A first: UP to get exclusive force to protect wildlife

The Uttar Pradesh Forest Department will soon set up an armed force to tackle poachers and check the crime against wildlife in the state.

The Wildlife Protection Force (WPF) is being constituted on the guidelines of

National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). The personnel will be given training at par with the state police force.

Though the main focus of the security force will be to check crime against wildlife, particularly tiger poaching, it will also check crimes like illegal cutting of trees. The forest department has sent the proposal to state home department seeking training support, and as soon as the proposal is finalised the recruitment process will kick off, said a senior forest department official.

“Wildlife poaching is a major problem in UP. The tiger reserves of Dudhwa in Lakhimpur Kheri and Katarniya Ghat in Bahraich are under constant threat from poachers. After declaring the area as critical tiger habitat, this (forming a special force) is the second step we are taking for tackling wildlife crime and managing tiger conservation in the state,” Minister for Forests and Wildlife Fateh Bahadur Singh told The Indian Express.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/A-first--UP-to-get-exclusive-force-to-protect-wildlife/684208

BBP declares emergency after death of tiger cub

While the death of four-year-old tigress Divya had sent shockwaves through the city, the death of another three-month old tigress cub was reported on Saturday morning.

This has not only put officials on the backfoot but has also forced them to declare an emergency.

The death of the cub was reported at 4am on Saturday and the carcass was taken to the Institute of Animal Health and Veterinary Biologicals (IAHVB) for a postmortem, which revealed that the cub was suffering from an e.coli infection. This led to gastroenteritis and enteritis.

The three-month-old cub was not christened. The daughter of Gowri was still suckling like her other three siblings — two sisters and a brother. Interestingly, Gowri did not have the infection and was not showing any signs of illness. However, the deceased cub had a fever on Friday night and was dull and breathed her last atam. Gowri’s cage was 500 metres away from Anu’s (Divya’s mother) cage and also away from ten other ailing tigers.

It may be noted that cultural tests, postmortem and other tests on Divya also found that the tigress was suffering from salmonella and e-coli infection. Ten other tigers in the safari were suffering from the same infection. While the condition of the eight tigers has improved, Arya and Minchu (Divya’s siblings) are showing only minor signs of improvement and minor diarrhoea. They are eating little.

Speaking to DNA, principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife) BK Singh said that the death of the cub had put all of them in a state of shock and thus as a caution an emergency has been declared. “It has been declared as the situation has become critical. All officials, including myself and other experts, are in the park and constantly monitoring the animals. The veterinarians, caretakers and officials will be attending to the animals day and night and drips will be administered,” he said.

An emergency is declared when the situation is out of control and there are chances of the bacterial infection spreading to others.

The safari area has been infected and this is posing a danger to the other animals as well, and that is something the staff has been unable to handle, say sources.

The emergency was declared at noon on Saturday, after a high-level meeting of experts, veterinarians from IAHVB, BBP and the forest department.

Sources also added that another one-month-old tiger cub has died. But the death is still not confirmed officially. It could be a natural death.

Dr BC Chittiappa, assistant director of veterinary services at the BBP said that the death was due to e-coli infection, which caused the gastroenteritis. “Since it is now possible for other tigers to get the infection, extra care is being taken and an emergency has been declared. This is like an outbreak and so we have called for more experts to leave no scope for any more untoward incidents. The health of the other tigers is improving with the new medication, but Arya and Minchu are still slow to recover and the tigers are still terrified in the presence of humans,” he said.

He added that the same had happened about five years ago, when in the same situation five tigers had died. “We are hoping that the same does not happen and the situation is under control now,” he added.

According to experts, this is a critical situation and there are chances of the disease spreading further. But the BBP officials are not prepared due to lack of infrastructure and facilities.
Speaking to DNA, IAHVB Dr C Renukaprasad said that since there was no meat in the three-month-old cub, “we suspect that the mother could be carrying the bacterial infection”. While infected chicken was the cause of salmonella, now it has been ruled out. But contaminated beef cannot be ruled out.

An independent veterinarian and specialised pathologist Dr Azim Ulla said that three important things are playing a role here — improper management, lack of bio security and lack of hygiene.
He added that since the tigers are infected with salmonella and e-coli, there could be other micro toxins which the officials need to pay attention to. The staff should also ensure that the urroundings are clean and there are no other organisms around like wild birds, rodents or any thing else so that the further spread is curtailed.

http://www.dnaindia.com/bangalore/report_bbp-declares-emergency-after-death-of-tiger-cub_1439962

Long live the tiger

BANGALORE: There are 42 source sites, including 18 in India, that hold the key to the future of tigers, which are on the brink of extinction. Around 22 leading wildlife biologists from across the globe, including Dr K Ullas Karanth from India, made this observation in a paper they published in the prestigious PLoS Biology Magazine.

