Not enough to invest in protecting tiger, but invest in local communities: Richard Branson

The day the United Nations announced that the seven billionth person entered the world, I had made my way to Jim Corbett National Park to learn more about the situation facing India's wild tigers. As the global population grows, we face an unprecedented challenge of maintaining balance in our ecosystems and protecting our limited natural resources while sustaining humanity itself. With a seventh of the world's human population, India is at the nexus of this challenge. I came to the subcontinent with a group of entrepreneurs together with conservation organisation WildAid and Virgin Unite, the non-profit foundation of the Virgin Group. We experienced the contrasts of India from the sophistication and glamour of the Formula One Grand Prix to unaffected rural life, from bustling cities of millions with constantly honking horns to the tranquility and alarming beauty of Corbett National Park with serene bird calls and the hum of insects. While India's economic tiger continues to grow unabated despite severe global setbacks, India's wild tiger population is perilously low in number estimated at around 1,600 - and they face threats from deforestation, habitat encroachment, mining and poaching. These threats are not new. But with tremendous development pressure, few around the world have been able to find room for so powerful a neighbour. My friends at WildAid were fortunate enough to meet President Pratibha Patil during this trip, who confirmed her support and commitment to preserving India's icon. The National Tiger Conservation Authority has also increased resources to coordinate and boost efforts, but key responsibility lies with the states. In Panna and Sariska parks, tigers are being reintroduced and are starting to come back. But perhaps most important of all is the tolerance and understanding of the local communities that surround tiger reserves. Contrary to popular belief, human development and conservation are not at odds. Wildlife conservation has been a long-standing passion of mine, and I've had the fortune of spending time in South Africa near Krueger Park as well as many other special places in the world. Near Krueger, we have taken steps to support the wildlife as well as help sustain local communities with economic and health services. We've also partnered wonderful frontline organisations like Peace Parks to create national reserves across borders and with the Ocean Elders to protect ocean habitats and biodiversity globally. Virgin Unite and I have also joined Wild-Aid in their work, which has leveraged iconic Indian personalities such as Sachin Tendulkar, Shahrukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan to raise awareness about conservation. Because the trade in tiger parts is international, we are also working with WildAid beyond India's borders to appeal for an end to all trade in these majestic animals. The Chinese government has also come on board, donating millions of dollars of media space to get that message across. But even that's not enough. Saving the tiger is not just about raising awareness. To save the tiger, you must invest in the surrounding community. And this is where business has a key role to play. By mobilising resources to protect the tigers' migration corridors and supporting the health, education and even the electricity of the surrounding communities so they can lift themselves out of poverty, conservation can be good - not only for the soul - but also for business. If we can harness even a tiny proportion of the entrepreneurial drive that has continued to create tremendous economic growth here in India to conserve nature and the tiger, India will keep its wonderful natural heritage, lead the world in conservation and remain a force for good amidst positive economic growth. I came to India for the chance to catch a glimpse of my favourite animal for the first time in the wild. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/opinion/comments-analysis/not-enough-to-invest-in-protecting-tiger-but-invest-in-local-communities-richard-branson/articleshow/10864031.cms

Coal mining poses threat to Tadoba tiger reserves

Pradip Kumar Maitra, Hindustan Times Nagpur, November 22, 2011 The arrival of four tiger cubs in Tadoba — considered as one of the flourishing habitats for the striped cats — has brought cheers to the wildlife lovers. However, on the contrary, the rampant coal mining in Chandrapur and its surrounding areas pose a grave threat to tiger conservation and protection. A fact-finding team, comprising environment experts and environment lawyers has issued this warning. Tadoba tiger reserve, one of the country's oldest national parks, was in the news recently for better big cat conservation and birth of 32 tiger cubs in the area since January 2010. The team, comprising wildlife expert Pravin Bhargav, Bishwajit Mohanty and environment lawyer Rahul Choudhary, released its findings and recommendations in a report titled "Undermining Tadoba’s tigers" said that no new mines should be given forest clearance in the region and further expansion of mines in operation in the tiger habitat should be stopped. The team visited the area in September this year and interacted with villagers, miners, environmentalist, government officials and businessmen ; and came out with 66-page report on the issue. The union government has allotted over half a dozen new coal mines in the periphery of Tadoba tiger reserve where already half a dozen coal mines -- including Padmapur and Durgapur coal mines of Western Coalfields and Karnataka EMTA Coal mines -- are operating. They have also warned that tiger reserve risks being completely cut off from surrounding forests by mines and dams, and that the ecological impact will be irreversible and cannot be compensated by afforestation. Tadoba has 79 tigers. The coal mining is threatening connectivity between forest patches that are important for the long-term survival of this tiger population. The report flatly contradicts the recent report of the BK Chaturvedi committee set up by the group of ministers on coal. The Chaturvedi report recommended relaxing environmental safeguards to facilitate an expansion in coal mining, and abandoning the union ministry for environment and forests' classification of 'go' and 'no go' areas. The Chandrapur experience clearly shows that the clearance process is severely flawed, with mines coming up in critical tiger habitat. For the Chaturvedi report to recommend further relaxing clearance procedures is highly irresponsible, said the fact-finding team. "If accepted, the Chaturvedi report’s recommendations will be a death warrant for large forest areas across India and for the wildlife and communities that depend on them," it further warned. http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Maharashtra/Coal-mining-poses-threat-to-Tadoba-tiger-reserves/Article1-772654.aspx

'Tiger death was caused by poaching'

TO Abraham, TNN | Nov 24, 2011, 01.48AM IST YAVATMAL: It's official now. Harishchandra Kamble, assistant conservator of forests of Pandharkawda, confirmed on Tuesday that the death of the tiger on Sunday in Tipeshwar wildlife sanctuary in Yavatmal district was the result of poaching. Although offences have been registered against the as yet unidentified poachers, no arrests have been made. The three to four year old male tiger got strangulated in an iron mesh set up by the poachers on Sunday and it was noticed by passersby in the evening. A report was made to the concerned forest officials who rushed to the incident site and conducted the post mortem. Though the post mortem report is available with the forest officials at Pandharkawda, they are appeared to be reluctant to disclose the cause of the death of the tiger. Chief conservator of forests Devendra Kumar said that he received the post mortem report which confirms that the cause of the death of the tiger was 'abscess and shock'. Some youths in the village initially tried to remove the nails and teeth from the carcass but they were prevented by the elders anticipating legal complications ahead, sources said. The officials have seized the iron mesh from the border of the nullah where the carcass was found but the farmers who owned the farm refused to accept the responsibility of the incident. Wildlife activists said they even examined the manner in which the iron mesh tied with a wooden log was laid and wondered how the tiger got entangled into it and the struggle it made to escape. They alleged that there is regular poaching activity in Tipeshwar sanctuary in connivance with officials. "Poachers from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh often visit the forest and get help of locals," they said. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Tiger-death-was-caused-by-poaching/articleshow/10848655.cms

Tigers may get out of sight for tourists

Neha Shukla, TNN | Nov 24, 2011, 02.07AM IST LUCKNOW: The tiger may become more elusive for tourists in the wildlife sanctuaries. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has filed a plea in the Supreme Court stating that core areas of wildlife reserves be kept out of bounds for tourists and entry restricted only to the buffer or fringe areas. The apex court is likely to decide on the issue in the first week of December. This could be the last season for tourists to have a close look at tigers in Dudhwa national park which opened for public on November 15. If NTCA has its way, the state governments might have to redraw the tourism zones in the tiger reserves since most of them allow tourism in identified routes of core areas. In Dudhwa reserve, the tourism zone spreads over 350 sq km (approximately). It allows tourism inside ranges of Kishenpur, which is completely a core area, besides ranges of Mailani, Sathiana and Sonaripur of Dudhwa. Deputy director, Dudhwa, Ganesh Bhatt said, "If the need occurs, then tourism zone will have to be re-drawn." Dudhwa reserve is spread over an area of 600 sq km and tourist movement is allowed only on identified routes. But till now, tourism in core area is allowed. "Reason was the geographical spread of Dudhwa, it made clear cut distinction between core and buffer areas slightly difficult," said former director, Dudhwa, GC Mishra. Core area is the middle part of a national park or sanctuary and has good wild population w i t h no human disturbance. In any tiger reserve, tourism zone comprises about 20-25% of the best area, with maximum possibilities of seeing wildlife. About 30-35% of the best area is ideally marked as the core area in the management plan. Core zone, tourism zone and eco-restoration zone are three essential parts of a reserve. "The zones can be changed in terms of area in the management plan, but shouldn't include the breeding area," said former Project Tiger director RL Singh. In order to preserve the core area, NTCA had submitted an affidavit in response to a PIL by a Bhopal-based wildlife activist Ajay Dubey, who challenged tourism in core areas of tiger reserves in Madhya Pradesh. NTCA says, "Core or critical areas of national parks and sanctuaries are required to be kept as inviolate for the purpose of tiger conservation, without affecting the rights of scheduled tribes or such other forest dwellers." The word 'inviolate' means without any disturbance by human beings, NTCA said. "The core or critical tiger habitats would not be used for any form of tourism, and the ongoing tourism activities in such areas should be phased out in fringe or buffer areas without affecting its corridor value," the authority said. In Dudhwa, however, a section of people feel that banning tourism will not change much in favour of tigers. "The point is to encourage eco-tourism," said member, state wildlife board, VP Singh. Dudhwa tiger reserve comprises three protected areas, 204 sq km of Kishenpur sanctuary, 440 sq km of Katarniaghat and 680 sq km of Dudhwa national park. Kishenpur and Dudhwa national park form the core areas. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/Tigers-may-get-out-of-sight-for-tourists/articleshow/10848778.cms

Karnataka conducive for growth of tigers: K Ullas Karanth

Published: Wednesday, Nov 23, 2011, 14:18 IST By DNA Correspondent | Place: Bangalore | Agency: DNA Karnataka is conducive for the growth of tigers, said K Ullas Karanth, director (India), Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), who conducted a research on ‘25 years on tiger population’. The study was conducted, in association with Centre for Wildlife Studies (CWS) and WCS. Wildlife filmmaker Shekar Dattatri, member of CWS Sanjay Gubbi, and wildlife enthusiast Niren Jain were recognised for their outstanding work in tiger studies. Karanth said: “WCS-India has grown from a single tiger research project in Nagarahole in 1986 to a programme that encompasses major conservation strategies pursued by WCS globally.” Highlighting the achievements, he said: “We conducted the first-ever radio telemetry study in India in 1990 in Nagarahole to understand the tiger ecology and behaviour. Beginning 1991, we pioneered camera trap method to obtain the first reliable estimates of tiger density in 15 reserves across the country. These field surveys assessed predator-prey relationships involving co-predators like leopards and wild dogs, which helped ascertain the role of prey depletion in driving tiger declines across their range.” On the increasing man-animal conflict in Karnataka, Dr George Schaller emeritus, scientist, WCS, USA, said:“Tigers don’t attack human beings unless they are short of food. This is the case in Karnataka as well as everywhere else. http://www.dnaindia.com/bangalore/report_karnataka-conducive-for-growth-of-tigers-k-ullas-karanth_1616363

