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Thursday, September 24, 2009
8yr old caught Poaching tiger!
Times of India reports a boy and his grand mother caught around the Valmiki national park in Bihar waiting for a tiger to walk into a metal trap laid by them. The duo apparently belong to a tribe of hunters most famous of whom goes by the name of Dhariya who is in jail for a poaching case. According to forest officials quoted in the report the entire family is involved in poaching and smuggling along the Indo-Nepal border and is key to preventing trade in banned wildlife parts.
Melghat tiger reserve conflict symbolic of botched up conservation efforts
The Indian express reports villagers around Melghat Tiger reserve in Maharashtra pressurizing politicians to allow cattle grazing inside the park despite it being a notified tiger sanctuary. With elections in the state around the corner, public servants are caught in a bind. After Maharasthra recently signed a tripartite agreement with Centre and NTCA for conservation of tiger reserves, cattle grazing inside reserves which hitherto attracted a penalty has been made a punishable offence and the forest director has made accountable to prevent it. Officers are hence caught in a bin, with politicians on one hand pressurizing them to allow villagers to use the park whereas the new law makes them accountable for such illegal acitivities. The conflicts also highlights the poor planning underneath tiger conservation plans in India. Villagers have been living around the area for generations and to suddenly ask them to discontinue activities linked to earning their livelihood without providing any alternate means of sustenance is criminal negligence. With the centre having cleared a lucrative resettlement package for each family to be relocated, Melghat park officials would be well advised to quickly implement it rather than let the issue simmer and reach a flash point. For the recently formed committee under NTCA tasked to evaluate conservation efforts inside sanctuaries, proper resettlement of villagers should be a priority area.
Another tiger cub found abandoned in Tadoba
Days after two cubs were caught by wildlife officials apparently after having lost their mother to poachers,wildlife officials trapped another 3rd cub around the same area in Tadoba reports The Indian Express. The story also quotes wildlife officials having seen pugmarks of a big tiger around the area where the 3rd cub was caught indicating the mother's presence there till recently. DNA samples are being sent for examination to verify if the three cubs are siblings. As this blog posted yesterday,NTCa officials have sent a detailed set of guidelines to the park director for immediate action to prevent any further loss of tigers.
Works starts on Pilibhit Tiger reserve creation
The Times of India reports initiation of work with regards to creation of Pilibhit tiger reserve. Creation of the park was notified last year. With Dudhwa & Corbett being the other tiger reserves in the region addition of Pilibhit could turn out to be an important milestone in preserving the nothern population of Indian tigers.
Work on new tiger reserve may start by year end
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Marooned Tadoba cubs force NTCA into action
After reports of two tigers cubs having been found around Tadoba tiger sanctuary NTCa has written to local park authorities suggesting a series of measures to be undertaken to unearth the wildlife killings going on in and around the park, reports The Indian Express. According to the report, this is the 4th such instance of tiger cubs being found in the area this year indicating their mothers have all been killed either by poachers or poisoned by villagers. Two days back CNN IBN published pictures of a wild dog caught in snare inside the sanctuary against pointing to lax security and presence of armed poaching gangs. NTCA has also recommended carrying out a detailed survey of tiger and prey population, marking territories of the big cats, strengthening intelligence set up in and around villages adjoining the park. With Maharashtra having signed the tripartite agreement with centre and NTCA, one hopes measures to tackle poaching will be put in place immediately.
Male Tiger to be relocated to Panna
After two tigresses were shifted to Panna Tiger Reserve early this year a male tiger is to set to arrive to give them company. According to a PTI report, WII scientists are in search of a suitable companion from Bandhavgarh national park. Panna reserve which was estimated to have around 35 tigers a few years ago was declared having lost all its striped cats earlier. One solitary male tiger was sighted earlier this year which too was apparently killed by poachers. Panna has been a disaster of enormous proportions for wildlife in India with the park authorities continuously turning a blind eye to warning signs of poaching inside the park over the years. In fact as late as last year the park director had claimed that tigers were safe and the park had a healthy population. Shifting of tigers from other reserves is important to repopulate the park but unless the reserves are made more secure and reasons for earlier loss of tigers are identified with long term solutions in place and accountability fixed, there is no guarantee of repeats not happening. MP govt is also yet to sign the tripartite agreement with the centre and NTCA. Perhaps it is time for them to put political differences aside and work towards contributing to a national cause.
