Honey badger, flying squirrels sighted around Gateway to Tiger Land

Vijay Pinjarkar, TNN | May 9, 2012, 02.11AM IST NAGPUR: The 24-hour machan (waterhole) census conducted in tiger reserves, sanctuaries and national parks on May 6, the Buddha Pournima day, not only delighted wildlife buffs but also revealed hidden wildlife treasure in Vidarbha's rich forests. Sighting of rare animals like mouse deer in Navegaon National Park and, honey badger (chaandi aswal) and flying squirrels in Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) were reported. TATR is known for its tigers. It lived up it as 40 tigers, including cubs, and 12 leopard sightings were reported from its three ranges - Kolsa, Moharli and Tadoba. On the same day last year, sighting of 39 tigers, 15 leopards and 191 bears was recorded. Although, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) doesn't approve the waterhole census, terming it as unscientific, the number of sightings is an indicator of animal density in the particular area. Of the 1,707 tiger estimated to be in India, 169 are in Maharashtra. In a few months, tiger numbers of each reserve will be announced. After the withdrawal of machan census in 2007, barring TATR no park allowed volunteers. It was only after the recent Palsagaon incident when a tiger was killed and another got entangled in a metal trap, panic buttons were pressed by the forest department and NGOs were allowed to take part. TATR continued to be the most-sought destination by wildlife buffs with 144 volunteers being allowed to take watch on 138 machans. In Tadoba range, this time 11 tigers, 2 leopards and 19 sloth bears were sighted. Sarang Mishrikotkar, a student, was lucky enough to sight two honey badgers. "I also saw a mother sloth bear carried her 2 offsprings on her back to quench its thirst and a leopard secretly crouched near the waterhole waiting for its prey to come closer," said Sarang. Dr Swati Kulkarni (three of the four in Pandharpaoni, Tadoba range) and Anuradha Dorlikar (Telia female with four cubs, Moharli range) were among the lucky ones to spot tigers. "I was lucky to sight 15 sloth bears including 4 cubs from my Dewada road machan. A bear even tried to climb our machan at 11.30pm," said Rohan Vinkey of Cobra Adventure and Nature Club, Yavatmal. A forest guard at Yenbodi machan in Tadoba too had a similar shock when a tiger cub attempted to make its way up. The Pench tiger reserve and the newly declared Mansinghdeo wildlife sanctuary adjoining Pench emerged dark horses with 12 tiger and 8 leopard sightings. Three tiger sightings were also reported in Tipeshwar sanctuary in Yavatmal. GK Vashisht, assistant conservator of forests (ACF) for Pench, said 8 tiger sightings were recorded in East Pench followed by 2 in West. He added that 2 tiger sightings were recorded in Mansingdeo's Chorbahuli range near Pench and a leopard sighting in Saleghat. In Bor sanctuary, while rains played spoilsport, Navegaon, New Navegaon National Park, Nagzira and New Nagzira sanctuaries showed up good herbivore and carnivore sightings. Record reveals that in Navegaon 6 leopards, 85 sloth bears, 311 bisons, 36 sambars, 30 chitals, 151 wild boars and 272 nilgais were sighted. Interestingly, in New Navegaon park, the sightings included 17 leopards, 5 sloth bears, 46 bisons, 17 sambars, 19 wolfs and a rare mouse deer besides 13 boars. In Nagzira, five tiger sightings were reported. In New Nagzira (Umarzari), a tiger was sighted besides, 7 leopards, 28 bisons and 12 sloth bears. There could be record of more animals as reports of sightings from territorial areas were still awaited. In Melghat, no volunteers were allowed. "As time was scarce, we couldn't revamp our machans. The reports of sightings are still awaited," said VM Godbole, deputy conservator of forests (wildlife), Akot. There was resentment among volunteers in Tadoba as several machans were not up to the mark and at many places volunteers were shifted late. To this Sinha says, "We did not want make new machans by cutting tree branches." On the flip side, the volunteers were provided food and water by the forest staff. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Honey-badger-flying-squirrels-sighted-around-Gateway-to-Tiger-Land/articleshow/13058154.cms

Tiger reserve expansion plan goes awry

Subhash Chandra N S, Bangalore, May 8, 2012, DHNS : Experts say a bigger area will help set up anti-poaching camps, aid patrolling The delay in acquiring land on the northern fringes of the Nagarahole National Park has cost the tiger population dear. The demarcation boundary in Doddaharave, between Periyapatna and Kushalnagar range in the north of Nagarahole, has turned into a favourite destination for poachers. According to Forest Department statistics, eight instances of poaching had been reported from the area since January 2009. Sanjay Gubbi, a wildlife expert and a member of the State Board of Wildlife, had suggested acquisition of Anechaukur, Devmachi, Mauvkal and other reserved forests on the northern border of the Park. The proposal made by the Forest department in this regard in 2008 was seen as a long-term solution to consolidate the tiger habitats and expand the tiger reserve by about 20 per cent. The proposal, approved by Dilip Kumar, the then principal chief conservator of forests and chief wildlife warden, would have seen the light of day had there been no political pressure or interference from the timber lobby. It is learnt that the proposal was shelved to ensure indiscriminate timber extraction in the area. Declared reserved forests way back in 1891 during the colonial era, these areas have the potential of serving as “sink sites” if included to the tiger reserve. “Adding them to the tiger reserve will facilitate setting up of anti-poaching camps and aid regular patrolling,” Gubbi told Deccan Herald. Poaching widespread There have been several instances of poaching on the northern fringes of Nagarahole. On August 27, 2011, Periyapatna police seized tiger bones, six chital antlers and four chital pelts. Venkatappa, the man wanted in the case, had been at large while Swamy, his arrested associate, had confessed to poaching tigers in the Doddaharave forests. The matter is so serious that B K Singh, former PCCF, has sought an explanation from the assistant conservator of forests and range forest officers of Periyapatna and Kushalnagar. http://www.deccanherald.com/content/248057/tiger-reserve-expansion-plan-goes.html

Mhadei tiger reserve to have 28 villages on the run

May 9, 2012 TEAM HERALD teamherald@herald-goa.com PANJIM: Around 28 villages alone from Mhadei wildlife sanctuary will have to be relocated, if state government goes ahead with its proposal of having tiger reserve there. The Forest department has decided to collect data required to push the proposal for tiger reserve along the wildlife corridor. Renowned environmentalist Nirmal Kulkarni’s help has been engaged by the Forest department to lay camera trap and document the presence of tiger in the wildlife sanctuaries especially in Mhadei region. The department is also contemplating to take help of NGOs working in Ranathambore Tiger Reserve. Additional Principle Chief Conservator of Forest (APCCF) Richard D’Souza said that he will submit a proposal for having a tiger reserve, if department gets data to suffice it. D’Souza admitted that there are tigers along the corridor, which has been proved in the census done in last few years. The APCCF said that most of the villages are on the fringe area of the Mhadei wildlife sanctuary. But as per the data provided to the High Court in a petition filed by former Health Minister Vishwajit Rane seeking denotification of Mhadei area as a wildlife sanctuary, there are 28 such villages inhabited by several thousand people. D’Souza said that the department will have to go for relocation package, if it carries ahead idea of tiger reserve. Forest department has been struggling for decades together in rehabilitating the people living in the wildlife sanctuaries. Environmentalists in the state have been pressing for the declaration of Mhadei wildlife sanctuary as a tiger reserve. The suspicions were raised that the Forest department was averse to declare it as a reserve to protect interest of the mining industry. The animal census held in 2002 had counted presence of four tigers in the state based on pugmarks and other related signs of the wild beast. Later the tiger sightings were reported in 1995, which continued till date. Meanwhile, D’Souza made it clear that whether there is reserve or not, the mines will not be allowed in the wildlife sanctuaries at any cost. He said that once buffer zone committees submit their report, almost 44 mining leases will have to shut their operation, further giving no scope for new mining. http://oheraldo.in/News/Main%20Page%20News/Mhadei-tiger-reserve-to-have-28-villages-on-the-run/59301.html

Rescued tiger suffering from renal failure

Pradip Kumar Maitra, Hindustan Times Nagpur, May 07, 2012 The badly injured tiger that was rescued from a poacher's trap in Chandrapur’s Tadoba tiger reserve in April is suffering from renal failure. Veterinary experts at Nagpur, who are treating the adult tiger at the Seminary Hill wildlife orphanage, say its health is deteriorating. Non-functioning of its kidneys have shocked the wildlife wing of the state and all necessary measures are being taken to save the wild cat. Dr NP Dakshindas, head of the veterinarians’ team, informed that the recent blood and urine test of the tiger revealed that it was suffering from renal failure most likely because it could not drink water for almost a day and a half, being caught in the jaw trap. The scorching summer only aggravated the problem. "The tiger’s health is being monitoring round the clock. The tiger had finally eaten something on Monday after a gap of five days," Dr Dakshindas said and added that the animal was in bad shape. The Chandrapur forest department rescued the big cat from an iron jaw laid by poachers near Palasgaon range, a buffer zone of Tadoba tiger reserve, some 200 kms from here in eastern part of Maharashtra. Another tiger that was caught in a jaw trap at the same spot was found dead. The carcass of the trapped tiger was noticed by the forest personnel during routine patrolling. Later a team of forest officials, along with vets, rescued the trapped tiger. "The rescued tiger was not responding to the treatment from the beginning and that led to the veterinary doctors to test its blood and urine which confirmed that it was suffering from renal failure," informed Kishore Mishrikotkar, assistant conservator of forests (wildlife wing), Vidarbha region. "This is the first time that we are facing such complicated health issue of a wild animal. We are a little clueless," said Mishrikotkar. He said that the forest department is also taking help of noted nephrologist of central India, Dr Dhananjay Ukhalkar, in this regard. "We want to make sure the aniimal should feel comfortable and we are doing what’s best for it," he added.