India lost 5 tigers a month this year: NTCA report

Vijay Pinjarkar, TNN Nov 23, 2011, 07.02AM IST NAGPUR: Even though the number of tigers has increased from 1,411 (2006) to 1,706 (2010) in the last four years, India is losing five tigers a month with the death toll in the wild already crossing the half century mark this year. According to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), which takes stock of all deaths, over 51 tigers have been killed or poached between January 5 and November 20. In fact, 31 deaths were recorded after the release of the NTCA report - Status of tigers in India - by former minister for environment and forests Jairam Ramesh on March 28 earlier this year. The report painted a rosy picture with tiger numbers showing a 20% increase but experts say that the speed with which tiger deaths are being registered is alarming. Of the 51 deaths reported so far, 42 are from the wild and the other nine relate to poaching as body parts like skin, nails, bones and teeth have been seized. Of these deaths, 14 alone have been recorded in Uttrakhand, 4 each in Maharashtra, MP and Chhattisgarh, and 3 in Karnataka. With more than a month to go for the end of the year, the 42 deaths of tigers equals figures of 2010. The numbers registered by the NTCA are on the lower side as they don't include several missing tigresses whose abandoned cubs are then forced to lead a life in captivity either in a zoo or rescue centre. On Monday there were reports from Bandhavgarh National Park in Madhya Pradesh about a tiger dying under mysterious circumstances. An overdose of tranquiliser is being attributed to the reason.Some like Nitin Desai, the Central India head of the Wildlife Protection Society of India, feels that even the wildcats rescued from the wild should be counted as a loss. "The chances of them being reintroduced in the wild and surviving are rare," he said citing the incident of the three tigers in Bor Sanctuary in Wardha district, which were rescued and are now more than two years old. An array of reasons like natural, infighting, injuries and poaching have been attributed as cause of deaths. However, at times officials also try to hide the real cause. For example, in the latest death of the Tipeshwar Sanctuary tiger in Yavatmal district on Sunday, the animal was entangled in a wire trap laid by poachers for herbivores. But officials claim that the tiger died a natural death when it got strangulated. Samir Sinha, head of TRAFFIC-India which monitors illegal wildlife trade, said with about half the world's wild tigers, "we in India hold a very major and challenging responsibility to protect our national animal". "While the loss of every tiger should be cause for worry, we must also be prepared to accept that any population will have a certain level of mortality. More than the numbers, it's the nature and cause of death that's the concern," he added. The tiger death in Tipeshwar was perhaps "entirely avoidable". "Persons responsible should be dealt severely under the law," Sinha said. The TRAFFIC head said the forest department needs not only to strengthen its presence in the area but also to reach out to wider sections of the society on educating them about such incidents and their impacts, so that they can be avoided in future. "Given their precarious situation in the wild, every unnatural death of a wild tiger is cause for worry," said Sinha. Conservationists say even as death of every tiger counts, the positive side of the issue is there have been reports of 20 new cubs from Tadoba-Andhari, Pench (MP) and Bandhavgarh tiger reserves in Central India. Extrapolate to other tiger habitats, and the rise in numbers could be significant. http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-11-23/nagpur/30432574_1_tiger-death-three-tigers-national-tiger-conservation-authority

Tranquillizer overdose kills tiger

Deshdeep Saxena, TNN | Nov 22, 2011, 04.26AM IST BHOPAL: A tiger died under mysterious circumstances at the Bandhavgarh National Park in Madhya Pradesh on Monday. Tagged as B2, the 14-year-old tiger was found in an injured state in Ghunghuti region bordering the tiger reserve and died while being transported to the national park. Witness said B2 had sustained deep wounds that appeared 15 days old. A park official had tranquillized the tiger and it was being transported to Tala range of the national park, when it died. "The old tiger may not havebeen able to withstand the tranquillizer," a source said, adding the tiger was very old and had not killed any animal for the last many days. "Its stomach was almost empty and it probably might have died of either starvation or a combination of old age, starvation and the tranquillizer," the source said. Chief wildlife warden H S Pabla said he was waiting for the postmortem report. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Tranquillizer-overdose-kills-tiger/articleshow/10823650.cms

4 new-born tiger cubs spotted in Tadoba

Pradip Kumar Maitra, Hindustan Times The birth of four more tiger cubs in Tadoba tiger reserves in Chandrapur, some 150 kms from Nagpur in eastern Maharashtra announced the 'roar'ing success for the tiger conservation efforts. The field director of Tadoba tiger reserves, Vinaykumar Sinha, said that four newborn tiger cubs were spotted in a camera trap (automated camera to capture photographs of wild animals) last week in Moharli forest range. With this, Tadoba has probably become the first tiger reserve in the country where 32 newborn tiger cubs were spotted since January 2010. Sinha said that the population of big cats in the reserves, including its buffer zone, has now reached 69. "There is more hope for India's tiger conservation," he said and informed that 17 cubs were spotted in April-July last year alone. The four cubs were seen over the past two months in Moharli area, the latest sighting being on Wednesday, Sinha added. It is believed that a tigress gave birth in September this year. The camera trap also captured tigress moving around with her two-three month cubs. A tigress takes her cubs out in the open only when they were strong enough, he pointed out. "When the news of newborn cubs came to us, the wildlife wing installed cameras to know the position and movement of the tigresses and the cubs. The forest guards were monitoring the movements of the tigress and the cubs regularly in the range," Sinha said. More camera traps have been installed in the forest areas to confirm if there were more cubs. Sinha said there could be possibilities of newcomers in the reserves in the days to come. He, however, denied disclosing the location of two big cats for security reasons. The two tigresses are being keenly monitored since then, he informed. The Tadoba Tiger Reserve is spread over 623 sq kms of high hills and lush valleys covered with dense teak and bamboo forests. The reserve is also home to wild dogs, leopards, sloth bears, bisons, and hyenas and jungle cats, apart from 69 tigers. Meanwhile, a full-grown tiger was found on Sunday evening near Bothbahattar village, adjacent of Tipeshwar wildlife sanctuary, some 210 kms from Nagpur in Yavatmal district. A preliminary investigation revealed that it might be the handiwork of poachers. The chief conservator of forests (Wildlife), A Ashraf, confirmed the death of tiger and informed that a four-member committee was constituted to investigate the cause of the death of beast. http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Maharashtra/4-new-born-tiger-cubs-spotted-in-Tadoba/Article1-772172.aspx

Tiger strangulated itself in fencing wire, say officials

TO Abraham, TNN | Nov 22, 2011, 03.19AM IST YAVATMAL: The three-year-old male tiger which was trapped in the fencing wires of a farm, died due to strangulation and not poisoning or hunting, according to forest officials. However, sources told TOI that the tiger got entangled in the wire trap, meant for wild boar and herbivores. The incident occurred in a farm in Bodh Bahatar village under the Patan Bori forest range of Pandharkawda tehsil of Yavatmal district on Sunday. "The incident might have been occurred in early morning hours but was noticed at around 4pm," informed the Chief Conservator of Forest (CCF) Devendra Kumar of Yavatmal, who was personally present during the post mortem. "The carcass of the wild beast is intact. It is neither poisoning nor hunting," he added. The villagers have put up strong iron wire mesh to fence their farms, to protect crops from the herbivores. The tiger might have got trapped between the wires and in the struggle to get out of it, strangulated itself, Kumar said. The village is over 200 metres down the boundaries of the Tipeshwar wild life sanctuary. However, sources in the forest department indicated that this was a real case of poaching due to wire trap. The post mortem of the beast was conducted by a panel of veterinary doctors including Dr Harsh Dhanvate of National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) of Nagpur, on Monday. ''As per the guidelines of NTCA of India, post mortem of a tiger should be performed by a panel of veterinary doctors, one of whom must be from NTCA," Kumar said. He added that the Project Director of Pench Tiger Reserve and CCF wild life Ashraf Arakal from Nagpur, DCF of Pandharkawda DB Shrikande, and ACF HL Kamble were present during the post mortem of the beast. The carcass of the tiger was burned and the autopsy report is awaited, he added. When asked about the death toll of tigers in the district, Kumar said, "This is the first incident and it happened accidentally. We have the record of 3-4 leopard deaths in different parts of the district." He added that in normal cases, Tipeshwar is not the habitat of tigers. "But we have been noticing the presence of tigers in Tipeshwar sanctuary for the last 3-4 years. They might have migrated from the forest of the adjoining district of Chandrapur," he said. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Tiger-strangulated-itself-in-fencing-wire-say-officials/articleshow/10823185.cms

GoI calls for development of Eco-Tourism at Valmiki Tiger Reserve by Bihar govt

Monday, November 21, 2011, 16:00 Hrs [IST] By HBI Staff | Mumbai The Government of India (GoI) has suggested that the Government of Bihar should put forth a proposal for developing Eco-Tourism at Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR) on the priority list of tourism-related works. The state government needs central assistance in the next fiscal, 2012-13 for this development project. The suggestion was made by Kumud Dubey, a representative of the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India who took part in a meeting in Patna recently. The meeting was convened by the Department of Environment and Forests, Government of India to discuss the report of the PK Sen Committee. The decision to set the committee under the chairmanship of PK Sen, a Padma awardee and retired Indian Forest Service officer, was taken in the previous meeting of the State Wildlife Board in April this year. Dubey is a member of this committee, according to a report in The Telegraph. The suggestion assumes significance because the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India would start preparing detailed documents in December, on the basis of which it would chart out its priorities for the next fiscal. If developing Eco-Tourism in VTR features in the document, it would lead to central assistance. Moreover, such a support would boost the state government’s effort to develop Eco-Tourism in the reserve. “We have directed VTR officials to prepare a detailed project report for developing Eco-Tourism in the reserve so that if the Centre agrees to give fund to develop Eco-Tourism in the reserve, a detailed proposal can be sent there immediately,” said DK Shukla, Chief Wildlife Warden, Government of Bihar who also holds the charge of Managing Director, Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation. Developing Eco-Tourism in VTR would certainly feature in the list of projects which Bihar would submit to the Centre, according to Shukla. Shukla said that the VTR officials had also been asked to incorporate details about the areas which they intended to open for tourists in the under-preparation tiger conservation plan. During the course of the meeting, Dubey also suggested that the forest department officials to carry out a study to assess the tourism zone “carrying capacity”, as it had been observed in other tiger reserves that the number of tourists visiting them was in excess to their carrying capacity. “We have taken this advice very seriously and will outsource the work to an agency specialising in such work so that the content of the study could be incorporated in the detailed project report which would be sent for central approval,” Shukla said. Terming the discussions in the meeting as very fruitful, VTR director Santosh Tiwari said that if the Centre agreed to support the eco-tourism project in VTR, it would be a big boost as central funds along with state funds would make things easier as far as developing facilities for ensuring a comfortable stay of tourists coming to the reserve was concerned. http://www.hospitalitybizindia.com/detailNews.aspx?aid=12213&sid=1