Hunt for suitable male companion for Panna tigresses
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Tiger kills elephant
The tigers of Munnar are safe for now
In a rare incident recently a tiger is reported to have killed a tusker in the Eravikulam National Park near Munnar, intriguing forest officials and wildlife enthusiasts alike. For tigers have never been known to attack elephants — let alone kill them — being physically no match for the pachyderms. Perhaps, this was a territorial feud — common in the wilds — and the tusker presumably was ailing and weak. Yet it’s hard to imagine a tiger taking on an elephant and besting it.
Monday, September 21, 2009
CNN IBN exposes continued poaching inside TATR
A story posted on ibnlive.com shows a wild dog caught in a snare inside Tadoba Tiger Sanctuary. If the picture indeed was taken inside the park it is a sad comment on the govt's criminal negligence towards protecting animals inside designated forest sanctuaries. TATR has been in news recently for suspected cases of tigers being poached. Obviously no hard evidence has come to light so far with the park being left open to poachers after the govt took almost 2 months to appoint a new field director post removing the earlier one. Relocation of villagers, granting mining licenses in teh vicinity,TATR's wildlife is not just battling poaching mafia but also the so called protectors.
Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve hit by poaching
NTCA reconsituted 3 years after it was set up
In a move aimed at strengthning oversight on tiger conservation NTCA, the nodal body created after Sariksa Fiasco has been reconstituted as per a report in The Times of India. The body will now be chaired by Union MOEF Jairam Ramesh with Menaka Gandhi has one of its members. Other wildife experts like Valmik Thapar are also amongst the 8 experts apart from members drawn from public life. It worth noting that NTCa has been extremely active ever since it was set up in place of the disbanded Project Tiger after CBI investigations confirmed Sarika had been shorn of all its stiped cats. With states gradually falling in line on the revised mechanism set up by NTCa recently, there is some hope that tiger conservation in India is on the right track.
Govt reconstitutes tiger conservation body
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/environment/flora-fauna/Govt-reconstitutes-tiger-conservation-body-/articleshow/5037698.cms
MP govt holding out on signing binding agreement to make its officials more accountable
Despite being in the limelight for being the state with the largest area under tiger reserves, MP govt rather than leading by example is telling us what exactly afflicts wildlife conservation in India. Official apathy, lack of accountability and protecting own turf at the expense of public good are some of the reasons why despite immense media and public pressure there has been little improvement in widlife conservation.
The centre has signed the new tripartite agreement with many other states. As we have posted earlier, the agreement makes flow of funds easier to the parks bypasssing the state wildlife ministries which are mostly corrupt and inept and are the biggestobstacles in money reaching genuine beneficiaries. The agreement alsomakes forest directors directly liable for penal action for the condition of the reserve. As we have seen in MP itself the director of Panna national park publicly claimed till last year that the park had a healthy population of tigers. After it was declared in march this year that alltigers had been killed the field director was actually promoted to the ministry of forest. Such officials need to be charged wtih criminal conspiracy and neglect so that they take their job seriously.
MP govt babus need to realise that tiger conservation is a matter of India's prestige and not about protecting state's turf over the matter. Since so many other states have willingly signed on the dotted line there should be no reason for further delay.
Madhya Pradesh opposes mooted MOU on tiger conservation
Now tiger sanctuaries will be evaluated by independent experts
Keen to ensure best practices are introduced in tiger conservation, the centre has constitued 5 committees of experts for evaluating the management and functioninig of tigers reserves across India, reports TOI today. The evaluation will be done basis parameters set by WII and commitees will include tiger experts like Belinda Wright. Now that the centre is signing legally binding MOUs with states to make field officials accountable for their actions it might be a a good idea to include some of the parameters in the agreements to ensure consistency across the board.
