My Discovery- My 6 Tigers roar again!

As a surprise, my six tigers of Tadoba Tiger Reserve again roared loud on the fag end of International Year of the Tiger to promote their conservation. This time I found them standing strong on the cover of Oxford's: Tiger- The Soul of India by Valmik. Their innocent eyes again gazed at us in anticipation of good conservators who will talk less, do more, do less lobbying & politics and dedicate solely for the protection of the tiger.

The tigers have rightly been projected with all that is needed for their co-existence - the forest, water & all life within it. Mr.Thapar has provided justice by illustrating the Indian sentiments that associate with tiger in text. His latest interview with NDTV features our Tadoban icons.

Available at: http://profit.ndtv.com/video/show/176940

Aranya Hey! - by Suchetana Mukherjee Chakraborty

Aranya He!


First Time a Book on Indian Jungles, Wildlife & its people that depicts the sadness of the jungle, the politics of the department, the rich historical background along with ingredients of A novel cum travelogue cum scientific study with unique collections of stories, facts, figures, travelogues & garnished with lovely depiction of natural beauty, human & animal emotions, actions & secret behaviors.

An account of rare facts & incidents. An awareness message spread in a very simple humane way.



Written by: Suchetana Mukherjee Chakraborty
High Definition Photographs: Nirmalya Chakraborty

A must choice for all wildlife lovers, nature readers, conservationist & passionate lovers of the magnificent person - The Royal Bengal Tiger.

Coming soon in your stands on new year!

Language: Bangali
Date of Lanch: January 2010.
Venue: Kolkata Boi Mela
Publication: Ekush Shotok
Price: INR 100 Only.

Untamed Tadoba Tiger Reserve

19th June 2010- evening safari,

I entered Tadoba Tiger Reserve through the Khutwanda gate & had a very good sighting of gaur, muntjac, monitors & a tiger-tigress pair along the Kala Amba main Road. Weather was perfect, occasional sunshine & nice breeze, but things were not going to stay as I thought. By the time, I circled around to Pandharpauni it was pitch dark with a heavy Monsoon blanket covering the entire sky. The jungle seemed to enjoy the dramatic change as black napped hares, wild boars, cheetals & egrets seems happy & active. My gypsy was hoodless & I really loved the ferocity of the breeze that was planning to throw me off from my vehicle. Slowly droplets began to fall occasionally as we started heading home from the Tadoba Lake. The darkness & the 'ghost trees' really set the drama that was going to begin. We took the main road & made progress towards the Khatoda gate. Sambars crossed us as the rain drops slowly started hitting us & we sat tight on our seats, eyes closed. By the time, we reached Khatoda, things remained the same. We decided to risk the journey to exit gate- Khutwanda. The sky was dark, darkness had already engulfed the entire reserve & game seemed to have totally vanished by the magic of the nature's fury magician! We carried on through the empty forest till we reached Khutwanda around 18:40. Rain droplets seemed to attack with a strengthened army, as we started feeling the hard hitting impacts of the cold droplets. As we reached around 4km, near an interior village, torrential rain started. Nothing was visible. We had to stop.

We found refuge in a small mud hut in a village. Rain continued very long. Thunder was shouted on the hut where we sat bundled together on the ‘charpai’ offered by the hospitable nice people of the cozy home. Kerosene lamps were lit & we could see the happy home in dim light. We discussed about the tiger sighting, the madness of nature & dramatic change in animal behavior due to the storm. The torrential rain became tired & loosened its grip over us & we started peeping outside from the small doors. Water tricked down from our hats as we tried to venture out. We sat back.

The rain slowly ceased after half an hour. It was already 20:05 & we started off after thanking the ‘forest people’ for their warmth of comfort that they provided us. We didn’t know that Modhuli river was waiting for us. As we reached her, she showed herself like ‘Mahishashur Mardini’ with her fury of racing down from the hills. Her roars penetrated deep into the periphery of the forest & we stood still, silent & lost. For the first time in my life I was caught inside the forest with a roaring river cutting off my path to the park exit. No hood & ‘the tail of the rain’ still showering on us, we stood cold & numb in the rain with the headlight lighting the raging water of the forest river. As the roars of Modhuli slowly settled in our senses, we could hear the cracks of the toads in love & the alarm calls of the sambar in the vicinity. With totally pitch dark on our back & a predator on the move is worth an experience! We became excieted as we torced the place around from our seats. Then slowly, we tried to gauge the depth of the raging waters by walking through it was sure that the 4-wheel drive will not be able to take the deep hidden potholes. We had no options. No mobile network, no human rescue but an open sky & nature watching every us with symphony of her ‘Jungle Rhythms’.

