Tiger bones seized in MP, six arrested

P Naveen, TNN May 12, 2013
BHOPAL: At a time when Gujarat is at loggerheads with Madhya Pradesh over translocation of Asiatic lions from Gir sanctuary citing worries about their safety from poachers, here comes a fresh evidence of poaching and trading of wildlife articles by those living around the protected areas.

Six poachers have been arrested with over 2.5 kg skeletal remains of a tiger, including a portion of its upper jaw and deer antlers from villages located within the buffer zone of Kanha National Park - home for nearly 60 tigers.

Source: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-05-12/bhopal/39202982_1_gir-sanctuary-six-poachers-asiatic-lions

Tiger reserves to get full-time wildlife vets

Vijay Pinjarkar, TNN May 11, 2013
NAGPUR: In a bid to tackle man-animal conflict and give conservation a boost, the state government has decided to hire independent wildlife veterinarians in all four tiger reserves in the state.

After recent deliberations over raging man-animal conflict in Chandrapur, principal secretary (forests) Praveen Pardeshi, chief wildlife warden SWH Naqvi and field directors of tiger reserves decided to appoint wildlife vets. Directions to recruit trained vets on contract basis in Tadoba, Melghat and Pench in Vidarbha have been issued on May 7.

Pardeshi has asked field directors to recruit vets from funds under tiger conservation foundations (TCFs) on a honorarium of Rs 30,000. They have been asked to get in touch with deans of veterinary colleges and teachers to get suitable candidates. Help has also been sought from state animal husbandry commissioner.

Presently, the department has only one wildlife vet, Chitra Raut, posted at Nagpur. In case of emergencies, help from senior experts from Nagpur Veterinary College is taken. Although vets in Nagpur respond immediately, on many occasions doctors were not available in case of emergencies, proving fatal for wild animals.

Recently, when a tiger cub was hit by a speeding train and shifted to Nagpur, Raut had gone to Chandrapur to bring the animal back.

"We are making provision in the TCF budget to appoint wildlife vet on contract. There is also plan to redesignate posts of medical officers available with the department," said Virendra Tiwari, chief conservator of forests (CCF) and field director of Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve ( TATR) in Chandrapur.

However, Sarjan Bhagat, additional principal chief conservator of forests (subordinate cadre), said there are six posts of medical officers with the forest department but only one from Yavatmal Circle could be made available as officers at other places like Gadchiroli and forest training colleges have said they need posts of medical officers for staff and villagers.

"We will send a proposal in this regard to the government," Bhagat said.

Rhino carcass, skeleton found

Press Trust of India | Golaghat/Jorhat  May 11, 2013
A carcass and a skeleton of rhinos with their horns missing were recovered from two separate ranges of Kaziranga National Park today taking the toll of the poached herbivores to 24 this year.

The 4-5 day old decomposed female rhino body was recovered near Noloni forest camp of Agratoli range of the Park where four cartridge shells of AK-47 rifle were also found, forest officials said.

The skeleton of the male rhino killed about a month ago was recovered near Borakota forest camp in Bagori range, the officials said.

As both the horns of the rhinos were missing and bullets found near one of them, poachers were suspected to have killed the animals, they added.

Search operations have been launched for the killers, the sources added.

Source: http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/rhino-carcass-skeleton-found-113051100033_1.html

Rare snake spotted in state for the first time

By Express News Service - BELLARY 11th April 2013

Coluber bolanathi | Express Photo

A rare mildly venomous snake Coluber bolanathi, commonly known as Nagarjun Sagar Racer, has been discovered for the first time at Bellary in Karnataka.

The 31-inch C. Bolanathi was rescued by conservationist and businessman Aditya Vattam from the backyard of a house near Bellary Fort recently.

Coluber bolanathi is found in dry and rocky hills of South India. It was first spotted in Nallamala hills of Andhra Pradesh in 1976 by R C Sharma but there is no record of it in Karnataka till now, Vattam told Express.

A member of indiansnakes.org, Vattam sent its photographs to the portal founder Vivek Sharma for identification.

Sharma confirmed that it was the first record of the snake in Karnataka.

He told Express that after the discovery of the snake in 1976, there were no significant attempts to study this species due to lack of literature and photographs.

C. bolanathi is chocolate brown with numerous light brown bands in the back of its body. It is a fast and alert species, active during the day. The racer can grow upto 110 cm, said Vattam.

