Killer tiger resurfaces in Kodagu

TNN Jan 10, 2012, 01.56AM IST

MADIKERI: The tiger, which attacked and injured three buffaloes on Friday, killed a cow on Saturday night at Netkundh near Birunani in South Kodagu. Chottangada Rohith found the half-eaten carcass of his cow near its shed.

People in South Kodagu are fearful because the tiger, which claimed several livestock in October and November last year, has resurfaced. A forest department team had kept cages to capture it. These men were relieved when the tiger's pugmark was seen about 500 metres from the Kallalla forest touching Nagarahole on Nov. 9. No incidents were reported after that in Kanoor, Shrimangala, T Shettigeri and Hudikeri villages.

The trouble spot is on the Birunani Kodagu - Kerala border. Shrinivas Naik, the Shrimangala wildlife range forest officer, told TOI a leopard may have attacked the cattle. The incidents happened at Birunani near Brahmagiri wildlife forest range and the animal probably arrived from this forest he said, adding, "We are trying our best to chase the animal back to the forest by bursting crackers in the bushes and trees," Naik said. The animal can be identified only after veterinarians survey these area, he added.

KA Manu of Birunani villager and Kanoor villager S.P.Mahadevappa told TOI villagers are afraid to move about freely on work and students are tense on their way to school and back. After class, students reach home by about 7pm and they tremble with fear on their way back. Virajpet taluk in-charge deputy conservator of forests Anand said cages would be kept in certain points to capture the animal. He said forest guards in groups will try and capture the tiger.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bangalore/Killer-tiger-resurfaces-in-Kodagu/articleshow/11429631.cms

http://www.bigcatrescue.org

India's first anti-poaching tiger force begins work

By Habib Beary
Bangalore
4 January 2012
Last updated at 07:04 ET

India's first forest ranger unit charged specifically with preventing tiger poaching has gone into action.

The 54-member force will patrol tiger reserves in national parks straddling the borders of Karnataka, Tamil Nado and Kerala states in the south.

The Special Tiger Protection Force has received training in jungle survival and weapons use.

Tiger numbers have shrunk alarmingly in recent decades. A census last year counted about 1,700 tigers in the wild.

A century ago there were estimated to be 100,000 tigers in India.

Numbers up

"The force is operational," Karnataka conservation official BK Singh told the BBC. "They will deal with poachers and hunters."

The Special Tiger Protection Force was formed by the forest and environment ministry on the recommendation of the National Tiger Conservation Authority and Karnataka authorities.

With their special training course completed, the unit has moved into Bandipur and Nagarahole national parks, south of Bangalore.

The forested region has the highest number of tigers in India, according to a census released in March 2011 by the forest and environment ministry.

India's tiger numbers have shrunk from 100,000 to 1,700 in a little over 100 years Karnataka state, which has six tiger reserves, has about 300 tigers, followed by Madhya Pradesh in the north with 257.

The census indicated that tiger numbers had increased to 1,706 from 1,411 at the last count in 2007.

Officials say conservation efforts by the government and wildlife organisations have helped tiger and elephant populations increase.

But poaching remains a threat, with some 25 tigers killed in Karnataka alone since 2006.

A second tiger force will be set up in the eastern state of Orissa.

Senior National Tiger Conservation Authority official Rajesh Gopal said 13 tiger reserves in seven states across the country had been identified for special measures to protect the big cats.

Tiger expert Ullas Karanth said the new force would go a long way toward saving tigers from poachers.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-16410137

http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Tiger count in south states this month

Sreenivas Janyala
Posted: Tue Jan 03 2012, 00:03 hrs
Hyderabad:

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) will start conducting its annual estimation of tigers in Kawal and Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam tiger reserve (NSTR) along with other tiger reserves in southern states later this month.

For Kawal tiger reserve where at least four to six tigers are known to exist, it is the moment of truth. Tribals, who are opposed to the new tiger reserve because they may be asked to relocate, claim that there are no tigers there, and are protesting and creating hurdles for the tiger reserve. Forest officials say that they will pay special attention to Kawal during the exercise to prove that it is home for a few tigers.

Camera traps and unofficial estimation in the NSTR indicated the presence of new tigers last October. The total tiger population in the reserve is estimated to be 70 to 90, including several cubs.

A two-day training camp for field officers and forest officials of southern states starts at Bandipur on January 4. Known as Phase IV of All India Tiger Estimation, the decision to monitor tiger populations annually, instead of once every four years, was taken in May last year. Phase IV of the All India Tiger Estimation is an exercise in intensive, annual monitoring of source tiger populations in 41 reserves. Hundreds of cameras will be placed for 45 to 60 days at a gap of 1 km to identify and record tigers.

