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

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

The wild cats at Bhadra Tiger Reserve can breathe easy

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

Tigress loses life, poachers gain claws and canines

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

Tiger census from December

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

Spotting of tiger kill: vigil intensified in Neyyar sanctuary

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

Viscera of tiger cub to be sent to Hyderabad lab

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

Madhya Pradesh chief minister bats for tourism in tiger reserves

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

NBWL-MoEF conflict on tiger, elephant corridors

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

Corbett Park bid to mitigate conflict between humans, wild animals

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

Similipal Tiger Reserve to allow night stay of visitors

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

Ban on night traffic through Bandipur: Karnataka under pressure

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

Kanha Orphan Tigress Cub Shifted to Panna National Park

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

State to requisition trap cameras for tiger count

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

With the onset of winter, big cat turns violent

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

Crop guards pose grave threat to wild animals

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

Don't ban tiger tourism: Conservationists

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

Missing tiger: Teams to wind up search operations

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

Tiger hunter arrested

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

Bhadra reserve to adopt Jim Corbett methods

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

Stop tourism in core tiger areas: Govt to SC

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