WildFact
Bigcats News - Printable Version

+- WildFact (https://wildfact.com/forum)
+-- Forum: Nature & Conservation (https://wildfact.com/forum/forum-nature-conservation)
+--- Forum: News, Events & Updates (https://wildfact.com/forum/forum-news-events-updates)
+--- Thread: Bigcats News (/topic-bigcats-news)



RE: Bigcats News - Apollo - 04-20-2014

 Shrinking Sunderbans threat to Bengal Tiger



*This image is copyright of its original author

Fast-disappearing mangrove forests of the Sunderbans pose a question mark over the future of the Royal Bengal Tiger, an endangered species, say scientists.

Rapid deterioration in mangrove health is causing as much as 200 metres of the vegetation-rich coast to disappear annually in the Sunderbans, according to zoologists.

Nathalie Pettorelli, from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and senior study author, said: “Our results indicate a rapidly retreating coastline that cannot be accounted for by the regular dynamics of the Sunderbans. Degradation is happening fast, weakening this natural shield for India and Bangladesh.

Sunderbans is the largest block of continuous mangrove forest in the world, native to nearly 500 species of reptile, fish, bird and mammals, including the world famous Royal Bengal Tiger, the journalRemote Sensing reports.

Thriving human development, rising global temperatures, degradation of natural protection from tidal waves and cyclones is inevitably leading to species loss in this richly biodiverse part of the world, according to a ZSL statement.

Sarah Christie, ZSL’s tiger conservation expert, says: “The Sunderbans is a critical tiger habitat; one of only a handful of remaining forests big enough to hold several hundred tigers. To lose the Sunderbans would be to move a step closer to the extinction of these majestic animals.”

http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/shrinking-sunderbans-threat-to-bengal-tiger/article4298468.ece


 


RE: Bigcats News - Apollo - 04-20-2014

India's first tiger rescue centre in Sunderbans

The first tiger rescue centre of the country will be ready to welcome big cats in three months. Being developed at Jharkhali in the Sunderbans, the centre will provide asylum to injured and straying tigers that are either brought to Kolkata for treatment or released in far corners of the mangrove forest. Even though fenced off from the rest of the jungle, the centre will be contiguous to the main Sunderbans and allow tigers to roam free in the wild. They will, however, not be able to leave the centre which will be fenced off.

Work on the centre's outer fence is complete. Fifteen feet high iron bars have been erected to create a boundary that cuts it from the rest of the forest. There will be an inner periphery with a lower fence made of bars interspersed with chain-links. It will mark separate enclosures for four tigers across a 100-acre area. Adjacent to the Chhoto Herobhanga river, the centre will be enclosed on all four sides and have waterbodies apart from enough mangrove cover for tigers to feel "at home", It will allow to treat injured tigers in the forest itself which will spare them the agony of having to spend months at the zoo hospital in Alipore. While they will be able to stay back in the forest, the tigers will remain protected at the centre.

More importantly, tigers will have an assured supply of foodwhich will help the injured big cats recover fast. The straying tigers, too, will get used to remaining confined in the jungle.
pictures: Sumit Ghosh.



*This image is copyright of its original author



 


 


RE: Bigcats News - Apollo - 04-20-2014

Sumatran Tiger Rescued Caught in the Hunter's Snare


*This image is copyright of its original author



*This image is copyright of its original author



*This image is copyright of its original author



*This image is copyright of its original author



Check the link for full story (but do translate it)

http://ernisuyantimedikkonservasi.blogspot.in/2014/04/penyelamatan-harimau-sumatera-yang.html


 


RE: Bigcats News - Apollo - 04-20-2014

Forest department, NHAI plan speed bumps, signages to protect lions

During a recent meeting, state forest and NHAI officials have decided to set speed restrictions in the area where lions are found in groups along the coastal area in Saurashtra. The officials have also decided to put up signage and finalized a proposal to construct speed breakers in pockets where the lion movement is observed along the main road.The department held meeting with the senior NHAI officials from Rajkot after two lions were killed in a road accident. It was also decided that NHAI should explore the possibility of building fence along the road, like the one on either side of the expressway.

"We had held meetings with the local villagers from the either side of the highway. They said that there should be speed breakers on the highway to reduce the number of fatal accidents," said a forester.

The officer said for construction of the speed breakers and putting up fences, the NHAI authorities would need to seek permission. It may, however, prove difficult in the time of parliamentary polls. The forest officials said that the issue could now be taken up only after the formation of the new government at the Centre.

