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Bigcats News
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Kankatti jr passing away was a tragedy, which will change the future of her cubs and it seems like Solo has taken over and is now with Mr.X. the cubs will be kept in a fenced enclosure under semi-wild conditions until they are old enough to be released.
WWF India finds photo evidence of snow leopard in Arunachal Pradesh
Oct 05, 2017 · 05:41 pm The species was found during a state-wide survey carried out by WWF India in collaboration with the state’s forest department. Representative Image | Diptendu Dutta/AFP  *This image is copyright of its original author Nature conservation group World Wildlife Fund India on Thursday said it had found photographic evidence of the snow leopard species in Arunachal Pradesh. “This perhaps is the first time that the presence of snow leopard has been reported through a camera trap photograph from the state of Arunachal Pradesh,” Principal Chief Conservator of Forest and Principal Secretary, Department of Environment and Forest (Arunachal Pradesh), Omkar Singh said. WWF India said that the species was photographed by a camera set up at Thembang, one of the Community Conserved Areas in the state. A Community Conserved Area in India is a region governed by local communities. The WWF India said that only a small percentage of the snow leopard habitat in the state falls under two protected areas – the Dibang Biosphere Reserve and the Namdapha National Park. It added that the presence of the snow leopard beyond the protected areas “highlights the importance of community support for conservation”. Camera trap image of a snow leopard. (Photo credit: WWF India)  *This image is copyright of its original author The snow leopard was photographed during a state-wide survey carried out by WWF India from March 2017. The survey was conducted in collaboration with the Arunachal Pradesh Forest Department, focusing on the unexplored areas for wildlife. Researchers conducting the survey had interviewed local youth, herders and former hunters in the Community Conserved Areas of Arunachal Pradesh, who provided information on snow leopards across the state. Over 80% of the respondents confirmed the presence of snow leopards in their area, WWF India said. WWF India said the survey findings would enable the Arunachal Pradesh Forest Department to develop a snow leopard conservation plan. “This ambitious survey has enhanced our knowledge on the distribution of snow leopards and its prey species for the entire state of Arunachal Pradesh,” said Rishi Kumar Sharma, the senior coordinator for the Species and Landscapes programme of WWF India. “This will be of immense help in the better conservation-management of the species.” 
Iran moves to save last 'mascot' Asiatic cheetahs
AFP | Oct 30, 2017, 09:17 IST An Asiatic Cheetah named 'Dalbar' walks in an enclosure at the Pardisan Park in Tehran.  *This image is copyright of its original author GARMSAR (Iran): Iranian environmentalists have mobilised to protect the world's last Asiatic cheetahs, estimated to number just 50 and faced with the threats of becoming roadkill, a shortage of prey and farmers' dogs. "The last time our photo traps caught a cheetah here, it was two years ago. But we're informed of their presence in the region," said Rajab Ali Kargar, deputy head of the National Protection Project for the Asiatic Cheetah. His camp is just a stone's throw from an old royal hunting pavilion in the Garmsar area of Semnan province, around 120 kilometres south of Tehran, but these days the focus is on preservation rather than killing. The world's fastest land animal, capable of reaching speeds of 120 kilometres per hour, once stalked habitats from the eastern reaches of India to the Atlantic coast of Senegal. Their numbers have stabilised in parts of southern Africa, but they have practically disappeared from northern Africa and Asia. The subspecies "Acinonyx jubatus venaticus", commonly known as the Asiatic cheetah, is critically endangered, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, mostly due to past hunting. Iran launched its protection project in 2001 with the support of the United Nations "when we realised Iran was the last country to have any Asiatic cheetahs", said Hooman Jokar, who heads the programme. It set up a network, now numbering 92 specially trained park wardens, who cover a total of six million hectares in central and northern Iran. "Every day, we cover hundreds of