Latest #Tiger News from India

Forest staff to be increased to protect big cats in Karnataka

By TNN | 24 Jan, 2015

A day after TOI highlighted the shortage of forest guards and other frontline staff in tiger reserves, forest minister B Ramanath Rai on Friday promised to speed up recruitment of staff and enhance benefits for them.

BENGALURU: The increasing number of tigers in Karnataka's forests and the related call for focus on meeting conservation challenges have woken up the state government.

A day after TOI highlighted the shortage of forest guards and other frontline staff in tiger reserves, forest minister B Ramanath Rai on Friday promised to speed up recruitment of staff and enhance benefits for them. He said of the 1300-odd vacancies of staff, including forest guards and foresters, about 500 will be filled up this year and the rest by next year-end.

"The recruitment wing is already conducting exams for various posts and placements will be done soon. We're taking steps to fill posts of Range Forest Officers (110), Deputy Range Forest officers (113), forest guards (329) and forest watchers (282)," he added.

TOI had on January 22 highlighted how filling up of existing vacancies and recruitment of additional staff were crucial to man the woods.

The forest minister also said he has taken steps to ensure that frontline staff are not transferred for at least five years from a forest division and they'll get special monthly allowance. "The rise in number of tigers, from 209 in 2006 to 406 as per the recent census, is mainly due to the conservation efforts of frontline staff. Habitat improvement programmes, strict patrolling, anti-depredation camps in sensitive zones and rapid response teams helped increase tiger numbers," he added.

Asked about steps to mitigate human-animal conflict, the minister said rail-track fencing for forest borders, which has started in Bandipur-Nagarhole-BRT tiger reserve, will be speeded up and expanded as the government has sanctioned Rs 213 crore for it. "We'll also take up awareness programmes and ensure disturbance in tiger corridors is reduced," he added.

Kudremukh tiger reserve:

On the move to declare Kudremukh the sixth tiger reserve for the state, the minister said the state government is yet to take a call on it. "The central government has given its go-ahead for the project. But there's opposition from local population who fear displacement and other issues. We'll take a call after discussions with stakeholders," he added. Asked about hundreds of families yet to vacate from protected areas, he said efforts are on to convince them and in some reserves there have been good results.

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In North Bengal, big cats are not roaring

HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times, Kolkata

January 24, 2015

Although India’s tiger count has taken a good leap in the last four years, its population in North Bengal has dropped drastically.

According to the 2014 tiger census report, the number of big cats in the forests of North Bengal has dipped from 20 in 2010 to just three in 2014.

During the same period, the Sunderbans saw a rise in tiger population, from 70 to 76.

The report, ‘Status of Tiger in India 2014’, stated that the big cat count jumped by 30% in the past four years. Interestingly, these figures only reveal the number of tigers in the country’s reserves and not the population that exists outside. “The 76 tigers that the census data states is the population in the Sunderbans Tiger Reserve.

But there are tigers in South 24-Parganas division, too. Latest pictures captured through the camera trap technique show there are at least 106 tigers in the Sunderbans, including those in South 24-Parganas division. Images of cubs in South 24-Parganas division show the population is healthy and rising,” Biswajit Roy Chowdhury, a member of the state wildlife advisory board, said.

Similarly, in North Bengal, there are tigers that reside outside the Buxa Tiger Reserve such as the Jaldapara National Park.

Chief wildlife warden Ujjwal Bhattacharya said, “The National Tiger Conservation Authority counts tigers only in the reserves. The state has to make its own arrangements to count tigers which live outside the reserves.”

Wildlife enthusiasts raised an alarm over the declining tiger population in Buxa Tiger Reserve (BTR). In 2012, the state forest department stated there were 20 tigers in the reserve. It was based on a report by Hyderabad-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology which did a DNA analysis on the scat samples.

In October 2013, the NTCA pulled up BTR officials asking it to back their claims with photographic evidences.

While a section of the wildlife experts questioned the procedure adopted for tiger count, others have said that the BTA figures are bloated.

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Six Katarniaghat tigers find home in Berdia park

Jan 23, 2015

BAHRAICH: UP tigers are not only making their presence felt in populated areas like Lucknow and Kanpur, they are also crossing over to Nepal. Camera trappings have revealed that six tigers of Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary had crossed over to Nepal and made Royal Berdia National Park their home. Alarmed over the 'loss', forest officials have written to their Nepalese counterparts for security of these big cats. Katarniaghat reserved forest area is known for its tiger population.

 

 Bahraich's reserved forest area connects with 60-km-long reserved forest area of Nepal leading to the Royal Berdia National Park in Himalayan kingdom. Elephants, rhinos and other wild animal often cross over to Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary from Nepal through this forest corridor. Now, the movement of tigers too has come to light. The Indian Wildlife Institute, Dehradun, officials detected the movement during a routine tallying of camera trapping records of Nepal and believe that the six big cats crossed over to Nepal through the forest corridor. In the 2010 tiger Census, 32 tigers were identified in Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary and their pictures were recorded through thermo sensor cameras. However, the numbers dwindled to 21 in 2012 Census and 24 in 2014. 

As questions about 'vanishing' tigers cropped up, experts of the Indian Wildlife Institute sought records of camera trapping done in Nepal by joint efforts of Nepal forest department and World Wildlife Fund (WWF). "A thorough study of records revealed startling facts. The pictures of six tigers captured in thermo-sensor cameras in Katarniaghat sanctuary in 2010 matched with records of Royal Berdia National Park," said WWF project officer DabeerHasan. "Although movement of tigers is common n forested areas, this is the first instance that Katarniaghat tigers have reached Nepal," he said. "There is nothing to worry, a letter has been sent to Nepal's forest officials to ensure safety of Indian tigers," he added. 

Hasan said that the 20-km region between Katarniaghat wildlife sanctuary and Royal Berdia National park has dense forest cover. "This area is sensitive for tigers. Indian tigers roaming in Nepal forest can return anytime. We have already alerted residents of villages around the forest," he added.

   

Divisional forest officer (DFO) AshishTiwari confirmed that Katarniaghat tigers had crossed over to Royal Berdia park. "A tiger occupies a territory of 15 to 20kms. Shifting of tigers is nothing new. However, we are in regular touch with our Nepal counterparts for updates on safety of these big cats. " Hasan said that movement of Katarniaghat tigers has increased drastically in the last one to two years. "North Kheri and Berdia park forests are directly connected with Katarniaghat corridor. Hence, we must conduct camera trapping on regular basis. 

A letter for the same has also been sent to the Union forest and environment ministry," he added. Tigers had created scare after making rural pockets of Lucknow and Kanpur their haunt. They are yet to be captured.

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