SOME EASY STEPS TO KILL TIGERS

How does a tiger become a good candidate for a new breeding programme? Forget science and genetics. JAY MAZOOMDAAR says the first tiger spotted is the first tiger shipped out

JOURNALISTS WHO cover ‘sensitive’ sectors such as the Ministry of Defence or External Affairs are used to restricted access. These ministries often cite national interest to make it difficult to question some of the “stories” they dish out. One would not imagine the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) to be so secretive. But the green ministry plays the same power game in protected forests off limits for the masses and the media.

No one would grudge the ministry its clout to quietly and quickly secure ecological interests in a squabbling, dithering democracy. But these secret machinations can be a dangerous game. Last month, one such move went horribly wrong, rubbishing credible science, betraying public trust and wasting crores of rupees in public money.

In a joint exercise, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), the Rajasthan Forest Department and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) shifted a fourth tiger to Sariska on 20 July. There has been a 17-month moratorium since the last tiger was shifted in February 2009. The media was told that the delay was due to a thorough scientific exercise that was necessary to ascertain genetic compatibility after the first three tigers shifted to Sariska turned out to be siblings and also failed to breed. When the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) finally cleared two tigers for relocation after matching the DNA of the Ranthambore tigers with the ones shifted to Sariska, the officials claimed, the operation was resumed.

A triumph for science and conservation, the media was told. Well, almost. If only the officials shifted the right tigers, the ones cleared by the NCBS.

DNA analysis is done either from blood or scat (droppings) samples. WII scientists have been involved in a radiocollaring exercise in Ranthambore for more than three years. Though it is mandatory to collect blood when a tiger is tranquilised for radio-collaring, and they have collared many, no blood sample was sent to NCBS. So the DNA tests were done with scats and two samples were found suitable.

The next logical step was to find the two tigers whose scats were cleared. Since nobody saw any tiger defecating while collecting the samples, this was the tricky part. One collection point near Kamaldhar was frequented by five tigers — three males (T12, T28 and T38) and two females (T17 and T19). The other collection point was at the edge of the park, visited by a young male (T24) and also by T12.

The two females (T17 and T19) are known to be closely related to the females already in Sariska. So the officials knew that these DNA results would not come handy for identifying a suitable female and any selection would be random without further studies. For a male, they had four possibilities (T24, T12, T28 and T38) to check.

But within 48 hours of receiving the NCBS report, without even trying to ascertain which individual was actually cleared by the DNA test, the officials picked up the T12 male. Why? Because T12 had hunted a cow on 18 July and was the easiest target when the darting team arrived on 19 July.

A mature tiger shifted from Pench to Panna decided to walk back home, risking its life and triggering panic

It did not matter that T12 was six years old, had an established territory and was one of the four dominant males of Ranthambore. It did not matter that a 2008 NTCA directive prohibited shifting settled, territorial tigers and allowed relocation of young floaters still on the lookout for territories. It did not matter that a similar mature, settled tiger shifted from Pench to Panna started walking back home, risking its life and triggering panic among people. It did not matter that all the other three candidates were younger than T12 and two of them were floaters ideal for shifting.

On 28 July, days after shifting T12, officials sent a tigress to Sariska (T44) who was recently photographed while mating by many Ranthambore regulars. If she is indeed pregnant, her cubs will be doomed in Sariska in the absence of their father. So will be the cubs of the tigress that paired with T12 days before he was removed from Ranthambore.

ASOURCE IN WII revealed that the tiger reintroduction project was initially conceived as part of the ongoing WII research at Ranthambore. As the researchers kept collaring tigers, they were supposed to keep checking their blood samples for genetic compatibility and shift suitable candidates that met other criteria like age to Sariska as and when possible. Then, a sudden populist rush, he rued, hijacked the project.

But it is shocking that our officials would brazenly repeat the same mistakes that they were forced to own up to only recently. What was the point of the 17-month moratorium, sundry committees, repeated field surveys and DNA analyses if they were to again pick up whichever tiger they found easy to dart?

It may appear a fait accompli but the WII must make public how they identified the right tigers from the scat samples cleared by NCBS. The NTCA must spell out who is responsible for shifting resident and breeding tigers from the core population, violating its own guideline. The MoEF must send blood samples of the new Sariska tigers, collected in the presence of independent observers, to NCBS to confirm if the right individuals were selected.

Unfortunately, the only heads that ever roll in our forests belong to tigers. The writer is an independent journalist and a filmmaker

ILLUSTRATION: NAOREM ASHISH

http://www.tehelka.com/story_main46.asp?filename=hub280810SomeEasy.asp

Tiger attack: FIR filed against NGO, villagers

JAIPUR: Having been at the receiving end for their alleged slack conservation work at the Ranthambore National Park, officials of the forest department on Monday lodged an FIR against villagers and activists working in the area.

