Thermal cameras to track movement of tigers

Bipin Chand Agarwal, TNN May 14, 2013
BAHRAICH: Wildlife experts would now be able to keep a track on the movement of tigers through thermal sensor cameras.

After the counting of tigers at Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary and Dudhwa National Park in January this year, it is going to start at Kishanpur Forest Wildlife Sanctuary of Pilibhit soon. All these sanctuaries are inter-connected. The pictures of the tigers in three forest areas would be tallied by the experts. After the installation of cameras in Kishanpur, the number of thermal cameras would go up to 326.

In the summer of 2012, thermal censor cameras were installed at tiger reserve area in Katarniaghat. These cameras were installed across an area of 200 square metres and could not give the desired result. At that time, the experts of WWF did all the research but when the pictures were sent to the Wildlife Institute of India Dehradun, the need of monitoring the movement of the tigers of adjoining areas was also felt. The experts laid emphasis on the aspect of the tigers' diet, prey and reproductive needs. They said that the animals go to far off places to fulfil these needs. In view of this movement, counting is not possible by installing cameras only in one particular forest. In the month of January, 2013 the plan of capturing the movements of herbivorous and carnivorous animals was initiated by installing the cameras at Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary, Dudhwa National Park of Lakhimpur and Kishanpur Forest area of Pilibhit. Moreover the activists of WWF would take the pictures by installing the camers at Berdia National Park of Nepal. The Nepal unit of WWF is working on it. Berdia National Park adjoins Dudhwa Tiger Reserve and Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary on Indo-Nepal border.

District project officer Dabeer Hasan told TOI that the work has been completed in two forest areas and now the cameras are being installed at Kishanpur Forest Area. He said that the cameras would be installed at Berdia of Nepal later. The experts would tally and study the pictures after camera installation is complete in all the three forest areas. Thereafter, the normal movement of tigers in the forest would be known. The status of cubs or the increase or decrease in the number of tigers can be established. Meanwhile, if the photography work is completed in Nepal, the pictures captured there would also be tallied with the pictures captured in the forests in Indian territories. These activities would be executed under the supervision of the experts of wildlife institute.

Source: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-05-14/flora-fauna/39254768_1_cameras-pilibhit-tigers

How can we help to bridge critical gap in tiger conservation

By Dharmendra Khandal Feb 27 2013

Photo: Dharmendra Khandal

Famous tiger conservationists Belinda Wright wrote on a social networking site that “Unfortunately, there was news of two dead tigers, and a third caught in a poacher’s trap. One of the tigers was electrocuted in a live-wire trap set by poachers for wild meat in Katni District, adjoining Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve. Shockingly, this was the third tiger to die in an electrocution trap set by poachers in the Bandhavgarh area since 18 November 2011, a period of only 15 weeks. Another tiger was found dead near Nagarhole NP. And a third young tiger was found in a metal jaw trap in Dudhwa Tiger Reserve. This one survived, although it is uncertain whether it can be returned to the wild.”

It is indeed a sad situation in which our national animal is being killed so heartlessly. Can we think of a solution and long-term vision for its survival? To understand the circumstances better, we have to differentiate these killing cases into three categories — first type is the crime, which is executed by hard core poachers, who are part of an organised poaching syndicate wanting to supply animal parts for money. The second type of killings is due to accident, because community living along the park were targeting deer or wild pig for the bush meat and the same trap killed a tiger or leopard. The third type is deliberate, revenge killing of tigers and leopards by the community to protect their livestock, which is a big crisis.

To control all these worrisome situations in right time and beforehand can be are really challenging. We have to admit that government agencies are still not equipped and trained to control these organised crimes. Some NGO’s performance fair better than the government agencies in the field of anti-poaching such as WPSI and WTI. While some local NGOs such as Tiger Watch are working effectively in and around single parks, in this case the Ranthambhore tiger reserve. But NGOs cannot work on a large-scale single-handedly without government support. The forest department is not putting enough resources for intelligence gathering. Also, if they execute the poaching raids well, they are hardly able to convert them into correct court cases. They mostly lose the court cases and the same poachers become more immune and trained towards the system loopholes. The success rate of conviction is just 3 per cent in India, and if we removed Sariska poaching cases from them; the conviction is less than 0.3 per cent of total wildlife crime cases. Hence, the same people always come back into the poaching business.

