Junglecraft

Tiger and leopard skins seized, network busted

2012-02-11T05:35:00.000-08:00

The pelts of one tiger, four leopards and about 3 kg big cat bones were seized from five persons who were arrested in Najibabad in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday. The wildlife contraband is said to have been sourced from Uttarakhand.

According to regional deputy director (northern region) of Wildlife Crime Control Bureau Ramesh K Pandey, a joint operation involving the WCCB, UP STF and Najibabad police arrested five persons based on intelligence provided by the bureau.

The five were arrested with one tiger and four leopard pelts, bones and two iron traps used specifically for trapping big cats. The kingpin of the gang, Dharmveer Kanjar, was also among those arrested. The rest have been identified as Sunil Nath and Omar of Najibabad, Navi Singh of Dharchula and the car driver, Punit Chauhan.

It is believed that Dharmveer received wildlife contraband from the plains and hilly regions of Uttarakhand. According to Pandey, Najibabad is a convenient town with links to both the hills and the plains due to which Dharmveer was able to source banned wildlife commodities from all parts of the State.

The arrested persons confessed that while three leopard pelts have been sourced from Kugadda in Kalagarh forest range in Uttarakhand, the tiger skin and one leopard pelt were obtained from Rajaji National Park.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/pioneer-news/todays-newspaper/41549-huge-haul-of-poached-animal-parts-5-held.html

Worst year in decades for endangered elephants

2011-12-30T02:41:00.000-08:00

JOHANNESBURG: Large seizures of elephant tusks make this year the worst on record since ivory sales were banned in 1989, with recent estimates suggesting as many as 3,000 elephants were killed by poachers, experts said on Thursday.

”2011 has truly been a horrible year for elephants,” said Tom Milliken, elephant and rhino expert for the wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC.

In one case earlier this month, Malaysian authorities seized hundreds of African elephant tusks worth $1.3 million that were being shipped to Cambodia.

The ivory was hidden in containers of Kenyan handicrafts.

”In 23 years of compiling ivory seizure data this is the worst year ever for large ivory seizures,” said Milliken.

Most cases involve ivory being smuggled from Africa into Asia, where growing wealth has fed the desire for ivory ornaments and for rhino horn that is used in traditional medicine, though scientists have proved it has no medicinal value.

TRAFFIC said Asian crime syndicates are increasingly involved in poaching and the illegal ivory trade across Africa, a trend that coincides with growing Asian investment on the continent.

”The escalation in ivory trade and elephant and rhino killing is being driven by the Asian syndicates that are now firmly enmeshed within African societies,” Milliken said in a telephone interview from his base in Zimbabwe. ”There are more Asians than ever before in the history of the continent, and this is one of the repercussions.”

Some of the seized tusks came from old stockpiles, the elephants having been killed years ago.

But the International Fund for Animal Welfare said recent estimates suggest more than 3,000 elephants have been killed for their ivory in the past year alone.

”Reports from Central Africa are particularly alarming and suggest that if current levels of poaching are sustained, some countries, such as Chad, could potentially lose their elephant populations in the very near future,” said Jason Bell, director of the elephant program for the fund based in Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts.

He said poaching also had reached ”alarming levels” in Congo, northern Kenya, southern Tanzania and northern Mozambique.

Milliken thinks criminals may have the upper hand in the war to save rare and endangered animals.

”As most large-scale ivory seizures fail to result in any arrests, I fear the criminals are winning,” Milliken said.

All statistics are not yet in, and no one can say how much ivory is getting through undetected, But TRAFFIC said it is clear there’s been a ”dramatic increase” this year in the number of large-scale seizures those over 800 kilograms in weight.

There were at least 13 large seizures this year, compared to six in 2010 with a total weight just under 1,000 kilograms.

In Tanzania’s Selous Game Reserve alone, some 50 elephants a month are being killed and their tusks hacked off, according to the Washington-based Environmental Investigation Agency.

With shipments so large, criminals have taken to shipping them by sea instead of by air, falsifying documents with the help of corrupt officials, monitors said.

In another sign of corruption, Milliken said some of the seized ivory has been identified as coming from government-owned stockpiles made up of both confiscated tusks and those from dead elephants.

Rhinos also have suffered: A record 443 rhino were killed this year in South Africa, according to National Geographic News Watch.

That surpassed last year’s figure of 333 dead rhino despite the government deploying soldiers to protect the endangered animals this year in its flagship Kruger National Park.

National Geographic reported this week that 244 of the rhino killed this year were poached in Kruger, and that figure is expected to rise before the end of the month.

South Africa is home to 90 percent of the rhinos left on the continent, and Kruger has more than 10,000 white rhinos and about 500 black rhinos.

Africa’s elephant population was estimated at between 5 million and 10 million before white hunters came to the continent with European colonization. Massive poaching for the ivory trade in the 1980s halved the remaining number of African elephants to about 600,000.

Following the 1989 ban on ivory trade and concerted international efforts to protect the animals, elephant herds in east and southern Africa were thriving before the new threat arrived from Asia.

A report from Kenya’s Amboseli National Park highlighted the dangers. There had been almost no poaching for 30 years in the park, which lies in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro until a Chinese company was awarded the contract to build a highway nearby two years ago. Amboseli has lost at least four of its ”big tuskers” since then
http://www.dawn.com/2011/12/30/worst-year-in-decades-for-endangered-elephants.html

Mutilated body of male rhino recovered

2011-11-30T03:11:00.000-08:00

PTI | 03:11 PM,Nov 30,2011
Lakimpur (UP), Nov 30 (PTI) Mutilated body of a male rhino, suspected to have been killed by poachers for its horn, was recovered in Sonaripur range by the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve (DTR) authorities. "The body was recovered yesterday from Kakarha Tal area. The condition of the carcass indicates that the animal died about one and a half months back," Ganesh Bhat, Deputy Director of the DTR, said today. Following recovery of a horn from neighbouring Nepal, investigations were initiated into the matter. "Two persons have been held for interrogation, while samples from the body have been collected to be sent to WII, Dehradun, to match the DNA with that of the recovered horn in Nepal," he said. The forest authorities in Kailali, Nepal had arrested three poachers along with a rhino horn. During interrogation, the poachers told the Nepal forest officials that they had purchased the rhino horn from an Indian of Basantapur village in Kheri. The rhino rehabilitation programme in Dudhwa is the world's most successful project, where they were relocated on the terai land of Kheri district after 150 years. The programme was started in 1987 with just five rhinos brought in from Assam and Nepal. The accommodating atmosphere, rich flora and fauna of Dudhwa helped these uni-horned animals to flourish and within a few decades the number of rhinos has swelled to 31. PTI CORR AVA PG SG

‘Future of the tiger is dependent on India’

2011-11-23T21:39:00.000-08:00

BANGALORE: Dr George Schaller, emeritus scientist of New York Wildlife Conservation Society, also a leading wildlife biologist, was here in connection with a programme organised by director of WCS India Program and Centre for Wildlife Studies K Ullas Karanth, when The New Indian Express caught up with him for an exclusive interview. Excerpts:
“Tigers are extinct in Cambodia, Vietnam, Russia, China and Myanmar. The only ray of hope is India which still has around 1,600 tigers. It is time the Indian government protects them. If tigers are still in India, credit must go to former prime minister late Indira Gandhi,” said Dr George Schaller. He added that there are hardly 3,600 tigers left in the entire world.
“Tigers will exist provided there is political will and strict implementation of wildlife rules. It is heartening to note that the tiger population in India is improving, thanks to conservation. From the 1990s till date there has been an increase in the population of big cats. India has been a success story thanks to the efforts of people like Ullas Karanth,” he elucidates. Pointing out that more tigers exist in private captivity around the globe, he said: “In US, there are more than 3,500 tigers outside zoos and forests and in Russia over 7,000 tigers in people’s backyard.”
“Tiger skin and bones are sought in China for medicinal purposes. Many organised gangs kill tigers and sell the products for a huge sum. It is possible to check this illegal trade provided local communities are taken into confidence. A percentage of profit earned through tourism should be given to them for their inclusion in wildlife conservation. Unfortunately, borders to China are open; poachers take this route for all illegal trade.”
He said that villagers kill tigers and sell it to middlemen for a paltry sum who in turn take it to China where they get high prices, while calling for strong policing and cooperation of villagers.
“In a bid to improve tiger habitat, the Chinese government has initiated several measures. More areas in forests are declared as core areas for breeding in peace. It is critical to improve tiger breeding in wild. But in last 10 years, 18 out of the 800-odd poachers arrested were convicted,” Dr Schaller said.
“I hope the right steps will be taken to save the tiger; its future depends on India.”
http://expressbuzz.com/states/karnataka/%E2%80%98future-of-the-tiger-is-dependent-on-india%E2%80%99/336139.html
Photo-With George Schaller

13 nations come together to save tigers

2011-11-02T22:24:00.000-07:00

NEW DELHI: Project Predators, an initiative to save tigers, was unveiled on Wednesday at the general assembly of Interpol in Hanoi, Vietnam, where the CBI is representing the country. The project is aimed at combing the efforts of police, Customs and wildlife officials in 13 countries, including India where tigers can still be found in the wild.

It will provide capacity building to law enforcement agencies to combat tiger crimes, strengthen their ability to work with wildlife officials using advanced, intelligence-led methods of investigation. The project will also encourage countries to establish and resource National Tiger Crime Task Forces, a statement from Interpol said.

"Besides Tiger saving initiative, the assembly will discuss a wide range of issues, including assessment of the implementation of resolutions on combating crime and exchanging experiences in preventing transnational crime," CBI spokesperson Dharini Mishra said.

"During the general assembly, the director of CBI has held important discussions on matters of mutual interest with secretary general of Interpol, Ronald K Noble, Vietnam's vice minister of public security and heads of delegations from the member countries, including the USA, the UK, France, Singapore, Vietnam, Bhutan, Hong Kong and Denmark," she said. She added, "The general assembly will also ratify important resolutions on police cooperation and elect the organization's executive committee."

source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/13-nations-come-together-to-save-tigers/articleshow/10586744.cms

Man returning from US held with 25 Shahtoosh shawls

2011-09-14T23:01:00.000-07:00

Posted: Thu Sep 15 2011, 01:37 hrs
New Delhi: Discount Shopping Discussion

In one of the biggest wildlife seizures in over 10 years, the Customs department seized 25 Shahtoosh shawls and other goods worth Rs 1.69 crore from a passenger who arrived from Washington, DC at the Indira Gandhi International Airport on Tuesday.

Mudasir Gulam Ahmed Mugloo, a resident of Srinagar, who arrived from Washington, DC by flight VS-300 on Tuesday morning, had also not declared USD 21,291/- and GBP 1,025/-, equivalent to Rs 10,29,845, in the Currency Declaration Form (CDF). Mugloo told investigating officials that he had taken these goods to the US for selling. He was returning back to India with the remaining items, he said.

“All goods have been seized under Section 110 of the Customs Act, 1962 on the reasonable belief that the same were smuggled into India and were, therefore, liable to confiscation under the Custom Act, 1962 read with the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 and CITES (The Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), to which India is a signatory,” Additional Commissioner (IGIA Customs) Ashutosh Baranwal told Newsline.
Mugloo has been arrested and investigations are on in the case.

On landing at the Delhi Airport, Mugloo was diverted from the Green Channel for a detailed examination on suspicion by the Customs officials.

Earlier, on questioning by Customs, he stated that all garments were Pashmina and no Shahtoosh shawl was present in the baggage. “Detailed examination of his baggage resulted in recovery of 25 Shahtoosh shawls, a prohibited animal article for commerce derived from Scheduled animal. The same was identified and certified by the Inspector of Wildlife from Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), New Delhi,” the Customs official said.

Also found with the passenger were 89 Pashmina shawls, 55 stoles in commercial quantity, three watches of different brands, one laptop (Apple Mac Pro), an Apple I-pad (64 GB).

As per Wildlilfe Crime Bureau officials, Shahtoosh is obtained from the under fleece of ‘Chiru’ (Tibetan Antelope), for which it is killed and skinned. International market value of a Shahtoosh shawl ranges between Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakhs per piece and can fetch more depending on the handwork and dyeing.

“At least four Chiru Antelopes are killed to make one such shawl,” the official said.

Customs officials said the international market price of the 25 seized Shahtoosh shawls comes to Rs 1.53 crore (24 shawls at Rs 6 lakh each and 1 shawl at Rs 9 lakh). As revealed by the passenger to the officials, the 89 Pashmina shawls are valued at Rs 13. 8 lakh, the 55 stoles are valued at Rs 79,720/- and other goods valued at Rs. 96,056/-. All the goods were seized as they were used to conceal the consignment of Shahtoosh shawls.

Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Man-returning-from-US-held-with-25-Shahtoosh-shawls/846881/

Ivory seized in Malaysia

2011-09-07T23:39:00.000-07:00

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 5th September 2011—The Royal Malaysian Customs has seized two containers filled with 695 elephant tusks in the country’s largest port, bringing to three the number of large-scale seizures of ivory in the past three months.

The shipment, labeled as “recycled craft plastic” originated in Tanzania and was destined for China, said Customs assistant director-general Datuk Zainul Abidin Taib.

The tusks, weighing close to 2,000 kg were packed in gunny sacks and hidden under the plastic material, the same way it had been in the shipment seized a fortnight ago in Penang, Zainol said.

The seizure in Penang on 21st August, consisted of 664 African elephant tusks hidden in a container from the United Arab Emirates. The 1.5 tonne seizure, declared as “used plastics”, was made at the Butterworth Port, in the northwest of Peninsular Malaysia.

In an earlier seizure on 8th July, the Wildlife and National Parks Department and Customs Department seized a container of 405 African elephant tusks declared as plywood at the Pasir Gudang Port, in the southernmost state of Johor.

Speaking on the latest seizure, Zainul said it would not have been possible without information from the public.

“We hope the public will continue to co-operate with Customs and provide us with timely information,” he told TRAFFIC Southeast Asia.

No arrests have been made so far but Zainul said investigations into the three recent cases would continue.

Malaysia has come under a harsh spotlight in recent months for its role as a transshipment point in high-profile ivory seizures in Hong Kong and from Kenya and Tanzania.

“This latest in a series of major ivory seizures in Malaysia is both heartening and disappointing,” said TRAFFIC Southeast Asia Regional Director Dr William Schaedla.

“It’s heartening because it shows that the country’s authorities can and will take action on the problem. It’s disappointing because it clearly validates what TRAFFIC has been saying for some time now – Malaysia is a major transshipping country for illegal ivory.”

Schaedla congratulated the Customs Department on the successful seizures and urged continued vigilance both in Malaysia and in the region.

“Illegal wildlife trade is fluid. Now that the ivory traffickers have been caught out using some of Malaysia’s ports they are likely to move through others in an effort to keep their black market business alive.”

http://www.traffic.org/home/2011/9/5/large-ivory-seizure-in-malaysia-the-third-in-past-three-mont.html

Cross border smuggling on rise in Indo-China border

2011-09-05T23:16:00.000-07:00

Trafficking of rare stuff - in high demand at the international market - is on the rise on India’s border with China in Himachal Pradesh. For second time in past 13 months police has detected cross border smuggling on “porous” border with China in remote Kinnaur district raising questions about security arrangements.

Police on Monday seized two trucks laden with costly pashmina wool that was smuggled from Chinese villages to Indian border. The estimated cost of the seized wool is pegged at around Rs 1.5 crore in the international market. The police seized these trucks near Kharo in Pooh subdivision that is 100 kilometers from Nako a village close to China border in the district.

Reliable sources have told Hindustan Times that consignment of pashmina wool had been brought from the border villages in China. The pashmina wool that weighs about five tonne had been brought on the pony backs from Churup village in China administered Tibetan Autonomous Region. The wool is harvested from Himalayan mountain goat. The goat is found in Kashmir, Tibet and Nepal primarily. As pashmina wool set the fashion world on fire in the 1990s, it has high price in the international market.

Sources said that cops have also found some quantity of shatoosh wool sheared from rare Tibetan antelope Chiru. Wildlife reports have put that 20,000 of the wild animals that live on China's Tibetan Plateau are killed each year or are either shot in herds by automatic weapons or caught in leg-hold traps-for their prized coats. The shahtoosh trade was banned globally in 1975 under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) following a fall in the number of the antelopes. The Indian government followed and banned the trade in 1991.

The local drivers of the impounded trucks have told police that the wool was being taken to police. Local cops are also questioning one Kamla Nand a local said to be having close connections with Chinese traders. Reliable information said that Nand was arrested few days back while smuggling rare scotch Whiskies to China villages. Nand is said to informer for the military sources.

If sources are to be believed police had seized two trucks laden with pashmina wool and about eight other have already made their way into the Delhi markets. “Right now we cannot say anything except that tow trucks laden with Pashmina wool had been seized,” said Superintendent of Police in Kinnaur Ashok Kumar.

In August 2010 police has seized 12 tonnes of red sanders wood that was enruote to China. Red sanders wood grows in the forest of Andhra Pradesh is in high demand in China. The red sanders wood contains thorium is used as coolant in the old fashioned nuclear reactors; it is also used in medicines and making musical instruments in China.

Investigations revealed that the truck drivers had been issued permits by Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) officers. ITBP is responsible for managing the security along Indian border in two tribal districts Lahual and Spiti and Kinnaur. The police sleuths had detected involvement of ITBP officials in the incident. A commandant and cops had been suspended for their involvement.

The latest case of cross border smuggling had once again raised question about the security along the Indo-China border.

Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/Cross-border-smuggling-on-rise-in-Indo-China-border/Article1-741981.aspx

Nearly 800 pieces of ivory seized in Hong Kong

2011-09-01T04:22:00.000-07:00

Customs officers in Hong Kong have reported the seizure of 794 pieces of ivory tusks weighing 1.9 tonnes, concealed inside a shipping container that arrived from Malaysia Monday.

The consignment was declared as products for factory use, but upon examination by officers of the Ports and Maritime Command was found to contain African elephant ivory, concealed by stones.

A 66-year-old man was arrested and follow-up investigations are in progress.

“The authorities in Hong Kong are to be congratulated on this important seizure, but it is now vital to ensure that all leads are followed to track down those responsible along the entire smuggling chain,” said Tom Milliken, Elephant & Rhino Programme Coordinator at wildlife trade network TRAFFIC.

“This looks like another huge consignment of ivory aimed at the Chinese market, only days after the CITES Standing Committee recommended a review of China’s internal ivory trade protocol to determine whether there are possibilities for illicitly sourced ivory to leak into the legal ivory trade system.”

Globally, illicit trade in ivory has been escalating since 2004 and Chinese consumption is considered to be the leading driver behind Africa’s elephant poaching crisis.

This is not the first time Hong Kong has made a large seizure of ivory arriving from Malaysia. In December 2009, 186 pieces of ivory were found inside a container shipped from Malaysia labeled as containing “White Wood”. That shipment originated in Nigeria, but the origins of yesterday’s consignment have not been disclosed.

In 2003, Hong Kong authorities also seized 275 tusks, weighing nearly 2 tonnes, transiting from Malaysia after being illegally exported from Tanzania.

And again, last week, more than 1000 ivory tusks were seized in Zanzibar, Tanzania, apparently en route to Malaysia.

Milliken manages the Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS), the illegal ivory trade monitoring system that TRAFFIC runs on behalf of Parties to CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora).

ETIS holds the details of nearly 17,000 reported ivory and other elephant product seizures that have taken place anywhere in the world since 1989.

A total of 164 ivory seizures have occurred in Hong Kong during this 23-year period, collectively representing over 17 tonnes of elephant ivory.

According to the most recent full analysis of ETIS, published in 2009, “Malaysia has progressively gained prominence in successive ETIS analyses as a transit country for African ivory.”

Malaysia’s Department of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsular Malaysia issued a statement saying it was highly concerned over last week’s seizure in Zanzibar and had contacted Tanzanian authorities with regard to the case.

“This latest Hong Kong seizure further underscores Malaysia’s role as an intermediary country in the illicit flow of African ivory to Asia,” said Milliken. “It’s time for Malaysia to get tough on international ivory smugglers, who are tarnishing the country’s reputation.”

TRAFFIC is a joint programme of WWF and IUCN.
http://wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/?201487/Nearly-800-pieces-of-ivory-seized-in-Hong-Kong

Wildlife trade ring busted

2011-08-06T08:29:00.000-07:00

New Delhi, Aug. 5: Chhattisgarh police has arrested a man alleged to be the “kingpin” of an extensive network of illegal trade in animal and plant wildlife that extended to other Asian countries, wildlife officials said today after an 18-month cloak-and-dagger operation.

Veeriya Shekhar, a resident of Moreh in Manipur, was detained by immigration authorities at Chennai airport on July 13 while he was trying to flee to Bangkok after India’s Wildlife Crime Control Bureau issued a lookout circular for him, WCCB officers said.

“This is a big catch — and it has come after months of hardcore intelligence on his clandestine activities,” said a senior WCCB officer. “We believe he has been the kingpin of a vast network of trade in tiger and leopard bones, deer antlers, pangolin scales and red sandalwood.”

Pangolin scales are the outer skin layers of an anteater and are in great demand in traditional Chinese medicine, the official said. Red sandalwood, also called red sanders, is an expensive type of wood valued for its quality of timber.

Although India has been exporting red sanders since the 17th century, a burgeoning international demand for the red sanders’ wavy grain quality timber has led to illegal and destructive exploitation of the wild resources.

Earlier this year, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence officers from Siliguri had seized 17,290kg of red sanders valued at Rs 1.73 crore in Darjeeling district. The logs concealed under sacks of marble chips were meant for illegal export to Nepal, DRI officers had said.

In a statement issued today, the WCCB has said it considers the arrest of Shekhar as a “crucial breakthrough” in cracking a smuggling ring of red sanders in India and other neighbouring countries, including China, Myanmar and Nepal.

A WCCB officer said information about Shekhar’s role in the smuggling network emerged during the interrogation of persons who had been arrested during a series of seizures over the past 18 months.

After months of investigations, the officer said, the WCCB issued a lookout circular that enabled the immigration officers in Chennai to detain Shekhar. He was subsequently arrested by Chhattisgarh police and moved to Raipur where police have filed a case against him.
Source:http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110806/jsp/nation/story_14343533.jsp

Red sanders king pin arrested

2011-07-16T09:21:00.000-07:00

रायपुर चेन्नई एयरपोर्ट पर पकड़े गए अंतरराष्ट्रीय चंदन तस्कर शेखर विरैय्या के मणिपुर के आतंकवादी संगठन केवायकेएल (कांगलेई यमोल कन्ना लूप) से कारोबारी संबंध हैं। मणिपुर-बर्मा और तिब्बत के रास्ते विरैय्या सालों से लाल चंदन की लकड़ियां चीन भेज रहा था।

पुलिस को संदेह है कि अपने इसी ट्रांसपोर्ट चैनल का इस्तेमाल वह नक्सलियों और माफिया गिरोहों को बर्मा-मणिपुर या तिब्बत के रास्ते हथियार और कारतूसों की सप्लाई में भी कर रहा था। इस एंगल से शेखर से पूछताछ भी शुरू हो गई है।

रायपुर में मारा गया ट्रांसपोर्टर राजेश डागर और उसका भाई सत्येंद्र शेखर विरैय्या के लिए काम करते थे। राजेश चंदन की लकड़ियां अपनी ट्रकों में भरकर दिल्ली के रास्ते हिमाचलप्रदेश से मणिपुर तस्करी करता था। मणिपुर के सीमाई गांव मोरे बॉर्डर से लकड़ियों को सीमा पार बर्मा-चीन भेजने में उसे केवायकेएल की मदद मिलती थी। दिल्ली पुलिस के मुताबिक यह आतंकी संगठन हथियारों की सप्लाई में भी लिप्त रहा है। पिछले कुछ समय से मणिपुर में सेना ने अपना दबाव बढ़ाया है। इलाके में कूकी जनजाति के बढ़ते दबदबे ने शेखर के लिए कारोबार करना मुश्किल कर दिया था। इन हालात को देखते हुए गिरोह ने हिमाचलप्रदेश होते हुए तिब्बत के रास्ते चीन तक माल पहुंचाना शुरू कर दिया।

कल देर रात तक पुलिस शेखर से अलग-अलग एंगल से पूछताछ करती रही। विरैय्या की गिरफ्तारी को पुलिस बड़ी सफलता मान रही है। दिल्ली से ही आई वाइल्ड लाइफ क्राइम कंट्रोल ब्यूरो (डब्ल्यूएलसीसीबी) की टीम ने भी शुक्रवार को शेखर से घंटों पूछताछ की। उनके सवालों में भी आतंकी संगठन और नक्सलियों को हथियार सप्लाई से जुड़े मुद्दे शामिल थे।

विरैय्या ने क्यों करवाई राजेश की हत्या? :

राजेश डागर बेवजह रायपुर नहीं आया था। लाल चंदन की लकड़ियों का उसका ज्यादातर कारोबार कर्नाटक से था। पुलिस को शक है कि राजेश ने नक्सलियों से लिंक बना लिया था और अपने ट्रांसपोर्ट नेटवर्क के जरिये ही वह हथियारों की अवैध सप्लाई के धंधे में कूद पड़ा। इंटेलिजेंस ब्यूरो (आईबी) ने भी इस तरह की गतिविधियों के संकेत दिए थे। वह पहले विरैय्या के लिए काम करता था। राजेश और सत्येंद्र के आतंकी गुटों से सीधे संबंध थे। दिल्ली पुलिस के मुताबिक सत्येंद्र इसी आतंकी संगठन के लीडर थुआंग की हत्या का भी मुख्य आरोपी है। पुलिस की जांच कहती है कि राजेश का ट्रांसपोर्टिग को लेकर विरैय्या से विवाद हुआ। तभी विरैय्या ने सत्येंद्र से कहकर उसे मरवा डाला। हालांकि हत्या में अपना हाथ होने की बाद अब तक शेखर नहीं कबूल नहीं की है। लेकिन उसके खिलाफ पुलिस के पास साक्ष्य हैं।

सूत्रों के मुताबिक ऐसा माना जा रहा है कि राजेश नक्सलियों के लिए काम करने लगा था। इसी मामले में विरैय्या भी जुड़ा और चंदन व हथियारों की सप्लाई तस्करी को लेकर विवाद ही राजेश के मौत की वजह बनी होगी।

वीरप्पन के बाद दूसरा तस्कर

कर्नाटक और आंध्रप्रदेश के जंगल में आपरेट करने वाले तस्कर वीरप्पन के एनकाउंटर में मारे जाने के बाद उस इलाके में विरैय्या ने कब्जा कर लिया था। विरैय्या तमिलनाडु और कर्नाटक के जंगलों में तस्करी करता था। वीरप्पन कर्नाटक व आंध्रा के जंगलों में रहकर लकड़ियां वहीं बेचता था, लेकिन विरैय्या का नेटवर्क विदेशों तक फैला हुआ है। दिल्ली की डब्लूएलसीसीबी टीम के पूछताछ में यह स्पष्ट हुआ है कि विरैय्या साउथ से हिमाचल-अरुणाचल प्रदेश के रास्ते बर्मा से चंदन चीन को सप्लाई करता था। इस काम में आतंकी संगठन केवॉयकेएल की भी प्रमुख भूमिका होती थी।

राजेश रायपुर में रहकर भारत के दक्षिण से चीन को चंदन की तस्करी करता था। विरैय्या से उसके विवाद की वजह भी स्पष्ट नहीं हुई है। पुलिस को शक है कि वह आतंकी संगठनों के माध्यम से नक्सलियों को होने वाली हथियार और गोलियों की सप्लाई की अहम कड़ी था। इसकी पड़ताल की जा रही है। दिल्ली की टीम भी कई बिंदुओं पर विरैय्या से पूछताछ कर रही है।
http://www.bhaskar.com/article/CHH-RAI-virayya-suspected-of-collusion-with-the-maoists-2267919.html?OF4=

SAWEN organised training workshop on wildlife crime for South Asian enforcement agencies

2011-07-12T00:18:00.000-07:00

Gandhinagar, India, 11th July 2011—Representatives from seven South Asia countries today begin five-days of training on “Strengthening Wildlife Law Enforcement for Wildlife Protection in South Asia” under the aegis of the newly established South Asian Wildlife Enforcement Network (SAWEN).

