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Bigcats News
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  (08-16-2014, 04:20 PM)'Apollo' Wrote: Last hope of stopping lion transfer dashed Thats the story I was talking about. I wonder why they said the "last hope of stopping" Don't they realize this is a good thing? 
Women throw security ring around Dudhwa tigers
Dudhwa reserve is 30% short of required strength of forest guards. The tigers of Dudhwa reserve are under the vigil of women this monsoon. Every day, 24 women home guards cover a distance of 8-12 km on foot to protect the tiger terrain from poachers. Their tip-off helped the reserve authorities nab six poachers who were caught with spears and traps. These women are among 82 personnel trained as home guards by the department of youth welfare and Prantiya Rakshak Dal (PRD) of UP government. They have been employed by Dudhwa reserve to bridge shortage of security personnel. Dudhwa reserve is 30% short of required strength of forest guards. Against sanctioned strength of 297, the reserve has only 198 forest guards. "More than 70% of the forest guards of Dudhwa are above 50 years. Since they are familiar with every nook and corner of Dudhwa they should be roped in to train the young guards instead of putting them on vigil duties," said reserve's deputy director VK Singh. Most of the 82 PRD personnel are in 25-30 age group and tharus. This is an advantage because there are 37 tharu villages in the vicinity of Dudhwa. Tharu women are used as conduits in wildlife crime. Employing them as guards is advantageous because they are good source of information too, said an official. The National Tiger Conservation Authority has sanctioned Rs 30 lakh for wages of PRD personnel. Forest department is planning to continue their services after the monsoon as well http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/...215334.cms
Rarely seen clouded leopard photographed
 *This image is copyright of its original author One of the most elusive cats in the world, the clouded leopard, has been photographed in north Bengal's Buxa Tiger Reserve. This is only the fourth photographic evidence of the clouded leopard in Buxa, and the first in almost a decade. Buxa field director Sandeep Sundriyal said the clouded leopard — the smallest of the big cats — was clicked by a camera trap on the upper reaches of the tiger reserve. "The exercise is part of our monitoring protocol. We had set up 80 camera traps in different parts of Buxa with each pair covering 4 sqkm. The sites are changed every one and a half months," he said. Though there have been reports of sightings of this shy cat in Buxa, there is very little photographic evidence. State wildlife advisory board member Biswajit Roy Chowdhury said he photographed a clouded leopard in Buxa's Panbari way back in 1996. Former deputy field director of Buxa, Subhankar Sengupta, said that in 2005 two clouded leopards were spotted in the forests of Kumargram and Hatipota and both were filmed. "After that, there were sporadic sightings but never photographed," he added. Chief wildlife warden Ujjwal Bhattacharya said that since clouded leopard is a nocturnal animal, it's rarely seen. "Places like Newlands and Sankosh in Buxa are very good habitat for this animal. We are lucky that it could be captured in a camera trap as they are great climbers and mostly found atop tree branches," he added. Additional principal chief conservator of forests Pradeep Vyas said this shows that several elusive species like clouded leopards live in Buxa but can't be sighted due to the thick vegetation. "This is the same with tigers. The foothills of Buxa are not as disturbed as the plains and these are good wildlife habitat," he said. Former field director of Buxa, Pranabesh Sanyal, said that the vegetation on both sides of the forest road between Jayanti and Rajabhatkhawa is good clouded leopard habitat. "In 1992, when I was field director, a clouded leopard was rescued from a house in Alipurduar. It was taken to an enclosure in the forests of Bhutanghat and later released in the core area. But its photographic evidence is indeed rare," he said. State wildlife advisory board member Animesh Bose said this indicates that Buxa's biodiversity is indeed rich. Clouded leopards are found in the Himalayan foothills through mainland Southeast Asia into China, and have been classified as 'vulnerable' in 2008 by IUCN. There are fewer than 10,000 adults left and their numbers are falling. The clouded leopard is unique in that it's considered to be an evolutionary link between the big cats and small cats and despite the name, it is not closely related to the leopard. Buxa's tryst with the shy cat 1996: Clouded leopard photographed in Panbari 2005: Two clouded leopards photographed in Kumargram and Hatipota This clouded leopard was photo-captured in one of the camera trap stations set up on the upper reaches of Buxa in March, 2014 Fast facts Clouded leopard has been classified as 'vulnerable' in 2008 by IUCN Its total population size is suspected to be fewer than 10,000 mature individuals, with a decreasing population trend, and no single population numbering more than 1,000 adults The clouded leopard, the smallest of the big cats, is considered to form an evolutionary link between the big cats and the small cats http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/...515997.cms
Kaziranag in danger due to flood water all around.