In the mean time, the forest department has decided to post its trackers on the night duty along the highway so that they can keep an eye on the movement of lions.

Speed bumps at regular interval may be of much help as the trackers also cannot keep a watch on the lions' movement throughout the day. He said these are wild animals and the tracker would not be able to do anything if all of a sudden a lion comes onto the road. He said that the department will have to seek permission from the election commission and it would immediately begin constructing speed breakers.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Forest-department-NHAI-plan-speed-bumps-signages-to-protect-lions/articleshow/33458396.cms
 


 

Leopard enters Manipal university, caught

A leopard was trapped Manipal University campus in Karnataka on Wednesday. The big cat had apparently sneaked in on Tuesday night. 

Security guards say they had spotted it near the campus. The guards told forest department officials at 9am on Wednesday. Forest department personnel trapped the animal with a net at 1pm when it entered a house near the university building. It was trapped without a tranquilizer and not hurt, officials said. 

The news about the big cat on campus created panic among students and employees of the university. 

Assistant conservators of forest, Kundapur sub-division, Satish Babu Rai and Sheena Kottary, who led the operation, said the leopard would be released into the Kudremukh National Park. 

A large number of students and staff gathered around the leopard and took pictures.


*This image is copyright of its original author



*This image is copyright of its original author


http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Leopard-enters-Manipal-univ-caught/articleshow/33529326.cms
 


 


RE: Bigcats News - GuateGojira - 04-21-2014

(04-19-2014, 05:37 AM)'Apollo' Wrote: Nepal, India and Bhutan agree on new transboundary landscape for Hindu Kush


Nepal, India and Bhutan have formally reached an agreement to include a new cross-boundary landscape covering parts of eastern Nepal, Sikkim and the northern parts of West Bengal in India as Kangchenjunga landscape in the Hindu Kush Himalayan Region. 

The cross-boundary landscape spans 16,000 square kilometers and it is one of the seven cross-boundary areas identified by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in the Hindu Kush Himalayan Region to study the impact of climate change on the extended Himalayan region. 

Officials of the three countries officially reached the agreement amid the second experts´ consultation for a new transboundary landscape initiative held in Thimphu, Bhutan on April 17 based on the concept and timeframe decided at the first experts´ consultation held in Sikkim two years ago. 

The three-day consultation, which kicked off on April 16, will continue till Friday. 

The consultation was organized by the Department of Forest and Park Services, Ministry of Agriculture and Forests, Royal Government of Bhutan and ICIMOD with support from German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)/Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the Austrian Development Agency (ADA). 

More than 40 representatives of governmental and non-governmental organizations had participated in the consultation. 

Speaking at the meeting, Krishna Acharya, joint Secretary at Nepal´s Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation, pointed out that transboundary cooperation is imperative in the face of the growing human-wildlife conflict as well as increasing evidence that species, such as snow leopards, are expanding their habitat range across boundaries. 

Similarly, PP Dhyani, Director, GB Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development, India, noted that the work around Mount Kangchenjunga “already provides substantial scientific information, and the second regional consultation is a good start for long-term cooperation among the countries”.

On April 16, the first day of the second consultation, Dasho Sherban Gyaltshen, secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests, Bhutan, had unveiled a book titled ´An integrated assessment on effects of natural and human disturbance on a wetland ecosystem: A retrospective from Phobjikha Conservation Area, Bhutan.´ The book was jointly published by ICIMOD and Royal Society for Protection of Nature, Bhutan.

http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=73028
 


 

 
This news make my day. If this come true, then it will be the next steep to secure from a longer time, the population of tigers in the Terai.

Let's hope that this came true. Please God, that this could be made. [img]images/smilies/smile.gif[/img]



 

 


RE: Bigcats News - Apollo - 04-21-2014

There are two projects which I consider the most important for Indian wildlife and especially for Bengal tigers.

1)
The first project is joining the forests in the southern western ghats of South India, this will cover three southern states (Tamilnadu, Karnataka and Kerala) and several National Parks, Wildlife sanctuaries and Reserve forests (Mudumalai NP, Bandipur NP, Nagarahole NP, Eravikulam NP, Mukurthi NP,  Silent Valley NP etc etc). This will cover an area of 15,000 square kilometers.

2)
The second project is the new transboundary landscape in the Hindu kush Himalayan region covering parts of eastern Nepal, Sikkim and the northern parts of West Bengal in India. This Kangchenjunga landscape spans 16,000 square kilometers.