We had to head back to Khutwanda gate after a long wait in anticipation of receding of the Modhuli waters. We had to take special permission from RFO in-charge using the gate’s wireless & headed back through the Mohurli main road crossing few cheetals busy ‘changing sides’. We reached the gate at around 22:00. The entry from Khatoda gate is thus now closed due to that road cut off by rains. This male tiger is of that very day's sighting.

Jungle Rhythms form Youth Force to save the TIGERS

Jungle Rhythms is a NGO who are committed to the save the tigers with kids & youths as a tiger protection force. They organized an awareness campaign – ‘Please. Save my TIGERS’ in Pune on Sunday 18th April, 2010. The campaign was aimed to provide a direction to the youths who are willing to join the force. The campaign was attended by many premier school children & youths who expressed their eagerness to save the most magnificent animal of the Indian wilderness. The campaign started with a painting competition where the youths painted various concerns & aspects of the tiger habitat. A slogan competition & extempore was also conducted in which the youths spoke their hearts out in their own way on how relevant tiger conservation is, how to save the forest ecosystem & pledged to spread the awareness like ‘forest wild fire’. A small skit play was also enacted by a small group of kids where they beautifully portrayed the impact of tiger habitat destruction on human-animal conflict. The campaign concluded with a pledge to join hands to spread the conservation message & work for the survival of the tiger.

Jungle Rhythms is a group of ‘like-minded’ people who are committed towards saving the last few tigers left in the Indian wilderness. Softly listening through tiger habitats across Indian jungles, Jungle Rhythms communicate ‘the voices of the jungle’ direct to the people who can protect them. As 1000 tigers are left in the wild, each animal is now precious & special to each of us.

‘Jungle Rhythms appeals to every youth of the country to step out & join hands to spread the conservation message like ‘wild forest fire’ that will awaken all of us. Please let us work for the survival of the most majestic species of the animal kingdom. Let the phantom of our forests live forever. Please. Save my TIGERS’

A Sad Story.....

The poachers perch on the rough platforms they have built in the trees about five metres above the forest floor, waiting patiently for the tiger to come. They have been searching the forests of India’s Ranthambhore reserve for days, following the pugmarks and other tell-tale signs. When they found the fresh kill, they knew it would only be a matter of time before the tiger returned to eat. Working quickly, they placed their traps on the path, scattering small stones across the dry sandy soil, knowing that tigers hate to walk on them and will pick their way around if they can.

The tiger pads forward, guided by the stones into the trap, which springs shut with a snap. The poachers have fashioned the device from old car suspension plates; there are no teeth, because a damaged pelt will fetch less money. In pain and desperate to free itself, the tiger thrashes around. Another foot catches in another trap, then a third.

The poachers watch to make sure it cannot free itself, then edge down to the ground, still cautious, because a male Bengal tiger can weigh up to 230 kilogrammes and a female 140 kilogrammes and a single blow from those claws could kill a man. One man carries a bamboo stick into which he has poured molten lead to give it more weight. The other has a spear on the end of a three-metre pole. As the tiger opens its mouth, the poacher with the spear lunges forward, stabbing between its open jaws. As the blood starts to flow, he stabs again and again. His colleague smashes the tiger over the head with the stick. When it is over, they draw their heavy iron knives and set to work to skin it. They leave the paws intact; they are too fiddly to waste time on out in the open. Half an hour later, they are gone, melting away unchallenged into the jungle, once more eluding the forest guards.

Full story at: http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/3555-Racing-to-save-India-s-tigers-1-

Cubs can save themselves

The Times of India
New Delhi
19 Apr 2010

Amid reports of tiger deaths, there seems to be light at the end of the tunel with wildlife officials spotting over 112 tiger cubs in national parks across the country. "This is one good sign of breeding among the female tigresses which we hope would check the decline of the endangered animals," a senior official from National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) said.

