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Bigcats News
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 (03-01-2019, 07:22 PM)Sanju Wrote: 67% of infestation of diseases, 19% of snake bites, 8% due to old age and 6% heart, lung, kidney disease and rest are Death due to illness. Gujarat forest dept tricking theory. All is well in Gir... Wait.. So where is infighting & unnatural deaths in those stats? Sure you translated correctly? 
Gujarat transport drivers, conductors spotted tiger over last two months
While a school teacher may have been the only one to provide photographic evidence of the existence of a tiger in the Sant Matro jungles of taluka, the drivers and conductors of state transport (ST) buses that ply on the Godhra-Panam Dam route had spotted the tiger over the last couple of months. Gujarat State Road (GSRTC) buses ply at regular intervals on the route. The route passes through the area where the tiger has been moving around. One of the drivers spotted the tiger in the last week of January while others have spotted it earlier. Maksud Tekravala, a driver, said, “I saw the tiger standing on the road in the light of my bus in the night. This was either on January 28 or January 30 when I was on duty on the route. People had been telling us about its presence, but it was for the first time that I saw it.” Udesinh Baria, a conductor who plies on the same route, said he had seen the tiger about two months back near Gadh village. “It stood on the side of the road for a few minutes and then walked into the trees. The passengers in the bus also saw it. There are other drivers and conductors too who have seen the tiger,” said Baria. Another bus driver Rafiq Peerzada said that he too saw the tiger near Gadh in the morning about a month back. “The tiger was crossing the road. A man who was riding a motorcycle had also seen the tiger and had stopped on the road,” he said. The bus crew members hold that the animal was distinctly different from a leopard and was a definitely a tiger. It seems to have sneaked into the jungles from the road on seeing the buses coming close. And Again... after Kanha, now in Mowgli forest. @Rage2277 @Rishi @Pckts Cannibal tiger kills & eats another in Madhya Pradesh's Pench national park  *This image is copyright of its original author Carcass of an adult tiger found from Pench National Park Cannibalism among tigers claimed another big cat in Madhya Pradesh on Thursday. A day after two sub-adult tigers were killed and eaten by a cannibal tiger, carcass of an adult tiger was found from Pench National Park. The fresh case was reported from Pench National park in Seoni on Thursday where the forest patrolling squad found carcass of an adult tiger in the Khamarpani buffer zone. "This tiger too was killed by another tiger. There were hairs and blood of another tiger in its claws indicating that a fierce battle took place at the spot leaving one dead," said Vikram Singh Parihar, field director of Pench National Park. "Half of the tiger was eaten by the one which killed it. We don't find it uncommon. Similar incidents were reported in Kahna in the 1980s," Parihar added. However, it is not yet clear whether it's the same tiger that has killed and eaten three tigers in Kanha. Officials say Kanha and Pench are connected and have a well-protected corridor. Tiger killing and eating only tiger is something strange Madhya Pradesh wildlife department is likely to initiate a study on cannibalism among tigers in protected areas. Officials say tigers killing tigers is natural, but a tiger killing and eating only tiger is something strange - that too when the forest has no shortage of prey. Two sub-adult tigers were found ripped to shreds in Kanha National Park on Tuesday. According to an official press release, a patrolling squad had spotted the carcasses at Kanhari area around 9.20am. An adult tiger was found sitting on the two kills. Quote:In all, MP has lost six of its tigers in last few days which includes one in Gujarat and three in Kanha. Important to address human-tiger conflict After the tiger was found in Gujarat, officials of the Madhya Pradesh government had written to Gujarat to take care of the animal and keep a tab on its movements. Though the exact reason for the tiger’s death is yet to be ascertained environmentalists are sus.pecting it to be a case of poisoning of the animal. Quote:“Both states, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, are responsible for the death of tiger in Lunavada, Gujarat because they failed to provide protection to the tiger that was moving near villages. There is no prey base in Lunavada (Mahisagar),” Ajay Dubey, a wildlife activist who works with a non-governmental organisation ‘Prayatna’, told Mongabay-India.  *This image is copyright of its original author A tiger was found in Gujarat after 30 years. Photo provided by Gujarat’s forest department. In the past two decades, the issue of human-wildlife conflict has gained the attention of policymakers and conservationists. There has been a significant number of deaths of animals like tigers and elephants as well as humans in such conflicts. According to the data of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), which is India’s nodal body for work related to welfare and protection of tigers, in 2018, India recorded 100 tiger deaths. It was for the third straight year that the number of tiger deaths in India touched the 100-figure mark. The reasons for their deaths ranged from natural deaths, electrocution, poisoning to poaching and in-fighting. Quote:Read more: Tiger deaths hit the 100-mark again, but number down from previous year According to information provided by Mahesh Sharma, Minister of State in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), while replying to a query in parliament, at least 137 people have been killed in a human-tiger conflict between 2015-2018 (till December 31, 2018). To protect tigers, India had started focused efforts in the 1970s when project tiger was launched. In the past 15 years, India has seen a rise in their numbers from 1,411 in 2006 to 2,226 tigers as per the 2014 estimation. India’s tiger population is about 60 percent of the global tiger population of 3,890 tigers. The latest assessment is expected to be released in the next few months and the population is expected to register an increase but problems like human-wildlife conflict, habitat fragmentation and poaching continue to pose danger to their survival. Right now, India has 50 tiger reserves in 18 states accounting for nearly 2.21 percent of country’s total geographical area. What does not help the case is that a significant population of Indian tigers live outside the tiger reserve which threatens their security. The latest incident of MP’s tiger found dead in Gujarat once again highlights the dangers that tigers face outside the tiger reserves including human-wildlife conflict. Meanwhile, the authorities claimed that everything is being done as per the protocols. “The NTCA is involved in investigating the exact reason of death of the tiger in Gujarat. We have proper protocols to follow in such cases. We are doing our best to minimise the cases of human-tiger conflicts,” said NTCA sources. 
Check this out! Apparently, an "extinct" leopard has been spotted in Taiwan. They've been considered to be extinct in Taiwan for over 30 years! So this is big news!
https://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-an...years-ago/ Quote:A long-thought-extinct clouded leopard being spotted by multiple witnesses alive and well(?) in Taiwan. @smedz Insert the main news contrac content too, not just a link.
@Rishi @Lycaon
Claims on cub’s pugmarks keep foresters busy  *This image is copyright of its original author Pugmarks of tiger cub that was found in a farm in Signali village (original photo) The death of the tiger in Mahisagar district has not stopped claims of the striped big cats being spotted in the area dying down. The forest department has now been sent into a tizzy after claims that pugmarks of a tiger cub were spotted in a farm in Signali village. While the forest department has said that it was unlikely that the pugmarks were of a tiger cub, the residents insist that proper verification should be done before reaching to a conclusion. Trap cameras have now been installed in the area where the pug marks were spotted earlier this week. Owner of the farm in Signali village Dipendrasinh Rathore said that the pugmarks were small and of a cub. “I have informed the forest department regarding these. They believe that these may be of a leopard cub, but we have installed cameras to spot the animal,” said Rathore. Rathore pointed out that there were many in surrounding villages who had claimed that they had seen an entire tiger family with cubs. “The forest department had not believed this earlier, but eventually a teacher photographed it,” said Rathore. Pug marks creates confusion to forest department got information about the issue Based on other report, Primary pug mark identification, the pugmark is not of a leopard but a TIGER CUB. Pug mark found near Lunawada- Ghodra road, Shingani Hills Lake behind the Jogmaya hotel. The Farm area is little bit swampy so that pug marks are visible and the FD identified it as Tiger cub "primarily". Talking to the Lunawada forest officer Rohith Patel, he said that: "Deependar singh informed that the foot print is found in that area, so we rushed to that area to investigate. Pug mark is 12 cm in length and of the size of human palm. (Sorry, I didn't understand the rest of measurements to translate)  *This image is copyright of its original author Deputy conservator of forest of Mahisagar district R M Parmar said that the pugmarks were likely to be of a leopard. “A cub cannot stray away long distances from its mother. A highway passes near the area where the pugmarks were spotted and tigers would usually avoid such places,” said Parmar. Picture of recently dead "Mangla Bava"  *This image is copyright of its original author
