United News Of India
Rewa, MP, July 11
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that a Breeding Centre for white tigers would be established at Govindgarh in the district.
''The erstwhile royals of Rewa had first located the White tiger in the region and since then Rewa's name became synonymous with white tigers across the world,'' he told reporters here on Saturday.
He said that white tigers would be brought to Rewa for breeding purposes.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Steps needed to save tigers: NGO
PUNE: An exhibition of around 150 photographs showcasing India's rich heritage of biodiversity was organised by NGO Tiger Action Force at the Balgandharva Art Gallery on Sunday.
The idea was to create awareness about the International Year of Bio-Diversity being celebrated this year.
A section of photographs focused on the decline in wildlife population because of poaching and road accidents. Screening of the documentary Truth about Tigers' and lectures on wildlife conservation were also a part of the exhibition.
An attraction of the exhibition was the display of handicraft items made by tribals Mogya Handicrafts by Tiger Watch', and T-shirts made by SPROUTS, an NGO.
Gaurav Mahajan, a member of Tiger Action Force, told TOI that the photographs were taken by 17 wildlife photographers across the country.
"Immediate steps need to be taken to save the dwindling number of tigers. Through our NGO, we call upon the youth to come forward voluntarily to help protect our pride, the tiger," he said.
Members of Tiger Action Force are from all walks of life. Their interest in environment brought them together to start this NGO last year. They organise awareness programmes in educational institutes.
Mridula Vijairaghavan, a first year B Com student of Symbiosis and a member, says that incidents of wild animals killed in tiger reserves are reported all over the country. "Big animals like nil gai, tigers, leopards and even elephants are hit by running vehicles. It is all because of internal fragmentation of forests by roads and highways."
The NGO is also working to make tribals residing in forest areas self-reliant. Another member, Utpal Tongo says, "Efforts are made to help tribals be less dependent on forest produce. We are encouraging them in bamboo art and see that they get a market to sell their produce. All these tribals are from Melghat area."
Closer home, Tiger Action Force is working towards conservation and protection of the Pashan lake. Members Siddharth Pai, an engineer, and Bhagyesh Pidyar, an insurance consultant, say that they are preparing a draft on the water quality, bird count and plantation to be taken up in Pashan lake.
"With the guidance of Professor Sanjeev Nalavade, faculty at Fergusson College, we are preparing this draft, which will be submitted to the Pune Municipal Corporation. The bird count of the lake has drastically gone down because of the habitat modification in the lake," they said.
The idea was to create awareness about the International Year of Bio-Diversity being celebrated this year.
A section of photographs focused on the decline in wildlife population because of poaching and road accidents. Screening of the documentary Truth about Tigers' and lectures on wildlife conservation were also a part of the exhibition.
An attraction of the exhibition was the display of handicraft items made by tribals Mogya Handicrafts by Tiger Watch', and T-shirts made by SPROUTS, an NGO.
Gaurav Mahajan, a member of Tiger Action Force, told TOI that the photographs were taken by 17 wildlife photographers across the country.
"Immediate steps need to be taken to save the dwindling number of tigers. Through our NGO, we call upon the youth to come forward voluntarily to help protect our pride, the tiger," he said.
Members of Tiger Action Force are from all walks of life. Their interest in environment brought them together to start this NGO last year. They organise awareness programmes in educational institutes.
Mridula Vijairaghavan, a first year B Com student of Symbiosis and a member, says that incidents of wild animals killed in tiger reserves are reported all over the country. "Big animals like nil gai, tigers, leopards and even elephants are hit by running vehicles. It is all because of internal fragmentation of forests by roads and highways."
The NGO is also working to make tribals residing in forest areas self-reliant. Another member, Utpal Tongo says, "Efforts are made to help tribals be less dependent on forest produce. We are encouraging them in bamboo art and see that they get a market to sell their produce. All these tribals are from Melghat area."
Closer home, Tiger Action Force is working towards conservation and protection of the Pashan lake. Members Siddharth Pai, an engineer, and Bhagyesh Pidyar, an insurance consultant, say that they are preparing a draft on the water quality, bird count and plantation to be taken up in Pashan lake.
"With the guidance of Professor Sanjeev Nalavade, faculty at Fergusson College, we are preparing this draft, which will be submitted to the Pune Municipal Corporation. The bird count of the lake has drastically gone down because of the habitat modification in the lake," they said.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Madhya Pradesh govt put on hold plan to relocate tiger to Panna sanctuary
New Delhi: Worried over safety of four new-born tiger cubs, the Madhya Pradesh government has put on hold its plan to relocate a new male big cat to Panna sanctuary.
"If we shift a male tiger as planned earlier, it might devour the hapless cubs which are less than two months old," HS Pabla, principal chief conservator (wildlife), Madhya Pradesh, toldPTI.
"Panna currently has one male and two female big cats, including the lactating one. The cubs will face survival threat if a new alien tiger is introduced...The unrelated male may even kill them if they are not their off-springs...This is a natural tendency among the predators," tiger expert K Shankar said.
The state government on its part has beefed up security with the entire area being closed for tourists to ensure safe habitat to the cubs.
Overly cautious and secretive, tigresses are often reluctant to let a stranger male go near their litter and immediately move them far from the area which they feel becomes disturbed or threatened, Shankar said.
A tigress spend nearly 70% of their time nursing its cub for the initial few days after birth. This reduces to 30% by the time the cub reaches one-month-old. Approximately half of the litters do not survive to attain the age of two, the scientist from Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India said.
For instance, Shankar said, last November an 11-month-old female cub was killed inside the Kanha National Park by an adult tiger. In another incident, a two-year-old tigress was attacked and killed by a tiger while trying to protect her cubs.
Young tigers become independent from their mothers around 17 to 24 months of age, when they first settle temporarily in marginal habitats and then take a permanent territory of their own.
Spread over 542 sq km, Panna tiger reserve, which lost all its native predators to poachers a few years back, is again witnessing a rise in their numbers after a translocated tigress gave birth to four cubs last May, indicating success of the programme.
However, while decision to shift one more male tiger has been kept in the back-burner, the state government has plans to relocate two female big cats by the end of the monsoon season as per schedule.
Sariska tigers may yet hope for company
JAIPUR: Tigers at the Sariska reserve may yet hope for company. Just when most wildlife enthusiasts had given up on the fresh bid to relocate two more tigers from the Ranthambore reserve to Sariska, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has reiterated that the relocation would definitely take place.
According to the Rajesh Gopal, director, NTCA, "The relocation would certainly take place. We are looking at a possible date somewhere around July 18."
Pessimism had crept in after an earlier date of July 4 for the relocation was not adhered to. Officials explained they were waiting for the rain. But even after a few showers there are few signs of relocating the tigers. Even people who should know had given up hope assuming that scales have tilted once again in favour of the tourism lobby which opposes removal of tiger from Ranthambore.
"We are just waiting for a few showers before the relocation takes place. Our experts are still at Ranthambore and are keeping track of the possible tigers that could be relocated. We have sent samples of these tigers to a laboratory in Bangalore and have got the results. The tigers to be relocated this time are not siblings of the ones that are already at Sariska," added Gopal.
In fact, it was this fear that had encouraged a debate halting the original relocation plans. Some wildlife enthusiasts had expressed fears that a blind shifting of tiger without a study of its DNA will encourage in-breeding among the cats resulting in weak cubs.
