NAGPUR: The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), a statutory body under the ministry of environment and forest monitoring tiger reserves in the country, will study adverse impact on Nagzira wildlife sanctuary with the diversion of 163.84 hectares forest land for Adani power project in Tiroda in Gondia district.
A proposal for diversion of 163.84 hectares of forest land in Garadi village for establishment of 1980 MW coal-fired power plant at MIDC Tiroda is under consideration of the MoEF. The Adani Power Maharashtra Limited (APML) plant falls within 10 km of the forest land proposed for diversion and hence the study.
NTCA sources told TOI that the Authority had on July 1 written to three leading institutes in India to quote rates to take up the study. They are National Environment Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur; Pollution Control Research Institute (PCRI), Haridwar; and Environment Protection and Training Research Institute (EPTRI), Hyderabad.
"NTCA proposes to study adverse impact of gaseous and particulate emissions and additional thermal load from the proposed power plant on the flora and fauna in 152 sq km Nagzira sanctuary. We will recommend appropriate mitigation measures to eliminate and minimise the impact," said sources.
If NTCA is to be believed, MoEF has almost made up its mind to divert the said land to APML. TOI on January 1 was first to report about MoEF readying to divert the land close to the sanctuary. Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh is already under pressure from his cabinet colleagues to clear coal blocks for power projects. Government is keen on putting Adani plant on fast-track.
Adani is coming up with 3,300 MW power plant in Tiroda. Work on first phase of two 660 MW units is in full swing and the company needs 163.84 hectare forest land for expansion. It has applied to the MoEF for diversion of the proposed land under the Forest Conservation Act (FCA) 1980.
Wildlife experts recalled that MoEF's move would be a u-turn by Ramesh, who, during his Nagpur visit on September 13 last year, had said that if the land was close to Nagzira, then permission to divert it would not be granted. Ramesh has already agreed to make Nagzira-Navegaon a tiger reserve.
"The grant of diversion of forest land will be in contravention to MoEF rules that state that any proposal falling within 10 km of sanctuary or national park should be referred to National Board of Wild Life (NBWL) which is not being done in the case of APML," they said.
Earlier, two offences have been registered against the APML for violating the FCA twice - once on May 16 and another on June 4. Even after a year, the forest department has taken no action against the power company for those violations. In June 2010, a six-member committee headed by then PCCF (wildlife) and now head of forest force (HoFF) A K Joshi had visited the proposed site and studied the impact of diverting the said land on wildlife and tigers.
The panel has already stated that diversion of said land to APML would impact Nagzira, which is just 8.5 km from the plant's boundary.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/environment/flora-fauna/ntca-to-study-adani-impact-on-nagzira-wildlife-sanctuary/articleshow/9178416.cms
Monday, July 11, 2011
Heritage panel seeks Manas report
ROOPAK GOSWAMI
Guwahati, July 10: The World Heritage Committee has asked the Centre to inform it by next year whether the Manas Tiger Conservation Foundation is operational and financial arrangements are in place for the site.
Sources said the committee had asked for the report by February 1 next year for examination at its 36th session in 2012.
The committee in its report said sustained finance to the site remains a critical long-term requirement to secure its full recovery.
It urged the authorities to ensure that the Manas Tiger Conservation Foundation was made operational as soon as possible and that funding for the property from the Centre was channelled through the foundation to avoid future delays in the transfer of funds to the property.
The Centre has informed the committee that the proposal for the Manas Tiger Conservation Foundation is currently awaiting Parliament approval, which is expected to come soon.
Though the foundation was formed two years back, it has still not been operationalised.
“All the hard work seems to have gone in vain and it is now nearly two years but the foundation has still not been operationalised,” a park official said.
The joint IUCN/Unesco monitoring mission, which visited the park in January this year, had pointed out that though lack of funds had not prevented activities necessary to allow recovery of the outstanding universal value of the site, the situation would have been much better if the funds-release problem had been fully addressed.
The slow release of funds for the site from the state government is an issue that has been raised by all previous Unesco/IUCN monitoring missions since 1997.
In fact, in 2009 and 2010 the park management was forced to operate for two years on one year’s budget as the state released the funds at the end of the year, rather than disbursing them directly to Manas at the time of receipt from the federal government.
A 2005 ruling by the Supreme Court states that funds must be released by the state government within 15 days of receipt from the Centre but this has not been implemented in the case of Manas.
Every year, the park management has to submit three annual plans of operation — one for project tiger, biosphere scheme and elephant project, but unfortunately the release of funds is sometimes delayed which has a serious impact on the efficient implementation of management activities.
The monitoring mission had also found the majority of available cash flow to the site comes from the BTC of which a major proportion of these funds is spent on staff salaries.
The park has also been asked to submit a comprehensive tourism management plan and a recovery plan for swamp deer by February 1 next year.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110711/jsp/northeast/story_14221385.jsp
Guwahati, July 10: The World Heritage Committee has asked the Centre to inform it by next year whether the Manas Tiger Conservation Foundation is operational and financial arrangements are in place for the site.
Sources said the committee had asked for the report by February 1 next year for examination at its 36th session in 2012.
The committee in its report said sustained finance to the site remains a critical long-term requirement to secure its full recovery.
It urged the authorities to ensure that the Manas Tiger Conservation Foundation was made operational as soon as possible and that funding for the property from the Centre was channelled through the foundation to avoid future delays in the transfer of funds to the property.
The Centre has informed the committee that the proposal for the Manas Tiger Conservation Foundation is currently awaiting Parliament approval, which is expected to come soon.
Though the foundation was formed two years back, it has still not been operationalised.
“All the hard work seems to have gone in vain and it is now nearly two years but the foundation has still not been operationalised,” a park official said.
The joint IUCN/Unesco monitoring mission, which visited the park in January this year, had pointed out that though lack of funds had not prevented activities necessary to allow recovery of the outstanding universal value of the site, the situation would have been much better if the funds-release problem had been fully addressed.
The slow release of funds for the site from the state government is an issue that has been raised by all previous Unesco/IUCN monitoring missions since 1997.
In fact, in 2009 and 2010 the park management was forced to operate for two years on one year’s budget as the state released the funds at the end of the year, rather than disbursing them directly to Manas at the time of receipt from the federal government.
A 2005 ruling by the Supreme Court states that funds must be released by the state government within 15 days of receipt from the Centre but this has not been implemented in the case of Manas.
Every year, the park management has to submit three annual plans of operation — one for project tiger, biosphere scheme and elephant project, but unfortunately the release of funds is sometimes delayed which has a serious impact on the efficient implementation of management activities.
The monitoring mission had also found the majority of available cash flow to the site comes from the BTC of which a major proportion of these funds is spent on staff salaries.
The park has also been asked to submit a comprehensive tourism management plan and a recovery plan for swamp deer by February 1 next year.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110711/jsp/northeast/story_14221385.jsp
Two tiger cubs brought to Van Vihar from Bandhavgarh
Two tiger cubs were brought from Bandhavgarh National Park to Van Vihar here last night. These two cubs from the same mother are about two-years-old. After arrival of these male tiger cubs, the number of tigers in Van Vihar has reached 12. There are nine tigers and one white tigress already in the Van Vihar.
These two tiger cubs have been kept in separate housing in Van Vihar. They will be quarantined from other animals for one month. During this period, their health checks and vaccinations will be undertaken.
Generally, a tigress keeps a cub with her for one and a half years. After this period, cubs are separated from mother. These two cubs are offspring of Mirachhani tigress of Bandhavgarh National Park, who had given birth to them in the same litter in 2009.
Now the number of man-eater tiger in the Van Vihar has reached 12. Earlier in 2008, another man-eater tiger Nahar was brought to the Van Vihar. Besides these tigers, there are five man-eater leopards also in the Van Vihar. Their names are Salman, Jhiriya, Khusi, Neemu and Nimi. Man-eater tigers and leopards are kept under adequate security and constant vigil is maintained on the enclosures where they are kept. Man-eater tigers become aggressive on seeing human beings. Therefore, they are kept at places where there is minimum human interference. These tigers are used for conservation breeding.
http://www.centralchronicle.com/viewnews.asp?articleID=63623
These two tiger cubs have been kept in separate housing in Van Vihar. They will be quarantined from other animals for one month. During this period, their health checks and vaccinations will be undertaken.
Generally, a tigress keeps a cub with her for one and a half years. After this period, cubs are separated from mother. These two cubs are offspring of Mirachhani tigress of Bandhavgarh National Park, who had given birth to them in the same litter in 2009.
Now the number of man-eater tiger in the Van Vihar has reached 12. Earlier in 2008, another man-eater tiger Nahar was brought to the Van Vihar. Besides these tigers, there are five man-eater leopards also in the Van Vihar. Their names are Salman, Jhiriya, Khusi, Neemu and Nimi. Man-eater tigers and leopards are kept under adequate security and constant vigil is maintained on the enclosures where they are kept. Man-eater tigers become aggressive on seeing human beings. Therefore, they are kept at places where there is minimum human interference. These tigers are used for conservation breeding.
http://www.centralchronicle.com/viewnews.asp?articleID=63623
Sunday, July 10, 2011
More sightings at Mudumalai Tiger Reserve
With sighting of tigers in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) near here now being not as difficult as it used to be till about a year ago, the management has put in place a plan of action to step up its vigil.
Pointing out that a series of measures would be taken in a phased manner to protect the national animal, MTR Field Director K. Srivastava told The Hindu here on Saturday that chances of sighting tigers have increased because their population at Mudumalai was growing. Describing it as a welcome trend, he attributed it to the effective conservation measures implemented by the department with the help of its staff, particularly anti-poaching watchers and the local people.
Twenty anti-poaching camps and two floating camps have been set up. While the routine patrolling has been intensified, elephant patrolling has been introduced. Simultaneously habitat improvement has been taken up to ensure that the prey base is healthy. Tourism is being regulated in the area. Fixed surveillance cameras are being mounted at appropriate places.
Adverting to a scheme now under implementation to rehabilitate people residing in the core area of the MTR, Mr. Srivastava said that it would help the reserve gain about 300 hectares of grass and marshy land. Stating that direct sighting of tigers was being frequently reported, he said: “A heartening feature is that many of them are sub-adults and cubs.” He added that over the last two years, 27 direct sightings had been reported.
Union Environment and Forests Minister Jairam Ramesh and the Wildlife Institute of India have acknowledged the development. Due to better management practices, the population of other animals had also gone up. The number of elephants now is 1,000 against 835 last year, he said
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2215890.ece
Pointing out that a series of measures would be taken in a phased manner to protect the national animal, MTR Field Director K. Srivastava told The Hindu here on Saturday that chances of sighting tigers have increased because their population at Mudumalai was growing. Describing it as a welcome trend, he attributed it to the effective conservation measures implemented by the department with the help of its staff, particularly anti-poaching watchers and the local people.
Twenty anti-poaching camps and two floating camps have been set up. While the routine patrolling has been intensified, elephant patrolling has been introduced. Simultaneously habitat improvement has been taken up to ensure that the prey base is healthy. Tourism is being regulated in the area. Fixed surveillance cameras are being mounted at appropriate places.
Adverting to a scheme now under implementation to rehabilitate people residing in the core area of the MTR, Mr. Srivastava said that it would help the reserve gain about 300 hectares of grass and marshy land. Stating that direct sighting of tigers was being frequently reported, he said: “A heartening feature is that many of them are sub-adults and cubs.” He added that over the last two years, 27 direct sightings had been reported.
Union Environment and Forests Minister Jairam Ramesh and the Wildlife Institute of India have acknowledged the development. Due to better management practices, the population of other animals had also gone up. The number of elephants now is 1,000 against 835 last year, he said
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2215890.ece
NTCA committee on orphaned tiger cubs Vijay Pinjarkar, TNN
NAGPUR: The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has constituted a three-member committee for examining issues relating to abandoned and orphaned tiger cubs from the wild, so as to explore the feasibility of their in-situ rearing and release in low tiger density habitats. The committee members are Prof PC Tyagi, YV Jhala, both scientists with Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, and SP Yadav, deputy inspector general (DIG) of NTCA as the member convener.
Yadav said that the terms of reference (ToR) of the committee will include country-wide assessment of the wild caught orphaned and abandoned cubs; identification of low density tiger reserves; to give recommendation for rehabilitation of such cubs vis-à-vis the NTCA guidelines; to prescribe 'minimum standards' for creation of tiger safaris; and to examine feasibility of ex-situ to in-situ linkage in the context of tiger. The committee will submit its report in 60 days, Yadav said.
MoEF meet on tiger reserves: The ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) has called a meeting of field directors of all tiger reserves at Bandipur in Karnataka. The two-day meet on July 29 and 30, will be inaugurated by union environment and forest minister Jairam Ramesh. All chief wildlife wardens of tiger-bearing states have been told to attend the meeting and make presentations on status of tiger reserves in their states.
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-07-05/nagpur/29738237_1_tiger-reserves-tiger-cubs-ntca
Yadav said that the terms of reference (ToR) of the committee will include country-wide assessment of the wild caught orphaned and abandoned cubs; identification of low density tiger reserves; to give recommendation for rehabilitation of such cubs vis-à-vis the NTCA guidelines; to prescribe 'minimum standards' for creation of tiger safaris; and to examine feasibility of ex-situ to in-situ linkage in the context of tiger. The committee will submit its report in 60 days, Yadav said.
MoEF meet on tiger reserves: The ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) has called a meeting of field directors of all tiger reserves at Bandipur in Karnataka. The two-day meet on July 29 and 30, will be inaugurated by union environment and forest minister Jairam Ramesh. All chief wildlife wardens of tiger-bearing states have been told to attend the meeting and make presentations on status of tiger reserves in their states.
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-07-05/nagpur/29738237_1_tiger-reserves-tiger-cubs-ntca
Friday, July 8, 2011
Tadoba oustees settling in Vijay Pinjarkar, TNN
NAGPUR: Villagers who moved out of Tadoba Andhari Tiger reserve in 2007 are beginning to settle down with their feeling of well-being going up, a study has found. It has also found that this is not as a result of government effort and but due to the various survival strategies adopted by relocated families of Bhagwanpur in Mul tehsil of Chandrapur district.
The study, funded by Ashoka Trust, Bangalore, was conducted by Rucha Ghate and Suresh Ghate of Shodh, the Institute for Research and Development, Nagpur. It says difficulties imposed on the villagers in terms of food insecurity, non-availability of fuel wood and fodder, deprivation of income from sale of non-timber forest produce (NTFPs) had resulted in overall fall of their welfare. Recently, both presented a paper based on the study at a conference on climate change at the University of Michigan, USA.
In Bhagwanpur, welfare plummeted immediately after the relocation for 69 families of Botezari and 40 families from Kolsa inside TATR. This was evident in 2009 when over 17 villagers, tired of their difficulties, returned to Botezari in the hope of starting cultivation again on their old farms. The villagers were arrested and released but cases are still pending against them. Looking at the Bhagwanpur mess, other villages are reluctant to move out.
Shodh, which has been associated with the six villages Rantalodhi, Kolsa, Botezari, Palasgoan, Jamni and Navegaon inside TATR since 1999 when relocation was actually announced, made an attempt to compare the level of welfare and feeling of well-being as perceived by the communities in 2004, 2007 and 2011.
For this, the NGO identified 12 indicators that the community considers important determinant of wellness. These included housing, access to education, opportunities of employment, ownership of agriculture land, productivity of land, livestock, wealth indicators, and species diversity in adjoining forest, accessibility to forest products, crop depredation and threat of cattle lifting by wild animals.
"Our analysis clearly shows that people think they are better off now but it was not so immediately after relocation. The lowering of welfare is the cost borne by the community for protection of tigers," says Ghate.
The study reveals that, the two villages that moved out were poor in civic amenities compared to new location at Bhagwanpur.
For example, the primary health centre (PHC) was 26km from Botezari but it is just 4km from Bhagwanpur. Similarly, bank, school and colleges which were 30-45km away from both the villages are now between of 4-14km. The subdistrict headquarters is also at 14km from earlier 45-75km.
Ironically, villagers were relocated to create inviolate spaces for wildlife but threat to them from wildlife has increased as the relocation site is also surrounded by forests. Within the PA, a large number of herbivores ensured sufficient prey for the carnivores but in degraded forests near Bhagwanpur, spill over population of leopards and tigers from Tadoba finds easy prey in cattle.
The study also reveals that social and cultural fabric of the community has been broken after relocation.
Two major indicators are that Ganesh and Durga festival are not celebrated.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Tadoba-oustees-settling-in/articleshow/9145542.cms
The study, funded by Ashoka Trust, Bangalore, was conducted by Rucha Ghate and Suresh Ghate of Shodh, the Institute for Research and Development, Nagpur. It says difficulties imposed on the villagers in terms of food insecurity, non-availability of fuel wood and fodder, deprivation of income from sale of non-timber forest produce (NTFPs) had resulted in overall fall of their welfare. Recently, both presented a paper based on the study at a conference on climate change at the University of Michigan, USA.
In Bhagwanpur, welfare plummeted immediately after the relocation for 69 families of Botezari and 40 families from Kolsa inside TATR. This was evident in 2009 when over 17 villagers, tired of their difficulties, returned to Botezari in the hope of starting cultivation again on their old farms. The villagers were arrested and released but cases are still pending against them. Looking at the Bhagwanpur mess, other villages are reluctant to move out.
Shodh, which has been associated with the six villages Rantalodhi, Kolsa, Botezari, Palasgoan, Jamni and Navegaon inside TATR since 1999 when relocation was actually announced, made an attempt to compare the level of welfare and feeling of well-being as perceived by the communities in 2004, 2007 and 2011.
For this, the NGO identified 12 indicators that the community considers important determinant of wellness. These included housing, access to education, opportunities of employment, ownership of agriculture land, productivity of land, livestock, wealth indicators, and species diversity in adjoining forest, accessibility to forest products, crop depredation and threat of cattle lifting by wild animals.
"Our analysis clearly shows that people think they are better off now but it was not so immediately after relocation. The lowering of welfare is the cost borne by the community for protection of tigers," says Ghate.
