Leopard found dead in Little Rann

May 15, 2012, 11.09PM IST

A six-year-old leopard was found dead in Little Rann of Kutch on Monday night.

According to sources, salt pan workers found the leopard's body, some three km inside Kharaghoda village in Patdi taluka of Surendranagar district, and informed the forest officials.

Forest department officials said that leopard died in a vehicle accident in the Rann.

"We rushed to the spot as soon as we got the information. There are number of trucks running inside the Little Rann for transporting the salts and one of the vehicles may have hit the wild cat. The injuries suggest this," said an official.

Sources say that leopards accidentally come into the Little Rann and nearby villages. It is not their natural habitat. "We assume that leopard may have come from Halvad or Dhrangdhra area where leopards are spotted regularly. Just two months ago, a leopard was spotted in Jesda village in Dhrangdhra taluka. Leopards are also found in sugarcane fields in Halvad," said the official.

Last year, a leopard was found dead near Bubvana canal in the Little Rann.

"Since last few days, there were rumors about the presence of a leopard in this area but given the spread of this region, nobody could spot the wildcat and finally it was found dead on Monday night,'' officials said.

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-05-15/rajkot/31711291_1_wild-cat-leopard-sugarcane-fields

Past efforts to settle lions in Madhya Pradesh had failed

May 17, 2012, 03.14AM IST

While Madhya Pradesh is pitching Palpur Kuno as second home for the Asiatic lions, attempts to settle lions in the forest near this sanctuary had failed miserably in the past.

The Scindias of Gwalior advocated for the forests of Vindhya Pradesh where they had tried to introduce African lions. Sudipta Mitra describes the episode in his book 'Gir Forest and the Saga of the Asiatic Lion'. He writes, "Lord Curzon, while visiting Gwalior to shoot tigers in 1904, encouraged the Maharaja to rear African lions in his territory and as a good gesture, Curzon wrote a reference letter, which helped him a lot in getting the cubs."

The king showed interest and allotted annual budget of Rs 1.5 lakh for the project. His official visited Egypt and Ethiopia and managed to ship 10 cubs to Bombay. Three cubs died on the way. The king took personal interest and went to the Bombay port to receive the cubs.

The cubs were reared in an enclosure called Tapovan. "After a year, two females gave birth to five cubs. Enthusiastically, the Maharaja introduced four pairs in the state jungles at Sheopur (near present Palpur Kuno sanctuary) district, called Mohna covering an area of over 1000 square miles, as an experiment to see how the lions could settle down and breed," Mitra narrates.

But this step proved disastrous. The lions started attacking livestock and finally indulged in man-eating. "From 1910 to 1912, nine people were killed, they were once again caught and reintroduced in a schedule forest at Sheopur in 1915. Within four years, the lions got disbursed and created panic as man-eaters.

Finally, they were killed at Neemach, Panna, Jhansi, Muraina and Lalitpur. By 1928, all had been killed except a lioness, which was eventually tracked down and shot in Jhansi district," read the sad account.

Various reasons were attributed to failure of this project including as another historian Arthur Blayney Percoval said, "If anyone was to blame, it was the Maharaja of Gwalior who wished to try and reintroduce the lions, which in the former age abounded in the forest of Schinde."

Efforts to introduce lions continued post-British era. The first initiative to relocate Asiatic lions from Gir to Chandraprapha forest in Uttar Pradesh was in 1957. But it ended in 1965 after all lions disappeared mysteriously in 1965.

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-05-17/ahmedabad/31747947_1_lions-palpur-kuno-three-cubs

6 lions enter a house in Junagadh; 1 injured

Thursday, May 17, 2012, 16:53 IST

The problem of man-animal conflict is getting worse by the day in Saurashtra where the Asiatic Lions are thriving in their last abode in Gir forest.

Early on Wednesday, a pride of six lions, including cubs, attacked a man and his livestock in his house in Umed village near Una taluka in Junagadh district.

The man, Amba Donga, sustained wounds in his leg while one of his cows died due to injuries sustained when the cubs attacked.  Forest officers claim that the lions would have ventured out in search of prey. Livestock is considered easy prey for the wild beast.

Besides, orchards surrounding the deciduous forest also provide cool environment for them and they are known to frequent the area in summers.

