Big cats vanishing from Satkosia

Siba Mohanty

• The number at present could well be just one or two and unless urgent measures are taken, there would be none left in near future
• The population of wild boar, spotted deer and sambhar has jumped significantly but there has been no sign of an improvement in tiger population.

Shocking as it may sound, Satkosia Tiger Reserve seems headed the Sariska way. Dwindling tiger signs and absence of breeding since two years in the habitat have rung alarm bells for Odisha’s second tiger reserve (TR).

In the 2010 enumeration by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), the tiger population was estimated at eight. A host of factors now indicates that the number may have declined drastically. Although the management of the tiger reserve is collecting tiger signs from the prime habitats, they have been declining and are discouraging to say the least.

According to sources, camera traps installed in the tiger reserve have shown signs of existence of large cats, but the population is reported to have hit the nadir. Already designated a low tiger density reserve, the drop in population may push the large cats into extinction in Satkosia soon. The number at present could well be just one or two and unless urgent measures are taken, there would be none left in near future.

‘’Tiger population does not seem to be thriving since there are no signs of cubs with mothers or even juveniles to suggest that breeding is taking place and the cycle is going on. This could be fatal to the population,’’ said a source in Satkosia. Interestingly, prey base in the tiger habitat, which is connected to the tiger habitats of Central and Southern Odisha and onwards to the Central India tiger landscape, has improved over the last few years. The population of wild boar, spotted deer and sambhar has jumped significantly, but there has been no sign of an improvement in tiger population.

 The Satkosia TR management too is aware of the impending crisis. “Prey base has improved and so has the habitat and there is no incident of poaching and no sign of repopulation. It may have to do with the sex ratio of the existing population,” Field Director Pandav Behera told “Express” on Monday.

Sources said skewed the sex ratio could be a major reason behind the crash in the tiger population in Satkosia. “Camera traps had captured an adult male in Labangi about three months back and it suggested existence of the last few. But absence of growth in population indicates that there is either no female and even if there is, it is not in the breeding age anymore,” sources added. Worryingly, all the photographs captured in the reserve area are of the same male tiger.

The tiger that is currently roaming the forests of Chandaka Wildlife Division is believed to have strayed from Satkosia and may have been a key indicator of what is wrong with the latter. Wildlife Wing insiders say the male may have been out on the lookout for a female for mating. Satkosia was declared a TR in 2007 with 524 sq km as core area out of the 963 sq km reserve area. The NTCA in its Management Effectiveness Evaluation Report 2010-11 had categorically pointed out Satkosia had “poor protection, little wildlife orientation and no monitoring,” asking for urgent redressal. But the State has not made any effort yet.

Source: http://newindianexpress.com/states/odisha/article1517783.ece

Can you get a degree in wildlife in India?

Shamala Kittane Subramanyan

Yes, you can, but only in namma Bengaluru! In the second of our 3-part series, look at the NCBS and how it’s innovating on research in the biological sciences.

"We are a pure science research institute that focuses on biological sciences but we are also probably the only institute that recognises the need to diversify. We have students from engineering and technology backgrounds taking up Ph.D courses with us," says Dr. Mukund Thattai, Professor (Computational cell biology) capturing the essence of the National Centre for Biological Sciences in Bangalore, an offshoot of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR).

NCBS Campus. Pic courtesy: ncbs.res.in

Students have to appear for an entrance exam held by TIFR which is a common exam for about seven institutes : TIFR, CDFD, NBRC, CCMB, NCCS, TCIS and NCBS.

"The exam is balanced. It's not just knowledge-based but tests students on their logical thinking and problem solving skills. This increases the scope for students from disciplines other than the pure sciences to compete," reveals Thattai.

Out of all the students that appear for the exam to get into TIFR, about 9000 students apply to NCBS alone. 200-250 applications are selected for the next round which comprises a three day intensive interview with the researchers at NCBS. About 35 students are taken into the institute and with a 30 member faculty. it makes for a good research partnership.

