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Bigcats News
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Sanctuary Asia
11 hrs · Sanjay Gubbi shares the little-known conservation potential of the Malai-Mahadeshwara Hills at the confluence of the Western and Eastern Ghats with our readers this month. Along with his team, they undertook the first-ever camera trapping exercise that threw up very encouraging results for both leopards and tigers. Read more here: http://bit.ly/CameraTrappingInBanditLand Image: Nature Conservation Foundation #SeekSanctuary  *This image is copyright of its original author
Nilanjan Coomar
August 21, 2014 · Edited GREAT NEWS!!! NEW GOVERNMENT AND PRIME MINISTER MAKE EXCELLENT PROGRESS IN DESTROYING CONNECTIVITY BETWEEN PENCH AND KANHA TIGER RESERVES TOI, NAGPUR: The National Board for Wildlife (NBWL), an apex body deciding issues concerning development around wildlife sanctuaries and national parks in the country, has cleared diversion of forest land for four-laning of road by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on the Madhya Pradesh side of Pench tiger reserve. The proposal to divert 4.493 hectares forest land of Pench-Mowgli wildlife sanctuary on the periphery of tiger reserve has sent ripples in the Maharashtra forest department where a similar proposal to divert 49 hectares forest land near Pench and Mansinghdeo sanctuary has been forwarded to the State Wildlife Board for clearance. The road widening proposal on MP side was among the 120 items nationally on the agenda that were cleared by NBWL in its meeting held on August 12 and 13. NBWL went against Supreme Court's centrally empowered committee (CEC), which, after a site visit on November 18 and 19, 2008 in its report had recommended that the four-laning will irreversibly damage tiger habitat and surrounding corridors and hence under no circumstances the proposal should be implemented, both on Maharashtra and MP sides. "Instead, 195km alternate route between Seoni-Chhindwara-Saoner-Nagpur should be used," the report said. When sought to know, MP chief wildlife warden Narendra Kumar confirmed that the proposal near Pench tiger reserve has been cleared with recommendation of 14-15 underpasses in the 9-km vulnerable stretch. "The State Wildlife Board had cleared NHAI's revised proposal as per Wildlife Institute of India (WII) recommendations of several underpasses," Kumar said. On the contrary, seeking anonymity, NHAI officials from Narsinghpur monitoring the project said, "We had revised the proposal with underpasses of 1,000 metres. The proposal was also cleared by the MP state wildlife board. However, we don't know whether the proposal has been approved as recommended by WII specifications. Because WII recommendations were not acceptable to us as it would have cost an additional Rs250 crore for a underpass of 5km length as suggested." "The clearance to diversion of 4.493 hectares forest land of Pench-Mowgli sanctuary between Khawasa and Rukhad will set a wrong precedent. The decision will open a Pandora's box for development around tiger reserves and national parks in the country," said Kishor Rithe, former member of NBWL. The clearing of proposal on MP side has sent ripples among wildlife wing officials here. They feel if vulnerable road widening on other side has been cleared, forest land diversion on Maharashtra side between Mansar-Khawasa (37km) is a matter of time. "We have recommended NH7 road widening subject to WII report, which is not acceptable to NHAI. If NHAI is ready to construct 1,000 metres underpasses on MP side, why can't it do on Maharashtra side?" they asked. CEC recommendations ignored * The proposed road traverses forest area of south Seoni division and forms peripheral area of the core/critical tiger habitat of Pench tiger reserves in MP and Maharashtra. * As per all India tiger estimation done by NTCA, Kanha-Pench landscape is extremely important for tiger conservation. The said landscape is still a contiguous forest patch of 16,000 sq km. Road widening will break this patch. * The patch supports a population of 33 tigers, besides, other sporadic populations of tiger in Central India, connecting the landscapes. * There is an urgent need to consolidate the source populations of tiger in the landscape, through enhanced protection and management of habitat in forest areas surrounding these tiger reserves. * The proposed four-laning of NH-7 will entail large-scale tree felling. In Maharashtra portion alone, this would amount to removal of 22,482 trees, thereby endangering the status of tigers. * The alternate route suggested for the proposed four-laning of NH-7 was Seoni-Chhindwara-Nagpur which is 195km, involving an extra length of around 70km. (Representative Photograph from tripps.in and from earththenaturalworld.blogspot.com)  *This image is copyright of its original author
Tigress dies in territorial clash in Panna reserve, another grievously injured
