Illegal safari in core area of tiger reserve

TNN Jan 17, 2012, 04.03AM IST RAJABHATKHAWA (JALPAIGURI): Has the ban on tourism in Buxa Tiger Reserve (BTR) dampened your spirit? Bother not. If you are ready to compromise with your conscience, all you have to do is to contact the right network that flouts all norms to conduct 'safari' in the core area of the reserve. A private tour operator based in Rajabhatkhawa - the entry point to the core area - conducts tours to the interior of the forest. One just needs to get an accommodation in the WBFDC tourist lodge (that also permits one to go for a safari in the buffer zone) and book a car for Rs 2,000. Add to it Rs 20 per person - for the "outsider's gate pass" to reach the villages inside BTR and you will be taken into the core area by the "guide". A K Raha, principal chief conservator of forests and the head of forest force in the state, said permission is granted only to those who board at WBFDC lodge, but they are not allowed to the 'core' area. This just proves that the attempt of the forest department to conserve tiger is half-hearted and there are major loopholes, said an activist. The main objective of conservation is being diluted in the name of eco-tourism since more than 1,500 tourists go for safari in BTR each year. The number stood at close to 30,000 before the "inconsistent" ban that came into effect on September 16, 2010. Also, it has been made mandatory that one forest guard should accompany each car. But a reality check proves all these guidelines have been shoved to the back burner in favour of a good "business". Your safari will start from the BTR entry point, the car will take you a few kilometers along the Buxa Feeder Road. Then it will turn left, take a broken, muddy path and enter the dense forest. If you are lucky, you could spot leopard, gaur, cheetal or wild boar. You can also expect a herd of elephants blocking your way. But if you are a keen observer, then you are sure to spot some exotic birds and rare orchids. At places, the forest is so dense that darkness will leave you blinded. So remain assured even if you can't spot any animal, that eerie feeling in the wild will send shiver down your spine. The safari will take you to the Dima river, where the driver will allow you to get off the car and take a "close look" at the forest. The vast stretch with mountains in the backdrop will catch your imagination. But this halt is not the end of your tour. "When the tourists insist, I take them to core areas like 23 Mile Road, Garam watch tower, Narathali Lake, Chuniajhora and also to interior parts of Jainti," the tour operator said. And if you want to go to 26 mile and enjoy a night safari, even that is possible if you have a little 'contact' in the forest department. However, Raha claimed night safari has been banned completely in BTR. According to a source in the government who knows the ins & outs of BTR, the operator works in connivance with the forest department officials. "How can one conduct such tours month after month without the knowledge of the forest officials?" he wondered. When asked a forest guard posted at the check-post of BTR, he washed off his hands saying, "This operator claims to have permission from the senior officials. We come from outside for work. These are all local people. They threat us with consequences if we try to tackle them by force." http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-01-17/kolkata/30635094_1_night-safari-forest-guard-btr

Officials mull plan to bifurcate mangement of Tipeshwar wildlife sanctuary

Vijay Pinjarkar, TNN | Jan 18, 2012, 12.45AM IST NAGPUR: The Pench Tiger Reserve officials are working on a proposal to bifurcate management of Tipeshwar wildlife sanctuary in Yavatmal district from Pench. Being 180 km from Nagpur, the biggest problem of 148sqkm Tipeshwar sanctuary is its management. At present, Pench looks after the management of 61sqkm Bor wildlife sanctuary and 257sqkm Pench reserve and yet-to-start 183sqkm Mansinghdeo sanctuary. Except Tipeshwar, all these protected areas (PAs) are within reach. Due to its long distance from Nagpur, Tipeshwar is invariably being neglected. Of late, it is in the news for wrong reasons. On November 20 last year, a full grown male tiger was poached at Bodhbahattar village on the outskirts of Tipeshwar. In January first week, a tigress with two cubs killed a farmer Prahlad Madavi (55) near the sanctuary. On January 13, the same tigress with two cubs was sighted by passengers of a bus crossing the state highway to enter Tipeshwar sanctuary. The sanctuary in Pandharkawda has a forest division looked after by a divisional forest officer (DFO) but he has no control over the sanctuary. Four years ago, a proposal was prepared to hand over the sanctuary to Yavatmal Forest Circle by appointing ACF (Territorial), Pandharkawda, to wildlife and attaching the post to Pench field director. "This would have helped in better and independent monitoring of Tipeshwar. However, no steps were taken to take the proposal to its logical end," sources said. However, in a fresh move, a proposal is being worked out to put Tipeshwar and Painganga sanctuaries, both in Yavatmal, under Akola wildlife division by shifting the post at Pandharkawda or Yavatmal. Similarly, sanctuaries like Katepurna in Akola and Danyanganga in neighbouring Buldhana district, both looked after by Akola division, can be handed over to Akot wildlife division which already looks after Narnala, Wan and Ambabarwa sanctuaries in Melghat. All can be put under the control of Melghat chief conservator of forests (CCF). Sources said by doing this, the district of both the wildlife divisions will not change and it will be convenient for forest officials to deal with one district collector in case of issues like relocation and other management problems. From Yavatmal or Pandharkawda, Painganga and Tipeshwar sanctuaries will be around 100km and 60km respectively. Similar will be the case with sanctuaries under Akot division. "It will strengthen wildlife management and ensure better control," a section of conservationists felt. Meanwhile, state wildlife board member Kishor Rithe has written to principal secretary (forests) Praveen Pardeshi to deploy 24X7 monitoring teams for Tipeshwar tigers. He demanded the post of ACF (territorial) be handed over to wildlife and attach it to Pench field director. "We urgently need to design and implement an action plan for habitat improvement works in and around the sanctuary to increase the prey base," Rithe said. To explore the possibility of extending sanctuary area, considering the rationalisation of boundaries committee proposal, buffer should be created around Tipeshwar to implement eco-development programme (EDP) in surrounding villages. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Officials-mull-plan-to-bifurcate-mangement-of-Tipeshwar-wildlife-sanctuary/articleshow/11529566.cms

Illegal safari in core area of tiger reserve

TNN | Jan 17, 2012, 04.03AM IST RAJABHATKHAWA (JALPAIGURI): Has the ban on tourism in Buxa Tiger Reserve (BTR) dampened your spirit? Bother not. If you are ready to compromise with your conscience, all you have to do is to contact the right network that flouts all norms to conduct 'safari' in the core area of the reserve. A private tour operator based in Rajabhatkhawa - the entry point to the core area - conducts tours to the interior of the forest. One just needs to get an accommodation in the WBFDC tourist lodge (that also permits one to go for a safari in the buffer zone) and book a car for Rs 2,000. Add to it Rs 20 per person - for the "outsider's gate pass" to reach the villages inside BTR and you will be taken into the core area by the "guide". A K Raha, principal chief conservator of forests and the head of forest force in the state, said permission is granted only to those who board at WBFDC lodge, but they are not allowed to the 'core' area. This just proves that the attempt of the forest department to conserve tiger is half-hearted and there are major loopholes, said an activist. The main objective of conservation is being diluted in the name of eco-tourism since more than 1,500 tourists go for safari in BTR each year. The number stood at close to 30,000 before the "inconsistent" ban that came into effect on September 16, 2010. Also, it has been made mandatory that one forest guard should accompany each car. But a reality check proves all these guidelines have been shoved to the back burner in favour of a good "business". Your safari will start from the BTR entry point, the car will take you a few kilometers along the Buxa Feeder Road. Then it will turn left, take a broken, muddy path and enter the dense forest. If you are lucky, you could spot leopard, gaur, cheetal or wild boar. You can also expect a herd of elephants blocking your way. But if you are a keen observer, then you are sure to spot some exotic birds and rare orchids. At places, the forest is so dense that darkness will leave you blinded. So remain assured even if you can't spot any animal, that eerie feeling in the wild will send shiver down your spine. The safari will take you to the Dima river, where the driver will allow you to get off the car and take a "close look" at the forest. The vast stretch with mountains in the backdrop will catch your imagination. But this halt is not the end of your tour. "When the tourists insist, I take them to core areas like 23 Mile Road, Garam watch tower, Narathali Lake, Chuniajhora and also to interior parts of Jainti," the tour operator said. And if you want to go to 26 mile and enjoy a night safari, even that is possible if you have a little 'contact' in the forest department. However, Raha claimed night safari has been banned completely in BTR. According to a source in the government who knows the ins & outs of BTR, the operator works in connivance with the forest department officials. "How can one conduct such tours month after month without the knowledge of the forest officials?" he wondered. When asked a forest guard posted at the check-post of BTR, he washed off his hands saying, "This operator claims to have permission from the senior officials. We come from outside for work. These are all local people. They threat us with consequences if we try to tackle them by force." Forest minister Hiten Barman sounded concerned when informed about the racket. "I will look into the matter immediately and if any forest official found violating the law, strong action will be taken." http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Illegal-safari-in-core-area-of-tiger-reserve/articleshow/11518660.cms

1 village in Sariska, 2 in Ranthambore relocated

TNN | Jan 15, 2012, 04.14AM IST JAIPUR: Despite the muchhyped conservation efforts in Rajasthan, so far just one village in Sariska and two in Ranthambore have been relocated from the critical tiger habitat. However, the work is on in 13 villages in the two reserves. As per forest department officials, shortage of funds prevented the relocation work from beginning in at least three villages in Ranthambore. Out of the proposed 10 villages, only seven have been relocated. "As per the original plan, we were to relocate families from 10 villages within the tiger reserve. But shortage of funds and lack of consensus amongst villagers hampered it in three villages," officials said. Relocation of families in a tiger reserve is to happen only with their consensus, says a ministry guideline. The total number of villages in the tiger habitat at Ranthambore is 64 out of which just two, Indala and Machanki, have been completely relocated. Other villages where relocation is underway include Kalibhit, Bhid, Kathuli, Hindwad, Mor Doongri, Dangra, Bheempura, Mudarhedi, Matoriyaki and Dodaki.Out of the total 1,640 families residing in these villages, 582 have been relocated. In Sariska only one village Bhagani has been rel o c at e d though the empowered committee which was constituted after all the tigers in the reserve were poached. So it was decided that tigers be reinstated after villages were relocated. Sariska has about 28 villages which fall in the critical tiger habitat and relocation is on in six villages including Kankwadi, Umri, Dabli, Sukol, Rotkyala and Kraska. Out of the earmarked 641 families, only 329 have been relocated. Recently, Sariska lost one of the relocated tigers ST-1 after it was poisoned by villagers as it had allegedly killed a some livestock. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/1-village-in-Sariska-2-in-Ranthambore-relocated/articleshow/11493562.cms

Man held with tiger bones

PTI | 03:01 PM,Jan 13,2012 Nainital, Jan 13 (PTI) The forest department here has arrested a man with 8kg of tiger bones near Kaladhungi near the Jim Corbett National park, 35 km from here, official sources today said. Trilok Singh Mehra, a resident of Kotabagh from Daichuri range of Ramnagar forest division, was arrested yesterday following a tip-off, they said. The accused has been booked under the wildlife protection act and he is being interrogated, they added.