While Donga was rushed to hospital, forest officials conceded that it was issue of conflict. Deputy conservator of forest at Gir national park, Anshuman Sharma said that they are devising strategies to tackle the lion menace in the village and safeguard people and their livestock.

Of late, they had noticed that the wild cats were freely roaming in the area and creating fear amongst the residents. Activists working towards lion conservation assert that the wild cats are reclaiming their centuries-old  territory.  "Lions have reached upto Gondal near Rajkot, Mahuva in Bhavnagar, and coastal areas of Probandar. Some lions have been brought back by forest department, but reclamation of their territory is bound to happen as their population expands.

The lion census pegs the population at 411, but we estimate the population would easily be close to 500," said Dinesh Goswami, an activist in Kodinar.

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_6-lions-enter-a-house-in-junagadh-1-injured_1689991

Snake-bite kills four-year-old lion in Amreli

May 10, 2012, 10.57PM IST


A four-year-old lion died due to snake bite on the outskirts of Pipardi village in Savarkundla Taluka of Amreli district. A villager spotted the dead lion and informed the forest department.

"The post-mortem report confirmed that there was a snake bite on the lion's left leg, which caused its death. Its entire body had turned bluish. We assume snake may have bit the lion 12 to 14 hours before the body was found,'' said Anshuman Sharma, deputy conservator of forests, (Gir East Division), Dhari.


http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-05-10/rajkot/31655399_1_snake-bite-amreli-lion

They're grrreat: Tiger tries to grab Frosties from his keeper

This big cat seems more interested in Tony the Tiger’s Frosties than making a meal of a man

When man meets tiger it is normally pretty clear who will be having whom for breakfast.  But this big cat seems more interested in Tony the Tiger’s Frosties than making a meal of a man.

The incredible moment was captured at the Seaview Lion Park, in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, between keeper Ashley Gombert and Shosho, a male Siberian tiger.  

During the playtime Shosho not only came face to face with his keeper but also whisker to whisker with the fictional Tony the Tiger.  

At eight-foot-tall the Siberian tiger may be a member of the world’s largest cat species but that didn’t stop the playful predator from getting up close and personal with his human best friend.

Mr Gombert, an expert in handling big cats, may be six-foot two-inches tall, but when he is being leapt on by Shosho even he is dwarfed by the mighty animal.  

The pair also share a kiss and cuddle and sometimes they even go for a dip together in a nearby creek.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/theyre-grrreat-tiger-tries-to-grab-823003

A TRIBUTE TO JIM CORBETT

Edward James "Jim" Corbett (25 July 1875 in Nainital– 19 April 1955 in Nyeri, Kenya) was a British hunter, conservationist, author and naturalist, famous for slaying a large number of man eating tigers and leopards in India.

Corbett held the rank of colonel in the British Indian Army and was frequently called upon by the government of the United Provinces, now the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand , to slay man eating tigers and leopards who had killed people in the villages of the Garhwal and Kumaon region. His success in slaying the man-eaters earned him much respect and fame amongst the people residing in the villages of Kumaon, many of whom considered him a sadhu (saint).

The legend of Jim Corbett is still alive, not only in the minds and hearts of the people of Kumaon & Garhwal, but also all over the world. His six books, which are the nearest to his autobiographies, have never been out of print. There are four biographies on him and three films on his life have already been made. 

He lived in Gurney House in Nainital for the greater part of his life with the last of his large family, his mother Mary Jane Corbett and his sister Margaret Winfred Corbett, fondly called Maggie.

His father, the postmaster in Nainital, died when Jim Corbett was four. It fell to Corbett’s mother to raise and educate 12 children on a widow’s meager pension. His mother, Corbett recalled, “had the courage of Joan of Arc and Nurse Clavell combined”. After the death of his mother in 1924, Maggie and Jim were constant companions to each other and both chose not to marry.

Jim Corbett was a simple, unassuming man of six feet and a few inches with blue eyes. He dressed only in bush clothing and wore an assortment of hats which he would never forget in the jungle. He was shy but liked the company of his Indian friends. He was known as a shikari, a killer of man-eaters. He loved the people of India and understood their needs and sentiments.

Credits to Gatsby, Gurinder and dandyofpunjab for the pictures.

Family photo of James Corbett, possibly his brother Tom, mother Mary Jane and sister Maggie.

Having a smoke in Dhikala.

