Wednesday, 23 January 2013

Officials, civil society join hands to restore wildlife corridor

Subhash Chandra N S Bangalore

Govt declares Kaniyanapura and nearby villages as reserve forest

This is one classic example of how concerted efforts by government officials and civil society can make a difference to conservation. 

Sustained pursuance of the case by a few bureaucrats and wildlife activists has ensured that revenue land, over 5,000 acres, falling in a critical wildlife corridor at Kaniyanapura is declared a reserve forest. The efforts bring to an end the two-decade old issue of protecting the Kaniyanapura elephant corridor - which links Bandipur Tiger Reserve and Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu.

Kaushik Mukherjee, former additional chief secretary, B J Hosmath, field director, Project Tiger, Sanjay Gubbi, member, State Board for Wildlife, Basavaraju, assistant commissioner, Kollegal and Manjunath, tahsildar, Gundlupet have together got thousands of acres of revenue land, which had features of forest, declared reserve forest.

“A notification under Section 4 of Karnataka Forest Act has been issued with an intention to provide legal status to this forest patch,” Kumar Pushkar, Chief Conservator of Forests, Bandipur Tiger Reserve, told Deccan Herald. The notification - dated February 2, 2012 - grants reserve forest status to more than 5,000 acres of revenue land to ensure their protection.

Pushkar said the corridor was very important as far as wildlife protection is concerned as almost all animals, including tiger and elephant, use this stretch for their movement. He said declaring such a huge stretch of land as reserve forest was not an easy task. Not doing so would have been a great loss to wildlife as the notified area binds north and south ears of the corridor, he said.

“This area had become a hub of numerous activities. We would have lost the habitat. By declaring it reserve forest, we have secured it for wildlife,” he said.
“This is the patch which connects Biligirirangana Hills Tiger Reserve and Satyamangala forest with Nagarhole and Bandipur,” he added.

The revenue land falling in the limits of Chikyelchetti, Bachalli, Kebbepura, Kaniyanpura, Mangala, Yeriyur, Heggavadi and Kundukere villages have forests that connected the two important protected areas within the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.

“Despite a Supreme Court order that land with characteristics of forests should not be diverted for non-forestry activities without proper permissions, several resorts and private farms had come up here. Many of them were illegal and had reduced the corridor to a chicken neck in some locations,” explained a wildlife expert who has conducted a study of this corridor.

Sanjay Gubbi conducted a quick survey of the area with the help of volunteers from Vanya and Aranya wildlife groups in 2011. An area of 9,662.3 acres was found to have forest cover and a report was submitted to the government recommending that these areas be declared reserved forest.

Finding that an area of 5,599.05 acres was not diverted to private use, the department officials made a proposal to the government to declare it reserved forest under the Karnataka Forest Act, 1963. This finally led to the notification declaring the area as reserve forest.

Source: http://www.deccanherald.com/content/257712/officials-civil-society-joi

Winged wonders spotted in Kaiga skies

DC | Gururaj paniyadi
Bird watchers observing the winged beauties near Kaiga.
Karwar: Twenty species of birds which were not seen earlier in this part of the Western Ghats have been spotted near Kaiga by bird watchers and birding enthusiasts.

This observation was made during the recently held ‘Kaiga Bird Marathon- 2013.’ Kaiga Generating Station (KGS) has been organizing “Kaiga Bird Marathon,” an annual birding event since 2011 under the aegis of the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited with the aim of identifying bird species around Kaiga Generating Stations and Kaiga town.

One hundred and twenty four bird watchers including Professional Birders from NKBN (North Karnataka Birders Network) lead by President Prof Samad Kottur and students from Forestry College, Sirsi took part in the “Kaiga Bird Marathon-2013” organised last week.

The area in and around Kaiga was divided into six transects. Each team had to travel through their allotted transect of about 6-7 km and record all sightings of aquatic, wetland, grassland, raptor and land birds. A total distance of about 42 kms was covered during the event around Kaiga.

This year’s bird marathon alone identified 162 species of birds of which 20 species are those not spotted so far in this part of Western Ghats. “These 20 species might have been living in this forest earlier too. They were not seen during the last two Marathons but were spotted this year,” Prof. Samad told Deccan Chronicle.

