Story/place-Nagpur.
NAGPUR: When alarm bells are ringing for the Great Indian Bustards (GIBs) in the state, sighting of two GIBs on Thursday evening in Mandwa near Bhiwapur in the Nagpur Forest Division has come has a good news for wildlife buffs and forest officials. GIB is an endangered bird like the tiger and leopard and listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act (WPA) 1972.
This is after more than two years that GIBs were sighted in the Nagpur Division. N Rambabu, conservator of forests (CF), Nagpur Division, claimed the last sighting of a GIB in the division was recorded on October 1, 2008. "In the past two census, we drew a blank," he said.
The two GIBs -- perhaps male and female - were sighted in a farm at 4.45 pm by a wildlife volunteer Rohit Karoo. Karoo said that one GIB was sighted in the same area two years ago. Since then there were no sightings of the birds.
Gopal Thosar, a veteran bird expert and who has been volunteering to organise GIB census with the forest department, had similar information about the GIBs near Mandwa last month but couldn't sight the bird.
"The information is correct. From 1982 to 2004, two GIBs were sighted every year in Umred tehsil. There may be more birds but as there is no regular monitoring, it is difficult to say how many GIBs are there in the division," Thosar told TOI.
Mandwa, where the birds were sighted, is 58 km from Nagpur. Earlier, a lone GIB was sighted in Temasna village, 22 km from Nagpur on August 3 and again on October 1, 2008.
In the annual exercise conducted from August 3-5, in GIB pockets in Vidarbha, only five birds (two males and three females) were sighted in Warora in Chandrapur district. No GIB was sighted in the Nagpur Division, which had a record of three GIBs.
Similarly, from a record 33 GIBs in 2007, this year, shockingly 9 birds were sighted in Nannaj Bustard Sanctuary. After Rajasthan, Maharashtra comes second in India as far as of GIB population is concerned.
Thosar adds the GIB has adopted flat farmlands as its habitat as grasslands are vanishing. Mines and power plants are emerging threats. Hence, farmers protecting these birds on their land need to be honoured and benefitted.
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Aquatic life in troubled waters at Chambal
Story/place-Kanpur.
KANPUR: The National Chambal Sanctuary in Etawah district which is a habitat of aquatic animals has become a dangerous terrain for these animals. Rampant poaching of the aquatic animals, including endangered turtle, gharial, crocodile and Gangetic dolphin, is posing a threat to their existence. Found in 1979 and spread over 435 km, the sanctuary is among the country's premier wildlife sanctuaries.
The Chambal river was once considered a safe haven for aquatic creatures to breed. Wildlife experts are a worried lot as the forest and wildlife department has not yet come up with any initiative to save the endangered aquatic species from being killed.
According to wildlife experts, the number of dolphins is 94, as per a survey conducted in 2007-2008. "The sanctuary, a favourable habitat for aquatic animals, is facing a serious threat from poachers," Dr Rajiv Chauhan, secretary, Society for Conservation of Nature, told TOI.
Most of these poachers belonging to `Mallah' and `Machua' tribes are residing in villages situated on the banks of linked rivers like the Yamuna, the Sindh, the Pahuj and the Chambal.
"In the absence of proper monitoring, the most affected at present are aquatic animals, particularly turtles, gharials, crocodiles and Gangetic dolphins. The government agencies should try to make better arrangements at the earliest so that the animals do not suffer. It is high time they should be conserved," Chauhan said further.
He said it was shocking that till date no proper measures have been adopted by the state government to save the Gangetic dolphin, even after it was declared the national aquatic animal, early this year.
"The Gangetic dolphins found in the region are a rare species. Earlier, it was found in the Ganga river basin and all the linked rivers. But, now their habitat is limited to only a few rivers. The Brahmaputra, the Ganga and the Chambal rivers are its natural habitat. In these specific rivers, there must be around 2,000 to 2,500 dolphins," said Dr Rajiv Chauhan, secretary, Society for Conservation of Nature, further.
According to the forest department, besides providing a safe harbour to Gangetic dolphin, turtles, gharial and crocodile, the 435 km stretch of the Chambal also boasts of smooth-coated otters, various species of terrapins, chinkara, sambar, nilgai, chital, hyena, wolf, wild boar, bar-headed goose, brown hawk Owl, booted eagle, black-bellied tern, river tern, black ibis, jungle babbler, fishing cats and white wagtail and endless varieties of monkeys and python, and a profusion of 250 species of birds, which includes the state bird Indian sarus.
"Gangetic dolphins are the lifeline of Gangetic basin. If the dolphin number increases, it is a sign of pollution-free river. If the number decreases, it is a sign of increasing pollution in the river," said Neeraj Kumar, deputy conservator of forest, National Chambal Sanctuary, Agra.
Not very long ago, a dead dolphin was recovered from the banks of Chambal in Etawah. The forest department officials said the dolphin had died due to heat, Dr Chauhan said. Though the forest department started a probe into the incident, the final conclusion was reached without proper investigations, he claimed.
Another wildlife enthusiast informed that Gangetic dolphins have been included in Schedule-I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, "thereby affording them the highest degree of protection".
The National Chambal sanctuary falls in two other states (Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh) as well and is also known as a pet habitat for the endangered gharial.
Another aquatic animal, which has become a soft-target for poachers is the turtle. `Mallah' and `Kanjar' tribes from places like Pinahut in Agra and Gyanpura and Bansari in Etawah are known for trapping turtles in Chambal region. Only recently, nearly 37 kg of plasterol skin of these turtles was seized by Etawah district police. "They are killing these freshwater reptiles in the upstream of Chambal river in Etawah and Agra region for a measly amount of Rs 50 to Rs 100," said ASP, Manoj Sonker, while talking to TOI.
The smugglers use ordinary handbags to carry the turtles, to avoid being caught. In February this year, Etawah police had conducted several raids in Kanjaranpurwa village and recovered nearly 2,000 turtles after being tipped off by the forest department officials and locals.
Turtles were found in large numbers in the 425 km long stretch of Chambal river, considered to be their pet habitat. This was till hunters in the region discovered that their dry plasterol skin could bring them huge profits. The skin is used for preparing soup, which is liked in the south Asian countries. Every breeding season, the harmless creatures are killed by the hunters. They lay traps in deep waters of Chambal to catch the endangered species. A senior forest department official admitted that gangs, particularly from both these tribes, are active in the region.
Another wildlife expert revealed that the consignments first reach Kolkata and Assam via train routes and from there these turtles are smuggled to countries like Thailand and Malaysia through sea routes, where they fetch a good amount.
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
KANPUR: The National Chambal Sanctuary in Etawah district which is a habitat of aquatic animals has become a dangerous terrain for these animals. Rampant poaching of the aquatic animals, including endangered turtle, gharial, crocodile and Gangetic dolphin, is posing a threat to their existence. Found in 1979 and spread over 435 km, the sanctuary is among the country's premier wildlife sanctuaries.
The Chambal river was once considered a safe haven for aquatic creatures to breed. Wildlife experts are a worried lot as the forest and wildlife department has not yet come up with any initiative to save the endangered aquatic species from being killed.
According to wildlife experts, the number of dolphins is 94, as per a survey conducted in 2007-2008. "The sanctuary, a favourable habitat for aquatic animals, is facing a serious threat from poachers," Dr Rajiv Chauhan, secretary, Society for Conservation of Nature, told TOI.
Most of these poachers belonging to `Mallah' and `Machua' tribes are residing in villages situated on the banks of linked rivers like the Yamuna, the Sindh, the Pahuj and the Chambal.
"In the absence of proper monitoring, the most affected at present are aquatic animals, particularly turtles, gharials, crocodiles and Gangetic dolphins. The government agencies should try to make better arrangements at the earliest so that the animals do not suffer. It is high time they should be conserved," Chauhan said further.
He said it was shocking that till date no proper measures have been adopted by the state government to save the Gangetic dolphin, even after it was declared the national aquatic animal, early this year.
"The Gangetic dolphins found in the region are a rare species. Earlier, it was found in the Ganga river basin and all the linked rivers. But, now their habitat is limited to only a few rivers. The Brahmaputra, the Ganga and the Chambal rivers are its natural habitat. In these specific rivers, there must be around 2,000 to 2,500 dolphins," said Dr Rajiv Chauhan, secretary, Society for Conservation of Nature, further.
According to the forest department, besides providing a safe harbour to Gangetic dolphin, turtles, gharial and crocodile, the 435 km stretch of the Chambal also boasts of smooth-coated otters, various species of terrapins, chinkara, sambar, nilgai, chital, hyena, wolf, wild boar, bar-headed goose, brown hawk Owl, booted eagle, black-bellied tern, river tern, black ibis, jungle babbler, fishing cats and white wagtail and endless varieties of monkeys and python, and a profusion of 250 species of birds, which includes the state bird Indian sarus.
"Gangetic dolphins are the lifeline of Gangetic basin. If the dolphin number increases, it is a sign of pollution-free river. If the number decreases, it is a sign of increasing pollution in the river," said Neeraj Kumar, deputy conservator of forest, National Chambal Sanctuary, Agra.
Not very long ago, a dead dolphin was recovered from the banks of Chambal in Etawah. The forest department officials said the dolphin had died due to heat, Dr Chauhan said. Though the forest department started a probe into the incident, the final conclusion was reached without proper investigations, he claimed.
Another wildlife enthusiast informed that Gangetic dolphins have been included in Schedule-I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, "thereby affording them the highest degree of protection".
The National Chambal sanctuary falls in two other states (Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh) as well and is also known as a pet habitat for the endangered gharial.
Another aquatic animal, which has become a soft-target for poachers is the turtle. `Mallah' and `Kanjar' tribes from places like Pinahut in Agra and Gyanpura and Bansari in Etawah are known for trapping turtles in Chambal region. Only recently, nearly 37 kg of plasterol skin of these turtles was seized by Etawah district police. "They are killing these freshwater reptiles in the upstream of Chambal river in Etawah and Agra region for a measly amount of Rs 50 to Rs 100," said ASP, Manoj Sonker, while talking to TOI.
The smugglers use ordinary handbags to carry the turtles, to avoid being caught. In February this year, Etawah police had conducted several raids in Kanjaranpurwa village and recovered nearly 2,000 turtles after being tipped off by the forest department officials and locals.
Turtles were found in large numbers in the 425 km long stretch of Chambal river, considered to be their pet habitat. This was till hunters in the region discovered that their dry plasterol skin could bring them huge profits. The skin is used for preparing soup, which is liked in the south Asian countries. Every breeding season, the harmless creatures are killed by the hunters. They lay traps in deep waters of Chambal to catch the endangered species. A senior forest department official admitted that gangs, particularly from both these tribes, are active in the region.
Another wildlife expert revealed that the consignments first reach Kolkata and Assam via train routes and from there these turtles are smuggled to countries like Thailand and Malaysia through sea routes, where they fetch a good amount.
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Thursday, December 9, 2010
To save straying tigers, NTCA chief for enforcing Sec 144 CrPC
Story/place-New delhi.
Dec 6, 2010,
NEW DELHI: In view of increasing cases of tigers straying from protected areas, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) chief Rajesh Gopal has suggested restricting the movement of people by imposing Section 144 CrPC on such tracts to avoid lethal man-animal encounters.
Lawyers handling wildlife cases have given a thumbs-up to the "pro-conservation advisory" but doubted if it could be smoothly implemented as the Section, which also allows for preventive detention, is usually enforced as a precautionary measure against untoward incidents like riots or protests.
The suggestion came in the wake of increasing cases of tiger straying particularly in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra where due to a mob frenzy either the locals get killed by the straying animal or vice-versa, threatening the conservation efforts.
Lamenting that such moving tigers get "branded" as "man-eaters" and eventually land in 'zoos' or get eliminated, Gopal stressed on a need to address the issue actively at the ground level with enforcement of Section 144 CrPc being one of the solution.
With only 1,411 big cats left in the forests, NTCA member secretary said every tiger is precious to us.
"An instance of a straying big cat or leopard should be treated on a par with any other situation involving violence, and adequate deployment of local police and state armed force needs to be done, besides sensitising the local people," he said.
He said, perhaps, to avoid lethal encounters, it is advisable to impose Section 144 of the CrPC in such areas.
Saurabh Sharma, a lawyer with Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), was all for the implementation of the Section but had a word of caution. "Administratively it is a difficult proposition. At times straying of the animal becomes a major incident especially when a mob is involved.
"Nevertheless, it can be experimented with to ascertain its success. Its a good pro-conservation advisory." he added.
Advocate Avinash Baskar from Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) led by tiger expert Belinda Wright too echoed similar views saying the Section is an enabling provision for the state in such cases.
"But at the ground level due to practical reasons it has to be looked into if there is sufficient time for machinery to move in to execute the measure," Baskar said.
Besides advising enforcement of Section 144 CrPc, Gopal also underlined the need for mapping the traditional movement path of tigers for restoration inputs and encouraging the people to make the areas inviolate by offering them incentives. P
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Dec 6, 2010,
NEW DELHI: In view of increasing cases of tigers straying from protected areas, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) chief Rajesh Gopal has suggested restricting the movement of people by imposing Section 144 CrPC on such tracts to avoid lethal man-animal encounters.
Lawyers handling wildlife cases have given a thumbs-up to the "pro-conservation advisory" but doubted if it could be smoothly implemented as the Section, which also allows for preventive detention, is usually enforced as a precautionary measure against untoward incidents like riots or protests.
The suggestion came in the wake of increasing cases of tiger straying particularly in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra where due to a mob frenzy either the locals get killed by the straying animal or vice-versa, threatening the conservation efforts.
Lamenting that such moving tigers get "branded" as "man-eaters" and eventually land in 'zoos' or get eliminated, Gopal stressed on a need to address the issue actively at the ground level with enforcement of Section 144 CrPc being one of the solution.
With only 1,411 big cats left in the forests, NTCA member secretary said every tiger is precious to us.
"An instance of a straying big cat or leopard should be treated on a par with any other situation involving violence, and adequate deployment of local police and state armed force needs to be done, besides sensitising the local people," he said.
He said, perhaps, to avoid lethal encounters, it is advisable to impose Section 144 of the CrPC in such areas.
Saurabh Sharma, a lawyer with Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), was all for the implementation of the Section but had a word of caution. "Administratively it is a difficult proposition. At times straying of the animal becomes a major incident especially when a mob is involved.
"Nevertheless, it can be experimented with to ascertain its success. Its a good pro-conservation advisory." he added.
Advocate Avinash Baskar from Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) led by tiger expert Belinda Wright too echoed similar views saying the Section is an enabling provision for the state in such cases.
"But at the ground level due to practical reasons it has to be looked into if there is sufficient time for machinery to move in to execute the measure," Baskar said.
Besides advising enforcement of Section 144 CrPc, Gopal also underlined the need for mapping the traditional movement path of tigers for restoration inputs and encouraging the people to make the areas inviolate by offering them incentives. P
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Jairam Ramesh, the indefatigable
Story/place-tamil nadu
Jairam Ramesh, the indefatigable Minister for Environment and Forests, exhorted the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister on July 15, 2010 to ‘consider the possibility of proposing the Sathyamangalam Wild Life Sanctuary as a Tiger Reserve, vis-à-vis the provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972' as ‘ the area is contiguous with the forests of Chamrajnagar-Bandipur-Mudumalai'. This came on cue and with clockwork precision after it was reported early this year that the tiger numbers had doubled to 18 in a year. The ground was prepared when a good 36 per cent of the 1455.31 sq km of Sathyamangalam in Guthiyalathur and Talamalai Forests, an area of 524.35 sq km, was declared a Wildlife Sanctuary in 2008 itself.
Connecting corridor
The Sathyamangalam forest division is contiguous to the Biligirirangan Temple Wildlife Sanctuary in the neighbouring Chamarajanagar District of Karnataka. This forest links the Eastern and Western Ghats. It connects to the 321 sq km Mudumalai, the 872.24 sq km Bandipur and the 643.35 sq km Nagarhole Critical Tiger Habitats (CTHs). All that remains now is the 344 sq km Wayanad Wild Life Sanctuary. Together, this will constitute the biggest tiger and elephant habitat in the country! Already, the proposal to notify 580 sq km of the Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary as a CTH has been approved close on the heels of the approvals in Sunabeda in Orissa, Shahyadri in Maharashtra, Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh and Ratapani in Madhya Pradesh.
The 25,551 sq km of tiger forests in 2007 rapidly expanded to 32,878 sq km, a whopping 22 per cent increase in just three years! The number of Tiger Reserves jumped from 28 to 39, spread over 17 states. Already the buffer zone spans a vast 11,029.0781 sq km in just 13 CTHs. There are 26 more yet to figure out the buffer zone. Those who had all along coexisted with tigers are to be pushed out from the CTH. The 2006 amendment to the Wildlife Protection Act requires the CTH to be ‘inviolate', freed of all human activity. Once depopulated, the tiger habitats are to be the secured enclosures for the exclusive delight of the prosperous class for whose ‘development' and ‘growth' the forests and its wildlife are primarily decimated.
Jairam Ramesh in his press statement of May 4, 2010 was categorical: ‘there is no such proposal' to ban tourism in tiger reserves. In fact, he assures us that ‘tourism is essential' for the tiger conservation though ‘tourism in the 39 Project Tiger Reserves, particularly in core areas, will be strictly regulated'. Wildlife officials collaborating with the tourism industry and the self-proclaimed wild-lifers, who normally never cohabit with tigers, will take total control of these ‘inviolate' areas. A new tiger-forest dependent community for their livelihood is created in and around this free of all human activity CTH! You might say it is an oxymoron; it surely is!
On the fast track
Tigers spell money and lots of them. From a mere Rs. 12 crores per year during 1972 to 2004, the Project Tiger budget leapfrogged to Rs. 201.53 crores during 2009-10. Project Tiger got fast-tracked and is showcased as a national obsession and pride.
It all started in early 2005 when the tigers in Sariska of Rajasthan turned out to be just paper tigers, a ploy to extract funds. The tigers had all vanished. By then Rs. 2 crores had already been spent per tiger. The outraged nation, at least the influential urbanites, took the government to task. The result was ‘Joining the Dots' on what ails our tiger reserves, the 2005 Report of the five-member Tiger Task Force. It found that the current approach of guns, guards and fences is simply not the answer. The forest and wildlife bureaucracy relationship with those who coexist with and share the tiger's habitat had turned from bad to worse; less than 10 per cent of the families in tiger reserves were relocated in 30 years. The simmering anger was a sure recipe for disaster for both conservation and wildlife.
The Manmohan Singh government quickly moved in within months of the damning Report, quite unusual though, with an amendment to the rather colonial and archaic anti-people Wildlife Protection Act. This amendment of 2006 created the National Tiger Conservation Authority. Tiger Reserves, until then an administrative category of Project Tiger, became a statutory one. The Left parties in the Parliament introduced the much-needed democratic procedure for determining CTHs. This itself was an outcome of the raging misplaced tribal versus tiger debate that followed the introduction of Forest Rights Act in the Parliament in 2005. The rapidly swelling tide of discontent in the forest areas forced the political parties and the governments to sit up and concede that a ‘historic injustice' had been perpetrated on forest peoples. They agreed to resolve this once and for all. The Forest Rights Act of 2006, a much-delayed decolonisation of forest legislations, was the outcome. It influenced the amendment to the Wildlife Protection Act in 2006.
Everything seemed to be going swell; the number of tigers was increasing, and the forest dwellers were happy that finally their traditional rights in the forest were recognised and that they were central to the conservation strategy. But upsetting this flagship political project of tribal and tiger of the UPA government, the forest bureaucracy and the newly constituted National Tiger Conservation Authority went about systematically subverting the process. Old habits die hard it seems!