In the FIR lodged at the Mangla Dungar police station, officials named Dharmendra Khandal of the NGO Tiger Watch, besides villagers Mahendra Kumar, Rupa, Kanhaiya, Lari, Ramkesh, Hanuman, Manoj, Hakiya, Mandraj, Siyaram and Haria.

The case has been lodged under Sections 353, 332, 816 of IPC and Section 3/51 of the Forest Act. Khandal had taken pictures of the tiger attacking the ranger Daulat Singh Shaktawat on the sanctaury’s outskirts on Friday.
The FIR, lodged by the assistant conservator of forests, alleges the named people snatched away the tranquillizer gun from the official and pelted stones at the tiger. Most Sections cited are for disrupting public servants’ work and contain sentences of two or three-year terms.

“What happened on that day is the result of a total militancy by villagers and NGOs who, instead of being sensitive towards the limitation of the department, not only obstructed them from working but also provoked the tiger by constantly pelting stones at it,” said R N Mehrotra, PCCF and Head of Forest Forces, Rajasthan
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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/Tiger-attack-FIR-filed-against-NGO-villagers/articleshow/6424056.cms

Two injured in attacks by wild animals

BAHRAICH: The flood water has entered the Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary area and the nearby villages.

As such, the animals have started moving to places on higher altitudes, while the villagers are also shifting to safer places in the nearby forest area.

On Saturday night, a youth and a girl were seriously injured after a tiger and a leopard attacked them in two separate incidents.

The youth was grazing his cattle when a tiger attacked him in Kakraha range of Katarniaghat reserved forest area.

The youth was admitted to the primary health centre (PHC) in Mihinpurwa.

In the second incident, a leopard attack a girl who had gone to attend the nature's call along with her mother.

The girl was also admitted to the primary health centre.

According to reports, two more people got injured in similar attacks by wild animals in the area
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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/allahabad/Two-injured-in-attacks-by-wild-animals/articleshow/6400543.cms

Ranthambore Ranger loses eye while tranquilsing tiger

Tigers kill two persons in Sundarbans

Sundarbans (WB), Aug 22 (PTI) Two persons were killed in separate tiger attacks today when they went to catch crabs in Sundarbans Tiger Reserve in South 24-Parganas district, a senior forest official said. "Ranjit Roy, a middle-aged person of Annpur village in Gosaba block, was attacked by a Royal Bengal Tiger in Panchamukhani-II mangrove forest opposite to the village this afternoon," Field Director of Sundarbans Tiger Reserve, Subrat Mukherjee, told PTI. He had gone with a group of fishermen after obtaining permission from forest department to catch crabs, he said. Another fisherman, Samir Mandal of Emilybari village, was killed when a Royal Bengal Tiger pounced on him late yesterday when their group was catching crabs in the creeks of Panchamukhani-IV forest in the Sundarbans. The locals in Annpur burst crackers to drive away tigers from the other side of the forest. The tigers often swim across the rivers, separating the forest with human-inhabited deltas, to target livestock in villages.

http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/tigers-kill-two-persons-in-sundarbans/254188.html

Uttarakhand floods: Tiger drowns as rivers swell

Nainital: It's been raining heavily in most parts of Uttarakhand for the last one week. At least 70 people have already died in the state.

But humans apart, even the big cat has been unable to beat the flood fury. A tiger's body was found floating in the Kotabagh river near Nainital on Sunday.

The state has received more than 1200 mm of rainfall in just a week. As a result of this, the 14 rivers flowing through Uttarakhand are well above the danger mark.

http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/uttarakhand-floods-tiger-drowns-as-rivers-swell-46494

Needed: Wildlife rescue centre at Chandrapur

CHANDRAPUR: The absence of a proper facility where stressed and injured animals rescued from the wild could be treated was once again felt after an ailing tigress died of prolonged illness and senility in Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) a few days back.

Despite the recommendation of National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) to shift the tigress to a suitable facility where constant attention of a veterinary officer would be available, TATR officials failed to find such place for the critically ailing beast anywhere in Vidarbha.

The ailing tigress, named Zarina, was kept in TATR and was treated by a team of veterinary doctors from Nagpur and Chandrapur. An NTCA team comprising expert wildlifers monitored her condition. Zarina stayed in the small squeeze cage for one-and-a-half months. After examining the condition of the tigress during treatment, the NTCA team had ruled out her release into the wild.