Big cat yet to make an appearance

TNN | Jan 16, 2012, 03.28AM IST LUCKNOW: The entire team of forest officers and experts from Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) are camping in Rahmankhera to trace the tiger but the big cat is still to make an appearance before people. So far, it's only the pugmarks of the tiger which indicate the presence of the big cat in the area. If the feline is still present in Rahmankhera or moved on, is still not known. Those tracking the tiger could still be presuming that it is around. It was on January 8, last Sunday, that the forest department officers confirmed the presence of the big cat in Kakori. The pugmarks were found over 3-4 kms area in Kakori, near Chilauli village in Kakori. The pugmarks showed that the big cat had taken one big round and vanished, said one of the forest staff. The tiger was never spotted in the area. "It has not been seen till date," said the staff. However, to trap the tiger, three cages, with live baits, have been put in Rahmankhera. Sunday, was the third day since goats and a calf were tied to the baits, but the tiger has not even ventured into the close vicinity of the cages. On the basis of pugmarks, it appears to be a juvenile tiger, 3 to 4 years of age. The feline also knows how to hunt its natural prey. The area is full of blue bulls and other wildlife, which is the natural prey of the tiger. The tiger, so far, has only killed and eaten its natural prey, the blue bull. "It could have eaten about 1.5 quintal of flesh," said one Rahul Shukla. The area has water bodies, rich cover and natural prey, making it a preferred habitat for the stray cat. The fact that it has almost negligible human presence could have made it even better. The tiger is believed to have ventured from South Kheri and has travelled about 150 kms, till Kakori. And, nowhere along its movement, was a livestock killing reported. The big cat has not switched over to domestic cattle, and has only killed its natural prey. It's presence was first noticed in Hardoi on January 1. But, since then, the tiger has not been spotted by anyone, forest officers and experts have only be presuming. The forest officers, initially, also said that it could also be a leopard. However, experts said that it is the size of the pugmarks, which gives an impression that it is a tiger. The experts also cry foul that forest department was not carrying out the tracking operation properly. Out of the three cages put at the place, two are meant for trapping leopard and are smaller in size. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/Big-cat-yet-to-make-an-appearance/articleshow/11505204.cms

Karnataka sets up first-ever commando force to protect tigers

Abhirr V P, CNN-IBN Click to play video New Delhi: The Karnataka has set up the first-ever commando force to protect tigers in the state. The state government has trained commandos to fight poachers. With nearly 300 tigers in the state, Karnataka has become the epicenter of tiger conservation especially since it has the largest number of tigers in the country. And that's why the Special Tiger Protection Force has been deployed in the sensitive forests of Bandipur, Badra and Nagarhole. The commandos are intensively trained in the use of SLRs, small arms and hand to hand combat. Vasanth Reddy, Assistant Conservator of Forests, Bandipur Tiger Reserve, says, "It's like a strike force, it will strike when there is a conflict and also it will manage the crowds when there is a man-animal conflict. So it's very essential and a big advantage to the Bandipur tiger reserve." The unit is desperately needed, since the National Tiger Conservatory Authority has just put the state forest department on high alert following intelligence reports that teams from the notorious Bahelia and Pardis tribes have moved into the state from Madhya Pradesh. The tribals are infamous for their skill in poaching wild animals and they primarily target tigers. BK Singh, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Karnataka, says "We have received reports about the entry of these tribes but the STPF are well armed and in large numbers so we are in a better position to protect tigers." Ullas Karanth, Wildlife Conservationist, says, "This is a positive step in tiger conservation, this sends a powerful message to poachers that the government is very serious in tiger conservation." The introduction of commandos in the Bandipur tiger reserve changes the game completely for both tiger conservation as well as better management of human-animal conflicts. http://ibnlive.in.com/news/karnataka-sets-up-special-tiger-protection-force/220677-62-129.html

Camera traps to track animals in mangroves

Prithvijit Mitra, TNN | Jan 16, 2012, 01.49AM IST KOLKATA: A team of WWF and Wildlife Institute of India (WII) officials will be moving into the Sunderbans to resume camera-trapping on January 20. Aimed at zeroing down on the number of big cats and other animals that roam the mangrove forest by filming them, the exercise has been planned on a grand scale this time, with the aid of satellite imaging. Cameras will be installed across a 1500sq km area, including the South 24-Parganas part of the forest, which has never had camera traps. The Sajnekhali tiger reserve area will also be covered. Ninety cameras, to be installed in pairs, will be used. WII and WWF have divided the forest into 16sq km grids. Each grid will have a pair of cameras. They will face each other for better and additional frames that will help to identify the animals being captured. The cameras run on battery and are fitted with heat and motion sensors. They switch on automatically when animals tread near them. "It's a difficult job for you can't walk in the Sunderbans. Also, the cameras need to can't be installed in places that just about anywhere. It should have a reasonable possibility of being crossed by animals. So, we are looking for relatively high ground to install them. For this, we shall consult the forest department staff and taking the help of satellite images from Jadavpur University's School of Oceanographic Studies," said Anurag Danda, head of climate adaptation and Sunderbans Landscape of WWF. Danda is among the six officials who will lead the survey. The camera traps have to be installed at a height of less than four feet to shoot the animals. Since they generate infra-red rays that turn the camera on whenever they hit an obstacle, they can't be installed at an angle. "In that case, the rays will hit the ground and switch the camera on. So we can't put them at a greater height that would have kept them out of the reach of animals," explained Danda. Several camera traps were damaged by animals when they had been installed in 2010. Explaining the utility of traps, director of Sunderbans Biosphere Reserve Pradip Vyas said, it helps to assess the movement and hence the density of tigers in a given area. "According to the census last year, Sunderbans has between 65 and 90 tigers. This figure may not be accurate. Camera traps give you a better idea about tiger movements and the ecology of the forest. We expect them to lead to a more accurate figure. This time we are covering a far bigger area that will give us a better picture," he said. Pugmarks and scat collection - the two other methods that are commonly employed - can never provide a correct figure in Sunderbans due to the impenetrable nature of the forest, according to experts. "Since the cameras have to be placed above the high-tide level, they may not be able to capture a sufficiently high number of tigers. In Sunderbans, big cats move around in low-tide levels, on muddy ground where cameras can't be used. But they should give us an idea about the minimum number of tigers in a particular area," said Pranabesh Sanyal, former director of Sunderbans Tiger Reserve. Thirty pairs of traps will be installed in Sajnekhali and South 24-Parganas each. The WWF and WWI teams will return to the spots to download photographs every 10 days. They won't remove the traps till a tiger has been filmed twice. "Recapturing is the essence of the exercise. It helps to know how frequently a tiger has been passing a particular area. This will give an idea about the density and movement of tigers in that particular zone, from which we can arrive at a projected figure," said Danda. Even though it usually takes three weeks to recapture an animal, it could take up to a month in the Sunderbans, said officials. Due to its hostile terrain and lack of dry ground, it could be taking tigers a longer time to cover an area. In order to make the exercise a fruitful oneand to hasten recaprturing, WWF officials have proposed the use of "cat lure" to draw tigers to the traps. "These are a foul-smelling substance that attract carnivores. It could help to raise the number pictures. But the forest department is yet to give us the permission," added Danda. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Camera-traps-to-track-animals-in-mangroves/articleshow/11504405.cms

Tiger cub radio collared in Panna reserve

Source: DNA | Last Updated 05:07(16/01/12) Bhopal: One out of the two cubs born to a translocated wild tigress T-1 in Panna tiger reserve one has been radio-collared for enabling its monitoring. This cub, 21-month-old, has been tagged as Panna-111. We are trying to radio-collar the other cub of T-1. Both cubs will be released into the wild shortly. Tagging will facilitate monitoring,” Panna field director RS Murthy told media. Big cats had been translocated from Kanha, Bandhavgarh and Pench national parks after Panna became devoid of tigers. So far, two felines have given birth to cubs boosting the efforts to revive tiger population. Although the Panna tiger reserve website boasts that it is one of the most famous tiger reserves”, in fact, the population of the big cats was reduced from 21 (in 1998) to 0 in less than a decade, as a result of poaching. Later, a male and two females from other areas of India were translocated to Panna in the hopes of rebuilding the tiger population from scratch with support of the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF). They were being monitored through radio collars and remote surveillance systems. The reserve flourished with tiger cubs in 2010, rejoicing the success of its translocation experiment. The tiger reserve has seven cubs and five adult tigers in its wild after the launch of an experiment involving breeding of translocated wild cats and rehabilitation of orphaned cubs. Kanha tiger reserve at present has 21-23 tiger cubs while the Pench tiger reserve boasts of having another 21 or more. Similarly, at Pench tiger reserve officials claim, nearly 21 tiger cubs were sighted by the forest staff in different zones of the reserve in 2010-2011. The last tiger census of Madhya Pradesh stood at 257 while in Karnataka the count was 300 following which the central state lost its coveted “Tiger State” status to the southern counterpart. http://daily.bhaskar.com/article/MP-BHO-tiger-cub-radio-collared-in-panna-reserve-2754933.html

Mushrooming hotels put tiger reserve under pressure

Rachna Singh, TNN | Jan 15, 2012, 04.12AM IST JAIPUR: The tiger town of Sawai Madhopur is now faced with a problem of plenty. In the past few years, the place has seen quick proliferation of hotels, lodges and rented accommodations, all catering to the tiger safari in the reserve. The tourism ministry now feels that it is hampering the core issue of 'tiger conservation.' Now since the district administration has toughened its stand on granting no objection certificates (NOC) to hotels and the state Lokayukta is investigating the number of hotels which have been granted permission within the 500-metre park periphery, those planning investment in the hospitality industry here might be in for some shock. "Tigers are our national beauties. But lack of eco-friendly practices and mushrooming of resorts and hotels in and around national parks in an unplanned manner is blocking the wildlife corridors," Sanjay Kothari, additional secretary, Union ministry of tourism, said. The factual situation is too alarming. The road leading to the National Park is dotted with recently completed hotels and several low budget guest houses are under construction. "In a day only 1,040 tourists can go into the park at a time and there are already 2,000 rooms available. Another 2,000 rooms that are in various stages of construction are going to put immense pressure on the park," said Giriraj Singh Kushwaha, district collector. Recently, Kushwaha has also written to chief secretary S Ahmed requesting that the government give no more NOCs for any hotel project in S Madhopur. Some land conversions were allowed in the 500-metre periphery of the park for which two sub-divisional officers have been chargesheeted and the district administration has been asked to undo the wrong, sources said. There are some high-profile individuals and politicians who have been given 90B permission without the forest officials' consent. "We won't be able to increase the number of vehicles that go into the park at a time beyond 20 gypsies and 20 canters, i.e., 520 tourists. Upcoming hotels are outside the 500 metre limit. But of course this is going to create competition among the hotels," said a forest official. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/Mushrooming-hotels-put-tiger-reserve-under-pressure/articleshow/11493549.cms