The wild cats at Bhadra Tiger Reserve can breathe easy

Published: Saturday, Nov 19, 2011, 10:36 IST By BK Lakshmikantha | Place: Bangalore | Agency: DNA Wildlife conservationists have won a legal battle in stalling two projects that would have upset the ecologically fragile shola-grassland forests buffering the Bhadra Tiger Reserve in Chikmagalur district. Organisations such as Bhadra Wildlife Conservation Trust, Nature Conservation Guild, WildCAT-C and WildCANE and local wildlife conservation NGOs in Chikmagalur, have been waging a legal battle against a proposed wind farm and a resort-cum-spa in the region. The state government had, on April 17, 2003, leased 305.37acres to Karnataka Renewal Energy Development Ltd (KREDL) for sub-lease to BB Hills Wind Farm Development for a period of 30 years to set up 124 windmills on the ridges of the Bababudangiri Hills. The government had also sanctioned a resort-cum-spa, promoted by Bangalore-based Brigade Hospitality Services, in collaboration with the Singapore-based Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts, in Arishinaguppe village, Chikmagalur. According to Poornesha HC, conservation officer, Wildlife Conservation Society—India Programme, the proposals, if implemented, would have damaged the ecologically fragile ridge of the Bababudangiri hills. The proposed resort would have “intruded into the same habitat critical for tigers and other endangered rainforest fauna.” The wildlife protection groups, guided by conservationist DV Girish had waged a protracted public campaign and legal battles in the courts. They had even approached the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) of the Supreme Court, which had conducted an inspection of the site and also sought an expert opinion from the Forest Advisory Committee (FAC). Noted tiger ecologist Ullas Karanth, senior scientist of the Wildlife Conservation Society had conducted the review. Karanth had said that all these areas should be notified as deemed forests so that these projects receive proper scrutiny under the Forest Conservation Act.“Until then, the operation of these projects must be stayed,” he said. The FAC had submitted a report to the CEC regarding adverse impacts of these projects on the ecology and wildlife, stating that these areas are home to many endangered wild animals including tiger, leopard, wild dog, gaur, and sambar and also an ideal habitat for many bird species such as Ceylon frogmouth, great-pied hornbill and Malabar-pied hornbill and rufus-bellied hawk eagle. The committee felt such ill-planned projects would cause severe fragmentation of the habitat, besides leading to man–animal conflict. Poornesha said that under advice from Forest Secretariat, the deputy commissioner, Chikmagalur, has ordered the cancellation of lease and withdrawn permission for construction. The commissioner had also passed an order on November 8, withdrawing the permission given to Brigade Group for the construction of the resort and also acquired the leased land. “The WildCAT-C had challenged the lease grant in the court of Chikmagalur, as the proposed land for the resort was in the midst of Shola forests and natural grasslands of Bababudangiri Hills. Taking suo-motu cognizance of this petition the court had cancelled the lease approval given to KREDL,” Poornesha said. He said that in both the cases the areas that were leased out are clearly “deemed forests” as defined by the Supreme Court and by the FAC, hence the areas are required to be declared as Reserve Forests under section 4 of the Karnataka Forest Conservation Act. Therefore the utilisation of this land for non-forestry purposes was gross violation of the SC order. Both the sites are just 8 km from the boundary of core critical tiger habitat notified by National Tiger Conservation Authority and within the eco-sensitive zone proposed for Bhadra Tiger Reserve. Poornesha said their struggle clearly demonstrates how local civil society groups can help recover tiger habitats from reckless development projects. http://www.dnaindia.com/bangalore/report_the-wild-cats-at-bhadra-tiger-reserve-can-breathe-easy_1614664

Tigress loses life, poachers gain claws and canines

Supriya Sharma, TNN | Nov 16, 2011, 08.18PM IST It's the losing battle. RAIPUR: India lost another tiger, this time to poachers in Chhattisgarh, who killed a six year old tigress and then pulled out her claws, whiskers and two canines, prized commodities in the international market. While the body of the tigress was found in Chhattisgarh's Bhoramdeo sanctuary late Tuesday night, a post mortem established she had been killed four days ago. "There is an entry wound on one side, but no exit wound. It could be either a bullet injury or made by a sharp weapon," said Ram Prakash, the state's chief wildlife warden who travelled to the spot, 200 kms away from the state capital. However, Meetu Gupta of the NGO Wildlife SOS, who also visited the site, claimed the fracture of the ribs indicated it was a bullet injury. Located in Kawardha district, Bhoramdeo sanctuary is part of a wildlife corridor connecting the famous Kanha national park in Madhya Pradesh with the newly formed Achanakmaar tiger reserve in Chhattisgarh. Forest officials said this tigress was first spotted in Bhoramdeo four months ago. "There were three cattle kills reported in this period. Our patrolling party was keeping a watch on her movements to avoid a situation like Rajnandgoan," said Ram Prakash. Less than two months ago, a village mob in Rajnandgaon rounded up and killed a tigress after she killed a woman and two dozen cattle in the border villages of Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra. The forest department could have tranquilised the tigress, but if failed to do so. In the latest case, it remained unclear why a specially formed patrolling unit of forest officials failed to detect poachers, or even the tiger killing for four days. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Tigress-loses-life-poachers-gain-claws-and-canines/articleshow/10757665.cms

Tiger census from December

The Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR) has started preparations for conducting the tiger census which will begin in December. Sanjayankumar, PTR Deputy Director, said that the census will be taken for three months and the officials of the forest department were being given training to conduct the census. He said that camera trapping will be utilised for the purpose and proposals have been submitted for this. At present, the PTR has no camera trapping facility and it has to be made available, he said. The census will be conducted as per the criteria set by the National Tiger Protection Authority. The entire PTR area will be divided into different blocks to conduct the survey and further training will be given to the selected enumerators, Mr.Sanjayankumar said adding that camera trapping facility will help in conducting the survey more accurately and in selected spots it will be set up. The picture taken by the camera could also be used for conservative purposes. The PTR has already collected pictures of 28 tigers using the camera trapping facility. The tigers are identified using the colour line on its body as each one will be unique and is not similar to the colour line on the body of another one. Though in earlier occasions, the animal census was taken in the PTR with the help of volunteers and non-governmental organisations, this time the officials themselves will conduct the survey. http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/kerala/article2633028.ece

Spotting of tiger kill: vigil intensified in Neyyar sanctuary

G. ANAND The carcass of a wild buffalo with pugmarks around it, indicating the presence of a tiger, found in the Neyyar sanctuary in February. The chance discovery of a tiger kill in Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary, near here, has prompted wildlife enforcers to intensify their efforts to further insulate the protected area from trespassers, poachers, illegal hooch brewers and ganja cultivators. Wildlife Warden, Thiruvananthapuram, Jayakumar Sharma said he had seen the rotting and half-eaten carcass of a wild buffalo weighing at least 600 kg near Valliyar while on a trek to survey the endangered Nilgiri Tahr population on Varayattumudi hill in February. All around the carcass were the fresh pugmarks of an adult tiger, which was confirmed recently, he said. Smitha K. Komath, one of the surveyors who accompanied Sharma, said they were first struck by the stench of rotting flesh while arduously trekking uphill. FRESH PUGMARKS “It was raining. The entire spot was muddied. The pugmarks around the carcass seemed very new. One of our team mates Sandeep Das photographed the kill and the uniquely distinguishable pugmarks around it. We were 30 of us in all. The tiger must have heard our group approach and slunk away. We believe that the predator could not have gone far from its kill and must have been watching us,” she said. Mr. Sharma said no wildlife enforcer, forest guard, tribal or watcher had reported the sighting of a tiger in the sanctuary so far. Leopards were often sighted. The department has alerted the Kalakkad-Mundathari wildlife sanctuary in Tamil Nadu, which was contiguous to Neyyar, of the kill. Wildlife enforcers said the discovery of the tiger kill was significant as it indicated the possible presence of at least one such top predator in the sanctuary. BOAT PATROL Following the arrest of a person last week on the charge of felling an Indian Kino tree and few acacia saplings inside the sanctuary, wildlife enforcers have deployed three speed boats to patrol the reservoir intensively. The boats are equipped with powerful headlights and have armed guards on board. Forest foot patrols have been intensified. The sanctuary hosted a robust population of wild elephants, gaur, sloth bear, wild boar and Nilgiri Langur. Many of these wild animals were vulnerable to poaching. At least three thousand trekkers annually climbed the 1,890-m high Agasthyarkoodam hill between January and February. http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Thiruvananthapuram/article2635380.ece

Viscera of tiger cub to be sent to Hyderabad lab

TNN | Nov 16, 2011, 09.49PM IST KANPUR: After the death of a five and a half month old tiger cub on Sunday, the Kanpur zoo authorities are in a state of shock. The top zoo officials had been rejoicing ever since the three tiger cubs were born. The death of two tiger cubs, one died on October 2, has not only come as a huge loss to the country, especially at a time when the count of tigers is declining in the country, but also to the animal lovers who had been frequenting zoo to have a glimpse of the young ones of tigress Trusha and tiger Abhay. The zoo has also received a jolt for the fact that the sudden death of the tiger cub on Sunday has hampered its efforts of animal conservation. Also the situation is shocking for the zoo authorities because the first three months, which are said to be critical for the young ones of the tiger, had passed safely and the cubs were now five and a half months old. This has left the authorities perplexed on the reason for the cub's death.It is because of all these reasons that the zoo authorities have decided to send the viscera of the dead tiger cub to Laboratory for Conservation of Endangered Species (LACONES) in Hyderabad apart from sending it to the Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly for further tests. Though the postmortem of the tiger cub, who died on Sunday, has been done and cardio-respiratory failure has been stated to be the cause, the zoo authorities do not want to leave any stone upturned about the cause of the death. Talking to TOI, director, Kanpur Zoo, K Praveen Rao said the entire effort was being made to ascertain the cause of death of the tiger cub. He admitted that it would be for the very first time that the viscera of any animal would be sent to LACONES in Hyderabad. Meanwhile, it is important to mention here that On October 2, a male tiger cub had died. After this recent death, the Kanpur zoo is left with only one female tiger cub. It is also important to mention that with the demise of its cub, tigress Trusha is behaving abnormally. Dr UC Srivastava, zoo veterinarian, informed that animals like tigers had short term memory and the tigress would be okay in the next few days. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kanpur/Viscera-of-tiger-cub-to-be-sent-to-Hyderabad-lab/articleshow/10758641.cms

