Story-Place - Trzpur
TNN Jul 25, 2011, 11.38am IST
JORHAT: Forest officials on Sunday rescued an elephant calf from Nameri National Park, located about 35 km from Tezpur town in Sonitpur district, and relocated it to the wildlife rehabilitation centre in Kaziranga National Park for treatment. The four-month calf, which got separated from its herd during the recent wave of floods, was stranded in the Sirusa area of the famous elephant reserve.
''Our forest staff found the calf around 6 am in the Sirusa area. The calf got separate from its herd more than a week ago and could not leave the area because of the floods. When the forest staff found the animal, it was too weak to walk. It appeared that the calf had not eaten for many days," said Abhijit Bhawal, in-charge of the Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, Kaziranga.
"As soon as we received the report, we rushed to the spot and started treating the animal. It was important to relocate the calf to our centre for treatment," he added.
Officials of the Kaziranga Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre rescued two other elephant calves from Nadua reserve forest and Kordoiguri area during the last few weeks. Forest officials said both the incidents occurred due to the floods. Forest staff rescued another elephant calf from Nadua reserve forest located at the boundary of the Nameri national park on July 6 and it's now undergoing treatment at Biswanath Chariali in Sonitpur district. The rehabilitation centre officials said calf that was rescued on Sunday had sustained injuries at its right foot.
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Story/Place - Mumbai
The two fishermen arrested on Saturday in connection with the flamingo killings near Charkop, were granted bail on Sunday and asked to report to the Charkop police station for 15 days for questioning. The accused, Yashwant and Prabhakar Bhandari, had been booked under Schedule IV, annex 26 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and were produced by sub-inspector Gopal Bhosale of the Charkop police station at the holiday court in Bandra under Metropolitan Magistrate Joshi.
“Since they are first-time offenders and it is a bailable offence, they were granted conditional bail,” said Bhosale. Flamingos are protected under Schedule IV, Annex 26 of the WPA, 1972, and the sections under which the two suspects are booked are 39 and 51.
Senior police inspector R J Bandekar confirmed that Yashwant possessed a licence for his double-barrel rifle used to kill the flamingos. “It was a sports rifle and Yashwant said he had never used it before. We are trying to ascertain if it is true and are collecting more evidence besides the pictures clicked by a photographer who witnessed the incident,” he said.
fish caught in the nets set up by the fishermen. He didn’t even have a hunting licence. He claims that the flamingos were killed by accident. We are investigating all the possibilities,” said an officer.
The maximum punishment for the offence is three years in jail or a fine of Rs 21,000 or both. The mangroves near Charkop, where the incident took place, line the banks of the Gorai creek. Though the area is home to many bird species, it is not monitored by the forest department. Also, there are no specific monitoring plans for flamingos, which are migrant birds visiting the city for only two to three months a year.
sourced-indianexpress.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
The two fishermen arrested on Saturday in connection with the flamingo killings near Charkop, were granted bail on Sunday and asked to report to the Charkop police station for 15 days for questioning. The accused, Yashwant and Prabhakar Bhandari, had been booked under Schedule IV, annex 26 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and were produced by sub-inspector Gopal Bhosale of the Charkop police station at the holiday court in Bandra under Metropolitan Magistrate Joshi.
“Since they are first-time offenders and it is a bailable offence, they were granted conditional bail,” said Bhosale. Flamingos are protected under Schedule IV, Annex 26 of the WPA, 1972, and the sections under which the two suspects are booked are 39 and 51.
Senior police inspector R J Bandekar confirmed that Yashwant possessed a licence for his double-barrel rifle used to kill the flamingos. “It was a sports rifle and Yashwant said he had never used it before. We are trying to ascertain if it is true and are collecting more evidence besides the pictures clicked by a photographer who witnessed the incident,” he said.
fish caught in the nets set up by the fishermen. He didn’t even have a hunting licence. He claims that the flamingos were killed by accident. We are investigating all the possibilities,” said an officer.
The maximum punishment for the offence is three years in jail or a fine of Rs 21,000 or both. The mangroves near Charkop, where the incident took place, line the banks of the Gorai creek. Though the area is home to many bird species, it is not monitored by the forest department. Also, there are no specific monitoring plans for flamingos, which are migrant birds visiting the city for only two to three months a year.
sourced-indianexpress.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
SC clears denotification of GIB sanctuary
Story/Place - NagPur
Vijay Pinjarkar Jul 24, 2011,
NAGPUR: Finally, the Supreme Court has cleared the long-pending denotification of Great Indian Bustard (GIB) Sanctuary at Nannaj in Solapur district. From 8,496 sq km earlier, the sanctuary will now be restricted to 1,222 sq km.
