If she has a choice to be reborn, Charles Darwin's great-great-granddaughter, Ruth Padel, would like to be born an Indian. Her reasons are far removed from any evolutionary theories though. "I will then know how to drape the saree," she exclaims.
Padel is the first woman professor of poetry at Oxford. She is also the first woman to be given a research fellowship at Oxford's Wadham College tospecialize in Greek tragedy. And she is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and the Zoological Society of London. But all these laurels pale in the face of her lineage, particularly vis-a-vis Charles Darwin, father of the theory of evolution and author of the seminal 'On the Origin of Species'.
But at 64, the award-winning British poet isn't overly perturbed about her forefather's fame overshadowing her achievements. Her concerns are more immediate. About 170 years ago, Darwin went through the Tropics (South America) to understand how species came into being. "Today, in a different continent (Asia), going through countries like China and Laos, I was carrying on 'The Origin of Species' while learning how the species came to be extinct.
"China gave me a nervous breakdown. What particularly upsets me is their attitude to nature. They want to legalise tiger farming so that tourists can come and enjoy seeing these species, then eat them or use their bones for medicine. If tiger products are legalized, India will be emptied of tigers in a year because it is so much cheaper to poach a big cat here."
Like Darwin, animals are central to Padel's work. At the Bombay Natural History Society, she will read from her debut novel, 'Where the Serpent Lives', set partly in the forests of Karnataka and Bengal, her celebrated account of tiger conservation, 'Tigers in Red Weather', and 'Darwin — A Life In Poems', her biography of Darwin in verse. She finds India inspiring as it boasts of a significant number of natural reserves with the original species still around.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Sariska may get fifth tiger tomorrow
JAIPUR: In all likelihood, Sariska would get its fifth tiger from Ranthambore on Friday. This time it would be a female.
Though officials refused to confirm the exact date but indicated a probability. "This time the tigers that have been identified for relocation to Sariska have not been radio collared unlike the previous three instances. These tigers have been identified after a DNA test of their scat samples," officials said.
"Therefore, it cannot be said beforehand we would definitely be able to locate the particular tiger on an exact date. We are trying for the relocation on Friday. When tigers are radio collared t is easy to locate them, else it is a mere chance that one takes in the forest," he said adding the radio collars were put on the tiger only after being brought to Sariska.
In fact, it was something like this that happened with the male T-12 tiger that was relocated to Sariska on Wednesday. Officials said the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) team had arrived at Ranthambore on Tuesday evening. The next morning when the team, along with director of the park RS Shekhawat, went to track the tiger it was coincidentally spotted at an ideal spot.
"Often we are able to locate the tiger but it becomes difficult to tranquillise it as the dart has to be carefully shot only on its hind legs, else one may injure it. On Wednesday, all things fell into shape and it was decided instantly to relocate the tiger," said RN Mehrotra, chief wildlife warden, Rajasthan.
Officials said the tracking team came within 10 metres of the tiger. "The T-12 tiger was our first choice for relocation and on Wednesday. We were lucky when we went for tracking to find it standing near its kill. It was then that the decision for relocation by the road route was taken," officials said.
With the fourth relocation, that comes after about two years since the last one, Sariska now has two males and two female cats with a third female hoping to find its way this week itself.
Officials say the relocated tiger is doing well in the temporary enclosure in Sariska. "It has adapted well and is behaving normally. The cat ate the bait this morning," officials said.
While all looks well for the forest officials, the silence of the tourism lobby has taken many by surprise. "Maybe they did not get the time to react. It happened all too suddenly for them to evoke any response," sources said.
Though officials refused to confirm the exact date but indicated a probability. "This time the tigers that have been identified for relocation to Sariska have not been radio collared unlike the previous three instances. These tigers have been identified after a DNA test of their scat samples," officials said.
"Therefore, it cannot be said beforehand we would definitely be able to locate the particular tiger on an exact date. We are trying for the relocation on Friday. When tigers are radio collared t is easy to locate them, else it is a mere chance that one takes in the forest," he said adding the radio collars were put on the tiger only after being brought to Sariska.
In fact, it was something like this that happened with the male T-12 tiger that was relocated to Sariska on Wednesday. Officials said the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) team had arrived at Ranthambore on Tuesday evening. The next morning when the team, along with director of the park RS Shekhawat, went to track the tiger it was coincidentally spotted at an ideal spot.
"Often we are able to locate the tiger but it becomes difficult to tranquillise it as the dart has to be carefully shot only on its hind legs, else one may injure it. On Wednesday, all things fell into shape and it was decided instantly to relocate the tiger," said RN Mehrotra, chief wildlife warden, Rajasthan.
Officials said the tracking team came within 10 metres of the tiger. "The T-12 tiger was our first choice for relocation and on Wednesday. We were lucky when we went for tracking to find it standing near its kill. It was then that the decision for relocation by the road route was taken," officials said.
With the fourth relocation, that comes after about two years since the last one, Sariska now has two males and two female cats with a third female hoping to find its way this week itself.
Officials say the relocated tiger is doing well in the temporary enclosure in Sariska. "It has adapted well and is behaving normally. The cat ate the bait this morning," officials said.
While all looks well for the forest officials, the silence of the tourism lobby has taken many by surprise. "Maybe they did not get the time to react. It happened all too suddenly for them to evoke any response," sources said.
164 tigers sighted in MP national parks in a year
Bhopal: Nearly 164 tigers were sighted by the ground duty officials equipped with Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) in the national parks of Madhya Pradesh from July 6, 2009 to July 9 this year, a top official said.
"The ground officials keeping a vigil on the wild animals have sighted 164 tigers in national parks from July 6, 2009 to July 9, 2010," Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (IT) Anil Oberoi told a news agency.
"The ground officials keeping a vigil on the wild animals have sighted 164 tigers in national parks from July 6, 2009 to July 9, 2010," Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (IT) Anil Oberoi told a news agency.
He did not rule out of the possibly that the patrol parties might had sighted the same tiger twice or thrice.
Oberoi said that around 1714 evidential sighting of tigers had been recorded in the national parks from July 6, 2009 to July 9, 2010.
About the huge number of evidential sighting, he said that the patrol parties might had got evidences of the same striped animal more than once during their different patrolling.
He said that in the evidential sighting tiger's pug mark, scratch, sound, kill, urine and dung are relied upon.
Oberoi said that around 1714 evidential sighting of tigers had been recorded in the national parks from July 6, 2009 to July 9, 2010.
About the huge number of evidential sighting, he said that the patrol parties might had got evidences of the same striped animal more than once during their different patrolling.
