Tigers caught in Tadoba buffer red tape

NAGPUR: More than three years after the buffer zone around Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) was notified and a year after the area was brought under the control of the field director, protection activities are still mired in red tape. The 125.51 sq km buffer forest leased out to Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra (FDCM) is not under the control of TATR, resulting in lack of protection for wildlife.
The Wildlife (Protection) Act was amended in 2006 to bring in the concept of buffer zones around tiger reserves under the control of field directors. This was soon after the crisis in Sariska tiger reserve in 2005.
The state government notified 1,103.34 sq km Tadoba buffer zone on May 5, 2010. Barring the 125 sq km under FDCM, 901.66 sq km with Chandrapur and 76.17 sq km with Brahmapuri was brought under the administrative control of Tadoba field director for better wildlife management.
Despite forest minister Patangrao Kadam assuring on April 8 to give control of FDCM area to Tadoba, no decision has been taken by officials, says Chandrapur honorary wildlife warden Bandu Dhotre.
"Tadoba is incomplete without the 125 sq km area. It is really foolish to hand over such rich forest bearing tigers for felling timber to FDCM, a commercial and profitmaking organization," says Dhotre.
Dhotre alleged that tiger poaching is rampant in Tadoba, specially in the FDCM forest, which is contiguous and forms a vital tiger corridor towards north and south. "Taking advantage of poor protection, Baheliya tribals and local poachers have been targeting wild animals here regularly," he added.
In other buffer areas, things are looking up as the forest department has set up barriers and protection huts without harming rights of people. But on June 2, Baheliya poachers allegedly laid metal traps near Fulzari lake in FDCM area. The officials also came across three pits dug by poachers. The buffer zone officials are unconcerned since the area is still under FDCM control.
However, FDCM managing director AK Nigam said conclusions should not be drawn from just one incident. "I've been told that traps were not found in the pits dug in Fulzari area. There is tiger presence in our area since wildlife management is better," Nigam said.
"Despite being a commercial organization, wildlife protection is our mandate and we will do it. We are short of staff, but 300 guards have been recruited recently, and rangers will follow. We will sensitize our field staff about wildlife protection," he added.
However, Dhotre says FDCM areas have tiger presence by virtue of being close to protected areas (PAs). "The FDCM doesn't have even one area where tiger conservation is undertaken. The only way out is giving administrative control of the 125 sq km area to Tadoba," he says.
The amended Wildlife (Protection) Act 2006 clearly states that existing land use in the buffer zone can continue if wildlife concerns and protection are ensured in the area. "Then what's the fuss by FDCM in giving administrative control to Tadoba," asked Prafulla Bhamburkar, manager, Wildlife Trust of India (WTI).
The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has already written to principal secretary (forests) Praveen Pardeshi on March 19 to hand over the area to TATR. Pardeshi said, "No final decision has been taken on the issue but will ask FDCM to manage buffer area as per wildlife conservation management plan." PCCF (wildlife) SWH Naqvi said, "At present, both the areas are being managed separately. At some point of time, the area with FDCM will have to be given under the control of TATR. However, it will take time to materialize."
On April 8, Dhotre had also called on forest minister Patangrao Kadam, who issued necessary directions to the officials. "The forest minister is positive about giving control of FDCM area to Tadoba field director," said Dhotre. After this meeting, even APCCF wildlife (East) SS Mishra wrote to head of forest force (HOFF) on April 16, to pursue the proposal sent by Tadoba field director on getting administrative control of 125 sq km FDCM area.
Tadoba field director Virendra Tiwari refused to comment on the issue but confirmed that a proposal for unified management has been sent to Van Bhavan in Nagpur in June 2012.


source: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-06-28/nagpur/40254295_1_fdcm-buffer-zone-field-director


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Leopard poaching on the rise in southern States

Incidence of wildlife poaching is on the rise in the southern States, said Ravi P. Singh, Secretary-General of World Wide Fund for Nature – India (WWF-I).
Mr. Singh who was here recently told The Hindu that poaching of leopards in the southern States has increased. Since 2000, the Traffic, a wing of the WWF-I, had gathered data on seizure of leopard skins, which showed an alarming increase.
In his observation, local people were not involved in poaching.
It was always a group which came from outside and indulged in poaching. Though Forest Department officials in the southern States were very sensitive to such offences, poaching took place in sanctuaries and national parks, he said.
Unlike in other parts of the country where tiger poaching tops the list, it was leopards in the south, Mr. Singh said.
At least four leopards were poached in the country every week in the last 10 years.
The total estimated number of leopards poached for illegal trade stood at 2,294.
An analysis of seizure of tiger skins revealed that body parts of 474 tigers were seized in the country between 2000 and 2010, indicating that, on an average, more than three tigers were killed every month. On an average, 43 tigers were reported killed in a year .
In an attempt to reduce poaching, the WWF has launched anti-poaching modules and a special team was formed.
The team imparts training to Forest officials besides training personnel of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Border Security Force and Central Bureau of Investigation. Customs officials and State police officers were also imparted training in anti-poaching measures, Mr. Singh said.
The organisation plans to expand its environment education, which is being conducted in schools near sanctuaries and national parks.

