Road connectivity work in tiger reserve area infuriates activists

TNN | May 17, 2013
COIMBATORE: Hardly two months after the Sathyamangalam wildlife sanctuary was classified as a tiger reserve by the Union environment ministry, three new roads being laid in the forest area has invited the wrath of green activists. They believe the roads will disrupt and disturb wildlife in the region. Interestingly, two of the three road schemes are being promoted by the Tamil Nadu forest department itself, which had pursued the tiger reserve status, to protect and preserve the forest areas bordering Karnataka.

The new roads are Malliammandurgam road linking Kadambur West beat and TN Palayam range, Belathur forest road linking Belathur beat and Thalavadi range and Gundri road linking Gundri beat and TN Palayam range. They are in different stages of construction and if fully implemented they would be detrimental to both traditional forest dwellers and animals. The department is going ahead with the forest roads despite protests by green activists,'' said K Mohanraj of Tamil Nadu green movement.

According to forest department sources, the Malliammandurgam road is about 8 km long. It starts from Kadambur and is situated within the core areas of the tiger reserve. According to local MLA PL Sundaram, the road construction is not illegal as it was permitted by the district collector when he heard that the tribal people were transporting construction material using donkeys to build a school in the forest village. The permission to construct the school was given by the forest department itself. The road is a life line for the local community and it can be justified under Forest Rights Act,'' he said.

"Using the school as an excuse, they are building a permanent road, disturbing the flora and fauna in the region. This will ultimately be detrimental to the tribals," argues M Jayachandran, an activist.

"Forty non-tribal families own about 350 acres of patta land at Malliammandurgam village. There is no electricity in the village driving most out of the area. Only about 15 people actually live there. There is talk that 150 acres have been purchased by outsiders and they are building road connectivity to facilitate real estate, farm houses and resorts," alleges Mohanraj.

The Belathur forest road is 4km of which 3km passes through the reserve. "This metal topped road was built illegally by engineering division of the forest department. This road work is going on stealthy by finishing work inside the forest first to avoid detection. Only a detailed investigation can bring out the truth," says Mohanraj.

The Gundri road from Anjanai junction to Gundri via Valamarathur is 9.6km. It was just a mud road but now it has been asphalted with numerous bridges and culverts inside the wildlife sanctuary by engineering division of the forest department. This road work is being conducted at a cost of Rs.351.61 lakh, funded by Bharat Nirman Phase II. As per Bharat Nirman, every habitation of 1,000 population and above (500 and above in hilly and tribal areas) would be provided with all-weather road connectivity. The forest department said it renovated the road to provide transport facilities for residents of the hilly region.

"Forest roads reduce the habitat quality for wildlife, provides easy access to hunting and poaching and increases human-wildlife conflict,'' says Jayachandran. No clearances were sought from the National Board of Wildlife or ministry of environment and forests,'' he points out.

K Melkani, additional principal chief conservator of forests dealing with tiger reserves, was unavailable for comment despite repeated attempts.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/coimbatore/Road-connectivity-work-in-tiger-reserve-area-infuriates-activists/articleshow/20097892.cms?intenttarget=no

Jumbos driven back to forest after 12-hour struggle

S. RAMESH | ERODE, May 8, 2013
A herd of four tuskers that strayed more than 20 km. into the mainland near Punjai Puliyampatti in Erode district was driven back into the forests after a 12-hour long struggle.

The tuskers, which could have come out of the forests in search of water and food in the wee hours of Tuesday, were spotted by the farmers around 5 a.m. near Nambiyur.

Farmers alerted the forest officials immediately.

The elephants entered into the agricultural lands in Modarpalayam village near Nambiyur after crossing three main roads – Mettupalayam road, Punjai Puliyampatti – Sathyamangalam highway and Punjai Puliyampatti – Kavilipalayam road and the Lower Bhavani project canal.

The village was located about 20 km. away from the forest boundary.

The forest department mounted a massive operation involving more than 100 personnel, a good number of farmers and police personnel to drive the elephants back into the jungles.

Senior officials led by Conservator of Forests, Erode Circle, A. Venkatesh , rushed to the spot and co-ordinated the exercise.

