Brow-antlered deer flourish in Manipur national park

IBOYAIMA LAITHANGBAM | IMPHAL, April 18, 2013

Threat to endangered species from hydel plant and poaching remains

• Politicians instigated villagers to demand closure of the national park and convert it into a paddy field
• There are suggestions to keep some deer in national parks in Assam

A brow-antlered deer cools off in a water tub in its
open-air enclosure at the Alipore Zoo in Kolkata.
- File photo

Wildlife lovers are overjoyed by the recent report that the population of the brow-antlered deer in its natural habitat at the Keibul Lamjao National Park, located within the Loktak Lake in Manipur, has increased from 180 a few years back to 200 now. However, the big question is how long this deer, listed in the Red Book, will survive.

The deer has been facing a two-pronged threat. The first blow was the commissioning of the 105 MW Loktak project in 1983 by the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation. As the three turbines are draining water round the clock, the floating biomass on which the deer live, has been ravaged. The second threat is from poachers.

Local newspapers have been regularly publishing reports and photographs on poaching and sale of venison.

This rare deer was first discovered in 1839. Because of extensive poaching by the British and others, it was feared that it had become extinct in 1951. However, just six deer were sighted at the natural habitat in 1953. A flurry of activity was galvanised to save it. The population increased to 14 in 1975 and 155 in 1995. The official census conducted in 2000 counted 162 deer – 54 stags, 76 hinds and 32 fawns. The Manipur Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 was also enforced. The sanctuary created in 1966 was declared a national park in 1977.

Apart from the damage done by the Loktak project, human disturbance is also a great threat to the deer. Large scale use of poison to catch fish has also killed grass in the bio mass.

Some local politicians instigated the villagers to demand closure of the park so that it could be converted to a paddy field. Poachers and villagers beat up the skeleton staff of the wildlife wing guarding the park and even torched their personal belongings. The government deployed a detachment of Manipur Rifles troopers there. This was effective since the forest guards could chase away the poachers and other anti-social elements. However, the troopers were later recalled for unexplained reasons.

There were suggestions to keep some deer in the national parks in Assam. This attracted strong objections as the parks there do not have floating biomass.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/browantlered-deer-flourish-in-manipur-national-park/article4628483.ece

Rs 20 lakh lizards new target of poachers in northeast

IMPHAL: It's not only big animals like tigers, rhinos and elephants that are being poached.

Lately, poachers in the northeast have been eyeing a much smaller creature — a reptile species called the tokay gecko — which can be smuggled in bulk and fetches good returns in the grey market. The tokay gecko, a nocturnal Asian lizard growing up to 40cm in length and weighing up to 200gm, is in great demand in some Asian countries for its reported medicinal values. A mature gecko can easily fetch up to Rs 20 lakh.

Poachers are raiding the forests of Manipur that have an abundant populace of the lizard species. Exact numbers are not known since no definite census of the species has been carried out, says experts. But in the past six months, over 70 tokay geckos have been rescued by police, forest officials, activists of the People For Animal (PFA) Thoubal unit and Assam Rifles personnel from various parts of the state.

Although wildlife experts and environmentalists say there is no scientific proof to substantiate the purported medicinal properties of this reptile species, the tokay gecko has become hot property. Even locals seem to have realized that selling a bunch of these can make one a millionaire overnight and want to cash in on the demand.

In fact, such is the craze for the lizard that many have begun rearing the rare reptile species at home. According to Lourembam Biswajit, managing trustee of PFA Thoubal, there have been reports of poor farmers in the valley districts being given baby geckos by smugglers for rearing in a clandestine manner. Once the lizards grow up, they are taken back by the smugglers who pay the farmers handsomely for raising them, says Biswajit.

In the face of the increasing poaching, smuggling and illegal rearing of tokay geckos in Manipur, the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau has urged the Union ministry of forest and environment (MoEF) to include the reptile species in the endangered scheduled animals' list under the Protection of Wildlife Act, 1972. Incidentally, the golden gekco, which is reportedly found in some parts of south India, has been incorporated in Schedule I, a list of endangered wildlife animals of the Wildlife Act. "It's high time the tokay gecko gets listed as endangered," says noted wildlife activist Khangembam Shamungou. "This is essential if we are to protect and preserve it better."


Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Rs-20-lakh-lizards-new-target-of-poachers-in-northeast/articleshow/17864202.cms