Jumbos caught in JUNGLE WAR A herd of Dalma elephants is unsure of ever seeing home again, caught up in the war in Jangalmahal

As the joint forces and Maoist rebels fight out a bloody war in the forests of Jangalmahal, at least 80 elephants have been trapped in the crossfire.

They had come down from the Dalma forest in August, following a timeless routine. Only this time, they are not sure they would be able to return home. And if they don’t, it would mean mayhem. For elephants, they say, do not forgive such encroachment.

The herd has already failed its deadline of taking the return route by a fortnight and this has left forest officials tense. It is not that they hadn’t tried to leave at the nature-appointed time of end-February, but the ongoing armed strife at Lalgarh and Kantapahari intimidated them so much that they stalled the retreat towards Dalma in Jharkhand and once again started moving back into Bengal.

They are scared, angry and hungry and have already started to show their ire. With 15 people killed in West Midnapore and Bankura, 2,000 hectares of land bearing crops ravaged and 1,500 village huts razed, the state forest department is not taking a chance.

The officials in the western circle of the department, along with local tribals from the Forest Protection Committee and the Elephant Squad, are desperately trying to coax and cajole the herd not to “lose its cool” and cross over from the Bankura-Burdwan border, where they are stationed now, into Durgapur. A herd of 80 elephants running amok on the heavily inhabited Durgapur roads is the forest department’s worst nightmare coming true.

The next five days are crucial — when the herd bides its time at Gangajal Ghati, the banks of the Damodar on the Bankura-Burdwan border. “We are trying our best to ensure that the herd doesn’t cross Damodar and enter Durgapur. As things stand now, there is a 50-50 chance of the herd not returning to Dalma and that means serious trouble,” said V K Yadav, deputy chief wildlife warden (Western circle).

The normal return route of these elephants is Nayagram-Chandra-Katapahari-Lalgarh-Belpahari-Bhulabheda and back to Dalma. This time the herd, that has seven calves in tow — all of whom were born after the herd had reached Bengal last year — went from Nayagram to Chandra, but were unable to enter Kantapahari and Lalgarh. This is partially due to the operation of the joint forces in these two places and partially due to the fact that these forests are no longer lonely and conducive for movements of wild animals. The Maoists have gradually spread their tentacles in the forests which are now teeming with military activities that include setting up of landmines.

“Elephants are sensitive creatures, who have sensed that the forests will no longer offer safe passage. My guess is that they will not venture back into their usual return route now and will look for an alternative one,” Yadav said.

When the herd turned back from Kantapahari and Lalgarh, it 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.

“It is extremely hot in Bankura, with the temperature bordering on 40 degrees, where the herd is stationed now. This is making them uneasy and wild. They make a punctual February retreat into Dalma in order to avoid the Bengal heat and scanty forest cover. If they have still not crossed into the deep Dalma forests, it means trouble,” said S K Sharma, additional principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife), Jharkhand.

In Orissa, which is also affected by Maoist activities, elephants are feeling the heat. “One of the main causes of the rising man-elephant conflicts in areas like Daringbadi (in Kandhamal district) and Redhakhol (in Sambalpur district) is the increasing extremist activities in the nearby forests,” said former state chief wildlife warden Bijay Ketan Patnaik.

“Maoists used to burst crackers to drive out elephants in forests in Kotagarh (in Kandhamal). This perhaps had irritated the pachyderms, resulting in the wild animals making frequent forays into villages in Daringbadi and causing serious loss to life and property,” a forest department official explained.

Moreover, the erratic elephant behaviour in Lakhari sanctuary in Gajapati district and their frequent entry in jungles of the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh is also seen to be rooted perhaps in Maoist operations inside the forests. PCCF (wildlife) P N Padhi said a scientific study is yet to be conducted.

Along with the usual tactics of trying to guide the herd back by using the hullah party, torches and battery-operated powerful lights, the elephant squad is trying to “reason” with the elephants, lest they cross the Damodar. The leaders of the herd are being “requested” to take the Goaltore route back. 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 route. “We are not sure that the herd will accept our suggestion, but we are trying our best. We will guide them all along till they cross over from Bhulabheda into Dalma,” Yadav said.