He said that in the evidential sighting tiger's pug mark, scratch, sound, kill, urine and dung are relied upon.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
FOREST GUMPTION - Proposed amendments in forest bill
The Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Bill seeks to beef up the existing law. But the new law will fail to make an impact unless efforts are made to enforce it rigorously, argues V. Kumara Swam
The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, (WPA) is the most important law in the country for the protection of animals in the wild. The WPA provides definitions and guidelines on protected areas, matters related to trade in wildlife and punishments for those violating the law. Despite that, up till now the law has not been very effective in punishing offenders. For instance, more than 800 tigers have been killed in India since 1995, but very few poachers have been brought to book. To address the weaknesses in the current law, the Union ministry of environment and forests has come up with a draft bill — Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2010. The bill seeks to bring about some sweeping changes to the existing law, including beefing up the fines and jail terms for the convicted. In its ‘statement of objects and reasons’ the draft bill says, “The current penalties have failed to act as deterrents with few convictions having taken place since the Act came into force. Furthermore, there is no strong financial disincentive that prevents poachers and smugglers from engaging in illicit wildlife trade, which, in terms of value, ranks only behind the illegal trade in arms and narcotics.” While wildlife experts have welcomed some provisions of the proposed law, others feel that the new law will fail to make an impact unless efforts are made to implement it rigorously. The existing law specifies punishment of two to seven years in jail and fines of anywhere between Rs 5,000 and Rs 25,000. The new law, on the other hand, proposes jail terms of five to seven years and fines from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 75 lakh. Experts say that while the increased quantum of punishment is to be lauded, what matters more is how effective the law is in bringing about convictions. “It is not the severity of the punishment that acts as a deterrent, but rather the certainty of punishment,” says Ritwick Dutta, a Delhi-based environment lawyer. “The fact is that very few people have been slapped with even the minimum sentence under the existing law and not a single person has ever been convicted and sent to jail for seven years.” Adds Samir Sinha, head of TRAFFIC-India, an organisation that monitors wildlife trade, “WPA hasn’t been an effective law. The government should concentrate more on enforcement on the ground level and fight cases against the accused to their logical end.” Subsection (e) of Section 51 of the draft bill, which deals with offences relating to tiger reserves, states, “Where such offence relates to the core area of a tiger reserve or where the offence relates to hunting in a tiger reserve or altering the boundaries of a tiger reserve, such offence shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than seven years and also with a fine which shall not be less than fifty lakh rupees.” Dutta feels that this provision is bound to fail. “Judges normally ask for strong proof against the accused if the prosecution is in favour of severe punishment and fine as per the law. How can you expect that from our poorly trained forest officials who, more often than not, fail to get the accused convicted,” asks Dutta. Activists also fear that the proposed classification of penalties into different categories, that is, critical species, national parks and sanctuaries and tiger reserves, will only complicate matters. Another provision of the bill that has come in for criticism is the establishment of “management” and “scientific” authorities to monitor trade and research. “These authorities will be manned by bureaucrats with little knowledge and there will be no role for independent scientists and experts. Local communities will also have no role to play. And these central authorities will also undermine the states’ rights to the forests,” says Archana Prasad, environmentalist and a former member of the Tiger Task Force. Of course, the draft bill has also been praised for some of its provisions. For example, an addition to sub-section (4), Section 50, of the existing act empowers the judge or magistrate “to detain the accused in the custody of the forest department for a period of up to seven days, subject to such conditions as he may see fit, to facilitate investigation into the offence,” if there is a prima facie case against the accused. “This will give time to officials to investigate and prepare their cases better,” says Sinha of TRAFFIC-India. In addition, the bill specifies punishment to the owner or occupier of the premises used to commit an offence. Forest officials could also be punished for violations under the proposed law. Again, most experts welcome the fact that the bill bans the leg-hold traps that are used to trap tigers and leopards. But Dutta says that here too the government could have done a little more. “The neck-traps used to snare deer and other animals are equally dangerous, but the government is silent on them,” he says. The draft amendment also talks about the promotion of “independent scientific research”. According to the proposed law, chief wildlife wardens will be empowered to grant permits to “any person, to conduct wildlife research on any animal specified in Schedules I to IV” of the existing law. “This is a great move. Independent researchers were made to run from pillar to post to get approval for their research projects all these years,” says M. Firoz Ahmed, wildlife biologist, Aaranyak, a scientific and industrial research organisation, Guwahati. Aaranyak works on biodiversity conservation in the northeast. Indeed, most wildlife activists are enthused by the government’s efforts to plug the loopholes in the existing law and make it more wildlife friendly. However, nearly everyone cautions that no matter how many amendments are made to the WPA, the law will remain a “paper tiger” unless efforts are made to enforce the law strictly. “The government’s intentions are very good. And strengthening rules is not bad at all. But I wish the government had laid more emphasis on equipping the forest officials with the right weapons and skills to get the guilty punished,” says M.K. Ranjitsinh, chairman of the Wildlife Trust of India, who drafted the WPA way back in 1972. Hopefully, the amended law will work at that. |
 http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100721/jsp/opinion/story_12707468.jsp |
Sariska gets a new tiger to boost breeding
NEW DELHI: Sariska's tiger breeding hopes were revived on Tuesday with a tiger being brought to the reserve from the Ranthambhore reserve. It was selected after his DNA was analysed in a bid to avoid the genetic incompatibility that has plagued Sariska's relocation programme so far.
In fact, it was the first time in India that genetic studies were undertaken to identify tigers suitable for translocation. Two of the 12 scat samples from the Ranthambhore reserve that were sent for DNA analysis came out positive. Apart from the tiger shifted on Tuesday, a tigress will also be moved there within the next few weeks. The study showed that both animals were not too closely related to the Sariska tigers, or to each other.
“This is the first time that genetic studies have been conducted to select tigers,” said Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh after the DNA analysis results were received this past Friday.
“Until now we went by normal field-level analysis…..However, after all the fears that have been raised about siblings being relocated, we thought it was best to do this in a scientific way.”
The Sariska tiger reserve in Rajasthan lost the last of its own tigers some time in 2004 or 2005, mostly due to widespread poaching. The bid to return tigers to the reserve, therefore, depends on shifting tigers from other reserves. Accordingly in 2008 and 2009 three tigers — a male and two females — from Ranthambhore reserve, also in Rajasthan, were moved to Sariska. However, they have failed to produce any offspring, and it was later discovered that they were siblings.
The translocation programme was put on hold while the Central Government tried to persuade Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra to donate a few of their tigers to re-populate Sariska in order to avoid using the same gene pool from Ranthambhore. Last week, however, Madhya Pradesh Forest Minister Sartaj Singh made it clear that his state had no surplus tiger to send to Rajasthan.
The news of the DNA results of the Ranthambhore scat samples injected new life into the translocation programme, since inter-state transfer hurdles can be avoided.
The DNA analysis was carried out by Uma Ramakrishnan of the National Centre for Biological Sciences, a part of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research based in Bangalore. Of the 12 scats collected, genetic analysis showed that only eight came from tigers. One more sample did not have a sufficient quantity of DNA data and was also dropped from the study.
While five samples were from tigers which were siblings, and in one case a half-sibling, to the Sariska animals, two samples were found suitable. They have a zero-level of relationship to one of the Sariska tigers and a 0.24 and 0.4 level of relationship to the other.
http://www.hindu.com/2010/07/21/stories/2010072162201500.htm
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
24 tigers died in 3 years in various Madhya Pradesh reserves
Madhya Pradesh Forest Minister, Sartaj Singh on Tuesday told the State Assembly that a total of 24 tigers, including 14 cubs died in various reserves in the State in the last three years.
In a written reply to a question from Nishith Patel (Congress), the Minister said that of them 10 were adults comprising six males and four females while remaining 14 were cubs.