And though the ministry had earlier rejected such arguments and declared the Ranthambore tigers as healthy and such fears were unfounded, but eventually gave in to rising pressure halting the relocation. Since then attempts at relocation have fallen through.
This time the NTCA, to be doubly sure, is carrying out DNA test of scat samples of young tigers for their possible relocation.
According to the Rajesh Gopal, director, NTCA, "The relocation would certainly take place. We are looking at a possible date somewhere around July 18."
Pessimism had crept in after an earlier date of July 4 for the relocation was not adhered to. Officials explained they were waiting for the rain. But even after a few showers there are few signs of relocating the tigers. Even people who should know had given up hope assuming that scales have tilted once again in favour of the tourism lobby which opposes removal of tiger from Ranthambore.
"We are just waiting for a few showers before the relocation takes place. Our experts are still at Ranthambore and are keeping track of the possible tigers that could be relocated. We have sent samples of these tigers to a laboratory in Bangalore and have got the results. The tigers to be relocated this time are not siblings of the ones that are already at Sariska," added Gopal.
In fact, it was this fear that had encouraged a debate halting the original relocation plans. Some wildlife enthusiasts had expressed fears that a blind shifting of tiger without a study of its DNA will encourage in-breeding among the cats resulting in weak cubs.
And though the ministry had earlier rejected such arguments and declared the Ranthambore tigers as healthy and such fears were unfounded, but eventually gave in to rising pressure halting the relocation. Since then attempts at relocation have fallen through.
This time the NTCA, to be doubly sure, is carrying out DNA test of scat samples of young tigers for their possible relocation.
'Reduce tourist vehicles to Corbett' - Jairam Ramesh
India best tiger reserve Corbett National Park has caused another face-off between Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh and Uttaranchal Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal. For better conservation of tigers, Jairam Ramesh wants Pokhriyal to reduce the inflow of tourist vehicles into the park which has highest tiger density per square km of forest area. More than two lakh tourists visited the National Park in the past year with a daily average of 400 through four tourist gates.
The high inflow of tourists, according to Ramesh, has caused higher air and noise pollution inside the park, a probable cause for stress to tigers. The noise created by vehicular movement is said to be a reason for poor breeding of tigers.
“It had happened in Sariska,” said a senior scientist with Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India, giving high tourist inflow as a possible reason for poor breeding of tigers in Sariska before they vanished in 2004.
Ramesh had also sounded a similar caution for Corbett, while asking the Chief Minister to reduce the number of vehicles allowed inside the park. Data with National Tiger Conservation Authority indicates that tourist influx inside the park has increased because of its close proximity with Delhi.
Uttaranchal government, however, contended that the tourists being allowed inside the parks were within the permissible limits and no fresh restrictions can be imposed. “Livelihood of a large number of locals is dependent on tourists... We cannot impose unrealistic restrictions just because the Centre wants it,” said Anil Baluni, deputy advisor with the state environment advisory committee.
The environment minister had earlier asked the state government to restrict construction of resorts in and around Corbett. Ramesh has opposed construction of hydel projects in the upper reaches of Ganga river basin and wants to declare the 130-km stretch of Bhagirathi river in the state as ecologically sensitive. Ministry panels have also opposed hydel projects on Gori Ganga and Mandakini rivers in the state.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Reduce-tourist-vehicles-to-Corbett/Article1-570495.aspx
Friday, July 9, 2010
Forest Rules Flouted In Tiger Lair
SAJNEKHALI: A three-storey luxury lodge for tourists, with spacious rooms and an expansive lobby, spread over 15,000 sq ft in the heart of tiger territory in the Sunderbans. This might sound shocking to conservationists and nature-lovers, but not the state tourism department. It has wrapped up about half the construction work, next to the forest department office at Sajnekhali, which saw tiger intrusions twice in the last fortnight.
What's worse, the building is less than 10 feet from a sweet water pond that is frequented by tigers, deer, fishing cats, wild boar and sundry other animals. Apart from driving away the creatures who will obviously be forced to look for quieter pastures once tourists move in, the environmental impact of such a facility could be crippling for the mangrove forest, experts warn.
The signs of construction-induced damage are already visible and have set alarm bells ringing. Tonnes of soft earth has been scooped up from an adjacent plot for the lodge although it is illegal to excavate forest land. It has left dozens of mangrove plantations in a precarious state with their roots hanging loose. Many have already toppled while the rest could fall soon.
Heaps of iron beams, wooden planks, bamboo poles and other construction material lie piled up at the site. Tonnes of nails are regularly dumped into the muddy ground around the building which could injure animals, say forest officials who are aghast at the decision to let the construction work go ahead. Two storeys of the building have already been built.
There are also concerns that the lodge may be airconditioned (the existing lodge at Sajnekhali has no air-conditioners). The tourism department denied it but site supervisors admitted that they have been ordered to create AC vents. The department also claims that no new construction is happening in the area and that the existing lodge was "merely being extended".
"Our old lodge is in a deplorable state so we are redesigning it and adding an extra wing. The construction is happening within the tourism zone and not within the forest area," said TVN Rao, managing director, West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation. Tourism minister Manab Mukherjee termed it as a renovation work, but cryptically added that he was not sure if it was a tourism zone. "It is a forest department complex and we are renovating the existing lodge which is in a bad shape," said Mukherjee.
Conservationists say this is not in the rule book. "According to a Supreme Court order, no construction is allowed within 500 metres of sanctuaries, certainly not inside forests. This particular area is a tiger habitat. So, this is a gross violation of the rule," said F S Rathod, veteran conservationist.
The big cats regularly come to Sajnekhali. A tigress in fact jumped the walls and prowled the lodge complex for nearly a day, scaring a bunch of tourists and foresters out of their living daylights.
Sunderban Biosphere Reserve director Pradip Vyas confirmed that no new construction was permitted within a notified sanctuary. "As far as I know, the tourism department had sought permission to extend the existing facility and they have been allowed to do that. No new structure is being built," said Vyas.
The reality, however, was quite different. The "extension" is at least three times the size of the old lodge and should qualify as a new structure since it is not connected to the old one. "We shall take care to ensure minimum interference with nature. Also, this will be run by the tourism department and won't be handed over to any private organization," Rao clarified.
"It is surprising that a construction of this scale has been allowed inside Sunderbans. You need a clearance from the West Bengal Bio-diversity Board and a no-objection certificate from the Pollution Control Board for this. These clearances have to be preceded by an environment impact assessment which a project like this is bound to fail," said Sudipto Bhattacharya, an environment activist and pollution expert.
Tiger expert Valmik Thapar agreed. "Even though I am not a legal expert, it seems a little weird. There should have been an impact study undertaken by the forest department and the tourism authorities before allowing construction. I wonder if it is legally and environmentally justifiable. Having a big lodge on a Sunderbans island cannot be beneficial for wild animals," said Thapar.
The lodge could also endanger tourists. Two weeks back, a tigress had used a mound of mud created for the construction work to jump the perimeter fence. The new lodge is right next to a sweetwater pond. Last Tuesday, a tiger that had been lurking in the area and making forays into a neighbouring village was trapped barely 100 yards from the new lodge. Its male companion is still hovering around the complex. Forest employees have pictures of tigers taken at the sweet water pond. At least two tigers now visit the pond regularly, they say.
