Simlipal's wait for tiger force continues

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

Tiger population in Uttarakhand may have increased

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

On the tiger trail

Trekking Janaki Murali follows the footsteps of a tiger in search of its kill, in this rich and descriptive account of the Periyar Tiger Sanctuary in Kerala. In October, during the Diwali weekend, it was tourist mayhem at Thekkady in Kumily, Kerala, famous for its Periyar Tiger sanctuary. It had been raining through the night and it was still trickling in the morning, making it a very cold and wet day. We had rushed out of our hotel, which adjoined the Periyar Tiger Sanctuary, at 5 am in the morning to walk the short distance to the tiger sanctuary’s gates, to join the lengthening queue. The main attraction in Kumily, more commonly referred to as Thekkady, is the famous Periyar Tiger Sanctuary, housing some 45 tigers. The dense deciduous forests, surrounding the Periyar Lake, has some 145 species of orchids, over 60 species of mammals, over 300 bird species and some 150 types of butterflies. Coffee and tea were being sold by enterprising cyclewallahs to the tourists in the queue. Clutching the paper cup with its hot coffee and finding shelter under a borrowed umbrella, I watched as handicrafts’ stall owners opened their shops to catch the early tourist traffic. They often cheerfully turned arbitrators in small quarrels that arose between the tourists whenever somebody broke the queue. It was a wet and cold morning, and tempers were short. Autos, buses, taxis and cars added to the chaos, parked willy nilly before the closed gates. When the gates opened, there was a mad rush of vehicles through the Tiger Reserve. It was amusing to see vehicles pour into the parking lot of the Periyar sanctuary at break-neck speed , so that it could vomit out its inhabitants to join yet another long queue to buy tickets for the boat ride. No way were we joining another long queue, and so we made an instant decision to trek instead. The forest, on foot Periyar sanctuary offers different kinds of treks. There are camping trails where groups can stay overnight in the sanctuary, and there are jeep rides. There are nature walks among other treks. We decided to do the nature walk costing Rs 800. The nature walk comprises a trained guide who accompanies a small group of five on a three-hour trek into the Periyar forest. “Wear heavy shoes as there are lots of leeches in the forest,” we were told at the ticket counter. We were also asked to fill in forms with our contact details and the next of kin’s numbers and address. We were then given leech socks — pair of thick khaki socks. This was to prevent leeches from attaching themselves to our skins. We walked down a few steps to board a bamboo raft that the guide rowed to take us to the other side. The view from the raft was spectacular — the lake, surrounded by the forest, had the cardamom hills as its backdrop. On the other side, the forest beckoned with all its mysteries intact. Nature had spread its bounteous gifts for us to experience. We kept to the shoreline during the initial parts of our trek, but were soon walking deep into the moist deciduous forests, complete with the undulating hills on one end and marshlands and slushy undergrowth beneath our feet. We had to constantly watch our step, for we never knew what might be crawling below us. There were plenty of leeches which stuck to our shoes that we constantly pushed away with twigs. At one point, the guide sprayed some tobacco powder on our shoes, which he said would keep the leeches away, not that it did. In and around At a distance we saw the Nilgiri langur monkeys which swung from branch to branch, offering us a glimpse here and a glimpse there. They were too quick for us to capture on film. Birds surrounded us with their loud chatter. Some brightly coloured ones flew into our view and flew away even before we could identify them. Across the lake, we spied some bison, and far away on a hill were some more. As we went deeper and deeper into the forest, we spied some silver oaks, cedar, teak, rain trees, wild berries, wild guavas and wild mushrooms. But, except for the bison, we had caught sight of no other animals and had to be satisfied with bear pug marks and an elephant fossil. With the fresh rains, the undergrowth was wet and slushy, but we plodded on, still in search of the elusive tiger. Then suddenly the guide shushed us and asked us to stop. We stopped and listened in silence to the noise of the jungle. Amidst the loud chatter of the birds, the guide whispered, “Can’t you smell him? A tiger has been here just now.” I shivered in excitement. A tiger? We stood quietly and scoured a clearing that the guide pointed us towards, hoping to catch some action. There was nothing there, expect rolling greenery. The sun shone like a spotlight on the natural amphitheatre kind of setting and I almost expected the tiger to appear from the wings and take a bow. Beastly presence After a few more minutes of expectant silence, with our hearts pounding a little too noisily, the guide began groping around in the undergrowth. With the sunlight filtering in through the leafy branches of the tall trees, every shadow could have been a tiger in disguise. The guide, the consummate actor that he was, demonstrated what the tiger must have done. I was certain that our guide had missed his calling. He ought to have been on stage. “It must have spotted a fowl and come to attack. Then it smelt us and bounded away. Tigers are very shy animals, but there should be pug marks, let’s look for them,” he said softly. We groped around the green and brown carpeted forest floor, not knowing what we were looking for. “Ah! There they are,” he said with a smug satisfied air about him. We saw them too and collectively released our breaths. We hadn’t spotted a tiger, but had walked in its wake, which was nearly as good, if not better, for what would we have done, if we had seen a tiger face to face. The trek back to the raft that would take us back to the other side was nearly not as exciting as our near encounter with the tiger. Back at the base, we pulled out our khaki socks and saw them creeping and crawling with leeches. Some had found their way inside my shoes too. While we spent the next few minutes removing the leeches, I was sorry that the trek was over. A group of tourists, who had spent the night camping in the forest, told us disappointedly that they hadn’t spotted the tiger. Another couple who had gone into the forest in a jeep had the same story to tell. I smiled in smug satisfaction. We hadn’t spotted a tiger either, but we had walked its path, and had a pugmark to show for our efforts. http://www.deccanherald.com/content/215341/on-tiger-trail.html