The maximum 12 tigers died in Kanha National Park followed by Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (six), Pench Tiger Reserve (five) and Satpura National Park (one) while no tiger lost its life in Panna National Park in the last three years, Singh said.
Most of the tigers were killed in territorial fights while some died of various diseases or over age, he said.
Only two tigers, including a cub were killed when they were hit by vehicles in Bandhavgarh reserve, the Minister said.
Just 2 big cats can be shifted to Sariska park
After Madhya Pradesh government refused to relocate tigers for Sariska, a government institute has zeroed down two tigers that can be shifted from Ranthambore to Sariska. The Rajasthan Forest Department was keen to relocate two more tiger couples from Ranthambore to Sariska where the big cats went missing in 2004. But, genetic similarity between tigers in Ranthambore was considered the biggest stumbling block.
The three tigers — a male and two females —were transferred from Ranthambore to Sariska about two years ago but because of reports of genetic incompatibility among them, they had failed to breed.
This time, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) was keen to find out the level of genetic similarity between the tigers in Ranthambore and Sariska and asked the Bangalore-based National Centre for Biological Sciences to conduct DNA tests.
After DNA tests of eight tigers from Ranthambore tiger reserve, the Centre suggested translocation of only two tigers with “lowest relatedness” with three relocated tigers in Sariska.
“The tigers from Sawai Madhopur range in Ranthambore are the two individuals best suited for relocation,” the NTCA told the environment ministry. The relocation can take place only after the ministry’s approval.
The institute, in its report to NCTA, found that six other tigers had high degree of relatedness with big cats in Sariska and said it would not be ideal to introduce them in Sariska.
Valmik Thapar, member of Tiger Task Force said the government should ensure that the tigers for relocation from Ranthambore should not be selected from core areas.
“The animal for relocation should be selected from fringe areas with the help of local people,” he said
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Just-2-big-cats-can-be-shifted-to-Sariska-park/Article1-574856.aspx
Monday, July 19, 2010
Two more tiger cubs spotted in Orang
| PULLOCK DUTTA |
Guwahati, July 18: “Just 1,411 left”. The campaign line to save the big cat now has to change, with two Royal Bengal tiger cubs being born in Orang National Park over the past two months. “The cubs were probably born in May and were spotted near Kachumari anti-poaching camp of the park only a couple of days back,” divisional forest officer of Orang S. Daila toldThe Telegraph today. He said the pregnant tiger was spotted in March. Fourteen tigers were detected in this smallest national park in the state during a census conducted last year. Daila said the cubs were first spotted by villagers in Hazarbigha about a week back when they were playing with their mother. “But we were not sure since we cannot believe everything the villagers say. We were confirmed when our rangers spotted the two cubs along with their mother near Kachumari camp,” he said. The divisional forest officer said the park authorities were constantly monitoring the movement of the two cubs — one male and the other female — and they both looked healthy. Daila added that there was no previous official record of birth of Royal Bengal tiger cubs in the park. “We will be maintaining a proper record of these cubs and constantly monitor their movement,” he said. Spread over 78.80 square km on the north bank of the Brahmaputra, Orang National Park is a rich wild habitat with several species of wild animals. However, it is surrounded by human habitation, adding to the biotic pressure (the tendency of a community to extend its range in common parlance) on the park. The park has witnessed the death of 15 tigers since 2005. While six of them were killed because of poisoning, the rest died in infighting. The last incident of poisoning took place on August 18 when an adult male tiger was found ill. The tiger later died at the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation near Kaziranga where it was shifted for treatment. Daila said apart from these two cubs, the park has also witnessed the birth of at least 10 rhino calves in the past few months. “This is a positive development,” he said. Sixty-four rhinos were detected at Orang during the census conducted last year http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100719/jsp/northeast/story_12698491.jsp |
Suhelwa forest in Terai dying; so will tigers and jumbos there
Prerna Singh Bindra | Suhelwa (Balrampur)
Legendary conservationist Billy Arjan Singh described Suhelwa as “the finest forests imaginable”, waxing eloquent about its “plethora of wildlife and fine tigers”. It was here that Singh’s love for the wilds took root. It is just as well he is no longer around to see the ‘sanctuary’ now — the devastation rendered by years of negligence.
In the two days that I traversed Suhelwa, the destruction is evident: Rows of stumps, gutted vegetation, paucity of prey, grasslands degraded by cattle, constant traffic of people, silted water bodies, bone dry waterholes and the consistent, dull thud of the axe echoing in a silent forest. “Apathy and administrative weaknesses,” admits a forest official, “have in recent years led to destruction of a magnitude that will finish the forest. And, Suhelwa will be lost for the tiger.”
Suhelwa, a 127-km-long narrow strip of forest, is part of the Terai Arc Landscape, identified as one of the three most vital tiger habitats in India. The Terai Arc Landscape, over 20,000 sq km on the Indian side, is a network of protected areas and fragmented corridors which stretch from Kalesar Wildlife Sanctuary in Haryana to Valmiki in Bihar, and beyond to Chitwan and Parsa in Nepal. Suhelwa, bordering Nepal, is a crucial link in the Terai. “Suhelwa cannot be viewed in isolation,” stresses Dr Bivash Pandav, Coordinator, Tiger and Asian Big Cats Programme, WWF-International. “It is contiguous to the forests of Nepal and through Banke and Bardia national parks maintains connectivity to Dudhwa Tiger Reserve that goes all the way up to Rajaji National Park in Uttarakhand.”
Animals do not recognise manmade borders. Scientists assert that tigers cannot survive in isolated islands. “To save free-ranging animals like tiger and elephant such movement and genetic exchange is vital,” says Pandav.
Recognising the significance of Suhelwa, the Central Government pushed for it to be declared as a tiger reserve but two years on, the state has taken little initiative. The indifference is evident with Chief Wildlife Warden BK Patnaik shrugging off Suhelwa as a “narrow forest”. He is also “unsure of the number of tigers and whether it (Suhelwa) can sustain tigers”, thus contradicting his own department, which gives the ‘official’ number of tigers in the sanctuary as 25.
The numbers seem inflated, with independent experts giving a conservative estimate of five to eight tigers in the sanctuary.
However, with no protection, the tigers are a sitting target. In July 2006, a tiger skin was seized in Tulsipur on the Indo-Nepal border near the sanctuary. “Preliminary questioning revealed that it was killed in the Baghelkhand beat of the Suhelwa range. Involvement of local politicians was also indicated and the accused are out on bail,” says Sarvesh Singh, a local journalist with ETV, who played a key role in the seizure. Another tiger skin was seized in November last year, also in Tulsipur. Later, in March 2010, forest guard Munnalal Tiwari heard a gunshot in Jodvania Nala, in the core zone, where he says, tiger pugmarks had been seen earlier in the day. Three leopard skins were also seized in the same month. Poaching of prey is common —the preferred method here being ‘obs’ or camouflaged pits, and easy access from across the border has only worsened the situation.