Elephant expert Parbati Baruah agrees that the insurgency can indeed be a severe threat to elephants. “They have been traditionally using this route from Dalma to south Bengal and it needs great negotiating power and skill to manoeuvre them into an alternative route.

It seems that the herd is agitated about not being able to return on time because the forest is now infested with “foreigners”. “It is a matter of concern because it involves safe passage for a herd of 80 elephants, whose forest rights need to be protected,” Baruah said. She offered to help if the state seeks it, like it did in 1988 when a similar herd had strayed into Midnapore town.

They don’t know what the Maoists are fighting for; they don’t know why the state has to fight a war against its enemies; they just seek justice — the right to go back home.

News courtesy : Times of India; by Jhimli Mukherjee Pandey (With inputs from Jaideep Deogarhia and Sandeep Mishra)

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Villagers poison 2 Tiger cubs at Ranthambore

Jaipur: Two 17-month-old cubs were found dead, allegedly poisoned by villagers, on the outskirts of Ranthambore Tiger Reserve on Sunday.

Forest officials said it could have been a revenge act by the villagers, upset over the killing of their livestock by tigers. Officials fear such incidents may happen again as straying of tigers from the over-populated reserve was expected. The tiger population in Ranthambore reserve has now come down to 39, which has capacity for only 30.

With the death of the cubs, the worst fears over the growing tiger population and their shrinking habitat leading to their killings have come true. According to forest officials, the two cubs had strayed from the park about two months back and were seen roaming in its outskirts ever since.

“It’s not a case of poaching as the body parts were intact. It appears to be a case of revenge killing,” said Rajasthan’s chief wildlife warden R N Mehrotra. Local MLA Allauddin Azad has called for an inquiry.

Forest officials said they found carcasses of two goats from the place where the dead cubs were found. “Prima facie it appears that the tigers ate the goats that were set as bait and got poisoned. The tigers had vomited,” the official said.

_Anindo Dey, TNN

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More details on the incident at -- http://ranthambhorediary.blogspot.com/

Orissa expects fair tiger census!

The annual Tiger enumeration is set to commence in March
and this time around, camera trap technique will not be the only method to be
used to count the big cats.


The last enumeration at Similipal where camera trap methodology was used
and yielded in a low count had led to a huge uproar. Orissa lodged a protest
with National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and some other states too
joined in.

This seems to promote NTCA and Wildlife Institute of India (WII) to adopt a
more comprehensive methodology.

In fact, state heads of wildlife wings met at Corbett National Park last week
and discussed the matter threadbare.

According to Chief Wildlife Warden PN Padhi, camera trap will be part of the
enumeration methodology but not the only one. While GPS techniques would
also be used to get a clearer view of the entire exercise, conventional
methods of pug mark will be assessed too.

“The methodology will factor in prey base, predator population, tree felling
indices while using the latest technology like camera trap.

This will give a holistic view of not just the big cat population but also of the
ecosystems where the enumeration will be carried out,” Padhi said.

Orissa had certain reasons to worry about the methodology WII used last time
at Similipal. While the conventional pug mark census in 2004 had pegged tiger
population at a whopping 132 (which critics say is way too high for the park),
the 2006-08 method (when camera trap was used) put the cat count at 45 in
the entire State. For Similipal, it was just 20.

The Wildlife Wing then objected to the census result saying the cameras used
were too few in number and their coverage area was not a proper sample of
the entire tiger park.

The new methodology, Padhi hopes, would yield indices which can compare
with each and give a correct representation of tiger population in the State.

In fact, the NTCA and WII have prepared comprehensive guidelines for forest
field staff who will carry out the enumeration unlike last time when the WII
had deputed the census teams.

“Since the guidelines are in English and Hindi, we are translating them to Oriya
to be circulated among field officials for necessary training.

We hope to start the enumeration by the first half of March,” said the Chief
Wildlife Warden.