At a time when Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will be hosting the Tiger Summit to address the dwindling number of tigers across the globe, the paper has suggested pragmatic measures for the protection of this majestic animal.

It has been the Chinese Year of the Tiger, and it is this country which is the largest market for tiger parts. The summit will be held in November, where leaders of 13 tiger range states, supported by international donors, will participate.

SOURCE SITES

Approximately 1.5 million sqkm of suitable habitat still remain in Asia, where tigers are distributed heterogenously, and except in the Russian Far East, are restricted to small pockets, mostly in protected areas.

Source sites are defined as areas which have more than 25 breeding females and having a landscape with the potential to contain more than 50 breeding females. These 42 source sites are home to almost 70% of all remaining wild tigers and though disproportionate, are important for the survival of the species. Collectively, they cover 100,000 sqkm, which is less than 0.5% of their historical range, and just 6% of their current distribution. If Russia is excluded from the analysis, 74% of the world's remaining tigers live in less than 4.5% of the current tiger range.

Source sites are not evenly distributed across the tigers' range, with the most number in India (18), Sumatra (eight) and the Russian Far East (six). Based on available data, no source site was identified in Cambodia, China, Korea, or Vietnam. Surveys in Bhutan and Myanmar have been too limited for their status to be assessed.

Actively protecting tigers at source sites is feasible and pragmatic, and has been successful in many reserves across India, between 1974 and 1986. The Malnad-Mysore tiger landscape currently maintains more than 220 adult tigers, one of the greatest concentrations in the world. This is mainly due to intensive protection of source sites such as Nagarahole National Park, where tiger numbers have increased by 400%, after protection began in the early 1970s.

PRESENT SITUATION

Wild tiger numbers are at a historic low. There is no evidence of breeding populations of tigers in Cambodia, China, Vietnam, and DPR Korea. Current approaches to tiger conservation are not slowing the decline in tiger numbers, which has continued unabated over the past two decades.

The decline of the tiger continues despite much concern, and both their range and total number have collapsed: fewer than 3,500 animals now live in the wild, occupying less than 7% of their historical range. Of these, approximately 1,000 are likely to be breeding females.

Though tigers showed a remarkable recovery between 1970s and 1990s, during the era of Project Tiger, it also became clear that protection and management of many reserves remained inadequate as witnessed in the reserves of Sariska and Panna, where tigers are now extinct.

COST OF PROTECTION

Scientists feel that protecting source sites is financially attainable. The analysis estimates an average cost of protecting and monitoring tigers effectively at all 42 source sites at $82 million per year or $930 per sqkm per year. More than half of these funds are already being committed by range-state governments, and the shortfall is less than $35 million, the paper noted.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bangalore/Long-live-the-tiger/articleshow/6581657.cms

Stray tigress caught in the Sunderbans

A tigress that had strayed into a village and taken shelter in a hut in the Sunderbans created panic before it was tranquillised and caught by the authorities of the Tiger Reserve early Sunday morning.

The tigress had strayed into a village near Budhbarer Bazaar at Kumirmari in South 24-Parganas district on Saturday night. Villagers found that it had taken shelter in a hut and informed the Reserve authorities at 5 a.m., Subrat Mukherjee, STR field director, told The Hindu over telephone.

“A team was rushed to the spot and it was tranquillised and caught. The veterinarian has certified the animal to be fit for release, so it shall be freed in Baghmara, which is deeper in the forest, after being kept in observation for 24 hours,” Mr. Mukherjee added.

Mr. Mukherjee said that a radio collar will not be affixed to the animal as the reserve authorities were still awaiting the Wildlife Institute of India to send the equipment which was expected to come by the end of the month.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/article699220.ece

Tiger skin seized from post parcel at airport

CHENNAI: In a first, air customs officers at airport on Friday seized a tiger skin sent from London as parcel.

The tiger skin was 8 feet long from head to tail and 6 feet wide from leg to leg. The body was 2.10 feet in width, said a customs press release.

The parcel was detained by the air intelligence unit of customs under suspicion that it might contain contraband. But it turned out to be a tiger skin when the parcel was opened. The parcel was addressed to a person in Chennai.

Wild Life Crime Control Bureau has confirmed that the skin and skull is genuine and that it belonged to an Indian tiger.