If these two projects come to reality then they will be the Asia's largest unbroken protected forests.
The western ghats landscape is a hilly rainforest.
The Kangchenjunga landscape is a terai forest.
I hope these projects come true for the well being of Indian wildlife.
 


RE: Bigcats News - Apollo - 04-21-2014

 Efforts on to trap tiger in plantation in Wayanad



*This image is copyright of its original author


The Forest Department is taking steps to trap a straying tiger which created panic among villagers at Paplassery, near Vakery, in Wayanad district.

A 40-member team led by South Wayanad divisional forest officer P. Dhaneshkumar scoured a coffee plantation of the Kerala Forest Development Corporation, under the Chethalayath range, for the tiger on Monday. The animal was sighted there on Sunday.Mr. Dhaneshkumar said 15 men had been patrolling the area.

This apart, two cages with live baits had been placed inside the plantation.N.M. Premraj, tahsildar, Sulthan Bathery, told villagers that the district administration would hold a meeting of residents, people’s representatives, and forest and revenue officials to tackle the man-animal conflicts in the area. A youth at Moodakolly, near Vakery, was killed by a wild elephant recently.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/efforts-on-to-trap-tiger-in-plantation-in-wayanad/article5911713.ece


 


RE: Bigcats News - GuateGojira - 04-21-2014

(04-21-2014, 09:06 AM)'Apollo' Wrote: There are two projects which I consider the most important for Indian wildlife and especially for Bengal tigers.

1)
The first project is joining the forests in the southern western ghats of South India, this will cover three southern states (Tamilnadu, Karnataka and Kerala) and several National Parks, Wildlife sanctuaries and Reserve forests (Mudumalai NP, Bandipur NP, Nagarahole NP, Eravikulam NP, Mukurthi NP,  Silent Valley NP etc etc). This will cover an area of 15,000 square kilometers.

2)
The second project is the new transboundary landscape in the Hindu kush Himalayan region covering parts of eastern Nepal, Sikkim and the northern parts of West Bengal in India. This Kangchenjunga landscape spans 16,000 square kilometers.

If these two projects come to reality then they will be the Asia's largest unbroken protected forests.
The western ghats landscape is a hilly rainforest.
The Kangchenjunga landscape is a terai forest.
I hope these projects come true for the well being of Indian wildlife.
 

 
Based in what I have learn and read, only these two populations, together with that of the Russian Far East, have the highest chances to survive in the long therm.
 
Other investigators states that the populations of Malaysia and Sumatra had also high hopes, but the human overpopulation, the lack of care of the habitat (especially in Sumatra) and the low numbers of tigers (about 500, but not based in entirely scientific methods) put some doubts to this affirmation.
 
In the wild, it seems that only Bengal tigers (the Terai belt and the Western Ghats landscape) and the Amur tigers (Russian Far East and northern China) have some future in the long term, while Malayan and Sumatran tigers are relative safe in captivity with very well managed populations in north America and European zoos.
 
There is the myth that the Sundarbans have the highest tiger density, based in governmental data, however Dr Karanth shows that the density of tigers in the area is very low and probably no more than 150-200 specimens (probably even less) survive in the entire region (India and Bangladesh together). This and the fact that the mangroves themselves are disappearing and that the low prey base is even shrinking the tiger size, suggest that this population, in the long term, is doomed to its extinction, unless than some dramatic actions could be taken.
   


RE: Bigcats News - Apollo - 04-21-2014

 Tigress found dead in coffee plantation in Wayanad



*This image is copyright of its original author


A tigress was found dead in a coffee plantation of the Kerala Forest Development Corporation adjacent to the Chethalyath Forest Range under the South Wayanad Forest Division on Friday morning.

The animal had created panic among the people of Paplassery village in the past few days after it had killed a domestic animal there. It was spotted in a critical condition in the plantation on Thursday night.

South Wayanad Forest Divisional Officer P. Dhaneshkumar said the tigress was about nine years old. An autopsy was conducted by a team a team of government surgeons led by V.I. Gigimon and Arun Zachariah, in the presence of Pramod B. Balakrishnan, Chief Conservator of Forest, Palakkad Wildlife Circle, and Arul Badusha, a conservationist from the Wildlife Conservation Society.