Leopard not tiger cub left pugmarks in Signali village
 *This image is copyright of its original author The pugmarks that were earlier suspected to be of tiger cub The exercise by the forest department to ascertain if tiger cubs were indeed moving around in the area where the dead tiger was found earlier in Mahisagar district has only led the department to a leopard. The exercise was taken up after a farmer insisted that the department should verify if the pugmarks in the farm. While the forest department had prima facie said that it was unlikely that the pugmarks spotted in the farm in Signali village were of a tiger cub, the farmer and others insisted that proper verification should be done before reaching to a conclusion. Trap cameras were installed in the area where the pugmarks were spotted and personnel of the department were asked to increase vigil in the area. Sources in the forest department said that on Saturday night, the cameras captured a leopard cub in the same area. They added that the claims of sighting of a tiger at other locations have also not led to anything fruitful so far. @Lycaon 
(02-26-2019, 11:24 AM)Sanju Wrote: Kuno is approved as Lion reserve and ready to recieve Lions, CM writes to PM One concern that I have about Namibian cheetahs being translocated to India is that it may be that like lions, cheetahs in Southern Africa belong to a different subspecies to cheetahs in Northern Africa and Asia, and that North African cheetahs may be more closely related to the Asiatic cheetah, in the same way that North African lions would be related to Asiatic lions, like I mentioned here (https://wildfact.com/forum/topic-cheetah...ht=cheetah): https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/hand...sAllowed=y "... the divergence times between these lineages are very recent (Charruau et al. 2011), e.g. 32,000-67,000 ya between jubatus and venaticus, and 16,000-72,000 ya between jubatus and soemmeringii, and the inclusion of ancient DNA samples from north Africa and southwest Asia blurred the distinction between north African and Asian cheetahs, suggesting isolation by distance. It is possible that there are only two subspecies of cheetah; northern (venaticus) and southern/ eastern (jubatus), or perhaps none if further more comprehensive sampling of museum specimens is carried out."
@BorneanTiger Yes, you are right, It is better to relocate Northeast African cheetah soemmeringi or Northwest African cheetah hecki when venaticus is not available but Bharath might not have good relation with those countries (North African) where as Namibia cheetah population is good which readily accepted proposal or request to donate some cheetahs for India to which other countries may reject and negotiate.
Apart from that, when the original subspecies or closely relocated subspecies are not available, we have to look for the basal ancestral strain which gave rise to all modern cheetah subspecies i.e.., Southeast African cheetah (jubatus jubatus). So scientists selected that, we don't have a choice, it is a still cheetah siding towards IUCN norms.
No end to lions death in Gujarat: Two more cubs die
 *This image is copyright of its original author Earlier last month, two lions, a lioness and a cub were found dead in and around the Gir forest, the only abode of asian lions Two lion cubs were found dead in Visavadar range of Gujarat's Gir forest on Tuesday, a senior official said. Preliminary probe has revealed the two cubs, around five months old, may have been killed by a male lion in a territorial fight to establish dominance, said DT Vasavada, chief conservator of forests, Junagadh Wildlife Circle. Earlier last month, two lions, a lioness and a cub were found dead in and around the Gir forest, the only abode of Asiatic lions. During the Gujarat assembly session held last month, the state government had said 204 lions, comprising 110 adults and 94 cubs, had died in and around Gir forest in the last two years as on December, 2018. @Lycaon
Gujarat: Did starvation kill the roving tiger?