In the noose and under the gun

May 7 2012 Poaching Time-tested foot patrolling is the key to control wildlife poaching. Success stories have often come through dedicated long-term efforts of a few forest officials and their ground staff who believe in fundamental approaches to combat poaching, observes Sanjay Gubbi Images of confiscated tiger or leopard pelts are a common feature in the Indian media these days. There is an escalation in seizure of wildlife products depicting either increased vigil by enforcement authorities or increase in poaching incidences or a combination of the two. Interestingly, the species confiscated are more diverse than earlier. In the past, wildlife products confiscated mostly consisted of parts from rare or commercially prized wildlife species such as tigers, leopards, otters and elephants. Now, even common species are increasingly finding their place in the list of seized materials. Barn owl, sand boa, soft shell turtle, axis deer and many other commonly found wildlife species are incessantly targeted by poachers. Similarly, the quantity of tiger and leopard pelts, and ivory seized has been on the rise. It looks like the booming economies of China and South East Asian countries have increased the demand for wildlife products. Poaching of wildlife happens at two scales, for meat or for body parts. Hunting for meat is largely carried out by individuals or by loosely formed groups targeting high meat yielding species, or species that are high on the list of delectable dishes. Hunting for body parts is controlled by organised syndicates. Shockingly, loosely knit local poachers are now trying to hunt high value wildlife species to find their way into organised syndicates. Many accused recently arrested with tiger and leopard pelts confess to have opportunistically poached big cats or collected elephant ivory in the hope of finding ways to sell their valuable catch uncovering a disturbing trend. Interestingly, several of the people recently arrested trying to buy common wildlife species are from the real estate business. At a period when real estate profits were low, it is believed these entrepreneurs relied on black magic to enhance their profits. People hunt wildlife for sport, religious reasons, to earn supplementary income and some with large income motivations. Humans have been hunting in the tropical forests for 100,000 years. So what is alarming about wildlife poaching? The fact that the scale and consumption levels have gone beyond sustainable levels, at least in the Indian context. Science says that wild meat hunting will be unsustainable when human densities exceed one person/square kilometer. Unlike in some parts of Africa, South America and small parts of India, people do not depend on wild meat as a primary source of protein. Wherever hunting is sustainable, it is only due to the fact that human densities are so low that offtakes do not make any dent on wildlife populations. Effects of hunting Hunting is a loser’s game. It affects wildlife at various intensities including at individual, population and landscape levels. Hunting leads to decreased wildlife densities. In some cases, even if the species is not locally extinct, it would not be performing its ecological functions due to the miniscule numbers; hence it can be considered ‘ecologically extinct’. Hunting of bird species such as hornbills, which provide key ecosystem services through seed dispersal, could upset the forest complex, as plant species dependent on hornbills for dispersal can go locally extinct. India lost tigers from Sariska and Panna tiger reserves during the last decade and the media increasingly reports stories of confiscated wildlife products. So have we taken our eye off the ball? Increasingly, our focus and determination to carry out old fashioned activities has given way to other conservation enforcement strategies. The time-tested foot patrolling is the key to control wildlife poaching. Success stories, at least in parts, have come through dedicated long-term efforts of a few forest officials well supported by their ground team who believed in this fundamental practice to combat poaching. Wildlife numbers bounced back under these situations. Currently, even with increased resources and the best of legislations, few believe in this reliable system. A snare or a jaw trap can be detected only through foot patrolling; there is no alternative to this and unfortunately few care about this. Behavioural changes in people will take a long time to become a reality. Till people wholeheartedly stop killing wildlife, we need our foot soldiers to scan, monitor, and handle poaching as a primary conservation threat. However, to make them more effective and keep them motivated, we need to enhance the incentives provided to these trench warriors. A forest watcher continues to languish in the hot and humid jungles with little amenities. To improve his condition, he needs full support of those key people in decision making positions. It will be foolhardy not to recognise this renewed conservation threat and appropriately implement strategies to save our endangered wildlife species. Needless to say our hard learnt lessons from Sariska and Panna will mean very little in the larger conservation context. http://www.deccanherald.com/content/247584/in-noose-gun.html

Tiger finds new home

May 7, 2012 By Amit S. Upadhye DC Srimangala (Kodagu) The camera-trap experiment, where the movement of wild animals are captured with the help of cameras, has shown positive results in the Bramhagiri Wildlife Sanctuary. Over the last one month, the camera trap laid by the forest department has shown the presence of two tigers. Two cameras, installed at Palemane section of Srimangala Wildlife Range, caught two pictures of tigers moving on the main road in the night. The cameras are fixed on the path, frequented by tigers and other animals. A leopard, some mammals and a number of nocturnal creatures were also captured by the cameras. Spread over 181 sq km, Bramhagiri forest is one of the critical wildlife habitats for tigers as it is connected to Nagarhole in the state and to Mudumalai and Wyanad Tiger Reserves in Tamil Nadu and Kerala respectively. If this tiger habitat has to be saved, it has to be added as the buffer zone to Nagarhole range, which has the source population of tigers. But it is not easy as Bramhagiri forest has human habitation. A stone-quarrying unit has come up within 1 km radius of the forest without the consent of wildlife division. There have also been incidents of poaching, but have been hushed up due to pressure from ruling party leaders, the ground level staff say. “It’s important for forests like Nagarhole to have a buffer zone. Bramhagiri, if managed, can accommodate 20 tigers easily. The landscape is perfect and there is a good prey base. If non-forestry activities, including poaching, are curbed, the forest will support tigers. It’s a good sign that camera traps in Shrimangala have caught two tigers. More such experiments should be conducted across the sanctuary,” said A.J.T. John Singh, Former Dean of Wildlife Institute of India. Principal Chief Conservator of Forests B.K. Singh said plans are afoot to enhance the existing connectivity between Bramhagiri and Nagarhole, but they are yet to be finalised. “There is a coffee estate abutting the Nagarhole forest, which has to be purchased and added to Bramhagiri. If the connectivity improves, the conflict levels between humans and wildlife will come down,” Mr Singh said. http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/bengaluru/tiger-finds-new-home-248

Incentives mulled to keep NE tribals from clutches of poachers

SUNDAY, 06 MAY 2012 23:46 PIONEER NEWS SERVICE | NEW DELHI Providing incentives to hunting tribes of North-East for community conservation of forests is the new mantra that wildlife officials have decided upon. The measure comes amid mounting concerns over the vulnerability of the region to illegal international wildlife trade. The meeting noted with alarm that a majority of local communities from North-East that still sustains itself through “bush hunting” (hunting for meat) is joining hands with professional big cat poachers from Central India. It discussed ways and means of weaning the locals back from hunting practices through community conservation of forest. The officials of security forces manning the borders in the region, customs, police and forest departments were brought together by Traffic India and World Wildlife Fund for the first time to brainstorm over ways to control the crime. It was hosted by the State Forest Department of Arunachal Pradesh. “The idea was to drive home the point that implementation of wildlife act can not be effectively implemented just by the forest department --- especially considering the porous borders that these States share with Myanmar and China”, pointed out Khalid Pasha, head of Traffic India. Other accompanying agencies have also to act on time concertedly and need to be sensitised for the purpose, he added The emerging tiger presence in reserves as Dampa, Namdapha in Arunachal Pradesh besides growing demand for new species as pangolins coupled with the growing fur and bone trade in Myanmar have made it more imperative for the coming together of these agencies to control the crime. One of the richest hot spots in biodiversity, the Morey border in Manipur was acting as a convenient transit point of not only tiger parts but also turtle meat, otter skin, besides scales and meat of pangolins for use in Chinese Traditional Medicines, Pasha pointed out. These products conveniently make their way into Myanmar which is well connected to not only the Indian border but also with Bangladesh, Thailand and China. The upcoming Myanmar market has flocked professional hunting community of big cats the Bawarias from Central India to the North-Eastern states. The meeting noted with alarm how the local tribal communities are being lured by them to actively participate in poaching activities, as they are well aware of the landscape. Metal traps, snares and a deadly poison called acolyte (that instantly paralyses the central nervous system of the animal) is being largely used. The meeting brought to light amongst the officials the various modus operandi being deployed by the poachers in this regard. The issue also came up for serious discussion in the recent meeting of the National Tiger Conservation Authority with the Field Directors of tiger reserves across the country. http://dailypioneer.com/nation/63289-incentives-mulled-to-keep-ne-tribals-from-clutches-of-poachers.html

Traditional iron traps create poaching scare in 29 tiger reserves: NTCA

Chetan Chauhan, Hindustan Times New Delhi, May 03, 2012 Traditional way of catching tigers in wild – through snares – is back and has caught the forest department officials off-guard. In just three months over 80 traps and snares have been recovered in two tigers reserves in Karnataka --- Bandipur and Nagarhole. Over 30 have been found in and around tiger areas in Uttarakhand and about 40 in Madhya Pradesh. Wildlife poachers have been traditionally using snares and traps to hunt animals including tigers. But, fire-arms and poison was replacing the traditional method, which had seen a sudden return. The apparent reason is the increasing demand of clean tiger skins and body parts in the international wildlife smuggling network. A firearms leaves a black spot on the skin and poison leads to change in colour of the skin and body parts. That does not happen in case of snares as a wild animal turns immobile and dies a slow death because of bleeding. The tiger watchdog, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), found that many wandering gangs were targeting tigers using snares and iron traps across 10 states in India. “The situation is serious and calls for urgent action to step up protection in tiger reserves,” said an advisory issued by NTCA member secretary Rajesh Gopal. The field directors of 41 tiger reserves in India had been instructed to deploy special anti-poaching squads to patrol the reserves and look for snares and traps. They have been instructed to complete the exercise within a fortnight. The NTCA has also said that forest guards should keep a track of tigers and their cubs, straying out of the tiger reserves as they could fall prey to poachers. Another location to keep vigil are the water-bodies, which tigers frequent. The authority had also received intelligence reports that many gangs had visited villages around tiger reserves in the recent past to examine the possibility of killing a tiger. As many as 29 tiger reserves had been identified as potential threat from poachers. “We have instructed the forest departments to conduct a special exercise in these reserves,” Gopal said. http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/Traditional-iron-traps-create-poaching-scare-in-29-tiger-reserves-NTCA/Article1-850199.aspx

Shimoga villages want tiger project scrapped in KNP

May 4, 2012 DC Shimoga The people of Western Ghats residing in Tirthahalli and Hosanagar taluks are demanding cancellation of proposed Tiger Project in the Kudremukh National Park covering the Someshwara and Mookambika wildlife sanctuaries, as this would displace a large number of people, threaten their livelihoods and encourage Maoists activities in the region. Speaking to Deccan Chronicle Mr Nagesh Angirasa, a worker of the Someshwara and Mookambika wildlife area civic committee (sponsored by Sri Pejawar Mutt, Udupi) of Mallandur village near Agumbe of Tirthahalli taluk in the district here on Thursday said, that proposed tiger project will lead to eviction of people and socio-economic misery. Kudremukh National Park and its established area including the Someshwara and Mookambika wildlife sanctuaries, is spread over the four districts of Shimoga, Chikmagalur, Udupi and Dakshina Kannada. These regions are covered with thick green vegetation with rolling hilly grassland and shola forests. In 1987, the Karnataka government declared the region as the national park. As per the survey of 2005, the human population in the national park is around 6240 living in 1300 households and cultivating 2790 acres of land. According to him, soon after the declaration of Kudremukh National Park, the maoist extremists entered the scene and after a decade of existence in the region, spread their roots in the park. They encouraged the tribals to disbelieve the government by telling them that they would be forcibly evicted from the park . The maoist outfits ran a parallel government in the park villages and used to collect money from contractors, politicians and farmers. In the span of nine years, from 2002 to 2011, 23 incidents of encounters, looting, kidnapping and bomb explosion were recorded, the memorandum of the committee said. It was during 2009 and 2010, with the initiative of some development works and confidence building measures taken up in the area, distrust between the government and the habitants was minimized. Tiger Project would again create distrust among the tribals and pave way for the re-entry of Maoists, Mr Nagesh Angirasa said. The tiger conservation project is already in progress in the Bhadra wildlife sanctuary covering Shimoga and Chikmagalur districts. Instead of that, the government should make all efforts to declare the national park region under the UNESCO scheme. This would help in reviving social life in the region. A memorandum in this regard has been submitted to the Centre through the deputy commissioner of Shimoga, Mr M.V. Vedamurthy. http://www.deccanchronicle.com/node/119299

