PATNA: As many as 13 tiger deaths have been reported in India so far in 2010. If one adds the two cases in which tiger body parts were seized this year, the number of big cat deaths stands at 15 this year.
It is more or less a continuation of the previous year's trend when as many as 66 tiger deaths and 29 cases of seizure of tiger body parts were reported from different parts of the country.
An alarmed National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has planned a review of the tiger protection strategy. It may issue fresh guidelines to protect the big cats in a better way. NTCA has convened a meeting of directors of the 39 tiger reserves of the country to discuss the issue. Experts from Wildlife Institute of India (WII)- Dehradun and chief wildlife wardens of 17 states, where these reserves are situated, have been invited to the meeting which would be held at Jim Corbett National Park from April 10 to 12.
On April 10, NTCA member secretary Rajesh Gopal along with other senior NTCA officials would discuss the issue with forest officials of northern and north-eastern states. Forest officials of central states would share their views with the NTCA on April 11 and on the last day it would be the turn of those coming from the southern states.
"Existing measures taken by different tiger reserves for protecting the big cats, their intelligence-gathering mechanism, problems facing them at ground in implementing the safety guidelines and reasons for tiger deaths would come up for discussions," NTCA deputy inspector general (DIG) Satya Prakash Yadav told TOI over phone from Delhi on Monday.
He said, suggestions would also be sought from field officials and WII experts regarding steps needed to improve the safety measures for tigers.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Save tigers: PM to states
Not its roar but the dying tiger has woken up Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
So worried is Singh with increasing reports of unnatural deaths of tigers in various national parks of the country that he has decided to personally take up the matter with some of the concerned states.
The Prime Minister’s concern comes slightly over a week after the Lok Sabha was informed that there were only 1,411 of the big cat left in a handful of India’s tiger reserves.
A day later, it was reported that 11 of the animals were found dead in one tiger reserve. The following day another was found dead, bringing the official tiger count to 1,399.
Faulty method
Last year was the worst since 2002 for tiger deaths. The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests has conceded that its method of counting tigers is so vague and faulty that there may be only 1,165 left.
Against normal mortality of 30 tigers a year, 66 were killed in 2009. Of these, 46 were killed inside tiger reserves while 20 were killed in the forests.
Needless to say the Prime Minister’s personal intervention was, to some extent, a reaction to the states’ inability to protect tigers.
So, at a meeting of the National Board for Wildlife on Thursday, Singh asked the states to more to save the few remaining tigers.
Union Environment and Forests Minister Jairam Ramesh said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will also talk to state governments on the delay in notifying buffer zones in protected areas which was having a negative impact on wildlife.
There are 37 Project Tiger reserves in the country and 663 protected areas.
A majority of the states are yet to bring the identified buffer areas in sanctuaries, tiger reserves and protected areas under the legal ambit which would ban construction and any infrastructural projects.
“But the states are reluctant to do so. Hence the delay in the notification,” Ramesh said.
“The poaching mafia, with clandestine help from local politicians, are involved in the killings that would empty the forests of wildlife and make it easier for them to use the land for mining or construction,” he added.
Relocation of people
Thursday’s meeting also discussed the relocation of people living on the periphery of tiger reserves.
“Of the 80,000 families to be relocated from tiger reserves, only 3,000 have moved out so far. And 77,000 families have to be relocated over the next seven years, for which a total financial package of Rs 8,000 crore would be required,” Jairam said.
He promised that the Centre would support voluntary relocation from any protected area and pay compensation of Rs 10 lakh to each of the families.
So worried is Singh with increasing reports of unnatural deaths of tigers in various national parks of the country that he has decided to personally take up the matter with some of the concerned states.
The Prime Minister’s concern comes slightly over a week after the Lok Sabha was informed that there were only 1,411 of the big cat left in a handful of India’s tiger reserves.
A day later, it was reported that 11 of the animals were found dead in one tiger reserve. The following day another was found dead, bringing the official tiger count to 1,399.
Faulty method
Last year was the worst since 2002 for tiger deaths. The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests has conceded that its method of counting tigers is so vague and faulty that there may be only 1,165 left.
Against normal mortality of 30 tigers a year, 66 were killed in 2009. Of these, 46 were killed inside tiger reserves while 20 were killed in the forests.
Needless to say the Prime Minister’s personal intervention was, to some extent, a reaction to the states’ inability to protect tigers.
So, at a meeting of the National Board for Wildlife on Thursday, Singh asked the states to more to save the few remaining tigers.
Union Environment and Forests Minister Jairam Ramesh said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will also talk to state governments on the delay in notifying buffer zones in protected areas which was having a negative impact on wildlife.
There are 37 Project Tiger reserves in the country and 663 protected areas.
A majority of the states are yet to bring the identified buffer areas in sanctuaries, tiger reserves and protected areas under the legal ambit which would ban construction and any infrastructural projects.
“But the states are reluctant to do so. Hence the delay in the notification,” Ramesh said.
“The poaching mafia, with clandestine help from local politicians, are involved in the killings that would empty the forests of wildlife and make it easier for them to use the land for mining or construction,” he added.
Relocation of people
Thursday’s meeting also discussed the relocation of people living on the periphery of tiger reserves.
“Of the 80,000 families to be relocated from tiger reserves, only 3,000 have moved out so far. And 77,000 families have to be relocated over the next seven years, for which a total financial package of Rs 8,000 crore would be required,” Jairam said.
He promised that the Centre would support voluntary relocation from any protected area and pay compensation of Rs 10 lakh to each of the families.
Big B joins Save the Tiger campaign
Concerned over the dwindling number of tigers in India, Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan Thursday joined a campaign to save the big cat, which he described as "symbolic" of the country's wildlife wealth.
The awareness and tiger conservation initiative is a joint venture of cellphone service provider Aircel and national news channel NDTV.
"The tiger is symbolic of India's wildlife wealth. It is in danger because of rampant poaching and the ineffectiveness of our system to stop its killing. Collective action is the need of the hour," Bachchan told reporters at a function here.
"It is our responsibility to not only initiate a public movement but also ensure that it gains momentum," he added. The campaign intends to provide a common platform to tiger conservationists and concerned citizens to raise issues and voice their opinions, according to organisers.
The function was organised to announce NDTV joining Aircel in the campaign, which the cellular service had initiated last year.
The awareness and tiger conservation initiative is a joint venture of cellphone service provider Aircel and national news channel NDTV.
"The tiger is symbolic of India's wildlife wealth. It is in danger because of rampant poaching and the ineffectiveness of our system to stop its killing. Collective action is the need of the hour," Bachchan told reporters at a function here.
"It is our responsibility to not only initiate a public movement but also ensure that it gains momentum," he added. The campaign intends to provide a common platform to tiger conservationists and concerned citizens to raise issues and voice their opinions, according to organisers.