"The lodge will lead to more man-tiger encounters and eventually the latter will have to retreat from the area. It could also lead to more strayings as tigers will look for alternative pastures," warned Rathod.
Union minister of state for tourism Sultan Ahmed has expressed concern at the project. "I have asked for the details and will find out if there has been a violation of the rules," said Ahmed.
What's worse, the building is less than 10 feet from a sweet water pond that is frequented by tigers, deer, fishing cats, wild boar and sundry other animals. Apart from driving away the creatures who will obviously be forced to look for quieter pastures once tourists move in, the environmental impact of such a facility could be crippling for the mangrove forest, experts warn.
The signs of construction-induced damage are already visible and have set alarm bells ringing. Tonnes of soft earth has been scooped up from an adjacent plot for the lodge although it is illegal to excavate forest land. It has left dozens of mangrove plantations in a precarious state with their roots hanging loose. Many have already toppled while the rest could fall soon.
Heaps of iron beams, wooden planks, bamboo poles and other construction material lie piled up at the site. Tonnes of nails are regularly dumped into the muddy ground around the building which could injure animals, say forest officials who are aghast at the decision to let the construction work go ahead. Two storeys of the building have already been built.
There are also concerns that the lodge may be airconditioned (the existing lodge at Sajnekhali has no air-conditioners). The tourism department denied it but site supervisors admitted that they have been ordered to create AC vents. The department also claims that no new construction is happening in the area and that the existing lodge was "merely being extended".
"Our old lodge is in a deplorable state so we are redesigning it and adding an extra wing. The construction is happening within the tourism zone and not within the forest area," said TVN Rao, managing director, West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation. Tourism minister Manab Mukherjee termed it as a renovation work, but cryptically added that he was not sure if it was a tourism zone. "It is a forest department complex and we are renovating the existing lodge which is in a bad shape," said Mukherjee.
Conservationists say this is not in the rule book. "According to a Supreme Court order, no construction is allowed within 500 metres of sanctuaries, certainly not inside forests. This particular area is a tiger habitat. So, this is a gross violation of the rule," said F S Rathod, veteran conservationist.
The big cats regularly come to Sajnekhali. A tigress in fact jumped the walls and prowled the lodge complex for nearly a day, scaring a bunch of tourists and foresters out of their living daylights.
Sunderban Biosphere Reserve director Pradip Vyas confirmed that no new construction was permitted within a notified sanctuary. "As far as I know, the tourism department had sought permission to extend the existing facility and they have been allowed to do that. No new structure is being built," said Vyas.
The reality, however, was quite different. The "extension" is at least three times the size of the old lodge and should qualify as a new structure since it is not connected to the old one. "We shall take care to ensure minimum interference with nature. Also, this will be run by the tourism department and won't be handed over to any private organization," Rao clarified.
"It is surprising that a construction of this scale has been allowed inside Sunderbans. You need a clearance from the West Bengal Bio-diversity Board and a no-objection certificate from the Pollution Control Board for this. These clearances have to be preceded by an environment impact assessment which a project like this is bound to fail," said Sudipto Bhattacharya, an environment activist and pollution expert.
Tiger expert Valmik Thapar agreed. "Even though I am not a legal expert, it seems a little weird. There should have been an impact study undertaken by the forest department and the tourism authorities before allowing construction. I wonder if it is legally and environmentally justifiable. Having a big lodge on a Sunderbans island cannot be beneficial for wild animals," said Thapar.
The lodge could also endanger tourists. Two weeks back, a tigress had used a mound of mud created for the construction work to jump the perimeter fence. The new lodge is right next to a sweetwater pond. Last Tuesday, a tiger that had been lurking in the area and making forays into a neighbouring village was trapped barely 100 yards from the new lodge. Its male companion is still hovering around the complex. Forest employees have pictures of tigers taken at the sweet water pond. At least two tigers now visit the pond regularly, they say.
"The lodge will lead to more man-tiger encounters and eventually the latter will have to retreat from the area. It could also lead to more strayings as tigers will look for alternative pastures," warned Rathod.
Union minister of state for tourism Sultan Ahmed has expressed concern at the project. "I have asked for the details and will find out if there has been a violation of the rules," said Ahmed.
Punish the poachers
Police, courts must act to protect our wildlife
At a juncture, when the Union Environment Ministry and conservationists are brain-storming about how to enhance protection of wildlife, especially endangered species such as tigers and leopards, the Supreme Court almost awarded bail to poaching kingpin Sansar Chand. In a Jaipur jail for the past four years for the crime of trading in banned animal parts and skins, his plea for bail was reported to have elicited a sympathetic hearing from the two-judge bench. It remarked that he deserved bail because he had “not killed men but animals”. (Italics ours.) Then the recollection of his notorious past dawned upon one of the judges. The bench granted the Rajasthan Government four weeks time to file its response, and also allowed the Wildlife Protection Society of India and Wildlife Trust of India to file pleas against award of bail.
The previous year, the apex court had shockingly suspended the jail term of the habitual offender in August 2009. But, fortunately, he was not let out on account of numerous pending cases in trial courts. Over 40 cases relating to wildlife crimes have been filed against Sansar Chand, but he is said to have been convicted in only two. His criminal activities began in the mid-1980s. The man and his accomplices are an absolute menace, with CBI sources claiming that they controlled almost half of the illicit wildlife trade. The last time he was given bail was in mid-2004, a judicial decision that was to prove disastrous for the Sariska tiger reserve. On April 29, 2004, the Ajmer Government Railway Police arrested him. Though sentenced to a five-year prison term, his plea for bail was favourably heard by the Ajmer sessions court. He was let out of prison after about three weeks. Thereafter, he is charged with having engineered the poaching of Sariska’s 22 tigers.
He was again arrested in June 2005, and has been in prison since then; and should continue to remain there for the sake of our depleting wildlife. Bheema, a suspected accomplice of Sansar Chand, was arrested in November by the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau. He had earlier been let out on bail in 2005 despite being charged in numerous cases. Clearly, the lax application of existing laws governing wildlife-related crimes is to blame for habitual offenders managing easily to get bail, and then resuming operations without worry. This is a comment not only on the police’s handling of such cases but the judiciary’s approach to them.
Now that Sariska reserve is struggling to rebuild its tiger population, with three big cats having been transferred from Ranthambore National Park, it needs to be emphasised repeatedly that Sansar Chand and others of his ilk should not be allowed to move about freely. Otherwise, these three tigers will also be targeted. In another disgusting instance of the ineptitude of wildlife custodians, and complicity of local people and guards in poaching, Panna reserve’s tigers were all found to have disappeared. This fact came to light early last year. The whole administrative system in place in wildlife reserves and national parks needs an immediate overhaul, the existing one having failed miserably.
Most important, cases involving crimes and violations under the Wildlife Protection Act need to be treated as seriously by the police, Interpol and courts as the most heinous offences. The proposed amendment to the act spells out penalties. A first crime against critical species will be punishable by a jail term of five-seven years and fine of Rs 5 lakh. Subsequent offences of the same nature will invite a seven-year prison sentence and Rs 25 lakh fine. An offence relating to trade in critical species incurs a seven-year jail term and Rs 25 lakh fine. Subsequent offence, again linked to such trade, will be punished with a seven-year prison sentence and Rs 50 lakh fine. Penalties for trade and crimes related to other species are also detailed. Those allowing space and place to be misused for wildlife crimes also come under the ambit of this law.