Students are exposed to all areas of research on a rotational basis in the first six months. The faculty also help students ramp up by supporting them with study sessions on basics of pure science subjects, so that they are able to cope with the rotation classes. After which the students get to choose the research area and begin work on their thesis. After 1.5 years they appear before a Thesis Committee to present their subjects and scope and need to proceed ahead. Most students complete their research in five and half years. "What we are really looking for are students with an open mind that are ready to experiment" says Dr. Thattai.

Pic courtesy: ncbs.res.in

NCBS also hosts innovative annual events such as Hackteria - an intensive two-week transdisciplinary collaboration amongst international and local artists, hackers, activists, scientists, and even artists and designers.

The Institute recognises the current lack of visibility of research being done in such institutes among undergrads and that such visibility could help them make their next big career move. Thus Thattai points out, "We also have summer programs to encourage undergraduate students to intern with us. This could jump-start their research careers"

Research at NCBS

An autonomous institute has come up in the vicinity of the NCBS campus: The Stem Cell Institute. Stem cell is a new field that is gathering momentum in the field of research. "The interaction between faculty at the Stem Cell Institute and NCBS is a further boost to our research studies," says Thattai about all that is happening in the campus.

Dr Annamma Spudich.
Pic courtesy: ncbs.res.in

He also refers to the new dimensions to science brought in by Dr. Annamma Spudich, Scholar in Residence at NCBS, along with Dr. Indhudharan Menon, Professor at NCBS, by capturing the history and tradition of scientific research.

"Asia in the making of Europe," a book by Prof. Donald F. Lach, is one that Dr. Annamma Spudich refers to as she talks about the Indian ethnobotanical knowledge that made India the nexus of world trade during the colonial period. India being blessed with tropical climate was home to rich flora and fauna. Thus biological sciences were not only documented in our ancient scriptures, there is also extensive documentation by Dutch and Portugal scientists and travellers starting early 16th century.

Along with exhibit "Such Treasure and Rich Merchandize: Indian Botanical knowledge in
16th and 17th Century European Books.”, a herbal garden incorporating
50 medicinal plants described in the Hortus Malabaricus was set up at the NCBS.
Pic:courtesy:ncbs.res.in

Dr. Mukund Thattai
Professor, NCBS.
Pic courtesy: ncbs.res.in

Dr. Spudich says "NCBS has tremendous intellectual breadth and its now home to me". She has made a shift from her research career in the field of experimental sciences at Stanford University and is now dedicated to what's closer to her heart, "History of Indian healing traditions". Her work was exhibited at the Cantor Arts Centre, Stanford University in 2003 and also at NCBS in 2008. The exhibition stimulated scholarly and popular interest and was acquired by the Department of Forests and Environment, Govt. of India. It is on view as a permanent exhibit at the Natural History Museum in Mysore. The catalog of the exhibition is available from the NCBS library. (www.ncbs.res.in).

Dr. Thattai himself acknowledges, "20 years ago publishing a research paper in India was difficult, now we have so many well recognised institutes in India that publishing papers from India is as easy now. In fact our standards are equivalent to good institutes abroad and there is also good money for researchers in the field; the only area in which we are falling short is the number of students in India, and especially in Bangalore, who come forward to take up pure sciences as a career."

Unique programme

NCBS also has an M.Sc. programme in Wildlife - in partnership with WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society) and CWS (Centre for Wildlife Studies). The course is announced once in every two years. "Almost every university in the US has courses in wildlife and conservation but not a single one in India offers them." is Dr. Ajith Kumar's (Professor and Course Director, Wildlife Conservation Society) concern. The intake of this programme is 15 students (every two years). "This is a passion driven course and people find their way to us" says Kumar, when asked why the course is not advertised more.