kilometres to track wild animals in the park," said warden Reza Shah-Hosseini, as some 20 gazelles galloped past behind him. There were 20 sightings of the cheetah in Semnan province last year. "Many think that without this programme the cheetah would have totally disappeared from Iran," said Jokar. The Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s was devastating for wild animals, particularly along the country's western border. It was thought for a time that the cheetahs had been wiped out, until they were found to have retreated into the central desert regions. Three major problems have befallen the Asiatic cheetah in recent time: cars, farmers and having nothing to eat. "When we launched the project, the biggest danger was the lack of prey," said Jokar. The team focused on building up numbers of gazelles and rabbits for the cheetahs to eat, which has been largely successful. Cars and farmers remain a threat, however. "Today, the cheetahs leave their zones and approach villages. Farmers and their dogs kill them to protect their herds," said Jokar. A pack of dogs can overpower a cheetah, he said. At least 20 cheetahs have been killed in road accidents over the past 16 years. In its bid to raise public awareness, the project's most successful move was putting an image of the cheetah on the national football team's jersey during the 2014 World Cup and the Asian Games in the same year. "That move had an extraordinary effect in educating and mobilising people," said Jokar. "Now nearly everyone knows the cheetah is in danger." Since early September, a new campaign, headed by popular actress Hedieh Tehrani, has raised some eight billion rials ($200,000, 170,000 euros) in just over a month as part of efforts to relocate farms in order to reduce confrontations with the cheetah. "It's the biggest mobilisation of civil society that I've witnessed," said Jokar. There are also hopes for a cheetah couple held in captivity in one of Tehran's biggest parks, Pardisan. A first pregnancy failed, but the wardens say it is a positive sign that they are mating. "The females are very picky," said Kargar.  
Remember we discussed about possibly first sighting of wild white bengal tiger in India ? (I forget the thread, can someone link it ?). Today a article published in thehindu newspaper reporting that actually there are 2 white tigers and they are brother.
 *This image is copyright of its original author The rare, pale-skinned 'white' tiger was spotted for the first time in the Nilgiris earlier this year by a wildlife photographer. It now turns out that this animal is not the only one of its kind. It has a family, and its brother is also ‘white’, though its mother and sister have normal coats. The family of four was sighted spending some quality time together in the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve by M. Santhanaraman, additional government pleader for Forest departm-ent at the Madras High Court and Dr. C.P. Rajkumar, a member of the Tamil Nadu State Wildlife Board. Read at - http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-...005567.ece (11-09-2017, 11:43 AM)sanjay Wrote: Remember we discussed about possibly first sighting of wild white bengal tiger in India ? (I forget the thread, can someone link it ?). Today a article published in thehindu newspaper reporting that actually there are 2 white tigers and they are brother. There you go; https://wildfact.com/forum/topic-on-the-...is?page=81 Somebody really should update the "White tiger" page on Wiki... They've gotten bigger than the last time when the right one was photographed!! (11-09-2017, 11:43 AM)sanjay Wrote: Remember we discussed about possibly first sighting of wild white bengal tiger in India ? (I forget the thread, can someone link it ?). Today a article published in thehindu newspaper reporting that actually there are 2 white tigers and they are brother. I would have liked this information never to be published in the newspaper. These two needs to protected and I hope they don't loose out to poachers like many others in the past.But what beautiful tigers both of them are  (11-09-2017, 10:27 PM)SuSpiciouS Wrote:(11-09-2017, 11:43 AM)sanjay Wrote: Remember we discussed about possibly first sighting of wild white bengal tiger in India ? (I forget the thread, can someone link it ?). Today a article published in thehindu newspaper reporting that actually there are 2 white tigers and they are brother. I see both sides, hopefully tourist revenue increases and protection does as well. 