The cancer of apathy runs deep. The biotic pressure is immense; while ungulates are a rare sight, thousands of cattle roam in the forest. I came across a huge herd of buffaloes grazing in Pipra, Bankatwa the core area of the sanctuary, right next to the Forest department quarters. Sand mining and quarrying go on with impunity. The scale of illegal logging is massive. We met Shamu, a slight man dragging his cycle overloaded with wood. He is from Bhagwanpur and just one among the many villagers we encounter. Shamu is employed on a daily basis by the forest department, but though an attendance register is maintained, the payment, he says, is very irregular. Instead, he is allowed to take out wood for sale, a system called begar prevalent during the British times but unofficially continues till date, though Supreme Court ruling of February 2000 forbids even a blade of grass to be removed from a sanctuary. Sources say that hundreds of cycle loads are taken out in this manner mainly for commercial use, to be sold to dhabas, the dozens of brick kilns that dot the landscape or are loaded in trucks for markets in Balrampur and even Bahraich well over a 100 km away.”
Strangely, while the sanctuary lies neglected, and protection non-existent, forest roads — which only disturb wildlife — have been widened with NREG funds. Admits a senior official, “While there is negligible support for wildlife, there is pressure to do work under NREG from headquarters and political leaders. As it is the staff has little orientation towards wildlife, now their focus is on meeting NREG targets. So the sanctuary suffers.”
Even though a petition has been filed in the Supreme Court’s Central Empowered Committee in 2004 by Niharika Singh, a conservationist based near the sanctuary, highlighting Suhelwa’s plight, it has been of little avail. The CEC is yet to make a site visit to assess the situation, and meanwhile, the situation on the ground has only gotten worse.
UP has barely five per cent of forest cover, and Suhelwa represents the last remaining tracts of Bhabar forests in the country. Shikar lore hails the tigers of “Balrampore for their superior tawny coat”. The significance of Suhelwa, as a crucial link in amongst few promising tiger habitats in the world, cannot be stressed enough, especially at a time when there is international concern for critically endangered tigers. Unless, a concerted effort at three levels – local, State and Central — is made Suhelwa and its tigers will be lost forever.
Legendary conservationist Billy Arjan Singh described Suhelwa as “the finest forests imaginable”, waxing eloquent about its “plethora of wildlife and fine tigers”. It was here that Singh’s love for the wilds took root. It is just as well he is no longer around to see the ‘sanctuary’ now — the devastation rendered by years of negligence.
In the two days that I traversed Suhelwa, the destruction is evident: Rows of stumps, gutted vegetation, paucity of prey, grasslands degraded by cattle, constant traffic of people, silted water bodies, bone dry waterholes and the consistent, dull thud of the axe echoing in a silent forest. “Apathy and administrative weaknesses,” admits a forest official, “have in recent years led to destruction of a magnitude that will finish the forest. And, Suhelwa will be lost for the tiger.”
Suhelwa, a 127-km-long narrow strip of forest, is part of the Terai Arc Landscape, identified as one of the three most vital tiger habitats in India. The Terai Arc Landscape, over 20,000 sq km on the Indian side, is a network of protected areas and fragmented corridors which stretch from Kalesar Wildlife Sanctuary in Haryana to Valmiki in Bihar, and beyond to Chitwan and Parsa in Nepal. Suhelwa, bordering Nepal, is a crucial link in the Terai. “Suhelwa cannot be viewed in isolation,” stresses Dr Bivash Pandav, Coordinator, Tiger and Asian Big Cats Programme, WWF-International. “It is contiguous to the forests of Nepal and through Banke and Bardia national parks maintains connectivity to Dudhwa Tiger Reserve that goes all the way up to Rajaji National Park in Uttarakhand.”
Animals do not recognise manmade borders. Scientists assert that tigers cannot survive in isolated islands. “To save free-ranging animals like tiger and elephant such movement and genetic exchange is vital,” says Pandav.
Recognising the significance of Suhelwa, the Central Government pushed for it to be declared as a tiger reserve but two years on, the state has taken little initiative. The indifference is evident with Chief Wildlife Warden BK Patnaik shrugging off Suhelwa as a “narrow forest”. He is also “unsure of the number of tigers and whether it (Suhelwa) can sustain tigers”, thus contradicting his own department, which gives the ‘official’ number of tigers in the sanctuary as 25.
The numbers seem inflated, with independent experts giving a conservative estimate of five to eight tigers in the sanctuary.
However, with no protection, the tigers are a sitting target. In July 2006, a tiger skin was seized in Tulsipur on the Indo-Nepal border near the sanctuary. “Preliminary questioning revealed that it was killed in the Baghelkhand beat of the Suhelwa range. Involvement of local politicians was also indicated and the accused are out on bail,” says Sarvesh Singh, a local journalist with ETV, who played a key role in the seizure. Another tiger skin was seized in November last year, also in Tulsipur. Later, in March 2010, forest guard Munnalal Tiwari heard a gunshot in Jodvania Nala, in the core zone, where he says, tiger pugmarks had been seen earlier in the day. Three leopard skins were also seized in the same month. Poaching of prey is common —the preferred method here being ‘obs’ or camouflaged pits, and easy access from across the border has only worsened the situation.
The cancer of apathy runs deep. The biotic pressure is immense; while ungulates are a rare sight, thousands of cattle roam in the forest. I came across a huge herd of buffaloes grazing in Pipra, Bankatwa the core area of the sanctuary, right next to the Forest department quarters. Sand mining and quarrying go on with impunity. The scale of illegal logging is massive. We met Shamu, a slight man dragging his cycle overloaded with wood. He is from Bhagwanpur and just one among the many villagers we encounter. Shamu is employed on a daily basis by the forest department, but though an attendance register is maintained, the payment, he says, is very irregular. Instead, he is allowed to take out wood for sale, a system called begar prevalent during the British times but unofficially continues till date, though Supreme Court ruling of February 2000 forbids even a blade of grass to be removed from a sanctuary. Sources say that hundreds of cycle loads are taken out in this manner mainly for commercial use, to be sold to dhabas, the dozens of brick kilns that dot the landscape or are loaded in trucks for markets in Balrampur and even Bahraich well over a 100 km away.”
Strangely, while the sanctuary lies neglected, and protection non-existent, forest roads — which only disturb wildlife — have been widened with NREG funds. Admits a senior official, “While there is negligible support for wildlife, there is pressure to do work under NREG from headquarters and political leaders. As it is the staff has little orientation towards wildlife, now their focus is on meeting NREG targets. So the sanctuary suffers.”
Even though a petition has been filed in the Supreme Court’s Central Empowered Committee in 2004 by Niharika Singh, a conservationist based near the sanctuary, highlighting Suhelwa’s plight, it has been of little avail. The CEC is yet to make a site visit to assess the situation, and meanwhile, the situation on the ground has only gotten worse.
UP has barely five per cent of forest cover, and Suhelwa represents the last remaining tracts of Bhabar forests in the country. Shikar lore hails the tigers of “Balrampore for their superior tawny coat”. The significance of Suhelwa, as a crucial link in amongst few promising tiger habitats in the world, cannot be stressed enough, especially at a time when there is international concern for critically endangered tigers. Unless, a concerted effort at three levels – local, State and Central — is made Suhelwa and its tigers will be lost forever.
2 mauled by tiger
Two persons were reportedly mauled by a caged tiger in Zoological Park, Rangaphar Sunday afternoon, leaving one grievously injured and another with minor injury.