The meeting at the University of Forensic Sciences, Gandhinagar, Gujarat is the first such training to be organized for SAWEN members on wildlife law enforcement.

Senior-level government officials working in the field of wildlife conservation from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka are attending the programme which has been organized by TRAFFIC with support from the Global Tiger Forum, the Directorate of Forensic Sciences, Govt. of Gujarat and the Gujarat Forest Department.

Participants will receive a comprehensive understanding of the present scenario of wildlife crime and trade in South Asia and its implications for field conservation and be introduced to the modern tools and techniques used in strengthening wildlife law enforcement.

The programme brings together various national and international experts and agencies working in this field to exchange ideas, experiences and knowledge on curbing illegal wildlife trade. This initiative will help further strengthen collaboration amongst various South Asian countries and wildlife law enforcement agencies across the region. .

Speaking at the inaugural session, Hon. Chief Minister, Gujarat, Shri Narendra Modi said: “I welcome all wildlife experts representing various countries to the State of Gujarat. It is high time that the law enforcement agencies’ focus is diverted towards prevention and detection of crimes. Gujarat State has taken a lead in this direction by establishing an important branch called ‘Wildlife Forensics’ at the State Forensic Laboratory. I compliment SAWEN Secretariat for organizing this workshop”.

Shri Balwant Singh, Additional Chief Secretary, Govt. of Gujarat said: “Illegal wildlife trade is a serious issue and requires concerted and well co-ordinated action to curb it. The newly formed South Asia Enforcement Network should help in this direction.”

All eight countries of South Asia are members of SAWEN, which was launched at an inter-governmental meeting hosted by the Royal Government of Bhutan in January 2011 in Paro, Bhutan and has a Secretariat based in Nepal.

“The establishment of SAWEN was a very crucial, timely and much needed step forward to institutionalize the collaborative efforts of member nations in controlling wildlife crime in the region. I am especially happy to note that under the SAWEN work plan, the first multi country training programme on Strengthening Wildlife Law Enforcement for Wildlife Protection in South Asia is being held in Gandhinagar,” said Hon. Minister of Environment and Forest, Govt. of India, Shri Jairam Ramesh. “Gujarat has some very good successes to share in this direction.”

Mr Krishna Prasad Acharya, Chief Enforcement Co-ordinator of SAWEN & the Director General, Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, Nepal said: “Illegal wildlife trade is a form of trans-national organized crime that threatens many iconic species across the world. National Governments in South Asia recognize this threat and are committed to work together to counter such threats. The establishment of SAWEN is an expression of this commitment. This training programme, the first of its kind under SAWEN, will support our common cause and will surely be the first of many more such collaborative efforts.”

The key resources persons at the training programme include experts from the Gujarat Forensic Sciences University, Central Bureau of Investigation, Financial Intelligence Unit, Govt. of India, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Wildlife Institute of India, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime- South Asia Regional Office and TRAFFIC.

Smuggler from Delhi held for possessing endangered tortoises

2011-07-05T02:09:00.000-07:00

PTI | 08:06 PM,Jun 30,2011
Dehra Dun, Jun 30 (PTI) Uttarakhand forest department today recovered three live star tortoises here and arrested two smugglers, including one from Delhi, police today said. Following a tip-off from state anti-poaching cell, a forest department team stopped the accused near the Wadia Institute of Himalayn Geology and recovered live three star tortoises from them, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Meenakshi Joshi said. The star tortoise is an endangered species of tortoise, she added. The accused have been identified as Shivram, a resident of Delhi, and Subodh Chhilwal, belonging to Almora. They have been booked under Wildlife Protection Act
http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/smuggler-from-delhi-held-for-possessing-endangered-tortoises/743592.html

NTCA committee on orphaned tiger cubs

2011-07-05T02:03:00.000-07:00

NAGPUR: The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has constituted a three-member committee for examining issues relating to abandoned and orphaned tiger cubs from the wild, so as to explore the feasibility of their in-situ rearing and release in low tiger density habitats. The committee members are Prof PC Tyagi, YV Jhala, both scientists with Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, and SP Yadav, deputy inspector general (DIG) of NTCA as the member convener.

Yadav said that the terms of reference (ToR) of the committee will include country-wide assessment of the wild caught orphaned and abandoned cubs; identification of low density tiger reserves; to give recommendation for rehabilitation of such cubs vis-Ã -vis the NTCA guidelines; to prescribe 'minimum standards' for creation of tiger safaris; and to examine feasibility of ex-situ to in-situ linkage in the context of tiger. The committee will submit its report in 60 days, Yadav said.

MoEF meet on tiger reserves: The ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) has called a meeting of field directors of all tiger reserves at Bandipur in Karnataka. The two-day meet on July 29 and 30, will be inaugurated by union environment and forest minister Jairam Ramesh. All chief wildlife wardens of tiger-bearing states have been told to attend the meeting and make presentations on status of tiger reserves in their states.
Ref:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/NTCA-committee-on-orphaned-tiger-cubs/articleshow/9105095.cms

Airport staff get training to check wildlife smuggling

2011-06-20T05:08:00.000-07:00

NEW DELHI: In order to curb wildlife smuggling through airports, Wildlife Crime Control Bureau today started special training of Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) staff, entrusted to scan check-in baggage.

As part of the training exercise for the first batch of about 30 DIAL staff, a team of three senior officials of the national wildlife crime watchdog provided them specific signatures of wildlife articles which can be identified during the scanning process.

"Every wildlife article has some key signatures which can be identified in special scanners used by airport security staff here. So we provided them with such signatures during the session. We also gave our manual to them which carries detailed information of species which are under threat," a WCCB official said.

There are about 300 personnel of DIAL who look after scanning services of check-in baggage at Indira Gandhi International Airport. In the first batch today nearly 30 officials were trained and soon WCCB plans to cover all of them in different session.

Sources said another session for different set of officials has been planned for tomorrow.

"Although no case of wildlife smuggling through airports has come to light in India but in Thailand there have been cases where tiger cubs, star tortoise have been discovered in the light. The training will help the staff to identify such articles during scanning," he said.

WCCB has been carrying out such sensitisation programmes for officials of CISF who look after hand-baggage checking and also of SSB which guards Indo-Nepal border. PTI ABS
http://in.news.yahoo.com/airport-staff-training-check-wildlife-smuggling-102800795.html (Source)

5 convicted in for 31 years in Sariska tiger case

2011-06-17T06:48:00.001-07:00

A court today awarded five hunters 31 years of imprisonment under six sections of the Wildlife Protection Act for killing a tigress in Sariska reserve in 2004.

The five, however, will spent altogether seven years in jail as the sentences will run concurrently.

Additional chief judicial magistrate Himankani Gaud sentenced each of the five poachers to 31 years in jail, but they will remain behind bars for seven years.

Gaud also slapped a fine of Rs 1.30 lakh on the five.

The hunters -- Jeevan Ram, Juru, Luru, Ramjan and Taiyab -- had killed the tigress in Akbarpur range of Sariska.
Sourse-PTI

WCCB enlisting volunteers

2011-06-16T01:15:00.000-07:00

Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) is enlisting volunteers ready to work with organisation for natural surveillance, capacity building and awareness etc. The application can be submitted by e-mail or by post in the prescribed format available on the Bureau's website.
http://wccb.gov.in/

2011-06-06T00:45:00.000-07:00

Meet to curb wildlife trade

2011-06-05T23:55:00.000-07:00

PANKAJ SARMA
Guwahati, June 5: The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau has convened a meeting here tomorrow to coordinate enforcement efforts of various government agencies to curb smuggling in wildlife.

The meeting, which will be held at Assam State Zoo, will be attended by senior forest officials of Assam, Manipur, Nagaland, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh, along with top officers of various security forces and enforcement agencies, including the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, BSF, Sashastra Seema Bal, Assam Rifles, customs department and directorate of revenue intelligence, among others.

Officials of railways and postal department were also invited to the meeting, as smugglers often use trains and speed-post parcels to smuggle wildlife items.

Additional director of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, Rina Mitra, the bureau’s regional deputy director (eastern region), Chaturbhuja Behera, and its wildlife inspector, Abhijit Roy Chowdhury, will be present at the meeting.

The bureau is a statutory body constituted by the Centre in 2007 to protect the country’s wildlife.

“The meeting was convened to sensitise the personnel of various agencies on different issues related to wildlife smuggling such as the routes used by the smugglers, to share data on professional poachers and their modus operandi and measures that can be taken up to prevent organised poaching and smuggling of animal parts,” Behera said.

It would also focus on strengthening and ensuring proper implementation of laws at international exit points.

Behera said animal parts like tiger bones, ivory, pangolin scales, rhino horns, deer antlers, lizards, snakes and forest produces such as red sander wood were being smuggled to places like China, Myanmar and other Southeast Asian nations through the Northeast, which was a cause for serious concern.

He said since it was the secondary and not the primary duty of the security forces to control wildlife crimes, they would also try to create awareness among the latter about the nuances of wildlife crime investigations and also about helping state governments in ensuring success in related prosecutions.

“We will try to set up a mechanism to control wildlife crime and bust international wildlife smuggling rackets based in places like Dimapur, Imphal, Moreh and Pallel, among others, in the Northeast and neighbouring countries like Myanmar and China,” Behera said.

Source:http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110606/jsp/northeast/story_14075393.jsp

Nearly 200 tigers fell prey to poaching in last 12 years

2011-06-05T23:52:00.000-07:00

Nearly 200 tigers were killed by poachers in and around various forest reserves in the country, in the last 12 years, news that points out the danger that the national animal faces in its habitat.

Besides, 250 wild cats died of natural causes including old age, in fighting, starvation, road and rail accidents, electrocution and weakness during this period.

According to an RTI reply from the Ministry of Environment and Forests, 447 wild cats were reportedly found dead between 1999 and March 2011 in and around a number of natural habitats for tigers, of which 197 were poached.

The ministry also noted that poaching was the major cause behind disappearance of tigers from Sariska and Panna reserves.

“The cases of local extinction of tigers were reported in Sariska, Rajasthan (2005) and Panna, Madhya Pradesh (2008). As reported, poaching of tigers was the major cause of their extinction,” National Tiger Conservation Authority under the MoEF said in reply to an RTI query filed by PTI.

A highest of 36 each tigers were poached in 2001 and 2002, followed by 24 each in 1999 and in 2010, it said. Two tigers were found to be killed in poaching between January and March 17 this year, the reply said.

Whereas 20 wild cats were killed in 2003, 17 in 2009, 10 in 2007, nine each in 2000 and 2008, and five fell prey to hunters in 2006, it said.

The ministry, however, did not give details of action taken reports in the cases of poaching, saying that concerned state governments were the custodian of information.

source:http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/article2079069.ece

Haathi Mere Saathi campaign launched

2011-05-24T23:43:00.000-07:00

Reaching out to the people, to improve conservation and welfare prospects of the elephant - India’s National Heritage Animal, the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) in partnership with the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) has launched the nationwide Haathi Mere Saathi campaign.

Addressing at the Elephant-8 Ministerial Meeting today in New Delhi, the Minister of State for Environment and Forests (I/C), Shri Jairam Ramesh said that Elephants are so ingrained in Indian culture and traditions, that sometimes, we tend to take the elephant for granted. He said, this public initiative is aimed at increasing awareness among people and developing not just friendship but also companionship between people and elephants. The Minister unveiled the Campaign mascot, logo and website (www.haathimeresaathi.org) on the occasion.

Shri Ramesh said, unlike the tiger, which faces threat of extinction, the elephant faces threats of attrition. The elephant numbers have not increased or decreased drastically, but there is increasing pressure on the elephant habitats and it is a serious concern that we will try and address by involving people in elephant conservation and welfare through this campaign, he added.

The Minister said that one of the recommendations of the Elephant Task Force last year was for India to take a lead in global elephant conservation. This has now become a reality at this E-8 Meet. “The delegates present here represent two-third of the world’s wild elephant population. Later in 2013 we will bring in all the 50 elephant range countries together to deliberate and actively cooperate for elephant conservation and welfare,” the Minister added.

Representing regions with all three species of elephants, the participants included policy makers, conservationists, scientists, historians, art and culture experts among others from India, Botswana, Republic of Congo, Indonesia, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Thailand. Discussions covered a wide range of issues categorised under three basic themes Science and Conservation, Management and Conservation, and Cultural and Ethical perspectives of conservation.

Recommended by the Elephant Task Force (ETF) constituted by the Ministry last year, the Campaign to ‘take Gajah (the elephant) to Prajah (the people)’ aims to spread awareness and encourage people’s participation in elephant conservation and welfare.

The Executive Director-WTI and a member of the ETF, Shri Vivek Menon said that Elephants have for ages been a significant icon in Indian culture and traditions and a flagship for Indian forests. However, today, threats to the pachyderms in the wild; and there are welfare concerns for captive elephants. The country’s National Heritage Animal needs its people and the idea behind the Campaign is to mobilise this support.

The Asian elephant is threatened by habitat degradation, conflicts and poaching for ivory. These threats are more intense in India which harbours more than 50% of the world’s Asian elephants, but also struggles to balance its aspirations for development, and people’s welfare, as it strives to secure its natural heritage.

The Additional Director General (Wildlife), Government of India, Shri Jagdish Kishwan said that India has about 25,000 elephants in the wild. Despite this seemingly large number, the elephant, particularly the tuskers, in India is as threatened as the tiger. There are just about 1200 tuskers left in the country. Moreover, elephants being large-bodied have much larger range and resource requirements; destruction of their habitat can have drastic effects on this species, and these cannot be addressed without the people’s participation.

For effective conservation and welfare measures, the Campaign is strategised to evoke companionship with the animal, highlighting the strong cultural, religious and social association of elephants as well as their ecological values.

The Campaign focuses on various target audience groups including locals near elephant habitats, youth, policy makers, among others. It envisions setting up of Gajah centres in elephant landscapes across the country to spread awareness on their plight and invoke people’s participation in addressing the threats to them. It also plans to build capacity of protection and law enforcement agencies at the ground level, and advocate for policies favouring the pachyderms.

Source: PIB
http://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=72278

Woman sentenced to five years imprisonment for trade in tiger parts

2011-04-09T06:24:00.000-07:00

Lakhimpur (Uttar Pradesh), April 8, 2011: Dilipo, a habitual wildlife offender belonging to the Bawaria community, was sentenced to five years and three months of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 50,000 for illegal trade in tiger parts, by the Court of RK Shukla, Chief Judicial Magistrate, Lakhimpur Kheri on Wednesday.

Dilipo was arrested in early 2007, following seizure of tiger parts from Lakhimpur in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Two kgs of tiger meat and bones were seized on January 7, 2007 by the Forest Department authorities. More wildlife articles were recovered a day later. This was followed by the seizure of a leg trap, mobile set, a device used to remove animal nails and a telephone diary from one Kalicharan on January 12. His statement identified Dilipo as one of the accomplices who had sold the skin of the same tiger for Rs 40,00

The conviction was Dilipo's third. The prosecution was assisted by Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) advocates Rakesh Kumar Srivastava and Sanjay Kumar Rai.

“This conviction will go a long way as a deterrent to poachers who regularly indulge in wildlife crimes and will send a strong message to the public at large,” said Ramesh Kumar Pandey, Deputy Director - Northern Region, Wildlife Crime Control Bureau.

Dilipo’s first case was in Pilibhit, 25 years ago when she was arrested for illegal hunting, and trading in tiger parts. A few days after the arrest, she absconded and changed her identity adopting the name of Shanti.

The second case was in Katarniaghat when Shanti (aka Dilipo) was arrested in 2005, also related to trade in tiger parts. It was later discovered that she was Dilipo. She was sentenced to nine months of imprisonment as she voluntarily confessed her crime.

The Bawarias are a nomadic community, traditionally bushmeat hunters,” says Jose Louies, Officer-in-Charge, Enforcement Assistance and Law division, WTI. “Presently, using the cover of being wanderers, some members of this community are involved in wildlife trade rackets within the country and also across the Indo-Nepal border. Women are involved as much as the men. There have been ample incidents of wildlife goods being recovered from them, concealed inside articles like plaster-of-paris idols, paintings, etc.”
http://www.wildlifetrustofindia.org/current-news/110408_Woman_sentenced_to_five_years_imprisonment_for_trade_in_tiger_parts.html
Photo(c) Ramesh Pandey

Tiger population in India increases from 1411

2011-03-26T04:49:00.000-07:00

India's tiger population on the rise: report
By AFP
Published Saturday, March 26, 2011
India's tiger population has increased for the first time in decades, a newspaper said on Saturday, citing a national tiger census report slated to be released next week.

According to the 2009-10 tiger census report, the number roaming India has jumped to 1,510-1,550 from 1,411 in 2004-05, The Indian Express newspaper said.

The newspaper report came ahead of an international tiger conservation conference due to open on Monday in the Indian capital New Delhi.

India is home to more than half of the world's rapidly dwindling wild tiger population, but its conservation programme, said by the government to be the world's most comprehensive, has been struggling to halt the big cat's decline.

Tiger conservationists welcomed the news and said that the population increase was due to the authorities surveying more areas to conduct the census and creating more tiger reserves.

Tito Joseph, programme director at the Wildlife Protection Society of India, said "the latest census included some of the areas they left out last time because of problems accessing the terrain, like the Sunderbans" which is home to hundreds of tigers.

The Sunderbans mangrove forest straddles the borders of India's West Bengal state and Bangladesh and lies on the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta.

"They have also set up more tiger reserves. In 2004 there were only 28-33 tiger reserves, now there are 39 reserves, so that's obviously helped," Joseph told AFP.

"It's a good strategy, because tigers need space above all, and if you can create inviolate space their numbers will naturally go up," he said.

The current tiger population still remains a long way off the numbers registered in 2002 when some 3,700 tigers were estimated to be alive in the country.

There were estimated to be around 40,000 tigers in India at the time of independence from Britain in 1947.

Authorities across Asia are waging a major battle against poachers and other man-made problems such as destruction of the tigers' habitat due to industrial expansion.

A major poacher trafficking route begins in India and ends in China where tiger parts are highly prized as purported cures for a range of ailments and as aphrodisiacs.

"Tiger skins fetch anywhere around 11,000-21,000 US dollars and bones are sold for about 1,000 US dollars in China," said Rajesh Gopal, chairman of National Tiger Conservation Authority in New Delhi.
Source:http://www.emirates247.com/news/world/india-s-tiger-population-on-the-rise-report-2011-03-26-1.373065#send2friend
(Note: It is the 100th post on my blog, and I am happy to share with you a positive news regarding efforts on Tiger conservation in the country.
Photo credit: Bhagat Singh

Five otter skins seized, two arrested

2011-01-24T05:07:00.000-08:00

Shahjahanpur, Jan 24 (PTI) Five otter skins were today seized and two persons were arrested in a joint operation by the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau and CBI in this Uttar Pradesh district.

The two persons were arrested from near the Shahjahanpur railway station when they were allegedly trying to sell the skins of the endangered animal.

The value of otter skin is only next to tiger skin, an official said.

Sources said the two arrested were on the radar of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), the nodal agency for dealing with wildlife crimes in the country, for sometime and after obtaining specific intelligence, the duo were arrested with the help of CBI.

The authorities are trying to obtain more information on the source of the skins and their possible customers, they said.

India is home to three species of Otters. These are- Eurasian Otter (Lutra lutra), smooth-coated Otter (Lutra perspicillata) and small-clawed Otter (Aonyx cinereus). PTI ABS NES
http://news.in.msn.com/national/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4835360

Tigress kills man in Uttar Pradesh

2011-01-06T21:27:00.000-08:00

Bahraich (Uttar Pradesh), Jan 6 (IANS) A tigress killed an old man near the Katarniaghat forest reserve in Uttar Pradesh's Bahraich Thursday, an official said.
'The tigress attacked 60-year-old Shaligram, a resident of Tilhanpurwa, in the sugarcane fields situated around 50 metres away from the forest reserve,' Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) R.K. Singh told IANS.
'The pugmarks spotted near the victim's body indicate that an adult tigress attacked and killed the man,' he added.
According to officials, efforts were on to drive the tiger back to the forest reserve.
According to the last census, Katarniaghat recorded the presence of around 58 tigers.
Bahraich is about 130 km from Lucknow.

http://www.sify.com/news/tigress-kills-man-in-uttar-pradesh-news-national-lbgw4jeegdi.html

Leopard found dead in sanctuary, poacher nabbed

2010-12-28T23:20:00.000-08:00

A four-year-old male leopard was found dead in Kishanpur wildlife sanctuary in Lakhimpur Kheri district. The feline was trapped in an iron snare. It appeared to have died after sustaining serious injuries in an effort to free itself from the snare. The forest department and the local police have lodged a joint operation to arrest poachers.

One of the poachers responsible for the leopard’s death was arrested on Monday. But the arrest could not be confirmed.

Local villagers apprised wildlife activist Jaswant Singh Kalair about the leopard having been trapped near Ambargarh area of the sanctuary on Sunday evening.

After getting the information, Singh, along with other forest officials, reached the spot to rescue the leopard.

“We were waiting for the tranquillising team to arrive after arranging a cage for shifting the leopard. But before members of the team could arrive, the leopard died,” said Singh.

After senior forest officials reached the spot, the carcass was sent for a post-mortem examination.

Several incidents of killings of leopards have been reported from Kishanpur sanctuary in the recent past.

Last week, a leopard strayed from a forest area and entered a village in Gorakhpur where it injured several people. Later, it went back into its natural habitat.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Leopard-found-dead-in-sanctuary-poacher-nabbed/Article1-643834.aspx#

Cameras keep eye on snow leopards in Spiti Valley

2010-12-28T23:17:00.000-08:00

Shimla, Dec 29 (IANS) The third eye is monitoring the movement of the highly endangered, elusive snow leopard in the cold deserts of Himachal Pradesh. And one of the camera traps has thrown up useful footage - of a pack of dogs attacking and injuring a snow leopard.

With just about 750 snow leopards left in India, the Himachal Pradesh government is using cameras to monitor their movement in Spiti Valley, the state's northernmost part, running parallel to the Tibetan border.

The state's wildlife department, in coordination with Mysore-based non-governmental organisation Nature Conservation Foundation, has installed 20 camera traps (automatic cameras) in Spiti Valley.

One of the cameras captured shots of a pack of dogs attacking a snow leopard. The dogs were abandoned by the pastoral communities that migrate from alpine pastures in summer along with their livestock, chief wildlife warden A.K. Gulati told IANS.

'From this video clip, we came to know that abandoned dogs are also a potential threat to the wild cat. However, in this case, the snow leopard managed to escape with minor injuries on its hind legs,' Gulati said.

According to wildlife experts, the rise in the population of abandoned dogs might pose a threat to the snow leopards' food chain.

'The dogs usually attack in a pack and it's easy for them to hunt even big mammals like the Himalayan blue sheep. This might reduce the prey base of the wild cat,' an expert said.

The snow leopard, a graceful golden-eyed animal with thick fur, padded paws and a long tail, is found in rocky regions at an altitude from 2,700 to 6,000 metres (8,900 ft to 20,000 ft). Himachal has adopted it as its state animal.

Not only is the animal extremely elusive but its cold, inhospitable habitat means very little is known about it. Hence the need for technology.

'Initially, 20 cameras have been installed in a 100 sq km area of Spiti to monitor the movement and behaviour of the snow leopards,' Gulati told IANS.

Each camera costs around Rs.250,000 and is equipped with a sensor that shoots any movement of any animal in its vicinity. Each camera has a battery backup of 25 days.

'Placing a camera is really a herculean task. One has to trudge miles of rugged, cold and inhospitable Himalayan terrain. We have to restrict even the movement of the humans as it might develop fear psychosis in the animal or spoil their habitat,' he said.

The footages also captured some other animals like the Himalayan blue sheep and Asiatic ibex - a wild goat species. Both are important prey for the snow leopard.

He said footage indicated the presence of around 10 snow leopards, but nothing conclusive could be said in the study's early stages.

'Right now, we are not in a position to comment on the exact population of the wild cats in Spiti. But we can only say the area supports an impressive population,' he said.

Apart from Spiti Valley, the wildlife wing also plans to install 20 camera traps in the Pin Valley National Park, the Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary, the Great Himalayan National Park and the Pangi and Bharmour areas of Chamba district, which has a sizeable population of the snow leopard.

Gulati said under the Project Snow Leopard, the state had sent a proposal to the central government to set up a snow leopard research institute in Spiti at a cost of Rs.5.5 crore. He said a major portion of the amount would be spent on improving the habitat of the animal.

The Himachal project is part of the central government's Project Snow Leopard that was launched Jan 20, 2009, as part of efforts to conserve the globally endangered species.

The government had estimated the number of these wild cats to be around 750, but this is the first time an extensive study is being carried out to substantiate the figure.

The project is also operational in Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh with support from the Wildlife Institute of India and the Nature Conservation Foundation.

Leopard-human conflict: M'rashtra handles it better

2010-12-28T23:15:00.000-08:00

SURAT: The neighbouring state of Maharashtra through a scientific approach and the help of a non-government organisation has been able to bring down the incidents of leopard-human conflict there. The leopard mortality was an issue of concern even for the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) though the subject was not in its domain. In contrast, for the past six years south Gujarat has been witnessing recurrent incidents of human and leopard conflict, but the state's forest department is yet to come out with a concrete plan to arrest the trend. It is still caught up in the age-old techniques either of caging or shooting the leopard.

About 15 people lost their lives since 2005 in leopard attacks in Maharashtra while six have died in the attacks by the big cats in Gujarat's Surat and Tapi districts in the past 40 days alone. Between January to December 2010, 35 leopards were killed in conflict with humans or became victims of poachers in Maharashtra which in the previous year had reported deaths of 48 leopards.

"The decrease in the number of conflicts and in the tally of deaths of leopards is due to the drive carried out by Maharashtra's forest department and our NGO. We requested the forest department to change the pattern to tackle the issue," said Vidya Athrey of Project Waghoba.

She said the need is to understand the big cat instead of just caging it randomly and then releasing it in the wild. Before 2008 about 40 leopards were caught and released in the wild every year in Maharashtra but now this number has come down to 10.

"Caging leopards and then releasing them in the wild make them dangerous for the humans. We have tried to provide a safe environment to the animal in the area where it lives and also worked to change human behaviour slightly," Athrey explained.