Bypassing the law
The law requires that CTHs are notified through a public consultation, with scientific evidence and opinion of experts, the consent of forest dwellers in the area, and an agreed-upon relocation package. This was to prevent arbitrary declarations of areas as “critical tiger habitats” and “buffer zones”. The forest bureaucracy and the state governments instead by-passed all these and notified CTHs, mostly in December 2007 itself. The implementation of the Forest Rights Act itself has been tardy in all the three southern states with none getting any title as yet in Tamil Nadu.
Unrest spread throughout Mudumalai with protests, bandhs and blockades peaking in December 2009, when over half a lakh tribals protested on the streets of Gudalur in Nilgiris. The Soligas of Biligirirangan Temple Wildlife Sanctuary have vowed to oppose the CTH declaration. Wayanad has long history of Adivasi struggles for land rights. Nagarhole has seen protests against eviction and non-compliance with the Forest Rights Act. Will Sathyamangalam too join in this spreading unrest? The largest tiger habitat has been successfully turned into a conflict zone by the state and forest bureaucracy endangering both the tribals and the tigers.
source-hindu.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Jairam Ramesh, the indefatigable Minister for Environment and Forests, exhorted the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister on July 15, 2010 to ‘consider the possibility of proposing the Sathyamangalam Wild Life Sanctuary as a Tiger Reserve, vis-à-vis the provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972' as ‘ the area is contiguous with the forests of Chamrajnagar-Bandipur-Mudumalai'. This came on cue and with clockwork precision after it was reported early this year that the tiger numbers had doubled to 18 in a year. The ground was prepared when a good 36 per cent of the 1455.31 sq km of Sathyamangalam in Guthiyalathur and Talamalai Forests, an area of 524.35 sq km, was declared a Wildlife Sanctuary in 2008 itself.
Connecting corridor
The Sathyamangalam forest division is contiguous to the Biligirirangan Temple Wildlife Sanctuary in the neighbouring Chamarajanagar District of Karnataka. This forest links the Eastern and Western Ghats. It connects to the 321 sq km Mudumalai, the 872.24 sq km Bandipur and the 643.35 sq km Nagarhole Critical Tiger Habitats (CTHs). All that remains now is the 344 sq km Wayanad Wild Life Sanctuary. Together, this will constitute the biggest tiger and elephant habitat in the country! Already, the proposal to notify 580 sq km of the Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary as a CTH has been approved close on the heels of the approvals in Sunabeda in Orissa, Shahyadri in Maharashtra, Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh and Ratapani in Madhya Pradesh.
The 25,551 sq km of tiger forests in 2007 rapidly expanded to 32,878 sq km, a whopping 22 per cent increase in just three years! The number of Tiger Reserves jumped from 28 to 39, spread over 17 states. Already the buffer zone spans a vast 11,029.0781 sq km in just 13 CTHs. There are 26 more yet to figure out the buffer zone. Those who had all along coexisted with tigers are to be pushed out from the CTH. The 2006 amendment to the Wildlife Protection Act requires the CTH to be ‘inviolate', freed of all human activity. Once depopulated, the tiger habitats are to be the secured enclosures for the exclusive delight of the prosperous class for whose ‘development' and ‘growth' the forests and its wildlife are primarily decimated.
Jairam Ramesh in his press statement of May 4, 2010 was categorical: ‘there is no such proposal' to ban tourism in tiger reserves. In fact, he assures us that ‘tourism is essential' for the tiger conservation though ‘tourism in the 39 Project Tiger Reserves, particularly in core areas, will be strictly regulated'. Wildlife officials collaborating with the tourism industry and the self-proclaimed wild-lifers, who normally never cohabit with tigers, will take total control of these ‘inviolate' areas. A new tiger-forest dependent community for their livelihood is created in and around this free of all human activity CTH! You might say it is an oxymoron; it surely is!
On the fast track
Tigers spell money and lots of them. From a mere Rs. 12 crores per year during 1972 to 2004, the Project Tiger budget leapfrogged to Rs. 201.53 crores during 2009-10. Project Tiger got fast-tracked and is showcased as a national obsession and pride.
It all started in early 2005 when the tigers in Sariska of Rajasthan turned out to be just paper tigers, a ploy to extract funds. The tigers had all vanished. By then Rs. 2 crores had already been spent per tiger. The outraged nation, at least the influential urbanites, took the government to task. The result was ‘Joining the Dots' on what ails our tiger reserves, the 2005 Report of the five-member Tiger Task Force. It found that the current approach of guns, guards and fences is simply not the answer. The forest and wildlife bureaucracy relationship with those who coexist with and share the tiger's habitat had turned from bad to worse; less than 10 per cent of the families in tiger reserves were relocated in 30 years. The simmering anger was a sure recipe for disaster for both conservation and wildlife.
The Manmohan Singh government quickly moved in within months of the damning Report, quite unusual though, with an amendment to the rather colonial and archaic anti-people Wildlife Protection Act. This amendment of 2006 created the National Tiger Conservation Authority. Tiger Reserves, until then an administrative category of Project Tiger, became a statutory one. The Left parties in the Parliament introduced the much-needed democratic procedure for determining CTHs. This itself was an outcome of the raging misplaced tribal versus tiger debate that followed the introduction of Forest Rights Act in the Parliament in 2005. The rapidly swelling tide of discontent in the forest areas forced the political parties and the governments to sit up and concede that a ‘historic injustice' had been perpetrated on forest peoples. They agreed to resolve this once and for all. The Forest Rights Act of 2006, a much-delayed decolonisation of forest legislations, was the outcome. It influenced the amendment to the Wildlife Protection Act in 2006.
Everything seemed to be going swell; the number of tigers was increasing, and the forest dwellers were happy that finally their traditional rights in the forest were recognised and that they were central to the conservation strategy. But upsetting this flagship political project of tribal and tiger of the UPA government, the forest bureaucracy and the newly constituted National Tiger Conservation Authority went about systematically subverting the process. Old habits die hard it seems!
Bypassing the law
The law requires that CTHs are notified through a public consultation, with scientific evidence and opinion of experts, the consent of forest dwellers in the area, and an agreed-upon relocation package. This was to prevent arbitrary declarations of areas as “critical tiger habitats” and “buffer zones”. The forest bureaucracy and the state governments instead by-passed all these and notified CTHs, mostly in December 2007 itself. The implementation of the Forest Rights Act itself has been tardy in all the three southern states with none getting any title as yet in Tamil Nadu.
Unrest spread throughout Mudumalai with protests, bandhs and blockades peaking in December 2009, when over half a lakh tribals protested on the streets of Gudalur in Nilgiris. The Soligas of Biligirirangan Temple Wildlife Sanctuary have vowed to oppose the CTH declaration. Wayanad has long history of Adivasi struggles for land rights. Nagarhole has seen protests against eviction and non-compliance with the Forest Rights Act. Will Sathyamangalam too join in this spreading unrest? The largest tiger habitat has been successfully turned into a conflict zone by the state and forest bureaucracy endangering both the tribals and the tigers.
source-hindu.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Saturday, December 4, 2010
NTCA meet on NH6 inconclusive
Story/place- Nagpur
Dec 2, 2010
NAGPUR: The meeting called by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), on Tuesday, to look into the violations in four-laning of national highway No 6 in the 85-km patch between Deori and Lakhni in Gondia and Bhandara districts remained inconclusive.
This was for the first time in the past two years that the NTCA called a meeting in Delhi. It was attended by joint director SP Yadav, chief conservator of forest (CCF) Nagpur Wildlife Circle, AK Saxena, National Highway Authority of India's (NHAI) VK Sharma, assistant inspector general of forests (IGF) Umakant and manager of Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) Milind Pariwakkam.
Sources said the meeting remained inconclusive as the principal chief conservator of forests for wildlife is yet to give his opinion on the report submitted by the CCF on series of violations and how the four-laning work cuts tiger corridor. Another meeting will be held on December 20.
Although the official from the state supported his stand of constructing open span bridges (flyovers) in five vulnerable patches which will threaten wildlife, the NHAI official from Delhi was non-committal.
Sharma is learnt to have told the NTCA that the NHAI had appointed consultant RN Indurkar, retired chief wildlife warden, to study the vulnerable areas and accordingly prepared a mitigation plan. However, the report has been rejected by the CCF's office.
On October 13, the standing committee of National Board for Wild Life (NBWL), headed by union environment minister Jairam Ramesh, has already rejected NHAI's proposal to divert 85 hectare forest land (now curtailed to 38 hectare) for four-laning under the Forest Conservation Act (FCA) 1980.
The four-laning work has seen large-scale violations of Forest Conservation Act 1980. It has also destroyed the tiger corridor in many patches connecting Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary and Navegaon National Par.
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Dec 2, 2010
NAGPUR: The meeting called by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), on Tuesday, to look into the violations in four-laning of national highway No 6 in the 85-km patch between Deori and Lakhni in Gondia and Bhandara districts remained inconclusive.
This was for the first time in the past two years that the NTCA called a meeting in Delhi. It was attended by joint director SP Yadav, chief conservator of forest (CCF) Nagpur Wildlife Circle, AK Saxena, National Highway Authority of India's (NHAI) VK Sharma, assistant inspector general of forests (IGF) Umakant and manager of Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) Milind Pariwakkam.
Sources said the meeting remained inconclusive as the principal chief conservator of forests for wildlife is yet to give his opinion on the report submitted by the CCF on series of violations and how the four-laning work cuts tiger corridor. Another meeting will be held on December 20.
Although the official from the state supported his stand of constructing open span bridges (flyovers) in five vulnerable patches which will threaten wildlife, the NHAI official from Delhi was non-committal.
Sharma is learnt to have told the NTCA that the NHAI had appointed consultant RN Indurkar, retired chief wildlife warden, to study the vulnerable areas and accordingly prepared a mitigation plan. However, the report has been rejected by the CCF's office.
On October 13, the standing committee of National Board for Wild Life (NBWL), headed by union environment minister Jairam Ramesh, has already rejected NHAI's proposal to divert 85 hectare forest land (now curtailed to 38 hectare) for four-laning under the Forest Conservation Act (FCA) 1980.
The four-laning work has seen large-scale violations of Forest Conservation Act 1980. It has also destroyed the tiger corridor in many patches connecting Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary and Navegaon National Par.
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Double the count of tigers by 2022 realistic goal?
Dec 3, 2010,
The World Bank is keen on funding a tiger recovery programme in the countries where the big cats still roam free today – including Russia, China and India – with the motive of doubling the count. India has so far turned down World Bank's money and expertise for conservation, but 13 countries came on board, at a recent "tiger summit" in St Petersburg hosted by Russian premier Vladimir Putin. Dr Y V Jhala, senior wildlife biologist at Wildlife Institute of India, who was part of India's delegation, tells Sudeshna Chatterjee that the Russian forum may mark a significant turn.
At the Global Tiger Recovery Program, it was pledged to double the number of wild tigers from around 3,200 to 7,000 by 2022, the next year of the tiger according to the Chinese lunar calendar. How hopeful are you of that target?
The Tx2 goal is a catchy phrase to attract global attention of funders and leaders. However, for tiger conservation, it is more important to consolidate existing source populations through strict protection. Once this is achieved, we should strive to enhance the quality of the habitat that connects several breeding tiger populations. Yes, the tiger numbers can be doubled within the stipulated timeframe. The goal is realistic. In India, we have more than 300,000 sq km of tiger habitat, of which only 93,000 sq km have tigers.
Some tiger reserves like Srisailam (Andhra Pradesh), Simlipal (Orissa), Palamau (Jharkhand), Sanjay and Panna (Madhya Pradesh) and Achanakmar (Chhattisgarh) are below their carrying capacity. Good management, protection and increase of prey can easily double or treble the number of tigers in these reserves.
What is the outcome of the Russian forum?
The national leaders of the Tiger Range Countries adopted the Global Tiger Recovery Program by endorsing it. The GTRP consists of National Tiger Recovery Plan of each range country, which spells out the details of how each country will achieve its committed goal of tiger conservation along with the financial requirements to implement it. There is a pledge to raise funds to the tune of $350 million to be paid by rich countries such as Germany and US and agencies like World Bank, Global Environment Facility and World Wide Fund for Nature. The figure is very encouraging, though there will still be a significant amount of deficit.
How important is this forum for tiger conservation?
For the first time ever, commitment at the highest national level was convened to discuss the saving of one species other than humans.
Has there been any change of attitude in countries like China which is a major market for tiger body parts?
China and South East Asian countries are the major consumers of tiger body parts - this is the primary reason for the endangerment of the tiger. Initially, when the Global Tiger Initiative consultations began in early 2009, Chinese delegates were quite unwilling to even consider that China was a problem for tiger conservation. Gradually, I believe the Chinese attitude has become more positive and their government is now taking stringent steps to curb poaching and illegal trade in tiger parts.
Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina has called for international support to declare Sunderbans one of the new seven wonders of the world. Do you think it can help in increasing the tiger population in the Sunderbans of both India and Bangladesh?
The increased tourism may bring in more revenue to the region. If this money becomes available to the conservation agencies, then it could assist tiger conservation in the region.
What is the state of funding in India?
The Centre spends about Rs 300 crore a year for tiger conservation that includes a lucrative incentive of Rs 10 lakh per family for voluntary relocation out of core areas of tiger reserves. This is over and above the state funding for staff salary, infrastructure and other costs. I believe India invests the maximum in tiger conservation, compared to any other country in the world. The Planning Commission of India has assured a sum of over $1 billion over the next 5 years to meet this expenditure. This is a significant commitment towards conservation since the tiger serves as the umbrella species for conservation and it can only survive in a forest if the entire ecosystem is intact and functioning naturally.
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
The World Bank is keen on funding a tiger recovery programme in the countries where the big cats still roam free today – including Russia, China and India – with the motive of doubling the count. India has so far turned down World Bank's money and expertise for conservation, but 13 countries came on board, at a recent "tiger summit" in St Petersburg hosted by Russian premier Vladimir Putin. Dr Y V Jhala, senior wildlife biologist at Wildlife Institute of India, who was part of India's delegation, tells Sudeshna Chatterjee that the Russian forum may mark a significant turn.
At the Global Tiger Recovery Program, it was pledged to double the number of wild tigers from around 3,200 to 7,000 by 2022, the next year of the tiger according to the Chinese lunar calendar. How hopeful are you of that target?
The Tx2 goal is a catchy phrase to attract global attention of funders and leaders. However, for tiger conservation, it is more important to consolidate existing source populations through strict protection. Once this is achieved, we should strive to enhance the quality of the habitat that connects several breeding tiger populations. Yes, the tiger numbers can be doubled within the stipulated timeframe. The goal is realistic. In India, we have more than 300,000 sq km of tiger habitat, of which only 93,000 sq km have tigers.
Some tiger reserves like Srisailam (Andhra Pradesh), Simlipal (Orissa), Palamau (Jharkhand), Sanjay and Panna (Madhya Pradesh) and Achanakmar (Chhattisgarh) are below their carrying capacity. Good management, protection and increase of prey can easily double or treble the number of tigers in these reserves.
What is the outcome of the Russian forum?
The national leaders of the Tiger Range Countries adopted the Global Tiger Recovery Program by endorsing it. The GTRP consists of National Tiger Recovery Plan of each range country, which spells out the details of how each country will achieve its committed goal of tiger conservation along with the financial requirements to implement it. There is a pledge to raise funds to the tune of $350 million to be paid by rich countries such as Germany and US and agencies like World Bank, Global Environment Facility and World Wide Fund for Nature. The figure is very encouraging, though there will still be a significant amount of deficit.
How important is this forum for tiger conservation?
For the first time ever, commitment at the highest national level was convened to discuss the saving of one species other than humans.
Has there been any change of attitude in countries like China which is a major market for tiger body parts?
China and South East Asian countries are the major consumers of tiger body parts - this is the primary reason for the endangerment of the tiger. Initially, when the Global Tiger Initiative consultations began in early 2009, Chinese delegates were quite unwilling to even consider that China was a problem for tiger conservation. Gradually, I believe the Chinese attitude has become more positive and their government is now taking stringent steps to curb poaching and illegal trade in tiger parts.
Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina has called for international support to declare Sunderbans one of the new seven wonders of the world. Do you think it can help in increasing the tiger population in the Sunderbans of both India and Bangladesh?
The increased tourism may bring in more revenue to the region. If this money becomes available to the conservation agencies, then it could assist tiger conservation in the region.
What is the state of funding in India?
The Centre spends about Rs 300 crore a year for tiger conservation that includes a lucrative incentive of Rs 10 lakh per family for voluntary relocation out of core areas of tiger reserves. This is over and above the state funding for staff salary, infrastructure and other costs. I believe India invests the maximum in tiger conservation, compared to any other country in the world. The Planning Commission of India has assured a sum of over $1 billion over the next 5 years to meet this expenditure. This is a significant commitment towards conservation since the tiger serves as the umbrella species for conservation and it can only survive in a forest if the entire ecosystem is intact and functioning naturally.
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Friday, December 3, 2010
At last, Mansinghdeo is a sanctuary
At last, Mansinghdeo is a sanctuary
Nov 27, 2010,
NAGPUR/MUMBAI: Former chief minister Ashok Chavan had to quit office over Adarsh society building that had vilated environment laws, but days before leaving office, he gave a big boost to conservation efforts by notifying the Mansinghdeo Wildlife Sanctuary adjoining Pench.
The official notification for 183 sq km Mansinghdeo Sanctuary was issued on November 2. It includes 174 sq km reserve forest (RF) and 9 sq km protected forest (PF). This fulfils a 17 year old demand for declaring the area as sanctuary. At present, the state had 41 protected areas (PAs), covering 15,331 sq km, which is 5% of state's geographical area. It should be over 7% as per forest policy. Mansinghdeo is the 42nd protected area.
The original proposal for Mansinghdeo was submitted in July 1993 by conservationists Prafulla Bhamburkar and Nitin Desai of World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Since then, the proposal was stuck in red tape. On June 14, 2007, the State Wildlife Board (SWB), headed by chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, approved the proposal.
It still did not materialise due to opposition from FDCM that had its standing teak plantations on a part of the area. In 2008, chief minister Ashok Chavan had almost made up his mind to declare Mansinghdeo a sanctuary. He fulfilled his promise before leaving office.
Mansingdeo will comprises 74 sq km (23 compartments) area of FDCM; 99 sq km (41 compartments) of Nagpur Forest Division and 9 sq km area as PF including some rithi (abandoned) area of Bakhari. The area is rich in wildlife and is contiguous with Pench Tiger Reserve, a prime habitat for tigers, leopards and other wildlife. Located between Pench, Nagzira, Tadoba and Melghat, Mansinghdeo will help connect these habitats to each other.
TOI was first to report the covert move by the state government to curtail the Mansingdeo area to 143 sq km by keeping FDCM area out. Based on this report on July 8, Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) chairman M K Ranjitsinh raised the issue with Union minister for environment and forests Jairam Ramesh.
Ramesh then wrote to then CM Chavan cautioning that any move to curtail Mansinghdeo area will lead to holding back the denotification of 8,500 sq km Nanaj Bustard Sanctuary in Kolhapur. The National Board for Wild Life (NBWL) had asked the state to declare six sanctuaries including Mansinghdeo in lieu of 8,500 sq km bustard sanctuary, which will be reduced to 1,200 sq km.