“We had a hard time because a large number of people gathered to get a glimpse of the tuskers and our exercise. We had to allocate 25 of our personnel just to manage the crowd. We had to make sure that elephants were not provoked by the crowd,” Mr. Venkatesh said.

Officials said the herd, which was often spotted near the Bhavanisagar dam site, was not used to travel long into the mainland. This was the second time the herd strayed into the villages that were located far away from the forests, they pointed out.

Forest officials used fire crackers and drums to chase the elephants back into the forests.

“We also set fire to the coconut leaves and firewood to drive the elephants back,” Mr. Venkatesh said.

The forest department had created temporary waterholes in more than 10 places and filling them with water on a regular basis. “There is adequate food and water available in the forests.

The recent rains rejuvenated the natural water sources in the jungles,” he added.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-miscellaneous/jumbos-driven-back-to-forest-after-12hour-struggle/article4694322.ece

Officials, civil society join hands to restore wildlife corridor

Subhash Chandra N S Bangalore | Deccan Herald

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

Elephants enter Bhavanisagar town

STAFF REPORTER | ERODE, April 9, 2013
As most of the waterholes and ponds in the Sathyamangalam wildlife sanctuary have gone dry in summer, elephants are coming out of the forests in large numbers, looking for water and food.

On Sunday morning, a herd of elephants strayed out from the reserve forests and entered Bhavanisagar town after raiding crops and quenching their thirst at Lower Bhavani Project canal. The herd comprising five elephants entered the Bhavanisagar Dam park before roaming around various parts of the town. Residents alerted forest personnel, who rushed to the spot and initiated steps to drive the elephants back into the forests. It took more than three hours for the personnel and people in the area to send the jumbos back into the jungle.

The district has been witnessing similar incidents for the past few months as most of the water sources in the forests have gone dry following the monsoon failure. It has become very common to spot elephants raiding the crops in Bhavanisagar, Punjai Puliyampatti, TN Palayam and Anthiyur blocks. An adult elephant requires at least 200 to 250 kg of food and 100 to 150 litres of water a day. Once the elephants come out of their habitat and get used to the food crops, it becomes a habit to them.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/elephants-enter-bhavanisagar-town/article4597161.ece

Human settlements, a threat to Sathyamangalam tiger reserve

P. OPPILI

Unauthorised temples, new resorts disturbing the tranquillity

The presence of a large number of people in
core areas disrupts movement of animals

Unauthorised temples, new resorts and makeshift shops inside the core area are major threats the newly formed Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve is facing.

The State government announced the formation of the fourth tiger reserve in the State through a notification, issued on March 15 this year.

Members of the Tamil Nadu Green Movement pointed out that several unauthorised places of worship were found inside the tiger reserve. There are three main temples – Karuvannayan temple near Nandhipuram, Bannariamman temple Bannari and Madeswara temple in Kongalli. The three temples are under the control of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment Board. Apart from them, several unauthorised temples are found inside the core area, say the members.

People visiting these temples camp there, even cook, and travel in large numbers into the core areas in trucks. Their movement creates a lot of disturbance to the wildlife. The State government must immediately relocate the unauthorised temples from the core areas, the members pointed out.

Another important issue is the springing up of new resorts in the core areas. S. Jayachandran of the Tamil Nadu Green Movement said Kongalli, Mavallam, Araiya Palayam and Hasanur are the places where the resorts are coming up. There were more than 200 resorts inside the STR.

Man-animal conflict

In the long run, it will lead to man-animal conflict, he said. The department officials have to immediately promulgate the ecologically sensitive zone to stop any more resorts in the core areas, he said.

Environmentalists also pointed out that during festival season, people set up shops, stay in the forests and defecate in the core tiger reserve area. Temporary shops have come up right on the elephant corridors located between Susilkuttail and Bannari. The Forest department authorities have to intervene and take action under the Forest Conservation Act of 1980, the activists said.

