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Madhya Pradesh sets up special force to protect tigers

By Sanjay Sharma
Bhopal, July 5 (IANS) With its tiger population dwindling sharply over the last two years, a worried Madhya Pradesh government will deploy a Special Tiger Protection Force in its three tiger reserves of Kanha, Bandhavgarh and Pench to arrest the big cat’s worrying decline.

The state government took the decision as it does not want to lose its ‘Tiger State’ tag to Karnataka due to the falling number of the big cats, according to a forest department official. The number of tigers in the state is reported to have dropped from 300 in 2007 to 232 in 2009, he said.

A tiger census conducted by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) in 2007 put the number of big cats in Madhya Pradesh at 300, followed by Karnataka with 290. However, another census conducted by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) in 2008 has put the population in five tiger reserves in Madhya Pradesh at 232 – with 89 big cats in Kanha, 47 in Bandhavgarh, 39 in Satpura, 33 in Pench and 24 in Panna.

However, in April this year a four-member central inquiry committee announced that Panna had no tigers since January. “It is regrettable that not even one tiger is left in Panna,” committee chairman and former NTCA director P.K. Sen had said after visiting the tiger reserve in eastern Madhya Pradesh.

Concerned over the report, the Madhya Pradesh government formed a six-member committee to look into the matter. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also transferred the field directors of Panna, Kanha and Bandhavgarh national parks late last month. “Now a Special Tiger Protection Force is on the anvil to protect the big cats in the various tiger reserves of the state,” a senior wild life official told IANS, not wishing to be identified as he is not authorised to speak to the media.

The state Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, H.S. Pabla, admitted that the tiger population in Panna had decreased but said the figure has remained constant in other reserves of the state.

Minister of State for Forests Rajendra Shukla last week instructed departmental officers to expedite the constitution of the Special Tiger Protection Force. Every company of the force would comprise 112 jawans, three sub-inspectors and six head constables and be headed by a deputy superintendent of police.

Constables of the force will be on deputation from the local police department and be below 40 years of age. Their deputation will continue till the police department creates permanent posts for the force.

The force will work under the control and guidance of the tiger reserve’s Field Director, who will send a monthly report about it to the National Tiger Protection Authority. The cops will be exclusively for tiger protection and be empowered to use firearms in dealing with poachers and organised criminals within the periphery of the reserves.

Officers of the state police department and central forces will impart training to the constables on skill development, dealing with poaching and acting on information.

More at : Madhya Pradesh sets up special force to protect tigers http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/enviornment/madhya-pradesh-sets-up-special-force-to-protect-tigers_100213603.html#ixzz0eazkOw7J

Madhya Pradesh’s missing tigers: Probe panel to begin work Thursday

Bhopal, June 30 (IANS) A panel set up by the Madhya Pradesh government to probe how tigers have disappeared from the Panna Tiger Reserve will begin its work Thursday, officials said.
The central government had earlier criticised the state government for failing to pay heed to the warnings about the tigers’ disappearance from Panna.

In April, a team constituted by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) found that there were no tigers in the Panna reserve.

The four-member Central Inquiry Committee, comprising India’s top wildlife experts, said Panna had no tigers since January.

Committee chairman and former NTCA director P.K. Sen, expressed surprise that the government had shifted two tigresses from Kanha and Bandhavgarh tiger reserves to Panna in March, claiming that tigers were present.

“It is regrettable that not even one tiger is left in Panna,” he said.

The committee said that carelessness on the part of the forest department officials could not be ruled out.

However, the forest department contested the enquiry committee’s claim and said it was too early to estimate tiger numbers in Panna as the big cats move from one place to another.

However, on the directives of Minister of State for Forests Rajendra Shukla, the government formed a panel to look into the disappearance of big cats in Panna.

“We want to know the reasons that led to the disappearance of tigers in Panna and ensure that the big cat population is protected in Madhya Pradesh,” Shukla said.

He said a tiger count in 2006 showed that there were about 15 to 30 tigers in Panna.

The six-member committee formed by the state government includes NTCA member secretary Rajesh Gopal, former director of Wildlife Institute of India H.S. Pawar, principal chief conservator of forests (Wildlife) H.S. Pabla and former PCCF J.J. Dutta, among others.

“The panel after reaching Panna Thursday will hold public hearings, interrogate officials and also seek relevant documents required for the probe,” Pabla told IANS.

The panel in its first meeting held last Friday discussed the points to be included in the probe and the possible corrective measures for the park.

The meeting had discussed what points should be included in the probe, what are the documentary evidences required in the probe, and how should various responsibilities be distributed to conduct the probe.

Officials said Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh in a letter to state Chief Minister Shivraj Chouhan has asked him to personally intervene and ensure protection of wild animals in Panna.

Chouhan in reply has reportedly assured Ramesh that all requisite steps would be taken for protection of the big cats in the state, which is home to some of the major tiger reserves in the country.

More at : Madhya Pradesh’s missing tigers: Probe panel to begin work Thursday http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/enviornment/madhya-pradeshs-missing-tigers-probe-panel-to-begin-work-thursday_100211421.html#ixzz0eazO6Qix

Indian scientists make major breakthrough in tiger conservation

Washington, June 19 (ANI): In a new study, a team of Indian scientists has announced a major breakthrough in the science of saving tigers, namely, high-tech DNA fecal sampling.

The study was conducted by Samrat Mondol, Anish Andheria and Uma Ramakrishnan, of the National Centre for Biological Sciences; K. Ullas Karanth, N. Samba Kumar, and Arjun M. Gopalaswamy of the Wildlife Conservation Society and Centre for Wildlife Studies.

According to the study, researchers will be able to accurately count and assess tiger populations by identifying individual animals from the unique DNA signature found in their dung.

In the past, DNA was collected from blood or tissue samples from tigers that were darted and sedated.

The authors said this new non-invasive technique represents a powerful new tool for measuring the success of future conservation efforts.

“This study is a breakthrough in the science of counting tiger numbers, which is a key yardstick for measuring conservation success,” said noted tiger scientist Dr. Ullas Karanth of the Wildlife Conservation Society.

“The technique will allow researchers to establish baseline numbers on tiger populations in places where they have never been able to accurately count them before,” he added.

The study took place in India’s Bandipur Reserve in Karnataka, a longterm WCS research site in the Western Ghats that supports a high abundance of tigers.

Researchers collected 58 tiger scats following rigorous protocols; then identified individual animals through their DNA.

Tiger populations were then estimated using sophisticated computer models.

These results were validated against camera trap data, where individual tigers are photographed automatically and identified by their unique stripe pattern.

Camera-trapping is considered the gold standard in tiger population estimation, but is impractical in several areas where tiger densities are low or field conditions too rugged.

According to Karanth, “We see genetic sampling as a valuable additional tool for estimating tiger abundance in places like the Russian Far East, Sunderban mangrove swamps and dense rainforests of Southeast Asia where camera trapping might be impractical due to various environmental and logistical constraints.” (ANI)

More at : Indian scientists make major breakthrough in tiger conservation http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/health/indian-scientists-make-major-breakthrough-in-tiger-conservation_100206726.html#ixzz0eaz5RAEM

China backs down from plan to legalise tiger trade

Very good news.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/7083177/China-backs-down-from-plan-to-legalise-tiger-trade.html

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