But the best intentions, put down on paper, can only work if offenders are actually convicted of the crimes that they are accused of, and sentenced. The Sariska and Panna examples bear testimony to the freedom with which poachers and their accomplices operate under the very nose, so to say, of the directors and other personnel of sanctuaries and parks. Once caught, they should be tried and given exemplary punishment so that they abandon poaching and illicit trade. But the practice of giving them a reprieve betrays the reprehensible laxity both of the police and courts.
At a juncture, when the Union Environment Ministry and conservationists are brain-storming about how to enhance protection of wildlife, especially endangered species such as tigers and leopards, the Supreme Court almost awarded bail to poaching kingpin Sansar Chand. In a Jaipur jail for the past four years for the crime of trading in banned animal parts and skins, his plea for bail was reported to have elicited a sympathetic hearing from the two-judge bench. It remarked that he deserved bail because he had “not killed men but animals”. (Italics ours.) Then the recollection of his notorious past dawned upon one of the judges. The bench granted the Rajasthan Government four weeks time to file its response, and also allowed the Wildlife Protection Society of India and Wildlife Trust of India to file pleas against award of bail.
The previous year, the apex court had shockingly suspended the jail term of the habitual offender in August 2009. But, fortunately, he was not let out on account of numerous pending cases in trial courts. Over 40 cases relating to wildlife crimes have been filed against Sansar Chand, but he is said to have been convicted in only two. His criminal activities began in the mid-1980s. The man and his accomplices are an absolute menace, with CBI sources claiming that they controlled almost half of the illicit wildlife trade. The last time he was given bail was in mid-2004, a judicial decision that was to prove disastrous for the Sariska tiger reserve. On April 29, 2004, the Ajmer Government Railway Police arrested him. Though sentenced to a five-year prison term, his plea for bail was favourably heard by the Ajmer sessions court. He was let out of prison after about three weeks. Thereafter, he is charged with having engineered the poaching of Sariska’s 22 tigers.
He was again arrested in June 2005, and has been in prison since then; and should continue to remain there for the sake of our depleting wildlife. Bheema, a suspected accomplice of Sansar Chand, was arrested in November by the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau. He had earlier been let out on bail in 2005 despite being charged in numerous cases. Clearly, the lax application of existing laws governing wildlife-related crimes is to blame for habitual offenders managing easily to get bail, and then resuming operations without worry. This is a comment not only on the police’s handling of such cases but the judiciary’s approach to them.
Now that Sariska reserve is struggling to rebuild its tiger population, with three big cats having been transferred from Ranthambore National Park, it needs to be emphasised repeatedly that Sansar Chand and others of his ilk should not be allowed to move about freely. Otherwise, these three tigers will also be targeted. In another disgusting instance of the ineptitude of wildlife custodians, and complicity of local people and guards in poaching, Panna reserve’s tigers were all found to have disappeared. This fact came to light early last year. The whole administrative system in place in wildlife reserves and national parks needs an immediate overhaul, the existing one having failed miserably.
Most important, cases involving crimes and violations under the Wildlife Protection Act need to be treated as seriously by the police, Interpol and courts as the most heinous offences. The proposed amendment to the act spells out penalties. A first crime against critical species will be punishable by a jail term of five-seven years and fine of Rs 5 lakh. Subsequent offences of the same nature will invite a seven-year prison sentence and Rs 25 lakh fine. An offence relating to trade in critical species incurs a seven-year jail term and Rs 25 lakh fine. Subsequent offence, again linked to such trade, will be punished with a seven-year prison sentence and Rs 50 lakh fine. Penalties for trade and crimes related to other species are also detailed. Those allowing space and place to be misused for wildlife crimes also come under the ambit of this law.
But the best intentions, put down on paper, can only work if offenders are actually convicted of the crimes that they are accused of, and sentenced. The Sariska and Panna examples bear testimony to the freedom with which poachers and their accomplices operate under the very nose, so to say, of the directors and other personnel of sanctuaries and parks. Once caught, they should be tried and given exemplary punishment so that they abandon poaching and illicit trade. But the practice of giving them a reprieve betrays the reprehensible laxity both of the police and courts.
Forests in Madhya Pradesh go hi tech
Madhya Pradesh is using a number of Information Technology applications, including personal digital assistants mobile phone, for conserving its forest and wildlife treasures, especially tiger reserves.
In Kanha and Satpura Tiger Reserve, the entire forest staff has been equipped with the PDA phones not just only to report sighting of wildlife, but also illegal felling of trees deep inside the forests.
"Also, various other Information and Communication Technology initiatives launched by the forest department for the conservation of forest and wildlife have resulted in effective monitoring of the two precious wealth of the state," additional principal chief conservator of forests, Anil Oberoi told PTI.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Mansingdeo sanctuary area to be reduced
NAGPUR: The state government has decided to reduce the area of proposed Mansingdeo Wildlife Sanctuary from 182.57 sq km to just around 132.73 sq km keeping out 49.84 sq km area with Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra (FDCM) and Nagpur Forest Division.
The government will also rename it as Pench Wildlife Sanctuary instead of Mansingdeo. Highly placed sources said that of the proposed three blocks, the government has excluded key Block I consisting of 4,256 hectares (14 compartments) of FDCM and 727 hectares (3 compartments) of Nagpur division totalling 49.84 sq km. As the excluded area includes Mansingdeo (a small temple inside the forests), the remaining area now will be called Pench Wildlife Sanctuary.
“The move is not in wildlife interest. It seems commercial considerations have triumphed over environment and wildlife concerns,” said conservationists.
“The FDCM area is prime tiger habitat and without it, the sanctuary will have no meaning. It's better not to notify it without Mansingdeo. The area is richer than 257 sq km Pench tiger reserve and Mansinghdeo actually helps in maintaining corridor continuity. The FDCM is ready to part with its area for four-laning of highways but not willing to give area for wildlife,” argued Prafulla Bhamburkar of Wildlife Trust of India (WTI).
Bhamburkar and Nitin Desai of Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) had first submitted the sanctuary proposal in 1993. Since then, it is hanging fire. The state wildlife board (SWB) headed by chief minister has already given a go-ahead to declare Mansingdeo as sanctuary but some vested interests were successful in excluding the FDCM area.
Mohan Jha, field director of Pench Tiger Reserve, was not available for comments. Chief wildlife warden A K Joshi said, “Yes, I've heard about some compartments being excluded but have no information in this regard. The National Board for Wild Life (NBWL) has asked the state to declare six sanctuaries including Mansingdeo in lieu of reducing 8,500 sq km Great India Bustard (GIB) Sanctuary in Nannaj (Kolhapur) to 1,200 sq km.”
Sources said on June 28, government filed an affidavit with the supreme court that it would declare Mansingdeo as a sanctuary but did not inform it about plans to exclude FDCM area. Senior forest officials refused to comment but said excluded area will be part of 500 sq km Pench buffer and hence wildlife interests would not be hampered.
Conservationists say there was difference between buffer and sanctuary. Keeping Mansingdeo in buffer zone would not stop FDCM from undertaking felling in the area in future. The excluded area is a reserve forests (RF) and felling should not be allowed in RFs. They felt the government should stop practice of giving RFs to FDCM. The corporation was handed over 5,900 hectares of RFs in Nagpur, Chandrapur and Bhandara on September 4 and July 14, 2009, respectively.
