Old guards, rusty guns hit anti-poaching drive

10 foresters ailing, 22 posts lying vacant in Orang national park, says wildlife board

A STAFF REPORTER
Monday , December 28 , 2009

Guwahati, Dec. 27: Age here is a big bar.

The over-aged forest guards of Orang Rajiv Gandhi National Park, most of whom are older than the oldest living rhino in the national park, are perceived as a major handicap in the anti-poaching activities.

A life span of a rhino is about 35-40 years.

This point has been mentioned in a report prepared by the National Wildlife Board, which was set up to study the cause of increasing rhino poaching and tiger poisoning at the smallest rhino habitat in Assam in recent times.

Sources said of the 57 forest guards at the park at present, 18 have already been declared unfit for service, because of injuries and illness and the average age of the remaining is above 45 years.

In fact, the park authorities have written to Dispur recently to replace the 18 ailing forest guards who are in no condition to take on armed poachers.

The park witnessed the death of six rhinos at the hands of poachers this year. One Royal Bengal tiger has also been poisoned.

The park currently has 65 rhinos.

Stung by the spurt in the poaching at Orang, the Centre has formed a two-member committee to probe into it and invited suggestions to put an end to it.

Sources said it was not only the age factor but shortage of forest guards had also hit the park hard in the anti-poaching drives.

Twenty-two posts of forest guards are lying vacant at present.

The forest department did, however, deploy 68 homeguards in September last year after poachers killed two rhinos and poisoned a tiger the previous month.

The report prepared by the committee also stated that untimely release of funds allotted to the national park was demoralising the employees, which had indirectly let to an increase in poaching activities.

“Homeguards had received their salary after five months in September and the casual workers after eight months. These factors have a demoralising effect on the persons engaged in anti-poaching activities,” the report stated.

While the homeguards help the rangers in anti-poaching drives, the casual workers are mostly engaged in looking after elephants. The elephants are used by the forest guards to patrol inside the park and ferry tourists.

Another factor that was mentioned in the report is that most of the rifles used by the forest guards are old and outdated.

Sources said it was because of this fact that at least four rifles misfired when a group of forest guards engaged in a gun-battle with poachers recently inside the park.

“Although all the five forest guards were armed with .303 rifles and .315 rifles, shots could be fired from only one rifle, the rests were not working,” a highly placed source told The Telegraph today.

At least three poachers escaped.

The park at present has nearly 110 rifles but most of these are old and rusty.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1091228/jsp/northeast/story_11913940.jsp

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NY's haul of the wild

By Stefanie Cohen
Last Updated: 10:51 AM, December 27, 2009
Posted: 4:03 AM, December 27, 2009

Pickled cobra that "cures" kidney problems. Chinese Viagra made with deer penis. Balms filled with powdered tiger bone. Bushels of bushmeat.

These are just a few of the exotic and unlawful imports that pour into New York City daily.

And when the black-market booty is not seized by federal agents at airports, they can be found on the shelves of China town apothecaries, Bronx botanicas or swap meets in ethnic neighborhoods throughout the city.

Last week, feds arrested Simon Chaw for stuffing 16 live Asian Bonytongue fish into his suitcase, which he brought on a flight from Malaysia. He'd packed the fish in bags of water and protected them with Styrofoam.

"We had 10 million passengers come into JFK last year, and I have 12 inspectors," said Bob Onda, who supervises US Fish and Wildlife Service inspectors at JFK and La Guardia airports.

A Post interpreter was told recently in Chinatown that he could buy bear gall bladder to clean his blood, and deer penis to improve his sexual prowess.

Inspectors say many strange objects are used in so-called traditional Chinese medicines -- thought to cure everything from a toothache to cancer.

Onda said the Chinese use "medicine mules" like other cultures use "drug mules" -- smuggling into the country thousands of hidden pills containing ground-up tiger and leopard bone.

"If they get it by us they mule it into Chinatown," he said.

This month, a Liberian-born Staten Island woman, Mamie Manneh, was sentenced to three years probation for smuggling 65 pieces of African bushmeat from illegally poached wild animals.