In later life, Corbett in Nyeri, Kenya.

A very rare photograph of Jim Corbett, Capt Feddy Young & Col Wood having lunch after a duck shoot in the Ganga Khadar of distt Bijnor, photo taken during the period when Sultana was being hunted down.. (family collection ....jalilpur bijnor)

Hunting the Man-Eaters:

Between 1907 and 1938, Corbett tracked and shot a documented 19 tigers and 14 leopards — a total of 33 recorded and documented mann-eaters. It is estimated that these big cats had killed more than 1,200 men, women and children. The first tiger he killed, the Champawat Tiger in Champawat, was responsible for 436 documented deaths. He also shot the Panar Leopard, which allegedly killed 400 people. This leopard's skull and dentition showed advanced, debilitating gum disease and tooth decay, such as would limit the animal in killing wild game and drive it towards man-eating. One of the most famous was the man-eating Leopard of Rudrapayag, which terrorised the pilgrims to the holy Hindu shrines Kedarnath and Badrinath for more than ten years.

Other notable man-eaters he killed were the Talla-Des man-eater, the Mohan man-eater, the Thak man-eater and the Chowgarh tigress.

A child poses with the Man Eating Tiger of Talla Des.

The Bachelor of Powalgarh.

Preparing Machaan for shooting 'Chuka maneater'

The body of the Man Eating Tiger of Chuka after it being skinned.

With the relatives of last victim of 'Chuka Maneater'; Skull of the skinned maneater

The Head of the Champawat Man Eater which was documented at being responsible for 436 deaths

Jim Corbett killing the man-eating leopard of Rudraprayag

Another picture of the man-eating leopard of Rudraprayag

The Panar Maneater.

Two unknown tigers infront of the Corbett's Tent

JIM CORBETT MUSEUM

Corbett's home at Chhoti Haldwani, Kaladhungi has been converted into a museum. The 221 acres (0.89 km^2  0.345 square miles) village, which he bought in 1915, still has his memories intact in the form of the Chaupal called meeting place.

Credits to nitroexpress.

Jim Corbett’s home in Nainital, Gurney House is a 10 minute walk up the hillside from The Naini Retreat

Asiatic lion may roar at new home in Kuno-Palpur sanctuary

The Supreme Court on Tuesday gave the conservation of native wild cat Asiatic Lions a priority over the imported exotic feline African cheetah.

A day after the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) proposed that it intended to go ahead with the cheetah project in the Kuno-Palpur Sancutary in Madhya Pradesh, which has been prepared for the translocation of Gir lions, SC restrained the Centre from going ahead with the Rs300 crore Cheetah Reintroduction Programme. Put in context, this greatly increases the probability of shifting a few of the Asiatic Lions to Kuno-Palpur Sanctuary in the coming months.

The issue of relocating Cheetah from Namibia was raised during the hearing of the matter on relocation of Asiatic Lions from Gir Sanctuary to Kuno Sanctuary in MP.

MoEF informed the forest bench comprising justices KS Radhakrishan and CK Prasad on Monday that it intended to go ahead with African cheetah re-introduction from Namibia within the next two months. Kuno was prepared to accommodate a pride of lions a few years back, but when Gujarat refused to part with any lions, MoEF decided to reintroduce African cheetah there last year.

Senior advocate PS Narasimha, the amicus curiae in the lion relocation case, filed an application seeking a stay on the implementation of cheetah project. The court granted the stay and the matter has been scheduled for further hearing in July after the court returns from vacation.

Narasimha said the proposal for reintroduction of Cheetah "has not been either placed before the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife, nor has there been a considered decision taken in this regard". He stated in an application that "scientific studies show that the African Cheetahs and Asian Cheetahs are completely different, both genetically and also in their characteristics" and the reintroduction of Cheetah was also against the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) guidelines on translocation of wildlife species.

"In fact, the (IUCN) guidelines categorically warn against the introduction of alien or exotic species. The African Cheetah obviously never existed in India. Therefore, it is not case of intentional movement of an organism into a part of its native range," the application stated.  

Asiatic Cheetah became extinct in the country in the 1950's. In July 2010, the environment ministry had cleared the proposal to reintroduce African Cheetah to India. The Centre had recently sanctioned first tranche of Rs 1.9 crore to Madhya Pradesh for preparation of the habitat for the animal at Kuno Palpur sanctuary in Sheopur district. Narasimha pointed out that Prerna Bindra, a member of the standing committee of the National Board for Wildlife has 'categorically opposed the Cheetah project, on rational and logical consideration'.