Customs Commissioner R Periasami said the skin was seized after we found that it is a violation of wildlife protection Act. Investigation is on to trace the person who sent it. It might have been sent abroad from India years ago, he said.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Tiger-skin-seized-from-post-parcel-at-airport/articleshow/6581763.cms

The Saturday Interview — Tiger Talk - Valmik Thapar

A vehement Valmik Thapar says there is no hope for our animals unless the forest service is completely revamped and more young people understand Nature

Belonging to a family of politically active, sophisticated intellectuals, adolescent Valmik Thapar escaped the din of the city, and went to Ranthambhore to make a documentary on the deep jungle. The retreat turned into a lifetime mission when he saw his first tiger standing on a ruined monument.

Today, he is India's best known ‘Tiger man', having spoken, written and screamed vociferously about India's national animal threatened with extinction.

Thapar speaks less loudly now, and with smouldering fire. His cynicism, a by-product of having battled against obdurate Governments and blind policies through the decades, has not snuffed out his passion for the mesmerising creature that walks through rapidly shrinking haunts.

Excerpts from an interview with the natural historian, wildlife documentary filmmaker, conservationist and author.

At what moment did you decide that the tiger was going to be most important in your life? And, any regrets?

For weeks, I was at Ranthambhore National Park, when the forest guard said a tiger had entered a walled complex ahead. In our midnight struggle to see this elusive creature, we plunged into the lake. Then, the tiger came up on the wall, and looked at us. A vision…? What keeps me going despite all the scams in this sector is the sheer power and beauty of this animal. My heart stops when I see a tiger, just as it did when I first saw it 35 years ago under the full moon.

I regret that I failed to intervene in the politics to persuade the powers to do more. The Prime Minister (I.K. Gujral) most empathetic to the tiger cause had too little time. Others who showed interest had other issues taking precedence. The trouble is that everyone sees forests as a source of revenue.

Why do you sound more and more pessimistic as you talk about saving the tiger?

In India, when the corporate world changed course, Finance Ministries underwent reform, created new regulations, amended laws. After 35 years in wildlife, serving on 150 committees of Central / State Governments, I know nothing has changed for the forest sector. Hundreds of files and documents reveal shocking governance of 20 per cent of our landmass.

read more

http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/metroplus/article695186.ece

Presence of tigers in Madhav national park confirmed

Bhopal, Sep 16 (PTI) The Hyderabad-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) has confirmed the presence of tigers in Madhav National Park, Shivpuri in Madhya Pradesh, official sources said today.
The CCMB''s Senior Scientist, Anuradha Reddy, has asked the park officials to send as many scat (dropping) samples as possible from the reserve to confirm exact number of tigers roaming in the national park, they said.
The park had earlier sent scat samples on August 11, 2009, to the CCMB, following which it has confirmed the presence of tiger in the park.
In April this year also, scat samples were sent to the CCMB for examination, the sources said.
Additional Chief Secretary (ACF) Forest M K Roy also met Reddy on the issue and she told him about the confirmation of presence of tigers in the park, they said.
Reddy asked the officials to send as many samples as possible for DNA examination so that exact number of tigers and their gender can be specified in a scientific manner.
Meanwhile, the sources said efforts are on to trace the missing cubs of tigress who was brought to Panna from Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve for mating with a male tiger. PTI MAS AT

http://news.in.msn.com/national/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4390360

The economics of saving tigers

The tiger is a beleaguered animal. Its majesty was taken away long ago. Today its habitat has shrunk dramatically from what it was in 1900. Illegal hunting has done the rest. The search for black and orange stripes is often futile even in protected forests.

There may, however, be good news. In a paper published in the September issue of the online journal PLoS Biology, a group of 21 researchers have plodded through data across Asia to estimate the costs of saving the tiger. Their appraisal is a bit too optimistic. But first the good news, if it can be called that.

In Asia, India ranks ahead of all other countries in tiger numbers and the relative success of tiger conservation. The paper estimates that there are fewer than 3,500 cats left in the wild, occupying less than 7% of their historical range. Of the 42 “source sites” in Asia, these sites being locations with the potential to maintain at least 25 breeding females, most (18) are located in India.

That’s where the good news ends. Even in India, only five source sites maintain tiger populations close to their estimated carrying capacity. The average annual cost of protecting and monitoring tigers in the 42 source sites across Asia is $930 per sq. km. Take two of our national parks with very different conservation histories, Sariska and Ranthambore, and one sees that the costs of monitoring and protection per year are a pittance: Rs1.27 crore per year for Sariska and Rs1.82 crore per year from Ranthambore. Yet, there is no tiger left in Sariska while Ranthambore has problems in keeping the cats from running away. Clearly, the nature of costs has not been fully understood.