“Any move to exclude Mansingdeo area from original proposal will be fought in the court of law,” conservationist Kishor Rithe warned.
The government will also rename it as Pench Wildlife Sanctuary instead of Mansingdeo. Highly placed sources said that of the proposed three blocks, the government has excluded key Block I consisting of 4,256 hectares (14 compartments) of FDCM and 727 hectares (3 compartments) of Nagpur division totalling 49.84 sq km. As the excluded area includes Mansingdeo (a small temple inside the forests), the remaining area now will be called Pench Wildlife Sanctuary.
“The move is not in wildlife interest. It seems commercial considerations have triumphed over environment and wildlife concerns,” said conservationists.
“The FDCM area is prime tiger habitat and without it, the sanctuary will have no meaning. It's better not to notify it without Mansingdeo. The area is richer than 257 sq km Pench tiger reserve and Mansinghdeo actually helps in maintaining corridor continuity. The FDCM is ready to part with its area for four-laning of highways but not willing to give area for wildlife,” argued Prafulla Bhamburkar of Wildlife Trust of India (WTI).
Bhamburkar and Nitin Desai of Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) had first submitted the sanctuary proposal in 1993. Since then, it is hanging fire. The state wildlife board (SWB) headed by chief minister has already given a go-ahead to declare Mansingdeo as sanctuary but some vested interests were successful in excluding the FDCM area.
Mohan Jha, field director of Pench Tiger Reserve, was not available for comments. Chief wildlife warden A K Joshi said, “Yes, I've heard about some compartments being excluded but have no information in this regard. The National Board for Wild Life (NBWL) has asked the state to declare six sanctuaries including Mansingdeo in lieu of reducing 8,500 sq km Great India Bustard (GIB) Sanctuary in Nannaj (Kolhapur) to 1,200 sq km.”
Sources said on June 28, government filed an affidavit with the supreme court that it would declare Mansingdeo as a sanctuary but did not inform it about plans to exclude FDCM area. Senior forest officials refused to comment but said excluded area will be part of 500 sq km Pench buffer and hence wildlife interests would not be hampered.
Conservationists say there was difference between buffer and sanctuary. Keeping Mansingdeo in buffer zone would not stop FDCM from undertaking felling in the area in future. The excluded area is a reserve forests (RF) and felling should not be allowed in RFs. They felt the government should stop practice of giving RFs to FDCM. The corporation was handed over 5,900 hectares of RFs in Nagpur, Chandrapur and Bhandara on September 4 and July 14, 2009, respectively.
“Any move to exclude Mansingdeo area from original proposal will be fought in the court of law,” conservationist Kishor Rithe warned.
Corbett National Park Closes for Monsoon Break
orbett National Park in Nainital district of Uttarakhand is one of the oldest National Parks in the country and considered one of the best National Parks to spot a tiger. It was recently closed down for the monsoon period and will now re-open for tourists on 15th October.
The limited areas of the park, where night safaris are conducted have been closed down for tourist since 15th June and will re-open on 15th November.
Uttarakhand Forest Department has closed down Corbett National Park for tourist for the safety of visitors during the monsoon period. Numerous rivers, streams and rivulets pass through the park, many of which pass through the main road used by tourist. Due to heavy rains, the water levels of these rivers rise to dangerously high levels, sometimes causing floods thus making the roads dangerous for driving. As a result jeeps can get stuck or marooned and tourist may get hurt. Therefore in order to avoid any kind of discomfort or problems for the tourist, forest officials have close down the National Park for the monsoon period.
Corbett National Park named after hunter turned conservationist, Jim Corbett was the first National Park in the country to be declared as a Tiger Reserve under Project Tiger, for the protection of the endangered species of the Royal Bengal Tiger. The park located at the foothill of the Himalayas, gets maximum tourist and collects maximum tourist revenue among all other National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries in Uttarakhand. Corbett National Park receives the highest number of both domestic and foreign tourist in the state among others such as Rajaji National Park, Valley of Flowers National Park, Nandadevi Wildlife Sanctuary and others.
http://www.rang7.com/news/national-park/corbett-national-park-closes-for-monsoon-break-539.htm
Gandak River plays havoc with Valmiki tiger reserve
The internationally known and Bihar's sole tiger conservation unit, the Valmiki Tiger Reserve in West Champaran district, may soon be history. The changing course of the meandering Gandak river is fast eroding its western edges and devouring large parts of the sanctuary at a fast clip.
Admitting the danger to the sanctuary which was the first to be designated under Project Tiger, field director of the Valmiki Tiger Reserve JP Gupta said, "If immediate measures were not taken to prevent the erosion, the project area could be lost forever."
The project area is important, as it is spread over 840 square kilometres with a core area of 335.64 square kilometers consisting of sal and deciduous spread littered with cane breaks, lakes and swamps, live 53 species of mammals, 26 species of reptiles, 13 amphibian species and at least 145 species of birds besides tigers.
"We have already informed the higher authorities of the crisis with the request, that they take up the matter with the Bihar Water Resources Department," Gupta told Hindustan Times.
He, however, could not quantify the exact area of the reserve, already swallowed up by the river.
"The Gandak has developed a tendency to take a course towards its left. In the absence of any survey conducted in the past, we are not in a position to measure the area submerged by the river," a forest expert said on the condition of anonymity.
The forest department is carrying out a survey of the affected area presently, they added.
An appraisal team constituted by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) of the Union Government had also noted the development in its report of November last year and suggested remedial measures.
Confirming it, assistant manager of the Wild Life Trust of India and a member of the appraisal team, Samir Kumar Sinha, said, "A vast expanse of forest land has already been engulfed by the river. It is now posing a serious threat to the existence of the reserve."
A spot visit by the HT team to the sanctuary found that a substantial portion of Chunbhatta and Katraha areas of the Valmiki Nagar forest range and Naurangia and Sirsia falling in the Madanpur range were already submerged.
These are the mixed forests with alluvial grassland and canebrakes inhabited mainly by hog deer, wild dogs, spotted deer, leopard cats, black bucks and wild boars (a preferred food species of the tiger).
The submergence of the land has apparently forced the wildlife including tigers inhabiting the area to migrate to the Chitwan National Park across the border in Nepal, which has no physical barrier to hinder their movement.
"We have no authentic evidence to establish the migration of the animals but its possibility cannot be ruled out," said Gupta.
A part of the Chitwan-Parsa-Valmiki landscape, the Valmiki Tiger Reserve once attracted kings, zamindars and nawabs for hunting expeditions.
King George V and Kind Edward VIII of England are said to have visited the forest, which had a huge wildlife population.
Till 1997, the reserve was home to 53 tigers and 54 leopards. In the years that followed, the sanctuary came under tremendous poaching pressure and the number of the precious animals dwindled. As per a government figure now, the national park has only 10 tigers. The continuous erosion of the forest has also substantially contributed to the flight of the animals.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Gandak-plays-havoc-with-tiger-reserve/Article1-569002.aspx
Dead cub found in Pench Tiger Reserve
A dead cub has been found burnt after its paws were chopped off for some tantric ritual at the Pench Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh. It is found that the killing was done by forest caretakers along with a member of the village eco-development committee.