News source _The New Indian Express dated 21.2.2010

Courtesy_Biswajit Mohanty

Four tigers found dead in less than a month, within a triangular patch of
about 40 sq km in the heart of one of India’s best reserves. Natural deaths?
Infighting? Poaching? With the media rife with speculation, Open cuts
through the clutter to find some answers.

To understand the fuss about four dead tigers in Corbett tiger reserve in
one month—when 66 deaths were reported across India last year—consider the
larger picture. When India’s tiger count is at an all-time low of 1,411,
Corbett stands out as a rare success story where the numbers have been
steadily on the rise. From 137 in 2001 to 164 in 2007, a thriving stock
makes Corbett, at the Himalayan foothills in Uttarakhand, north India’s most
densely populated tiger forest.

So four deaths in quick succession in the heart of the reserve have
triggered panic: are we losing one of the few remaining strongholds of the
national animal?

With so many tigers at Corbett, four natural deaths in one month is very
much a possibility. But each of the four carcasses had something or the
other unusual about them, making the forest authorities edgy and fuelling
speculation of poaching in the media.

When a delayed transfer of the viscera to Bellary’s Indian Veterinary
Research Institute spoiled any chance of conclusive analyses, rumblings of
foul play just got louder.

THE CASE

Four tigers died one after the other dead-deep inside the Corbett core
within 31 days in December and January.

»The first casualty, an eight-year-old male, was reported on 13 December
near Mota Sal, a giant tree that serves as a landmark near Dhikala Chaur
(grassland).

»The second victim was an 11-year old tigress, found by the Ramganga river
close to Sarpduli rest house on 16 December.

»The third carcass was that of a four-year-old male, found on 5 January in
Phuli Chaur near Dhikala tourist complex.

»The fourth death was reported on 12 January when beat guards found a
six-year-old tiger dead near Gaujra chowki at the edge of the Dhikala range.

Of the four cases, the third appears to be the simplest. The young male was
the victim of a territorial fight, possibly over a kill that was found
half-consumed nearby. The tiger carcass had sharp canine wounds and the paw
pads had traces of fur that came off the other tiger during the tussle. To
bury speculation, a large male tiger showed up graciously during the spot
funeral, possibly in honour of its vanquished rival.

The second death raised eyebrows as a shoe sole was found in the stomach of
the tigress. It is not unusual to find garbage by the riverside, washed down
from villages upstream Ramganga, and the old tigress, too hungry and unable
to hunt, was probably attracted by the leathery smell of a wet shoe and
chewed it up. The undigested sole remained in her tummy and may or may not
have hastened her imminent end.

One may dismiss speculation of foul play in these two cases: the young male
found on Phuli Chaur was just unlucky, as death from in-fighting is common
in the wild; few animals survive long enough to die of old age like the
Sarpduli tigress. But the other two deaths—the first and the fourth—do raise
uncomfortable questions.

Tigers can live up to 12 years in the wild. There was no injury mark
whatsoever on the eight-year-old male found dead near Mota Sal; it is anyway
unlikely for such a mature tiger in its prime to have got into a territorial
fight with an equal adversary. Typically, mature tigers take on
inexperienced youngsters or an old weakling, the results of which would be
rather obvious.

Reliable sources say the internal organs of the tiger had “small
blister-like eruptions” on them. The tiger defecated while dying, possibly
because of muscle relaxation or stress or intestinal trauma—but the sample
was not tested. The officials claimed that the robust male died due to
“respiratory and cardio-vascular problems”.

The fourth carcass at Gaujra, however, bore tell-tale signs. The tiger had
retched before dying and the post-mortem revealed enough indications of
poison in its visceral organs. While the official jury is still out, even
the top forest bosses present at the spot agree that the tiger was poisoned.

THE MYSTERY

The hushed consensus about poisoning in the fourth case revived doubts over
the first casualty, the eight-year-old male whose death many felt was not
satisfactorily explained.