One key difference between the two parks is the presence of humans resident there. The costs of relocating them are serious. Not only are there monetary and physical costs of resettling, but the more serious, and difficult to estimate, costs of ideas. These include giving tribals the right to land in forests when they can be resettled elsewhere at much lower costs and provided better facilities than they get in forests. But how does one estimate the cost of “preserving the tribal way of life”? That is cruel to the traditional forest dwellers as well. At their level of income, it is simply unfair to expect them to conserve forests and not consume what needs to be protected. The marginal propensity to consume at those income levels is too high to ensure the survival of forests and tigers. These are the real costs that India has to bear to save the tiger.

http://www.livemint.com/2010/09/16213245/The-economics-of-saving-tigers.html?h=B

Nagzira tiger reserve proposal before govt

NAGPUR: A proposal to convert Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary in Gondia district into a tiger reserve by making it over 300 sq km from the existing 152 sq km is under active consideration of the state government.

The proposal was submitted to DC Pant, PCCF (wildlife), Maharashtra, recently. He has put up the proposal with the government. Union minister for environment and forests Jairam Ramesh had on September 15, 2009 already written to the chief minister to declare Nagzira-Navegaon a tiger reserve.

Declaring Nagzira a tiger reserve is also a decade-old demand of conservationists and locals. A state panel, on August 10, 2009, has already approved it as a critical tiger habitat (CTH). Way back in 2002, MP Praful Patel too had written to the PCCF (wildlife) to extend the area of Nagzira for the purpose.

Apart from the existing 38 compartments in sanctuary area of around 152 sq km, the fresh proposal includes 38 compartments (126 sq km) of Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra (FDCM) in Bhandara forest division; 15 compartments (27 sq km) of Gondia territorial division and 113 hectares of Thadezari, a relocated village in compartment 101 inside the sanctuary. The total area of the proposed reserve will be 308 sq km.

"The proposal is under consideration but will take some time. It is a long drawn process. Under the new NTCA guidelines, to maintain a viable population of 80-100 tigers (in and around core areas), require an inviolate space of 800-1,000 sq km and hence the extension of areas holding tiger potential," said Pant.

Conservationists said looking at Nagzira`s tiger potential, the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) had recommended in 1988 to upgrade the sanctuary into a national park. A committee on reorganisation on boundaries for wildlife sanctuaries and national parks under Ranjit Sinh had also made a similar recommendation.

The proposal states that Nagzira has strong linkages and hence is a fit case of tiger reserve. Nagzira, which is just 122 km from Nagpur, is connected to Pench tiger reserve (70 km), Kanha (150 km); Navegaon (30 km); Tadoba-Andhari (150 km) and Indravati tiger reserve (200 km). The forest is contiguous and is still a corridor.

On Nagzira potential, the proposal states that Kanha, Navegaon, Indravati, Tadoba and Pench with around 50,000 sq km forest area, will perhaps be the biggest tiger conservation areas in world. The sanctuary is home to many endangered species, including 34 mammals, 202 birds and 36 reptiles.

Nagzira-Navegaon reserve will hold tremendous tourism potential and bring in huge revenue besides jobs for locals. It will also bring in funds for conservation and wildlife protection from the Centre. Tour operators said it is not only Nagzira-Navegaon, places like Darekasa and Dongargarh can also be a star-attraction.

Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh, during his visit to the city on September 13, had made his intentions clear to declare Nagzira-Navegaon as another tiger reserve of the state.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Nagzira-tiger-reserve-proposal-before-govt/articleshow/6569686.cms

Project Tiger fund not adequately utilised

The country’s tiger conservation programme is flush with government funds which are not adequately utilised to achieve the programme’s critical objectives but diverted towards more inane goals, including “habitat improvement”, a study by a group of international experts has found.

The study also reveals that though the Project Tiger, which was launched in 1972, initially helped establish a large number of reserves, more recently it has become less directly related to tigers and their protection and the management of forest reserves was so inadequate that it led to wiping out of the big cat’s population in Sariska and Panna. The findings of the study by a group of tiger biologists, including India’s Ullas Karanth, conservation scientists, policy experts, field practitioners from the US, Europe, South Asia and South East Asian countries, have revealed that while India stood at the top in expenditure on conservation, not much effort has been made on law enforcement, its monitoring, informant networks and staff improvement. Across the world only 3,500 animals live in the wild now occupying just seven percent of their historical range. Of these only 1000 are likely to be breeding females. The study identifies 42 source sites. The Malenad-Mysore tiger landscape in the State as per the study holds key in conservation as the study says that the region extending from Dandeli to Niligiris maintains about 220 adult tigers. The study says that the region has a source site like Nagarhole, which has shown the increase in number by 400 percent since past thirty years. http://www.deccanherald.com/content/97132/project-tiger-fund-not-adequately.html

Condition of two tigers at Bannerghatta worsens

Just when things were looking up for the sick tigers at Bannerghatta, here is news that two infected tigers had diarrhoea again.