Kanha’s many stripes

Tej Narayan Animal retreat One fine crimson evening, I found myself in Kisli, a village that lay within the green woods of the Kanha Tiger Reserve. Saturated with saal trees, these forests maintain their greenery even during the summer and act as green mansions for the wildlife in Kanha Tiger reserve. As I explored the Kanha forest, I came across a plethora of fauna. I found a herd of bison as well as deer grazing merrily in its lush green surroundings. Negotiating hairpin turns on Salkat Road, a terrain defined by bamboo and saal trees, I found myself entering the tiger’s abode. My excitement and anticipation over the possibility of spotting a tiger fell through, however, when all we could spot were a couple of wild boars rustling the bamboo. While I might have had no luck on that particular day, I chanced upon the beast on my return journey to my rest house in Kisli. I hadn’t noticed that the being I had driven past in the middle of the night was one that I was hoping to see all along. Early next day, while exploring the meadows of Kanha, I also chanced upon one of the most beautiful and elegant deer to be found, the Barasingha. There are different species of Barasingha, some of which can be found in Kaziranga National Park in Assam. But the most beautiful are those protected within the confines of Kanha. Forest officials also organise a ‘Tiger Show’ for tourists. Mahouts on elephants set out before dawn to areas where one is most likely to spot a tiger. When the tiger is sighted, elephants encircle the area to make sure that the tigers don’t stray too far off. Wireless messages are then sent to a camp at Kanha, who then usher the tourists (for a price, of course) to view the tigers from an elephant’s back. Seated on an elephant, I had the delightful opportunity of watching a tiger during its meal time. Its catch of the day was the royal stag. It was rather chilling, and at the same time, exciting, to watch this striped carnivore devour its kill. I wanted to move a little closer to the animal to get a better shot on my camera. An inch forward, however, led to a low warning growl from the tiger. I managed to get my picture in a fraction of a second, a second that captured his feast and growl all at once. The mahout pointed out to another tiger lazing about behind a bush, trying to seem like he was meditating. Perhaps, he had gulped down his grub to his satisfaction and was enjoying his siesta. As we inched closer, he opened one eye, only to remind us that appearances, after all, were always deceiving. We saw other fauna too — black buck, spotted deer and sambar, to be precise. The guide also pointed out a variety of birds, including the multi-hued peacock and the colourful kingfisher. The Kanha Tiger Reserve is spread over 1,945 sq km of lush green flora of the Maikal Mountain of Satpura mountain ranges in Central India. The park is open from October to May. http://www.deccanherald.com/content/215331/kanhas-many-stripes.html