Madhya Pradesh chief minister bats for tourism in tiger reserves

Bhopal, Nov 16 (IANS) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan Wednesday met union Minister for Environment and Forests Jayanthi Natarajan in New Delhi and urged her not to ban tourism in sanctuaries and tiger reserves, officials said here. A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) is pending in the Supreme Court to ban tourism in all the national sanctuaries and tiger reserves in the country. Chouhan put forward the argument that the local people's economic development is ensured due to tourism activities in wildlife sanctuaries and the other wildlife also remains safe. The chief minister asked Natarajan to make available Rs.1,130 crore funds of CAMPA (Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority). The state has been provided only Rs.104 crore of the fund during the last two years. The state government has sent for sanction various projects worth Rs.519 crore under CAMPA. Chouhan also demanded Rs.3,300 crore funds for re-settlement of 735 villages from Project Tiger areas. He mentioned that from the point of view of forest reserves, 117 of the villages are highly sensitive. He also demanded for early allotment of coal blocks for various energy projects by maintaining a balance between development and environment. In the meeting, Chouhan told Natarajan that coal blocks have been identified in Mandla in Chhindwara district, Mahan, Ageliya and Ageliya North in Singrauli district and Semariya and Pipariya in Umaria district. Natarajan assured Chouhan that a decision will be taken soon on all the pending projects. http://news.in.msn.com/business/article.aspx?cp-documentid=5599215

NBWL-MoEF conflict on tiger, elephant corridors

TUESDAY, 15 NOVEMBER 2011 23:09 PIONEER NEWS SERVICE | NEW DELHI HITS: 98 Resentment was already simmering amongst the members of National board For Wildlife (NBWL) against their gradually diminishing role in the wildlife vs development issue. Now with the Environment Ministry officials raising their voices for further clipping its powers, the Board that is headed by the Prime-Minister now stands face to face against the forest bureaucracy. According to well-placed sources in the Ministry, a proposal has been mooted before the Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan on the circumvention of the mandate of the Board to decide on the clearance of projects pertaining to tiger and elephant reserves. The Ministry should go ahead on its own, the proposal noted. Jayanthi is however yet to take any decision on it. “Though we are shocked to learn of such a proposal from the forest officials, the move has not caught us off-guard”, said a NBWL member on condition of anonymity. The fact that the NBWL was getting reduced to a clearance house and rubber stamp of the Ministry was already evident when as many as 40 proposals were cleared in two hours in the 21st Standing Committee meeting of the Board on April 25, he pointed out. The meeting was a mere formality and was conducted in great haste and less 72 hours were given to study the proposals for assessment. Exasperated several members had written letters to the then Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh expressing their dissent. The flashpoint according to the sources came after the wildlife experts in the standing committee had objected to a number of projects cleared by the Ministry during the tenure of Jairam Ramesh, overruling the objections of the former. The embarrassed forest officials had somehow managed to defend themselves at the meeting aggravating further bitterness. The mandate of the NBWL had been decided by a Supreme Court order which states that all such projects that can impact protected areas, national parks and sanctuaries, need to pass through the scanner of the standing committee of the NWBL before the Government can give them clearance. The demarcated tiger and elephant reserves that add up to 71,000 sq km of some of the best forests of the country are being eyed for several mining and other projects. http://dailypioneer.com/nation/20686-nbwl-moef-conflict-on-tiger-elephant-corridors.html

Corbett Park bid to mitigate conflict between humans, wild animals

MONDAY, 14 NOVEMBER 2011 23:49 PARITOSH KIMOTHI | DEHRADUN HITS: 204 The Corbett National Park which is commemorating its Platinum Jubilee this year not only sustains a high tiger population, but is also a treasure trove of diversity in flora and fauna of the Terai-Bhabar landscape with 55 species of mammals, 33 species of aquatic fauna and about 685 species of birds. However, the authorities also face different challenges like facilitating free movement of wild animals on wildlife corridors and mitigating human-wildlife conflict in ensuring that the wildlife and environment in the first national park of Asia and third in the world thrives in the future. At the time of its establishment in 1936, Corbett covered an area of 323.75 sq km which increased to 1288.31 sq km in 1991 after the addition of the Kalagarh forest division and parts of Ramnagar and Terai West forest divisions. This area of the tiger reserve comprises 821.99 sq km of critical tiger habitat and 466.32 sq km of buffer zone. In the decades since Project Tiger was launched here in 1973, the population of tigers in the Corbett Tiger Reserve landscape has increased to over 200, according to the latest tiger census. Tiger being an apex predator, its conservation leads to the conservation of other flora and fauna. The conservation efforts put in from 1974 to 2011 have resulted in an increase in the population of important species, including elephants, leopards, spotted deer, sambar and barking deer. The Corbett field director Ranjan Kumar Mishra states that the national park presently faces four major challenges which include facilitating free movement of wild animals on wildlife corridors, mitigating human-wildlife conflict, providing quality facilities to tourists and receiving timely allocation of budget. Measures taken for wildlife protection include introduction of an E-eye surveillance system in CTR for the first time anywhere in the tiger reserves of India, to monitor 400 sq km of highly sensitive border area and check any unsolicited intrusion. A total of nine towers will be established with thermal cameras and night vision equipment which can be monitored remotely through computers. This system is aimed at deterring the movements of poachers as their movement will be monitored and recorded. A well-equipped veterinary unit has also been established to treat and rescue injured wild animals. Mishra said that 200 local youths are working under the Operation Lords scheme to protect tigers from poachers in the buffer areas, while 60 ex-army personnel are employed under the Tiger Protection Force to supplement departmental staff for protection of tiger and its habitat. Tourism in Corbett is the backbone of economy in Ramnagar and adjoining areas. In 2000-01, Rs 84.66 lakh revenue was generated from the arrival of 62,632 tourists. This increased to a revenue of Rs 6.42 crore generated from the arrival of 1,89,793 tourists in 2010-11. To further enhance facilities for tourists, internet booking facility will also be inaugurated by the chief minister on November 15. This facility will make it more convenient for tourists to access the five tourist zones and 19 forest rest houses with a total of 192 beds. Measures aimed at enhancing tourism and protecting the environment at the same time include the Mahasheer Conservation Programme under which local people are involved in protection of the Mahasheer fish through the Angling Association. Locals employed in Corbett include 87 guides, 26 room attendants, 176 drivers and a larger number in the private sector. The challenge for the authorities now is to capitalise on existing resources and developing facilities to ensure the protection of wildlife and environment in Corbett while also addressing issues concerning local residents and tourists. http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/dehradun/20490-corbett-park-bid-to-mitigate-conflict-between-humans-wild-animals.html

Similipal Tiger Reserve to allow night stay of visitors

PTI | 03:11 PM,Nov 14,2011 Baripada (Odisha), Nov 14 (PTI) Visitors to the Similipal Tiger Reserve would now be able to spend the night at the buffer zone. After remaining closed from March 28, 2009 following Maoist attacks, the park reopened for day tourism on December 22, 2010, but night stay of tourists was disallowed. Visitors would now be able stay nights at Gudugudia and Jamuani in the buffer zone of the sanctuary, endowed with rich bio-diversity, Field Director of the project, Anup Kumar Nayak said. The STR authorities reopened the reserve after the monsoon closure from June 16, 2011, Nayak said. The sanctuary area was closed after attacks by Maoists in the reserve's tourism zone between March 28 to 30, 2009 and again in the first week of April in the same year, official sources said. The Maoists had ransacked tourist rest houses at Chahala, Nawana and other places and caused extensive damage to the VHF wireless communication network, the sources said. Besides day tourism, night halts would also be allowed at Gudugudia and Jamuani in the buffer area, the sources said. Tourists would also be able to go for trekking and bird watching from Gudugudia. Armed police personnel have been deployed near Gudugudia and other places for the safety of tourists.