NTCA to take action against Uttarakhand, UP and Rajasthan

Nihi Sharma Sahani, Hindustan Times Dehradun, May 03, 2012 National Tiger Conservation Society (NTCA) will take action against Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan that were found to have delayed formation of Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF) in their respective states. Jayanthi Natarajan, union minister of forest and environment expressed displeasure over the non-formation of force that intends to deploy additional staff for tiger conservation. Dr. Rajesh Gopal, member secretary NTCA told Hindustan Times, “We will take action against states that delayed constituting STPF. It’s the responsibility of state forest department to form this force for tiger conservation.” Apparently, Natarajan in a meeting with field directors in Delhi on Wednesday reviewed various works. While she closely monitored Project Tiger details, she also expressed displeasure over non-formation of STPF. She mentioned that Karnataka is the only state to have formed STPF but states likes Uttarakhand, UP and Rajasthan have delayed it. Hindustan Times in its April 16 issue gave a detailed report on lackadaisical attitude of state forest department that has ignored formation of STPF since last two years in Uttarakhand. For this project, NTCA had already released first installment of Rs. 90 lakh. But, no results were recorded. A total of 108 people are to be appointed under the project dedicated to tiger conservation. These people will be divided into 3 platoons. Additional Conservator of Forest (ACF) will head each platoon. Interestingly, 18 foresters and 90 forest guards are to be appointed. Giving special place to forest dwellers, government of India in its project has reserved 30% positions of forest guards for them. This means, 27 gujjars or forest dwellers will be appointed and forest guards will fill remaining 63 positions. The ministry will bear entire expenses of salary and other allowances of appointed force. When contacted Ranjan Kumar Mishra, director Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR) who was also present in the meeting with Natarajan, he shared, "We have already given advertisement for recruitment of forest staff. It’s in the final syages." http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/Uttarakhand/NTCA-to-take-action-against-Uttarakhand-UP-and-Rajasthan/Article1-850247.aspx

Move to raise Tiger Protection Force in Arunachal Pradesh

PTI SHARE · PRINT · T+ ITANAGAR, MAY 3: Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister, Mr Nabam Tuki, has said there is an initiative to create a ‘Special Tiger Protection Force' for enhancing the protective cover on the wild cats and other animals inhabiting in the Tiger Reserves in the State. “The Force will see to it that no harm is caused to tigers and other animals in the Tiger Reserves in the state,” Mr Tuki said while addressing a two-day orientation programme on ‘Strengthening Wildlife Law Enforcement and Conservation' here yesterday. “We should carefully guard against invasion of market forces connected with illegal wildlife trade gaining entry into the state and It is highly relevant in the context of the long inter-State and international borders of the State,” he said.

In Mowgli's land…

K. SANJANA One of the wild sights at the Pench Tiger Reserve. Photo: Special Arrangement National Tiger Ambassador K. Sanjana recounts her wild experience at the Pench Tiger Reserve. Our bags were packed and we were ready to go to Pench Tiger Reserve. After the train journey to Nagpur, my coordinator Arivazhagan Chelliah, teacher Annapoorni and I — the National Ambassador from Chennai — met with the other National Tiger Ambassadors from Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Ramnagar and Kolkata and their respective teachers and coordinators. The first thing we noticed when we reached the forest was that our cell phone had lost signal. This made it all the more exciting as we lost contact with the outside world. Pench Tiger Reserve is the place where Rudyard Kipling based his famous Jungle Book. So, we were very thrilled to be in the land of Mowgli. That night we armed ourselves with our binoculars, cameras and notepads and hopped into the open jeep. In the forest The first thing that caught our eye as we entered the forest was a group of spotted deer. We observed that they lifted their tails while running; this, we were told, was to warn the others about lurking danger. Then we were startled by a sound which we assumed to be an alarm call and we were expecting to see a tiger. Later, we came to know that it was a rutting call. Rutting calls are made by male deer to attract the female deer. As we moved on, we caught a glimpse of two jackals. It was interesting to learn that jackals don't hunt in packs and they mate for life. We also saw a variety of birds like the Jungle Babbler, Treepie, Roller Bird, Parakeet and lots more. Among the flora, the tree that fascinated me was the ghost tree. Its bark is white in colour and is devoid of any leaves in this season. So, at night it appears ghostly with fluttering arms. On many trees we saw rake marks (the marks of a tiger's claw). Along the way we saw many trees with their barks chipped off; the result of the deer rubbing their antlers on the trunks and the porcupines that would chew on them. While inside some water droplets fell on our face. Assuming it was the early morning dewdrops we eagerly lifted our faces to catch a few more. But, to our utter disgust, we were told that it was the defecation of the cicadas! But what really made our day was the sight of two tigers: Badi Matha and her grandchild. The experience of seeing a tiger face-to-face in the wild was truly unbelievable. The sessions We had lot of interactive sessions with Anish Andheria and Sahrdul Bajikar, which were interesting and informative. We learnt a lot about the estimation of tigers. We were taught about the capture-recapture technique and we also learnt about epiphytes and parasites. In the sessions we were informed that Pench Tiger Reserve was one of the best managed tiger reserves in the country. In short, the trip was extremely enlightening. It was not only a wake-up call towards conservation but it also taught us how to overcome our regional differences for a greater cause. http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/nxg/article3376539.ece

Tiger conservation: Centre asks states to raise, deploy STPF

Tags: Tiger conservation, STPF, Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan New Delhi: Advancing efforts to conserve the growing population of tigers, the Centre today asked the states to expedite steps towards raising, arming and deploying the Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF) in and around big cat habitats. "We persuade all the states to raise, arm and deploy the Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF). I would like to request all of you to ensure that this be expedited by all the states," Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan told All India Meeting of Field Directors of Tiger Reserves. Stating that field protection is something which continues to remain extremely high on tiger agenda of India, which holds over half the world's tiger population, the Minister said the Centre supported the states in a "very big way" to deploy the local workforce for protection of big cats. "Despite a 100 percent central assistance to four states-- Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and Orissa-- the deployment of STPF has not taken place," she said. Karnataka has emerged as the first state to deploy STPF. "I am happy to announce and also to congratulate Karnataka, which has emerged as the first state to implement the STPF," she said after distributing awards for best performance to various tiger reserves in the country. "Tiger conservation is a collective responsibility between government of India, state governments and civil society. Today tigers need support from one and all," Natarajan said. According to the latest tiger census report, the current tiger population is estimated at 1,706. The results include figures from 17 states with tiger reserves. The Minster also released a book 'Fundamentals of the Wildlife Management' written by Rajesh Gopal, Member Secretary, National Tiger Conservation Authority. Natarajan said that since last year, the Ministry has sharpened its focus on the tiger. "The centrally sponsored scheme of Project Tiger was revised in August 2011. Its allotment was stepped up to Rs 1216.86 crores, especially to support the states for securing inviolate space for tigers," she said. Spelling out the steps being taken by the Ministry, she said several additional components include change in the funding pattern in respect of north eastern states (90:10), raising compensation for man-animal conflict to Rs 2 lakh and acquisition of private land for making the core/critical tiger habitat inviolate. The Minister also said the Centre has given a nod for establishment of tiger safaris, interpretation/awareness centres under the existing component of 'co-existence agenda in buffer/fringe areas' and management of such centres through the respective Panchayati Raj institutions, and re- introduction of cheetah. PTI http://zeenews.india.com/news/eco-news/tiger-conservation-centre-asks-states-to-raise-d_772920.html

Tribal villages oppose tiger reserve in Sathyamangalam

COIMBATORE: The Tamil Nadu forest department's push to get Sathyamangalam Wildlife Sanctuary declared a tiger reserve suffered a setback on Wednesday when grama sabhas in all 19 tribal-majority panchayats in the region passed separate resolutions against the move. The resolutions said the department had not consulted the local communities on the project, though Section 38 V of the Wildlife Protection Act makes it mandatory. The Wildlife Protection Act stipulates that approval from the grama sabha is essential before tiger reserve status is awarded to a reserve forest area. In addition, government is required to constitute an expert panel to study the impact of declaring an area a tiger reserve on the local community and the findings must be discussed in the grama sabha in the presence of forest officials, environmentalists and social scientists. Before local communities are asked to shift out of reserved area, authorities are required to seek the opinion of the grama sabha on whether it believes the people can co-exist with the wildlife. Also, relocation packages and compensation plan have to be approved by the grama sabha, which has the right to reject proposals of the government. Bhavani Sagar MLA P L Sundaram said that the forest department is all set to award tiger reserve status to Sathyamangalam and Meghamalai in Theni in the next few weeks, but the local communities have not been consulted. Sundaram had prompted the concerned grama sabhas to adopt resolutions condemning the forest department's move. He along with representatives of 10 panchayats in Thalavadi, six in Sathyamangalam and three in Bhavani Sagar will meet chief minister J Jayalalithaa on May 7 and hand over the resolutions. They would request the chief minister to restart the entire process by taking the local community in confidence and abiding by the applicable laws. The delegation would also press for the implementation of the Forest Rights Act in Sathyamangalam to protect tribals living in the forest fringes from forced eviction. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/environment/developmental-issues/tribal-villages-oppose-tiger-reserve-in-sathyamangalam/articleshow/12973853.cms

`Tiger Dynasty`: Observational docudrama packed with emotions

Last Updated: Wednesday, May 02, 2012, 14:38 Tags: Tiger Dynasty, Observational docudrama New Delhi: National award-winning documentary "Tiger Dynasty", tracing the journey of translocated tigers in India and shown in Britain as part of a special BBC series on endangered wildlife, is an action-packed story of adaptation and survival in unfamiliar territory. Full of stunning close-up visuals of tigers and other animals in their natural habitat, the film by acclaimed wildlife cinematographer S Nallamuthu is about young tigress Baghani, who is chosen to start a new dynasty in Sariska, where rampant poaching had wiped out the entire big cat population. There she is left to hook up with hot-blooded male suitor Rajore amid leopards and threat of poachers. And for the next two years, every aspect of their lives is followed by the camera. "The film is about Baghani, daughter of Machli, who ruled the fort for over a decade in Ranthambore. Drugged and airlifted from her home in Ranthambore to her new life in Sariska, Baghani finds herself in new territory and faces opposition from leopards for territory," Nallamuthu, whose work bagged Rajat Kamal awards for best environment film and cinematography, told reporters. After some initial hitches, Baghani gradually goes on to prove that she is top cut in Sariska reigning supreme over leopards. However, there is a setback as Rajore is poisoned by villagers and Baghani is left alone without a mate. But authorities translocate another tiger to give Baghani company, and slowly it seems she is ready to be a mother and script history in Sariska`s conservation efforts. The film, with music by Brett Aplin, is of 59 minutes duration and shot in a high definition (HD) format. Infra red cameras have also been used. With many firsts to his credit, Nallamuthu has worked on some of the country`s premier television shows ? "Living on the Edge", "The Great Escape", "Off the Beaten Path" and "Wheels". Asked how his film is doing abroad, he says, "I was informed by BBC (which is showing the film in the UK. Animal Planet has bought the rights for the US) that the viewership in the first telecast was two million and the film got an 8.3 rating." Nallamuthu, whose "Tiger Queen" made in 2010 portrayed how Machli was overthrown by Baghani, does not want to preach through his films. "My films are mainly drama based ones. I love to make observational docudramas with lots of emotions and stories. My idea is to make people watch these dramas and realise for themselves how important animals are," he says. The jury at the National Awards chose "Tiger Dynasty" for the "filmmaker`s powerful narrative that takes us deep into the jungle of Sariska and gives us an intimate and sensitive portrait of the life of tigers as they fight for survival in a challenging environment". The judges also the rewarded the filmmaker for "photographing with stunning images tigers and other wildlife animals in their natural habitat and giving us visuals which are both unique and poetic". PTI http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/and-more/tiger-dynasty-observational-docudrama-packed-with-emotions_110607.htm