The function was organised to announce NDTV joining Aircel in the campaign, which the cellular service had initiated last year.
Bangladesh patrols to protect Bengal tiger
Bangladesh will form patrols in the world's largest mangrove forest in a bid to stop locals beating the critically endangered Bengal tiger to death, an official said Monday.
The move follows an increase in tiger deaths in the 10,000-square-kilometre (3,860 square miles) Sunderbans forest, with dozens beaten to death over the last decade after wandering into local villages.
"It's impossible to conserve these rare tigers unless we involve villagers to help protect the animal," said Abdul Motaleb, the government's forest conservation chief.
There are around 450 Bengal tigers in the Bangladeshi section of the Sunderbans, the world's largest remaining population in the wild, according to a 2004 government census.
The new government-approved plan, the first of its kind in the area, will lead to the formation of a 10-person patrol team in each of the hundreds of villages on the edge of the forest, which straddles the Bangladesh-India border.
"The patrol teams will inform forest officials as soon as a tiger enters their village. They'll also persuade the villagers not to harm the animals," the official said.
Last year, nearly 30 people were killed after they were attacked by tigers while fishing or collecting honey inside the forest, according to media reports, and villagers are traditionally hostile to the tigers.
Expert Monirul Khan said tiger numbers were likely only half the government's estimate, with fatal beatings being a key factor in the slow demise of the animal.
SEARCH
The move follows an increase in tiger deaths in the 10,000-square-kilometre (3,860 square miles) Sunderbans forest, with dozens beaten to death over the last decade after wandering into local villages.
"It's impossible to conserve these rare tigers unless we involve villagers to help protect the animal," said Abdul Motaleb, the government's forest conservation chief.
There are around 450 Bengal tigers in the Bangladeshi section of the Sunderbans, the world's largest remaining population in the wild, according to a 2004 government census.
The new government-approved plan, the first of its kind in the area, will lead to the formation of a 10-person patrol team in each of the hundreds of villages on the edge of the forest, which straddles the Bangladesh-India border.
"The patrol teams will inform forest officials as soon as a tiger enters their village. They'll also persuade the villagers not to harm the animals," the official said.
Last year, nearly 30 people were killed after they were attacked by tigers while fishing or collecting honey inside the forest, according to media reports, and villagers are traditionally hostile to the tigers.
Expert Monirul Khan said tiger numbers were likely only half the government's estimate, with fatal beatings being a key factor in the slow demise of the animal.
SEARCH
Nature lovers participate in 'Save Tiger Campaign' in Alwar
Alwar (Rajasthan), Mar 29 (ANI): Nature lovers from different professional backgrounds participated in a run organized for the 'Save Tiger Campaign' in Rajasthan's Alwar District.
Buzz up!Many senior administrative officials and politicians including local lawmaker Bhaway Jitendra Singh also took part in the event.
"We received a warm support from every resident of Alwar district. People of all age groups have participated in the event. We are planning to go to the villages adjoining Sariska region and spread awareness about our campaign. We will tell them that the future generations must witness the tigers which we are witnessing today and we don't want that the tigers will be extinct from our planet like dinosaurs," said Poonam Bedi, one of the organisers.
India is a key player in efforts to boost the global tiger population, which numbers just a few thousand.
Poaching and a loss of habitat have caused the tiger population to plunge from around 40,000 at the turn of the 20th century in India to a little over 1400 in 2010.
The trade in tiger skin and bones is booming in countries such as China, which has banned the use of tiger parts in medicine. But everything, from fur to whiskers to eyeballs and bones, are still sed for health purposes.
Buzz up!Many senior administrative officials and politicians including local lawmaker Bhaway Jitendra Singh also took part in the event.
"We received a warm support from every resident of Alwar district. People of all age groups have participated in the event. We are planning to go to the villages adjoining Sariska region and spread awareness about our campaign. We will tell them that the future generations must witness the tigers which we are witnessing today and we don't want that the tigers will be extinct from our planet like dinosaurs," said Poonam Bedi, one of the organisers.
India is a key player in efforts to boost the global tiger population, which numbers just a few thousand.
Poaching and a loss of habitat have caused the tiger population to plunge from around 40,000 at the turn of the 20th century in India to a little over 1400 in 2010.
The trade in tiger skin and bones is booming in countries such as China, which has banned the use of tiger parts in medicine. But everything, from fur to whiskers to eyeballs and bones, are still sed for health purposes.
Forest dept plans making tiger safari a zoological park
LUDHIANA: The forest department has decided to give the status of zoological park to Tiger Safari, which is the only zoo in the city. Authorities have forwarded a proposal to senior officials in Delhi. The proposal of extension and upgrade of the zoo has also been sent under Compensatory Afforestation Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) project where the mini zoo will get a new look with improved facilities for visitors and animals.
According to information provided by an official, this year, the zoo would get tigers, leopards, crocodiles and few species of the birds. Along with that, for visitors, an interaction centre would be constructed where the models of animals would be displayed. He added that a control room would be established where animal behaviour would be monitored through closed circuit television cameras.
The zoo has a dispensary for the animals, however, if their condition gets too bad, they are taken to Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University. From this financial year, it has been planned that the dispensary would be conducted into a full-fledged veterinary hospital, so there is no need to take the animals outside the zoo.
"The only facility in the city where residents can take children to inform them about birds and animals is the Tiger Safari. An upgrade of facilities in the safari is bound to help it in attracting more visitors," said Preeti Sabharwal, a resident of the city.
While talking to TOI, divisional forest officer Vishal Chauhan said a detailed plan for the upgrade had been prepared. He mentioned that the proposals sent for the purpose included one for the financial year and another for the master plan, which would work in the long term. He stated that introduction of new species in the zoo was to be one of the major developments and veterinary hospital would ensure that they stay healthy for many years to come.
According to information provided by an official, this year, the zoo would get tigers, leopards, crocodiles and few species of the birds. Along with that, for visitors, an interaction centre would be constructed where the models of animals would be displayed. He added that a control room would be established where animal behaviour would be monitored through closed circuit television cameras.
The zoo has a dispensary for the animals, however, if their condition gets too bad, they are taken to Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University. From this financial year, it has been planned that the dispensary would be conducted into a full-fledged veterinary hospital, so there is no need to take the animals outside the zoo.
"The only facility in the city where residents can take children to inform them about birds and animals is the Tiger Safari. An upgrade of facilities in the safari is bound to help it in attracting more visitors," said Preeti Sabharwal, a resident of the city.
