TIGER GRAVEYARDS OF RANTHAMBHORE

by Bahar Dutt // CNN-IBN

Away from the glitzy media campaigns that are running in our big cities to save the tiger, at Ground Zero it's a competition between man and animal or sometimes - perhaps animal and animal. Domestic vs wild. And the recent incident of poisoning of the tiger cubs in Ranthambore is a prime example of this conflict. Less than 10 days after the incident I make my way to the tiger graveyards to find out what was it that drove local people to poison the big cats.

The two tiger cubs were killed by men from the Gujjar community from a nearby village of Tadla Khet. Reason: the tigers had been repeatedly attacking the goats around their village. It's not easy reaching the site of Tadla Khet. It's far from the tourist zone of Ranthambore National Park. The area is actually a corridor linking the National Park with Kailedevi Sanctuary. It's dotted by ravines and a dry river bed. The only village nearby is Tadla Khet which is a small hamlet of 5 houses.

In the backdrop we can see the plateau of the Kailedevi Sanctuary - oft neglected but with a landscape which is more breathtaking at times than its high-profile neighbour- Ranthambore. We snake our way through the dusty ravines in an open jeep that kicks up sand in the blistering overhead sun. The smell of death is still in the air at the tiger graveyard. There are still some shreds of hair next to a bush, the yellow and black indicating it belonged to the dead tigers. Ahead on the right is a patch of grey ash - where the tiger carcasses were burnt by the forest department after the post-mortem confirmed poisoning as a cause of death.

But the story of the dead tigers lies in the nearby village. We leave our jeep and walk through the ravines. It's a ten-minute walk but with the sun beating down on us and carrying our camera equipment it's a tedious exercise. The village has the look of a ghost town. Every house has a lock, no animals no human life or property can be seen. It's all been abandoned.

In one house we do manage to find an old man asleep on a charpoy with a couple of house sparrows twittering at his feet for company. He shuffles his feet he is scared to talk to us, worrying we maybe from the forest department. Once he has lit his bidi and he's satisfied we are not from the department he talks. It was his son who was arrested - Ram Khiladi. He spits on the ground clears his throat and raises his thin brown arms in the air - I told them (the forest department) to arrest me as well but they said baba - what will you do with me' I said - 'Make pickle out of me but leave my son alone'

So what prompted the Gujjars here to plan the murder of the tigers in so much detail? Was there no fear that they would be caught? And why had the tiger cubs strayed out of the forest? These are the questions in my head as we walk around the abandoned village.

It's also obvious that while this area seems like complete wilderness - and therefore a good habitat for the tigers, there's no food or natural prey base. So obvious then, that the tigers had turned to killing the local peoples cattle to feed themselves. But why did the big cats stray out of the forest where there is an ample prey base?

Officials in the park claim that they had been pushed out because of competition for space. And there you have it -- that's the crux of our problem when it comes to saving tigers. The issue of space. Ranthambore today is a habitat that is saturated. And the surrounding regions of Kailadevi and Sawai Mansingh Sanctuary are devoid of the big cat. So if the tigers are to colonies new areas it's the corridors linking these vital habitats that must be freed.

While there is a massive effort on to move people out of the tiger reserve to create a larger habitat for the tiger, it's a lengthy and complicated procedure. The good news is that it is being initiated in a sensitive manner with no forced evictions. The National Tiger Conservation Authority, for the first time, has announced a massive incentive of Rs 10 lakh for individuals living inside tiger reserves to move out. So only those people who want to move have to move. The bad news is that the second clause of the rehabilitation package is still not being implemented. And that's the clause of 'land for land'. And this essentially means compensating local farmers with the same quantity of land outside the forest as they had inside.

Take the village of Hindwar in Ranthambore. The sarpanch here has convinced the entire village to move out. It's right next to the main road, every person here stays in Delhi or Jaipur. But now with the Rs 10-lakh compensation many are coming back to stake their claims and move out. But will vacating a village which is right on the road be of any ecological benefits?

Then there are others who have simply refused to move. In the village of Bhind I meet Murari Gujjar. He has refused Rs 10-lakh compensation as he has 50 bighas of land. The amount is too less. He twirls his white moustache as he smokes his hookah. 'I will move out only if the forest department gives me land for land -10 lakhs is too small an amount'. Murari Lal did not succumb to the greed of easy money. He realizes there is more security with getting land instead of cash. Here in the forest he has ample land to plant his crops and graze his cattle. Its people like him the forest department will have to convince. The tragedy is with all the funds being pumped in only half the village will be vacated- which mean it's still not available for the Park or for wild animals.

Murari Gujjar is also sensitive to the other problems that come with money. Suddenly there are flashy motorbikes in the village. Many have already spent the cash they got on paying off their debts. But will that give them long term security such as a house or land when they move out this month out of the forest? What surprises me is that the entire process of relocation which is fraught with social problems is not being monitored by even one social agency. Over the ages a policing department like the forest department has been asked to take over many social roles. Is this fair to assign this task to an already overburdened department? I am not too sure.