The study reveals that, the two villages that moved out were poor in civic amenities compared to new location at Bhagwanpur.
For example, the primary health centre (PHC) was 26km from Botezari but it is just 4km from Bhagwanpur. Similarly, bank, school and colleges which were 30-45km away from both the villages are now between of 4-14km. The subdistrict headquarters is also at 14km from earlier 45-75km.
Ironically, villagers were relocated to create inviolate spaces for wildlife but threat to them from wildlife has increased as the relocation site is also surrounded by forests. Within the PA, a large number of herbivores ensured sufficient prey for the carnivores but in degraded forests near Bhagwanpur, spill over population of leopards and tigers from Tadoba finds easy prey in cattle.
The study also reveals that social and cultural fabric of the community has been broken after relocation.
Two major indicators are that Ganesh and Durga festival are not celebrated.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Tadoba-oustees-settling-in/articleshow/9145542.cms
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Vehicles banned on forest route to Sabarimala
A Division Bench of the Kerala High Court on Wednesday prohibited movement of vehicles, other than those of forest officials, through the Fourth Mile-Uppupara forest route to Sabarimala.
The Bench, comprising Justice Thottathil B. Radhakrishnan and Justice K. Surendra Mohan, also directed the authorities, including the police, to ensure that this prohibition was enforced forthwith.
The court directed that any official found to have violated the order would be proceeded against.
The court ordered the police to ensure that there was no traffic congestion on the Vandiperiyar-Sabarimala road.
Disaster management
The Bench also reminded the government that it should take urgent steps to put in place a disaster management plan at Sabarimala.
The court issued the directives on a suo motu proceeding initiated in connection with the Pulmedu stampede in January 14 this year in which 102 Sabarimala pilgrims were killed.
Noise pollution
The court said it did not find any reason to permit private vehicles through the Fourth Mile to Uppupara Road as it was not a tourist spot.
The court added that allowing a large number of vehicles through this route would not only create problems such as noise pollution but also affect the flora and fauna of the Periyar Tiger Reserve.
Tiger reserve
The court said the road passed through the tiger reserve, which has been declared a wildlife sanctuary. So, persons other than forest officials should not be allowed to enter the road.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2201783.ece
The Bench, comprising Justice Thottathil B. Radhakrishnan and Justice K. Surendra Mohan, also directed the authorities, including the police, to ensure that this prohibition was enforced forthwith.
The court directed that any official found to have violated the order would be proceeded against.
The court ordered the police to ensure that there was no traffic congestion on the Vandiperiyar-Sabarimala road.
Disaster management
The Bench also reminded the government that it should take urgent steps to put in place a disaster management plan at Sabarimala.
The court issued the directives on a suo motu proceeding initiated in connection with the Pulmedu stampede in January 14 this year in which 102 Sabarimala pilgrims were killed.
Noise pollution
The court said it did not find any reason to permit private vehicles through the Fourth Mile to Uppupara Road as it was not a tourist spot.
The court added that allowing a large number of vehicles through this route would not only create problems such as noise pollution but also affect the flora and fauna of the Periyar Tiger Reserve.
Tiger reserve
The court said the road passed through the tiger reserve, which has been declared a wildlife sanctuary. So, persons other than forest officials should not be allowed to enter the road.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2201783.ece
Panna trail leads to MLA kin; minister blames dacoit - DNA
Bhopal/Indore: Relatives of a BJP MLA have been linked to a tiger death in the Panna Tiger Reserve.
The forest department recently handed over details of nearly two dozen cases related to tiger deaths in Panna to the home department asking for a CBI probe. The government picked up only three cases considering them worthy of an independent investigation.
One of these cases trails back to a close relative of BJP MLA from Bundelkhand region.
According to Prayatna, an environmental action group that has been demanding CBI probe into the tiger deaths, forest officials had seized a jeep with Uttar Pradesh registration plates (UP 92/9434) in 2007. The jeep was reportedly trying to enter the Panna Tiger Reserve with armed passengers, forcefully.
The jeep was later released to one Babbu Singh, a close relative of a BJP MLA from Bundelkhand region, sources said.
The officials said that a case was lodged under the primary offence report (POR) 355/2007. There was apparently no follow up on the matter for several years.
The other two cases of tiger deaths shortlisted for a CBI enquiry also expose chronic laxity on part of the government.
In one of these cases, forest officials recovered jaw trap and bones of tiger acting on a complainant filed by one Kalyan Singh, resident of village Sukhwah in Panna district. The tiger, whose body parts were seized by the police, was reportedly killed between 2004 and 2005, but the POR was registered only in January 28 this year.
When contacted, highly placed officials said that the forest department had sought details of these cases from the director of the sanctuary. No records were provided to the headquarters.
In the third case taken up by the government, it has been revealed that the officials never lodged a POR about the killing at all. The tiger in this case was killed between 2004 and 2005. The forest department, however, did not register a POR.
Their inaction has raised serious questions on the intentions officials dealing with the Panna tiger deaths.
Ajay Dubey of Prayatna alleged that the forest department has overlooked even more serious cases with clear evidence.
"What is interesting is that they were clear cases of poaching but were recorded as revenge killings," Dubey said.
Reacting to the NGO's allegations, minister for forests, Sartaj Singh told DNA that gender imbalances and threat from dacoit 'Thokia' led to the elimination of the tigers from PTR.
The minister further clarified that, "the forest guards could not protect the tigers due to presence of dacoits in the area."
http://daily.bhaskar.com/article/GUJ-AHD-panna-trail-leads-to-mla-kin-minister-blames-dacoit-2241600.html
The forest department recently handed over details of nearly two dozen cases related to tiger deaths in Panna to the home department asking for a CBI probe. The government picked up only three cases considering them worthy of an independent investigation.
One of these cases trails back to a close relative of BJP MLA from Bundelkhand region.
According to Prayatna, an environmental action group that has been demanding CBI probe into the tiger deaths, forest officials had seized a jeep with Uttar Pradesh registration plates (UP 92/9434) in 2007. The jeep was reportedly trying to enter the Panna Tiger Reserve with armed passengers, forcefully.
The jeep was later released to one Babbu Singh, a close relative of a BJP MLA from Bundelkhand region, sources said.
The officials said that a case was lodged under the primary offence report (POR) 355/2007. There was apparently no follow up on the matter for several years.
The other two cases of tiger deaths shortlisted for a CBI enquiry also expose chronic laxity on part of the government.
In one of these cases, forest officials recovered jaw trap and bones of tiger acting on a complainant filed by one Kalyan Singh, resident of village Sukhwah in Panna district. The tiger, whose body parts were seized by the police, was reportedly killed between 2004 and 2005, but the POR was registered only in January 28 this year.
When contacted, highly placed officials said that the forest department had sought details of these cases from the director of the sanctuary. No records were provided to the headquarters.
In the third case taken up by the government, it has been revealed that the officials never lodged a POR about the killing at all. The tiger in this case was killed between 2004 and 2005. The forest department, however, did not register a POR.
Their inaction has raised serious questions on the intentions officials dealing with the Panna tiger deaths.
Ajay Dubey of Prayatna alleged that the forest department has overlooked even more serious cases with clear evidence.
"What is interesting is that they were clear cases of poaching but were recorded as revenge killings," Dubey said.
Reacting to the NGO's allegations, minister for forests, Sartaj Singh told DNA that gender imbalances and threat from dacoit 'Thokia' led to the elimination of the tigers from PTR.
The minister further clarified that, "the forest guards could not protect the tigers due to presence of dacoits in the area."
http://daily.bhaskar.com/article/GUJ-AHD-panna-trail-leads-to-mla-kin-minister-blames-dacoit-2241600.html
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Eye in the sky to help track big cats of Palamau A.S.R.P. MUKESH
Ranchi, July 5: Goodbye pugmark spotting. Enter Global Positioning System (GPS).
The 1,014sqkm Palamau Tiger Reserve is set to hit hi-tech highway with navigational satellites monitoring its rich treasure trove of flora and fauna, protecting particularly the towering rows of Shorea robusta or sal from the axe brigade and the majestic but endangered Panthera tigris or Royal Bengal Tiger from poachers.
Divisional forest officer (core) of the reserve Premjit Anand said they had procured four GPS apparatus some time ago and the system would debut soon after reserve officials were trained.
“A three-day crash course is scheduled for our 20-odd front-line members of staff from tomorrow. After successful installation of some four dozen cameras along tiger corridors, we are ready to launch the GPS,” he said, explaining that the system would enable precise monitoring of the entire reserve — right from animal movements to status of check dams and water bodies.
“We have four GPS gadgets at hand for the core area. Once the system takes off, more devices will be introduced to cover buffer zones as well,” he added.
According to Anand, forest guards will be trained on how to use the satellite-based system to capture details on territorial tiger behaviour, distribution of animals in the core area, level of water bodies and tourist movements.
“First, the animal corridors will be mapped based on co-ordinates (latitude and longitude). Then, this data will be linked to three different satellites and fed into the computer through a common server. Once these are done, forest officials will have electronic access to every nook and cranny of the reserve on a real-time basis,” Anand explained.
The Palamau Tiger Reserve is also planning to impose a blanket ban by this year on private vehicles like Rajasthan’s Sariska Tiger Reserve and Uttarakhand’s Corbett National Park.
The idea is for the reserve to gradually organise a fleet of vehicles from local private operators to facilitate tourist tours. But, for starters, the authorities have decided to enforce a colour code on private vehicles.
Bright is bane for big cats and so, only black, white and grey cars will be allowed inside the reserve.
“Animals, especially tigers, tend to react in an unpredictable manner to flashy colours like red, yellow, orange, et al. This leads to accidents. Hence, we will first regulate colours of vehicles and then gradually disallow private vehicles,” Anand said.
According to the senior forest official, banning private vehicles all at once may affect tourist influx. “So, we will go step by step to ensure proper regulation of vehicles and maintenance of the reserve,” he said.
Reserve officials are currently scouting for vehicle operators in the Palamau region to be registered by the forest department.
“We will soon begin registration of local operators. Once we have a substantial pool of vehicles to take tourists around the reserve, we will bar entry of private cars,” Anand said.
adding that the car hire rates would be advertised at the entrance.
Every reserve tour vehicle will have a tracker-cum-guide. “This will help us in two ways. First, tourists will have expert escorts. Second, we will be able to monitor illegal activities such as poaching and damage to flora,” the divisional forest officer said.
The 1,014sqkm Palamau Tiger Reserve is set to hit hi-tech highway with navigational satellites monitoring its rich treasure trove of flora and fauna, protecting particularly the towering rows of Shorea robusta or sal from the axe brigade and the majestic but endangered Panthera tigris or Royal Bengal Tiger from poachers.
Divisional forest officer (core) of the reserve Premjit Anand said they had procured four GPS apparatus some time ago and the system would debut soon after reserve officials were trained.
“A three-day crash course is scheduled for our 20-odd front-line members of staff from tomorrow. After successful installation of some four dozen cameras along tiger corridors, we are ready to launch the GPS,” he said, explaining that the system would enable precise monitoring of the entire reserve — right from animal movements to status of check dams and water bodies.
“We have four GPS gadgets at hand for the core area. Once the system takes off, more devices will be introduced to cover buffer zones as well,” he added.
According to Anand, forest guards will be trained on how to use the satellite-based system to capture details on territorial tiger behaviour, distribution of animals in the core area, level of water bodies and tourist movements.
“First, the animal corridors will be mapped based on co-ordinates (latitude and longitude). Then, this data will be linked to three different satellites and fed into the computer through a common server. Once these are done, forest officials will have electronic access to every nook and cranny of the reserve on a real-time basis,” Anand explained.
The Palamau Tiger Reserve is also planning to impose a blanket ban by this year on private vehicles like Rajasthan’s Sariska Tiger Reserve and Uttarakhand’s Corbett National Park.
The idea is for the reserve to gradually organise a fleet of vehicles from local private operators to facilitate tourist tours. But, for starters, the authorities have decided to enforce a colour code on private vehicles.
Bright is bane for big cats and so, only black, white and grey cars will be allowed inside the reserve.
“Animals, especially tigers, tend to react in an unpredictable manner to flashy colours like red, yellow, orange, et al. This leads to accidents. Hence, we will first regulate colours of vehicles and then gradually disallow private vehicles,” Anand said.
According to the senior forest official, banning private vehicles all at once may affect tourist influx. “So, we will go step by step to ensure proper regulation of vehicles and maintenance of the reserve,” he said.
Reserve officials are currently scouting for vehicle operators in the Palamau region to be registered by the forest department.
“We will soon begin registration of local operators. Once we have a substantial pool of vehicles to take tourists around the reserve, we will bar entry of private cars,” Anand said.
adding that the car hire rates would be advertised at the entrance.
Every reserve tour vehicle will have a tracker-cum-guide. “This will help us in two ways. First, tourists will have expert escorts. Second, we will be able to monitor illegal activities such as poaching and damage to flora,” the divisional forest officer said.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Tadoba tiger reserve to be partially closed during monsoon Mazhar Ali, TNN
CHANDRAPUR: It's final - the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) will remain partially closed in the monsoon period. From July 15 to September 30, the park will see restricted movement. Tadoba is only tiger reserve in the country that remains open during the monsoon for the tourist. TATR management had forwarded a proposal for closure of the park during monsoon this year and it has been approved with certain conditions. Orders to this effect were received at TATR office on Monday.
The proposal seeking closure of the TATR on lines of other tiger reserves was forwarded by the CCF and field director Vinaykumar Sinha earlier in May this year. However it evoked debate among the greens whether the closure would be in the interest of the park or not. While reasons like breeding and germination season for wildlife and flora respectively, hurdles created by tourist vehicle getting struck in muddy roads etc were given in favour of the closure, concerns were raised about poaching and forest theft if tourism gets closed. Even the higher-ups in forest department pondered deeply over the pros and cons of closure.
Chief wildlife warden SK Khetrapal held a meeting in Nagpur on June 21 to discuss the issue, but the subject remained undecided at that time. Khetrapal sought additional data over vehicular movement on pucca road and carrying capacity on this patch.
After scrutinizing the data provided by the TATR, Khetrapal on Saturday issued orders for partial closure of the tiger reserve from July 15 to September 30. It is for first time in over 15 years of creation of TATR, when specific tourist regulation directives have been issued for monsoon period.
CCF, TATR, Vinaykumar Sinha informed that as per orders the tourist movement on kuccha roads in the park would be completely closed during monsoon. The 19 km long pucca road between Moharli and Tadoba would remain open for tourists, but the private vehicular movement would be greatly restricted. "Only tourist 16 vehicles, i.e. eight vehicles per shift, would be allowed in the park during the day. The tourist vehicles would start from Moharli gate and travel up to Tadoba on pucca road and return through same route. All the gates other than Moharli would remain closed for the tourist during the monsoon period," he said.
At present over 120 tourist vehicles are allowed to enter into the park during a day from four different gates of tiger reserve.
Sinha however maintained that that there would be no restriction of movement of state transport's bus that moves across the tiger reserve during its passenger ferries. Similarly there would be no restriction upon the movement of villagers residing inside the park from any of the gates.
When asked about increasing security during the monsoon season after closure of tourism on internal roads, he said that TATR would observe monsoon patrolling programme devised for rainy season. "Special squads have been constituted in each forest round on the tiger reserve. These squads would move from one protection hut to other carrying out extensive patrolling and would submit daily report to the higher-ups," he said.
Welcoming the decision conservationist Bandu Dhotre, said, "It's a balanced decision and interest of tourist and wildlife and their habitat has been take care of. Restriction of tourism on internal roads would help the wildlife and their habitat to flourish. At the same time allowing the tourists on pucca road would ensure the earnings of stakeholders dependent on tourism."
MONSOON CLOSURE:
* Tourist movement on kuccha roads closed during monsoon
* Only Moharli gate will remain open, all others close
* 19-km stretch between Moharli and Tadoba will remain open
* Private vehicular movement severely restricted
* Only 16 tourist vehicles - 8 per shift - will be allowed during a day
* Special monsoon patrol squads formed
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Tadoba-tiger-reserve-to-be-partially-closed-during-monsoon/articleshow/9105123.cms
The proposal seeking closure of the TATR on lines of other tiger reserves was forwarded by the CCF and field director Vinaykumar Sinha earlier in May this year. However it evoked debate among the greens whether the closure would be in the interest of the park or not. While reasons like breeding and germination season for wildlife and flora respectively, hurdles created by tourist vehicle getting struck in muddy roads etc were given in favour of the closure, concerns were raised about poaching and forest theft if tourism gets closed. Even the higher-ups in forest department pondered deeply over the pros and cons of closure.
Chief wildlife warden SK Khetrapal held a meeting in Nagpur on June 21 to discuss the issue, but the subject remained undecided at that time. Khetrapal sought additional data over vehicular movement on pucca road and carrying capacity on this patch.
After scrutinizing the data provided by the TATR, Khetrapal on Saturday issued orders for partial closure of the tiger reserve from July 15 to September 30. It is for first time in over 15 years of creation of TATR, when specific tourist regulation directives have been issued for monsoon period.
CCF, TATR, Vinaykumar Sinha informed that as per orders the tourist movement on kuccha roads in the park would be completely closed during monsoon. The 19 km long pucca road between Moharli and Tadoba would remain open for tourists, but the private vehicular movement would be greatly restricted. "Only tourist 16 vehicles, i.e. eight vehicles per shift, would be allowed in the park during the day. The tourist vehicles would start from Moharli gate and travel up to Tadoba on pucca road and return through same route. All the gates other than Moharli would remain closed for the tourist during the monsoon period," he said.
At present over 120 tourist vehicles are allowed to enter into the park during a day from four different gates of tiger reserve.
Sinha however maintained that that there would be no restriction of movement of state transport's bus that moves across the tiger reserve during its passenger ferries. Similarly there would be no restriction upon the movement of villagers residing inside the park from any of the gates.