The animal had suffered a deep wound on its left shoulder and its left forelimb was dislocated. There were also several small injuries on its body. These indicated that the big cat was in a critical state after it had fought with a wild boar or a tiger, Mr. Dhaneshkumar said.The carcass was consigned to fire at the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary.


http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/tigress-found-dead-in-coffee-plantation-in-wayanad/article5927280.ece


 


RE: Bigcats News - Apollo - 04-21-2014

Humans and leopards can co-exist: Wildlife biologist

The easy availability of food, especially feral animals like dogs, pigs and goats found near urban garbage dumps, is the main reason that attracts leopards to venture into human territory leading to a conflict situation with disastrous results for both. Leopards, like many other wild species, adapt well to human-dominated eco-systems and prefer "easy foods" available there rather than living in deep jungles and chasing difficult wild prey like deer.

In an illuminating workshop at the UT Guest House here on Thursday, Pune-based wildlife biologist, Dr Vidya Athreya, highlighted the many positive cases of interaction of humans and animals that were ignored in the general air of "negativity". The workshop was organized by the People for Animals, Chandigarh. Dr Athreya's ideas are gleaned from years of field research on the leopard-human conflict and also as a consultant to central and several state governments on conflict mitigation. "When a leopard enters a human area, please do not chase it. Often a drunkard in the mob goes for the leopard and it retaliates, leading to human injuries. The leopard should be left alone until the authorities arrive with trained staff to handle the traumatized creature," said Dr Athreya.

Her ideas have a particular relevance to Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana where the leopard-human conflict has taken a heavy toll. "I am strongly against capturing a leopard and freeing it in some far away jungle. Our studies of such leopards show that the creature is unfamiliar to new jungles and the disoriented leopard attacks humans near its new home. It is in turn attacked by the existing big cats of the jungle. If leopards are to be captured from human areas, they should be freed quickly and as near as possible to the site of capture. Any jungle is not a suitable home for any leopard,'' she said.

Though only negative stories appear on the human-leopard interaction, there are many untold cases of just the opposite. ''In Central India, there is a big cat deity called 'Wagobha', which is 900 years old. The ruralites worship Wagobha and big cats and do not seem to mind their presence. There are farmers who told me that they lived in tolerance with leopards and understood that it sometimes took their goats because it was hungry. There was another farmer, who had a leopard in his sugarcane fields, but he did not want the forest department to capture it because he said the big cat gave him no trouble. In many regions, leopards and rural inhabitants have lived for decades sharing spaces without any human death," she explained.

Dr Athreya acknowledged that the forest department was under tremendous pressure from people and politicians to "remove" leopards. She called upon NGOs and wildlife conservationists to intervene in such situations and work out a solution that was balanced and did not ignore the interests of the voiceless wildlife. "We must understand that herbivores like deer cause only a fraction of the damage to crops as compared to rodents. Leopards only lead to 10% of unnatural deaths of goats, whereas 80% of goats die due to disease," she added.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Humans-and-leopards-can-co-exist-Wildlife-biologist/articleshow/33875240.cms

 

 


RE: Bigcats News - Apollo - 04-22-2014

Dhara village is poachers’ refuge?

Banshi, a poacher, was nabbed near Kalagarh by the forest department. Knives and steel traps that he used to trap and kill tigers were also recovered. The accused had arrived from Dhara village in Bijnor district of UP. 

Forest department officials now suspect that Dhara village, located near the Kalagarh range of Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR), is becoming a safe haven for poachers. 

Last year, around 12 poachers were arrested from Amangarh Forest Reserve by the Special Task Force and the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau with two tiger skins. One of the poachers arrested, Kartar Singh, was the man who assembled all the poachers and also provided them shelter. Police suspect that the brain behind much of the poaching is a man called Amarnath Singh, who belongs to the Sapera community. Amarnath Singh is absconding.

Rajender Aggarwal, founder-president of the NGO Wildlife Protection Society of India, said, "Till now, people of three communities, Bavaria, Sapera and Kunjar, have been seen to be involved in poaching. Bavarias have their base in Samalkha, Haryana. A fourth community, Gujjars, who have been living inside the forest areas, have been providing information about the movement of tigers to these three communities. Last year, on December 16, Kartar Singh a native of Dhara village, was found to be involved in the crime, much to the shock of forest and wildlife officials in both UP and Uttarkhand. A plan to kill two tigers was being hatched. With the second arrest from the village, of Banshi, there is good reason to suspect that villagers are thickly involved in poaching." 

In the last three years, at least 51 tigers and 441 leopards have been killed by poachers in Uttarakhand. Only two days ago, the carcass of a seven-year-old tiger was recovered from the West Terai Forest Division in Ramnagar. The tiger's body parts had been removed with a sharp weapon. 