The SC decision came on Friday. However, MK Rao, chief conservator of forest ( CCF) for Pune wildlife circle, said, "The detailed order is awaited but we've heard that the SC has allowed our prayer. The committee on rationalization of boundaries of national parks and sanctuaries of ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) had recommended an area of 1,222 sq km," Rao told TOI on Sunday.
The matter was pending in the court since 2006. On October 20, 2008, the SC had directed the committee for rationalization of boundaries to recommend the area of the GIB sanctuary. Accordingly, a committee headed by VB Sawarkar, ex-director of Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, recommended denotification of two sanctuaries in Maharashtra on the precondition of declaring some new sanctuaries.
The news sanctuaries that were to be declared included Mansinghdeo at Nagpur (183 sq km), Rajmachi, Thane, Pune, Alibaug (122.96 sq km), Sudhagarh-Tamni, Western Ghats (220.18 sq km), Tipagarh, Gadchiroli (52.4 sq km), Kopela-Koramarka, Gadchiroli (90.93 sq km), and Isapur Bird Sanctuary, Yavatmal (121.55 sq km). Of these, only Mansinghdeo has been declared as a sanctuary.
The central committee had visited Bhimashakar and GIB sanctuaries from November 29 to December 2, 2009, to study the Maharashtra government's proposal to denotify these two sanctuaries.
The drastic decrease in GIB area from 8,496 sq km to 1,222 sq km will bring protected area (PA) network in the state from 4.97% to 2.6% i.e. from 15,332 sq km to 8,059 sq km - a sharp drop of 60.55%. As per the recommendation of WII, PA area should be 5% of the total land area of the state.
Pune-based Dr Pramod Patil, who works for conservation of the grassland birds and also runs the GIB Foundation, hailed the court verdict. "While establishing the GIB sanctuary in 1979, it was a mistake by authorities to include such a huge area under PA network. After the enforcement of wildlife laws became stricter, people started feeling the heat and the public opinion turned against GIBs, harming the cause," said Dr Patil.
Dr Patil added that now problems of locals will be solved. "A separate area for GIBs will help strike a balance between development and conservation. Now, the department should focus on how GIBs can be conserved," said Dr Patil.
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Vijay Pinjarkar Jul 24, 2011,
NAGPUR: Finally, the Supreme Court has cleared the long-pending denotification of Great Indian Bustard (GIB) Sanctuary at Nannaj in Solapur district. From 8,496 sq km earlier, the sanctuary will now be restricted to 1,222 sq km.
The SC decision came on Friday. However, MK Rao, chief conservator of forest ( CCF) for Pune wildlife circle, said, "The detailed order is awaited but we've heard that the SC has allowed our prayer. The committee on rationalization of boundaries of national parks and sanctuaries of ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) had recommended an area of 1,222 sq km," Rao told TOI on Sunday.
The matter was pending in the court since 2006. On October 20, 2008, the SC had directed the committee for rationalization of boundaries to recommend the area of the GIB sanctuary. Accordingly, a committee headed by VB Sawarkar, ex-director of Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, recommended denotification of two sanctuaries in Maharashtra on the precondition of declaring some new sanctuaries.
The news sanctuaries that were to be declared included Mansinghdeo at Nagpur (183 sq km), Rajmachi, Thane, Pune, Alibaug (122.96 sq km), Sudhagarh-Tamni, Western Ghats (220.18 sq km), Tipagarh, Gadchiroli (52.4 sq km), Kopela-Koramarka, Gadchiroli (90.93 sq km), and Isapur Bird Sanctuary, Yavatmal (121.55 sq km). Of these, only Mansinghdeo has been declared as a sanctuary.
The central committee had visited Bhimashakar and GIB sanctuaries from November 29 to December 2, 2009, to study the Maharashtra government's proposal to denotify these two sanctuaries.
The drastic decrease in GIB area from 8,496 sq km to 1,222 sq km will bring protected area (PA) network in the state from 4.97% to 2.6% i.e. from 15,332 sq km to 8,059 sq km - a sharp drop of 60.55%. As per the recommendation of WII, PA area should be 5% of the total land area of the state.