Because the laws that govern trade in wildlife make it illegal to import some objects but legal to sell them once they're in the country, City Hall passed a law in 2004 making it illegal to sell any products that claim to contain rhino and tiger parts.

Still, inspectors are constantly surprised by the strange imports they encounter -- such as the cobra pickled in rice wine that was found on a recent flight from Thailand to JFK.

"It's like drugs," Onda said. "If there's a market for it, people will find a way to bring it into the country."

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/ny_haul_of_the_wild_31e4uLzb9TAaEGHMZQEATN

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'Homesick' tiger to be kept under 24x7 surveillance

2009-12-27 16:10:00

The 'homesick' tiger that strayed from Panna tiger reserve and was found in Tendukheda forest region of Madhya Pradesh's Damoh district will now be kept under round-the-clock surveillance, an official said Sunday.

The forest officials have deployed four tracking teams for a 24x7 surveillance of the tiger that had disrupted Madhya Pradesh forest department's plans to encourage tiger breeding in the Panna National Park.

'The step has been taken so that it may not move out again for its original home 400 km away in Pench reserve. Four tracking teams have been constituted to keep watch on its movements round the clock as the 'homing instinct' might drive the tiger once again towards its original habitat,' Panna National Park director R. Sriniwas Murthy said.

The 'homing instinct' is the ability of an animal to perceive direction - beyond the usual human senses. It helps the lost animal to return to its home or owners. According to experts, this ability can be attributed to the animal's sensitivity to the earth's magnetic field.

'The tiger was brought to Panna on Nov 14 to mate with two tigresses translocated to revive the big cat population in Panna but he moved out of the reserve by Nov 25 and remained untraceable for a month, leaving wildlife scientists baffled,' Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) R.S. Negi said.

'It crossed hills, fields, human habitations and rivers and was moving towards his home at Pench before it was located and trapped after being tranquilised.'

http://sify.com/news/Homesick-tiger-to-be-kept-under-24x7-surveillance-news-jm1qkdbeihi.html

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Tiger released back in Panna Reserve

Panna Saturday, Dec 26 2009 IST

A young tiger caught in the forests of Damoh district was today relased back in the Panna Tiger Reserve after being brought here last night.

The tiger had ventured out of the Panna Tiger Reserve on November 26 and wandered for nearly a month in the forests of Damoh, Chhatarpur and Sagar districts before being caught by the forest officials yesterday.

Panna Tiger Reserve Regional Director R Sriniwas Murthy told UNI that about 30 police personnel besides another 40 officials and employees of the State Forest Department were involved in the task to catch the tiger in the forests of Tendukheda in Damoh district.

He said a team of wildlife experts and veterinarians helped tranquilize the tiger and bring it back to the Reserve.

The task was aided by four elephants that surrounded the tiger.

''The tiger is healthy and is wandering in the Panna Reserve now.

The big cat venturing out of the reserve is once again not ruled out. As a result, four separate teams have been formed in the Reserve to keep a track of the tiger,'' Mr Murthy added.

http://www.netindia123.com/showdetails.asp?id=1413062&n_date=20091226&cat=India

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2 tuskers poached near Bangalore

Jayashree Nandi, TNN 27 December 2009, 03:40am IST

BANGALORE: Two adult elephants were shot dead on Saturday in the Kaglipura range of Bannerghatta National Park, and the tusks of one removed to be smuggled.

A one-and-half year old tiger cub was also found dead on Saturday morning at the Moleyur (Bandipur) tiger reserve, most likely due to territorial conflict with another tiger.

Additional principal chief conservator of forests, B K Singh told STOI: "We have commenced investigations and are documenting all deaths. We will initiate action soon."

The PCCF visited the Moleyur reserve to probe the tigress' death. "It is not foul play. The tigress has wound marks on her face, between her hind limbs and on her back. It is a case of territorial fight," he said. Local representatives from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) also inspected the spot.

Singh will be visiting Bannerghatta National Park on Sunday to investigate the elephant deaths.

