First family checks out of Kolsa

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

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

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

Bengal tiger population in Assam increased

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

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

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

Killer tiger resurfaces in Kodagu

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

Finally, state clears spl force for Tadoba, Pench

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

TATR, Melghat get Rs31 cr for relocation

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

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

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

Vigil at tiger reserves in TN keep poachers at bay

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

Tiger terror in Guwahati; leopard captured

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

Foresters fire on illegal fishermen at Totladoh, 16 Hurt

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

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

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

Tiger census results by year-end

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

Officials in a hurry to bury tiger death

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

Tass tigress at doorstep of Tadoba?

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

Karnataka sets up special tiger protection force

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

Forest officials hushed up tiger death

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

STPF trainees all set to get on field

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

Simlipal's wait for tiger force continues

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

Tiger population in Uttarakhand may have increased

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