Poachers on the prowl at tiger reserves: NCTA

Obalesh K H, Chamarajanagar, The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests and National Tiger Conservation Authority (NCTA) has asked the State government to tighten the vigilance in the five tiger reserves in Karnataka. According to a letter written by Dr Rajesh Gopal, Member Secretary, NCTA, a copy of which is in possession of Deccan Herald, gangs of poachers have planned to raid 29 tiger reserves in Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh. Bandipur, Nagarahole, Dandeli-Anashi, Bhadra and Biligiriranganathaswamy Temple tiger reserves in the State are on the list of the poachers. Snares laid by poachers in some protected reserves have been seized. Postmortem reports of some tigers have disclosed that they died due to poisoning, the letter says. The member secretary has directed the government to strengthen anti-poaching camps and set up new ones wherever required. The letter also asks the government to conduct combing operation in the core areas of the forests regularly, look out for snares particularly in the areas inhabited by tigers, near water sources and beef up security at vantage points. The secretary has called for synergy among district-level intelligence agencies, police and authorities of tiger reserves to check any possible intrusion by poachers. Tiger deaths According to the report published by the NCTA, a total of 56 tigers died in the country during 2011; of them, 11 were killed by poachers. Of the six tiger deaths reported from Karnataka, three died of natural causes and another three fell prey to poachers, the report says. http://www.deccanherald.com/content/246295/poachers-prowl-tiger-reserves-ncta.html

Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan urged to review 'defunct' tiger cells

TNN | May 1, 2012, 04.37AM IST NAGPUR: Worried by tiger poaching with the help of jaw traps in Palasgaon near Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR), chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, who is also the chairman of State Board for Wildlife (SBWL), has been urged to review functioning of tiger cells, anti-poaching units and law enforcement and come out with new and advanced mechanism to tackle the problem. In a letter written to Chavan on April 30, Kishor Rithe, member of SWBL and chief of Satpuda Foundation, said, "Time has come to think seriously about how effective our tiger cells are and whether we really need a new and advance mechanism in Maharashtra." The tiger cells and anti-poaching units were set up 10 years ago after detection of many wildlife poaching and trade cases in Maharashtra. "However, after almost a decade, I found that most of the district tiger cells are defunct. Police and forest officers conduct meetings as merely a formality. The tiger cells could not become an effective law enforcement mechanism with fixed objectives to regularly gather required intelligence and prevent and detect the wildlife crime cases in the state," Rithe said. In last so many years, forest department could not build its image as the best law (forest & wildlife) enforcement agency. The new Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF) will also make no difference if police and forest departments are not tuned to wildlife crime details and latest modus operandi of poachers and wildlife traders. What needs to be done? * Evolve a mechanism with police and forest departments to effectively use tiger cells, anti-poaching units. * Call a meeting of forest and home ministers and secretaries of departments concerned to tackle wildlife poaching and trade. * Take critical review of existing tiger cells and anti-poaching units and steps taken by them to curb illegal poaching and tiger deaths. * Send message to departments concerned through this meeting that government is really serious to protect tigers. * The meeting should be held before any such incident takes place. Gujarat government took such steps after poaching of lions in Gir and were successful. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Chief-Minister-Prithviraj-Chavan-urged-to-review-defunct-tiger-cells/articleshow/12944873.cms

Osmania university students to join anti-Kawal tiger reserve fight

Raghu Paithari, TNN | May 1, 2012, 01.34AM IST ADILABAD: With several tribal groups raising a hue and cry against the decision to declare Kawal wildlife sanctuary as a tiger reserve, Telangana students, who have been in the forefront of the separate statehood movement, have now decided to take up cudgels against the move. Osmania University students' JAC along with the district unit of the Telangana Vidyarthi Vedika will conduct padayatras in the interior mandals to educate tribals, though the forest department has allayed the apprehensions of displacement of tribals. Students have started touring villages and conducting door-to-door campaign against the tiger reserve. Villagers of Udampur and Allampalli in Utnoor mandal passed unanimous resolutions against the tiger reserve, emboldened by the student stir. The Kawal tiger reserve will have a core area of 839 square km and buffer zone of 1,123 sq km. OU JAC chairman Jagan told TOI that gram sabhas or panchayats should be consulted as per the Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas ( PESA) Act, 1996, before acquiring land in the scheduled areas for any development project. "But the forest officials did not bother to consult a single village panchayat," he said. He found fault with the government and forest officials for going ahead with the tiger reserve plan without taking the opinion of the majority adivasis, who would be displaced because of the project. "Tribals would lose their legitimate right on the forest once they are evacuated from the forest limits," he observed. Vidyarthi Vedika district president Sayanna pooh-poohed the Rs 10 lakh compensation offered by the government for the evacuees. "The money dole would not change the lives of adivasis. Their life revolves around the forest and its produce," he explained. Tribals belonging to 42 habitations in Jannaram, Kadem, Khanapur, Indravelli and Utnoor mandals which will have to be evacuated for the proposed tiger reserve would lose their livelihood. "We are students of this region and would fight until the government withdraws its proposal," Sayanna warned. The dalit groups are also trying to mobilise the people of 42 habitations in the forest area and its surroundings against the decision. Hitesh Malhotra, principal chief conservator of forests, at a recent press conference in Hyderabad said that there was no proposal to evacuate or shift any village or habitation from the area. "There is no question of any forcible evacuation. People will be shifted only if the gram sabhas of those habitations pass a resolution expressing their willingness to move out," he had said. A senior forest official of Jannaram disputed the theory that the Kawal tiger reserve has only two tigers and not 7-8 wild cats. "Once the conditions and habitat in the tiger reserve are improved, the tigers will come back because they would feel safe in their habitat. Also, the corridor linking Kawal with Maharashtra forest will be secure," he added. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Osmania-university-students-to-join-anti-Kawal-tiger-reserve-fight/articleshow/12943349.cms

Brahmapuri pattern to be adopted nationally

Vijay Pinjarkar, TNN | May 1, 2012, 04.46AM IST NAGPUR: Impressed by the tiger monitoring model in Brahmapuri forest division in Chandrapur district, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has decided to adopt it in non-protected areas (NPAs) elsewhere too. Rajesh Gopal, member-secretary of NTCA, who was in the city on way to Delhi, said he was impressed by the Brahmapuri division, which is seriously monitoring resident as well as dispersing tigers in its area. Gopal was shown presentation on tiger monitoring by Sanjay Thawre, deputy conservator of forests (DyCF), Brahmapuri, during former's Palasgaon visit on April 28, where a tiger was poached. Thawre said, "I won't boast of a 'Brahmapuri model', but our field staff is seriously monitoring tigers in the area. There are around 21 tigers, 13 residents, in 1,500 sq km Brahmapuri forest division. We have pictures of each tiger in the beats." "Direct sightings, signs like scat, scrape marks, pugmarks etc. are recorded regularly. Whenever there is a cattle kill, cameras are deployed. This helps us know where our tigers are and what is happening. It also helps to tackle man-animal conflict," Thawre said. Gopal said a presentation on Brahmapuri model will be shown to wildlife wing officials at a meeting in Delhi on April 2. "This will be replicated elsewhere," he added. After poaching of tiger in Palasgaon, NTCA has issued an advisory to all tiger-bearing states cautioning about possible poisoning of tigers and stepping up protection by involving territorial staff. It also instructed not to delay paying cattle kill compensation. Gopal said NTCA would give all help to the state to curb poaching. "We will provide 100% assistance for setting up Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF). A MoU has been signed in this regard," said Gopal. The NTCA has also decided to strengthen Tadoba tiger conservation foundation (TCF) by giving additional funds. These funds will be distributed to 4-5 divisions in Tadoba landscape. "A proposal has been sought in this regard," Gopal said. The NTCA will also write to state government on giving control of Tadoba buffer to the field director of TATR. "Plans are afoot to sign MoUs with institutions coming up with irrigation, power, highway projects in buffer areas," said Gopal. On timber and bamboo felling in vulnerable areas in the buffer, PCCF (wildlife) SWH Naqvi said there was no ban on such activity being carried out as per working plan. "However, we will see to it that management of buffer is wildlife-centric," said Naqvi. He refused to reveal progress of probe in poaching case which was in a crucial stage. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Brahmapuri-pattern-to-be-adopted-nationally/articleshow/12944942.cms

Forest department revives Tiger Reserve tag plea for Kudremukh

Ashwini Y S, Bangalore, April 30 2012, DHNS: Says National Park area not to be expanded; no eviction of villagers The State Forest department has once again mooted the proposal to get Kudremukh National Park (KNP) declared a Tiger Reserve, a status which has been withheld despite the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) giving its in-principle approval several months ago. Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda, during the campaign for the Udupi-Chikmagalur Lok Sabha byelection, had said the government would cancel the Tiger Reserve status enjoyed by Bhadra Tiger Reserve (BTR), besides dropping the proposal to get KNP declared a Tiger Reserve. The announcement had come at a time when villagers of both Bhadra and KNP had voiced concerns about being evicted. Now, with there being no election, the department is hoping that the government will revisit the proposal. Kaushik Mukherjee, Additional Chief Secretary, Forests, told Deccan Herald that he had written to Forest Minister C P Yogeeshwara to notify KNP as a Tiger Reserve. He said this would not mean any “extra status” to KNP in terms of protection. “I sent the file to the Forest minister 10 days ago. There was much opposition to declaring BTR Wildlife Sanctuary a Tiger Reserve as well. But, eventually it was notified as a Tiger Reserve. There will be no difference in status of protection – no villagers will be evicted from the area,” he said. Mukherjee said the department would not push for extension of the boundary of either Bhadra or KNP. “The expansion has been opposed, and I don’t want to go against the powers that be. Even if KNP is notified as a Tiger Reserve, the existing area will not change,” he said. Forest Minister Yogeeshwara was not available for comments. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) of the MoEF had given its in-principle approval to the State government’s proposal to declare KNP a Tiger Reserve last year, with the then Union Forest minister Jairam Ramesh strongly backing the proposal. The Centre’s nod ensures grants to the State under Project Tiger. The State has, however, withheld the status, not making efforts to hasten the process. KNP, which is spread over 600.57 sq km, has 29 villages. Of the 300-odd tigers in the forests of Karnataka, KNP is said to be home to around 15. Tiger conservationist Sanjay Gubbi says the government’s move to shut down the Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Limited has helped improve the eco-system. It is a unique tiger habitat with a mixture of evergreen forests and shola grasslands. It will be ideal if the government declares it a Tiger Reserve, he says. http://www.deccanherald.com/content/246054/forest-department-revives-tiger-reserve.html

