Radio-collared Sundarban Tiger moves into Bangladesh

A radio-collared Tiger in the Sundarbans has reportedly crossed over into Bangladesh, forest officials have found. A radio collar worth around Rs 6-7 lakh was placed around the neck of the Tiger on May 21.

“This once again confirms that wild animals do not understand political boundaries and often move across the international border,” said Sundarban Biosphere Reserve (SBR) director Pradip Vyas. Significantly, 60% of the Sundarbans falls in Bangladesh while 40% is in India.

Sources said this is one of the reasons why Union Environment and Forests minister Jairam Ramesh has taken up the India-Bangladesh joint initiative on the Sundarbans. Tiger conservation has to be done jointly, said senior forest officials. Interestingly, the forest officials are still receiving signals from the collar and have located it somewhere in the middle of Talpatty island in Bangladesh.

The Tiger had entered into Malmelia village in North 24-Parganas and was eventually trapped in the Arbeshi jungle on May 21. It was tranquillized and radio-collared before being released in the Katuajhuri forest of the Sundarbans. The radio collar signals revealed that on the first two days, it traveled only 6-7 km. But on the third day, the Tiger traveled more than double that distance.

The signals show that a Tiger crosses its command area and moves into new territory at will, even if there is enough prey. The forest department found that there was enough prey in the Katuajhuri jungle and forest guards, who examined the terrain, found carcasses of animals devoured by the Tiger. “So, we were a bit surprised when the Tiger suddenly started moving from south to east, towards Bangladesh. This hints that a Tiger can enter due to reasons other than the lack of prey base,” an official reports.

The Tiger started closing in on Talpatty. Finally, two days ago, it moved into the Bangladesh Sundarbans.

The officials are keeping a close watch on the movements of the Tiger with the help of signals from the collar. In recent times, a Tiger and a Tigress, which had entered into Shamsernagar, were also found to have entered Indian territory from Bangladesh.

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Is this a reason to cheer up or be distressed thinking about the future of the 3 cubs ?

We had photographed the above cub at Guda in Ranthambhore N.P in April 2008 when they were approx 6-8 months old & were probably the only ones to have been able to photograph one of the two present feeding on a wild boar.

Reportedly the cubs were untraceble soon after the mother surprisingly disappeared. Was the disappearance courtesy the villagers living adjacent to the Guda area, remains a mystery like always!

With shrinking of habitats looming large over the fate of Tigers, is this news from Panna really a reason to be joyful or be an alarm ?

Tigress gives birth to three cubs in Panna reserve

In a major boost to efforts to revive Tiger population, a translocated tigress has for the first time given birth to three cubs in Madhya Pradesh’s Panna reserve, where the big cats had disappeared.

The Tigress, translocated from Bandhavgarh in the state to Panna in March last year after the reserve lost its Tiger population, has given birth to three cubs, Panna Reserve Field Director R. S. Murthy told PTI today.

The cubs were believed to be 20 days old and were spotted by forest officials when the Tigress was taking them out of her den. “The Tigress and its three cubs are in fine condition,” he said.

It is for the first time that a translocated Tigress has given birth in the country. Two Tigresses and a Tiger were translocated to Sariska in Rajasthan in 2008 after it lost its Tiger population but the animals have not been able to breed till now. There were reports that the Tigers brought from Ranthambhor could be siblings.

Panna reserve, which had more than 30 big cats four years ago, lost all its Tigers by last year following which two tigresses-one from Bandhavgarh and another from Kanha Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh - were translocated there on March 6 and March 9, 2009 respectively.

A Tiger from Pench reserve was also translocated on November 14.

In more good news from Panna, officials said that the second translocated tigress could also be expecting.

Security has been beefed up in the area and entry of tourists banned for the safety of the Tigers. “We will not allow tourist entry into the region to ensure safety of the Tigress and its cubs,” Mr. Murthy said.

Officials were Tight-lipped over the location of the Tigress due to security reasons. Panna reserve is spread over an area of 543 sq km in Panna and Chhatarpur districts of eastern Madhya Pradesh.

“The cubs have opened their eyes. This development usually takes place after 10 days of birth,” Mr. Murthy said.

The translocated Tiger had disappeared on November 26 and it was only after much effort that it was brought back to the park on December 25 last year.

The Tiger has now settled in the new environs in Panna and this is evident from the birth of the three cubs, an official said.

The government has plans to relocate six Tigers in all in Panna.

Courtesy : http://beta.thehindu.com/news/national/article425535.ece

Young female Tiger rescued & released back into the wild in Sundarbans

Sundarban experienced a low density cyclonic weather on the evening of Monday 26.04.2010. A young Tigress probably misguided by the strong wind & turbulent river entered the Adibashipara village in the Bagna Range & was spotted by a villager.

Prompt initiative by the villagers drived the animal into an abandoned hut where she was safe till the Range Officer Debraj Sur along with the Sundarban Tiger Reserve team intercepted. Soon the Tigress was successfully tranquilized by Beat Officer Ayan Chakraborty. Disturbed by human presence the poor animal seemed to be quite nervous. She was kept under observation of the Tiger Reserve's official vet and was fed with dressed chicken, which is common in such cases.