The 20 new varieties  include Nilgiri Flowerpecker, Crested Goshawk, Rufous-bellied Eagle, Brown Fish Owl, Blyth's Starling, Crested Treeswift, Clamorous Reed Warbler, Peregrine Falcon, Besra and Oriental Honey Buzzard.

Source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com/130123/news-current-affairs/article/winged-wonders-spotted-kaiga-skies

Another big cat relocated, Sariska tiger count reaches 9

TNN | Jan 24, 2013
The tigress was released in a separate enclosure in
Nayapani area of Sariska at 3.35pm
SARISKA: Re-populating of the Sariska tiger reserve continued for the second day on Wednesday with the relocation of yet another tigress from Ranthambhore. Two-year-old Beena 2, sibling of the tigress relocated on Tuesday, was tranquilized and taken by road to Sariska.

Officials said the tigress was tranquilized in Ranthambhore at 9 am and a satellite collar fixed on her. Later she was put in a cage on a canter as she began her six hour journey.

The tigress was released in a separate enclosure in Nayapani area of Sariska at 3.35pm. The tigress immediately ran into a bush. She will be released later in the forest.

On Tuesday, Beena 1 was also shifted to Sariska. The total count of tigers in Sariska has now reached nine - two males, two cubs and five females.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Another-big-cat-relocated-Sariska-tiger-count-reaches-9/articleshow/18156934.cms

Female leopard succumbs in conflict between male, female leopards

By Bipin Chand Agarwal, TNN | Jan 23, 2013

The forest personnel took the carcass to the
range office after taking photographs of the spot.
BAHRAICH: In a fight between two leopards, one male and the other female, the latter died at Katarniaghat wildlife sanctuary.

Forest officers reached the spot and took the carcass in their custody.

Forest officers informed that the female leopard died in the conflict and that a panel of three doctors had been formed to perform the autopsy.

Project officer of World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) Dabeer Hasan said the mating season of lion and leopard would last till February 15 and such conflict between the male and females is common.

Roar of the leopards was heard in southern part of beat no 28 at Motipur range under Katarniaghat wildlife sanctuary and after about half an hour when the forest personnel went to the spot they found the leopard dead with marks of injury on the body and bleeding profusely.

The forest ranger also reached the spot along with his team followed by sub divisional officer of Katarniaghat wildlife sanctuary Vinay Kumar Srivastava and sub divisional forest officer Subhash Chandra.

The forest ranger said "the leopard had deep injuries on the neck and two different kinds of pug marks were found around the spot. It seems the male and the female leopard fought with each other."

The SDO said the dead female leopard was around one-year-old.

The forest personnel took the carcass to the range office after taking photographs of the spot.

Forest ranger J K Verma said deep injury marks on the neck indicate the male leopard attacked the female with its teeth and caused the death.

Hasan said leopards are counted temporarily and at the moment their number is 50 to 60. He said the trapping work was completed a week ago in the forest reserve area and a CD had been sent to wildlife institute Dehradun. The counting of tigers would also help count the number of leopards precisely.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Female-leopard-succumbs-in-conflict-between-male-female-leopards/articleshow/18141793.cms

Poisonous plant killed 51 cheetals in Kanha

By P Naveen, TNN | Jan 23, 2013

BHOPAL: Regular consumption of Lantana camara, a poisonous plant found in abundance in the forest areas, has been found to be the cause behind the death of 51 spotted deers (cheetals) kept in a 35 acre-enclosure at the Kanha Tiger Reserve. The deers kept as prey stock for hand-reared tiger cubs died between January 4 and 16.

Initially it was suspected that the deers died of cold and malnutrition. Consumption of Lantana camara - plant which contains pentacyclic triterpenoids (akin to steroids) - in starvation led to the death of the spotted deers revealed investigations carried out by Jabalpur veterinary college experts.

Fearing an adverse impact on big cats population, veterinary experts have asked KTR officials to not to send remaining deer's from enclosure as prey to the tigers.

"All remaining deer's in the enclosure have infected livers and offering them as prey may be dangerous to tigers also," said a veterinary expert wishing anonymity.