From the blog of Tiger Time - GUWAHATI: While floods have wreaked havoc in most parts of northeast India, they symbolize hope for Kaziranga National Park and the animals that live there. Floodwaters, which entered the park on Friday night, are vital for its ecosystem. Forest minister Rockybul Hussain, who inspected the park on Saturday, said floodwaters have climbed up to 1.5-3 feet in the past 24 hours. "Floods are vital for the ecosystem. Ideally, floodwaters should go up to 6 feet, remain that way for 3 or 4 days and then recede." Several animals, mostly infants and the elderly, perish in the floods, but the waters also nourish the park's ecosystem. "Floods are considered a curse in most places but in Kaziranga, they are essential. The annual floods wash away unwanted substances like animal dung and water-hyacinths and provide a new lease of life," Hussain said. To keep the animals, including Bengal tigers and one-horned rhino safe, there are several natural and artificial highlands inside the park but to move to higher ground, many animals have to cross the national highway which runs along the park. "To prevent animals from being knocked down, we have clamped a 40 km/hr speed-limit on this stretch of the national highway," Hussain said, adding, "We are giving time-cards to vehicles upon entry. These will be checked on exit and violators will be fined," Hussain said. "As per our suggestion, the PWD has begun preparing a detailed project report for a 25-km flyover along the 52-km stretch of the national highway which runs along the park. This will ensure vehicles do not impinge on animal-corridors across the highway," Hussain said. The team supported by TigerTime in Kaziranga co-ordinate a flood crisis team not only to help monitor vehicles in the park to ensure that any animals crossing the highways to higher ground do so safely but also assist in any animal rescues. "The floods create a natural cleansing process for the park and its animals but it's vital that the team are on the ground to mitigate losses caused by speeding traffic or poachers taking advantage of the animals migrating from the parks protected areas," says TigerTime campaign manager, Vicky Flynn.  *This image is copyright of its original author Credit to TigerTime, and here is full link of article http://bit.ly/KNPFloods
Petition warns possibility of conflict between Lions and TigersP Naveen,TNN | Aug 19, 2014, 05.48 AM IST 5comments =1px ! important0
=1px ! importantinShareShare More AA READ MORE WWF india|Wildlife Conservation Trust|T-38|Ranthambore tiger|National Tiger Conservation Authority  *This image is copyright of its original author This petition is being considered as a last hurdle in the shifting of lions to MP as Gujarat government has exhausted all legal options to prevent the translocation after dismissal of its curative petition by Supreme Court. RELATED
State forest officials are more worried over its presence in the area considering a pending petition from a Gujarat-based NGO, Wildlife Conservation Trust-Rajkot, which has joined as a party to the petition filed by Rajasthan government claiming that there is a possibility of conflict between the two big cats because a natural movement corridor exists between Kuno and Ranthambore. This petition is being considered as a last hurdle in the shifting of lions to MP as Gujarat government has exhausted all legal options to prevent the translocation after dismissal of its curative petition by Supreme Court last week. According to our Ahmedabad bureau this NGO had filed a petition earlier in the apex court against translocation of lions to Kuno-Palpur. NGO claims that the court was never informed about the contiguity which Ranthambore Tiger Reserve enjoys with Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh. They also quoted National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) report, 'State of tigers, co-predators and prey in India-2008', which supports the stand of Gujarat that Kuno-Palpur is a tiger-occupied area close to other tiger habitats, including Ranthambore. MP government has now recommended to the Centre that that T-38 be fitted with a radio collar to check any possible conflict with lions. Officials from Ranthambore have also visited Kuno to track T-38 and ascertain its safety there. So far three tigers that went missing from Ranthambore have been located in Madhya Pradesh including one in Seoda range in Datia district - a mix of reserve and protected forest area -- and two in Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary. Both MP and Rajasthan have installed separate camera traps in Kuno, said sources. The tiger in Datia is said to be a 3-year-old cub of Ranthambore's T-26 tigress. Information collected from the forest officials and the GPS tracking by WWF India- Western India Tiger landscape team indicates this cub travelled more than 220 km to reach Seoda range. The range has both reserve and protected forests with the Sindh river flowing in the middle and the Vindhya hill ranges on the western side. There are many villages on both sides.