‘Jaw traps’ suspected for tiger death in Bandipur

K H Obalesh, Chamarajanagar, Jan 1, DHNS: Practice prevalent in North India; attempts to hush up incident alleged An incident of Forest officials allegedly hushing up the death of a tiger caught in a ‘jaw trap’ has come to light in the limits of Bandipur National Park. A 10-year-old male tiger was found dead in the Kalkere range of the Park on December 30 and the official version was that the animal died of hunger. One more tiger was found dead at the same spot on December 31 after being caught in a ‘jaw trap.’ It is said senior officers visited the spot clandestinely and buried the caracass. They are also said to have taken photographs of the dead animal and the ‘jaw trap.’ According to the guidelines framed by National Tiger Conservation Authority, post mortem on tigers should be conducted in the presence of two representatives of non-governmental organisations. Accordingly, two representatives were present during the post mortem on the tiger which died of hunger. However, sources in the Forest department say that the officials have maintained secrecy on the ‘jaw trap’ death of the tiger. There had been no reports of ‘jaw trap’ deaths in the State for the past three years. The practice of hunting animals using this type of trap is more prevalent in North India and the tribals of Madhya Pradesh are said to be experts. The first such case came to light in South India at Nagarahole National Park in 2002. Two hunters were arrested in Veeranahosahalli, Nagarahole in 2008 for using the trap. It is said the forest officials are attempting to suppress the recent incident to escape laxity charges. A wildlife expert, who wished to be unnamed, said true facts would come to light if a CID investigation is ordered into the death of tigers. Dr K T Hanumanthappa, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Bandipur, told Deccan Herald that a tiger died of oral lesions in Kalkere range and that the caracass was burnt after a post mortem. He denied any ‘jaw trap’ deaths of tiger in the Range. What is a jaw trap? A common foothold trap is made of two jaws, a trigger in the middle and one or two springs. A round pan usually acts as a trigger. The traps, usually laid on the tracks frequented by animals, are anchored to the earth with the help of strong chains and are camouflaged with dry leaves. As soon as the animal steps on the trigger, the trap closes around the foot clamping down its limb or paw. As the animal struggles to free itself writhing in pain, the steel vise cuts into its flesh, some times down to the bone. The trapped animals are sometimes gunned down by hunters, while in some cases they die of pain and hunger. http://www.deccanherald.com/content/216038/jaw-traps-suspected-tiger-death.html

Tiger trail

Dec 29, 2011, 12.00AM IST The latest tiger population census showed the numbers rising from 1,411 in 2008 to an estimated 1,706. Yet the National Tiger Conservation Authority seems not to be taking any chances. It`s to conduct yearly censuses in India`s 39 tiger reserves, besides the customary headcount every four years. While it`ll provide equipment like camera traps to capture data for analysis, field workers will train for upgraded tracking exercises. With periodic alarms raised about vanishing tigers - recall Sariska or Panna - and credible information about their plight in our tiger belts often hard to come by, the move makes sense. Annual counts will make the conservation effort more accountable, simply by keeping field personnel on their toes. While success in tiger conservation has been uneven across India, 12% of tiger habitat has been lost in just four years thanks to encroachment. Poaching remains lucrative business, not least due to enduring demand for tiger parts in places like China. Nor is the poacher-forest official nexus a secret. It`s no wonder tiger-rich Karnataka is to form a Special Tiger Protection Force, a first in India. Taking on poachers and smugglers, STPF patrols must feature in other tiger-dense states too. Let`s also boost well-regulated tourism to nurture both tigers and the ecosystem that the big cats are part of. By attracting resources and attention to commercially packaged reserves, conservation will offer its own economic incentive. The more cocooned protected zones are, the less transparently they`re managed. Let`s make the tiger accessible to wildlife enthusiasts. That way, we`ll spread awareness about the endangered animal and raise collective stakes in its protection. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/opinion/edit-page/Tiger-trail/articleshow/11283445.cms

Namdhapa Park to have a tiger protection force

PTI | 12:12 PM,Dec 28,2011 Utpal Boruah Itanagar, Dec 28 (PTI) With the Arunachal Pradesh governmment deciding to raise a tiger protection force, the sprawling Namdapha National Park, a tiger reserve under Project Tiger, can expect the rampant encroachment and poaching to come down substantially. The tiger reserve, spread over 1985 Sqare km in Changlang district, has been facing the twin problems for much too long to be ignored and the raising of the force would be of great help, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest B S Sajwan said told PTI. The force would be set up on the lines of one for the Pakke Tiger Project of East Kameng district in Arunachal Pradesh, Sajwan said. “With this, not only will the unemployed youths in the buffer zones get employment, but the reserve and its habitat can be kept from the clutches of poachers and encroachers,” he observed. The state government is also keen to thoroughly revamp the tiger reserve with a slew of development projects to be undertaken soon. The main problem faced by the Namdhapa Tiger Reserve since 2005 is the encroachment into its core area by 444 Lisu families of Vijaynagar Administrative Circle, adjacent to the reserve, belonging to 84 families at five locations. The authorities had carried out evictions in the past, but the success rate was low owing to lack of manpower and resources. Presently, the staff comprised a mere 24 forest guards and eight foresters manning the park which has a core area of 1,807.82 square km. The remaining 177.18 square km is a reserve forest.