Submergence threat to Palamu Tiger Reserve

TNN | Jan 13, 2012, 05.48AM IST Another development project, though long in the pipeline, is set to take its toll on a tiger habitat. The upcoming North Koel irrigation project has been assessed by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) as potentially harmful for Jharkhand's Palamu Tiger Reserve. NTCA maintained that nearly 119 sq km of forest area is likely to be submerged if the project gets a go-ahead and the gates of the dam are allowed to be closed. "The report, finalized last month, was put up on public domain a couple of days ago. A substantial portion of the core area in the tiger reserve, approximately 360 hectares, is facing the threat of submergence. This is about 11.5% of the total area," said S P Yadav, deputy inspector general of NTCA, a body under the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF). It may be noted that the total area of PTR is 1,026 sq km, of which 414 sq km is the core area. A committee, constituted by NTCA, visited the site May last year and spoke to the villagers of Latu and Kujrum, inside the core area, before preparing the final report. One of the members of the panel, P K Sen, said the project is not possible since a huge area of the forest land will be under threat. Conceptualized in 1972, the initial project cost was fixed at Rs 35 crore. But it started facing hurdles after Jharkhand was formed. While Jharkhand never wanted the dam fearing the loss of forest cover, Bihar kept pushing it. The project is expected to benefit roughly 1,11,800 hectares of agricultural land in Aurangabad and Gaya districts in Bihar, which would justify an expenditure of Rs 750 crore on the project. "Though there are reports that a section of the people are trying to revive the project, it has to be held up to save the forests," said Sen, also the ex-director of Project Tiger and PTR. According to the report, the area under threat is the prime tiger habitat and it is rich in wildlife and biodiversity. "These forests are the breeding grounds of Schedule I animals like tigers, leopards and elephants. Due to submergence, traditional migratory routes of elephants will also be blocked," it added. According to Yadav, apart from wildlife, 17 villages will also be submerged if the dam gates are closed. "If these people are not resettled taking into consideration the instant policy and Forest Rights Act, they might encroach upon the forest areas of the reserve," he added. According to section 38 V (4) (i) of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, critical tiger habitats have to be maintained as inviolate for tiger conservation. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ranchi/Submergence-threat-to-Palamu-Tiger-Reserve/articleshow/11469970.cms

Wandering big cat remains elusive

TNN | Jan 13, 2012, 04.35AM IST LUCKNOW: The tiger, which had strayed from South Kheri, and has come to Rahmankhera, in Lucknow, is still to be spotted by experts from WTI team or the forest officers. But, the clear imprints of pugmarks have confirmed the presence of the big cat in the area. On Wednesday morning, a forest guard at the place had heard the tiger growling. "Since tiger is a territorial animal, it growls habitually," said Rahul Shukla, former honorary wildlife warden, Dudhwa, who is helping the forest department in tiger tracking operation. The carcass of a blue bull which was found at Rahmankhera pointed out that it could be the first prey of the tiger. No new kill has been spotted. The big cat, however, has eaten away the blue bull completely. It's only that the hooves and the bones have been left at the place. It was on January 1 that the presence of the tiger was first noticed in Hardoi. On Sunday, pugmarks were seen in Kakori. The experts are trying to localise the tiger so that it does not stray further. The big cat is said to have taken a long route. It could have transgressed from South Kheri, moved through Gola, Hardoi, backfields of Sandila, Kakori to it's present location in Rahmankhera. It's present location is a semi-habited area. Besides, it has lot of tiger's natural prey, blue bulls, present. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/Wandering-big-cat-remains-elusive/articleshow/11469434.cms

Nearly 1K cameras for tiger census in Feb

Vijay Pinjarkar | Jan 12, 2012, 01.35AM IST NAGPUR: The fourth phase of tiger estimation exercise will be carried out in four state tiger reserves and its buffer areas in the first week of February. With 800-1000 camera traps to be set up, the exercise will help know the tiger numbers in each reserve. Although modalities like how many camera traps and other gear would be needed to complete the exercise is yet to be finalized, SK Khetarpal, the state's principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife), said, "Tentatively, transect line exercise will begin in February." In the estimation exercise carried out in 2010, Maharashtra has 169 tigers. This is a rise from 103 tigers in 2006. The national tally stands at 1706. 62 deaths have been recorded in 2011. Census in tiger reserves all over India is expected to be completed before the onset of summer. The decision was taken on Wednesday by Khetarpal after a marathon meeting of senior officials from all the wildlife circles. Barring Melghat, officials from other three wildlife circles - Nagpur, Nashik and Mumbai attended the meeting. The exercise will also be taken up in tiger-bearing sanctuaries and national parks and areas in the Nagpur Circle comprising Gondia, Bhandara, Wardha and Nagpur where there is huge tiger presence. The cameras will be two-sided and placed at 4 sq km each for 45-60 days i.e 1,000 nights. After the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) adopted the new tiger census methodology in 2006, figures of individual tiger reserves have not been declared. The numbers included estimation of a protected area (PA) and its entire landscape. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Nearly-1K-cameras-for-tiger-census-in-Feb/articleshow/11454560.cms

Bait for tiger stolen, officials locate it in villager’s house

Source: DNA | Last Updated 05:45(13/01/12) Bhopal: The flying squad of the forest department recovered a goat which was stolen from a trap laid for a tiger that had strayed into the Kerwa Dam area. At least three trap cages have been placed near Kerwa dam area by forest officials with goats as bait to trap the tiger. The goat from one of the traps was found missing at Rasulia village near the dam on Wednesday morning. Initially forest officials suspected that the goat must have been preyed upon by the tiger. But with no evidence of the tiger attack at the site, officials suspected that it was a handiwork of a local villager. Based on a tip-off, the flying squad of the forest department raided house of Heeralal and found their bait intact. Sources said Heeralal had concealed the goat inside his house. The accused was handed over to the Ratibad police station where a case was registered against him under Section 399 of the Indian Penal Code. The forest officials also surprised over the tiger’s behaviour as it is not making an attempt to kill their bait despite going close to it. They are now planning to use elephant to shove away the feline. http://daily.bhaskar.com/article/MP-BHO-bait-for-tiger-stolen-officials-locate-it-in-villagers-house-2744992.html

Five held: Leopard skin, tiger's skull seized

Tags: Leopard skin, Five held, tiger`s skull Erode: Five persons have been arrested in three separate cases and leopard skin and a tiger's skeleton recovered from them, forest officials said today. Two poachers were arrested yesterday in Karamadai village near Coimbatore on charges of possessing leopard skin. Forest officials said the skin had bullet marks on it indicating that it was shot by poachers. Another person was arrested at Kavindapady, 25 km from Erode, for trying to sell a tiger's skull and skeleton. Two persons were arrested for attempting to sell a wild cat similar to a leopard cub. The wild cat, kept in a cage at Vaipady village, was rescued and taken to the forest ranger office, officials added. http://zeenews.india.com/news/tamil-nadu/five-held-leopard-skin-tiger-s-skull-seized_752110.html

India's first tiger rescue centre in Sunderbans

Prithvijit Mitra, TNN | Jan 11, 2012, 02.10AM IST KOLKATA: The first tiger rescue centre of the country will be ready to welcome big cats in three months. Being developed at Jharkhali in the Sunderbans, the centre will provide asylum to injured and straying tigers that are either brought to Kolkata for treatment or released in far corners of the mangrove forest. Even though fenced off from the rest of the jungle, the centre will be contiguous to the main Sunderbans and allow tigers to roam free in the wild. They will, however, not be able to leave the centre which will be fenced off. Work on the centre's outer fence is complete. Fifteen feet high iron bars have been erected to create a boundary that cuts it from the rest of the forest. There will be an inner periphery with a lower fence made of bars interspersed with chain-links. It will mark separate enclosures for four tigers across a 100-acre area. Adjacent to the Chhoto Herobhanga river, the centre will be enclosed on all four sides and have waterbodies apart from enough mangrove cover for tigers to feel "at home", said Pradip Vyas, director, Sunderban Biosphere Reserve. "It will allow us to treat injured tigers in the forest itself which will spare them the agony of having to spend months at the zoo hospital in Alipore. While they will be able to stay back in the forest, the tigers will remain protected at the centre. More importantly, they will have an assured supply of foodwhich will help the injured big cats recover fast. The straying tigers, too, will get used to remaining confined in the jungle," said Vyas. The forest department is waiting for funds to commence work on the second phase of the centre. This includes the inner fence that separates the individual enclosures. It has been designed in such a way that won't allow tigers to cross over to the next enclosure. Neither can they reach the Herobhanga river and swim to villages. There will, however, be waterbodies, both natural and artificial. "Some of the natural waterbodies are being extended to suit the tigers. There are several natural ones inside the area. Food will be provided by the forest department, for we don't want the injured tigers to hunt. Nor would we like straying tigers to search for easy prey," said Vyas. The only other tiger rehabilitation centre in the state is located at Khairbari in North Bengal. It is, however, not an open centre and tigers are kept in cages. "We are keen to make sure that the Jharkhali centre does not turn into a zoo for ageing and injured big cats. Neither do we want injured tigers to spend months in a constricted hospital, away from the forest environment. This is an ideal setting that we can have," added Vyas. Two squeeze cages and four ordinary ones have been placed at the centre. These will be used for treatment. A team of veterinary surgeons will be posted along with a group of forest department staff who will monitor the big cats. The centre will also have a watch-tower. "We have marked corridors around the centre that will be patrolled by forest guards who will keep a watch," said Vyas. To begin with, two tigers will receive shelter at the centre. It can accommodate two more and treat at least four to six big cats simultaneously. The forest department is also planning to shift some of the ageing tigers of Alipore Zoo to the centre. "The zoo has a space problemwhile there will be enough room for 2-3 tigers at Jharkhali . Depending on the availability of space, we can accommodate a couple of tigers here. But we must consult experts to find out if zoo tigers can acclimatize to the forest conditions," said a forest department official. Experts hailed the move. to have a natural rehabilitation centre for tigers. "It will let the tigers remain in their natural habitat and home environment," said Pranabesh Sanyal, former director of Sunderban Tiger Reserve. "The authorities should make sure that the rescue centre functions as such and doesn't turn into a zoo in the jungle," said Joydeep Kundu, member of the state wildlife board. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Indias-first-tiger-rescue-centre-in-Sunderbans/articleshow/11441745.cms