News18 | Vivek Trivedi | Fri Aug 14, 2015 | 20:12 IST #panna #Madhya Pradesh In less than a week, Madhya Pradesh witnessed the second striped cat death as a tigress died in Panna tiger reserve on Friday. The demise was brought about by a territorial fight among two tigresses which left the second female big cat seriously injured. PTR deputy director Anupam Sahay said that P-233 and P-234 had a fight inside the reserve in which P-233 died due to injuries. The autopsy of the dead tigress was performed inside the park. The second tigress involved in the brawl P-234 was seriously injured and was being treated by veterinary experts at the reserve.  *This image is copyright of its original author It is second tiger death within a week in MP as decomposed body of a tiger was recovered officers inside the Pench tiger reserve a few days ago. The cause of death was not clear in the initial probe. MP had lost 7 big cats by mid July and the fresh deaths have taken the death toll to 9 this year. Panna had lost all its big cats by the end of 2009 and tiger population has seen a revival with extensive efforts from the forest department which ensured historic trans-location of tigers in early 2010. http://www.news18.com/news/madhya-prades...87797.html
More from post #658
 *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author Nilanjan CoomarSanctuary Asia DO YOUR BIT to try and stop the dilution of the National Board of Wildlife ....else these images from Kanha-Pench corridor in NH7 and Bangalore-Bandipur highway may become the order of the day. Please read and MAKE SURE THAT YOU SIGN THE PETITION to the Environment Minister at the link below ...DO MORE than just "LIKE"... http://www.conservationindia.org/…/campaign-for-a-credible-…# 
Good news from India
India finally has an estimate of its most populous and elusive large predator, the leopard. The first ever count of India's leopards, conducted alongside last year's tiger census, has put the spotted cat population at 7,910 in and around tiger habitats across the country, except the northeast. The leopards were counted using the same methods adopted for the tiger census, which involved getting pictures of animals through camera-trapping and gathering other evidence of their presence, and then extrapolating the numbers to cover the entire forest landscape. "There are leopards outside the areas we covered. Based on these numbers, we estimate India's total leopard population to be in the range of 12,000 to 14,000," said Yadvendradev V Jhala, the lead scientist of the tiger census, who presented the leopard figures at Wildlife Institute of India's annual research seminar in Dehradun last week. The census numbers give the first accurate picture of the density and distribution of the spotted cats, which were previously guesstimated to be anywhere between 10,000 and 45,000 in the country. The exercise covered 3,50,000 sq km of forested habitat across the Shivalik hills and Gangetic plains, central India and the Western Ghats landscape. As many as 17,143 pictures of 1,647 individual leopards were obtained during the exercise that covered most forested landscapes, even the low-grade revenue forests.  *This image is copyright of its original author The study found the species well distributed across the country, indicating that India's leopard population is "quite healthy". "Most of the leopard populations are contiguous, ensuring a healthy genetic exchange. So, leopards do not face the problems of isolated populations that plague Indian tigers," Jhala told TOI. The wildlife biologist said since there were no previous estimates, there was no way of knowing whether the leopard population was growing or declining. "But leopards are doing far better than tigers because they can survive in scrubs and human-impacted forests as well. That's why they are not in imminent danger as the tigers," he said. However, healthy forests remain crucial to the long-term survival of leopards in India. "There's an impression that leopards are everywhere. That's not the case. Leopards need a protected patch of forest to occur in the vicinity. They aren't found in purely agricultural stretches," Jhala noted. With an estimated population of 1,817, Madhya Pradesh has emerged as the top leopard state in the country. It's followed by Karnataka (1,129), Maharashtra (905), Chhattisgarh (846) and Tamil Nadu (815). In another major leopard state, Uttarakhand, the study estimated a population of 703. But Jhala said the actual number could be higher by 300-400, because the census did not cover the higher Himalayas. The census also did not cover Gujarat, parts of Rajasthan and east India, and the entire northeast. "We have included 34 leopards that were captured in camera traps in the northeast. The region could not be properly covered because all forest areas were not sampled in phase I of the census by the respective forests departments," Jhala explained. Source credit to:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Good news followed by bad news.....