Back in the tourist zone of Ranthambore, we are lucky to spot a tiger. It's a female and she stares at us calmly and dozes off as trigger-happy tourists surround her on their jeeps to click photos. There's cheer on their faces of the hundreds of tourists who have come from far off destinations to see the tiger. In the distance a langur gives out an alarm call and a wily mongoose scurries past. The peace in the forest is ephemeral.

Tiger sighting at Buxa Tiger Reserve

This is an interesting news that will encourage all conservationists.

Confirmed by the Dy.Field Director - Buxa Tiger Reserve Mr.Subhankar Sengupta that a sub adult Tiger (or a female) was sighted & photographed by a beat officer, who was executing a monitoring exercise near a PIP with his team.

This sighting has happened after an age that demands special mention.

Bagh zindabad!!

_J&S

Big cat spotted in Buxa reserve

Senior Forest Officials Call It A ‘Momentous Event’

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Kolkata: A tiger encounter was the last thing on his mind as beat officer Manindra Chandra Sarkar ambled down a narrow jungle path searching for scat in the Chuniajhora beat of Buxa Tiger Reserve (BTR) on March 24.

A short, sharp noise alerted him and, as he took cover behind a bush, a Bengal tiger emerged from a clearing with a deer carcass dangling from its jaws. The nervous guard managed to reach out for his camera and click a few snaps before scurrying back to safety. The sighting, which is extremely rare in the north Bengal forest, made conservationists and forest officials heave a sigh of relief. They pointed out that it was a momentous event as a tiger had never been photographed in the Buxa reserve.

“The sighting happened after a considerably long period. Even though pugmarks are seen and roars heard occasionally, the big cat has not been seen here for quite some time. So, this is extremely encouraging and we are sure there are several more tigers in the adjoining beats. Also, this is probably the first time that a Buxa tiger has been photographed in the forest,” said Subhankar Sengupta, deputy field director, BTR.

The park is estimated to have a dozen tigers and it is believed that they keep crossing over to the extension of the forest in Bhutan, which has made sightings rare.

On March 24, guards were collecting scat and other evidence for the tiger census, which is currently under way. Beat officer Sarkar was leading the group and had moved ahead.

While scanning a pugmark impression pad that had been laid in the Chuniajhora beat, he heard an animal crossing the road. Soon, he discovered a carcass of a cow lying nearby. Moving still closer, he suddenly confronted a tiger, which had been lurking near the kill. Sarkar stayed calm, reached out for his camera and clicked from barely 50 yards before the big cat disappeared.

He rushed back and informed the range officer who, in turn, passed on the news to Sengupta. Forest guards rushed to the spot and found pugmarks around the kill. “I instructed my guards and officers to run a thorough check of the area, which revealed several pugmarks on the impression pad. From its size, it appears that the tiger was either a female or a sub-adult male. The quality of the photographs was, however, not satisfactory. We are studying them for more clues,” said Sengupta. The deputy conservator had clicked a tiger at the Mahananda sanctuary in 1999.

Principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife) S B Mondol said Buxa could have 12-15 tigers. “There was never a doubt that the forest had tigers. The only worry was that sightings had become rare. So, this is very reassuring,” said Mondol.

Under the 2004 census, Buxa had 27 tigers. The number might have been incorrect due to the dated census methods, he said. “The new method, a combination of scat analysis and pugmarks, is far more accurate. The actual number is likely to be around 15,” added Mondol.

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Client.asp?Daily=TOIKM&showST=true&login=default&pub=TOI&Enter=true&Skin=TOINEW&GZ=T

Tiger-human conflict at Assam

Tiger strays into Assam tea garden, kills two

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Jorhat: A Royal Bengal tiger triggered panic and anger on Monday after it strayed into a tea garden settlement in Sivasagar district and attacked as many as four persons, two of whom died.

At 5.30 am, the big cat entered the Athkhel tea garden in the Sivasagar forest range and attacked Manglu Mirdha and his 12-year-old daughter Rita. While the girl died on the spot, her father was badly wounded, said assistant conservator of forests (Sivasagar) Ranjit Das.

Hearing Rita’s screams, one of her neighbours, Saraswati Southal (31), stepped out of her house only to be attacked by the adult tiger. Saraswati succumbed to her injuries while being taken to Assam Medical College (AMC), Dibrugarh.

Later, the animal attacked two others — Karuna Tanti (50) and Uma Mattu Southal (26). Both have been admitted to AMC. Their condition is serious.

As the news spread, more than 2,000 people armed with spears, bows and sticks rushed to the site to battle the big cat. Senior district officials rushed to the area along with a large contingent of policemen to control the situation and help forest personnel tranquillise the animal.

Veterinarian Prasanta Bora and Prabhat Hazarika (dart-shooter) from the Centre of Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation managed to sedate the tiger and cage it after toiling for nearly six hours as they couldn’t see the animal well, which had taken shelter in the dark corner of a house.