The other proposed sanctuaries to be notified include Isapur Bird Sanctuary (Yavatmal) 121.55 sq km; Rajmachi in Thane, Pune and Alibag (122.96 sq km); Sudhagarh-Tamni in Western Ghats (220.18 sq km); and Kopela (90.93 sq km) and Tipagarh (52.4 sq km) in Gadchiroli district.
Kishor Rithe, chief of Satpuda Foundation, said during a meeting with Chavan in October, among the host of assurances, Mansinghdeo was one. "We should really thank him for his gift to tigers," he said. "It's good that entire 183 sq km area has been notified. Curtailing the sanctuary would have meant Mansingdeo losing meaning. It is richer than Pench and is contiguous," said Prafulla Bhamburkar, manager of WTI.
"A study to reassess wildlife presence needs to be done in the current situation," felt Nitin Desai, Central India director of Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI). Forest officials said the proposal was delayed as Saoner MLA Sunil Kedar was concerned about six villages that would be unable to use roads if the area was declared a sanctuary.
"There are no villages in the Mansinghdeo area itself," officials said. The six villages Dhavlapur, Ghatkukda, Saleghat, Sawangi, Pardi and Ambezari are not part of the sanctuary but their connectivity would be affected.
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Nov 27, 2010,
NAGPUR/MUMBAI: Former chief minister Ashok Chavan had to quit office over Adarsh society building that had vilated environment laws, but days before leaving office, he gave a big boost to conservation efforts by notifying the Mansinghdeo Wildlife Sanctuary adjoining Pench.
The official notification for 183 sq km Mansinghdeo Sanctuary was issued on November 2. It includes 174 sq km reserve forest (RF) and 9 sq km protected forest (PF). This fulfils a 17 year old demand for declaring the area as sanctuary. At present, the state had 41 protected areas (PAs), covering 15,331 sq km, which is 5% of state's geographical area. It should be over 7% as per forest policy. Mansinghdeo is the 42nd protected area.
The original proposal for Mansinghdeo was submitted in July 1993 by conservationists Prafulla Bhamburkar and Nitin Desai of World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Since then, the proposal was stuck in red tape. On June 14, 2007, the State Wildlife Board (SWB), headed by chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, approved the proposal.
It still did not materialise due to opposition from FDCM that had its standing teak plantations on a part of the area. In 2008, chief minister Ashok Chavan had almost made up his mind to declare Mansinghdeo a sanctuary. He fulfilled his promise before leaving office.
Mansingdeo will comprises 74 sq km (23 compartments) area of FDCM; 99 sq km (41 compartments) of Nagpur Forest Division and 9 sq km area as PF including some rithi (abandoned) area of Bakhari. The area is rich in wildlife and is contiguous with Pench Tiger Reserve, a prime habitat for tigers, leopards and other wildlife. Located between Pench, Nagzira, Tadoba and Melghat, Mansinghdeo will help connect these habitats to each other.
TOI was first to report the covert move by the state government to curtail the Mansingdeo area to 143 sq km by keeping FDCM area out. Based on this report on July 8, Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) chairman M K Ranjitsinh raised the issue with Union minister for environment and forests Jairam Ramesh.
Ramesh then wrote to then CM Chavan cautioning that any move to curtail Mansinghdeo area will lead to holding back the denotification of 8,500 sq km Nanaj Bustard Sanctuary in Kolhapur. The National Board for Wild Life (NBWL) had asked the state to declare six sanctuaries including Mansinghdeo in lieu of 8,500 sq km bustard sanctuary, which will be reduced to 1,200 sq km.
The other proposed sanctuaries to be notified include Isapur Bird Sanctuary (Yavatmal) 121.55 sq km; Rajmachi in Thane, Pune and Alibag (122.96 sq km); Sudhagarh-Tamni in Western Ghats (220.18 sq km); and Kopela (90.93 sq km) and Tipagarh (52.4 sq km) in Gadchiroli district.
Kishor Rithe, chief of Satpuda Foundation, said during a meeting with Chavan in October, among the host of assurances, Mansinghdeo was one. "We should really thank him for his gift to tigers," he said. "It's good that entire 183 sq km area has been notified. Curtailing the sanctuary would have meant Mansingdeo losing meaning. It is richer than Pench and is contiguous," said Prafulla Bhamburkar, manager of WTI.
"A study to reassess wildlife presence needs to be done in the current situation," felt Nitin Desai, Central India director of Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI). Forest officials said the proposal was delayed as Saoner MLA Sunil Kedar was concerned about six villages that would be unable to use roads if the area was declared a sanctuary.
"There are no villages in the Mansinghdeo area itself," officials said. The six villages Dhavlapur, Ghatkukda, Saleghat, Sawangi, Pardi and Ambezari are not part of the sanctuary but their connectivity would be affected.
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
World leaders aim for deal to save the Tiger
World leaders aim for deal to save the Tiger
Try and double the number of wild Tigers by 2022 Click photo to enlarge © Vivek R. Sinha/WWF-Canon St Petersburg, Russia, 24th November 2010—Leaders from Tiger range countries have endorsed a Global Tiger Recovery Programme (GTRP) that aims to ensure a doubling of the world’s wild Tiger population by 2022.
Currently the estimated number of wild Tigers is around 3,200 animals, down from 100,000 a Century ago.
This is the first time such a high level meeting has taken place to save a single species, one that is under threat from ever-diminishing habitats but also faces an even more imminent threat—that of poaching and trafficking of its parts.
Demand for the parts is fuelling the poaching of Tigers, especially in South-East Asia and India.
Yesterday, Steven Broad, Executive Director of TRAFFIC, addressed the Tiger Forum during an agenda item on illegal trade. He focused of the results of a recent TRAFFIC investigation, which found that parts of at least 1,069 Tigers had been illegally trafficked over a decade in 11 of the Tiger range countries.
Key to the GTRP’s success in addressing illegal tiger trade will be the effectiveness of enforcement efforts by the Tiger range countries, as well as close regional and international co-operation on these efforts. The Tiger Forum highlighted strengthened regional law enforcement activities to combat illegal tiger trade through bilateral and multilateral arrangements, including the ASEAN-WEN (ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network), SAWEN (South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network) and bilateral protocols between key Tiger range countries.
John Scanlon, Secretary-General of CITES, also announced the formal creation of a new consortium to fight wildlife smuggling. The International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC, pronounced ‘eye-quick’) comprises five member organizations: CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), INTERPOL, UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime), the World Bank and WCO (World Customs Organization).
Scanlon said the goal of ICCWC was “to introduce a new era to wildlife law enforcement by drawing upon the complementary skills of the Consortium.”
The cost of implementing the GTRP is an estimated USD350 million. Several governments and organizations have already announced commitments of significant sums towards Tiger conservation at the Forum, including:
WWF’s Director Jim Leape said his organization aims to mobilize USD85 million over the next five years. The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has committed USD50 million over the next decade, while the US Government will allocate an additional USD 9.2 million to tiger conservation to combat illegal poaching and trafficking, the German Government will allocate an additional USD 17.2 million for tiger landscape conservation in Russia, Thailand, Laos, and Viet Nam and the World Bank USD100 million in a loan package to three tiger range countries. Yesterday, actor Leonardo DiCaprio announced a USD1 million donation to support WWF’s efforts to protect wild Tigers.
source-traffic.org
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Try and double the number of wild Tigers by 2022 Click photo to enlarge © Vivek R. Sinha/WWF-Canon St Petersburg, Russia, 24th November 2010—Leaders from Tiger range countries have endorsed a Global Tiger Recovery Programme (GTRP) that aims to ensure a doubling of the world’s wild Tiger population by 2022.
Currently the estimated number of wild Tigers is around 3,200 animals, down from 100,000 a Century ago.
This is the first time such a high level meeting has taken place to save a single species, one that is under threat from ever-diminishing habitats but also faces an even more imminent threat—that of poaching and trafficking of its parts.
Demand for the parts is fuelling the poaching of Tigers, especially in South-East Asia and India.
Yesterday, Steven Broad, Executive Director of TRAFFIC, addressed the Tiger Forum during an agenda item on illegal trade. He focused of the results of a recent TRAFFIC investigation, which found that parts of at least 1,069 Tigers had been illegally trafficked over a decade in 11 of the Tiger range countries.
Key to the GTRP’s success in addressing illegal tiger trade will be the effectiveness of enforcement efforts by the Tiger range countries, as well as close regional and international co-operation on these efforts. The Tiger Forum highlighted strengthened regional law enforcement activities to combat illegal tiger trade through bilateral and multilateral arrangements, including the ASEAN-WEN (ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network), SAWEN (South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network) and bilateral protocols between key Tiger range countries.
John Scanlon, Secretary-General of CITES, also announced the formal creation of a new consortium to fight wildlife smuggling. The International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC, pronounced ‘eye-quick’) comprises five member organizations: CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), INTERPOL, UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime), the World Bank and WCO (World Customs Organization).
Scanlon said the goal of ICCWC was “to introduce a new era to wildlife law enforcement by drawing upon the complementary skills of the Consortium.”
The cost of implementing the GTRP is an estimated USD350 million. Several governments and organizations have already announced commitments of significant sums towards Tiger conservation at the Forum, including:
WWF’s Director Jim Leape said his organization aims to mobilize USD85 million over the next five years. The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has committed USD50 million over the next decade, while the US Government will allocate an additional USD 9.2 million to tiger conservation to combat illegal poaching and trafficking, the German Government will allocate an additional USD 17.2 million for tiger landscape conservation in Russia, Thailand, Laos, and Viet Nam and the World Bank USD100 million in a loan package to three tiger range countries. Yesterday, actor Leonardo DiCaprio announced a USD1 million donation to support WWF’s efforts to protect wild Tigers.
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'Tiger Queen', wildlife flick shot in HD, vies for green crown
Story/place-Panaji.
Nov 28, 2010
PANAJI: "This is not a 'Save the tiger' campaign film," said S Nallamuthu before anyone even suggested it, "I think there are more NGOs working for the cause of tiger protection than there are tigers left in India. I don't want to be in the crowd."
Nallamuthu who prefers being called Nalla, said of his film 'Tiger Queen', "We have been following machli (the main tigress in the film) in the wild for many years and her life and struggles inspired me to make this film. She is 14 years old and won't live very long, so we decided to follow her life with her last litter."
India's first-ever wildlife film shot on high definition (HD) camera by director Nalla is among the 10 shortlisted environmental films vying for the Indian government's Vasudha award under the Short Film Category. The film premiered on National Geographic Worldwide and was shown on animal planet in the USA.
'Tiger Queen' explores the battle for power and supremacy in the wild tiger family. The action-packed film is set in Ranthambore and Sariska national parks in Rajasthan. "There are no anchors. It's a real story presented by tracking a tiger family in their habitat," said Nalla, who feels that after watching this emotional drama the audience will naturally be moved to protect the tiger.
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Nov 28, 2010
PANAJI: "This is not a 'Save the tiger' campaign film," said S Nallamuthu before anyone even suggested it, "I think there are more NGOs working for the cause of tiger protection than there are tigers left in India. I don't want to be in the crowd."
Nallamuthu who prefers being called Nalla, said of his film 'Tiger Queen', "We have been following machli (the main tigress in the film) in the wild for many years and her life and struggles inspired me to make this film. She is 14 years old and won't live very long, so we decided to follow her life with her last litter."
India's first-ever wildlife film shot on high definition (HD) camera by director Nalla is among the 10 shortlisted environmental films vying for the Indian government's Vasudha award under the Short Film Category. The film premiered on National Geographic Worldwide and was shown on animal planet in the USA.
'Tiger Queen' explores the battle for power and supremacy in the wild tiger family. The action-packed film is set in Ranthambore and Sariska national parks in Rajasthan. "There are no anchors. It's a real story presented by tracking a tiger family in their habitat," said Nalla, who feels that after watching this emotional drama the audience will naturally be moved to protect the tiger.
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Four day tiger summit in Russia
Nov. 28
Story/place-Bandhavgarh.
This week, at the four-day tiger summit hosted by Russia, premier Vladmir Putin drew attention to India's tiger population. India has the world's largest number of wild tigers. Putin even had at hand a Mahatma Gandhi quote -- "A country that is good for the tiger is good for everybody."
In India, the summit has renewed talk about protection policies. But how well do we know our 'star' tigers and their successors?
In the mid 90s, Machlli of Ranthambore and Raja of Sariska had top billing. In early 2000, it was Sita of Bandhavgarh. The Madhya Pradesh Tourism Corporation, in fact, highlighted the prominence of central India's tigers by pointing to the fact that Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book had been inspired by the tigers of the Kanha reserve.
The star phenomenon is more common in wildlife hotspots of northern and central India than in the south
and northeast. Reasons: the former
get a large number of tourists. Open forests ensure better sighting of the
big cat.
"The forests and grasslands are so dense in Kaziranga for instance that one may miss a tiger even if he is five metres away," said Firoz Ahmed, chief wildlife biologist with NGO Aaranayak.
That could be one of the reasons why despite the bad news of tigers vanishing from Sariska in Rajasthan and Panna in Madhya Pradesh, new star tigers have emerged, as enigmatic as their predecessors.
Sundari Ranthambore
Queen of jungle catwalks
Ranthambore's Sundari is bold and beautiful. Code-named T-17, this tigress has acquired the tag of star cat at the Ranthambore tiger reserve in the Sawai Madhopur district of Rajasthan.
For the past two years, Sundari (the name was given to her by local villagers in Raj Bhag, her home base), has been a big ticket tourist attraction in the reserve.
"Her walk is like that of a model on the ramp," says Dharmendra Kandal, a local wildlife conservationist.
Each time there is someone to click her photograph, she seems to stop and smile which could be the reason why she is being shown around the world through television channels. Wildlife enthusiasts say she strikes different poses and turns around to show off her body.
"The glitter in her eyes shows her confidence and it is no less than that of a top Bollywood actress," said Aditya Singh, a Ranthambore-based wildlife watcher.
Sundari owes her beauty to her mother, Machlli, who had been the star tigress in Ranthambore.
Her boldness matches that of any male tiger found in the wild.
To many, she is a male tiger tapped in a woman's body. She has a boyfriend code-named T-28 whose family members were recently relocated to Sariska. He was often seen in her company.
Sundari's liking for T-28 and the courage to protect her partner prevents other tigers in the 890 sq km of Ranthambore from entering her territory.
Khali Corbett
A 10-year-old with a harem of girlfriends
The story of this tiger in Corbett resembles that of Dalip Singh Rana, popularly known as the Great Khali for his antics in WWE.
No one in Corbett, Uttarakhand, knows about the tiger Khali's ancestry just like that of Rana, who hails from
a small underdeveloped village in
the Sirmaur district of Himachal Pradesh.
Like Rana, the tiger Khali rose to fame because of his physical strength. He dominated other tigers in the central part of the park and now holds the position of an undisputed leader.
"To us, the tiger Khali is no different from the real Khali," said Anil Baluni, vice-chairperson of the Environment and Forest Advisory committee of the Uttarakhand government.
As the name suggests, Khali, is huge. He is 1.5 times bigger than the standard tiger. His pugmarks are like that of an elephant and his roar shakes the entire Corbett area. Other tigers maintain a safe distance from him.
The 10-year-old maintains a harem of 3-4 tigresses and no other tiger dares to eye any of his girlfriends. "He has injured many tigers who have tried to enter his territory," said a local forest official.
Khali has, however, gone missing since the park opened in the first week of November.
"We are hopeful that he will be back," Baluni said, quoting two sightings by villagers.
Triveni Valmiki
Camera friendly, protective of her cubs
Unlike most tiger reserves in central India, the Valmiki tiger reserve in Bihar does not get many tourists. Still, it has a star tigress, Triveni. She is not camera shy as most tigers are and seems to like the 'click' sound.
"If the camera trap is not working, she hovers around the camera to find out why it is not emitting the sound," said Samir Sinha, a wildlife researcher working for Wildlife Trust of India. (WTI).
Triveni was born at the confluence (hence the name), of three rivers -- Ganga and two river-lets in the northern part of 200 sq km tiger reserve in Bihar. Those who have spotted her say she looks cute and that she is like a typical female tigress. She attacks anyone who tries to harm her cubs but otherwise is very calm.
With her three cubs, she holds outthe hope of reviving tiger population in a reserve which hadn't got much attention from conservationists.
Indiri Kanha
It's easy to get her darshan
Indiri, Kanha's most popular big cat, is the locals' tribute to former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi who envisaged Project Tiger in 1973 and declared Kanha as a tiger reserve.
Indiri, the queen of Kanha, is also called Route No-7. This is the road where she is often sighted. She has another nickname: manhar nala, after the water-body where she quenches her thirst. "She can be spotted with her 8-9 cubs which is rare in the wilds," said Tarun Bhatti, a local wildlife watcher.
Getting the star tag in Kanha is an achievement. There are around 130 tigers in the reserve. Many believe that her liking for being photographed with her cubs like a star mother is the reason for her status. "All of us know where she can be found at what time," said Umesh Kumar, a local guide. Not much though is known of her past. But she attained stardom once the tigers such as Konda and Agasthya got older. But Indiri is 14. Kanha is on the look-out for a new star.
Kalua Bandhavgarh
A tiger who makes his size matter
Bandhavgarh is no less than Bollywood when it comes to promoting the child of a star couple. The most popular tiger in this central Indian tiger reserve, Kalua, is the son of Sita and Charger, who were the star attractions for more than five years in the late 90s. After a debut in the Indian television channels, Kalua (so named because of the black shade of his body fur) is an international star; he has featured in shows on Discovery and National Geographic channels.
After the death of his star parents, Kalua, code named B-2, took their place. He is considered more close to his mother than his father who was aggressive and would fight with other tigers.
"He is serious and slightly introvertish," said Rishi Bhat, a local wildlife conservationist. Even though Kalua is timid and soft, his huge size, which he inherited from his father, helps him intimidate the other big cats, who want to become a star like him. He has been dormant in the core area of the reserve for over five years.
Unlike most tigers Kalua is not a loner. He is normally spotted with a companion in the park.
Till recently, he used to roam around with his brother Bhura, who is much fairer than him. And, as he has grown older he has found a girlfriend -- the tigress Mirchani.
source-poten.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Story/place-Bandhavgarh.
This week, at the four-day tiger summit hosted by Russia, premier Vladmir Putin drew attention to India's tiger population. India has the world's largest number of wild tigers. Putin even had at hand a Mahatma Gandhi quote -- "A country that is good for the tiger is good for everybody."
In India, the summit has renewed talk about protection policies. But how well do we know our 'star' tigers and their successors?
In the mid 90s, Machlli of Ranthambore and Raja of Sariska had top billing. In early 2000, it was Sita of Bandhavgarh. The Madhya Pradesh Tourism Corporation, in fact, highlighted the prominence of central India's tigers by pointing to the fact that Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book had been inspired by the tigers of the Kanha reserve.
The star phenomenon is more common in wildlife hotspots of northern and central India than in the south
and northeast. Reasons: the former
get a large number of tourists. Open forests ensure better sighting of the
big cat.
"The forests and grasslands are so dense in Kaziranga for instance that one may miss a tiger even if he is five metres away," said Firoz Ahmed, chief wildlife biologist with NGO Aaranayak.
That could be one of the reasons why despite the bad news of tigers vanishing from Sariska in Rajasthan and Panna in Madhya Pradesh, new star tigers have emerged, as enigmatic as their predecessors.
Sundari Ranthambore
Queen of jungle catwalks
Ranthambore's Sundari is bold and beautiful. Code-named T-17, this tigress has acquired the tag of star cat at the Ranthambore tiger reserve in the Sawai Madhopur district of Rajasthan.