Wildlife body voices concern over leopard poaching in India
India has made progress in conserving tigers but leopards are killed in high numbers in the country for illegal trade, says a global study on four species of Asian big cats including lions in Gujarat's Gir forests and snow leopards in the Himalayas. The study, which was commissioned by the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), also warned against poaching of the small lion population in Gir forests for medicinal puroposes. "India, highlighted several times in this review for best practices and exemplary implementation of the Resolution, has made progress in conserving tigers and reducing poaching, with an increasing tiger population and declining levels of reported poaching and seizures." http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/...378371.cms
In Maharashtra Tiger Reserve, Zero Poaching, Thanks to a Special Force
Last February, when a tiger was surrounded by a panic-stricken crowd in Ashta village in the buffer zone of the Tadoba Andhari tiger reserve, a trained force of the forest department was called in to control the situation. Called the Special Tiger Protection Force or STPF, it has been tasked with ensuring the safety of the national animal. It took over half a day to get the tiger safely out of the village without any human casualties, in the process proving to be an important practical learning on conflict management for a young force. The SPTF has been deployed at two tiger reserves in Maharashtra, one at Tadoba and the other at the Pench tiger reserve since 2012. Experts believe that more than 50 tigers roam the Tadoba reserve. India is home to more than half of wild tigers in the world, with an estimated population of 1,706 according to a 2011 estimate of the National Tiger Conservation Authority. Swapnil Ghure, who heads the STPF says, "There has been no poaching incident in Tadoba since the STPF has been inducted. In a conflict situation they are helpful in two ways: to control the mob and ensure safety of wild animals besides monitoring wildlife." Tadoba had recorded at least three cases of suspected poaching in the summer of 2012, the year STPF took over. In 2013, evidence was reported in two cases which indicated poaching, but no poaching incidents were confirmed. However, no such incident has been reported in summer 2014. Tigers are more susceptible to poaching in summers as they tend to converge near water bodies making them easy targets. Managing an agitated crowd is just one of its functions. Its primary responsibility is to undertake anti-poaching measures in the park. The STPF's success lies in its numbers and is deployed in all the three ranges of the reserve. The force patrols the forests in large groups deterring any potential poachers. "We patrol the forests; our strength is in our numbers. We can take on a big group that is doing illegal activity inside forests and ensure the safety of wildlife animals from poachers," a female officer of the force told. Kishor Rithe of the Satpuda Foundation that works for animal welfare told, "STPF has been very effective not only in controlling incidents of poaching but has also played a crucial role in making people more aware especially in an area like Tadoba where there are incidents of man animal conflict. That's why we are eager to get two more STPFs for sensitive reserves like Melghat which borders MP and Navegaon Nagzira tiger reserves in the state." http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/in-mah...rce-578181
Aug,19,2014...
one-year-old tiger, which got trapped in a goat house,Police said the tiger cub had strayed into a hamlet of Mountanchetti tribe, and entered the goat house and started attacking the goats, early today.Forest department officials rescued It  *This image is copyright of its original author LikeLike · · =1724702366&p[1]=1073743698&share_source_type=unknown&__av=100001388236295]ShareNAGPUR/CHANDRAPUR: Police sharp shooters shot dead a problematic sub-adult (less than 3-year old) tiger in Chichpalli range of FDCM with AK47 rifles on Tuesday. Conservationists say the shooting was ordered by the state forest chief under political pressure with both, the Congress and BJP, trying to 'make a killing' ahead of state assembly elections in October. The killing brought some relief to the people of Pombhurna village and its surroundings where seven people had been mauled to death by tigers in six months. But there are doubts if the right tiger was shot. State's chief wildlife warden Sarjan Bhagat, who ordered the shoot on Monday, said, "It is the same tiger that had mauled to death a villager on August 17 near Dongarhaldi. We matched the earlier camera trap pictures with that of the shot tiger." Bhagat added that of the seven victims, who had ventured deep into the forests, the shot tiger is suspected to have had claimed 4-5. A tigress with two sub-adult male cubs was frequently sighted in Pombhurna forests in recent times. But Bhagat was firm that no permission would be given to shoot another tiger. "I can't keep giving permission to shoot tigers," he said. Since Tuesday 11am, the tiger was being tracked and it was finally cornered and shot dead near Dongarhaldi around 6.30pm. The shooters fired over 30-33 rounds with AK47 rifles killing the tiger on the spot. Its carcass was immediately shifted to Chandrapur after a huge mob gathered at the spot. Post-mortem and other formalities of the tiger will be carried out on Wednesday