The assistant conservator of forests said police and forest staff had a tough time controlling the angry residents, who were baying for the animal’s blood. He added that the tiger might have got panicky and entered the house to escape the wrath of the villagers.

Sivasagar deputy commissioner N M Hussain said it was “a very unexpected incident” because there had been no reports of a Royal Bengal tiger being spotted in the region. There have, however, been instances of leopards straying into human settlements here.

“The situation in the area was very tense after the tiger attacked residents. We had a tough time containing the people,” Hussain said.

After six shots, the tiger became unconscious and was caged. The animal was taken to a nearby police camp and would be sent to the Centre for Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation at night, the official said.

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Client.asp?Daily=TOIKM&showST=true&login=default&pub=TOI&Enter=true&Skin=TOINEW&GZ=T

Island sinks by the rising sea

Island sinks, expert blames warming

An island near the Bay of Bengal is being swallowed by the rising sea, possibly making it one of global warming’s earliest victims. The fact, if established beyond scientific doubt, could be the spur to global climate negotiations that seem to have cooled off after the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change admitted to have erred in its estimates big time.

New Moore Island, also known as Purbasha island, is located on the confluence of the Ichhamati and Rai Mangal rivers near the mouth of the sea but remains almost perpetually submerged now, occasionally peeping out during low tides. This startling fact emerged from satellite images in 2009 that were studied by a team led by Sugato Hazra, director of Jadavpur University’s school of oceanography studies. “There is no trace of the island anymore. After studying satellite images, I reconfirmed this from fishermen,” said Hazra.

Till the early ’80s, New Moore Island was a disputed territory claimed by both India and Bangladesh, referred to it as South Talpatti. The territorial dispute was resolved in India’s favour, but this 3-kmlong, 3.5-km-wide island may soon be wiped off the map.

Though many environmentalists are yet to endorse the view that global warming is pushing up sea levels, rising temperatures are definitely responsible for the phenomenon, said Hazra. “The island does not have inhabitants now. Coastal erosion and rising temperature in the Bay of Bengal between 2000 and 2009 submerged Purbasha island. In the Bay of Bengal area, temperatures are rising at an annual rate of 0.4°C. Four super cyclones — Aila, Cedar, Bijli and Nargis — hit the southern parts of the Sunderbans from 2007 to 2009. The tide levels, too, are rising in the Bay of Bengal. This is evident from Purbasha island being submerged,” Hazra explained.There were similar fears in 1996 when Lohachara island in the Hooghly estuary vanished from the map. But an island is emerging again in the area, almost in the same region where Lohachara had once been.

According to Hazra, Ghoramara and Jambudweep are among other islands that are slowly “sinking”. On islands like Bulcheri, Bhangaduani and Dalhousie facing a threat from the rising sea, the tiger population risks being wiped off. “Besides, Mousuni and Gblot islands face the threat of erosion, flooding due to storms and invasion of saline water,” said Hazra, who conducted the research along with Anirban Mukherjee and Anirban Akhand of the School of Oceanographic Studies.

_TIMES NEWS NETWORK

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/global-warming/New-Moore-isle-no-more-expert-blames-warming/articleshow/5720685.cms

Tadoba’s Bloody Trails

MAN-ANIMAL CONFLICT : LOSS AT BOTH ENDS

Tigers have killed more than 50 people around the Tadoba Andhari reserve since 2006. Why is Maharashtra’s Chandrapur district turning into India’s bloodiest tiger conflict zone?

But for her husband, Kamala Chandok Kudape would have been devoured by a Tiger. Her eyes still darting to and fro, she tells the story she has been repeating since 18 January when she went into the fringe forests of the Tadoba Andhari reserve to collect firewood.

Kamala’s husband had climbed a tree and she was picking up twigs below when a Tiger leapt from behind. Before she could realise what was on, the animal’s claws were tearing into her flesh. Then, the unthinkable happened. Her husband jumped off the tree and the Tiger fled, leaving Kamala bleeding from a deep shoulder injury.

But that is not the story.

For more than four years now, one person dies in Tiger attacks around Tadoba every month—a frequency of conflict higher than any recorded anywhere, except the Bangladeshi Sunderbans, in recent times.

Part of the erstwhile Gondwana forests, Tadoba has been home to Tigers for ages, with no history of major conflict. Data available since 1992 shows only eight human deaths due to Tiger attacks in five years till 1996. Early signs of escalation in conflict were reported in 2002. By 2006, human casualties became routine; in 2007, a suspected maneater was killed after public outrage. After a brief lull, however, the attacks continued. In the last three months, Tigers have targeted nine people here, killing seven.

Nawargaon is at the centre of a 50-km north-south strip—from Chimur to Mul—along the eastern boundary of Taboba that has suffered the recent spate in attacks. The fringe forests hemming in roads and croplands are surprisingly thick for the dry winter. The bushy growth of Sindi, Dhaora or Papat offer excellent camouflage. Tigers could be lurking around, anywhere.