Govt to release secret funds, launch Special Tiger Protection Force

Vijay Pinjarkar, TNN | Apr 30, 2012, 01.20AM IST NAGPUR: Stung by the poaching of a tiger in a jaw trap in Palasgaon range in the buffer zone of Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR), the state government has announced a host of measures, including release of secret funds to develop intelligence network and appointment of forest guards under Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF). "The incident is extremely tragic as well as an eye-opener after the electrocution of two tigers in the recent past in Tadoba landscape," said Praveen Pardeshi, principal secretary (forests). He said a red alert has been sounded around Tadoba, Melghat, Bor, Nagzira and Navegaon. After discussions with National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and senior forest officials, preventive steps to trace more traps in the periphery of these PAs have been announced. Directions have been issued to the staff to keep track of all water holes, particularly on the periphery of protected areas for traps on a daily basis. "Nagzira and Bor also need to be on high alert, with daily scanning of every waterhole and keeping track of tigers outside the parks," Pardeshi said. As per the Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI), the latest poaching may be the handiwork of the gang involved in poaching near Tadoba in 2010. The pictures of those two culprits are already available with the forest department and Nitin Desai, Central India director of WPSI. Pardeshi has also directed recruitment of 90 forest guards under Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF) approved by the government for TATR. These guards will be put under the field director and posted in buffer zone for patrolling. The money for the secret fund will be released this week and announcement of awards for information leading to arrest or capture of contraband articles will be made on radio, bus stations, railway stations and village chavdies. Pardeshi also spoke to inspector general of police (IGP), Nagpur, and superintendent of police, Chandrapur. They are on high alert to capture and trace the suspects. Wildlife experts said that the system of monitoring waterholes twice daily has not been followed and needs to be strictly monitored and documented. Such poaching incidents are possible only during summer in landscapes of tiger reserves. However, the field staff come to know about it after several days. Therefore, divisional forest officials (DFOs) have been told to alert field staff on wireless immediately. In the next two days, officials have been told to meet staff and enforce various protocols of protection camps, including group patrol, daily monitoring of water holes, reaching out to local villagers for getting information of outsiders, enhanced frisking of strangers as well as villagers found in unusual locations, maintenance of diary by guards etc. At the same time, officials have been told not to press the panic button. It is being described as an exercise to boost confidence and vigilance level of the field staff, they were told. They have been further asked to ensure that pro forma of monitoring waterholes is regularly submitted by guards. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Govt-to-release-secret-funds-launch-Special-Tiger-Protection-Force/articleshow/12928568.cms

Community based eco-tourism, a success story

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT K. Vijayanandan, Deputy Director and Wildlife Warden of Parambikulam Tiger Reserve, speaking at the Enviro Meet organised by Osai, an NGO, in the city on Sunday. Photo: S. Siva Saravanan Parambikulam Tiger Reserve has been able to make rapid strides in initiatives relating to eco-tourism as well improve forest management through community based eco-tourism, said K. Vijayanandan, Deputy Director and Wildlife Warden of Parambikulam Tiger Reserve (PTR). He was speaking on the topic “Tribal Development through community based eco-tourism - Parambikulam Experience” at the Enviro Meet organised by Osai – Voice for Nature, an NGO. Mr. Vijayanandan said that Parambikulam Tiger Reserve has many firsts to its credit, made possible through the participation of tribal people. Being a most protected forest area, the reserve has nearly five endemic flora varieties, he said. Ever since the Joint Forest and Participatory Management was introduced, the Parambikulam Tiger Reserve has not witnessed even a single incident of poaching since 2004 and since 2007 there had not been a single incident of forest fire. Employment opportunity for 234 tribal people, benefitting over 260 families, has resulted in the reserve becoming the first domestic cattle-free protected forest area. Tribal people have become part of the Social Tiger Protection Force and are effectively combating forest and wildlife-related offences. There are seven eco-development committees serving the restricted and regulated eco-tourism needs and looking after the livelihood of tribal people. There are 13 eco-tourism packages being made available to tourists by the Department through tribal people. Plastic waste has reduced tremendously and remaining waste are recycled and made into key chains embedded with PTR related images and slogans. They are sold as souvenir for the tourists. The tourism is regulated carefully avoiding disturbance to wildlife by banning the entry of private vehicles. Four new vehicles with 18 seats each have been inducted for taking the tourists around the reserve. Referring to the farming activity in Poopara hamlet by the tribal people, Mr.Vijayanandan said that banana cultivation earlier led to human – animal conflict. Now, with inputs from Forest Department, the tribal people have switched over to ginger, coffee, pepper and turmeric cultivation, which are not sought after by wild animals. Organic certification and good price has turned them a happy lot today, he added. REVENUE Mr. Vijayanandan said that the PTR recorded revenue of Rs. 1.25 crore during 2009-10 and it became Rs. 1.86 crore in 2010-2011 and in 2011-2012 it had risen to Rs. 2.45 crore. Of the revenue generated during the last year, Rs. 85 lakh was disbursed as salary to tribal people employed by the Forest Department, while Rs. 90 lakh was spent towards maintenance and upkeep. He said that with eco-tourism initiatives aided by tribal people, the tiger reserve has become almost self-sufficient. During the previous fiscal, a total of 47,500 tourists had visited the tiger reserve, he said. Referring to the ongoing problem of tree cutting in Coimbatore, Mr. Vijayanandan said that the 245-year-old Connemara teak, the oldest in the entire country, has so far benefitted the earth to a tune of Rs. 8 crore in terms of oxygen generation. He said that trees need to be looked at for the ecological value and the benefits it gives to humanity. On involving the generations of tomorrow towards the task of conservation and inculcating the ability to appreciate nature, Mr. Vijayanandan said that during 2011-2012, as many as 60 nature camps benefitting 2,250 students were held providing free food and accommodation. C.R. Jayaprakash, Assistant Professor of PSG College of Arts and Science, presided over the function and K. Kalidasan, president of Osai, took part. http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Coimbatore/article3369378.ece

Rs 10,000 reward for info on tiger poachers

TNN | Apr 30, 2012, 01.29AM IST CHANDRAPUR: The Chandrapur forest department and NGO Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) have announced separate cash prizes of Rs 10,000 each for any information about the poachers responsible for death of tigers in Palasgaon range. WPSI started distributing pamphlets seeking information on poachers in rural areas on Sunday, while the forest department would start a similar campaign on Monday. Both agencies have sought information about the gang of poachers or any individual having involvement in poaching of tigers in Palasgaon range with the help of jaw traps. Any person giving information about poachers would get a prize of Rs 10,000 cash and his name will be kept secret, forest department and WPSI have assured. Those having information can contact DCF P Kalyankumar (9890954572) and ACF Raju Dhabekar (9422820770) to give information to forest department. Similarly, WPSI's Central India director Nitin Desai (9422803037) can be contacted to reveal any information about poachers. Meanwhile, the forest department has stepped up search operations for poacher gangs in the district. Assistant director of Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) Shaik Karimulla along with his associate Madivanan too have arrived in Chandrapur to investigate and assist in the case. "We are here as the matter is related to professional poaching. Death of a tiger and injury to other one is unfortunate," said Karimulla. Sources claimed that the forest department suspects the involvement of hard-core poacher Keru Rajgond and his cousin Ajit alias Rajkumar in the case. Intelligence information of his presence in Chandrapur and Gadchiroli around two months back has led to the suspicions. Chandrapur police had arrested Keru and Ajit with assistance of WPSI here in November in connection with recovery of tiger skins and bones in Sampark Kranti Express in Nagpur. The accused duo was handed over to CBI, which was investigating the case. But both disappeared once they were given bail by the court, nine months after staying in jail under MCR. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Rs-10000-reward-for-info-on-tiger-poachers/articleshow/12928631.cms

Valparai tiger loses battle

TNN Apr 29, 2012, 04.16AM IST COIMBATORE: The tiger that entered a homestead in Valparai and got gored by a cow died on Saturday morning. A postmortem on Saturday evening linked its death to a bad meal the big cat had a few hours before it went to retrieve the remains of a previous kill it left behind two days ago in the cowshed. The tiger, according to the postmortem report, had eaten a porcupine hours before attacking the cow. Quills of the porcupine had pierced the tiger's heart and intestine. The tiger breathed its last at around 8am on Saturday inside the cage where it was kept after given the tranquilizing shot late Friday evening, according to Manampallai forest ranger officer Arokiaraj Xavier. The medicines administered by veterinarian Dr N Kalaivanan, who had come from Mudumalai National Park in the Nilgiris on Friday evening to tranquilize the tiger, could not save the 10-year-old animal. The attack of the cow and the internal injuries it suffered after eating the porcupine had left the tiger weak. Throughout the day, the animal was confined to the cowshed of R Gnanasekaran, a resident of Periyar Nagar in Valparai. The absence of a vet with expertise in the use of tranquilizers locally had delayed officials from providing proper treatment to the animal. Forest officials did not dare to go anywhere near the injured animal to provide food, water or medicines fearing retaliation. The aged animal, officials, said could not fight off the fatigue and the injuries. At 1.30pm on Saturday, Kalaivanan returned to conduct the autopsy in the Manampally Forest Range Office premises in the presence of senior forest officials, World Wide Fund For Nature representatives Dr Ajay and Mohanraj and Valparai police inspector M Subramanian. The autopsy revealed that one of the legs of the tiger was damaged in the attack by the cow. Its nails were broken and blood stains found on the nail beds. There was a deep cut on the stomach which was caused by the sharp quills of the porcupine. There were numerous cysts in the intestine and the lungs too were damaged. Two quills had pierced its heart. According to Kalaivanan, the tiger would have hunted and eaten a porcupine before moving to Gnanasekaran's property. The tiger was cremated at a spot close to Meenparai on the way to Top Slip in the presence of a large crowd. Meanwhile, forest officials assured locals that they would take up the request to station a vet with expertise in tranquilizing animals in Anamalai Tiger Reserve, which includes the forests in and around Valparai. Residents of Valparai are prone to frequent attacks by elephants and leopards. http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-04-29/coimbatore/31475659_1_porcupine-quills-forest-officials

Tiger found dead

Hunsur, (Mysore dist), April 29 2012, DHNS: A male tiger, about five years old, was found dead with severe injuries in Nagarahole National Park on Sunday morning. The incident came to light during the routine beat of the forest staff. It is suspected that two male tigers had fought near Gadde Hadi in Nagarahole range on Saturday, leading to the death of one of them, said Nagarahole Conservator of Forests Vijay Ranjan Singh. There are deep injury marks on the dead tiger, which are believed to be inflicted by another tiger, he added. The tiger succumbed to the injuries. Principal Chief Conservator of Forests B K Singh and Field Director of Project Tiger B J Hosmath visited the spot. Veterinary Officer Dr Umashankar conducted the postmortem. http://www.deccanherald.com/content/245788/tiger-found-dead.html