Field officers will also use traditional methods like tracking pugmarks. The latest models of camera traps and estimation methods have been developed by Dr K Ullas Karanth of Wild Conservation Society (India).

Chief Conservator of Forests (Project Tiger) A K Naik says the estimation of tigers will now be conducted specifically in reserves every year. “The practice of census conducted in all wildlife sanctuaries and national parks will be conducted every four years as usual but in tiger zones, estimation will be conducted annually from now,” Naik said. Besides tigers, the condition and health of the habitat and ecosystem, and availability of prey base and prey population will also be taken into account.

The NTCA is providing necessary equipment and has allotted Rs 35 lakh grant this year to conduct the exercise. Besides forest officers, external experts who will monitor the estimation exercise are also being appointed. Imran Siddiqui of Hyderabad Tiger Conservation Society has been appointed as outside expert for Andhra Pradesh.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Tiger-count-in-south-states-this-month/894956/

http://www.bigcatrescue.org/

Two Florida panthers

Saranda springs tiger surprise

Saturday, 15 October 2011 23:40 Sayantanee Choudhury

If the inhabitants of the Asia’s biggest Sal forest, Saranda, and initial evidence are to be believed, then its good news in the offing for wildlife lovers. Contrary to the general perception that big cats never existed in Saranda, there are hints for the first time of a tigress and a couple of cubs living there.

A team of wildlife experts has been rushed to the spot to examine tiger pugmarks found recently in the dense forest cover of Jharkhand. The team will also collect excreta and shed fur samples.

According to Saranda divisional forest officer KK Tiwari, locals spotted few unfamiliar pugmarks and informed the forest officials. “People even claimed to have seen one tigress and two cubs in the forest,” he added. However, the sighting is yet to be verified.

Jharkhand wildlife warden AK Gupta said, “A team of six members — including local wildlife officers and members from Ranchi — have been sent to Saranda to collect samples.”

He added that a large numbers of leopards and hyena inhabited Saranda earlier and that the forests often give conflicting signals on the presence of big cats.

Saranda is considered an unspoilt world, where nature rules supreme. It is the home of the endangered flying lizard. It is famous for its Sal forests and majestic elephants. However, news of tigers in the area then would definitely be good.

“The samples will be sent for forensic examination and results will be available within 10 days. Since there were no evidences of existence big of cats earlier, so we want to get a confirmed report from the forensic laboratory,” Gupta said.

The Singhbhum Elephant Reserve is the only elephant reserve which exists in this forest, with traditional routes taken by the pachyderms. “We are also trying to trace the routes of the tigers, if they are in the forest. No big cats have shown their existence even in neighbhouring Dalma forests either. It is possible that the tiger family has migrated from Odisha or Andhra Pradesh,” said the wildlife warden.

Gupta added, “Of late, tigers are probably trying out new routes. Few of them might have been isolated towards the Saranda forest and are trying to re-establish themselves here.”

http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/ranchi/13586-saranda-springs-tiger-surprise.html

http://www.bigcatresue.org/

Environmentalists and investors draw claws over plan

Next generation ... $30 million has been ploughed into helping secure the future of the endangered South China tiger. Photo: courtesy Li Quan

Ben Cubby
October 17, 2011.

A BOLD plan to shield the South China tiger from extinction has become a battleground between environment groups and so-called ''angel investors'', who have plunged $30 million in cash into the big cats' future.

Li Quan, a former executive at fashion label Gucci, and her financier husband Stuart Bray, have been working for 13 years to rebuild a sustainable tiger population. Perhaps fewer than 20 South China tigers are thought to still inhabit remote and mountainous regions of China's south. They are likely to be extinct in the wild within a decade.

The couple have sunk a fortune into a breeding program for cubs in South Africa, and are now ready to start sending them to China for release.

The Save China's Tigers program has just been recognised as a charity in Australia. But it has been criticised by some environment groups, including the international arm of WWF. The battle highlights the critical choices behind many conservation decisions

In a letter seen by the Herald, WWF said the program is misguided, and the $30 million in funding would be more wisely deployed elsewhere. Others have publicly described the plan as a ''vanity project''.