The news of the cub comes after a tiger was run over by a speeding vehicle in Bandhavgarh in the state. Some suspect the accidents to be a cover up for poaching. Madhya Pradesh whose name has been associated with such incidents is otherwise the ‘tiger state of India’ and maintains six tiger reserves, including Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Pench and Panna along with Satpura National Park and Sanjay Dubri Wildlife Sanctuary.
In the most shameful scenarios, the researchers, conservationists and by the Central Empowered Committee of the Supreme Court repeatedly warned about vanishing tigers at the Panna reserve but the officials did not do anything to protect the tigers and instead gave false census reports and faked pug marks. The reserve was finally declared tiger less.
In the Bandhavgarh incident, A tigress with her three young cubs were run over by the vehicle belonging to the sanctuary. The vehicle which ran over the tigress should have not been there in the first place because the movement of any vehicle is prohibited at night.
The state still has the highest number of tigers in the country but the lack of proper conservations efforts and indifference at the part of the authorities may cost it the title of the tiger state.
http://www.stockwatch.in/dead-cub-found-pench-tiger-reserve-28021
Indonesia to host meeting on tiger conservation
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Wednesday, July 7, 2010
More tigers likely in VTR
PATNA: From 81 in 1989 to just 10 in 2006. Bihar’s Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR), notified as the 18th tiger reserve of the country in 1989, has witnessed a continuous decline in number of tigers.
In all likelihood, however, this trend would change when results of the ongoing tiger census are available by next year. This is evident from the outcome of the camera trap phase of the tiger census work, which was completed recently.
A total of six tigers were captured by cameras which covered around 200 sqkm area spread over Raghia, Gobardhana and Manguraha ranges of the reserve. The reserve, spread over 880 sq km, has nine ranges.
This is in addition to the two tigers captured on camera in the Ganauli range of the reserve under a separate project of Wildlife Trust of India (WTI). WTI has been selected by Wildlife Institute of India (WII) for conducting the camera trap phase of the tiger census in the VTR.
"We have camera trap evidence of eight tigers in the reserve and when this figure is extrapolated for the whole area of the reserve, the number of tigers would certainly be more than what it was when previous census reports came," a senior VTR official, preferring anonymity, told TOI.
Extrapolation work, on the basis of which WII releases its estimates about the number of big cats in a tiger reserve, is done by experts on the basis of other data gathered from the field. The factors which are taken into consideration, while estimating the number of tigers, are carnivorous sing, habitat features, pray encounter and anthropogenic disturbances.
Giving reasons for the likely increase in the number of tigers, the VTR official said, "Complete ban on mining activities, effective check on movement of poachers and improvement in the pray base due to better habitat management are some of the reasons which have allowed the tigers to live more comfortably here."
In all likelihood, however, this trend would change when results of the ongoing tiger census are available by next year. This is evident from the outcome of the camera trap phase of the tiger census work, which was completed recently.
A total of six tigers were captured by cameras which covered around 200 sqkm area spread over Raghia, Gobardhana and Manguraha ranges of the reserve. The reserve, spread over 880 sq km, has nine ranges.
This is in addition to the two tigers captured on camera in the Ganauli range of the reserve under a separate project of Wildlife Trust of India (WTI). WTI has been selected by Wildlife Institute of India (WII) for conducting the camera trap phase of the tiger census in the VTR.
"We have camera trap evidence of eight tigers in the reserve and when this figure is extrapolated for the whole area of the reserve, the number of tigers would certainly be more than what it was when previous census reports came," a senior VTR official, preferring anonymity, told TOI.
Extrapolation work, on the basis of which WII releases its estimates about the number of big cats in a tiger reserve, is done by experts on the basis of other data gathered from the field. The factors which are taken into consideration, while estimating the number of tigers, are carnivorous sing, habitat features, pray encounter and anthropogenic disturbances.
Giving reasons for the likely increase in the number of tigers, the VTR official said, "Complete ban on mining activities, effective check on movement of poachers and improvement in the pray base due to better habitat management are some of the reasons which have allowed the tigers to live more comfortably here."
Nothing but pugmarks
The furore over a tiger being knocked over by a speeding vehicle in Bandhavgarh had hardly settled when news of the carcass of a cub — burnt after its paws were chopped off for some tantric ritual by forest chowkidars and a member of a village eco-development committee at the Pench Tiger Reserve — filtered in. It is suspected that the killing might be a cover-up for poaching. Either way, it is bad news — it is just the latest instance where Madhya Pradesh has shown a shameful disregard for the national animal.
With the highest number of tigers in India at about 300 (the number is disputed), Madhya Pradesh is the ‘tiger state of India’. For years it has worn this badge with pride, nurturing its tigers and their sanctuaries. MP has no less than six tiger reserves, including Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Pench and Panna. In addition to the Satpura National Park, which is another haven for tigers, there’s also the Sanjay Dubri Wildlife Sanctuary.
Then came the Panna debacle. Enough has been written about Panna’s vanishing tigers. At Panna, tigers were poached, trapped and poisoned, even as state officials claimed that all was well in the face of repeated warnings by researchers, conservationists and by the Central Empowered Committee of the Supreme Court. There was evidence that the skins of Panna tigers were sold for profit. Rather than protecting its tigers, the state concentrated on concocting pugmarks, cooking up census figures and producing paper tigers. Eventually, in May 2009, Panna was declared ‘tigerless’. Till date, there have been no arrests, and the officials responsible for the decline — and the consequent cover-up — have not been held accountable.
This attitudinal indifference to tiger conservation has been witnessed repeatedly. The state government cleared the proposal for the expansion of NH7, which cuts through the critical Kanha-Pench corridor, threatening one of the four most vital tiger reserves in the country. The proposal for expansion has met with a strong refusal from the central government. As if pushing for the NH7 wasn’t bad enough, the Madhya Pradesh government then advocated a high-end private tourism proposal on the same corridor. While there is no denying the benefits of sensitive tourism, having a tourist resort that would cut through a tiger habitat was insensitive on the part of the state authorities.
The less said about the recent May 18 ‘accident’ in Bandhavgarh, the better. A tigress with her three young cubs was run over by a vehicle belonging to the sanctuary. One wonders how the vehicle with officials got there when vehicular movement in the park is banned at night. While the machinery to save the guilty is working overtime, an impartial CBI inquiry that was recommended has not been done yet. It’s important to note that this is allegedly the fourth incident, the third in Bandhavgarh, of a tiger being run over. The fourth tiger death, that apparently involved a forest administration vehicle in Kanha, remains unconfirmed.
The state is currently pre-occupied with plans to set up a captive breeding centre for white tigers in Rewa. It’s a fancy idea, bound to attract media attention and many tourists, but white tigers are the offshoot of a recessive mutant gene and have zero conservation value. Why concentrate on, and pour funds into, such inane schemes when our tiger reserves remain starved of funds and focus? So the question that arises at this point of time is whether MP still deserves its status of a tiger state. It’s true that it still has the maximum number of tigers in the country, but aren’t numbers really a moot point when it has failed to protect and respect its tigers.
Prerna Singh Bindra is an environment journalist and editor of TigerLink
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Nothing-but-pugmarks/Article1-568421.aspx
Monday, July 5, 2010
Tiger panel to review projects
NAGPUR: The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), a statutory body under ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) monitoring all 39 tiger reserves in India, will examine 15 mining and power project proposals impacting tiger conservation mostly in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
A three-member committee consisting of Urmila Pingle, NTCA member, Kishor Rithe, wildlife expert, and G N Wankhede, head of zoology department of Amravati University, has been constituted on July 2. This panel will be different from the one constituted on May 14, under P K Sen, former director of ‘Project Tiger’, to examine 17 projects in MP, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.