When asked about increasing security during the monsoon season after closure of tourism on internal roads, he said that TATR would observe monsoon patrolling programme devised for rainy season. "Special squads have been constituted in each forest round on the tiger reserve. These squads would move from one protection hut to other carrying out extensive patrolling and would submit daily report to the higher-ups," he said.
Welcoming the decision conservationist Bandu Dhotre, said, "It's a balanced decision and interest of tourist and wildlife and their habitat has been take care of. Restriction of tourism on internal roads would help the wildlife and their habitat to flourish. At the same time allowing the tourists on pucca road would ensure the earnings of stakeholders dependent on tourism."
MONSOON CLOSURE:
* Tourist movement on kuccha roads closed during monsoon
* Only Moharli gate will remain open, all others close
* 19-km stretch between Moharli and Tadoba will remain open
* Private vehicular movement severely restricted
* Only 16 tourist vehicles - 8 per shift - will be allowed during a day
* Special monsoon patrol squads formed
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Tadoba-tiger-reserve-to-be-partially-closed-during-monsoon/articleshow/9105123.cms
NTCA committee on orphaned tiger cubs Vijay Pinjarkar, TNN
NAGPUR: The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has constituted a three-member committee for examining issues relating to abandoned and orphaned tiger cubs from the wild, so as to explore the feasibility of their in-situ rearing and release in low tiger density habitats. The committee members are Prof PC Tyagi, YV Jhala, both scientists with Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, and SP Yadav, deputy inspector general (DIG) of NTCA as the member convener.
Yadav said that the terms of reference (ToR) of the committee will include country-wide assessment of the wild caught orphaned and abandoned cubs; identification of low density tiger reserves; to give recommendation for rehabilitation of such cubs vis-Ã -vis the NTCA guidelines; to prescribe 'minimum standards' for creation of tiger safaris; and to examine feasibility of ex-situ to in-situ linkage in the context of tiger. The committee will submit its report in 60 days, Yadav said.
MoEF meet on tiger reserves: The ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) has called a meeting of field directors of all tiger reserves at Bandipur in Karnataka. The two-day meet on July 29 and 30, will be inaugurated by union environment and forest minister Jairam Ramesh. All chief wildlife wardens of tiger-bearing states have been told to attend the meeting and make presentations on status of tiger reserves in their states.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/NTCA-committee-on-orphaned-tiger-cubs/articleshow/9105095.cms
Yadav said that the terms of reference (ToR) of the committee will include country-wide assessment of the wild caught orphaned and abandoned cubs; identification of low density tiger reserves; to give recommendation for rehabilitation of such cubs vis-Ã -vis the NTCA guidelines; to prescribe 'minimum standards' for creation of tiger safaris; and to examine feasibility of ex-situ to in-situ linkage in the context of tiger. The committee will submit its report in 60 days, Yadav said.
MoEF meet on tiger reserves: The ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) has called a meeting of field directors of all tiger reserves at Bandipur in Karnataka. The two-day meet on July 29 and 30, will be inaugurated by union environment and forest minister Jairam Ramesh. All chief wildlife wardens of tiger-bearing states have been told to attend the meeting and make presentations on status of tiger reserves in their states.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/NTCA-committee-on-orphaned-tiger-cubs/articleshow/9105095.cms
Monday, July 4, 2011
Big cats find a new home — Goa's Mhadei sanctuary -HT
Your leisure trip to Goa will soon have an added advantage — tracking wild tigers. Over 35 tigers have been found residing in Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary in north Goa, about 60 to 90 kms from hot tourism hot spot beaches such as Anjum, Bombolin and Colva. Goa was not a traditional
home for tigers but in the last few years, tigers from neighbouring Bimgad and Anshi Dandeli tiger reserves in Karnataka had visited forests areas in Sattari Taluk of north Goa because of biotic pressures.
"There is evidence to show that tigers in Goa are not merely transient animals and but are resident population as," Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh said.
Mhadei sanctuary is a contiguous tiger landscape with tiger areas in Karnataka.
In the recent few years, tiger numbers have increased in the landscape in Western Ghats pushing the tigers to look for new habitats.
"Tigers can travel long distances to find their home base and it has also happened in case of Goa," said an official of the National Tiger Conservation Authority.
The Dehraduun-based Wildlife Institute of India has spotted 35 tigers in Mhadei, situated in Sattauri Taluk of north Goa and said the sanctuary has a good habitat for maintaining a stable tiger population.
Ramesh, in a letter to Goa chief minister Digambar Kamat said there was considerable support for the creation of a tiger reserve and wildlife conservation. "By declaring Mhadei wildlife sanctuary as a tiger reserve, we could also ensure the long-term protection of bio-diversity rich areas," he said.
The state government has been asked to submit a proposal to declare the wildlife sanctuary, which has been so far out of bounds for tourists, as a tiger reserve.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Goa-new-home-for-tigers/Article1-716511.aspx
home for tigers but in the last few years, tigers from neighbouring Bimgad and Anshi Dandeli tiger reserves in Karnataka had visited forests areas in Sattari Taluk of north Goa because of biotic pressures.
"There is evidence to show that tigers in Goa are not merely transient animals and but are resident population as," Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh said.
Mhadei sanctuary is a contiguous tiger landscape with tiger areas in Karnataka.
In the recent few years, tiger numbers have increased in the landscape in Western Ghats pushing the tigers to look for new habitats.
"Tigers can travel long distances to find their home base and it has also happened in case of Goa," said an official of the National Tiger Conservation Authority.
The Dehraduun-based Wildlife Institute of India has spotted 35 tigers in Mhadei, situated in Sattauri Taluk of north Goa and said the sanctuary has a good habitat for maintaining a stable tiger population.
Ramesh, in a letter to Goa chief minister Digambar Kamat said there was considerable support for the creation of a tiger reserve and wildlife conservation. "By declaring Mhadei wildlife sanctuary as a tiger reserve, we could also ensure the long-term protection of bio-diversity rich areas," he said.
The state government has been asked to submit a proposal to declare the wildlife sanctuary, which has been so far out of bounds for tourists, as a tiger reserve.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Goa-new-home-for-tigers/Article1-716511.aspx
Tiger reserve water bodies full to the brim TNN
DALTONGANJ: Wildlife in the Palamu Tiger Reserve (PTR) can now enjoy water sport.
The good monsoon after more than three years has helped fill up the water bodies at Madhu Chuan, Bouliyya and Noohahee, inundating the PTR.
Elephants of the reserve are enjoying a "deluxe bath", said a tracker as there is sufficient water for them in the ponds. Elephants use more water for bath than any other wild animal.
The newly built 16 water turfs are also friendly to the wildlife. PTR field director S E H Kazmi said there were water turfs built in the past too, but its design was not friendly to wild animal because of its structure.
"This time the department has constructed 16 water turfs in the design of a plate, where the surface is coarse to prevent fall of any wildlife," said Kazmi. The field director is hopeful that these water will sustain this reserve in the coming summer also.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ranchi/Tiger-reserve-water-bodies-full-to-the-brim/articleshow/9091260.cms
The good monsoon after more than three years has helped fill up the water bodies at Madhu Chuan, Bouliyya and Noohahee, inundating the PTR.
Elephants of the reserve are enjoying a "deluxe bath", said a tracker as there is sufficient water for them in the ponds. Elephants use more water for bath than any other wild animal.
The newly built 16 water turfs are also friendly to the wildlife. PTR field director S E H Kazmi said there were water turfs built in the past too, but its design was not friendly to wild animal because of its structure.
"This time the department has constructed 16 water turfs in the design of a plate, where the surface is coarse to prevent fall of any wildlife," said Kazmi. The field director is hopeful that these water will sustain this reserve in the coming summer also.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ranchi/Tiger-reserve-water-bodies-full-to-the-brim/articleshow/9091260.cms
Slot for N-E in tiger body
Guwahati, July 3: The Northeast has finally got a voice in the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), the apex body of tiger conservation in the country.
Firoz Ahmed, a wildlife biologist with Aaranyak who has carried out camera trapping in wildlife parks of Assam, has been inducted as a member of the NTCA.
Ahmed’s term is for one year and it will end in September next year. The notification for his appointment was issued in the last week of June.
“I will try to highlight the issues of the Northeast in the tiger conservation policies of the Centre,” he told The Telegraph today.
Ahmed was the team leader of the Kaziranga camera trapping exercise, which put the park on top of the world after it was found that the park had a tiger density of 32 per 100 sq km. Ahmed said though tiger reserves in the region have resources, rigorous planning was required at the management level to use the resources to their best.
He is also developing individual profile of tigers in Kaziranga, Orang, Manas and Nameri under the Tiger Informatics through Geospatial and Ecological Research (TIGER) project.
“This will assist the managers and other stakeholders with updated information on tigers of the region and create awareness among the masses,” Ahmed said.
He had recently carried out an appraisal of Dampa tiger reserve in Mizoram, one of the important landscapes in the Indo-Bangladesh border with contiguous forests in both the countries.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110704/jsp/northeast/story_14192136.jsp
Firoz Ahmed, a wildlife biologist with Aaranyak who has carried out camera trapping in wildlife parks of Assam, has been inducted as a member of the NTCA.
Ahmed’s term is for one year and it will end in September next year. The notification for his appointment was issued in the last week of June.
“I will try to highlight the issues of the Northeast in the tiger conservation policies of the Centre,” he told The Telegraph today.
Ahmed was the team leader of the Kaziranga camera trapping exercise, which put the park on top of the world after it was found that the park had a tiger density of 32 per 100 sq km. Ahmed said though tiger reserves in the region have resources, rigorous planning was required at the management level to use the resources to their best.
He is also developing individual profile of tigers in Kaziranga, Orang, Manas and Nameri under the Tiger Informatics through Geospatial and Ecological Research (TIGER) project.
“This will assist the managers and other stakeholders with updated information on tigers of the region and create awareness among the masses,” Ahmed said.
He had recently carried out an appraisal of Dampa tiger reserve in Mizoram, one of the important landscapes in the Indo-Bangladesh border with contiguous forests in both the countries.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110704/jsp/northeast/story_14192136.jsp
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Nepal to 'fingerprint' tigers for conservation-TNN
KATHMANDU: To pinpoint the exact population of wild Bengal tigers and to combat poaching, Nepal will start "fingerprinting" its big cats from this fall, marking a switchover to hi-tech DNA profiling from the current tiger censuses conducted the old-fashioned way by using cameras and assessing pugmarks.
The two-year Nepal Tiger Genome Project, funded by the US Agency for International Development, will be conducted by Kathmandu-based Center for Molecular Dynamics Nepal (CMDN) in collaboration with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech University and the University of Idaho.
According to Dibesh Karmacharya, CMDN international director as well as the project’s principal investigator, from September-October, teams will fan out to the four national parks in Parsa, Bardiya, Chitwan and Kailali districts, the habitats of the bulk of Nepal’s big cats, and other areas where strays are found, to collect faeces. These will then be analysed at CMDN’s laboratory to create a DNA data base of Nepal’s tiger population.
As per the last tiger census, there were 155 tigers in Nepal in 2010. However, one of the big cats, Namo Buddha, who was captured, fitted with a collar to keep track of his movements and then translocated in January 2011, went missing soon after that. In June, it was officially acknowledged that he had been killed by poachers.
"The genome data base will be more accurate than pugmark spotting or camera sightings," Karmacharya told TNN. "It will also help identify carcasses found in the border areas."
With wild animals from Nepal, including elephants and rhinos, straying into Indian forests and vice versa, the DNA bank will also help Nepal assess whether tigers found killed in the border areas were from Nepal or India. Furthermore, it could lead to an assessment of favoured habitats as well as areas where poaching gangs are active and help boost security measures. The results of the project will be shared with experts worldwide through scientific publications and presentations.
This is the first time that Nepal will begin the genome-mapping of a wild, semi-extinct species. In India, scientists are already developing DNA data banks of tigers and snow leopards.
http://m.economictimes.com/environment/flora-fauna/nepal-to-fingerprint-tigers-for-conservation/articleshow/9063971.cms
The two-year Nepal Tiger Genome Project, funded by the US Agency for International Development, will be conducted by Kathmandu-based Center for Molecular Dynamics Nepal (CMDN) in collaboration with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech University and the University of Idaho.
According to Dibesh Karmacharya, CMDN international director as well as the project’s principal investigator, from September-October, teams will fan out to the four national parks in Parsa, Bardiya, Chitwan and Kailali districts, the habitats of the bulk of Nepal’s big cats, and other areas where strays are found, to collect faeces. These will then be analysed at CMDN’s laboratory to create a DNA data base of Nepal’s tiger population.
As per the last tiger census, there were 155 tigers in Nepal in 2010. However, one of the big cats, Namo Buddha, who was captured, fitted with a collar to keep track of his movements and then translocated in January 2011, went missing soon after that. In June, it was officially acknowledged that he had been killed by poachers.
"The genome data base will be more accurate than pugmark spotting or camera sightings," Karmacharya told TNN. "It will also help identify carcasses found in the border areas."
With wild animals from Nepal, including elephants and rhinos, straying into Indian forests and vice versa, the DNA bank will also help Nepal assess whether tigers found killed in the border areas were from Nepal or India. Furthermore, it could lead to an assessment of favoured habitats as well as areas where poaching gangs are active and help boost security measures. The results of the project will be shared with experts worldwide through scientific publications and presentations.
This is the first time that Nepal will begin the genome-mapping of a wild, semi-extinct species. In India, scientists are already developing DNA data banks of tigers and snow leopards.
http://m.economictimes.com/environment/flora-fauna/nepal-to-fingerprint-tigers-for-conservation/articleshow/9063971.cms
Friday, July 1, 2011
Chhattisgarh asked to propose tiger reserve status for Guru Ghasidas park-PTI
The Centre has asked Chhattisgarh government to submit a proposal to National Tiger Conservation Authority to declare Guru Ghasidas National Park in the State as a tiger reserve, saying it had the potential to support a viable population of the big cat.
This national park lies between Madhya Pradesh’s Bandhavgarh and Jharkhand’s Palamau tiger reserves. It is also contiguous with Madhya Pradesh’s Sanjay-Dubri Tiger Reserve.
In a letter to Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said, “This would ensure (use of) the largest landscape within this part of Central India for tiger conservation“.
Noting that the area was surveyed by the Wildlife Institute of India last year, the Minister said, “Though the prey population in the habitat is very low at present, it has considerable diversity.”
“Therefore, with good management and protection under Project Tiger, the area has a potential for supporting a viable tiger population along with the Sanjay-Dubri Tiger Reserve,” Mr. Ramesh added.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/other-states/article2147726.ece
This national park lies between Madhya Pradesh’s Bandhavgarh and Jharkhand’s Palamau tiger reserves. It is also contiguous with Madhya Pradesh’s Sanjay-Dubri Tiger Reserve.
In a letter to Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said, “This would ensure (use of) the largest landscape within this part of Central India for tiger conservation“.
Noting that the area was surveyed by the Wildlife Institute of India last year, the Minister said, “Though the prey population in the habitat is very low at present, it has considerable diversity.”
“Therefore, with good management and protection under Project Tiger, the area has a potential for supporting a viable tiger population along with the Sanjay-Dubri Tiger Reserve,” Mr. Ramesh added.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/other-states/article2147726.ece
Use armed force to guard Simlipal: Jairam to CM
More than a year after the massacre of more than a dozen elephants in Orissa’s Simlipal Tiger Reserve, the country’s fourth biggest tiger reserve, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh has asked Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to take urgent measures to safeguard the tigers in the state’s Similipal national park.
Similipal is one of India’s first Project Tiger reserves. Spread over 845.70 sq km, it is home to many Royal Bengal Tigers and elephants.
Between April and May last year, 14 elephants were slaughtered by poachers inside the tiger reserve situated in Mayurbhanj district of Orissa. A probe team from National Tiger Conservation Authority, which found seven elephant carcasses, in its report said the staff of the tiger reserve had burnt and destroyed the carcasses.
“There was a concerted effort to destroy the remains of the elephant carcasses, which amounts to destruction of evidence without registering a case. Although there is absolutely no evidence to suggest the involvement of forest staff in the actual killing of the elephants, the destruction of evidence and the fact that the elephant deaths were not reported by the staff, should be treated as a very serious matter,” the NTCA committee said in its report.
http://daily.bhaskar.com/article/RAJ-JPR-sariskas-tale-of-woes-continues-with-sluggish-relocation-of-villagers-2231507.html
Similipal is one of India’s first Project Tiger reserves. Spread over 845.70 sq km, it is home to many Royal Bengal Tigers and elephants.
Between April and May last year, 14 elephants were slaughtered by poachers inside the tiger reserve situated in Mayurbhanj district of Orissa. A probe team from National Tiger Conservation Authority, which found seven elephant carcasses, in its report said the staff of the tiger reserve had burnt and destroyed the carcasses.
“There was a concerted effort to destroy the remains of the elephant carcasses, which amounts to destruction of evidence without registering a case. Although there is absolutely no evidence to suggest the involvement of forest staff in the actual killing of the elephants, the destruction of evidence and the fact that the elephant deaths were not reported by the staff, should be treated as a very serious matter,” the NTCA committee said in its report.
http://daily.bhaskar.com/article/RAJ-JPR-sariskas-tale-of-woes-continues-with-sluggish-relocation-of-villagers-2231507.html
Sariska's tale of woes continues with sluggish relocation of villagers -DNA
Jaipur: Rehabilitating villages situated in critical tiger habitats is perhaps the most crucial task for the forest department authorities involved in tiger conservation works, however work in this regard is moving at a snail's pace in Rajasthan.
"Out of the twenty eight villages earmarked for relocation, only Bhagani village has been shifted till date. Work on shifting Umri, Sukol and Dabli villages is also on. However, the major problem we face is that these villages, after taking relocation packages, settle again in the nearby villages. So, the whole purpose of relocation is being defeated," said an official posted at Sariska Tiger Reserve.
In Sariska, relocation work at Kankwari, the village where tiger ST1 was poisoned, and Rotlyala and Kraska villages is yet to begin even after the Forest department already having the financial sanction for the work.
Situation is more or less same in Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve. Only two villages, Indala and Machanki, have been shifted out of the park so far while the relocation work in seven other villages is still pending despite financial sanctions.