Ban on night traffic through Bandipur: Karnataka under pressure

November 15, 2011 By Amit S. Upadhye DC Bengaluru Conservationists can take heart. Karnataka is standing firm on the night ban on traffic inside the Bandipur Tiger Reserve. Its forest department is likely to write to the Centre in response to its suggestion on lifting the ban, that when close to 65% of all animals killed in road accidents inside Bandipur are hit by speeding vehicles at night, it doesn’t make sense to withdraw it. Vehicles taking the NH 67 from Melkamanahahalli to Kekkanahalla and the NH 212 from Maddur to Moolehole were banned from entering the Bandipur Reserve at night early August on the orders of the Karnataka High Court, leading to a collective sigh of relief among wildlife conservationists concerned about the large numbers of animals run over by them in the dark. Their worry is not without reason. A survey conducted between 2004 and 2008 has revealed that 91 mammals, 75 reptiles and 56 birds were killed due to speeding vehicles in this period, almost double the number killed by poachers in the reserve. “As most carnivores are active at night, herbivores too are on the move. Large animal congregations takes place and animals often crisscross the highways in large numbers. One estimate suggests that close to 1,600 animals, including tigers, leopards and elephants cross the roads in Bandipur at night,” says a conservationist from Mysore, D Raj Kumar, who feels the night ban has come as a huge relief to the animals. He doesn’t see why it should be revoked when there are alternative routes the vehicles can take and two passenger buses from Kerala and Karnataka are still allowed to enter Bandipur at night. Wildlife experts find it hard to understand why the forest department does not maintain records of all road kills and takes note of only tiger and elephant deaths on the highways passing through the reserve. “The deaths of reptiles and birds killed by speeding vehicles are not recorded. The department must begin reporting every road- kill to justify the night ban on traffic inside Bandipur,” underlines one expert. Techies worry about their travel times The night traffic ban at Bandipur Tiger Reserve is not just haunting truck companies and commuters, but also a large group of professionals from Kerala who work in Bengaluru. For them it’s a nightmarish experience to wait for daylight to travel and also extends their holiday by another day, just for travelling. “I understand there are alternative routes if you want to travel to Palakad. But what if we want to reach a town in Kerala situated closer to the Karnataka border? We are spending an extra day just travelling and it’s become a major issue ever since the road was closed for wildlife movement during the night,” says A. Sindhu, a researcher working in Bengaluru. According to Santosh Krishnan, a software engineer from Kerala working at a city-based firm, the alternative routes suggested by the forest department of Karnataka and conservationists are much further away. Conservationists in the state, however, said that the Kerala and Karnataka governments must prepare the alternate roads that go around the tiger reserves. “There are number of roads that can be used to avoid traffic within tiger reserves, but the government and local authorities are not maintaining them. This is done deliberately. If the roads are good there is no problem for commuters to travel during the night,” said Mahesh S., a travel agent from Bengaluru. Several animal deaths are due to speeding vehicles Sanjay Gubbi, Wildlife expert and member of the State Board for Wildlife Highways can have a serious impact on wildlife behavior, survival and movement. This is especially true for the tiger, wild dogs and other ecologically sensitive large species. One of the worst affected are tree dwelling primates and rodents that are isolated in smaller patches when there are breaks in the tree canopy, which not only reduces their forage area but also impacts genetic diversity. The most serious impact are the wildlife deaths caused by speeding vehicles. Such unnatural mortalities can have affect an entire population through loss of breeding individuals especially in species that have low reproductive rates such as the lion-tailed macaque. It has been seen that several wildlife deaths take place at night due to dazzling headlights and speeding vehicles. Nocturnal animals such as the civet, mouse deer, black-naped hare and reptiles are regular victims. So it is a common practice, both in India and many other countries, to close the highways to vehicular traffic at night in key wildlife habitats. This is good for another reason too as night traffic in such reserves can also give scope for timber smuggling and wildlife poaching —poachers caught in the Biligirirangaswamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary have confessed to hunting on the highways of Bandipur Tiger Reserve. Considering the number of wildlife deaths in Bandipur Tiger Reserve as a result of speeding vehicles, the Karntaka High Court ordered the closure of the highways running through it at night. The court’s judgment was also based on the fact that there are alternatives routes available for traffic in the area. Although they may cost a bit more to take, it’s a price we have to pay to save the habitats of our animals. Moreover the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 also makes it mandatory for tiger reserves to be protected at all costs. With only 3.3 per cent of Karnataka’s geographical area declared protected, it is well within the limits of natural justice to restrict vehicular movement in an importabt wildlife habitat at night. http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/bengaluru/ban-night-traffic-through-bandipur-karnataka-under-pressure-462

Kanha Orphan Tigress Cub Shifted to Panna National Park

By: Rang7 Team November 14, 2011 A six year old tigress orphan cub residing at Kanha National Park in Madhya Pradesh has now been trans-located to Panna National Park, adding to the cat numbers here. The young tigress named T5 will now join one of her sisters at Panna National Park who had been trans-located from Kanha National Park to Panna National Park about eight months ago. The tigress is one of the three cubs of a tigress who had been killed during a fight with another tiger. T5 had been trans-located from one park to the other by road and was under constant supervision of the wildlife veterinaries. Once brought to Panna National Park the tigress cub was released into the wild and its movements are being constantly monitored by forest officials at Panna Tiger Reserve with the help of signal emitted by a radio collar fitted around the cat. According to officials who have monitored its sister, who has now completely adapted to its surroundings, it will take at least three months for the new resident to adapt to its surroundings and to do things on her own. During the time of translocation, the tigress was tranquilized to travel the 450 kms distance from Kanha to Panna National Park, attached with a radio collar by wildlife specialist from the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun and accompanied by wildlife doctors and officials of Kanha National Park to ensure it good health on the way by maintaining its physical parameters. When the mother of T5 died, her two other siblings, her sister and her brother, the third of the three cubs, all the three cubs were housed in a special enclosure in Mukki range in Kanha to prevent them from becoming preys for other animals. Normally the mother trains her cubs in the killing of prey, but if the mother happens to die before such an event, the cubs cannot be released in the wild and are sent to the zoos instead. In this case the two young tigresses had successfully developed their natural instinct of killing prey in the enclosure and were sent to National Parks and Tiger Reserves while the male cub was sent to Van Vihar National Park, which is a zoo located in the centre of Bhopal, capital of Madhya Pradesh. Kanha National Park was set up in 1955 and Panna National Park in 1981. Some years back Panna National Park has lost its tiger population due to wide scale poaching, but effective management has helped to maintain and slowly increase its tiger population over the last few years. While Kanha National Park has about 60 tigers as per the last 2011 tiger census, Panna National Park now has five adult tigers, one male, four females and six cubs. Madhya Pradesh is known to be the state with the largest tiger population in India. The other important National Parks of the state are Bandhavgarh National Park and Pench National Park which is 95% in Madhya Pradesh and 5% in Maharashtra near Nagpur. http://www.rang7.com/news/national-park/kanha-orphan-tigress-cub-shifted-panna-national-park-975.htm

State to requisition trap cameras for tiger count

Anindo Dey, TNN | Nov 11, 2011, 06.53AM IST Jaipur: The state will shortly be requisitioning more trap cameras from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) as it embarks on Phase IV of the All India Tiger Estimation exercise along with other tiger reserves of the country. The Phase IV tiger estimation comprises intensive, annual monitoring of important 'source' populations of tigers through trap cameras. According to state forest officials, this process has been on at the Ranthambore national park and some other reserves for the past three or four years. "This year for the first time it will be carried out at all tiger reserves across the country," officials said. We will be needing about 280 trap cameras for Ranthambore and 110 cameras for the Sariska reserve. We already have 100 cameras at Ranthambore and 10 at Sariska. For the remaining we will be writing to the NTCA who will fund us for the same," said U M Sahai, chief wildlife warden, Rajasthan. The NTCA initiative will be implemented across 41 protected areas and is being seen as an important milestone in tiger conservation. Officials said the annual monitoring at each tiger reserve will help get regular updates on the number and health of tiger population across the country, instead of getting the same after three or four years. The Phase IV estimation is expected to begin in December, but before that field directors of all the reserves have been called for a workshop in Delhi by the NTCA on November 25. Officials revealed that though the data will be collected at the reserve level under the chief wildlife warden with help from NHOs but it will be analysed by the Wildlife Institute of India in Dehradun. "This is the most scientific process to be followed till now for estimation of the tiger population. Trap cameras will be set up every 5 sq km. These cameras will detect any movement and take pictures thus helping us to exactly identify each individual tiger," officials said. The exercise will also include prey population monitoring and will be done only in tiger reserves. The fourth phase will help know mortality, dispersal, breeding and other population dynamics of tigers. During the first eight days, sign survey will be conducted. Depending on results, camera traps will be deployed at probable sites. The exercise will be conducted every year, officials said. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/State-to-requisition-trap-cameras-for-tiger-count/articleshow/10686934.cms

With the onset of winter, big cat turns violent

Bipin Chand Agarwal, TNN | Nov 11, 2011, 08.43AM IST BAHRAICH: The onset of winter makes the leopards and tigers more aggressive, thanks to the beginning of the reproductive period, the wild carnivores feel insecure and as a result, the cases of man-animal conflict generally go up. Speaking to TOI, divisional forest officer (DFO) wildlife RK Singh said, "Prevention of man-animal conflict is the best possible solution. The reproductive period of leopards and tigers start with the onset of winter and in view of this, they cannot afford interference of the human beings in their territory. The time of reproductive period of leopards and tigers starts usually during November end. The three attacks of tigers, which occurred this year was due to their reproductive period, which has already started." He further stated that the villagers need to take precautionary measures to avoid the attacks of tigers till the end of January. They are also being given instructions for the same from time to time, he said and added that the villagers should ensure their security by following the instructions of the forest department. Following the tiger's attack at Khairipurwa village of Nishangarha range, the chief conservator forest (CCF) BK Patnaik visited the incident spot. On Saturday a tiger dragged away a woman to the forest and after several hours her carcass was found. The chief conservator forest met with the victim's family at Khairipurwa village, he also inquired about the incident from DFO Singh and gave necessary orders to trap the tiger. The field director of Dudhwa National Park Shailesh Prasad spotted the pugmarks of the tigers there and inspected the cages installed at various points in Katarniaghat reserve forest area to trap the tigers and leopards. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/With-the-onset-of-winter-big-cat-turns-violent/articleshow/10687603.cms

Crop guards pose grave threat to wild animals

Mazhar Ali, TNN | Nov 11, 2011, 08.18AM IST Chandrapur: Illegal firearms carried by crop guards are posing grave threat to the wildlife in the fringe forest areas. There have been many instances when the crop guards, deployed by the villagers to protect their farms against intruding wildlife, have been found involved in poaching. But, the issue has remained unaddressed since years by both tiger protection cell and forest department. In fresh incident of wildlife poaching, Gurucharansingh Juni deployed as crop guard by villagers of Ekona in Warora tehsil poached a bluebull on Wednesday morning. His two accomplices Shersingh Juni and Mahadeosingh Juni from Jambhulghat village, were arrested by forest officers of Warora with 7kg of bluebull meat near Shegaon while trying to sale it in the evening. Warora RFO Arun Tikhe said that arrested accused have admitted to poaching the bluebull with the help of trained dogs, but possibilities of absconding Gururcharnsingh Juni carrying illegal muzzle loading gun cannot be ruled out. On August 31, a farm guard Jindersingh Kalani had accidentally shot three persons, critically injuring them, with his country made gun (bharmar), while trying to bring down wild boars intruding into a farm adjacent to Minzari village in Chimur tehsil. Later during police interrogation Kalani has confessed of poaching over a dozen wild animals with the help of his illegal firearms. Couple of weeks back, crop guard Surindersingh was caught for poaching wild boar near Nand village in Nagpur forest division. He too is suspected to have poached the boar with the help of illegal muzzle loading gun. In the instances of poaching cases busted by forest officers, accused farm guards belonged to Sikalkar community. Experts feel there are over 3,000 such illegal firearms in the fringe forest areas of Chandrapur district. But, this grave issue has remained unaddressed by the authorities. "Tiger cell has never discussed the issue. It never tried to gather the record of crops guards being recruited by the villages their area. Crop protection guns had often been used for poaching too," said Nitin Desai, Central India director of NGO Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI). RFO Tikhe, who busted the poaching, claimed that there is a state government resolution (GR), which allows the farmers to shoot down the intruding wild boar or bluebell into their farm. "But, they need to seek prior permission from concerned RFO for killing the intruding animal. But they need legal firearm to accomplice the task. In case of crop guards, mostly they have illegal firearms, hence nobody comes forward to get permission." he said. BOX Common practice Deployment of crop guard is common practice in villages. Usually villagers prefer the persons who have illegal muzzle loading guns. The crop guards are expected to fire in air, thus making loud noise, to scare away the intruding wild boars and bluebulls that tend to destroy the standing crops. However, the farm guards moving freely around the fringe forest areas, often bring down the wild animals with the help of his gun. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Crop-guards-pose-grave-threat-to-wild-animals/articleshow/10687449.cms