As dry and rocky hills are the preferred habitat of this snake, the conservationist  urged for the protection of the rocky hills of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka to ensure the safety of this little known snake.

Source: http://newindianexpress.com/states/karnataka/Rare-snake-spotted-in-state-for-the-first-time/2013/04/11/article1539767.ece

Tourism in TATR has not affected tigers: Forest dept

Vivek Deshpande : Nagpur, Fri May 10 2013
Recent media reports of tourists overcrowding Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) and blocking the movement of tigers seems to have miffed nature lovers but not the forest department. The department sees the issue as increased visitor interest in wildlife.

Principal Secretary (Forest), Pravi Pardeshi, clarified that only 20 per cent of TATR area that has six tigers is open for tourists. "The remaining area has 42 tigers. So it would be a sweeping comment to say that all tigers in TATR are exposed to crowding tourists," he said.

The media reports had raised the hackles of tiger lovers and conservationists. So much so that Rural Development Minister Jayant Patil, himself a nature lover, had written to Forest Minister Patangrao Kadam expressing his anguish.

Asked if these six tigers have to face tourist menace, Pardeshi said, "Not at all. The fact that tigers merrily walk through the crammed tourist vehicles means that the animals are not bothered by their presence. Else it would have shied away from people like most wild tigers in deep interiors do," Pardeshi said. He said these tigers and other wildlife have got used to human beings.

Stressing the importance of tourism, Pardeshi said, "The most important takeaway of tourism ist that tourists are converted into harcore non-systemic conservationists, who plea the tiger's case to outside world."

He said tourists crowding places of tiger sighting is commonplace in all tiger reserves. "In reserves like Pench (MP), Kahna and Bandhavgarh, they had even used elephants to track down tigers and corner it for the tourists to see. In Maharashtra, we never used that method," he said.

He said the earnings from tourist visits are useful for conservation and habitat development. "TATR tourist revenue went up from Rs 48 lakh to Rs 3 crore in the last one year. We have a fixed number of vehicles going in every day. All our days are generally fully booked. The revenue is also used to develop 79 villages in the buffer zone," he said.

However, he averred that unruly or overenthusiastic tourists are always present in the crowd. "We have instructed the guides who are local tribal boys not to stop at the sighting place for than five minutes. Their livelihood depends on making their clients happy," Pardeshi said.

He said in view of problems from tourists, the waterholes for wildlife have been shifted from the roadside to a little inside.

Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/tourism-in-tatr-has-not-affected-tigers-forest-dept/1113908/0

Glossy Ibis spotted at Deepor Beel

Naresh Mitra, TNN May 10, 2013
GUWAHATI: The Deepor Beel, a Ramsar site wetland located about 15 km from the city, continues to surprise bird lovers despite the threat posed by urban sprawl as various species of birds are still seen at the wetland.

On Tuesday, a flock of Glossy Ibis (plegadis falcinellus), was spotted at the wetland for the first time. Though glossy ibis is a residential bird in Assam, bird watchers and ornithologists say that there is no record of this bird species being spotted at Deepor Beel in the past.

"Spotting a group of glossy ibis at Deepor Beel is indeed a new development. There is no past record of the bird being spotted at the wetland in the recent past. Glossy Ibis are mainly seen in the major wetlands of upper Assam and in the Pani-Dihing bird sanctuary in Sivasagar district," Anwaruddin Choudhury, who has authored numerous books on birds of the northeast, said.

The flock of birds seen at the wetland comprised about 25 birds, birdwatchers who spotted Glossy Ibis at Deepor Beel said. "In my two decades of observing birds and recording bird species at Deepor Beel, I haven't spotted any glossy ibis in this wetland," Lakhon Teron, a birdwatcher and nature guide, who resides near Deepor Beel, said.

"The spotting of a new bird species at the wetland speaks of the dynamic ecosystem of Deepor Beel, which needs the highest level of ecological protection. There has to be proper awareness on the conservation of the wetland," ecologist Parimal Chandra Bhattacharya said.

Last winter, six rosy pelicans were spotted at the wetland after a long gap. Rosy and spot-billed pelicans used to frequent Deepor Beel during winter earlier, but these and several other birds had stopped migrating to Deepor Beel.