No merger of Project Tiger with other schemes: MoEF

TUESDAY, 27 DECEMBER 2011 22:34 PIONEER NEWS SERVICE | NEW DELHI HITS: 73 The Planning Commission’s proposal to merge three Centrally-sponsored schemes of Project Tiger, Project Elephant and the Integrated Development under Wildlife Habitat into one, has been junked by the Ministry of Environment & Forest (MoEF). Members of National Board for Wildlife (NBWL), who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the decision of Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan was conveyed in a recent Standing Committee meeting of the board. Maintaining that it has come as a relief, the members pointed out that the nature of schemes of “Project Tiger” and “Project Elephant” are completely different from each other with their own respective identities. Their mergre would have created an adverse impact on the conservation of both the National Animal as well as the National Heritage Animal, they felt. Concerns were raised when the Planning Committee set up a subcommittee, chaired by its member BK Chaturvedi, to restructure the three Centrally-sponsored schemes. According to sources, Chaturvedi had discussed the issue with MoEF, to work out a solution for ensuring flexibility and efficiency of the schemes. Indrani Chandrasekharan, adviser to Planning Commission, wrote to MoEF secretary T Chatterjee to take action in the matter. The sources maintained that she had even gone a step ahead stating that the mergre was also proposed to include the conservation of lions and rhinos. This rang alarm bells among the NBWL members who wrote a strongly-worded letter to Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia mentioning of the serious implications of the mergre of the three schemes. The letter was signed by MK Ranjitsinh, Bittu Sahgal, Kishor Rithe, Prerna Bindra, TR Shankar Raman, Divyabhanusinh Chavda, Biswajit Mohanty, Asad Rahmani and Bibhab Kumar Talukdar. The members pointed out that as per the figures of 1700 big cats announced early this year, India is the home range country of more than half the tiger population of the world. It also has the largest number of Asiatic elephants. The importance of Project tiger can be assessed from the fact that it was initiated at the instance of late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi way back in 1973 and had existed much long before than MoEF itself that was established in 1985. http://dailypioneer.com/nation/30943-no-merger-of-project-tiger-with-other-schemes-moef.html

NTCA to conduct tiger census in India annually

The annual census would be conducted in the tiger reserves of India, including six in Madhya Pradesh, namely Kanha, Pench, Bandhavgarh, Satpura, Panna and Sanjay Dubri tiger reserves, sources added. However, the ongoing practice of counting the big cats in the forest areas every four years would also continue in tandem, they said. In Madhya Pradesh, the census would be conducted in cooperation with the Wildlife Institute of India ( WII). However, logistics for the exercise is yet to be put in place, sources said, adding that cameras and others equipment for the task had not been purchased so far. "We are going to collect the data on the big cat using cameras on the transit routes and then analyse it. We have been assigned the task of collecting and analysing the data," sources said. According to them, as a prelude to the census operation, a two-day regional training workshop for the forest department officials in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra has been organised in Panna Tiger Reserve from tomorrow. "More than 100 forest department officials from Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh will take part in the workshop," they said. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/et-cetera/ntca-to-conduct-tiger-census-in-india-annually/articleshow/11267379.cms

Plan for tiger reserve to be sent to Union Ministry for approval

S. RAMESH A tiger that was captured in monitoring cameras installed in Sathyamangalam forests in Erode district. Photo: Special Arrangment Forest Department has identified core and buffer zones The proposal for the creation of a tiger reserve in Sathyamangalam forests has reached an advanced stage and is expected to land in the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests for approval by the end of January 2012. The Forest Department has completed identifying the core and buffer zones for the tiger reserve, a significant step before the creation of an exclusive protection zone for the big cats. A total of 1.41 lakh hectares in Sathyamangalam forests have been earmarked for the reserve. Of the total area, the core zone comprises 91,726.9 hectares. The forest officials are now studying the cattle and human population in the area. “We have seven forest settlements and 12 revenue settlements inside the area. The data collection is nearing completion and we are going to conduct a stakeholders meeting with the participation of residents from these settlements soon,” Conservator of Forests, Erode Circle D. Arun told The Hindu. “The forest region in this part of the State has a healthy tiger population. The Sathyamangalam wildlife sanctuary is home to at least 28 tigers and this has been confirmed by the study conducted by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF),” Mr. Arun said. The creation of the reserve will enable the wildlife managers to ensure greater protection to the wild cats. Tourists and the minimal construction activities will be allowed only in the buffer zone, while forest officials alone will be permitted entry in the areas falling under the core zone. The authorities in the Central government are very positive on the creation of a tiger reserve in Sathyamangalam. “We have submitted a proposal to the union ministry seeking Rs. 32 lakh to install cameras in different parts of the forests. Currently, the WWF has installed cameras covering about 250 sq km area. We need to cover more areas and monitor the movement of tigers for further data collection and analysis. The camera trap images will also help us identify the movement of poachers. We expect the Centre to sanction the proposal very soon,” Mr. Arun pointed out. http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Coimbatore/article2752925.ece