Tiger on prowl in Lucknow's neighbourhood

Lucknow, Jan 10 (IANS) A fully-grown tiger on the prowl for the last five days near Rehman-Khera village, about 18 km from Lucknow, has caused panic in the area. Authorities have now geared up to track and capture the feline, an official said Tuesday "We have now formed two special teams, who would be joined by another one from the Wildlife Institute of India, to track the tiger down, trap and return it to its natural home from where it has apparently strayed here," chief wildlife conservator B.K. Patnaik told IANS. Clearly visible pugmarks were noticed for the first time on Friday. However, the confirmation that the feline was in the neighbourhood came after wildlife officials got down to tracking the animal and found a half-devoured blue-bull on the sprawling campus of the union government-run Central Institute of Sub-Horticulture on Sunday. "The kill was not fresh, suggesting that the prey had been killed at least three days earlier. This made it evident that the tiger had been on the prowl in the area for at least five days," said Patnaik. "I am confident that the task of catching the tiger would not be difficult as the animal has localized itself in the green cover around the institute, where we could get him either by laying a trap or by using the tranquiliser method," Patnaik added. Wildlife expert, G.C. Misra, who is a former director of the Dudhwa National Park, says: "The tiger's straying into the area speaks volumes for the increasing penetration of human populations in the big cat's natural home." This is the third time since December 2008 that a tiger has strayed into urban pockets in Uttar Pradesh. In the past two instances, both tigers were presumed to be man-eaters and were gunned down in Faizabad and Lakhimpur-Kheri, respectively, after special wildlife teams failed to trap them. http://www.daijiworld.com/news/news_disp.asp?n_id=127057

Karnataka is the tiger in poaching

Chethan Kumar, Bangalore, Jan 10, DHNS: Scourge a major cause for depletion of species Karnataka was crowned the ‘Tiger State’ of the country after the recent tiger census. But, it has now come to light that the State has accounted for the most number of poaching cases in the last four years. A total of 63 cases of poaching have been registered across 17 states-- Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Mizoram, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal-- since 2008. Of this, Karnataka accounts for 11 with 2010 and 2011 together recording eight poaching cases. According to information available with the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), Maharastra accounted for 10 cases of poaching. Replying to a question in the Lok Sabha recently, Jayanti Natarajan, Minister of State, MoEF, admitted that poaching is one of the major causative factors for the depletion of a species from its habitat. She said: “The government has initiated several steps to prevent poaching as also to punish those indulging in the act.” One of the major initiatives include rehabilitation of people living in areas close to the tiger habitat. However, according to the available information: “...there are about 762 villages with 48,549 families in the core/critical tiger habitats across the country, with Karnataka housing 101 villages and 6159 families.” State’s version When the matter was brought to the notice of the State government, Kaushik Mukherjee, Principal Secretary to Government Forest, Ecology & Environment Department said: “...The number is both correct and wrong!” The State, he said, had one of the best enforcement mechanisms in the country and also has a great team of forest officials working specifically on protecting tigers. “This is what helped us get the tag of being the Tiger State after the recent census. We have over 320 tigers while Madhya Pradesh has only about 280 and nobody else is even close,” Mukherjee said. He said that many of the poaching cases registered had not originated here, and in four of the cases only tiger skins were found. http://www.deccanherald.com/content/218229/karnataka-tiger-poaching.html

SC panel visits Panna diamond mines

Vijay Pinjarkar, TNN | Jan 11, 2012, 03.45AM IST NAGPUR: A seven-member Supreme Court committee visited the Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday to inspect diamond mines and issues related to mine closure plan and utilization of funds towards various mitigation measures. The committee members comprising HS Negi from National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), chief of Wildlife Protection Society of India ( WPSI) Belinda Wright, National Board for Wildlife ( NBWL) member Kishor Rithe as MoEF representative, MP PCCF for wildlife and panel chief HS Pabla, APCCFs TR Sharma and Dharmendra Shukla, Panna field director RS Murthy and others visited the Majhgawan diamond mines. A meeting will be held on Wednesday at Karnavati in Mandla. The mines outside the reserve were being operated without environmental clearance since 1995, and were closed on direction of the Supreme Court in 2005. However, in August 2008, the court allowed mining by National Mining Development Corporation (NMDC). The NMDC is to spend 5% of its total capital cost for afforestation activities in the Panna forest area, and an environment impact monitoring committee has been set up to oversee efforts for approval and monitoring of annual work plan of the funds and issues related to diamond mining. The committee was set up on August 13, 2008, and the first meeting held on June 2, 2011. Tuesday's meeting was the second one. The committee looked into mine closure plan and annual work plan for utilization of funds received from NMDC. Panna has been famous for diamonds since long and the diamond belt covers about 1,000 sq km. The mining has fragmented Panna reserve, where the tiger population has already reduced to a bare minimum. NMDC's Majhgawan mine is about 20km away from Panna and approachable by an all-metal road from Panna and Khajuraho. During the last meeting, NMDC had provided a 21-point compliance report and has expedited preparation of conservation plan for endangered flora and fauna. The Panna field director has submitted an Rs 8.74 crore proposal for mitigation measures. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/SC-panel-visits-Panna-diamond-mines/articleshow/11442453.cms

First family checks out of Kolsa

TNN | Jan 11, 2012, 03.47AM IST CHANDRAPUR: Tukaram Shedmake was a charged-up man on Monday. His house was abuzz with hectic activities and all family members were busy packing their belongings. Tukaram himself checked that everything is packed and safely loaded in a mini-truck. Finally in the evening Shedmake bid adieu to his neighbours and moved out of his village. Shedmake's is the first family to move out of Kolsa village in Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) since 2007. The stalled resettlement of Kolsa practically restarted on Monday, with Shedmake moving out of the village for a new home in Bhagwanpur for Rs 10 lakh compensation. Six more families are set to move out later this week, said CCF and field director of TATR Vinaykumar Sinha. Forty-nine families from Kolsa were relocated to resettlement site - Bhagwanpur - in May 2007. Remaining 97 families pulled out of rehabilitation exercise at the eleventh hour claiming lack of amenities at resettlement site. Shedmake was among four families who received Rs 25,000 token share of the package. "Tukaram Shedmake with his family has moved out of Kolsa. His family is first to relocate from TATR after over four-and-half years. Six other families will move out later this week," Sinha said. "Three more families have already the resettlement agreement. Three others would enter into agreement in a week and move out of the tiger reserve," he said. The process of negotiation and completion of formalities of remaining families is underway, he held. The NTCA has offered two options - cash compensation or full rehabilitation at resettlement site, for relocation out of tiger reserve. These families have chosen the first option, under which they would be paid Rs 10 lakh. Compensation would include fixed deposit (FD) of Rs 6 lakh and Rs 4 lakh in cash. Once the land owned by relocating families is transferred to TATR, the compensation sum would be paid to family head, Sinha said. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/First-family-checks-out-of-Kolsa/articleshow/11442465.cms

Tiger’s pug marks, first kill spotted near Lucknow, experts on alert

Express News Service Posted: Jan 10, 2012 at 0332 hrs IST Lucknow Not more than 25 km from Lucknow city, a tiger is reportedly lurking in the woods of Rehman Khera’s Central Institute of Subtropical Horticulture. The first kill of the predator was also examined by tiger experts in the farm land of the institute on Monday. However, the experts believe the terrain which the tiger is inhabiting has good availability of water and wild prey as well as proper shelter, and so there is no immediate danger of the beast straying near human habitats. “There is no need to worry as the tiger is in an area which is well surrounded by the industry’s boundary. Moreover, it is best to leave the beast undisturbed so that it goes back to its original habitat,” said Ashok Kumar, vice-chairman of Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), New Delhi. However, WTI member has been asked to visit the area on Tuesday and keep a watch. He said tranquilising of the animal will be undertaken only if the need arises. Believed to have strayed from the southern Kheri jungles, the tiger is expected to have been roaming the area for at least a week. A team of experts from Tiger Terrain — a local NGO working in the area in collaboration with WTI — visited the area on Monday. While initial rumours were that of a tigress and a cub spotted in the area, the pug marks proved it to be a mature male tiger of around three-and-a half to four years. No marks of cub were spotted. The body of a blue bull, weighing around 150 kg, was spotted by the team near the aonla plantation of the institute on Monday, indicating the big cat is a proficient and strong hunter. “The tiger’s pugs are 14x14 cm and its stride is of 82 cm, meaning it is a well grown strong tiger,” said Rahul Shukla, a tiger expert and vice chairman of the Tiger Terrain. The CISH farm, spread around 300 acres, has huge mango and aonla plantations and areas of uncleared forest patches. The farm is surrounded on the western side by thick forests. However, Shukla maintained the Forest department has been informed about the tiger’s presence and requested it for assistance. “We have asked for arranging elephants for tracking the tiger as the terrain where it is present cannot be covered on vehicles,” he said. Since the predator needs to be confined in the region and prevented from straying in areas of human habitation, the team has also asked the department to tie buffalo carts in the area as a bait. Since no human killing has been reported till now, the tiger, once nabbed, will be sent back to the jungle. Meanwhile, CISH has warned its workers not to visit the area alone, even during the day time, said H Ravishakar, the director of the institute. http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/tigers-pug-marks-first-kill-spotted-near-lucknow-experts-on-alert/897930/

Bengal tiger population in Assam increased

Guwahati, January 9: Assam forest and environment minister Rockybul Hussain on Monday announced that the Royal Bengal tiger population in Assam has increased to 143 in 2011. The last tiger census in wildlife protected areas was completed in December last. “We used camera trapping method in tiger census in the state. The method is internationally recognized. In Kaziranga National Park KNP), we have 118 Royal Bengal tigers. It has the highest density of royal Bengal tiger in the country”, said Hussain. In the KNP, there were two incidents of Royal Bengal tigers coming out to the fringe and killed villagers separate incidents in November last year. “According to the experts, tigers come out from its habitat for two reasons. When its population increases, the new generation pushed out the older ones and the other reason has been due to the shortage of food. There is no shortage of food for tiger in Kaziranga. This indicates increase of Royal Bengal tigers in Kaziranga”, said Hussain. The state forest minister said that population of Royal Bengal tiger in Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park has also been increased in the last six years. Apart from Kaziranga and Orang National Park, the Nameri National Park and Manas National Park in the state also has witnessed the increase in the population Royal Bengal tigers. The Project Tiger was launched in three wildlife protected areas of Kaziranga, Manas and Nameri in the state. The state forest minister added that elephant population in the state was also increased from ‘5246’ in 2002 to ‘5620’ in 2011. According to last river dolphin census in the state, there are 258 river dolphins in the state. http://www.morungexpress.com/regional/75157.html