Officials at the Bannerghatta Biological Park (BBP), who had reason to feel relieved, now feel the stress of tending to the big cats coming right back.

Four-year-old Divya, a safari tigress, died of salmonella bacteria infection on Sunday. Ten other tigers, Arya, Surya, Razia, Vinay, Shreyas, Sindhu, Inchara, Minchu, Anu, (all safari tigers), and Rocky (a Sumatran tiger at the Born Free Foundation within the BBP) showed symptoms similar to Divya's soon afterwards.

Anu, mother of Divya, and Inchara, Divya's sister, on Thursday suffered bouts of diarrhoea, sending BBP officials into a tizzy again. Minchu (another of Divya's siblings) who showed little sign of improvement on Wednesday, appeared in better health on Thursday.

While some of the tigers have now begun to accept food, not all of them are eating as they did before being afflicted. Surya (a white tiger) showed poor appetite. Arya (a royal Bengal tiger and Surya's twin brother) appeared to be on the path to recovery on Wednesday, but appeared quite dull and also showed signs of skin retraction on Thursday.

Now that BBP officials know that the salmonella bacteria infection was caused by contaminated chicken, the tigers are being fed a diet of beef. While their normal diet comprises three kg chicken, 13-15 kg of beef and one egg, they are now being fed only 15 kg of beef each.

MN Jayakumar, member secretary of the Zoo Authority of Karnataka, said that antibiotics and drips were being administered to all the affected animals. He said that in the normal course, recovery takes about three days. He added that he was concerned that two tigers had taken ill again with diarrhoea. He also confirmed that some of the tigers showed a distinct loss of appetite.

Director of the Institute of Animal Health and Veterinarian Biologicals (IAHVB), Dr C Renukaprasad, said, "It is now confirmed that the death of Divya was caused by the salmonella infection. The results of other samples which were collected by the team will take some more time."

The animals have all been kept in isolation. They are given tanker water to drink, rather than water from open wells or a borewell. They also have medicines to take, three times a day.

Peeved over being kept in the dark, the Central Zoo Authority has sought a status report from the BBP.

http://www.dnaindia.com/bangalore/report_condition-of-two-tigers-at-bannerghatta-worsens_1439110

Two more tigresses to be translocated in Panna reserve in MP

Bhopal, Sep 15 (PTI) Two more tigresses will be translocated in Madhya Pradesh's Panna Tiger Reserve soon, sources here said. "We are going to get two more tigresses in two months in Panna," the Reserve Field Director R S Murthy told PTI today. Besides, one more tiger will be translocated later in Panna which is spread over an area of 543 sq km in eastern Madhya Pradesh. The two tigresses between age group five-six will be brought from Kanha Tiger Reserve, he said adding already they were having two translocated tigresses - one feline from Bandhavgarh and another from Kanha and a tiger from Pench Tiger Reserve. A translocated tigress in Panna gave birth to four cubs in May. As per the plan to revive big cat population, four felines and two tigers in all are to be translocated in Panna.PTI LAL ABC

http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/two-more-tigresses-to-be-translocated-in-panna-reserve-in-mp/323488.html

Man-mauling tiger tracked in Khutar range of Shahjahanpur

LUCKNOW: Forest officials tracking a man-mauling tiger in Pilibhit and Shahjahanpur got some success when they managed to track its movements on Tuesday. The elusive big cat has been localised in Bilandapur forest area in Khutar range of Shahjahanpur forest division. It had killed a goat which was tied as a bait on Monday. A team of experts is still camping in the area to tranquillise and trap the tiger. Officials are of the opinion that the tiger could be moving within the same patch now -- in and out of Khutar and Deoria ranges as both are adjacent.

The Project Tiger team had also come visiting the area. The team had suggested to translocate the tiger to Dudhwa Tiger Reserve. But, officials who are part of the combing operation are only focussing on locating the tiger first. "It all can be decided only after we trap the tiger," said one of the officials. The constant rain and flood in the area has made combing difficult. On September 2, experts had fired a dart at the big cat but it missed the tiger by a whisker. The dart could tranquillise the big cats within two minutes, experts said. At least for 20 minutes after being hit by a dart, tiger is completely inactive. It can be trapped and tranquillised within that time.