This is proved correct from what Bhanu Sridharan (MSc in Wildlife, 2010-2012) has to share: In 2009, Bhanu walked into the NCBS campus to find out more about the controversial road that was to be laid right through the pristine campus of GKVK (Gandhi Krishi Vigyan Kendra) where NCBS is also located. As her interactions with professors and students at NCBS increased, she was convinced that her bonding with the institute was destined to extend beyond just one story. She eventually enrolled for the Wildlife course. Now, even after she has passed out, NCBS remains her work space "I still work from NCBS; they are informal that way. So alumni can come back, use the libraries or work spaces around here and work," she says.

The Masters programme in wildlife is a fully funded course with a fellowship or stipend every month and the course also covers accommodation and food. They have a separate entrance exam that you have to watch out for on their website. "Most of our students who pass out opt for Ph.D or get involved in organisations working on conservation of wildlife in India and abroad." They have many dissertations and papers to their credit.

Bhanu also expresses her deep gratitude for Ullas Karanth and WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society). Karanth is the one who started the course, raised the funds for it and contacted NCBS. He started out as an engineer and is now amongst some of the well known wildlife conservationists in India and abroad.

Life at NCBS

It is not just unique programmes or innovative research that makes NCBS an exciting place to be in, you are made to feel at ease and the campus is actually so much fun.

"The facilities in NCBS are fantastic. As part of my M.Sc. I did a scuba diving course, " says Bhanu enthisiastically, adding "I also used to be very uninterested in sports, but now I am trying to learn to play squash at the sports complex." She is also taking lessons in a new dance form called zumba, which is being taught on campus by a researcher from Germany.

Inclusivity is another aspect that distinguishes this Institute. As Bhanu explains, "NCBS is open to students from varied backgrounds, as in my case itself - I hold a Bachelors degree in communication studies and getting a fully-funded seat abroad in Wildlife studies would have been difficult. But NCBS gave me that opportunity."

Source: http://bangalore.citizenmatters.in/articles/view/4977-know-more-about-the-national-centre-for-biological-sciences

Beyond The Sugarcane Fields

JAY MAZOOMDAAR

A landmark study on reducing man-leopard conflict misses the conservation point

Photo: Aditya Singh

NO ANIMAL, not even the snake, attracts more bad press than the leopard. The worst victim of poaching in India, it is also the biggest killer of people among all large carnivores. The leopard’s prey preference for smaller livestock and dogs draws it close to habitations. The result is nationwide conflict, from Uttarakhand to Kerala and Gujarat to Assam.

Against this background, a recent paper, Big Cats in Our Backyards, published by the Public Library of Science, an open-source scientific publication project, has important clues to co-existence. The study recorded up to six resident leopards per 100 sq km in the Sangamner sub-division of Maharashtra’s Ahmadnagar district. They lounge in the ample cover of sugarcane fields during the day and scout the villages and towns for dogs in the night.

The arrangement is working without significant conflict in this densely populated agricultural belt where people don’t panic at the mere sight of leopards. This is against the conventional practice of trapping every “stray” leopard and releasing them in faraway forests. The study establishes that the cropland leopards are not “stray” animals but residents with cubs and cannot be whisked away.

If trapped and released away from home, leopards, like all cats, try to return and run into people at unfamiliar places. Since trapping is a traumatic experience, such encounters rarely end amicably. The lesson from the study is that leopards among people are not necessarily a threat to human safety as long as they are not disturbed. The study also found a degree of traditional tolerance towards these animals in the rural communities; this, of course, can be enhanced by compensating villagers for livestock losses.

While the findings offer insight into the leopard’s adaptability, judging larger carnivores by the same parameters may backfire. Sugarcane fields also attracted tigers in Lakhimpur Kheri district of Uttar Pradesh. Many blame the intolerance of the local residents for the resulting conflict. But tigers need large prey and recurrent loss of cattle cannot be compared to that of chicken. More importantly, an accidental encounter with a leopard usually ends with a deep scratch or two, but a tiger can break the human skull with an irritated swipe.