Pune-based Dr Pramod Patil, who works for conservation of the grassland birds and also runs the GIB Foundation, hailed the court verdict. "While establishing the GIB sanctuary in 1979, it was a mistake by authorities to include such a huge area under PA network. After the enforcement of wildlife laws became stricter, people started feeling the heat and the public opinion turned against GIBs, harming the cause," said Dr Patil.
Dr Patil added that now problems of locals will be solved. "A separate area for GIBs will help strike a balance between development and conservation. Now, the department should focus on how GIBs can be conserved," said Dr Patil.
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Hoshiarpur leopard death: Cops arrest three for laying snares
Story/Place - Amritsar,
AMRITSAR: The Hoshiarpur police on Saturday arrested three persons for laying snares in the jungles in which a leopard was caught, and died while being rescued on Friday.
Chief Wildlife Warden, Punjab, Gurbaz Singh and District Forest Officer (wildlife) Satnam Singh said that they conducted the inquiries and found that the accused — Pyare Lal, Gurdial and Tarsem, all residents of Khnagwari village in the Dholbaha range of the district — had laid the snares to trap wild animals. The leopard, which had strayed from the jungles of Himachal Pradesh, got entangled in it and died of exhaustion and stress.
‘Make Punjabi first language in Chandigarh’
AMRITSAR: Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee chief Avtar Singh Makkar on Saturday shot off a letter to Punjab Governor and Administrator, Chandigarh, Shivraj Patil, demanding that the Punjabi be made the first language in the Union Territory (UT). He said that Chandigarh has a majority of Punjabi population and the city is associated closely with the psyche of the Punjabis. “The language should be primarily used in the all official work of the UT. It should be made the first language'', demanded Makkar.
KAPURTHALA: Around 100 persons were taken ill in the Kesri Bagh area after they drank the contaminated water supplied by the municipal corporation in the locality on Saturday.
Most of those taken ill were vomiting and complained about stomach pain and diarrhoea. Three patients were referred to Jalandhar hospitals while another 15 were admitted to Civil Hospital Kapurthala. Civil Hospital, SMO, Dr Guriqbal Singh said that a door-to-door survey was being conducted and teams of the doctors have been deputed in the area. Also chlorine tablets were being distributed among the residents
source-source-indianexpress.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
AMRITSAR: The Hoshiarpur police on Saturday arrested three persons for laying snares in the jungles in which a leopard was caught, and died while being rescued on Friday.
Chief Wildlife Warden, Punjab, Gurbaz Singh and District Forest Officer (wildlife) Satnam Singh said that they conducted the inquiries and found that the accused — Pyare Lal, Gurdial and Tarsem, all residents of Khnagwari village in the Dholbaha range of the district — had laid the snares to trap wild animals. The leopard, which had strayed from the jungles of Himachal Pradesh, got entangled in it and died of exhaustion and stress.
‘Make Punjabi first language in Chandigarh’
AMRITSAR: Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee chief Avtar Singh Makkar on Saturday shot off a letter to Punjab Governor and Administrator, Chandigarh, Shivraj Patil, demanding that the Punjabi be made the first language in the Union Territory (UT). He said that Chandigarh has a majority of Punjabi population and the city is associated closely with the psyche of the Punjabis. “The language should be primarily used in the all official work of the UT. It should be made the first language'', demanded Makkar.
KAPURTHALA: Around 100 persons were taken ill in the Kesri Bagh area after they drank the contaminated water supplied by the municipal corporation in the locality on Saturday.
Most of those taken ill were vomiting and complained about stomach pain and diarrhoea. Three patients were referred to Jalandhar hospitals while another 15 were admitted to Civil Hospital Kapurthala. Civil Hospital, SMO, Dr Guriqbal Singh said that a door-to-door survey was being conducted and teams of the doctors have been deputed in the area. Also chlorine tablets were being distributed among the residents
source-source-indianexpress.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
2 fishermen arrested for killing flamingos
Two fishermen were arrested in the city on charges of poaching flamingos on Saturday. The accused have been booked under relevant sections of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and the Indian Arms Act.
Yashwant Bandari and associate Prabhakar Bhandari were booked after a local resident who suspected them of killing flamingos took their photographs.