Injured tiger brought to Nagpur for treatment

Vijay Pinjarkar & Mazhar Ali, TNN | Apr 29, 2012, 02.05AM IST NAGPUR/CHANDRAPUR: The full-grown tiger that got injured in jaw traps set by poachers and was rescued on Friday was brought to Nagpur for treatment on Saturday at 11am. A sub-adult tiger had died in the same incident that took place at a water hole in the Palasgaon range on the outskirts of Tadoba and Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in Chandrapur district. Doctors from the Government Veterinary College - NP Dakshinkar, Shirish Upadhye and Gautam Bhojane - are supervising the treatment. Medication has been started to ensure that gangrene doesn't set in on the tiger's injured left paw. "The further course will be decided after x-ray and operation if any will be done only on Monday," said sources involved in the rescue. Veterinary doctor PD Kadukar, who supervised the rescue and initial medication, claimed that the injury is serious. "There's swelling on the paw and the tiger has difficulty in standing," he said, adding that the tiger has been under tremendous strain for almost 18 hours while its leg was caught in jaw trap. "It could have struggled hard to release his paw, which only worsened its injury," Kadukar added. Earlier during the day, National Tiger Conservation Authority member-secretary Rajesh Gopal visited the spot. Terming the incident as unfortunate, he instructed forest officials to enhance surveillance and strengthen intelligence gathering to prevent such incidents. He held meetings with APCCF (wildlife) AK Saxena and TATR CCF Vinay Kumar Sinha in Chimur. "Gopal revealed some intelligence information he had regarding poaching and asked for enhancement of vigilance," said Sinha. Saxena said that Gopal had called for strengthening of surveillance in jungles, particularly at vulnerable spots. "He claimed similar poaching attempts were happening elsewhere in the country. He stressed on complete scanning of all waterholes in forests of Chandrapur to check presence of similar traps at other places," said Saxena. State PCCF (wildlife) SWH Naqvi commended the forest staff for the quick detection. "It was possible only because Phase IV of the census is on. It's sad that one tiger is dead," he said. "We will start group patrolling during the monsoon season." He said it's too early to talk about the injured tiger's release. "Should it be radio-collared and where should it be released will be decided in consultation with NTCA and other experts," said Naqvi. "Moreover, we will have to see how quickly the tiger will recover from its trauma and injuries." Following the success of a tigress being released with a radio collar in November last year, the forest department may repeat the experiment with the current injured tiger. "Radio collaring is a possibility," said Naqvi. After the tiger was brought to the Forest Department's premises in Seminary Hills from Chandrapur, it took nearly three hours and 20 people to lower the cage. The forest officials didn't seem ready with any plans. Only after the cage was lowered was a 500 sq ft area enclosure created with a white cloth. A cooler has been kept near the cage. The tiger is readily lapping up a lot of water but was yet to touch the mutton pieces that it's being fed when reports last came in. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Injured-tiger-brought-to-Nagpur-for-treatment/articleshow/12916448.cms

Watching Machli, the Tiger Queen of yore…

SUNNY SEBASTIAN Machli, once the reigning carnivore in the entire Ranthambhore is a toothless tiger now. She needs feeding. The photograph was taken by Bina Kak, Rajasthan Minister for Forest and Environment The Queen Mother of the tiger dynasty is now in her sunset days. It may be a painful fact to accept but Machli, the tigress that reigned supreme in the woods of Ranthambhore for over a decade and produced numerous litter, is now a toothless tigress. Not that Machli, now 17 years old, has lost all her grace. The animal, though without most of her canines, still remains a magnificent creature, with her attractive fur and elegant looks intact. Age has not withered her. Perhaps only when she moves, does the infirmity show. Machli is a celebrated tigress — she was the subject of “Tiger Queen” a 50- minute film by ace cameraman Nalla Muthu which was shown in National Geography and Animal Planet channels a few years back. Continuing with the tiger dynasty trail, Nalla Muthu followed Machli's daughter Bhagani (T-18) to the Sariska Tiger Reserve where she was shifted to from the Ranthambhore National Park in July 2008 as part of a project to revive the extinct tiger population there. Nalla Muthu's encounters with Bhagani have led to the making of the impressive wildlife film, Tiger Dynasty. Tiger Queen presented Machli as the “most dominant carnivore of Ranthambhore” during her heyday. As Machli had displaced her mother to be the reigning queen of the woods, her daughter, a doughty female with the code name T-17, did the same to Machli too some years back. Now every animal in the forest is seemingly doing the same to a toothless Machli. Rajasthan Minister for Environment and Forests Bina Kak, who was in the Ranthambhore National Park recently, watched her, talked to her (that is what the Minister told The Hindu!!!) and clicked her pictures. That surely gave her some insights into the lives of tigers in the wild when they are aged. “All her canines are gone. She has difficulty in chewing. Now she survives on the baits [domestic animals tied to a tree or post] provided on a regular basis by the staff of the Forest Department,” Ms. Kak told The Hindu on her return. “At times, even the bait kept for her is snatched away by other tigers — like T-24 and T-25. Machli is old. She needs protection now,” Ms. Kak, observed. This may be defying the law of the jungle in which only the fittest survive. “A dedicated team is looking after her in Ranthambhore. There is a viewpoint in conservation circles that the animal should be allowed to die a natural death. But with Machli, with a tigress they all knew so intimately, they say, they cannot do that,” Ms. Kak said. Yet, in her difficult days also, Machli's survival instincts are helping her. “She is a clever female. Once she kills the calf that is tied as bait, she immediately drags it across a stream and hides it on the other side of the bank. This way the other animals would not follow the scent and snatch the prey from her,” Ms. Kak explained. “I saw it at least three times. I am sure she is doing it purposely to evade the rest of the predators and scavengers,” Ms. Kak asserted. http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/article3364894.ece

Tiger conservation body member calls for heightened surveillance to prevent poaching

TNN | Apr 29, 2012, 01.54AM IST CHANDRAPUR: National Tiger Conservation Authority member-secretary Rajesh Gopal visited the tiger poaching site at Palasgaon range on Saturday. Terming the incident as unfortunate, he instructed officials to enhance surveillance and strengthen intelligence gathering to prevent such incidents in the future. A sub-adult tiger died while a full-grown one was injured after getting stuck in traps laid by poachers on Thursday. Gopal was received by APCCF (wildlife) AK Saxena and CCF, TATR, Vinaykumar Sinha in Chimur. After inspection of the site, Gopal also held a meeting with forest department officials. "Gopal revealed some intelligence information he had regarding poaching and asked for enhancement of vigilance," said Sinha. Saxena claimed that Gopal had called for strengthening of surveillance in jungles, particularly at vulnerable spots. "He claimed similar poaching attempts were happening elsewhere in the country. He stressed on complete scanning of all waterholes in forests of Chandrapur to check presence of similar traps at other places," Saxena said. He said that the forest department has already initiated scanning of all waterholes as such places are most vulnerable spots during summer. "We will ensure complete surveillance of waterholes during summer. Where there is lesser manpower, additional forest labourers will be deployed for protection to check such incidents," he said. He denied the possibility of initiating action against anybody for failure of protection in this case. At the poaching site, Gopal inspected the places and the waterhole where poachers had laid the trap. He also took stock of efforts being taken to track the poachers responsible for laying traps. NGO activist Bandu Dhotre gave demonstration of operation of jaw traps used for poaching to Rajesh Gopal. Gopal also visited proposed rehabilitation site for TATR's village Navegaon (Ramdegi) in Chimur tehsil on his way back to Nagpur. He, however, did not respond to phone calls made for his comment. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Tiger-conservation-body-member-calls-for-heightened-surveillance-to-prevent-poaching/articleshow/12916372.cms

Tiger, panther census from May 1

T. LALITH SINGH Forest Department to take up the annual exercise for a week To generate data on the tiger and panther presence in the State, the Andhra Pradesh Forest Department would be initiating a week-long census starting May 1. Apart from enumerating the carnivore, the exercise plans to make an estimate of herbivore abundance at different sanctuaries and national parks. For the annual exercise, the department officials along with volunteers from different animal welfare groups would scout the wild using techniques such as pugmark track, walking trails and water hole. The trails left by tigers and panthers along with other wildlife would be picked up and documented. Locations to be covered include Kawal Wildlife Sanctuary of Jannaram forests in Adilabad district, Eturnagaram and Pakhal Wildlife Sanctuary of Warangal district, Kinnerasani Wildlife Sanctuary of Khammam district, Papikonda and Chintalapally apart from Sri Venkateswara Wildlife Sanctuary, Tirupati and Srisailam Tiger Reserve. According to the officials, the field work was planned to be carried out from May 1 to 7 along with about 40 to 50 volunteers. “This will be followed by required work to go through the data in the next three days and eliminate possible duplications and arrive at right figures about wildlife in these areas,” said A Sankaran, Deputy Conservator of Forests. About herbivores, the initiative would be broader and involve estimating low, medium and high abundance of their presence. “By the end of May, we will have compiled the numbers and details of the national parks and sanctuaries,” he said. The Forest Department looks at enrolling at least 40 volunteers and then deploying at least three to four volunteers for each division. The officials said that different voluntary agencies and animal welfare groups were being approached for the purpose and the volunteer force would be drawn from Bird Watchers Society, Friends of Snakes, People For Animals (PFA) and the Hyderabad Tiger Conservation Society (HYTICOS). http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/article3357695.ece

Tiger dies in trap, another found trapped near Tadoba

TNN | Apr 27, 2012, 01.48AM IST CHANDRAPUR: A tiger died after it was trapped in an iron jaw trap laid by professional trappers in Palasgaon range in the buffer zone of Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve. Another tiger is still trapped in a nearby snare, but it is alive, said foresters. The dead body of the tiger was discovered by a team of foresters on Thursday evening. One of the forest guards at the spot was also injured when his leg got trapped in a jaw trap while approaching the dead body. The foresters said that the tiger that is still trapped can be heard calling from a distance in Palasgaon range. RFO, Palasgaon Range, Rahul Sorte said that poachers had laid multiple iron jaw traps in compartment no. 559 under Vanmali beat of Palasgaon range on Wednesday night. There is presence of a tigress and a tiger in the area. Both the tigers appear to have been trapped in the jaw traps sometime in the night. One of the two tigers succumbed to its injures, while the other was still trapped when foresters reached the scene on Thursday evening. "The area is frequently patrolled by our forest guards as phase-IV tiger monitoring exercise is underway. Our guards had gone to the area to install camera traps on Wednesday, but they had returned without placing the cameras since the tigress was present in the area. The forest guard again went to the same place on Thursday at around 5pm to install the camera traps. This time he was shocked to find the dead body of a tiger in a jaw trap," said Sorte. He said that the foreleg of the deceased tiger was trapped in the jaw trap. He however did not disclose whether the dead tiger was male or female. Sorte claimed that another tiger is sitting close to the dead body and growling hard. It is likely that this tiger too is trapped in another jaw trap. However, foresters have refrained from approaching this tiger fearing an attack. Tranquillizing experts have been summoned to the spot and an alert has been issued in the district for Baheliya and Bawariya poachers, who have expertise in poaching with jaw traps. Foresters and police department have issued a lookout for traditional medicine sellers, as Baheliya poachers usually enter forest areas in this disguise. Forest guard MB Zade was injured in the evening after his leg got trapped in a jaw trap when a team of forest officers reached the spot. His leg escaped serious injury thanks to the shoes he was wearing. Forest officials expertly removed his leg from the trap, leaving the shoe in the trap. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Tiger-dies-in-trap-another-found-trapped-near-Tadoba/articleshow/12887369.cms