At 06.38 hrs today she was released at Khatuajhuri forest area in the same range. The Tigress apparently had no major injury marks or any such abnormalities when we saw her just before she went back into the wild.

We sincerely thank the villagers of Adibashipara for the cooperation that they have extended to the forest staff for a speedy rescue operation. The STR team deserves a salute for such a successful, smooth & prompt rescue operation.

Our BTL-Sanctuary Bengal Tiger Bachaao campaign in the Sundarbans had organised "Walk for the Tigers" at this village area last November to spread awareness on such issues seeking the villagers' involvement in rescuing such Tigers safely. We had also conducted immediate & intensive relief operations with the help of Wildlife Conservation Trust in this area last May 3 days post cyclone Aila through the Tiger Reserve team.

Radio-collars on Sundarban Tigers stop functioning.

A report from the Field Director of Sundarban Tiger Reserve late last night says --

The department has retrieved radio-collar from the forest floor at around 13:45 hrs off the Dhonakhali. This is the collar that was fitted on a Tiger that had entered a village on February 22nd & was rescued. This Tiger was release in the presence of senior forest officials & WII experts, the report adds. At this moment both collars fitted to 2 Tigers remain non functional as the other collar (no.7224) too that was on a male is not giving any signals for the past 10 days now. The report claims that this male was physically sighted with the collar on 18th April night. This particular collar (no.7224) was previously fitted on a Tigress & had fell off from her and retrieved later by the dept. The report now claims to evaluate quality of such collars & its efficacy in the Sundarbans.

Tusker rescued by Forest Dept at Buxa

A sub-adult male tusker was rescued from a ditch at the Kumargram tea-garden in Buxa Tiger Reserve on Tuesday morning. The tusker, around seven years old, fell into a 10 feet by 4 feet ditch while its herd was passing through the tea-garden. Foresters dug up the ditch to widen it, giving enough room to the pachyderm to manoeuvre and wriggle out of it. The elephant later joined its herd in the Kumargram forest.

Around 11 am, some villagers noticed the elephant struggling to come out of the hole. The herd tried to pull it out, but failed and finally left the place without the animal. It was then that foresters moved in and widened the ditch by about 10 feet. The animal soon climbed out.

“We widened the ditch and created a slope to help the jumbo turn its body and stand up on its feet. It has not suffered any major injury,” said Subhankar Sengupta, deputy field director, Buxa Tiger Reserve. The elephant was guided back into the Kumargram forest where it joined its herd.

Courtesy : TOI

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Carl Zeiss Wildlife Conservation Award 2010

The Carl Zeiss Wildlife Conservation Award each year chooses 5 conservationists from across the country through an expert panel led by Mr.Valmik Thapar. This award recognizes individuals who contribute in the field of Tiger conservation.

I was fortunate to be chosen as one of this year's awardees. Union Minister Mr.Salman Khurshid presented the trophy & a prized Zeiss binocular. MoEF Mr.Jairam Ramesh too was present.

The august gathering was glittering with the likes of Dr.Ullas Karanth, Dr.Raghu Chundawat, Mr.P.K.Sen, Mr.Shekar Dattari, Ms.Belinda Wright, Ms.Joanna Van Gruisen and other special guests.

Though my name as an individual has been selected but the achievement belongs to both myself & Suchandra.

For this achievement, we must thank our mentor Mr.Bittu Sahgal for his non-stop energetic influence. We thank the legendary Mr.Fateh Singh Rathore for being our father figure. Dr.Anish Andheria for being a constant teacher, and Mr.P.K.Sen for his inspirational words that have stood by us always.

We must also thank the West Bengal Forest Department for all their support throughout.

Thanks to our friends - Pinaki, Kaushik, Ananda, Dipankar, Kumkum & a battalion of others and above all Chhaya Dutt & Tomtom.

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Times of India news strip

12.04.2010

Conservationist rewarded

He loves the woods and swears by the tiger. Watching the forests through the lens of his camera, he gradually fell in love with them and turned a conservationist. For nearly a decade now, Joydeep Kundu and his wife Suchandra have been tirelessly campaigning in favour of measures to save the endangered animal and its fast dwindling habitat around the country. Travelling far and wide across the sanctuaries, the Sunderbans in particular, the conservationist couple has been urging everyone concerned to take note of the urgent need to come to the aid of the tiger.

Joydeep’s efforts won him the Carl Zeiss Wildlife Conservation Award at a glittering ceremony in New Delhi last week. “Even though Kundu doesn’t have formal training, he has an instinctive feel for the jungle and a fierce desire to protect species and habitats,” said the citation.

The desire has grown over the years. Kundu remains a keen wildlife photographer and his photographs are still published in wildlife magazine Sanctuary Asia. But he now takes his role as a conservator more seriously. Last year, Kundu organized a unique march titled “Walk for the Tiger” in the Sunderbans, which saw more than 2 lakh taking part across six islands of the mangrove forest. Kundu has also been a part of the “Bengal Tiger Banchao” campaign run by Sanctuary Asia and Bengal Tiger Line.

“This award will inspire me to keep working for conservation and contribute towards saving the tiger. This is a challenging period for conservationists in India. We need to be on guard all the time,” says the conservationist.

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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

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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.

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