Photo-evidence of snow leopard in western Arunachal Pradesh
Posted on 05 October 2017 | New Delhi: WWF-India’s recent snow leopard study yielded photo evidence of the elusive species in Arunachal Pradesh, a state that is resplendent with biodiversity and yet largely unexplored. The evidence is particularly significant, more so given that large natural areas in the state of Arunachal Pradesh fall under the custodianship of local communities whose support is crucial to protect the species and its habitat. The species was photographed by a camera trap set up at Thembang, one of the Community Conserved Areas in the state. Only a fraction of snow leopard habitat in the state falls into 2 protected areas i.e. Dibang Biosphere Reserve and Namdapha National Park. The presence of the big cat beyond these protected areas highlights the importance of community support for conservation as well as landscape scale conservation planning. The state-wide survey carried out by WWF-India in collaboration with the Arunachal Pradesh Forest Department was conducted from March 2017, focusing on the unexplored areas. “This perhaps is the first time that the presence of snow leopard has been reported through a camera trap photograph from the state of Arunachal Pradesh. The findings of this survey will help in developing conservation plans for the iconic species of the region, primarily snow leopards, and step up our conservation efforts,” said Mr. Omkar Singh, PCCF & Principal Secretary, Department of Environment and Forest, Government of Arunachal Pradesh. The survey built on the knowledge of the community members to understand the current distribution of snow leopards and other large mammals. Researchers, including trained local youth, interviewed herders and former hunters who provided detailed information on snow leopards across the state as well as its prey species. Over 80 per cent of the interviewees confirmed the presence of snow leopards in their area, an encouraging sign for the state. The research team also deployed camera traps in select areas to document the species and obtained a photograph of a snow leopard in the Community Conserved Area. The state-wide survey conducted by WWF-India in Arunachal Pradesh is significant as it covers one of the 22 priority landscapes of the Global Snow Leopard Ecosystem Protection Program (GSLEP). Findings of the state-wide survey will enable the Arunachal Pradesh Forest Department to develop a snow leopard conservation plan to address increasing threats such as retaliatory killings, infrastructure development and climate change induced impacts on the habitats. Mr. Rishi Kumar Sharma, Senior Coordinator, Species and Landscapes Programme, WWF-India said, “This ambitious survey has enhanced our knowledge on the distribution of snow leopards and its prey species for the entire state of Arunachal Pradesh which will be of immense help in the better conservation-management of the species.” Building community stewardship for conservation is one of the primary focus areas of WWF-India across all its conservation landscapes. In 2004, WWF-India introduced the concept of Community Conserved Areas (CCAs) in Arunachal Pradesh which empowers local communities to become active decision makers to implement conservation initiatives that benefits both wildlife and humans. Local communities in these CCAs have formed committees to undertake wildlife monitoring, patrolling, and community based tourism activities. Speaking about the decade-long conservation effort through community conservation in the state, Mr. Ravi Singh, Secretary General & CEO, WWF-India said, "Scientific information on the distribution of snow leopards generated through this state wide survey is an encouraging sign for WWF-India and the Arunachal Pradesh Forest Department. We appreciate the involvement of local communities who are the stewards of our conservation effort in the state."  *This image is copyright of its original author https://www.wwfindia.org/news_facts/pres/?16761/Photo-evidence-of-snow-leopard-in-western-Arunachal-Pradesh (11-09-2017, 01:38 PM)Rishi Wrote:Why somebody? You can edit or update on wikipedia. Anyways i have sent edit request. Let's wait and see.(11-09-2017, 11:43 AM)sanjay Wrote: Remember we discussed about possibly first sighting of wild white bengal tiger in India ? (I forget the thread, can someone link it ?). Today a article published in thehindu newspaper reporting that actually there are 2 white tigers and they are brother.
Flooded Kaziranga counts its 369 dead: 1 tiger, 2 dozen rhinos, hundreds of deer
 *This image is copyright of its original author Kaziranga National Park, home to the highest number of one-horned rhinos in the world, has lost 369 animals in two successive waves of floods, with the casualty list including nearly two dozen rhinos, one tiger, several elephants and buffaloes and over 250 deer of various species. “The first wave of floods in July came in slowly; the second wave was very rapid, catching the animals almost totally unawares,” park director Satyendra Singh said. “On August 12 for instance, the water level rose by more than 10 feet in just about 10 to 12 hours.” Though the park remained under water for a longer period during the first wave, it lost fewer animals then — 105. In comparison, it has lost 264 more until Monday, of which over 200 were various species of deer. The toll in the current