According to sources, the attack occurred at around 12:30 p.m., while the victims had gone to Zoological Park for sightseeing.
The two injured persons were identified as one Kivixu Chophi (65) and Kukhazha Yepthomi (24) of Thilixu village.
Relating the sequence of tragic event, the victim’s relative said the tiger first attacked Kukhazha Yepthomi with its paws, however, he managed to move away quickly to safety.
While the other companion, Kivixu Chophi, was grabbed by the tiger and mauled him with its claws and teeth. He sustained more than ten injury marks on his head and face.
Kukhazha, then came to his rescue by pulling him to safety before the situation turned severe.
Kivixu Chophi, who was critically injured, fainted while he was attacked by the tiger, they said.
According to Civil Hospital pathologist Dr. Temsu, both the injured persons were rushed to the civil hospital, Dimapur immediately after the incident occurred.
The condition of Kivixu Chophi was stated to be stable though he was too weak to communicate or move around, while Kukhazha was released after administering first aid, they said.
According to sources, the attack occurred at around 12:30 p.m., while the victims had gone to Zoological Park for sightseeing.
The two injured persons were identified as one Kivixu Chophi (65) and Kukhazha Yepthomi (24) of Thilixu village.
Relating the sequence of tragic event, the victim’s relative said the tiger first attacked Kukhazha Yepthomi with its paws, however, he managed to move away quickly to safety.
While the other companion, Kivixu Chophi, was grabbed by the tiger and mauled him with its claws and teeth. He sustained more than ten injury marks on his head and face.
Kukhazha, then came to his rescue by pulling him to safety before the situation turned severe.
Kivixu Chophi, who was critically injured, fainted while he was attacked by the tiger, they said.
According to Civil Hospital pathologist Dr. Temsu, both the injured persons were rushed to the civil hospital, Dimapur immediately after the incident occurred.
The condition of Kivixu Chophi was stated to be stable though he was too weak to communicate or move around, while Kukhazha was released after administering first aid, they said.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Tiger relocation from Ranthambore to miss date
JAIPUR: Like the elusive monsoon, the tiger relocation too may miss its date with Sariska.
Sources at the Ranthambore national park informed that the park has not started any preparations to relocate the tigers to Sariska around July 18. The fresh date was announced by Rajesh Gopal, director, National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) after it failed to relocate the tigers on two previous dates-- July 4 and July 11.
Officials of the state forest department and NTCA reasoned the constant change in dates has been due to the elusive monsoon in the state. "We want some rain which would make the weather more conducive for shifting," Gopal had told TOI earlier and put July 18 as the next possible date.
"A whole lot of preparations have to be done before the tigers are relocated. Special teams have to formed and the tigers are closely monitored. Even the Indian Air Force has to be informed about the requirement of a helicopter. Nothing of such kind has happened till now. Therefore, it is not possible to relocate any tiger on Sunday," the source added.
The sudden halt of the relocation programme has been attributed to the rising pressure from the tourism lobby at Ranthambore that is against removing any tiger from the forest fearing it may hit the tourism in the area.
Earlier in-breeding was cited as one of the reasons for putting a brake on the programme. Recently, the tourism lobby had filed a petition at a local court in Sawai Madhopur to prevent the relocation stating it would hit the sector. It however, failed to provide them respite.
"There is little else that explains the halting of the programme. To quell the fear of inbreeding, the NTCA had carried out the DNA tests of the probable tigers to be relocated. Even the results of the scat samples have arrived. So why stop the relocation," they asked.
Sources at the Ranthambore national park informed that the park has not started any preparations to relocate the tigers to Sariska around July 18. The fresh date was announced by Rajesh Gopal, director, National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) after it failed to relocate the tigers on two previous dates-- July 4 and July 11.
Officials of the state forest department and NTCA reasoned the constant change in dates has been due to the elusive monsoon in the state. "We want some rain which would make the weather more conducive for shifting," Gopal had told TOI earlier and put July 18 as the next possible date.
"A whole lot of preparations have to be done before the tigers are relocated. Special teams have to formed and the tigers are closely monitored. Even the Indian Air Force has to be informed about the requirement of a helicopter. Nothing of such kind has happened till now. Therefore, it is not possible to relocate any tiger on Sunday," the source added.
The sudden halt of the relocation programme has been attributed to the rising pressure from the tourism lobby at Ranthambore that is against removing any tiger from the forest fearing it may hit the tourism in the area.
Earlier in-breeding was cited as one of the reasons for putting a brake on the programme. Recently, the tourism lobby had filed a petition at a local court in Sawai Madhopur to prevent the relocation stating it would hit the sector. It however, failed to provide them respite.
"There is little else that explains the halting of the programme. To quell the fear of inbreeding, the NTCA had carried out the DNA tests of the probable tigers to be relocated. Even the results of the scat samples have arrived. So why stop the relocation," they asked.
Friday, July 16, 2010
MP govt rules out tiger relocation to Sariska
JAIPUR: Madhya Pradesh government on Thursday ruled out tiger relocation from the state to boost big cat population in Rajasthan's Sariska Tiger Reserve.
"We don't have surplus tigers,'' MP forest minister Sartaj Singh told reporters in Bhopal. The refusal came after Union environment and forest minister Jairam Ramesh wrote to MP and Maharashtra CMs and asked them to provide a few tigers to Sariska. Singh said he had no knowledge of Ramesh's letter. MP has the highest big cat population.
Officials said their plans of boosting tiger population in Sariska depends heavily on the relocation.
"We don't have surplus tigers,'' MP forest minister Sartaj Singh told reporters in Bhopal. The refusal came after Union environment and forest minister Jairam Ramesh wrote to MP and Maharashtra CMs and asked them to provide a few tigers to Sariska. Singh said he had no knowledge of Ramesh's letter. MP has the highest big cat population.
Officials said their plans of boosting tiger population in Sariska depends heavily on the relocation.
Jairam vs Kamal Nath again?
In what seems to be a season for sniping ministers, Jairam Ramesh (environment) and Kamal Nath (road transport) may be headed for a second round of confrontation. The reason: an Environment Ministry committee's refusal to allow seven coal mining projects in Madhya Pradesh's Chhindwara district, the constituency Nath represents in Parliament.
Ramesh and Nath have already gone a round over the former's refusal to allow the widening of a national highway passing through Pench tiger reserve in Chhindwara, on the advice of the Supreme Court's central empowered committee.
This time, a committee constituted by the National Tiger Conservation Authority — which falls under the environment ministry — has said the seven projects shouldn't be allowed as they fall in the tiger corridor connecting Pench and Satpura reserves.
"Allowing coal mining will destroy a narrow corridor used by tigers to move from one reserve to another," a committee member said.
The state government hasn't notified the area as a tiger corridor but the committee based its recommendation on maps provided by the Wildlife Institute of India.
"During our field inspection we were told tigers frequent the corridor," the member said.
The committee was tasked with examining the impact of these projects on tiger conservation following protests by NGOs and conservationists.
The Environment Ministry's forest advisory committee is likely to examine the recommendation at its meeting this month, ministry officials said.