Tiger count in AP over 100, says Forest Department

PTI | 06:04 PM,Apr 26,2012 Hyderabad, Apr 26 (PTI) The number of tigers in Andhra Pradesh could be over 100 and their habitat is expanding, facilitating the growth of the big cats, a top Forest Department official said today. "As per our count, it is more than 100. Of course, there is always this problem (difference in number) with our counting and the counting of wildlife activists," Hitesh Malhotra, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, told reporters here. The peak population of tigers in the state was 141, he said. As per the census conducted in 2010 by Wildlife Institute, 72 tigers were reported in the state, officials said, adding the figure does not include cubs. Noting that the habitat is expanding as a tigress with two cubs and a tigress with three cubs have been spotted separately, he expressed the confidence that the big cat population would grow further. The tiger census, to be undertaken by the State Forest Department in summer, will see 'camera trap' being used and also the participation of NGOs this year, Malhotra said. PTI SJR RSY http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/tiger-count-in-ap-over-100-says-forest-department/990947.html

Runaway tiger caged after gruelling 108 days

Published: Thursday, Apr 26, 2012, 7:57 IST By Deepak Gidwani | Place: Lucknow | Agency: DNA Finally, after a grueling exercise lasting as many as 108 days which involved over two dozen forest officers, experts and employees, the runaway tiger was tranqulised and caught in the wee hours of Wednesday. The tiger, a healthy male of about four years, had strayed from its habitat about 250km from here, and settled down in the 400-acre farm of the Central Subtropical Horticulture Institute of the Union agriculture ministry at Rahmankheda, about 15km from Lucknow. The foresters had tried all the tricks in their bag, but the big cat managed to evade arrest for over three months. At one point of time, the forest department had totally given up hope of caging it, and was, in fact, coming around to the idea of developing a safari around it. Interestingly, the tiger had got followers in several countries as one avid wildlifer put it on a social networking site aptly naming it ‘Badshah’ (king). With the capture of the tiger, the terrified villagers living around the area as well as the forest department officials have heaved a sigh of relief. “It is indeed a big achievement for us to catch the tiger after such a long time without any harm to the human population,” said Ashok Mishra, Lucknow division forest officer (DFO). “It is perhaps a record of its own kind anywhere in the world,” he added. The operation started at first light around 4am, and the tiger was brought down with a dart around 6.30am. Another DFO PP Singh, a tiger expert who planned the entire operation, said the catch was the result of accurate planning. First, over the past few days, the tiger was localised to a particular patch, a ‘sheesham’ thicket, in the forest where there was dense foliage. This area was regularly watered to keep it cool, offering the tiger a perfect hideout. A water body near the area completed the picture. When the tiger started roaming this area frequently, the foresters tied a buffalo at this spot on Monday. As expected, the tiger made the kill, and the foresters let it relish the prey for one night. “The tiger did not venture far this time as water was also available nearby. The idea was to take advantage of the situation in which the tiger eats and drinks water more than usual due to no disturbance. This makes the cat slow and lazy,” explains PP Singh. Early on Wednesday morning, the foresters’ party mounted on three elephants surrounded the area. Dr Utkarsh Shukla, a vet and a darting expert, managed to get a clear hit on his second shot as the tiger moved towards his elephant. Soon, a huge crowd of villagers reached the spot to get a glimpse of the beast which had terrified them. The foresters managed to whisk it away to the Dudhwa National Park where it would be rehabilitated. http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_runaway-tiger-caged-after-gruelling-108-days_1680791

Tiger presence confirmed in Mizoram's Dampa reserve forest

PTI | 03:04 PM,Apr 25,2012 Guwahati, Apr 25 (PTI) Significant tiger presence has been confirmed in Mizoram's Dampa reserve forest through DNA- based analysis techniques. The presence of the big cats was confirmed during a joint field survey conducted by the forest reserve's field directorate, World Wildlife Fund and 'Aaranyak', a society for biodiversity conservation, in March last as part of the country-wide phase four of tiger monitoring programme initiated by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). "We successfully used DNA-based analysis techniques for identifying tiger faecal samples, collected during the joint field survey", Aaranyak's head of Wildlife Genetics Programme Udayan Borthakur said here today. Efforts are now on to find out the minimum number of tigers present in Dampa through the use of DNA fingerprinting techniques, Borthakur said. Dampa Tiger Reserve is situated in the western part of Mizoram and is spread in an area of 550 sq km at the international border with Bangladesh. It consists of a forest with a difficult terrain interpolated with hills, valleys, streams and a rivulet and is a hot spot of bio-diversity with a variety of flora and fauna of Indo-Malayan origin. NTCA has categorised Dampa Tiger Reserve as one of the low density Tiger Reserves in India with deficiency of data on the current population status of tigers in the area, Borthakur said. PTI DG KK http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/tiger-presence-confirmed-in-mizorams-dampa-reserve-forest/990337.html

Now, entry in Pench, Nagzira to cost more

Vijay Pinjarkar, TNN | Apr 26, 2012, 06.10AM IST NAGPUR: Close on the heels of Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) jacking up rates for tourists, Pench Tiger Reserve (PTR) and Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary have followed suit. In Nagzira, the guide fee has been doubled from Rs 100 to Rs 200 from April 24. The fee hike in PTR will come into force from May 1, 2012. Now a group of six will have shell out Rs 370 in Nagzira. It will include Rs 200 towards guide fee and Rs 170 towards entry (Rs 20 per person), vehicle (Rs 50) and camera (Rs 5). The fees will be charged per entry. "We have not hiked the gate fees. The guide fee has been doubled to benefit local people who play an important role in protecting the sanctuary," said M S Reddy, conservator of forest (CF) for Gondia Wildlife Division. He added that the instructions were passed on by principal secretary (forest) Praveen Pardeshi during his visit to Nagzira on Saturday and Sunday. "Taking a cue from Nagzira, we may also hike guide fee in Bor and Tipeshwar," said A Ashraf, chief conservator of forests (CCF) and field director for PTR. Ashraf said the executive committee of Pench Tiger Conservation Foundation (TCF) on Wednesday had already decided to increase entry fee per vehicle to Rs 300. In addition, guide fee of Rs 200 will have to be paid. It comes to Rs 500 per vehicle now. "For 10 or more persons, including driver and guide, an additional Rs 22 per person will be charged," Ashraf added. "The fee will be applicable to capacity of the vehicle as approved by the regional transport office (RTO). The tourists should keep one seat vacant for guide," Ashraf said. Fee for eco-hut has also been increased from Rs 400 per day to Rs 500. The meeting did not discuss entry fee for students. On October 19, 2011, the governing body of tiger conservation foundations headed by forest minister Patangrao Kadam, had increased guides fee from Rs 100 to Rs 200 per trip in three tiger reserves - Pench, Tadoba and Melghat. The new rate has already come into force in reserves and now sanctuaries too are implementing it. The Maharashtra State Sanctuaries Guides Union (MSSGU) members have hailed the move. "Even as inflation flared, guides used to get Rs 100 per trip only. The demand to revise the fee was pending for long. There will be no discrimination too, as guides now operate as per roster system," said Prakash Kumre and Puresh Kodape, both guides in Nagzira. Pay more for tigers Tadoba-Andhari: Rs 700 Pench Tiger Reserve: Rs 500 Melghat, Tipeshwar, Bor, Navegaon, Nagzira and other PAs: Rs 375 (Sanctuary fee includes Rs 20 for adults, Rs 10 for children, Rs 50 for vehicle and Rs 5 per camera) Tiger capital issue in LS Congress MP from Nagpur Vilas Muttemwar, on Wednesday, raised the issue of promoting Nagpur as the 'world tiger capital' in Lok Sabha under Rule 377. "Nagpur has immense potential to emerge as a gateway for eco-tourism, especially tiger tourism at global level. The aim of promoting Nagpur as world tiger capital is to make it a safe haven for tigers in the Central Indian landscape," Muttemwar told the Lok Sabha. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Now-entry-in-Pench-Nagzira-to-cost-more/articleshow/12875034.cms

Tigress carcass found in Kaziranga

TNN | Apr 26, 2012, 03.57AM IST JORHAT: A carcass of an adult tigress was found in Kaziranga National Park on Wednesday. Park officials suspect that the tigress died due to infighting between tigers. Divisional forest officer (Kaziranga) Dibyadhar Gogoi said, "We found a carcass of a tigress at Honuman area under Kohora forest range of the park this afternoon. The tigress was about five years old and the animal died due to infighting between tigers." He added, "Preliminary investigations suggest that the animal was attacked by other tiger one or two days ago. We found some injury marks on her body; she was mauled by the other animal. The tigress lost her left eye during the fight, but the other parts of her body was found intact." "We conducted the autopsy of the animal in presence of the representatives of the National Tiger Conservation Authority of India along with the national park authorities on Wednesday," he said. The national park lost another tigress in December last year when a personnel of the Assam police armed battalion opened fire to save some locals near Kohora forest range of the park. The adult tigress attacked two persons at Bosagaon area near the park. In April 2011, a tiger carcass was also found at the Kathanibari forest under the same forest range in Kaziranga. However, the reason of the tiger's death could not be ascertained. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/guwahati/Tigress-carcass-found-in-Kaziranga/articleshow/12874026.cms

CRPF vacates PTR premises

TNN | Apr 26, 2012, 06.04AM IST DALTONGANJ: The CRPF has finally vacated the tree house, cottage meant for tourists, canteen and the rest house of the Palamu Tiger Reserve (PTR) in Betla. Sources said with this, the ongoing operation against the rebels, Operation Octopus, has also come to a halt. These places were occupied by the CRPF since March 30. The divisional forest officer (DFO), core, Premjit Anand, quoting the Betla forest ranger, Ajit Singh, said, "The CRPF moved out of the tree house, cottage, canteen and the rest house on April 24." Anand said PTR officials will now have to find out if things are in "shape or not". A ranger has been asked to keep a record of the accessories. "Bills over Rs 1 lakh have been sent to the Latehar SP," said the DFO as he is the sanctioning authority. According to sources, it was because of the efforts of principal chief conservator of forest (PCCF) A K Singh, that the CRPF vacated the PTR. The PCCF held parleys with the IG (operations), CRPF, D K Pandey, in this matter and was reported to have communicated to the IG CRPF that the occupancy of PTR buildings had made the structure, officers and staff vulnerable to rebels. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ranchi/CRPF-vacates-PTR-premises/articleshow/12874966.cms