In Ranthambhore, Kalighat, Bhid, Kathuli, Hindwad, Mopr Doongari, Dangra, Bheempura, Mudarhedi villages, having more than 1,500 families, are still to be shifted out of the park. Forest authorities maintain they are in the process of shifting these villages but officials don't wish to come on the record.
"The lethargic Forest department is affecting the tiger conservation work in the state as nobody in the department seems to be bothered about the growing human- animal conflict situation. In Ranthambhore, villagers leave their cattle in the jungle to graze during monsoon while forest officials turn a blind eye towards the situation. Hoards of villagers coming out with fuel wood is a very common scene every evening in Ranthambhore," said Shatrunjai Singh, a tiger conservationist. All tiger conservation efforts will go waste if the villages are not shifted out of the park soon, Singh added.
http://daily.bhaskar.com/article/RAJ-JPR-sariskas-tale-of-woes-continues-with-sluggish-relocation-of-villagers-2231507.html
MoEF in favour of declaring Mhadei as a tiger reserve -PTI
Panaji, Jun 29 (PTI) Union Ministry of Environment and Forest's letter asking Government of Goa to prepare a proposal to declare Mhadei wildlife sanctuary as a tiger reserve will have far reaching consequences on the Iron ore mining industry there, a noted environmentalist said today.Rajendra Kerkar, who has been campaigning to notify Mhadei as a tiger reserve said, "Around 36 mines, which are active around Mhadei will be hit directly while several others will be affected once the tiger reserve is notified"."The mining activity in the areas like Pissurlem and Honda in Sattari talukas will be shut down as it will fall in the buffer zone," Kerkar said, adding currently there is no buffer zone for state's wildlife sanctuaries.Union minister for Environment and Forest Jairam Ramesh yesterday wrote a letter to Chief Minister Digambar Kamat asking him to submit a proposal to notify Mhadei wildlife sanctuary as a tiger reserve.The green activists in the state have been lobbying for several years to declare this bio-diverse hotspot in the Western Ghats as a reserve for big cats.Goa is the largest exporter of iron ore in the country with around 45 million metric tonnes of ore being extracted annually.The environmentalists had been protesting against mining activities going on within the reserve forest area and wildlife sanctuaries. Mhadei Wildlife sanctuary, spread across 208 sq km, was notified in the year 1999 and is surrounded by thickly-forested Bhimgad, Bondla, Mahaveer, Anshi-Dandeli and Sawantwadi.Goa chief wildlife warden Dr Shashi Kumar said, "It will not be difficult to prepare a proposal for the tiger reserve. But it has to be done in consultation with the locals." In case there is human habitation in the sanctuary, the state will need to take decision on their rehabilitation, he added.
http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/moef-in-favour-of-declaring-mhadei-as-a-tiger-reserve/742636.html
http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/moef-in-favour-of-declaring-mhadei-as-a-tiger-reserve/742636.html
Global Tiger Day every July 29
BANGALORE: Every year July 29 will be celebrated as Global Tiger Day. This has been one of the major recommendations made at the Global Tiger Summit. BK Singh, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) told Express that Karnataka is home to more than 20 per cent of the nation’s tiger population with an estimated 300 tigers.
Majority of the tigers are confined to Bandipur, Bhadra, Nagarhole, Dandeli, Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary and Kudremukh tiger reserve areas.
The State Forest Department (Wildlife) has three basic mantras. “Firstly restoring the tiger habitat, addressing the issues of human habitats on the fringes of tiger reserve areas and finally measures to prevent and control poaching and smuggling of tigers,” he added.
At the summit held at St Petersburg in Russia which was attended by heads of 12 governments, including India in November, the fact that tiger numbers and habitats have declined by 40 per cent (from about 10,0000 to below 3,500) in the past one decade, was brought out. The tiger has been one of the indicators of a healthy ecosystem and failure to reverse these trends will result in not only the loss of tigers but also a loss of biodiversity throughout the Asiatic region.
With increased coordination, the tiger range countries (India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam) would be striving to double the number of wild tigers by 2020.
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/global-tiger-day-every-july-29/163880-60-115.html
Majority of the tigers are confined to Bandipur, Bhadra, Nagarhole, Dandeli, Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary and Kudremukh tiger reserve areas.
The State Forest Department (Wildlife) has three basic mantras. “Firstly restoring the tiger habitat, addressing the issues of human habitats on the fringes of tiger reserve areas and finally measures to prevent and control poaching and smuggling of tigers,” he added.
At the summit held at St Petersburg in Russia which was attended by heads of 12 governments, including India in November, the fact that tiger numbers and habitats have declined by 40 per cent (from about 10,0000 to below 3,500) in the past one decade, was brought out. The tiger has been one of the indicators of a healthy ecosystem and failure to reverse these trends will result in not only the loss of tigers but also a loss of biodiversity throughout the Asiatic region.
With increased coordination, the tiger range countries (India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam) would be striving to double the number of wild tigers by 2020.
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/global-tiger-day-every-july-29/163880-60-115.html
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Greens roar with delight at tigers' permanent status TNN
PANAJI: Protection of the flagship species like tiger in Mhadei wildlife sanctuary is a golden opportunity for Goa not only to conserve the big cat but also halt the spreading tentacles of destruction, say environmental activists. Carving out a tiger reserve in the eco-sensitive region will lead to focused protection of the tiger as well as the entire ecology. "This is a great opportunity for Goa to protect the region's lifeline, River Mhadei from diversion," says Bicholim-based activist, Ramesh Gawas.
Concurring with him, Sujeet Dongre, co-ordinator, centre for environmental education (CEE) said, "The status of the project tiger site will certainly enhance the level of protection even as it enjoys a certain status as a wildlife sanctuary. And the state will receive more funding for focused protection of the tiger and consequently the surrounding environment," he added. Some environmentalists are satisfied that the status of the flagship species is no longer that of a visitor to the state.
Says Clinton Vaz, co-ordinator of wild Goa, an NGO. "It is now official that they are residents of Goa," he said. Jairam Ramesh, union minister of environment and forest had referred to the resident status of the Goa tiger in his letter to chief minister Digambar Kamat. But some are aware of the Goa government's lack of seriousness in mooting a proposal for a tiger reserve. "It is very reluctant about it only because of mining interests," Gawas said. The preliminary report that the samples of tiger bones found in the Keri poaching case did not belong to the big cat was an indication of it. "Secondly, it was the Centre that had to prod the state to submit a proposal on the tiger reserve," Gawas added. Agrees Vaz, "The people have been crying hoarse for a long time that the tiger is a resident of Goa," he said. Sawant said that on-field evidence gathered by wildlife lovers suggests that Goa may have more big cats than is assumed. "Tigers have existed in Goa since time immemorial," he said.
Environmentalists believe that the next step is to work together. "Both sides (people and the forest department) are now accepting the fact that tigers are residents of Goa," says Vaz. But Siddarth Karapurkar, a Margao-based social activist said that people's protection should be woven into habitat protection. "They have lived for centuries and are better forest protectors than the forest department," he said. Activists in Bicholim and Sattari are also satisfied about Tuesday's development. "The proposal should have come much earlier, but it should not be delayed to allow further destruction," Amrut Singh of the Animal Rescue Squad said. He and various other activists said that the Swami Vivekanand Paryawaran Sanghatana, Keri, headed by Rajendra Kerkar, and the Bombay Natural History Society had contributed in creating awareness about the issue. "The government has to respond immediately as there are several benefits to the state," Gawas concluded.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Greens-roar-with-delight-at-tigers-permanent-status/articleshow/9044148.cms
Concurring with him, Sujeet Dongre, co-ordinator, centre for environmental education (CEE) said, "The status of the project tiger site will certainly enhance the level of protection even as it enjoys a certain status as a wildlife sanctuary. And the state will receive more funding for focused protection of the tiger and consequently the surrounding environment," he added. Some environmentalists are satisfied that the status of the flagship species is no longer that of a visitor to the state.
Says Clinton Vaz, co-ordinator of wild Goa, an NGO. "It is now official that they are residents of Goa," he said. Jairam Ramesh, union minister of environment and forest had referred to the resident status of the Goa tiger in his letter to chief minister Digambar Kamat. But some are aware of the Goa government's lack of seriousness in mooting a proposal for a tiger reserve. "It is very reluctant about it only because of mining interests," Gawas said. The preliminary report that the samples of tiger bones found in the Keri poaching case did not belong to the big cat was an indication of it. "Secondly, it was the Centre that had to prod the state to submit a proposal on the tiger reserve," Gawas added. Agrees Vaz, "The people have been crying hoarse for a long time that the tiger is a resident of Goa," he said. Sawant said that on-field evidence gathered by wildlife lovers suggests that Goa may have more big cats than is assumed. "Tigers have existed in Goa since time immemorial," he said.
Environmentalists believe that the next step is to work together. "Both sides (people and the forest department) are now accepting the fact that tigers are residents of Goa," says Vaz. But Siddarth Karapurkar, a Margao-based social activist said that people's protection should be woven into habitat protection. "They have lived for centuries and are better forest protectors than the forest department," he said. Activists in Bicholim and Sattari are also satisfied about Tuesday's development. "The proposal should have come much earlier, but it should not be delayed to allow further destruction," Amrut Singh of the Animal Rescue Squad said. He and various other activists said that the Swami Vivekanand Paryawaran Sanghatana, Keri, headed by Rajendra Kerkar, and the Bombay Natural History Society had contributed in creating awareness about the issue. "The government has to respond immediately as there are several benefits to the state," Gawas concluded.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Greens-roar-with-delight-at-tigers-permanent-status/articleshow/9044148.cms
Cat and mouse game over Rajasthan's tigers
Jaipur, June 29 (IANS) The Rajasthan government's failure to speed up relocation of villages inside the two tiger reserves in the state has once again raised doubts over its decisiveness to protect the majestic cats, experts say.
Since the relocation was announced in 2008, the forest department has been able to shift only three of the 92 villages falling inside the Sariska Tiger Reserve in Alwar district and the Ranthambore National Park in Sawai Madhopur district.
In 2005, the forest department had planned to shift these villages after tigers in Sariska were completely wiped out on account of poaching.
The man-animal conflict inside the reserves pose a serious threat to the wild cat, as the villagers often poison the tigers to protect their livestock and families.
According to wildlife experts, Rajasthan has around 45 tigers left.
"One village - Bhagani - has been shifted from Sariska, while Indala and Machanki have been moved from Ranthambore since 2008. The process of relocating six villages from Sariska and seven from Ranthambore is underway," a forest department officer told IANS.
However, the department is yet to start relocation of the remaining villages.
"With this pace, the government might never be able to shift all villages and this poses a serious threat for the wildlife," said Babu Lal Jaju, state incharge of NGO People for Animals.
The state government had faced widespread protests in 2004-05 when it was reported that Sariska did not have any tigers left.
A report in March 2005 by the Wildlife Institute of India confirmed that poaching had wiped out the wild cat population.
Facing flak from different quarters, the state government decided to relocate tigers from Ranthambore to Sariska. From 2008, five tigers, including two males, have been relocated to the reserve.
However, in November 2010, the first relocated tiger died due to poisoning.
Experts say lopsided land acquisition too has slowed down the relocation process, but the state government disagrees.
"We give Rs.10 lakh and land as compensation to each relocated family, but the consent of the family is required. In many cases, we don't get it, so it becomes hard for us to convince the villagers to shift," said the forest officer.
"We are discussing steps to speed up the process and will soon implement them," he added.
Ranthambore National Park, which covers an area of around 400 sq km, is one of the finest tiger reserves in the country. The park's abandoned fortress, lakes and above all, around 40 majestic tigers, have made it one of the most filmed wildlife reserves in the world.
The park is also home to animals like the jackal, mongoose, sloth bear and leopard.
Sawai Madhopur is some 175 km from state capital Jaipur.
Sariska, originally a hunting preserve of the erstwhile princely state of Alwar, was declared a wildlife reserve in 1955.
It was declared a tiger reserve in 1978. Spread over 866 sq. km, the area also has animals like leopards, jungle cats, hyenas, jackals, sambars, langurs, wild boars, four-horned deer and many species of birds.
It is located some 110 km from Jaipur.
http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=local&newsid=248029
Since the relocation was announced in 2008, the forest department has been able to shift only three of the 92 villages falling inside the Sariska Tiger Reserve in Alwar district and the Ranthambore National Park in Sawai Madhopur district.
In 2005, the forest department had planned to shift these villages after tigers in Sariska were completely wiped out on account of poaching.
The man-animal conflict inside the reserves pose a serious threat to the wild cat, as the villagers often poison the tigers to protect their livestock and families.
According to wildlife experts, Rajasthan has around 45 tigers left.
"One village - Bhagani - has been shifted from Sariska, while Indala and Machanki have been moved from Ranthambore since 2008. The process of relocating six villages from Sariska and seven from Ranthambore is underway," a forest department officer told IANS.
However, the department is yet to start relocation of the remaining villages.
"With this pace, the government might never be able to shift all villages and this poses a serious threat for the wildlife," said Babu Lal Jaju, state incharge of NGO People for Animals.
The state government had faced widespread protests in 2004-05 when it was reported that Sariska did not have any tigers left.
A report in March 2005 by the Wildlife Institute of India confirmed that poaching had wiped out the wild cat population.
Facing flak from different quarters, the state government decided to relocate tigers from Ranthambore to Sariska. From 2008, five tigers, including two males, have been relocated to the reserve.
However, in November 2010, the first relocated tiger died due to poisoning.
Experts say lopsided land acquisition too has slowed down the relocation process, but the state government disagrees.
"We give Rs.10 lakh and land as compensation to each relocated family, but the consent of the family is required. In many cases, we don't get it, so it becomes hard for us to convince the villagers to shift," said the forest officer.
"We are discussing steps to speed up the process and will soon implement them," he added.
Ranthambore National Park, which covers an area of around 400 sq km, is one of the finest tiger reserves in the country. The park's abandoned fortress, lakes and above all, around 40 majestic tigers, have made it one of the most filmed wildlife reserves in the world.
The park is also home to animals like the jackal, mongoose, sloth bear and leopard.
Sawai Madhopur is some 175 km from state capital Jaipur.
Sariska, originally a hunting preserve of the erstwhile princely state of Alwar, was declared a wildlife reserve in 1955.
It was declared a tiger reserve in 1978. Spread over 866 sq. km, the area also has animals like leopards, jungle cats, hyenas, jackals, sambars, langurs, wild boars, four-horned deer and many species of birds.
It is located some 110 km from Jaipur.
http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=local&newsid=248029
Cat and mouse game over Rajasthan's tigers
Jaipur, June 29 (IANS) The Rajasthan government's failure to speed up relocation of villages inside the two tiger reserves in the state has once again raised doubts over its decisiveness to protect the majestic cats, experts say.
Since the relocation was announced in 2008, the forest department has been able to shift only three of the 92 villages falling inside the Sariska Tiger Reserve in Alwar district and the Ranthambore National Park in Sawai Madhopur district.
In 2005, the forest department had planned to shift these villages after tigers in Sariska were completely wiped out on account of poaching.
The man-animal conflict inside the reserves pose a serious threat to the wild cat, as the villagers often poison the tigers to protect their livestock and families.
According to wildlife experts, Rajasthan has around 45 tigers left.
"One village - Bhagani - has been shifted from Sariska, while Indala and Machanki have been moved from Ranthambore since 2008. The process of relocating six villages from Sariska and seven from Ranthambore is underway," a forest department officer told IANS.
However, the department is yet to start relocation of the remaining villages.
"With this pace, the government might never be able to shift all villages and this poses a serious threat for the wildlife," said Babu Lal Jaju, state incharge of NGO People for Animals.
The state government had faced widespread protests in 2004-05 when it was reported that Sariska did not have any tigers left.
A report in March 2005 by the Wildlife Institute of India confirmed that poaching had wiped out the wild cat population.
Facing flak from different quarters, the state government decided to relocate tigers from Ranthambore to Sariska. From 2008, five tigers, including two males, have been relocated to the reserve.
However, in November 2010, the first relocated tiger died due to poisoning.
Experts say lopsided land acquisition too has slowed down the relocation process, but the state government disagrees.
"We give Rs.10 lakh and land as compensation to each relocated family, but the consent of the family is required. In many cases, we don't get it, so it becomes hard for us to convince the villagers to shift," said the forest officer.
"We are discussing steps to speed up the process and will soon implement them," he added.
Ranthambore National Park, which covers an area of around 400 sq km, is one of the finest tiger reserves in the country. The park's abandoned fortress, lakes and above all, around 40 majestic tigers, have made it one of the most filmed wildlife reserves in the world.
The park is also home to animals like the jackal, mongoose, sloth bear and leopard.
Sawai Madhopur is some 175 km from state capital Jaipur.
Sariska, originally a hunting preserve of the erstwhile princely state of Alwar, was declared a wildlife reserve in 1955.
It was declared a tiger reserve in 1978. Spread over 866 sq. km, the area also has animals like leopards, jungle cats, hyenas, jackals, sambars, langurs, wild boars, four-horned deer and many species of birds.
It is located some 110 km from Jaipur.
http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=local&newsid=248029
Since the relocation was announced in 2008, the forest department has been able to shift only three of the 92 villages falling inside the Sariska Tiger Reserve in Alwar district and the Ranthambore National Park in Sawai Madhopur district.
In 2005, the forest department had planned to shift these villages after tigers in Sariska were completely wiped out on account of poaching.
The man-animal conflict inside the reserves pose a serious threat to the wild cat, as the villagers often poison the tigers to protect their livestock and families.
According to wildlife experts, Rajasthan has around 45 tigers left.
"One village - Bhagani - has been shifted from Sariska, while Indala and Machanki have been moved from Ranthambore since 2008. The process of relocating six villages from Sariska and seven from Ranthambore is underway," a forest department officer told IANS.
However, the department is yet to start relocation of the remaining villages.
"With this pace, the government might never be able to shift all villages and this poses a serious threat for the wildlife," said Babu Lal Jaju, state incharge of NGO People for Animals.