morning. Surprisingly, the forest officials are themselves not sure whether the shot tiger had killed all the seven villagers. This is against the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) protocol which directs to first identify the problem animal. According to team members, the tracking team found pugmarks of the tiger in a farm and followed them. The big cat, lurking in thick foliage, charged at the grazing cattle in the field and was spotted by the trackers. Before they could corner it, the tiger disappeared in the thick forest. "All the teams tracking the tiger were immediately summoned to the spot. The shooters and trackers were then split into three teams. Officials laid a bait in the farm to lure the tiger and deployed a team of shooters there. Two other teams were dispatched to track the tiger," said one of the team members involved in the operation. Chandrapur chief conservator of forests (CCF) Sanjay Thakre said the problem tiger was aggressive and it had tried to attack the tracking teams thrice during the day. The teams had captured a video and pictures of the tiger earlier. Its stripe pattern was matched with the pictures of the tiger singled as man-eater. "Once we were sure about the identity, shooters were dispatched to kill it," he said. The tiger was again spotted at around 5pm in the fields near Dongarhaldi. After some farm labourers started shouting on seeing the tiger, it moved into an adjacent forest patch. "During the pursuit, a tranquillizing expert tried to dart the tiger but they never got on the broader side of the animal. Finally, while the tiger was lurking in a bamboo foliage in FDCM compartment number 516, Thakre, who was himself leading the team, ordered the shooters to fire at the tiger. They fired indiscriminately, killing the tiger on the spot," said one of the members. Earlier, in the morning, BJP MLA from Ballarshah Sudhir Mungantiwar marched to the CCF's office with his supporters, demanding that the tiger be shot. In Pombhurna, former Congress MP Naresh Pugalia too launched a dharna for the same. "In Pombhurna, the constituency of Mungantiwar, several posters displayed the MLA on one side and tiger on the other. All this indicated how serious the BJP leader was to save our national animal. It was all to gain sympathy of people ahead of elections. It is really shocking. Tigers do not deserve such a death. It was shot as it doesn't have votes," said Suresh Chopne of Green Planet, Chandrapur. "I'm planning to file a PIL," he added. (Source: TOI, Via: SST, Representational Picture).  *This image is copyright of its original author
Tiger panel report paints grim picture for Bandhavgarh big catsNeeraj Santoshi, Hindustan Times Bhopal, August 19, 2014 First Published: 21:49 IST(19/8/2014) | Last Updated: 23:06 IST(19/8/2014)
Ads by Google Blocked Arteries? www.clinlife.com/Atherosclerosis - Learn more about a Research Study for Heart Related Conditions.  *This image is copyright of its original author Email *This image is copyright of its original author printFont SizeA | A+ | A-Subscribe Breaking News Alert 0Comments59 40 From lax patrolling and invasive human habitation to deadly territorial battles and changing prey base, a range of threats is contributing to the increasing number of tiger deaths in Bandhavgarh reserve, which has the country’s highest density of big cats, a new report by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has said. *This image is copyright of its original author Tigress Kankati and her three cubs at Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve. A few weeks after these photos were taken by HT, the tigress and two cubs died in a territorial fight. (Neeraj Santoshi/HT photo)Over the past five years, some 16 tigers have died in Bandhavgarh, mostly from territorial fighting among tigers as well as poaching, leaving wildlife experts and activists worried about the future of the animals in what is considered among the safest sanctuaries for tigers in India.The killing of two tigresses earlier this year, including a radio collared tigress in Bandhavgarh prompted the NTCA to ask its regional office in Nagpur to look into the cause of growing tiger deaths in the reserve. The report, which was submitted to NTCA recently, paints a grim future for big cats in Bandhavgarh.Among other causes, the report, a copy of which is available with HT, pointed out that "there is no mechanism of ensuring daily patrolling by the beat guards in buffer area."Listed glaring instances of inadequacies and mismanagement, it found field staff, including even range officers, were unaware of advisories issued by the NTCA as far back as 2012.The NTCA supervisory checks and field review mechanism for efficient patrolling were found to be missing in the buffer area and not visible even in some core areas like Panpatha and Pataur.The findings have rattled wildlife experts, who welcomed the effort to find out the reasons for growing tiger deaths but called for quick remedial action."First we want deployment of a special tiger force there to ensure strict check on poaching and a CBI inquiry into past tiger killings in the reserve, so as to fix responsibility," said Activist Ajay Dubey, who filed an RTI application for a copy of the NTCA report."Otherwise all this paper work and rhetoric makes no sense."The report said that in the buffer area, barring very few places, there was hardly any system of daily patrolling along power transmission lines or water holes. No records had been maintained and daily activities of field staff could not be monitored, the report points out.  *This image is copyright of its original author Tiger panel report paints grim picture for Bandhavgarh big cats. (HT photo) Other causes enumerated in the report included the large number of cattle predation in buffer area, restricted movements of wild prey in the southern core due to physical barriers like fencing and probably also changed predator-prey dynamics in core and buffer.One of the reasons for increased big cat deaths included fierce territorial battles among tigers.Bandhavgarh reserve field director CH Murlikrishnan ascribed the cause of such battles to a high density of tigers. The reserve has about 70 tigers."In Tala range area of the reserve, which is spread over 110 sq kms, there are around 38 tigers, while capacity of that area is around 11 to 12 tigers," he told HT."Because of this there are fierce territorial fights due to which tigers die. We have proposed that each year around three tiger pairs should be shifted from this reserve to some other reserve."Acknowledging that poaching was a real threat, he said that there were many gangs active in the reserve."Because of our efforts, there is no large scale poaching. I don’t think the poaching can be brought to zero here given the tiger-human-interface," he said."This year alone, there were 1,317 cattle kills and 89 human injuries due to tigers."Recommendations of the report- Considering the future threat to tigers, deploying special tiger protection force should be considered by the state- There is an urgent need of complete revamp in the existing patrolling and monitoring system in the buffer area and the Panpatha sanctuary - Immediate preparation of security plan, identifying and monitoring 11 kv power lines and 415 -440 v temporary connections near villages bordering the tiger territory - Monitoring water holes used by tigers through effective foot patrolling with very stringent checks and review mechanism be ensured - Establish and strengthen anti-poaching camps in the buffer area should on the priority - An attempted poaching by electrocution or poisoning should be registered as an offence and investigated thoroughly so as to prevent the actual tragedy in future. (08-20-2014, 09:46 PM)'Pckts' Wrote: Aug,19,2014... This is pure politics. These politicians will do anything to gain sympathy, power, money and they were least bothered about tiger conservation. May the tiger's soul RIP.
The worst thing is, it took so many shots because of the weapons used.
Apparently even poachers use a more powerful gun that quickly kills a big cat compared to these unprepared FD employees that had to fire 30-33 rounds into the tiger. Another article of the same story  *This image is copyright of its original author The Pombhurna tiger, that was believed to have killed three people this month, was shot dead by the sharp-shooters of Chandrapur police on Tuesday. The end came at 6.30 pm when the team tracked the tiger in the forest near Dongarhaldi village under the command of Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra.The team fired 25 shots of which three hit the tiger, sources told The Indian Express.The tiger is believed to have killed at least six persons since February this year, one each on February, March and April and three this month. A fatal attack in January, too, is being attributed to the same tiger.It had killed a man from the village two days ago, forcing the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) Sarjan Bhagat to issue orders for the tiger to be shot.“The tracking team had been after the tiger since Sunday and had spotted it a few times. The team had a few lucky escapes as it charged at them. It was found hiding behind the bushes near a nullah and an attempt was made to tranquilise it, but in vain. Finally, the shooters managed to kill the animal,” said Chief Conservator of Forest (Chandrapur) Sanjay Thakre. “It had become very dangerous as its behaviour showed,” he said.The tiger was a full-grown male as against the perception of it being a sub-adult male moving with a sibling and the motherhttp://indianexpress.com/article/india/i...g.facebook
Vijayarajan Muthu writes
"1 more Tiger down. Quote : “A suspected Man-eater Tiger was shot dead by sharp shooters of the Forest personnel (30 – 33 rounds fired with AK-47 assault rifles) in Chandrapur district last evening. Of the seven victims, who had ventured deep into the forests, the shot tiger is SUSPECTED to have had claimed 4-5”. Unquote. Is the Tiger supposed to provide a peaceful sighting to those who venture out on foot, deep into the forests ??? Quote : “Surprisingly, the forest officials are themselves not sure whether the shot tiger had killed all the seven villagers. This is against the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) protocol which directs to first identify the problem animal”. Earlier, in the morning, BJP MLA from Ballarshah, Sudhir Mungantiwar marched to the CCF's office with his supporters, demanding that the tiger be shot”. Unquote. Does the fact that the local Maharashtra Assembly Elections are around the corner, ring any bells? Looks like anything goes for retaining vote banks here in India, where Tigers are doomed already.— with Sarita Subramaniam, Ravi Asrani, PV Subramaniam, Ânjani Kumar, Vijayagovindarajan Deenadayalan, Raj " Same story as the other two I posted, looks to be a nice solid tiger. What a shame |
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