"Like in Maharashtra, leopards make their home in the sugarcane farms in Gujarat too. On being caught they come into direct conflict with humans. We are trying to convince Gujarat Government to look at our work in Maharashtra and hope to be involved in Gujarat in controlling the situation," she added. Ends

yagnesh.mehta@timesgroup.com

Read more: Leopard-human conflict: M'rashtra handles it better - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/surat/Leopard-human-conflict-Mrashtra-handles-it-better/articleshow/7180571.cms#ixzz19TxRmk2i

Youth killed by tiger in Uttar Pradesh

2010-10-04T22:04:00.000-07:00

A youth was mauled by a tiger in Katarniaghat wildlife sanctuary here, forest department officials said here today.
Jagmohan, resident of village Chahalwa, was attacked by the tiger when he went to the jungle to collect fodder, forest officer RK Singh said.
The youth was later rescued by the villagers and admitted to a hospital, where he died during treatment.
Since January 2010, five persons have been killed in such attacks.
Source: http://www.anhourago.in/show.aspx?l=6244093

No relief for ‘wildlife destructor’ Sansar Chand: SC

2010-10-04T21:59:00.000-07:00

Pioneer News Service | New Delhi

Time seems to be up for notorious poacher Sansar Chand. After having spent a lifetime hunting down tigers and virtually eliminating big cats from some of the largest wildlife reserves in the country, the Supreme Court on Monday reserved judgement on one of his cases promising no reprieve for such “destructors of wildlife”.

Spewing utmost contempt for Chand, who had approached the Apex Court claiming innocence in a case registered against him in Rajasthan, the Apex bench of Justices Markandey Katju and TS Thakur said, “You (Sansar) have destroyed the entire wildlife in the country by your poaching activities. Now very few tigers and leopards are left.”

Advocate Manish Singhvi appearing for Rajasthan informed the Court that at present eight cases were registered against Chand and many more were pending investigations. Supporting him, the NGO Wildlife Trust of India produced extensive documents to suggest that in all there were 57 cases registered against the accused across the country.

With the trade being in smuggling trophies of tiger and leopard bones and skins, the tiger population had come down to a staggering odd 1,400, WTI informed. It further informed the Court that the nefarious trade had its tentacles spread to Nepal and China where the tiger skin and bones are sold at huge profits.

Stating that Chand alone was responsible for cleaning up Sariska tiger reserve up to its last tiger, Singhvi said, “We have lost our entire tigers in state and he is the key man responsible for it. We can never rehabilitate them since there is a genetic pool of Sariska tigers which has forever been lost.”

Though Sansar Chand’s advocate tried his best to win a legal point for his client, he was snubbed by the Bench, which said, “People like you do not care for anything but profit. Today you are selling tiger and leopard skins. Who knows tomorrow you will sell human skin….It’s sad that the country’s wildlife is being lost and the whole society has become commercialised.”

Hearing one last argument from Chand’s counsel that the only evidence against his client was an extrajudicial confession while no recovery was made from him, the Bench concluded, “We have reserved judgement. We will now pass our orders in the case.”
Source: http://www.dailypioneer.com/287672/No-relief-for-%E2%80%98wildlife-destructor%E2%80%99-Sansar-Chand-SC.html

Mass murder: speeding goods train killed 7 elephants near Jalpaigudi

2010-09-24T09:11:00.000-07:00

A speeding goods train has crushed seven elephants to death in eastern India, after the animals apparently tried to rescue two calves that had become stuck in the tracks.

Conservation officials say the baby elephants got trapped as their herd crossed the line in the northern district of Jalpaiguri in West Bengal state.

Adult animals crowded around the stricken calves, and were hit by the goods train.

"Five elephants died immediately on the track while two others succumbed to their injuries on Thursday morning," Atanu Raha, West Bengal's chief forest conservator said, adding that the train was travelling at 70 kilometres an hour when the speed limit was restricted to a maximum of 40 kph.

He said traffic on the line was suspended while the carcasses were removed, and that the surviving members of the herd were still at the scene the next morning.

Mr Raha said more than 20 elephants have died in the past two years in the area, which is a known corridor for elephants.

"We have lodged a complaint with the local police station against the railway," he said.

Wildlife experts say India is home to an estimated 25,000 wild elephants but their numbers are in decline due to poaching, habitat destruction and train accidents, especially in the east and northeast of the country.

Earlier this month India's environment and forest ministry declared elephants a "national heritage animal" that should be given the same protection as the endangered tiger.
Source:http://www.radioaustralianews.net.au/stories/201009/3020725.htm?desktop
Photo credit: AFP

45 snares laid for tigers and leopards found in Bandipur

2010-09-24T09:04:00.000-07:00

Forest officials at the Bandipur Tiger Reserve have stumbled on as many as 45 metal traps to snare tigers and leopards, all laid by poachers following a combing operation on Thursday. The findings have shocked officials and come despite their massive vigilance drive.

Following the poaching incidents in February, April and July this year when two leopards and a wild boar were killed by poachers inside the Bandipur reserve, the forest department had launched a strict vigilance drive across the reserve. But, despite their intense efforts, poachers have managed to lay traps at strategic locations in the the park.

Speaking to Bangalore Mirror, field director, Project Tiger, B J Hosmath, who led the combing operation said: “Based on a tip-off, our staff launched a combing operation in the ranges of N Begur and Gundre within the reserve and detected as many as 45 snares. After the poaching incidents, especially the one involving the tragic death of a young tiger on April 30 in Gopalaswamybetta region, we had further intensified our operations.”

Senior forest department officials said they were conducting vehicular patrol daily. However, following the spurt in poaching activities using snares, officials were asked patrol the reserve on foot to curb such practices.

“Most of these snares were made of steel cables, but a few were made of telephone cables and natural tree fibres. We suspect this to be the handiwork of poachers from neighbouring villages at the behest of professional poachers. Though snares are used to catch deer and boar for meat, on several instances tigers and leopards were caught and killed on the spot,” an official said.

The department suspects that the notorious poacher Paapa and his associates Nagarajaswamy, Govinda, Shivaraju and Kumaraswamy could have played a major role in setting these snares. The same gang had poached a tiger in February 2010.

Commenting on the trend, Sanjay Gubbi, wildlife conservationist and member of the state wildlife board said, “Snares have become a serious problem. Unlike major poaching equipments, these are difficult to detect. This incident highlights the importance of patrolling on foot.”

Hit by Staff crunch
The acute shortage of ground level staff in the department has marred plans to safeguard the population of big cats. According to officials in the forest department, Bandipur and the adjacent Nagarhole and Mudumali regions have the largest population of tigers – estimated to be about 300 – in the country.

“We have not given up despite the acute shortage of ground level staff,” an official said. “More staff would help us further augment the combing operation,’’ another senior official said.

Karnataka is the only state in the country which has a Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF).
Source:http://www.bangaloremirror.com/article/10/2010092420100924050243616220ba139/45-snares-laid-for-tigers-and-leopards-found-in-Bandipur.html

American Wolf skin meant for occult scientist seized

2010-09-19T10:29:00.000-07:00

Kolkata, Sep 19 (PTI) The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau has seized a wolf-skin with trophy in a consignment coming through United States Postal Service which was meant for a self-proclaimed scientist having interests in occult sciences. After getting inputs about some wildlife contraband being sent through official postal service, the WCCB officials had alerted the foreign post office here. During scanning of parcels, the officials found one consignment from New York carrying a complete Wolf skin with the trophy. The skin was labelled as rug and rolled in a way to give the look, official sources said. This is the second seizure after same WCCB team led by Inspector Abhijit Roy Chowdhury seized a Puma skin coming from Illinois in United State through the US Postal Service last month. Both the consignments were meant for the self-proclaimed scientist working for a private firm. None of the consignments carried necessary legal documentation with them. The team then zeroed in on the residence of the accused where they found large number of small cat bones, deer skins and other illegal wildlife material. The officials have sent the material to Zoological Society of India to get confirmation about the exact species of these dead animals. During the questioning, the self-proclaimed scientist in early thirties told the investigators that he was a follower of "Tantra", a mystical science and said he needed this contraband to perform his occult rituals. When grilled further, he told investigators that he was looking for Lion or a Tiger skin but when he could not get them, he opted for highly endangered exotic species Puma which is also known as Mountain lion and is found in the US. Wolf is listed in appendix one of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) of Wild Fauna and Flora making any kind of trading of it or its part illegal. The grey wolves are given highest level of protection in India being the part of schedule one of the Wildlife Protection Act. "These recoveries show that postal service is being used to send wildlife contraband across the country. These people are now using government postal system to avoid suspicion of the enforcement officials. "We have alerted the postal authorities," an official said. The WCCB has also alerted its counterpart in the United States about the recovery and both the agencies are now trying "connect the dots" to get the exact trail of senders.
Source:http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/american-wolf-skin-meant-for-occult-scientist-seized/336573.html

Tiger skin seized from post parcel at airport

2010-09-19T10:26:00.000-07:00

CHENNAI: In a first, air customs officers at airport on Friday seized a tiger skin sent from London as parcel.
The tiger skin was 8 feet long from head to tail and 6 feet wide from leg to leg. The body was 2.10 feet in width, said a customs press release.

The parcel was detained by the air intelligence unit of customs under suspicion that it might contain contraband. But it turned out to be a tiger skin when the parcel was opened. The parcel was addressed to a person in Chennai.

Wild Life Crime Control Bureau has confirmed that the skin and skull is genuine and that it belonged to an Indian tiger.

Customs Commissioner R Periasami said the skin was seized after we found that it is a violation of wildlife protection Act. Investigation is on to trace the person who sent it. It might have been sent abroad from India years ago, he said.

Source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Tiger-skin-seized-from-post-parcel-at-airport/articleshow/6581763.cms

India elected as Secretary of Interpol Wildlife crime group

2010-09-19T10:22:00.000-07:00

NEW DELHI: India has been elected for the post of secretary in the Wildlife Crime Working Group of the Interpol for the first time.

The election took place during seventh International Conference on Environmental Crime at the Interpol General Secretariat in Lyon, France held between September 13-17, official sources said.

Additional Director Wildlife Crime Control Bureau Rina Mitra will be representing India in the post.

India will hold the position for a period of four years. The United Kingdom has been elected for the post of Chair.

The Wildlife Crime Working Group comprises all the 188 member countries of Interpol and works under the framework of Environmental Crime Committee which identifies emerging patterns and trends in the field of environmental crime enforcement.

All member countries elect four officials Chairperson, vice-chairperson, secretary and treasurer for a period of four year.

The group meets annually to discuss issues regarding wildlife crime and identify emerging trends in the illegal trade of flora and fauna.

The group focuses the expertise and experience of law enforcement officers of the member countries on wildlife crime like the poaching, trafficking, or possession of legally protected flora and fauna.

Source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-elected-as-Secretary-of-Interpol-Wildlife-crime-group/articleshow/6585450.cms

Real tiger cub found among stuffed toys in luggage at Bangkok airport

2010-08-27T10:05:00.000-07:00

A two-month-old tiger cub was found sedated and hidden among stuffed toy tigers in luggage at Bangkok airport after scanners detect heartbeat.
By Ian MacKinnon in Bangkok
Published: 3:15PM BST 27 Aug 2010

The endangered tiger had been sedated with tranquillisers and hidden in the bag.

But officials at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport grew suspicious when a 31-year-old Thai woman, who has not been named, struggled with her out-sized baggage at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport while boarding a flight for Iran.

Airlines to deploy automated kiosks to help trace lost bagsAn X-ray machine revealed the cub's beating heart, but when the woman was questioned, she could not explain why there was a real tiger in her bag.

"The woman trying to check in the oversized bag denied any knowledge of the tiger. She said she was carrying it for someone else," said Nirat Nipanand, an airport customs official in charge of tracking animals.

DNA samples from the cub - which has been sent to a wildlife rescue centre in Ratchaburi province - are being tested to discover whether it was born in captivity or seized from the wild.

Tiger populations in Asia are under constant threat from poaching and illegal trade and wildlife groups have been lobbying governments to increase monitoring and enforce tougher penalties.

Traffic, an organisation that fights wildlife smuggling, hailed the discovery.

Chris Shepherd, Traffic's south-east Asia deputy director, said: "If people are trying to smuggle live tigers in their check-in luggage, they obviously think wildlife smuggling is easy to get away with and do not fear reprimand. Only sustained pressure . . . can change that."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/thailand/7967743/Real-tiger-cub-found-among-stuffed-toys-in-luggage-at-Bangkok-airport.html

Poacher to be dealt with iron hands, Sansar gets 6 years jail

2010-08-25T05:08:00.000-07:00

PTI
New Delhi, Aug 25 (PTI) Notorious poacher Sansar Chand was today sentenced to six years jail term by a Delhi court in a case relating to seizure of a leopard skin here in 1995, saying such offence should be dealt with "iron hands". Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Digvinay Singh also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on him while awarding the maximum jail term prescribed under the Wildlife Protection Act. The court said that the offences relating to wildlife must be dealt with strict punishment to bring down poaching incidents across the country. The court raised concern over the rising menace of poaching. "Despite various steps taken by the government across the globe, the offence relating to wildlife are refusing to come down. In the Act, stringent punishment is provided which is awarded time and again to contain the offence, but still the situation does not seem to be improving," the court said. "In my considered view, such repeated offenders need to be dealt with iron hands, more particularly when there have been previous convictions and involvement in other similar offences," the judge noted. .
Source: http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/poacher-to-be-dealt-with-iron-hands-sansar-gets-6-years-jail/260531.html

Gharial hatchlings in river Girwa

2010-08-14T23:49:00.001-07:00

Gharials are one of the critically endangered species of the country. There are a very few places left in the country where Gharials profusely breeds naturally. Katerniaghat is one of such places left in the world. In river Girwa, Gharials are breeding in a very small strech with highest congregation of breeding individuals. This year again natural breeding of Gharials went very well and around 1400 hatchlings of Gharial started their lives in river Girwa two months back. Though their lives are uncertain due to routine flooding in the river every year and very high runoff in the month of August-September, even then the news regarding small hatchlings diving in the shallow waters around the sandbars always gives us a sense of achievement and seeing the result of intensive species conservation initiatives taken since 2005 . The above two photographs have been sent by Fazlur Rahman of Katerniaghat Foundation, which are being shared with wishing an everlasting survival of this really endangered species in our river ecosystems.
Photo credit- M. K. Shukla, Range Officer (Katerniaghat Range)

Scat analysis indicates presence of more tigers in Buxa

2010-08-03T05:36:00.000-07:00

Hindu,
PTI
Kolkata, August 3, 2010
The Buxa Tiger Reserve in north Bengal, identified as a low density tiger reserve, may in fact harbour a greater number of the big cats as indicated by initial reports of scat samples.
“We had sent 83 samples to the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology in Hyderabad of which 55 were fit for analysis. Preliminary reports confirmed that 33 of these samples are of tiger origin,” Field Director of Buxa Tiger Reserve R.P. Saini told PTI.
During the tiger estimation exercise, scats were collected to enable DNA profiling of tigers in the reserve, but the exercise could not be completed due to rain and another full-fledged exercise would be undertaken after the monsoon, he said.
Describing the preliminary findings as “very encouraging”, he said it clearly indicated the presence of a number of tigers in the Buxa Tiger Reserve.
Asked to give the number of big cats in Buxa Tiger Reserve, he said although a detailed report about the number and gender of the tigers was yet to be received, it could be anything between 12 and 16.
Questions were frequently raised about the presence of tigers in Buxa Tiger Reserve where a big cat was photographed for the first time since its inception.
NTCA had identified Buxa as one of the reserves having low density tiger population and constituted a special team last year for urgent appraisal of the reserve.
He said that reports regarding preliminary findings were submitted to the state government as well as the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
Encouraged by the reports, the State government has sanctioned Rs. 30 lakh to the Buxa Tiger Reserve for the development of grasslands in the reserve, he said.
Saini said scats were also sent to ‘Aranyak’, an NGO based in Assam, for analysis and their preliminary report. He also said that 35 of the samples belonged to tigers.
He said that GPS positioning was recorded during the scat collection and after receiving the detailed report camera traps would be set up in areas with high tiger density.
BTR authorities had earlier toyed with the idea of going in for captive breeding to maintain the tiger population.
Now they have decided to relocate nine villages from the core areas of the reserve. The villages to be relocated outside the core area are Jainti, Bhutiabasti, Gangutia, Raimatang, Butrhi, Adma, Pana, 27 mile and 28 mile, he said.
The relocation would start anytime after funds were received from the government for the purpose, he said adding residents of eight villages had already agreed to opt for a monetary package for relocation.
Link: http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/article549620.ece

High-tech tracking on for man-killing tiger

2010-08-02T05:41:00.000-07:00

TNN, Aug 1, 2010, 12.59am IST

LUCKNOW: If not the first ever, it is at least a rare practice of high-tech tracking of a man-killing tiger that Pilibhit forest officials have taken up. The forest department is getting help from the wildlife organisations which are providing the department the needed expertise and the `cameras' which can incessantly click for 60-odd days.

The sub-adult tiger which made its first killing on May 3 and latest on July 27 has been lying inactive for past some days. Jamuna Prasad of Dilawarpur village in Ghundchai beat of Deoria range of Pilibhit forest division was killed by the man-eater on July 27.

On Saturday, forest department decided to change the position of eight web cameras which were installed at the killing sites on July 25. "We will now install cameras every 2 km," said divisional forest officer (DFO) Pilibhit VK Singh. The entire Deoria range of 712 sqkm will be divided into 25 grids, each of four sqkm area. A camera will be installed at every grid to locate the tiger.

It was on July 25 that the tiger was clicked by the cameras. It has remained elusive since then though it struck again two days after. The cameras click automatically moment the animal passes by. Every two days the camera trappings are downloaded. The trappings so far have given some clue on the tiger. "It is not at all injured but we cannot say what is making it to kill men," said DFO.

The tiger since May 3 has killed five men and preyed on them partially. It struck on June 7 and 23 and July 25 and 27. However, all the victims had gone to the forest as their bodies were recovered from about 5 km inside the forest area. This is, in fact, the reason why the forest officials are hesitant to brand the big cat a `man-eater'.

Though tiger is not compulsively seeking a human prey, vigil is on in the area to trap it before it makes another kill. The precautionary measures will be followed during the monsoon period. The villagers who enter the forest will be treated as tresspassers. On Saturday, two tresspassers were caught by the forest staff.

An awareness campaign too is underway in the area. Villagers are being informed about the tiger's presence and the precautions they should take.
Link: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/High-tech-tracking-on-for-man-killing-tiger/articleshow/6242292.cms

Poacher convicted for 3 years imprisonment

2010-07-30T01:30:00.000-07:00

As per the information a dreaded tiger poacher Dariya (who was caught in corbett in the year 2008 with traps and tools)and later on arrested by MP forest department from Ramnagar in an 21 year old case has been convicted by JMFC in Sihora in Jabalpur division.

He has been sentenced for three years rigorous imprisonment and also fined Rs Ten Thousand by the court. His wife Bhagwati and seven other had been booked in the case relating to seizure of a tiger skin, tiger bones, tiger fat, hyena skin and traps in Bahoriband range in Madhya Pradesh.

Dariya was arrested on April 28, 2008 from the Corbett Tiger Reserve with tiger traps and tools.

Pangolins are under threat

2010-07-20T05:43:00.000-07:00

The latest seizure of 7.8 tonnes of frozen descaled pangolins and 1,800 kg of pangolin scales by custom authorities in China is indicating the extent of the pangolin threats in South East Asia and South Asia. The species is under tremendous threat due to sudden increase in demand of its meat and scales in Chinese traditional medicines.
One month back in an other important seizure Nepalese police had arrested chines, Nepalese and Indian citizens smuggling 480 kg of pangolin scales at Barabise, very near nepal-china border.
In India pangolin scales has recently been seized by customs at Guwahati airport along with tiger skull and bones. The consignments were being sent through railway mail service parcels to imphal.

The other major seizure reported in the Asian region in the last few years includes, seizure by Thai customs officers in the year 2007 when they rescued over 100 pangolins, as the animals were being smuggled out of the country, en route to China, where they were to be sold for cooking. In 2008, Vietnamese customs officials seized around 5 tons of pangolin meat. It was said that this meat came from 1,481 pangolins. Similarly in 2009, Malaysian police seized 40 live pangolins believed to have been brought illegally out of Indonesia.

Pangolins are hunted and eaten in many parts of Africa and are one of the more popular types of bush meat. As per the reports Pangolins are in great demand in China because their meat is considered a delicacy and some Chinese believe pangolin scales reduce swelling, promote blood circulation and help breast-feeding women produce milk.

International trade in Asian pangolin species is banned under CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). Two of the four species are classified as Endangered by IUCN. Both the Chines pangolins and Indian pangolins are listed in Schedule I of Wildlife Protection Act 1972.

In the present scenario the demand of pangolins scales seems very high and since population of the species have drastically gone down in china and south east Asian countries, extreme pressure has been mounted on the Indian pangolin found in the country.
Photo credit/© EW / TRAFFIC

Crocs breed at Katerniaghat

2010-06-16T23:15:00.000-07:00

Katerniaghat Sanctuary is very well known for concentrated Gharial population in river Girwa. I remember, in 2005 we could locate only 5 nests of Gharial scattered on different sand bars, and before that there was no record of natural breeding in river Girwa for last 7-8 years. The eggs were predated both by wild animals and human beings. From the next year, that was 2006, intensive efforts were initiated and the number of nests constantly increased to 18 in 2006, 24 in 2007 and finally to 27 in 2009.
Last year all sand bars had been washed away in during the flood, even then the Gharials laid eggs on different scattered sites. Besides this 161 eggs were brought from Kukrail Breeding Centre, Lucknow and were artificially laid on the sand bars for ex-situ hatching.
As per the information till date 30 nests have been hatched and out of 1317 eggs 1178 hatchlings have come out. Out of 161 Kukrail eggs, 140 hatchlings have come out. It is expected that more nests will hatch in day or two.
I had been constantly observing the breeding of Gharials in Katerniaghat for last 5 years and can easily say that if the closure is provided around the breeding habitats and the Gharials are given disturbance free zone for at least three months (April -June), wonderful results can be achieved. We need similar success in other breeding Gharial habitats also.

Photos:(C) Ramesh Pandey

Leopard found dead in Kanha, claws missing

2010-05-25T02:36:00.000-07:00

Mandla (MP), May 24 (PTI) A six-year old leopard was found dead with its three claws missing at the buffer zone of Kanha Tiger Reserve, officials said today.The leopard was found dead at a deep nullah in Shijoura area yesterday, they said.The animal's three claws were missing when its body was found, Kanha Reserve veterinarian Sandeep Agrawal, who performed the autopsy said. The poachers must have chopped them off after it died after drowning, he added.He said the postmortem of the spotted animal revealed that it died due to drowning. Some people after spotting the leopard might have dragged it out of the nullah and chopped of its claws for the nails, he said.Agrawal said that some clothes were found at the spot.

Source: http://www.ptinews.com/news/666701_Leopard-found-dead-in-Kanha--claws-missing

Cruel world of the tiger

2010-05-25T02:31:00.000-07:00

By KATE JACKSON
Published: 24 May 2010
IN A dingy market stall in southern Tibet, a trader empties out a sack full of bones.
These pitiful relics were once a magnificent tiger, roaming wild and free.
Now sold on the black market to be used in medicines and Tiger wine, these bones can fetch around £600 per kilo
It's a sickening sight.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/2984986/Cruel-world-of-the-tiger-trade.html#ixzz0ovpyFAm1

Tigers attack human habitations

2010-05-25T02:30:00.000-07:00

Attacks on human habitations, cattle and domestic animals by tigers of the Sunderbans have seen unprecedented rise since the past few months owing to drastic reduction of forest areas and dwindling numbers of prey for the great cats.
Royal Bengal tigers are often seen invading the villages across the river in both North and South 24 Parganas districts while the residents of Samshernagar village under Hingalganj police station in the North as well as Jemspur and Anpur villages of the South reported attacks of the Royal Bengal tigers, which killed several cattle, including cows, goats and sheep after entering the cattle sheds of a number of houses.
A tiger entered Samshernagar village during two successive nights and killed as many as ten cattle from four cattle sheds on May 22 night. Another tiger entered the village on May 21 night crossing Kundekhali canal of the Jhingakhali range of the Sunderbans and killed four goats, of which one was taken away by the tiger to the forest, locals said.
Incidentally, beat officers of the forest department were in a dilemma in finding a way out to prevent tigers from entering the inhabited areas. They suggested the local Panchayat and the villagers to erect strong fencing. The beat officials also suggested to arrange for night guards in this case.
On the other hand, Jemspur village of South 24 Parganas saw a full grown Royal Bengal tiger killing at least four cattle, including a dog, after entering a cattle shed of a villager during late evening.
As the villagers chased the tiger, it fled from Jemspur to Anpur village, where it also killed a few cattle. The forest officials were also called for help by the villagers. Finally the beast was caught yesterday morning. It was later sedated and brought to the Anpur beat house from where it will be released in the forest after fixing a radio collar as was done for a couple of tigers, which were caught from Chhotomollkhali and Netidhopani villages in South district.
Forest department officials have blamed the man-animal conflict to the degradation of the ecosystem following dwindling of the Sunderban forest area, which was posing a danger to the endangered animals' survival as the number of their prey had reduced considerably.

Source: http://samaylive.com/english/regional/676464745.html

Kathmandu summit laid the foundation for SA-WEN

2010-05-20T00:39:00.000-07:00

Kathmandu, Nepal, 19 May 2010—Experts from South Asia have laid the foundation for a South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network (SAWEN) as a co-ordinated regional response to combat illegal poaching and trafficking. Seven member countries agreed to the establishment of a secretariat and an outline work programme for the network.The historic First Meeting of the South Asia Experts Group on Illegal Wildlife Trade was concluded here today with the objective of helping wildlife law enforcement agencies become better organized than the criminals themselves. As a major step towards a co-ordinated and collaborative mechanism, the Experts Group agreed that an action-oriented approach under the newly formed SAWEN should be pursued without delay.The experts from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka agreed the structure, functions and operational parameters for SAWEN, including ideas for developing multi-lateral activities based on strong inter-agency co-operation at the national level. "Co-operation and co-ordination between the government agencies supported by their international counterparts is of utmost importance to effectively tackle illegal wildlife trade in the region,” said Hon. Mr Deepak Bohara, Minister for Forest and Soil Conservation, Government of Nepal, in his closing address. The Government of Nepal has offered to drive this process further in hosting the network and acting as an interim co-ordinator for the network. Over the next six months, it will focus on co-ordinating key information and identifying further resources and expertise from member countries to develop joint operations, training programs, communication plans and fundraising to enable the network to begin interdicting major trafficking activities. The Government of Bhutan has offered to host the next meeting of SAWEN members. "WWF is pleased at the outcomes of the meeting and looks forward to working with the network in the coming months to ensure the success of this crucial initiative, "said Mr. Diwakar Chapagain, Wildlife Trade Manager, WWF Nepal."We appreciate the leadership shown by the Government of Nepal and support by TRAFFIC International in organizing this meeting."The First Meeting of the South Asia Experts Group on Illegal Wildlife Trade was hosted by the Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation, Govt. of Nepal, and supported by WWF Nepal and TRAFFIC International. Funding support for the meeting was generously provided by the US Government’s Department of State.