''Yes of course I have heard this term 'vanity project','' Ms Quan said. ''The criticisms have been coming for many years now, but we are doing the right thing for the animals, we are sure of that.''

http://www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/environmentalists-and-investors-draw-claws-over-plan-20111016-1lrlj.html

http://www.bigcatrescue.org/

Fisherman killed by tiger in Sunderbans

Ananya Dutta
KOLKATA, October 17, 2011

A fisherman was killed by a tiger deep inside the forests of the Sunderban Biosphere Reserve on Sunday.

Satyabrata Jana of Kultuli had gone fishing with four others in the Gazikhali forest area within the Sajnekhali wildlife sanctuary. They had spread their nets in the waters and were sitting on the land when a tiger attacked the group, Subrat Mukherjee, field director of Sunderban Tiger Reserve, told The Hindu over telephone.

“We have received reports of one person being killed by a tiger. They had gone fishing in the restricted area of the forest and did not have a permit for fishing,” Mr. Mukherjee said.

Since Mr. Jana was killed in the restricted areas of the forest, his family will not be eligible for the compensation that is given to victims of tiger attacks.

Illegal fishing in the restricted areas of the forest is a perennial problem that plagues the region and results in several incidents of man-animal conflict.

“The fishermen try their best to dodge the guards of the Forest Department and enter the restricted areas. Since they are flouting the rules they are not entitled to any compensation if any such incidents occur,” said Sarba Mondal, a resident of the Sunderban islands.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2543424.ece

http://www.bigcatrescue.org/

3 Bor tigers can be rehabilitated: WII team

Vijay PinjarkarVijay Pinjarkar, TNN Oct 17, 2011, 05.29AM IST

NAGPUR: Amid debate over proposed release of three rescued tigers in Bor wildlife sanctuary, 60km from Nagpur, the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, has submitted a positive report about their release.

After assessing the three tigers - two female and one male - a two-member WII team, consisting of scientist K Ramesh Kumar and veterinarian Dr Parag Nigam, said that the Bor tigers are good candidates for rehabilitation in the wild. The team had visited Bor on October 4. The team submitted the report to A K Saxena, additional principal chief conservator of forests (APCCF), East, Nagpur, four days ago.

The WII team was accompanied by A Ashraf, chief conservator of forests (CCF) & field director, Pench. The members, who were in Bor for over two hours, said that the tigers were in good condition, even better than those released in Panna.

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) had sent the team only after principal secretary (forest), Maharashtra, Praveen Pardeshi continuously took up the matter before the authorities. This comes after the respective chief wildlife wardens and officials had written a series of letters to the NTCA but failed to elicit any response. This bureaucratic red tapism led to unwarranted delay in deciding the fate of these cubs, which were rescued from Dhaba forest range in Gondpipri in Chandrapur district in September 2009.

"Our first priority is to shift the Bor tigers to a bigger enclosure in Pench. Funds for this have already been sanctioned. Releasing the cubs into the wild doesn't come in our domain. The final decision in this regard will be taken only after consulting NTCA. Entire protocol will be followed," Saxena told TOI.

Wild life experts had claimed that the cubs were 14-months-old when found and hence, are over three years of age now. They look quite grown up. However, the WII team have fixed the age of the cubs at around two-and-half-years.

Initially, the tigers were kept in small cages for treatment in Chandrapur before being shifted to Bor on November 9, 2009, with an aim to rehabilitate them. It has been two years since, but neither serious efforts nor right steps were taken to see that the tigers were relocated successfully. The team also stressed the need for giving live feed to the tigers, which is not being made available.

NTCA joint director S P Yadav told TOI that the matter is under consideration and a committee has been constituted to examine the issues related to orphaned cubs in India, which will decide the fate of such cubs.

Pardeshi said, "WII and NTCA have been asked to give permission for the rehabilitation and only under their guidance, we will release the tigers into the wild."

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/3-Bor-tigers-can-be-rehabilitated-WII-team/articleshow/10383247.cms

http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Film on R'bore tiger wins 3 awards in US

Anindo DeyAnindo Dey, TNN Oct 11, 2011, 02.28AM IST

JAIPUR: In a rare laurel for Ranthambore National Park, a documentary film on a tiger at the park has recently won three awards including that of the 'best film award' at a film festival in Jackson Hole, US. The film christened 'Broken Tail' is the true story of a tiger in the park which had disappeared but survived in an unprotected hinterland for several months and eventually died after a train hit him. The film won three awards in separate categories for the best overall film, best conservation film and best presenter at the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival (JHWFF).