Bangalore: 800 Tribal Families Living in Forest Tiger Reserves to be Shifted

From Our Special Correspondent Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore Bangalore, Jan 9: Given the hard reality of increase in man-animal conflicts, the Karnataka Government has decided to rehabilitate 800 tribal families residing in tiger reserves and other forest areas of the State by granting compensation of Rs. 10 lakh to each family. Karnataka’s Forest Minister C P Yogeshwar and Social Welfare Minister A Narayanaswamy, who held a meeting with R Dhruvanarayana, MP, legislators from Mysore, Chamarajanagar and Hassan districts, officials of two departments and tribal leaders in Bangalore on Monday, chalked up plans for resettlement of families trapped in tiger reserves and national parks in the State. Leaders representing tribal families inside tiger reserves and parks have expressed their willingness to relocate from the conflict zone, leaving the land to the wild animals, the ministers were told at the meeting. However, despite a blame game between two ministers on resettlement of families, the Social Welfare Minister said 142 families have been rehabilitated by providing compensation of Rs. 10 lakh cash, three acres of land and Rs. 5,000 for obtaining LPG connections to each family. In anticipation of the Central grants, the Forest and Social Welfare departments would commence relocation of remaining 800 tribal families residing in forests in different districts. Already a proposal seeking funds has been submitted to the Centre, Narayanaswamy said. Several tribal families have been residing in Bandipur, Nagarahole, B R Hills, Bhadra, Kudremukh Nation Park areas. A large number of elephant deaths have been reported in these areas following retaliatory attacks by the people, officials maintained. Yogeshwar said steps would be taken for building elephants proof trenches, boundary walls and solar power fencing for preventing animals straying to villages. However, unlike the Social Welfare Department, the Forest Department’s budget was limited to Rs. 250 crore a year. The Social Welfare Department, a nodal agency for welfare of tribal families, hast to take initiative to rehabilitate tribal families, he said. Narayanaswmay said Revenue and Forest Department have identified 4500 acres in different districts for rehabilitation of tribal families. Now both departments have to conduct a joint survey for allotment of lands to families. The Social Welfare Minister also directed officials of departments concerned to take steps to distribute ration cards and provide electricity connections to households residing in peripheral areas of forests and rehabilitated families. http://www.daijiworld.com/news/news_disp.asp?n_id=126927

Killer tiger resurfaces in Kodagu

TNN | Jan 10, 2012, 01.56AM IST MADIKERI: The tiger, which attacked and injured three buffaloes on Friday, killed a cow on Saturday night at Netkundh near Birunani in South Kodagu. Chottangada Rohith found the half-eaten carcass of his cow near its shed. People in South Kodagu are fearful because the tiger, which claimed several livestock in October and November last year, has resurfaced. A forest department team had kept cages to capture it. These men were relieved when the tiger's pugmark was seen about 500 metres from the Kallalla forest touching Nagarahole on Nov. 9. No incidents were reported after that in Kanoor, Shrimangala, T Shettigeri and Hudikeri villages. The trouble spot is on the Birunani Kodagu - Kerala border. Shrinivas Naik, the Shrimangala wildlife range forest officer, told TOI a leopard may have attacked the cattle. The incidents happened at Birunani near Brahmagiri wildlife forest range and the animal probably arrived from this forest he said, adding, "We are trying our best to chase the animal back to the forest by bursting crackers in the bushes and trees," Naik said. The animal can be identified only after veterinarians survey these area, he added. KA Manu of Birunani villager and Kanoor villager S.P.Mahadevappa told TOI villagers are afraid to move about freely on work and students are tense on their way to school and back. After class, students reach home by about 7pm and they tremble with fear on their way back. Virajpet taluk in-charge deputy conservator of forests Anand said cages would be kept in certain points to capture the animal. He said forest guards in groups will try and capture the tiger. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bangalore/Killer-tiger-resurfaces-in-Kodagu/articleshow/11429631.cms

Finally, state clears spl force for Tadoba, Pench

Vijay Pinjarkar, TNN | Jan 9, 2012, 02.42AM IST NAGPUR: Clearing all the hurdles raised by the state finance department, the government has finally cleared setting up of Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF) for Pench and Tadoba-Andhari tiger reserves. Talking to TOI on Sunday, Praveen Pardeshi, principal secretary (forests), said all the hassles in creating STPF have been removed and a formal GR will be issued on Monday. "The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) will provide 100% assistance," Pardeshi added. Considering the endangered status of tiger and the need for urgently stepping up protection in sensitive areas having source population of tigers, with the active involvement of forest dwelling communities, the NTCA in February 2009 had mandated setting up of STPFs in all the tiger reserves. "Each STPF squad will consists of 110 men and will be headed by assistant conservator (ACF) rank officer and include RFOs, foresters and forest guards. The guards will mostly comprise locals. They will be entitled to the same salary and emoluments through the service provider," Pardeshi said. The top official added that it will take over three months to physically post the squads in the reserves. The personnel will have to undergo training from police and para military forces. They will be also trained to detect poaching and wildlife crime, apart from protection work. On the issue of staff, Pardeshi said additional posts have been cleared. Besides, there will no fresh recruitment for guards. "Several candidates have been kept in the waiting list who qualified during the recent recruitment drive. We'll also sign a pact with the Centre soon on the STPF," he added. At present, Karnataka is the only state which has set up STPF for Bandipur. It has now also included Nagarahole and Biligiri Rangana Temple Wildlife Sanctuary. Maharashtra is perhaps the second state to set up STPF. It is in the final stages in Orissa, sources said. Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar had cleared the STPF at a meeting in Nagpur on December 15, 2010, but finance department put hurdles asking many irrelevant queries. Pardeshi again followed up the matter with chief secretary Ratnakar Gaikwad and NTCA and finally got it cleared last week. Wildlife conservationists have hailed the decision. They say even as number of tigers in the latest tiger estimation has gone up from 103 in 2006, to 169 in 2011, poaching threat is looming large on the tiger reserves. What the STPF will mean? STPF will exercise policing powers and the state will be required to confer these powers on personnel under subsection (3) of Section 197 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974). These are powers to use firearms to combat tiger poaching and related offences in the tiger habitat. Not being an armed force of the Union, STPF will be used only for tiger protection, and under no circumstances would be requisitioned in aid of civil authority for any other work. The STPF will receive special training from state police and paramilitary forces. The assistance will be granted by NTCA. During the financial year, the state will sign a MoU to implement the initiative in conformity. The guidelines for training/syllabus will be communicated shortly. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Finally-state-clears-spl-force-for-Tadoba-Pench/articleshow/11418247.cms

TATR, Melghat get Rs31 cr for relocation

Vijay Pinjarkar, TNN | Jan 9, 2012, 02.41AM IST NAGPUR: In a big boost for growing number of tigers crying for space, the ministry of environment and forest's 'Project Tiger' division has released over Rs 31 crore for relocating four villages in Tadoba and Melghat. Overall, Rs23.98 crore has been released for Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) to relocate Jamni and Navegaon (Ramdegi) villages in the core area of Tadoba. While Rs2.88 crore were released last month, the balance amount was released a couple of days ago. Relocation of these villages will increase carrying capacity of tigers in Tadoba as more space will be created. Otherwise, space crunch leads the surplus tiger population to move out and involve in conflict with humans. In Jamni and Navegaon, 237 families have accepted option-I and 225 families option-II. In option-I, villagers will be paid Rs10 lakh, while those under option-II will be relocated by the authorities. Navegaon villagers will be resettled near Khadsingi while Jamni villagers in Ambadi near Samudrapur in Wardha district. Earlier, TATR had sent a proposal for Rs45 crore to resettle these two villages. However, an enhancement of over Rs47.66 crore has been done towards relocation of both the villages. The money will be treated as 100% Central assistance. Similarly, Melghat Tiger Reserve (MTR), which has maximum number of villages and has taken a lead in relocating them, has been released Rs7.39 crore to resettle Dhargad and Pili villages. All the 313 families - 172 in Pili and 141 in Dhargad - have opted for option I. Last year, over Rs40 crore were released for MTR in which three villages Barukheda, Amona and Nagartas were resettled. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/TATR-Melghat-get-Rs31-cr-for-relocation/articleshow/11418239.cms

Tiger count goes up in Panna with rise in number of cubs

PTI Jan 6, 2012, 03.48PM IST BHOPAL: The Panna Reserve in Madhya Pradesh, which gained notoriety for mysterious disappearance of its big cats, is flourishing with tiger cubs again, rejoicing the success of its unique translocation experiment to revive their population. "The tiger reserve has seven cubs and five adult tigers in its wild after the launch of an experiment involving breeding of translocated wild cats and rehabilitation of orphaned cubs ," Panna Tiger Reserve Director, R S Murthy told reporters. The reserve has four female and a male tiger in its kitty and all of them have well adjusted to their new environment. The number of tiger cubs in other reserves across the state is also looking up. Kanha Tiger Reserve at present has 21-23 tiger cubs while the Pench Tiger Reserve boasts of having another 21 or more. "At present we have 21-23 tiger cubs in the different age groups wandering with their mothers in the forest," Kanha Tiger Reserve Director, J S Chouhan said. Kanha has at present nearly 70 or more tigers in its wild as per the official figures, he said. Pench Tiger Reserve Director, Alok Kumar said that in the year 2010-11, nearly 21 tiger cubs were sighted by the forest staff in different zones of the reserve. They are in the age group of 5-6 months to over one year old, Kumar said. A tiger is normally considered adult when it attains the age of two-and-a-half year and also when it separates from its mother. http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-01-06/flora-fauna/30597548_1_tiger-cubs-male-tiger-tiger-count

Vigil at tiger reserves in TN keep poachers at bay

January 9, 2012 DC chennai South Indian states are spearheading the effort by the 17 states to save the tiger with Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala having recorded fewer cases of tiger poaching when compared to states such as Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra, according to a information submitted by minister of state Namo Narayan Meena in the Lok Sabha. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had five years ago constituted the National Tiger Task Force and said that stern action would be taken against poachers. Despite this, poaching big cats had gone up from 2008 to 2010 with only 2011 bringing respite as poaching cases dwindled by about 50 per cent. In 2008, nine tigers were poached, while in 2009, the figure shot up to 17, according to data available with this newspaper. The figure shot up to an alarming 25 in 2010, with respite coming in 2011 when 12 cases were recorded. However, K.V.R.K. Thirunaranan, founder, The Nature Trust, said that there is good vigil in all the three tiger reserves of Tamil Nadu and this has helped the wildlife department reduce the poaching of big cats. However there is a need to enhance the security network as the system is not foolproof and one or two stray poaching cases are reported. The patrolling in Parambikulam tiger reserve in Kerala is excellent and the reserve has witnessed fewer poaching cases compared to other south Indian tiger reserves, he said. http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/chennai/vigil-tiger-reserves-tn-keep-poachers-bay-056