Gautam Singh, a local resident, had seen some men with guns, standing knee deep in the mangrove muck on Friday. He informed the police that he had seen three dead flamingos, which he suspected were killed by ‘gun shots’.
The Charkop police showed the photographs clicked by Singh to local informers. The first lead came when an informer identified one of them as a local fisherman who owns a weapon. The search led police to Yashwant Bhandari’s house at 2 pm on Saturday.
R J Bhandekar, senior police inspector with the Charkop police station, confirmed the arrests. On questioning, Yashwant told the cops that he had used his new hunting weapon, a double barrel Indian rifle, on the migrant birds.
source-indianexpress.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Yashwant Bandari and associate Prabhakar Bhandari were booked after a local resident who suspected them of killing flamingos took their photographs.
Gautam Singh, a local resident, had seen some men with guns, standing knee deep in the mangrove muck on Friday. He informed the police that he had seen three dead flamingos, which he suspected were killed by ‘gun shots’.
The Charkop police showed the photographs clicked by Singh to local informers. The first lead came when an informer identified one of them as a local fisherman who owns a weapon. The search led police to Yashwant Bhandari’s house at 2 pm on Saturday.
R J Bhandekar, senior police inspector with the Charkop police station, confirmed the arrests. On questioning, Yashwant told the cops that he had used his new hunting weapon, a double barrel Indian rifle, on the migrant birds.
source-indianexpress.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Leopard dies allegedly due to negligence of wildlife officials
Story/Place - Hoshiarpur,
Harpreet Kaur, Hindustan Times
A leopard, which had strayed in a village in Dholbaha forest range on Friday, died allegedly due to negligence of the wildlife officials. How ill trained the department is when it comes to the rescue of accidently trapped animals, came to light on Friday when the rescue team took almost
two hours just to administer a tranquilizer to the wild cat. Minutes after it was injected with anesthesia and trapped in a net, it died.
Eye witness said that the official gun refused to go off due to rust. Moreover, the staff had just a single dart to administer anesthesia to the leopard which had got entangled in a zizyphus tree. A missed shot could have left the animal struggling for much longer.
Around 12 in the noon, when it was put in a cage, the leopard had almost collapsed. On reaching the veterinary hospital in Hoshiarpur, the officers declared it dead. It was estimated to be three and a half year old.
The leopard entered village Khangwari-20 kilometres from Dholbaha, some time in the night but villagers spotted it in the morning. "As soon as we saw it, we informed the department", said Kandi Vikas Manch president Karnail Singh. DFO (Wildlife) Satnam Singh, however claimed he received the information around 8.30am and had reached the site in an hour.
According to him, the animal died of shock and heat stroke. Denying negligence on part of the officials, he said the staff acted as quickly as it could. "You can not use the gun on animals recklessly", he quipped.
Wildlife conservator Ratnakumar, who was told about the death on his way to Hoshiarpur, said the department would find out if there was any lapse on the part of local officers. "Let the autopsy report first ascertain the cause of death. We'll take action if negligence is proved", he said. As for other inadequacies, he said the matter would be taken up with higher authorities..
The death of the leopard has sparked off anger in animal lovers. Rattan, a conservationist from Himachal Pardesh, who arrived in Khangwari on being informed about the presence of the animal, alleged that the department had mishandled the operation.
"The officials took too much time to rescue the animal. It was appalling to see that the gun they had brought was not in a working order". He also criticized the police for not controlling the crowd which he claimed "overstressed" the animal.
Sukhdeep Singh Bajwa, a former honorary wildlife warden squarely blamed the officials for the incident. "In the last 14 months, five wild cats have died in Hoshiarpur and Ropar forest ranges which is very shocking. What is the use of spending millions on a separate wildlife wing if our precious animals were to die out like this", he remarked.
"It is sad that the department does not have a veterinary expert and has to seek the services of the veterinary department in time of need", he added. Another former wildlife warden Gunraj Singh too was critical of the way the whole operation was handled.
"The officers kept fiddling with their phones even as the animal struggled for life. A timely action could have saved its life", he said.
source-hindustantimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Harpreet Kaur, Hindustan Times
A leopard, which had strayed in a village in Dholbaha forest range on Friday, died allegedly due to negligence of the wildlife officials. How ill trained the department is when it comes to the rescue of accidently trapped animals, came to light on Friday when the rescue team took almost
two hours just to administer a tranquilizer to the wild cat. Minutes after it was injected with anesthesia and trapped in a net, it died.
