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).

Ranthambhor Tigers still roam in peace

Ranthambhore National Park, before a princely game conserve is the scene where the celebrated Indian Tiger is best seen. Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve lies on the junction of Aravali and Vindhyas just 14 Kms from Sawai Madhopur in Eastern Rajasthan. It sprawls over a varying and undulating landscape. The scenery changes dramatically from gentle and steep slopes of the Vindhyas and sharp and conical hills of the Aravali. A tenth century fort also blends amicably with the background. Pure sands of Dhok (Anogeissus pendula) interspersed with grasslands at the plateaus, meadows in valleys and luxuriant foliage around the canals make the jungle. Three big lakes – Padam Talab (meaning Lake), Malik Talab and Raj Bagh – are similar turquoises studded in the vast forest that abounds with aquatic vegetation including duckweeds, lilies and lotus.A significant geological feature within the park is the 'Great Boundary Fault' where the Vindhaya plateau meets the Aravali range. The Rivers Chambal in the South and the Banas in the North bound the National Park. The park is dotted with steep rocky hills and the dominating architecture of Ranthambhor Fort (built in the 10th century), adds to its landscape. The rugged park terrain alternates between dry deciduous forest, open grassy meadow, dotted by several lakes and rivers that are only made passable by rough roads built and maintained by the Forest Service.

The tiger is not the only attraction at Ranthambhore although it is the one park resident that people come to see. A variety of birds including Owlets, the ubiquitous Langur (monkey), Leopard, Caracal, Hyena, Jackal, Jungle Cat, marsh Crocodiles, Wild Boar, Bears and various species of Deer are the other attractions.

Ranthambhor is plagued by the typical problems encountered by all game reserves in India - people living in and around the parks and grazing by livestock! Between 1976-1979, 12 villages within Ranthambhore National Park were resettled outside the designated park area with only a few people now residing in scattered hamlets within the park. Of course poachers continue their activities with increasing demand from China for Tiger parts. There are no accurate figures on how many tigers and poachers kill other species, but on occasion evidence appears in the form of large numbers of skins and other body parts found on couriers.The park is well staffed and the folk who man the centres and the mandatory guides - one for every vehicle, are knowledgeable of the terrain and some even know the Latin names of most species.The tiger is not the only attraction at Ranthambhore; although it is the one park resident people come to see. You can be lucky to see several varieties of birds including these owlets peering through their burrow pictured here on the right and of course the ubiquitous langur monkey. Other animals in the reserve include leopard, caracal, hyena, jackal, jungle cat, marsh crocodiles, wild boar, bears and various species of deer.