MoEF defers clearance for Suryachakra power plant in MP

Press Trust of India / Hyderabad December 28, 2011, 10:53 IST In a setback to Suryachakra Power Venture, the Ministry of Environment and Forests has deferred clearance for a 1,320-MW coal-based power plant being developed by the company in Madhya Pradesh as it apparently falls within the buffer zone of a tiger reserve. Suryachakra Power Venture is a subsidiary of BSE-listed Suryachakra Power Corporation Ltd. This is the third city-based enterprise to run into an MOEF roadblock. Last year, the MOEF had cancelled the environmental clearance issued to Nagarjuna Construction Company Ltd (NCCL) for its proposed 2,640-MW power plant in Srikakulam district, in Andhra Pradesh. Similarly, the ministry recently issued orders to East Coast Energy Pvt Ltd (ECEPL), another city-based power producer, to halt work on its 2,640-MW Bhavanapadu thermal power project in Srikakulam district in AP, as several serious complaints had poured in against the company and these were under investigation. In the case of the Suryachakra plant, the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) under the MOEF was of the opinion that the project may fall within the buffer area of the Sanjay Gandhi Tiger Reserve proposed to be set up in Sidhi district of Madhya Pradesh. The committee ordered the company to obtain a no-objection certificate from the concerned authorities in the Wildlife Department. According to the company, land acquisition for the project is yet to be completed and allocation of a coal linkage is being considered within the Ministry of Coal. "The committee noted that even though the project proponent claims there are no national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, tiger/biosphere reserves, etc, within 10 km of the site, prima facie, it appears the project may be falling within the proposed buffer of the Sanjay Gandhi Tiger Reserve," the EAC said in its observation.

Tiger kills rhino in Dudhwa Tiger Reserve

PTI | 07:12 PM,Dec 27,2011 Lakhimpur (UP), Dec 27 (PTI) A six-year-old rhino was attacked and killed by a tiger in Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, its deputy director said here today. "The park authorities came to know of the rhino killing by a tiger, when its partially eaten carcass was recovered near Salukapur," Ganesh Bhat, DTR deputy director, said. This is the second incident of a tiger attack on an adult rhino, he said. Earlier, a tiger had attacked and injured a female rhino in Dudhwa.

Karnataka tigers get commando security

TUESDAY, 27 DECEMBER 2011 21:24 KESTUR VASUKI | BANGALORE HITS: 108 Karnataka will have a commando force — Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF) — to protect its diminishing big cat population from smugglers and poachers, for the first time in India. Come January 4, this special unit will guard tiger reserves on direction of the Ministry of Environment & Forests (MoEF). Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) Karnataka BK Singh told The Pioneer that the force will protect over 300 tigers and their habitat. According to Singh, this STPF has 58 personnel comprising an assistant conservator of forests (ACF), three range forest officers (RFOs), 14 foresters and 40 forest guards. This force is fully trained to handle modern weapons. He said, “This special squad is undergoing training at police school in Yelahanka. This one-and-a-half-month training will end on January 3 and they will be deployed at tiger reserves to prevent poaching. This novel initiative will help save tigers.” According to statistics, since January 2006, more than 48 tigers have died in Karnataka, 25 tigers killed by poachers. The STPF, equipped with modern weapons, binoculars and wireless sets, is expected to prove a serious deterrent. “The 13-week training includes physical, unarmed combat, weapons, field engineering, map reading, disaster management, first aid and crowd control management,” said Singh. According to forest department records, three and two tigers were poached in 2010 and 2011, respectively. Karnataka is the most tiger dense State. The recent census in Karnataka shows six major reserves, with a population of over 300 tigers, of the total 1,700 in the country. In 2008, the Centre had given a one-time grant of Rs50 crore to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) for raising, arming and deploying STPFs in 13 sensitive tiger reserves — Dudhwa-Katerniaghat, Corbett, Ranthambore, Pench, Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Pakke, Bandipur, Tadoba Andhari, Mudumalai, Kaziranga and Simlipal. http://dailypioneer.com/nation/30901-karnataka-tigers-get-commando-security.html

