Monkey feeders in Melghat tiger reserve to face action

Vijay Pinjarkar, TNN
NAGPUR: The Melghat Tiger Reserve (MTR) in Amravati district has decided to act tough against those feeding monkeys along the tar road passing through the reserve.

Though feeding monkeys is illegal, it has become a common practice at many places in India. In Maharashtra's oldest tiger reserve it has now become a costly affair. One private and one state transport buses were detained and drivers booked under the Wildlife Protection Act (WPA) 1972.

Just three days ago, the state highway passing through the core area of MTR recorded the death of a sloth bear near Semadoh on Harisal-Semadoh stretch of the highway. However, the same patch has been known for accidental deaths of wild animals. A leopard, sambar, porcupine and even a Dharni-based resident have lost their life on the stretch, the last when his bike hit a sambar recently.

On Sunday, Kishor Rithe, president of Satpuda Foundation and member of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL), was travelling through the same patch when he saw a bus driver and passengers of Shriram Travels bus feeding bananas to monkeys.

Rithe warned the driver and was just 50 metres away when the driver started feeding the langurs again. He asked the driver to park the vehicle at Semadoh chowki and informed the staff about the offence.

However, the driver defied the forest staff and proceeded towards Paratwada. Rithe rushed to the gate after Semadoh village and stopped the vehicle. Range forest officer (RFO) MS Pachare and his squad immediately rushed to the gate and booked the vehicle and driver under WPA and conducted the spot panchnama.

In the second case, a ST bus from Burhanpur to Amravati stopped at the same spot in the core area and driver Yuvraj Sonune, who had specially bought bananas from Dharni for the monkeys, started feeding them.

The squad along with Rithe caught the ST driver red-handed while feeding the monkeys. The driver was booked under the WPA.

Rithe told TOI that many vehicles stop in this stretch and throw foodgrains and bananas for monkeys. Many wild animals including monkeys get attracted to the roadside. This has led to many accidents of wild animals, besides increase in monkey bites to passers-by.

"The issue has become very serious. We have put up display boards and signages but people fail to understand the problem," said K P Singh, chief conservator of forests (CCF) and field director of MTR.

The forest department's action has created sensation among the people who think that it is good to feed the monkeys. However, they have to understand that it amounts to hurting the animals as per the WPA and there is a provision for seven years imprisonment along with heavy penalty.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Monkey-feeders-in-Melghat-tiger-reserve-to-face-action/articleshow/17941303.cms

Six injured in leopard attack in Nilambur

By T P Nijeesh, TNN 

Six persons, including a woman, were injured in the
leopard attack.

MALAPURRAM: A straying leopard disrupted normal life in Konnampotti region of Chunghathara in Nilambur for over five hours before it was successfully tranquilized and caged on Wednesday evening. Six persons, including a woman, were injured in the leopard attack.

The animal was first seen in a rubber plantation at Vadakkekkara, Konnampotti around 1.30pm. Suni (35) of Mangedath, who was collecting firewood from the plantation, was attacked by the leopard and she suffered minor injuries. Natives Raju of Pandakashala and Sahil of Thottassery were also attacked by the leopard while they were searching for it.

Later, forest, police and revenue officials along with veterinarians arrived at the spot. After an hour-long search, the leopard was found near a trench. When the traumatized animal was provoked by over-enthusiastic onlookers, it climbed on a coconut tree to evade the crowd.

Finally, a team of tranquilizing experts, who arrived from Kozhikode around 5pm, successfully tranquilized the leopard. But when the veterinary surgeon gave the tranquilizing shot, the animal fell asleep on top of the tree. Following this, members of the New Star Club, Palenkara carried the animal in a net and caged it.

Nilambur North DFO Rajan said the leopard was a full-grown male and it has shifted to Thrissur zoo. "It is for the first time such an incident has been reported in the area," said Mujeeb Palenkara, a resident in the area.


Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Six-injured-in-leopard-attack-in-Nilambur/articleshow/17966118.cms

Herd of 32 elephants chased into forests near Krishnagiri

The elephant herd that was driven back to 
Udedurgam Reserve Forests on Tuesday.
 —Photo: Special Arrangement

A herd of 32 wild elephants that entered a mango orchard near Kelamangalam were driven back to the Udedurgam Reserve Forests by the forest officials after a four-hour exercise, on Tuesday night.

Sources in the Forest Department told The Hindu that over a hundred elephants, in different groups, had entered into the forest from Bennarghatta RF via the Jawalagiri RF two months ago.

This despite elephant proof trenches being dug for a distance of about 89 km.

Damaged trenches

However, these trenches were breached by the farmers who wanted to take their cattle inside the forest for fodder. These damaged trenches helped the elephants enter into human habitations as well.

The elephants damaged crops like sugarcane, banana, ragi, paddy as well as vegetables in and around Denkanikottai, Royakottai, Uthanapalli, Kelamangalam and Anchetty.

When people saw the herd of 32 elephants wandering near Nilagiri village in Uthanapalli they informed the forest officials.

On instructions from the District Forest Officer A.K. Ulaganathan, a team of forest officials and employees headed by Assistant Conservator of Forests Mr. Soundararajan and Royakottai Ranger Vinobaji chased the herd into the Udedurgam Reserve Forests bursting crackers and using powerful search lights.

Police officials headed by the Assistant Superintendent of Police Vijaykumar prevented the locals from getting near the herd during the operations, sources said.

While crossing over to the Reserve Forests, the herd trampled to death a calf near Yupuram.

Before undertaking the elephant eviction drive, the forest officials warned the public not to venture out of their homes through the public address system, the sources added.

India to involve Interpol to fight illegal wildlife trade

Press Trust of India / New Delhi January 02, 2013, 20:15


Indian investigating agencies will "involve" Interpol to combat illegal trade of wildlife including tigers and other endangered species, official sources said here today.
Indian law-enforcement officials attended a training programme organized by Interpol in Kathmandu last month to step up efforts to deal with "organised transnational criminal activity and illegal wildlife trade," sources said.
TRAFFIC, a global wildlife monitoring network, said 28 law enforcement officers from 11 Asian countries had gathered in Kathmandu to attend the Information and Intelligence Management Course on Environmental Enforcement initiated by Interpol.
The meeting took place from December 17 to 21 and brought together senior investigators and intelligence analysts from various law enforcement agencies from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, TRAFFIC said in its notes.
Indian officials said the country has taken several anti-poaching initiatives including preparation of tiger reserve specific security plan, deployment of local people as tiger protection force and use of sniffer dogs at sensitive places and electronic surveillance.
Government has also taken steps like payment of compensation for killed cattle, involvement of Special Tiger Protection force in sensitive reserves, creation of tiger photo data base and use of DNA analysis to identify the source of tiger body parts to tackle poaching and smuggling of endangered big cats, they said.

Source: http://www.business-standard.com/generalnews/news/india-to-involve-interpol-to-fight-illegal-wildlife-trade/103671/