Source:http://www.traffic.org/home/2010/5/19/south-asia-forges-consensus-on-wildlife-enforcement-network.html

Panna reserve now 3 cubs full

2010-05-10T03:41:00.000-07:00

Hindustan Times: By HT correspondence;

Three tiny furballs now hold the success of India's tiger conservation in their tiny paws.

The newborn tiger cubs, spotted on Friday in Madhya Pradesh's Panna national park, herald the success of the controversial plan of relocating the big cats.

A survey last year found that the once-densely populated Panna reserve had lost all its tiger, mostly to poaching. In an effort to repopulate the park, a tigress from Bandhavgarh in Karnataka and a tiger from Pench in MP were moved to Panna.

"On Friday night, we spotted the three cubs with the tigress as they came out of a cave. The tigress apparently had decided to shift her cubs to a more suitable place," an ecstatic Panna National Park Field Director R Sreeniwas Murthy said.

Forest officials again got a clear sighting of the new family the next day — the mother and all three cubs.

Murthy said this was the first instance of a relocated tigress giving birth to healthy cubs.

Earlier, forest department officials had an inkling that the tigress was pregnant because it was not moving out of the cave near a waterfall for more than a month.

The department was keeping a close eye on her movements.

"We got it confirmed on Friday night and have prohibited tourist from visiting the area," Murthy said.

The Panna Tiger Reserve was found to have 24 tigers after the census in January 2006. But by December 2008 all the tigers were gone.

Ref:http://www.hindustantimes.com/Panna-reserve-now-3-cubs-full/Article1-541504.aspx

Accused convicted for possessing Sambhar skin

2010-05-07T00:24:00.000-07:00

The special court in Delhi convicted a man to imprisonment for his involvement in wildlife trade after he was found in possession of skin of endangered Sambhar deer. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) of Special Act, Dig Vinay Singh, last week sent Vishal Mehra to jail for the period undergone in judicial custody which was more than seven months. A joint team of police and the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) had arrested Mehra with four Sambhar skin in Rohini area in September last year. Sambhar is in schedule IV category and punishment for the crime is less than 3 years. Considering that the accused was a first-time offender, the judge converted his judicial custody to his prison term.

Ref:http://www.ptinews.com/news/632529_Man-jailed-for-possessing-Sambhar-skin

Court complaint against multinational for trade in Shahtoosh shawls

2010-05-07T00:18:00.000-07:00

Wildlife Crime Control Bureay has filed a court complaint against a Delhi-based MNC engaged in trade of handicrafts and other heritage items across the world, for attempting to export the banned Shahtoosh shawls thirteen years ago.

The Customs officials had seized at least 13 shawls from the Indira Gandhi International Airport on November 11, 1996, from the consignments booked by Cottage Industries Exposition (CIE) for UK. The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) had filed a complaint here in the court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Dig Vinay last week following conclusion of adjudication of a matter by Customs department.

On April 12 this year, Additional Commissioner, Customs, Delhi, passed an order against CIE imposing a fine of Rs 1 lakh for attempting to export shahtoosh, and an additional Rs 1 lakh as redemption fine.

Shahtoosh is a specific kind of shawl woven with the hair of the endangered Chiru or Tibetan Antelope. Selling or purchasing Shahtoosh was made illegal in all countries that signed the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in 1975.

Ref:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Home/Environment/Flora-Fauna/Court-complaint-against-multinational-for-trading-in-Shahtoosh/articleshow/5890811.cms

WCCB bags Clark R Bavin Award, 2010

2010-03-19T08:20:00.000-07:00

The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) in the Ministry of Environment and Forests has been awarded the prestigious Clark R Bavin Award, 2010 for the exemplary enforcement action and prioritizing wildlife crime in the Ministry and other enforcement agencies. The award is presented to persons who have demonstrated their commitment to fighting wildlife crime and to protect species of wildlife listed in the Appendices of the Convention through the strict enforcement of national and international laws. It is issued by the Species Survival Network (SSN), an international coalition of over 80 non-governmental organizations, including Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), a non-governmental organization based in the United States of America. The awards, named after a former chief of the law enforcement division of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, have traditionally been presented by the Secretary-General of CITES during meetings of the Conference of the Parties. This year a large number of nominations were received this year from a number of countries and organizations for individuals and agencies.

Reference: http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=59740

http://www.ptinews.com/news/571319_Wildlife-Bureau-gets-Clark-R-Bavin-Award

Looking into Kat's Eye

2010-02-04T00:32:00.000-08:00

Though still awaiting for the hard copy of it, I got the second issue of Kat's Eye today. The cover photograph of a sitting majestic tiger taken by Sanjay Kumar is simply awesome. I think it is one of the best photographs of Dudhwa Tigers ever taken, because getting such pose of tigers in terai is a rarity. It seldom happens; once in a while. I believe tiger sighting is comparatively difficult in UP terai due to thick foliage and tall wet grasslands. Terai is altogether a different landscape, one of the highly ecological productive ecosystem; in a mosaic form of wetlands-grasslands and woodlands. I remember Amit Misra has also taken some of the wonderful photographs of tigers of Dudhwa-Katerniaghat landscape.

The maturity and growth of Kat's Eye in this issue is very encouraging. And it has only become possible due to invaluable experience sharing by contributors like G. C. Misra and Romulus Whittaker. The article on elephants of Dudhwa is again an unusual narration by Sanjay Kumar. I am happy to see the article of B N Singh, Range Officer, on notable birds of Katerniaghat. It is a fact that field foresters are very poor in documentation but he has proved it wrong with his impeccable observations which will certainly encourage field foresters to document their experiences for this magazine.

The other features of news letter including efforts of KGF on Gyps vulture conservation, field activities, survey undertaken, seminar organised has made the issue readable. Kudos for KGF team.

A Dry wetland day

2010-02-03T01:50:00.000-08:00

The world wetland day just passed yesterday. Silently. As variety of migratory birds fly back home being unnoticed at the end of winters.

It seems that we are loosing somehow real and genuine concern for our natural resources and their immense traditional conversational values. Somehow it is being felt, in general, that apathy for wildlife is increasing in the society day by day and an unprecedented antagonistic approach has slowly and slowly crept in the mindset of the people affected with the forests and their inhabitants.

Everyday wetlands are dying or being killed. Most of the remainings are in pathetic conditions. They are forced to be killed; reasons are known to everyone. Atleast the concern for them was alive but that too has started diminishing.

What to do now?

I would mention Mohmaad Ahsan Sahib's post on Face Book specially written for wetland day, which very truely colours this entire picture.

teri jhiilaiN hon ya mere pokhar / pareshaaN sab ke sab daur e haazir meiN
Photo: Suresh Chaudhary (Katerniaghat)-2006 Winters.

End of an era

2010-01-03T05:40:00.000-08:00

The late night of the first day of new year 2010 arrived with an untimely sad news. One of our friend from Lakhimpur informed on phone that 'Billy is no more'. It was really unexpected to hear something of this sort. It was a great loss. The first thought which came in my mind was that 'an era ends with Billy's demise, no one of his clone is now left in this country'. And his demise is an irreparable loss for Dudhwa and terai of Uttar Pradesh.

Billy was a legend in the field wildlife conservation. His zeal and passion for the tigers even in this age was simply unmatched. Billy was 94 and was ailing for quite some time. He use to live mostly in Tiger Haven near Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, Palia, Lakhimpur-Kheri.

Though there had been differences amongst the field wildlifers and conservationists regarding his way of rearing and preserving big cats in the past, but no one could deny his unbound support for the protection and conservation of tigers in terai and also his initial contribution in making of Dudhwa National Park.

I was fortunate enough to have interactions with him in last few years, particularly when I was posted in Pilibhit, Katerniaghat and Dudhwa (additional charge for one month). I met him many a times along with Mr. Naseem during my Dudhwa visits. I could always notice a spark in his eyes with any good news relating to tigers of terai; either it was breeding tigresses and tiger cubs in Katerniaghat or recovery of tiger population in Pilibhit or busting of any organised poachers gang in terai. He was always keen to know what is happening in the jungles of Terai particularly in Dudhwa. He used to have his own intelligence both on the health of the jungles and efforts of the park officials. He used to be very critical many a times particularly to after tiger death incidents.

He always felt very happy when some one met him to know about his views on tiger conservation and needs of hour in this field. Though he was unable to recall many of the past incidents coherently but his heart and mind were always rightly placed both for the tigers and terai conservation. We will certainly miss him.

He was a great admirer of tigers and terai; which I liked very much.

Billy!! Bid Adieu..

Photo: Billy narrating old stories and incidents (January 2006, Tiger Haven).

Elephant's plight

2009-12-07T06:25:00.000-08:00

About 2 tonnes of ivory seized in Kenya recently in a joint operation of enforcement agencies and Interpol in Africa. The 'operation costa' was implemented in six south african countries in which 100 people were arrested. It was one of the biggest ever seizure in the history of south africa. It indicates that even after ban on trade in ivory the international demand persists and poaching of elephants is going on every where for its ivory.

Day by day the forests are getting fragmented. The corridors are being encroached for so called developmental and strategic needs. Human inhabitations are getting closure to natural habitats of giant animals resulting gory elephant-human conflicts.

The tigers and leopards overshadow plight of elephants and news like operation costa indicates, the problem persists globally. There is a need of total ban on ivory trade worldwide, which may reduce the demand of ivory at international level.

(Ivory photo: Interpol, reference www.ens-newswire.com/ens/nov2009/2009-11-30-02.asp)

Man-leopard conflict rages in Uttarakhand

2009-11-22T11:37:00.000-08:00

DEHRA DUN: The man-leopard conflict appears to be raging in Uttarakhand owing to mounting attacks by the carnivores in various parts of the state
and killing of man-eaters by locals. As the dusk falls, villagers of Baniawala, Rangharwala, Premnagar, Ghangora and other areas of western Dehra Dun feel scared in going out in open fearing an attack by a leopardess. For past few days, the animal along with her two cubs has let lose a reign of terror and made the lives of the residents of these villages miserable. This is the condition despite the fact that at least six leopards were killed last month in the state after they were declared man-eaters, wildlife officials here said. A leopard, which had attacked around 15 people, was shot dead early this month after it was trapped in a house at Garhi Cantt area. In another incident, a leopard was clubbed to death at Khandah area of Pauri district on Friday. On Thursday, a leopard was axed to death in Uttarkashi district by irate villagers of Kumrara area after it attacked the locals. Meanwhile, Dr S P Goel of Wildlife Institute of India (WII) here expressed concern over rising incidents of the animal attacking human population and being killed by them in retaliation and said that efforts are on to minimize the attacks. During the past six months, around 15 leopards had been killed at various places in the state.

(Note-Man-leopard conflict is taking heavy toll in Uttarakhand and many leopards have been declared man eater in last few months and had been killed by people. People dont have any sympathy with the animals and want immediate elimination of the strayed animal from their surroundings. The situation is deteriorating day by day. The time has come to work out the solution of this problem.)

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Environment/Flora-Fauna/Man-leopard-conflict-rages-in-Uttarakhand-/articleshow/4795687.cms

A leopard's majesty

2009-11-22T11:27:00.000-08:00

Vicky Nanjappa in Bengaluru
Capturing a leopard is no joke, even on a camera.
Bangalore-based kidney specialist Ajith Huilgol and avid wildlife photographer did just that and won a runner-up award at the UK-based Veolia Environment Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition 2009, in the 'Behaviour: Mammals' category. The annual competition is jointly organised by the Natural History Museum, London, and the BBC's Wildlife magazine.
Dr Huilgol captured a rarely seen image of a leopard descending from a tree in his camera and the photograph won among 43,000 other entries from 94 countries.
Every photograph may speak a thousand words, however Dr Huilgol's speaks of a fascinating story. What began as a patient task of observing a leopard ended in fetching the doctor a world-renowned award.
Dr Huilgol said he had shot the photograph when he had gone to Kabini in the Nagarhole forest region in Karnataka with his family for a wildlife vacation.
"My family and I were in a jeep and watching this leopard perched on the tree. We spotted it at around 7.23 am and clicked her pictures. In fact she was so comfortable with our presence that she did not even budge an inch as we clicked the pictures. However, at 7.28 am, a jeep passed by which startled the leopard and thus prompted her to come down. I managed to get a shot of her as she came down the tree."
"My first reaction was to curse the other jeep driver who disturbed the leopard. But today I realise that it turned out to be a boon," he added.The general notion is that wildlife photography is time-consuming. However, Dr Huilgol said, it is always not so. "Take this photograph for instance, it took just five minutes to capture," he said. Image: Dr Huilgol's photograph that won the runner-up award at the UK-based competitionPhotographs: Dr Ajit Huilgol

http://news.rediff.com/slide-show/2009/nov/17/slide-show-1-award-winning-wildlife-photographs.htm

Green lessons for school kids - in lap of nature

2009-11-22T11:20:00.000-08:00

By Asit SrivastavaLucknow, Nov 20 (IANS) Imagine riding through a lush green forest, soaking in lessons on the environment. That’s what many school students in Uttar Pradesh are about to experience, thanks to the officials of a wildlife sanctuary.
The Katerniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary in Bahraich district, some 270 km from Lucknow, has taken the initiative to bring in school students from parts of the state and hold educational camps within the sanctuary.
“The entire exercise is aimed at sensitising the young generation towards nature. I believe in order to conserve nature, one should first feel it. And here the students will get that feel, which in turn would immensely contribute to our educational programmes,” divisional forest officer (DFO) of Katerniaghat R.K. Singh told IANS on telephone.
Established in 1976, the sanctuary is situated in the Terai area on the India-Nepal border in Bahraich district. Spread over 400 sq km, it is home to a variety of animals such as tigers, leopards, swamp deer, blackbuck, chital, barking deer, sloth bear, wild boar, and a number of endangered species of reptiles.
“We plan to start the education programme Dec 1. Initially, students of schools in Bahraich and its adjoining districts would be covered. On various weekends, the students would be brought to the sanctuary where the educational camps would be organised,” said Singh.
The educational programmes will focus on several topics, including conservation of fauna and flora for the sake of mankind and man-animal conflicts, and involve a ride through the forests and lunch arranged by forest officials.
“This would be done in order to make the educational camps more lively. Such arrangements would help make school children take interest in our programmes,” said Singh.
The forest officials have already roped in a number of schools in Bahraich, Shravasti, Lakhimpur and other districts.
Usha Varshney, a science teacher at the Seventh-Day Adventist School in Bahraich, told IANS: “The initiative is laudable. The best thing is it will definitely make environmental teaching more interesting and lively.”
Pradeep Kumar, a teacher with the Dharm Sabha Inter College, said: “We welcome the novel step taken by the wildlife sanctuary officials. The move will definitely generate a sense of responsibility towards nature.”
Children are also excited about the educational camps.
“For us, it would be fun. It would be a sort of picnic for us, where we would also get a chance to learn several things by our practical experience - something not possible in conventional classroom teaching,” said Achal Chitarnshi, a Class 11 student of the Navuday Inter College in Bahraich.
Forest officials believe it is crucial to involve the young generation to spread environmental awareness.
“In today’s perspective, you just cannot ignore the role of school students in safeguarding the environment through social mobilisation and community participation,” a forest official said.

Link:http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/enviornment/green-lessons-for-school-kids-in-lap-of-nature_100277295.html

Community support needed to conserve biodiversity

2009-11-22T05:03:00.000-08:00

COIMBATORE: Union Minister of State for Environment and Forest, Jairam Ramesh called for community participation to conserve biodiversity and to protect the environment. Speaking to reporters at Salim Ali Centre of Ornithology and Natural History (Sacon), Mr Ramesh said poaching and poisoning of tigers is a serious issue in India. “In order to control it, we are setting up protection forces involving local communities apart from upgrading wildlife crime control bureau,” he added. He said, out of 37 tiger reserves in India, only 9 are in good shape, 10 in satisfactory condition and remaining in precarious situation. Also, there are only 1200 to 1400 tigers in the wild now. Mr Ramesh said the ministry is looking forward to amend the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 by initiating a stringent punishment for crime caused to wildlife. “As like FEMA Act or Money Laundering Act, the punishment for crime caused to wildlife should also be severe. We have already done some changes to the old act and has circulated it to all states for inputs,” he added. He said, police alone cannot safeguard wildlife and forest but, the local communities should also take some interest in preserving the same. As an experiment, the forest officials have started involving local Gujjars for social enforcement in Corbett National Park. The minister is also looking to involve the local communities in other parts of the country to protect the environment. He cited an example of how Sacon is working with social communities including church groups and students to increase awareness of hornbill, which is almost extinct in Nagaland. Another example for sustainability was the work of Sacon at Andaman and Nicobar valley, where they preserve edible-nest swiftlet, a valuable bird that is currently on smuggling net. Earlier Mr Ramesh released a wetlands atlas of India, which was prepared by Sacon based on satellite imagery. “There are over 60,000 inland wetlands present in India spread over 7 million hectares. These wetlands are on great threat from real estate people. So the local community and local administration should take steps to protect them,” he said. Regarding the proposal of setting up a neutrino observatory at Singara in Nilgiris, Mr Ramesh said, “after spending almost two months on the subject, I have come to a conclusion that Singara cannot be permitted. It is now a closed chapter.” He said, the observatory is very important for both theoretical and experimental physics but when matter was evenly balanced, he had to yearn on the side of environment. He added there would have been a four-year period of considerable disturbances in that area with serious implications on the corridor if the project had been given a go-ahead.

Link: Economic Times :http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/5257390.cms

Notorious tiger poacher apprehended by WCCB

2009-11-18T03:03:00.000-08:00

Source: The Pioneer, New Delhi:

A suspected aide of notorious poacher Sansar Chand, involved in the killing of several tigers, including those in Sariska Tiger Reserve, has been arrested by the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB). The accused, Bheema (38), wanted in connection with the killing of a tiger and illegal wildlife trade, was arrested on Tuesday from Ballabhgarh in Haryana in a joint operation by the WCCB and Gurgaon police. According to the WCCB, a concerted and coordinated effort by various agencies, including the CBI, made the arrest possible. Earlier, the CBI and WCCB in a joint operation on November 5 had successfully nabbed seven poachers and wildlife traders from Nagpur and Delhi. Two poachers were arrested from Majnu Ka Tila in the Capital. Hides of two adult tigers, 25 kilograms of bones, seven otter skins and other contrabands were recovered from their possession. A WCCB official said the arrested persons belonged to a gang of poachers and they provided leads which resulted in the arrest of Bheema.Bheema, a proclaimed offender, is wanted in a poaching case in which tiger bones, body parts, several traps and implements were recovered from his house at Surat Nagar in Gurgaon in July 2008. The accused is involved in a number of cases pending in nine States, including Delhi, Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh. He is also suspected to have been involved in poaching cases in Maharashtra and Karnataka.A case against Bheema was registered in the Rajendra Park police station in Gurgaon on July 7, 2008.Bheema was earlier nabbed by the police on August 15, 2005, with a tiger skin, 7 kg tiger bones, 500 g tiger fat, and tiger canines but he was out on bail. Sansar Chand and his associates are suspected to be behind the extinction of big cats from the Sariska Tiger Reserve. “The WCCB was acting in close association with the CBI and other agencies to bust the racket. Acting on a tip off, we nabbed Bheema,” the official said. He said that Bheema’s arrest was expected to throw light on the working of the racket and illegal trade network in the country, especially in North India. The accused, who hails from Gurgaon, had managed to escape on several occasions earlier, the officer said. The WCCB is initially probing his involvement in poaching cases in the north.

Links:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/216627/Big-catch-Sansar-aide-in-cops%E2%80%99-net.html
http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=54173
<http://netindian.in/news/2009/11/18/0004114/alleged-tiger-poacher-arrested-wccb>
http://www.ptinews.com/news/381561_Poacher-on-the-run-for-over-a-year-arrested
http://www.headlinesindia.com/animal-news/tiger,-lion,-leopard/tiger-poacher-nabbed-in-haryana-28483.html

Need to remove curbs on tiger visits to Nepal

2009-11-17T07:50:00.000-08:00

LUCKNOW: Tigers know no boundaries. They keep crossing over from one forest to another along the Indo-Nepal border. The movement of tigers along the
border is must if the existing population is to be saved from in-breeding. Initially, it used to be a contiguous forest along Indo-Nepal border and animals could move freely and safely. But now the connectivity between forests on the two sides is merely through three corridors -- Khata, Laljhaadi and Basanta. "These corridors are prone to encroachment on Nepal side," said Bivash Pandav, from WWF-international, working for wildlife conservation in Nepal. Nepal has Bardia National Park, Shukla Phanta Wildlife Reserve, Chitwan National Park and Parsa Wildlife Reserve. The total population counting all these four protected areas of Nepal is about 120 tigers. There is a lot of movement of tigers between Bardia and Katarniaghat. But what used to be a free movement about 35 years back for tigers along the border is now not an easy one. India can always voice its concern to Nepal in the trans-boundary meeting between the two. Protected areas on the Indian side of the border -- Dudhwa, Katarniaghat, Kishenpur and Pilibhit are believed to be housing 109 tigers (as per February, 2008, census). Several experts and conservationists discussed the core issues related to tiger conservation on Sunday in a seminar. The declining prey base in forests and increasing biotic pressure on them is a growing concern. "Forest department should first identify and acknowledge that wildlife has a problem and then only can a solution be worked out," said G C Mishra, former director, Dudhwa. The existence of Mailani-Gonda rail track that runs about 60 km through the protected area was also discussed. Train hits have killed quite a noticeable number of animals within Dudhwa. Removal of the track has been discussed on earlier occasions between railways and forest department. Railways agree that it is not a commercially profitable operation to run trains on the said track. The senior forest officials were also present on the occasion. "There has to be a holistic effort towards conservation of tigers and wildlife," said B K Patnaik, chief wildlife warden, UP. On mitigating man-animal conflict, he said that mobile rapid response units will be established to check it. Others who spoke in the seminar organised by Katarniaghat Foundation were Pankaj Agarwal, principal secretary, Transport, Mohd Ahsan, additional PCCF, UP, K K Singh, DFO, north Kheri, V P Singh of Terai Nature Conservation Society, R L Singh, ex PCCF, UP and other members of the Foundation.

Ref:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/Need-to-remove-curbs-on-tiger-visits-to-Nepal/articleshow/5210196.cms

Wildlife racket busted: Tiger, Leopad and Otter skins seized

2009-11-10T09:22:00.000-08:00

NEW DELHI: (Source:PTI) With the arrest of seven persons from Maharashtra and Delhi, the country's premier investigating agencies claimed to have busted a
wildlife racket and seized tiger and otter skins besides tiger bones from their possession. The CBI and Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) in a joint operation carried out simultaneous raids in some places in Nagpur and Majnu ka Teela in Central Delhi and arrested seven persons for allegedly indulging in illegal wildlife activities. In Nagpur, the team seized two tiger skins and 30 kgs of tiger bones from five persons while in Majnu Ka Teela, a duo was arrested with two leopard and five otter skins besides 4 kgs of Red-sanders, a precious wood, agency sources said. The agencies were on the lookout for the accused for the last several months, they said, adding their names are being withheld for investigative purposes. The sources said the arrest is being considered a major achievement as a financier and two middlemen have also been held which the agencies hope will help in nabbing "bigger fishes" in the wildlife racket.

( Note: It is time to keep watch on 'khanabadosh' communities and do regular foot patrolling in the field. Local intelligence gathering and day to day monitoring of large carnivores are must-Ramesh Pandey )

Links:

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/environment/flora-fauna/Wildlife-racket-busted-tiger-otter-skins-seized-/articleshow/5207515.cms (Economic Times-Net version)

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Seizure-shows-poachers--Delhi--Maharashtra-link/538717 (Indian Express)

http://news.webindia123.com/news/articles/India/20091109/1380264.html

http://epaper.hindustantimes.com/ArticleImage.aspx?article=10_11_2009_009_004&mode=1

Katerniaghat Foundation and its conservation initiatives

2009-10-28T00:58:00.000-07:00

Katerniaghat Foundation came in to existence almost two years back. The foundation had been working in the field of wildlife conservation in Dudhwa-Katerniaghat area. Recently I received the 'Inaugural Issue' of the news letter ' published by the Foundation. Its name is beautifully given as Kat's Eye.

The issue begins with comments of the prominent wildlife personalities who visited Katerniaghat in last few years. Few of them are Mr P. K. Sen, Mr Asad Rahmani, Mr Rom Whitaker, Mr Bivash Pandav and Mr Diwarkar Sharma. The Editorial written by Dhrub Basu unleash the role of NGO vis-a-vis environmental conservation issues.

The very first issue is full with variety of articles mainly contributed by Mr Chanramani Kant Singh, Mr S. Kumar, Neeraj Kumar and Dhrubjyoti Basu. The story of revival and restoration of Katerniaghat narrated by me has also got the place in the issue.

I hope that PDF version of the news letter will be circulated by the Foundation soon for the wider circulation of the text. I wish to see contribution from people other than forest officials or office bearers of the foundation in the very next issue.

The foundation is going to organising a workshop on Tiger Conservation issue on 8th of November and hopefully would be able to draw the attention towards the need of tiger conservation in the country.

The team of Katerniaghat Foundation particularly Mr Neeraj Srivastava and Mr Suresh Chaudhary deserve due acknowledgement for their all positive and sincere efforts.

I personally thanks Suresh ji for selecting my photograph for the cover page of the first issue of the news letter. We all liked this photograph because it was taken in complete darkness and every body know how elusive a tiger is in Terai.