But she needed to be shifted to a place where constant attention of a veterinary officer was available. Her weak health was a constraint for long journey. The authorities looked for facilities like Maharajbagh Zoo, Seminary Hills in Nagpur and Rambagh in Chandrapur, but none was found suitable. A written statement issued by TATR said Maharajbagh zoo was unable to receive Zarina because of restriction under zoo regulations and inadequate veterinary care facility. Absence of suitable enclosure, vicinity to children's park and residential area were constraints for shifting her to Rambagh area in Chandrapur. Even Seminary Hills at Nagpur did not have suitable enclosure and has high disturbance level.

Thus, all three locations were ruled out and Zarina was kept in a small squeeze cage and treated in TATR. "We have strongly recommended establishment of wildlife rescue centre in Chandrapur district in our report forwarded to NTCA. Man-animal conflict in Chandrapur district is high and the case of Zarina was not the first one. Hence, a permanent facility is badly needed in Chandrapur," said member of NTCA team and senior conservationist Kishor Rithe. He claimed that such a facility would also provide employment to over two dozen local people.

Rithe, however, lamented the lack of political will in building of such a facility. "When it is some other developmental issue, politicians are hyperactive in pushing the project. However, when it comes to wildlife protection, politicians are least interested," said Rithe. He appealed to the MLAs and MP in the district to take up the issue.

Notably, the issue of building rescue centre for wildlife in Chandrapur in pending since 2008. More than two dozen predators, including many tiger cubs, were captured in forests of Chandrapur and shifted either to Maharajbagh zoo in Nagpur and elsewhere during last two and half years.

Former forest minister Babanrao Pachpute had assured then MLA Shobhatai Fadanvis in legislative assembly to build a wildlife rescue centre during winter session of 2008. It is almost two years now, but the forest department has failed to build the facility so far.

Chandrapur forest circle has forwarded a proposal to build a wildlife rescue centre here a couple of months back. CF, Chandrapur circle, GRK Rao agreed that there is a proposal of building a wildlife rescue centre in Chandrapur.

"We have marked a land aside Rangers College here for the rescue centre. The facility will have large enclosures and other amenities to treat and nurse at least eight wild animals at once. The proposal has been forwarded to PCCF office and its clearance is awaited," said Rao
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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Needed-Wildlife-rescue-centre-at-Chanda/articleshow/6408451.cms

Tigers for Sariska: Maharashtra mum on Jairam's request Read more: Tigers for Sariska: State mum on Jairam's request

NAGPUR: The state government is yet to respond to central government's request to provide two tigers to be relocated in Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan.

On July 11, Jairam Ramesh, minister of state (independent charge) for environment and forests, had written to chief minister Ashok Chavan about its process for reviving tiger population in Sariska where they became locally extinct in the recent past.

Based on the recovery strategy as suggested by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, five tigers have been translocated since 2008 in Sariska, from Ranthambore National Park, which is in the same state (Rajasthan).

Ramesh has told CM Chavan that since the tiger population at Ranthambore has evolved from a small founder group, there is considerable similarity in the genetic make-up of individual tigers in the area. Hence, to bring in genetic vigour, we need a few wild-caught tigers (males as well as females) for Sariska from other adjoining states.

"It's true that I've sought two straying males from the tiger reserves of Maharashtra. Tigers do not recognise state boundaries. A positive gesture from the state could go a long way in ensuring a viable gene pool for our wild tigers, which are becoming isolated due to the habitat fragmentation," Union minister Ramesh told TOI.

When asked about the response from Maharashtra government, Ramesh said, "I'm yet to receive any positive reply."

A similar request was also made to Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivrajsingh Chouhan. However, the MP government has ruled out relocation of tigers from the state to boost population in Sarsika reserve.

Dinesh Chandra Pant, principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF) for wildlife and chief wildlife warden of Maharashtra, said he had an open mind on the issue.

"The matter came up for discussion in one of the meetings held at mantralaya recently. I'll certainly look into it," Pant said
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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Tigers-for-Sariska-State-mum-on-Jairams-request/articleshow/6390135.cms

Tiger count faulty- Experts

Crusaders may be celebrating the rising tiger count, but all is not well with the king of the jungle, warned two tiger experts visiting the city for a WWF meet at Nandan recently. Ravi Singh, the chief executive officer of WWF-India, and Ranthambore man Fateh Singh Rathore argued that ground realities do not support the claims of the campaigners.

“Efforts from government and corporate quarters are welcome. But we need a more structured and planned campaign,” said Singh. A lot more funds are required, especially for the relocation of forest dwellers from tiger hubs. Also, a closer estimate of tiger numbers is necessary using the technology available and better management, he felt.

On the Sunderbans — which probably has less than one-third the official tiger figure of 250 — Singh was cautious. “The Sunderbans is a difficult terrain to count tigers. Even radio collaring is limited here as the tigers generally have smaller necks. However, it is true that tiger prey in the Sunderbans is not adequate,” said Singh.