While talking to TOI, divisional forest officer Vishal Chauhan said a detailed plan for the upgrade had been prepared. He mentioned that the proposals sent for the purpose included one for the financial year and another for the master plan, which would work in the long term. He stated that introduction of new species in the zoo was to be one of the major developments and veterinary hospital would ensure that they stay healthy for many years to come.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
for the tigers sake!!
If you have seen a tiger in the wild, you are very fortunate indeed. There are not many left in India's forests. Those that remain lead a precarious existence. Poaching is the most obvious threat the tiger faces, but it is not the only one. Human settlements inside a tiger reserve also spell trouble. These villages — or a highway or railway line cutting across a forest — fragment wildlife areas, and pose a great danger to the flora and fauna within. Wildlife experts believe that core tiger areas should be completely inviolate in order to allow tigers to multiply.
Boon in disguise
The construction of the Bhadra reservoir in Karnataka in the 1960s, near what is now the Bhadra Tiger Reserve, was a boon in disguise to tiger conservation. The reservoir served as a buffer against further development. But the number of villages in other areas of the Reserve continued to increase. People have lived in the forests of Bhadra for generations. According to a 1917 report, Bhadra had “a village of 88 people and 186 cattle occupying 4.19 sq km.” Villagers in the 16 hamlets of Bhadra were mainly agriculturists, cultivating paddy and coffee on cleared forest land. They also reared cattle, which shared grazing space with the tiger's natural prey like deer. But the cattle could also spread disease among wildlife. Clearly man and nature were on opposing sides, with wildlife on the losing side.
For the tiger's sake, the humans needed to leave. But it was not easy for the villagers living in the reserve area, sometimes for over three generations, to leave the place they considered home. Apart from the emotional angle, the other main issue was the suspicion that, if they did re-locate, the Government would leave them in the lurch. This was because relocations from other wildlife sanctuaries had been handled badly. But rehabilitation from Bhadra seems to have worked.
In what has come as a shot in the arm for wildlife conservationists, and a glimmer of hope for the tiger, 432 families from 16 villages from within the Bhadra Tiger Reserve in Chikmagalur district of Karnataka have been successfully rehabilitated. The villagers were rehabilitated in two areas: M.C.Halli, about 100 km from the Reserve and Kelagur, about 15 km from Chikmagalur. But all this did not happen overnight. The process began in 1987, when a preliminary survey of families eligible for resettlement was conducted. But the project picked up momentum only in the late 1990s with the active involvement of the forest and revenue departments and, more importantly, the participation of village representatives and NGOs.
Working together
Government agencies in India do not always work well together. Inter-departmental files are delayed in transit, and bureaucratic procedures add to the problem. And NGOs are often considered ‘outsiders', interfering with government procedure. So, what went right in Bhadra? A rehabilitated villager called it “the aligning of good planets resulting in excellent people coming together”. Less dramatically, much of the credit goes to Yatish, then Deputy Conservator of Forests, and Gopala Krishne Gowda, then Deputy Commissioner. Committed wildlife NGOs, who had been holding earnest dialogues with villagers inside the Reserve, also played an important role. Perhaps the most active was a local activist, D.V. Girish, who works with the NGO Wildlife First.
And, of course, credit goes to the villagers themselves. Many sensed the time had come to move. As S.R.Nagaraj, a resettled villager now residing at M.C.Halli, put it, “To say we moved out so that the tiger could live would be a lie. We moved out because there were no facilities for a normal existence inside the Tiger Reserve. But we ensured that the Government acquired land for resettling and personally visited the places before agreeing to shift. I must admit that the Government has provided all that it had promised.” What was vital here was that village representatives worked closely with other Government agencies and NGOs.
The Deputy Commissioner helped by cutting through bureaucratic hurdles, often dealing directly with the forest department, the village representatives and NGOs. Politically motivated hurdles were overcome with daily strategy meetings between all the agencies and the village representatives.
The villagers in M.C. Halli speak well of the facilities they have been provided. Those at Kelagur are taking longer to settle, as they depend on the rains for water. Some of the land distributed is rocky, and bore wells are yet to be dug. If this is taken care of, and authorities have said that these villagers are also eligible for aid under other Government schemes, then the Bhadra project will be a benchmark in resettlement. It will also be a model of successful partnership between Government agencies and NGOs.
This move gives the country's wildlife a chance, a slim one, but definitely a chance. Perhaps then the tiger would still roar in India's jungles in the years to come.
Voices
* Conservationist Dr. Ullas Karanth: "As a person from the Western Ghats, I know that the people want to relocate in favour of a better life. Why should they live frozen in time when the rest of society is developing* And if they move out, it is good for the tiger; it is a win-win situation." * Sushilamma, re-settled in M.CHalli: It had been my home for 32 years. Who can leave the place that had become one's home* But the Government has given us five acres here, and we have started cultivating crops." * H.D. Sudhakar, re-settled villager at Kelagur: "The rocky land prevents anything from growing. It is as if giving up our homes has landed us in hardship. I hope the Government gives us alternative land, and digs bore wells quickly."
Boon in disguise
The construction of the Bhadra reservoir in Karnataka in the 1960s, near what is now the Bhadra Tiger Reserve, was a boon in disguise to tiger conservation. The reservoir served as a buffer against further development. But the number of villages in other areas of the Reserve continued to increase. People have lived in the forests of Bhadra for generations. According to a 1917 report, Bhadra had “a village of 88 people and 186 cattle occupying 4.19 sq km.” Villagers in the 16 hamlets of Bhadra were mainly agriculturists, cultivating paddy and coffee on cleared forest land. They also reared cattle, which shared grazing space with the tiger's natural prey like deer. But the cattle could also spread disease among wildlife. Clearly man and nature were on opposing sides, with wildlife on the losing side.
For the tiger's sake, the humans needed to leave. But it was not easy for the villagers living in the reserve area, sometimes for over three generations, to leave the place they considered home. Apart from the emotional angle, the other main issue was the suspicion that, if they did re-locate, the Government would leave them in the lurch. This was because relocations from other wildlife sanctuaries had been handled badly. But rehabilitation from Bhadra seems to have worked.
In what has come as a shot in the arm for wildlife conservationists, and a glimmer of hope for the tiger, 432 families from 16 villages from within the Bhadra Tiger Reserve in Chikmagalur district of Karnataka have been successfully rehabilitated. The villagers were rehabilitated in two areas: M.C.Halli, about 100 km from the Reserve and Kelagur, about 15 km from Chikmagalur. But all this did not happen overnight. The process began in 1987, when a preliminary survey of families eligible for resettlement was conducted. But the project picked up momentum only in the late 1990s with the active involvement of the forest and revenue departments and, more importantly, the participation of village representatives and NGOs.