For the past two years, Sundari (the name was given to her by local villagers in Raj Bhag, her home base), has been a big ticket tourist attraction in the reserve.
"Her walk is like that of a model on the ramp," says Dharmendra Kandal, a local wildlife conservationist.
Each time there is someone to click her photograph, she seems to stop and smile which could be the reason why she is being shown around the world through television channels. Wildlife enthusiasts say she strikes different poses and turns around to show off her body.
"The glitter in her eyes shows her confidence and it is no less than that of a top Bollywood actress," said Aditya Singh, a Ranthambore-based wildlife watcher.
Sundari owes her beauty to her mother, Machlli, who had been the star tigress in Ranthambore.
Her boldness matches that of any male tiger found in the wild.
To many, she is a male tiger tapped in a woman's body. She has a boyfriend code-named T-28 whose family members were recently relocated to Sariska. He was often seen in her company.
Sundari's liking for T-28 and the courage to protect her partner prevents other tigers in the 890 sq km of Ranthambore from entering her territory.
Khali Corbett
A 10-year-old with a harem of girlfriends
The story of this tiger in Corbett resembles that of Dalip Singh Rana, popularly known as the Great Khali for his antics in WWE.
No one in Corbett, Uttarakhand, knows about the tiger Khali's ancestry just like that of Rana, who hails from
a small underdeveloped village in
the Sirmaur district of Himachal Pradesh.
Like Rana, the tiger Khali rose to fame because of his physical strength. He dominated other tigers in the central part of the park and now holds the position of an undisputed leader.
"To us, the tiger Khali is no different from the real Khali," said Anil Baluni, vice-chairperson of the Environment and Forest Advisory committee of the Uttarakhand government.
As the name suggests, Khali, is huge. He is 1.5 times bigger than the standard tiger. His pugmarks are like that of an elephant and his roar shakes the entire Corbett area. Other tigers maintain a safe distance from him.
The 10-year-old maintains a harem of 3-4 tigresses and no other tiger dares to eye any of his girlfriends. "He has injured many tigers who have tried to enter his territory," said a local forest official.
Khali has, however, gone missing since the park opened in the first week of November.
"We are hopeful that he will be back," Baluni said, quoting two sightings by villagers.
Triveni Valmiki
Camera friendly, protective of her cubs
Unlike most tiger reserves in central India, the Valmiki tiger reserve in Bihar does not get many tourists. Still, it has a star tigress, Triveni. She is not camera shy as most tigers are and seems to like the 'click' sound.
"If the camera trap is not working, she hovers around the camera to find out why it is not emitting the sound," said Samir Sinha, a wildlife researcher working for Wildlife Trust of India. (WTI).
Triveni was born at the confluence (hence the name), of three rivers -- Ganga and two river-lets in the northern part of 200 sq km tiger reserve in Bihar. Those who have spotted her say she looks cute and that she is like a typical female tigress. She attacks anyone who tries to harm her cubs but otherwise is very calm.
With her three cubs, she holds outthe hope of reviving tiger population in a reserve which hadn't got much attention from conservationists.
Indiri Kanha
It's easy to get her darshan
Indiri, Kanha's most popular big cat, is the locals' tribute to former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi who envisaged Project Tiger in 1973 and declared Kanha as a tiger reserve.
Indiri, the queen of Kanha, is also called Route No-7. This is the road where she is often sighted. She has another nickname: manhar nala, after the water-body where she quenches her thirst. "She can be spotted with her 8-9 cubs which is rare in the wilds," said Tarun Bhatti, a local wildlife watcher.
Getting the star tag in Kanha is an achievement. There are around 130 tigers in the reserve. Many believe that her liking for being photographed with her cubs like a star mother is the reason for her status. "All of us know where she can be found at what time," said Umesh Kumar, a local guide. Not much though is known of her past. But she attained stardom once the tigers such as Konda and Agasthya got older. But Indiri is 14. Kanha is on the look-out for a new star.
Kalua Bandhavgarh
A tiger who makes his size matter
Bandhavgarh is no less than Bollywood when it comes to promoting the child of a star couple. The most popular tiger in this central Indian tiger reserve, Kalua, is the son of Sita and Charger, who were the star attractions for more than five years in the late 90s. After a debut in the Indian television channels, Kalua (so named because of the black shade of his body fur) is an international star; he has featured in shows on Discovery and National Geographic channels.
After the death of his star parents, Kalua, code named B-2, took their place. He is considered more close to his mother than his father who was aggressive and would fight with other tigers.
"He is serious and slightly introvertish," said Rishi Bhat, a local wildlife conservationist. Even though Kalua is timid and soft, his huge size, which he inherited from his father, helps him intimidate the other big cats, who want to become a star like him. He has been dormant in the core area of the reserve for over five years.
Unlike most tigers Kalua is not a loner. He is normally spotted with a companion in the park.
Till recently, he used to roam around with his brother Bhura, who is much fairer than him. And, as he has grown older he has found a girlfriend -- the tigress Mirchani.
source-poten.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Thursday, November 18, 2010
‘Administrative failure led to tiger’s death’
Story/place-Rajasthan.
Fri, 19 Nov 2010
A day after a relocated tiger died in Sariska in Rajasthan, Environment and Forests Minister Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday admitted to “governance and administration failure”, but defended the tiger revival plan saying it was not wrong.
“I take responsibility for the death of the tiger in the Sariska sanctuary. I admit that there has been governance and administration failure. Those were the reasons for the unfortunate death of the big cat,” Ramesh said here.
The death of the tiger, the first to be moved to Sariska park two years ago as part of the translocation process, has come as a setback to the government’s species revival plan. Since 2008, five tigers have been relocated to Sariska, of which one is now dead probably due to territorial fight with another predator in the park, which had all its native species to poachers during 2005-06.
Ramesh said it was too early to predict the real cause for the tiger’s death. “National Tiger Conservation Authority head, Rajesh Gopal is at the spot to assess the reasons for the death and will soon submit the post-mortem report to the ministry.”
source-indianexpress.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Fri, 19 Nov 2010
A day after a relocated tiger died in Sariska in Rajasthan, Environment and Forests Minister Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday admitted to “governance and administration failure”, but defended the tiger revival plan saying it was not wrong.
“I take responsibility for the death of the tiger in the Sariska sanctuary. I admit that there has been governance and administration failure. Those were the reasons for the unfortunate death of the big cat,” Ramesh said here.
The death of the tiger, the first to be moved to Sariska park two years ago as part of the translocation process, has come as a setback to the government’s species revival plan. Since 2008, five tigers have been relocated to Sariska, of which one is now dead probably due to territorial fight with another predator in the park, which had all its native species to poachers during 2005-06.
Ramesh said it was too early to predict the real cause for the tiger’s death. “National Tiger Conservation Authority head, Rajesh Gopal is at the spot to assess the reasons for the death and will soon submit the post-mortem report to the ministry.”
source-indianexpress.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Search for missing tigress continues
Story/place-Nagpur.
November 18, 2010
A massive hunt is on in Tadoba tiger reserve in Chandrapur district, some 180 kms from Nagpur in east Vidarbha, to locate a tigress who sustained a leg injury while chasing a deer last week. A team of veterinary doctors from Nagpur is trying to locate the 5-year-old tigress since Wednesday morning.
The tigress was found injured in Mohrali forest range in Tadoba Tiger reserve on Friday last. She has three cubs.
The team, equipped with tranquilisers and medicine are now camping in the reserve for the necessary relief operation. The team has spotted the pugmarks of her cubs.
The state wildlife warden banned the movement of tourists in the area since Tuesday.
According to reports, a forest guard of the mobile squad of the Mohrali range first noticed that the tigress, which had given birth to three cubs five-six months ago, was injured. He immediately informed the field director, Vinay Sinha, who went with a team to the spot. The tigress was seen limping in the area with her three cubs.
"We have laid cameras at the location. We have also seen three cubs along with the tigress around a lake in the forest till Tuesday. However, the tigress was not spotted on Wednesday when the relief team was searching for her," Sinha informed.
The team wants to tranquilise the animal for treatment. If the tigress fails to get immediate medical help, her survival as well as that of its cubs would be in danger as she would be unable to hunt whilst injured.
source-hindustantimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
November 18, 2010
A massive hunt is on in Tadoba tiger reserve in Chandrapur district, some 180 kms from Nagpur in east Vidarbha, to locate a tigress who sustained a leg injury while chasing a deer last week. A team of veterinary doctors from Nagpur is trying to locate the 5-year-old tigress since Wednesday morning.
The tigress was found injured in Mohrali forest range in Tadoba Tiger reserve on Friday last. She has three cubs.
The team, equipped with tranquilisers and medicine are now camping in the reserve for the necessary relief operation. The team has spotted the pugmarks of her cubs.
The state wildlife warden banned the movement of tourists in the area since Tuesday.
According to reports, a forest guard of the mobile squad of the Mohrali range first noticed that the tigress, which had given birth to three cubs five-six months ago, was injured. He immediately informed the field director, Vinay Sinha, who went with a team to the spot. The tigress was seen limping in the area with her three cubs.
"We have laid cameras at the location. We have also seen three cubs along with the tigress around a lake in the forest till Tuesday. However, the tigress was not spotted on Wednesday when the relief team was searching for her," Sinha informed.
The team wants to tranquilise the animal for treatment. If the tigress fails to get immediate medical help, her survival as well as that of its cubs would be in danger as she would be unable to hunt whilst injured.
source-hindustantimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Leopard poachers get six years' jail
Story/place-New delhi.
New Delhi, Nov 15 (IANS) Three leopard poachers were sentenced to six years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs.10,000 each by a court in Madhya Pradesh Monday.
Ittu Baiga, Bahilal Baiga and Iqbal alias Atiq Ahmed, who is absconding, were sentenced under the Wildlife Protection Act by the Chief Judicial Magistrate, A.A. Ansari in Katni.
The accused poisoned a water-hole June 25 last year in the Dhimarkheda range of the Katni forest division with organo-phosphate pesticide that led to the death of several wild animals, including three leopards, two civet cats, one spotted deer and one langur.
Poisoning of water-holes is a terrible method of poaching that results in indiscriminate killing of animals, irrespective of which species the poacher is after, the NGO Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) said here in a statement.
The leopard is listed in Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, and the civet cat is listed in Part II of Schedule II of the Act.
The penalty for a first time offence involving these species is between three to seven years in jail and a fine of not less than Rs.10,000. The prosecution of the case was handled by advocate Manjula Shrivastava, lawyer for WPSI in Katni.
source-sify.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
New Delhi, Nov 15 (IANS) Three leopard poachers were sentenced to six years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs.10,000 each by a court in Madhya Pradesh Monday.
Ittu Baiga, Bahilal Baiga and Iqbal alias Atiq Ahmed, who is absconding, were sentenced under the Wildlife Protection Act by the Chief Judicial Magistrate, A.A. Ansari in Katni.
The accused poisoned a water-hole June 25 last year in the Dhimarkheda range of the Katni forest division with organo-phosphate pesticide that led to the death of several wild animals, including three leopards, two civet cats, one spotted deer and one langur.
Poisoning of water-holes is a terrible method of poaching that results in indiscriminate killing of animals, irrespective of which species the poacher is after, the NGO Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) said here in a statement.
The leopard is listed in Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, and the civet cat is listed in Part II of Schedule II of the Act.
The penalty for a first time offence involving these species is between three to seven years in jail and a fine of not less than Rs.10,000. The prosecution of the case was handled by advocate Manjula Shrivastava, lawyer for WPSI in Katni.
source-sify.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Fathesagar lake in danger due to unscientific construction
Story/place-Udaipur.
Nov 15, 2010,
UDAIPUR: This is yet another test for the 400-year-old Fathesagar lake in Udaipur. The safety and stability of this lake is said to be uncertain due to the unscientific construction of Vibhuti Park' in the "toe" portion of the dam. Fatehsagar is the largest of the lake system of Udaipur and holds about 427 mcft of water now. The dam is full of water, thanks to good rainfall this year.
The dam has withstood several threats like deep borewell and haphazard trench drilling and several such detrimental activities in the past. They resulted in collapse of earth fill of the dam. The leakage from the PHED pipeline embedded have earlier collapsed the soil of side slopes.
Anil Mehta of the Jheel Samrashan Samiti (JSS), which has been spearheading a campaign against the unscientific construction on the lake side, said on October 17, an earth-moving machine was employed to dig a trench over the dam body. Ten days later a number of such (JCB) machines were employed in the downstream toe area of the dam in order to construct some structures in Vibhuti Park'. On October 28 the soil on the slopes of the dam collapsed and there were visible cracks on the road side tiles on the embankment.
This was a warning for the administration to immediately restrict vehicular movement over the dam and to start dumping soil and earth fill over the slopes. Mehta said, for any dam the process to put soil on slopes requires specific methods and technical supervision. The soil has to be put in layers and each layer requires simultaneous consolidation in order to get proper density. Anil is an engineer.
He pointed out the well-known reasons for any dam failure are piping and collapse of slope soil. The drilling on upstream and downstream sides of the dam may develop a continuous channel of water beneath the dam body. The flow of water through such channel carries away soil particles ----weakening the foundation of any dam, he said.
The Jheel Samrashan Samiti has accused the UIT of callousness. The district administration and the UIT without determining and ensuring the structural and hydraulic parameters of the centuries old dam, are doing detrimental and haphazard tempering of the dam. As such, the safety and stability of the dam and lives of the people residing in the downstream area are in danger, the JSS says.
Rajasthan has several such historical and important dam structures. But nowhere the present status of safety and stability of these structures have been determined, despite various methods of testing are available, complained Anil.
Following the JSS protest, the Urban Improvement Trust (UIT) has decided to seek experts opinion from the irrigation department and if necessary from experts of IIT, Roorkee.
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Nov 15, 2010,
UDAIPUR: This is yet another test for the 400-year-old Fathesagar lake in Udaipur. The safety and stability of this lake is said to be uncertain due to the unscientific construction of Vibhuti Park' in the "toe" portion of the dam. Fatehsagar is the largest of the lake system of Udaipur and holds about 427 mcft of water now. The dam is full of water, thanks to good rainfall this year.
The dam has withstood several threats like deep borewell and haphazard trench drilling and several such detrimental activities in the past. They resulted in collapse of earth fill of the dam. The leakage from the PHED pipeline embedded have earlier collapsed the soil of side slopes.
Anil Mehta of the Jheel Samrashan Samiti (JSS), which has been spearheading a campaign against the unscientific construction on the lake side, said on October 17, an earth-moving machine was employed to dig a trench over the dam body. Ten days later a number of such (JCB) machines were employed in the downstream toe area of the dam in order to construct some structures in Vibhuti Park'. On October 28 the soil on the slopes of the dam collapsed and there were visible cracks on the road side tiles on the embankment.
This was a warning for the administration to immediately restrict vehicular movement over the dam and to start dumping soil and earth fill over the slopes. Mehta said, for any dam the process to put soil on slopes requires specific methods and technical supervision. The soil has to be put in layers and each layer requires simultaneous consolidation in order to get proper density. Anil is an engineer.
He pointed out the well-known reasons for any dam failure are piping and collapse of slope soil. The drilling on upstream and downstream sides of the dam may develop a continuous channel of water beneath the dam body. The flow of water through such channel carries away soil particles ----weakening the foundation of any dam, he said.
The Jheel Samrashan Samiti has accused the UIT of callousness. The district administration and the UIT without determining and ensuring the structural and hydraulic parameters of the centuries old dam, are doing detrimental and haphazard tempering of the dam. As such, the safety and stability of the dam and lives of the people residing in the downstream area are in danger, the JSS says.
Rajasthan has several such historical and important dam structures. But nowhere the present status of safety and stability of these structures have been determined, despite various methods of testing are available, complained Anil.
Following the JSS protest, the Urban Improvement Trust (UIT) has decided to seek experts opinion from the irrigation department and if necessary from experts of IIT, Roorkee.
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Monday, November 15, 2010
Outsiders at home
Story/place-Karnataka.
Nov 12, 2010,
From coexistence to a conservation choice. The lush forests of Biligere Ranganatha Temple (BRT) sanctuary of southern Karnataka, recently given the status of a tiger reserve (in-principle), has a poignant dilemma at hand: whom will the forest nurture, the tigers or the Soligas (tribals of the region)?
Ever since the Centre approved the state's proposal to turn the park into a tiger reserve in September, the 1500-odd Soliga families have been living with the insecurity that they will any day be urged to leave the core area and be relocated outside the forest. The proposal received a further boost, with the tiger census this year giving clear indications of a "healthy presence". In fact, the estimation has revealed 16 direct sightings.
The forest department is determined that the forests are made inviolate. Relocation from the core area will be a voluntary option, but the department cites success stories like Bhadra where ungulate and, in turn, tiger population had increased considerably after the relocation of tribals, to press its case.
"We are not planning to drive anyone out. We will be taking their consent for any relocation and the department is offering a good package of Rs 10 lakh. They will not be relocated to distant places, only to fringe areas. We don't see why concerns should arise," says principal chief conservator of forests B K Singh.
Power and water lines in the park will have to be removed and those who choose to stay back will face problems in the days to come, says Singh. School and healthcare facilities will become much more inaccessible once the tiger reserve is notified.
According to Singh, the rights of around 1,100 families have been recognized as per the Forest Rights Act; the remaining are in the process.
The rollout, however, does not appear to be all that simple. There are as many as 22 podus (tribal colonies) in the core area of this 540sqkm sanctuary and the life of the Soligas has been intrinsically linked to the ways of the forest for centuries.
There are around 40,000 Soligas in the Chamrajnagar district of southern Karnataka. As many as 42 of the podus are in the fringe areas of BRT forest. Before the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 came into force, they were practising shifting cultivation and collecting non-timber forest produce (NTFP) such as fruits, honey, lichen, soap berry and others. However, since the act was implemented two years later, their right over the produce was gradually curbed. And in 2004, NTFP collection was completely banned.
"Even with the last deputy conservator of forests, we argued and told them how closely our lives are linked to the collection of non-timber produce. We showed him documents from Sunabeda sanctuary in Orissa were the tribals' rights to collect such produce were restored. The DCF temporarily allowed us to collect honey and broomstick. We also submitted a petition to Rahul Gandhi when he came here. But now, we have a more serious problem at hand," says Madegowda C of the Jilla Budakattu Girijana Abhivruddi Sangha.
As far as the gritty Soligas are concerned, they will not evacuate the core area of the forest, irrespective of the compensation offered. While it is apparent that their lifestyles have become modernized and one can no longer expect to see them in tribal clothes, they claim their lives are still entwined with the forest.
"I will not go out, no matter what," says Hanumegowda, a senior Soliga leader who is now a coffee planter. His wife, Pangamma cuts in, "Tell them we will not move even if they give us Rs 50 lakh."
Many tribal leaders also feel that the forest department is able to do its job only with Soliga help. Since they know the forest better and understand animal behaviour, they have been helping the skeletal department staff patrol the area.
"Tribal knowledge says there are at the most 15 to 20 tigers and not 34 tigers as the staff has estimated. Many of us work as watchers for the forest department," says Soliga leader J Bommaiah. "What trouble are we giving to the forest? If they have to relocate us, they have to relocate Lord Biligere himself, who had married a Soliga girl, Kusumale."
Adds Chari Madegowda, a senior leader of the podus: "We have been living with the animals for all these years. They sleep on that side and we on this side. Have we given trouble to each other? We eat fruits and tubers from the forest on a daily basis. If we are taken out, we will be like fish out of water."