‘Make them partners’

Raman Sukumar, Professor and Chairman, Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Sciences, who began his research on elephants in the early 1980s, said the tiger population had increased substantially in the Sathyamangalam area. A good number of settlements over a century old were in Hasanur, Talamalai, Geddasal, Chikkahalli, Neydalapuram and Kadambur, to name a few. People in these settlements co-existed with the tigers over time. These people should be made partners in the management of the tiger reserve.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/human-settlements-a-threat-to-sathyamangalam-tiger-reserve/article4560872.ece

Sathyamangalam Forest declared Tiger Reserve

S. RAMESH

Sathyamangalam Forest in Erode district has been declared a Tiger Reserve. It is the fourth such reserve in Tamil Nadu. The three other tiger reserves are at Mudumalai in the Nilgiris district, Anamalai in Coimbatore districtand Kalakad-Mundanthurai in Tirunelveli district.

The Forest Department has received the Government Order declaring Sathyamangalam Forests as a tiger reserve, and the Union government has also notified it, Conservator of Forests, Erode circle, A. Venkatesh told The Hindu over the phone on Monday.

The government has earmarked 1.40 lakh hectares for the exclusive protection zone for the big cats. Of the total area, the core zone comprises over 90,000 hectares.

25 tigers

“Sathyamangalam is home to at least 25 tigers, which has been confirmed by various studies conducted by our department and the World Wildlife Fund. The population is healthy and growing,” Mr. Venkatesh said.

The presence of a good number of tigers in the region was confirmed during the recent wildlife census, as well. Enumerators found marks left by tigers in many areas in this region.

The scat study conducted by the department also indicated the presence of 18 to 25 tigers in the region.

“The creation of a tiger reserve will lead to total habitat improvement and improve the flora and fauna in the entire region. The wildlife managers will be able to ensure greater protection to the big cats. The purpose of the initiative is to protect, propagate and improve wildlife and its environment,” Mr. Venkatesh said.

The region has a unique environment where elephants, tigers, black bucks, hyenas and vultures co-exist. The elephant population in the region is estimated to be around 1,200. The region also witnesses a healthy growth in the vulture population, forest officials here said.

Meanwhile, Mr. Venkatesh said, the Forest Department would not evict people living inside the tiger reserve. “There will be no forceful eviction. The livelihood of the forest dwellers will not be disturbed due to the creation of exclusive zone for tigers,” he said.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/sathyamangalam-forest-declared-tiger-reserve/article4524318.ece

Why thriving wildlife trade should not surprise anyone

Jay Mazoomdaar | Mar 11, 2013
The customary headlines that follow every CITES meeting were reeled out last week after a string of media releases from Bangkok on 7 March. There is global anguish over the shocking numbers — seizures amounting to 1425 dead tigers from 12 tiger range countries between 2000 and 2012, or, more than two killing a week.

The Indian media highlighted the five illegal trading hotspots in Delhi, Kolkata (Sunderbans), Ramnagar (Corbett), Balaghat (Kanha-Pench) and Sathyamangalam (the Western Ghats) which retained its notoriety even after the killing of brigand Veerappan and disbanding of his ivory hunting gang nearly a decade ago.

Since 2000, more than two tigers have been poached every week.
Pic courtesy: CITES/WWF

A spurt in tiger poaching that claimed at least 34 big cats in the first five months of 2012 continues across the country. Since mid-November, three tigers have died of electrocution in live-wire traps set by poachers in and around Bandhavgarh’s Khitoli range. Since mid-January, suspected poisoning has killed four tigers in Karnataka’s Nagarhole. Last week, a one-year-old tigress was rescued from a metal jaw-trap in Dudhwa, Uttar Pradesh, with a damaged paw.

Since 2000, more than two tigers have been poached every week. Pic courtesy: CITES/WWF
While tiger mortality usually makes big news, leopards are being taken out at such regularity that making even a guesstimate has become a challenge. Since 2010, six dozen tigers and nearly 500 leopards have fallen to poachers. That is just the official count.

Compared to big cat pelts and bones, rhino horns command a much higher price. After a lull during 1999-2006, the lucrative trade made a strong comeback in Assam. In 2012, more than 22 rhinos were poached. This year’s toll has already reached 10, prompting a shoot-at-sight order against poachers.