"There have been sighting of 112 cubs in reserves like Nagarhole (10 cubs) and Bandipur (12) in Karnataka, Nagarjunsagar (10) in Andhra Pradesh and Kanha (22), Bandhavgarh (12) and Pench (10) in Madhya Pradesh," he said. In core forest areas of Tadoba reserves in Maharashtra, Dudhawa in UP and Ranthambore national park in Rajasthan, 13, 16 and 10 cubs respectively, were sighted with their mothers. There are 39 tiger reserves in the country.Though the cubs aged between one month to two years will not be counted in the ongoing census, officials pray for their safety as they are prone to various illnesses and poaching.

In Pench Tiger Reserve last December, severe cold condition leading to lung congestion proved fatal for two cubs.Also, the mother tigers have to protect the cubs from their partners who sometimes kill them. The officials have installed camera traps and intensified patrolling to monitor their movement.

Please. Save my TIGERS!

Jungle Rhythms is a group of ‘like-minded’ people who are committed towards saving the last few tigers left in the Indian wilderness. Softly listening through tiger habitats across Indian jungles, Jungle Rhythms communicate ‘the voices of the jungle’ direct to the people who can protect them. As 1000 tigers are left in the wild, each animal is now precious & special to each of us. Jungle Rhythms appeals to every youth of the country to step out & join hands to spread the conservation message like ‘wild forest fire’ that will awaken all of us. Please let us work towards the survival of the most majestic species of the animal kingdom. Let the phantom of our forests live forever.

Department of Forests and Wildlife (DFW)

The Asian Age
New Delhi
20 Mar 2010

Wildlife conservationists believe the decision of the Prime Minister to carve an Independent Department of Forests and Wildlife (DFW) headed by a secretary from the Indian Forests Service will provide a major boost for wildlife conservation.

This dedicated service will focus on both conserving wildlife and in ensuring better health to forests which cover 21 per cent of the land mass of India and which are under threats from “development and mining” projects being executed in these reserved areas.A decision to this effect was taken at the fifth meeting of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL} chaired by the Prime Minister on Thursday and attended by its 45 members including Union minister for environment Jairam Ramesh. The NBWL has 15 non-official members from which four are part of the 12-member strong standing committee of the NBWL.The cadre of forest officers are jubilant at what they feel is a “historic” decision as this will open up their promotion avenues and is being seen as a first step for the formation of a separate ministry of forests and wildlife. The proposal for this bifurcation was made by standing committee member Valmik Thapar. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s succinct, “Do it” provided the requisite sanction to a demand which had been pending before the government for the last decade.Mr Thapar believes, “This decision will play a catalytic role in triggering change and is being perceived as a first step to the carving out of a separate ministry of wildlife and forests.” “Expenditure for the DFW has risen from Rs 3500 crore in 2008-9 to Rs 8,500 crore in 2009-10. Such large expenditure requires greater efficiency both at the central and state levels.”Mr Thapar believes the states will have to adjust to this decision. He cited the example of Rajasthan where the minister of forests is also holding the portfolio of the minister of mines. “This involves a clash of interests and this has to change,” said Mr Thapar. The Prime Minister had, in the course of the meeting, emphasised the early relocation of villagers living in the tiger reserves as an important step to save the tiger habitat. Commenting on the dwindling tiger population, Mr Ramesh had warned that already, in 18 tiger reserves, the tiger population had reached rock bottom. “Once it went below a certain percentage, it would be difficult for the species to recover,” Mr Ramesh had explained.NBWL members including Belinda Wright expressed concern at the “linear threats from development activity including building of roads and use of bulldozers in forests.”Members also called for future financial allocations being made on a site specific basis to prevent dilution of funds. Ms Wright cited the example of the Compensatory Afforestation Management Planning Authority (CAMPA) which had a corpus of Rs 13,000 crore. “From this, Rs 800 crore was released to 23 states but unfortunately the money has been whittled independent away,” she said. The NBWL also called for the involvement of experts to monitor wildlife reserves.

Forest guards open a new front against poachers

Daily News & Analysis
New Delhi
24 Feb 2010
Gyan Varma

To hunt down poachers, forest guards in 30 tiger reserves are now using equipment normally used by army personnel to locate landmines laid by terrorists and enemy soldiers.

For the first time, the ministry of environment and forests and WWF have come together to deploy deep search detectors to locate traps laid for tigers. And the equipment is helping, with several traps in some of the most protected tiger reserves of the country thwarted.