Chemical named triterpenes in Lantana causes liver damage in animals when enough leaves are consumed, he said adding symptoms of poisoning include muscle weakness, gastrointestinal problems, lethargy, and cardiac collapse.

The major effect of Lantana is photosensitization, in acute cases death occurs in 2 to 4 days, whereas in sub-acute cases death may occur after 1 to 3 weeks of illness and weight loss. When contacted KTR director J S Chouhan said; "Tiger cubs have nine deers in their enclosure, so we don't need to shift more," he told TOI.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Poisonous-plant-killed-51-cheetals-in-Kanha/articleshow/18142314.cms

Madhya Pradesh conducts vulture population estimation in Panna Tiger Reserve

By Suchandana Gupta, TNN | Jan 23, 2013

The dramatic decline in vulture population prompted the
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
to put vultures on its list of 'critically endangered' species.
BHOPAL: The Vulture Population Estimation-2013 has been concluded in the Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh, the state government said on Wednesday. Counting started a week ago and 867 vultures including 160 migratory and 48 of unidentified origins were found. Technical report of Vulture Population Estimation-2013 is expected to be submitted by February-end. About 102 live nests were also found in the tiger reserve, the state claimed.

Another survey will be made in April-May 2013 to assess success rate of vulture breeding in Panna Tiger Reserve. Since the year 2010, Vulture Population Estimation is being undertaken in Panna Tiger Reserve in January every year. The number of vultures found this year is less compared to last year. The reason could be the sudden increase in temperature in the area during the estimation week. Seven out of nine vulture species in the Indian sub-continent were found in Panna, the state government said.

Regional director Panna Tiger Reserve R. Shriniwas Moorthy explained that 659 residential vultures were found in Panna Tiger Reserve during Vulture Population Estimation-2013. These included 476 Long Billed Vultures, 86 White Backed Vultures, 52 Egyptian Vultures and 45 Red-headed Vultures. Similarly, out of 160 migratory vultures found during the estimation, 41 were European Griffon, 115 Himalayan Griffon and four vultures of cinereous species. It is being considered to include Paragrin spies of vulture also in the Vulture Population Estimation next year.

Since 2011, Vulture Estimation in Panna is carried out with public private participation with the co-operation of bird watchers from across the country. For this two-phase estimation, 112 bird watchers from 10 states had applied. Following scrutiny, 94 participants were selected this year. The selected participants came from the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Haryana, Bihar, Maharashtra, New Delhi besides Madhya Pradesh. They were assisted by 16 guides of the park. The team conducted estimation under the guidance of forest department officers.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Madhya-Pradesh-conducts-vulture-population-estimation-in-Panna-Tiger-Reserve/articleshow/18153168.cms

Dolphin population rises to 152 in Chilika lake in Orissa

PTI | Jan 22, 2013

As per estimation carried out in 2013 there had been
an increase in population by 4.6 per cent compared to
last year, he said adding the number of dolphins
last year was 145.
BHUBANESWAR: Good news for wildlife lovers from Chilika Lake. The population of Irrawaddy dolphins has increased by 4.6 per cent compared to last year's census.

"Irrawaddy dolphin population of Chilika lagoon is estimated to be 152 comprising 118 adults, 16 sub-adults and 18-calves & neonates," Ajit K Patnaik, the chief executive of Chilika Development Authority (CDA) said today.

As per estimation carried out in 2013 there had been an increase in population by 4.6 per cent compared to last year, he said adding the number of dolphins last year was 145.

The number of calves and neonates observed during the survey carried out recently is 18. A significant observation of 2013 population estimation was the sighting of dolphins in Northern sector. Eight dolphins were sighted from Northern sector, an indication of expansion of their habitat, he said.

Another significant observation is the increase in the number of calves and neonates, which is 38.9 per cent increase over the last year's figure.

Chilika, about 70 km from here, is the natural abode of highly endangered Irrawaddy dolphins (Orcaella brevirostris). The present distribution range of this species is only in Asia - from Chilika to Indonesia within South East Asia and South Asia.

The total population of these animals in the world is estimated to be less than 7500 (highest 6400 reported from Bangladesh) and the population in Chilika is considered to be the highest single lagoonal population, Patnaik said.