Working together
Government agencies in India do not always work well together. Inter-departmental files are delayed in transit, and bureaucratic procedures add to the problem. And NGOs are often considered ‘outsiders', interfering with government procedure. So, what went right in Bhadra? A rehabilitated villager called it “the aligning of good planets resulting in excellent people coming together”. Less dramatically, much of the credit goes to Yatish, then Deputy Conservator of Forests, and Gopala Krishne Gowda, then Deputy Commissioner. Committed wildlife NGOs, who had been holding earnest dialogues with villagers inside the Reserve, also played an important role. Perhaps the most active was a local activist, D.V. Girish, who works with the NGO Wildlife First.
And, of course, credit goes to the villagers themselves. Many sensed the time had come to move. As S.R.Nagaraj, a resettled villager now residing at M.C.Halli, put it, “To say we moved out so that the tiger could live would be a lie. We moved out because there were no facilities for a normal existence inside the Tiger Reserve. But we ensured that the Government acquired land for resettling and personally visited the places before agreeing to shift. I must admit that the Government has provided all that it had promised.” What was vital here was that village representatives worked closely with other Government agencies and NGOs.
The Deputy Commissioner helped by cutting through bureaucratic hurdles, often dealing directly with the forest department, the village representatives and NGOs. Politically motivated hurdles were overcome with daily strategy meetings between all the agencies and the village representatives.
The villagers in M.C. Halli speak well of the facilities they have been provided. Those at Kelagur are taking longer to settle, as they depend on the rains for water. Some of the land distributed is rocky, and bore wells are yet to be dug. If this is taken care of, and authorities have said that these villagers are also eligible for aid under other Government schemes, then the Bhadra project will be a benchmark in resettlement. It will also be a model of successful partnership between Government agencies and NGOs.
This move gives the country's wildlife a chance, a slim one, but definitely a chance. Perhaps then the tiger would still roar in India's jungles in the years to come.
Voices
* Conservationist Dr. Ullas Karanth: "As a person from the Western Ghats, I know that the people want to relocate in favour of a better life. Why should they live frozen in time when the rest of society is developing* And if they move out, it is good for the tiger; it is a win-win situation." * Sushilamma, re-settled in M.CHalli: It had been my home for 32 years. Who can leave the place that had become one's home* But the Government has given us five acres here, and we have started cultivating crops." * H.D. Sudhakar, re-settled villager at Kelagur: "The rocky land prevents anything from growing. It is as if giving up our homes has landed us in hardship. I hope the Government gives us alternative land, and digs bore wells quickly."
Animal consensus to begin next month
An extensive animal census planned by Goa forest department is expected to put to rest the uncertainty about existence of tigers in state’s forest, the environmentalists feel.
“If the census is done scientifically than it will surely prove existence of tigers here,” environmentalist Rajendra Kerkar told PTI.
Kerkar, who exposed killing of a tiger near Mhadei wildlife sanctuary last year, opined that the shadows of mining magnets should be kept at bay while conducting the census.
A senior forest department officer said that census will begin from next month, which would be an extensive exercise, to be held with the help of forest department officers, experts and volunteers.
The counting which will happen banking on the methodology adopted by Dehradun based Wildlife institute of India (WII), is expected to prove the claims by green activists that the Goa forests needs to be declared as Tiger Reserves.
Kerkar stated that the environmentalists are always pressing for declaration of these sanctuaries as tiger reserves so that the mining companies cannot even think of peeping into it.
The environmentalists feel that protection of sanctuaries like Mhadei, Netravali and Bhagwan Mahaveer will provide continuous corridor to wild animals.
“This corridor will cover Bhimgad wildlife sanctuary of Maharasthra, Dandeli sanctuary, Anshi national park, certain areas of forest adjoining Tillari in Maharashtra and Radhanagari forests,” he added.
Another environmentalists’ group, Mission Green, had recently petitioned Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh seeking his intervention to declare Goa’s wildlife sanctuaries as tiger reserves.
The e-petition signed by various individuals was also sent to union environment and forest minister Ramesh Jayram.
Goa, which has almost around 50 per cent of its area as forest, had recently witnessed killing of a tiger and subsequent hints of existence of a tigress with her cub in Mhadei wildlife sanctuary basin.
The census held in 2002 had counted presence of four tigers in Goa based on pugmarks and other related signs of the wild beast. Next census conducted in 2006 could not come to any results as it was conducted with new methodology and WII is yet to compile the results.
With such situation prevailing, all hopes are now on the ensuing census to put to rest all the vagueness on existence of tigers in Goa’s forest.
“The census will be actually assessment of animals and their habitat. We will be able to map exactly whats the trend within the sanctuaries and whether there is enough food available for them,” an officer attached to wildlife sanctuary, told PTI.
“If the census is done scientifically than it will surely prove existence of tigers here,” environmentalist Rajendra Kerkar told PTI.
Kerkar, who exposed killing of a tiger near Mhadei wildlife sanctuary last year, opined that the shadows of mining magnets should be kept at bay while conducting the census.
A senior forest department officer said that census will begin from next month, which would be an extensive exercise, to be held with the help of forest department officers, experts and volunteers.
The counting which will happen banking on the methodology adopted by Dehradun based Wildlife institute of India (WII), is expected to prove the claims by green activists that the Goa forests needs to be declared as Tiger Reserves.
Kerkar stated that the environmentalists are always pressing for declaration of these sanctuaries as tiger reserves so that the mining companies cannot even think of peeping into it.
The environmentalists feel that protection of sanctuaries like Mhadei, Netravali and Bhagwan Mahaveer will provide continuous corridor to wild animals.
“This corridor will cover Bhimgad wildlife sanctuary of Maharasthra, Dandeli sanctuary, Anshi national park, certain areas of forest adjoining Tillari in Maharashtra and Radhanagari forests,” he added.
Another environmentalists’ group, Mission Green, had recently petitioned Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh seeking his intervention to declare Goa’s wildlife sanctuaries as tiger reserves.
The e-petition signed by various individuals was also sent to union environment and forest minister Ramesh Jayram.
Goa, which has almost around 50 per cent of its area as forest, had recently witnessed killing of a tiger and subsequent hints of existence of a tigress with her cub in Mhadei wildlife sanctuary basin.
The census held in 2002 had counted presence of four tigers in Goa based on pugmarks and other related signs of the wild beast. Next census conducted in 2006 could not come to any results as it was conducted with new methodology and WII is yet to compile the results.
With such situation prevailing, all hopes are now on the ensuing census to put to rest all the vagueness on existence of tigers in Goa’s forest.
“The census will be actually assessment of animals and their habitat. We will be able to map exactly whats the trend within the sanctuaries and whether there is enough food available for them,” an officer attached to wildlife sanctuary, told PTI.
Two villagers have been arrested for allegedly killing two tiger cubs at the Ranthambhore national park in the north-west Indian state of Rajasthan.