Nath had days ago taken on the Planning Commission, calling it an "armchair advisor" oblivious to "ground realities".
Ramesh has had his share of problems too - civil aviation minister Praful Patel accused him of being "overly obsessive" and delaying the proposed Mumbai airport while coal minister Sri Prakash Jaiswal held him responsible for delaying forest clearance for mining projects.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Jairam-vs-Kamal-Nath-again/Article1-573010.aspx
BNHS takes save forest plan to Tadoba, Pench hamlets
PUNE: Saving the tiger through as many ways as possible has become a mission with environmentalists.
The Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) has set up a tiger cell' to save the wild cat's habitat by creating awareness among villagers living close to Tadoba-Andhari and the Pench tiger reserves to conserve the forest. The programme is a part of the Satpuda Landscape Tiger Project (SLTP) and is supported by the UK-based Born Free organisation.
The environmentalists believe that if the habitat is conserved, it will go a long way in saving the feline species that is on the verge of extinction.
Sanjay Karkare, education officer of the cell, who works in Tadoba and Pench (Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh) areas, said the mobile education unit focuses on undertaking activities in schools.
Last year, more than 229 programmes were conducted in schools in the peripheral areas of Tadoba-Andhari and Pench tiger reserves for over 10,000 children.
They were educated through lectures, slide-shows, paintings, competitions, nature camps and field outings. Besides, activities such as Nisarga Melawa' and Tadoba Mahostav' are also held.
Karkare said the villagers are completely dependent on forests for fuel wood, cattle grazing, bamboo, flowers (to make liquor) and leaves. For example, the villagers in Tadoba are dependent on bamboo to weave baskets that is sold.
"If we tell them about climate change and its impact, it may not percolate as 80-90 per cent are tribals, underprivileged and living below the poverty line. So we simply explain them the importance of forests for themselves and the need to conserve them for future generations,'' he said.
"We have to find an alternative to stop this dependency on forest wealth. In some villages we educated them and gave them bamboo shoots to grow near their huts instead of cutting the forest plants,'' said Karkare.
Mohan Jha, field director of the Pench tiger reserve, also stressed on the need for awareness among villagers. "They are the primary stakeholders of forest wealth and hence it is important to educate them," he said.
On the Tiger Cell' programme, Karkare said that one of the success stories was the orientation programme held for women at Tikade village. "They were educated through slide-shows, films and lectures. We covered forest fire, fuel wood and bamboo collection, water-forest relation, importance of forests for future generations. After the orientation, the women decided to repair bio gas units. Earlier, the education officers had visited this village thrice to repair the bio gas units but the villagers were unwilling to let them,'' he said. There are also instances where students put out forest fires, saved birds and took up plantation.
Karkare, who works in 62 village schools, said, "We plan to make a questionnaire and distribute it among teachers and students to know their awareness level about forests and its conservation. We will also get their feedback.''
The social forestry department supported the cell's activities by sponsoring a camp for students and teachers of the National Green Corps. Department director Prakash
The Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) has set up a tiger cell' to save the wild cat's habitat by creating awareness among villagers living close to Tadoba-Andhari and the Pench tiger reserves to conserve the forest. The programme is a part of the Satpuda Landscape Tiger Project (SLTP) and is supported by the UK-based Born Free organisation.
The environmentalists believe that if the habitat is conserved, it will go a long way in saving the feline species that is on the verge of extinction.
Sanjay Karkare, education officer of the cell, who works in Tadoba and Pench (Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh) areas, said the mobile education unit focuses on undertaking activities in schools.
Last year, more than 229 programmes were conducted in schools in the peripheral areas of Tadoba-Andhari and Pench tiger reserves for over 10,000 children.
They were educated through lectures, slide-shows, paintings, competitions, nature camps and field outings. Besides, activities such as Nisarga Melawa' and Tadoba Mahostav' are also held.
Karkare said the villagers are completely dependent on forests for fuel wood, cattle grazing, bamboo, flowers (to make liquor) and leaves. For example, the villagers in Tadoba are dependent on bamboo to weave baskets that is sold.
"If we tell them about climate change and its impact, it may not percolate as 80-90 per cent are tribals, underprivileged and living below the poverty line. So we simply explain them the importance of forests for themselves and the need to conserve them for future generations,'' he said.
"We have to find an alternative to stop this dependency on forest wealth. In some villages we educated them and gave them bamboo shoots to grow near their huts instead of cutting the forest plants,'' said Karkare.
Mohan Jha, field director of the Pench tiger reserve, also stressed on the need for awareness among villagers. "They are the primary stakeholders of forest wealth and hence it is important to educate them," he said.
On the Tiger Cell' programme, Karkare said that one of the success stories was the orientation programme held for women at Tikade village. "They were educated through slide-shows, films and lectures. We covered forest fire, fuel wood and bamboo collection, water-forest relation, importance of forests for future generations. After the orientation, the women decided to repair bio gas units. Earlier, the education officers had visited this village thrice to repair the bio gas units but the villagers were unwilling to let them,'' he said. There are also instances where students put out forest fires, saved birds and took up plantation.
Karkare, who works in 62 village schools, said, "We plan to make a questionnaire and distribute it among teachers and students to know their awareness level about forests and its conservation. We will also get their feedback.''
The social forestry department supported the cell's activities by sponsoring a camp for students and teachers of the National Green Corps. Department director Prakash
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Send tigers for Sariska: Jairam to MP, Maharashtra
Conceding that the tigers of Ranthambhore may not be able to ensure “genetic vigour” in the population being raised in Sariska, Environment and Forest Minister Jairam Ramesh has written to the chief ministers of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra requesting them for a few tigers for Sariska.
HT reported ed how siblings were sent from Ranthambhore to repopulate Sariska. Following the report, the tiger relocation process was put on hold, a DNA analysis of Ranthambhore tigers was ordered and genetic tests proved that the tigers sent to Sariska were indeed siblings.
Forest and the wildlife establishment had so far resisted the demand for sourcing tigers from outside Rajasthan. While some argued that the purity of Rajasthan tigers was at stake, others felt inter-state talks on shifting tigers would hit roadblocks.
But in his letters sent this week to CMs Ashok Chavan and Shivraj Singh, Ramesh wrote: "To bring in genetic vigour, we need a few wild caught tigers (males and females) for Sariska from adjoining states…I would appreciate if two straying males are provided at the outset to Rajasthan…"
Welcoming the decision, conservationist Valmik Thapar said, "...We can also look at an exchange as the male that has so far failed to breed with his siblings in Sariska should now be sent to Panna (MP)..."
Sariska may get its fourth tiger much sooner if any of the three Ranthambhore tigers shortlisted for relocation are found to be genetically compatible. The DNA report of these tigers is expected from Bangalore-based National Centre for Biological Sciences this Friday. If the tests are negative Sariska, may have to wait for a positive response from Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Send-tigers-for-Sariska-Jairam-to-MP-Maharashtra/Article1-572513.aspx
Melghat buffer proposal ayed
NAGPUR: The state-level expert committee, on Wednesday, cleared the buffer proposal for 2,027 sq km Melghat Tiger Reserve (MTR) in Amravati. The panel headed by chief wildlife warden of Maharashtra AK Joshi and wildlife experts and senior officials held discussions at Van Bhavan before clearing the proposal with some minor corrections.