Link: http://katerniaghatfoundation.googlepages.com/

World of Birds

2009-10-25T08:47:00.001-07:00

Bhagat Singh is a living legend, a guru for many of us. He has been visiting, camping and birding in most of our protected areas and hills of Uttarakhand for more than fifty years; with his camera and mobile camping gear customised in a Maruti van. For the last couple of years he had been silently living and enjoying nature’s bounty in a remote village of Garhwal hills. His last book on birds of Uttaranchal was published in the year 2007 and his next book on photographic life cycle of birds will be published next years. I am one of the fortunate one who keep getting his blessings and guidance both in professional and personal life. Recently I got one of his speech delivered in India International Centre, New Delhi two years back; when his photo-exhibition was organised. I took his permission to put it on this blog to share with all of us who have common feelings for birds and wildlife.
Bhagat Singh: (India International Centre, New Delhi):
The ‘World of Birds’ is the most beautiful and colourful gift of nature to mankind. Their exuberant vitality enchants us, their mysterious lives tantalize us, and their bewitching melodies uplift our hearts and minds. Their brilliant colours, innumerable forms, streamlined shapes, gorgeous flights and playful acts, full of fun and frolic, bestowed upon these magnificent denizens of the sky a place of honour and pride among the comity of living on our planet. Since time immemorial, birds have had a close relationship with human population. The whistling tunes of Thrush, sonnets of Bulbul, mournful lament of Hoopoe, hooting of Owl, out-cry of Red Jungle Fowl, Chattering of Myna, drum-beats of Barbet, ascending notes of Koel, emotional outburst of Chatak, distressed cry of Chakor, maddening call-notes of Papiya, melodies of Shyama, piercing scream of Peacock, ornamental dance of Saras, fluting tunes of Robin, lyrics of Madhuka (Lora), rhythmic walk of Hans (Swan), and a great variety of fun-filled and joyous acts of a large multitude of birds have aroused emotions and passions in human hearts and influenced human folklore and literature.
It is true that by bird watching we cannot earn our livelihood but if we cultivate the hobby of bird watching it would certainly prolong our life; for it would stimulate our heart and mind to step-in into all pervading serene wilderness, where we can breathe fresh air; seek peace and tranquillity; break the dull and drab monotony of the present day city life; where we can relax our nerves in the natural setting, free from tension and pollution; and soothe our depressed feelings in an environment, that throbs with the fragrance of wild flowers; with the melodious songs of a great variety of birds; with the playful acts of a large number of animals; with the exhilarating dances of lofty trees; with the glimmer of trickling water springs; and the enchanting tunes played by the orchestra of numerous waterfalls descending down the forested hills.
Furthermore, birds play a significant role in the conservation of nature. Nature-where tranquillity reigns; where mind illuminates; where soul enlightens; where heart throbs; where splendour glows; and where scenic grandeur animates transcendental bliss. Nature-which is all soothing and sublime.
People, nowadays, are becoming more and more conscious that they cannot live a healthy life, independent of their natural environment. Birds, in this context, perform an invaluable function. They warn us, by their health and well-being, of the dangers that threatens us in the environment. Several species of birds have become extinct or miserably dwindled in numbers, as a result of pesticide residues in the environment. This warns us that we too are absorbing all kinds of chemicals into our own bodies, which have unpredictable side effects, fraught with dire consequences to our healthy growth. This warns us that this is high time that we must take effective and concrete action to stop all toxic substances getting into the environment. If we are able to put a halt to this terrible decline, we will have the satisfaction that we are helping ourselves as well as these magnificent winged creatures.
India has abundant share of the natural splendour or the earth; and more that its share of bird wealth, both in terms of diversity and population. Hills covered with lush green vegetation; vast expanses of grasslands, dotted with clusters of trees and shrubby bushes; and wide open glades with luxuriant growth of green foliage provide eternal home to multitudes of birds. The wide spectrum of bio-geographic diversity of this region is fully reflected in its spectacularly rich birdlife.
Most species are resident, and stay here round the year, subject to, of course, seasonal movement; while few species, which winter in South India, migrate to Himalayas to spend their summer months. On the other hand, some strong flying birds, such as Wood cock, Indian Blue Chat, and Pied Ground Thrush which are resident of the Himalayas, take long journeys to find analogous habitats in the Nilgiri Hills in South India to spend their winter months in warmer regions, and return to their original areas in the Himalayas in Summer, where they breed and raise their young.
Unrivalled in scenic grandeur and natural splendour, India has drawn worldwide attention for being the heavenly abode of most of the beautiful and colourful birds, such as, Barbets, Minivets, Tits, Finches, Parakeets, Woodpeckers etc.
Most of the water reservoirs, rivers and lakes, spread over the entire Indian Union, provide shelter to many species of birds, which migrate from distant places in Central Asia Europe and China, to the Indian Sub-continent in winter.
Since India has a tremendous altitudinal variation, the climate of this country greatly varies from tropical heat to arctic cold of the snowy mountains. Because of this drastic change in climatic conditions, there is a different type of plant life in different parts of this country. The birdlife primarily depends on the type of vegetation that exists in different climatic zones, which can be broadly divided into (1) Tropical and Sub Tropical (2) Temperate, and (3) Alpine.
Whenever the sun shines warmly, the old male birds tune their pipe and enliven the neighbourhood with their songs. The young also begin to sing. With the advent of the spring, the blossoms peep forth in every part of the budding woods and hundreds of plants banis the dismal appearance of winter. The nature clothed in spring provides happiness and abundance to all creatures. Then the songbirds perched on the tops of detached trees, give vent to their passion. Their songs never fail to enchant the listeners.
During the love-season, some songbirds pour out their feelings with heightened passion. Like proud musicians, they swell their throat, spread their tail, droop their wings and lean alternately to the right and left. The fluting tunes of some songbirds are among the most exhilarating sounds of nature. Many small birds, like Warblers, sing in gentle, continuous trilling manner. It appears as if they speak in verse or give expression to their passions in song.
Conservation of birds is a matter of great concern. Each one of us owns the responsibility to conserve and protect the miracles of birdlife that thrives on our planet. We can do this by knowing as much about these winged creatures as we can.
All of us need to associate ourselves with the future of birdlife, and the unspoilt beauty of the magnificent land of our county. We need to appreciate the beauty and the variety of birds, and cooperate honestly in the endeavour to protect these wonderful winged creatures of our land. Concerted efforts are needed to arouse the interest of the people at large in the subject of birds and bird watching.
Bird Photography:
Bird photography is a challenging task. Even if one is whole time devoted with the most ardent will and determinations, it is not possible in one’s live time to take clear and sharp pictures of all the species of birds that are found the year round even in small area of about 300 Sq Km. Some of the reasons are:
(i) Birds are extremely shy of human being. The moment one attempts to approach them, how so much cautious, quite and careful one may be in his movement; the birds instantly take to wings. The birds have been blessed with keen eye-sight and with an acute sense of hearing.
(ii) Many of the birds are quite small in size, and generally remain hidden in bushes and leafy trees. Even when sighted, they remain partly screened amongst leaves twigs and branches.
(iii) Birds, in general, do not remain still at a place. For want of food and for fear of danger, they move swiftly from twig to twig, from branch to branch, and from tree to tree, up and down. Thus, they hardly provide any time to the photographer to click his camera.
(iv) Bird-photography primarily depends on day light conditions, particularly when one attempts to photograph birds in their natural habitats. Apart from the weather conditions that remain uncertain for most part of the year, the drifting shadows, with the movement of the sun in the sky, seriously disturb the light conditions, reducing considerably the chances of clear and sharp pictures.
(v) In jungle with dense undergrowth, particularly in hilly areas, the movement of the photographer is not only grossly restricted, but is also fraught with dire consequences for his life. I, myself is a witness to an incident in which a photographer from England, who was a keen bird watcher with years of experience at his credit, lost his life at the hands of a tiger in the Corbett National Park, while he was attempting to photograph a horned forest owl perched on a giant leafy tree. The unfortunate victim had glued his eyes on to the owl, unmindful of the stripped beast lurking for him in the nearby bushes.
(vi) Most of the birds migrate to distant lands for breeding, nesting and in search of food. Their power of flight enables them to overcome barriers that restrict the barrier that restrict the movement of the photographer. Even among the resident birds, considerable altitudinal movement takes place to escape the rigors of the seasons, particularly the winter. Migration is periodically alternative swing between two areas that promote optimum living conditions such as food, water etc. At respective seasons. Some of the birds, who are endowed with strong and sustained flights, migrate to long distances to escape extreme climatic conditions. It is not easy to locate them for months together, particularly in inhospitable hilly terrains.
(vii) Lack of minimum civic facilities such as accommodation, food, water and security etc. In remote and inaccessible areas in Indian Jungles, particularly in the interior regions of the Himalayas severely hamper the work of bird-photographers. Even if one gathers enough courage and summons boldness to face hazards he would not be at all certain about the final outcome.
To conclude, I must put on record that birds are the most beautiful and colourful ornaments of our forests. They adorn our homes, beautify our gardens, and entertain us with their sweet melodies and gorgeous flights. They deserve our love, affection and kindness.
Thanks.

Photo: Bhagat ji in Katerniaghat, Winters 2009.

EIGHTY ONE GHARIAL CROCODILES FOUND IN NEPAL

2009-10-24T06:35:00.000-07:00

A study on population status and distribution of Gharial Gavialis gangeticus in Nepal was commissioned by Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation and WWF Nepal in January-February 2008 aiming at updating the existing status and distribution pattern of gharial and also assessing the threats in gharial conservation in Nepal. Empirical data were collected from direct count using opportunistic search method and questionnaire survey from Koshi River of eastern Nepal, Narayani and Rapti of central Nepal and Karnali and Babai rivers of western Nepal. The census estimated a total of 81 gharial in Nepal. Out of total gharial recorded during the census, 70 were directly recorded and 11 were based on indirect counts. It revealed that 41 gharial have been sighted in 102.5 km stretch of Narayani river from Devghat to Triveni. It recorded 24 gharials in 50.92 km stretch of Rapti river from Khagendramalli to Narayani-Rapti confluence. Six and ten gharials were recorded respectively from 53.76 km stretch of Karnali river and 39.52 km stretch of Babai river from Chepang to Parewaodar. Census conducted in 38.9 km stretch of Koshi river from Chatahara to Koshi Barrage could not detected any gharial and their signs. Only 27 of the total population is adult breeding population. Age and sex of 11% individuals could not be detected. The sex ratio of chitwan population was found to be 1 male to 6 female. Nepal started captive breeding program of Gharial in 1978 aiming at rehabilitating the wild population through egg collection, captive rearing and release of young into natural river systems of protected areas. There are two Gharial breeding centres in Kasara of Chitwan National Park and Thakurdwara of Bardia National Park. Since 1981 to 2007, 691 gharials have been released in different river systems. Out of 691, 339 were released in Narayani, 99 in Rapti, 85 in Koshi, 50 in Babai, 35 in Kali Gandaki and 23 in Karnali river. In Nepal, the Gharial is listed as protected animal under National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 2029, as critically endangered in IUCN Red Data Book, and is listed in Appendix I of CITES. Gharial faces many threats due to flooding and dam construction in rivers, habitat destruction and decline in food quality and quantity. Over fishing, use of gill nets and river poisoning compounded the problem manifold. Gharial is the only surviving member of Gavialidae family. It mostly inhabits large bodied, deep, fast flowing rivers in the plain.

(Source: Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, Ministry of Forestry and Soil Conservation, Government of Nepal, photo-gharials in river Girwa, Katerniaghat)

Pop Conservation

2009-10-20T00:45:00.000-07:00

By Prerna Singh Bindra on her blog 'Indiannaturally':

Pop conservation is here (hopefully not to stay)...Don't believe me? Read on:

We are gonna have Gangetic dolphins in the Delhi zoo. Come again? Freshwater dolphins in the zoo. The MEF believes that a romp in the dolphinarium will do the creature good. Awareness, spreading the message regarding conservation and such other lofty motives will be met. My question is: Where are you going to get the dolphin(s) from? The only way is to capture them from the wild, and that is really not a good idea (nor is getting a 'rescued' individual--there will be a rush to 'rescue' dolphins to impress the minister. For another, they are gonna die. No, i am not the Voice of Doom, but keeping fresh water dolphins in captivity is not an easy preposition. Experience has shown that they don't survive long. Just as an aside, don't most of our zoos house the tiger? And the lion? May I know how that has helped their cause? Isn't their fortune in the doldrums?The other great showbiz idea is to get the cheetah to India. You know the fastest animal on earth that once thrived in India, till we finished it off. The last three were shot (in one go) in 1947. The cheetah is now extinct in India. But hey, chill. Not for long. We are gonna fly 'em in (we been shopping in Namibia) and give ‘em some grassland (where, where?) to live in. For details on this one, read my earlier post. Suffice to say, its a no brainer, a grand money-making, headline-hogging idea. It's a conservation dud, but is surely gonna attract dollar tourists in the safari that we create for the cheetah.Tigers and lions? Never mind ‘em, once they go the cheetah way, we will just bah ‘em from Texas, plenty of ‘em there—more than all over the world in fact. So don’t worry, be happy. Oh yes, there was this other fantastic plan of getting microlights to protect tiger reserves. An idea straight out of Africa, not a bad one, but not for Corbett and Namdapha—the chosen ones for the grand experiment. Minister, minister, these are moist deciduous forests and rainforests, not savannas that can be surveyed aerialy. The canopy is not transparent. And wouldn’t it be wiser (though certainly not sexier) to first equip our foot soldier. Invest in them—ensure they are in adequate numbers, and well-equipped and trained to guard our tigers?Oh yes, there is this other brilliant idea--though not so much conservation as a gimmick. Did you know that India is going to kick of International Tiger Year on February 14. Valentine's Day. Gettit? Cho chweet. The launch is at Corbett National Park (don't roll in your grave, Jim, it's ok). Keep the date. and don't forget to bring the red roses.
Posted by prerna singh bindra on her blog:

http://indianaturally.blogspot.com/

Leopard skins and a bear bile seized in Uttarakhand and two persons arrested

2009-10-18T23:58:00.000-07:00

Two persons were arrested on 11.10.09 after two leopard skins and bear bile, which is believed to have medicinal value, were seized from them in Dehradun, Uttaranchal.The two have been identified as Shyam Dutta Joshi and Deepak from Chakrata region in Dehradun. The operation was jointly done by Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) with the Special Task Force (STF) of the state.

In the recent past there had been many such seizures done by WCCB, STF, Police and FD Uttarakhand relating to leopard skins and bear biles. There had been major seizures like Saharanpur (8 leopard skins seizure done by UP Police), Delhi (8 leopard skins seized by WCCB and Delhi Crime Branch), Shimla (8 leopard skins seized by Shimla Police) and Dhangadhi-Nepal (6 leopard skins seized by Nepal Forest and Wildlife Authorities) which indicated extent of the killing and threat on leopards.

Links of the news published are given below:

http://www.ptinews.com/news/325542_Leopard-skins--bear-bile-seized-in-U-chal--two-nabbed

http://www.ptinews.com/news/336479_WCCB-warns-of-poaching-during-winter

Where worlds collide

2009-09-26T05:31:00.000-07:00

I had been in Nepal last week and got opportunity to meet my old friend Tariq who is the leader of WWF-Eastern Himalaya Conservation Project stationed at Nepal. He gave me a brouchure which was worth reading and to know the potential of this lesser known and difficult landscape including North Eastern Indian Part. The most important part of the reading material is the compilation of the almost 300 new species and their relevant references as annexure. The PDF version of the brochure is available on net, the link of the same is mentioned below. Small pieces of excerpts have also been shared.

At least 353 new species have beendiscovered in the Eastern Himalayasbetween 1998 and 2008, equating toan average of 35 new species findsevery year for the last 10 years. Thediscoveries include 242 plants, 16amphibians, 16 reptiles, 14 fish, 2birds and 2 mammals, and at least 61new invertebrates.

The Eastern Himalayas is at the crossroads of two continental platesrepresented by the lowland Indo-Malayan Realm and to the north, the elevatedPalearctic Realm. The meeting of these worlds has created one of thebiologically richest areas on Earth. Spanning Bhutan, the north-eastern Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, North Bengaland Sikkim, the far north of Myanmar (Burma), Nepal and Tibet, the region includes four ofthe Global 200 ecoregions, critical landscapes of international biological importance. TheHimalayas are home to an estimated 10,000 plant species, 300 mammal species, 977 birdspecies, 176 reptiles, 105 amphibians and 269 freshwater fish. The region also has the highestdensity of the Bengal tiger and is the last bastion for the charismatic greater one-horned rhino.Even today the rugged, and largely inaccessible landscape of the Eastern Himalayas, hides thereal extent of the region’s biodiversity, with extraordinary new species continuing to bediscovered year-on-year. Between 1998 and 2008, at least 353 new species have beendiscovered in the Eastern Himalayas, 35 new species finds on average every year for the last10 years .The extent of the new species finds place the Eastern Himalayas on a par with more wellknownbiological hotspots such as Borneo.This report celebrates these unique and fascinating species discoveries. It also highlights themany vital habitats that face growing pressures as a consequence of unsustainabledevelopment in the region. Despite protection efforts, in the last half-century, this area ofSouth Asia has faced a wave of pressures as a result of population growth and the increasingdemand for commodities by global and regional markets. The host of threats include forestdestruction as a result of unsustainable and illegal logging, agriculture, unsustainable fuelwood collection, overgrazing by domestic livestock, illegal poaching and wildlife trade,mining, pollution, hydropower development, and poorly planned infrastructure. The region isalso among the most vulnerable to global climate change, which will amplify the impacts ofthese threats.Only 25% of the original habitats in the region remain intact. For the unique species of theEastern Himalayas, this means that today 163 are considered globally threatened.

No mountain range on Earth can match the awe-inspiring Himalayas. Hometo all of the world’s highest peaks, many standing above 8,000m, they includethe tallest, the formidable Sagarmatha (Mount Everest) at 8,848m. Their storyis one of fascination and intrigue, which continues to captivate the world.The 3,000km-long Himalayan mountain range, “abode of snow” in Sanskrit, was born from amassive tectonic collision 40-50 million years ago. The energy dissipated by the monumentalmeeting of India and Eurasia was far-reaching and shaped many of Asia’s most distinctivegeographical features, including the formation of the Tibetan Plateau; the highest on Earth.Even today, the relentless movement of the plates continues to push the Himalayas furtherskyward.The Eastern Himalayas spanning Bhutan, the north-eastern Indian states of ArunachalPradesh, Assam, North Bengal and Sikkim, the far north of Myanmar (Burma), Nepal andTibet forms a wall that separates the lowlands of the Indian subcontinent from the high, dryTibetan Plateau. Climatic variability and altitudinal gradation have forged the region intoAsia’s land of contrasts, encompassing some of nature’s most magnificent spaces, from theworld’s highest mountains and several of the world’s deepest gorges, to subtropical jungles,temperate forests, tall grasslands, savannas and rich alpine meadows.A myriad of cultures and faiths including Buddhists, Hindus, Christians and animists, havelived closely with the natural environments of the Eastern Himalayas for millennia. Many ofthese communities live in isolation; their customs, lifestyles and livelihoods have been shapedby their environment, and they remain deeply dependent on the resources nature provides.Where worlds collideA global biodiversity hotspot1, the Eastern Himalayas is one of the biologically richest areason Earth. Because the region sits at the biogeographical crossroads of two continental plates,it contains an incredible wealth of biodiversity from both worlds. The Indo-Malayan Realmin the lowlands of the Eastern Himalayas is home to Asian elephants, clouded leopards, wildwater buffalo, gaur, hornbills, cobras and geckos. The elevated Palearctic Realm to the northincludes the snow leopard, red pandas, black bears, wolf, golden langurs and a diverseassemblage of alpine ungulates, like takins.The Eastern Himalayas hotspot2 includes four Global 200 ecoregions3, critical landscapes ofinternational biological importance, four World Heritage sites, two Endemic Bird Areas4, andseveral global centres for plant diversity5. The Himalayas harbour a staggering 10,000 plantspecies, from tropical to temperate, from alpine to tundra; 300 mammal species, 977 birdspecies, 176 reptiles, 105 amphibians and 269 types of freshwater fish6. A third of all plantsand reptiles are endemicI, as are 40% of all amphibians7.The world’s northernmost tropical rainforests can be found in the Eastern Himalayas8 andnearly half of the flowering plants9 and bird species known from India10. The plant life ofArunachal Pradesh is considered among the most diverse in the world, ranking second only toSumatra in Indonesia and greater than Borneo, Brazil and Papua New Guinea11.Importantly, the region comprises 17 landscapes for the Bengal tiger12, Asia’s largestcarnivore, with the densest population of Bengal tigers in the world. The Eastern Himalayasare also the last bastion for the charismatic greater one-horned rhino, which once enjoyed arange spanning the entire length of the Himalaya foothills, from Pakistan to Myanmar13 butare now restricted to a few corners of India, Bhutan and Nepal.People and wildlife form a rich mosaic of life stretching across a remarkable and unparalleled.

(Source:http://www.worldwildlife.org/what/wherewework/easternhimalayas/WWFBinaryitem13235.pdf

Deer overrun by speeding train

2009-08-29T22:14:00.001-07:00

STAFF WRITER 14:44 HRS IST

Bahraich (UP) Aug 20 (PTI) A spotted deer was overrun by a train near Dudhwa-Katarniyaghat national park here.

The deer was overrun by a passenger train near Bichiya railway station here yesterday, District Forest Officer (Katarniyaghat) R K Singh said today.

An FIR under the Wildlife Protection Act was lodged against the train driver and guard, he said.

Singh said railway authorities had issued directions to trains to slow down while passing through four sectors of Katarniyaghat region but it is not being followed.

Last year, a tiger was overrun by a train near here.

Meanwhile, the representative of the WWF Project Officer Dabir Hasan has taken strong exception over the incident and said that senior officials of WWF will meet the Railway minister on the issue.

http://www.ptinews.com/news/238905_Deer-overrun-by-speeding-train

Tiger farms undermining conservation efforts

2009-08-22T08:19:00.000-07:00

Debbie Banks

30th July, 2009

Tigers breed well in captivity, so why not just farm them behind bars to satisfy those with a taste for tiger bone wine? Debbie Banks from the Environmental Investigation Agency explains why relaxing the rules would be a disaster

Tiger cubs suckling on pigs. Sounds bizarre, but that is how tiger farms in Thailand and China are turning tigresses into a baby-making machines to supply the ever-hungry market for tiger parts.  

Wean a tigress’ cubs off her prematurely and she will quickly come back in to oestrus. A successful tigress in the wild may raise a litter of up to four cubs to adulthood every two and half to three years. At a tiger farm in Thailand, a tigress can have at least one litter a year.   

Some facilities are up front about their motivations. They claim their objective is simply to have the single largest collection of tigers, with cages crowded with young tigers.   In China however, a sinister series of events has been unfolding. There are believed to be over 5000 tigers in captivity across China, and one of the biggest operations has approximately 1300 tigers.

The company behind the farm launched its operations in 1986 to supply the medicinal trade, but continued breeding tigers beyond 1993, despite the introduction of China’s domestic tiger trade ban. They were speculating - and banking - on the ban being temporary.

It must be said that China’s domestic tiger trade ban has made a vital contribution to international efforts to save the wild tiger. Without it, and the accompanying awareness and outreach efforts, the demand for wild tigers would be far worse than it is. Now is not the time to take the foot off the gas: efforts to improve enforcement and send a clear message to potential consumers must be sustained.

Unfortunately, business interests are hijacking the tiger conservation agenda, calling for the relaxation of the trade ban so they can flood the market with farmed tiger parts. The logic behind such a move is that since tigers breed well in captivity, farming them is an economical solution to satisfying demand whilst alleviating pressure on the wild tiger.

It’s a flawed logic that rests on simplistic assumptions about the complex nature and dynamics of the illegal trade in tigers and other Asian big cats. Assumptions are made about the motivations of those involved in the trade, the costs of the trade, the scale and type of consumer demand. They are then all plugged in to economic models and squirted out the other side as gospel. What the followers of this faith have failed to acknowledge is that their version of events does not hold true in the real world, and the risks of carrying on with this experiment are enormous.

The market the tiger farmers want to exploit is not the traditional medicine market, rather it is the luxury high-end market for tiger bone wine. In fact some businessmen are so keen they have already been found in breach of Chinese law, illegally selling tiger bone wine in tiger-shaped bottles and in one case, selling tiger meat. EIA and others have found tiger bone wine being marketed both as a general tonic and as the gift that wins promotions and seals deals.

On top of this, EIA has repeatedly sought clarification from the Chinese government over a flawed registration scheme that would appear to allow the labelling and sale of farmed tiger and leopard skins.

The markets for tiger bone wine and tiger skins are potentially massive; this is not just about reigniting an old demand, it’s about stimulating a new, diffuse and poorly understood one.

The very existence of these farms, and the persistent lobbying of the business community is a distraction that deflates and undermines real tiger conservation efforts. We’re being asked to believe that those who have already dabbled in illegal trade have a real interest in limiting their market and that the enforcement authorities, which have failed to stop them so far, will be able to regulate a legal trade to prevent the laundering of poached tiger parts. It’s hard to swallow.

In June 2007, the international community spoke with one voice: it declared that tigers should not be bred for any trade in their parts and derivatives. Parties at the 14th meeting of the Conference of Parties to the UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), adopted a decision to phase out commercial tiger farms.

The move was championed by the governments of tiger range states such as India, Nepal, Russia and Bhutan, all desperately appealing to the international community to remove the tiger farm threat once and for all. Two years on however, those countries with tiger farms have failed to provide any evidence of progress.

This was the subject of discussion at the recent meeting of the CITES Standing Committee, the body that monitors CITES management and implementation. India, the EU, the USA, Iran, and Australia all expressed concern and supported calls for a second deadline by which relevant countries report on steps taken to implement the Decision. The World Bank weighed in, their lead economists having reviewed and debunked the theories the pro-tiger trade movement have relied upon.

Progress will be assessed again at the main CITES meeting in March 2010, the next Chinese Year of the Tiger. Will China, in the interests of the wild tiger, send a strong and clear message by fulfilling the CITES Resolutions and Decisions to phase out farms, consolidate and destroy stockpiles of tiger parts and derivatives and invest in more effective enforcement?

In the meantime, India took the opportunity at Standing Committee to remind us all of the greater ecological and cultural significance of the tiger, how it represents the very forests that mitigate climate change, secure water and deliver other ecosystem services. How the wild tiger is not just a commodity that can be treated in isolation.

EIA firmly believes there is much more that can be done to combat the illegal trade in wild tigers and other Asian big cats. With increased financial and political commitment, governments can adopt more targeted, intelligence-led efforts to disrupt the criminal networks that control the trade between range, transit and consumer countries.

In so doing, we bring far greater benefits, not just to the survival of the wild tiger, but also to all other endangered species.

Debbie Banks is lead campaigner at the Environmental Investigation Agency
http://www.theecologist.org/blogs_and_comments/commentators/other_comments/295015/tiger_farms_undermining_conservation_efforts.html

(Note: This article had published before standing committee (CITES) meeting held last month in Geneva. Regulation of tiger farming particularly was one of the important issued in CITES meeting.-Ramesh Pandey)

66 tigers dead in 8 months

2009-08-22T07:57:00.000-07:00

Avijit Ghosh, TNN 21 August 2009, 03:38am IST

NEW DELHI: Tiger deaths continue at an alarming rate. Statistics collated from different parts of India by a prominent wildlife NGO show that
between January 1 and August 19 this year, at least 66 tigers lost their lives. Of these, 23 died due to poaching. The list includes seizures of skins, bones, claws, skeletons, canines and paws by police and wildlife authorities during this period. The remaining 43 died of a variety of reasons such as infighting, old age, tiger-human conflict, accidents and disease, according to statistics provided by Wildlife Protection Society of India. "In the last few months, Uttarakhand in the north and Karnataka in the south have recorded particularly high numbers of tiger deaths, which illustrates that the problem exists throughout the country," says Belinda Wright of WPSI. One incident occurred near Pataur area in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh where a tigress was found dead on Tuesday. "It could be a case of poisoning. But right now we can't say for sure. The samples have been sent to the forensic lab in Sagar and to the veterinary college, Jabalpur," says S K Patil, field director of the reserve. The tigress had three cubs. "Two have been spotted. We are trying to trace the third," says Patil. National tiger census figures released in Jan 2008 showed a mere 1,411 tigers alive as compared to 3,508 in 1997, a drastic drop of 60%. K Ullas Karanth, Bangalore-based senior conservation scientist, says decline of tigers since 1990s can be attributed to "the collapse of field protection and patrolling." This, he says, is fallout of "a mission drift in forest department" which has moved away from its "core task of protection, towards eco-development, needless habitat modifications and such other distractions." He also points out that both tigers and prey are being poached where field protection has collapsed. "In areas where these protective measures are still reasonably in place tigers are doing okay. The key issue is not just poaching of tigers, even more important is the issue of their prey species being hunted out. There are vast extents of forests in India where tigers are absent not because of direct poaching, but because their prey has been hunted out," Karanth says.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/environment/flora-fauna/66-tigers-dead-in-8-months/articleshow/4917094.cms

Wildlife crime control detectives unearth poaching ring

2009-08-22T07:48:00.000-07:00

Tags: New Delhi
(Source: IANS)Published: Mon, 10 Aug 2009 at 19:20 IST
New Delhi: The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) has been looking into the interstate and international ramifications of two recent incidents of seizure of tiger skin and arrest of certain poachers, a government spokesperson said here Monday. A few days ago, Sasashtra Seema Bal (SSB) personnel had intercepted a man while attempting to smuggle out two tiger skins and large quantity of bones across the India-Nepal border. A team from WCCB of the Ministry of Environment and Forests unearthed important interstate and international linkages pertaining to the attempted smuggling, the spokesperson said. They are working closely with enforcement agencies of at least three States to unearth the dynamics of the illegal trade activity and the kingpins involved in the poaching. The spokesperson said WCCB is also coordinating with Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Delhi and Himachal Pradesh governments on the linkages of a notorious smuggling kingpin who has been recently nabbed by Rajasthan Forest Department. It is also working in close coordination with Karnataka police after a tiger skin was seized recently near Bandipur. In its efforts to pursue the links and the poachers, WCCB is pooling in professional forensic and other technical capacity available with various agencies to ensure effective prosecution, the spokesperson added.

http://www.samaylive.com/news/wildlife-crime-control-detectives-unearth-poaching-ring/645603.html

http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=51733

Wildlife smugglers get creative

2009-08-16T07:52:00.000-07:00

Thursday, 06 Aug, 2009 | 01:06 PM PST |

A shipment of snakes from South America arrived in the US with the right permits, but customs officers found that most of them had died. It turned out that the snakes were full of condoms stuffed with cocaine. –File Photo

GENEVA: To slip their illegal cargo through customs, wildlife smugglers still use traditional methods like bribery and threats but can also go creative — like hiding live geckos in their underpants.