Rathore was more forthright. “If you have 250 tigers, you need at least 250 animals as prey a week and about 12,000 a year. If such a high number of prey are to be made available, you need a huge prey base in the Sunderbans, which is clearly not there. The 250 figure for the Sunderbans cannot be true,” declared Rathore, who sighted his first tiger when the Duke of Edinburgh shot one down in 1969.

He lauded Union forest minister Jairam Ramesh for taking up the cause of the big cats but is disappointed with the “application and implementation” of the initiative.

“How a committee is expected to solve such a critical issue just by visiting forests and holding a few meetings beats me,” he said.

He is also upset with the hullabaloo over tigers — “big cats share hoarding space with Bollywood stars and private firms are all ‘saving tigers’,” he grumbled.

Rocking auto

A passenger was clinging to the sides of an auto for dear life as the vehicle dangerously dodged all other forms of traffic, boulders and pedestrians. She saw the auto-driver take off to the song Le paglu dance, composed by Jeet. Himesh Reshammiya has competition. This time from a son of Bengal, Jeet Gannguli. If Himesh’s songs made autowallahs sing out loud, Jeet makes them dance. While driving. Be warned.

Contributed by Jayanta Basu and Saionee Chakraborty

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100822/jsp/calcutta/story_12837615.jsp

Tiger attacks forest official in Ranthambore

JAIPUR: The Ranthambore Tiger Reserve witnessed its fourth attack on a human by a big cat in the past four months. This time, the victim was a 50-year-old forest ranger Daulat Singh Shaktawat, who was seriously injured and had to be airlifted to Jaipur for treatment.

Last Tuesday, a tiger had killed a 22-year-old man, identified as Hemraj Gujjar, at Gopalpur village. Friday's incident took place at Bhuri Pahadi village on the sanctuary's outskirts, where the tiger is said to have strayed.

According to reports, the tiger had entered the village and killed a calf around 4.30 am. Soon, over 200 forest officials reached the spot along with the police and government officials. The tiger attacked Shaktawat, who was assigned the task of tranquilising the big cat to rule out an attack on humans, when he went too close. The forest official, who is admitted at SMS Hospital in Jaipur, is stated to be stable. However, there are deep scars in his right eye. "There is no threat to his life but he has suffered injuries in his eye bone, which could be serious," said Dr RK Nejaw, head of the hospital's surgery unit.

Meanwhile, the tiger was still hiding near the same village till late Friday evening.

A huge police force, forest guards, district officials were stationed on the spot to ward off a possible attack on villagers. "We have put up floodlights in the entire area and villagers have been told to remain indoors until Saturday morning," said Sawai Madhopur collector Siddharth Mahajan. He added that over 120 cops and forest officials were keeping watch on the tiger's movements, while expert tranqulizers had been called from Jaipur so that the tiger could be moved back to the core area.

Balindu Singh Parmar, a hotelier who witnessed the incident, said, "Since the tiger was hiding in three-feet-high millet crop, it was difficult for officials to ascertain whether it had been tranquilized. When Shaktawat tried to get as close as 15 feet, the tiger leapt and attacked him." The tiger almost took the ranger's head in its mouth. There are two canine marks on Shaktawat's nose and one around his head. "Another ranger, Hukum Chand Meena, flung a bamboo stick making the tiger withdraw and hide in the fields," said Dharmendra Khandal from the NGO Tiger Watch.

The visibly tired tiger, however, attacked another person who tried to get too close. The villager from Uliyana, Babu Lal Meena, sustained minor injuries. "The tiger looked tired as villagers had been pelting stones at it from hillocks. We can't really figure out if the tiger too is injured but it may be able to escape the mob only during night," said Khandal.


http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/Tiger-attacks-forest-official-in-Ranthambore/articleshow/6384179.cms

Declining tiger population, encroachment at Namdhapa Park

ITANAGAR: Declining tiger population and encroachment at the Namdapha National Park, the only one in the world to have four species of big cats, in Arunachal Pradesh's Changlang district, has been a major cause of concern for forest department officials here.

The number of tigers at the park, which is home to tiger (Panthera Tigris), leopard (Panthera Pardus), snow leopard (Panthera Uncia) and clouded leopard (Neofelis Nebulosa), have been declining.

According to the 2001-2002 census, there were 11 wild cats in the park, but 2006 census showed only four.

Department sources, however, claimed that the 2006 census by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) was incorrect as it was done in selected areas of the tiger reserve. The next census is scheduled in October.

Besides, the decline in tiger population, the reserve experienced large scale encroachment from the mid-eighties by Lisus, a tribe originating from China, who are good tiger hunters.

"The reported decline in tiger population is mainly due to encroachment in the buffer zone of the park by 84 families of Lisu tribes from across the border," Principal chief conservator of forest (environment & forest) and head of forest force B S Sajwan said.