Wildlife officials said the men poisoned the cubs in revenge for poaching their cattle.
The carcasses of the cubs were found in the park on Sunday.
Poaching and loss of habitat in India have decimated tiger numbers which are estimated to have fallen from 40,000 to about 1,400 in the past 100 years.
A major awareness campaign has been launched to halt the steep decline in tiger numbers in India.
'Poisoned goat'
"These villagers poisoned the cubs to take revenge as the animals had poached their cattle," said Mr RS Shekhawat, deputy field director of Ranthambore tiger reserve.
Forest officials said the villagers fed pesticide to a goat. The cubs killed the goat and were poisoned when they ate its meat.
Ranthambore covers several hundred square kilometres of dry deciduous forests sprawling over undulating terrain.
According to a 2009 census, there were about 40 tigers in and around the park, which is in Sawaimadhopur district of Rajasthan.
Nearly 100 villages surround the park, and the more the tiger population grows the more they are likely to come into conflict with humans, observers say.
Ranthambhore is a major tourist attraction, drawing about 200,000 people from India and abroad every year.
Wildlife officials said the men poisoned the cubs in revenge for poaching their cattle.
The carcasses of the cubs were found in the park on Sunday.
Poaching and loss of habitat in India have decimated tiger numbers which are estimated to have fallen from 40,000 to about 1,400 in the past 100 years.
A major awareness campaign has been launched to halt the steep decline in tiger numbers in India.
'Poisoned goat'
"These villagers poisoned the cubs to take revenge as the animals had poached their cattle," said Mr RS Shekhawat, deputy field director of Ranthambore tiger reserve.
Forest officials said the villagers fed pesticide to a goat. The cubs killed the goat and were poisoned when they ate its meat.
Ranthambore covers several hundred square kilometres of dry deciduous forests sprawling over undulating terrain.
According to a 2009 census, there were about 40 tigers in and around the park, which is in Sawaimadhopur district of Rajasthan.
Nearly 100 villages surround the park, and the more the tiger population grows the more they are likely to come into conflict with humans, observers say.
Ranthambhore is a major tourist attraction, drawing about 200,000 people from India and abroad every year.
Camera-trapping of tiger starts, partial census results by December
The number of tigers in three major landscapes - Terrai, Central India and the Western Ghats - home to 80 percent of India's tigers,
will be known by December, but a countrywide total would be available only by March next year, an official involved in the ongoing census of big cats said.
About 500,000 sq km of forests, including 39 tiger reserves in 17 states, are being surveyed.
"We would know the tiger numbers in three major landscapes by December - Terrai, Central India and the Western Ghats. Although the estimation process for the entire country would be over only by March next year," professor Y V Jhala of Wildlife Institute of India (WII), said.
He said: "not only tiger reserves, but all forest areas in the country will be covered."
The last census in 2005-06 showed a sharp fall in tiger numbers. The census then conducted with an improved method revealed India had just 1,411 tigers left in the wild, raising serious concern about their survival.
Jhala said a new phase involving camera-trapping of tigers has begun. "Researchers have started this exercise, as the ground work involving the forest staff is almost completed."
Each camera costs about Rs. 10,000 and is especially designed for deployment in forests. It has censors that trigger the camera to take pictures automatically whenever animals come within range in front of its lens. They are usually attached to a tree. Batteries and the film of the camera are replaced manually when they run out.
Since they are produced in small numbers in India, demand for large quantities is met through imports.
"The Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore produces them but only in limited number for research purpose," says Rahul Kaul, director of Wild Species Programme of the NGO Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), which will lay the camera-traps in Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar for tiger monitoring.
"We will need at least 100 cameras in each site. We are hoping to get some from WII, but the rest we have to purchase," Kaul said, adding these cameras are commercially produced in the US.
WII had been assigned by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) to procure these cameras for use in the current census.
"The whole exercise (census) focuses on the habitat available for tiger and tiger occupancy in those areas. Even last time, the surveyed areas were graded good, not so good and poor," said Diwakar Sharma, associate director, Species Conservation Programme of the NGO Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) India.
"So when we get the estimation this time, it will show the status of the habitat, number of tigers in those areas, and thus helping to arrive at the overall figure. That is why you get the minimum to maximum (population) range," he explained.
The survey also aims to study prey base of tigers, crucial for its survival.
Before the estimation began in January, WII and the NTCA gave extensive training to forest staff tasked with the census. NGOs and individual experts were also trained. They also brought out a field guide to help the staff in the census.
Poaching, shrinkage of habitat and man-animal conflict continue to haunt tigers in the country, resulting in their fewer numbers.
will be known by December, but a countrywide total would be available only by March next year, an official involved in the ongoing census of big cats said.
About 500,000 sq km of forests, including 39 tiger reserves in 17 states, are being surveyed.
"We would know the tiger numbers in three major landscapes by December - Terrai, Central India and the Western Ghats. Although the estimation process for the entire country would be over only by March next year," professor Y V Jhala of Wildlife Institute of India (WII), said.
He said: "not only tiger reserves, but all forest areas in the country will be covered."
The last census in 2005-06 showed a sharp fall in tiger numbers. The census then conducted with an improved method revealed India had just 1,411 tigers left in the wild, raising serious concern about their survival.
Jhala said a new phase involving camera-trapping of tigers has begun. "Researchers have started this exercise, as the ground work involving the forest staff is almost completed."
Each camera costs about Rs. 10,000 and is especially designed for deployment in forests. It has censors that trigger the camera to take pictures automatically whenever animals come within range in front of its lens. They are usually attached to a tree. Batteries and the film of the camera are replaced manually when they run out.
Since they are produced in small numbers in India, demand for large quantities is met through imports.
"The Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore produces them but only in limited number for research purpose," says Rahul Kaul, director of Wild Species Programme of the NGO Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), which will lay the camera-traps in Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar for tiger monitoring.
"We will need at least 100 cameras in each site. We are hoping to get some from WII, but the rest we have to purchase," Kaul said, adding these cameras are commercially produced in the US.
WII had been assigned by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) to procure these cameras for use in the current census.
"The whole exercise (census) focuses on the habitat available for tiger and tiger occupancy in those areas. Even last time, the surveyed areas were graded good, not so good and poor," said Diwakar Sharma, associate director, Species Conservation Programme of the NGO Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) India.
"So when we get the estimation this time, it will show the status of the habitat, number of tigers in those areas, and thus helping to arrive at the overall figure. That is why you get the minimum to maximum (population) range," he explained.
The survey also aims to study prey base of tigers, crucial for its survival.
Before the estimation began in January, WII and the NTCA gave extensive training to forest staff tasked with the census. NGOs and individual experts were also trained. They also brought out a field guide to help the staff in the census.