Kamala’s is the first hutment as one walks into Alisur village, barely 50 metres from the road connecting Nawargaon to Chimur. The spot where she was attacked is a couple of kilometres down the blacktop road, and then, not more than 100 metres inside the bushy growth. I could clearly hear the traffic and people on the road as I stood under the tree. The Tiger must have been fearless enough to target her so close to civilisation.

Or was it? For, the fact that she survived with an injury clearly indicates that Kamala was targeted by a rather edgy and inexperienced predator.

Kamala was the fourth victim in the latest series of nine attacks. The first incident happened on 19 December near Keorapet village. Forty-year-old Sharda was eaten up when she went to the forest to collect firewood. Tigers usually do not look to hunt for about a week after feeding on a kill. The next attack was reported on 26 December, near Mane Mohadi village.

The second victim escaped the attack and the Tiger remained hungry. Within two days, the third attack was reported at Seoni. But the tiger could not feed on the kill as villagers entered the forest soon enough to recover the body. The predator probably soon managed to make an animal kill, as peace prevailed for the next three weeks. Then, it singled Kamala out without realising that her brave husband was up there on the tree.

When the Tiger struck again on 4 February, it appeared really desperate. Three women were killed on three consecutive days within a stretch of 14 kilometres at Pedgaon, Jamsala and Singadzari. It was at Singadzari that people got a fleeting glimpse of the Tiger near the kill.

The animal appeared to be a young male.

In all three cases, the villagers recovered the bodies, leaving the Tiger hungry. Two days later, a man was reported killed 40 kilometres from Jamsala near Chimur. This time, the Tiger had eaten some of its kill. Many were sceptical if it was the same Tiger at work in Chimur, as the next attack was reported on 16 February near Jamsala again. But it is not impossible for a Tiger to make two kills within six days 40 kilometres apart.

Were the attacks accidental? Unlikely, since each time, the carcass was dragged away from the spot of the kill and consumed on two occasions that the predator was not immediately disturbed by a search team. But the Tiger attacked victims only once they entered forest patches. If the animal was stalking people for easy prey, what stopped it from entering villages?

By all signs, this was confusing Tiger behaviour. So what has changed around Tadoba over the last decade to trigger such conflict?

In terms of land use, not much. Chandrapur district has been a hub of coal mining for decades, and the southern fringes of Tadoba were always subject to disturbances with a number of opencast mines in operation. No new factory or dam has come up in the last decade either.

Y Yadav, conservator of forests, Chandrapur Division, maintained that some degree of conflict was inevitable with so many Tigers and people around, and that the recent escalation was on account of rising Tiger numbers.

A 625-sq km reserve, Tadoba claims to have 50 Tigers. Another 20 roam the fringe forests. But then, Tadoba had reported more than 40 Tigers even ten years ago. Besides, Sanjay Thakre, conservator of forests, Tadoba Andhari Tiger reserve, pointed out that there was no dramatic increase of recency in the number of Tigers.

On the other hand, could it be possible that the villages surrounding Tadoba experienced a spurt in population? Water scarcity doesn’t allow more than one crop here. Villagers must enter the forest to collect firewood and bamboo to support themselves during the lean seasons. In every village around Tadoba, virtually every household depends on bamboo work.

At Seoni, village elders said at least 100 villagers enter the forest everyday and that the numbers had nearly doubled over a decade. Probed further, they explained that many families from other villages had locally migrated to villages like Seoni, which were at zero distance from the forest, so that they could collect bamboo easily.

Nobody has any definite figures for these settlers, but some villagers counted their new neighbours as one-fifth of the population. What is more, these settlers own little land and survive solely on bamboo extraction.

The maths can get scary. Nearly 10,000 families live in 60 villages around Tadoba. Each family makes about Rs 30 daily—the price of a bamboo mat—from this cottage industry, extracting at least four bamboos for every mat. Most of this massive extraction is illegal and goes on unchecked, thinning the mixed bamboo forests.

The story goes back to 1986 when a truckload of bamboo products was intercepted by the forest department. This triggered a prolonged legal battle which reached the Supreme Court in 1997. The apex court upheld the Bombay High Court’s 1996 order that no transit pass was required for bamboo products.

So in 1998, the forest department lifted the bar on transporting bamboo products, though the source of the bamboo would still require verification. Gradually, however, the local forest authorities came around to doing away with even the no-objection certificate for legal bamboo.

Villagers now enter the forests in thousands and spend long hours cutting down the bamboo to thin strips which are then carried out of the forests openly. And a tiger attack, unless reported nearby, is not enough reason for them to worry.

Harshwardhan Dhanwatey, whose NGO Tract has been working closely with the forest department since 2006, finds no justification in blaming Tigers. With thousands of people inside the forests, reasoned Dhanwatey, many more attacks would surely have been reported were Tigers not reclusive by nature, avoiding people.