Close to Deepor Beel at Garbhanga reserved forest, the volunteers of Help Earth, a city-based wildlife conservation NGO, on Saturday spotted luna moth (actias luna), one of the largest moth species in the world. It is very rare to spot a luna moth in the state. Last year, the moth was seen at Abhoypur Reserve Forest at Sonari in Sivasagar district.

Though spotting a new and rare species in forest areas within the city indicates a rich ecosystem, both Deepor Beel and Garbhanga are threatened by urban expansion and habitat destruction. While deforestation is a major problem in Garbhanga, the increasing construction activities close of Deepor Beel and pollution have emerged as the biggest dangers to the wetland. Conservationists said seepage of pollutants from a nearby municipal dumping site is a potent threat to the wetland ecosystem.

Source: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-05-10/flora-fauna/39168598_1_deepor-beel-bird-species-wetland

Two smugglers arrested, leopard skin recovered

Dehradun, May 10 (PTI) 
Two alleged smugglers were arrested and three leopard skin recovered from them in Shyampur area of Haridwar district, police said here.

On a tip-off, police found the skin from the smugglers during a checking operation in Teerchapull yesterday, they said.

Police have booked the two accused under the Forest Protection Act and investigations are on.

Source: http://www.ptinews.com/news/3622969_Two-smugglers-arrested--leopard-skin-recovered

Straying tiger pits wildlife activists against locals in Bhubaneswar

Press Trust of India | Updated: May 10, 2013
Bhubaneswar: A wild male tiger, which strayed into the Nandankanan Zoo in Bhubaneswar, has put the Orissa government in a spot as locals demand that it should be kept in the zoo while wildlife activists are opposed to it.

As wildlife activists sought the release of the big cat in the wild describing its captivity as illegal, people living near the zoo and adjoining areas launched a signature campaign against the release of the tiger, fearing it may cause harm.

"We fear that the tiger will again return and create problem for human beings," Balaram Lenka, a local resident, said.

The signature campaign has been launched by "Nandan Kanan Suraksha Parishad" headed by Bijoy Patra. An advocate, Patra filed a PIL in Orissa High Court against any move to release the tiger.

Lenka said though the six-year-old healthy Royal Bengal Tiger had not attacked any human being or cow in the area, pugmarks were detected for three years creating panic among people.

"Fortunately, the tiger has been trapped due to its own fault. Its release may create problem in future," the residents of Baranga and Dadha villages said.

However, wildlife activists oppose any move to keep the tiger in captivity as it would violate the law of the land.

"We wish to lodge a strong protest about attempts of the state government to retain the tiger in zoo to bolster its tiger gene pool for captive breeding," said Biswajit Mohanty, a member of the National Board for Wildlife.

In a letter to the Additional PCCF & Member Secretary, National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), Mohanty said: "It is a blatant violation of wildlife laws as well as the SOP (standard operating procedure) issued by NTCA."

A perfectly healthy male tiger which has obviously strayed from Satkosia Tiger Reserve, the nearest known tiger habitat, is now doomed for life, he pointed out, adding that captivity of the tiger in zoo would amount to clear violation of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

Mohanty said keeping the tiger in a cage would violate Section 38I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

Quoting the act, he said "... No zoo shall acquire, sell or transfer any wild animal or captive animal specified in Schedule I and II except with the previous permission of the Authority."

This apart, capturing a wild tiger and retaining it illegally without any attempt to release it amounts to "hunting" which is prohibited under section 9 of the WPA, 1972, wildlife activists pointed out.

This offence is punishable under Section 51 (1) of the WPA, 1972 by a jail term of minimum of 3 years and a maximum of 7 years as it relates to a Schedule I species, they said.

To tackle such situations of straying of tigers into human dominated landscapes, NTCA had thoughtfully issued a Standard Operating Procedure recently which lays down protocols of how to handle such instances.

Meanwhile, the Odisha government has set up a technical committee. "We will go by the recommendation of the TC," said chief wildlife warden J D Sharma, adding NTCA guideline suggests that wild animals should be kept in wilderness with radio collars so that its movement can be tracked.

While there is a debate over the retention of the tiger in the zoo, experts feel that release of the wild cat requires careful consideration.

"We should not take any hasty decision on the tiger. We have to consider a lot of issues for safety of the tiger like what are the circumstances which brought him here. What are the threats the animal faced in natural habitation. Tiger is a highly territorial animal. It is not safe to release it in a new place," said Odisha's former wildlife warden Saroj Patnaik.