Annually, up to 30,000 star tortoises worth several crores of rupees are harvested in our country. An estimated 50-70 per cent of India’s otter population has been hunted for their pelts. The paintbrush industry’s demand for 8-12 quintals of hair has killed more than a million mongooses – only 10-20g hair is obtained from each — since the 1990s.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to protect wild animals with physical vigil unless we convert open forests into fenced-in zoos. Even then, a large number of wildlife will continue to roam outside. The most effective deterrence to poaching is the fear of getting caught, prosecuted and punished. But after four decades of the Wildlife (Protection) Act and a ban on hunting, how are the syndicates still so active?

There are at least three reasons. We are yet to build the capacity to adequately combat poaching; the administration is mostly in denial; and the powers that be have strong incentive to back wildlife trade.

On paper, we have created the Special Tiger Protection Force in a number of reserves. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has even introduced a high-tech thermal imagery system for round-the-clock surveillance last year and proposed to procure drones to watch over remote forest terrain.

But far from compensating for quality human resource, any sophisticated initiative depends on it for success. Yet, there is no initiative to build a motivated, trained and agile workforce and adequately incentivise it for consistent field results.

Every forest administration needs eyes and ears on the ground. Since the average bureaucrat is not a natural sleuth or an earthy man-manager, field officers should be handpicked for wildlife divisions. Every division also needs a dedicated legal cell with trained staff to ensure that cases do not fall through when rare arrests are made. But even six years after the creation of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, intelligence gathering and prosecution remains inadequate.

Unsurprisingly, the culture of denial is so deeply embedded in forest bureaucracy that most officers refuse to accept that poachers continue to be a threat in their territory. It is standard practice to play the jurisdiction card and disown animals that step out of park limits. Since officers in charge of less-protected areas neither have the resources to fight poachers nor are expected to, nobody is held accountable for poaching of, say, tigers in the Ramnagar forests adjacent to Corbett or rhinos across the road from Kaziranga.

When a suspicious carcass is found, the management tries to get away by attributing the death to anything — from food poisoning to snake bite – anything short of a suicide. Last year, an internal note of the Environment ministry pointed out that “many cases are straightaway declared as occurring due to natural causes or accidents without a detailed investigation to establish the same,” adding that “every case of tiger and leopard death would be henceforth treated as a case of poaching, unless otherwise proved beyond reasonable doubt”.

But a multi-billion dollar industry cannot bet its fortune on administrative laxity alone. So Veerappan funded political parties in two states for over a decade. Sansar Chand’s famous diary apparently had details of collusion with a number of Delhi’s political big guns. Insurgents protect trees for cover in their forest hideouts but have no qualms clearing Indravati of tigers or Manas of rhinos to fund arms deals.

During the 1980s and 1990s, when a number of prime north-east forests became inaccessible to the administration, more than 550 rhinos were poached. As the law and order condition improved in the late 90s, a shoot-at-sight regime forced an eight-year lull, particularly in Kaziranga, till the 2006 Assembly elections unleashed a cycle of “political reward killing”.

Poachers were back to claim 20 rhinos by 2007. Then again, after the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, around two dozen animals were killed till 2010. In 2011, only one rhino was poached till the Assembly elections in May. Nearly three dozen have been killed since till the Kaziranga administration finally retaliated last Wednesday gunning down two armed poachers.

While shoot-at-sight orders are necessary in places like Kaziranga to match the fire power of former militants joining the trade, this approach suits few other forests in India. Unlike Kaziranga, most of our forests house villages and opening fire at the sight of people in such areas is a recipe for disaster. Building an anti-poaching network based on field intelligence demands a lot of hard work. But there is no alternative if we are serious about protecting our wild.

Source: http://www.firstpost.com/living/why-thriving-wildlife-trade-should-not-surprise-anyone-654771.html

Two elephants found dead

Two elephants were found dead in the Sathyamangalam forests here in the last two days. The carcass of a female elephant was found in a private farm land on Saturday.

Another female elephant was found dead in Bhavanisagar forest range. Samples have been sent to laboratory to know whether it has died of anthrax, said A. Venkatesh, Conservator of Forests.

Tiger found dead

A male tiger was found dead on the banks of Moyar river in Bhavanisagar reserve forests in Sathyamangalam in Erode district on Saturday.

Forest personnel, who were patrolling in the area, found the carcass of the animal near the Gejalatti area and alerted the senior officials. It was a full grown male tiger aged around 10 years. The wild cat could have died two days ago. It appeared that the animal died following a territorial dispute.