Eye witness said that the official gun refused to go off due to rust. Moreover, the staff had just a single dart to administer anesthesia to the leopard which had got entangled in a zizyphus tree. A missed shot could have left the animal struggling for much longer.
Around 12 in the noon, when it was put in a cage, the leopard had almost collapsed. On reaching the veterinary hospital in Hoshiarpur, the officers declared it dead. It was estimated to be three and a half year old.
The leopard entered village Khangwari-20 kilometres from Dholbaha, some time in the night but villagers spotted it in the morning. "As soon as we saw it, we informed the department", said Kandi Vikas Manch president Karnail Singh. DFO (Wildlife) Satnam Singh, however claimed he received the information around 8.30am and had reached the site in an hour.
According to him, the animal died of shock and heat stroke. Denying negligence on part of the officials, he said the staff acted as quickly as it could. "You can not use the gun on animals recklessly", he quipped.
Wildlife conservator Ratnakumar, who was told about the death on his way to Hoshiarpur, said the department would find out if there was any lapse on the part of local officers. "Let the autopsy report first ascertain the cause of death. We'll take action if negligence is proved", he said. As for other inadequacies, he said the matter would be taken up with higher authorities..
The death of the leopard has sparked off anger in animal lovers. Rattan, a conservationist from Himachal Pardesh, who arrived in Khangwari on being informed about the presence of the animal, alleged that the department had mishandled the operation.
"The officials took too much time to rescue the animal. It was appalling to see that the gun they had brought was not in a working order". He also criticized the police for not controlling the crowd which he claimed "overstressed" the animal.
Sukhdeep Singh Bajwa, a former honorary wildlife warden squarely blamed the officials for the incident. "In the last 14 months, five wild cats have died in Hoshiarpur and Ropar forest ranges which is very shocking. What is the use of spending millions on a separate wildlife wing if our precious animals were to die out like this", he remarked.
"It is sad that the department does not have a veterinary expert and has to seek the services of the veterinary department in time of need", he added. Another former wildlife warden Gunraj Singh too was critical of the way the whole operation was handled.
"The officers kept fiddling with their phones even as the animal struggled for life. A timely action could have saved its life", he said.
source-hindustantimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Spurt in crop damage cases due to wildlife in state
Story/Place - Nagpur,
Vijay Pinjarkar, TNN Jul 19, 2011,
NAGPUR: Animals suffer when humans enter their habitat, so it is that people suffer when animals enter their homes and fields. Official figures show that government is doling out more and more towards compensation for crop damage, but very little thought is being given to control the menace.
The spurt in crop depredation cases in the state over the years calls for a corrective policy to balance conservation with the livelihood of people.
In the last 11 months, from April 2010 to February 2011, 17,725 cases of crop damage by wild animals were reported, a threefold increase in crop damage cases compared to last year, which was 5,182.
In 2010-11, Rs 2.13 crore was paid to farmers as compensation as compared to Rs 60.83 lakh in 2009-10. The figures for last five years show that of the 15 wildlife and territorial circles, Kolhapur, Yavatmal, Nagpur, Aurangabad and Chandrapur are the most vulnerable, with highest number of crop depredation cases.
In 2010-11, Aurangabad recorded 6,882 cases of crop damage followed by 5,413 in Yavatmal, 1,466 each in Nagpur and Kolhapur and 1,105 in Chandrapur. In 2009-10, this was 1,859, 828, 702, 471 and 829 respectively in the above circles. The number may be more, as many cases are not reported owing to tedious procedure and delay in payment of compensation. Two year earlier, in 2008-09, Aurangabad had reported 28,357 cases of crop depradation, many of which were blamed on ingress of elephants from neighbouring southern states.
Forest officials say increasing crop damage cases indicate herbivore population like wild boars, black bucks, nilgais, deer and bison is on the rise. However, conservationists say this is not wholly true.
Prafulla Bhamburkar, manager, Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), says nilgais, popularly called as rohis, and wild boars are main source of crop damage. These species are prolific breeders.