Panels to evaluate functioning of tiger reserve |
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Another tiger dies in Kaziranga
The spate of killings continue unabated, after yesterday's report of a tiger found dead in Kanha, the 7th this year, another tiger was found dead in Kaziranga National park in assam. This is the 8th tiger death in Kaziranga this year and
forest officials suspect poisoning by villagers as the cause. The incident comes a couple of days after tiger cubs were found abandoned in Tadoba nAtional park indicating their mother had been killed by poachers.
With tigers deaths being reported from across the country on a regular basis and long term solutions slow to take root time is running out for the big beast.
The govt needs to involve local population in conservation and make them stake holders in protecting wildlife and forests, unless that is accomlished quickly any other efforts to preserve tigers will not prevent their extinction.
Poachers kill tiger, jumbo
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Faced with shrinking habitat tiger turning on each other
In another incident of its kind, a tigress's partially eaten body was found in Kanha national park according to a report on Indiatimes.com. This is the 7th tiger death in the park and some of them have been attributed to territorial fights amongst big cats. According to forest officials quoted in the report, a male tiger killed the sub adult female tiger possibly for encroaching into his territory. With forest areas shrinking at a rapid pace and tigers being fiercly territorial animals, incidents of the big cats killing each other are being reported at increased rate.
Uttarakhand govt allows project in the middle of Wildlife corridor in Nainital
The delicate balance betweeen development and conservation which is so key to wildlife protection is being gradually eroded by shortsighted policies of govt.
In a development that has set alarm bells ringing amongst conservation NGOs the Uttarakhand Govt has given permission for infratructure project to be developed right in the middle of a wildlife corridor reports the Times of India.
The said project is key to Tiger and Elephant movement across sanctuaries as per WII which published a report in 2003 and identified the area as key to healthy mixing of wildlife stock in the entire region.
Development no doubt is key every country's progress but at the expense of detroying critical wildlife !!
Thankfully the central govt has taken note of the development and along with found NGOs WII, WWF have decided to visit the area to access the ground situation.
As minister MOEF Jairam Ramesh has been stating, there is an urgent need to create a nodal body with statutory powers to evaluate such projects before they are taken up.
A harmonious balance needs to be found between preserveing forests,wildlife and development which is so key for the survival of future generations.
Wildlife corridor in Uttarakhand faces trouble
Superb, incisive Nat Geo piece on India's struggle with Tiger Conservation - Must Read
If any one needs an idea of how things are on ground as regards to the enormous challenges we face in saving teh tiger from extinction here is
a first hand account from the most authoratative source. This piece in Nat Geo based on an investigation carried out by the magazine details out how local communitites have still not been taken into confidence by the govt and how poachers use cover provided by them to continue their nefariou activities. A must read
The War on India's Tigers
Cat Fight
Squeezed for space and targeted by poachers, India's tigers have reached a tipping point. But deep in the world's most celebrated tiger sanctuary, an unlikely hero has emerged. He's smart. He's driven. He's a God-fearing vegetarian with Jack Bauer tendencies. Too bad wildlife officials hate his guts.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Chinese year of tiger 2010 causing headaches in India
With demand for tiger parts in China rising at unprecedented rate, Indian officials are worried about further surge in tiger poaching on account of next year being the Chinese Year of the Tiger. During a recent visit for China, the minister MOEF Jairam Ramesh had raised the issue of implementing a UN mandated ban more strictly only to hear back accusations about India not doing enough to clamp down on Shatoosh shawl trade which is encouraging Chiru poaching in Tibet. Jairam Ramesh also rightly pointed out in TV interviews recently that the primary responsibil;ity of protecting tigers is India's and if we can ensure stringent laws and application of the same we can curb poaching activites to the minimal which will allow for a healthy population of tigers to survive in the wild.