Joshi told TOI that the proposal would be sent to the state government in four to five days as he was busy with assembly related matters. The committee, on May 12, had cleared 500 sq km buffer proposal for Pench National Park and Tiger Reserve. However, the proposal is still pending with the state and has not been sent to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), a statutory body monitoring the tiger reserves.
The Melghat proposal was earlier discussed at a meeting but was put on hold as the panel members felt that some areas in East Melghat, Buldhana and Akola, which are contiguous to MTR, had been left out and should have been included as they act as cushion for wildlife.
The buffer proposal includes 118 villages in six divisions— Sipna (25), Gugamal (14), West Melghat (12), East Melghat (23), Akola (35) and Buldhana (9). The buffer area includes 92,065.49 hectare forested area and 34,738.18 hectare non-forested area, totalling 1, 26,803.67 hectares (1,268 sq km). The new buffer area includes 526 sq km multiple use area (MUA).
Presently, the MTR comprises Gugamal National Park (361 sq km), Melghat Wildlife Sanctuary (1,677 sq km), Wan (211 sq km), Ambabarwa (127 sq km) and Narnala (13 sq km). All these areas are critical tiger habitats (CTHs) and will now have a buffer zone.
The Wildlife Institute of India (WII), on the basis of exercise conducted in 2007, puts number of tiger in Melghat Tiger Reserve between 30-38. However, officials claim there may be over 50 tigers as situation has improved in the last three years.
Notifying buffer zone around tiger reserves has become mandatory under the tiger conservation plan (TCP) after amendments in section 38 V of the Wildlife Protection Act (1972) on September 4, 2006. The TCP aims at protection of tiger reserve and providing site specific habitat inputs for a viable population of tigers, co-predators and prey animals.
The committee included wildlife experts Kishor Rithe, Harshawardhan Dhanwatey and chief conservators of forest (CCF) A K Saxena, CCF for Nagpur wildlife circle Nandkishore, CCF S D Sontakke (Amravati), Melghat field director A K Mishra among other forest officials.
Joshi told TOI that the proposal would be sent to the state government in four to five days as he was busy with assembly related matters. The committee, on May 12, had cleared 500 sq km buffer proposal for Pench National Park and Tiger Reserve. However, the proposal is still pending with the state and has not been sent to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), a statutory body monitoring the tiger reserves.
The Melghat proposal was earlier discussed at a meeting but was put on hold as the panel members felt that some areas in East Melghat, Buldhana and Akola, which are contiguous to MTR, had been left out and should have been included as they act as cushion for wildlife.
The buffer proposal includes 118 villages in six divisions— Sipna (25), Gugamal (14), West Melghat (12), East Melghat (23), Akola (35) and Buldhana (9). The buffer area includes 92,065.49 hectare forested area and 34,738.18 hectare non-forested area, totalling 1, 26,803.67 hectares (1,268 sq km). The new buffer area includes 526 sq km multiple use area (MUA).
Presently, the MTR comprises Gugamal National Park (361 sq km), Melghat Wildlife Sanctuary (1,677 sq km), Wan (211 sq km), Ambabarwa (127 sq km) and Narnala (13 sq km). All these areas are critical tiger habitats (CTHs) and will now have a buffer zone.
The Wildlife Institute of India (WII), on the basis of exercise conducted in 2007, puts number of tiger in Melghat Tiger Reserve between 30-38. However, officials claim there may be over 50 tigers as situation has improved in the last three years.
Notifying buffer zone around tiger reserves has become mandatory under the tiger conservation plan (TCP) after amendments in section 38 V of the Wildlife Protection Act (1972) on September 4, 2006. The TCP aims at protection of tiger reserve and providing site specific habitat inputs for a viable population of tigers, co-predators and prey animals.
The committee included wildlife experts Kishor Rithe, Harshawardhan Dhanwatey and chief conservators of forest (CCF) A K Saxena, CCF for Nagpur wildlife circle Nandkishore, CCF S D Sontakke (Amravati), Melghat field director A K Mishra among other forest officials.
29 top forest officials shifted
NAGPUR: In a major reshuffle in Indian Forest Service (IFS) cadre, seven chief conservators of forests (CCFs), 19 conservators of forests (CFs) and three deputy conservators were shifted on Wednesday. Mantralaya officials claimed the transfers to be routine and said more were in the pipeline.
According to reliable sources, SWH Naqvi, CCF (HRM), Nagpur, has been shifted to Pune as social forestry director (SFD). He will be replaced by Prakash Thosre, who is SFD director. Amravati territorial CCF S D Sontakke has been shifted to Aurangabad. He will be replaced by Sarjan Bhagat, general manager of Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra (FDCM), Nagpur. Shree Bhagwan, CCF at Thane, will replace Bhagat at FDCM. Suresh Thorat has been shifted from Borivali to Thane while he will be replaced by Sarvesh Kumar from Aurangabad.
Sources informed that among CFs Mohan Jha, field director of Pench tiger reserve, has been shifted but his posting is awaited. He will be replaced by A Ashraf, joint director of social forestry, Aurangabad. Sanjay Thakre, field director of Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR), has also been shifted to FDCM as regional manager (headquarters). V K Sinha, who is in FDCM, will replace Thakre. Thakre's exit comes as post of Tadoba CF is to be upgraded to CCF rank.
Gorewada zoo director A R Mande has been shifted to working plan, Amravati. He will be replaced by BSK Reddy, who is working in PCCF's office. Similarly, R S Yadav, who headed the North Chandrapur Circle, has been brought to PCCF's office as CF JFM-II. Yadav will be replaced by GRK Rao. C S Gajbhiye, who looked after JFM II, has been shifted to HRD in PCCF's office.
Sources informed that F S Jafry of working plan, Nagpur, has been shifted as joint director, social forestry, Pune. He will be replaced by T K Choubey. Virendra Tiwari, who was with working plan, Amravati, has been shifted as CF (tendu), Nagpur. YLP Rao, who headed Kolhapur wildlife division, will be replaced by M K Rao. YLP Rao has been shifted to Nagpur in land record department in place of PCS Singh. Singh has been transferred to Chandrapur in silviculture.
The three deputy conservators shifted include Anwar Jamal Ahmed to Alibagh, S U Hiwlekar to Shahapur and D B Shrikhande to Pandharkawda. Shrikhande has been posted in place of Gopal Kale, who had committed suicide a few months ago. Head of forest force C S Joshi was not available for comments.
According to reliable sources, SWH Naqvi, CCF (HRM), Nagpur, has been shifted to Pune as social forestry director (SFD). He will be replaced by Prakash Thosre, who is SFD director. Amravati territorial CCF S D Sontakke has been shifted to Aurangabad. He will be replaced by Sarjan Bhagat, general manager of Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra (FDCM), Nagpur. Shree Bhagwan, CCF at Thane, will replace Bhagat at FDCM. Suresh Thorat has been shifted from Borivali to Thane while he will be replaced by Sarvesh Kumar from Aurangabad.