Tiger terror in Guwahati; leopard captured

08 January, 2012AT News Bureau Four persons have been injured when a fully grown leopard attacked them after storming into a residential area in Guwahati on Saturday. The leopard ran into a house on the Nabagraha Road in Silphukhuri area at around 12-30 in the afternoon. Immediately after it the leopard attacked four persons one after another. Many others managed to escape. The injured persons were rushed to GMCH. Later the leopard was taken for observation at the Assam State Zoo in Guwahati. http://www.assamtimes.org/hot-news/5784.html

Foresters fire on illegal fishermen at Totladoh, 16 Hurt

Soumittra S Bose & Vijay Pinjarkar, TNN | Jan 9, 2012, 03.52AM IST NAGPUR: Some 16 fishermen fishing illegally in Totladoh reservoir inside Pench tiger reserve were injured when forest guards opened fire on them with 12-bore shotguns on Saturday evening. The forest guards, patrolling the dam on Pench river, claimed they opened fire in self-defence after the fishermen surrounded their boat in mid-reservoir and started attacking them after being challenged. A magisterial enquiry was instituted by the district collector into the matter later. The incident is latest in the ongoing tussle between the foresters and local fishermen dating back since the time the forest around reservoir was declared tiger reserve and fishing prohibited in it. "A group of 12 forest staffers were zeroing in on a fishing boat when they were attacked by fishermen in other boats. Within no time, several boats surrounded our men. There were around 50 fishermen and our men were outnumbered. The forest staff retreated as it was growing dark after they managed to stave off attack on themselves," said AK Saxena, additional principal chief conservator of forests (APCCF), wildlife, Nagpur. A group of 20 fishermen, resident of Rayyatwadi in New Deolapar, had sneaked into the prohibited zone for fishing at 5 pm on Saturday and was just preparing to lay their underwater nets when a foresters boat with eight gunmen approached them. According to Feroze Pathan, one of the injured fishermen, the forest guards had continued firing on them for almost an hour. "We somehow managed to crawl back into the forest for cover and stayed there for seven hours writhing in pain. At midnight we started back for our home around 20 kms away. We walked four to five hours in injured condition and reached home," said Pathan. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Foresters-fire-on-illegal-fishermen-at-Totladoh-16-Hurt/articleshow/11418733.cms

Rise in number of tiger cubs in Panna Reserve in Madhya Pradesh

BHOPAL: The Panna Reserve in Madhya Pradesh, which gained notoriety for mysterious disappearance of its big cats, is flourishing with tiger cubs again, rejoicing the success of its unique translocation experiment to revive their population. "The Tiger Reserve has seven cubs and five adult tigers in its wild after the launch of an experiment involving breeding of translocated wild cats and rehabilitation of orphaned cubs ," Panna Tiger Reserve Director, R S Murthy said. The reserve has four female and a male tiger in its kitty and all of them have well adjusted to their new environment. The number of tiger cubs in other reserves across the state is also looking up. Kanha Tiger Reserve at present has 21-23 tiger cubs while the Pench Tiger Reserve boasts of having another 21 or more. "At present we have 21-23 tiger cubs in the different age groups wandering with their mothers in the forest," Kanha Tiger Reserve Director, J S Chouhan said. Kanha has at present nearly 70 or more tigers in its wild as per the official figures, he said. Pench Tiger Reserve Director, Alok Kumar said that in the year 2010-11, nearly 21 tiger cubs were sighted by the forest staff in different zones of the reserve. They are in the age group of 5-6 months to over one year old, Kumar said. A tiger is normally considered adult when it attains the age of two-and-a-half year and also when it separates from its mother. The last tiger census of Madhya Pradesh stood at 257 while in Karnataka the count was 300 following which the central state lost its coveted "Tiger State" status to the southern counterpart. Madhya Pradesh objected to the figures released by the WII and National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) after which the big cats were again re-counted in Kanha Tiger Reserve, a senior forest official said. In order to find out the exact number of tiger population in the country, the NTCA has decided to conduct tiger census every year in the Tiger Reserves and every four year in other forest areas as usual, the official said. Madhya Pradesh has Pench, Panna, Bandhavgarh, Kanha, Satpuda, Sanjay Dubri Tiger Reserves. After the last Tiger census, the population of big cat was estimated at 1706 in the country.

Tiger census results by year-end

HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times New Delhi, January 04, 2012 With the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) starting a new process to estimate the number of tigers in the wild, the next round of the big cat results are expected to be announced by this year end. The NTCA has asked forest departments to implement the protocol for counting tigers in core and buffer areas of 39 reserves. As per last census in 2011, India had 1,706 tigers. To ensure that the new estimate is close to the actual number, the NTCA has asked the forest departments to have GPS camera traps. The camera traps are installed to take pictures of tigers. The pictures are then compared to estimate the population in the area on basis of the stripes, which are unique to each tiger. Local forest officials will work in coordination with scientists from the Wildlife Institute of India, and monitor the camera traps daily. http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/Tiger-census-results-by-year-end/Article1-791247.aspx

Officials in a hurry to bury tiger death

January 5, 2012 DC Bandipur Tiger Reserve | Mysore District Four days after the alleged killing of a male tiger in a jaw-trap inside the Bandipur Tiger Reserve (BTR), many missing links are being established at the Reserve, even as the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTC) members are visiting the reserve to investigate the death. On Wednesday, when the Deccan Chronicle team visited the tiger reserve, it was evident that no one wanted to talk about the incident. Foresters chose to remain silent but senior officials of the forest department challenged this reporter to identify the place of the crime. "There is a death of a tiger by jaw trap. But we are unable to link the missing links which are cropping up over the last four days after media reports on the tiger’s death surfaced”, said a forest official at the tiger reserve. Sources in the forest department confirmed to Deccan Chronicle that a tiger was killed in a jaw trap and that senior officials are trying to hush up the case. “We are aware about who went to bury the carcass of the tiger and the location where the big cat was buried. We want the Forest Department to find out about the wrongdoing which is being reported inside the reserve since many months,” said a forest officer. A senior forester told this newspaper that the Forest Department was serious about jaw trapping or counting the individual deaths in the country and it could lead to problems. "We are trying to mobilise the foresters to stay on duty in wildlife areas so that more people from the forest department do not leave the posts," conservationists added. Wildlife PCCF B.K. Singh says there has been no killing of a tiger inside the Bandipur Tiger Reserve and that reports published in the media are wrong. “We have also included the foresters from Nagarhole so that there are no more jaw traps found in Bandipur. If there is such poaching of tigers and the matter is hushed up the officers will be sent home”, said Mr Singh. http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/bengaluru/officials-hurry-bury-tiger-death-994

Tass tigress at doorstep of Tadoba?

Vijay Pinjarkar, TNN | Jan 4, 2012, 04.35AM IST NAGPUR: The Tass tigress that was rescued from a drain and released back into wild in Bhiwapur forest, appears to have found its way to the doorstep of Tadoba tiger reserve. If that is the case, the tigress has travelled over 35 km in just over a month after her release. The signals received by forest officials and the monitoring team from her radio-collar show that the tigress is in a reserve forests in Brahmapuri (area not revealed) very close to Tadoba's buffer and may be heading towards Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR). The tigress was rescued on October 13 from an open drain adjoining Tass forest in Bhiwapur. It was released in its original habitat after treatment on November 27. Tigers are great wanderers and only a scientific study can tell why the tigress moved out so long. In 2009, a radio-collared tiger had travelled 250 kms from Kanha tiger reserve to reach Pench. Similarly, last year, another radio-collared tigress from MP Pench had reached Mansinghdeo sanctuary in Maharashtra. Experts say there may be many reasons like poor prey base and competition in its original habitat for tigress' long run and a study needs to be done. The tigress had killed a goat and some wild boars in Ranmangli and Paoni forests. Officials are closely monitoring the beast and are cautious not to reveal its location fearing it could be hunted. A K Saxena, additional PCCF for wildlife, East, who also holds charge of chief wildlife warden, did not go into the details saying the matter was sensitive. "We are keeping a close watch," he stressed. The tigress is suspected to have moved from Ranmangli through Paoni and Kanpa-Tenpa. The movement, essential to maintain a healthy gene pool, underlines the importance of protecting corridors that are fast getting fragmented. The tigress seems to be clever and as it avoided villages and canals and also crossed state highway 9 to reach Tadoba. "It amply shows how road widening, canals, dams and biotic pressure threaten tigers. The tigress is lucky," said officials. Conservationists, who did not wish to be quoted, felt that the tigress must be originally from Tadoba stock and must be acquainted with the routes. It could have even moved towards Wadsa or Pratapgarh-Navegaon-Nagzira, which is another corridor. "Generally, cats move on routes they are familiar with," they said. An Umred-based NGO Wildlife Conservation and Development Centre (WLCDC), working for tiger conservation in Bhiwapur, claimed they had first sighted the Tass tigress near Kharangla with its mother in April 2009. It must be around five months old then. Members of NGO feel Karhandla-Bhiwapur seems to have a source population from where tigers move into Tadoba landscape. The WLCDC members claimed the tigress may have moved in search of a mate. But this is also doubtful as Bhiwapur area already has male tigers. An expert disagreed saying, "I'm not ready to believe that Bhiwapur has a source population. It does not have prey density to support resident tigers. The tigress moved towards Tadoba landscape due to strong continuity that needs to be strengthened." Saxena said, "We will definitely do a corridor study." Quotes The tigress must be originally from Tadoba stock and must be acquainted with the routes. It could have even moved towards Wadsa or Pratapgarh-Navegaon-Nagzira, which is another corridor. Conservationst I'm not ready to believe that Bhiwapur has a source population. It does not have prey density to support resident tigers. The tigress moved towards Tadoba landscape due to strong continuity that needs to be strengthened. Expert Tracking The Tigress Officials are closely monitoring the beast and are cautious not to reveal its location fearing it could be hunted The tigress is suspected to have moved from Ranmangli through Paoni and Kanpa-Tenpa The tigress avoided villages and canals and also crossed state highway 9 to reach Tadoba The movement underlines the importance of protecting corridors that are fast getting fragmented http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Tass-tigress-at-doorstep-of-Tadoba/articleshow/11358192.cms