During one of his recent inspections in Kollegal, he found people drawing live wires from the main power line of about 440 volts, and fencing their land to avoid elephants from straying inside.

It's a grim year-end for the state's wildlife. In July, the state lost four tigers in two months — a huge loss when seen in the light of the declining national figures. However, three of the four recent cases of tiger deaths in Karnataka were due to fights amongst each other.

Again, a two-year old tigress was tranquillized and captured in one of the reserves and relocated to Bhadra tiger reserve on June 4, but it did not regain consciousness due to an overdose of the tranquillizer.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bangalore/2-tuskers-poached-near-Bangalore/articleshow/5383146.cms

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Tiger dies of starvation in Corbett reserve

Prithviraj Singh Dehradun
Friday, December 18, 2009

An 11-year old tigress died of starvation in Corbett park on Wednesday, forest officials informed the media on Thursday. Carcass of the big cat was discovered at Sarpduli range of the tiger reserve near Ramganga River. The Wednesday incident has raised the big cats’ death toll to nine in Uttarakhand this year.

“Apparently the tigress died natural death as it had grown older and was unable to hunt prey. This was evident from the fact that dead female big cat had lost its canines,” informed Corbett park executive director Kapil Joshi.

The forest official also corrected their earlier statement in which it was claimed that the reason for a tiger’s death on Sunday was a territorial fight. The sources said that the tiger had died of cancer. This was confirmed in the post-mortem report handed over to the Corbett park director.

Corbett park executive director Kapil Joshi said: “Initially it appeared from external injuries that the tiger died in a territorial fight but post-mortem report confirmed that it died of cardiac arrest owing to cancer. Almost four litres of blood was extracted from cavity in its stomach during post-mortem,” informed Joshi.

http://www.dailypioneer.com/223438/Tiger-dies-of-starvation-in-Corbett-reserve.html

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Tiger Pictures In The News 12.26.2009

For Information About White Tigers Visit:
http://www.bigcatrescue.org/cats/wild/white_tigers.htm

1 Tiger treats : 'Jumilah' the Sumatran tiger licks a frozen Christmas treat in his Savannah themed habitat at Taronga Zoo in Sydney.

2. Jumilah, a sumatran tiger, rips open a decorated box as animals at Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia, receive special Christmas treats that encourage them to forage, Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2009. The activities are design to arouse the animals' inquisitiveness and stimulate their natural behaviors

3. Jumilah, a sumatran tiger, prepares to rip open a decorated box as animals at Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia, receive special Christmas treats that encourage them to forage, Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2009. The activities are design to arouse the animals' inquisitiveness and stimulate their natural behaviors.

4. A Siberian Tiger bites a gift with food as part of Christmas celebrations at Safari Zoo in Sao Paulo December 22, 2009.

5. A Siberian Tiger bites a gift with food inside as part of Christmas celebrations at Safari Zoo in Sao Paulo December 22, 2009.

6. A Siberian Tiger bites a gift with food inside as part of Christmas celebrations at Safari Zoo in Sao Paulo December 22, 2009

7. File photo of an Indochinese tiger. A man who shot dead a rare tiger in southwestern China was sentenced to 12 years in prison and fined 580,000 yuan (85,000 dollars), state media reported Tuesday

8. Pine cone tiger : The 18-metre-tall and 21-metre-wide picture of a tiger is displayed to celebrate the upcoming Year of the Tiger at the Hitachi Beach park in Hitachinaka city, Ibaraki prefecture, north of Tokyo

9. In a Monday, December 21, 2009 photo released by Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, Kashmir, a 17-year-old female white Bengal tiger, is not quite sure what to make of the red Christmas bow tied to her collar at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo, Calif. Tiger trainers were taking Kashmir for a stroll around the park and stopped by the popular snow hill featured during the annual Holiday in the Park celebration.