“We got a letter from officials in Dudhwa Tiger Reserve on how the deep search detector has helped them bring down the [poaching] menace. A total of 30 tiger reserves have been given 60 such detectors,” Samir Sinha, head of TRAFFIC, India, said.He said the idea was to equip forest guards with technology and train them, so that they carry out their responsibilities effectively.

“If technology is available, why not use it?” Sinha is also working on a project to train forest guards in collecting forensic evidence from sites where poachers have killed tigers or other animals. “There is no difference between investigating a murder and investigating poaching. Crucial forensic evidence, such as finger prints, shoe marks, tracks, is available at poaching sites. We need to arm our forest officials with the right technology for best results,” he said, adding that the government was planning to increase punishment for poachers.

In yet another instance of better use of resources, well-trained sniffer dogs are being widely used against the organised poaching mafia. Such dogs have been already deployed in reserves in five states, with Uttarakhand and Haryana leading the way. “Sniffer dogs are the new weapon against poachers. They can be used for tracking and recovering animal skin,” Sinha said.

Shocking News! Only 1000 Tigers left in the Wild

Hindustan Times
New Delhi
17 Feb 2010


Chetan Chauhan,
India’s wild tiger population is less than the often claimed figure of 1,411 tigers.

“It (the figure) is an exaggeration,” Environment and Forest Minister Jairam Ramesh said, while launching a handbook on wildlife law enforcement in India. “I don’t know from where the figure came. Probably, the number of tigers in the wild are much lower and are diminishing day by day”.

Hindustan Times was the first to report in January that India’s wild tiger population may not be more than 1,000. Many experts have doubts over the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NCTA) figure of 1,411.

“To me, there are not more than 1,000 to 1,100 tigers in the wild,” said P.K. Sen, former director of Project Tiger.

The Tiger Census report had estimated maximum of 1,650 and minimum of 1,150 tigers in 2007. It meant an average of 1,411 tigers. Since then, over 100 deaths have been reported.

The new tiger census that uses better methodology will be completed by October and by December 2010, the number of big cat would be out.

Belinda Wright, executive director of Wildlife Protection Society of India, said: “The tiger estimate in new census would be less” than in 2008.

However, Sen said that “Except Corbett Tiger Reserve, the tiger population in most other reserves has diminished.”

But four tigers died in Corbett last month, which Anil Baluni, deputy chairman of state environment and forest advisory committee, said were because of natural reasons. “There wasn’t even a single case of poaching as all body parts were intact,” he said.

Tracking every Tiger

Due to increased problems with poaching, the conservation organization TRAFFIC has joined with the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) to begin tracking every tiger mortality in India with a new website called Tigernet-http://www.tigernet.nic.in/.

The website will also track tiger-related crimes, allowing wildlife wardens and field directors of Project Tiger Reserves to access key data on tiger death and crime in an instant, including seizures of tiger products.

Since the Bengal tiger (panthera tigris tigris) is a flagship species in India, the organizations say they hope the website will aid biodiversity overall in India by providing up-to-date information on wildlife criminals for whom tigers is just one of the more lucrative targets. For instance, the site is currently reporting the poaching of a leopard in Jammu and Kashmir.

The website also hopes to involve the public in reporting wildlife crimes by providing a place where citizens can send in their own reports.

According to a press release by TRAFFIC, “[the] collection of streamlined information is the first step toward addressing the root cause of a misdeed and this website has to be seen in this context. It is hoped that it will engender a spirit of honesty and cooperation among all major stakeholders in Tiger conservation in the country for remedial action to save the majestic predator of the Indian jungles along with all the other denizens that cohabit with this species.”

India has been seen as one of the very few bright spots in tiger conservation. However, in 2008 the nation downgraded its likely number of tigers from 3,508 to 1,411. Poaching continues to be a major problem for tigers not just in India but in every remaining habitat. The poaching is fueled by the black market in tiger parts, which are used in traditional Chinese medicines. While China has currently banned any selling of tiger parts, the ban has not stopped the underground trade. In a 2008 poll of Chinese residents in seven major cities, 43 percent admitted that they had consumed products that they thought contained tiger parts.

Three subspecies of tiger already vanished in the 20th Century: the Javan, the Balinese, and the Caspian tiger due to habitat loss and poaching. Six subspecies remain; two of which are considered Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List: the South China Tiger (panthera tigris amoyensis) and the Sumatran Tiger (panthera tigris sumatrae).