The state government had faced widespread protests in 2004-05 when it was reported that Sariska did not have any tigers left.
A report in March 2005 by the Wildlife Institute of India confirmed that poaching had wiped out the wild cat population.
Facing flak from different quarters, the state government decided to relocate tigers from Ranthambore to Sariska. From 2008, five tigers, including two males, have been relocated to the reserve.
However, in November 2010, the first relocated tiger died due to poisoning.
Experts say lopsided land acquisition too has slowed down the relocation process, but the state government disagrees.
"We give Rs.10 lakh and land as compensation to each relocated family, but the consent of the family is required. In many cases, we don't get it, so it becomes hard for us to convince the villagers to shift," said the forest officer.
"We are discussing steps to speed up the process and will soon implement them," he added.
Ranthambore National Park, which covers an area of around 400 sq km, is one of the finest tiger reserves in the country. The park's abandoned fortress, lakes and above all, around 40 majestic tigers, have made it one of the most filmed wildlife reserves in the world.
The park is also home to animals like the jackal, mongoose, sloth bear and leopard.
Sawai Madhopur is some 175 km from state capital Jaipur.
Sariska, originally a hunting preserve of the erstwhile princely state of Alwar, was declared a wildlife reserve in 1955.
It was declared a tiger reserve in 1978. Spread over 866 sq. km, the area also has animals like leopards, jungle cats, hyenas, jackals, sambars, langurs, wild boars, four-horned deer and many species of birds.
It is located some 110 km from Jaipur.
http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=local&newsid=248029
Tiger population increases in Sathyamangalam forest
Erode (TN), Jun 29 (PTI) Population of tigers in the Sathyamangalam forest in the district has risen to 28 in 2011 as against 18 in 2009, a census by forest officials stated.
Forest officials said in 2007, there were only eight tigers. The number declined to seven in 2008 but increased to 10 in 2009 and at the end of that year there were 18 big cats in the area. In 2011, the number increased by 10.
"Camera trapping technique was followed in detecting the number of tigers," they said.
The number of elephants has increased from 815 in 2007 to a little over 900 in four years.
Officials said it was proposed to dig 75 km long trenches in Erode and Sathyamangalam forest divisions following complaints from farmers that elephants were entering their lands and damaging standing crops like banana, coconut and other fruits.
Strict vigil is being maintained to prevent poaching, they added.
Forest officials said in 2007, there were only eight tigers. The number declined to seven in 2008 but increased to 10 in 2009 and at the end of that year there were 18 big cats in the area. In 2011, the number increased by 10.
"Camera trapping technique was followed in detecting the number of tigers," they said.
The number of elephants has increased from 815 in 2007 to a little over 900 in four years.
Officials said it was proposed to dig 75 km long trenches in Erode and Sathyamangalam forest divisions following complaints from farmers that elephants were entering their lands and damaging standing crops like banana, coconut and other fruits.
Strict vigil is being maintained to prevent poaching, they added.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Goa may soon get its first tiger reserve PRISCILLA JEBARAJ
“The region is one of the best potential tiger habitats in the Western Ghats”
It's better known for its formula of “Sun, sea and sand,” but the State of Goa could soon get its first tiger reserve.
While the small coastal State may have only one resident tigress — who recently gave birth to cubs — it is located next to forests with larger tiger populations in Karnataka and Maharashtra. The Centre hopes that declaring this area as a protected reserve for the big cat will also stymie the rampant exploitation of mining resources.
In a letter to Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh suggested that the State submit a proposal to have the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary declared as a tiger reserve.
“There is evidence to show that tigers in Goa are not merely transient animals but are a resident population as well,” said Mr. Ramesh.
Conservationists in the area have been advocating a tiger reserve in north Goa for years, and Mr. Ramesh noted that there is “considerable local community support” for the proposal.
He added that Mhadei is a contiguous tiger landscape to Karnataka’s Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary and Anshi Dandeli Tiger Reserve which has 35 tigers. A 2008 study by the Wildlife Institute of India pointed out that this interstate region is one of the best potential tiger habitats in the Western Ghats.
Mr. Ramesh suggested that the State government could even expand the proposed tiger reserve beyond the existing boundaries of the Mhadei sanctuary in a bid to “ensure the long term protection of biodiversity-rich areas”.
“The region is one of the best potential tiger habitats in the Western Ghats”
It's better known for its formula of “Sun, sea and sand,” but the State of Goa could soon get its first tiger reserve.
While the small coastal State may have only one resident tigress — who recently gave birth to cubs — it is located next to forests with larger tiger populations in Karnataka and Maharashtra. The Centre hopes that declaring this area as a protected reserve for the big cat will also stymie the rampant exploitation of mining resources.
In a letter to Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh suggested that the State submit a proposal to have the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary declared as a tiger reserve.
“There is evidence to show that tigers in Goa are not merely transient animals but are a resident population as well,” said Mr. Ramesh.
Conservationists in the area have been advocating a tiger reserve in north Goa for years, and Mr. Ramesh noted that there is “considerable local community support” for the proposal.
He added that Mhadei is a contiguous tiger landscape to Karnataka’s Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary and Anshi Dandeli Tiger Reserve which has 35 tigers. A 2008 study by the Wildlife Institute of India pointed out that this interstate region is one of the best potential tiger habitats in the Western Ghats.
Mr. Ramesh suggested that the State government could even expand the proposed tiger reserve beyond the existing boundaries of the Mhadei sanctuary in a bid to “ensure the long term protection of biodiversity-rich areas”.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2142214.ece
It's better known for its formula of “Sun, sea and sand,” but the State of Goa could soon get its first tiger reserve.
While the small coastal State may have only one resident tigress — who recently gave birth to cubs — it is located next to forests with larger tiger populations in Karnataka and Maharashtra. The Centre hopes that declaring this area as a protected reserve for the big cat will also stymie the rampant exploitation of mining resources.
In a letter to Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh suggested that the State submit a proposal to have the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary declared as a tiger reserve.
“There is evidence to show that tigers in Goa are not merely transient animals but are a resident population as well,” said Mr. Ramesh.
Conservationists in the area have been advocating a tiger reserve in north Goa for years, and Mr. Ramesh noted that there is “considerable local community support” for the proposal.
He added that Mhadei is a contiguous tiger landscape to Karnataka’s Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary and Anshi Dandeli Tiger Reserve which has 35 tigers. A 2008 study by the Wildlife Institute of India pointed out that this interstate region is one of the best potential tiger habitats in the Western Ghats.
Mr. Ramesh suggested that the State government could even expand the proposed tiger reserve beyond the existing boundaries of the Mhadei sanctuary in a bid to “ensure the long term protection of biodiversity-rich areas”.
“The region is one of the best potential tiger habitats in the Western Ghats”
It's better known for its formula of “Sun, sea and sand,” but the State of Goa could soon get its first tiger reserve.
While the small coastal State may have only one resident tigress — who recently gave birth to cubs — it is located next to forests with larger tiger populations in Karnataka and Maharashtra. The Centre hopes that declaring this area as a protected reserve for the big cat will also stymie the rampant exploitation of mining resources.
In a letter to Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh suggested that the State submit a proposal to have the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary declared as a tiger reserve.
“There is evidence to show that tigers in Goa are not merely transient animals but are a resident population as well,” said Mr. Ramesh.
Conservationists in the area have been advocating a tiger reserve in north Goa for years, and Mr. Ramesh noted that there is “considerable local community support” for the proposal.
He added that Mhadei is a contiguous tiger landscape to Karnataka’s Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary and Anshi Dandeli Tiger Reserve which has 35 tigers. A 2008 study by the Wildlife Institute of India pointed out that this interstate region is one of the best potential tiger habitats in the Western Ghats.
Mr. Ramesh suggested that the State government could even expand the proposed tiger reserve beyond the existing boundaries of the Mhadei sanctuary in a bid to “ensure the long term protection of biodiversity-rich areas”.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2142214.ece
Mohini smiles at forest officials' goof-up in trap camera picture -DNA
Jaipur: Serendipity can at times be embarrassing. At least it was with the forest officials when they got the first trap camera picture of the footloose tiger Mohan after months of efforts and it turned out to be a tigress's, or Mohini's, if the big cat allows us to christen her so!
After meticulously following the Ranthambhor tiger T47, nicknamed Mohan, for months, which kept wandering from as far as Dholpur, Baseri, Bari in Rajasthan to Bhind-Morena in Madhya Pradesh, and finally settling in Ghanteshwar valley in Keoladeo Sanctuary; the forest officials were in for a rude shock when the first trap camera picture of the big cat turned out to be a tigress's. The embarrassing turn of events not only puts in question the efficacy of officials but also draws a blank on what actually happened to T47, if this one is a tigress.
"We are still examining that this big cat is Mohan or not. It seems a tigress from the picture we got, so we are also examining whether this is the same big cat which has roamed as far as Bhind in MP," said YK Sahoo, field director at Ranthambhore National Park (RNP). Forest officials may not be sure of tiger being Mohan or Mohini, but experts who have seen the picture confirm that the big cat photographed is a tigress. "This big cat does not have any ruff on its face, the characteristic of a male tiger, and also her head is not as big as a male tiger's. So in all probability, this big cat is tigress for sure," said Divya Bhanu Singh Chawda, member, National Board of Wildlife, and cat specialist group of World Conservation Union (IUCN).
http://daily.bhaskar.com/article/RAJ-JPR-mohini-smiles-at-forest-officials-goof-up-in-trap-camera-picture-2228912.html
After meticulously following the Ranthambhor tiger T47, nicknamed Mohan, for months, which kept wandering from as far as Dholpur, Baseri, Bari in Rajasthan to Bhind-Morena in Madhya Pradesh, and finally settling in Ghanteshwar valley in Keoladeo Sanctuary; the forest officials were in for a rude shock when the first trap camera picture of the big cat turned out to be a tigress's. The embarrassing turn of events not only puts in question the efficacy of officials but also draws a blank on what actually happened to T47, if this one is a tigress.
"We are still examining that this big cat is Mohan or not. It seems a tigress from the picture we got, so we are also examining whether this is the same big cat which has roamed as far as Bhind in MP," said YK Sahoo, field director at Ranthambhore National Park (RNP). Forest officials may not be sure of tiger being Mohan or Mohini, but experts who have seen the picture confirm that the big cat photographed is a tigress. "This big cat does not have any ruff on its face, the characteristic of a male tiger, and also her head is not as big as a male tiger's. So in all probability, this big cat is tigress for sure," said Divya Bhanu Singh Chawda, member, National Board of Wildlife, and cat specialist group of World Conservation Union (IUCN).
http://daily.bhaskar.com/article/RAJ-JPR-mohini-smiles-at-forest-officials-goof-up-in-trap-camera-picture-2228912.html
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Kota tigress: Tardy relocation bid irks conservationists TNN
JAIPUR: While there is reason enough for the forest department to rejoice the increasing tiger population in the state, its inaction over bringing back big cats that have strayed out of the forest has irked conservationists. The rebuff comes in the wake of little efforts from the department in bringing back a five-year-old tigress that had strayed to Kota from the Ranthambore tiger reserve.
"That it's a tigress is a reason to worry. While it may be common for sub-adult males to stray into areas outside the park but this big cat is a female that can become a mother. Therefore it is not just a question of one tigress but also the litter of cubs she produces," a conservationist said. In January 2010, the tigress had moved out of the Ranthambore tiger reserve. A team of officials had been hot on its trail in January. But with the tiger settling down in the ravines of the Kalisind river on the border of Kota and Baran districts, there has been little effort in bringing it back.
Sub-adults, especially males stray out of the forest in search of a territory. They generally return but this tigress hasn't.
It may be natural for tigers to stray out but there is a fear of poaching, too.
"The Kota tigress is a potential mother and could have added to the baby boom that the park has seen this year," he added. The Ranthambore national park after a dry year when no cubs were born, this year had 17 cubs taking the estimated population of the big cat in the park to about 50. A census is on at the park.
There are at least five tigers that have been missing from the park and three tigers have migrated to other areas. The missing tigers are T-21 or the Chiroli male, T-27 or the Gilai Sagar female, T-29 of Berda, T-40 or the Berda male and T-43 the second Jhailkho male cub. And the strayed ones are T-35 a tigress which is in Kota, T-38 or the Sultanpur male that has migrated to Kuno in Madhya Pradesh while T-47 has made Dholpur its home.
Officials of the department while accepting that not much effort was being made in this regard, assured that the tigress was fine. "The tigress is being monitored and she is okay," the officials said.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Kota-tigress-Tardy-relocation-bid-irks-conservationists/articleshow/9020952.cms
"That it's a tigress is a reason to worry. While it may be common for sub-adult males to stray into areas outside the park but this big cat is a female that can become a mother. Therefore it is not just a question of one tigress but also the litter of cubs she produces," a conservationist said. In January 2010, the tigress had moved out of the Ranthambore tiger reserve. A team of officials had been hot on its trail in January. But with the tiger settling down in the ravines of the Kalisind river on the border of Kota and Baran districts, there has been little effort in bringing it back.
Sub-adults, especially males stray out of the forest in search of a territory. They generally return but this tigress hasn't.
It may be natural for tigers to stray out but there is a fear of poaching, too.
"The Kota tigress is a potential mother and could have added to the baby boom that the park has seen this year," he added. The Ranthambore national park after a dry year when no cubs were born, this year had 17 cubs taking the estimated population of the big cat in the park to about 50. A census is on at the park.
There are at least five tigers that have been missing from the park and three tigers have migrated to other areas. The missing tigers are T-21 or the Chiroli male, T-27 or the Gilai Sagar female, T-29 of Berda, T-40 or the Berda male and T-43 the second Jhailkho male cub. And the strayed ones are T-35 a tigress which is in Kota, T-38 or the Sultanpur male that has migrated to Kuno in Madhya Pradesh while T-47 has made Dholpur its home.
Officials of the department while accepting that not much effort was being made in this regard, assured that the tigress was fine. "The tigress is being monitored and she is okay," the officials said.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Kota-tigress-Tardy-relocation-bid-irks-conservationists/articleshow/9020952.cms
Sariska’s future tense
CONSERVATION
Sariska’s future tense
The Sariska National Park is facing a bleak future. Based on prey base and habitat, Sariska can easily accommodate more than 40 tigers. Plans are now on to relocate more tigers to Sariska, but tiger lovers are hoping that the government realises that given the dwindling tiger population in the country, this is not the best time to experiment. In the present conditions, tigers are still not safe, observes Navnith Krishnan
Aflurry of alarm calls reverberating through the valley alerted us. The setting sun gave it an eerie background. Sambhars started giving vent to their unmistakable dhunks.
Peacocks took to the trees with their hoarse cries. Higher up on the trees, langurs were ducking their heads up and down, and warning others with their sounds.
All indicated the presence of a predator on the move. The Aravalli Ranges stood like a mute spectator to this daily drama. We were in the Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan.
The tiger monitoring group had told us about the presence of the female tiger ST2 and the male ST4 in that area.
These are among the many tigers relocated here from Ranthambhore. We strained our necks looking for the elusive cat. Time stood still. Our driver, Jagdish, was the first to spot the tigress as she majestically strode on to the road, hardly 30 feet from us. She was ST2. She just looked back at us and walked straight to the water hole.
Nestled in one of the oldest mountain ranges, Aravallis, Sariska National Park, with a total area of more than 800 sq km, is a repository of serene dense forest, wide valleys and sprawling plateaus. With a natural grandeur, it was once the hunting preserve of the Maharajas of Alwar where British royalty, viceroys and dignitaries vied with each other in shooting tigers. All shootings were banned in 1955 when Sariska was declared a wildlife reserve. In 1978, it was declared a tiger reserve and in 1982, a national park.
Vanishing tigers
It was just five years back that Sariska hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons. The state wildlife department was merrily giving out tiger figures every year, and when an intrepid journalist came out with the revelation that there are no tigers left in the Sariska Tiger Reserve, it attracted worldwide attention.
A subsequent CBI enquiry ordered by the Prime Minister and an investigation by the Wildlife Institute of India confirmed the stark truth. How Sariska, with its valleys, forests, water holes, an enormous prey base and a habitat better than even Ranthambhore, lost its tigers is a long story. It was a case of ineptitude, inadequacy and shameful neglect.
To quote the Tiger Task Force, “While officials were busy misreporting the record of tiger numbers, poachers roamed about and cleaned the reserve out.”
Community-related issues
The one and only problem faced by Sariska is the hostile attitude of the villagers — 28 of their hamlets are strewn around the sanctuary; some even inside the core area. These villagers have stuck around the forest area’s main water holes, rearing their cattle. All efforts to relocate them have come to naught.
Closeness to cities like Alwar and easy transportation have made milk trade a roaring business. Added to this is the rearing of goats for meat. The villagers, mostly cattle grazers, have nothing to spend on feeding since these cattle and goats are driven into the sanctuary every day and occasionally tigers get attracted to it.
The government’s compensation of Rs 3,000 for every cattle killed by tigers, villagers say, is grossly inadequate compared to the actual value of more than Rs 20,000. They stick on to these villages in spite of all these disadvantages and carry out revenge killings and poaching. They also join together and scuttle any probe into the killing. For them, it is more profitable.
The bonanza of Rs 10 lakh per family offered as compensation for relocation has no effect on them. Adding to the woes of the villagers and the government is the activism of the so-called human rights NGOs, who advise villagers not to shift unless the compensation is raised to Rs 25 lakh. It is no surprise that out of 28 villages, only one village, Badhani, the smallest of them all, has been relocated completely since the process began.
Relocation from Ranthambore
In their efforts to save the tiger, the government carried out an ambitious programme — to relocate some tigers to Sariska from Ranthambhore. Five tigers, tagged ST1 to ST5, were released into the park in 2008. Skeptics were proved right when the male TS1 was poisoned on November 14, 2010 by villagers as a revenge killing. The government received much flak for this and the field director was shifted.