 *This image is copyright of its original author Tiger Did the sole male tiger that was spotted in Mahisagar but was later found dead under mysterious condition die of starvation? Those in the know said that starvation could be a possibility. "From Feb 16 onwards upto Feb 26, the day it was found dead the officials did not see any kill," said an official in the know. "The department had after the death came to light checked for any loss of cattle in the villages surrounding the forest area but found nothing. The carcass of any wild animals were also not found leading to the possibility that it could have died of starvation," said the official. The top department officials however said at this point of time it was too early to speculate. "The post mortem report was inconclusive and three sets of samples were sent for further investigation. The reports are not yet in and so we cannot say anything as of now," said Chief Conservator of Forest Vadodara, S K Srivastava. "Poaching had been ruled out. So that leaves just a few possibilities like starving, snake bite, disease or poisoning," said Srivastava. The body of the tiger was found in a decomposed state in forests of Kantar Village some 70 km from Godhra and close to Mahisagar. The body was spotted by the field staff that had been tracking the animal since it was found. It was found three to four days after its death. The pattern of the tiger's stripes led the post-mortem panel, formed to probe its death, to conclude that it was the same animal that was captured on the camera trap sometimes back. An Awful End The body of the tiger was found in a decomposed state in forests of Kantar village some 70 km from Godhra and close to Mahisagar. Tiger that trekked from MP to Gujarat died of starvation: Post-mortem report (I still doubt it Poisoned by locals) Gujarat forest officials confirmed here on Friday. "The preliminary PM report, however, has revealed no presence of food in the tiger's stomach which is indicative that tiger died of starvation," said Saxena. Top sources in the forest department said that viscera reports of the tiger which have been sent to specialised laboratories in Hyderabad, Anand and Gandhinagar will reveal if the tiger had stopped eating because of some illness. (03-09-2019, 12:10 PM)Sanju Wrote: Gujarat: Did starvation kill the roving tiger?Oh man, I know life in the wild isn't easy but...LET US HAVE THIS MOMENT MOTHER NATURE!!!
Why MP is one of India’s top tiger states
The MP forest department was fortunate to have committed forest officers with long and stable tenures. For example, between 1970 and 2007, the Kanha National Park had only four park directors. Second, unlike many states, the forests have had decent political support which helped committed officers to create a large number of protected areas since the 1970s.  *This image is copyright of its original author Wildlife experts say that Madhya Pradesh has the potential to have more tigers and better quality wildlife tourism. To ensure that, the forest department needs more staff, including senior officials who are interested in wildlife management. (HT File Photo ) [*] The Panna Tiger Reserve (PTR) in Madhya Pradesh (MP) is one of the state’s most beautiful forests. Apart from its dense deciduous foliage, the 576- square kilometre park has a spectacular landscape marked by gorges and plateaus, and the free-flowing river Ken, one of the 16 perennial rivers in the state. The reserve’s idyllic existence, however, received a massive jolt in 2009 when the state realised that the park had lost its entire tiger population (at least 24) to poaching and poisoning, and destruction of forest habitat by evicted encroachers. A few had reached the end of their 15-year lifespan and died of natural causes or illness. The tigers were lost between 2003 and 2008. The news was an embarrassment for MP, which is one of India’s top tiger states, forcing the government to devise a strategy for the PTR. It decided to reintroduce big cats in Panna; the first one came on March 3, 2009. Today, Panna has more than 47 tigers. According to the 2014 tiger census, MP has 308. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) is expected to release a new census report in April, and foresters in MP are hoping to have an even better tally this time around. The loss of tigers from Rudyard Kipling country (the state’s big four tiger reserves — Pench, Bandhavgarh, Kanha and Panna — once formed a single natural corridor) was a taint in an otherwise good record of the state’s wildlife conservation history. The Kanha National Park was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1935 and the state enacted its own MP National Parks Act in 1955. Six of MP’s 10 parks are today part of the prestigious Project Tiger, which began in 1973. The state’s parks have also fared consistently in evaluations. According to a 2014 Management