry into the park. However, it was decided that except the local vehicles (registered in Alwar district), all other vehicles would have to pay an entry fee from now onwards.
It was also decided that in order to meet the administrative expenditure of the registration of the tourist vehicles and training of the nature guides, a 5% handling charges would be set apart from the payment of the vehicle owners and nature guides to the foundation.
The meeting also decided that keeping 2008-09 as the base year, the foundation would receive 50% of the extra income generated from the park. Besides, the foundation would be eligible for grant or financial assistance from domestic and foreign organisations. This is apart from the financial grants and assistance from the state and Central governments.
Jat appreciated the work of the boundary wall of the Ranthambore and Sariska carried out under the MNREGS and said permanent roads would also be constructed under the scheme in the area. He said the foundation was constituted to promote eco-tourism and bio- diversity and systematic and planned development.
Jat said the foundation would work for the socio-economic development of the people of the area and would ensure that the local people as the stakeholders. This is an important aspect as so long as the local people are the stake-holders, they would care for the animals. Besides, he said the foundation has to find avenues for generating revenue for the upkeep and development of the area.
The meeting was attended by principal secretaries V S Singh (forest and environment) and Usha Sharma (tourism), who emphasised the need for the preparation of an operation manual, chief wildlife conservator R N Mehrotra, principal conservator of forests Abhijeet Ghosh, foundation member Allauddin Ahmed, MLA, and other officials.
The decision came at the first meeting of the governing body of the foundation held on Tuesday. The meeting was presided over by forest minister Ramlal Jat.
Presently, devotees coming to the Pandupole temple on Tuesdays and Saturdays are given free entry into the park. However, it was decided that except the local vehicles (registered in Alwar district), all other vehicles would have to pay an entry fee from now onwards.
It was also decided that in order to meet the administrative expenditure of the registration of the tourist vehicles and training of the nature guides, a 5% handling charges would be set apart from the payment of the vehicle owners and nature guides to the foundation.
The meeting also decided that keeping 2008-09 as the base year, the foundation would receive 50% of the extra income generated from the park. Besides, the foundation would be eligible for grant or financial assistance from domestic and foreign organisations. This is apart from the financial grants and assistance from the state and Central governments.
Jat appreciated the work of the boundary wall of the Ranthambore and Sariska carried out under the MNREGS and said permanent roads would also be constructed under the scheme in the area. He said the foundation was constituted to promote eco-tourism and bio- diversity and systematic and planned development.
Jat said the foundation would work for the socio-economic development of the people of the area and would ensure that the local people as the stakeholders. This is an important aspect as so long as the local people are the stake-holders, they would care for the animals. Besides, he said the foundation has to find avenues for generating revenue for the upkeep and development of the area.
The meeting was attended by principal secretaries V S Singh (forest and environment) and Usha Sharma (tourism), who emphasised the need for the preparation of an operation manual, chief wildlife conservator R N Mehrotra, principal conservator of forests Abhijeet Ghosh, foundation member Allauddin Ahmed, MLA, and other officials.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Ranthambore Villagers who poisoned tiger cubs released as officials fail to file charges
JAIPUR: A local court in Sawai Madhopur has released two villagers, accused of killing two 17-month-old tiger cubs, on bail after forest authorities could not file a chargesheet against them within 60 days.
The two villagers had poisoned the cubs on the outskirts of Ranthambore Tiger Reserve after the big cats killed their goats. Ram Khiladi Gujjar and Mukesh Gujjar of Tadla Khet village, on the outskirts of the reserve, were released by the court last Friday. The two were arrested on March 8, the day the cubs were found dead.
"Forest officials are responsible for not filing the chargesheet even as they had all the details. The forensic lab report had confirmed a case of poisoning; the goats' carcasses were found on the spot; and the shop from where the pesticide was identified," said Fateh Singh, vice-chairman, Tiger Watch, an NGO, in Ranthambore. "This will send a wrong message to the villagers who may take such grievous crimes lightly," added Fateh Singh.
The killing of tiger cubs had sent shock waves across the country and the state forest department acted swiftly by arresting the two accused. "We didn't file the chargesheet as third accused Narsi Gujjar is absconding," explained RS Shekhawat, deputy field director, Ranthambore Tiger Reserve.
Sources in legal circles point out that killing a tiger is a non-bailable offence. However, as per a Supreme Court verdict, if the chargesheet is not filed in such cases within the stipulated 60 days or 90 days as the case may be, the accused can be released on bail.
"The time period for filing the chargesheet varies from crime to crime. In this case, it was 60 days but the authorities mistook it for 90 days and did not file the chargesheet," said a government counsel.
The two villagers had poisoned the cubs on the outskirts of Ranthambore Tiger Reserve after the big cats killed their goats. Ram Khiladi Gujjar and Mukesh Gujjar of Tadla Khet village, on the outskirts of the reserve, were released by the court last Friday. The two were arrested on March 8, the day the cubs were found dead.
"Forest officials are responsible for not filing the chargesheet even as they had all the details. The forensic lab report had confirmed a case of poisoning; the goats' carcasses were found on the spot; and the shop from where the pesticide was identified," said Fateh Singh, vice-chairman, Tiger Watch, an NGO, in Ranthambore. "This will send a wrong message to the villagers who may take such grievous crimes lightly," added Fateh Singh.
The killing of tiger cubs had sent shock waves across the country and the state forest department acted swiftly by arresting the two accused. "We didn't file the chargesheet as third accused Narsi Gujjar is absconding," explained RS Shekhawat, deputy field director, Ranthambore Tiger Reserve.
Sources in legal circles point out that killing a tiger is a non-bailable offence. However, as per a Supreme Court verdict, if the chargesheet is not filed in such cases within the stipulated 60 days or 90 days as the case may be, the accused can be released on bail.
"The time period for filing the chargesheet varies from crime to crime. In this case, it was 60 days but the authorities mistook it for 90 days and did not file the chargesheet," said a government counsel.
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