"Though there is no report of supply of tiger parts to China, but we can't rule out such possibilities," Sajwan said.

The Namdapha authorities adopted every possible option to evict the encroachers, but because of shortage of forest guards it could not be done
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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Declining-tiger-population-encroachment-at-Namdhapa-Park-/articleshow/6381790.cms

Proposed tiger reserve in Pilibhit hits a roadblock Read more: Proposed tiger reserve in Pilibhit hits a roadblock

LUCKNOW: The proposed tiger reserve in Pilibhit, second in UP after Dudhwa, seems to have hit a roadblock. Though cleared in principle in 2008 by the Union ministry of environment and forest and the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), the project could be on hold till serious concerns raised by local politicians are addressed, government sources told TOI.

The reserve, which is expected to cover roughly 1,000 square kilometre area, appears to be jinxed right from its inception, sources pointed out. "First, tense relationship between the Centre and the state led to a delay and now the issue of displacement and rehabilitation of inhabitants in 15 villages within the demarcated core area (27,569 hectares) of the reserve has forced a rethink on the part of government authorities," they said.

The reserve, as per the blueprint prepared by the department, will directly affect 625 families - roughly 4,000 inhabitants who depend totally on forest produce for their living. Once the pocket is declared a core area, the inhabitants will be forced to move off. Apart from this, the life in about 100 villages on the periphery will also come to a halt as post government notification there will be restriction on movement and activity impacting their day to day lives.

Most importantly the project could mean closure or regulation of district and state highways, particularly the Puranpur-Khatima and Puranpur-Pilibhit stretch. Both are the main arteries in the region and any interference could spell big nuisance to the local populace. The issue will lead to a public outrage - a prospect which has made the local MLAs extremely wary about the upcoming reserve. Worried about the impact on the vote bank, these leaders, therefore, want either a re-routing or alternation in the draft, sources claimed.

After losing the Jim Corbett park to Uttarakhand 10 years ago, UP government had been striving to set up a second tiger reserve in the terai region. Then, two tiger census in 2003 and 2005, which indicated presence of more than 30 tigers in the belt running through Pilibhit, Kishanpur sanctuary and Khutar range in Shahjahanpur had raised its hopes. Moreover, the reserve forest has sufficient prey base and minimal human presence; it fulfils all the parameters set by Project Tiger for the purpose.

The first proposal was sent by the UP government in 2006 and the formal nod came after two years. "But for this hurdle it would have come through by the year end. However, the ticklish issues raised by local politicians who have joined hands could mean considerable remapping and re-routing. This, sources said, will take a long time.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/Proposed-tiger-reserve-in-Pilibhit-hits-a-roadblock/articleshow/6347066.cms

Move to increase Sunderbans tiger prey base

KOLKATA: It was always suspected but there was no way it could be confirmed. Was it hunger that drove the Sunderban tigers out of the forest and led them to stray into the villages in search of food? The forest department, that had so far been loathe to admit a prey shortage in the mangrove forests, has finally accepted that it is one of the reasons why big cats have been drifting into human settlements and that it needs to be checked.

The department has drawn up an elaborate plan that includes introduction of prey animals and a predator-prey relationship study in collaboration with WWF to restrict tigers within the forest.

As a first step, 24 spotted deer from the Bibhutibhushan Wildlife Sanctuary in Parmadan, North 24-Parganas, were moved to Sunderbans on Thursday. They have now been kept in a natural enclosure in the forest to help them acclimatise with the new terrain. The deer are being provided food that will gradually be reduced before they are eventually let inside the forest. "The idea is to shift the additional prey population from other sanctuaries to ensure that big cats at Sunderbans have enough to survive on. Prey shortage is indeed one of the reasons why tigers have been straying in Sunderbans, though possibly not the only one. We have released deer in the past but from now on this will be done on a regular basis. The move has been approved by the West Bengal Wildlife Advisory Board," said Pradip Vyas, director, Sunderban Biosphere Reserve. The translocation, however, faltered at the very start with nine deer perishing on the way at Basanti Road. But the shifting of prey will continue, officials said.

A study to explore the predator-prey relationship in the Sunderbans which is expected to help solve the mystery behind the man-eating tendencies of tigers here and shed light on why they have been straying so frequently will commence by this winter. A project proposal will be ready by October-November after which the study will take off.

"The study will unravel the hunting pattern of the Sunderban tiger and help disclose the extent of prey shortage. That will help us know better exactly how many prey animals need to be introduced," added Vyas.

Meanwhile, the deer are being medically examined to monitor if they are adjusting well to the alien conditions. "Being used to the protected environs of Parmadan, it could initially be difficult for them. So, the deer will be kept in the enclosure for as long as it takes for them to get used to the conditions," explained Vyas.