"She has pointed out that Rs 300 crore have been allocated for the Cheetah project and the cost of each Cheetah is going to be Rs 2 crore whereas the total budget for Project Tiger is a mere Rs 80 crore for 600 national parks and sanctuaries," it said.

He added that the director general forests/special secretary, MoEF PJ Dilip Kumar had a given 'strong note' against introduction of African Cheetah into India but it was ignored and not even mentioned in any of the proceedings dealing with this project.

It said that the introduction of alien or exotic species is universally shunned by wildlife experts and "in fact countries such as South Africa, Australia are spending huge amount of funds to eradicate and remove exotic wildlife species from wilderness areas or wild habitats".

Narasimha also sought a direction the MoEF to produce before the apex court all relevant records and decisions relating to introduction of cheetah. He said the Indian Cheetah in genetic composition is a different animal than the African Cheetah and a different sub species altogether and "therefore one cannot be introduced in place of the other".

http://daily.bhaskar.com/article/GUJ-AHD-asiatic-lion-may-roar-at-new-home-in-kuno-palpur-sanctuary-3236580.html

Gir lioness loses tail to gangrene

TNN May 9, 2012, 02.46AM IST

She has lost her tail to a war of supremacy on the periphery of Gir sanctuary! A young lioness had a narrow escape when gangrene infected her tail.

The incident took place at Jasadhar range in Gir east when the forest officials realized that the lioness had a swollen tail , when they observed that a foul smell always seemed to envelop her.

Deputy conservator of forest Anshuman Sharma said "After assessing the situation, doctors were of the opinion that the gangrene has set in too deep and if the tail was not amputated, it might prove to be fatal for the lioness."

The doctors then decided to carry out the operation without waiting for any further treatment and finally in order to save the gangrene from further advancing the lioness had to sacrifice her tail, said Sharma.

"When the lioness was rescued, we saw that the lower portion of her tail was missing. On investigation, we found that the lioness had injured herself in the territorial infighting," said officials.

"Usually, such minor injuries do not require treatment and the animal, by licking its wound, heal it. But in this case of this lioness had not only developed maggots but was also infected with gangrene."

Initially, when the lioness was brought to the rescue centre at Jasadhar, she was treated with heavy antibiotics. But the treatment did not stop the advancing gangrene.

Sharma said that he was posted in Gir for the past two years. This was probably the first incident that he came across where a body part of an animal had to be amputated because of gangrene. He said that the lioness was now stable since last four days.

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-05-09/ahmedabad/31640768_1_gir-lioness-jasadhar-tail

Supreme Court stays Cheetah reintroduction project

NEW DELHI, May 8, 2012

The Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed the implementation of the Cheetah Reintroduction Programme by which the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) had proposed to import the African large-sized feline to India.  

A forest bench comprising justices K.S. Radhakrishan and C.K. Prasad restrained the government from going ahead with the Rs. 300 crore project in the wake of questions being raised that a “totally misconceived” venture was pushed without consulting that National Board for Wildlife (NBW) which is a statutory body for the enforcement of the wild life law.  

The issue of relocating Cheetah from Namibia was raised during the hearing of the matter on reintroduction of Asiatic Lions from Gujarat’s Gir National Park and Sanctuary and surrounding areas to Palpur Kuno Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh pursuant to a decision taken by the NBW.  

During its hearings, the bench was informed that the MoEF has decided to introduce African Cheetahs from Namibia into the same proposed habitat prompting senior advocate P.S. Narasimha, the amicus curiae in the case, to file an application seeking a stay on the implementation of the same.  

Mr. Narasimha said the proposal for reintroduction of Cheetah “has not been either placed before the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife, nor has there been a considered decision taken in this regard”.  

He stated in an application that “scientific studies show that the African Cheetahs and Asian Cheetahs are completely different, both genetically and also in their characteristics” and the reintroduction of Cheetah was also against the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) guidelines on translocation of wildlife species.  