Karnataka sets up special tiger protection force

January 3, 2012 | Bangalore, (IANS) Karnataka has become the first Indian state to set up a special commando unit for protecting tigers in its dense forests from poachers and hunters, a senior official said Tuesday. “The 54-strong trained commando unit will be deployed from Wednesday in the two major tiger reserves located in Bandipur and Nagarhole national parks on the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border to protect the wild cats from poachers and hunters,” state’s Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) B.K. Singh told reporters here. The Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF) comprising 14 deputy forest range officers and 40 young guards have completed a three-month crash course for learning to survive in the jungle terrain and use various types of weapons at the state police training school in Yelahanka, about 30 km from Bangalore. “The force has been divided into three groups to be stationed initially at three locations in the two contiguous national parks. When a commando reaches 40 years of age, he will be shifted out of the unit and assigned other jobs in the forest department,” Singh said. An assistant conservator of forests and three range forest officers will supervise the operations of the special force, which is equipped with firearms, binoculars and wireless sets to be a deterrent to poaching. As per the latest (2011) tiger census, Karnataka is the most tiger dense state with 300 of the 1,700 wild cats in the country prowling in six major reserves across the state, including the Biligiri Ranganna Temple wildlife sanctuary in Chamrajnagar district, about 200 km from Bangalore. According to the state forest department, about 50 tigers died in Karnataka since 2006, in which 25 were killed by poachers and hunters. In the last two years, 25 tigers were killed across the country, including five in this southern state. Constituted under the aegis of the union environment and forests ministry on the recommendation of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), the force expenditure will be fully funded by the central government. “We plan to induct an additional 54 personnel into the force for deploying in the other three tiger reserves across the state. They will also undergo physical training, unarmed combat, training in using weapons, field engineering, map reading, disaster management and crowd control,” Singh noted. The NTCA has identified 13 tiger reserves in seven states across the country for the ambitious project to protect the dwindling population of the big cats. “The second force will be set up in Odisha for deployment in its Simlipal tiger reserve,” NTCA member secretary Rajesh Gopal said. The central government sanctioned Rs.50 crore to the NTCA in 2008 for raising, arming and deploying commandos in 13 sensitive tiger reserves across the country — Dudhwa-Katerniaghat, Corbett, Ranthambore, Pench, Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Pakke, Bandipur-Nagargole, Tadoba Andhari, Mudumalai, Kaziranga and Simlipal. “The big cats are a prize catch for poachers as their body parts are extensively used in making traditional Chinese medicines,” said Inspector General of Police H.S. Negi who is associated with NTCA. http://nvonews.com/2012/01/03/karnataka-sets-up-special-tiger-protection-force/

Forest officials hushed up tiger death

January 4, 2012 DC Bengaluru The male tiger, which reportedly died after being caught in a jaw trap in Bandipur Tiger Reserve (BTR) last weekend, was allegedly buried in Rampura in Kalkere range of Bandipur Tiger Reserve, according to highly placed sources. What is even more shocking is that this information was reportedly known to the senior forest officials, who “not only hushed up the tiger’s death, but also buried the big cat in Rampura without an autopsy – a violation of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 under which the reasons for a tiger’s death have to be ascertained through an autopsy, which has to be videographed in the presence of forest officials and representatives of non-governmental organisations,” said the source. It is reliably learnt that the poachers from Madhya Pradesh, who had laid the jaw trap, have reportedly been camping in the Bandipur National Park for the last eight to nine months with no action taken against them. Following media reports, the forest officials on Tuesday caught the group and detained them in Maddur range of Bandipur National Parkfor interrogation, the source added. This is the second tiger which lost its life in the Bandipur Tiger Reserve in less than one week. The forest officials are attributing the death of the other tiger to hunger. Conservationists are also worried about the whereabouts of another six-year-old male tiger with a scar on the left eye, which is a huge attraction among tourists in the Bandipur Tiger Reserve. “He has not been spotted in the last two months,” added the source. http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/bengaluru/forest-officials-hushed-tiger-death-678

STPF trainees all set to get on field

Express News Service , The New Indian Express BANGALORE: Manjunath Malagi (21), a forester from Gadag who completed his Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF) commando training on Tuesday, is enthusiastic to get into the field and discharge his duty. Speaking to Express, he said, “During these 13 weeks we had to undergo physical training that included unarmed combating method, weapon (pistol, grenade) training, map reading, disaster management, first aid, crowd control management. Once we get into the field this training will be helpful.” Awarding the certificates on completion of their commando training from the Police Training School, Yelahanka, to the batch of 54 foresters and forest guards who would be forming the STPF, Dr Rajesh Gopal, member-secretary, National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), said, “The STPF is different from the normal forest guards. When it comes to tiger poaching and smuggling it requires professionally trained combating force. In 2011, we lost around 50 tigers across the country, of which 22 fell to bullets of poachers.” Appreciating the initiative of the Forest Department, he assured support to the department in matters related to tiger conservation. Similarly, the STPF have been sanctioned for 13 other tiger reserves across nine states, he said. Meanwhile, B K Singh, principal chief conservator of forests (Wildlife) related about instances wherein the forest force had failed because of poor handling of information system, due to lack of trained manpower. He said, “The trained 54 foresters and forest guards will be deployed at Bandipur and Nagarhole as the poaching threat is higher in these two reserves.” Speaking to the media regarding the translocation of elephants from Alur in Hassan district to Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary, Minister for Forests C P Yogeshwar said, “The case will be heard in the High Court on Wednesday. Following which in a week’s time we will conduct a meeting and a decision will be taken on the issue.” http://ibnlive.in.com/news/stpf-trainees-all-set-to-get-on-field/217611-60-115.html

Simlipal's wait for tiger force continues

TNN | Jan 3, 2012, 09.54AM IST BARIPADA: Simlipal is yet to get its Special Tiger Protection Force even though the Centre had taken the decision to have it two years ago. Though Bandipur in Karnataka and a few tiger reserves in Maharashtra have already established their Special Tiger Protection Force, some formalities have delayed the launch of the project in Simlipal, said Anup Kumar Nayak, field director of the tiger reserve-cum-regional chief conservator of forests (Baripada). Nayak also said the state government, on its part, should give legal immunity to Simlipal Special Tiger Protection Force (SSTPF) personnel to use firearms to combat "tiger poaching and other related offences within the tiger habitat". Sources said the Tiger Force Assistant Conservator of Forests will remain the commander of SSTPF, while the field director will remain in-charge of the overall command of the Force. Though the SSTPF is meant to be funded by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), it needs the formal nod of the state finance department for implementation, Nayak said. Delay in getting this approval is one of the reasons for delay in launching of the project, Nayak added. The SSTPF will have three platoons, each under a tiger force range officer and assisted by six tiger force Forester and 30 special tiger guards. Its total recurring cost will be Rs 1.62 crore per annum with the non-recurring expenses working out to be Rs 1.9 crore approximately. The SSTPF foresters and forest guards will be trained by the state police as well as central paramilitary forces based on a special syllabus for skill development, combating poaching and intelligence-based enforcement in a forest terrain. The Simlipal Tiger Reserve sprawls over 2,750 sq km came to be known as the poachers' paradise when in mid-2010 after wildlife activists exposed 'mass killing' of elephants prompting the NTCA to appoint a 'probe team'. A survey conducted by Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India between March 26 and May 27, 2007 revealed that there were only 30 Royal Bengal Tigers in Simlipal. In 2004, the forest department put the number of big cats at 101 during a survey carried out under the pugmark method. The present scenario also presents largescale killing of sambars, deers and wild boars, the prey animals of tigers. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhubaneswar/Simlipals-wait-for-tiger-force-continues/articleshow/11347882.cms

Tiger population in Uttarakhand may have increased

Jagdish Bhatt | January 2, 2012 | Comments | | Print Dehradun : While this small mountain state may literally have been a graveyard for tigers during last year with about 19 felines having been killed, there is reason for wildlife lovers to celebrate. The good news in the beginning of the New Year is that tiger numbers may be increasing in the Uttarakhand. Credence to this lies in the fact that pictures of the carnivore were captured in the CCTVs that had been installed in the Rajaji Park, where the felines were hardly visible over the years, though there were leopards that had been seen on the prowl. Wildlife experts at the Wildlife Institute of India feel that the number of tigers may have actually increased in the Corbett National Park, because of which some of the animals may have migrated to the Rajaji Park. Experts at the Institute said that some 60 odd CCTVs had been placed at strategic places in the Chilla and Gohari ranges of the Rajaji Park. The reason was that over the last decade or so though pug marks of tigers had been visible in the Park area, but there were no sights or traces of even uneaten kills to ascertain that the carnivores had made the forests their home. They said that with the pictures of the animals captured in the CCTVs, there were reasons to believe that a couple or even two tiger couples may have moved to Rajai from the adjoining Corbett National Park. This has obviously happened as the tiger population in Corbett has gone up and some of the felines have mover our to get more territory, as basically the cats are territorial animals, they confided. Experts of the Institute said that so far the CCTVs had only been out up at the Chilla and Gohari ranges of the Rajaji Park, but after seeing the visuals of the tigers on the CCTVs, they were now intending to install some more CCTVs in the Motichur, Kansro and Ramgarh ranges of the Park, as there was all possibility that some more felines may have shifted to these also, as they are all part of one huge forest block. They said that following the results got from the CCTVs that would be installed in these three ranges the future course of action would be decided. “If there are visuals of the felines sighted on these CCTVs, there will be reasons to believe that the number of tigers have gone up more than marginally forcing the felines to seek new territories, and then will be installing more CCTVs in the other ranges of the park, which include, Dhaulkhand (east), Dhaulkhand (west) and Chillawalli”, they added.http://hillpost.in/2012/01/02/tiger-population-in-uttarakhand-may-have-increased/38622/general/media-and-entertainment-more/photo-news/bhatt