Puneet Sachdev shared Ajay Dubey's photo to the group: Sanctuary Asia. 6 hrs · M.P a grave yard for our wildlife ???this is not the first incident...yest we learnt about rise in number of leopards and today this...  ( *This image is copyright of its original author In the umriya forests of the mp yesterday pathari 2 beets tenduo power wire has been a victim of. These wire to kill the Tiger. Mp bagho/ Teduno the graveyards. We are constantly bagho/ Tenduo victim of cbi probe sought. Translated by Bing 
Tiger kills zookeeper in New Zealand
(CNN)A senior keeper at a New Zealand zoo has died after she was attacked by one of its Sumatran tigers. The attack by a male tiger named Oz took place Sunday morning at Hamilton Zoo on New Zealand's North Island, according to a statement posted on the Hamilton City Council website. The statement didn't give details on the circumstances of the attack, but it said that the tiger didn't escape from its enclosure. "Our focus at this time is on providing the adequate support for our staff and family members who have been affected by this tragic incident," the statement said. Zoo decides not to euthanize endangered tiger City authorities said Monday that zoo officials have decided against euthanizing Oz, the 11-year-old tiger who killed Kudeweh.  *This image is copyright of its original author 12 photos: The world's critically endangered species "Although there is an inherent risk for zoo professionals who manage big cats like Oz, there is no wider ongoing risk," said Lance Vervoort, Hamilton City Council's general manager for parks and other leisure services. "There is no reason for us to put Oz down." The council said in a statement that the prevailing view "among zoo professionals was that Oz's attack on Samantha was in line with his natural instincts." Oz arrived at Hamilton Zoo from Auckland Zoo in 2013 to be matched up with a female tiger, Sali, who later gave birth to two cubs, according to TVNZ. Sumatran tigers are a critically endangered subspecies from Indonesia, of which fewer than 400 remain, according to the conservation group WWF. "Oz is a significant animal for his species," Vervoort said. "He is the father of our two cubs, and he is vital to the ongoing breeding program to conserve this rare species." Hamilton Zoo says it has more than 600 animals, including monkeys, zebras and cheetahs. TVNZ reported two previous deaths of keepers at animal parks in New Zealand in recent years, one caused by a white tiger in 2009 and the other by an elephant in 2012. http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/20/asia/new-z...er-attack/
Tigress gone astray is 30km from city
An adult tigress is hardly a leap away from Lucknow. The two-day old pugmarks found in Jagdishpur village in Sandila have confirmed presence of the feline about 30km from the city. No fresh pugmarks were found on Monday. According to forest officers, it's the same tigress which got localised in Katri, a patch of forest along the Ganga river in Unnao last winter. Since that area is now submerged with rainwater, the tigress has moved out of the patch. Forest department has yet to start a trap-and-rescue operation for the big cat though range officers are visiting the spots to confirm the feline's presence as and when alerted by locals. Tracing the pugmarks, an officer said the big cat first went towards the east of Katri forest but not finding a conducive habitat there turned towards Hardoi. "Given the forest patches in Rahmankhera and its vicinity, the feline is sure to find its way to Lucknow, if not checked," said sources. So far, no untoward incident has been reported. But, like last year, forest officers are reaching the spot of pugmarks after the big cat has moved out of the area. The tigress was hardly a year-and-half old when it ventured out of the forest and lost its way towards Lucknow in October last year. It did not react to any action of the department including use of bait or installing cage and remained on the move. "Now, it is a full grown tigress and its movement needs to be checked," said sources. Last year, it never showed up and was elusive. It was killing smaller animals and eating the entire 10 to 12 kgs of kill, reason the trackers did not find any kill from the site of pugmarks or close to it. The tigress all through its stay in Lucknow's Maal-Malihabad-Kakori belt and then in Unnao never attacked anybody. It has never been spotted but only captured on camera installed in Katri forest. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/Tigress-gone-astray-is-30km-from-city/articleshow/48962949.cms