10. A Malayan tiger named "Kathy" is seen at the National Zoo in Kuala Lumpur December 17, 2009. Malaysian government launched a "Tiger Action Plan" to protect against wild tigers in the region, where the species was reported a drastic drop in population from at least 3,000 to around 500 over past 50 years. The initiative of the plan was to increase the amount of wild tiger to 1,000 by 2020

11. A white Bengal tiger named Betty looks at a Christmas tree inside a cage at Buenos Aires' Zoo December 8, 2009.

12. A white Bengal tiger named Betty plays with a Christmas tree inside a cage at Buenos Aires' Zoo December 8, 2009.

13. A white Bengal tiger named Betty looks at a Christmas tree inside a cage at Buenos Aires' Zoo December 8, 2009.

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Wildlife award for Simlipal saviour

Amarendra Bose, TNN 22 December 2009, 10:18pm IST

BARIPADA: For 36 years he has been guarding the forests, walking for miles even at night to protect the big cat, and has dared the bullets of marauders.

Prabir Kumar Palei, one of Project Tiger's longest-serving foot soldiers in Simlipal Tiger Reserve (STR) received the Wildlife Service Award from Bittu Sahgal, editor, Sanctuary Asia magazine in Mumbai recently.

The prestigious award was presented to the forester for his monumental contribution towards the conservation of STR for over three decades. Prabir joined as a field staff in 1974 and worked under the first field director, late Padmashree Saroj Raj Choudhury.

Present field director H S Upadhyaya congratulated Palei for his splendid achievement and said, "Keep it up!" Upadhyaya feels this honour should act as an incentive for juniors to emulate. Prabir, who received a citation and a cash award of Rs 25,000, said he was the first man in his team to defy the warning of security forces and continue to stay overnight in the Upper Barha-Kamuda (UBK) range office.

"I was happy that others in my team gathered courage to wipe out the fear psychosis that was triggered by the first ever offensive by Maoists on March 28, 2009. They have joined me in my efforts to protect the tiger." After the Maoist rampage in Simlipal, foresters were put on foot patrol only during daytime.

The citation presented said, "Prabir Kumar Palei has arrested over 100 people in a lifetime devoted to the protection of the tiger and has been attacked, ambushed and routinely threatened for his pains. But nothing is able to shake his steely resolve to protect the forest he loves. One of Project Tiger's longest-serving foot soldiers, he joined Similipal's frontline team in 1974.

Palei loves the forests and nothing could give away his love more than his rejection of coveted postings. He chose to be a simple foot soldier for 36 years. He had the good fortune to be mentored by Choudhury and literally walked thousands of miles on foot patrols. Palei "knows" Similipal like the back of his hand.

Despite Maoists terror, Palei and his team never buckled. The call of duty kept them ticking. With no roof over their head and only a damaged VHF communication tower to connect them with the rest of the world, he and his men returned to their post in UBK in the core of the forest. When warned by security forces against staying deep inside the forest after dark, he had responded: "Will you look after the forest?"

His mission now is to inspire new recruits who would have the requisite skills and passion to save the tiger. "Palei's name is synonymous with Simlipal. His service is unparalleled," said R N Marandi, another STR forester at Jashipur.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhubaneswar/Wildlife-award-for-Simlipal-saviour/articleshow/5367206.cms

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Russia to host Tiger summit in 2010

21 Dec 2009, 0638 hrs IST, PTI

MOSCOW: Russia will host a tiger preservation summit in Vladivostok in 2010, according to the Russian branch of World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

Scientists decided to use Oriental calendar and the coming year of the Tiger to promote public awareness of the situation with Amur tigers, Igor Chestin, Director of the Russian branch of WWF said on Thursday.

Chestin said that the Russian government, WWF and World Bank initiated the Tiger summit, in which the heads of 13 states are expected to participate.

Only 3200 wildlife tigers remain today, according to Vyacheslav Rozhnov, deputy director of the Ecology and Wildlife Evolution Institute.

WWF estimates Russia's Khabarovsk and Primorye regions have 500 Amur tigers at present.

The Natural Resources ministry will draft a tiger preservation program for the summit, which along with anti-poaching measures will urge for measures to stop cutting cedar forests, the natural habitat of tigers, and expand the territory of wildlife reserves.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/environment/flora-fauna/Russia-to-host-Tiger-summit-in-2010-/articleshow/5360541.cms

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