But more than 50 deaths—few of them accidental—in four years also indicate that not all Tadoba Tigers have been behaving naturally. Here’s why.

In the past year, five Tadoba Tigresses have disappeared—feared poached. Their cubs either died or were rescued to captivity. Thakre did not rule out the possibility that more cub-rearing Tigresses of Tadoba may have been poached. Without proper grooming, orphaned young Tigers lack hunting skills and often target easy prey. Incidentally, the ‘maneater of Talodi’ shot dead in 2007 was a young male. As is the Seoni Tiger believed to be behind the recent attacks.

Poaching apart, a young male Tiger could be forced to leave his mother prematurely because of the presence of a dominant male nearby. Official data revealed that a Tigress with a sub-adult male cub was roaming the peripheral forests of the Kolsa range adjoining the conflict zone. The cub has not been spotted in the reserve for some time. The monitoring records, however, showed the presence of a big male in the area.

Could this runaway sub-adult male be behind these attacks? The bosses of the two adjoining forest managements—Tadoba and Chandrapur—have little coordination and no definite answers.

Unsurprisingly, the department’s response to sustained conflict has been ad hoc. When public anger boils over, officials place a few trap-cages or order the shooting of the supposed maneater. But it is almost impossible to identify a maneater unless found at a human kill. It is a matter of chance before an innocent Tiger pays the price for the department’s arbitrary methods.

The lack of a scientific strategy was evident when a leopard was trapped on 2 March in one of the cages meant for Tigers. Instead of immediately releasing the accidentally trapped animal, the authorities kept the leopard captive for two days. Then they transported the stressed-out animal 30 kilometres to the other side of the reserve and released it in territory unfamiliar to it.

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Poaching, orphaned cubs, habitat loss, too many people inside forests, sustained conflict and no scientific mitigation strategy complete the recipe for disaster at Tadoba. But it is possible to turn the tide by ensuring a few fundamentals.

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Land Use: Tadoba cannot afford to become an island. The 1,150 sq km buffer area has to be notified at the earliest so that mining activities do not eat into the corridor to Junona forests in the south. The proposed Human Dam Project would be a death blow as it will sever the reserve’s only connection to the central Indian forest landscape through Brahmapuri and Nagzira forests. These corridors are absolutely vital for Tadoba’s far-roaming Tigers that will otherwise crowd the fringes and exacerbate conflict.

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Management: The five villages still inside the reserve have to be relocated so that a larger inviolate area can accommodate more Tigers. The reserve requires more ground staff. The present size of beats—an average of 1,800 hectare—makes effective monitoring impossible.

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Protection: There is virtually no monitoring outside the reserve. Dhanwatey’s team has been involved in a corridor conservation programme in three ranges, regularly monitoring big cat movements with forest staff since 2008. Conflict has come down in those parts. Monitoring is also key to curbing poaching, ensuring fewer problem Tigers, and lowering chances of conflict.

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Livelihood: A thorough demographic study of the 60 villages around Tadoba is needed to evaluate local migration and livelihood issues. The villagers will only be too happy to give up collecting firewood in the forests if given subsidised fuel. Attempts to regulate bamboo extraction, however, will invite stiff resistance.

With around 10,000 families each making about Rs 30 daily, the local bamboo industry is worth well over Rs 1 crore. With the Centre releasing hundreds of crore to resettle villages, a couple of crore will be well spent on an alternative livelihood project around Tadoba to ease pressure on the forest.

Article courtesy_JAY MAZOOMDAAR, NAWARGAON

Open Magazine

Bachchan endorses Tiger Conservation

For the first time Amitabh Bachchan endorses Tiger Conservation, courtesy the NDTV-Aircel Save the Tiger campaign powered by Sanctuary Asia & WWF India.

Sopaan, New Delhi

March 26, 2010 Fri 6 : 53 AM

Oh dear, o dear o dear !! What on earth have I done ! Sent off an incomplete post !! My apologies dearest extended family, sincerely … I have dozed off in bed and not realized what I was doing … have just awakened with the lap top by my side and am certain that if it had had a pair of movable hands would have slapped me as I awoke !!

I hasten now to complete what was incomplete last night and to add afresh what I feel needs to be added today … and again … my sincerest regrets and apologies for this horrible lapse !!

So yes … back to yesterday and Delhi and to NDTV and Dr Pranoy Roy and the initiative taken by them and Aircel, the mobile giant, in their very noble and worthy campaign titled ‘Save Our Tigers’.

There was no time to come home so drove straight from the airport to the NDTV studios and into discussions and scripting for the recording of the promos that shall be aired, informing, pleading and convincing the people of our nation the immediate need to take some corrective steps in saving this very elegant and valuable national animal, the tiger. 1411 of them left according to research and study. And more startlingly, as revealed by a gracious wild life expert and volunteer at the press meet at the Imperial Hotel later, not more than twice the number of people present at the PC ( press conference ) ! And it was not such a packed audience !!