The other killing is because of meat or revenge killing and this can be control only with the help of local community’s support. Only the local resident of adjoining villages can provide information for this and they can be employed for the same, this way they would be involved and part of the monitoring team. In Ranthambhore, almost 20 villagers have been employed by the partnership of forest department and an NGO for this work. It is working well in the region in managing anti-poaching, but also managing the stray tigers when they move outside the protected areas into villages or farms. They are also working as a buffer link between the forest department and local village community whenever big cats kill their livestock. They help the department to estimate the cost of the animal and inform whether compensation was provided in time, among other things. Such projects can bridge the critical gap in conservation and the villagers can become partners in conserving our last wilderness.

(The writer is a conservation biologist at Tiger Watch, Ranthambore)

Source: http://www.mydigitalfc.com/leisure-writing/how-can-we-help-bridge-critical-gap-tiger-conservation-526&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

Killing of rhino by tiger worries Dudhwa wildlife officials

ATIQ KHAN
A day after the half-eaten carcass of a 34-year-old female rhinoceros named Pavitri was recovered from the Rhino Rehabilitation Area in Dudhwa Tiger Reserve (DTR) at Dudhwa National Park (DNP) in Lakhimpur Kheri district of Uttar Pradesh following her killing by a big cat, wildlife officials are perplexed at the tigers developing a liking for the one-horned animal despite the presence of ample prey base in the forest.

The late Monday night killing is the third instance of a rhino being killed by the roaming big cats in the last 14 months since the killing of a 35-year old male rhino in November 2011 followed by that of a young adult in December 2011. A female rhino named Himrani was attacked and injured by a tiger on December 1, 2011 but managed to survive due to the efforts of the park authorities.

In December last year another female rhino was mauled by a tiger in the rehabilitation area, but survived the deadly attack.

While the exact causes of the frequent attacks by the feline are yet to be ascertained, Deputy Director of Dudhwa Tiger Reserve Ganesh Bhatt said that it is not an unnatural phenomena as similar attacks have taken place in Kaziranga national park in Assam. “Calves and sub-adults and those rhinos who are weak are generally attacked by tigers, as had been the case with the adult female rhinoceros, Himrani, who too was weak,” Mr. Bhatt told The Hindu from DTR. However, the Dudhwa official clarified that the latest casualty, Pavitri was not weak bodied.

Since the tiger attacks have taken place in the months of November and December when the entire Terai region of Uttar Pradesh where Dudhwa is located is enveloped by dense fog it has been suggested that the big cats might have mistook the rhinos for some other animal.

Following the death of the female of the species, there are 33 rhinos in the rehabilitation area, which owes it origin to the Rhino Rehabilitation Project when seven rhinos were relocated in Dudhwa in 1984-85.

The movement of the rhinos in the rehabilitation area is being closely monitored and tracked by the authorities with the help of a unique identification system--the rhinos have been provided with identity numbers.

The rhino rehabilitation area in Salukapur in Sonaripur range of Dudhwa Tiger Reserve is spread over an area of about 28 square kilometre. The entire area is fenced but as the Deputy Director of the Tiger Reserve said that barring the elephants the other animals including the tiger can cross the fence and enter the rehabilitation area. Even the rhinos cannot venture out of their home.

The grasslands of the Terai region once served as the natural habitat for the Great Indian Rhinoceros ( “Rhinoceros Unicornis” ) before the last rhino was hunted down by “ shikaris ” and poachers in the 19th century. Some years after the Dudhwa National Park came into existence in 1977, conservationists played an enabling role in relocating rhinos in the area. In 1984, five rhinos including three females were relocated from Kaziranga national park under the Rhino Rehabilitation Project. Two of the animals later died.

In 1985 four females from Shukla Phanta in bordering Nepal were shifted to Dudhwa in exchange of 16 elephants. Today there are 33 rhinos in the rehabilitation area.

Since the majority of the rhinos in the area have been sired by a single male of the species - Bankey, now in his 36th year ( the rhinos can live up to 60 years ), who was relocated from Assam in 1984 as a calf ---wild life enthusiasts have felt that in-breeding would effect the immune system of the animals.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/killing-of-rhino-by-tiger-worries-dudhwa-wildlife-officials/article4363274.ece