Time again, for the big cats to be counted

TNN | Dec 27, 2011, 02.41AM IST BHOPAL: A big cat census covering all tiger reserves of the country, including the six in Madhya Pradesh (MP), is slated for next year, a top official said. It would now be an annual affair. Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Dharmendra Shukla said the national tiger conservation authority (NTCA) has decided to do the census annually in the reserves, from next year. Shukla said the census in the state would be done in cooperation with the Wildlife Institute of India ( WII). However, he added, the tiger counting being carried out in the forest areas every four years would also continue in tandem. "In the run up to the census, a two-day regional training workshop for forest department officials of MP, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra has been organised in state's Panna Tiger Reserve (PTR) from December 28," according to Shukla. Logistics, however, are still not in place. Shukla said the census exercise will take some time since the cameras and others modern equipment for the job have yet to be acquired. "We are going to collect data on the big cat using cameras on the transit routes and then analyse it," he said. "We have been assigned the task of collecting and analysing the data,'' he added. As a prelude to the census operation, a two-day regional training workshop for forest department officials of MP, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra has been organised in state's Panna Tiger Reserve (PTR) from December 28. ""More than 100 forest department officials drawn from Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and MP are going to take part in the workshop," Panna park's deputy director V S Parihar said. The big cat census will cover Kanha, Pench, Bandhavgarh, Satpura, Panna and Sanjay Dubri tiger reserves. FEWER ROARS IN MP MP has lost its pre-eminent tag as the country's tiger state to Karnataka, with the population of this magnificient feline in the state declining to 257 by 2011, from 300 tigers in 2008. Panna lost its tigers to poachers by early 2009. Forest officials, however, refuse to accept that the striped cat's numbers had declined in Kanha and claim that something must have gone wrong with the last tiger census. On the other hand, the tiger population had increased to 300 in Karnataka according to the tiger census of 2001, up from from 290 in 2008. Tiger census report of 2008 Tiger census report of 2011 Tiger Reserves Kanha 89 60 Bandhavgarh 47 59 Panna 24 03 Satpura 39 43 Pench (MP-Maharashtra) 33 65 Sanjay Dubri Not known 05 http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhopal/Time-again-for-the-big-cats-to-be-counted/articleshow/11260339.cms

No merger of Project Tiger with other schemes

Vijay Pinjarkar, TNN | Dec 27, 2011, 06.30AM IST NAGPUR: The planning commission's proposal to merge three centrally sponsored schemes (CSS) - Project Tiger, Project Elephant and the Integrated Development under Wildlife Habitat ( IDWH) into one, has been dropped. This was revealed by minister for environment and forest Jayanthi Natarajan to the members at the recently-held standing committee meeting of National Board for Wildlife (NBWL). Although Natarajan did not respond to a mail sent to her on the issue, members attending the meeting were informed about the move when the issue figured in the Delhi meeting. "Now the government is not merging all the three schemes," Natarajan is learnt to have told the NBWL. TOI on September 29, had reported that merger of three schemes would hit tigers hard. The move was strongly opposed by all nine members of NBWL. The NBWL is the highest body to decide on all wildlife issues. The NBWL members have thanked Natarajan and plan panel deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia for showing great concern towards the serious implications of the merger of the three schemes. A subcommittee headed by BK Chaturvedi was set by the planning commission to restructure the CSS. Chaturvedi, who is a member of the planning commission, had discussed the issue with the MoEF on July 29, 2011. The committee's brief was to find ways to enhance flexibility, scale and efficiency of the scheme. Panic buttons were pressed when on August 17, Indrani Chandrasekharan, adviser to planning commission, wrote to MoEF secretary T Chatterjee to take action in the matter. She had stated that the merger was decided to include conservation of lions and rhinos too. However, on September 17, all the 9 NBWL members wrote a strongly-worded letter to Ahluwalia expressing shock. The letter was signed by MK Ranjitsinh, Bittu Sahgal, Kishor Rithe, Prerna Bindra, TR Shankar Raman, Divyabhanusinh Chavda, Biswajit Mohanty, Asad Rahmani and Bibhab Kumar Talukdar. The members felt that schemes like 'Project Tiger' and 'Project Elephant' should have their own identity. Such a merger would be a retrograde step and would adversely impact efforts to conserve wildlife and tiger, which is the national animal. Project Tiger was initiated at the instance of late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1973 and, therefore, has been in existence long before the MoEF itself was established in 1985. "With over 1,700 tigers as estimated in the figures announced earlier this year, India not only has more than half the tigers of the world but also has the largest number of Asiatic elephants. Such a merger would have been suicidal," a section of members told TOI. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/No-merger-of-Project-Tiger-with-other-schemes/articleshow/11262142.cms

Tiger kills woman

PTI | 05:12 PM,Dec 26,2011 Lakhimpur (UP), Dec 26 (PTI) A 65-year-old woman was killed by a tiger in Matera reserve forest area in Dhaurehra range here, an official said today. The mutilated body of Maikin, a resident of Pratappur village, was found early this morning, Dhaurehra Range Officer N N Pandey said. The woman went to the forest reserve area on Kheri-Bahraich border last evening to collect firewoods but did not return, he said. Maikin's body with one leg eaten up by the tiger was found by her family members, Pandey said.