On the tiger trail

Trekking Janaki Murali follows the footsteps of a tiger in search of its kill, in this rich and descriptive account of the Periyar Tiger Sanctuary in Kerala. In October, during the Diwali weekend, it was tourist mayhem at Thekkady in Kumily, Kerala, famous for its Periyar Tiger sanctuary. It had been raining through the night and it was still trickling in the morning, making it a very cold and wet day. We had rushed out of our hotel, which adjoined the Periyar Tiger Sanctuary, at 5 am in the morning to walk the short distance to the tiger sanctuary’s gates, to join the lengthening queue. The main attraction in Kumily, more commonly referred to as Thekkady, is the famous Periyar Tiger Sanctuary, housing some 45 tigers. The dense deciduous forests, surrounding the Periyar Lake, has some 145 species of orchids, over 60 species of mammals, over 300 bird species and some 150 types of butterflies. Coffee and tea were being sold by enterprising cyclewallahs to the tourists in the queue. Clutching the paper cup with its hot coffee and finding shelter under a borrowed umbrella, I watched as handicrafts’ stall owners opened their shops to catch the early tourist traffic. They often cheerfully turned arbitrators in small quarrels that arose between the tourists whenever somebody broke the queue. It was a wet and cold morning, and tempers were short. Autos, buses, taxis and cars added to the chaos, parked willy nilly before the closed gates. When the gates opened, there was a mad rush of vehicles through the Tiger Reserve. It was amusing to see vehicles pour into the parking lot of the Periyar sanctuary at break-neck speed , so that it could vomit out its inhabitants to join yet another long queue to buy tickets for the boat ride. No way were we joining another long queue, and so we made an instant decision to trek instead. The forest, on foot Periyar sanctuary offers different kinds of treks. There are camping trails where groups can stay overnight in the sanctuary, and there are jeep rides. There are nature walks among other treks. We decided to do the nature walk costing Rs 800. The nature walk comprises a trained guide who accompanies a small group of five on a three-hour trek into the Periyar forest. “Wear heavy shoes as there are lots of leeches in the forest,” we were told at the ticket counter. We were also asked to fill in forms with our contact details and the next of kin’s numbers and address. We were then given leech socks — pair of thick khaki socks. This was to prevent leeches from attaching themselves to our skins. We walked down a few steps to board a bamboo raft that the guide rowed to take us to the other side. The view from the raft was spectacular — the lake, surrounded by the forest, had the cardamom hills as its backdrop. On the other side, the forest beckoned with all its mysteries intact. Nature had spread its bounteous gifts for us to experience. We kept to the shoreline during the initial parts of our trek, but were soon walking deep into the moist deciduous forests, complete with the undulating hills on one end and marshlands and slushy undergrowth beneath our feet. We had to constantly watch our step, for we never knew what might be crawling below us. There were plenty of leeches which stuck to our shoes that we constantly pushed away with twigs. At one point, the guide sprayed some tobacco powder on our shoes, which he said would keep the leeches away, not that it did. In and around At a distance we saw the Nilgiri langur monkeys which swung from branch to branch, offering us a glimpse here and a glimpse there. They were too quick for us to capture on film. Birds surrounded us with their loud chatter. Some brightly coloured ones flew into our view and flew away even before we could identify them. Across the lake, we spied some bison, and far away on a hill were some more. As we went deeper and deeper into the forest, we spied some silver oaks, cedar, teak, rain trees, wild berries, wild guavas and wild mushrooms. But, except for the bison, we had caught sight of no other animals and had to be satisfied with bear pug marks and an elephant fossil. With the fresh rains, the undergrowth was wet and slushy, but we plodded on, still in search of the elusive tiger. Then suddenly the guide shushed us and asked us to stop. We stopped and listened in silence to the noise of the jungle. Amidst the loud chatter of the birds, the guide whispered, “Can’t you smell him? A tiger has been here just now.” I shivered in excitement. A tiger? We stood quietly and scoured a clearing that the guide pointed us towards, hoping to catch some action. There was nothing there, expect rolling greenery. The sun shone like a spotlight on the natural amphitheatre kind of setting and I almost expected the tiger to appear from the wings and take a bow. Beastly presence After a few more minutes of expectant silence, with our hearts pounding a little too noisily, the guide began groping around in the undergrowth. With the sunlight filtering in through the leafy branches of the tall trees, every shadow could have been a tiger in disguise. The guide, the consummate actor that he was, demonstrated what the tiger must have done. I was certain that our guide had missed his calling. He ought to have been on stage. “It must have spotted a fowl and come to attack. Then it smelt us and bounded away. Tigers are very shy animals, but there should be pug marks, let’s look for them,” he said softly. We groped around the green and brown carpeted forest floor, not knowing what we were looking for. “Ah! There they are,” he said with a smug satisfied air about him. We saw them too and collectively released our breaths. We hadn’t spotted a tiger, but had walked in its wake, which was nearly as good, if not better, for what would we have done, if we had seen a tiger face to face. The trek back to the raft that would take us back to the other side was nearly not as exciting as our near encounter with the tiger. Back at the base, we pulled out our khaki socks and saw them creeping and crawling with leeches. Some had found their way inside my shoes too. While we spent the next few minutes removing the leeches, I was sorry that the trek was over. A group of tourists, who had spent the night camping in the forest, told us disappointedly that they hadn’t spotted the tiger. Another couple who had gone into the forest in a jeep had the same story to tell. I smiled in smug satisfaction. We hadn’t spotted a tiger either, but we had walked its path, and had a pugmark to show for our efforts. http://www.deccanherald.com/content/215341/on-tiger-trail.html

Kanha’s many stripes

Tej Narayan Animal retreat One fine crimson evening, I found myself in Kisli, a village that lay within the green woods of the Kanha Tiger Reserve. Saturated with saal trees, these forests maintain their greenery even during the summer and act as green mansions for the wildlife in Kanha Tiger reserve. As I explored the Kanha forest, I came across a plethora of fauna. I found a herd of bison as well as deer grazing merrily in its lush green surroundings. Negotiating hairpin turns on Salkat Road, a terrain defined by bamboo and saal trees, I found myself entering the tiger’s abode. My excitement and anticipation over the possibility of spotting a tiger fell through, however, when all we could spot were a couple of wild boars rustling the bamboo. While I might have had no luck on that particular day, I chanced upon the beast on my return journey to my rest house in Kisli. I hadn’t noticed that the being I had driven past in the middle of the night was one that I was hoping to see all along. Early next day, while exploring the meadows of Kanha, I also chanced upon one of the most beautiful and elegant deer to be found, the Barasingha. There are different species of Barasingha, some of which can be found in Kaziranga National Park in Assam. But the most beautiful are those protected within the confines of Kanha. Forest officials also organise a ‘Tiger Show’ for tourists. Mahouts on elephants set out before dawn to areas where one is most likely to spot a tiger. When the tiger is sighted, elephants encircle the area to make sure that the tigers don’t stray too far off. Wireless messages are then sent to a camp at Kanha, who then usher the tourists (for a price, of course) to view the tigers from an elephant’s back. Seated on an elephant, I had the delightful opportunity of watching a tiger during its meal time. Its catch of the day was the royal stag. It was rather chilling, and at the same time, exciting, to watch this striped carnivore devour its kill. I wanted to move a little closer to the animal to get a better shot on my camera. An inch forward, however, led to a low warning growl from the tiger. I managed to get my picture in a fraction of a second, a second that captured his feast and growl all at once. The mahout pointed out to another tiger lazing about behind a bush, trying to seem like he was meditating. Perhaps, he had gulped down his grub to his satisfaction and was enjoying his siesta. As we inched closer, he opened one eye, only to remind us that appearances, after all, were always deceiving. We saw other fauna too — black buck, spotted deer and sambar, to be precise. The guide also pointed out a variety of birds, including the multi-hued peacock and the colourful kingfisher. The Kanha Tiger Reserve is spread over 1,945 sq km of lush green flora of the Maikal Mountain of Satpura mountain ranges in Central India. The park is open from October to May. http://www.deccanherald.com/content/215331/kanhas-many-stripes.html

‘Jaw traps’ suspected for tiger death in Bandipur

K H Obalesh, Chamarajanagar, Jan 1, DHNS: Practice prevalent in North India; attempts to hush up incident alleged An incident of Forest officials allegedly hushing up the death of a tiger caught in a ‘jaw trap’ has come to light in the limits of Bandipur National Park. A 10-year-old male tiger was found dead in the Kalkere range of the Park on December 30 and the official version was that the animal died of hunger. One more tiger was found dead at the same spot on December 31 after being caught in a ‘jaw trap.’ It is said senior officers visited the spot clandestinely and buried the caracass. They are also said to have taken photographs of the dead animal and the ‘jaw trap.’ According to the guidelines framed by National Tiger Conservation Authority, post mortem on tigers should be conducted in the presence of two representatives of non-governmental organisations. Accordingly, two representatives were present during the post mortem on the tiger which died of hunger. However, sources in the Forest department say that the officials have maintained secrecy on the ‘jaw trap’ death of the tiger. There had been no reports of ‘jaw trap’ deaths in the State for the past three years. The practice of hunting animals using this type of trap is more prevalent in North India and the tribals of Madhya Pradesh are said to be experts. The first such case came to light in South India at Nagarahole National Park in 2002. Two hunters were arrested in Veeranahosahalli, Nagarahole in 2008 for using the trap. It is said the forest officials are attempting to suppress the recent incident to escape laxity charges. A wildlife expert, who wished to be unnamed, said true facts would come to light if a CID investigation is ordered into the death of tigers. Dr K T Hanumanthappa, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Bandipur, told Deccan Herald that a tiger died of oral lesions in Kalkere range and that the caracass was burnt after a post mortem. He denied any ‘jaw trap’ deaths of tiger in the Range. What is a jaw trap? A common foothold trap is made of two jaws, a trigger in the middle and one or two springs. A round pan usually acts as a trigger. The traps, usually laid on the tracks frequented by animals, are anchored to the earth with the help of strong chains and are camouflaged with dry leaves. As soon as the animal steps on the trigger, the trap closes around the foot clamping down its limb or paw. As the animal struggles to free itself writhing in pain, the steel vise cuts into its flesh, some times down to the bone. The trapped animals are sometimes gunned down by hunters, while in some cases they die of pain and hunger. http://www.deccanherald.com/content/216038/jaw-traps-suspected-tiger-death.html

Tiger trail

Dec 29, 2011, 12.00AM IST The latest tiger population census showed the numbers rising from 1,411 in 2008 to an estimated 1,706. Yet the National Tiger Conservation Authority seems not to be taking any chances. It`s to conduct yearly censuses in India`s 39 tiger reserves, besides the customary headcount every four years. While it`ll provide equipment like camera traps to capture data for analysis, field workers will train for upgraded tracking exercises. With periodic alarms raised about vanishing tigers - recall Sariska or Panna - and credible information about their plight in our tiger belts often hard to come by, the move makes sense. Annual counts will make the conservation effort more accountable, simply by keeping field personnel on their toes. While success in tiger conservation has been uneven across India, 12% of tiger habitat has been lost in just four years thanks to encroachment. Poaching remains lucrative business, not least due to enduring demand for tiger parts in places like China. Nor is the poacher-forest official nexus a secret. It`s no wonder tiger-rich Karnataka is to form a Special Tiger Protection Force, a first in India. Taking on poachers and smugglers, STPF patrols must feature in other tiger-dense states too. Let`s also boost well-regulated tourism to nurture both tigers and the ecosystem that the big cats are part of. By attracting resources and attention to commercially packaged reserves, conservation will offer its own economic incentive. The more cocooned protected zones are, the less transparently they`re managed. Let`s make the tiger accessible to wildlife enthusiasts. That way, we`ll spread awareness about the endangered animal and raise collective stakes in its protection. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/opinion/edit-page/Tiger-trail/articleshow/11283445.cms