Wildlife activists hailed the move. "This will go a long way in ensuring that the prey base remains intact in the Sunderbans. Apart from deer, wild boars should also be introduced," said wildlife activist Joydip Kundu.

The deer at Parmadan had been isolated within the sanctuary after they were identified for translocation. Their blood and excreta samples were examined to make sure they could take the strain. "They are delicate creatures, not used to travelling long distances. Perhaps, the six deer couldn't bear the rigors which is unfortunate. But this will not stall the translocation project," said a forest official
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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/Move-to-increase-tiger-prey-base/articleshow/6348602.cms

Tiger found dead in Uttarakhand

A tiger’s body was found at Ramnagar forest division close to Jim Corbett Park in Uttarakhand early on Thursday morning. The villagers informed forest officials that the body was half-decomposed, but seems intact. Chandan Bangari, a villager told Hindustan Times over phone

early morning villagers found a dead tiger in Syat Van Panchayat of Ramnagar division. The body was decayed. But, all it’s body parts seems intact.”

When contacted Division Forest Officer (DFO) Ravindra Juyal said he was on his way to the spot to get details about the tiger death.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Tiger-found-dead-in-Uttarakhand/Article1-588822.aspx

Rising population increases man-tiger conflict

JAIPUR: Human intervention in the tiger reserve is proving costly with a third man being mauled by the animal in Ranthambore in four months.

In fact, several efforts by the government towards tiger conservation and for creating a sustainable habitat for the animal have failed to yield result despite several crores spent on the project. The project has not helped the villages around the reserve.

According to Dharmendra Khandal, conservation biologist, Tiger Watch, an NGO: "There is very large grazing pressure on the reserve. July to October is the most problematic period since most of the cattle of nearby villages move into the reserve forest. The villagers also persistently attempt to invade into the core area. Besides, due to heavy grazing pressure it has not been possible to constitute core areas for Sawai Mansingh Sanctuary and Kailadevi Sanctuary. The recurrent conflict with villagers regarding grazing in the Ranthambore National Park has also alienated the villagers from the management."

According to Project Tiger Reserves, funded by the Centre,, "There were 3,177 cattle units in four villages in the core and around 25,000 cattle units in 19 villages in the buffer as per 1991 census. There were around 1.43 lakh cattle units in 332 villages within five kilometre radius of the reserve. The growth rate has been approximately 2%. Besides, there were 1,210 people in four ges in the core and 3,055 people in 19 villages in the buffer as per 1991 census. There were around one lakh people in 332 villages within 5 km radius of the reserve. The growth rate has been approximately 2.8%."

But over the years, human population around the park has increased manifold. If earlier the villages outside had a lot of pastureland for cattle, now all that is encroached upon by the villagers or land dealers.

"The first step by the government should be to clear the pastureland in Ranthambore. The changed trend in the last few years is that villagers who had one or two buffaloes now on individual basis own about 100-150 goats that are more economically viable. And they all go grazing in the forest," said Khandal.

According to estimates, nearly 300-500 bighas of pastureland in the villages that has been encroached upon. Add to that, some prominent hotels have also been allotted land. Even Monday morning after the incident, about 1,500 cattle were in the park grazing.

Now talking of wood felling, the government distributed 10,000 gas cylinders among the villagers almost nine years ago to stop villagers from chopping wood for fuel.

"These were provided at a subsidy of Rs 300 inclusive of the gas stove. But the villagers sold it out for Rs 1,000-1500 and still frequent the National Park to collect wood for fuel," said Khandal. As an alternative, biogas was thought to be a substitute. But out of the 560 bio gas plants about 100-150 are not functional and the existing ones fall extremely short for a growing population of about 1.5 lakh villagers.

The over 100 cr Eco-development Project (GEF-World Bank) implemented in 2003-04 also failed to change the way communities live around the park. As a part of the project Village Eco-development Programme' from the 36 villages about 20-22 village eco-development committees were made. Part of the project money was used to build walls around the park to check the menace of grazing and wood-cutting. "But they are mere psychological barriers now. The villagers intentionally left gaps in the walls to walk in and out of the forest," said a hotelier.

And with things as they stand, villagers will continue to frequent the park and despite forest guards, chances of a mishap cannot be ruled out.


http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/Rising-population-increases-man-tiger-conflict/articleshow/6333480.cms

Uttarakhand asked to curb tourism in Corbett: Ramesh

The Uttarakhand government has been asked to curb tourism in the popular Corbett Tiger Reserve, parliament was informed Wednesday.

'The state has been advised for regulating tourism related commercial activities in the area, besides declaring the surroundings of Corbett Tiger Reserve as ecologically sensitive under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, in the interest of wildlife conservation,' Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.