Tiger force to take on poachers

December 26, 2011 DC Bengaluru For the first time, the Karnataka forest department will be deploying the Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF) which will guard the forests of Bandipur, Badra and Nagarhole against poachers from the first week of January. The deputation of the STPF forces had been in pipeline since 2008 when the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) had made recommendations that STPFs should be raised in 13 sensitive tiger reserves — Dudhwa-Katerniaghat, Corbett, Ranthambhore, Pench, Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Pakke, Bandipur, Tadoba Andhari, Mudumalai, Kaziranga and Simlipal. As per the initial plans the STPF was to be deployed only at Bandipur in Karnataka, however, the forest department is now planning to deploy units at Badra and Nagerhole as well. On January 3, 2012, the first unit comprising 14 foresters and 40 forest guards will complete their training, said sources. The forest guards have undergone three weeks of intensive training in policing, patrolling, combat and even intelligence at the Armed Police Training Centre in Yelahanka. “The guards have been given intensive commando training, specialising in the use of SLRs, small arms, besides hand-to-hand combat. Since it is a forest unit, they also have been taught how to interact with communities and about the Forests Acts and rules,” said B.K. Singh, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife). The annual expenditure for maintaining the STPF unit will be around `97.76 lakh. The forest department has also requested the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) for `620 lakh for construction of quarters and buildings for the tiger conservation unit. “This will be first STPF unit that will be commissioned in the country. We will be increase the unit strength later,” added Mr Singh. The STPF unit will be divided into three groups and will be solely responsible for taking anti-poaching measures and will have the power to “shoot to kill”, he informed. http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/bengaluru/tiger-force-take-poachers-481

WWF study confirms at least 25 tigers in Sathyamangalam forests

K A Shaji, TNN | Dec 26, 2011, 04.42AM IST COIMBATORE: A recent study by World Wildlife Fund ( WWF) using camera trap method at the Sathyamangalam wildlife sanctuary has confirmed that the 1.41 lakh hectare-stretch of forest at the confluence of Western and Eastern Ghats is home to at least 25 tigers. A DNA finger print-based project initiated by the state forest department had collected 150 samples of pugmarks from Sathyamangalam forests recently and 69 among them were found positive at the tests conducted at Centre for Molecular Biology in Hyderabad. The lab findings indicate that the region is home to tigers, ranging from 18 to 30. Armed with the two study reports, the forest department has prepared a detailed project report for submission before the state government and it would come up for consideration before the cabinet in a couple of weeks. The Union ministry of environment and forests has already advised the state government to make it a tiger reserve under Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972. Kalakkad-Mundanthurai, Indira Gandhi National Park in Anamalai and Mudumalai National Park are the existing tiger reserves in the state. "Sathyamangalam forests deserve the tiger reserve status. If declared, that would help total habitat improvement. There would be projects that would help not only the tigers but also the entire flora and fauna of the region,'' said divisional forest officer (DFO) N Sathish. Apart from tigers, the forests are known for a large number of vultures and elephants. "It is home to one fourth of the elephants in the state with an estimated population of 1,250. Sathyamangalam is also a migratory path for over 6,000 Asiatic elephants which move from the Nilgiris to Bandipur in Karnataka,'' Sathish said. It also has a large number of black bucks and hyenas. Its links with Mudumalai, Bandipur and BR Hills sanctuaries would turn advantageous in protection of big cats as they can roam around freely in a large contiguous stretch of forests without any disturbance. It was only in August this year that Sathyamangalam got wildlife sanctuary status. Recently, the sanctuary was expanded with the inclusion of forest reserves like Guthiyalathur, Akurjakkarai, Thalamalai, Berabetta, Ullepalayam and the eastern slopes of the Nilgiris, under it. These forests, which were considered Veerappan territory, are under threat from the laterite-mining and timber mafias. If the forest is declared a tiger sanctuary, more personnel would be sanctioned for its protection. That, forest officials said, would be a major help in keep the mafiosi at bay. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/11249004.cms