John Sellar, chief enforcement officer at CITES, the UN agency against illegal wildlife trade, gave several examples.

The Bad

Caviar might add a touch of class to the average dinner table, but it might have gotten there thanks to prostitution, bribery and death threats orchestrated by the Russian mafia.

Sellar said the ‘crime’ starts with the poaching of sturgeon from the Caspian Sea and the processing of caviar.

In one instance, the delicacy was then smuggled into a Middle Eastern country where officials were offered cash bribes or prostitutes or, if they did not comply, given death threats to issue genuine CITES documents for the illegal caviar.

‘With the documents, the caviar then enters national markets as genuine certified caviar,’ said Sellar.

Once the caviar is certified as legal, the trade helps the mafia to launder their money.

The Ugly

Criminals have been caught smuggling animals such as beetles or snakes with proper CITES documentation, but using them as drug mules.

Sellar pointed to a case where a crate of beetles were found dead at customs. ‘Officials thought initially that they must have been smuggled for collectors, but they were all stuffed with amphetamines,’ he explained.

In another case, a shipment of snakes from South America arrived in the United States with the right permits, but US customs officers found that most of them had died.

It turned out that the snakes were full of condoms stuffed with cocaine, Sellar said.
If that shipment had passed through, the criminals would have made money in several ways — not only the drugs, but also the snakes would have earned a tidy sum, dead or alive, said Sellar.

Alive, they could have been sold to collectors; dead, they could have been offloaded for their skins, he explained.

And the downright bizarre

Some individuals who want to bring rare birds across a border sometimes smuggle in eggs before they have hatched, said Sellar.

‘You will get men and women with special constructed vests with eggs,’ he said. ‘There are women smuggling eggs in their bras or men smuggling live lizards and geckos in their underpants.’

http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/sci-tech/14-wildlife-smugglers-get-creative-zj-07

Chinatown tiger remedies seized

2009-08-16T07:45:00.000-07:00

Chinatown is home to many traditional medicine shops

Medicines made from endangered animals including leopards and tigers were seized when police swooped on a shop in Chinatown, central London.

The Metropolitan Police's wildlife crime unit raided the undisclosed shop on the day a legal loophole was closed.

Traders had previously been able to claim products came from countries with few wildlife crime laws - and it was hard to prove the goods' true origins.

But now medicines from rare species are illegal wherever they come from.

'Profiting from killing'

Police seized over 200 products during the raid on the shop on Tuesday.

Det Con David Flint said: "Most traditional Chinese medicines are not made from endangered species and can be sold legally.

"However, a small number of products do contain these ingredients, and it is these products that have an impact on wild populations."

He continued: "To meet this demand, poachers and traffickers will continue to profit from killing and supplying animals from other parts of the world, and the future of some of our most endangered species will be at risk."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/8196328.stm

This may be the last time you see a tiger

2009-08-16T07:42:00.000-07:00

Neelam Raaj, TNN 9 August 2009, 01:27am IST

Tiger country is losing its stripes, surely, and not slowly enough. From an estimated 40,000 big cats in India a century ago, the number may be

down to just 1,300 and falling. Soon, Kipling’s Jungle Book may be all that we have of Sher Khan. The next time, President Bill Clinton comes visiting, there may be no ‘Bamboo Ram’ or his cubs to spot. The mighty Royal Bengal Tiger is in trouble. The latest blow was the Panna reserve’s admission last month that it has lost all of its 24 tigers. It was a repeat of the 2005 Sariska story, though there were warning signs this time round.

The tiger tragedy is being played out everywhere. Namdapha (Arunachal Pradesh) had 12 tigers in 2006 but has not had a single sighting this year. Ditto Buxa (West Bengal), which also had 12 tigers. Dampa (Mizoram) may have only two tigers left. Indravati in Chhattisgarh has been taken over by Maoist rebels. The situation is bad in Palamau in Jharkhand and Simplipal in Orissa. In MP’s Kanha reserve, one of the best tiger habitats, there have been six unexplained tiger deaths since November 2008.

The conservation story is back to square one — or rather the 1970s, when Project Tiger was launched and the numbers stood at 1,827. Forty years and millions of rupees later, numbers rose, only to drop to an all-time low. The last tiger census in 2006 put numbers at 1,411. Since then, nearly a 100 have died. What’s killing the Indian tiger?

Hunting the hunter

Tiger numbers may be falling but not the price on its head. In the international market, a tiger pelt goes for $10,000, a bowl of tiger penis soup (said to improve sexual prowess) for $320 and a single claw for $20. It’s estimated that a single specimen — ground down and separated into various medicines — earns roughly $50,000. China’s rising affluence has meant greater demand for tiger parts. “It’s the traditional Chinese medicine market that's driving demand,” says Belinda Wright of the Wildlife Protection Society of India. For poachers, who use Nepal as a transit route to China, the big cat is big business.

Squeezed for space

In the name of development, forests are being cleared to build roads and human encroachment is eroding buffer zones, reducing the animals’ habitat and food supply. “Tiger reserves take up just 2% of India’s landmass. All we need to do is make is those 35,000 sq km inviolate,” says P K Sen, founder-director of Project Tiger. Easier said than done. In 2006, a new law granted tribals legal right to forest land. Thousands of people flooded into the forests, elbowing out wildlife. But the government also declared that the Act did not mean ‘Critical Tiger Habitats’. Rs 50 crore was also set aside for a Tiger Protection Force.

Toothless force

The budget for tiger protection has gone up but the green army tasked with saving the big cat has neither the equipment nor the training for the job. Forest guards, wielding lathis or .315 rifles have to take on poachers armed with automatics. “There are huge vacancies in their ranks and most of them are old since there has been no recruitment for 20 years,” says Ashok Kumar of the Wildlife Trust of India. Range officers get no training in wildlife enforcement. “They are not well-versed in legal procedures and 90% of the cases against poachers fail to stand up in court,” says Kumar.

Too many Centres of power

Better co-ordination between the Centre and states could save many a tiger: that’s the consensus among conservationists. “Funds are required but what is even more urgently needed is the two working in tandem,” says Wright. She cites Panna as an example. The Madhya Pradesh authorities ignored warnings by a Central team.

Tourist trap

Today, tigers are prisoners of human intruders. At night, they are wary of poachers. By day, there are camera-clicking tourists. “Irresponsible tourism can pose a big problem for the tiger,” says Sen. But the good news is that the National Tiger Conservation Authority has now barred visitors from breeding areas.

So is it too late?

“Bagh Bachao, Jungle Bachao, Bharat Bachao” is the rallying cry of tiger NGOs. Some experts worry that the small population makes the future of the tiger scientifically unviable, others are optimistic. Until now, the big cat has always been extraordinarily adaptable and resilient. “All a tiger needs,” says Kumar, “is a little bit of cover, some water and some prey.”

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/sunday-toi/special-report/This-may-be-the-last-time-you-see-a-tiger/articleshow/4872542.cms

French woman dies in Gudalur jungle after jumbo attack

2009-08-16T07:39:00.000-07:00

Shantha Thiagarajan, TNN 15 August 2009, 02:31am ISTGUDALUR (NILGIRIS District): A trek into the wild turned tragic for two French tourists in Gudalur, Nilgiris district, when an elephant attacked them on Friday. While Annie Delyotal (65) died on the spot, her son, Frederick (39), escaped with minor injuries.

The duo, residents of Isle-sur-Marne in northeastern France, arrived in Bangalore on August 11. They checked into a jungle resort at Bokkapuram village, near Masinagudi, about 12km from the Mudumalai tiger reserve, on Thursday.

As they were interested in watching wildlife, they headed into the jungles in a jeep with two employees of the Blue Valley Jungle resort, where they were staying, around 6.30am on Friday. On their way to Vibuthi Malai, which is flanked by the Singara and Avaralla reserve forests, the group noticed a herd of elephants, including three calves. The tourists immediately started taking photographs.

Angered by the camera flash, a mother elephant and a calf charged towards the jeep. The mother elephant hit Annie with its trunk, killing her on the spot. Frederick, who tried to rescue her, suffered injuries.

The guides fled to the resort and informed the manager. Other employees were sent to the attack site, and they took Frederick and his mother's body to the Gudalur government hospital.

Frederick, who was discharged from the hospital after being treated for minor injuries, left for Bangalore in the evening. He said he would fly back to Paris with the body of his mother.

Forest officials said the elephant had not trampled the tourists, and had only lashed out with its trunk. The woman could have died of shock, said Gudalur DSP V Kumaresan, who is probing into the incident. The police have taken the resort staff who accompanied the tourists George and Raju into custody.

About 30 resorts have sprouted near the Mudumalai reserve, and they lure tourists with promises of night safaris. Jeeps from several resorts drive into the jungles in violation of the rules of the Forest department, disturbing wildlife and putting the lives of tourists in peril, wildlife activists alleged.

The Blue Valley Jungle Resort in Bokkapuram has been functioning for more than 12 years. But R Natesan, assistant director of town panchayat, said it was illegal as the buildings had been constructed by obtaining approval from the local panchayat for constructing a house. The resort, spread out over more than an acre, is situated on patta land that comes under the Tamil Nadu Preservation of Private Forest Act (TNPPF).

N Soundarapandian, district forest officer, north division, said any patta land coming under the Act should be preserved and no construction or even cultivation activities were permitted. "When the department is arranging safe and proper safaris, it is sad that some tourists are lured by the promises of these resorts," he said.http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/city/chennai/French-woman-dies-in-Gudalur-jungle-after-jumbo-attack/articleshow/4895533.cms

Leopard kills 4 year old in Katerniaghat Division

2009-08-16T07:28:00.000-07:00

(Source: IANS) LUCKNOW - A four-year-old boy was dragged into a forest and killed by a leopard in Behraich district of Uttar Pradesh and his body was found Sunday, an official said.

The incident took place late Saturday in the Mulara village of Behraich on the outskirts of the Katarniya Ghat Wildlife Sanctuary. A forest official said Vishal was out of his hut when the leopard attacked and dragged him inside the jungle.

The semi-eaten body was found near a canal Sunday morning. Forest officials are combing the area to spot the leopard and the villagers have been asked to remain cautious,” district forest official R.K. Singh told IANS.

“An immediate relief of Rs.3,000 has been given to the family and as per state government rules, and the family will also be provided a further relief of Rs.25,000,” he added.

According to the forest official, this is the first such leopard attack this year.

http://blog.taragana.com/n/leopard-kills-four-year-old-in-uttar-pradesh-141030/

121 Breeding Tigers Estimated To Be Found In Nepal

2009-07-28T11:00:00.000-07:00

Kathmandu, Nepal – The first ever overall nation-wide estimate of the tiger population brought a positive ray of hope among conservationists. The figures announced by the Nepal Government's Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC) shows the presence of 121 (100 – 194) breeding tigers in the wild within the four protected areas of Nepal. The 2008 tiger population estimate was jointly implemented by the DNPWC, Department of Forests (DOF), WWF, National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC) with support from Save The Tiger Fund (STF), WWF-US, WWF-UK, WWF International and US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).The 2008 nation-wide tiger population was initiated on 15 November 2009 in the Terai Arc Landscape (TAL) of Nepal both inside and outside the protected areas of Nepal. [TAL encompasses the Terai region of Nepal and into tiger range states across the border into India.]"To obtain reliable population estimates of wide ranging species like the tiger, it is important to undertake the survey simultaneously in all potential habitats," says Dr. Rinjan Shrestha, Conservation Biologist with WWF Nepal. Previous studies had been undertaken in different time periods and at different spatial scales."To derive information on both abundance and distribution of tigers, the current survey employed two methods - Camera Trapping method inside the protected areas and Habitat Occupancy survey both inside and outside the protected areas."According to WWF Global Tiger Network Initiative, the wild tiger population is at a tipping point. Tigers are experiencing a range collapse, occupying 40 per cent less habitat than was estimated just one decade ago. The estimated number of tigers in important range countries is frighteningly low, with a recent government census suggesting there may be as few as 1,300 tigers left in India, the species' stronghold. And tigers are facing an epidemic of poaching and habitat loss across their range.The main reason for the decline of tiger populations has been attributed to poaching and illegal trade. This is linked to the illegal international trade in tiger parts and derivatives (skin, bones, meat in some cases although not reported in Nepal) and use in traditional Chinese Medicines (TCM). Apart from these, sporadic cases of retaliatory killing from irate communities have been reported. Other important reasons of tiger population decline are habitat shrinkage and fragmentation due to human intervention, loss/decline of prey species."The tiger numbers have increased in Chitwan but decreased in Bardia and Shuklaphanta," said Mr. Anil Manandhar, Country Representative, WWF Nepal."In spite of the decade long insurgency, encroachment, poaching and illegal trade, the present numbers is a positive sign, but we can't remain unworried. The declining numbers in western Nepal has posed more challenges, needing a concerted effort to save this charismatic endangered species focusing on anti-poaching and illegal wildlife trade."The Government of Nepal has approved and launched the 'Tiger conservation Action Plan 2008- 2012'. A comprehensive management plan has been devised in which the target is to increase the population of tigers by 10 per cent within the first 5 year period of the plan implementation."Tigers can not be saved by the effort of a single individual or a single organization," said Mr. Gopal Prasad Upadhyay, Director General, DNPWC. "The transboundary relation with India needs to be strengthened further and all organizations should work together to conserve tigers."http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090727135537.htm

(Note: The tiger population in a tiger ranging country like India, Nepal, Bhutan, China, Indonesia, Combodia, Thailand etc. indicates the health of the forests and ecological units of that country. Tiger is an umbrella species, symbolic species, flagship species... placed at the top of the ecological pyramid. If the tiger are wiped out means the forests will also go in due course of time or that will become 'green desert' as said by Valmik Thapar in an interview recently. How does it sound 1000 tigers left in India and 100 in Nepal? It is humiliating and discouraging. Would it be possible to convince the society about the meaning of these headlines? As a common human being of this county I ask these questions from myself only...Ramesh Pandey)

Just 1,000 tigers left in India

2009-07-25T00:02:00.000-07:00

By Gill CharltonPublished: 8:00AM BST 18 Jul 2009, Telegraph,UK.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/5850187/Just-1000-tigers-left-in-India.html

Only a year ago there were calculated to be 24 tigers in the park, one of India’s 27 tiger reserves.
A century ago, India had about 40,000 tigers. By 1988, as a result of extensive hunting and poaching, there were just 4,500 left. Now the true figure is probably 1,000.
Panna, located near Khajuraho, is the second reserve in which there are now no tigers. Sariska National Park in Rajasthan lost all its tigers in 2005.
The decline is said to be largely down to poachers serving an insatiable demand for tiger bones, claws and skin in China, Taiwan and Korea, where they are used in traditional medicine. Other factors include electric fences erected by farmers, illegal logging and fights between male tigers over diminishing territory.
Several years ago I visited the forests of Bandhavgarh National Park, a few hours’ drive from Panna in remote Madhya Pradesh . The park contains about 45 tigers and offers the best chance in the world of seeing these kings of the jungle in the wild.
I saw six different tigers, including a magnificent young male. I followed through the jungle on the back of an elephant as the tiger marked his range. Eventually he strolled right up to us and dropped at our feet. It was a moving experience – his black-striped pelt was beautiful, so shiny and silken, his paws were huge, the size of dinner plates, and his large yellow eyes seemed to look straight through us. He was too young to fear, too old to be shy. Now he may be dead.
Even at relatively well-run Bandhavgarh there has been poaching. Just before my visit a gang had been caught with seven tiger skins. I was told that the men involved were from Tamil Nadu in the south and that they had struck – with local help – on the orders of a Nepalese-based gang.
It was said that the villager who led the poachers to the tigers was paid £100 for his services – a sum it is hard to resist in what is one of the poorest parts of rural India.
An official government census of the tiger population in all India’s reserves is being carried out this October; the results could make very sad reading.

(Note: This is the 'new number' given to the tiger population in India by the conservationists and international media. Earlier it was said that there had been 40,000 tigers in the country which declined to 1400 in 2007 as per the camera trap method estimation jointly done by NTCA and WII. Now it is said that there had been 1,00,000 tigers in India centuries back which has now come down to 1000. Is it true that only 1000 tigers are left in a vast country with 23% of total geographical area under forests. Only 1000 tigers left in our wilderness including tiger reserves??? It sounds frightening. It is more frightening when some people guess it even lesser. Are we going to loose all our tigers in wilderness in the next coming decade? This situation is extremely challenging. Efforts are continuously made from all possible quarters, but there is something missing... perhaps the spirit.....spirit to save 'our tigers'..........one of the most fascinating flagship species of 'our country'............our 'national animal'. It is a war like situation, as I strongly feel now and then...........but do we really have warriors??--Ramesh Pandey)

Forest dept relieved as master poacher is behind the bars

2009-07-12T21:50:00.000-07:00

The department is relieved after the conviction of a poacher by a Pilibhit court in a tiger poaching case of 1992. The five-year sentence and a fine of Rs 25,000 to Dalipo (55) has given hope to the department and the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) that the activities of her gang would now be curbed.
The accused was caught with tiger skin and bones. During investigation, her name had also cropped up in trading tiger skins to notorious trader in wildlife products, Sansar Chand.
Dalipo’s gang, comprising mostly her relatives and locals, operated in the pretext of beggars and vendors. They would live on the border of tiger sanctuaries in makeshift huts. The gang was active mainly in Pilibhit, Pithoragarh and Lakhimpur Kheri.
Her brother Tota Ram had figured during investigation in a tiger poaching case in East Terai division of Uttarakhand in 2004-05. Cases of tiger poaching have also been registered against her son and daughter-in-law.
“The gang, operating as poachers, carriers and traders of tiger skin, bones, has been active for at least 30 years before it caught our attention in 2005,” said a senior WCCB official.
A native of Haryana, Dalipo was caught in 2005 with a tiger skin and skeleton. But she and her nine co-accused had got away with a sentence of only nine months.
Dalipo has been found involved in four cases of tiger poaching. In 2007-08, iron traps were found from her in possession in Mehrosa. A tiger skin was seized from her in Kishanpur in 2006-07.

Link:http://www.indianexpress.com/news/forest-dept-relieved-as-master-poacher-is-behind-the-bars/487926/

Katerniaghat echoed in Rajya Sabha

2009-07-09T09:51:00.000-07:00

Here is a good news for all who love a place called Katerniaghat. It is also a good news for all who believe that hard work speaks louder than words and for them also who wish that such lesser known marvels must get their recognition before getting wiped out from the wildlife scene.

The day before yesterday there were variety of news stories in Indian dailies like 'depleting tiger population', 're-introduction of Cheetah or 'Say cheese-Cheetah is being imported' and so on and so forth. Actually the hon. MOS, MoEF, Mr Jairam Ramesh had remarkably replied the queries of the hon Members of Parliament during calling attention motion in Rajya Sabha on 07.07.09. The motion was called by hon Member of Parliament Mr Rajiv Pratap Rudy on depleting tiger population in the country.

Yesterday one of my friend informed me that during the motion some hon member took the name of Katerniaghat for its revival and good tiger population in the area. And it was unbelievably true. The hon Member of Parliament and renowned media personality Mr Chandan Mitra (Editor The Pioneer, New Delhi) mentioned the success story of restoration of Katerniaghat while narrating the plight of tiger reserves of our country.

The Katerniaght finally figured out as one of important tiger areas. We; out team worked hard for almost four years to revitalize the area. It was our team work that payed finally and the tiger population got revamped.

It is very interesting to share that it took me almost one year to sight a tiger in Katerniaghat in 2005, staff took another year to sight tigers in their beats and ranges and visitors could locate tigers only third year onwards in the sanctuary. Our surveillance technique to monitor tigers and leopards on day to day basis worked remarkably well. It got institutionalised in the division afterward. It helped in strategising protection measures in the area. The breeding of tigers started from the first year itself after getting stress free habitat and subsequently every year3-4 tigers bred successfully.

I could take a photograph in which three tigers (mother and two sub adult cubs) were walking on bandha. That was probably the first ever photograph of tiger family in Katerniaghat. The poaching was controlled by mainly arresting 16 Bawarias including queenpin Dilipo and dreaded Dariya and not allowing them to come out from jail till conviction. Fighting against all odds we worked like bhoot, day and night and we could see jungle smiling, swinging and dancing.

Mr Chandan Mitra said"good example of a complete regeneration is a sanctuary called Kathaniya Ghat in UP, where at one stage it had been devastated by the maoists from Nepal but today, it has been regenerated and the tiger population has returned".

It is a great compliments for us. I remember it is said that beauty is in the eyes of beholder. No doubt such compliment is a reward for our team who worked day and night to fight against all odds (including 3 big dharnas, many FIRs, complaints, attacks and rumors). My all team members who did remarkable job during that time and were instrumental in arresting around 250 accused in almost 4 years time are here with me to share this compliments. I know how much time, energy and labour it takes to take an accused on judicial remand when the competent court is 70-100 Km away from the remote jungle. And then opposing bail, most of the time in session court also and finally filing complaints and fighting to get them convicted. It is tough job for the forest staff who has lot many other works to do. I remember one of the mafia after 'Operation Trishul' filed 19 writ petition in high court to get back the seized timber (11 trucks of teak and khair wood).

The successful natural breeding of Gharials (2005 to 2008), revival of swamp deer, increase in prey base were other symptoms of healing. There are other such remarks given by like AJT John Singh, PK Sen, Dr Asad Rahmani, Rom Whittaker, Ravi Singh, Bivash Pandav, Raja CKP Singh, Neeraj Srivastava, Rupak De, and other wildlife experts who had seen Katerniaghat earlier and can simply visualise and compare the changes in their subsequent visits. Thanks to all who encouraged us for our good works. There was always great support from our PCCFs and CWLWs. Some of our media friend were generous enough to give us lots of space from local to national level.

I left Katerniaghat on 17th July 2008 and has yet to complete one year in Delhi on deputation to GoI, but still feel a strong bondage with that area, which is unique in its nature. I say Katerniaghat is like Banaras, it takes time to understand it.

Recently one of my friend Sanjay Kumar could get photograph of 3 tigers together in Katerniaghat range. Tigers breeding is on and this year some of the females have given birth to cubs. Now they are coming out with them.

The problem which is cropping up there is of 'pressure' in two of the buffer ranges and two adjoining ranges of the sanctuary. The Katerniaghat and Nishangada range has still great potential to accommodate increasing tiger population.

The challenge is to keep the area healthier and better, because it takes too much time to revive an area, but when it start sliding down it takes no time to ruin the whole castle. There are many examples of it.

I wish all the best for Katerniaghat and for my team who worked there with me for those four years.

Wildlife panel seizes 70 birds

2009-06-24T22:53:00.000-07:00

New Delhi 24 June:Illegal trade of protected birds continue unabated in the city with the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) officials seizing 70 live birds including parrots and munias meant for sale.Alexandrian parrots and black headed munias were seized from a locked room of a rented house in Daryaganj area in central Delhi, WCCB official Ramesh Pandey said.However, no arrest has been made in this connection."On the basis of an information, a raid was conducted by a WCCB team with assistance from local police. The team led by WCCB inspector Aarti Singh found the room, where the birds were kept, locked and the owners had no clue about the tenants to whom they had rented out the rooms," Pandey said.During investigation, it was found that two minor boys living nearby were employed by the accused to feed the birds.
- (Agencies)
Jun 24, 2009

http://news.chennaionline.com/newsitem.aspx?NEWSID=90860304-f041-4ad2-b4ec-eaa399149af7&CATEGORYNAME=NATL

Illegal pet trade thrives

2009-06-24T05:22:00.000-07:00

23 Jun 2009, 1317 hrs IST, PTI (Archana Jyoti)
NEW DELHI: They may not abound in numbers but exist they do in many cities, doing good business with local as well as foreign clientele, most of it illegally. Waking up to this menace of pet shops operating illegally, Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) has now asked the state governments to chalk out a policy to register dealers engaged in pet trade, selling domestic birds and animals across the country. "We have asked the chief wildlife wardens of all the states and civic agencies to regulate the dealers involved in the business of selling domestic animals and birds," says Ramesh Pandey, a senior official with WCCB. He knows better. Just a few months ago, the Bureau had unearthed an illegal pet trade racket and seized four live Indian Tent turtles from Gurgaon and arrested a person in this connection. The accused, Rittin Mehrotra, a resident of Dhankot in Gurgaon, was allegedly running his pet business for many years. The WCCB officials came to know that some of his pets allegedly included exotic and endangered species which are protected under Indian law. Indian Tent turtle are listed in the schedule one of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972. Being small and having very beautiful shells, they are traded as pets in the country as well as in the international market. Besides, turtles, the enforcement official said much of the pet trade is dominated by reptiles and exotic birds and an increasing trend exists to meet the demand of specialist collectors for some of the world's rarest species. In the garb of selling muniyas which are allowed for trade under law, the dealers are making the protected species such as Straw-headed Bulbul Pycnonotus zeylanicus, Palm Cockatoo Probosciger atterrimus, tortoises and freshwater turtles (Indian Star Tortoise Geochelone elegans, and the Pignosed Turtle Carretochelys insculpta), snakes or lizards, available to customers at exorbitant prices. The global demand is huge and hence trade is flourishing, threatening the renowned biodiversity hotspots in South-east Asia - as well as rising demand from countries within South-east Asia for endemic species from Africa, South America and Australasia. A report by Traffic International, the wildlife trade monitoring network, dwells in detail how freshwater turtles and tortoises in Southeast Asia is fuelling rampant illegal trade in the pet markets of Indonesia. Terming the trend as a serious threat to the wildlife, Sameer Sinha from Traffic India said, "The pet trade is mostly in unorganised sector with no guidelines and regulations. Since wildlife trade is not allowed under Wildlife Protection Act, the civic agencies can register the pet dealers under Shops and Eastablishment Act to ensure a comprehensive policy. WCCB move is welcome in this direction." All the enforcement agencies should have the list of such dealers so that their activities are under scanner and can also also act as a deterrent, he added. Ashok Kumar, Vice-Chairman of Wildlife Trust of India added, "in the garb of pet trade, several threatened and endemic species are being smuggled outside and in the country. Various districts of Uttar Pradesh have become the hub of dealers engaged in sale and purchase of birds and turtles while authorities such as railways and police are just sleeping over the matter, Kumar added. "It's time we understood and recognised that all wildlife are protected species and buying them and keeping them without permission is illegal. Anybody who spots a turtle in a shop must immediately report this. Thousands of Starred Tortoises are smuggled out of India to be kept as pets. Their shells are also used to make ashtrays and trays," Kartick Satyanarayan, member, advisory board, Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, said.