They have now posted R S Shekhawat as the field director, one of the ablest in the state. One more tiger has been now been relocated from Ranthambhore and has been tagged as ST6. All the tigers are radio collared, are tracked and logged in separate jeeps, round the clock, at high costs.
With hostile villagers located all around the park, forest officers are on tenter hooks. How long can they monitor tigers like this? In Rajesh Gopal, we have a dedicated and hard working Project Tiger Chief, but unless the state government takes more interest and gets these villagers shifted from the park, the future of relocated tigers in Sariska is bleak.
Based on prey base and habitat, Sariska can easily accommodate more than 40 tigers. Plans are now on to relocate more tigers to Sariska. But tiger lovers are hoping that the government realises that given the dwindling tiger population in the country, this is not the best time to experiment, for in the present conditions, tigers are still not safe.
Sariska still offers a bonanza for tourists and nature lovers. The sanctuary is teeming with wildlife. There are more than 7,000 sambhars, an equal number of nilgais, chital, wild boars, striped hyenas, caracals and leopards to quote a few.
It is also blessed with rich avifaunal diversity encompassing more than 211 species of domestic and migratory birds. It also houses 404 plant species. It is of interest to note that 50,000 visitors have visited this park last year alone.
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/171934/sariskas-future-tense.html
Sariska’s future tense
The Sariska National Park is facing a bleak future. Based on prey base and habitat, Sariska can easily accommodate more than 40 tigers. Plans are now on to relocate more tigers to Sariska, but tiger lovers are hoping that the government realises that given the dwindling tiger population in the country, this is not the best time to experiment. In the present conditions, tigers are still not safe, observes Navnith Krishnan
Aflurry of alarm calls reverberating through the valley alerted us. The setting sun gave it an eerie background. Sambhars started giving vent to their unmistakable dhunks.
Peacocks took to the trees with their hoarse cries. Higher up on the trees, langurs were ducking their heads up and down, and warning others with their sounds.
All indicated the presence of a predator on the move. The Aravalli Ranges stood like a mute spectator to this daily drama. We were in the Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan.
The tiger monitoring group had told us about the presence of the female tiger ST2 and the male ST4 in that area.
These are among the many tigers relocated here from Ranthambhore. We strained our necks looking for the elusive cat. Time stood still. Our driver, Jagdish, was the first to spot the tigress as she majestically strode on to the road, hardly 30 feet from us. She was ST2. She just looked back at us and walked straight to the water hole.
Nestled in one of the oldest mountain ranges, Aravallis, Sariska National Park, with a total area of more than 800 sq km, is a repository of serene dense forest, wide valleys and sprawling plateaus. With a natural grandeur, it was once the hunting preserve of the Maharajas of Alwar where British royalty, viceroys and dignitaries vied with each other in shooting tigers. All shootings were banned in 1955 when Sariska was declared a wildlife reserve. In 1978, it was declared a tiger reserve and in 1982, a national park.
Vanishing tigers
It was just five years back that Sariska hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons. The state wildlife department was merrily giving out tiger figures every year, and when an intrepid journalist came out with the revelation that there are no tigers left in the Sariska Tiger Reserve, it attracted worldwide attention.
A subsequent CBI enquiry ordered by the Prime Minister and an investigation by the Wildlife Institute of India confirmed the stark truth. How Sariska, with its valleys, forests, water holes, an enormous prey base and a habitat better than even Ranthambhore, lost its tigers is a long story. It was a case of ineptitude, inadequacy and shameful neglect.
To quote the Tiger Task Force, “While officials were busy misreporting the record of tiger numbers, poachers roamed about and cleaned the reserve out.”
Community-related issues
The one and only problem faced by Sariska is the hostile attitude of the villagers — 28 of their hamlets are strewn around the sanctuary; some even inside the core area. These villagers have stuck around the forest area’s main water holes, rearing their cattle. All efforts to relocate them have come to naught.
Closeness to cities like Alwar and easy transportation have made milk trade a roaring business. Added to this is the rearing of goats for meat. The villagers, mostly cattle grazers, have nothing to spend on feeding since these cattle and goats are driven into the sanctuary every day and occasionally tigers get attracted to it.
The government’s compensation of Rs 3,000 for every cattle killed by tigers, villagers say, is grossly inadequate compared to the actual value of more than Rs 20,000. They stick on to these villages in spite of all these disadvantages and carry out revenge killings and poaching. They also join together and scuttle any probe into the killing. For them, it is more profitable.
The bonanza of Rs 10 lakh per family offered as compensation for relocation has no effect on them. Adding to the woes of the villagers and the government is the activism of the so-called human rights NGOs, who advise villagers not to shift unless the compensation is raised to Rs 25 lakh. It is no surprise that out of 28 villages, only one village, Badhani, the smallest of them all, has been relocated completely since the process began.
Relocation from Ranthambore
In their efforts to save the tiger, the government carried out an ambitious programme — to relocate some tigers to Sariska from Ranthambhore. Five tigers, tagged ST1 to ST5, were released into the park in 2008. Skeptics were proved right when the male TS1 was poisoned on November 14, 2010 by villagers as a revenge killing. The government received much flak for this and the field director was shifted.
They have now posted R S Shekhawat as the field director, one of the ablest in the state. One more tiger has been now been relocated from Ranthambhore and has been tagged as ST6. All the tigers are radio collared, are tracked and logged in separate jeeps, round the clock, at high costs.
With hostile villagers located all around the park, forest officers are on tenter hooks. How long can they monitor tigers like this? In Rajesh Gopal, we have a dedicated and hard working Project Tiger Chief, but unless the state government takes more interest and gets these villagers shifted from the park, the future of relocated tigers in Sariska is bleak.
Based on prey base and habitat, Sariska can easily accommodate more than 40 tigers. Plans are now on to relocate more tigers to Sariska. But tiger lovers are hoping that the government realises that given the dwindling tiger population in the country, this is not the best time to experiment, for in the present conditions, tigers are still not safe.
Sariska still offers a bonanza for tourists and nature lovers. The sanctuary is teeming with wildlife. There are more than 7,000 sambhars, an equal number of nilgais, chital, wild boars, striped hyenas, caracals and leopards to quote a few.
It is also blessed with rich avifaunal diversity encompassing more than 211 species of domestic and migratory birds. It also houses 404 plant species. It is of interest to note that 50,000 visitors have visited this park last year alone.
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/171934/sariskas-future-tense.html
Pench's bid to win locals' trust -TNN
NAGPUR: The Pench national park and tiger reserve has geared up to win trust of stakeholders in a bid to boost forest and tiger conservation.
On Sunday, the park management and a group of doctors named 'Doctors of Wildlife' organized a health check-up camp at Sillari for nine villages in the periphery of the reserve. Conservator of forest and Pench field director A Ashraf informed that 264 villagers were benefited from the camp. Free medicines were also distributed to the villagers.
"It was a small effort but could go a long way in tiger and forest protection. There are 40 villages in Pench buffer and similar camps will be organized post-monsoon for other villages," said Ashraf.
The camp was inaugurated by AK Saxena, additional principal chief conservator of forests (APCCF) for wildlife, East. Dr Ravi Waikar and Dr Anil Pimplapure were also present.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/developmental-issues/Penchs-bid-to-win-locals-trust/articleshow/9019608.cms
On Sunday, the park management and a group of doctors named 'Doctors of Wildlife' organized a health check-up camp at Sillari for nine villages in the periphery of the reserve. Conservator of forest and Pench field director A Ashraf informed that 264 villagers were benefited from the camp. Free medicines were also distributed to the villagers.
"It was a small effort but could go a long way in tiger and forest protection. There are 40 villages in Pench buffer and similar camps will be organized post-monsoon for other villages," said Ashraf.
The camp was inaugurated by AK Saxena, additional principal chief conservator of forests (APCCF) for wildlife, East. Dr Ravi Waikar and Dr Anil Pimplapure were also present.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/developmental-issues/Penchs-bid-to-win-locals-trust/articleshow/9019608.cms
Simlipal launches foundation to boost tiger conservation - AMARENDRA BOSE,TNN
BARIPADA: The Simlipal Tiger Reserve (STR), on the lines of the Corbett, Ranthambhore and Bandipur tiger reserves, has launched the Simlipal Tiger Conservation Foundation (STCF) in a bid to give a boost to tiger conservation and define a niche for the rare animal in the reserve, HS Upadhaya, STR field director said.
The foundation shall be an autonomous body that will facilitate and support tiger conservation and protect the biodiversity of its habitat in Simlipal. It will also take initiatives in eco-development with the active involvement of forest fringe dwellers in the development process, Upadhaya added.
The STCF has been registered under the Registration of Societies Act, 1860 and was approved by the additional registrar of societies on Wednesday. It shall have operational jurisdiction over the STR, which encompasses a total area of 2,750 sq km, and its adjoining landscape with possible corridor value for dispersal of wild animals from the tiger reserve, sources at STR said.
The foundation will use funds from income generated by levying entry fee on tourists besides contributions from other sources in terms of specific projects from national as well as international agencies as permitted by law. It will also use grants received from internal agencies, grants-in-aid, donations or assistance of any kind from any individual or organization, including foreign governments and other external agencies as permitted by law, sources added.
The governing body of the foundation has been constituted with the state's forest and environment minister, Debi Prasad Mishra, as president, the principal secretary of forests and environment, Aurobindo Behera, as vice-president, and the principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife) who is also the CWLW (chief wildlife warden), Orissa as member-secretary.
Other members of the governing body include the principal chief conservator of forests (general) Orissa, the field director and deputy director of the STR, two prominent scientists or experts in the field to be nominated by the government, the Jashipur (Mayurbhanj) MLA and the chairperson of zilla parishad, Mayurbhanj and two members of the executive committee of the foundation.
Tigers, elephants, bisons and the unique four-horned chowsinghas are among the larger denizens of Simlipal, while the toothless long-tongued scaly ant-eater, the pangolin, is among the smaller ones. The black Royal Bengal Tiger is yet another important attraction for the visitors as well as researchers visiting the reserve, sources said.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/environment/developmental-issues/simlipal-launches-foundation-to-boost-tiger-conservation/articleshow/9017280.cms
The foundation shall be an autonomous body that will facilitate and support tiger conservation and protect the biodiversity of its habitat in Simlipal. It will also take initiatives in eco-development with the active involvement of forest fringe dwellers in the development process, Upadhaya added.
The STCF has been registered under the Registration of Societies Act, 1860 and was approved by the additional registrar of societies on Wednesday. It shall have operational jurisdiction over the STR, which encompasses a total area of 2,750 sq km, and its adjoining landscape with possible corridor value for dispersal of wild animals from the tiger reserve, sources at STR said.
The foundation will use funds from income generated by levying entry fee on tourists besides contributions from other sources in terms of specific projects from national as well as international agencies as permitted by law. It will also use grants received from internal agencies, grants-in-aid, donations or assistance of any kind from any individual or organization, including foreign governments and other external agencies as permitted by law, sources added.
The governing body of the foundation has been constituted with the state's forest and environment minister, Debi Prasad Mishra, as president, the principal secretary of forests and environment, Aurobindo Behera, as vice-president, and the principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife) who is also the CWLW (chief wildlife warden), Orissa as member-secretary.
Other members of the governing body include the principal chief conservator of forests (general) Orissa, the field director and deputy director of the STR, two prominent scientists or experts in the field to be nominated by the government, the Jashipur (Mayurbhanj) MLA and the chairperson of zilla parishad, Mayurbhanj and two members of the executive committee of the foundation.
Tigers, elephants, bisons and the unique four-horned chowsinghas are among the larger denizens of Simlipal, while the toothless long-tongued scaly ant-eater, the pangolin, is among the smaller ones. The black Royal Bengal Tiger is yet another important attraction for the visitors as well as researchers visiting the reserve, sources said.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/environment/developmental-issues/simlipal-launches-foundation-to-boost-tiger-conservation/articleshow/9017280.cms
Monday, June 27, 2011
Sariska to get 3 more tigresses Rajender Sharma, TNN
ALWAR: The Sariska tiger reserve will soon host atleast three more tigeress from Ranthambore. Currently, the reserve has two tigers and three tigeress.
This was stated by Union forest minister Jairam Ramesh during his visit to the reserve. The minister spotted a tiger at the reserve for the first time in his life. "I have been visiting reserves in the country since 1984 but this is for the first time that I have spotted a tiger," the minister said.
Sources revealed that the minister spotted the tiger ST-6. This is the same tiger that had attacked ranger Daulat Singh Shaktawat and had fled to Bharatpur from where it was eventually brought to Sariska.
"In the next two or three months, we will be shifting three more females from Ranthambore," he said. However, Ramesh made it clear that the next male to set foot in the reserve would be from Madhya Pradesh. The minister was worried as no cubs were being born in Sariska for the past four years since the first tiger was relocated.
"It is just not Sariska but there are 13 tigresses out of a total 20 females in Ranthambore which, too, have not littered since the past five to six years. We are worried and have sent scat samples of these tigresses and from some in Sariska to Hyderabad for a hormonal test," he said. .
The ministry has recently sanctioned Rs 2 crore for the purchase of ten 35-seater buses for ferrying passengers from the gates of the sanctuary to Pandupole. A research centre, Kailash Sankhla research centre, would also be set up. The Centre will give various information on wildlife and will serve as a museum too.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Sariska-to-get-3-more-tigresses/articleshow/9006923.cms
This was stated by Union forest minister Jairam Ramesh during his visit to the reserve. The minister spotted a tiger at the reserve for the first time in his life. "I have been visiting reserves in the country since 1984 but this is for the first time that I have spotted a tiger," the minister said.
Sources revealed that the minister spotted the tiger ST-6. This is the same tiger that had attacked ranger Daulat Singh Shaktawat and had fled to Bharatpur from where it was eventually brought to Sariska.
"In the next two or three months, we will be shifting three more females from Ranthambore," he said. However, Ramesh made it clear that the next male to set foot in the reserve would be from Madhya Pradesh. The minister was worried as no cubs were being born in Sariska for the past four years since the first tiger was relocated.
"It is just not Sariska but there are 13 tigresses out of a total 20 females in Ranthambore which, too, have not littered since the past five to six years. We are worried and have sent scat samples of these tigresses and from some in Sariska to Hyderabad for a hormonal test," he said. .
The ministry has recently sanctioned Rs 2 crore for the purchase of ten 35-seater buses for ferrying passengers from the gates of the sanctuary to Pandupole. A research centre, Kailash Sankhla research centre, would also be set up. The Centre will give various information on wildlife and will serve as a museum too.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Sariska-to-get-3-more-tigresses/articleshow/9006923.cms
Eight sentenced to jail for tiger poaching-PTI
Alwar (Rajasthan), Jun 17 (PTI) A local court has awarded seven poachers seven years of imprisonment and another poacher five years in jail for killing a tiger in Sariska reserve in 2002.Additional chief judicial magistrate Himankani Gaud sentenced Zahuru, Ramjan, Hazari, Darra, Fazru, Umardin and Sukka to seven years in jail and Heera Lal was awarded five years of imprisonment.The magistrate also slapped a fine of Rs 1.5 lakh each on Zuhru and Ramjan, Rs 30,000 on Lal and Rs 85,000 on others.The hunters killed the tiger in Sariska and had sold its skin in 2002.
http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/eight-sentenced-to-jail-for-tiger-poaching/739286.html
http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/eight-sentenced-to-jail-for-tiger-poaching/739286.html
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Another tiger enters Sundarban village
Sundarbans (WB), Jun 26 (PTI) A full-grown tiger from the mangrove forest today entered a village in Gosaba area of the Sundarban delta and killed six sheep.
Officials said the tiger came from Pirkhali jungle of Sundarbans Tiger Reserve and swam the Bidya river to prey on livestock at Sonargaon village.
It killed six sheep at a villager''s house.
Forest department officials from Sajnekhali office of the tiger reserve encircled the area with nylon nets and laid a trap to catch the tiger. The animal will be released deep in the jungle after being caught in the trap, forest officials said.
Another tigress that entered Satjelia area of Gosaba delta yesterday to prey on livestock will be released into the jungle today. It was tranquilised by the forest department officials last afternoon.
http://news.in.msn.com/national/article.aspx?cp-documentid=5236380
Officials said the tiger came from Pirkhali jungle of Sundarbans Tiger Reserve and swam the Bidya river to prey on livestock at Sonargaon village.
It killed six sheep at a villager''s house.
Forest department officials from Sajnekhali office of the tiger reserve encircled the area with nylon nets and laid a trap to catch the tiger. The animal will be released deep in the jungle after being caught in the trap, forest officials said.
Another tigress that entered Satjelia area of Gosaba delta yesterday to prey on livestock will be released into the jungle today. It was tranquilised by the forest department officials last afternoon.
http://news.in.msn.com/national/article.aspx?cp-documentid=5236380
Bandhavgarh fencing usurps tiger turf
Moushumi Basu | New Delhi
Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh is slowly getting converted into a zoo. The 108 sq km area covering the twin ranges of Tala and Kallwah in the reserve is being enclosed by chain links or iron mesh fencing.
The purpose, according to the Forest Department, is to minimise man-animal conflict. However, wildlife experts question its rationale. They point out that restricted territories are leading to infighting among the big cats, resulting in deaths of sub-adults. Such a situation can also lead to more and more in-breeding in the long run.
Experts also point out that while fences are able to prevent movement of other wildlife, tigers just jump over them in search of prey, bringing them in conflict with humans more often than not. Prior to fencing, the tigers were free to go out of the reserve area and hunt. Now, the prey base within the reserve, like deer, is fast disappearing.
On May 23, two persons — one man and a woman — were killed near Damna village in Tala range. They were attacked by a tiger while collecting tendu leaves. Local sources said three cubs are often seen moving out of the Mirchaini area of the reserve and venturing into nearby villages.
On June 11, an 18-20 month-old female cub was found dead in the Sukhi Pathiya area. Her death had been caused due to infighting.
“In the above circumstances, what purpose is the chain link fence serving?” asked Saptarishi Saigal, assistant conservator of NGO Save The Stripes.