wave includes 20 rhinos, apart from five elephant calves, four buffaloes and four wild boars, besides the tiger. Though the tiger carcass was found on Friday, park director Singh said it had died on August 14 itself. “Our guards on duty had reported hearing a loud unusual sound from elephants on that day. On Friday morning we found a tiger carcass in a small highland, with the carcass of an elephant calf nearby. The tiger, a four-year-old male, might have died after it was attacked by a herd of elephants while it had probably tried to attack the elephant calf. It is an assumption though,” Singh told The Indian Express over the telephone. The other possibility, according to Singh, is that the tiger came under attack from the elephant herd following a space crunch on the small highland where all of them had taken shelter when the water-level suddenly rose. “The second situation appears more likely, going by the fact that postmortem examined showed there was a lot of hog deer meat in the tiger’s intestines,” he said. Kaziranga has the highest density of Royal Bengal tigers in India, with the last count showing 104 tigers in the 430-sq-km park. Among the over 200 deer that Kaziranga has lost in the second wave so far, most were hog deer, the remainder being swamp deer and sambar. “While bigger animals like elephants, tigers, rhinos and buffaloes generally move out faster to higher lands, especially across the national highway to Karbi Anglong, smaller animals run the risk of getting washed away by swirling flood-waters,” Singh said. Smaller animals like the hog deer also get knocked down while crossing the highway. Kaziranga has also suffered serious damage to its infrastructure in the two successive waves of floods. With about 30 per cent of park still under water, Singh said a sizeable number of wooden bridges and anti-poaching camps have been damaged. “We will be able to make a final assessment only when the entire flood-water flows out of the park. But several wooden bridges as well as pucca culverts have been visibly damaged, some of them also washed away,” he said. Kaziranga will also require major repair of the roads inside, especially with the Brahmaputra leaving behind a lot of slush and sand after the water receded. “We have about 500 km of roads and patrol tracks in the Park on the southern bank of the Brahmaputra, and these will have to be immediately repaired once the floods were completely out,” he said. http://indianexpress.com/article/india/1-tiger-2-dozen-rhinos-hundreds-of-deer-flooded-kaziranga-counts-its-369-dead-4807679/
Petition to save black tigers of odisha,
https://www.thepetitionsite.com/en-gb/96...-of-odish/ 
Lion pride kills over 250 livestock in Namibia in one week of carnage
Posted on 15 November, 2017 by News Desk Sourced from various third-party sites: The Republikein, written by Francoise Steynberg, and The Namibian, written by Adam Hartman, and Facebook page of izak smit  *This image is copyright of its original author The 86 livestock recently killed by lions © RepublikeinOver 250 goats, sheep and donkeys have been killed by the same pride of 10-15 desert-adapted lions in Namibia’s Kunene region. News just breaking, is that 171 goats and sheep were killed last night, with eight missing, just south of the first incident of last week (detailed below). The pride of desert-adapted lions (estimated 10-15 in number) roam the Etendeka Klipriver, Khoadi Hoas areas in arid north-western Namibia. Conservationist Izak Smit reported that these livestock were kept in old kraals that are not lion-proof. Smit lamented to Africa Geographic that attempts are being made to supply building material to make livestock safe from predators, but that lack of funds and feet on the ground is frustrating efforts. Smit noted that these losses are devastating for livestock framers, who lose their entire livelihoods to lions, and that a solution has to be found to protect farmers and lions. The first incident occurred on Wednesday last week, when a total of 86 goats and sheep, worth about N$150,000, were killed by the lions in a kraal belonging to one communal farmer. The attack took place at Awantapos in the Torra Conservancy where farmer Samuel Gawiseb keeps his goats and sheep in a small kraal. According to Gawiseb’s neighbour, Anthony Dawids, who saw the carnage, the farmer’s herder was alerted to the lions when a dog started barking. He stepped out and saw the lions at the kraal, but returned to the house as he could not risk his life with so many predators. His dog, however, was not fortunate, and was also killed. The lions managed to get into the kraal, killing the sheep and goats. Only 13 kids remained when the pride eventually left. “He suffered a serious loss. It was his entire livelihood, and how does one take care of the kids when the mothers are dead?” Dawids said. He added that Gawiseb was in the process of modifying his kraal into a modern design, which would have had an 80% success rate in deterring lions from entering the kraal. “Unfortunately, he was not done when the lions came. We are challenged here with these predators, and the impression is that the government and other organisations which deal with lions and human-wildlife conflict are not working hard enough to help,” Dawids lamented
The total number this year will probably remain below 100. Let's hope the census-count will cross 3000 individuals...