In this case, had the dart hit the tiger, it would have been found in an inactive state in Bilandapur forest. The tiger has killed and partially eaten eight humans since May 3 in Deoria and Shahjahanpur divisions. Though there have been no more human kills in the area, the orders of the chief wildlife warden to tranquillise and capture the tiger still stand. None of the human killings have happened outside forest areas. The forest officials, therefore, have not branded the tiger a `man-eater'. The experts and officials have been able to know of the tiger only through pugmarks and camera-trappings. The tiger could be sub-adult but without any physical deformity or illness to have made him go for human kills rather than its natural prey.

When contacted, VK Singh, DFO, Pilibhit said, "we are still maintaining vigil in Deoria range". Nine teams of forest staff still guard the area. The cameras installed in Deoria range have not been removed from the place.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/Man-mauling-tiger-tracked-in-Khutar-range-of-Shahjahanpur-/articleshow/6562591.cms

Maharashtra chief minister delivers 'Tiger promise', extends buffer zones

Mumbai: The Maharashtra chief minister has delivered on his promise made to the NDTV-Aircel Save Our Tigers campaign by extending the buffer zones around tiger reserves in the state.

Maharashtra has notified the buffer zones around Pench and Melghat which is a big step forward in securing the future of tigers in the state. This means that no commercial or industrial activities will be allowed in these areas created to separate the forests from the impact of civilisation.

The state government first got into the act in May this year when NDTV highlighted the massive impact of mines and industrial activities in the buffer zone of the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve.

Here is what Chief Minister Ashok Chavan promised when we met him with our tiger agenda.

http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/maharashtra-chief-minister-delivers-tiger-promise-extends-buffer-zones-52402

India named the most dedicated country towards tiger conservation

WASHINGTON: India has been identified as the most important country for tigers with 18 source sites dedicated solely to their conservation, according to a recent study.

In a worrying discovery, the Wildlife Conservation Society and other groups have found that most of the world's last remaining tigers - long decimated by overhunting, logging, and wildlife trade - are now clustered in just six per cent of their available habitat.

In their study, the researchers have identified 42 'source sites' scattered across Asia that are now the last hope and greatest priority for the conservation and recovery of the world's largest cat.

The securing of the tiger's remaining source sites is the most effective and efficient way of not only preventing extinction but seeding a recovery of the wild tiger, say the study's authors.

The researchers also assert that effective conservation efforts focused on these sites are both possible and economically feasible, requiring an additional 35 million dollar a year for increased monitoring and enforcement to enable tiger numbers to double in these last strongholds.

"While the scale of the challenge is enormous, the complexity of effective implementation is. In the past, overly ambitious and complicated conservation efforts have failed to do the basics: prevent the hunting of tigers and their prey. With 70 per cent of the world's wild tigers in just six per cent of their current range, efforts need to focus on securing these sites as the number one priority for the species not," said Joe Walston, Director of the Wildlife Conservation Society's Asia Program and lead author of the study.

According to the paper, fewer than 3,500 tigers remain in the wild, of which only about 1,000 are breeding females.

Walston and his co-authors identified 42 tiger source sites, which were defined as sites that contain breeding populations of tigers and have the potential to seed the recovery of tigers across wider landscapes.

India was identified as the most important country for the species with 18 source sites.

Sumatra contains eight source sites, and the Russian Far East contains six.

The authors calculate the total required annual cost of effectively managing source sites to be 82 million dollars, which includes the cost of law enforcement, wildlife monitoring, community involvement, and other factors.

The authors say that in spite of decades of effort by conservationists, tigers continue to be threatened by overhunting of both tigers and their prey, and by loss and fragmentation of habitat.

Much of the decline is being driven by the demand for tiger body parts used in traditional medicines.

The study has been published online in PLoS Biology.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Flora--Fauna/articleshow/6559243.cms

Two cubs still missing after fighting between relocated tigers in Panna

NEW DELHI: Two fighting big cats, one wounded tigress, and two missing cubs at the Panna reserve have raised questions about some aspects of the tiger relocation programme – and the level up to which concerned humans can interfere in natural tiger behaviour.

Poster kids

The animals involved were poster kids for the relocation programme. With no tigers left in Panna, the government had last year shifted two tigresses from Bandhavgarh and Kanha, and a tiger from Pench, in an attempt to revive the Panna reserve.

The tiger had mated with the Bandhavgarh tigress around New Year, and in April, four cubs were born.

However, repeated fighting between the parents in late August and early September left the tigress with wounds on the face and right foreleg.

While it is now recovering, officials have not been able to spot all four cubs together since July 25.