Several differently scripted promo’s were recorded against a green back ground, the convenient facility that shall allow graphic experts to fill in later, images commensurate with what my text was, both in English and Hindi. A young group of ladies and gentlemen, ladies in majority, conducted the shoot with dedicated aplomb, and in particular, the lovely Rubina who controlled the teleprompter and then was rushed off to the press conference where all the important dignitaries had assembled on stage against a pertinent background to talk about the national animal the Tiger.

Vikram Chandra, the eminent anchor of the station, conducted affairs. Vikram, son of my Delhi University mate ‘Chirpy’ Chandra go back many years. Yesterday whilst he stood for a keepsake photograph, he informed me how he had in his possession a photograph taken with me when he was half his size. And I remembered when and where it was that this had taken place. It was at the Government House in Bangalore, during the time when Chirpy’s father-in-law was the Governor of the State of Karnataka. I was in the city for the shooting of one of my films and had gone across to meet him. Chirpy, was a firebrand debater in University and I wonder if his pet name came from his this ability, and whether today his son Vikram has imbibed those special qualities as he conducts debate after debate on various sensitive and current national issues on NDTV ! Today, Vikram’s son and Navya and Agastya study at the same School as classmates and life has an uncanny circle to it does it not ??

The press meet was dignified and measured, most informative and of immense importance in telling people what the campaign was all about. The distinguished panel consisted of Pranoy of course as head of NDTV, the top brass of Aircel the mobile server, Wild Life representatives and Bittu Sehgal the eminent name in the world of wild life preservation and knowledged especially on the habits of the tiger.

Mr Ravi from the WWF ( World Wildlife Foundation ) had some interesting views and the one that I particularly liked was his somewhat emotional but symbolically patriotic description of the tiger within the context of India. The tiger he said, represented the Indian National flag, the tricolor – it bore the colors orange and black on its body and it walked on green grass – and therefore needed to be protected preserved and given a place of pride in our thinking. Bittu felt that tigers did not need any special care in being looked after, they had that inborn capacity to do so themselves. All we needed to do was to give them a free environment to roam and live without intrusion. Poaching needed to be stopped. Stop killing these prized animals for commercial and export gain. Skins being a huge earner for those that made it a sellable commodity. Apparently crushed nails of the tiger have great medicinal properties and China is a huge importer of this, in not too legal a manner. We need to increase the vigilance in guarding them and making sure that special forest corridors designated for the tiger are not infiltrated and usurped for other purposes. The tiger, in parts of the country, is a revered animal, prayers being offered to it. Bittu informs us that the regions where the tiger habitates are locations where great rivers originate. Protecting them therefore means protecting the origins of these great rivers, so important for human existence. Do we not know that all the major and important cities of the world have been built on the banks of important rivers ?

Graciously also, the WWF informs the large press turn out, of the valuable contribution made by Shweta when she had volunteered to take up the cause for the protection of the river dolphins in the State of Uttar Pradesh. Shweta had partaken in a television series and anchored a program that highlighted the terrible conditions of the rare river dolphins in the Ganga and how we needed to protect them. The WWF also acknowledged the effort being made by Abhishek in working for their Earth Day program, where the preservation of the environment shall be demonstrated by an hour long shut down of all

electricity all over the country. That happens on the 27^th of this month between 8.30 and 9.30 PM I believe.

I have also assured and volunteered to carry a site on this blog that shall take us to the Aircel site which pledges support to this cause as also informs us on the details of this campaign. It will be there as a method to collect suggestions if any from readers on what we could do to preserve and save the tiger. These suggestions would then be forwarded to the concerned personnel in governance, for action to be taken_Amitabh Bachchan

http://social.ndtv.com/saveourtigercampaign

http://bigb.bigadda.com/?p=4887

Tigers are not safe even in the best of India’s reserves

The Tiger has become the latest expression of political correctness. Look around: schoolchildren on roads, national icons on screens and big brands in campaign mode. The government has pumped in additional funds. Conservation NGOs are mushrooming in all corners of India. Green blogging is catching on like wildfire.

Under the spotlight, Tigers are still dying frequent, unnatural deaths. To understand why, let us focus on India’s most pampered tiger reserve. The crown jewel of dry, deciduous tiger forests, Rajasthan’s Ranthambore generates huge tourism revenue and attracts billions in government and non-government funding. This was the reserve the prime minister visited to assess the conservation crisis in 2005 after the infamous extinction of tigers in Sariska. Within a few months, two top forest officials were shifted out of Ranthambore when poachers arrested by Rajasthan police admitted to killing over 20 Tigers there. Then, a beleaguered state forest department channelled its energy to Ranthambore to stage a face-saver.