“In fact, the (IUCN) guidelines categorically warn against the introduction of alien or exotic species. The African Cheetah obviously never existed in India. Therefore, it is not case of intentional movement of an organism into a part of its native range,” the application stated.

http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/article3397756.ece

MP wants lions before cheetahs

Tuesday, May 8, 2012, 17:45 IST


The battle for relocation of Asiatic lions to Kuno Palpur in Madhya Pradesh took a fresh turn on Monday. The Union ministry of environment and forest informed the Supreme Court that they intend to go forth with their plan to reintroduce the cheetah in India at Kuno this monsoon. This came as a surprise to the petitioners and Madhya Pradesh government as the cheetah project will push lion relocation by at least two more years.

Last year, when the lion relocation project was caught in a limbo and the sanctuary was already readied for a wild cat, the National Board for Wildlife in India (NBWLI) had identified Kuno Palpur as the best location from among various sites across the country.

Now that the case is moving ahead in SC, environmentalists would prefer the Asiatic Lion as it is an endangered species.

Environmental lawyer Ritwick Dutta says the cheetah do not serve the purpose of wildlife conservation. “They are killed in Namibia as their expanding population cannot be accommodated. About 150 of them are to be brought as part of the Centre’s cheetah reintroduction project,” he said.

Interestingly, the Great Rann of Kutch was short-listed as one of the sites for reintroducing the cheetah but the NBWLI chose Kuno for the first phase.

Another lawyer, associated with the case, said the Centre seems to be in “advance stages of the project and they said the wild cat can be imported in two months. But the amicus curiae opposed the move by the Centre and insisted that the sanctuary has been identified for lions and they should be given a priority”.

The hearing will continue for two consecutive days now as the court wants to conclude the arguments before vacations. The Madhya Pradesh government and wildlife experts have proposed to shift some lions from Gir forest in Junagadh to MP to create a different gene pool. Gujarat has refused to part with any lions, and the matter reached the apex court about six years ago. The case is in the last stages of hearing.

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_mp-wants-lions-before-cheetahs_1686101

MP govt seeks nod for cheetahs from Namibia

Bhopal, Sun May 06 2012, 00:23 hrs


The programme to reintroduce the cheetah in India has been taken a step further with the Madhya Pradesh government seeking Customs clearance for the first of 13 animals to be brought from Namibia.

The project is already running behind schedule and formalities like getting an import licence and meeting conditions under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora are still to be completed. The wildlife department said it would soon get clearance but would take some more months to bring the animal to Kuno Palpur sanctuary.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/mp-govt-seeks-nod-for-cheetahs-from-namibia/945905/

Five held with tiger skin near Ambaji

TNN May 2, 2012, 10.38PM IST


Five persons, including two women, were arrested with tiger skin, claws, nails, teeth, paws, bear's organs, musk and other parts of wild animals in their possession from Ambaji on Tuesday.

On a tip-off, forest department officials have been keeping a vigil for last three months and had intensified the hunt further for the gang engaged in selling the wild animals' body parts.

"We laid a trap sending a fictitious customer to settle the deal at a place close to Ambaji temple," deputy conservator forests, Banaskatha, J V Vyas said.

"We are taking this very seriously and also do not rule out the involvement of inter-state or international gangs involved in world's second largest illicit business," Vyas said.

The accused are just manual workers, but the actual masterminds are at large. "The seized skin and other organs have been sent to forensic science laboratory for verification. If they are genuine, it would cost more than Rs 10 lakh," he added.

The accused have been identified as Shashinandan Shankarnath (21), Prem Aippa Satyam (20), Manikant Bassappa (22), Chegumin Aiappa (18) and Chitra Manshiya (50).

Forest officials also doubt that the accused are hiding their actual identity.

Meanwhile, first class judicial magistrate in Danta Geeta Aahir on Wednesday granted seven days' remand of the accused to police for further questioning.

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-05-02/rajkot/31537370_1_tiger-skin-ambaji-temple-body-parts

Water shortage pushing leopards into ‘man’s territory’

Published: Saturday, May 5, 2012, 9:45 IST

All eyes in the Nashik forest department are on the man-versus-beast conflict playing out in the district. The two recent attacks by leopards in the village of Shivare, near Niphad(about 35km from Nashik), just 25 days apart, have not come as a surprise to many.