The tiger that was poisoned at Gaujra was found at the edge of the Ramganga
reservoir. Poison dehydrates animals and they try to reach the nearest water
body. But the first tiger found dead at Mota Sal, though not too far from
the other bank of the reservoir, was not exactly close to it. However,
animals when poisoned also try to avoid the sun and heat. Since the carcass
was found under a clump of trees, only yards away from the Dhikala
grassland, it is possible that the tiger drank at the reservoir and crossed
the open grassland (about 2 km) and lay down to die in the cool, shaded
forest.

As crows fly, the distance between the spots where the first and fourth
carcasses were found is less than 5 km. Though the Ramganga reservoir lies
in between, lack of rain last monsoon has shrunk the stretch of water, and
it would not have been impossible for even a poisoned tiger to swim across.

Could there be other tigers poisoned to death in this area that went
unnoticed? Tiger carcasses rot quickly and are often scavenged upon by
hyenas and jackals, so it may not be possible to discover each and every
carcass.

The Corbett management admits as much. But be it one, two or more, tigers
are evidently being poisoned in Corbett.

Of course, tiger killings are not unprecedented in Corbett. In 1998, a
tigress and three cubs died after feeding on a poisoned cattle carcass near
Jamun village in the Kalagarh division. Only last year, a decomposed carcass
was found in Dhela range in March. In 2008, a tiger was found dead in Jhirna
range and was disposed of in a hurry. In 2007, a tiger was camera-trapped
with a deep snare-wound on its neck and was subsequently found dead. In
2006, a tiger was shot dead barely 7 km from the Corbett boundary by
poachers in the Terai West division.

But all these incidents happened in the peripheral forests of Corbett. This
time round, the killing zone is at the core of the reserve. How are poachers
getting there? Why are they risking going so far in when they can easily
target tigers at the periphery?

What is the motive, since poisoned tigers wander away and make it impossible
to retrieve the carcass for skin, bones etc.? If these are revenge killings,
who can possibly have anything against tigers in the Corbett core, far away
from human habitation? Or is the Corbett management or someone higher up the
real target?

FINDING ANSWERS

The forest staff obviously has the best access to these tigers. Those who
man the two canteens—one with Kumaun Vikas Mandal and another run
privately—also stay at Dhikala. Then, there are the tourist guides and
drivers who enter the Corbett tiger reserve’s core zone on a daily basis.

Following a hunt, a tiger consumes part of the kill and hides the rest to
come back later for a second meal. Those looking to poison the kill,
therefore, must know the forest well and have free access to get there
before the tiger returns to it. Canteen workers do not know the forest so
well. Accompanied by tourists and bound by timetables, guides lack the
necessary access. And there are no opposing lobbies in the Corbett forest
management to trigger sabotage by the staff.

The rumour mill at Ramnagar, though, is circulating two conspiracy theories,
woven around two “aggrieved insiders”. Buddi Kala, who ran the private
canteen at Dhikala since pre-Project Tiger days, was ousted this year
through an open tender that awarded the contract to small-time BJP
functionaries from Ramnagar. Jaswant Singh Pradhan, who has been in Corbett
since 1993 as a guide and then as a trainer, wanted to replace honorary
warden Brijendra Singh, a conservationist close to the Gandhi family, but
failed.

Kala, now the head of Dogudda village council near Kotdwar, does not even
care to discuss “the angle”, but the staff at Dhikala vouch for him as “a
family member”. He would never harm the forest, they say, since “the
sympathy of the department” was with him during his fight to retain the
canteen contract.

Pradhan, too, seems too busy with his flourishing hotel business. “As a
local person who understands Corbett, I felt I qualified for the warden’s
post. But it was up to the government. Everyone knows I have always helped
the (forest) department,” he says. A family friend adds that Pradhan’s sons
are also doing well for themselves as guides at Corbett.

Brijendra Singh himself finds the sabotage theory rather imaginative. “I
wouldn’t be the honorary warden if the BJP government did not want me to. I
have never compromised Corbett’s interests. Some local elements may resent
some of my tough stands, but I doubt if any of them would target the
tigers,” he says.