The paper also paints the cropland model as an alternative approach to conservation. That claim is suspect. First, the so-called “backyard leopards” live in a modified habitat. A cropland is a monoculture plantation which, compared to natural forests, performs little or no ecosystem services, such as hosting biodiversity or acting as carbon sinks or watersheds. No matter how many leopards find shelter in cropland, no amount of plantation can compensate the loss of a forest.

Secondly, sugarcane is being promoted across large areas in certain states for purely economic reasons. The presence of leopards in these fields is incidental and a change in crop selection or land use may expel them rapidly in the not so distant future.

Thirdly, having resident populations on cropland does not necessarily help genetic exchange. When wild animals disperse from a forest, they don’t search for another forest. They merely look for a suitable habitat with good cover and prey, which usually happens to be another forest, where they settle down and join a new population.

If leopards find sufficient artificial cover and domestic prey base to settle down in cropland outside the parent forest, it results in an expansion, and not dispersal, of a wild population. When two neighbouring populations expand, they draw closer. But the extension of a forest population in a sugarcane field, in fact, creates two sub-populations.

Cropland leopards are known for their obesity. Animals thriving on easy domestic prey are unlikely to disperse to forests where they would have to hunt in the wild. But resource-rich cropland may keep drawing more individuals from forests, creating a dense sub-population buffer between two diminishing wilder populations. Does this affect gene flow? Unlikely. Will this alter population distribution and dynamics? That calls for another study.

jaymazoomdaar@gmail.com
Source: http://tehelka.com/beyond-the-sugarcane-fields/

Ten Sunderbans tigers to get collars

Krishnendu Mukherjee, TNN | Apr 1, 2013
The forest department has decided to radio-collar ten tigers in the Sunderbans where population dynamics of the big cats has al ways remained a mystery. And this time, an advanced set of radio collars, which helped scientists track tigers in Nepal and lions in Gir, will be used in the mangroves.

A team of Wildlife Institute of India (WII) officials, led by senior scientist Y V Jhala, is likely to visit the mangroves in April for the first leg of the exercise. However, a forest department official said the number of tigers to be collared during their first visit will only be decided after consulting the WII scientists. "The dates for their visit is yet to be finalized," said the official.

It may be noted that a total of five tigers, two adult females and three adult males, were radio-collared by the WII scientists in the Sunderbans in 2010. Satellite collars were used for this purpose. Sources said radio-collaring helps experts gauge the home range of tigers , which in the long run comes handy in establishing the density of the big cats in a forest. The study had then revealed that the tigers' home ranges hovered between 190 to 200 square kilometres.

Though large home range indicates lesser density, as a tiger's home range depends on prey base and territory of other tigers, in Sunderbans the exercise didn't yield the desired result then as several collars stopped working within a few days of its deployment.

WII's Y V Jhala said that some data on the tigers' home range and territory could not be established then. "But this time, we have made some changes in the circuitry of the satellite collars to make these robust ones. We have used these collars on lions at Gir and they have even functioned at a stretch for a year. So, this time we expect to get a more reliable data," he said, adding that they are hoping to collar all the ten tigers in a year's time.

However, the exercise then managed to establish the fact that there is tiger movement between the Indian and Bangladesh Sunderbans. "The Khatuajhuri male, which was a stray animal, had crossed the Harinbhanga river to enter the Talpati island of Bangladesh Sunderbans," revealed a WII scientist.

Tracking of the radio-collared tigers had also revealed that there was a general trend of higher movement rate by the mangroves tigers during the day time. However, soon after this study the WII scientists decided to radio collar a minimum of 10 tigers, of which 4-6 in a contagious area of 300-400 square kilometres, to understand home range overlap and territoriality. "The exercise to be conducted now will help the scientists understand whether and how Sunderbans tigers protect their territory," said an official.