The list of 15 project proposals was sent to NTCA by the MoEF. The three-member panel will do site appraisals of coal mining and thermal power plants vis-Ã -vis the buffer and corridor areas of tiger reserves and study their impact on tiger conservation in the landscape. It is likely to start work immediately and submit report to the NTCA in a month. These projects are awaiting environmental clearance and much will depend on the report of the panel. Of the 15 proposals, nine are in Maharashtra including seven in Chandrapur, one in Andhra Pradesh and five in Madhya Pradesh.
The projects in Chandrapur district are in the landscape of Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR). The seven proposals in Chanda include Brahmapuri coal block of Push Steels & Mining (P) Limited, Dhorwara and Telwasa opencast mine projects of WCL in Majri (Bhadrawati); Gouri Deep opencast coal mine project of WCL, expansion of Pandharpaoni coal washery (from 1.6 mtpa to 2.6 mtpa) of Aryan Coal Beneficiation India in Rajura, coal washery of Fuelco Washeries and diversion of 50.47 hectare forest land for Majra coal block of Gondwana Ispat Limited. Apart from these, two projects for bauxite mine and iron ore are situated in the buffer of Chandoli National Park in Kolhapur district.
Chandoli is part of the newly-formed Sahyadri Tiger Reserve. In Madhya Pradesh, of the five projects, three are in Umaria, in the landscape of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve. One in Andhra Pradesh is about constructing a memorial to late chief minister of Andhra Pradesh YSR Reddy in a wildlife sanctuary. Most of the 15 projects in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra are lilely to affect corridor between Bandhavgarh, Kanha, Kanha-Pench-Tadoba and Satpuda-Pench tiger reserves. These areas and its landscapes are estimated to have over 250 tigers or just over one-fifth the wild tiger population in India.
A three-member committee consisting of Urmila Pingle, NTCA member, Kishor Rithe, wildlife expert, and G N Wankhede, head of zoology department of Amravati University, has been constituted on July 2. This panel will be different from the one constituted on May 14, under P K Sen, former director of ‘Project Tiger’, to examine 17 projects in MP, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.
The list of 15 project proposals was sent to NTCA by the MoEF. The three-member panel will do site appraisals of coal mining and thermal power plants vis-Ã -vis the buffer and corridor areas of tiger reserves and study their impact on tiger conservation in the landscape. It is likely to start work immediately and submit report to the NTCA in a month. These projects are awaiting environmental clearance and much will depend on the report of the panel. Of the 15 proposals, nine are in Maharashtra including seven in Chandrapur, one in Andhra Pradesh and five in Madhya Pradesh.
The projects in Chandrapur district are in the landscape of Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR). The seven proposals in Chanda include Brahmapuri coal block of Push Steels & Mining (P) Limited, Dhorwara and Telwasa opencast mine projects of WCL in Majri (Bhadrawati); Gouri Deep opencast coal mine project of WCL, expansion of Pandharpaoni coal washery (from 1.6 mtpa to 2.6 mtpa) of Aryan Coal Beneficiation India in Rajura, coal washery of Fuelco Washeries and diversion of 50.47 hectare forest land for Majra coal block of Gondwana Ispat Limited. Apart from these, two projects for bauxite mine and iron ore are situated in the buffer of Chandoli National Park in Kolhapur district.
Chandoli is part of the newly-formed Sahyadri Tiger Reserve. In Madhya Pradesh, of the five projects, three are in Umaria, in the landscape of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve. One in Andhra Pradesh is about constructing a memorial to late chief minister of Andhra Pradesh YSR Reddy in a wildlife sanctuary. Most of the 15 projects in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra are lilely to affect corridor between Bandhavgarh, Kanha, Kanha-Pench-Tadoba and Satpuda-Pench tiger reserves. These areas and its landscapes are estimated to have over 250 tigers or just over one-fifth the wild tiger population in India.
Youth-killer not a maneater: Experts
JAIPUR: Officials of the forest department have ruled out the possibility of a maneater mauling a 22-year-old youth at the Ranthambore reserve on Saturday. They say it is just a sad accident.
”There is no way we can call the tiger a man-eater. It so happened that the youth came in the way of the tiger and so he was mauled by the animal for self-protection. It is just a sad accident," said RN Mehrotra, chief of forest force.
On Saturday, Ghamamdi Saini was mauled to death near the Jhoomar Bawdi at the Ranthambore forest reserve. Saini had gone to the forest to cut wood when he was attacked.
”The person did not know the tiger was in the vicinity and ventured close to it only to be killed," added Mehrotra.
Forest officials are awaiting reports to confirm whether Saini was mauled by a tiger or a leopard. "The reports are awaited and so we cannot say conclusively the youth was killed by a tiger. There is a leopard that also roams the area. But definitely it was a big cat that killed the youth," said RS Shekhawat, DFO, Ranthambore.
On Saturday night after the news of Saini's death spread, locals had expressed their ire by blocking road in the area. They were demanding compensation. However, they were assured of all help and pacified.
"We have been monitoring the movement of all animals in the area and they look normal. We have to study them more to come to a conclusion to identify the animal responsible for the death," added Shekhawat.
Alerted by the second of its kind of incident this year at Ranthambore, officials are contemplating putting up signboards in the forest warning people to stay off.
"We would be putting up signboards warning people of the presence of tigers in the region. This apart we would also be putting up boards asking people not to venture into the forest after sunset and before sunrise," added Mehrotra.
”There is no way we can call the tiger a man-eater. It so happened that the youth came in the way of the tiger and so he was mauled by the animal for self-protection. It is just a sad accident," said RN Mehrotra, chief of forest force.
On Saturday, Ghamamdi Saini was mauled to death near the Jhoomar Bawdi at the Ranthambore forest reserve. Saini had gone to the forest to cut wood when he was attacked.
”The person did not know the tiger was in the vicinity and ventured close to it only to be killed," added Mehrotra.
Forest officials are awaiting reports to confirm whether Saini was mauled by a tiger or a leopard. "The reports are awaited and so we cannot say conclusively the youth was killed by a tiger. There is a leopard that also roams the area. But definitely it was a big cat that killed the youth," said RS Shekhawat, DFO, Ranthambore.
On Saturday night after the news of Saini's death spread, locals had expressed their ire by blocking road in the area. They were demanding compensation. However, they were assured of all help and pacified.
"We have been monitoring the movement of all animals in the area and they look normal. We have to study them more to come to a conclusion to identify the animal responsible for the death," added Shekhawat.
Alerted by the second of its kind of incident this year at Ranthambore, officials are contemplating putting up signboards in the forest warning people to stay off.
"We would be putting up signboards warning people of the presence of tigers in the region. This apart we would also be putting up boards asking people not to venture into the forest after sunset and before sunrise," added Mehrotra.
Now, sloth bear goes on rampage, injures five
CHANDRAPUR: Incidents of man-animal conflict continue to take place in the district. On Saturday, a blind tigress that had strayed close to villages along the border of Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve and injured three people was captured after two days of efforts.
Just a day later, a sloth bear went berserk and mauled five people at a small settlement along Adegaon-Masele road on Sunday morning. Like the tiger incident, the situation turned tense and heavy police force was rushed to the area to control the mob.