G Saiprakash, chief conservator of forests, Nashik division, clarifies that leopards have been on the prowl in and around Nashik for quite some time now. “The Nashik gazetteer notes the presence of leopards in the region. So, it (report of sightings) is not a new or a recent finding. At times, their population rises and at times, it drops.”

Explaining the reason behind leopards abandoning their natural habitat and encroaching upon ‘man’s territory,’ Vijay Hinge, district forest officer (planning), says the Western Ghats — where Nashik is located — are surrounded by dams and water bodies. The ample supply of water in the 4km-stretch around canals and rivers fed by the dams gives rise to natural vegetation. At Nashik, the Godavari river has helped in the growth of sugarcane and orchid fields. Since they can find easy prey like foxes, birds, rabbits and frogs in sugarcane fields, leopards make them their home. But in times of water shortage and when sugarcane has been harvested — as is the case now — leopards have no option but to venture out of their new habitat in search of food and water.

Leopard sightings in residential areas have been on the rise in recent years. From 2004 to March 2012, Nashik residents have had at least 10 confrontations with leopards. Sightings and attacks in sugarcane fields or at the borders of the jungles have been more frequent.

“Since 2003, 40-45 leopards have been trapped in Nashik and released into the wild after microchip were inserted into their tails to keep track of them,” says Saiprakash.

He rubbishes the rumour flying thick and fast at Shivare that the leopards infesting the area are the ones that were earlier caught and set free into the wild. “The chances of that are very low, as areas in jungles where the leopards were released are very far away from Niphad. Shivare falls under the sugarcane belt. Leopards must have shifted to the sugarcane area sometime ago and must have formed a habitat there. The leopards which have been sighted in the village are well-fed, proving that they must have easy access to prey found in the sugarcane fields.”

Although the Nashik forest department has had many an encounter with leopards, it has been found wanting in measures to capture them. To date, there has been only one person, forest range officer Sunil Wadekar, who is equipped to tranquilise them with darts and to insert microchip into them.

But all that is set to change. The forest department will soon start a training programme for forest guards to deal with such conflicts.

“The government has also sanctioned new equipment, and we will get the newly designed kit soon,” says Saiprakash.

http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_water-shortage-pushing-leopards-into-mans-territory_1684644

Rising Leopard attacks keep Nashik villagers indoors

Published: Friday, May 4, 2012, 8:00 IST

As soon as the sun sets, Shivare near Niphad, about 35km from Nashik, begins to resemble a ghost village. There’s no one in sight. The air hangs heavy with fearful anticipation. Women and children shut themselves in their houses; men huddle together, also indoors, at a place close to the fields. And then, they wait. At the slightest sound, the youth hope on to their bikes and head for the traps, hoping to find a man-eater.

It's been seven days since a five-year-old, Pallavi Sanap, was snatched by a leopard from under her grandfather's nose. Just 26 days before that, a one-year-old boy, Durgesh Gosavi, was dragged away by a leopard to the fields nearby. Cattle, dog, sheep, not a thing has been spared in the village of Shivare.
“What happened that evening was unimaginable,” recalls Ramnath Sanap, Pallavi’s grandfather, who blames himself for letting her out of sight for just a few minutes. “It was dark and Pallavi was complaining of stomachache. She wanted to go to the toilet. Here, we defecate in the open. So, I took her barely 5ft away from the hut. She asked me to give her some medicine to help relieve her pain. I was sitting on my haunches some 3ft away from her and was thinking about what to do. When I turned back to talk to her, she was missing. I knew it right then that she had been taken by a leopard,” says Sanap, as he chokes back tears.
Pallavi’s shocked parents look on helplessly as Sanap says his wife suffered a breakdown and is under treatment.

Hiragir Gosavi, father of Durgesh, blames the forest department for Pallavi's death. “First, it was my child and now, the little girl. I had told the officials to lay a trap after my son was snatched, but they didn’t take the suggestion seriously enough. They just put up a cage, which served no purpose. It took the loss of another life to make the administration realise the gravity of the situation."