4 chief conservators of forests, 6 divisional forest officers transferred

TNN | Apr 26, 2012, 07.33AM IST NAGPUR: The season of transfers and postings has started in the forest department. In a minor reshuffle, six divisional forest officers (DFOs) and four chief conservators of forests (CCFs) were shifted on Wednesday evening. Sources told TOI, among the 4 CCFs, A K Mishra, field director of Melghat Tiger Reserve (MTR), has been shifted to Nagpur as CCF (planning & management) in PCCF (wildlife) office. He will replace A R Mande, who has been posted as CCF (tendu). Mishra will be replaced by K P Singh, who was with Working Plan, Thane. B R Khaire, who was in Mantralaya, has been posted in place of Singh at Thane. Among the 6 DFOs, D B Shrikhande, who was working in Pandharkawda division in Yavatmal Circle, has been shifted to social forestry department (SFD) as deputy director, Bhandara. Shrikhande will be replaced by A P Girhepuje, who was DFO in PCCF (wildlife) office. Similarly, Suresh Allurwar, DFO (planning), Nagpur Circle, has been shifted to Pusad. G S Balki, who was in Pusad, has been posted to Washim in social forestry department. Besides, G P Narawne, a probationer, has been posted at Dahanu. P G Rahurkar, who was DFO (planning) at Dhule, has been shifted to Yaval division. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/4-chief-conservators-of-forests-6-divisional-forest-officers-transferred/articleshow/12875715.cms

Tiger dies in Corbett National Park

PTI | 08:04 PM,Apr 24,2012 Nainital, Apr 24 (PTI) A tiger died at Corbett National Park, near here, today while being treated by a veterinary team for serious injuries, a forest department official said. The injured tiger was spotted this morning at the periphery of the park, following which a veterinary team was rushed to the spot, Rajendra Singh Bisht, Conservator Western Circle, said. The tiger, however, died without responding to the treatment, he said, adding a postmortem would be conducted tomorrow to ascertain the cause of the feline's death. PTI CORR http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/tiger-dies-in-corbett-national-park/990088.html

'Badshah' still playing hide-and-seek

TNN | Apr 25, 2012, 03.18AM IST LUCKNOW: The Rahmankhera tiger, nicknamed 'Badshah' by wildlife enthusiasts and social media, continues to play hide-and-seek with the trackers. The big cat killed and partially ate a buffalo tied as bait at Rahmankhera on Monday night. It was the 20th bait killed by the tiger even as forest officials remain clueless. The tiger has now shifted its location to a patch of forest with a dense canopy of 'sheesham' trees. On Monday night, it killed and dragged the bait to the sheesham thickets. The tracking team has set up a 'machaan' close to its current location. The bait is being tied to lure the big cat, so that it can be tranquilised once it comes close to the animal. But the strategy, which has been repeatedly tried in Rahmankhera for past four months, has failed to yield result. The tiger was first spotted at Rahmankhera on January 8. "The entire effort is focused on keeping the tiger localised at Rahmankhera rather than tranquilising it," said wildlife enthusiast Kaushalendra Singh. The forest department has not fixed any deadline for tranquilising the tiger. In such a case, the operation might continue without any interference from the agencies that matter. Wildlife activists have demanded that the government should fix a deadline for the operation since lot of money has already been spent on it. And, in case the department fails to trap the tiger in a given time, it might seek help from other quarters. Though the tracking team is now continuing the operation during night as well, activists say it should become more regular. "The team can monitor the behaviour of the tiger to find out when it strkes, in the evening or late night, and can keep a watch accordingly," said secretary, Tiger and Terrain, Sanjay Narayan. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/Badshah-still-playing-hide-and-seek/articleshow/12859932.cms

Tribals unwilling to relocate from PTR area

TNN | Apr 25, 2012, 03.20AM IST DALTONGANJ: For the 22-odd tribal families living on the Jaigeer hill area, 3,133 feet above sea level and surrounded by hills from four sides - life means total confinement. This village is bereft of roads and electricity as well as drinking water and irrigation. There is only one school. Deprived of basic infrastructure, these families have been asked to relocate since their village and several others fall under the Palamu Tiger Reserve. Once relocated to the plains earlier, these families will also enjoy a better life and all benefits under various government schemes, said DFO (buffer) Anil K Mishra. There are three other villages falling in the core area of PTR - Ramandaag (150 houses), Latoo (50 houses) and Kujrum (40 houses).But the families do not want relocation. Lakhan Oraon, living here, is sceptical about his relocation. "What if I don't get land at the place I'm relocated," he said. Premchand Birjiya is suspicious of the forest department's designs. Lakho Devi said she had grown up here and vowed not to move out from here as her soul lives here. Mishra said he had a plan to take five of the villagers to Satpura National Park in Madhya Pradesh to see for themselves how people who lived in the park area have been suitably relocated with drinking water, health services, education, irrigation etc. Krishna Trushti, a PTR research assistant, compared the life here and at Kanha tiger reserve and said, "The tribals here have resigned themselves to fate. The valley is their world." http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ranchi/Tribals-unwilling-to-relocate-from-PTR-area/articleshow/12859956.cms

National highways may endanger lives of big cats

Sudipta Sengupta, TNN | Apr 24, 2012, 02.39AM IST HYDERABAD: The talk of upgrading some of Andhra Pradesh's state highways to national highways, which seems to be fast gaining momentum now, has left local environmentalists worried. Two state highways -- the Hyderabad-Srisailam-Dornala-Atmakur-Nandyal stretch (354km) and the Nirmal-Khanapur-Luxeettipet (108km) -- pass through AP's most prominent tiger reserves, the Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve (NSTR) and the recently declared Kawal Tiger Reserve, respectively. Quoting instances from other states, experts say that the move to elevate them as national highways would increase the vehicular traffic on these roads and endanger the lives of the 'big cats' living in these forest belts. Currently, NSTR has close to 60 tigers while Kawal boasts of a population of about seven. The proposed upgradation is feared to not just increase traffic movement manifold (from two-lane roads they will become four or even six-lane roads), but even lead to relaxation of time restrictions imposed in these belts at present. This, experts fear would in turn push the tiger casualty figures upward. In the NSTR for instance, vehicular movement is now banned between 9pm and 6am. "But this could be done away with once it becomes a national highway," said Imran Siddiqui a wildlife expert from the AP, adding, "We are, therefore, planning to take up the matter with the state authorities. We hope to convince the government to either shelve the proposal or realign the routes." Quoting from a recent study conducted by the Current Science Association along with the Indian Academy of Sciences in the Nagarhole Tiger Reserve area (Karnataka), Siddiqui noted how the death of large mammals in the belt had shot phenomenally owing to a rise in vehicular traffic. Even in belts such as the Bandipur Tiger Reserve (Karnataka), Dudhwa Tiger Reserve (Uttar Pradesh) and Nagriza Wildlife Sanctuary & Tiger Reserve (Maharashtra), all of which are located close to national highways, cases of tiger deaths have been reported consistently. Experts attribute these casualties to the speeding traffic on these highways that is most often not monitored by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). "As a result drivers touch speeds up to 120kmph (they should restrict it to 70-80kmph) on these national highways. Animals, especially in the night, misjudge the speed and fall prey to accidents," said wildlife biologist Milind Pariwakam who has been, for long, battling for the realignment of NH-7 that runs through Pench National Park in Madhya Pradesh. Intriguingly, NHAI authorities, by their own admission, seem to have paid little attention to this issue prior to tabling the proposal before the central government. When contacted, Siva Reddy, engineer-in-chief, NHAI said, "Such concerns will be addressed once the Centre gives its nod to upgrade these state highways." He hastily added that a few speed-breakers would be laid on the roads to control vehicular movement. State forest department officials too seemed remotely cautioned. In fact, the principal chief conservator of forest (wildlife), S V Kumar, feigned complete ignorance on the subject. This, when the rulebook clearly notes that such proposals should be passed by local forest authorities before being sent to the Centre. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/National-highways-may-endanger-lives-of-big-cats/articleshow/12844251.cms

National Tiger Conservation Authority seeks report on irrigation projects near Melghat

Vijay Pinjarkar, TNN | Apr 24, 2012, 02.29AM IST NAGPUR: Even though wildlife and territorial wings of forest department have turned mute spectators to construction of two minor irrigation projects Arkacheri in Sonala and Alewadi in Buldhana, both falling within the 10 km of Melghat Tiger Reserve (MTR), the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has sought a detailed report on them. TOI had reported on April 9 that Vidarbha Irrigation Development Corporation (VIDC) was implementing both the projects without seeking permission from National Board for Wildlife (NBWL). As the projects fall within 10 km radius of Ambabarwa wildlife sanctuary (part of MTR) and are also in the notified buffer zone of the reserve, NBWL nod is a must. Aggrieved farmers from Sonala have already moved the high court here against VIDC for forcing Arkacheri on them. They claim the project would help land that is already under irrigation. "We are not against the project as such, but want it shifted to more suitable site. When there is no demand from the people for a dam, why is the project being forced upon them? There is presence of wildlife in and around Sonala and the project may cause man-animal conflict," said petitioner Ramdas Kothe from Sonala. Taking serious note of TOI report, NTCA at Delhi has sought details. "I've been asked to report the developments in Alewadi and Sonala. The matter is in high court. We will reply once the notices are received," said Ravikiran Govekar, assistant inspector general (AIG), NTCA, Nagpur. Govekar will visit both the sites soon. The MTR officials are not concerned as control of buffer lies with territorial wing. Mohan Jha, chief conservator of forests (CCF), Amravati Circle, says, "As the work is being done on non-forest land, we technically have no role to play. But as both the projects fall within 10 km of a sanctuary, VIDC should have taken a NOC from wildlife wing. I'm conveying the same to MTR field director." Executive engineer for minor irrigation department U M Padmane had earlier said that wildlife permissions would be obtained when need was felt. He did not specify who would feel this need. NBWL member Kishor Rithe said state chief wildlife warden should act immediately. "As decided in last NBWL meeting, wardens are our eyes and ears in the states. They should be the first to take note of such violations," Rithe said. "I will visit the site in May first week and if violations are found, will report them to the union environment ministry (MoEF) as a NBWL member," he stressed. Conservationist Prafulla Bhamburkar said VIDC planned to divert Ar river into Kacheri nala but Ar comes from Wan sanctuary. As per Wildlife Protection Act 1972, diversion of river water coming from a protected area was prohibited without nod from chief wildlife warden, he said. Bhamburkar said irrigation department contention that buffer was notified after the projects were sanctioned was not right. "Though the projects were sanctioned earlier, work started after buffer was notified. Hence state wildlife board's and NBWL's permission should have been taken," he said. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/National-Tiger-Conservation-Authority-seeks-report-on-irrigation-projects-near-Melghat/articleshow/12844175.cms