Around 40 families of farmers and farm labourers live in a settlement located some distance away from Adegaon village in Chimur tehsil. A bear strayed into this settlement around 5 am and attacked one Indira Nannaware, who was up early for her morning chores. Neighbours and family members of Indira woke up on hearing her cries.
However, the bear directed its fury at the rescuers and mauled three others --Annaji Nannaware, Nandkishor Nannaware and Bhauji Nannaware – before fleeing the spot. Later, all the four injured were admitted at Chimur rural hospital for treatment. Meanwhile, the bear escaped to a nearby zudpi jungle and took shelter in the shrubs near Adegaon. A group of people soon tracked the beast down and tried to capture it with the help of a net made of ropes.
However, the beast foiled their attempt and mauled one Murlidhar Gajbhiye. He too was taken to Chimur rural hospital for treatment. Forest officials from Chimur and Talodhi range also reached the spot. However, the villagers were enraged due to the delay of forest officials in reaching the spot. Efforts were on by the forest department staffers to capture the bear with the help of net till late in the evening, but the beast kept eluding the pursuers.
aThe heavy mob of over two hundred villagers kept following the foresters and bears in Zudpi jungle during the exercise. In a couple of instances, the annoyed bear charged at the crowd. In the panic that ensued, one Ankush Sonwane, 19, fell down and broke his leg. RFO, Chimur range, BS Padve confirmed the incident and said that the forest department staffers are trying hard to net the bear. “The place falls under Talodhi forest range. However being close a team of Chimur range too has come to assist the Talodhi foresters. We have brought a cage to the spot, so that after bear was captured in the net she could be caged safely,” said Padve.
Just a day later, a sloth bear went berserk and mauled five people at a small settlement along Adegaon-Masele road on Sunday morning. Like the tiger incident, the situation turned tense and heavy police force was rushed to the area to control the mob.
Around 40 families of farmers and farm labourers live in a settlement located some distance away from Adegaon village in Chimur tehsil. A bear strayed into this settlement around 5 am and attacked one Indira Nannaware, who was up early for her morning chores. Neighbours and family members of Indira woke up on hearing her cries.
However, the bear directed its fury at the rescuers and mauled three others --Annaji Nannaware, Nandkishor Nannaware and Bhauji Nannaware – before fleeing the spot. Later, all the four injured were admitted at Chimur rural hospital for treatment. Meanwhile, the bear escaped to a nearby zudpi jungle and took shelter in the shrubs near Adegaon. A group of people soon tracked the beast down and tried to capture it with the help of a net made of ropes.
However, the beast foiled their attempt and mauled one Murlidhar Gajbhiye. He too was taken to Chimur rural hospital for treatment. Forest officials from Chimur and Talodhi range also reached the spot. However, the villagers were enraged due to the delay of forest officials in reaching the spot. Efforts were on by the forest department staffers to capture the bear with the help of net till late in the evening, but the beast kept eluding the pursuers.
aThe heavy mob of over two hundred villagers kept following the foresters and bears in Zudpi jungle during the exercise. In a couple of instances, the annoyed bear charged at the crowd. In the panic that ensued, one Ankush Sonwane, 19, fell down and broke his leg. RFO, Chimur range, BS Padve confirmed the incident and said that the forest department staffers are trying hard to net the bear. “The place falls under Talodhi forest range. However being close a team of Chimur range too has come to assist the Talodhi foresters. We have brought a cage to the spot, so that after bear was captured in the net she could be caged safely,” said Padve.
Tadoba villagers vent tiger attack ire on forest officers
Mumbai: A mob of angry villagers beat up two forest officers in Satara village on the periphery of the Tadoba Andhari tiger reserve (TATR) in Chandrapur district after an old and ailing tigress attacked a villager on Friday, seriously injuring him.The villagers were angry that the officials allegedly did not do enough to drive the animal back into the forest in time. Officials said the villagers intimidated the tigress by getting too close to her.
The tigress, which has been ailing, and according to sources in the forest department, is partially blind, was sighted at around 8am in a pond on a farm belonging to Janardan Vaidya.
The news spread, and the villagers made a beeline to see the tigress. Intimidated, the animal attacked Vaidya when he went too close to drive it away, despite being warned against it by the villagers.
When range forest officer Umesh Dhotekar and a forest guard reached the village late afternoon, the angry villagers gave them a thrashing.
Vaidya, meanwhile, managed to free himself from the tigress' grip, but sustained serious injuries in the confrontation. Forest officials are now monitoring the situation and the movement of the tigress, who is still moving around the village.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Tigers kill 2 fishermen
KOLKATA: Two fishermen, who had gone fishing deep in the Sunderbans were mauled to death by tigers on Thursday. Their bodies are yet to be recovered. While one of them had gone in a group of five and had set out from home on Monday, the other was part of a father-son duo that had set out on Thursday morning. Victims Bapi Mondal, 35, and Ajit Dhali were from Gosaba's Sonagaon and Jharkhali respectively.
Bapi had had gone fishing with his neighbours Bapi Maji, Sanatan Mondal, Khagendranath Mondal and others. Residents of Gosaba's Sonagaon, they had gone to the Panchamukhani river that flows by the Panchamukhani forest — a prime tiger zone — for fishing. Ajit, on the other hand, had gone fishing with his father to Storekhali jungle.
Since Monday, the haul of Bapi's group had been satisfactory and the group had decided to start early on Thursday, too. The group had retired early on Wednesday and started cooking their morning meal early on of Thursday. While two of were cooking, Bapi Mondal and Sanatan were trying to push the boat into the nearby creek.
"Bapi was on the other side and I couldn't see him. Suddenly there was a roar and I looked up to see that the tiger had already nabbed him. It had bitten into his neck and was pulling him away into the forest. By the time we collected our wits and ran after the tiger, it was nowhere in sight," a trembling Sanatan said.
The assistant field director of Sunderban Tiger Reserve (STR), Anjan Guha said, "The group had a valid permit to go fishing. We fear that the tiger has moved deep into the jungle. The nature of this part of the forest is such that many tigers come to feast on a prey. We'll launch a search but it might be difficult to trace the body."
Bapi had had gone fishing with his neighbours Bapi Maji, Sanatan Mondal, Khagendranath Mondal and others. Residents of Gosaba's Sonagaon, they had gone to the Panchamukhani river that flows by the Panchamukhani forest — a prime tiger zone — for fishing. Ajit, on the other hand, had gone fishing with his father to Storekhali jungle.
Since Monday, the haul of Bapi's group had been satisfactory and the group had decided to start early on Thursday, too. The group had retired early on Wednesday and started cooking their morning meal early on of Thursday. While two of were cooking, Bapi Mondal and Sanatan were trying to push the boat into the nearby creek.
"Bapi was on the other side and I couldn't see him. Suddenly there was a roar and I looked up to see that the tiger had already nabbed him. It had bitten into his neck and was pulling him away into the forest. By the time we collected our wits and ran after the tiger, it was nowhere in sight," a trembling Sanatan said.
The assistant field director of Sunderban Tiger Reserve (STR), Anjan Guha said, "The group had a valid permit to go fishing. We fear that the tiger has moved deep into the jungle. The nature of this part of the forest is such that many tigers come to feast on a prey. We'll launch a search but it might be difficult to trace the body."
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