Don't ban tiger tourism: Conservationists

By: AFP Date: 2011-11-09 Place: New Delhi Conservationists and wildlife tour operators warned Monday that moves to restrict tiger tourism in India to protect the endangered big cats would have the opposite effect. "Banning tiger tourism would be a disaster," said Belinda Wright, director of the Wildlife Protection Society of India. "Tourism acts as a conservation tool and also provides income to thousands of people, many of them local to the area of the reserves," Wright told reporters in New Delhi. Conservationists argue that tiger poaching is more prevalent in areas of low tourism because poachers feel they have less chance of being spotted and caught. Tourism also provides revenue for locals who might otherwise turn to poaching as a means of providing for their families. Last year, the Indian National Tiger Conservation Authority proposed phasing out safaris in India's 40 tiger reserves, saying the animals were being "loved to death" by tourists. The idea was abandoned after protests from wildlife experts and tour operators, but the Supreme Court is considering a public-interest litigation case, which argues that tourism in "core" tiger habitats should be banned. Vishal Singh, who heads Travel Operators for Tigers, said the negative impact of tourism on tiger habitats was exaggerated. "Wildlife tourists carry cameras, not axes. They do not poach, do not submerge forests with dams... They are being unjustifiably blamed for killing tigers," Singh said. India, home to half of the world's rapidly dwindling wild tiger population, has been struggling to halt the big cat's decline in the face of poachers, international smuggling networks and powerful mining companies. From an estimated 40,000 animals in India a century ago, the number is now down to around 1,706. http://www.mid-day.com/lifestyle/2011/nov/091111-Dont-ban-tiger-tourism-Conservationists.htm

Missing tiger: Teams to wind up search operations

G RAJENDRA, TNN | Nov 10, 2011, 01.52PM IST MADIKERI: The tiger search operation team on Wednesday breathed a sigh of relief after they sighted pugmarks of the elusive tiger, which had spread terror in and around Konageri village, about 500 meters from Kallalla forest area near the Nagarhole Games Sanctuary. The team is expected to wind up the search operations by Thursday afternoon. After studying the pugmarks, the team comprising district wild life deputy conservator of forests, Motappa, Hunsur wild life division assistant conservator of forests K D Belliappa, Virajpet deputy conservator of forests Kanthraj, and range forest officers Shrinivasa Naik, Neharu and Mandanna, reached the conclusion that the tiger might have entered the kallalla forest. The team assumed that the animal reached the place early morning on Wednesday. According to officers of the department of forest, the tiger has returned to Kothur village where it started its hunt on October 20. The pugmarks indicate that it chose the same route, which he had taken to reach konageri village where he killed a cow on last Monday, on his way back to the forest. According to the expert team, the animal started moving from Konageri Aiyappakadu area in the wee hours of Monday towards Gandhi Thammaiah's estate in Kothur village. "From there it entered Cheppudira Tyago Monnappa's coffee estate. The pugmarks show that, it then reached Mallangere Maramma Temple Road crossing the paddy fields of Malachira Manju. From here, it crossed Kanoor-Bommadu Road in Balele village and reached a place about 500 meters away from the Kallalla forest," said one official. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bangalore/Missing-tiger-Teams-to-wind-up-search-operations/articleshow/10678334.cms

Tiger hunter arrested

PTI | 12:11 AM,Nov 10,2011 Alwar, Nov 9 (PTI) Forest department officials today arrested a man in connection with the killing of two tigers in 2005 here. Noor was nabbed in Malakhere area and will be produced before a local court tomorrow in the district, officials said. He was allegedly involved in the killing of the big cats in Sariska Tiger Park, according to senior forest official R S Shekhawat.

Bhadra reserve to adopt Jim Corbett methods

Express News Service , The New Indian Express BANGALORE:� As part of the Tiger Conservation Plan 2011-2021, senior state forest officials working for the cause of wildlife held a discussion regarding management of Bhadra Tiger Reserve here on Tuesday. K Ullas Karanth, director, Wildlife Conservation Society, India Programme, came up with the suggestion that modifying the habitat artificially and translocating the tiger would not be helpful in solving the issues of the tiger. He said, “The prey density for wild tigers is good around the Bhadra region, hence grazing pressures can be reduced.” At present the reserve area, spread across an area of 500 sq km has a total of 25 tigers. Bhadra Tiger Reserve further has the capacity to double its number density within 20 years, he said. Management of lantana and other diseases caused by vehicular movement in the reserve area was also discussed. A senior forest official said, “The Jim Corbett National Park in Nainital has developed an interesting way of managing lantana, we are planning to adopt a similar procedure at Bhadra Tiger Reserve.” “All the recommendations that came up will be submitted to the National Tiger Conservation Authority in a month,” he said. http://ibnlive.in.com/news/bhadra-reserve-to-adopt-jim-corbett-methods/201032-60-115.html

Stop tourism in core tiger areas: Govt to SC

Chetan Chauhan, Hindustan Times A jeep ride to have a glimpse of a tiger deep inside Corbett or Ranthambore or Kanha tiger reserves may become history if the Supreme Court accepts the government’s argument that tourism needs to be shifted out of the core areas to fringe and buffer zones to protect the big cat from adverse impact of human interference. In an affidavit filed in the Supreme Court, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has said that “core critical tiger habitats” have to be kept inviolate and only management interventions can be allowed by the state governments in the said area. “In such areas if tourism activity are taking place, they are required to be phased out in the fringe/buffer zones,” the NTCA, the statutory body mandated to provide safe habitat to 1,706 tigers in 40 tiger reserves, has told the court. The NTCA has declared core areas as “inviolate” from any human interference. In most of the tiger reserves, tourists are allowed inside the core tiger critical areas without adequate regulation, creating nuisance for tigers. A recent Wildlife Institute of India report had said that most of 1,706 tigers were in the core areas that are the best habitat for big cats to survive, if human intervention can be minimised. “Human living in tiger reserves pose the biggest danger not the tourism,” said Belinda Wright of Wildlife Protection Society of India, who owns a lodge in Kanha tiger reserve in Madhya Pradesh, at a press conference organized by Travel Operators for Tigers before the hearing in the case on Wednesday. At least two tigers have been killed by vehicles used by tourists in Bandhavgarh tiger reserve in Madhya Pradesh in the last few years. Prerna Singh Bindra, wildlife conservationist said in her report on Corbett that the tourism inside the core tiger area was unsustainable and lodges have blocked the corridor used by tigers to move from the park to Ramnagar forest division and vice-versa. Lodges have been constructed in the buffer zone of Ramthambore tiger reserve and Periyar tiger reserve in Kerala. The travel operators brought a tribal, Sansai Baigai from Kanha, to claim that they have financially benefited from tiger tourism even though the operators had opposed settlement of their traditional rights in tiger reserves. “I am not in favour of Forest Rights Act in protected areas,” Wright said, while the operators failed to inform about the revenue shared by them with the local communities. NTCA’s affidavit quotes Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 to say that core areas in protected areas have to be kept inviolate for purpose of tiger conservation without affecting the rights of tribals or forest dwellers. The world “inviolate” means without any disturbance by human beings and each tiger reserve should have inviolate space of 800-1,200 sq kms for a viable population. The tour operators claimed the NTCA decision, if upheld by the Supreme Court, will harm the tigers than benefiting them. http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/Stop-tourism-in-core-tiger-areas-Govt-to-SC/Article1-766038.aspx

Tigers poached in connivance with forst staff at Panna: Government report

TNN | Nov 9, 2011, 03.58AM IST In a detailed investigation, carried out by the field director, who is in-charge of Panna Tiger Reserve, it emerged that forest staff on occasions were involved in destroying evidence of poaching. NEW DELHI: Tigers in Madhya Pradesh's Panna Tiger Reserve were poached in connivance with forest officials, an internal state government report has admitted. But the state government, despite repeated requests from the Union environment and forests ministry, has refused to constitute a CBI probe as was done in the wipe-out of the elusive wild cats in Rajasthan's Sariska Tiger Reserve. The report submitted in January to the state government - a scathing indictment of the forest department for hiding facts and acting in collusion with poaching networks - came to light, thanks to an application by Madhya Pradesh-based RTI activist Ajay Dubey. In a detailed investigation, carried out by the field director, who is in-charge of Panna Tiger Reserve, it emerged that forest staff on occasions were involved in destroying evidence of poaching. In one case, forest officers, the field director said, took a bribe to suppress evidence of poaching. He has demanded a thorough investigation into forest officials working in cahoots with poaching gangs that operate in Panna. The officer notes that there are sufficient evidence to show active involvement of staff in poaching, and also in destroying of evidence in some cases. The report notes that at least once the ``mighty feudal structure played its part in manipulating" the case. To make matters worse, when well-connected people were caught poaching, they were let off by senior forest officials. The current field director has recommended that forest officials - starting from forest guards to his predecessor- be interrogated. "The area is infested with heavy poaching. With staff's omissions and commissions the crime nexus is complete from the scene of crime to New Delhi," he records. The local population has no sympathy left for tigers or the reserve because the creation of the park has hit them hard, the official says and warns that no park can survive without empathy from them. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Tigers-poached-in-connivance-with-staff-at-Panna-Government-report/articleshow/10661307.cms

Tiger kills pregnant cow in Kodagu district

Express News Service , The New Indian Express MADIKERI: The tiger menace in the district surfaced again when a pregnant cow was hunted in Kongeri on Monday. The tiger dragged the carcass of the cow for over 10 m and ate almost 10 kg of meat, it is said. As per the instructions of Assembly Speaker K G Bopaiah, Chief Wildlife Warden and principal chief conservator of forests (Wildlife) B K Singh arrived at the spot� on Monday evening to receive information about the tiger menace. Sources in the Forest Department said that a decision may be taken to shoot the tiger at sight as it may attack human beings too, under Section 11(A) of the Wildlife Act. But killing the tiger will be the last resort. An expert shooter from Hassan, medicine shooter from Mysore zoo and other doctors will assist the team to catch the tiger. The fact that the tiger also came to one of the cages set up, touched the goat inside it but did not harm it has surprised officials. http://ibnlive.in.com/news/tiger-kills-pregnant-cow-in-kodagu-district/200389-60-115.html