Chief wildlife warden SS Sharma told TOI, "The department has certainly become vigilant about the involvement of people living in the Dhara village in poaching related activities. We are keeping a close watch on the suspicious elements living in the village through our intelligence wing."

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Dhara-village-is-poachers-refuge/articleshow/33871845.cms

 

 


RE: Bigcats News - Apollo - 04-22-2014

Leopard found dead on Manesar golf course


*This image is copyright of its original author



The lifeless body of a female leopard with serious injuries was found on the golf course of a luxury resort on the foothills of the Aravallis in Manesar earlier this week. 

The forest department has ordered a probe to find out if the leopard was beaten to death or was injured in a fight with another animal in the adjoining forest area and took refuge in the golf course.

The leopard's carcass was discovered by the ITC golf course staff on Wednesday morning. After the police was informed, a team of forest officials arrived at the resort, took custody of the body and sent it for autopsy. 

An initial probe found no trap in the area, indicating it wasn't an act of poaching, an official said. Vinod Kumar, conservator of forests (wildlife) in Gurgaon, told the leopard was nine months old. "Due to the serious nature of the incident, we rushed a team of officials to the spot for fact-finding," he said. 

"The animal was taken into custody and sent for post mortem by a panel of four doctors. The report, which was received on Friday, said the animal had serious injuries on its neck and leg, which resulted in its death." The leopard was cremated in the forest in the presence of senior officials, as the law prescribes, Kumar added.

Another forest official, who visited the spot, told the body of the leopard was lying on the ground. "The resort staff told us they spotted the body around 6.15am on Wednesday when they visited the ground for routine chores," he added.

Ravi Puri, CEO of the ITC golf resort. "I came to know about the incident when my staff at the resort called on Wednesday. I immediately directed them to inform the local police and ensure the animal's dead body is not touched by anyone."He also said it was first time he had seen a leopard in the area.


http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/gurgaon/Leopard-found-dead-on-Manesar-golf-course/articleshow/33927908.cms

 

 


RE: Bigcats News - GuateGojira - 04-22-2014

(04-22-2014, 09:59 AM)'Apollo' Wrote: Leopard found dead on Manesar golf course


*This image is copyright of its original author



The lifeless body of a female leopard with serious injuries was found on the golf course of a luxury resort on the foothills of the Aravallis in Manesar earlier this week. 

The forest department has ordered a probe to find out if the leopard was beaten to death or was injured in a fight with another animal in the adjoining forest area and took refuge in the golf course.

The leopard's carcass was discovered by the ITC golf course staff on Wednesday morning. After the police was informed, a team of forest officials arrived at the resort, took custody of the body and sent it for autopsy. 

An initial probe found no trap in the area, indicating it wasn't an act of poaching, an official said. Vinod Kumar, conservator of forests (wildlife) in Gurgaon, told the leopard was nine months old. "Due to the serious nature of the incident, we rushed a team of officials to the spot for fact-finding," he said. 

"The animal was taken into custody and sent for post mortem by a panel of four doctors. The report, which was received on Friday, said the animal had serious injuries on its neck and leg, which resulted in its death." The leopard was cremated in the forest in the presence of senior officials, as the law prescribes, Kumar added.

Another forest official, who visited the spot, told the body of the leopard was lying on the ground. "The resort staff told us they spotted the body around 6.15am on Wednesday when they visited the ground for routine chores," he added.

Ravi Puri, CEO of the ITC golf resort. "I came to know about the incident when my staff at the resort called on Wednesday. I immediately directed them to inform the local police and ensure the animal's dead body is not touched by anyone."He also said it was first time he had seen a leopard in the area.


http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/gurgaon/Leopard-found-dead-on-Manesar-golf-course/articleshow/33927908.cms

 

 

 
Poor leopard, this is the problem when humans reach the natural habitat of the wild animals. [img]images/smilies/angry.gif[/img]
 



 


RE: Bigcats News - Apollo - 04-22-2014

Belated HAPPY EASTER WISHES to everyone.....


*This image is copyright of its original author



RE: Bigcats News - GuateGojira - 04-22-2014

(04-22-2014, 11:37 AM)'Apollo' Wrote: Belated HAPPY EASTER WISHES to everyone.....


*This image is copyright of its original author


 
Wow, the tiger eat the Easter rabbit. That is good, no more pagan forms in Christian holidays. [img]images/smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]