Meanwhile, the camera trapping exercise, being done jointly by the forest department and WWF-India, is complete in two ranges of the mangrove's — Sajnekhali and National Park East. "The exercise is on at the Basirhat range. We will start withdrawing the cameras laid at Basirhat from April 11 and hope to give a density for the entire tiger reserve area by the end of April," said WWF-India's Sunderbans chapter head Anurag Danda. After identification, the photographs will be sent to the National Tiger Conservation Authority, so that the Sunderbans tigers can be counted in the UID-type databank.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Ten-Sunderbans-tigers-to-get-collars/articleshow/19315987.cms

Jumbos get new home at Usilampatti?

Express News Service - MADURAI 01st April 2013
The reserve forests of Usilampatti now have a new entrant to its habitat, wild elephants, according a recent census by wildlife activists and environmentalists. The elephants, which till recently were never spotted in the Usilampatti region, have now migrated from their usual habitat in Sattur along the western ghats, said B Ramesh of the Netaji Snake Trust, which was a part of the census. He attributed the migration to the abundant resources, especially natural vegetation, in the region.

“The last survey, done in 2010, only included the endemic species like the spotted deer, the great Indian Sambhar and the common langur. However, this year, the 30-member group, including volunteers from the Nature Conservation Club, conducted an in-depth survey last week and found footprints and dung of elephants,” he added.

Ramesh and his team again then camped in the forest to confirm the movement of wild elephants -- said to be a first in the region. A herd of four elephants would have migrated here searching for water and other resources, Ramesh speculated.  Interestingly, the team also found pug marks of leopards - another species not common to the Usilampatti reserves.

“Though drought is prevailing in the entire district, the Usilampatti reserves have become dense and coarse, thus attracting a number of species. The entire vast expanse is ideal for the elephants,” Ramesh added. However, it was unclear whether the jumbos have made the Usilampatti forests their home.

“The elephants that were spotted might belong to a single herd as elephants are constantly on the move. So, those found in the Usilampatti reserve would have just migrated and could even leave after spending a week or more,” said elephant expert and veterinarian Dr Kalaivanan. The elephants could have migrated from Theni or from other parts along the western ghats, he added.

The census report has been submitted to the Forest Department in Madurai, which now has to  confirm the findings. The census team also requested the Forest Department to place camera traps with heat sensing technology in the reserve forests to further track such data. When contacted, district forest officer A S Marimuthu said that the authorities would soon visit the Usilampatti reserve to confirm the findings.

Source: http://newindianexpress.com/states/tamil_nadu/article1525047.ece

Power project stuck as TN fails to constitute wildlife board

K A Shaji, TNN Apr 1, 2013
COIMBATORE: Tamil Nadu's failure to constitute a State Board for Wildlife (SBWL) is posing problems for at least three major projects mooted by the AIADMK government, including the much anticipated 2X500MW Coal-based Thermal Power Plant at Tuticorin.

According to top sources in the Union ministry of environment and forests, three proposals that came up for clearance were turned down at a recent meeting of the standing committee for National Board for Wildlife (NBWL), which said these were submitted directly by the state without getting the mandatory approval of the state board. The committee then found that Tamil Nadu was the only one state in the country that had not constituted the SBWL. Like NBWL, which frames wildlife protection policies at the national level, SBWL is expected to undertake the task at the state level. Any project that could have an impact on a protected wildlife area has to get the clearance of both SBWL and NBWL.

The refusal of NBWL to discuss the Tuticorin power plant mooted jointly by Neyveli Lignite Corporation Limited and the state department of power happens at a time when Tamil Nadu is facing an extraordinary energy crisis. According to NBWL standing committee member and senior wildlife scientist A J T Johnsingh, there is no option left before the state government other than to constitute SBWL at the earliest. The NBWL clearance is mandatory for the Tuticorin project as it comes within the 10 km periphery of Mullakadu range of forests.