Bandhavgarh tiger park faces fund crunch, staff shortage

PTI Nov 7, 2011, 03.00PM IST BANDHAVGARH (MP): Shortage of more than 100 trained foresters coupled with fund crunch to shift about a dozen villages from the core area of Bandhavgarh National Park, which has the highest density of tigers, are posing a grave problem for its authorities. "There is a need for minimum 240 staff including forest guards, range officers and foresters here to properly maintain the reserve park but we have only about 100 staff to do the job," CK Patil, field director of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, said. Situated in the Umaria district of Madhya Pradesh, the core area of the park is spread over 716 sq km. According to the latest census, there are 59 tigers in the park, an increase of 12 from 2006. Known for its highest density of Royal Bengal tigers in the world, there are still 12 villages inside the core area Bandhavgarh forest. "There were a total 14 villages inside the core area and till now we could shift only one village and the process for shifting another is in the process. We need to relocate all these villages otherwise it would be difficult to prevent man-animal conflict and protect wildlife," Patil said. According to the relocation scheme, every family gets Rs 10 lakh as compensation for shifting out from the core area. There are about 2,500 families residing in the area. "We need Rs 250 crore for shifting these villages out of the core forest area. We are not able to expedite it due to the severe fund crunch," the field director said. http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-11-07/flora-fauna/30369202_1_fund-crunch-core-area-forest-guards

Roving tiger trapped, on camera

November 7, 2011 By LALIT SHASTRI DC BHOPAL Many questions on tiger conservation have sprung up with the first clear pictures taken by “camera trapping” of a tiger moving in the forest track between Kerwan dam and Kathotia on Bhopal’s southern periphery early in the morning on November 2. After sighting pug marks, the forest authorities used the camera trapping method and managed to photograph the tiger. They also got clear pictures of a wild bear and hyenas moving in the same territory. Forest officers are worried about the fate of this tiger, which obviously strayed here from the Ratapani sanctuary, where the number of tigers has gone up almost 70 per cent since 2006. Their chief concern is the reckless way in which educational institutions have been allowed to come up in the buffer forest zone in the past few years by successive state governments in total disregard of conservationists’ objections. A senior wildlife department official said while Ratapani and its surroundings, which has thick forest cover, was one of India’s best tiger habitats, there was an attempt to have this forested track declared as a “public-semi-public” (PSP) area in the new Bhopal master plan. Even before this master plan could see light of day, educational institutions had been allowed to come up in this eco-sensitive zone, he noted. Forest officials had last month caught a gang of poachers in this area, seizing a trap and other poaching gear. While one of those arrested was working with an educational institute in this area, another was working at the Bhopal municipal corporation. This gang is being interrogated to investigate if there is a larger conspiracy to remove every trace of tigers moving in this territory. http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/nation/north/roving-tiger-trapped-camera-493

Collars preventing tigers from breeding?

The 1.5 kg collars probably make it tough for tigers to breed. Collared tigers in Ranthambhore National Park (RNP) and Sariska are showing an intriguing behaviour that has flummoxed wildlife scientists. With a contraption weighing over 1.5 kg around their necks, they are finding it difficult to breed. The scientists suspect that tigress No. 17 in Ranthambhore and five relocated big cats, including three females, at Sariska Tiger Reserve were finding the radio collars too much of a burden when it comes to getting cozy with a mate. The five tigers at Sariska were relocated in phases from Ranthambhore since 2008 to repopulate the reserve. Sariska became a "tigerless" reserve in 2004. Now, failed breeding has put a question mark on the repopulation programme of Sariska that was taken up at the behest of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Collars are put on tigers to monitor their movements - usually on those who have been either shifted from one forest area to another or if the animal's territory falls in a sensitive location close to the reserve's border and near human habitation. None of these apply to Ranthambhore's T17 - renamed Krishna after Rajasthan's champion athlete Krishna Punia. She is the only tiger born and brought up in Ranthambhore carrying a radio collar since June 23, 2008. For the record, T17 is the most sighted tiger of Ranthambhore with a territory that ranges from Jhalra, Padma Talab, Rajbagh, Malick Talab, Manduk and Singhdwar of the park. To make matters worse, her radio collar stopped sending signals 18 months ago. Forest officials neither cared to replace nor remove it. Chief wildlife warden U. M. Sahai said the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has asked the Wildlife Institute of India to send a doctor to tranquilise the tigress to remove the collar. But the doctor was on leave. Ironically, Jaipur zoo doctor Arvind Mathur was very much available and he has the experience of successfully tranquilising around 10 tigers in the past. Wildlife enthusiast Dhirendra Godha said the collar could be a possible reason for the full-grown adult tigress not breeding. NTCA expert Rajpal Singh seconded Godha's views. He said T17' s sister, T19, who is not collared gave birth to three cubs around six months ago. A similar situation prevailed in Sarika too. None of the three tigresses have been able to reproduce and experts have not detected any hormonal imbalance, which affects their fertility. Apart from the radio collars, disturbances from the two highways bisecting the reserve, the stress of being shifted from Ranthambhore and acclimatising with a new environment could be the other factors for the sterility. Rajpal Singh said samples have been sent to the Hyderabad-based National Centre for Biological Sciences to test if there were any biological reason. Experts, including Godha, said the common factor between T17 and the Sariska tigresses was the radio collar. They agreed that there was no scientific evidence to prove the collar could be an impediment, but it needed to be explored. State's principal chief wildlife warden R. N. Mehrotra said his department was contemplating doing away with the collars once and for all because these "infringe upon the privacy of the tigers". Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/collared-tigers-ranthambhore-national-park-sariska-tiger-reserve/1/158920.html

Seven poachers held, tiger skin found

TNN Nov 6, 2011, 08.19AM IST LUCKNOW: There is no end to poaching incidents in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. While about half a dozen poachers were arrested in Uttarakhand in October, one was arrested in UP. Most of these poachers have a history of wildlife crime against them. They have been arrested several times in the past but come out on bail and again start poaching. In the latest incident reported from Sharda range of Haldwani forest division in Uttarakhand's Champawat district, a tiger skin, bones and meat were recovered. The forest team and police seized a jaw trap, knives and 'ballam' and arrested seven persons. The forest department patrolling team found the skin in the forest, recovered meat from near-by area and bones from the hide-out of Van Gujjars. Ads by Google Elephants in South Africa Find out all about magical wildlife holiday opportunities in SA! SouthAfrica.net Club Mahindra Resorts Holiday in all seasons. Quality resorts & excellent hospitality! ClubMahindra.com/Fun-Family-Forever The arrested persons were identified as Totha Ram, Ram Chander, Naresh, Iqbal Gujjar, Hashim Gujjar and his two sons, Yakoob and Karim, all notorious poachers. "Totharam has been arrested before also. He is out on bail," said Tito Joseph from Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI). Totharam is one of the most notorious poachers. He was arrested on May 21, 2003, from Champawat and a leopard skin was recovered from him. On August 10, 2004, the forest department caught him again from Khatima range of terai east division. And, with the help of WPSI, the department recovered a tiger skin with 16 bullet marks from him. Notorious poacher Sansar Chand's telephone number was also recovered from his dairy. He was convicted to 3-years rigorous imprisonment and Rs 10,000 fine by civil judge, Khatima. But he got bail from the sessions court. Third time, he was arrested from Banbasa, Champawat on November 18, 2009. An iron trap, another half-made trap, two deer antlers, knives and poaching equipments were seized from him. But, again got bail. Similarly, UP forest department also arrested a poacher with 13 wildlife crime cases against him on October 11. The poacher Tikaram was arrested from Dudhwa along with three others. The forest officials of Bilrayen range of Dudhwa got information that a poaching net had been set up to trap wild animals. The officials reached the spot with the police and nabbed four persons - Tikaram, his son Pothi, and two others - with net, meat of wild boar and a stub. There are 13 wildlife crime cases against Tikaram in Bilrayen range only. http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-11-06/lucknow/30366378_1_totha-ram-tiger-skin-poachers

Tiger Census at Namdapha National Park in Arunachal Pradesh this Month

By: Rang7 Team November 4, 2011 Tigers in Arunachal Pradesh’s two National Parks; Namdapha National Park and Pakhe Wildlife Sanctuary are alls et to have a head count. With the new tiger policy by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (“NTCA”) which states that tiger census should be conducted annually instead of every four years, the census will be conducted at the two parks in the state this month. Namdapha National Park is considered to have the richest biodiversity of flora and fauna in the region. The park located in Changlang district is the only National Park in India where all four big cats - tiger, leopard, snow leopard and clouded leopard have been found together. The census will be conducted at Namdapha and Pakhe by scientific methods through the use of the latest equipment and technology including sophisticated cameras which are to be provided by NTCA. The cameras will be placed at a distance of about 1 km for 35 to 60 days at a single location to trap the images of tigers. Reputed wildlife NGO’s will be involved in the census and will be trained by the Wildlife Institute of India (“WII”) of Dehradun along with other forest staff for technicalities involved in the project. NTCA hopes the tiger population numbers will be higher than before as proper survey in the dense forests of this state having 82 per cent coverage is yet to be conducted. Arunachal Pradesh Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (wildlife & biodiversity) J.L. Singh said, “The World Wildlife Fund for Nature-India (WWFI) will be involved in the survey in Pakke while services of the Assam-based Aaranyak will be availed in Namdapha for authenticating the data collected.” Formerly the tiger census was carried out across the country using only the pug mark method. But with doubts over its accuracy, today multiple methods are used to arrive at a more accurate figure. As per the tiger census conducted in 2000-01, Namdapha National park recorded 11 tigers, but the tiger census conducted in 2006 suggested the presence of only four tigers in the park. Later it was clarified that the low number of tigers recorded was because WII had conducted the census in only selected areas of the park. However though the tiger census in 2006 was limited to certain areas only, there is known to be a decline in the tiger population at Namdapha. Namdapha Tiger Reserve has slowly been experiencing large scale encroachment since the mid eighties by Lisus, a tribe originating in China, who are good tiger hunters. “The reported decline in tiger population is mainly due to encroachment of the park’s buffer zone by 84 families of the Lisus tribe from across the border,” Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) B.S. Sajwan had claimed recently. Still to ascertain that the Namdapha National Park had a good population of the Royal Bengal Tigers the NTCA conducted an expedition mode in four zones of the Namdapha Tiger Reserve during November, 2008 to February, 2009 in which evidence of four tigers at different locations was found. Those involved in the census were forest officials and volunteers from an NGO, Nature’s Beckon in Assam. The data sheets and scat samples were handed over to Aranayak, an Assam based organisation for analysis and the results proved the existence of a good sizeable number of tigers in the park The tiger population in Pakhe Wildlife Sanctuary as per the last tiger census is nine. Some of the other National Parks and sanctuaries in Arunachal Pradesh include Itanagar Wildlife Sanctuary, Sessa Orchid Sanctuary, Mouling National Park, Eagle Nest Wildlife Sanctuary and others. The Royal Bengal Tigers which once had a large presence throughout the world almost totaling to 100,000, is now reduced to barely 3500 in numbers. The drastic reduction in the tiger numbers over the world has resulted because tigers have lost more than 97 per cent of their population and 94 per cent of their home range in just 100 years. India too had just about 1411 tigers as per the census in 2007. The species is naturally considered an endangered wildlife species today, though the numbers have increased in India to 1706 as per the census conducted in 2009-10. The area-wise tiger population shown are: Shivalik-Gangetic plains -353; Central and Eastern Ghats - 601; Western Ghats - 534; Brahmaputra flood plains & North-East hills - 148; and Sunderbans in West Bengal- 70, totaling to 1,706, according to data released by All India Tiger Estimation in March 2011. http://www.rang7.com/news/national-park/tiger-census-namdapha-national-park-arunachal-pradesh-this-month-966.htm