Poaching, shrinkage of habitat and man-animal conflict continue to haunt tigers in the country, resulting in their fewer numbers.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Buck up states!!
She saw her first tiger in Palamu when she was three months old. She photographed a tiger in Sariska when she was 16. Since then Belinda Wright, 57, one of India's leading conservationists, has pushed the limits to save the Great Indian tiger. Her mother, Anne Wright, was a part of the Tiger Task Force mandated to select nine reserves to launch Project Tiger. She won two Emmy awards and 14 international awards for her film "Land of the Tiger'. She spoke to Hardnews in New Delhi
Akash Bisht Delhi
What impact would the 'year of the tiger' in China have on Indian tigers?
I met traders in China and they mentioned that the demand for tiger parts is increasing in China. The Year of the Tiger will definitely fuel demand for tiger parts which is a flourishing business in China. This demand would have a detrimental effect on tiger conservation in India and could lead to more tigers being poached. It is also a wonderful opportunity to create awareness in China about the few tigers that are left in the world. The international community should build pressure on China to stop trading in tiger parts.
Despite so much funding why is Project Tiger unsuccessful in curbing poaching in India?
Money doesn't buy motivation, commitment or political will. The central government has shown concern about dwindling numbers, but states don't give much importance to tigers. The tiger is an inconvenience because it involves people who live in tiger habitats, and politicians are only bothered about vote bank politics. State governments are in a state of denial whenever the issue of tiger deaths are raised. These governments are stuck in old ways and there is complete lack of transparency. The entire system is rotten. There are numerous vacancies in the forest department but they are not being filled; there is lack of training of forest officials. While poachers have modern weaponry, forest officials still carry primitive weapons.
What about organisations that oppose rehabilitation from crucial tiger habitats?
I have spoken to numerous people who live in these forests and they have expressed the willingness to move out. These areas have no amenities and they want schools, hospitals and clean water. I want to ask the people, who oppose rehabilitation, to try and live in these forests without any basic amenities.
Who are the poaching gangs operating in India and why is it difficult to nab them?
Five years ago, the main players were Sansar Chand, Shabbir Hasan and Prabhakaran in south India. After their arrests, their family members are carrying on the business. Poaching is like a drug trail which keeps going in the safe hands of an organised system: if one man is arrested, he is soon replaced by someone else. It is like any other organised crime and needs to be dealt with in a similar fashion. But, in our country, when people can get away with murder, how do you expect stringent actions against wildlife crimes, which are not even taken seriously by the government and its agencies?
Recently, I read about 'tiger wines' that are available all over the world.
Most tiger wines use tiger bones that are bred in captivity in China, while the Indian tiger is used exclusively for medicine. Bulk of manufacturing happens in China and then these products are exported. You can find products with tiger bones on the streets of Los Angeles and San Francisco, among other cities.
What is the future of tigers in India?
India has to make serious decisions. Do Indians want these magnificent species or not? None of these animals would survive if we don't give them space. We will have tigers in the future but they would be confined to small patches across India and then we will have glorified safaris to see the true wild tiger of India. In 2006, Animal Planet did a global survey and tiger was voted as the most popular animal in the world. India has the largest population of wild tigers. The world envies us and this makes us deeply responsible to ensure that this species roams Indian forests forever.
Your views on commercial activities inside reserves.
Our reserves can't sustain this kind of mindless pressure. Instead of developing tiger habitats we are destroying it. Resorts in reserves cater to parties, weddings and rain dances which are beyond my understanding. Why should people go there for such events? These reserves should be strictly for wildlife tourism and authorities should not encourage this senseless mess. The vision of the authorities is blurred.
Akash Bisht Delhi
What impact would the 'year of the tiger' in China have on Indian tigers?
I met traders in China and they mentioned that the demand for tiger parts is increasing in China. The Year of the Tiger will definitely fuel demand for tiger parts which is a flourishing business in China. This demand would have a detrimental effect on tiger conservation in India and could lead to more tigers being poached. It is also a wonderful opportunity to create awareness in China about the few tigers that are left in the world. The international community should build pressure on China to stop trading in tiger parts.
Despite so much funding why is Project Tiger unsuccessful in curbing poaching in India?
Money doesn't buy motivation, commitment or political will. The central government has shown concern about dwindling numbers, but states don't give much importance to tigers. The tiger is an inconvenience because it involves people who live in tiger habitats, and politicians are only bothered about vote bank politics. State governments are in a state of denial whenever the issue of tiger deaths are raised. These governments are stuck in old ways and there is complete lack of transparency. The entire system is rotten. There are numerous vacancies in the forest department but they are not being filled; there is lack of training of forest officials. While poachers have modern weaponry, forest officials still carry primitive weapons.
What about organisations that oppose rehabilitation from crucial tiger habitats?
I have spoken to numerous people who live in these forests and they have expressed the willingness to move out. These areas have no amenities and they want schools, hospitals and clean water. I want to ask the people, who oppose rehabilitation, to try and live in these forests without any basic amenities.
Who are the poaching gangs operating in India and why is it difficult to nab them?
Five years ago, the main players were Sansar Chand, Shabbir Hasan and Prabhakaran in south India. After their arrests, their family members are carrying on the business. Poaching is like a drug trail which keeps going in the safe hands of an organised system: if one man is arrested, he is soon replaced by someone else. It is like any other organised crime and needs to be dealt with in a similar fashion. But, in our country, when people can get away with murder, how do you expect stringent actions against wildlife crimes, which are not even taken seriously by the government and its agencies?
Recently, I read about 'tiger wines' that are available all over the world.
Most tiger wines use tiger bones that are bred in captivity in China, while the Indian tiger is used exclusively for medicine. Bulk of manufacturing happens in China and then these products are exported. You can find products with tiger bones on the streets of Los Angeles and San Francisco, among other cities.
What is the future of tigers in India?
India has to make serious decisions. Do Indians want these magnificent species or not? None of these animals would survive if we don't give them space. We will have tigers in the future but they would be confined to small patches across India and then we will have glorified safaris to see the true wild tiger of India. In 2006, Animal Planet did a global survey and tiger was voted as the most popular animal in the world. India has the largest population of wild tigers. The world envies us and this makes us deeply responsible to ensure that this species roams Indian forests forever.
Your views on commercial activities inside reserves.
Our reserves can't sustain this kind of mindless pressure. Instead of developing tiger habitats we are destroying it. Resorts in reserves cater to parties, weddings and rain dances which are beyond my understanding. Why should people go there for such events? These reserves should be strictly for wildlife tourism and authorities should not encourage this senseless mess. The vision of the authorities is blurred.