The population of nilgais is multiplying as there are no predators left to kill nilgais. Cheetah was a good predator for nilgais but it has gone extinct. Also, Nilgais stay close to the villages and in adjoining scrub forests, where tigers are rarely seen, says Bhamburkar. The solution, he says, is that the government should provide subsidy to farmers to encourage solar fencing around farms.
Conservationist Kundan Hate says crop damage and cattle kill cases are inversely linked. "Where there is presence of predators, cattle kill cases have gone up and crop damage cases are less," he said.
Take for example Bhiwapur in Umred tehsil. With tiger numbers going up, 15 cattle kills were reported in 2010-11 while crop damage cases were only 5. Contrarily, in Katol, 196 cases of crop damage were reported during the same period while there was only one cattle kill.
Paoni RFO Anil Waghmare agrees with Hate. He says in 2010-11, his range recorded two cases of crop damage while 7 cattle kills were reported. Paoni being adjacent to Pench tiger reserve, there is presence of carnivores.
The destruction in Kolhapur was also due to straying of elephants from Karnataka to Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri districts.
Chandrapur villagers complained, "Fed up with large-scale crop destruction by wild animals, we've stopped cultivation. Getting compensation from the government is a tedious job. We don't want government's agriculture package but they should subsidize solar fencing for our farms," said Vinayak Bhalavi of Navargaon in Sindewahi.
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Vijay Pinjarkar, TNN Jul 19, 2011,
NAGPUR: Animals suffer when humans enter their habitat, so it is that people suffer when animals enter their homes and fields. Official figures show that government is doling out more and more towards compensation for crop damage, but very little thought is being given to control the menace.
The spurt in crop depredation cases in the state over the years calls for a corrective policy to balance conservation with the livelihood of people.
In the last 11 months, from April 2010 to February 2011, 17,725 cases of crop damage by wild animals were reported, a threefold increase in crop damage cases compared to last year, which was 5,182.
In 2010-11, Rs 2.13 crore was paid to farmers as compensation as compared to Rs 60.83 lakh in 2009-10. The figures for last five years show that of the 15 wildlife and territorial circles, Kolhapur, Yavatmal, Nagpur, Aurangabad and Chandrapur are the most vulnerable, with highest number of crop depredation cases.
In 2010-11, Aurangabad recorded 6,882 cases of crop damage followed by 5,413 in Yavatmal, 1,466 each in Nagpur and Kolhapur and 1,105 in Chandrapur. In 2009-10, this was 1,859, 828, 702, 471 and 829 respectively in the above circles. The number may be more, as many cases are not reported owing to tedious procedure and delay in payment of compensation. Two year earlier, in 2008-09, Aurangabad had reported 28,357 cases of crop depradation, many of which were blamed on ingress of elephants from neighbouring southern states.
Forest officials say increasing crop damage cases indicate herbivore population like wild boars, black bucks, nilgais, deer and bison is on the rise. However, conservationists say this is not wholly true.
Prafulla Bhamburkar, manager, Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), says nilgais, popularly called as rohis, and wild boars are main source of crop damage. These species are prolific breeders.
The population of nilgais is multiplying as there are no predators left to kill nilgais. Cheetah was a good predator for nilgais but it has gone extinct. Also, Nilgais stay close to the villages and in adjoining scrub forests, where tigers are rarely seen, says Bhamburkar. The solution, he says, is that the government should provide subsidy to farmers to encourage solar fencing around farms.
Conservationist Kundan Hate says crop damage and cattle kill cases are inversely linked. "Where there is presence of predators, cattle kill cases have gone up and crop damage cases are less," he said.
Take for example Bhiwapur in Umred tehsil. With tiger numbers going up, 15 cattle kills were reported in 2010-11 while crop damage cases were only 5. Contrarily, in Katol, 196 cases of crop damage were reported during the same period while there was only one cattle kill.
Paoni RFO Anil Waghmare agrees with Hate. He says in 2010-11, his range recorded two cases of crop damage while 7 cattle kills were reported. Paoni being adjacent to Pench tiger reserve, there is presence of carnivores.
The destruction in Kolhapur was also due to straying of elephants from Karnataka to Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri districts.
Chandrapur villagers complained, "Fed up with large-scale crop destruction by wild animals, we've stopped cultivation. Getting compensation from the government is a tedious job. We don't want government's agriculture package but they should subsidize solar fencing for our farms," said Vinayak Bhalavi of Navargaon in Sindewahi.
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)