“We have discovered signs of fight among two tigers at the spot. Tigers are aggressively territorial solitary animals and territory disputes occur sometimes,” District Forest Officer K. Rajkumar said.

A post-mortem examination was held in the presence of Conservator of Forests, Erode circle, A. Venkatesh, and Mr. Rajkumar.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/tiger-found-dead/article4327595.ece

Mammoth problem for farmers in Sathyamangalam forests

S. RAMESH

A farmer showing banana crop damaged by elephants at Kunderipallam

The human-elephant conflict in Sathyamangalam forests has reached an alarming proportion with the jumbos killing three persons in the last two weeks.

A farmer guarding the crops in his field at Iruttipalayam village was the latest victim of the conflict. The farmer, Rangasamy (40), saw three elephants raiding the crops and attempted to chase them back into the forest with the help of two of his neighbours. But the elephants did not move. Instead, they attacked the farmer and crushed him to death.

On January 3, Chen Nanja (55), a resident of Neithalpuram village near Kadambur, was looking after his cattle grazing near the forests when an elephant attacked him. He suffered serious injuries and died in a hospital in Coimbatore.

A woman resident of Vinoba Nagar, who was returning home from a fair price shop, was killed by an elephant on December 31.

Fear grips the villages close to the forests after these incidents. “We are spending sleepless nights as herds of elephants continue to raid the crops in the fields, causing severe damage, and killing those who stand in their way,” said N. Nanjappan, a farmer in Kunderipallam area. A few days ago, a herd of elephants entered his field and damaged the banana crop.

Farmers in Bhavanisagar, Kadambur, Punjai Puliyampatti, Thalavadi and Thalamalai areas are the worst affected due to frequent intrusions.

Many farmers, who earlier used to guard the crops at night, now avoid doing so. In many places, residents have to be indoors as early as 6 p.m. to avoid being seen by the jumbos.

Shortage of water in the forest and the easy availability of fodder in the forest fringes are the primary reasons that make elephants stray from forest areas. “The poor rainfall has left many water sources in the forests dry and the elephants are coming out in large numbers in search of water and food. Once the elephants come out of their habitat and get used to the food crops, it becomes a habit for them. Farmers grow sugarcane, banana and other crops that attract the elephants and this leads to an increase in the conflict,” a senior forests official points out.

“An adult elephant needs at least 200 to 250 kg of food and 100 to 150 litres of water. Elephants stray out as there is less fodder and water inside the forests,” says Assistant Professor of wildlife biology B. Ramakrishnan.

The measures taken by the Forest department, including elephant proof trenches, did not produce expected results. The solar-powered fencing showed a positive result. “But not all the farmers have installed solar-powered fence,” another forest official said. Wildlife activists said the effective way to minimise the conflict was to remove encroachments on the elephant corridors and change the crop pattern on the forest fringes.

“The communities should be sensitised to the increasing conflict and they should be asked not to cultivate food crops in their fields abutting forests. Without their cooperation, we cannot produce a sustainable solution to the conflict,” says Mr. Ramakrishnan.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/mammoth-problem-for-farmers-in-sathyamangalam-forests/article4285285.ece

Trampled to death by elephant - Sathyamangalam Wildlife Sanctuary

A woman was trampled to death by an elephant near Gobichettipalayam in Erode district on Saturday evening. Forest department sources said Ponni (55), a resident of Vinobha Nagar village located near the Vilangombai reserve forest, was returning home after visiting the fair price shop when the elephant attacked her. People in the area chased the elephant back into the forests and retrieved the body. Police and forest officials rushed to the spot and conducted an inquiry. A case was registered.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/trampled-to-death-by-elephant/article4257710.ece


Vilangombai beat, TN Palayam Range, Sathyamanglam Wildlife Sanctuary is an habitat for elephants and other wildlife. Gunderipallam Dam is a major water source where elephants come everyday. Forest and wildlife are facing severe stress from unregulated tourists going to two temples located inside this forest area, cattle grazing, fire, poaching, farming, NTFP collection and vehicle movements.

More meaningful measures to safeguard the wildlife and their habitats are needed.
- Mac Mohan