2 tigers ‘poisoned’ near Pench, toll 23 this year Vijay Pinjarkar | TNN | Updated: Nov 18, 2017, 10:58 IST The death toll of tigers is highest in Maharashtra this year  *This image is copyright of its original author HIGHLIGHTS
The state's tally of tiger deaths is followed by neighbouring Madhya Pradesh, which has reported 21 deaths. The official figures of National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) make these the 22nd and 23rd tiger deaths in Maharashtra, and the 95th and 96th in the country. Most of the deaths were not due to natural causes. The 23 tiger deaths also include five killed in last three years by fishermen in and around Pench Tiger Reserve, Maharashtra. This figure of five has been recorded in confessional statements of 16 fishermen accused of committing the crime. The last death had been two days ago, on November 15, when a sub-adult tiger was found dead under mysterious circumstances at Fulzari in Mul range in the buffer zone of Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR). On Friday afternoon, two tigers — a male and a female — were reported dead of suspected poisoning in Pusda beat under Paoni range, 82km from Nagpur. The area seems to be vulnerable to tiger poaching as last year on December 21 an adult tigress was found dead in Salai beat in the same range. Deputy conservator of forest (DyCF) G Mallikarjuna said both tigers were found dead within 150 metre area of a spot where cattle kill has been reported. "The incident seems to have occurred 3-4 days ago. All the body parts of the tigers are intact, and we are probing the poisoning angle," he added. Forest guard Arun Githe, who was informed by villagers, reported the incident to forest officials in the afternoon. Immediately, NTCA and PCCF representatives Aditya Joshi and Prafulla Bhamburkar, honorary wildlife warden Kundan Hate, and wildlife veterinarian Dr GM Kadu rushed to the spot. However, since it was close to darkness, post mortem could not be conducted. Mallikarjuna said the post mortem will be carried out on Saturday. NTCA protocol requires forest staff to be posted wherever cattle kills are found. But the forest department found this cattle kill four days after the incident, raising questions on patrolling in the area. Wildlife biologist Joshi said the forest patch where the tigers were found dead is part of 650 sq km Bawanthadi block, connecting source population areas like Pench, Nagzira, Navegaon and Kanha. "There is scientifically recorded evidence of dispersing spill over tiger population from both MP and Maharashtra Pench moving towards Balaghat, Seoni, Nagzira and Bhandara forests," said Joshi. Mallikarjuna said stripe patterns of both tigers will be matched to identify whether the tigers were residents or had dispersed from Pench Tiger Reserve. According to sources, Pench officials had recently alerted territorial staff about a couple of tigers being sighted in territorial forest areas after crossing the busy NH-7. "Cattle kill compensation needs to be expedited. Regular monitoring holds the key for long-term survival of tigers in such areas," said honorary wildlife warden Roheet Karoo.
Census over in Tamil Nadu's Satyamangalam Tiger Reserve on Nilgiris that had 25 tigers by previous one, & there's GOOD news..
Satyamangalam reserve has 55 tigers, finds census TNN|Nov 17, 2017, 11:00 IST  *This image is copyright of its original author ERODE: 21 males, 32 females and 2 unclassified adult tigers have been spotted in a census conducted for 60 days from August to October this year at the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR) in Erode district of Tamil Nadu. Situated on Tamil Nadu-Karnataka border, the reserve forest is spread to an area of nearly 1,411km² & is the largest protected area in Tamil Nadu. The census was conducted by the forest department and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) - India using CCTV cameras at 356 locations across the STR. Chief conservator of forest and field director of STR I Anwardeen said, "55 tigers were identified in the STR with the help of CCTV cameras." During the census, the officials had given a unique identity to each tiger based on stripes pattern. Besides 55 tigers, 11 cubs were also spotted in the STR, he added. STR is one of the safe and potential carnivore habitats in South India. With the constant effort by the forest department, the numbers in wildlife is constantly increasing. Wild animals such as leopard, deer, Indian gaur and elephants are living in the reserve forest. According to the statistics available with the forest department, the number of animals has been increasing gradually. In 2012, 1,021 elephants were spotted in in STR. Now the number has increased to 1,900. Similarly, the number of Indian gaur has increased to 1,200 from 1000 and 111 leopards from 58. He hoped that the number of animals will increase further in the coming years. Ecotourism in Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve, the largest protected habitat for tigers in Tamil Nadu, received a boost on Sunday with the launch of a vehicle safari. The officials have pressed into service two vehicles, a 15-seater and a 10-seater to start with and would increase the number of vehicles if the demand increases. |
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