Proposals for a bridge on Chennai-Pulicat Road and a fish landing centre at Periyamongagodu near Thiruvallur are similarly stuck as NBWL standing committee has refused clearance. While 1.11 hectare of forest land from Pulicat Bird Sanctuary will have to be transferred for constructing the bridge on Pasiyavaram Road, the fish landing centre needs 0.65 hectare of forest land from the same sanctuary. NBWL will look at the proposals only after these are cleared by its state counterpart. "According to Section-6 of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 (amended in 2006), each state government is bound to constitute a state board for wildlife under the chairmanship of the chief minister or administrator in the case of a Union territory. It is a curious case that Tamil Nadu is lacking such a board. It is high time the state government constituted the board as interests of wildlife must be protected while undertaking bigger development projects,'' said K Mohan Raj of Tamil Nadu Green Movement.

According to Johnsingh, Uttarakhand was giving Tamil Nadu company till last year. "But that state constituted the board in 2012 leaving Tamil Nadu as the only one without the board. Setting up the SBWL will help boost conservation and ensure protection of forest wealth. The Supreme Court has stressed the importance of review of projects by such a board on a number of occasions. The nation board can decide on projects only on the basis of the findings of the state board,'' he said.

Sources in the ministry said NBWL members, Kishore Rithe, Prerna Singh Bindra, M K Ranjit Singh and N Madhusudan, expressed concern that Tamil Nadu has approached the national body without even constituting its local board.

Source: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-04-01/coimbatore/38188792_1_nbwl-sbwl-state-board

Blackbuck count doubles in Vallanadu sanctuary

J Arockiaraj
TUTICORIN: The recent wildlife census conducted in Vallanadu Blackbuck Sanctuary has some good news for wildlife lovers as the number of blackbucks here has almost doubled. While the 2010 wildlife census put the number of blackbucks at 39, it has gone up to 79 during the census organised by the forest department on Wednesday.

Spread over 1,645 hectares in Srivaikundam taluk, the sanctuary is a safe home for blackbuck - an antelope species native to the Indian subcontinent. The graceful animal, which roamed the Indian sub-continent until the 19th and early 20th centuries, is now confined to a few states and sanctuaries due to intense poaching and loss of habitat.

During Wednesday's census 30 volunteers from the Pearl City Nature Society (PCNS) in Tuticorin and 20 forest officials spotted 79 blackbucks. They also found two spotted deer and a barking deer.

Forest officials from Tuticorin forest division said that the census was carried out on the instructions of conservator of forest Rakesh Kumar Dogra and district forest officer (DFO) S Shenbagamurthy.

The officials said that protective measures they took in the sanctuary have yielded good results. "After the 2010 census, the department recruited six anti-poaching watchers and the surveillance was increased. Besides, awareness programmes were held for the villagers near the sanctuary," said U Isakkimuthu, Srivaikundam range officer. As grazing the cattle in the sanctuary exposes the blackbucks to diseases from domestic animals, the department even conducted veterinary camps in the villages for the cattle. "It helped in preventing the spread of contagious diseases to antelopes," Isakkimuthu said.

The wildlife lovers expressed their excitement over the findings, however, they expressed the need to develop pasture lands and water facilities in the sanctuary. "It is indeed good news that the blackbuck nunbers are increasing," said Thomas Mathibalan, census coordinator from PCNS. "During the census, we spotted many blackbucks on the boundaries and private lands adjacent to the sanctuary than in the heart of the sanctuary. They are looking out for pasture lands and water in the private lands," said Naveen Joseph, a census volunteer.

"With the rise in numbers, the sanctuary should be developed with better pasture lands and spraying millets during the monsoons will improve fodder inside the sanctuary. The fences are also broken at many places. Besides, we found feral dogs and cattle inside which is a serious menace for blackbucks," stated K Vijayavel, a PCNS member.

DFO Shenbagamurthy said that the sanctuary has been allotted funds and the works for improving the pasture lands and water facilities will commence in a short period.

Source: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-03-30/flora-fauna/38144678_1_wildlife-census-blackbucks-pasture-lands

2013 In The Indian Wild

JAY MAZOOMDAAR | 2013-03-23

A red alert from the ministry, a damning report at Bangkok and our killing fields

THE NATIONAL Tiger Conservation Authority sounded a countrywide red alert against poaching last week. On 7 March, a report released at the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species meet in Bangkok extrapolated figures from global seizures to claim more than 100 cases of tiger poaching every year since 2000.