According to him, the chain link is certainly not controlling man-animal conflict, but is affecting the big cats in two ways. First, confining the boundary of the reserve has put tremendous pressure on them. Battling against shrinking habitat, sub-adults or cubs are being pushed out of protected areas, which is worsening the conflict with humans. “Second, when the tiger is going out of the protected area, then there is also a threat of its getting poached,” Saigal added.
Wildlife experts further contended that such fencing blocks the corridor for tigers and other wildlife. Due to restricted space, it compels sub-adult tigers to stay in their mother’s territory for longer than they should, which, in turn, diminishes the prey base.
“The long-term impact of putting up chain-linking needs to be looked as there have been cases of ungulates not being able to save themselves when chased by predators once they are pushed to the fence,” said tiger expert Belinda Wright.
To add to it, local sources said the fence is also hurting the big cats. Tigress Laxmi injured her leg while another male tiger was also seen with a wire stuck in his paw pad.
However, according to Field Director Bandhavgarh, CK Patil, the chain link fencing has reduced the intrusion of the local villagers into the reserve and it would be further extended.
“It has also checked the entry of cattle into the forest”, he noted.
This was the very purpose for which the fence was erected. The human pressure was increasing every day and there had to be some way out to keep them at bay, he said. According to him the success of the chain link lies in the fact that that today agricultural fields have extended right up to the fencing area. Earlier, it would be at least 400-500 metres away.
Acknowledging the fact that the tigers are moving out, he said it was inevitable. Pointing to the shrinking habitat, he added that the reserve can accommodate about 15 male tigers, an average area of territory being 30 sq kms-40 sq kms. “It is but natural that the tigers would move out. The fence is barely 2 metres in height, which can not anyway stop tigers,” he said.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/348563/Bandhavgarh-fencing-usurps-tiger-turf.html
Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh is slowly getting converted into a zoo. The 108 sq km area covering the twin ranges of Tala and Kallwah in the reserve is being enclosed by chain links or iron mesh fencing.
The purpose, according to the Forest Department, is to minimise man-animal conflict. However, wildlife experts question its rationale. They point out that restricted territories are leading to infighting among the big cats, resulting in deaths of sub-adults. Such a situation can also lead to more and more in-breeding in the long run.
Experts also point out that while fences are able to prevent movement of other wildlife, tigers just jump over them in search of prey, bringing them in conflict with humans more often than not. Prior to fencing, the tigers were free to go out of the reserve area and hunt. Now, the prey base within the reserve, like deer, is fast disappearing.
On May 23, two persons — one man and a woman — were killed near Damna village in Tala range. They were attacked by a tiger while collecting tendu leaves. Local sources said three cubs are often seen moving out of the Mirchaini area of the reserve and venturing into nearby villages.
On June 11, an 18-20 month-old female cub was found dead in the Sukhi Pathiya area. Her death had been caused due to infighting.
“In the above circumstances, what purpose is the chain link fence serving?” asked Saptarishi Saigal, assistant conservator of NGO Save The Stripes.
According to him, the chain link is certainly not controlling man-animal conflict, but is affecting the big cats in two ways. First, confining the boundary of the reserve has put tremendous pressure on them. Battling against shrinking habitat, sub-adults or cubs are being pushed out of protected areas, which is worsening the conflict with humans. “Second, when the tiger is going out of the protected area, then there is also a threat of its getting poached,” Saigal added.
Wildlife experts further contended that such fencing blocks the corridor for tigers and other wildlife. Due to restricted space, it compels sub-adult tigers to stay in their mother’s territory for longer than they should, which, in turn, diminishes the prey base.
“The long-term impact of putting up chain-linking needs to be looked as there have been cases of ungulates not being able to save themselves when chased by predators once they are pushed to the fence,” said tiger expert Belinda Wright.
To add to it, local sources said the fence is also hurting the big cats. Tigress Laxmi injured her leg while another male tiger was also seen with a wire stuck in his paw pad.
However, according to Field Director Bandhavgarh, CK Patil, the chain link fencing has reduced the intrusion of the local villagers into the reserve and it would be further extended.
“It has also checked the entry of cattle into the forest”, he noted.
This was the very purpose for which the fence was erected. The human pressure was increasing every day and there had to be some way out to keep them at bay, he said. According to him the success of the chain link lies in the fact that that today agricultural fields have extended right up to the fencing area. Earlier, it would be at least 400-500 metres away.
Acknowledging the fact that the tigers are moving out, he said it was inevitable. Pointing to the shrinking habitat, he added that the reserve can accommodate about 15 male tigers, an average area of territory being 30 sq kms-40 sq kms. “It is but natural that the tigers would move out. The fence is barely 2 metres in height, which can not anyway stop tigers,” he said.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/348563/Bandhavgarh-fencing-usurps-tiger-turf.html
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Rise in tiger attacks on cattle in B R Hills - Indian Express
MYSORE: The increase in tiger attacks on cattle in residential areas has worried public in Biligiriranaga Betta (B R Hills). Tigers that entered PWD guest house premises, Sericulture department offices, Raghavendra Mutt and bus stand have injured cows, forcing people to stay doors.The movements of an aged tiger hunting cattle for its survival is frequently seen in the last 15 days. A tiger has attacked two cows grazing in sericulture office premises on Tuesday. However, the cattle were rescued from the public and its owner who raised an alarm scare the tiger.An increase in the attacks on cattle and people has created panic among the public. The felling of trees in revenue land to construct resorts destroying vegetation has forced wild animals to enter residential areas. The Forest Department has not restricted the development activities or construction of resorts as it falls under revenue land.Meanwhile, reports say that about 80 cows and calves have been attacked and killed by tigers and leopards in the fringe of the forest in recent months. The residents have not shown interest in claiming compensation accusing that the Forest Department pays `3,000 as against the actual value of `12,000 on the death of a cow. The cattle owners are forced to run from pillar to post to get their compensation. Meanwhile, RFO Nagraj said that they have received complaints of tigers sighted in residential areas. He said that they have taken initiatives to chase away tigers into the forest and ensure safety of the public.
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/rise-in-tiger-attacks-on-cattle-in-b-r-hills/161945-60-115.html
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/rise-in-tiger-attacks-on-cattle-in-b-r-hills/161945-60-115.html
Tiger's death due to ‘strangulation'
The tiger that was found dead at the Metikuppe range of Nagarahole National Park is suspected to have been caught in a snare.
The four-year-old tiger, which was found on Monday, reportedly had strangulation marks on its neck. Its injuries suggested that it had tried to wriggle out of the trap.
Sources said Forest Department officials agreed that death could be due to strangulation, but were unconvinced that it was a case of poaching. They said snares were laid for wild boars.
Meanwhile, wildlife activists allege that this line of argument would only suppress the figures on tiger deaths. It was well known that a metal snare could trap any wild animal, they pointed out. Besides, the carcass was found far from agricultural fields, near the forest, indicating that it was a trap set by poachers, they said.
The sources said the snares believed to have trapped the animal could not be found.
The incident has raised fresh concern about the presence of poachers in the Bandipur and Nagarahole national parks.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/karnataka/article2126600.ece
The four-year-old tiger, which was found on Monday, reportedly had strangulation marks on its neck. Its injuries suggested that it had tried to wriggle out of the trap.
Sources said Forest Department officials agreed that death could be due to strangulation, but were unconvinced that it was a case of poaching. They said snares were laid for wild boars.
Meanwhile, wildlife activists allege that this line of argument would only suppress the figures on tiger deaths. It was well known that a metal snare could trap any wild animal, they pointed out. Besides, the carcass was found far from agricultural fields, near the forest, indicating that it was a trap set by poachers, they said.
The sources said the snares believed to have trapped the animal could not be found.
The incident has raised fresh concern about the presence of poachers in the Bandipur and Nagarahole national parks.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/karnataka/article2126600.ece
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Tiger reserve tag likely for Kawwal wildlife sanctuary TNN
Read More:Assembly Speaker Nadendla Manohar|Adilabad District
HYDERABAD: Assembly Speaker Nadendla Manohar on Monday said that the Centre had in principle agreed to accord tiger reserve status for Kawwal wildlife sanctuary in Adilabad district.
Kawwal wildlife sanctuary, situated 260 km from here, was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1965 and is the oldest one in the state. This would be the second tiger reserve in the state after the Nagarjunasagar tiger reserve.
The Speaker, who is the chairman of AP legislature committee on wildlife and forests, said the central and state governments had promptly responded to their pleas on this issue. He said a request to develop the santuary at a cost of Rs 25 crore has been forwarded to the Centre.
The Speaker said nearly 62 families that would be affected will be relocated with proper relief and rehabilitation measures.
Couple of months back, animal rights activist Amala Akkineni called on Manohar urging him to take steps to ensure that the tiger habitat in Kawwal wildlife sanctuary was protected.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Tiger-reserve-tag-likely-for-Kawwal-wildlife-sanctuary/articleshow/8930413.cms
HYDERABAD: Assembly Speaker Nadendla Manohar on Monday said that the Centre had in principle agreed to accord tiger reserve status for Kawwal wildlife sanctuary in Adilabad district.
Kawwal wildlife sanctuary, situated 260 km from here, was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1965 and is the oldest one in the state. This would be the second tiger reserve in the state after the Nagarjunasagar tiger reserve.
The Speaker, who is the chairman of AP legislature committee on wildlife and forests, said the central and state governments had promptly responded to their pleas on this issue. He said a request to develop the santuary at a cost of Rs 25 crore has been forwarded to the Centre.
The Speaker said nearly 62 families that would be affected will be relocated with proper relief and rehabilitation measures.
Couple of months back, animal rights activist Amala Akkineni called on Manohar urging him to take steps to ensure that the tiger habitat in Kawwal wildlife sanctuary was protected.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Tiger-reserve-tag-likely-for-Kawwal-wildlife-sanctuary/articleshow/8930413.cms
Tadoba to remain closed partially Vijay Pinjarkar, TNN
NAGPUR: The meeting called on Monday to discuss the closure of Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) during the rainy season seems to have ended up without any final decision being taken by the chief wildlife warden S K Khetarpal. Repeated attempts to contact Khetarpal proved futile.
However, it is learnt that Tadoba would not remain completely closed. The PCCF (wildlife) seems to have made up his mind to keep the 15-km tar road patch from Moharli to Tadoba open for tourists.
Field director VK Sinha has been asked to provide data of vehicles of private and tour operators to know whether stakeholders stand to lose anything. He will be submitting the carrying capacity in this patch and only that many vehicles will then be allowed.
It could not be ascertained if vehicles from other Kolara and Kolsa gates would be allowed.
Forest, NHAI officials to visit site again: The talks between the wildlife wing officials and the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) on Monday came to naught with no solution on saving the tiger corridor between Navegaon and Nagzira due to four-laning.
While forest officials stuck to their demand of constructing open span bridges (flyovers) in five vulnerable patches on NH6, the NHAI consultant and retired chief wildlife warden RN Indurkar was firm that the design suggested by him for underpasses for wildlife was suitable.
Khetarpal is learnt to have asked forest officials to make another site visit to the vulnerable patches and submit a report. Accordingly, a team will now visit the spots on June 30. Based on its report, Khetarpal will send his comments to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
Monday's meeting was attended by additional PCCFs AK Saxena, Nand Kishore, NHAI project director Naresh Wadetwar, chief conservator (CCF) for Nagpur Circle C R Gajbhiye and deputy conservator (DyCF) Mukesh Ganatra, ACF Kishore Mishrikotkar and Prafulla Bhamburkar, manager of WTI.
The patches where flyovers or underpasses need to be constructed constitute most important corridor vital for the movement of wild animals. "It is back to square one now as the process will be started from zero. The mitigation measures (culvert boxes) proposed by the NHAI do not at all satisfy the needs of the wild animals," said Bhamburkar.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Tadoba-to-remain-closed-partially/articleshow/8930910.cms
However, it is learnt that Tadoba would not remain completely closed. The PCCF (wildlife) seems to have made up his mind to keep the 15-km tar road patch from Moharli to Tadoba open for tourists.
Field director VK Sinha has been asked to provide data of vehicles of private and tour operators to know whether stakeholders stand to lose anything. He will be submitting the carrying capacity in this patch and only that many vehicles will then be allowed.
It could not be ascertained if vehicles from other Kolara and Kolsa gates would be allowed.
Forest, NHAI officials to visit site again: The talks between the wildlife wing officials and the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) on Monday came to naught with no solution on saving the tiger corridor between Navegaon and Nagzira due to four-laning.
While forest officials stuck to their demand of constructing open span bridges (flyovers) in five vulnerable patches on NH6, the NHAI consultant and retired chief wildlife warden RN Indurkar was firm that the design suggested by him for underpasses for wildlife was suitable.
Khetarpal is learnt to have asked forest officials to make another site visit to the vulnerable patches and submit a report. Accordingly, a team will now visit the spots on June 30. Based on its report, Khetarpal will send his comments to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
Monday's meeting was attended by additional PCCFs AK Saxena, Nand Kishore, NHAI project director Naresh Wadetwar, chief conservator (CCF) for Nagpur Circle C R Gajbhiye and deputy conservator (DyCF) Mukesh Ganatra, ACF Kishore Mishrikotkar and Prafulla Bhamburkar, manager of WTI.
The patches where flyovers or underpasses need to be constructed constitute most important corridor vital for the movement of wild animals. "It is back to square one now as the process will be started from zero. The mitigation measures (culvert boxes) proposed by the NHAI do not at all satisfy the needs of the wild animals," said Bhamburkar.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Tadoba-to-remain-closed-partially/articleshow/8930910.cms
Fire incidents dip in the Melghat tiger reserve TNN
AMRAVATI: Due to the efforts of the officials and employees, incidents of fire have dropped considerably in the Melghat tiger reserve.
Every year, the flora and fauna of the reserve gets damaged because of summer fires. In 2007, around 15,159 hectares (7.5%) was destroyed. This year, the figure has come down to 6485.5 hectares (3.2%).
Generally, the high temperature in summer leads to forest fires but human interference too plays a part. Taking note of the alarming rise in fire incidents, the PCCF of Nagpur had in 2005 constituted a committee to curb the menace. The committee had given certain suggestions which were implemented.
Since the last two years, director of the Melghat Tiger Project, AK Mishra too has been working hard. Fire control squads comprising labourers and regional employees were formed. The department also provided equipment to fight the fires.
When the officials learnt that tribals were setting parts of the jungle afire to extract gum from trees, the department imposed a ban on the practice in the Ambarawa sanctuary. The department also came down on employees remaining absent during the fire season.
Talking to ToI, Mishra said that incidents of fire in Melghat was a matter of concern as animals and plants were getting destroyed.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Fire-incidents-dip-in-the-Melghat-tiger-reserve/articleshow/8917877.cms
Every year, the flora and fauna of the reserve gets damaged because of summer fires. In 2007, around 15,159 hectares (7.5%) was destroyed. This year, the figure has come down to 6485.5 hectares (3.2%).
Generally, the high temperature in summer leads to forest fires but human interference too plays a part. Taking note of the alarming rise in fire incidents, the PCCF of Nagpur had in 2005 constituted a committee to curb the menace. The committee had given certain suggestions which were implemented.
Since the last two years, director of the Melghat Tiger Project, AK Mishra too has been working hard. Fire control squads comprising labourers and regional employees were formed. The department also provided equipment to fight the fires.
When the officials learnt that tribals were setting parts of the jungle afire to extract gum from trees, the department imposed a ban on the practice in the Ambarawa sanctuary. The department also came down on employees remaining absent during the fire season.
Talking to ToI, Mishra said that incidents of fire in Melghat was a matter of concern as animals and plants were getting destroyed.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Fire-incidents-dip-in-the-Melghat-tiger-reserve/articleshow/8917877.cms
Tourism takes a plunge in Red-hit Simlipal reserve, TNN
BARIPADA: Tourist flow to the famous tiger abode in Simlipal Tiger Reserve (STR) has nosedived from 20,743 in 2008-09 to 9,712 in 2010-11.
A series of Maoist attacks in Simlipal on March 28, 2009 kept the tiger reserve off tourist bounds from March 29, 2009 to December 21, 2010. The forest department, however, decided to keep the reserve open for day tourism only from December 16, 2010 with strict instructions to the visitor to leave the area before evening.
The park was closed to visitors on June 16 due to monsoon, thus allowing only 181 days for the visitors to enjoy the vibrant nature in its pristine glory in Simlipal from December 16, 2010 to June 15, 2011.
The collection of revenue from wildlife tourism in Simlipal from a record Rs.26,98,952 collected in 2008-09 dropped to Rs 6,84,020 too during 2010-11, as disclosed at the sixth general body meeting of the Simlipal Eco- tourism Society (SES) held at Baripada on Saturday afternoon under the presidentship of H S Upadhyay, field director of the STR-cum-president of the society.
The revenue from wildlife tourism dropped by nearly rupees twenty lakhs, as there was a decline in the number of foreign tourists too fom 182 in 2008-09 to only 49 during the 2010-2011 tourism season.
http://m.timesofindia.com/city/bhubaneswar/Tourism-takes-a-plunge-in-Red-hit-Simlipal-reserve/articleshow/8918091.cms
A series of Maoist attacks in Simlipal on March 28, 2009 kept the tiger reserve off tourist bounds from March 29, 2009 to December 21, 2010. The forest department, however, decided to keep the reserve open for day tourism only from December 16, 2010 with strict instructions to the visitor to leave the area before evening.
The park was closed to visitors on June 16 due to monsoon, thus allowing only 181 days for the visitors to enjoy the vibrant nature in its pristine glory in Simlipal from December 16, 2010 to June 15, 2011.
The collection of revenue from wildlife tourism in Simlipal from a record Rs.26,98,952 collected in 2008-09 dropped to Rs 6,84,020 too during 2010-11, as disclosed at the sixth general body meeting of the Simlipal Eco- tourism Society (SES) held at Baripada on Saturday afternoon under the presidentship of H S Upadhyay, field director of the STR-cum-president of the society.