Friday, March 5, 2010
The Year of the Tiger - and Organized Crime
The "Year of the Tiger," the lunar Chinese New Year, was celebrated on February 14. Once every twelve years, tigers are honored for their transcendent beauty and for the physical and psychic prowess their parts are believed to offer humans.
There are perhaps 17,000 tigers on this earth. Between 5,000 and 7,000 are "farmed in China," five thousand in the United States, three thousand of which are kept in private hands, about two thousand in zoos. These are not solid numbers, but what we do know is that there are probably no more than 3,200 tigers in the wild. And we do know that wild tigers are being snared and poached and killed at a rate that will once and for all time bring silence and death to the wild. Thus, this Year of the Tiger has brought an orchestra of well-wishers to the fore: to hold conferences, to issue papers, to pledge to double wild tiger numbers by the next Year of the Tiger. But conferences will not suffice to shut down the vicious criminal organizations, serious killers, who run an operation that is as lucrative as the trade in illegal drugs. A 55 pound sack of tiger bones from a single tiger, a tiger once wild and now caged in a tenement zoo enclosure, can be worth up to $250,000. Consider the selling price of all the parts of a failing, ill-treated, once-wild tiger, now near death with other once-wild, dying tigers.
T.J. a Siberian tiger who Liz and I met in 1992, in of all places, Zoo Montana in Billings, courtesy of Dr. Jay Kirkpatrick, Director of the Science and Conservation Center, was not among those who ever knew wildness. To that extent he was not a tiger at all. I will write more about the splendid creature, Timothy J., named after a keeper in Denver, a tiny cub whose mother died shortly after his birth. He was three years old at the time we met him, a supreme failure as a wild tiger, but a masterpiece of creature beauty.
Tiger numbers are difficult to state with precision. What is not difficult to state is that there is a well-organized criminal trade in tigers, tiger parts and tiger prey, mainly headed for China. And as China enjoys greater affluence, the internal market place for wild tiger products, grows stronger and more demanding. Tiger bone wine, ground tiger bone powder mixed with 38% proof rice wine is sold for prices as high as $750 per bottle depending on the vintage.
TRAFFIC, a group financed by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) serves as the ubiquitous watchdog and reporter of the illegal trade in tigers and tiger parts, as well as tiger prey.
Here is a recent wake-up report from TRAFFIC.
"The tiger is in crisis. Its value has exponentially increased as a result of the growing affluence of a significant population of Asians, particularly the Chinese. The removal of a top predator from any ecosystem is the equivalent of removing an essential structural component from an airplane. The system will crash.
"The reason for the continuing demise of the wild tiger is overwhelmingly the demand for bones, skin, meat and virtually every part that comprises a tiger. Claws and teeth are used for jewelry and good luck charms. Eyeballs are used to treat epilepsy, bile to stop convulsions, whiskers to soothe toothache and penises as a potent sexual tonic. It is this exploding demand in China that has led to the diversification of organized crime gangs running tiger trafficking operations. The most readily available and cheapest part of the killing gang: willing poachers in all parts of the tiger's range. When the takings get too slim, operations move to wherever enforcement is weakest and corruption highest.
"These are tough people, not hesitating to kill when pushed hard.
"India, Nepal, Sumatra, Malaysia, Vietnam are all poaching centers of the trade. There is a new trend for cutting tigers into portable sized pieces, skin first removed. More saleable components can be shipped via truck using this method. Even some zoos have had break-ins (China and Indonesia) where the tigers in the cage are killed and butchered on the spot and the body parts carried out overnight in backpacks.
"Poaching is not about poor farmers scratching out a living, or retaliating against a tiger that has invaded a village garden - this is big business. It is arrogant business; in the face of multi-party workshops and multi-player pledges to work to save the wild tiger, we have received a recent film made in Malaysia, portraying a number of poachers who snared a tiger. We watch as they spear it, shoot it, and grin back at the camera. Here is the first link that connects by cell phone or satellite phone to the syndicated group that swiftly moves the dead tiger from the source to the consumer.
"We conclude that the tiger does not have a chance unless we can catalyze high level government will, build in governance and transparency systems and raise the capacity for enforcement. That combined with demand reduction programs and working to close the tiger farms is what the workshops that have been and are to be is pledged, not necessarily to do, but to talk about. We also emphasize that the encouragement of young local NGO's such Asean Wen (Asean Wildlife Network) of Thailand is crucial to the long-term viability of wild tigers."
So, what is the planned strategy of the world's key policy-makers now that the saving of wild tigers is fast becoming a global responsibility? In April of 2009 an international technical workshop was convened in Thailand: the Pattaya Manifesto on Combating Wildlife Crime in Asia. It issued fifteen recommendations focusing on initiatives for the prevention of poaching, reduction in demand for illegal wildlife, as well as increasing public awareness.
Next followed the much ballyhooed workshop in Kathmandu (Nepal) convened October 30 of last year. More than 250 "experts," scientists and government delegates from thirteen tiger- range countries attended and called for "immediate action to save tigers before the species disappears from the wild." They cited the urgent need to for increased protection against tiger poaching and trafficking in tiger parts. The usual luminaries co-organized and co-sponsored the event: the most prestigious, the World Bank.
One workshop seems to always beget another, in this case a conference held in Thailand, October 27 through October 30. This was Asia's first ministerial meeting on tiger conservation. In attendance were ministers and vice ministers representing the thirteen tiger-range countries.
This workshop added the element of site specific work, already in progress, to save tiger habitat and effect outreach work with the local population. Wildlife Conservation Society, financed to some extent by our foundation, is working in western Thailand to beef up local patrols, keep development at arm's length from tiger habitat, and do the monitoring necessary to evaluate the program's activities. All in all, the results are positive. But the work, valuable as it is, will not do the long-term job that is required. Unless the criminal trade is shut down, the attendees agreed, the wild tiger will be gone by the next Year of the Tiger.
The Prime Minister delivered a video address to the group. "This may be our last chance to save the tiger," he said as he urged the group to set a clear and forceful agenda.
An important statement emerged. The attendees affirmed that they had appeared together with a common purpose: to make clear commitments to saving the endangered tiger. They agreed, in a joint declaration to protect "critical tiger habitats and existing tiger source populations as true sanctuaries for tigers and be inviolate from economic development." They laid out an agenda for the September Summit meeting in Vladivostok that covered all bases, including the enforcement of laws that would eventually put an end to the criminal poaching of tigers and tiger prey, and the shutting down of all tiger farms, an issue of major importance to the World Bank.
So, next to Vladivostok in September: a Heads of State Summit, hosted by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and co-chaired by the World Bank's Robert Zoellick.
"Summits" as we know, come and go, and then the players go back to the rhythms of their daily lives. Once again, it will not be heads of state that will save the wild tiger. It will be us, you and me and people who care enough to engage.