On the evening of April 3, Durgesh was crawling on the veranda of the Gosavis’ house in a sugarcane field. “I was holding him, but he wanted to move forward. I let go of him. Right then, a leopard appeared out of nowhere and snatched him. It all happened too soon. By the time I realised what had happened and began shouting, it was too late,” recollects Durgesh's grandmother. The distraught family has since abandoned its home and is staying at a rented house in the village. Leopards had an upper hand in both the cases because the areas were cloaked in darkness. Because they lunged for the throat first, the toddlers couldn't even cry out. The children's bodies were recovered from the sugarcane fields.
Pallavi's death was the last straw. Villagers decided they had had enough. They held a road roko the night Pallavi was snatched. The delay in catching the leopard has only made them angrier since then. "The forest officials set up six cages to trap the leopard, but they've all been ineffective," says Madukar Kale of the village.

Residents claim that there are four leopards — two males and two females — on the loose in the village. They are sure that they had been trapped in the past and set free into the wild. “They will never set foot inside a cage again,” reasons a villager.

Many claim to have seen a leopard moving around and climbing over one of the cages, but not going into one. Reports of roars and sightings on a tree are flying thick and fast. Anything sparkling in the dark is presumed to be a leopard’s eyes. The animals have also hit the villagers’ means of livelihood. It is past time to water the sugarcane fields, but workers refuse to enter them.

The forest department fears that the sense of panic among the villagers and the subsequent efforts taken by them may be keeping the leopards away. “We have a team deployed at the village and the fields. They are manning the cages. But, the panicking villagers get so noisy that no leopard will approach the traps,” says A L Pawar, Yeola range forest officer.

http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_rising-leopard-attacks-keep-nashik-villagers-indoors_1684169

Nepal forest fires 'cause big wildlife loss'

3 May 2012 Last updated at 11:51 GMT

Protected areas in Nepal and northern India have been affected by forest fires, with at least one suffering huge wildlife losses, officials have said.  They say nearly 70% of Nepal's Bardiya National Park has been consumed by fire in the past few days.  

Nepalese officials are piloting a satellite system to monitor the location of the fires

The park had been deemed a success story for elephant conservation, as well as being a refuge for endangered species such as tigers and rhinos.  

Officials said a lack of resources allowed the fires to spread rapidly.  

"We have not been able to assess the loss immediately because the fire is still raging at some places," the park's chief conservation officer Tika Ram Adhikari told BBC News.  

"But given our past experiences, our estimate is that around 40% of small mammals, 60% of insects and significant number of birds have been lost in the fire."  

Mr Adhikari said big animals such as elephants and tigers might have been able to escape.  

"But we fear, at places, their babies might have died after getting trapped in the fire."  

'Crown fires'  

Other protected areas, including the Chitwan National Park and Parsa Wildlife Reserve, were among the 225 forest fire sites that have been recorded in Nepal.

Although officials said there was no widespread damage in most places, the Bardiya National Park witnessed an unusual intensity of fire that engulfed the tops of trees.  

"We call it 'crown fire' and it is quite devastating because it finishes the entire tree and spreads around quite dangerously," explained Mr Adhikari.  

Although Nepalese officials said the fire at the national park had spread to forests in bordering India including the Dudhuwa national park, Indian officials said the situation was under control.  

"We did spot fire at two locations in the Dudhuwa National Park but we managed to put them out," said park director Shailesh Prasad.  Another protected area in northern India adjoining Nepal's Chitwan National Park, the Valmiki Tiger Reserve experienced some fire as well.  

"But it was on grassland and we could bring it under control before it could spread to the forest land," said the reserve's director Santosh Tiwari.  

Indian officials say they are quite prepared to deal with the events of fires in protected areas.  

"We have a rapid action team that does the job quite efficiently," said Mr Prasad.  

"We have tankers and tractors on standby even in the nights; they are mobilised as and when required."

Some of the region's larger animals, such as rhinos, are feared to have perished in the fires

Lack of capacity  

In Nepal, however, lack of preparedness and resources meant that wildfire spread quite quickly, mainly in the forests and protected areas across the plains bordering India, officials said.

"We do not have the capacity, resource and equipment to fight fires of this scale," said Krishna Acharya, director-general of Nepal's department of national parks and wildlife conservation.  

"How long can we fight the fire with just soil and brooms made up of plants?" he told BBC News.  

"That is why despite our efforts to contain it, the forest fire has continued in these different areas."  Mr Acharya said fire-fighting in national parks and forested areas in mountainous regions of northern Nepal had been even more challenging.  

"Most of these places are unpopulated and reaching such locations is quite difficult," he said.  