“Why these fights take place at all between the tiger and the tigress is an intriguing question that needs to be answered for further success of Tiger Reintroduction Programme at [Panna Tiger Reserve],” said a report submitted by Panna field director R. Sreenivasa Murthy.

Officials are now “99 per cent certain” that only two live cubs are present with the tigress.

Contrary to reports that the tigress has also gone missing for a few days, the Reserve logs show that it was spotted as recently as 8.35 a.m. on September 13.

Some experts hope that the tigress would be able to recover the two missing cubs, as she had re-united with one of the other cubs after a few days' separation.

However, the report says that the likely reason for their disappearance is that the cubs were victims of the tiger's fury.

Other causes include succumbing to disease or becoming a meal for another carnivore while their mother was away from the den.

“Such conflicts are common among tigers leading to the death of newborn cubs,” said National Tiger Conservation Authority member secretary Rajesh Gopal, commenting on the report.

He will now carry out discussions with other experts “to explore the level up to which the field management can interfere in such natural happenings”.

http://www.hindu.com/2010/09/15/stories/2010091566822400.htm

2 More Tiger Parks In Maharashtra

Union environment and forests minister Jairam Ramesh on Monday said two more tiger reserves have been proposed in Maharashtra — at Nazgira-Navegaon and Bor in Vidarbha region.

Mr Ramesh, interacting with reporters during his visit to Maharashtra on Monday, said there are four tiger reserves in Maharashtra — Melghat, Pench, Tadoba-Andhari and Sahyadri — three of which are in Vidarbha region. The proposed reserves would also be in Vidarbha region.
The proposal is to create tiger reserves within Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary and Bore Wildlife Sanctuary near Wardha. Nazgira has 34 species of mammals, 166 species of birds, 36 species of reptiles and four species of amphibians. Tigers, panthers, bisons, sambars, nilgai, chital, wild boars, sloth bears and wild dogs are seen at Nagzira. The Bor Wildlife Sanctuary fauna includes tigers, panthers, nilgai, chital, sambars, peacocks, barking deer, chinkaras, monkeys, wild boars, bears and wild dogs.
The minister congratulated CM Ashok Chavan and Maharashtra forest minister Patangrao Kadam for notifying the mandatory buffer zone around the tiger reserves. He said five of the eight proposed development projects in the vicinity of the Sahyadri Tiger Project and the Tadoba Tiger Project would be given conditional clearance. Mr Ramesh also spoke about other environment-related issues in the state.

http://www.asianage.com/india/2-more-tiger-parks-maha-739

Ranthambore's 'Tiger Queen' dethroned by daughter

New Delhi, Sep 14 (IANS) Ranthambore Fort in the heart of tiger territory seems to be prime real estate that every tiger envies. Machli, the big cat, had ruled it for over a decade till her daughter Satara threw her out in a heartless battle for supremacy.

This moving tale of rivalry and betrayal in a tiger family in Rajasthan's Ranthambore National Park was brilliantly captured by India's ace cinematographer S. Nallamuthu in his documentary "Tiger Queen". This is India's first full length wildlife film shot in a high definition (HD) format, says Nallamuthu.

"The idea of 'Tiger Queen' came from the fact that I wanted to make a film that was strong on emotions and drama, and not just another save-the-tiger film or how they walk, mate, sit and eat!" Nallamuthu told IANS.

"This film is as real as it gets. It's a chapter from the everyday life of a tiger and how jealousy and greed rule the animal world too!" he said.

As the film shows, Machli's daughters Satara, Athara and Unnis, on the verge of adulthood, are the recent ones among the generations she had raised.

Machli has fiercely guarded her lakeside property for 11 years, even from her own cubs who were always forced to leave the place when they reached adulthood.

However, this time things are not to go in her favour. Machli faces a mortal threat not from outside but from within the family. Her daughter Satara, the dominant of the three, has made her intentions clear - she wants the prized possession.

Satara devises a plan to get rid of her mother and siblings. She first pushes her sisters out, leaving them to fend for themselves away from the safety of their mother.

Satara's final target is her mother - and this goal she accomplishes quite easily. Her brute strength is more than Machli's old age can endure and the latter surrenders without a fight.

Distraught Machli is left to salvage her former pride in isolation in another part of the park. The queen of Ranthambore Fort is ousted.

Satara's victory too is shortlived, as Athais, a young dominant male, befriends her and eventually takes control of the fort. The film, of course, ends with a final showdown between Satara and Athais which ended the 12-year reign of the fort by Machli and her family.

Satara's sibling, Athara, had been recently translocated to the Sariska National Park, also in Rajasthan, as part of the government's tiger reintroduction programme.