Link:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Earth/Illegal-pet-trade-thrives-/articleshow/4691680.cms

E-Legal Trade In Endangered Species

2009-06-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

In the virtual bazar beyond the pale of law, PRERNA SINGH BINDRA traps the illegal traders of wildlife
IT’S SIMPLE, buying peacocks on India’s newest market place for the booming illegal trade in wildlife — cyberspace. It took me just half-a-day; some browsing on the Internet and one phone call to be offered India’s national bird. Adults, and chicks, as many as required. This was through a classified ad website, www.adpost.com, which, among its vast menu, lists ads offering birds for sale, mainly ‘legal’ exotic birds. But that’s only for the public eye, a cover. The real deals are made over through private email and chatrooms. I picked on just one such dealer, Kanpur-based, who had advertised on the site. Within a few hours I — as a potential client — had in my inbox pictures of the birds “I can go ahead and provide”, including Alexandrian and plum-headed parakeets, the trade of which is banned under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Plus a pair of peacock chicks, and a mature male, protected as a Schedule I species, which means they have the same legal cover as the tiger. For all that it matters — available, as they are, at the click of a mouse, from the many dealers trawling their wild ware over the Internet. Another one up for grabs is the star tortoise, also a protected and endemic species, with traders from Chennai “willing to have bulk order of Indian star tortoise”, at $500 per piece on a UK-based website, to those offering a “four Indian star tortoise for sale for good price. Plz write back,” in chatrooms.
The scale of the crime is much wider as a seizure in Meerut on August 26 proved. This is the first conclusive evidence of cyberrun wildlife trade in India that materialised out of months of online tracking by a Delhi-based NGO, the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI). The introduction with the dealer, Jeevan Thakur, was first made through an Orkut chat room. While talk was on for various rare and endemic species, the final deal was struck — through a false email id, fangsofmumba@yahoo.com, to be precise — for peacocks and hill mynas, both falling under Schedule I of the WPA. There was another prize catch — an albino civet cat — also protected by law. Civets are relatively common. This one, being an albino, was rare — if only for the purposes of the market, and the deal, after much bargaining, was arrived at Rs 2.35 lakh. Apparently Thakur had a customer from Dubai who offered Rs 5 lakh, but he preferred to sell in India.
The extent of Thakur’s trade was revealed when his cyber history was investigated — he used online social networks and ads to meet with potential customers, spread across India, the Middle East, Far Eastern countries and Europe. Other destinations where he smuggled wildlife are still being investigated. His booty of illegal menagerie included rare mammals like the slender loris, giant squirrels (primarily for the pet trade) and spiny-tailed lizards (its oil is used for aphrodisiacs). Birds were Thakur’s forte — Shaheen and peregrine falcons, golden orioles, peacocks, parakeets, sunbirds, barbets — you name it, Thakur made it available. Owls have a good market, especially the great horned owl, which fetches a huge price. One trader had even specified the weight he wanted; “1. 5 lakhs for a 3.5 kilos owl (live) for voodoo purpose.” According to Ashok Kumar, vice chairman, WTI, Thakur, and his brother Akash, also an accused in the Meerut case, have been in the business for at least a decade. Emails dating to 2003 reveal that Akash offered a decoy customer, besides endangered birds, python, and the critically endangered female clouded leopard.
“It may sound horrific, but the known cases represent little more than the proverbial tip of the iceberg — so tremendous is the scope of the web, and so little do we know about it, especially in India. There has been no study or survey, unlike in the US, and Europe — which reveals that everything is available on the Internet. Though impossible to quantify, there is no denying that the illegal wildlife trade on the Internet is alive, and growing by the minute,” says BK Sharma, who was formerly attached to the Wildlife Crime unit of the CBI.
While little is known of the extent of the wild web trade in the country, there is intelligence information mainly from overseas official agencies that ivory from South India, and shahtoosh shawls from Kashmir and Delhi are being peddled on the Internet.
This is also an indicator of the change in the profile of the trader — a new generation of tech-savvy peddlers is overtaking the traditional trader who conducted his shady business in the bylanes of old towns or in stuffy backrooms of bird markets in various towns. The market has changed from a ‘physical’ entity to a ‘virtual’ one — hence, more difficult to identify or control. One example being, the sale of a tiger skin that went unnoticed in 2002 on the website baazee.com, (the skin was touted as the world’s largest, up for $1 million) until a story appeared on a news website.
I did a quick browse to find what was on offer online — rare butterflies, beetles, birds, tortoise, turtles, monkeys, rhino horns and ivory artefacts; the last were found on sale on eBay, some claim to be ‘pre-ban’. But an International Fund for Animal Welfare report in 2007 revealed that at least 90 percent of all investigated ivory listings on eBay were legally suspect.
Internationally, illegal wildlife trade is measured at over $25 billion annually, and the virtual world has just widened the market further. To just get an idea of the size of the market, IFAW found more than 9,000 wild animals or products — from live chimpanzees to ivory tusks — for sale in chat rooms and on legitimate trading sites over a one-week period.
THE VOLUME of trade has an ominous impact on India’s wildlife, for this is primarily a source country, the suppliers in this murky business. The product — be it a tortoise or a monkey or cobra skins — may be auctioned online by a dealer based in, say, China or the US, or any part of the world, but it may well have been sourced from India. Take the recent case of two Czech nationals who were accused of unauthorised collecting of rare and protected insect species from the Singhalila National Park in West Bengal. It is reported that they routinely used the Internet to sell their ‘collection’.
The single-most important factor fuelling the wildlife trade on the Internet is anonymity. Most sellers use fake names and addresses and change their email identities frequently. Communications and deals that begin in open fora later shifts to emails, chatrooms, discussion boards etc., making identifying and tracking of the persons responsible a difficult, if not almost impossible, task.
And with negligible web patrolling, endangered species are under the hammer in the virtual world, for sale to the highest bidder — dead or alive. •
From Tehelka Magazine, Vol 5, Issue 37, Dated Sept 20, 2008

http://www.tehelka.com/story_main40.asp?filename=Ne200908E-LegalTrade.asp

Minister spots the tiger, clears aircraft and sensors for Corbett

2009-06-15T22:18:00.000-07:00

Neha Sinha Posted: Tuesday , Jun 16, 2009 at 0413 hrs IST(Indian Express)

CORBETT: Years ago, he went to Periyar tiger reserve in Kerala, Sunderbans tiger reserve in West Bengal and Ranthambhore tiger reserve in Rajasthan, but he couldn’t spot a tiger. Then after taking Independent charge as Minister for Environment and Forests, one of the first official trips Jairam Ramesh made was to the Bhadra tiger reserve in Karnataka to see India’s most famous animal. But the tiger eluded him again. Last Saturday, the Minister got his wish — he saw two tigresses in the Corbett tiger reserve.
So it was appropriate that he cleared an ambitious plan for Corbett in Uttarakhand, on the lines never seen before for tiger conservation. He is now working to get Corbett its very own microlight aircraft for surveillance and monitoring, along with a net of motion sensors. Technology, the Minister says, gives a “psychological edge” over poachers.
“Most of the world’s tigers are here in India,” said Ramesh. “If we need to get ahead of poachers, we need to think out of the box. And whatever innovations we do, we have to start here at Corbett, which is like the Taj Mahal of India’s tiger reserves. This place has most of India’s tigers,” he told The Indian Express.
He has now cleared a Rs 8.5-crore Comprehensive Security Plan for Corbett, which will pan out over the next six years. “This is a big area and mobility is a problem. The microlight aircraft will be used for surveillance and also during times of emergency. We need connectivity and mobility which such an aircraft can bring. Apart from Corbett, we also will bring in this aircraft at the Namdapha tiger reserve in Arunachal Pradesh, which suffers from lack of connectivity,” he said.
The sensors all over the reserve will monitor movement, especially in areas used for illegal entry and exit by poachers. These were part of the security plan for Corbett proposed by the Uttarakhand Forest Department which has been cleared by the Ministry. Corbett, as per the 2007 All India Tiger Estimation, has the maximum tigers in the world — between 160-200 in the 1,000-square-km landscape. Funds are also being moved for a new museum for Corbett in Ramnagar.
On his visit, Ramesh interacted with Van Gujjars, a community traditionally living in the forest, but after a 2006 Amendment to the Wildlife Protection Act now being moved out of the reserve with a compensation package. In the last Budget, then Finance Minister P Chidambaram announced a Rs 50 crore one-time budgetary allocation for a Special Tiger Protection Force (TPF), which would set up a battalion to protect and patrol tiger reserves.
Ramesh is now looking at making a change to include Van Gujjars. A tiger reserve like Corbett is slated to have around 110 men as part of the TPF. “The TPF has been envisaged as a police force but conservation has to be site-specific. Thrusting outsiders or an armed, uniformed force will not always work. Only when local people are given an economic stake in conservation will our policies work. The Van Gujjars I have met are able-bodied, they know the ways of the forest. They should be the first to be part of the TPF.” The Minister has also asked for 181 Van Gujjar families to be moved out of Corbett tiger reserve in the next two months.
Meanwhile, tiger-spotting remains Ramesh’s favourite part. He spotted his first tigers on Saturday atop an elephant in Corbett’s core area — a tigress with her sub-adult cub. “You could say I spotted a tigress and a half. The sub-adult tigress was rather excitable but the mother was very peaceful. This is a great moment.”

Ref :http://www.indianexpress.com/news/minister-spots-the-tiger-clears-aircraft-and-sensors-for-corbett/477246/0

Tigress found dead in Nagarhole Tiger Reserve

2009-06-15T05:05:00.000-07:00

MYSORE: Close on the heels of the forest department officials seizing tiger skin at Mangala near Gundulpet, a tigress was found dead in Nagarhole national park on Thursday. The carcass of the tigress was examined by veterinarians, who have concluded that the wild cat died due to natural reasons. There are no external marks on the animal either, Nagarhole DCF D Yatish Kumar said. The carcass was noticed by the forest guards on patrol in Antarasanthe range of the tiger reserve. The DCF and ACF visited the spot and inspected the site. The animal is believed to be 12 years old. This is the second case of tiger death reported from Nagarhole-Bandipur tiger reserves in recent times. A month ago, the forest officials seized the skin of a tiger skin, which was suspected to have been poached inside the Bandipur national park.

(Note: From the November 2008 the incidents of tiger deaths and recoveries of tiger carcass started in the major tiger reserves of the country. More than 10 tigers died un-naturally in Kaziranga, 6 in Kanha, 3-4 in Corbett, 2-3 in Ranthambhore, similarly it happend in other tiger reserves also. Most of the deaths were concluded as natural deaths or due to infighting. The post-mortem were done hastily and finally the carcass were burnt in most of the cases, consequently the NTCA has issued a comprehensive guideline for the preliminary examination of the dead tiger by an expert team including a veterinarian and the disposal mechanism of the tiger carcass.

What do these deaths indicate? Has sensitivity to take tiger deaths seriously been drastically gone down in the field? Are the reserves lacking the required 'spirit' of tiger conservation in the present situation ?

Even after some good news relating tiger breeding in Ranthambhore and some other tiger reserves and tiger re-locations excercises in Sariska and Panna, the recent deaths of the tigers and the above raised questions have demoralised the conservationists and all those who really wish to see the tiger alive in our country for generations to come. Still we have time and I do hope for the best.-Ramesh Pandey)

News Reference: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Mysore/Tigress-found-dead/articleshow/4622616.cms

Increase in reptile smuggling worries wildlife officials

2009-06-15T04:38:00.000-07:00

New Delhi (PTI): An alarming increase in the smuggling of reptiles such as monitor lizards, snakes and turtles in the Tarai belt of Uttar Pradesh bordering Nepal has prompted the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau to issue an alert.
"We fear that there is possible involvement of an organised nexus of cross-border poachers who are swiftly smuggling the reptiles to the international market via Nepal route where political instability has made their task easier," Ramesh Pandey of WCCB told PTI.
He was of the view that the new emerging pattern in wildlife trade from the region that borders with Nepal as well as the state of Uttarakhand need to be tracked.
"Going by a large number of seizures of turtles, sand boas (snake species) and monitor lizards, it seems the trade appears to be controlled by an organized nexus with the help of locals. We have issued alert in the state to keep the officials on their guard," Mr. Pandey said.
He said since the species are found in non-forest areas as well, quiet often the criminals take advantage of the ignorance of the officers on duty, who are at times oblivious to the changing wildlife crime trends in the international market.
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200906101601.htm (for news attached)

http://www.traveljournals.net/pictures/65696.html (for photograph attached)

Minister visits NTCA and other wildlife offices

2009-06-15T02:12:00.000-07:00

Mr Jairam Ramesh, MoS, MoEF, Government of India visited National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) office at Bikaner House Annexe in the recent past. The Hon. Minister also took a glance of the offices of Central Zoo Authority (CZA) and Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), Northern Region.

He discussed with Dr. Rajesh Gopal and the other officials on tiger and wildlife conservation issues. During his visit Dr Rajesh Gopal (IG/MS, NTCA), Dr B R Sharma (MS, CZA), Mr S P Yadav (DIG/JD, NTCA) and Mr Ramesh Pandey (RDD-NR, WCCB) were present.

(Ref news:http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/002200906042026.htm)

Youtube video link (NDTV News):http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyFikFkuMQo

As Tigers Disappear, Poachers Turn to Leopards in India

2009-06-03T04:07:00.000-07:00

Paroma Basu in New Delhi, Indiafor National Geographic News
December 3, 2008
A recent flurry of leopard-skin seizures by Indian wildlife authorities suggests that as tigers decline, poachers are increasingly on the prowl for the country's other big cat. At least 141 leopards have fallen to poaching so far in 2008, compared to 124 leopards killed in 2007. In contrast, 24 tigers were killed so far this year, according to the New Delhi-based nonprofit Wildlife Protection Society of India. About 27 of those skins have been taken in just the past few months. Leopard poaching numbers have fluctuated in the 14 years the wildlife society has worked on the issue, in part due to enforcement activity. Many leopard deaths go undetected, said Tito Joseph, program manager at the society. "The situation is serious," Joseph said.
But the increased number of seizures may be due to improved wildlife enforcement and agency coordination, rather than an actual rise in leopard killings, said Ramesh Pandey, deputy director of the government's new Wildlife Crime Control Bureau. Authorities seize between 150 to 200 leopard skins and bodies from around the country every year—implying a steady market for leopard skins and parts. Even so "there is no doubt that the leopard is under threat," Pandey said.

Cheaper than Tigers :Indian leopard skin and parts largely wind up in China, traveling via Nepal, experts say. The skin serves various decorative purposes, while leopard bones and other parts are most likely masqueraded as tiger products and sold for use in traditional Chinese medicine, said Joseph of the wildlife society.But as India's tiger population has dwindled to just 1,411 individuals—most of them in protected reserves—it is getting more cost-effective for traders to get into the leopard business, experts say.

"There is increased value for leopard shins, claws, bones, and penises because it is getting much harder to catch tigers," said Kartick Satyanarayan, co-founder of Wildlife SOS, a nonprofit animal rescue group in New Delhi that works with the Indian government to nab poachers.
Adaptable Predators: It's also easier to catch leopards because they are more plentiful than tigers. Although there is still no official estimate on leopard populations in India, wildlife advocates guess the population could be anywhere between 10,000 to 20,000. A detailed leopard census will be carried out over the next three years, experts say. Unlike tigers, which prefer to live deep in the jungle, nocturnal and solitary leopards can adapt easily to a variety of landscapes. That includes, increasingly, the fringes of human settlements.
It's this adaptability that has also made leopards vulnerable to run-ins with humans, said Rajesh Gopal, member secretary of the government's National Tiger Conservation Authority, which has been allotted more than U.S. $1 billion over the next five years to protect both big cat species in India.
Farmer Conflicts:While poachers are responsible for supplying at least half of all leopard skins and parts to China, leopards killed by farmers and landowners provide another source.
As leopard habitat shrinks, more of the predators are attacking livestock for food.
Although the government compensates farmers who lose livestock to wildlife, payments usually take so long to arrive that villagers take matters into their own hands. For instance, reports of leopards being poisoned to death are more and more common. In November, a five-year-old leopard was found dead after a suspected poisoning near the town of Gūdalūr, in southern India.
The wildlife society estimates that at least 38 leopards have died in similar situations in India this year, a marked increase from 2000, when about 14 leopards died from human conflicts.
"When leopards become a nuisance, many villagers resort to poisoning them and then selling the bodies off to traders for a pittance," said Gopal of the conservation authority. "These [skins and body parts] then end up in big trading hub centers like Nāgpur [a central Indian city] or New Delhi before crossing the border and going away. All this is no secret."
Solutions:Ensuring the faster delivery of compensation payments to farmers and creating alternative livelihoods for poacher groups would both slow the big cat trade, Gopal said.
But authorities must also agree on changing the way land is used, for example by creating managed buffer zones in which humans and animals could peacefully co-exist. "There are still healthy populations of leopards," Gopal said. "So even if we wake up right now, we can still save all these precious animals from getting extinct."

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/entertainment/tiger-decline-makes-poachers-increase-leopard-hunting-in-india_100127001.html
Photo Credit: (C) Rahul Dutta, Traffic India, Web Ref: http://www.panda.org/who_we_are/wwf_offices/bhutan/news/?124200

Authorities stress on need for cross-border cooperation to fight wildlife trade

2009-06-02T04:22:00.000-07:00

Delhi, June 2, 2009: Nepali and Indian wildlife conservation authorities have recommended trans-border cooperation as an urgent requirement to tackle illegal wildlife trade across the porous Indo-Nepal border.
The recommendation was one of the several outcomes of the two-day workshop on ‘wildlife enforcement and law’ organised last week by the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department and IFAW-WTI (International Fund for Animal Welfare – Wildlife Trust of India). The workshop, held at Dudhwa Tiger Reserve in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, was attended by representatives of the Forest Department, Police and NGOs from India as well as Nepal, and the Indian Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) responsible for guarding the Indo-Nepal border.
With emphasis on control of cross-border illegal trade across the Indo-Nepal border, the workshop addressed issues like wildlife trade in Dudhwa-Pilibhit areas, wildlife conservation laws of the two countries, ways to apprehend wildlife criminals and successfully fight court cases against them, identification of wildlife materials, CITES and its application and improved intra- as well as international cooperation.
Ramesh Pandey, Deputy Director Northern Region, Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, spoke on the need and ways to stop organised wildlife crime and movement of wandering gangs. “There is a general upward movement in wildlife trade across this region. Wildlife articles, notably those of mammals including large carnivores, elephants, rhinos etc, are smuggled from India to sink countries like China and Southeast Asian countries with Nepal as conduit. Cross border movement of poaching gangs and tribals in the Indo-Nepal border will have to be monitored and investigated systematically to ensure that none of those involved go free,” he said.
Among other recommendations, the authorities of the two countries also concurred on institutionalised information sharing, development of common database of wildlife criminals and increasing awareness of local people on both sides of the border.
Nepal and India share a 1850 km-long international boundary, which is mostly unrestricted. Cross-border wildlife crime and operations of criminals through the Indo-Nepal international border is one of the menacing threats to wildlife in India as well as in Nepal.
“Illegal wildlife traders have easy access to safety with the open international border between India and Nepal, but enforcement officials on both sides of the border are generally helpless due to diplomatic restraints and lack of capacity, leading to wildlife criminals going unhindered on most occasions,” said Ashok Kumar, Vice-chairman, WTI.
“There is an urgent need for coordinated approach between authorities of the two countries to tackle cross border illegal wildlife activities. This was the aim of the worshop… to facilitate coordination and understanding among relevant authorities across the border,” he added.
By: Sheren Shrestha,Wildlife Trust of India,http://www.mediaforfreedom.com/ReadArticle.asp?ArticleID=15847

Independent team during post mortems of tiger deaths

2009-04-30T08:58:00.000-07:00

Hindustan Times

Thursday, 30 April, 2009

National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has asked the field directors of tiger reserves on April 22 to ensure the presence of an independent team of observers during post mortems carried out in case of tiger deaths.
Dr Rajesh Gopal, member secretary of the authority, told Hindustan Times, “The order was circulated to ensure transparency in tiger death cases. An independent team will be present during post mortem proceedings to find out the actual reasons of tiger deaths.”
The team will consist of a representative of NTCA, the veterinary officer of the reserve or the district concerned and a non-governmental expert nominated by the Chief Wildlife Warden of the state.
According to NTCA authorities, tiger carcasses should never be burnt after death. “all tiger carcasses should be preserved in a deep freezer till an independent team analyses the cause of death,” NTCA said, adding that it would help fund the purchase of deep freezers, power generators and other accessories under the centrally sponsored scheme of Project Tiger.
Ramesh Pandey, deputy director of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, said, “We are already investigating two cases of tiger poaching at the Kaziranga and Kanha national parks. There are several cases where tiger deaths were termed as natural although they had been killed by poachers.”
The NTCA authorities, too, admitted that the actual reasons of tiger deaths were not investigated transparently. Dr Gopal said, “We need to further strengthen our role. Once the reason of a tiger death is traced, we can plan actions to prevent them.”

(Note: In last six months in most of the well known tiger reserves there were deaths of the tigers reported from the park authorities mainly due to infighting and natural deaths. Recently the NTCA has issued instructions to keep the tiger dead body in deep freezer unless a team consisting of NTCA, NGO and FD visits the spot with Vets and carry out the post-mortem and fact finding excercise.---Ramesh Pandey)

Terai V: Katarniaghat

2009-04-15T23:31:00.000-07:00

Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary: It’s an auspicious day in Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary, a part of Dudhwa Tiger Reserve. A truck arrived last night, carrying precious cargo—ghairals. That long-snouted extreme-looking crocodile that ranks amongst the most endangered animals on earth, with less than 200 breeding adults. These were 60 babies, reared at the Kukrail breeding centre in Lucknow, and are here to be released in the wild. We did that, with some ceremony on the banks of the river Girwa. Lifted the lid of the box, and watched them crawl, then swim—with some vacillation. It was, after all, their first taste of flowing waters—so essential to their survival—and freedom.This would not have been possible in Girwa less than five-years-back. Oh, there were gharials here —Girwa is amongst the three places in the country where gharials survive in fair numbers. But there was no new recruitment, the nests were raided, and the eggs stolen and eaten by the local villagers. “Not one survived,” informs Ajay Singh, a forest guard. It wasn’t just the gharials. The forest was under siege. Illicit felling and smuggling for wood was rampant, and backed by the timber mafia and local politicians. Permit to fell trees within the land-dwellings in an around the sanctuary were being used to illegally smuggle wood. The forest staff was involved and there were no less than 70 disciplinary proceedings against the staff. Poaching was the order of the day. Poachers used the local gun called bharoi-a shot is enough to stun an elephant. They would walk in from Nepal, and carry back their booty, even as the foresters watched. Evidently, signs of wildlife were rare. Game was being decimated for meat. And tigers…they were there. Very few, very shadowy- they were stalked..and killed-by man.Katarniaghat, at the time was a sanctuary that wasn’t. Then in 2005, the management changed. The park had a new director. This is not an ode to the purpose, and efforts of a leader, with his team. But is an attempt to record how with determination a ravaged forest can be turned around and made a haven. It is a lesson, a ray of hope. Circa 2009: I am in Girwa—a little upset that I had missed sighting the tiger-sighting, yet happy to see their signature-pugmarks of a mother and cub. A snout pops up besides us—to reveal another rare creature. Gangetic dolphins. Six of them, twirling around our boat. Ghairals line the bank, huge ones, tiny ones, male, female-about 60 in all. In the past five years, points out the boatman Ramroop,” the hatchlings have increased from nil to 27 nests in 2008. I cross over to trans-Girwa—to meet Panditji, who runs a ramshackle tea-shop. “His shop was toppled over by elephants,” says forester Ashfaq, with a hint of pride. The elephants are new entrants, as is the other pachyderm, the rhinoceros. Earlier occasional visitors from Nepal, now a few have taken refuge here from the insurgency which ravaged their forests. You could see a herd of 40 or so swamp deer-only found in this part of the world. And best of all—tigers were breeding—a sure sign of a healthy forest. In the recent All India Tiger Census, the camera recorded 20 different tigers in the sample size of 100 sq km—amongst the highest density of tigers in the world. How the turnaround was achieved is difficult to encapsulate in limited words, but one shall try. Wood permits were stopped, completely—there was a crackdown on timber smuggling, at the cost of threats to job, and life—after all the ‘business’ ran into an estimated 50 lakhs per day. The nexus with the police and the forest staff was broken. The staff was motivated, trained in wildlife, basic supplies like mosquito nets, jackets, shoes, vehicles for patrol etc were purchased. Tigers were constantly monitored, and a systematic method developed for the same. Grazing was stopped. Infiltration for feulwood, and poaching from the Nepal side was stopped with the help of the SSB. “Most importantly, we cracked down the tiger poaching gangs, the Bawarias who had been operating here for some years now, “ says Ramesh Pandey, former DFO, Katarniaghat. It was a February 2005 seizure of tiger skin and bones that provided the first clue. A network of informants was established. There were two more seizures, some arrests. A key poacher, Pratap confessed that they were here to kill tigers—to be supplied to Rani, the wife of Sansar Chand, the kingpin of wildlife trade. Investigations led to another key find that had ominous repercussions—the Bawarias were not just operating here in the Terai, but had spread their tentacles and were poaching in reserves across the country-as far as Periyar in Kerala, and in the North-east. “Simply put, strict protection with no compromises, effective management and leadership ensured that Katarniaghat thrived,” says Dabeer Hasan, Katarniaghat Welfare Society. Of course, threats persist in Katarniaghat. Primarily, the Central Seed Farm spread over 38 sq km in the heart of the reserve. A road and a railway line cuts through the reserve—and has caused fatal accidents-including two tigers in recent times. Most worrying, the slack in strict protection is slipping-cattle grazes freely, and we help drive away some ‘visitors’ here from across the border-with head loads of wood. Intelligence information is that poachers are waiting to strike and an alert has been issued from the MoEF for strict vigilance.That Katarniaghat contains nearly 40 tigers makes it significant enough, besides the fact that it is a critical connect between the Royal Bardia Park in Nepal, and Dudhwa. What makes this park special is that it contains within its compact 440 sq km endangered megafauna like the tiger, rhino, leopard, elephant, swamp deer, gharial, dolphins, mugger essentially representing all the flagship species of the Terai. You could say it is a mosaic of the Terai, as it once was, before the invasion of man. That it survives, inspite of all the odds is the result of the blood and toil, and sacrifice of many—and the legacy must carry on…Save Katarniaghat:• Remove the Central Seed Farm to free critical habitat for wildlife• Remove villages inside the sanctuary, especially Bhartapur, with the enhanced relocation package• Alternate routes for the railway line (which has been proposed), and the road• Trans-border vigilance, strict protection• Fill staff shortage, timely funds
Posted by prerna singh bindra at http://www.indianaturally.blogspot,com/