Effectiveness Evaluation process, a global framework to evaluate the performance of protected areas, MP topped the charts; the parks have also done well in ecotourism and parkwise grading done by the NTCA. There are several reasons why MP has consistently done well over the years, notwithstanding the Panna debacle. First, the MP forest department had several committed forest officers with long and stable tenures. For example, between 1970 and 2007, the Kanha National Park had only four park directors. Second, unlike many states, the forests have had strong political support, which helped committed officers to create a large number of protected areas since the 1970s. Almost all good uninterrupted forests were converted at a time when there was not much conflict between parks and the pressures of development. Third, the state had a first-mover advantage when it came to wildlife tourism. It was on the tourism map much before modern tourism started because of royal hunting expeditions. The state took advantage of this public memory, and was one of the first to create a directorate of ecotourism in the early 1990s. With tourists came funds and infrastructure, and, luckily for MP, many businesspeople, such as resort owners, participated in the development process in a sustainable manner. During a reporting trip in Panna in 2009, I stayed at one of the jungle camps on the river Ken, and my understanding of the conservation issues was enriched by the inputs of not just the camp’s owners but the local staff too. This involvement of stakeholders — businessmen and the local community — is critical in any conservation process. In fact, MP was one of the early adopters of the joint forest management scheme, which tried to integrate the local people. Last, but not the least, the protection provided to wildlife, especially in protected areas, has been better than in many other jungles of India. Thanks to its good wildlife management, MP earns well from wildlife tourism. According to the forest department, the state earned Rs 27.54 crore in 2017-18 from just the gate receipts of the parks. And it’s not just the state: Local people are one of the principal beneficiaries from direct employment and non-salaried employment, as guides and safari vehicle owners; 80% of the lodge employees are from local communities. In The Value of Wildlife Tourism for Conservation & Communities (2017), conservation biologist, RS Chundawat, writes: “Wildlife tourism in MP is already proving to be an important tool in funding parks, in nature awareness, in rural poverty reduction and rural uplift, but some key actions are needed to realise its greater potential for sustainable development and wildlife protection”. Read more
Wildlife experts say that MP has the potential to have more tigers and better quality wildlife tourism. To ensure that, the forest department needs more staff, including senior officials who are interested in wildlife management. In addition, it needs to first protect the main actor — the tiger — by more intensive foot patrolling and surveillance of the parks, conservation of not just core areas but also buffer areas and corridors (the state has one of the most fragmented tiger corridors), expanding the tiger base to the western parts of the state and making the local communities a stakeholder in the process. “While the tigers are safe in the protected areas, the strength of MP’s status as a top tiger state can be bolstered further if it ensures safety of tigers in the buffer and wildlife corridors. Otherwise, parks are just big zoos,” said a wildlife scientist, who did not wish to be named.
Pug marks found in central Gujarat of leopard: Forest Dept
Lunavada, Mar 15 (UNI) The Forest department on Friday said that the pug mark of a wild beast found near Signali forest in Mahisagar district of central Gujarat, where a tiger was found last month, was not that of a tigress/tiger, but of a leopard. DCF Mahisagar R M Parmar and RFO R B Patel said that the night vision cameras installed in the area have also captured the pictures of a full grown leopard. @Rishi @Lycaon
Gir Lioness mauled a man (Rambhai) working in Garden...
 *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  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author Lion attacks farmer in Kodinar village A lion attacked a farmer on Friday noon in Harmadia village of Koidnar taluka in Gir Sonath district. According to forest department, Rambhai Vara (38) was working in his mango orchard when the lion attacked him. Assistant conservator of forest D P Vagela said, “There is drain near the orchard and the lion was passing from there. Suddenly it attacked the farmer who sustained injuries on his back.” Vara was shifted to hospital where he was kept under observation because of excessive bleeding. His health is said to be stable. |
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