Since nobody seems to have any motive to kill tigers in Corbett’s core, the
investigation narrows down to the final and usual suspect: local Gujjars.
While much of Corbett is free of any human settlement, 20-25 Gujjar families
camp in five different areas of the Kalagarh range along the boundary of the
core zone. One of these settlements is at Gaujra, where the fourth tiger was
found dead. The forest officials grilled the head of this extended Gujjar
family (complete with his four wives and 22 sons), and made him dig up a cow
kill he had recently buried to “discourage the tiger”.

The cow carcass “did not appear poisoned” and Gujjars got the
benefit-of-doubt given their lack of motive. Explains Heera Singh Karmiyal,
range officer, Dhikala: “These Gujjars are here for many years. Sometimes,
their buffaloes enter the core area and we fine them. But that has been the
only point of friction. There is no history of these Gujjars targeting
tigers because tigers rarely take their buffaloes.”

Due to their size and close-knit herds, buffaloes are not quite the
favourite with tigers in a forest with an abundant prey base. Cows, on the
other hand, are the easiest to hunt. But Gujjars, Karmiyal points out, do
not rear cows and have no reason to count the kills as a loss.

But if Gujjars do not keep cows, how come cows are being killed deep inside
the forest? A site visit to Gaujra revealed dozens of cows grazing alongside
a few horses that Gujjars keep for transporting milk. The forest staff
promptly explained the lot as feral cows—animals abandoned by villagers.
Gujjars also maintained that they had nothing to do with the cows.

Reliable sources at Dhikala, however, confirmed that the presence of cows at
Gaujra is a recent phenomenon, and the first few animals were spotted
possibly just a year ago. But what has triggered this sudden influx of cows?

Soon after coming to power, the BJP government in Uttarakhand replaced the
Uttar Pradesh Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act, 1955, with the stringent Cow
Protection Act, 2007. Apparently, aimed at checking illegal smuggling of
cows across India’s eastern borders, the new law banned cow slaughter and
imposed tough regulations on the transport and sale of cows. It became
almost impossible to sell off non-milch cows even in Uttar Pradesh’s grey
markets.

Though the 2007 Act also prohibits abandoning cows, cattle owners soon
started setting their unproductive cows free. Villages around Rathuadhab
found it convenient to send their cows to Gujjars inside forests. Local
sources claim that Gujjars occasionally charge small amounts per cow to
allow the animal in. But that is not the real incentive. When some of these
cows breed inside the forest, their foster-owner Gujjars sell calves back to
the villagers at price discounts ranging from 30 to 50 per cent of the
market rate.

Last week, at least seven calves were spotted at Gaujra. No doubt, it has
become a source of easy money for Gujjars in the area. This new found stake
in abandoned cows could be the missing motive for poisoning tigers.

SECURING CORBETT

With the onset of summer every year, a number of Gujjars from up north move
in with buffaloes to join their brethren inside the reserve and make the
best use of the Ramganga reservoir. This summer is going to be particularly
tough due to scanty rainfall last monsoon. The Corbett management is
anticipating a strong influx. With these Gujjars, fresh herds of abandoned
cows will also move in towards the Corbett core, lure more tigers and, in
turn, trigger retribution.

This potential crisis can be averted if the park management implements a
longstanding plan for relocating Gujjar families outside Corbett. A forested
site near Haridwar has been procured, but the law requires the state
government to notify an equal area under the Forest Protection Act. Since
much of Uttarakhand is already designated as ‘protected forests’, the state
wants an exemption on this. Many believe it will be wise to accord the state
a waiver to fast-track the rehabilitation process. The Centre offers up to
Rs 10 lakh per relocated family, and the forest department has Rs 2 crore
idling from funds earlier sanctioned by the Uttarakhand government to
implement its Gujjar Relocation Plan.

In the long term, however, removal of abandoned cows or rehabilitation of
Gujjars will not be enough to secure the future of the tiger in Corbett.
There are other equally or even more critical factors—like increasing
man-animal conflict and mindless tourism pressure—that are threatening this
reserve. But to be able to focus on stakeholders along the reserve boundary,
the authorities must secure the heart of Corbett first. With just a couple
of months to a dry summer, time is not on their side.

Article by -Jay Mazoomdaar

Courtesy_Open Magazine

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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