"This is the second big full length film on the same family in Ranthambore. It was about seven or eight years ago when they first featured on the BBC series 'Land of the Tiger'. They filmed Machli in her prime," Nallamuthu said.

"HD is the acceptable format today. It's cheaper than film and the quality is as good, and better than any format used till date. Yes, it is expensive as compared to a digi beta, but then if you want to make a film for international telecast, you have to match their standards. 'Tiger Queen' thus is the very first indigenous HD wildlife documentary out of India!"

A longer version of the film is also being planned for theatres worldwide by Nallamuthu's production house, Grey Films India Private Limited, which has provided over 100 hours of programming content and high quality technical support for a broad range of genres.

The film was telecast worldwide on Nat Geo Wild.

His other recent production "Tripping on a Bicycle", an English feature film, directed and shot by him on HD, was the official selection at the Palm Beach International Film Festival 2010 and Boston International Film Festival 2010.

He also shot "Pairon Talle", a film directed by Sidharth Srinivasan that will premiere at the Toronto Film Festival later this month.

http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=local&newsid=197442

Three tigers, two lions, sloth bear dead in 24 hours!

In the past 24 hours, as many as seven animals, including three tigers, two lions, a herbivorous nilgai and a sloth bear have died at the Bannerghatta National Park here due to “natural causes,” as the officials’ explain.

According to forest department officials, a post-mortem was conducted only on a four-year old tiger, Divya, at the Government Veterinary College in the City.

Taking note of the serious nature of the deaths, the Veterinary College is sending an investigation team of doctors to the National park.

The National Park officials who examined the bodies of these seven animals suggest that all the animals died due to “natural causes” and most likely due to a bacterial infection.
While the first five animals died at the rescue centre inside the National park, the nilgai succumbed within the sanctuary. Meanwhile, initial reports suggest that Divya had died due to jaundice.

“Two of the three tigers, named Shankar (24) and Lakshmana (20) were already old and could not be revived,” said a forest official. Another Siberian tiger, named “King” died due to kidney failure. King was suffering from the kidney problems for the past 78 days. According to the officials, the animals were all rescued from circuses and captivity.

B K Singh, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden adding to this said that the postmortem conducted on the animal has not revealed any suspicions. “The change in colour in some of the vital organs shows that the chances of poisoning is less, but according to them it might have died due to gastroenteritis,” he said.

Mentioning that the three-and-a-half-year old tiger’s blood sample has been detected with infection, he said that the same infection has spread to other sibling too, which is now battling for life. He said that since the experts have stated that the death may be due to contaminated water, the park is now getting potable water from Bangalore City.

Sloth bear

A sloth bear has been killed by the speeding Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation. This according to the department is first such incident, where a tourist vehicle has killed an animal.

Nilgai

In another first on the same day, a nilgai has been killed by a leopard in herbivorous safari.

“I was told that the leopard jumped the stone wall barricade and killed the animal,” he said. He said that though the leopard was frequently sighted at this point, this is the first time the animal has breached the wall. The safari houses over a dozen nilgais.

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/96284/three-tigers-two-lions-sloth.html

Three tiger cubs go 'missing' in Panna forest

Three tiger cubs, born to a translocated tigress in May, have gone "missing" in the Panna Tiger Reserve, sending alarm bells ringing for forest officials in Madhya Pradesh.

The birth of the cubs was seen as a major boost to efforts to revive tiger population as it was the first for any translocated tigress.

"Three out of the four cubs born to a translocated tigress in May have not been spotted for last couple of days in Panna," state principal chief conservator of forest (wildlife) HS Pabla told PTI today.

He said that hectic efforts were on to trace the cubs, adding that it was not an easy task to find these small striped cubs given the grass in the forest.

"Our teams are searching for the cubs in Panna which is spread over an area of 543 sq kms in twin districts of Panna and Chhatarpur in eastern Madhya Pradesh," Pabla added.

However, he did not rule out the possibility of the cubs being dead, given their high mortality rate.

Some time back, a tiger had attacked the tigress that gave birth to the four cubs. The tigress still has bruises, he said.

The tiger often kills the cubs to mate with tigress, a forest official said.

Panna tiger reserve had become devoid of the endangered animal last year and following this, two tigresses, one from Bandhavgarh and another from Kanha Tiger Reserve were translocated in it on March 6 and March 9, last year.

Besides, a tiger from Pench tiger reserve was put in the wild of Panna on November 14 last year. The tigress brought from Kanha had given birth to four cubs in May.

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_three-tiger-cubs-go-missing-in-panna-forest_1437019