There are perhaps 17,000 tigers on this earth. Between 5,000 and 7,000 are "farmed in China," five thousand in the United States, three thousand of which are kept in private hands, about two thousand in zoos. These are not solid numbers, but what we do know is that there are probably no more than 3,200 tigers in the wild. And we do know that wild tigers are being snared and poached and killed at a rate that will once and for all time bring silence and death to the wild. Thus, this Year of the Tiger has brought an orchestra of well-wishers to the fore: to hold conferences, to issue papers, to pledge to double wild tiger numbers by the next Year of the Tiger. But conferences will not suffice to shut down the vicious criminal organizations, serious killers, who run an operation that is as lucrative as the trade in illegal drugs. A 55 pound sack of tiger bones from a single tiger, a tiger once wild and now caged in a tenement zoo enclosure, can be worth up to $250,000. Consider the selling price of all the parts of a failing, ill-treated, once-wild tiger, now near death with other once-wild, dying tigers.
T.J. a Siberian tiger who Liz and I met in 1992, in of all places, Zoo Montana in Billings, courtesy of Dr. Jay Kirkpatrick, Director of the Science and Conservation Center, was not among those who ever knew wildness. To that extent he was not a tiger at all. I will write more about the splendid creature, Timothy J., named after a keeper in Denver, a tiny cub whose mother died shortly after his birth. He was three years old at the time we met him, a supreme failure as a wild tiger, but a masterpiece of creature beauty.
Tiger numbers are difficult to state with precision. What is not difficult to state is that there is a well-organized criminal trade in tigers, tiger parts and tiger prey, mainly headed for China. And as China enjoys greater affluence, the internal market place for wild tiger products, grows stronger and more demanding. Tiger bone wine, ground tiger bone powder mixed with 38% proof rice wine is sold for prices as high as $750 per bottle depending on the vintage.
TRAFFIC, a group financed by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) serves as the ubiquitous watchdog and reporter of the illegal trade in tigers and tiger parts, as well as tiger prey.
Here is a recent wake-up report from TRAFFIC.
"The tiger is in crisis. Its value has exponentially increased as a result of the growing affluence of a significant population of Asians, particularly the Chinese. The removal of a top predator from any ecosystem is the equivalent of removing an essential structural component from an airplane. The system will crash.
"The reason for the continuing demise of the wild tiger is overwhelmingly the demand for bones, skin, meat and virtually every part that comprises a tiger. Claws and teeth are used for jewelry and good luck charms. Eyeballs are used to treat epilepsy, bile to stop convulsions, whiskers to soothe toothache and penises as a potent sexual tonic. It is this exploding demand in China that has led to the diversification of organized crime gangs running tiger trafficking operations. The most readily available and cheapest part of the killing gang: willing poachers in all parts of the tiger's range. When the takings get too slim, operations move to wherever enforcement is weakest and corruption highest.
"These are tough people, not hesitating to kill when pushed hard.
"India, Nepal, Sumatra, Malaysia, Vietnam are all poaching centers of the trade. There is a new trend for cutting tigers into portable sized pieces, skin first removed. More saleable components can be shipped via truck using this method. Even some zoos have had break-ins (China and Indonesia) where the tigers in the cage are killed and butchered on the spot and the body parts carried out overnight in backpacks.
"Poaching is not about poor farmers scratching out a living, or retaliating against a tiger that has invaded a village garden - this is big business. It is arrogant business; in the face of multi-party workshops and multi-player pledges to work to save the wild tiger, we have received a recent film made in Malaysia, portraying a number of poachers who snared a tiger. We watch as they spear it, shoot it, and grin back at the camera. Here is the first link that connects by cell phone or satellite phone to the syndicated group that swiftly moves the dead tiger from the source to the consumer.
"We conclude that the tiger does not have a chance unless we can catalyze high level government will, build in governance and transparency systems and raise the capacity for enforcement. That combined with demand reduction programs and working to close the tiger farms is what the workshops that have been and are to be is pledged, not necessarily to do, but to talk about. We also emphasize that the encouragement of young local NGO's such Asean Wen (Asean Wildlife Network) of Thailand is crucial to the long-term viability of wild tigers."
So, what is the planned strategy of the world's key policy-makers now that the saving of wild tigers is fast becoming a global responsibility? In April of 2009 an international technical workshop was convened in Thailand: the Pattaya Manifesto on Combating Wildlife Crime in Asia. It issued fifteen recommendations focusing on initiatives for the prevention of poaching, reduction in demand for illegal wildlife, as well as increasing public awareness.
Next followed the much ballyhooed workshop in Kathmandu (Nepal) convened October 30 of last year. More than 250 "experts," scientists and government delegates from thirteen tiger- range countries attended and called for "immediate action to save tigers before the species disappears from the wild." They cited the urgent need to for increased protection against tiger poaching and trafficking in tiger parts. The usual luminaries co-organized and co-sponsored the event: the most prestigious, the World Bank.
One workshop seems to always beget another, in this case a conference held in Thailand, October 27 through October 30. This was Asia's first ministerial meeting on tiger conservation. In attendance were ministers and vice ministers representing the thirteen tiger-range countries.
This workshop added the element of site specific work, already in progress, to save tiger habitat and effect outreach work with the local population. Wildlife Conservation Society, financed to some extent by our foundation, is working in western Thailand to beef up local patrols, keep development at arm's length from tiger habitat, and do the monitoring necessary to evaluate the program's activities. All in all, the results are positive. But the work, valuable as it is, will not do the long-term job that is required. Unless the criminal trade is shut down, the attendees agreed, the wild tiger will be gone by the next Year of the Tiger.
The Prime Minister delivered a video address to the group. "This may be our last chance to save the tiger," he said as he urged the group to set a clear and forceful agenda.
An important statement emerged. The attendees affirmed that they had appeared together with a common purpose: to make clear commitments to saving the endangered tiger. They agreed, in a joint declaration to protect "critical tiger habitats and existing tiger source populations as true sanctuaries for tigers and be inviolate from economic development." They laid out an agenda for the September Summit meeting in Vladivostok that covered all bases, including the enforcement of laws that would eventually put an end to the criminal poaching of tigers and tiger prey, and the shutting down of all tiger farms, an issue of major importance to the World Bank.
So, next to Vladivostok in September: a Heads of State Summit, hosted by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and co-chaired by the World Bank's Robert Zoellick.
"Summits" as we know, come and go, and then the players go back to the rhythms of their daily lives. Once again, it will not be heads of state that will save the wild tiger. It will be us, you and me and people who care enough to engage.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
More to come soon!!
More updates to come soon once members start joining!! To all those who have already joined , a big thanks!
Shahnawaz
Shahnawaz
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