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.

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.

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.

Tiger released with radio collar at Sundarbans

The Tigress trapped at Sonaga village near Gosaba in the Sunderbans on Monday was released at Storekhali forest near Netidhopani on Wednesday afternoon. It was fitted with a radio collar before being released. Forest officials confirmed that the gadget is sending signals properly.

The imported gadget has been provided by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehra Dun, and the institute will get coded information about the movement of the tigress every two hours via satellite.

The big cat was tranquillized on Wednesday to fit it with the radio collar. It was taken to Storekhali forest after veterinary doctors declared it fit.

In the Storekhali forest, the density of hental plant is comparatively less than other local forests. Forest officials pointed out that it would help the big cat go deep inside the forest and also confirmed that it could get adequate food here as the forest has a healthy population of wild boar and deer.

“The gadget is working. WII will circulate the decoded information to the state forest department,” said Atanu Raha, principal chief conservator of forests.

Courtesy : TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Radio collar for Sundarban Tiger

Kolkata: The straying Sunderbans tiger that was captured at Sonaga in Gosaba on Monday will be fitted with a radio collar.

Officials of the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehra Dun, have reached Sunderbans with an imported collar that is believed to be an improved version of the earlier one that had been tried on a tigress in 2007. It malfunctioned within a few weeks, throwing the plan to modernize tiger monitoring methods out of gear.

The adult female that sneaked into Sonaga and was tranquillized has been kept under observation. According to forest officials, the collar will be installed only after it has been made sure that the animal is in perfect health.

The device being used this time has been successfully used on carnivores like grizzly bears and jaguars in North America. “It is believed to be ideally suited for fast-moving predators like the tiger and has been modified to survive in saline water. The collar can be programmed with a remote control and has a circuit that is much advanced than the previous ones that we have been experimenting with so far. We expect the device to work successfully this time,” said Pradip Vyas, director, Sundarban Biosphere Reserve.

A team of experts from WII, including a veterinarian, reached the Panchamukhani creek where the tigress has been kept on a launch. They examined the big cat to check if it has recovered sufficiently from Monday’s tranquillizing shot. Since the animal will have to be immobilised once again with a tranquillizer to install the radio collar, veterinarians are keen to ensure that the tigress is ready to bear the strain.

“It seems healthy. It had a goat on Tuesday and moved about restlessly in her cage. But it has to be monitored till the last moment,” added Vyas. The tigress could be released early on Wednesday morning.

Priced at Rs 3.5 lakh, the collar was brought from the WII’s Dehra Dun headquarters on Tuesday. In fact, the state forest department has procured an additional collar that will be kept in reserve.

Prithvijit Mitra | TNN

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Rise in sea level may outpace Tigers’ ability to adapt

Kolkata: Spreading human habitat in the Sunderbans has resulted in a drop in the tigers’ territory, leading to frequent incidents of straying.

“Tigers have adapted to a life in the mangroves and crabs constitute an important part of their diet. Though tigers are a highly adaptable species, occupying territory from the snowy forests of Russia to the tropics of Indonesia, the projected sea level rise in the Sunderbans may outpace the animal’s ability to adapt,” a WWF source said. There are no accurate estimates, but conservationists estimate the mangroves could be home to up to 400 big cats.

The sea level rise will also have an impact on people whose livelihood depends on the Sunderbans. The mangroves protect human habitation from cyclones and other natural disasters.

WWF has recommended that governments and natural resource managers take immediate steps to conserve and expand mangroves while preventing poaching and retaliatory killing of tigers. Neighbouring countries should increase sediment delivery and freshwater flows to the coastal region to support agriculture and replenishment of the land.

_

Jayanta Gupta | TNN

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Sunderbans will drown in 60 yrs

KOLKATA: The World Wildlife Fund has warned that days are numbered for much of the sensitive Sunderbans eco-system and in 60 years vast tracts of the rare mangrove forests, home to the Bengal tiger, will be inundated by the rising sea.

The study, focussed on Sunderbans in Bangladesh, says the sea was rising more swiftly than anticipated by
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 2007 and would rise 11.2 inches (above 2000 levels) by 2070. This would result in shrinkage of the Bangladesh Sunderbans by 96% within half a century, reducing the tiger population there to less than 20, said the study.

Unlike previous efforts, WWF's deputy director of conservation science Colby Loucks and his colleagues used a high-resolution digital elevation model with eight estimates of sea level rise to predict the impact on tiger habitat and population size. The team was able to come up with the most accurate predictions till date by importing over 80,000 Global Positioning System (GPS) elevation points.

The study, Sea Level Rise and Tigers: Predicted Impacts to Bangladesh's Sunderbans Mangroves, has been published in the journal, Climatic Change. Though the Indian part of the Sunderbans will not be so badly affected, conservationists wonder how many tigers would be able to survive here with nearly 60% of the habitat gone. Of the total Sunderbans, nearly 60% is in Bangladesh. Tigers do not recognize international borders though and cross over from one side to the other as and when they choose.

Experts say that every tiger requires a large territory of its own (known as range). An ever-spreading human habitat in the Indian part has already resulted in a drop in the big cats' territory, leading to frequent incidents of straying.

``Tigers have adapted to a life in the mangroves and crabs constitute an important part of their diet. Though tigers are a highly adaptable species, occupying territory from the snowy forests of Russia to the tropics of Indonesia, the projected sea level rise in the Sunderbans may outpace the animal's ability to adapt,'' a WWF source said. There are no accurate estimates, but conservationists estimate the mangroves could be home to upto 400 big cats.

The sea level rise will also have an impact on the lives of people who depend on the Sunderbans for their livelihood. The mangroves protect human habitation from cyclones and other natural disasters.

WWF has recommended that governments and natural resource managers take immediate steps to conserve and expand mangroves while preventing poaching and retaliatory killing of tigers. Neighbouring countries should increase sediment delivery and freshwater flows to the coastal region to support agriculture and replenishment of the land.

_Jayanta Gupta, TNN, Feb 23, 2010, 12.57am IST

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