Most of these pelts and bones originate from India, home to more than half of the world’s wild tigers. Leopards are a bigger victim with an estimated 200 poached annually and a large number falling prey to man-animal conflict. Seizures, carcasses and lynch mobs often make headlines, but rarely present the scale of the slaughter that continues despite international attention and domestic initiatives. Barely 10 weeks into 2013, consider the numbers India’s killing fields have to offer this year:

JAN-FEB Uttarakhand Police recover 22 leopard skins and arrest 14 people in different operations.

JAN-MARCH 13 rhinos poached in Assam. Railway tracks claim six elephants.

6 JANUARY Tiger poached on the outskirts of Pench in Maharashtra.

11, 12 JANUARY Raids in Nepal lead to seizures of seven tiger skins and 53 kg of tiger bones, including 140 canines that amount to 35 tigers. Many believe the consignments were from Uttarakhand.

12 JANUARY A problem tigress shot dead near Navegaon in Maharashtra.

13 JANUARY A leopard trapped for the third time in Mumbai’s Aarey Colony.

17 JANUARY A tiger carcass found in the buffer of Pench in Madhya Pradesh.

21 JANUARY A leopard trapped at a village near Palamu, Jharkhand.

24 JANUARY Leopard caught in a cable wire trap near Shiroda in Goa.

27 JANUARY Man arrested for electrocuting a leopard near Panna in MP.

28 JANUARY A sloth bear killed on NH-6 near Navegaon. The same day, a leopard was found dead in Gujarat’s Junagadh.

29 JANUARY Two arrested with wild boar meat from Panna. The same day, a leopard trapped near Siliguri, West Bengal.

2 FEBRUARY Two poachers held with leopard and deer hides in Similipal, Odisha.

4 FEBRUARY Two held with a leopard pelt, two bear gall bladders and a leopard cat pelt near Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand.

7 FEBRUARY Tiger found poisoned in Rajaji National Park, Uttarakhand.

9 FEBRUARY Villagers hang leopard from a tree in Dibrugarh, Assam.

11 FEBRUARY An elephant carcass, probably poached, found in Saranda, Jharkhand.

13 FEBRUARY 15 freshwater turtles recovered from a smuggler in Chandigarh.

15 FEBRUARY Leopard poisoned near Haldwani in Uttarakhand. A dead lioness dumped inside a walled well in Gujarat’s Amreli district.

20 FEBRUARY Four persons, including family members of forest guards, arrested for killing four leopards inside Mumbai’s Sanjay Gandhi National Park.

21 FEBRUARY Three men held with five tiger pelts and a porcupine from Chinhat, Uttar Pradesh. Another held in Mumbai with a leopard skin.

23 FEBRUARY About 30 kg of pangolin scales seized from three men in Uttarakhand.

25 FEBRUARY A leopard trapped in Karnataka’s Hassan district.

26 FEBRUARY Ailing leopard cub dies near Nagpur as a range officer let his family pose with the animal for hours before allowing any medical help. A leopard found dead inside Kanha Tiger Reserve.

27 FEBRUARY Villagers lynch a leopard in Poonch, Jammu & Kashmir.

3 MARCH Two poachers arrested while cooking a leopard cub they hunted near Kumbhalgarh sanctuary in Rajasthan.

4 MARCH Four held for poaching a tiger in Melghat.

6 MARCH Female leopard, fifth since 2011, was knocked dead on NH-6 near Nagzira sanctuary. A leopard was captured in a village near Nagarahole Tiger Reserve.