Drop in MP's tiger population cause of concern

SATURDAY, 24 DECEMBER 2011 With the tiger population in the State declining from 300 in 2006 to 257 in the 2011 census wildlife experts have called for more efforts by the Forest Department to solve pending cases of poaching, writes Ritesh Mishra There was a 12 per cent rise in the population of big cats in the country in 2011, but Madhya Pradesh lost its 'Tiger State' status to Karnataka in this passing year. According to the tiger census of 2011, the tiger population in Madhya Pradesh dropped to 257 from 300 tigers in 2006. According to wildlife experts the causes of the decline in the tiger population in Madhya Pradesh are many but one of the most important was that most of the poaching cases were not solved till now, which has given an edge to the poachers and they continued hunting the felines. However, it is not new, but the pending cases of the forest offences are really concerning for the wildlife experts and even for the forest officials and they believe that the Forest Department should take the matter seriously as soon as possible. Reflecting sheer ineffectiveness, apathy and dilly-dallying in solving the forest offences, the figures of the Forest Department revealed that the pending cases till December 2011 in Madhya Pradesh was seven times more than the cases registered in the current year till now. Meanwhile, commenting over the issue, a retired senior official of the Forest Department, requesting anonymity, said that there can be various reasons behind the pending case as it could be lack of staff or negligence. "If more than 60,000 cases are pending in the Forest Department then it is concerning and senior officials should take responsibility," the officer added. Total number of forest offences registered in records of the Forest Department is 7,592 and the total number of pending cases is 60,280. More specifically, total 47,715 are pending for the last 12 months, which reflects the working of the department. The highest number of pending cases is in Bhopal, which is more than 10,800. More surprisingly, in the total 9,542 cases, investigation is pending for the last one year in the State capital only. Moreover, the highest number of forest offence cases has been registered in Bhopal, which sums up to 1,663 followed by Jabalpur (1,173) and Panna (104). RTI activist Ajay Dubey, while talking to The Pioneer said the main reason behind the pending of these cases was that the prosecution of the cases was not done properly. It was due to the apathy of some senior officials of the Forest Department. He further said that in various reports of the Forest Department it was made clear the most concerning issue for the department were the pending cases and the delay in the process but nothing appropriate has been done till now. "I don't know why the Forest Department is ineffective regarding the forest offences," he added. Bandhavgarh and Satpura National Park registered 40 cases each in 2011. Specifically, according to the records of forest offences maintained in the website of the department the cases registered from January 1 to December 7, highest number of the cases was of illegal felling (6097), in which total 1,248 cases are of Bhopal. Further in Jabalpur (1,063) and Seoni (1,129) cases have been registered. In Balaghat, where total 98 cases of forest offences have been registered, 90 are of illegal felling. The most important fact according to details of cases registered is about Panna. The highest number of poaching cases registered was in Panna (28) followed by Bhopal. The highest number of cases of illegal grazing is 30, out of 70 cases registered all over the State. The senior officials of Panna Tiger Reserve have already mentioned in a confidential report to HS Pabla that there are instances of involvement of Panna forest officials with the poachers of nearby districts. Further according to records maintained on investigation status of the forest offences cases, Bhopal ranks the top, with total 10,814 cases, followed by Jabalpur (3,937), Seoni (4,248) and Sagar (7,185), till December 7, 2011. As per details maintained about the pending cases of National Parks of Madhya Pradesh, total 417 are pending in Panna, 1,068 in Kanha and 381 in Bandhavgarh. According to wildlife experts there is a lack of coordination among the forest officials in solving the cases owing to which thousands of cases are pending in nearly all the major districts. The experts suggested that the Forest Department should start a drive in solving the pending cases as soon as possible. http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/bhopal/30162-drop-in-mps-tiger-population-cause-of-concern.html

39 tiger reserves mired in problems

Dec 24, 2011 - Rashme Sehgal | Age Correspondent | New Delhi A Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) of the functioning of India’s 39 tiger reserves has come down heavily on India’s premier Corbett Tiger Reserve (TR), which due to its high-profile nature should have set a benchmark for tiger conservation. Instead, the MEE points out that the human-wildlife conflict in the buffer zone of this reserve has intensified while the critical corridors in which animals move have become increasingly fragmented. The MEE stresses that “too much time and manpower is involved in managing tourism and tourist facilities which takes away the focus from the primary task of the Corbett reserve”. But this seems to be a problem across all reserves. The Bandavgarh TR is having to cope with one lakh tourists per annum from 2008. A large number of resorts have come up around the reserve resulting in increasing human-wildlife conflict and preventing tiger dispersal opportunities. The Ranthambore TR, comprising largely of a habitat island, faces a similar problem both in tourism excess and man-wildlife conflict. Other reserves such as the Dudha Tiger Reserve located next to the porous international border with Nepal faces the problem of poaching and wildlife trade. The Panna TR had been left with a defunct tiger population populated as it is with Pardhis, a tribe carrying powerful firearms and known for their poaching activities. Problems of mining are putting habitats under pressure especially in the Sahayadri TR and the Tadoba-Andhari TR. Other problems include a failure to protect rare animals. The Satkosia reserve has failed to save the gharial in its only non-Himalayan river system. It has just three gharials left even though this is the place where the Indian crocodile project was initiated. The Udanti-Sitanadi reserve has failed to protect the Asiatic wild buffalo whose population is down to eight from which four have been kept in connectivity. http://www.asianage.com/india/39-tiger-reserves-mired-problems-366