Internationally renowned as the largest and most prestigious biennial competition of the nature genre, this year's festival that concluded on October 8 included 510 films from more than 30 countries in 800 categories. According to conservationist Aditya Singh of Ranthambore Bagh, who was part of the production crew in India, "Broken Tail was one of the two male cubs of Machali, Ranthambore's best know tigress. In the summer of 2000, sometime in April, Machali mated with a large male tiger called "Bamboo Ram" and three-and-a-half months later, she gave birth to her first litter of two male cubs called Broken Tail (because his tail was broken) and Slant Ear. By the end of December 2001, both these cubs separated from Machali and we never saw Slant Ear again," says Singh. The production team also included conservationist Dharmendra Khandal.

"For about a year-and-a-half, Broken Tail stayed in a small territory at the edge of Ranthambore National Park, not really a great neighbourhood for tigers. Somewhere in the summer of 2003, Broken Tail decided to leave Ranthambore and in August 2003, a passenger train ran over him, in Darrah sanctuary, nearly 100 miles away from Ranthambore. It took the forest department and everyone else, including us, over a year to realize that the tiger that was run down by the train was Broken Tail," he said. Directed by John Murray and Colin Stafford-Johnson, who spent about 600 days filming the documentary. Broken Tail had posed for the camera in his initial days, but one day it suddenly disappeared, abandoning the sanctuary.

Barely three-years-old then, Broken Tail had made an unprecedented 200 km trek across densely populated countryside while wildlife cameraman Stafford Johnson retraces the steps of the tiger. "Colin had come down to Ranthambore in 2005 to shoot a film for Tokyo Broadcasting Service and that is when he thought of doing a film on Broken Tail's journey. For the next four years, Colin, Salim Ali, one of Ranthambore's best guides, and I researched the film. This included tracking down the path that Broken Tail would have taken from Ranthambore to Darrah.

We did this by inputs from villagers, who had either seen him or whose cattle Broken Tail had killed, forest guards who had seen him or his pugmarks. We interviewed over 200 people including the train driver whose train ran the tiger down in a tunnel in Darrah. The actual filming started in 2009 and was over in 2010. However a lot of the footage was actually shot from 2001 onwards, when Broken Tail was a cub," he adds.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/Film-on-Rbore-tiger-wins-3-awards-in-US/articleshow/10307317.cms

http://www.bigcatrescue.org/

Russian and US veterinarians collaborate to solve mysterious wild tiger deaths

A camera trap image of a Siberian (Amur) tiger in the Russian Far East. A team of health experts from the Bronx Zoo-based Wildlife Conservation Society and several Russian organizations have confirmed the presence of distemper in wild tiger populations, a finding that will enable conservationists to formulate measures to mitigate this recent threat. Credit: Image courtesy of WCS Russia

September 30, 2011

A' team of Russian veterinary colleagues and health experts from the Wildlife Conservation Society's Bronx Zoo are collaborating to understand how distemper -- a virus afflicting domestic dogs and many wildlife species -- may be a growing threat to Siberian (Amur) tigers.

The team presented its results at the first-ever Russian symposium on wildlife diseases held this week in the Russian Far East city of Ussurisk. The symposium underscores the growing recognition of the importance of the health sciences to successful wildlife conservation efforts.

Working at WCS's Wildlife Health Center at the Bronx Zoo, Russian health experts and WCS pathologists used histology along with PCR and DNA sequencing to confirm and characterize the infection in two wild Siberian tigers from the Russian Far East. This diagnosis provides long-awaited genetic confirmation of the fact that distemper is impacting wild tigers, which WCS and Russian colleagues first documented in 2003.

The collaboration will enable conservationists to formulate health measures to counter this latest threat to the world's largest cat.

The participants in the partnership included: Drs. Irina Korotkova and Galina Ivanchuk from the Primorskaya State Agricultural Academy; Elena Lyubchenko, county veterinarian for Ussuriski County, Drs. Anastasia Vysokikh and Mikhail Alshinetskiy from the Moscow Zoo; and Drs. Denise McAloose and Tracie Seimon from WCS.

Last year a tigress "Galia" -- studied by WCS researchers for eight years in Sikhote-Alin Biosphere Reserve in the Russian Far East -- walked into the village of Terney. Galia displayed abnormal neurologic signs, seemingly unfazed by the new surrounding, appeared gaunt, and was searching for dogs as an easy meal. The tiger was shot by local police after several capture attempts failed. In November 2003, a similar event occurred when an otherwise healthy looking wild tigress walked into the village of Pokrovka in Khabarovski Krai. WCS staff working in the area immobilized the animal and worked with local Russian veterinarian Evgeny Slabe in treating the tiger, which later died in captivity. Samples for the diagnosis of distemper were collected only from these two animals.