Other tribals have a different take. They feel it will be easier for poachers to strike once the Soligas are moved out and the zone is declared a tiger reserve. "Soligas were like wild monkeys. You could not differentiate between them and the wild animals. Even today, tourism puts much more pressure on the ecosystem here than us," says Achugegowda. "The forest department staff are scared of poachers. It is we who have been protecting the forests."
The forest animals, indeed, are worshipped, points out Madegowda. "We worship Huliveerappa, the tiger god. Many clans worship other animals. We have around 487 sacred sites inside the forest where we worship. We have a very deep emotional and cultural relationship with the forest that cannot be overlooked," he says.
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Nov 12, 2010,
From coexistence to a conservation choice. The lush forests of Biligere Ranganatha Temple (BRT) sanctuary of southern Karnataka, recently given the status of a tiger reserve (in-principle), has a poignant dilemma at hand: whom will the forest nurture, the tigers or the Soligas (tribals of the region)?
Ever since the Centre approved the state's proposal to turn the park into a tiger reserve in September, the 1500-odd Soliga families have been living with the insecurity that they will any day be urged to leave the core area and be relocated outside the forest. The proposal received a further boost, with the tiger census this year giving clear indications of a "healthy presence". In fact, the estimation has revealed 16 direct sightings.
The forest department is determined that the forests are made inviolate. Relocation from the core area will be a voluntary option, but the department cites success stories like Bhadra where ungulate and, in turn, tiger population had increased considerably after the relocation of tribals, to press its case.
"We are not planning to drive anyone out. We will be taking their consent for any relocation and the department is offering a good package of Rs 10 lakh. They will not be relocated to distant places, only to fringe areas. We don't see why concerns should arise," says principal chief conservator of forests B K Singh.
Power and water lines in the park will have to be removed and those who choose to stay back will face problems in the days to come, says Singh. School and healthcare facilities will become much more inaccessible once the tiger reserve is notified.
According to Singh, the rights of around 1,100 families have been recognized as per the Forest Rights Act; the remaining are in the process.
The rollout, however, does not appear to be all that simple. There are as many as 22 podus (tribal colonies) in the core area of this 540sqkm sanctuary and the life of the Soligas has been intrinsically linked to the ways of the forest for centuries.
There are around 40,000 Soligas in the Chamrajnagar district of southern Karnataka. As many as 42 of the podus are in the fringe areas of BRT forest. Before the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 came into force, they were practising shifting cultivation and collecting non-timber forest produce (NTFP) such as fruits, honey, lichen, soap berry and others. However, since the act was implemented two years later, their right over the produce was gradually curbed. And in 2004, NTFP collection was completely banned.
"Even with the last deputy conservator of forests, we argued and told them how closely our lives are linked to the collection of non-timber produce. We showed him documents from Sunabeda sanctuary in Orissa were the tribals' rights to collect such produce were restored. The DCF temporarily allowed us to collect honey and broomstick. We also submitted a petition to Rahul Gandhi when he came here. But now, we have a more serious problem at hand," says Madegowda C of the Jilla Budakattu Girijana Abhivruddi Sangha.
As far as the gritty Soligas are concerned, they will not evacuate the core area of the forest, irrespective of the compensation offered. While it is apparent that their lifestyles have become modernized and one can no longer expect to see them in tribal clothes, they claim their lives are still entwined with the forest.
"I will not go out, no matter what," says Hanumegowda, a senior Soliga leader who is now a coffee planter. His wife, Pangamma cuts in, "Tell them we will not move even if they give us Rs 50 lakh."
Many tribal leaders also feel that the forest department is able to do its job only with Soliga help. Since they know the forest better and understand animal behaviour, they have been helping the skeletal department staff patrol the area.
"Tribal knowledge says there are at the most 15 to 20 tigers and not 34 tigers as the staff has estimated. Many of us work as watchers for the forest department," says Soliga leader J Bommaiah. "What trouble are we giving to the forest? If they have to relocate us, they have to relocate Lord Biligere himself, who had married a Soliga girl, Kusumale."
Adds Chari Madegowda, a senior leader of the podus: "We have been living with the animals for all these years. They sleep on that side and we on this side. Have we given trouble to each other? We eat fruits and tubers from the forest on a daily basis. If we are taken out, we will be like fish out of water."
Other tribals have a different take. They feel it will be easier for poachers to strike once the Soligas are moved out and the zone is declared a tiger reserve. "Soligas were like wild monkeys. You could not differentiate between them and the wild animals. Even today, tourism puts much more pressure on the ecosystem here than us," says Achugegowda. "The forest department staff are scared of poachers. It is we who have been protecting the forests."
The forest animals, indeed, are worshipped, points out Madegowda. "We worship Huliveerappa, the tiger god. Many clans worship other animals. We have around 487 sacred sites inside the forest where we worship. We have a very deep emotional and cultural relationship with the forest that cannot be overlooked," he says.
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Jumbo smuggling racket busted in Assam, 9 rescued
Story/place-Guwahati.
Nov 1, 2010,
GUWAHATI: It's 'heritage' plunder of jumbo proportions. Wild elephants are being trapped, whipped to submission, sedated and then smuggled out of Assam.
The administration had no clue to this racket until an NGO tipped them off about a consign-ment of nine elephants, including a mother and a calf, heading out of Kokrajhar two days ago.
Just a week ago, the central government had accorded heritage status to elephants.
According to sources, this was just the one consignment detected. Many more have slipped past border check-gates to Bengal and Bihar and even crossed the international border into Myanmar.
With the Sonepur fair in Bihar (famed for elephant trade) approaching, wildlife crime experts fear the worst for the gentle jumbos of Assam.
The nine elephants are said to have been brought from Upper Assam to Kokrajhar in Lower Assam. Police intercepted the trucks at Sreerampur on the Assam-Bengal border. A Kokrajhar-based NGO, Green Heart Nature Club, filed a complaint with police, leading to the arrest of four persons, among them West Bengal-based businessman Rabindra Singh and Dayaram Doloi of Assam's Golaghat district.
If these jumbos had been smuggled out, each would have been sold for at least `40 lakh.
"These arrests have exposed the thriving inter-state racket in elephant smuggling. Our volunteers prevented an elephant calf from being traded at Bokakhat area of Golaghat district on Saturday," said People for Animals (PFA) chairperson Sangeeta Goswami who fears more than 90 elephants have been smuggled out of Assam since 2002.
The jumbo smuggling racket works much the same way as human trafficking rackets. Forged paperwork and false identities are created to pass off wild elephants as captivated, domesticated ones. Even microchips, a must for domestic elephants, are 'arranged'.
Officials involved in tackling wildlife crime say several hard-core elephant traders from Bihar have already fanned out in various districts of upper Assam, especially those sharing border with Arunachal Pradesh, to procure elephants for the Sonepur fair.
"The latest arrests only the tip of the iceberg. Most of the elephants are taken out of the state without proper documents," a wildlife crime expert said.
Elephant, being a Schedule-I species under Wildlife Protection (Amendment) Act 1972, cannot be traded, but it can be moved from one state to another with permission from the chief wildlife warden. The racket exploits the law to carry out this nefarious trade.
Very often, it involves putting the elephants through a brutal regimen to make them submissive. These elephants are then brought to Assam and given a fresh 'identity' from a dead captive elephant. Even micro-chips are managed for the captured elephants.
"This is why, we demand a complete ban on movement of elephants from Assam or the northeast to any other part of the country. Once they are taken out, legally or illegally, the elephants are often subjected to great hardship. Elephants are majestic elephants and should be treated as such," elephant expert Kushal Kumar Sarma said.
According to sources, Rajasthan, Bihar, Delhi and some southern states procured most of the captive elephants of Assam.
In September, villagers in Jairampur in Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh prevented two elephants from being smuggled to Myanm-ar. Two mahouts were arres-ted. Police suspected the involvement of militant outfit NSCN(K) in smuggling elephants across the international border
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Nov 1, 2010,
GUWAHATI: It's 'heritage' plunder of jumbo proportions. Wild elephants are being trapped, whipped to submission, sedated and then smuggled out of Assam.
The administration had no clue to this racket until an NGO tipped them off about a consign-ment of nine elephants, including a mother and a calf, heading out of Kokrajhar two days ago.
Just a week ago, the central government had accorded heritage status to elephants.
According to sources, this was just the one consignment detected. Many more have slipped past border check-gates to Bengal and Bihar and even crossed the international border into Myanmar.
With the Sonepur fair in Bihar (famed for elephant trade) approaching, wildlife crime experts fear the worst for the gentle jumbos of Assam.
The nine elephants are said to have been brought from Upper Assam to Kokrajhar in Lower Assam. Police intercepted the trucks at Sreerampur on the Assam-Bengal border. A Kokrajhar-based NGO, Green Heart Nature Club, filed a complaint with police, leading to the arrest of four persons, among them West Bengal-based businessman Rabindra Singh and Dayaram Doloi of Assam's Golaghat district.
If these jumbos had been smuggled out, each would have been sold for at least `40 lakh.
"These arrests have exposed the thriving inter-state racket in elephant smuggling. Our volunteers prevented an elephant calf from being traded at Bokakhat area of Golaghat district on Saturday," said People for Animals (PFA) chairperson Sangeeta Goswami who fears more than 90 elephants have been smuggled out of Assam since 2002.
The jumbo smuggling racket works much the same way as human trafficking rackets. Forged paperwork and false identities are created to pass off wild elephants as captivated, domesticated ones. Even microchips, a must for domestic elephants, are 'arranged'.
Officials involved in tackling wildlife crime say several hard-core elephant traders from Bihar have already fanned out in various districts of upper Assam, especially those sharing border with Arunachal Pradesh, to procure elephants for the Sonepur fair.
"The latest arrests only the tip of the iceberg. Most of the elephants are taken out of the state without proper documents," a wildlife crime expert said.
Elephant, being a Schedule-I species under Wildlife Protection (Amendment) Act 1972, cannot be traded, but it can be moved from one state to another with permission from the chief wildlife warden. The racket exploits the law to carry out this nefarious trade.
Very often, it involves putting the elephants through a brutal regimen to make them submissive. These elephants are then brought to Assam and given a fresh 'identity' from a dead captive elephant. Even micro-chips are managed for the captured elephants.
"This is why, we demand a complete ban on movement of elephants from Assam or the northeast to any other part of the country. Once they are taken out, legally or illegally, the elephants are often subjected to great hardship. Elephants are majestic elephants and should be treated as such," elephant expert Kushal Kumar Sarma said.
According to sources, Rajasthan, Bihar, Delhi and some southern states procured most of the captive elephants of Assam.
In September, villagers in Jairampur in Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh prevented two elephants from being smuggled to Myanm-ar. Two mahouts were arres-ted. Police suspected the involvement of militant outfit NSCN(K) in smuggling elephants across the international border
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Train-hit tusker loses battle for life
Story/place-Near uttarakhand.
Nov 5, 2010,
DEHRADUN: A 25-year-old tusker, battling for its life after an express train knocked it down near Uttarakhand's Lalkuna on October 21, succumbed to its injuries on Thursday. The elephant had fractured its hip-joint and thigh and was fighting for its life in the forest with a large team of veterinarians virtually turning the area into an open-air ICU.
Sources said the vets tried their best to save the tusker, but it had developed a serious lung infection and blood clot.
Dr J L Singh, who conducted the tusker's post-mortem along with Dr A K Sattoo, said the tusker had suffered supracondyle femur fracture. "It also suffered excessive bleeding and septicemia that killed the animal," he said.
The Uttarakhand forest department had briefly considered petitioning the Union environment and forests ministry for the tusker's mercy killing. But the elephant fought back bravely and the officials had hoped that it'll survive. Earlier, they had followed the injured animal 12km inside the forest, got a small crane to move it and had floodlights installed to work on saving the jumbo.
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Nov 5, 2010,
DEHRADUN: A 25-year-old tusker, battling for its life after an express train knocked it down near Uttarakhand's Lalkuna on October 21, succumbed to its injuries on Thursday. The elephant had fractured its hip-joint and thigh and was fighting for its life in the forest with a large team of veterinarians virtually turning the area into an open-air ICU.
Sources said the vets tried their best to save the tusker, but it had developed a serious lung infection and blood clot.
Dr J L Singh, who conducted the tusker's post-mortem along with Dr A K Sattoo, said the tusker had suffered supracondyle femur fracture. "It also suffered excessive bleeding and septicemia that killed the animal," he said.
The Uttarakhand forest department had briefly considered petitioning the Union environment and forests ministry for the tusker's mercy killing. But the elephant fought back bravely and the officials had hoped that it'll survive. Earlier, they had followed the injured animal 12km inside the forest, got a small crane to move it and had floodlights installed to work on saving the jumbo.
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
'Jumbo protests' in Kerala against proposed elephant rules
Story/place-Kerala.
Nov 9, 2010,
THRISSUR (Kerala): It was a protest march with a difference! Elephants accompanied activists of the Kerala State Pooram-Perunnal Festival Coordination Committee as they marched to District Forest Offices (DFO) here and four other places Monday to protest the Elephant Task Force's recommendations.
The committee has been up in arms ever since the Elephant Task Force, which submitted its recommendations to union environment and forests minister Jairam Ramesh in Delhi Aug 31, advocated making elephants the "national heritage animal" and change the ownership of domesticated elephants by their present owners to only guardianship.
The activists had brought a total of 16 elephants but only used one following a request by police that the 16 would cause traffic problems.
Ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) legislator Babu. M. Palissery, who is also the patron of the committee, contended the Task Force's recommendation would affect the use of domesticated elephants in religious festivals in Kerala.
"(Task Force chief Mahesh) Rangarajan had prepared the recommendations without conducting any meaningful discussion with those sections of the society here who are involved with the elephants. Can you imagine the famed Thrissur Pooram without the elephants? elephants are part and parcel of the festivals in temples and churches in the state," Palissery said.
Similar protest marches were held in Palakkad, Ernakulam, Kottayam and Pathanamthitta.
"We are now meeting chief minister VS Achuthanandan for the urgent need for his intervention and we will request him to call an all party meeting to discuss this issue. We want an all party delegation from here to meet Jairam Ramesh to see that these recommendations do not come into force," said Palissery.
There are 900 captive elephants in Kerala presently.
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Nov 9, 2010,
THRISSUR (Kerala): It was a protest march with a difference! Elephants accompanied activists of the Kerala State Pooram-Perunnal Festival Coordination Committee as they marched to District Forest Offices (DFO) here and four other places Monday to protest the Elephant Task Force's recommendations.
The committee has been up in arms ever since the Elephant Task Force, which submitted its recommendations to union environment and forests minister Jairam Ramesh in Delhi Aug 31, advocated making elephants the "national heritage animal" and change the ownership of domesticated elephants by their present owners to only guardianship.
The activists had brought a total of 16 elephants but only used one following a request by police that the 16 would cause traffic problems.
Ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) legislator Babu. M. Palissery, who is also the patron of the committee, contended the Task Force's recommendation would affect the use of domesticated elephants in religious festivals in Kerala.
"(Task Force chief Mahesh) Rangarajan had prepared the recommendations without conducting any meaningful discussion with those sections of the society here who are involved with the elephants. Can you imagine the famed Thrissur Pooram without the elephants? elephants are part and parcel of the festivals in temples and churches in the state," Palissery said.
Similar protest marches were held in Palakkad, Ernakulam, Kottayam and Pathanamthitta.
"We are now meeting chief minister VS Achuthanandan for the urgent need for his intervention and we will request him to call an all party meeting to discuss this issue. We want an all party delegation from here to meet Jairam Ramesh to see that these recommendations do not come into force," said Palissery.
There are 900 captive elephants in Kerala presently.
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
CJM dismisses Ranthambore noise pollution case
Story/place-Jaipur.
Nov 3, 2010,
JAIPUR: The chief judicial magistrate at Sawai Madhopur on Tuesday dismissed a petition alleging violation of wildlife, environment and civic laws during the wedding of celebrity couple Russell Brand and Katy Perry held recently at Ranthambore.
The petition was filed by Ranthambore Park Bachao Samiti through its president and local lawyer Akshay Sharma. It was alleged that the forest officials and the district administration officials overlooked violations of noise and air pollution and different sections of the Wildlife Protection Act by the star couple and their guests during their stay at the tiger reserve.
The Samiti has now decided to move a revision petition before a higher court in an effort to bring the culprits to justice. "It's unfortunate that before dismissing it, the magistrate didn't even consider it proper to get the complaint investigated first," Sharma told TOI while reacting to the court decision. "I'll take the petition to the district judge tomorrow (Wednesday)," he asserted, adding that the Samiti would never cease fighting for the protection of Ranthambore tigers.
While arguing the petition before the chief judicial magistrate on October 31, Sharma accused the forest officials of causing territorial fights among the tigers just to please high-profile visitors and make illegal money. The Samiti holds the forest officials responsible for the death of a three-year-old male tiger, T-36, killed in a territorial fight with an older tiger, T-42. The fight was linked to the Russell-Katy marriage and the forest officials were accused of driving the big cats from their territories towards the celebrity couple's place of stay at a resort inside the national park.
The Samiti also accused the couple of breaking the rules against loud music after 10 pm, smoking, consuming liquor and carrying firearms in the forest area, disturbing the endangered animals, changing movement routes assigned to them by the forest authorities and getting into a scuffle with the paparazzi inside the park and thereby risking human lives in the tigers reserve.
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Nov 3, 2010,
JAIPUR: The chief judicial magistrate at Sawai Madhopur on Tuesday dismissed a petition alleging violation of wildlife, environment and civic laws during the wedding of celebrity couple Russell Brand and Katy Perry held recently at Ranthambore.
The petition was filed by Ranthambore Park Bachao Samiti through its president and local lawyer Akshay Sharma. It was alleged that the forest officials and the district administration officials overlooked violations of noise and air pollution and different sections of the Wildlife Protection Act by the star couple and their guests during their stay at the tiger reserve.
The Samiti has now decided to move a revision petition before a higher court in an effort to bring the culprits to justice. "It's unfortunate that before dismissing it, the magistrate didn't even consider it proper to get the complaint investigated first," Sharma told TOI while reacting to the court decision. "I'll take the petition to the district judge tomorrow (Wednesday)," he asserted, adding that the Samiti would never cease fighting for the protection of Ranthambore tigers.
While arguing the petition before the chief judicial magistrate on October 31, Sharma accused the forest officials of causing territorial fights among the tigers just to please high-profile visitors and make illegal money. The Samiti holds the forest officials responsible for the death of a three-year-old male tiger, T-36, killed in a territorial fight with an older tiger, T-42. The fight was linked to the Russell-Katy marriage and the forest officials were accused of driving the big cats from their territories towards the celebrity couple's place of stay at a resort inside the national park.
The Samiti also accused the couple of breaking the rules against loud music after 10 pm, smoking, consuming liquor and carrying firearms in the forest area, disturbing the endangered animals, changing movement routes assigned to them by the forest authorities and getting into a scuffle with the paparazzi inside the park and thereby risking human lives in the tigers reserve.
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Wildlife Dept nod to be made must for erecting mobile towers
25 Oct, 2010
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Telecommunication Department has decided to insist on mobile phone operators for obtaining clearance from the Wildlife Division of the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) for setting up mobile phone towers in view of the possible ill-effects of radiation from such installations on animals, birds and bees.
This was made clear by a senior Telecommunication official at the first meeting of the Experts' Committee formed by MoEF to study possible impact of communication tower on wildlife held recently, according to Dr Sainudeen Pattazhy, a member of the panel.
Mobile phone operators are already required to get clearance from Defence and Civil Avation authorities for installing towers in areas which had a bearing on their operations.