The revenue from wildlife tourism dropped by nearly rupees twenty lakhs, as there was a decline in the number of foreign tourists too fom 182 in 2008-09 to only 49 during the 2010-2011 tourism season.
http://m.timesofindia.com/city/bhubaneswar/Tourism-takes-a-plunge-in-Red-hit-Simlipal-reserve/articleshow/8918091.cms
Monday, June 20, 2011
'Relocation of people from tiger reserves in process'
PUNE: The process of relocating local people from notified core or critical tiger habitats of tiger reserves is currently underway in the state, said forest minister Patangrao Kadam .
Kadam said rehabilitating locals from Melghat Tiger Reserve is in the process and an amount of Rs 10 lakh per family is given for voluntary rehabilitation.
Speaking at Vanmahotsav, organised by the Pune forest department, at the Bharatiya Vidyapeeth Gramin Hospital, Lavale village, Mulshi taluka, on Sunday,
Kadam said the tiger population in the state has increased to 66, and the overall increase in the country is 218 .
The regional office of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) will soon be operational in Nagpur and it will ensure that the NTCA guidelines are implemented effectively and there is better cooperation between the tiger states, he said.
Kadam said his department aims to plant 13 crore saplings across the state this year. This will be carried out by all departments concerned . The steps are in tune with the National Environment Policy's target of achieving 33 per cent forest cover. At present, the state has a 22 per cent land under forests. On tree felling, the minister said the ban on felling trees has helped maintain existing tree density and increase the forest cover.
M K Rao, conservator of forest (wildlife), said the demarcation of core and buffer zones of Sahyadri Tiger Reserve is going on. It will follow a proposal for notification of core and buffer areas. It will take another six months to finalise the core areas. The rehabilitation of local people is in process in Satara, he said.
A S K Sinha, conservator of forest (territorial), Pune, said rampant tree felling is reported from private lands in Konkan region and Marathwada districts. Committees have been formed to look into this matter.
Last year, 3.53 crore saplings were planted in the state, which was beyond the target of 2.90 crore. This year, the forest department's target is to plant 3.70 crore saplings and the social forestry has set a target of 80 ,000, said Sinha. He said Vanmohatsav is celebrated to create awareness on conservation of forests. A total of 25,000 trees will be planted in Lavale village by the department , he said.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/environment/flora-fauna/relocation-of-people-from-tiger-reserves-in-process/articleshow/8920539.cms
Kadam said rehabilitating locals from Melghat Tiger Reserve is in the process and an amount of Rs 10 lakh per family is given for voluntary rehabilitation.
Speaking at Vanmahotsav, organised by the Pune forest department, at the Bharatiya Vidyapeeth Gramin Hospital, Lavale village, Mulshi taluka, on Sunday,
Kadam said the tiger population in the state has increased to 66, and the overall increase in the country is 218 .
The regional office of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) will soon be operational in Nagpur and it will ensure that the NTCA guidelines are implemented effectively and there is better cooperation between the tiger states, he said.
Kadam said his department aims to plant 13 crore saplings across the state this year. This will be carried out by all departments concerned . The steps are in tune with the National Environment Policy's target of achieving 33 per cent forest cover. At present, the state has a 22 per cent land under forests. On tree felling, the minister said the ban on felling trees has helped maintain existing tree density and increase the forest cover.
M K Rao, conservator of forest (wildlife), said the demarcation of core and buffer zones of Sahyadri Tiger Reserve is going on. It will follow a proposal for notification of core and buffer areas. It will take another six months to finalise the core areas. The rehabilitation of local people is in process in Satara, he said.
A S K Sinha, conservator of forest (territorial), Pune, said rampant tree felling is reported from private lands in Konkan region and Marathwada districts. Committees have been formed to look into this matter.
Last year, 3.53 crore saplings were planted in the state, which was beyond the target of 2.90 crore. This year, the forest department's target is to plant 3.70 crore saplings and the social forestry has set a target of 80 ,000, said Sinha. He said Vanmohatsav is celebrated to create awareness on conservation of forests. A total of 25,000 trees will be planted in Lavale village by the department , he said.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/environment/flora-fauna/relocation-of-people-from-tiger-reserves-in-process/articleshow/8920539.cms
'Protect wildlife interest in NH6 widening' Vijay Pinjarkar, TNN
NAGPUR: Ahead of Monday's meeting to discuss mitigation measures for wildlife on National Highway 6 between Deori and Sakoli, Kishor Rithe, member, National Board for Wild Life (NBWL), has called for more scientific and technically advanced approach to deal with the road widening issue in view of tiger crisis.
In a letter to S K Khetarpal, PCCF (wildlife), Rithe said the issue was serious and needed to be resolved for ensuring tiger landscape connectivity in Central India. Looking at the corridor value of the patches between Sakoli and Deori which would be cut by widening work, on October 8, 2010, an expert committee had made certain recommendations.
However, NHAI seems to be underestimating the seriousness of the threat to wildlife, specially the tiger. Wildlife and NHAI officials will discuss the issue on Monday. Khetarpal has to send his comments to the NTCA on the NHAI report.
Rithe said large and wide-ranging carnivores faced huge threat and more constant declines than most other mammals. One of the reasons is linear intrusion like canals, roads and highways constructed without consideration of biological aspects.
Tiger scientist like Dr Alan Rabinowitz suggests GIS based models for identifying corridors and later designing site-specific plans to deal with the linear intrusion issues. "When National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) are working on such policies, states also need to take such issues more seriously. Hence, I really appreciate the efforts put by your office to ensure this," said Rithe.
In the US, the government departments have adopted an integrated approach to reduce the negative impact of projects on wildlife. "I expect that NHAI consultant should focus on target species in the area and using GIS and biological inputs, should produce more practical and site specific mitigation report," urged Rithe. "If it is not so, your office should not allow such project to come up," he demanded.
The Wildilife Trust of India (WTI) was first to raise the issue and has taken up the matter with the Supreme Court's centrally empowered committee (CEC). An affidavit filed by the Chhattisgarh government recently demanded construction of flyovers in the affected patch on their side.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Protect-wildlife-interest-in-NH6-widening/articleshow/8918216.cms
In a letter to S K Khetarpal, PCCF (wildlife), Rithe said the issue was serious and needed to be resolved for ensuring tiger landscape connectivity in Central India. Looking at the corridor value of the patches between Sakoli and Deori which would be cut by widening work, on October 8, 2010, an expert committee had made certain recommendations.
However, NHAI seems to be underestimating the seriousness of the threat to wildlife, specially the tiger. Wildlife and NHAI officials will discuss the issue on Monday. Khetarpal has to send his comments to the NTCA on the NHAI report.
Rithe said large and wide-ranging carnivores faced huge threat and more constant declines than most other mammals. One of the reasons is linear intrusion like canals, roads and highways constructed without consideration of biological aspects.
Tiger scientist like Dr Alan Rabinowitz suggests GIS based models for identifying corridors and later designing site-specific plans to deal with the linear intrusion issues. "When National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) are working on such policies, states also need to take such issues more seriously. Hence, I really appreciate the efforts put by your office to ensure this," said Rithe.
In the US, the government departments have adopted an integrated approach to reduce the negative impact of projects on wildlife. "I expect that NHAI consultant should focus on target species in the area and using GIS and biological inputs, should produce more practical and site specific mitigation report," urged Rithe. "If it is not so, your office should not allow such project to come up," he demanded.
The Wildilife Trust of India (WTI) was first to raise the issue and has taken up the matter with the Supreme Court's centrally empowered committee (CEC). An affidavit filed by the Chhattisgarh government recently demanded construction of flyovers in the affected patch on their side.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Protect-wildlife-interest-in-NH6-widening/articleshow/8918216.cms
Should TATR be shut during rains? Vijay Pinjarkar /, TNN
The 625 sq km Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR), the only tiger reserve in India to remain open even during the rainy season, may be closed for tourists during monsoon. In the past 35 years, this will be for the first time that the park will be closed for tourists.
Although a decision in this regard is expected to be taken by the chief wildlife warden SK Khetarpal in a day or two, the forest officials' perspective of closing the park is scientific and based on tiger conservation.
They feel that the park closure will help them divert attention from tourism activity to better management and protection. Khetarpal has already said that he favoured the closure of the park for a shorter period when there are heavy rains.
On the contrary, tour operators and stakeholders feel the park's closure will hamper protection and will mean vacation for the field staff which doesn't move even during the routine course. It shouldn't end up with nothing happening - tourism nor conservation and protection.
As there are many pros and cons, the debate rages. TOI's Vijay Pinjarkar presents the views of the stakeholders, officials and experts.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Should-TATR-be-shut-during-rains/articleshow/8918243.cms
Although a decision in this regard is expected to be taken by the chief wildlife warden SK Khetarpal in a day or two, the forest officials' perspective of closing the park is scientific and based on tiger conservation.
They feel that the park closure will help them divert attention from tourism activity to better management and protection. Khetarpal has already said that he favoured the closure of the park for a shorter period when there are heavy rains.
On the contrary, tour operators and stakeholders feel the park's closure will hamper protection and will mean vacation for the field staff which doesn't move even during the routine course. It shouldn't end up with nothing happening - tourism nor conservation and protection.
As there are many pros and cons, the debate rages. TOI's Vijay Pinjarkar presents the views of the stakeholders, officials and experts.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Should-TATR-be-shut-during-rains/articleshow/8918243.cms
Centre gives nod to Kudremukh tiger reserve Ajith Athrady, DHNS
There has been no reply from Karnataka government: Jairam
Amid stiff opposition from the State government against including ten sites of Western Ghats for natural heritage property tag from Unesco, the Centre has given in-principle approval to declare Kudremukh National Park (KNP) as the fifth tiger reserve in Karnataka.
The KNP, is one among the 10 sties in Western Ghats in Karnataka, which was recommended to the world body seeking heritage status. Kudremukh, spread across Chikmagalur (110 sq km), Hassan (130 sq km), Dakshina Kannada (70 sq km) and Udupi (50 sq km) districts, will be the 41st tiger reserve in the country.
Disclosing the government decision, Union Environment and Forest Minister Jairam Ramesh told Deccan Herald that “though since last one and half months I have been asking the Karnataka government to submit a detailed report to enable the ministry to release required financial assistance, I have not received any reply from other end. I hope the state government will not oppose the tiger reserve status and submit a detailed project report to take advantage of the scheme to protect wildlife treasure,” he said.
The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), an organisation working under the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF), had decided to give in-principle approval for tiger reserve to a total of six national parks, including KNP and the same has been communicated to the states. After getting a detailed report about the areas and required infrastructure, the ministry will issue a formal notification to this effect.
According to the minister, the declaration of Kudremukh as a tiger reserve would help the state get Central aid under the Project Tiger to facilitate relocation of families. Nearly 450 families in the vicinity have requested the state government to relocate them and 12 families were shifted last year, the minister said.
Earlier while seeking the tiger reserve tag, the Karnataka Forest Department had informed the MoEF that an area of around 600.32 sq km can be brought under the ambit of the project. The MoEF has already declared Bandipur, Bhadra, Dandeli-Anasi, Nagarhole and Biligiri Ranganathaswamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary as tiger reserves in the State.
Kudremukh reserve has unique tropical evergreen forests and high altitude grasslands with highly endangered and wildlife species, including tigers, leopards and wild dogs. This apart, the park is home for more than 169 species of birds of which eight are endemic to the Western Ghats. It also houses around 50 species of reptiles and 34 species of amphibians.
According to the last all-India tiger census, the Kudremukh-Bhadra landscape has one of the three distinct tiger populations existing in Karnataka which extends up to the Bhimsankar area of Maharashtra, the minister said.
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/170087/centre-gives-nod-kudremukh-tiger.html
Amid stiff opposition from the State government against including ten sites of Western Ghats for natural heritage property tag from Unesco, the Centre has given in-principle approval to declare Kudremukh National Park (KNP) as the fifth tiger reserve in Karnataka.
The KNP, is one among the 10 sties in Western Ghats in Karnataka, which was recommended to the world body seeking heritage status. Kudremukh, spread across Chikmagalur (110 sq km), Hassan (130 sq km), Dakshina Kannada (70 sq km) and Udupi (50 sq km) districts, will be the 41st tiger reserve in the country.
Disclosing the government decision, Union Environment and Forest Minister Jairam Ramesh told Deccan Herald that “though since last one and half months I have been asking the Karnataka government to submit a detailed report to enable the ministry to release required financial assistance, I have not received any reply from other end. I hope the state government will not oppose the tiger reserve status and submit a detailed project report to take advantage of the scheme to protect wildlife treasure,” he said.
The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), an organisation working under the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF), had decided to give in-principle approval for tiger reserve to a total of six national parks, including KNP and the same has been communicated to the states. After getting a detailed report about the areas and required infrastructure, the ministry will issue a formal notification to this effect.
According to the minister, the declaration of Kudremukh as a tiger reserve would help the state get Central aid under the Project Tiger to facilitate relocation of families. Nearly 450 families in the vicinity have requested the state government to relocate them and 12 families were shifted last year, the minister said.
Earlier while seeking the tiger reserve tag, the Karnataka Forest Department had informed the MoEF that an area of around 600.32 sq km can be brought under the ambit of the project. The MoEF has already declared Bandipur, Bhadra, Dandeli-Anasi, Nagarhole and Biligiri Ranganathaswamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary as tiger reserves in the State.
Kudremukh reserve has unique tropical evergreen forests and high altitude grasslands with highly endangered and wildlife species, including tigers, leopards and wild dogs. This apart, the park is home for more than 169 species of birds of which eight are endemic to the Western Ghats. It also houses around 50 species of reptiles and 34 species of amphibians.
According to the last all-India tiger census, the Kudremukh-Bhadra landscape has one of the three distinct tiger populations existing in Karnataka which extends up to the Bhimsankar area of Maharashtra, the minister said.
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/170087/centre-gives-nod-kudremukh-tiger.html
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Tiger not tracked daily following ex-DFO's letter-TNN Rajender Sharma
ALWAR: The death of ST-1, the first relocated tiger to the Sariska reserve, may have been the result of a fallout of negligence of higher officials of the reserve and not just that of the lower rank staff or that of the team from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) that had been given the task of monitoring the tiger’s movements.
The new twist to the death of the big cat comes with the surfacing of a letter written by the then DFO of Sariska tiger reserve S Sharma. In the letter written by him on January 29, 2009, Sharma had asked all range officers to keep track of the tiger’s movements with help of its VHF collar only once in two days. The letter states that the monitoring of the movement should be done just once in two days and that too during the day time only.
The condition, however, violates earlier agreement by the state forest department of monitoring the movement of the tigers 24x7. In fact, it was with this in mind that all the relocated tigers were fitted with a radio collar. A special team from the WII was also assigned the task of tracking the tigers for not only to study their behaviour, but also to ensure that they don’t fall prey to poachers or to the whims of villagers living in the reserve.
However, after the letter, most range officers and the tiger tracking team dropped guards and eventually the tiger was poisoned by villagers in reserve. The body was recovered by the forest department days after being poisoned. The government, as a punitive measure, had suspended some officers and staffers of the reserve. However, S Sharma eventually retired.
"When senior officers had ordered to monitor tigers just once in two days, where is the question of lower rung officers dropping guards. They were doing what they had been ordered. The mistake was committed by the senior officer," said an official.
Sharma is against 24-hour monitoring of tigers and he had even spoken his mind in a recently held seminar on ‘Challenges Ahead for Sariska’ in Jaipur. In the seminar, Sharma had pointed out the uselessness of radio collars and said, "My experience as the DFO in Sariska has been that these radio collars are more of a bane than a boon for tigers. They add to the stress of the animal. Whenever any tiger meets a tigress, four vehicles of different officials would instantly surround them and the duo were not able to mingle properly. I had asked the department not to keep track of these animals through this means once they had settled down in a territory for sometime."
Be that as it may, most wildlife experts had thwarted Sharma’s claims that radio collars were the reason for the tigresses not giving birth at Sariska. As of now, it is the letter by him that is being pointed to as the reason behind the death of ST-1.
http://m.timesofindia.com/city/jaipur/Tiger-not-tracked-daily-following-ex-DFOs-letter/articleshow/8848013.cms
The new twist to the death of the big cat comes with the surfacing of a letter written by the then DFO of Sariska tiger reserve S Sharma. In the letter written by him on January 29, 2009, Sharma had asked all range officers to keep track of the tiger’s movements with help of its VHF collar only once in two days. The letter states that the monitoring of the movement should be done just once in two days and that too during the day time only.
The condition, however, violates earlier agreement by the state forest department of monitoring the movement of the tigers 24x7. In fact, it was with this in mind that all the relocated tigers were fitted with a radio collar. A special team from the WII was also assigned the task of tracking the tigers for not only to study their behaviour, but also to ensure that they don’t fall prey to poachers or to the whims of villagers living in the reserve.
However, after the letter, most range officers and the tiger tracking team dropped guards and eventually the tiger was poisoned by villagers in reserve. The body was recovered by the forest department days after being poisoned. The government, as a punitive measure, had suspended some officers and staffers of the reserve. However, S Sharma eventually retired.
"When senior officers had ordered to monitor tigers just once in two days, where is the question of lower rung officers dropping guards. They were doing what they had been ordered. The mistake was committed by the senior officer," said an official.
Sharma is against 24-hour monitoring of tigers and he had even spoken his mind in a recently held seminar on ‘Challenges Ahead for Sariska’ in Jaipur. In the seminar, Sharma had pointed out the uselessness of radio collars and said, "My experience as the DFO in Sariska has been that these radio collars are more of a bane than a boon for tigers. They add to the stress of the animal. Whenever any tiger meets a tigress, four vehicles of different officials would instantly surround them and the duo were not able to mingle properly. I had asked the department not to keep track of these animals through this means once they had settled down in a territory for sometime."
Be that as it may, most wildlife experts had thwarted Sharma’s claims that radio collars were the reason for the tigresses not giving birth at Sariska. As of now, it is the letter by him that is being pointed to as the reason behind the death of ST-1.
http://m.timesofindia.com/city/jaipur/Tiger-not-tracked-daily-following-ex-DFOs-letter/articleshow/8848013.cms
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