9 MARCH Man held at Mumbai airport with 97 turtles.

11 MARCH Tiger found dead with signs of bleeding from the nose and the rectum in Sunderbans.

Yet, this is only the tip of the iceberg, because for every killing on this laundry list, at least five went unnoticed. For all the alerts and reports, there is little investment in building a workforce trained to investigate, prosecute and, most importantly, gather field intelligence. If laws and guns alone could save the wild, this count would have been different after four decades of the Wildlife (Protection) Act and a ban on hunting.

jaymazoomdaar@gmail.com

(Published in Tehelka Magazine, Volume 10 Issue 12, Dated 23 March 2013)
Source: http://tehelka.com/2013-in-the-indian-wild/

Thai Turtle Smuggler Caught With 14 Percent Of An Extremely Rare Species

Michael Kelley

Thai authorities arrested two smugglers who were trying to sneak 54 extremely rare Ploughshare Tortoises into the country, the wildlife trade monitoring group Traffic reports.

Ploughshare Tortoises are among the rarest species on earth, with a dwindling population of about 400 in northwestern Madagascar.

The smugglers — a 38-year-old Thai man and a 25-year-old woman who had flown from Madagascar to Suvarnabhumi International Airport — also had 21 Radiated Tortoises, which are also critically endangered.

Earlier this year the Thai man was arrested on a different wildlife smuggling charge.

The tortoises can command high prices in the animal black market in South East Asia.

Earlier the same day, authorities at the airport found 300 Indian Star Tortoises and 10 Black Pond Turtles when they inspected an unclaimed bag. Traffic notes that the Indian Star Tortoise is heavily traded as an exotic pet despite it being illegal to ship the species from its habitat in India, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/turtle-smuggler-caught-with-rare-species-2013-3

Over 8,000 captive baby tortoises die

P. OPPILI

Reptiles were seized at airport on Tuesday, housed at private vet clinic

• 9,000 baby red-eared slider tortoises were seized by Chennai airport officials on Tuesday
• The passenger who was carrying them had got them in China, and flown in to Chennai from Kuala Lumpur
• They had been stacked one on top of the other, in three cartons
• Of the 9,000, less than 800 are currently alive
• Each baby tortoise was about three inches in size
• The tortoises get their name from the distinctive red patch of skin around their ears
• They are semi-aquatic reptiles, and very popular as pets
• They can live for up to 30 years

Two days after the seizure of 9,000 baby tortoises by customs officials at the airport, shocked animal welfare activists have found that fewer than 800 have survived.

Airport officials had seized the tortoises from a passenger who had come in from Kuala Lumpur, and was attempting to exit through the green channel. Activists said the red-eared slider tortoises, which were just a few days old, were stacked one on top of another and packed into three cartons, with no provisions for aeration or food.

The tortoises had been bought by a city resident, who deals in the wholesale trade of pets.

The tortoises were handed over to State wildlife authorities, who later housed them a private veterinary clinic in Guindy. Even at the time of their being handed over, 1,500 died, and the wildlife authorities only received 7,500 live tortoises.

Activists said they were surprised by the authorities’ move to house the surviving tortoises at the private clinic, instead of taking them government’s quarantine centre in Medavakkam, as per government norms.

At the private clinic, the tortoises were kept in tubs, with each tub containing more than 300 tortoises, they said.

They pointed out that this was not the first time such a huge number of red-eared slider tortoises have been brought to Chennai.

A similar consignment arrived here about a year ago, and then too, the tortoises had been taken to the same private clinic in Guindy instead of to the quarantine centre.

Allowing the import of exotic animals to be reared as pets will lead to problems for endemic or native species. Moreover, pet owners become afraid once the tortoises grow older, an activist said.

When they find it difficult to find a suitable home for their pets, many owners end up abandoning them on the roads, he added.

Noted conservationist Shekar Dattatri said: “This seizure has revealed the extent of the illegal trade in this and other non-native species that are smuggled into the country. Many people buy these turtles to keep them as pets, or because they believe that keeping one brings good luck. What they probably do not realise is that for every turtle that survives the journey to India, hundreds die in the tightly-packed containers in which they are smuggled. I appeal to people not to buy exotic species like these turtles, as it encourages a very cruel trade.”

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/over-8000-captive-baby-tortoises-die/article4559180.ece