"Quite a few studies in India and abroad have pointed out that radiation from mobile towers seriously harmed wildlife, especially birds, bees and insects. So, it is important that the telecom operators get clearance from Wildlife Department before erecting towers, especially in areas close to forests, animal parks and zoos", Pattazhy said.
The committee,headed by Dr Asad Rahmani, Director of Bomaby Natural History Society, decided to formulate a set of guidelines for installation of towers so as to avoid their ill-effects on animals as well human beings.
Telecommunication offical, who is a member of the panel, told the meeting that measures to avoid installation of towers in crowded areas, schools, narrow lanes and roof-tops had already been taken.
He also maintained that the safety standards in India is very high in this regard and that no authentic evidence had so far surfaced to prove that the towers grievously harmed humans and animals in the country.
Some members of the panel suggested expansion of its scope so as to cover the entire spectrum of wildlife including reptiles and amphibions
source-economictimes.indiatimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Telecommunication Department has decided to insist on mobile phone operators for obtaining clearance from the Wildlife Division of the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) for setting up mobile phone towers in view of the possible ill-effects of radiation from such installations on animals, birds and bees.
This was made clear by a senior Telecommunication official at the first meeting of the Experts' Committee formed by MoEF to study possible impact of communication tower on wildlife held recently, according to Dr Sainudeen Pattazhy, a member of the panel.
Mobile phone operators are already required to get clearance from Defence and Civil Avation authorities for installing towers in areas which had a bearing on their operations.
"Quite a few studies in India and abroad have pointed out that radiation from mobile towers seriously harmed wildlife, especially birds, bees and insects. So, it is important that the telecom operators get clearance from Wildlife Department before erecting towers, especially in areas close to forests, animal parks and zoos", Pattazhy said.
The committee,headed by Dr Asad Rahmani, Director of Bomaby Natural History Society, decided to formulate a set of guidelines for installation of towers so as to avoid their ill-effects on animals as well human beings.
Telecommunication offical, who is a member of the panel, told the meeting that measures to avoid installation of towers in crowded areas, schools, narrow lanes and roof-tops had already been taken.
He also maintained that the safety standards in India is very high in this regard and that no authentic evidence had so far surfaced to prove that the towers grievously harmed humans and animals in the country.
Some members of the panel suggested expansion of its scope so as to cover the entire spectrum of wildlife including reptiles and amphibions
source-economictimes.indiatimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Corporates join hands for tiger conservation
story/place-New delhi.
- Oct 23, 2010,
New Delhi (IANS) - Contemporary Indian art is conveying powerful messages. One of them is concern for environment and tigers.
A unique public art initiative, Artiger, is bringing 57 renowned artists, 50 corporate houses, 52 public spaces and the Ranthambore Foundation, the non-profit development groups and the common men under one umbrella to work for the cause for conserving tigers.
Conceived by curator and gallerist Aparajita Jain, art collector and promoter Swapan Seth and Delhi-based youth activist Nandita Kathpalia Baig, the project will facilitate dialogue between the common people and the stakeholders about tiger conservation with display of tiger art in public spaces.
The four-month project will be launched early December with the unveiling of "57 life-size fibre glass tigers" at locations across the capital.
Billed by the team as one of the largest public art displays in the country, it will feature prominent artists like Anjolie Ela Menon, Arpita Singh, Chittrovanu Mazumdar, G.R. Iranna, Jayasri Burman, Manu Parekh, Satish Gujral and several more.
Some of the corporate sponsors on the list include Abhishek Dalmia and Deepali Dalmia, Ambuja Realty, Apollo Tyres, Apolloindia (Raaja Kanwar), Artemis Hospital (Dr. Katariya), DLF and Borosil.
Announcing the project Friday, co-organiser Aprajita Jain said: "Art in public spaces is a highly potent awareness tool in a diverse country like India as it transcends boundaries. The overwhelming response that we have received proves we will make a difference."
The project will be implemented by Saath Saath Arts, an NGO that uses art to generate funds and awareness about public issues.
Commenting on the initiative, Swapan Seth, managing partner of art house Henry S. Clark, said: "Artiger was a remarkable testimony to the coming together of artists, corporates and government to leave behind an imprint on public spaces. It is often felt that Indian art has never received a collective corporate or governmental blessing."
The 57 fibre glass sculptures have been booked by corporate organisations. The funds raised from the corporates will be donated to Ranthambore Foundation, one of India's oldest and most well-known organisations working in the
source-indiavision.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
- Oct 23, 2010,
New Delhi (IANS) - Contemporary Indian art is conveying powerful messages. One of them is concern for environment and tigers.
A unique public art initiative, Artiger, is bringing 57 renowned artists, 50 corporate houses, 52 public spaces and the Ranthambore Foundation, the non-profit development groups and the common men under one umbrella to work for the cause for conserving tigers.
Conceived by curator and gallerist Aparajita Jain, art collector and promoter Swapan Seth and Delhi-based youth activist Nandita Kathpalia Baig, the project will facilitate dialogue between the common people and the stakeholders about tiger conservation with display of tiger art in public spaces.
The four-month project will be launched early December with the unveiling of "57 life-size fibre glass tigers" at locations across the capital.
Billed by the team as one of the largest public art displays in the country, it will feature prominent artists like Anjolie Ela Menon, Arpita Singh, Chittrovanu Mazumdar, G.R. Iranna, Jayasri Burman, Manu Parekh, Satish Gujral and several more.
Some of the corporate sponsors on the list include Abhishek Dalmia and Deepali Dalmia, Ambuja Realty, Apollo Tyres, Apolloindia (Raaja Kanwar), Artemis Hospital (Dr. Katariya), DLF and Borosil.
Announcing the project Friday, co-organiser Aprajita Jain said: "Art in public spaces is a highly potent awareness tool in a diverse country like India as it transcends boundaries. The overwhelming response that we have received proves we will make a difference."
The project will be implemented by Saath Saath Arts, an NGO that uses art to generate funds and awareness about public issues.
Commenting on the initiative, Swapan Seth, managing partner of art house Henry S. Clark, said: "Artiger was a remarkable testimony to the coming together of artists, corporates and government to leave behind an imprint on public spaces. It is often felt that Indian art has never received a collective corporate or governmental blessing."
The 57 fibre glass sculptures have been booked by corporate organisations. The funds raised from the corporates will be donated to Ranthambore Foundation, one of India's oldest and most well-known organisations working in the
source-indiavision.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Monday, November 1, 2010
Sariska mining leases to stay
Story -Jaipur
Oct 25, 2010
JAIPUR: The Rajasthan government has refused to cancel new mining leases in the Sariska range despite Union forests minister Jairam Ramesh asking chief minister Ashok Gehlot to put an end to mining in the Aravali ranges and cancel all new leases. The Supreme Court had earlier ruled: "no mining in Aravalis till further orders".
On October 21, TOI had reported that new mining leases were issued near Sariska wildlife sanctuary. The next day, Ramesh had asked Gehlot to cancel the leases immediately. In a letter to TOI, the state mines department claimed the newspaper report was not based on fact. According to the letter, "The orders of the Supreme Court passed on February 2, 2010, are being fully implemented... The court has restrained mining in cases of such mines where the renewal application is pending but lessees are doing mining as per the deeming provisions of rule 24A of Mineral Conservation Rules, 1960. The mining in such cases has been stopped completely."
However, the SC order said, ``There are about 261 mining leases in Rajasthan. Some of the mining leases have been renewed after 16.02.2002, though it was not strictly pemissible as per the order passed on that date."
The SC order also said, "A large number of applications are also pending with the authorities taking advantage of the deemed provisions of the Rule 24-A and almost all lease-holders are carrying on mining operations uninterruptedly. We, accordingly, restrain all those lease holders whose applications for renewal of their respective leases are pending from doing any mining."
So, going by its letter, the state government still allows mining which remains in violation of the SC order.
The SC had also directed the Forest Survey of India to carry out satellite imaging of the entire Aravali range in Rajasthan. It also clarified that the imagery should not be confined only to peaks/parts of hills 100m above ground level.
However, the mines department's letter claimed that the ``state government never pleaded before the SC that Rule 24A of the Minerals Concession Rules, 1960 provides definition of Aravali Hills''.
The mines department admits that one of the mining leases (127/07) was barely 20km from Sariska tiger reserve. In fact, the state has said that leases have been given to mines ``20-60km from Sariska tiger reserve''. A list of 17 such mining leases issued recently has been attached with the letter.
According to environment experts, this could disturb the ecology of the area and may endanger the habitat of the Sariska tigers that have been brought from Ranthambore. Five tigers have already been shifted to Sariska from Ranthambore. Few more will be shifted soon. A tiger needs its own territory of 8-10km.
Rajasthan's additional government counsel, wildlife and forests, Mahendra Singh Kachhawa, said, "Any sort of new mining lease in Aravalli ranges is contemptuous as it violates the SC ruling."
Sources said the mines department had to cancel several leases after TOI reported it. Some of them were almost on the boundary of the Sariska tiger reserve.
sorce-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sorced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Oct 25, 2010
JAIPUR: The Rajasthan government has refused to cancel new mining leases in the Sariska range despite Union forests minister Jairam Ramesh asking chief minister Ashok Gehlot to put an end to mining in the Aravali ranges and cancel all new leases. The Supreme Court had earlier ruled: "no mining in Aravalis till further orders".
On October 21, TOI had reported that new mining leases were issued near Sariska wildlife sanctuary. The next day, Ramesh had asked Gehlot to cancel the leases immediately. In a letter to TOI, the state mines department claimed the newspaper report was not based on fact. According to the letter, "The orders of the Supreme Court passed on February 2, 2010, are being fully implemented... The court has restrained mining in cases of such mines where the renewal application is pending but lessees are doing mining as per the deeming provisions of rule 24A of Mineral Conservation Rules, 1960. The mining in such cases has been stopped completely."
However, the SC order said, ``There are about 261 mining leases in Rajasthan. Some of the mining leases have been renewed after 16.02.2002, though it was not strictly pemissible as per the order passed on that date."
The SC order also said, "A large number of applications are also pending with the authorities taking advantage of the deemed provisions of the Rule 24-A and almost all lease-holders are carrying on mining operations uninterruptedly. We, accordingly, restrain all those lease holders whose applications for renewal of their respective leases are pending from doing any mining."
So, going by its letter, the state government still allows mining which remains in violation of the SC order.
The SC had also directed the Forest Survey of India to carry out satellite imaging of the entire Aravali range in Rajasthan. It also clarified that the imagery should not be confined only to peaks/parts of hills 100m above ground level.
However, the mines department's letter claimed that the ``state government never pleaded before the SC that Rule 24A of the Minerals Concession Rules, 1960 provides definition of Aravali Hills''.
The mines department admits that one of the mining leases (127/07) was barely 20km from Sariska tiger reserve. In fact, the state has said that leases have been given to mines ``20-60km from Sariska tiger reserve''. A list of 17 such mining leases issued recently has been attached with the letter.
According to environment experts, this could disturb the ecology of the area and may endanger the habitat of the Sariska tigers that have been brought from Ranthambore. Five tigers have already been shifted to Sariska from Ranthambore. Few more will be shifted soon. A tiger needs its own territory of 8-10km.
Rajasthan's additional government counsel, wildlife and forests, Mahendra Singh Kachhawa, said, "Any sort of new mining lease in Aravalli ranges is contemptuous as it violates the SC ruling."
Sources said the mines department had to cancel several leases after TOI reported it. Some of them were almost on the boundary of the Sariska tiger reserve.
sorce-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sorced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Captured man eater sent to Lucknow Zoo
story/place-Lucknow.
Oct 15, 2010,
LUCKNOW: A man eater tiger, captured after killing eight people in the forests of Uttar Pradesh in the last six months, has been sent to the Lucknow Zoo for rehabilitation.
The sub-adult male big cat, which had kept wildlife officials and villagers on tenterhooks since May while evading baits and dart attempts, was trapped yesterday.
"The tiger has been brought to Lucknow zoo, where it has been kept in isolation and observation after medical examination," forest department official Sukhjinder Singh said.
A team of UP forest department officials who were assisted by experts from New Delhi-based NGO Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) caught the predator when it was hiding in an isolated patch of vegetation in Nagla Hira Singh village in Farrukhabad forest division.
It was darted thrice, even as a huge crowd gathered around the animal's refuge, pelting it with stones. Several people were injured and one was severely mauled.
"We identified the tiger as the one that we were tracking by comparing its stripe pattern to photographs taken in previous capture attempts and also by comparing its pugmarks with those traced earlier," said DFO, Shahjehanpur Forest Division, P P Singh who led the team.
Known to have wandered off Pilibhit Forest Division near the Indo- Nepal border, the tiger claimed its first victim on May 4. Over the months, it moved south through Pilibhit, Shahjehanpur, South Kheri, Hardoi and Farrukhabad Forest Divisions. Till August 26, it killed eight people.
However, the experts do not consider the tiger an obligate man-eater.
"It is extremely unfortunate that eight people lost their lives. Yet, the tiger was not exclusively attacking humans but was also predating on wild prey like blue bull, spotted deer, wild boar and black buck. Moreover, the human victims were killed within forested areas," said WTI biologist Milind Pariwakam.
"The rapid response group comprised three teams working in close coordination. A village-level vigilance team including local people, forest department staff worked closely with the affected villagers while creating awareness among them," said Anil Kumar Singh, Head of WTI's Conflict Mitigation division.
"It was not easy to dart the feline as it was becoming increasingly difficult to capture as it was getting more wary with every attempt. Moreover, there were other challenges to counter, like rains washing away evidence of the tiger and assuaging public frustration," he said
sorce-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sorced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Oct 15, 2010,
LUCKNOW: A man eater tiger, captured after killing eight people in the forests of Uttar Pradesh in the last six months, has been sent to the Lucknow Zoo for rehabilitation.
The sub-adult male big cat, which had kept wildlife officials and villagers on tenterhooks since May while evading baits and dart attempts, was trapped yesterday.
"The tiger has been brought to Lucknow zoo, where it has been kept in isolation and observation after medical examination," forest department official Sukhjinder Singh said.
A team of UP forest department officials who were assisted by experts from New Delhi-based NGO Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) caught the predator when it was hiding in an isolated patch of vegetation in Nagla Hira Singh village in Farrukhabad forest division.
It was darted thrice, even as a huge crowd gathered around the animal's refuge, pelting it with stones. Several people were injured and one was severely mauled.
"We identified the tiger as the one that we were tracking by comparing its stripe pattern to photographs taken in previous capture attempts and also by comparing its pugmarks with those traced earlier," said DFO, Shahjehanpur Forest Division, P P Singh who led the team.
Known to have wandered off Pilibhit Forest Division near the Indo- Nepal border, the tiger claimed its first victim on May 4. Over the months, it moved south through Pilibhit, Shahjehanpur, South Kheri, Hardoi and Farrukhabad Forest Divisions. Till August 26, it killed eight people.
However, the experts do not consider the tiger an obligate man-eater.
"It is extremely unfortunate that eight people lost their lives. Yet, the tiger was not exclusively attacking humans but was also predating on wild prey like blue bull, spotted deer, wild boar and black buck. Moreover, the human victims were killed within forested areas," said WTI biologist Milind Pariwakam.
"The rapid response group comprised three teams working in close coordination. A village-level vigilance team including local people, forest department staff worked closely with the affected villagers while creating awareness among them," said Anil Kumar Singh, Head of WTI's Conflict Mitigation division.
"It was not easy to dart the feline as it was becoming increasingly difficult to capture as it was getting more wary with every attempt. Moreover, there were other challenges to counter, like rains washing away evidence of the tiger and assuaging public frustration," he said
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Elephant gets national heritage tag
Story/place-New delhi.
NEW DELHI: The elephant has been declared the national heritage animal by the government with an aim to step up measures for its protection.
A notification in this regard was issued by the environment ministry on Friday as recommended by the task force on elephant project and approved by the standing committee of national board of wildlife in its meeting on October 13.
The long-awaited move has cheered the conservationists who feel that jumbos, being closely associated with religion and culture in the country since ages, need to be given the same degree of importance as enjoyed by the tiger. The government also plans to amend Wildlife (Protection) Act to pave way for setting up of national elephants conservation authority (NECA) on the lines of the NTCA that has been constituted for the tiger conservation.
"We will introduce it (amendment) in the winter session of Parliament," environment minister Jairam Ramesh had said recently underlining the urgency to protect the jumbos in the country before they could go the tiger way whose count stands just around 1,411.
Declaring elephants as national heritage animal and setting up NECA for their protection are part of recommendations of the elephant task force, set up by the government, in its report "securing the future for elephants in India."
The report has called for protection of jumbos by creating new reserves, curbing poaching and restricting development in the corridors they use to travel between forested areas."
According to the task force, there are over 25,000 elephants in the country, including 3,500 in captivity in zoos and temples — particularly in southern and north-eastern parts of the country. pti
source-indiatimea.com
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NEW DELHI: The elephant has been declared the national heritage animal by the government with an aim to step up measures for its protection.
A notification in this regard was issued by the environment ministry on Friday as recommended by the task force on elephant project and approved by the standing committee of national board of wildlife in its meeting on October 13.
The long-awaited move has cheered the conservationists who feel that jumbos, being closely associated with religion and culture in the country since ages, need to be given the same degree of importance as enjoyed by the tiger. The government also plans to amend Wildlife (Protection) Act to pave way for setting up of national elephants conservation authority (NECA) on the lines of the NTCA that has been constituted for the tiger conservation.
"We will introduce it (amendment) in the winter session of Parliament," environment minister Jairam Ramesh had said recently underlining the urgency to protect the jumbos in the country before they could go the tiger way whose count stands just around 1,411.
Declaring elephants as national heritage animal and setting up NECA for their protection are part of recommendations of the elephant task force, set up by the government, in its report "securing the future for elephants in India."
The report has called for protection of jumbos by creating new reserves, curbing poaching and restricting development in the corridors they use to travel between forested areas."
According to the task force, there are over 25,000 elephants in the country, including 3,500 in captivity in zoos and temples — particularly in southern and north-eastern parts of the country. pti
source-indiatimea.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Baby elephant killed with spears, sticks on camera
Story/place-Assam
Oct 27th, 2010
Heritage Animal, entitling it to the same sort of protection as the tiger, a video has captured villagers in Assam beating a baby elephant to death.
The three-year-old calf had was injured and had been abandoned by his herd. Villagers are seen in the video riding on the injured calf, while policemen watch.
The villagers then attacked the calf with spears and sticks till he died.
The officer in charge of the police station in Jagiroad area of Morigaon district in central Assam has been suspended.
The conflict between elephants and humans in Assam has been escalating. With forests widely encroached, elephants are forced to stray out of their habitat and sometimes destroy paddy fields, prompting attacks by villagers.
A fortnight ago, four elephants were found dead in tea gardens near Kaziranga. Experts said they seemed to have been poisone
source-flashnewstoday.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Oct 27th, 2010
Heritage Animal, entitling it to the same sort of protection as the tiger, a video has captured villagers in Assam beating a baby elephant to death.
The three-year-old calf had was injured and had been abandoned by his herd. Villagers are seen in the video riding on the injured calf, while policemen watch.
The villagers then attacked the calf with spears and sticks till he died.
The officer in charge of the police station in Jagiroad area of Morigaon district in central Assam has been suspended.
The conflict between elephants and humans in Assam has been escalating. With forests widely encroached, elephants are forced to stray out of their habitat and sometimes destroy paddy fields, prompting attacks by villagers.