 source : http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/leopard-poaching-on-the-rise-in-southern-states/article4866835.ece

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Bihar to celeberate Dolphin Day


PATNA: After initiating steps to conserve the Gangetic river dolphin, Bihar will celebrate October 5 as Dolphin Day to create awareness to save the endangered species that has been declared India's national aquatic animal.
"The state government has decided to celeberate Oct 5 as Dolphin Day," chief wildlife warden DK Shukhla said.
With only about 2,000 Gangetic river dolphins left in India, down from tens of thousands just a few decades ago, Bihar's move will help strengthen conservation efforts.

"The Dolphin Day would be a part of the Wildlife Week that will be observed from Oct 2 to 8," Environment and Forest Department Secretary Dipak Kumar Singh said.

The government will rope in R.K. Sinha, an expert on Gangetic river dolphins and chairperson of the working group for dolphin conservation set up by the central government, along with researchers and several organizations working for the conservation of the mammal for the celebrations.

"We will also arrange to screen films on the dolphin and involve youth and students to spread out message of dolphin conservation," Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Bashir Ahmah Khan said.

The Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary, India's only such and spread over 50 km along the Ganges, is located in Bihar's Bhagalpur district.

Gangetic river dolphins are being killed at an alarming rate by poachers for their flesh as well as oil, which is used as an ointment and aphrodisiac. Their carcasses are regularly found on the river's banks.

The mammals fall under Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act and have been declared an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Last year, the Bihar government decided to set up a task force for the conservation of the endangered species. Earlier this year, state government set up Gangetic dolphin research centre, the first such in the country.

The Gangetic river dolphin is one of the four freshwater dolphin species in the world. The other three are found in the Yangtze river in China, the Indus river in Pakistan and the Amazon river in South America.
The Gangetic river species - found in India, Bangladesh and Nepal - is blind and finds its way and prey in the river waters through echoes.

source : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Bihar-to-celeberate-Dolphin-Day/articleshow/16247071.cms


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Palamu Tiger Reserve's lone male tiger counting its days

DALTONGANJ: The Palamu Tiger Reserve (PTR) has just one aging male tiger. The tiger is about 9 to10 years old. Average life span of a tiger is 12 years that too only if it is not domesticated or kept in captive.

Sources in the PTR said going by this account the lone male tiger of PTR has not many years to live on.

The actual crisis will arise when this lone male tiger dies. The PTR officials when asked conceded this to be a major cause of concern. However none of the officials were ready to give comment officially. "We have been asked by the principal chief conservator of the forest-cum- chief-wildlife warden A K Malhotra not to speak to media," said one official.

Sources said there are 5 female tigers in PTR. Copulation is very rare now and the prey base for a tiger has shrunk considerably. "A tiger now requires covering 30 to 40 sq km to hunt its prey which is reducing its copulative power," the official said.

"For a tiger the maximum prey base where it can have its prey is 20 sq km. But in PTR the prey is not available and hence the tigers have to toil a lot and move forward to catch a prey. So there is very little time left for copulation," quipped the official on conditions of anonymity.

The officer suggested that the only way to resolve the crisis is to import tigers from other tiger reserves in the country as it has been done in Kanha and Ranthambore where tigers were dispatched from other tiger reserves to set right the gender imbalance there.

Source : http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-07-24/ranchi/32827288_1_palamu-tiger-reserve-ptr-officials-prey-base

Save the Tiger Rally

In an enormous show of support for preserving that species now endangered in India, the tiger, over 70 cars took to the roads in New Delhi in order to raise awareness of the necessity of saving the tiger. The event ran from Constitution Club to the Hotel Taj Palace and the drivers were members of Parliament who had committed to doing their part to help increase this awareness.

The rally, designated TSD (time, speed and distance) was set off by the Indian Vice President, Hamid Ansari, and Agatha Sangma, the youngest MP in the UPA-II cabinet, took home the title of Best Women’s Driver, while the Best Couple Driver accolade went to Aneekant and Nishikant Dubey. It was conceived by a joint venture between the Constitution Club of India (CCI) and JK Tire Industries Ltd who consider the goal to be an inestimable service to India and wildlife conservation on the whole.

This is a hugely positive step towards approaching a solution to a real threat; the number of tigers has reportedly shrunk drastically from the 40,000 recorded at the start of the 20th century to approximately 1700 today, with illegal poaching being a major contributory factor. As the national animal of India, the loss would be felt on many levels, and utter prevention is part of the rally’s goal, otherwise aiming to gather politicians on one footing.

The appeal of tigers has a massive bearing on the travel industry as well, with many thousands of people coming through to see the unique animals every year.
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