Sources informed that among CFs Mohan Jha, field director of Pench tiger reserve, has been shifted but his posting is awaited. He will be replaced by A Ashraf, joint director of social forestry, Aurangabad. Sanjay Thakre, field director of Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR), has also been shifted to FDCM as regional manager (headquarters). V K Sinha, who is in FDCM, will replace Thakre. Thakre's exit comes as post of Tadoba CF is to be upgraded to CCF rank.
Gorewada zoo director A R Mande has been shifted to working plan, Amravati. He will be replaced by BSK Reddy, who is working in PCCF's office. Similarly, R S Yadav, who headed the North Chandrapur Circle, has been brought to PCCF's office as CF JFM-II. Yadav will be replaced by GRK Rao. C S Gajbhiye, who looked after JFM II, has been shifted to HRD in PCCF's office.
Sources informed that F S Jafry of working plan, Nagpur, has been shifted as joint director, social forestry, Pune. He will be replaced by T K Choubey. Virendra Tiwari, who was with working plan, Amravati, has been shifted as CF (tendu), Nagpur. YLP Rao, who headed Kolhapur wildlife division, will be replaced by M K Rao. YLP Rao has been shifted to Nagpur in land record department in place of PCS Singh. Singh has been transferred to Chandrapur in silviculture.
The three deputy conservators shifted include Anwar Jamal Ahmed to Alibagh, S U Hiwlekar to Shahapur and D B Shrikhande to Pandharkawda. Shrikhande has been posted in place of Gopal Kale, who had committed suicide a few months ago. Head of forest force C S Joshi was not available for comments.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Rajaji National Park - Forest in a rat trap
Trapped from all sides by expanding towns, heavy traffic highways and railway tracks, mining and poaching, can the precious little strip of Rajaji National Park save its tigers?
Akash Bisht Chilla/Rishikesh
As the tussle between the Union ministries of environment and surface transport intensifies over environmental clearances for 17 highways across tiger reserves in the country, two choked highways - NH-58 and NH-72 - are piercing through the heart of the ecological hot spot, Rajaji National Park in Uttarakhand. It is effectively killing the twin hopes of repopulating tigers in the entire Shivalik Forest Region, while maintaining a healthy core population at the Jim Corbett National Park.
NH-58 connects Haridwar to Delhi, while NH-72 (A) connects Haridwar to Dehradun. Both witness heavy traffic and vehicular movement every day. Increasing tourism and developmental activities in recent years have led to massive increase of vehicles plying on these highways. "They bifurcate the park and obstruct the passage of animals from one forest division to another. This traffic is like a cancer which is spreading and eating into the park's vital organs," says SS Rasaily, Project Director, Rajaji National Park.
In 2007, park authorities conducted a survey to calculate the number of vehicles that pass through the two highways everyday. The results were shocking: 29,000 vehicles ply on these highways on a daily basis and as many as 600 from 1:30am to 2:30am. According to the National Highways Authority of India, these two highways witness a vehicular traffic growth of nearly 7 per cent each year. Rasaily pegs the current numbers at close to 50,000.
This virtual wall of fast moving vehicles deters the animals from passing through their natural habitat or even going to the nearby rivers to quench their thirst. Additionally, 40 trains plying on the same route during early mornings and late evenings - peak time for animals to move around the forests - are inflicting daily and long-term damage on their free movement.
"Human expressions are rude and animals do not understand them. Their natural environment is shrinking by leaps and bounds while traffic and railways play havoc on their well-being in Rajaji. A train engine's sound or a loud horn can be very discomforting for animals, but do we care?" asks SK Chandola, former Chief Wildlife Warden of Uttarakhand.
Nestled in the foothills of the Shivalik Range of Himalayas, Rajaji is blessed with some of the most pristine and picturesque forests in India. This 820 sq km park is precious ecological heritage that is home to magnificent biodiversity, flora and fauna, water bodies and streams. Wild animals like the tiger, elephant, leopard, sloth bear, deer and king cobra, among other species, inhabit the forest. The pristine wilderness is unmatched. Covering three districts of Uttarakhand, the park has more than 400 species of birds, including rare ones.
13 nations pledge to double tiger population by 2022
| 2010-07-14 14:20:00 | |||
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Buxa Tiger Reserve to conduct joint exercise with Bhutan
Kolkata: The Buxa Tiger Reserve in north Bengal will undertake a joint exercise with neighbouring Bhutan for monitoring and protection of tigers and other wild life.
"Bhutan's joint participation with the Buxa Tiger Reserve will be mutually beneficial in the conservation of biological corridors and protection of big cats," field director of the reserve R P Saini said.
It was also decided that training facilities of all member-countries would be mutually shared, he said.
Asked about the time line of the programme commencing, he said first a study had to be conducted to find out facilities in the member-countries.
"One country may have better facilities for training range officers, while some other country may have better facilities for training forest guards," he pointed out and said it would take some time.
Saini said at present there was no pact with Bhutan for joint monitoring or sharing of each other's facilities.
"Only a bi-annual meeting was held between the two countries in which everything from trade to law and order and wildlife was discussed," he said.
A sub-adult tiger was photographed for the first time in Buxa in March this year.
"There was never a doubt that the forest had tigers. The only worry was that sightings had become rare. So, this was very reassuring," Saini said.
A tiger census was held in the 761-square-kilometre reserve this year using scat analysis and camera trapping method and the outcome is expected to be known by the end of the year, sources in the Buxa reserve said.
At the meeting of the Global Tiger Forum representatives of various countries had discussed the issues confronting tiger threadbare and underlined the need for trans-boundary cooperation to check poaching.
They also expressed concern that habitat loss, unabated smuggling of animal parts and bones and declining prey base continued to take toll on the tiger population which is now estimated to be less than 3,000 worldwide.
"Bhutan's joint participation with the Buxa Tiger Reserve will be mutually beneficial in the conservation of biological corridors and protection of big cats," field director of the reserve R P Saini said.
Saini, who had participated in a meeting of the Global Tiger Forum in Delhi on June 28, said it had been decided to forge close cooperation among officers of adjoining reserves of neighbouring counties for better monitoring and protection of tigers and other wild life.
It was also decided that training facilities of all member-countries would be mutually shared, he said.
Asked about the time line of the programme commencing, he said first a study had to be conducted to find out facilities in the member-countries.
"One country may have better facilities for training range officers, while some other country may have better facilities for training forest guards," he pointed out and said it would take some time.
Saini said at present there was no pact with Bhutan for joint monitoring or sharing of each other's facilities.
"Only a bi-annual meeting was held between the two countries in which everything from trade to law and order and wildlife was discussed," he said.
A sub-adult tiger was photographed for the first time in Buxa in March this year.
"There was never a doubt that the forest had tigers. The only worry was that sightings had become rare. So, this was very reassuring," Saini said.
A tiger census was held in the 761-square-kilometre reserve this year using scat analysis and camera trapping method and the outcome is expected to be known by the end of the year, sources in the Buxa reserve said.
At the meeting of the Global Tiger Forum representatives of various countries had discussed the issues confronting tiger threadbare and underlined the need for trans-boundary cooperation to check poaching.
They also expressed concern that habitat loss, unabated smuggling of animal parts and bones and declining prey base continued to take toll on the tiger population which is now estimated to be less than 3,000 worldwide.
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