A fortnight ago, four elephants were found dead in tea gardens near Kaziranga. Experts said they seemed to have been poisone
source-flashnewstoday.com
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Villagers fight elephants with poison in Assam
Villagers fight elephants with poison in Assam
Story/place-Assam.
Oct 14, 2010
GUWAHATI: A growing tussle for land between farmers and wild elephants in northeast India has resulted in the suspected poisoning deaths of four elephants in the past week, officials said Friday.
Officials in Assam believe the four animals were deliberately poisoned by lacing home-made alcohol with toxic chemicals.
"We have taken the matter very seriously and already an enquiry by the chief wildlife warden is on and strict action will be taken against anyone found guilty of poisoning the elephants," state forest minister Rockybul Hussain said.
Two calves died at the Diffolu tea garden, close to the Kaziranga National Park, about 220 kilometre (140 miles) east of Assam's main city of Guwahati on October 7.
Two days later a pregnant elephant was found dead on the periphery of the park, followed by an adult tusker just outside the sanctuary.
"In almost all the cases, the tongues had turned blue indicating that the elephants could have consumed something toxic," a veterinarian who examined the bodies said.
Hussain said preliminary investigations suggested locals in the Diffolu tea garden might be responsible.
In 2009, four elephants were poisoned and killed by angry villagers after going on the rampage in local paddy fields and villages, killing at least two people.
Wildlife officials said the locals had mixed the poison with home-made liquor that is brewed from fermented rice and often sought out by elephants.
Experts say shrinking forest cover and human encroachment on elephant corridors have forced the animals to stray out of their natural jungle habitat into human settlement areas.
"More often than not, they are attracted by the smell of locally brewed rice beer," said Kushal Konwar Sharma, a noted elephant expert and a teacher at the College of Veterinary Science in Guwahati.
A recent report by the wildlife department said wild Asiatic elephants have killed about 279 people in Assam since 2001, while 289 elephants have died during the period, many of them victims of human retaliation.
The last elephant census carried out by wildlife authorities recorded about 5,500 elephants in Assam, more than half of India's count of 10,000.
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Story/place-Assam.
Oct 14, 2010
GUWAHATI: A growing tussle for land between farmers and wild elephants in northeast India has resulted in the suspected poisoning deaths of four elephants in the past week, officials said Friday.
Officials in Assam believe the four animals were deliberately poisoned by lacing home-made alcohol with toxic chemicals.
"We have taken the matter very seriously and already an enquiry by the chief wildlife warden is on and strict action will be taken against anyone found guilty of poisoning the elephants," state forest minister Rockybul Hussain said.
Two calves died at the Diffolu tea garden, close to the Kaziranga National Park, about 220 kilometre (140 miles) east of Assam's main city of Guwahati on October 7.
Two days later a pregnant elephant was found dead on the periphery of the park, followed by an adult tusker just outside the sanctuary.
"In almost all the cases, the tongues had turned blue indicating that the elephants could have consumed something toxic," a veterinarian who examined the bodies said.
Hussain said preliminary investigations suggested locals in the Diffolu tea garden might be responsible.
In 2009, four elephants were poisoned and killed by angry villagers after going on the rampage in local paddy fields and villages, killing at least two people.
Wildlife officials said the locals had mixed the poison with home-made liquor that is brewed from fermented rice and often sought out by elephants.
Experts say shrinking forest cover and human encroachment on elephant corridors have forced the animals to stray out of their natural jungle habitat into human settlement areas.
"More often than not, they are attracted by the smell of locally brewed rice beer," said Kushal Konwar Sharma, a noted elephant expert and a teacher at the College of Veterinary Science in Guwahati.
A recent report by the wildlife department said wild Asiatic elephants have killed about 279 people in Assam since 2001, while 289 elephants have died during the period, many of them victims of human retaliation.
The last elephant census carried out by wildlife authorities recorded about 5,500 elephants in Assam, more than half of India's count of 10,000.
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Illegal mining threatens Sariska
Story/place-Jaipur.
Oct 12, 2010,
JAIPUR: Despite crores being spent in the name of conservation and Project Tiger, illegal mining activity is back in full gear in the protected area of Sariska Wildlife Sanctuary.
"Rampant mining is going on at Jaisinghpura, Malana, Goverdhanpura, Palpura and Jamwa Ramgarh, in spite of the Supreme Court's 1991 order banning mining in the area. After SC's order, 215 mines were closed. But recently, some of them have restarted activity in the middle of the sanctuary," said Rajender Singh, the waterman of Rajasthan, whose NGO Tarun Bharat Sangh had filed the writ petition in the apex court.
Singh added that these villages fall in the protected area and are a rich reservoir of dolomite. "Nearly 30-40 mines have begun operation again, some of them run by leading names in the industry," he said. According to Singh, mining had picked up in Project Tiger area's buffer zones and was causing irreparable damage to tiger habitat and the sanctuary's ecosystem. "Mine owners' money and muscle power has made officials and politicians turn a blind eye to the illegal activity," said Singh who claimed he was attacked thrice by the mining mafia.
Confirming Singh's statement, Delhi-based Tarun Kanti Bose, who has done extensive research on mining in Rajasthan, said, "While public sector mines remain closed as per the apex court's ruling, many mines in the unorganized sector have again started mining marble in the belt, which has good deposits."
In villages like Tilwad and Tilwadi in Alwar, marble mining operations are taking place right in the middle of the villages on private agricultural land. Many large landholders in the villages are today keen on selling their agricultural land as they are getting high returns for it, he said. "Mining is expanding rapidly in an area which has some of the most fertile lands with plenty of water," said Tarun.
Tarun said in all the big mines operating in Sariska, local people seem to be playing the roles of contractors and middlemen. They are also employed as cashiers and administrators. "Ranges in Sariska are covered with densely forested slopes, home to the tiger and other wildlife and an entire ecosystem. But it is fast dwindling with mining and other commercial activity," he said
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Oct 12, 2010,
JAIPUR: Despite crores being spent in the name of conservation and Project Tiger, illegal mining activity is back in full gear in the protected area of Sariska Wildlife Sanctuary.
"Rampant mining is going on at Jaisinghpura, Malana, Goverdhanpura, Palpura and Jamwa Ramgarh, in spite of the Supreme Court's 1991 order banning mining in the area. After SC's order, 215 mines were closed. But recently, some of them have restarted activity in the middle of the sanctuary," said Rajender Singh, the waterman of Rajasthan, whose NGO Tarun Bharat Sangh had filed the writ petition in the apex court.
Singh added that these villages fall in the protected area and are a rich reservoir of dolomite. "Nearly 30-40 mines have begun operation again, some of them run by leading names in the industry," he said. According to Singh, mining had picked up in Project Tiger area's buffer zones and was causing irreparable damage to tiger habitat and the sanctuary's ecosystem. "Mine owners' money and muscle power has made officials and politicians turn a blind eye to the illegal activity," said Singh who claimed he was attacked thrice by the mining mafia.
Confirming Singh's statement, Delhi-based Tarun Kanti Bose, who has done extensive research on mining in Rajasthan, said, "While public sector mines remain closed as per the apex court's ruling, many mines in the unorganized sector have again started mining marble in the belt, which has good deposits."
In villages like Tilwad and Tilwadi in Alwar, marble mining operations are taking place right in the middle of the villages on private agricultural land. Many large landholders in the villages are today keen on selling their agricultural land as they are getting high returns for it, he said. "Mining is expanding rapidly in an area which has some of the most fertile lands with plenty of water," said Tarun.
Tarun said in all the big mines operating in Sariska, local people seem to be playing the roles of contractors and middlemen. They are also employed as cashiers and administrators. "Ranges in Sariska are covered with densely forested slopes, home to the tiger and other wildlife and an entire ecosystem. But it is fast dwindling with mining and other commercial activity," he said
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Kaziranga National Park to be extended
Story/place-Guwahati.
GUWAHATI: The Assam government is set to complete the legal process for extension of the Kaziranga National Park from the present 430 square kilometres to double the area.
The state's forest and tourism minister, Rockybul Hussain, said the government was expeditiously trying to settle the land acquisition process for the extension so that animals, including the prized one-horned rhinos, were better protected.
Although the park has already a more-than-800-square- kilometre-area, it was not legally sanctioned thus preventing the authorities from removing human settlements in the proposed extended area.
Asserting that there was no encroachment in the existing forest area, Hussain recently said, ''Very soon we will have the legal formalities completed for the area expansion.''
The minister said steps were being taken to plant saplings in 20,000 hectares. A process was also on to raise a Assam Forest Protection Force .
Hussain, who also holds the charge of the state's information and public relation department, said an initiative had been taken to project the state's development in proper perspective through booklets, banners, hoardings and documentaries.
The minister said efforts were on to boost schemes and attract more and more tourists to the state.
Internationally-acclaimed film-maker Jahnu Baruah has been roped in to popularise the tourism sector in a big way, the minister said.
The public toilets under Sulabh International would be set up in public places along the national and state highways, Hussain said.
source-economictimes.indiatimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
GUWAHATI: The Assam government is set to complete the legal process for extension of the Kaziranga National Park from the present 430 square kilometres to double the area.
The state's forest and tourism minister, Rockybul Hussain, said the government was expeditiously trying to settle the land acquisition process for the extension so that animals, including the prized one-horned rhinos, were better protected.
Although the park has already a more-than-800-square- kilometre-area, it was not legally sanctioned thus preventing the authorities from removing human settlements in the proposed extended area.
Asserting that there was no encroachment in the existing forest area, Hussain recently said, ''Very soon we will have the legal formalities completed for the area expansion.''
The minister said steps were being taken to plant saplings in 20,000 hectares. A process was also on to raise a Assam Forest Protection Force .
Hussain, who also holds the charge of the state's information and public relation department, said an initiative had been taken to project the state's development in proper perspective through booklets, banners, hoardings and documentaries.
The minister said efforts were on to boost schemes and attract more and more tourists to the state.
Internationally-acclaimed film-maker Jahnu Baruah has been roped in to popularise the tourism sector in a big way, the minister said.
The public toilets under Sulabh International would be set up in public places along the national and state highways, Hussain said.
source-economictimes.indiatimes.com
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Vulture conservation campaign in Uttarakhand
Story/place-uttarakhand.
|
October 15, 2010
The Jim Corbett Vulture Conservation organization educated the people on the importance of vultures to the environment through the 'Ramleela' in Uttarakhand's Ramnagar District.
During the 'Ramleela', the organization connected the campaign with the mythical vulture Jatayu, who had informed Lord Ram of his wife's kidnapping in the 'Ramayan'.
Films on wildlife and vulture conservation were also shown, while researchers distributed pamphlets.
"The situation in India is reaching a crucial point now because now it has been at least five years since over 99 percent of vultures have disappeared, in terms of possible pandemic disease spreading," said Oliver Gray, a vulture conservationist from the United Kingdom.
"Now it is reaching a crucial point where the state of population has increased so much, and it is already starting to register scary statistics in terms of the health costs to India," he added.
The organization also pointed out the ill effects of drugs that killed vultures.
"You know, we are trying to tell people that the drug that has killed the vultures, Diclofenac, which was used for veterinary purposes, which is banned but there is an alternative and a very cheap alternate which is the human diclofenac, which is quite rampantly used in this area and our awareness is about that," said Sumanta Ghosh, director of Corbett Vulture Conservation organization.
Vultures eat the carcasses of livestock that have been administered veterinary diclofenac, and are poisoned by the accumulated chemical.
The use of diclofenac in animals has been reported to a sharp decline in the vulture population in the Indian subcontinent.
The organization has urged the dairy owners to stop using the hazardous chemical
source-news.webindia123.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
|
October 15, 2010
The Jim Corbett Vulture Conservation organization educated the people on the importance of vultures to the environment through the 'Ramleela' in Uttarakhand's Ramnagar District.
During the 'Ramleela', the organization connected the campaign with the mythical vulture Jatayu, who had informed Lord Ram of his wife's kidnapping in the 'Ramayan'.
Films on wildlife and vulture conservation were also shown, while researchers distributed pamphlets.
"The situation in India is reaching a crucial point now because now it has been at least five years since over 99 percent of vultures have disappeared, in terms of possible pandemic disease spreading," said Oliver Gray, a vulture conservationist from the United Kingdom.
"Now it is reaching a crucial point where the state of population has increased so much, and it is already starting to register scary statistics in terms of the health costs to India," he added.
The organization also pointed out the ill effects of drugs that killed vultures.
"You know, we are trying to tell people that the drug that has killed the vultures, Diclofenac, which was used for veterinary purposes, which is banned but there is an alternative and a very cheap alternate which is the human diclofenac, which is quite rampantly used in this area and our awareness is about that," said Sumanta Ghosh, director of Corbett Vulture Conservation organization.
Vultures eat the carcasses of livestock that have been administered veterinary diclofenac, and are poisoned by the accumulated chemical.
The use of diclofenac in animals has been reported to a sharp decline in the vulture population in the Indian subcontinent.
The organization has urged the dairy owners to stop using the hazardous chemical
source-news.webindia123.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Monday, October 11, 2010
Growing elephant deaths in Orissa raise alarm
Story/place-Orissa.
October 07, 2010
In the last 19 years in Orissa, 231 elephants fell victim to poachers while 166 were killed in accidents and 173 more died from natural causes, says a wildlife NGO. While the government gives more conservative estimates, experts say there is enough cause for alarm. Biswajit Mohanty, secretary
of NGO Wildlife Society of Orissa, who gave the figures, said at least 155 of the elephants died due to electrocution in over 10 years.
"Immediate measures are required if we want to protect the elephants. The animals are dying due to lack of proper measures by the government," a worried Mohanty said.
"Wildlife has little chance to survive due to rapid loss of habitat in the state which is obsessed with mining and industrialisation," he added.
"The State Board for Wildlife, a high-power body chaired by the chief minister, has not met even once in the last two years, though it is mandatory that a meeting takes place every six months," he said.
There has been no meeting of honorary wildlife wardens in the last two years, Mohanty pointed out.
"This clearly reveals the abject apathy of the forest department to engage with wildlife experts and conservationists who can provide valuable inputs and advice for protection of wildlife in the state," he said.
"The department is wary of calling meetings as they might face uncomfortable questions about their abject failure to protect wildlife and allow mining in wildlife-rich areas," he claimed.
Activist Ranjit Pattnaik, another wildlife expert, said: "It is really alarming the way elephants are dying. The central as well as the state governments need to take urgent measures to protect these mammals."
Government figures on elephant deaths are, however, way less.
Orissa chief wildlife warden P.N. Padhi said: "On an average, about 50 elephants died every year in the past 10 years. While about six to seven die from electrocution, about six elephants get poached every year."
"The number of deaths due to accidents is becoming more than those due to poaching. Accidents include electrocution, trains mowing them down and the animals falling into pits," he said.
In the latest incidents, two full grown elephants died of electrocution Sep 6 - one in Dhenkanal district and another in Cuttack.
Most of the accidents take place in Keonjhar, Sundergarh, Sambalpur and Dhenkanal districts.
Orissa is home to 1,886 elephants, according to the census earlier this year. There are three elephant reserves in the state at Mayurbhanj, Mahanadi and Sambalpur.
"We have taken action against forest staff and booked electricians under the wildlife protection act after four elephants died early this year," Padhi said.
Three elephants had been killed due to sagging electric wires in Durlabhpur village in Keonjhar district in August and another died soon after in Ongul district.
"We are sensitising the officials. We started an elephant management plan last year from the state's own resources. In this plan, we will include four components, including an increase in forest cover, especially habitats of the elephants, habitat protection and anti-poaching measures," he added.
source-hindustantimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
October 07, 2010
In the last 19 years in Orissa, 231 elephants fell victim to poachers while 166 were killed in accidents and 173 more died from natural causes, says a wildlife NGO. While the government gives more conservative estimates, experts say there is enough cause for alarm. Biswajit Mohanty, secretary
of NGO Wildlife Society of Orissa, who gave the figures, said at least 155 of the elephants died due to electrocution in over 10 years.
"Immediate measures are required if we want to protect the elephants. The animals are dying due to lack of proper measures by the government," a worried Mohanty said.
"Wildlife has little chance to survive due to rapid loss of habitat in the state which is obsessed with mining and industrialisation," he added.
"The State Board for Wildlife, a high-power body chaired by the chief minister, has not met even once in the last two years, though it is mandatory that a meeting takes place every six months," he said.
There has been no meeting of honorary wildlife wardens in the last two years, Mohanty pointed out.
"This clearly reveals the abject apathy of the forest department to engage with wildlife experts and conservationists who can provide valuable inputs and advice for protection of wildlife in the state," he said.
"The department is wary of calling meetings as they might face uncomfortable questions about their abject failure to protect wildlife and allow mining in wildlife-rich areas," he claimed.
Activist Ranjit Pattnaik, another wildlife expert, said: "It is really alarming the way elephants are dying. The central as well as the state governments need to take urgent measures to protect these mammals."
Government figures on elephant deaths are, however, way less.
Orissa chief wildlife warden P.N. Padhi said: "On an average, about 50 elephants died every year in the past 10 years. While about six to seven die from electrocution, about six elephants get poached every year."
"The number of deaths due to accidents is becoming more than those due to poaching. Accidents include electrocution, trains mowing them down and the animals falling into pits," he said.
In the latest incidents, two full grown elephants died of electrocution Sep 6 - one in Dhenkanal district and another in Cuttack.
Most of the accidents take place in Keonjhar, Sundergarh, Sambalpur and Dhenkanal districts.
Orissa is home to 1,886 elephants, according to the census earlier this year. There are three elephant reserves in the state at Mayurbhanj, Mahanadi and Sambalpur.
"We have taken action against forest staff and booked electricians under the wildlife protection act after four elephants died early this year," Padhi said.
Three elephants had been killed due to sagging electric wires in Durlabhpur village in Keonjhar district in August and another died soon after in Ongul district.
"We are sensitising the officials. We started an elephant management plan last year from the state's own resources. In this plan, we will include four components, including an increase in forest cover, especially habitats of the elephants, habitat protection and anti-poaching measures," he added.
source-hindustantimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Nothing new in zoo this Wildlife Week
Story/place-Chandigarh.
Oct 2, 2010,
CHANDIGARH: In a development that is ought to disappoint animal-lovers in the city, the ongoing Wildlife Week at Chhatbir zoo, which kick-started on Saturday, will see no new entries of animals from outside. Contrary to promises made by Chhatbir authorities to tie-up with other menageries for introducing new animals ahead of the much-awaited Wildlife Week, the zoo has failed to strike an exchange deal with other zoological parks.
With no inmates in its kitty for the exchange programme, no menagerie seems to be interested in getting into a deal with Chhatbir. Recently, a Rajasthan-based zoological park turned down Chhatbir's request for a tiger. Also, zoo authorities were trying to bring new tigers and lions from other zoological parks in Ludhiana, Rajkot and Nagpur.
In July, the menagerie had introduced a 12-year-old lioness Divya from Renuka. At present, there are two lioness, one lion and 10 tigers at the zoo. Most of these are past their prime. Sources said the fact that most of the animals possessed by Chhatbir are in old age makes other menageries disinterested in entering into an exchange arrangement with the zoo. At present, all the lions and tigers in the zoo are above 15 years.
Speaking to TOI, chief wildlife warden, Punjab, Gurbaz Singh said, "We are following the CZA directions. We had stopped the breeding process of lions and tigers due to their old age. The lions and tigers at the zoo are above age. CZA has directed that they should complete their life span and not be forced to breed. We will introduce more lions and tigers in upcoming days. Talks are still going on with other zoo authorities." Apart from lions and tigers, Chhatbir has a very good and healthy breed of spotted deers. The menagerie has 10-12 extra spotted deers, we are planning to exchange these with tigers, Gurbaz added.