Unlike many other tiger reserves, Ranthambore never fell off the radar. And still, Tigers have been dying here with alarming regularity. The latest is the case of two young males, poisoned to death. The Rajasthan forest department was not short of explanations. First, officials told the media that there were too many tigers and when the surplus tigers moved out, their future became uncertain. Then they rued that such tragedies could have been avoided had the Centre not suspended shifting tigers to Sariska after the first three animals were moved. (For the record, the tiger relocation drive was put on hold after three siblings were arbitrarily picked up for rebuilding a population and the Centre ordered DNA tests to ascertain the breeding compatibility of Ranthambore tigers before selecting right individuals for Sariska.)

The Ranthambore Tiger reserve spans 1,300 sq km and has about 40 Tigers. This is hardly anywhere near the saturation mark. Corbett tiger reserve has four times as many tigers in as much area. So how do forest officials claim saturation Tiger density in Ranthambore? Well, when they say Ranthambore, they refer to the 300 sq km national park that is only a small part of the 1,300 sq km tiger reserve.

Most of Ranthambore’s tigers are inside this prey-rich, well-protected 300 sq km national park area. The remaining 1,000 sq km of the reserve – Sawai Man Singh sanctuary, Kela Devi sanctuary and reserve forests – has little natural prey and no protection. One would have expected the forest department to take control of the entire reserve, stop grazing, reclaim encroachments and resettle villages but the authorities have washed their hands of more than 75 per cent of the tiger reserve.

So when we hear them say Tigers are going out of Ranthambore, the big cats are in fact moving from one part of the reserve to another. The latest killings were reported from Taldakhet, a village of just five large families in Kela Devi sanctuary, hardly a kilometre from the national park boundary, well inside the Tiger reserve. Yet the media was told the deaths occurred because the tigers were pushed out of a saturated Ranthambore.

About 300 sq km of the national park area may not accommodate more than 30-40 tigers but the remaining 1,000 sq km of the reserve has the potential of absorbing thrice as many. Active management demands the forest department to secure the sanctuary areas of the reserve and then focus on reclaiming the corridors – Kuno in Madhya Pradesh to Ramgarh Bisdhari sanctuary near Bundi – for natural dispersal of big cats. Instead, the authorities conceded three-fourths of the reserve as a death zone and now seek to save “surplus” tigers by airlifting them to Sariska.

Of seven Tigers forest authorities claim to have now moved out of Ranthambore, five are in Sawai Man Singh sanctuary, one in Kela Devi sanctuary and only one has actually moved out towards Kota. Two sub-adult Tigers moved out of the reserve last year, not because of overpopulation but because the cubs were left directionless after their mother was poached. Despite receiving Rs 93 lakh from the Centre during 2008-09 to set up a special tiger protection force, Ranthambore remains vulnerable to poisoning or commercial poaching. The latest victims were poisoned close to a village deep inside the reserve.

This brings Ranthambore’s ongoing village relocation drive under the scanner. With Rs 104 crore released by the Centre, state authorities have so far listed about 1,200 families in half a dozen villages and started with the biggest village, Hindwar. It is not clear why removal of big villages on black-top roads became their priority when small, strategically placed villages like Taldakhet or Mordungri (where a tigress was poisoned in 2008) pose a far greater danger to wildlife.

Common sense says it is easier to relocate small villages where public opinion tends to be less divided and chances of half the village staying back (as is happening in Hindwar) are far less. But small villages also mean fewer families and a smaller relocation budget – a factor that could have influenced some enterprising minds.

Courtesy :

TOI editorial article by Jay Mazoomdaar

In The Forests Of The Night

PM Announces New Department Of Wildlife Under The Ministry Of Environment & Forests

Many hopes behind this ray of light .. ..

At the fifth National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) meeting held in New Delhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in his capacity as Chairman announced the setting up of a dedicated Department of Wildlife under the charge of Minister of State for Environment and Forests (Independent Charge) Jairam Ramesh.

Informed sources confirmed that the decision was taken after Mr. Valmik Thapar, Member NWBL made a statement on the dire situation of wildlife in the country, as exemplified by the fate of the Sariska and Panna Reserves, which suffered local extinction of tigers at the hands of poachers. A proposal for a separate lion conservation project was also mooted by Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi. Other matters that came up for discussion included crop raiding by chital deer and a demand to delist corals from schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. This was opposed by all non-official members because corals are vital to the biodiversity of our oceans. Members also expressed concern at the rising number of accidental deaths suffered by wild elephants that were being run over by trains in wildlife areas, particularly in North Bengal and Uttarakhand.

The National Board for Wildlife is the apex body that decides wildlife policy in India and it has a total of 45 serving members, the Minister of Environment & Forests, plus 15 non-official members, four of whom are part of a 12-member Standing Committee of the NBWL, which handles day-to-day decisions and monitoring of the directions issued by the NBWL. Dr. Karan Singh, who was the first Chairman of Project Tiger when the project was first launched in 1973.

Sundarban Tiger rescued, radio-collared & released again.