A number of organizations, including state's forest department, were engaged in the population survey which was carried out following line Transect method.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Dolphin-population-rises-to-152-in-Chilika-lake-in-Orissa/articleshow/18134076.cms

Forest department calls for removal of exotic trees in Kodai

By Padmini Sivarajah, TNN | Jan 22, 2013

MADURAI: The Kodaikanal district forest officer (DFO) has sent a proposal to the Central government seeking permission to eradicate the exotic foreign plants such as the wattle and pine, which were endangering the ecosystem of the hills. The proposal has been a long-pending demand of the eco-conscious citizens of the hill station.

Speaking to this newspaper D Venketesh, district forest officer, Kodaikanal said man-animal conflicts, especially those between the Indian gaur and people were on rise in the region. "We get regular calls from the people complaining about the gaurs' entry in farms, school premises, market place and others. Even on Monday, this was the grievance expressed to the state government's petition committee that visited Kodaikanal by the farmers and people.

The people sought the erection of solar fences and digging of elephant trenches in various many places to prevent animals from entering their farms. These animals were destroying banana and pear orchards in large numbers.

But the DFO said this won't solve the problem. "The real problem lays in the fact is that the exotic plant species, such as wattle or acacia and pine, have invaded the shola grasslands and the animals have nowhere to look for food and started entering the private properties," he said. "I don't know why felling of these trees in the region is banned, which has resulted in the trees' invasion of about 5,000 hectares of grasslands in the upper Palani hills," he added.

"The gaur population is ever increasing. It is our duty to restore their habitat to them," he said. Venketesh is confident that the government would give a favourable answer to his proposal. Wattle and pine have also resulted in the 90% swamp area, which is the major water source for the entire Kodaikanal region and also to animals shrinking. This is a major cause of concern for the future of this fragile eco-system.

Eradicating these trees is not an easy task because the seeds spread far and can stay dormant in the soil. But the forest department has removed them to a stretch of about 10 metres on the Kodaikanal - Berijam Road and has been successful in the attempt. He said the eradication programme once approved, would take about 15 years, but it would be a beginning.

Conflicts between man and gaurs have become regular phenomenon. On Saturday, a man was attacked by an animal at Vandaravu. Chasing away these animals is not an easy task because they intimidate the people by their sheer size.

Till 1995, the trees, which are now estimated to cover about 27,000 hectares did not pose a threat because they were regularly felled for manufacturing rayon. But the ban on felling was introduced and the trees began disturbingdestroying the eco-system both space land and the ground water.

One person who is happy about the DFO's proposal, is Rajesh Mani of the Centre for Environmental Studies and Conservation said, "We took out a protest march on December 23 demanding the removal of the exotic trees from the region and also sent petitions to the DFO. We are happy with the proposal."

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Forest-department-calls-for-removal-of-exotic-trees-in-Kodai/articleshow/18125412.cms

Blackbucks threatened by poaching, inbreeding and diseases

TNN | Jan 21, 2013

KANPUR: The blackbuck is an antelope species native to the Indian Subcontinent that has been classified as near-threatened by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) since 2003. They are horned animals and only living species of the genus Antilope.

Black bucks generally live in open plains in herds of 15 to 20 animals with one dominant male. They are very fast, and speeds of more than 80 km/h (50 mph) have been recorded. They are sometimes preyed upon by wolves and feral dogs. The maximum life span recorded is 16 years and the average is 12 years.

The blackbuck is hunted for its flesh and skin. The Indian law strictly prohibits the hunting of these endangered animals, but occasional incidents of poaching still occur. The remaining populations are under threat from inbreeding. The natural habitat of the blackbuck is being encroached upon by man's need for arable land and grazing ground for domesticated cattle. Exposure to domesticated cattle also exposes them to bovine diseases.

Its protected status gained publicity through a widely reported court case, in which Bollywood star Salman Khan was sentenced to five years imprisonment for killing two blackbucks and several endangered chinkaras. The arrest was prompted by intense protests from the Bishnoi ethnic group, which holds animals and trees sacred, and on whose land the hunting had taken place.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Blackbucks-threatened-by-poaching-inbreeding-and-diseases/articleshow/18112906.cms