Zoo director Charchil Kumar said the menagerie had to defer its proposals due to monsoon season. "During rainy season, the possibility of infection is way more than normal weather. Animals from destinations as far as Nagpur and Rajkot were to be brought to Chhatbir. With monsoon coming to an end, we plan to gear up the proceedings".
When asked about the possibility of introducing more animals during the Wildlife Week, Charchil said it would take some more time to take such a step. "However, the deal is final with other zoo authorities. Some paperwork is yet to be completed,".
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Oct 2, 2010,
CHANDIGARH: In a development that is ought to disappoint animal-lovers in the city, the ongoing Wildlife Week at Chhatbir zoo, which kick-started on Saturday, will see no new entries of animals from outside. Contrary to promises made by Chhatbir authorities to tie-up with other menageries for introducing new animals ahead of the much-awaited Wildlife Week, the zoo has failed to strike an exchange deal with other zoological parks.
With no inmates in its kitty for the exchange programme, no menagerie seems to be interested in getting into a deal with Chhatbir. Recently, a Rajasthan-based zoological park turned down Chhatbir's request for a tiger. Also, zoo authorities were trying to bring new tigers and lions from other zoological parks in Ludhiana, Rajkot and Nagpur.
In July, the menagerie had introduced a 12-year-old lioness Divya from Renuka. At present, there are two lioness, one lion and 10 tigers at the zoo. Most of these are past their prime. Sources said the fact that most of the animals possessed by Chhatbir are in old age makes other menageries disinterested in entering into an exchange arrangement with the zoo. At present, all the lions and tigers in the zoo are above 15 years.
Speaking to TOI, chief wildlife warden, Punjab, Gurbaz Singh said, "We are following the CZA directions. We had stopped the breeding process of lions and tigers due to their old age. The lions and tigers at the zoo are above age. CZA has directed that they should complete their life span and not be forced to breed. We will introduce more lions and tigers in upcoming days. Talks are still going on with other zoo authorities." Apart from lions and tigers, Chhatbir has a very good and healthy breed of spotted deers. The menagerie has 10-12 extra spotted deers, we are planning to exchange these with tigers, Gurbaz added.
Zoo director Charchil Kumar said the menagerie had to defer its proposals due to monsoon season. "During rainy season, the possibility of infection is way more than normal weather. Animals from destinations as far as Nagpur and Rajkot were to be brought to Chhatbir. With monsoon coming to an end, we plan to gear up the proceedings".
When asked about the possibility of introducing more animals during the Wildlife Week, Charchil said it would take some more time to take such a step. "However, the deal is final with other zoo authorities. Some paperwork is yet to be completed,".
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Maneater on the prowl, mauls 3 in Mathura
Story/place-New Delhi.
Oct 5, 2010,
NEW DELHI: Barely 150km from Delhi, near Mathura, a lone tiger mauled three people in the village of Satah on Monday morning. Not only did the incident terrify residents but also caught forest officials and other experts off guard as this was definitely not a known tiger territory.
The forest department, with help from Wildlife SOS Delhi, set up traps to catch the animal on Monday but were unsuccessful. "We are also expecting help from the Rajasthan wildlife department. While nothing is confirmed so far, the tiger probably strayed from the Bharatpur area since it is the closest known place that can support a tiger population," said Kartick Satyanarayan, director, Wildlife SOS.
According to sources, the animal was spotted around 6am on Monday, around 1km from the highway. "The Satah village area mostly consists of fields. The animal was probably seen when it was crossing from one field to another. Initially, it attacked the first person it saw in the field and then attacked others as they came to rescue the injured person. Three people have sustained serious injuries. However, it doesn't seem to be a maneater and probably attacked in defence since it has used only its paws and not its teeth," said Dr K L Meena, DFO, Mathura.
According to reports, the entire area has been fenced off but angry villagers broke through the barriers to attack the animal. Police had to be brought in to manage the situation. Meena added that traps had been laid to catch the big cat. "A goat has been used as a bait and our men are stationed on a neem tree near this cage. We are hoping to sedate the animal," he said.
While not too many details were available about the gender or age of the animal, experts said that this was definitely a transient tiger. "I don't have details with me but if this is a sub-adult or juvenile, it could have been displaced either in a turf war or was out to hunt and got marooned in the area. However, it is most probably from the Bharatpur area. We have had reports of tigers being sighted in Bharatpur but never this far," said Satyanarayan.
Meena agreed, adding that the animal could have also come from as far off as Madhya Pradesh.
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Oct 5, 2010,
NEW DELHI: Barely 150km from Delhi, near Mathura, a lone tiger mauled three people in the village of Satah on Monday morning. Not only did the incident terrify residents but also caught forest officials and other experts off guard as this was definitely not a known tiger territory.
The forest department, with help from Wildlife SOS Delhi, set up traps to catch the animal on Monday but were unsuccessful. "We are also expecting help from the Rajasthan wildlife department. While nothing is confirmed so far, the tiger probably strayed from the Bharatpur area since it is the closest known place that can support a tiger population," said Kartick Satyanarayan, director, Wildlife SOS.
According to sources, the animal was spotted around 6am on Monday, around 1km from the highway. "The Satah village area mostly consists of fields. The animal was probably seen when it was crossing from one field to another. Initially, it attacked the first person it saw in the field and then attacked others as they came to rescue the injured person. Three people have sustained serious injuries. However, it doesn't seem to be a maneater and probably attacked in defence since it has used only its paws and not its teeth," said Dr K L Meena, DFO, Mathura.
According to reports, the entire area has been fenced off but angry villagers broke through the barriers to attack the animal. Police had to be brought in to manage the situation. Meena added that traps had been laid to catch the big cat. "A goat has been used as a bait and our men are stationed on a neem tree near this cage. We are hoping to sedate the animal," he said.
While not too many details were available about the gender or age of the animal, experts said that this was definitely a transient tiger. "I don't have details with me but if this is a sub-adult or juvenile, it could have been displaced either in a turf war or was out to hunt and got marooned in the area. However, it is most probably from the Bharatpur area. We have had reports of tigers being sighted in Bharatpur but never this far," said Satyanarayan.
Meena agreed, adding that the animal could have also come from as far off as Madhya Pradesh.
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Wildlife dept works on Bhindawas revival plan
Story/place-Chandigarh.
CHANDIGARH: Here is some good news for another lake in Haryana. The Bhindawas Lake, which had been dying due to neglect, has got a fresh lease of life. The Haryana wildlife department is working on a comprehensive five-year maintenance plan for the lake. The lake, for the past few weeks, has seen an increase in the number of migratory birds landing here.
A month back, a huge quantity of fish had died in the lake. Experts blamed the wildlife department for ignoring the drying lake in Rohtak, which caused the fish deaths.
But the dead fishes, according to wildlife department officials, have helped restore the sinking number of migratory birds coming to the lake.
The fishes died due to natural reasons but they have helped boost the number of winged visitors. This is just the beginning. We will have more
variety of birds coming to the lake. This is a major tourist spot and with the Commonwealth Games just round the corner, we expect the number to go up this year, said C R Jhojuwal, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Haryana.
Bhindawas is a natural habitat for many varieties of birds. The place was declared a bird sanctuary in 1985. Spread over an area of 1,017 acres, it is the largest wet land of the state. The Centre has sanctioned Rs 5 lakh for a comprehensive management plan to revive the lake. The Haryana government will rope in experts for the plan.
The Haryana government is working on a similar revival package for the Sultanpur National Park, near Farukh Nagar. The package, according to officials, will bring back the lost charm of the place. The idea is to showcase Haryana as the destination for wildlife, said an official.
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sorced by jimsjungleretreat.com
CHANDIGARH: Here is some good news for another lake in Haryana. The Bhindawas Lake, which had been dying due to neglect, has got a fresh lease of life. The Haryana wildlife department is working on a comprehensive five-year maintenance plan for the lake. The lake, for the past few weeks, has seen an increase in the number of migratory birds landing here.
A month back, a huge quantity of fish had died in the lake. Experts blamed the wildlife department for ignoring the drying lake in Rohtak, which caused the fish deaths.
But the dead fishes, according to wildlife department officials, have helped restore the sinking number of migratory birds coming to the lake.
The fishes died due to natural reasons but they have helped boost the number of winged visitors. This is just the beginning. We will have more
variety of birds coming to the lake. This is a major tourist spot and with the Commonwealth Games just round the corner, we expect the number to go up this year, said C R Jhojuwal, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Haryana.
Bhindawas is a natural habitat for many varieties of birds. The place was declared a bird sanctuary in 1985. Spread over an area of 1,017 acres, it is the largest wet land of the state. The Centre has sanctioned Rs 5 lakh for a comprehensive management plan to revive the lake. The Haryana government will rope in experts for the plan.
The Haryana government is working on a similar revival package for the Sultanpur National Park, near Farukh Nagar. The package, according to officials, will bring back the lost charm of the place. The idea is to showcase Haryana as the destination for wildlife, said an official.
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sorced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Reformed hunter battles to save Bangladesh's wildlife
Story/place-Bangladesh
SRIMONGAL, Bangladesh — Sitesh Ranjan Deb says his transformation from hunter to conservationist was triggered 20 years ago when he was attacked by a Himalayan black bear while out stalking deer.
Sitesh, from northeastern Bangladesh, stumbled on the sleeping beast. It lashed out, severely damaging his face and one eye, and only emergency surgery saved his life.
During many long months of recovery, Sitesh decided to give up hunting -- his family's profession for generations -- in favour of saving ill and endangered animals.
He has since become the nation's leading conservationist, devoted to saving what remains of the Lawachara forest, a threatened national reserve near his home.
"I lost one eye in that attack, but it changed the way I wanted to relate to wildlife," he told AFP at his home in Srimongal, where he runs a renowned animal rescue centre.
"Many of the species I grew up with -- wild boars, leopards -- are hardly ever seen now. These animals are in their last days.
"Illegal logging has damaged the forest so much there is no food for the animals. Unless we act now, they'll be gone forever in a few years."
Sitesh, 62, nurses injured wild animals brought to him by villagers back to health and also appears regularly on television shows campaigning for better public attitudes towards wild animals.
If possible, he releases the animals back into the jungle, while others he keeps in his small zoo -- including two hand-raised Himalayan black bears after the mother was killed, a 5.5 metre (18 foot) python and a rare albino fishing cat.
Even Sitesh's family home is filled with animals, the more "difficult cases" which need 24-hour care. Two jungle cat cubs, a baby python and a badly-injured Slow Loris (a primate species) are currently in residence.
"So far, I've freed more than 1,000 animals and that's not counting 2,000 birds," he said, displaying photographs of many former patients.
For some animals, such as the two hand-reared two-year-old bears, who have lived with Sitesh since their mother was beaten to death by local villagers, his zoo may be their final home.
"I can't set the bears free as the jungles are no longer large enough to provide them with food and there are too many poachers," he said sadly, as he fed Rambo and Jumbo slices of pumpkin.
Some 200 kilometres (125 miles) northeast of the capital Dhaka, Lawachara forest was once home to more than 460 species of animal, according to the government.
But decades of illegal logging and human encroachment for farming mean only 1,250 hectares (five square miles) of forest now remain, and even there, the tree-cover is not dense enough to support many species.
Experts say it has shrunk by 90 percent as a three-fold increase in Bangladesh's population in the last four decades has taken its toll, turning previously dense forest into small islands surrounded by villages.
According to the local forest ranger, A.K.M Azharul Islam, well-organised illegal logging gangs are making it difficult for his team to protect the remaining forest.
"There are so many illegal loggers and they're armed with sophisticated weapons -- I've only got 18 men and we're mostly unarmed," he said. "In June, three forest rangers were beaten up and seriously injured by loggers."
Islam says Sitesh helps the forest rangers -- tipping them off with any intelligence about poachers or when villagers may be killing endangered wildlife.
"I've never seen anyone so dedicated to nursing wild animals, he helps us when animals are found hurt by illegal loggers or poachers," Islam said.
At Sitesh's mini-zoo, a baby python -- which he hand-raised on insects after workers found it in a tea plantation -- is ready to be released, and he carefully carries the three-foot-long snake deep into the remaining jungle.
Every time he frees an animal, he invites local politicians, journalists and forestry officials to draw attention to the plight of the forest and its inhabitants.
"To save these valuable gifts of nature, you don't need to go to anyone else for help. You just do it," he said, as he nonchalantly flipped the baby python away and watched it glide into the jungle.
source-google.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
SRIMONGAL, Bangladesh — Sitesh Ranjan Deb says his transformation from hunter to conservationist was triggered 20 years ago when he was attacked by a Himalayan black bear while out stalking deer.
Sitesh, from northeastern Bangladesh, stumbled on the sleeping beast. It lashed out, severely damaging his face and one eye, and only emergency surgery saved his life.
During many long months of recovery, Sitesh decided to give up hunting -- his family's profession for generations -- in favour of saving ill and endangered animals.
He has since become the nation's leading conservationist, devoted to saving what remains of the Lawachara forest, a threatened national reserve near his home.
"I lost one eye in that attack, but it changed the way I wanted to relate to wildlife," he told AFP at his home in Srimongal, where he runs a renowned animal rescue centre.
"Many of the species I grew up with -- wild boars, leopards -- are hardly ever seen now. These animals are in their last days.
"Illegal logging has damaged the forest so much there is no food for the animals. Unless we act now, they'll be gone forever in a few years."
Sitesh, 62, nurses injured wild animals brought to him by villagers back to health and also appears regularly on television shows campaigning for better public attitudes towards wild animals.
If possible, he releases the animals back into the jungle, while others he keeps in his small zoo -- including two hand-raised Himalayan black bears after the mother was killed, a 5.5 metre (18 foot) python and a rare albino fishing cat.
Even Sitesh's family home is filled with animals, the more "difficult cases" which need 24-hour care. Two jungle cat cubs, a baby python and a badly-injured Slow Loris (a primate species) are currently in residence.
"So far, I've freed more than 1,000 animals and that's not counting 2,000 birds," he said, displaying photographs of many former patients.
For some animals, such as the two hand-reared two-year-old bears, who have lived with Sitesh since their mother was beaten to death by local villagers, his zoo may be their final home.
"I can't set the bears free as the jungles are no longer large enough to provide them with food and there are too many poachers," he said sadly, as he fed Rambo and Jumbo slices of pumpkin.
Some 200 kilometres (125 miles) northeast of the capital Dhaka, Lawachara forest was once home to more than 460 species of animal, according to the government.
But decades of illegal logging and human encroachment for farming mean only 1,250 hectares (five square miles) of forest now remain, and even there, the tree-cover is not dense enough to support many species.
Experts say it has shrunk by 90 percent as a three-fold increase in Bangladesh's population in the last four decades has taken its toll, turning previously dense forest into small islands surrounded by villages.
According to the local forest ranger, A.K.M Azharul Islam, well-organised illegal logging gangs are making it difficult for his team to protect the remaining forest.
"There are so many illegal loggers and they're armed with sophisticated weapons -- I've only got 18 men and we're mostly unarmed," he said. "In June, three forest rangers were beaten up and seriously injured by loggers."
Islam says Sitesh helps the forest rangers -- tipping them off with any intelligence about poachers or when villagers may be killing endangered wildlife.
"I've never seen anyone so dedicated to nursing wild animals, he helps us when animals are found hurt by illegal loggers or poachers," Islam said.
At Sitesh's mini-zoo, a baby python -- which he hand-raised on insects after workers found it in a tea plantation -- is ready to be released, and he carefully carries the three-foot-long snake deep into the remaining jungle.
Every time he frees an animal, he invites local politicians, journalists and forestry officials to draw attention to the plight of the forest and its inhabitants.
"To save these valuable gifts of nature, you don't need to go to anyone else for help. You just do it," he said, as he nonchalantly flipped the baby python away and watched it glide into the jungle.
source-google.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Drinking sewage water kills 10 Zoo Blackbucks
Story/place-New delhi
NEW DELHI: Ten blackbucks have died in the Delhi zoo after consuming sewage water that had flowed back into their enclosure due to a blockage in the sewer line. While zoo authorities are blaming floods in the Yamuna for the incident and claim things are now under control, sources claim the actual toll was around 18. All animals died due to intestinal infection.
The zoo has two blackbuck enclosures with about 70 animals in one and 65 in the other. The area is marred with several pools of stagnant water that appeared during the rains. The zoo has a direct pipe that leads to the Yamuna through which it disposes of its sewage. However, the line was reportedly blocked.
"Channel no. 15 has been blocked so all the waste water has been flowing back to the zoo. We lost six blackbucks on Sunday while four had died last week. The post mortem revealed intestinal infection and consequent haemorrhaging," said zoo director A K Agnihotri.
Agnihotri said the problem was restricted to the blackbuck enclosure and had occurred this year due to the massive amount of rainfall and flooding in the river. "We have been carrying out lime spraying in the affected areas. Delhi Jal Board has also set up pumps to drain out the water. Some other animals were also sick but they are being treated for infection," he added.
Sources also said that the sewer line was blocked due to work taking place in a trunk sewer. "The line from the zoo connects the main trunk sewer that was being rehabilitated. Because of that, it had to be kept completely dry and therefore the zoo's connection was blocked. It was rectified on Monday and the sewage is being disposed of now," said sources.
However, DJB officials said that the particular trunk sewer had been blocked for the past 10 years or so and the zoo had another line that was taking its sewage to the Yamuna directly. It was this line had got blocked, they said.
"The Ring Road sewer has been closed for the past 10 years and is now in the process of being rehabilitated. The zoo has been emptying its sewage directly into the river through a line that is not ours. However, they approached us when this problem cropped up during the monsoon season and we have set up pumps to drain out water," said an official.
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
NEW DELHI: Ten blackbucks have died in the Delhi zoo after consuming sewage water that had flowed back into their enclosure due to a blockage in the sewer line. While zoo authorities are blaming floods in the Yamuna for the incident and claim things are now under control, sources claim the actual toll was around 18. All animals died due to intestinal infection.
The zoo has two blackbuck enclosures with about 70 animals in one and 65 in the other. The area is marred with several pools of stagnant water that appeared during the rains. The zoo has a direct pipe that leads to the Yamuna through which it disposes of its sewage. However, the line was reportedly blocked.
"Channel no. 15 has been blocked so all the waste water has been flowing back to the zoo. We lost six blackbucks on Sunday while four had died last week. The post mortem revealed intestinal infection and consequent haemorrhaging," said zoo director A K Agnihotri.
Agnihotri said the problem was restricted to the blackbuck enclosure and had occurred this year due to the massive amount of rainfall and flooding in the river. "We have been carrying out lime spraying in the affected areas. Delhi Jal Board has also set up pumps to drain out the water. Some other animals were also sick but they are being treated for infection," he added.
Sources also said that the sewer line was blocked due to work taking place in a trunk sewer. "The line from the zoo connects the main trunk sewer that was being rehabilitated. Because of that, it had to be kept completely dry and therefore the zoo's connection was blocked. It was rectified on Monday and the sewage is being disposed of now," said sources.
However, DJB officials said that the particular trunk sewer had been blocked for the past 10 years or so and the zoo had another line that was taking its sewage to the Yamuna directly. It was this line had got blocked, they said.
"The Ring Road sewer has been closed for the past 10 years and is now in the process of being rehabilitated. The zoo has been emptying its sewage directly into the river through a line that is not ours. However, they approached us when this problem cropped up during the monsoon season and we have set up pumps to drain out water," said an official.
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
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