read earlier blog pos
Goa forest officials continue flip flop - Tiger killing Case set for quiet burial
An old saying in Hindi translated roughly means , You need to lie a 100 times to cover up one lie. This in essence sums up investigations into unforunate case of a tiger killed in Goa in March this year. After trying to hush up the incident from the very beggining, Goa Forest officials now are just waiting to close the case. Perhaps the case should also rest in peace like the soul of the dead tiger. Consider the series of events:
A tiger is killed in Mhadei wildlife sanctuary in Goa. As reports of killing reach wildlife officials they go into denial mode asking for proof rather than initiating investigations. Local journalists take pictures of the carcass which is published in newspapers. Even after that wildlife officials put the onus of getting 'concrete proof' on the journalists rather than taking congnizance of the pictures. After much media pressure investigations are initiated but vital time is lost which allows the villagers who had killed the tiger to burn the carcass. Some evidence is finally found in the form of burnt skin and sometiger parts which wildlife officials claim are from the killed tiger and samples are sent to WII Dehradun for confirmation. In the meanwhileowner of farm where the tiger parts are found is arrested by forest officials while the villagers ostracize a local who led the invetigation team to the burnt carcass. A local court releases the accused on bail since there is no evidence to even prove a tiger was killed let alone proof of the accused being involved. After being let off, the accused files a case against the forest officials for harrassment and torture in custody and bizzarely the local cops file an FIR against the forest officials. And in the final death knell to the case WII said last week that samples sent for investigation donot even belong to a tiger indicating the sample was changed before it reached them. With no evidence, no witness, investigators being harrassed it is unlikely the case will move any where. After systematically destroying the case Goa Wildlife officials have decided to form a board which will study the WII report and might advise future course of actoin which might as well be shutting the case for good.
Goa not to close tiger killing case as of now: CCF
Caputured Tadoba Cub indicates continued disappearance of tigers
In a late night incident reported extgensively in newspapers today, a man in Chandrapur distt battled and overpowered a tiger cub when he went out of his house investigate the sounds emanating from the backyard of his house. The worrisome part of this story is the missing mother of the tiger cub who might have been poached or poisoned. The cub was found to have been starving when officials took it for a medical indicating it was parted from her motherever since and not being able to hunt on its own hadnt eaten. Chandrapur has been in news for the last few years on account of a series of man animal conflict incidents leading to poisoning and killing of big cats. Recently this blog had also highlighted the mismanaged relocation policy in tadoba where villagers were shifted from their original settlements only for them to return since the new area didnt provide them any means of earning their livelihood. With angry villagers surrounding the park and govt apathy taking its toll, Tadoba's tigers are fast getting cornered from all sides with no where to run.
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Thursday, September 17, 2009
UP to carry out Tiger Census shortly
Under cloud for its claims on tiger numbers in Dudhwa National park, the UP govt has decided to go in for a fre census with the help of Wildlife Institute of India and NTCA reports Times Of India. On an ealier post this blog had written about the new country wide census to be conducted starting October this year which will be the most comprehensive and technically superior ever undertaken.
read earlier blog post
WLI to start fresh tiger census in UP
Tadoba gets new Field Director
After the mass transfer of forest officers in Maharashtra a few months back Tadoba Tiger Sanctuary in Chandrapur distt has finally got a new field director informs our friend from ground Zero, Shalik Jogwe a keen wildlife conservationist. Though a welcome move it is also symptomatic of the apathy with which politicos and govt officials treat important issues like convervation of wildlife and forest. The park director post has been lying vacant for almost 2 months at a critical time during rainy season when poaching incidents are at their peak. If this is not criminal culpability on park of the govt then what is. Letting the sanctuary gates open for poachers by removing the most important officials.
Tadoba has been in news recently for the campaign greens along with local citizens have been running to oppose granting of mining licenses by mah govt to Adani power. Convervationists fear the mines will destroy the green cover in the area and sound the death knell for tigers in the reserve which are anyway dwindling in numbers.
read earlier post on mass transfers
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