Conservationists say forests in mountain regions are particularly vulnerable because the dominant tree species are conifers, whose resins make them highly flammable.  

A recent fire had threatened to spread across into neighbouring Tibet, but heavy snowfall in the region prevented it from spreading further.  

Police officials said that officers and soldiers needed to be specifically trained to fight wildfires.  

In 2009, more than one dozen soldiers lost their lives while trying to contain fire in a mountain region.  

"The soldiers back then did not even know that you do not fight fire from the upper side of the mountain," a senior police official said.  Experts say community forest user groups also need to be trained.  

"Since there is no preparedness to fight forest fire, you will have addressed significant portion of the problem by training members of community forests' user groups," said Sundar Sharma, co-ordinator of the Regional South Asia Wildland Fire Network.  

"If each community forest user group has trained fire fighters, in most cases they can contain the fire. But if it is a real big disaster, then there will have to be a bigger operation from the centre."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17937620

Last tiger sanctuary in SE Asia at risk

Fri, 05/04/2012 1:10 PM

Thailand's pledge to double the number of endangered wild tigers in the country's jungles by 2022 will be in jeopardy if a new dam at a national park is built, environmental organizations have warned.  

The dam on the Mae Wong river, at the national park of the same name in Nakhon Sawan province, north-west of Bangkok, forms part of the government's flood management plan. The project reportedly will help irrigate up to 480 square kilometers of farmland.  

However, to do that, it will destroy around 1,760 hectares of low-lying forest - the best habitat for wildlife, including the tiger. The accompanying access roads could also open up the forest further to illegal activity.  

Thailand was among 12 Asian countries that committed themselves at the Global Tiger Summit in Russia in 2010 to doubling the world's tiger population to 7,000 by 2022.  The 900-square-kilometer national park has been protected for more than 24 years.  

"Successive governments have invested in total more than THB 300 million (US$9.65 million) to make the park as secure as it is today," Anak Pattanavibool, the director of the US-based Wildlife Conservation Society's (WCS) Thailand program, wrote last week in the Bangkok Post.  

The park is part of Thailand's Western Forest Complex, the largest system of protected areas in mainland Southeast Asia. In all, it covers 17 protected areas, totalling 18,000 square kilometers and overlapping the border with Myanmar.  

It is seen as the only habitat in Southeast Asia capable of supporting a large number of tigers on a sustainable basis if it is adequately protected.  

"The entire Western Forest Complex is Thailand's very last stronghold for many globally endangered and vulnerable species," Anak wrote in the Post.  

"The international community... has hailed the long and firmly held policy of Thailand to protect the Western Forest Complex and its associated natural heritage as an example for others to follow."  

Some environmental agencies are urging that the Mae Wong National Park be recognized also as one of the country's natural heritage sites, the Post reported.  

Thailand's Cabinet approved the THB 13 billion dam project on April 10. So far, no assessment of the environmental impact has been carried out.  

The project has now become a test of Thailand's flood management plan - and also the clout of the Department of National Parks, which has the authority to turn down the project.  

Building a dam and reservoir in a national park is illegal in the first place, Anak said in an interview. Constructing the dam and reservoir would destroy Thailand's reputation for wildlife protection, he said.  

Conservationists have an ally in the Stop Global Warming Association (SGWA) - an independent non-government organization headed by lawyer Srisuwan Janya, who shot to fame some two years ago after winning a landmark judgment against polluting industries in the Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate. Both WCS and SGWA do not believe the dam will help in flood control.  

SGWA has started a campaign against the dam on cost grounds, saying the estimate given last year was only THB 9.6 billion ($310 million). It is trying to gather 13,280 co-complainants to file a legal challenge to the project.  

"The approved budget for the construction is too high," Srisuwan said last month. "The budget for the construction will come from massive foreign loans, and our offspring will have to repay the loans. They will also suffer the loss of forest land."  

Villages once situated in the area that will be flooded by the reservoir were relocated in the interest of wildlife conservation, Anak said.  

The ecosystem recovered and wildlife, including prey species and tigers, returned to the area, he said.  

The dam was first mooted 20 years ago, but the project did not gain traction for a long time. In 2002, the National Environment Board turned it down.  

Thailand's Royal Irrigation Department is expected to complete a health and environmental impact assessment study for the project in July.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/05/04/last-tiger-sanctuary-se-asia-risk.html