Several other examples of tigers entering villages or stalling traffic on major roadways -- behavior possibly indicative of distemper -- have been reported in recent years.

"This exchange provides a foundation for elucidating potential disease threats to tigers in the Russian Far East," said Irina Korotkova of the Primorskaya Agricultural Academy. "Understanding the role of distemper in our wild Amur tiger population is vitally important."

Distemper is found worldwide in domestic dogs and has caused infection and death in wild species such as lynx and bobcats in Canada, Baikal seals in Russia, lions in the Serengeti ecosystem in Africa, and raccoons and the endangered black footed ferret in the United States.

"With all the threats facing Siberian tigers from poaching and habitat loss, relatively little research has been done on diseases that may afflict tigers," said Dale Miquelle, WCS Director of Russia Programs. "There are no records of tigers entering villages and behaving so abnormally before 2000, so this appears to be a new development and new threat. Understanding whether disease is a major source of mortality for Siberian tigers is crucial for future conservation efforts."

Anatoly Astafiev, Director of Sikhote-Alin Reserve, said, "We have seen a fall in tiger numbers within our reserve, so it is very important to know that at least one of the causes is a recognizable disease, something we may be able to address and potentially prevent."

Canine distemper is controlled in domestic dogs through vaccination. In Africa, massive vaccination campaigns of dogs in villages surrounding the Serengeti appear to have been effective in reducing the disease's impact on lions.

Dr. Denise McAloose, WCS's Chief Pathologist and leader of the investigation, said, "This is a great example of what international collaboration can achieve. Without our Russian associates there on the spot, knowing what samples to collect and how to preserve these specimens, samples would never have made it to our lab, and the cause of death would remain unknown. It's great that we're all here together to work on this issue as a team."

WCS is working with staff from the Primorskaya Agriculture Academy and other partners to establish a wildlife lab in Ussurisk to facilitate local diagnostic testing, although it will take several years until the lab is adequately funded and fully functional.

McAloose added: "Until then, there's still much to do including identifying the source of the disease."

It is still uncertain how tigers may have contracted the disease and whether it originated in another wild animal species or domestic dogs, both of which can act as reservoirs for the infection.

Latest reports suggest that fewer than 3,500 tigers remain in the wild; 1,000 are breeding females.

Provided by Wildlife Conservation Society

http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-09-russian-veterinarians-collaborate-mysterious-wild.html

http://www.bigcatrescue.org/

Poor genetic diversity a threat to tigers, says study

Krishnendu MukherjeeKrishnendu Mukherjee, TNN Oct 3, 2011, 03.59AM IST

KOLKATA: On her last legs, Machli - often called Ranthambore's matriarch for presiding over a majestic legacy of over a decade - can still make a tiger-lover crave for her glimpse. But her offsprings in the 400-500 sq km tiger abode in Rajasthan's Sawai Madhopur district face a genetic threat that could hit the population hard in the long run.

While Ranthambore Tiger Reserve (RTR) was in news for a sudden population crash in 1992 and 2003, it assumes more significance in the light of a recent study by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) that says tiger population in the park has shown a loss of genetic diversity over the years. "RTR tiger population is showing loss of many alleles, which may be due to an isolated population without any genetic exchange," said WII's Dr S P Goyal, the investigator of the report - 'Tiger Genome: Implications In Wildlife Forensics'. Alleles are a group of genes that decide an animal's hair colour and immunity, among other characteristics.

The park's tiger population had crashed to 12 in 1992 and 13 in 2003. It bounced back to 31 in 2010 but Dharmendra Khandal, a conservation biologist, feels lower genetic diversity would prove to be a new threat.

"Urbanisation and fragmentation in tiger corridors are the reasons. Ranthambore tigers used to take the Chambal river route to reach Madhya Pradesh's Kuno. But flattening of the river banks stopped tiger dispersal between Ranthambore and MP, resulting in no gene flow between the two tiger populations," he said.

"Since Sariska has lost all its tigers, now the nearest tiger reserve from Ranthambore is over 800 km away, be it Bandhavgarh, Corbett or Satpura," Khandal said. According to tiger expert Valmik Thapar, a growing human population is leading to encroachment of large landscapes making the survival of many species difficult.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Poor-genetic-diversity-a-threat-to-tigers-says-study/articleshow/10213128.cms

http://www.bigcatrescue.org/