Patnaik says, "If this tiger is kept in zoo, it should be kept away from public display and with minimum human contact."

Source: http://www.ndtv.com/article/cities/straying-tiger-pits-wildlife-activists-against-locals-in-bhubaneswar-365146

Reward for informing forest crimes in Madhya Pradesh

Ramendra Singh, TNN May 9, 2013
BHOPAL: The state government has made several efforts to ensure protection of forests and wildlife and curb forest crimes. A fund has been instituted to reward people informing about forest crimes.

A provision of upto Rs 25,000 reward has been made in Madhya Pradesh Van Suraksha Puraskar Niyam for individuals who assist in detection of forest crime being proved in court, give tip-off for nabbing forest offenders and seizure of forest produce or any other thing.

Forest Minister Sartaj Singh has informed that sustained efforts are being made to curb forest crimes through public participation and activeness of regional units. Instead of beat system in sensitive forest areas, 131 forest check-posts have been set up for group patrolling.

As many as 2600 12-bore guns have been provided to patrol parties deployed at forest check-posts. Not only this, revolvers have also been provided to 136 officers of range level for the first time in the state.

As many as 4,266 wireless sets, 5,500 mobile SIMs, 2946 mobile handsets, 900 PDAs and 900 binoculars have also been provided to the staff for effective communication.

Source: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-05-09/bhopal/39141507_1_forest-minister-sartaj-singh-curb-forest-forest-crimes

Road mishap kills bear near Navegaon

Vijay Pinjarkar, TNN | May 9, 2013
NAGPUR: With National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) reluctant to take wildlife protection measures while widening NH-6, a speeding vehicle knocked dead an adult sloth bear close to Shashikiran hills near Dongargaon early Wednesday morning.

"The spot where the bear was crushed falls in Sadak Arjuni range and borders Navegaon wildlife sanctuary. It is single road and a corridor patch. I suspect the animal must be moving towards Navegaon when it was hit," said S V Ramarao, deputy conservator of forests (DyCF), Gondia. Wild animals dying in road hits has become common on NH6, which has been widened from two lanes to four lanes. However, there is not a single patch where NHAI has taken mitigation measures.

On patches between Sakoli and Deori, Wildlife Institute of India ( WII), Dehradun, has suggested mitigation measures like constructing underpasses but this is not acceptable to NHAI, leading to accidents. On January 28, a honey badger (chandi aswal), a rare animal, was knocked dead at the same spot. The Supreme Court has already taken serious view of high mortality of wildlife on roads passing around protected areas (PAs) due to lack of mitigation measures. NHAI is yet to wake up.

Ramarao said the mishap occurred in the wee hours. There is a blind turn at the spot and the speeding vehicle must have hit the bear when it suddenly came out of the bushes to cross the road. The carcass was shifted the Dongargaon forest depot where a post-mortem was performed. Sawan Bahekar, honorary district wildlife warden of Gondia, demanded signboards at vulnerable spots and speed restrictions. "How many more wild animals will keep dying like this," he asked.

Initially officials felt it might be case of poaching but Ramarao said the bear died due to severe internal injuries. The head of the animal was crushed completely and it died on the spot.

Death Dance On NH6

January 7, 2011: A leopard died after being hit by a vehicle near Talegaon ghat under Wardha forest division

May 15, 2011: A full grown leopard knocked dead near Baghnadi between Deori and Rajnandgaon by an unidentified speeding vehicle

Sept 18, 2011: A sambar knocked dead in Duggipar beat under Sadak Arjuni range in Kohmara in Navegaon-Nagzira corridor

On Nov 23, 2011: A full grown leopard knocked dead in the evening near Bazargaon paper mill near Nagpur in Kalmeshwar forest range

Dec 22, 2011: An adult leopard died in road hit near Dongargaon

Jan 6, 2013: A jungle cat found dead near Hardoli, 35km from Nagpur on Amravati Road. The carnivore was hit on its head and died due to excessive bleeding

Jan 28, 2013: A honey badger knocked dead near Dongargaon of Sadak Arjuni forest range in Gondia

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/City/Nagpur/Road-mishap-kills-bear-near-Navegaon/articleshow/19959473.cms