(Note: Ms Prerna Singh Bindra is one of the well known journalists/writers in the field of wildlife in our country. She recently covered extensively almost complete strech of Indian Terai, starting from Kalesa-Rajaji to Katerniaghat-Valmiki, and has very well written on all of these wildlife areas, regarding condition of the parks, vital issues, conservation initiatives, management constraints etc. which have got published in a series "Terai I to VI"(The Pioneer:New Delhi). The same is also available on her blog www.indianaturally.blogspot.com. The piece on Katerniaghat is being posted here for wider circulation.---Ramesh Pandey)

ASEAN, partners to stop illegal wildlife trade

2009-04-15T23:14:00.000-07:00

With illegal trade in wildlife estimated at over $10 billion across Asia, the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) governments and international partners have signed a manifesto to stop illegal wildlife trade and arrest traffickers in the region.
The signing of the new wildlife Manifesto, "Combating Wildlife Crime in Asia," marked the conclusion of the two-day ASEAN-Wildlife Enforcement Network Conference which was participated in by ASEAN government delegations and representatives from about 20 countries, including 10 non-ASEAN countries, international organizations, and numerous non-government organizations active in wildlife and biodiversity preservation.
Dubbed "A Forgotten Crisis: Arresting Wildlife Depletion through Strengthened Partnerships and Regional Cooperation," the meeting was held in Pattaya, Thailand from April 10 to 12 amid the massive anti-government protests.
"The Manifesto will help develop the Southeast Asia and South Asia wildlife enforcement networks into fully effective and sustainable platforms. These will have specially trained wildlife crime task forces within the national police forces and other enforcement agencies to track, monitor, investigate and share cross-border information and to stop illegal wildlife trade and arrest traffickers in the region," the ASEAN Secretariat said in a statement.
ASEAN-WEN is the region’s largest environmental law-enforcement network. It links scores of environmental agencies, police organizations, customs bureaus and members of the judiciary from all 10 ASEAN member countries to share intelligence, conduct investigations, and train officers to combat wildlife trafficking and implement international and national laws regulating wildlife trade.
The ASEAN Secretariat noted that over $10 billion illegal trade in wildlife has thrived across Asia, second only to weapons and drug smuggling.
ASEAN Secretary-General Dr. Surin Pitsuwan, one of the supporters of the new manifesto, urged ASEAN governments and international partners to carefully protect the "unique, diverse, and rich" biodiversity in the region as he thanked World Bank for extending assistance to the ASEAN-WEN for wildlife protection.
"We must all work together to conserve our natural heritage. I commend the World Bank for its strong support to ASEAN-WEN to prevent and combat against the threat to the wildlife of ASEAN and Asia," he said.
For his part, Thai Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Suwit Khunkitti said: "Just as the financial crisis has shown that our economies are all intricately related, wildlife crime and its impacts are cross-border and global. All Asian countries, as well as non-Asian countries, must come together to solve this forgotten crisis."
The Thai Ministry offered to set up a ministerial steering group of tiger range states this year, which is a significant change and signals high-level political support for the recommendations of the Manifesto.
Last year, the World Bank launched the Global Tiger Initiative, along with the Smithsonian Institution, the Global Environment Facility, and the International Tiger Coalition, as an international collaborative platform dedicated to saving wild tigers and mainstreaming biodiversity.
Preparations for the Year of the Tiger Summit in 2010 are underway as the meeting will bring high-level political commitment to save the wild tigers, Asia’s religious and cultural icon, and the symbol of environmental sustainability.
"Despite the efforts of individual governments and conservation organizations, wild tigers and many other endangered wildlife species are silently disappearing from the Asian landscape.
By CHARISSA M. LUCI, Manila Bulletin
April 15, 2009, 5:36pm

(Note: The wildlife crime and illegal trade of wildlife part and products is the biggest problem in conserving our depleting natural resources all over Asia. There was a three days workshop on 'combating wildlife crime in South East Asian and South Asia' in Pattaya, Thailand, attended by the representative of 21 countries and various NGOs and IGOs.--Ramesh Pandey)

India's wild medicinal plants threatened through over-exploitation

2009-03-17T01:57:00.000-07:00

India is a hub of the wild-collected plant medicine industry in Asia, but key species have declined owing to over-collection to supply domestic and foreign medicinal markets, and action needs to be taken to ensure the sustainability of supplies, finds a new study released today by TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network. The study, commissioned by the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (Bundesamt für Naturschutz, BfN), focuses on seven plant species of conservation concern protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).Wild plant species form the foundation of healthcare practices throughout much of Asia, particularly traditional practices, such as traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Tibetan medicines, whilst compounds such as reserpine from Snakeroot and paclitaxel from Himalayan Yew have important pharmaceutical uses in Europe, North America and elsewhere. Some species are in demand for their aromatic properties too, for example the use of Jatamansi oil dates back over a thousand years, whilst Red Sanders is also in demand for its timber and as a source of red dye. In India, collection and processing of medicinal plants contributes at least 35 million workdays per year to the poor and under-employed, but rising demand is threatening this vital source of livelihood income both in India and elsewhere. Many of the medicinal plants in trade in India are collected in alpine regions of neighbouring Nepal, where collection of species such as Jatamansi and Kutki runs to hundreds of tonnes of rhizomes, harvested by thousands of collectors who supply middlemen to large-scale wholesalers in Nepal and India. Raw materials are often transported on to wholesale markets in Delhi, Amritsar and Kolkata for onward sale."With regard to trade in Himalayan medicinal plants most, though not all, roads lead to India, which is both a major manufacturing centre and end consumer market," said TRAFFIC's Teresa Mulliken, an author of the report. India has a highly developed herbal and pharmaceutical products manufacturing industry, although trade patterns are shifting for some species and China is a growing manufacturing centre for products such as taxanes (derived from Taxus spp). Researchers from TRAFFIC and IUCN, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, examined the trade in seven medicinal plants species with very different life histories, uses and trade patterns, to give a broad overview of Asia's medicinal plant trade. India emerged as a major destination for trade in all but two of the seven species studied---Desert Cistanche and Himalayan Yew. But all seven species are declining through over-harvesting, although not necessarily of the plants themselves. For example, Desert Cistanche, native to China and Mongolia, is also declining because the trees it parasitizes are harvested for timber, fuelwood and fodder. All the species are protected under national legislation and international trade controls-the latter through listing in CITES, which requires international trade to be maintained within sustainable levels, but despite these measures, wild populations continue to decline.As Mulliken noted: "Although controls on the collection and trade in medicinal plants exist to bring harvesting levels within sustainable levels, their implementation is frequently poor."Cultivation is routinely promoted as the answer to dwindling supplies and over-collection of wild medicinal plants, and research into cultivation has been carried out for all seven species studied. "Cultivation may appear to be the answer, but it's not always that straightforward," noted Mulliken. "Some species are difficult to grow in artificial conditions and cultivation may be unprofitable for farmers owing to the long growing time between planting and commercial harvest." Growing times for some species can be several years. "Much less emphasis is being put on development and promotion of sustainable wild collection practices, which may be the only viable option to ensure sustainable supplies of some of these species," said Mulliken.TRAFFIC, BfN, the IUCN/SSC Medicinal Plant Specialist Group (MPSG) and WWF Germany recently launched a new standard on the sustainable collection of wild plants (International Standard for Sustainable Collection of Wild Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, ISSC-MAP), which is currently under trial at several projects worldwide including one in Uttarakhand in the Western Himalayas and one in Karnataka in the Western Ghats.

1) The full report Review of the Status, Harvest, Trade and Management of Seven Asian CITES-listed Medicinal and Aromatic Plant Species (PDF, 1.7 MB)2) The seven species studied for the report were:Desert Cistanche Cistanche deserticola, native to China and Mongolia, its dried stems have been used for thousands of years in traditional Chinese medicine to treat a variety of conditions including kidney problems, constipation, impotence, and infertility. Elephant's Foot Dioscorea deltoidea, native to Afghanistan, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Lao PDR, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand and Viet Nam, the dried rhizomes are used both as traditional medicine in higher elevation regions of Nepal, Bhutan, northern India and Pakistan and southwestern China to treat a variety of mainly gastric problems, and as a source of steroidal drugs for western medicine. Jatamansi Nardostachys grandiflora, native to China, Bhutan, India and Nepal, the roots and rhizomes have been used for centuries in India in the treatment of fits and heart palpitations, to treat constipation and regulate urination, menstruation and digestion. Kutki Picrorhiza kurrooa, native to India and Pakistan, whose rhizomes are widely used in Ayurvedic and Unani traditional medicines in India as an antibiotic and to treat liver ailments.Red Sanders Pterocarpus santalinus, native to India, its heartwood is used in the treatment of diabetes and to reduce inflammation, and the timber is used to make furniture and as a source of red dye. Snakeroot Rauvolfia serpentina, native to Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Indonesia, India, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Viet Nam, the roots have been used for centuries in India in the treatment of various central nervous disorders, including anxiety states, maniacal behaviour associated with psychosis, schizophrenia, insanity, insomnia, and epilepsy. Extracts are also used for the treatment of intestinal disorders and as an anthelmintic. Himalayan Yew Taxus wallichiana, native to Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines and Viet Nam, the bark and leaves are used in India in Unani medicine as a sedative, an aphrodisiac, and for the treatment of respiratory diseases and snake bites and scorpion stings, whilst in Ayurvedic medicine it is used in the treatment of headache, diarrhoea and other ailments. In recent years, it has been used as a source of taxanes, which have found worldwide use in the treatment of certain cancers.

Note: It is an old report published by the Traffic-the wildlife trade monitoring network in 2008, But it reveals that how the plant species are also under threat of extinction due to over-exploitation. In a latest study done by the Mr Maylynn Engler (Ref:Traffic Bulletin, Vol 22 No 1, 2008), the value of international wildlife trade, based on import declaration, was estimated to equivalent to about 158.9 billion USD (Broad et al, 2003). This is equivalent to about 195 billion USD at 2005 prices. Based on 2005 import declaration, international wildlife trade was estimated to be worth nearly USD 332.5 billion USD representing an increase of about 70% over the 1995 value, adjusted for inflation. This is equivalent to an average increase of 5.5 % per year, over ten years, or roughly the rate of growth of the world economy as a whole over the period.

This may suggest the global supply is keeping up with demand, volumes in trade may not rise as quickly as prices if resources are becoming scarcer.

The studies reveal tha fact that the plant and animal species which are being traditionally used in oriental or chinese medicines are being exploited and traded illegally across the border. The concern is certainly on wild animals but plants like Kuth, Jata mansi, Kurroo, Sarpgandha, Agar etc are highly in demand.

There is need to be watch ful on the exploitation and trade of such plant species, which may get extinct due to over exploitation and increasing demand in traditional medicine markets all over the world.

-Ramesh Pandey, New Delhi

Radio tagging to track Nepal's endangered gharials

2009-03-13T21:47:00.000-07:00

One of the world's largest crocodilian species is also its rarest. With just a few hundred individuals left, the critically endangered gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) faces an uncertain future in its remaining river habitats in India and Nepal. Once common, gharials were hunted into near extinction for their skins inthe early 20th century. Since then, captive-bred gharials have been released into rivers by the hundreds, but survival rates have been low, probably because so little was known about the species. Last year, more than 100 gharials mysteriously died in India. While the cause of death has never been conclusively proven, scientists at the time hypothesized that they died of gout (a build up of uric acid, a waste product), brought on by kidney failure, which itself was brought on by exposure to toxic chemicals in India's polluted rivers. Now, scientists in Nepal are trying to find out as much information as possible about their country's gharials so they can devise a plan to keep this increasingly rare species from disappearing forever. The project started a few weeks ago, when Nepal's Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, in collaboration with WWF Nepal, attached RFID tags to 14 gharials and re-released them in the Rapti River. The project, set to run through December, will gather information about gharial habitats and behavior, says Rinjan Shrestha, a WWF Nepal conservation biologist. Shrestha says that "habitat degradation, overfishing and water pollution"are the main reasons for gharial decline in Nepal."The radio tags are used to locate the position of the released gharials,"says Shrestha. Once located, the monitoring crew will record the gharials'GPS positions. "We have to localize every tag manually, with a directional antenna," says Antoine Cadi, a project manager at Awely, an environmental NGO in France, who is providing technical assistance for the program. "This method is less expensive than satellite tracking and gives us the opportunity to follow the behavior of the crocs."The team will try to locate the gharials daily until July, when monsoon season begins, "then do our best during the raining period," Cadi says, noting that researchers will step up efforts again in September to gauge the impact of monsoon flooding on the shrinking population. Cadi believes that monsoon season may drive gharials from Nepal's into India, where they could face greater threats. "Every day theyare pushed down the river... and, after some months, they can not avoid crossing the dam," he says, "and finally arriving in India, where all thethreats known in Nepal are more important and strong."

Note: This news story was written by John Platt Mar 12, 2009 regarding new development related to gharial conservation, which was posted by Janki Lenin on GCA/GMTF mailing list.

The similar efforts are being taken in the recent past in Chambal (India) by WWF-India under 'River Watch' programme, in which Drub Basu is monitoring the gharials movement and all. Recently gharials were released in upper ganga near Narora with the active involvement of Bivash Ranjan, Conservator of Forests, Meerut and Parikshit Gautam (WWF). And the credit goes to Rom Whittaker that 'Crocodile blues' which was aired recently on 'Animal Planet' drew the attention of many of us regarding the extinction of gharials from their centuries old natural habitats. Another research is being done by Laurel and Abhijit (under the supervision of Rom) regarding the behaviour of Gharials at Katerniaghat. This is true we still do not know many thinks related to the behaviou of the gharial and their population dynamics.

But all these measures are insufficient to save just 200 left breeding gharial population in the country. The problems like mining, indiscriminate fishing, poaching, water pollution and loss of breeding grounds in their natural habitat are of very serious nature, which does not need research right now, rather they need concrete steps to save this diminishing species from the nature. This is not the time to know how gharial behaves with muggar or where do they go when the flooded rivers carry away everything with them. This is the time to give them protection at fullest extent, un-polluted water in the rivers and mining and predation free sandy banks to lay the eggs. The next breeding season will strart from April, which is just ahead and we dont know what will be the result this year. Lets hope good for gharial.

-Ramesh Pandey, New Delhi

Sumatran tiger faces extinction as forest habitat shrinks

2009-03-03T21:58:00.000-08:00

The Sumatran tiger is in danger of becoming the first major mammal to become extinct in the 21st century, as villagers on the Indonesian island fight a deadly war with the magnificent but ferocious predator.
At least four tigers, and nine people, have been killed in the past month alone, as the shrinking of Sumatra’s already depleted forests brings an increase in attacks on farmers, hunters and illegal loggers.
With fewer than 400 of the creatures estimated to be left in the wild, the Sumatran tiger is classified as critically endangered, the most vulnerable of all the six surviving tiger subspecies.
The fact that several victims of the recent attacks have been devoured by the tigers, which usually have little taste for human flesh, suggests how hungry and desperate they are becoming, as economic exploitation of their habitat confines them in ever smaller and more impoverished patches of jungle.
As the tiger attacks become more common, conservationists are hurrying to trap man-eating animals humanely, and release them away from human habitation, before terrified villagers hunt them down and kill them.
“As people encroach into tiger habitat, it's creating a crisis situation and further threatening this critically endangered subspecies,” Ian Kosasih of the conservation group WWF, said. “In light of these killings, officials have got to make public safety a top concern and put a stop to illegal clearance of forests in Sumatra.”
According to the Indonesian government, between five and ten tigers are killed on average every year, but the scale of the slaughter in 2009 is on course to be higher than ever. A male tiger was speared to death a week ago after attacking a security guard on a palm oil plantation in the Indragiri Hilir area of Jambi province, the fourth animal to be killed this year.
Three young tigers were killed in February in neighbouring Riau province, after wandering into a village in search of food. Another Sumatran tiger was successfully trapped by conservationists.
But at least six people have been mauled to death and several more attacked and injured. In the grisliest attack, a 50-year-old man named Suyud was killed in his hut, which he shared with his 21-year-old son Imam Mujianto. The young man was consumed by the creature, which ate his brain, heart and liver, according to local reports.
“The shocking news that six people have been killed in less than one month is an extremely sad illustration of how bad the situation has become in Jambi,” said Didy Wurjanto, the head of the Jambi province Nature Conservancy Agency. “It’s a signal that we need to get serious about protecting natural forest and giving tigers their space.”
The number of tigers across the world has declined by 95 per cent in the past century, and three subspecies have become extinct, including the two others native to Indonesia – the Bali tiger and the Javan tiger, which was seen in the wild as late as the 1970s.
Poachers hunt them for their skins and other body parts which are a prized ingredient in traditional Asian medicines – the bodies of the animals killed in Sumatra in the past weeks quickly disappeared, and a tiger corpse is worth $3,200 (£2,200), a small fortune for an Indonesian villager.
But there is also less and less room for tigers, who require large areas in which to prowl, hunt and mate. Road building, farming, the timber industry and, particularly in Sumatra, the clearing of jungle to create lucrative palm oil plantations, is driving tigers into smaller islands of natural forest.
Sumatra’s lowland forests are shrinking at the rate of 2,700 sq km every year, an area larger than Luxemburg.
“You can't expect tigers to become vegetarians,” Nurazman Nurdin of the Nature Conservation Agency told AP. “They need meat and humans trespassing their territory are relatively easy targets.”
As the tiger attacks become more common, conservationists are hurrying to trap man-eating animals humanely, and release them away from human habitation, before terrified villagers hunt them down and kill them.
“As people encroach into tiger habitat, it's creating a crisis situation and further threatening this critically endangered subspecies,” Ian Kosasih of the conservation group WWF, said. “In light of these killings, officials have got to make public safety a top concern and put a stop to illegal clearance of forests in Sumatra.”
According to the Indonesian government, between five and ten tigers are killed on average every year, but the scale of the slaughter in 2009 is on course to be higher than ever. A male tiger was speared to death a week ago after attacking a security guard on a palm oil plantation in the Indragiri Hilir area of Jambi province, the fourth animal to be killed this year.
Three young tigers were killed in February in neighbouring Riau province, after wandering into a village in search of food. Another Sumatran tiger was successfully trapped by conservationists.
But at least six people have been mauled to death and several more attacked and injured. In the grisliest attack, a 50-year-old man named Suyud was killed in his hut, which he shared with his 21-year-old son Imam Mujianto. The young man was consumed by the creature, which ate his brain, heart and liver, according to local reports.
“The shocking news that six people have been killed in less than one month is an extremely sad illustration of how bad the situation has become in Jambi,” said Didy Wurjanto, the head of the Jambi province Nature Conservancy Agency. “It’s a signal that we need to get serious about protecting natural forest and giving tigers their space.”
The number of tigers across the world has declined by 95 per cent in the past century, and three subspecies have become extinct, including the two others native to Indonesia – the Bali tiger and the Javan tiger, which was seen in the wild as late as the 1970s.
Poachers hunt them for their skins and other body parts which are a prized ingredient in traditional Asian medicines – the bodies of the animals killed in Sumatra in the past weeks quickly disappeared, and a tiger corpse is worth $3,200 (£2,200), a small fortune for an Indonesian villager.
But there is also less and less room for tigers, who require large areas in which to prowl, hunt and mate. Road building, farming, the timber industry and, particularly in Sumatra, the clearing of jungle to create lucrative palm oil plantations, is driving tigers into smaller islands of natural forest.
Sumatra’s lowland forests are shrinking at the rate of 2,700 sq km every year, an area larger than Luxemburg.
“You can't expect tigers to become vegetarians,” Nurazman Nurdin of the Nature Conservation Agency told AP. “They need meat and humans trespassing their territory are relatively easy targets.”

( Richard Lloyd Parry, Asia Editor (TIMES online)

Note: Out of 8 species of the tiger found in the world 3(Caspian, Javan and Bali tigers) are already extinct. Apart from Sumatran tigers other tigers like Amur, South Chineses and Indo-Chinese tigers are also on the brink of extinction and their population is ranging only in hundreds. The situation of Royal Bengal Tiger is also at abysmal low and as per the recent census carried out by the Wildlife Institute of India, their number is ranging between 1400 to 1600 in the country. In the recent time the strayed tigers have drew the attention of media, politicians, people and conservationists which indicates the problem of fragmentation and resource overlapping of the protected areas. Is it really "last call of the tiger???"--Ramesh Pandey.

Back in this new year...

2009-01-19T04:27:00.000-08:00

Hello friends,

I was almost out of touch with most of you, that too for more than six months. Many of us could not know even why?? Now I am no more physically working in Katerniaghat; one of the most wonderful areas which always fascinated me.. the typical terai mosaic of forests and grasslands.. the foggy winters..sun basking gharials in Girwa, deep throated mating growls of tigers near bandha, night patrolling and camp fire at Nishangara range campus, sitting on machan at bansatti phanta..and so many nostalgic moments..which still reminds me their very much presence...when ever I am alone, when ever I think about Tigers, Elephant, Gharials, Dolphins or Swamp patridges or when ever I want to do some thing for their protection and coservation.

Now I am in Delhi, the capital of the country...and if not mistaken the capital of illegal wildlife trade in the country far long time. I have joined Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, as Regional Head of Northern Region, which covers U.P., Uttarakhand, Delhi NCT, Chandigarh, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal, Rajasthan and Jammu & Kashmir.

This Bureau came up in the Year 2007 after the 2006 amendment in the Wildlife Protection Act-1972. This is one of the recommendation of the Tiger Task Force constituted by the Government of India after Sariska Episode. The bureau has been set up to combat the wildlife crime and illegal trade of wildlife parts and products in the country.

I take it as opportunity to work of national and international linkages related with wildlife conservation and protection with special emphasis on wildlife poaching and crime related to illegal trade of wildlife articles.

For the initial six month I was on my toes to righly begin with on the task given. During this period, It was busy to understand the work areas and how to execute the mandate in most professional manner. It did not leave any scope to think about this blog and to write some thing for my favourite subject i.e. wild and wilderness.

By this way I hope to be in touch with all my friends who sincerely think about the need of conservation in the present scenario when tigers have come out from jungles and drew the attention of all 'khas-o-aam' in the state, who wish to see the majestic animal every time when they visit Dudhwa-Katernia or any other such areas.

Tharu Huts: A new attraction at Katerniaghat

2008-06-28T03:41:00.000-07:00

This is a good news for the visitors to Katerniaghat. All the six rest houses in the area have been renovated and are full of all basic amenities. Besides these rest houses now Katerniaghat campus has two well equipped 'Tharu Huts'. These huts were constructed to promote the 'eco-tourism wildlife education and awareness' in the area. It was designed by us only. We kept the hut on a height for better look and to keep dampness away. My range officer MK Shukla did a lot to bring it in this shape.

The name Tharu hut came from the local Tharu tribes which resides in and around the sanctuary. Earlier Tharu huts were constructed in Dudhwa National Park for the visitors to stay over. .

It is really remarkable that from April onwards the Tharu Huts are frequently used by visitors 'who know well what the katerniaghat is'...It is an attraction for all who love to spent time in the serene and green surroundings. So..what are you waiting for...

Photo-Tharu Huts at Katerniaghat-Ramesh Pandey

Cheetals are like potatoes...

2008-06-22T23:32:00.000-07:00

Potatoes – we eat a lot but never discuss about them. They invariably form a part of our daily food ,but alas are never given a thought - we take them for granted...says Amit Misra, my friend who is a qualified CA and wildlife enthusiast...I think it is ture to a great extent.

Amit Misra Writes:
A very similar plight is that of the Chital or the Spotted Deer. Any person visiting the forest has his first experience of a wild animal in the form of a Chital which is seen the most , in herds, jumping , running and grazing in the grasslands or resting under the shade of the trees. But the eyes keep on looking for the big carnivores and these beautiful and delicate creatures are not given a second thought.

The Chital or Spotted Deer (Axis axis) is one of the most prominent deer species found in India. The are found almost in ever forest of the country but is at its best in the Himalayan foothills , in the jungles of the Terai and in Madhya Pradesh. Its coat is a bright rufus-fawn profusely spotted with white ,at all ages and in all seasons. Old bucks are more brownish in colour and darker. The stag (male) stands at 90 cms at the shoulder and weighs around 85 kgs. The graceful antlers have three tines , a long brow tine set nearly at right angles to he beam and two branch tines at the top. The usual size of a herd is of 10 to 30 animals which may contain two to three stags , but assembly of several hundred have also been seen. They feed till late in the morning and again in the afternoon. These chital have developed a very special relationship with the Rhesus monkeys and Langoors, which on one hand, sitting high in the trees provide the deer with food by dropping leaves and fruits and on the other are the first ones to give an alarm call for the Tiger or Leopard and alert the chitals. Chitals are the primary prey base for the carnivores.

Katerniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary (KWS) has an abundance of chital. In the Katerniaghat Range one can see large herds in the early morning or late afternoon on the Bundha Road. The left of this road are the open grassland where the herds graze with the adult alert at the slightest movement and the young playing around and the right side has water holes which quenches their thirst. There is a constant movement from one side of the bundha to the other.

Katerniaghat has a very special group of chitals , they to the best of my knowledge are the only pairs of Albino Chitals in the wild. Sighting of two male and two female Albino Chital have been reported from the Katerniaghat Range of this forest. These Albino are a one of the Jewels of the Katerniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary.

Really Albino cheetals are one of the attraction of Katerniaghat. My friend wildlife photographer and Orinthologist Suresh Charudhary ji has taken many fascinating photographs of wildlife of the Katerniaghat. The Albino cheetal in a herd is one of the interesting photographs which I display here in this post.

Photo-Albino Cheetal in a herd of normal cheetals..By: Suresh Chaudhary.

Rampurwa FRH invites you once again

2008-06-20T03:12:00.000-07:00

This forest rest house is more than 125 years old. It was in abandoned condition for more than 20 years. When I joined this place, I met Mr. Ravi Singh CEO, WWF-India in Dudhwa on 4th of March, 2005 and he informed me regarding this rest house. He told me about its picturesque location and his childhood memories attached with it. That time this rest house was being used by SSB coy for keeping their valuable items. The rest house is located near Rampurwa, which is 'Tharu Village'. The Indo-Nepal border is also very near to this place.

This rest house is basically a monument...which has witnessed the independence of India to downfall of Nepalese Rajshahi. It has seen the old forestry operations to latest wildlife conservation efforts. It has also observed the changes in the cultural and social life of the Tharu tribes in last century.

This rest house is very strategically located particularly to protect the 'moving animals' through Khata corridor, between Katerniaghat and Bardia National Park. Thanks to Project Tiger for providing financial assistance to bring the rest house back in use. The best thing is that we have restored it in is natural shape and size. Now this rest house is an asset for the sanctuary. Recently we organised a field level co-ordination meeting there, for the villagers and forest officials of the Indian and Nepalese side to protect and conserve the moving tigers, rhinos and elephant across the border. Do come and visit this place....

Photo-Ramesh Pandey