One male Tiger was trapped by the Sundarban Tiger Reserve team at Netidhopani 1 in the T.R. on March 19th, 2010 by baiting. This male was accompanying a female when trapped. He was transferred in the squeeze cage & tranquilized. Thereafter he was radio-collared. Today, 21.03.2010 he was released at Pirkhali 1 area at 7am after 24 hrs of observation. This was the 1st male to have been radio-collared.

The Tigress that was rescued from Luxbagan village a day before was also released at the Haldibari area in the core area of the T.R. yesterday after proper observations. Hair samples with follicles, blood & scat has been collected for DNA analysis.

Info & photo courtesy : Forest Dept.

Another Tiger entered into a village in Sundarban

Straying tiger tranquillized

Gosaba: A tiger that strayed into the Sudhangshunagar area of Satjelia in the Sunderbans and climbed a keora tree there was tranquillized by forest guards on Friday morning. The tiger is pretty old and its right foreleg injured. The lower left canine tooth of the animal was also found broken.
Earlier, the tiger had killed a cow, a calf and a goat. Half-eaten carcasses of the animals had been found in the village.
After fresh pug marks were spotted in the village most of the villagers spent a sleepless night. The forest department was informed and team with tranqullizers reached the spot. The forest officials found the tiger in a bush adjacent to the village. After it receiving the first tranquillizer dart, the tiger moved towards Luxbagan and climbed a keora tree. It was tranquillized there and taken to Sajnekhali.

Monotosh Chakraborty | Times News Network

Maoists war make life hell for Jumbos

Who is to be blamed ?

CAUGHT IN RED ZONE

Foresters looking for alternative route for jumbos

The herd of 80 elephants that came to West Midnapore from Dalma and finds itself trapped in south Bengal — as its forest route has been “taken over” by Maoists and joint forces — triggered panic in villages on the Bankura border on Friday. Moving from Gangajal Ghati on the banks of the Damodar, the elephants have now taken cover in Borjora, a forested block on the Bankura-Burdwan border.

The entire herd came out of the jungle and started attacking potato and pumpkin fields at Morar, Kulupukur and Basudebpur. Fields of at least 100 farmers were completely ransacked and huts damaged, though no major injury was reported from the area.

Forest officials who are tracking down the elephants and trying to get back them on the return path feel that the animals may avoid the old route and stay back in south Bengal, which can lead to serious damage in parts of Bankura and West Midnapore. Traditionally, their route in Bankura goes through Simlapal, Raipur, Jhilimili and Raipur blocks. These blocks have enough forest cover and so the elephants find sufficient food. However, these blocks are now being avoided by the elephants, who have taken the Bishnupur-Sonamukhi-Borjora route because the dense forests are full of Maoists even as the joint forces are closing in.

The forest officials are scared that the herd, which is showing clear signs of distress, may cross over into Durgapur across the border and create havoc in the densely populated urban areas.

The herd did try to take its normal return route via Kantapahari and Lalgarh, but turned back due to the “disturbance” caused by Maoist activities, split into two groups and moved into Hoomgarh and Garbeta, which is on the Bankura border. They converged after crossing Garbeta and moved together into Bishnupur, Jaipur and Sonamukhi in Bankura, wreaking havoc all the way. “The temperature borders 40 degrees Celsius here. This coupled with lack of food and the inability to return home is making them wild,” said V K Yadav, deputy chief wildlife warden (western circle).

The officials are now trying to put the elephants on an alternative route via Goaltore. While they are likely to avoid the Goaltore-Kantapahari-Lalgarh-Belpahari-Bhulebheda-Dalma route, the elephant squad is “suggesting” the alternative route of Goaltore-Sarenga-Belpahari.

“We will try our best to guide the elephants back on the alternative route, which is not too unfamiliar to them because a small group did come to Bengal this year using that route,” Yadav explained.

DFO Bankura, S Kulan Deival, said villagers have been told not to harm elephants even if they attack their fields. “We would compensate for the losses,” Deival said.

_TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Radio Collar, Tigress & Sundarbans

The 2nd radio-collar that was fitted on a Tigress on February 28th 2010 was found lying in the Pirkhali VI area within the Sundarban Tiger Reserve (STR) yesterday 11th March 2010 by a STR team after they scanned the area for over 30 minutes. The collar was giving stationery signals since 6th night & it's being speculated that it was taken off by the Tigress on the 6th after 6days. Pugmark of another male was also found near the collar. There may be a possibility that the male may have a role in taking it out. As it's known that male Tigers who bite & even commonly tear ear pinna during mating. Incidentally both the Tigress who were recently radio-collared by the STR & WII team were found having broken pinna. Reports confirm that the collar can be reused.

STR team is keeping a tight vigil on all proceedings.

Satellite data however confirms that the Tigress collared on the 1st occasion is moving around steadily.

Photo courtesy:

Mr.PRADEEP VYAS, IFS

Courtesy: Bengal Tiger Bachaao campaign through Sundarban Tiger Reserve.