US offers technology to track and protect Indian tigers
PTI | Sep 23, 2015, 10.36 AM IST WASHINGTON: US has offered to help India in the country's efforts to track and protect Bengal tigers, as the two countries seek to strengthen collaboration in wildlife conservation and combating wildlife trafficking. The two sides have finalised the text of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in this direction. Details of the finalised agreement were also reflected in the joint statement issued after the India US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue on Tuesday. The US has offered support to India's Project Tiger designed to protect the population of Bengal tigers in their natural habitats. The two countries agreed to work together to use the latest technology to combat poaching and protect of tigers in India, the joint statement said. Under the auspices of the MoU, the US will support Project Tiger and work with India to deploy technology to track and protect the country's remaining tigers. According to the State Department, the MoU includes efforts to protect critical habitat, human resources development in scientific information management in support of conservation programs, build public awareness and stabilise and increase populations of threatened and endangered species. It also includes efforts to strengthen law enforcement capacity, and combat illegal harvesting and associated trade in wildlife species, consistent with national laws and regulations. The agreement seeks cooperation regionally and globally, to further the mutual objective of combating the illegal trade in wildlife and wildlife products through enhancing dialogue and sharing of best practices, capacity building efforts, and strengthening cooperation in regional and global fora. Noting the importance of preserving the environment and sustaining diverse ecosystems, and acknowledging the rise of international criminal networks engaged in wildlife trafficking, the Sides appreciated finalisation of an MOU to enhance their cooperation on conservation and combat wildlife trafficking, the joint statement said. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/...070124.cms
Amreli floods kill 5 Asiatic lions, 100 blue bull
Check the link http://www.nyoooz.com/ahmedabad/136812/a...-bluebulls
White tiger kills man in Tbilisi after escaping from zoo during deadly floods in Georgia
 *This image is copyright of its original author For full story, more pictures and videos, check the link below http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/...25660.html
Deepak Talan
A wild boar killed a villager couple of days before in village Rakhi in BTR and no soul stirred. With all sympathy to the deceased, I would like to say that the whole village would have come out in violent protest if it was a tiger, while the fact remains that the tiger only attacks if he is forced to do so. The different approach of the villagers to the two different animals suggests that all the previous so called public outrages against the tigers in BTR were nothing but the ugly face of local politics and hunger for publicity. https://www.facebook.com/TalaCamp?fref=photo
Deepak Talan
The Khitauli Brothers, who are spending their best days in the enclosure in Baheraha in BTR. The picture was taken just before their rescue operation when they accidentally killed a teacher near Khitauli who almost stepped over them in Lantana Bush when they were feeding on a kill. One of them is slightly smaller and behaves more aggressively. I hope he will also be successfully rehabilitated with his bigger brother one day. I can't help feeling devastated at the plight of such young and handsome tigers who have become victims of SO CALLED AWARENESS CREATED BY PETTY MEDIA AND POLITICIANS.  *This image is copyright of its original author https://www.facebook.com/TalaCamp?fref=photo
As some of you may know, today marks the opening of many tourists parks
Ranthambhore, Kahna, Panna and others Here is a breakdown of Ranth's first day Tigerwalah 2 hrs · Sighting log for day 1: while morning safari was all about glimpses highlight being sighting on zone 6 where T34 opened sighting log for season. T28, T39, male cubs of T39 were also sighted. Star attraction of the day was Queen mother Machli as she obliged visitors on fort road today evening. |
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