He noted that similar advisories had also been given to other states that had tiger sanctuaries.

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Jairam Ramesh sets agenda for Ranthambore

JAIPUR: After five tigers were shifted to Sariska reserve from Ranthambore National Park, the focus had shifted to the latter with Union minister for environment and forests Jairam Ramesh himself setting the agenda for the national park.

In a letter to chief minister Ashok Gehlot recently, Ramesh, while expressing happiness on the increasing population of big cats in Ranthambore, however expressed the need for improvement of the habitat in the remaining part of the core area so as to accommodate those tigers left without a territory. Ramesh had sought the personal intervention of Gehlot into the matter.

In his letter, the Union minister had explained that the original national park is considerably small in area and hence there was a need to expand other parts of the park.

Ranthambore currently has nearly 40 tigers in an area of 1,334 sq km along with the nearby sanctuaries of Kailadevi and Man Singh. While the large number of cats spell good for conservationists, the flip side is that many tigers have strayed away from the park due to want of space or are getting more and more involved in territorial fights that sometimes turn fatal.

It is in this context that the ministry of forests expressed urgency in improving the conditions there. In fact, the minister had spelled out the need for correcting the sex ratio and even hinted at relocating tigers from Ranthambore to outside the state in his last visit.

The union minister had urged for expediting the relocation of some villages from the core area especially the remaining families of Padra, Indala and Machanki, besides other villages that has an immediate impact on a priority basis. The minister has sought a complete proposal incorporating details of all the villages in a prescribed format for central assistance.

The proposal for a special tiger protection force had also been stressed in the letter. The Centre had given a total of Rs 93 lakh to the state for raising such a force for the better protection of tigers in the park. The minister had sought immediate action in this regard.

Also on the agenda is the notification of a buffer zone around the core area of the tiger habitat. The minister has sought an active management of such a zone around the forest by the state so as to secure the support of the local people by providing them livelihood options with Central assistance.

Ramesh had also hinted in his letter to the chief minister for preparing a consolidated Tiger Conservation Plan in collaboration with the Wildlife Institute of India for tigers in the core and buffer zones.

Besides, the creation of satellite core areas' has also been sought to accommodate tigers straying out of the national park. In this context, the sanctuaries of Dara and Ramgarh Vishdhari have been identified by the minister as probable satellite core areas
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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/Jairam-Ramesh-sets-agenda-for-Ranthambore/articleshow/6327332.cms

Ranthambore village Tiger attack: Villagers still in a state of shock Read more: Tiger attack: Villagers still in a state of shock

GOPALPURA (SAWAI MADHOPUR): It has been three days since the residents of Gopalpura found the half-eaten body of a 22-year-old youth and they are yet to recover from the shock. After frequent sightings of a tiger near their village, they fear more attacks and have lost faith in the forest officials.

Contrary to the forest officials' claim that the youth, Hemraj Gujjar, was attacked by the beast while he was cutting wood, the villagers say that he was attacked on his way to the temple situated on a nearby hillock. "We went looking for him when he did not return till noon. Around 3 pm on Sunday, we found his half-eaten body near the temple,'' said Harpal Gujjar, who along with four others had gone to search for Hemraj.

On Tuesday, the scared villagers immediately informed the offcials after pug marks were spotted just near the village where Hemraj was cremated on Monday. A team of forest officials reached the spot to inspect the marks and confirmed that they belonged to a male tiger. An official, however, told TOI that the pug marks do not match with the one spotted near the youth's body.

"The officials did not believe us when we told them that tigers are usually spotted just outside our village. Infuriated villagers criticised the forest officials' warning not to venture into the forest. "Do the officials expect us to stop visiting the temple,'' asked Rajulal Meena, sarpanch of the village. Meena alleged that last night or early on Tuesday morning, a tiger had "strayed" into an area which is less than 50 metres away from the village.

"The temple is a little over 1 km away but the cremation ground is right at the corner. If a tiger can come here, it can wander into the village any time,'' said Meena, adding that this is the third such incident in the area over the past three months.

Villagers claim they had sighted a tiger several times during the last fortnight and had informed the forest officials, but the authorities failed to respond.

"On Saturday, we had found the caracass of a buffalo. We are sure that it was attacked by a tiger. It was an alarm for us," said V P Singh, a retired government employee and a villager.

Gopalpura is located near the Ranthambore forest area. The villagers earlier lived in a place called Silavdi, which was located inside the national park. They have been relocated here since 1978. However, Gopalpura is also located in the buffer zone and tiger sightings are common
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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/Tiger-attack-Villagers-still-in-a-state-of-shock/articleshow/6327338.cms

Seven injured in Chandrapur tiger attack

CHANDRAPUR: A tiger strayed into a paddy field near Bothli village in Shirpur, stayed put there for almost 10 hours and injured seven people who chose to drive it away on Sunday. The seriously injured persons were shifted to Chimur hospital for treatment.