Labyrinth of canals cuts into tiger path

Vijay Pinjarkar, TNN Nov 5, 2011, 01.17AM IST NAGPUR: The canal network of irrigation projects has fragmented the continuity of wildlife and is sounding the death knell for tigers and wildlife in Central India. Following the Tass tragedy when a tigress was rescued from well adjacent to a canal, the Satpuda Foundation wrote to the state government highlighting the adverse impacts of canals on tiger corridors in Central India specially in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. The foundation works in Melghat region for the conservation of the wildcat. The projects sanctioned in the past few years, specially in and around tiger habitats and corridors like the Upper Wardha (Amravati), Bawanthadi (Nagpur-Bhandara-Balaghat-Seoni), Ghodazari (Bhandara) and Gosikhurd (Bhandara-Nagpur) have started creating adverse impacts on wildlife. Urgent steps are needed to save wild animals and for their best management. Bawanthadi: The Bawanthadi dam (Rajiv Sagar Interstate Irrigation Project) in Nagpur, Bhandara, Seoni and Balaghat districts of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, respectively, has hit tigers as some of its canals fall in corridor connecting Pench reserve and Nagzira sanctuary. Tiger habitat continuity between Pench (both in Maharashtra and MP) with Kanha reserve is through this forest belt in the north-west Balaghat forest. Statistics with the forest department say that the Bawanthadi project has actually destroyed 2,350 hectares of tiger forest and now its 100km canal is causing serious threats to wild animals in the tiger habitat. Monkeys climb down into the canal to drink water and are unable to come up. Forest department had even kept a ladder for them. "But what about other animals like gaurs, tigers and herbivores," asks Kishor Rithe, Satpuda Foundation chief. Forest officials said a joint committee to suggest mitigation measures has been set up for Bawanthadi. The works will be appropriately designed and technically approved by both the departments. Gosikhurd: The Gosikhurd project is under construction and encompasses good forest areas with rich vegetation and wildlife. However, the project has fragmented corridors. Of late, there have been frequent incidents of wild animals getting trapped in its canals. The irrigation and forest departments need to identify areas where passages (bridges with natural look) can be constructed on the canals for wild animals so that the corridors are not obstructed and they can move and migrate freely. However no action is being taken. Upper Wardha: The Upper Wardha project has also fragmented the corridor to Bor sanctuary in Wardha district. It has actually isolated the presence of gaurs in Bor. Ghodazari: The Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) maintains a fragmented wildlife corridor with Navegaon National Park through the Bramhapuri forest division. However, man-animal conflict is high in this area. The canal network of Ghodazari project has already created a problem for the wildlife in the area. Itiadoh: Work on this project in Gondia district has been completed. However, the canal in the Zasinagar area fragments wildlife corridor of Navegaon. The forest and irrigation departments need to design mitigation measures for this. http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-11-05/nagpur/30363366_1_bawanthadi-project-canal-network-kanha

Tiger census at Arunachal reserves to start this month

The Hindu A tiger at Bandipur. National Tiger Conservation Authority will start the exercise in the two tiger reserves of Arunachal Pradesh along with 37 others in the country this month. File photo In keeping with the new policy to conduct tiger census annually instead of every four years, the National Tiger Conservation Authority will start the exercise in the two tiger reserves of Arunachal Pradesh along with 37 others in the country this month. The number of tigers in the two reserves in Arunachal Pradesh, Namdapha and Pakke, would be determined using scientific methods and reputed NGOs would be involved in the process, Arunachal Pradesh Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (wildlife & biodiversity) J.L. Singh said. The NTCA would provide all the necessary equipment, including sophisticated cameras, while experts of the Wildlife Institute of India would provide the technical training to the field staff of the project. Mr. Singh said, “The World Wildlife Fund for Nature-India (WWFI) will be involved in the survey in Pakke while services of the Assam-based Aaranyak will be availed in Namdapha for authenticating the data collected.” The NTCA decided to hold an annual census considering serious doubts cast on the accuracy of the methodologies adopted in the exercise, Mr. Singh said. The Namdapha Tiger Reserve in Changlang district is the only national park in India where all four big cats -- tiger (Panthera Tigris), leopard (Panthera Pardus), snow leopard (Panthera Uncia) and clouded leopard (Neofelis Nebulosa) have been found. The country’s tiger population is estimated to be 3,500, the figure having been arrived at through using the big cat’s pug marks, but the method is considered not very reliable. According to the 2001-2002 census, there were 11 wild cats in the Namdapha park, but the 2006 census had shown them only four. The state forest department, however, has claimed that the 2006 census by the WII was incorrect as it was done in selected areas of the tiger reserve. Besides the decline in tiger population, the reserve experienced large-scale encroachment since the mid-eighties by Lisus, a tribe originating in China, who are good tiger hunters. “The reported decline in tiger population is mainly due to encroachment of the park’s buffer zone by 84 families of the Lisus tribe from across the border,” Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) B.S. Sajwan had claimed recently. In fact, to ascertain the presence of tigers, a survey as per an NTCA directive was conducted on an expedition mode in four zones of the Namdapha Tiger Reserve during November, 2008 to February, 2009 in which evidence of four tigers at different locations was found. The forest officials, along with volunteers from ’Nature’s Beckon’, an NGO from Assam, had participated in the survey. The data sheets and scat samples were submitted to Aaranyak for analysis and compilation and the DNA test of scats encouragingly confirmed existence of tigers in the Park. Mr. Singh said the details of the camera trap method would be submitted to the NTCA for sanction of funds for conducting a survey. Giving details of the method, he said the cameras are placed at a distance of about 1 km for 35 to 60 days at a single location to trap the images of tigers. He said the data would be very encouraging as proper survey in the dense forests of this state having 82 per cent coverage is yet to be conducted. The tiger population in Pakke is estimated to be nine. India, home to half the world’s wild tigers, surprised global conservationists with its announcement last March that its tiger population had increased to 1,706 from 1,411 according to a tiger census conducted in 2007. The area-wise tiger population shown were: Shivalik-Gangetic plains -- 353; Central and Eastern Ghats -- 601; Western Ghats -- 534; Brahmaputra flood plains & North-East hills -- 148; and Sunderbans -- 70, totalling 1,706, according to data released by All India Tiger Estimation in March 2011. Numbering more than 100,000 at the turn of the last century, tigers have lost more than 97 per cent of their population and 94 per cent of their home range in just 100 years. http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/article2597366.ece?homepage=true

Brave act: 70-year-old fights off tiger to rescue cow - www.daily.bhaskar.com

Bhopal: In a daring act, a 70-year-old shepherd Mangilal of Bhindora village fought off a tiger attack just to rescue a cow. Armed with only a bamboo stick, the septuagenarian not only chased away the tiger but also guarded the cows all night long before handing them to their owner. Notably, the beast has already hunted down 27 cattle in last one month. Narrating on how he encountered the tiger in jungles, Mangilal said, “Like always, I had taken my cattle for grazing near the hill top on Sunday. It was 5 in the evening when I halted with the cattle herd near a mine. I rested near the bushes while the cows drank water. The next moment I saw a tiger that crept into the herd and attacked them.” Mangilal took no time to hit the tiger back with his stick. “As soon as the stick hit the tiger, it left the cow. Thinking that it would attack me, I grabbed the axe kept next to me. However, he vanished into the jungle.” In shock after his encounter with the beast for the first time, Mangilal said, “I have been rearing cattle since the age of 8 years, but I came across such an experience for the first time. The attack had led to the shattering of the cattle. It was an ordeal to gather them back, for which I had to spend the whole night in jungle.” Not only did Mangilal rescue the cow, the 70-year-old sat next to the injured animal fearing another attack by the tiger. “I thought, the tiger would come back again in search for its prey, but it did not. I handed the injured cow to its owner in the morning,” he said. The injured cow belongs to Sarpanch of Mindora village, Suresh Singh Tomar. The Sarpanch said that the tiger has so far targeted seven cows of their village. Concerned over their cattle, Tomar has registered a complaint in Ratibad police station against forest department.

Stone-crushing units destroying tiger habitat

Uttam Mukherjee, TNN Oct 15, 2011, 09.31AM IST LOHARDAGA: Once a tiger habitant and a beautiful green hillock with a natural source of sweet water, Bagh Tungri in Jhaljhamira panchayat has now been destroyed as stone-crushing units have come up in the area. The district administration had allowed stone-crushing units of six big and small private companies to come up here. Heavy machines destroyed 50% of Tungri which could have been developed into a tourist hot spot. The department officials said Tungri was given on lease to five companies and hence there was no need for sanctioning lease to a sixth party. On the other hand, there were no public complaints. Villagers of Jhaljhamira and Datri had stopped transportation of stones from Tungri. Recently, deputy commissioner Ratan Kumar reviewed the complaints of villagers through a probe committee and ordered Simplex, the major lessee, to stop work. Now villagers have demanded a complete ban of stone-crushing units in Bagh Tungri. Social activist Manorma Ekka said, "We lost the natural beauty of the hillock as well as its historical and religious value and most importantly its waterfall to mining." "Roads become completely muddy due to plying of heavy vehicles," said a resident, Pankaj Oraon. Since Tungri was not fenced, blasts created several other problems. It damaged fruit-bearing trees and plants grown near it under the National Gardening Mission on over 15 acres of land. As many as 30 heavy vehicles used to ply and several heavy machines drilled and blasted stones every day. Because of irregularities, including lack of demarcation of its lease area, the company was ordered to stop work before Durga Puja, said the DC. He added that the district transport officer had been ordered to lodge an FIR against vehicles carrying over 10 tonnes of load on rural roads. A public notice was also published in newspapers about the action taken for violating norms under damage to public property act. http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-10-15/ranchi/30282948_1_stone-crushing-units-heavy-vehicles-villagers