The villagers were apparently trying to drive the fully grown tiger away which moved out of the jungle. Despite efforts of forest and police officials to clear the crowd, hundreds of villagers kept the tiger besieged in the field throughout the day. Later in the evening the tiger went back into the jungle after the crowd dispersed.

People busy celebrating Independence Day were shocked when a tiger was spotted in the field adjacent to the busy Chimur-Navtala-Talodhi square close to Bothli in Chimur tehsil.

Soon the news spread and hundreds of people from adjoining villages gathered to see the beast. Officials from Talodhi forest range too rushed to the spot even as a team of policemen arrived to control the situation.

However, the mob went berserk and tried to scare the tiger away by pelting stones and poking sticks.

The mob could be controlled only after a two-member tranquillising team consisting of Kishore Mishrikot- kar and GK Vashishta, both assistant conservators of forests (ACFs) for wildlife, rushed to the spot from Nagpur. The team returned after confirming that the animal retreated into the forests.

The tiger attacked and injured as many as seven villagers, who went close to it in an attempt to drive it away. The injured include Mahesh Uike, Sampat Mandre, Seshraj Bawane, Keshav Bawane, Manohar Maske, Ishwar Atram and Pandhri Raut. The injured persons were taken to Chimur rural hospital. Later Uike and Mandhre were shifted to Nagpur, while others were moved to Chandrapur.

Confirming the incident DCF of Bramhapuri division Sanjay Thawre said that the mob was main obstacle in rescuing the tiger. "The mob kept the tiger trapped in the farm throughout the day. All our efforts to disperse them to make a clear passage for the tiger to move back into the jungle failed. Only after the crowd dispersed on its own in the evening did the tiger moved back into the jungle peacefully," said Thawre.

Asked about reports of the same tiger being seen close to Navtala village on Monday morning, he said that they had traced the pug-marks of the tiger retreating back into the jungle
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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Seven-injured-in-tiger-attack/articleshow/6322690.cms

Ranthambore Tiger attack: Man had sneaked into forbidden area Read more: Tiger attack: Man had sneaked into forbidden area

JAIPUR: Two incidents of man hunt within a period of 45 days and the myth of the camera happy tigers of Ranthambore lies shattered. And if the shivers come back for tourists as they spot a tiger out on a safari at the national park blame not the tiger. For, they definitely have not turned into man eaters yet.

Forest officials, though apologetic, revealed that in both the incidents at Jhoomar Bawdi and at the Indala Dang, villagers had sneaked well inside the forbidden terrain.

"In the latest case of the death of Hemraj Gujjar, the youth had gone two kilometres inside the forest. We have found a sickle, a sackful of grass and some more bundles of grass. It is a dense forest in that area and is home to about seven young tigers," said RN Mehrotra, principal chief conservator of forests and head of forest forces, Rajasthan.

"What happens during monsoon is that all these areas get covered with dense vegetation. The youth must have unknowingly moved in close to where the tiger was resting. It is only then that the tiger mistaking the man, on is his fours, as an animal attacked him," he added.

Not different was the opinion of Rajpal Singh, member, State Wildlife Board. "The village in Indala was relocated from Ranthambore last year. Every member of the village had taken the money that was handed to them as compensation and gone way. Even the village of Gopalpura, that lies on the outskirts of Ranthambore was relocated from the forest way back in 1976," he says.

"But these villagers have traditionally been sneaking into the forest for wood and grass illegally. And it is in this context that the man animal-conflicts have come," Singh said.

"Moreover, the Indala area is now populated with several young tigers and the probability is that these tigers are under stress. For being young, they can't occupy the core area of the forest which houses more matured and stronger male tigers, therefore leaving these young ones to fend for a territory somewhere along the periphery of the forest. And it is these areas where the villagers come for grass and wood and fall prey to the animals," he added.

In fact, the forest department waking up to the rising attacks have now formulated a two-pronged strategy. According to R S Shekhawat, director of the national park, "We have decided to improve the habitat along the periphery of the forest. Once that happens the villagers will get their grass and wood along the border of the forest and would not sneak deep into it."

"But more importantly we have now decided to raise the height of the wall that we are building along the periphery of the forest from 4 feet to 6 feet. In fact the work of building the wall near Gopalpura is nearly over but these villagers always manage to sneak in through opening in the wall that are left for streams," he said.

Currently, forest officials say, there are no villages inside Ranthambore. "All the villages have been relocated. But there are some left on the periphery and we are in the process of shifting them out too," Shekhawat added.


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