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Published: Friday, Apr 20, 2012, 9:45 IST
By Deepak Gidwani | Place: Lucknow | Agency: DNA |
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All posts for the month April, 2012
Every thing is well, that ends well….
Leopard, which had sneaked into a private school two days ago was trapped and evicted early Sunday after a 20-hour operation by the forest department and police, an official here said.
The full-grown cat, estimated to be five-years-old, had sneaked into the N.E.S. School in Mulund, north-east Mumbai, from the adjoining Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) Friday morning apparently hunting for prey.
It was spotted in the basement by an alert security guard, who immediately bolted the doors and summoned the school authorities, police and forest officials.
The officials arrived soon afterwards but failed to track the cat which lay hiding in the basement, presumably since Friday night.
In an attempt to lure and trap it, the forest officials blocked the basement entrance with a cage and kept a chicken inside it.
However, the leopard stayed away from the cage and the bait.
Attempting to scare the cat out of hiding spot in the basement, the officials burst some fire-crackers late Friday night.
The leopard panicked by the sound of the fireworks and finally bolted into the cage early Sunday.
It was taken away by the forest officials to the SGNP, where it will be kept under medical observation for a few days before being fitted with a micro-chip and released in the forest.
“There have been more than two dozen such incidents of leopards entering thickly populated human areas in Mumbai. It is mainly due to lack of sufficient food inside the SGNP and human encroachment hitting the green cover,” observed naturalist Himanshu Shah, Director, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s Nature & Adventure Centre.
Thankfully, there were no injuries or damage reported from the leopard incident as the school was closed for summer vacations, police said.
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With great urgency, we call on the Johannesburg City Council to release the White Lioness, Nyanga, from… (4018 signatures on petition)
FIONA MACLEOD - Apr 20 2012 10:37
mg.co.za
A growing demand for bones is putting wild lions, in particular, at risk because their bones are considered more �effective medicinally than those of captive-bred lions. (Ina Fassbender, Reuters)
The trade in rhino horn to Asian countries has opened an avenue for the sale of lion carcasses — their bones are being used to replace those of tigers in the making of traditional Eastern wines.
Conservationists say the trade, which has taken off since 2009, has added to the pressures that have caused Africa’s lion populations to crash from about 200 000 in the 1970s to less than 20 000 today. In some range states in West and Central Africa, lions have recently been declared extinct.
Official records show that South Africa exported 418 lion carcasses to Vietnam and Laos from 2009 to 2010. Figures for the illegal trade and more recent exports were not available.
Lion ‘brews’
Conservationists have previously been aware that lion bones were being used in Chinese brews believed to have healing properties, but they have only recently become aware of the scale of the trade in other Asian countries.
Before 2009, neither Vietnam nor Laos had been recorded as importing lion bones, said Chris Mercer, head of the South African organisation Campaign against Canned Hunting.
“The trade in lion bones to Asia is a new development,” he said. “Official figures going back to 1975 show no exports of lions from South Africa to Vietnam or Laos. Similar growth in the trade is forecast from 2010 to 2011 and moving forwards.
“With fewer than 4 000 wild tigers left and commercial trade in tiger parts prohibited under international law, traditional Oriental medicine is turning to lion bone wine as a legal substitute for tiger bone wine. Asian consumers may not know this, however, as lion bone wine is frequently sold in tiger-shaped bottles.”
Mercer said the lion carcasses exported with official permits came from captive lion breeders, who owned about 4 000 lions and also supplied the “canned” lion-hunting industry.
There are an estimated 2 200 lions in the wild in South Africa, most of them in the Kruger National Park.
CONTINUES BELOW Evidence of the link to the rhino horn trade came to the fore with the arrest last year of two Thai businesspersons, Chumlong Lemtongthai and Punpitak Chunchom, who will stand trial with Free State game farmer Marnus Steyl in June on charges related to the illegal hunting of rhinos and exporting their horns to Asia.
Affidavits leading to their arrest said the Thais were buying “lion sets” for about R10 000 each from game farms in the Free State and North West. If the head and feet were attached to the carcass, it would fetch R5 000 more.
Lemtongthai’s company in Laos, Xaysavang Trading Export-Import, received the majority of the lion carcasses exported from South Africa during 2009 and 2010, official permits show.
More recent figures indicated the price that could be fetched for a full lion skeleton ranged between R24 000 and R40 000, according to Pieter Kat, a trustee of United Kingdom-based conservation organisation LionAid.
Kat said 54 lion-hunting trophies and 14 live lions had been exported to Laos recently, “which is strange because Laotians don’t have a history of hunting lions”.
“There are parallels to the rhino horn trade in the lion bone business,” he said. “The legal export and pseudo-hunters from Asia are followed by a huge amount of poaching. The supply and demand creates a market that becomes insatiable.”
He said that although the official trade from South Africa was legal, it would stimulate an illegal market for lion bones and derivatives that would affect wild carnivores in all African range states.
“Asian markets used to be supplied by Asian species. Those are now gone and Asia has turned to Africa,” he said.
“Asian markets put a premium on wild animal products as they are ‘stronger’ than captive-raised animals. And there are as few lions left on the African continent as there are rhinos in South Africa.”
LionAid held a conference in Johannesburg last week to establish the number of lions in Africa. Scientific and conservation management authorities from seven range states participated, but South African officials declined the invitation to attend.
Kat said pressures such as hunting, human encroachment and poaching had sent lion populations in Africa into “free-fall decline”. “Revised estimates indicate there could be as few as 500 to 700 left in all of Western and Central Africa.”
In C�te d’Ivoire, the Congo and Ghana lions were extinct, whereas Nigeria had fewer than 40 left. Tanzania had the largest population, between 7 000 and 16 000, followed by South Africa with its large captive-bred population.
Kat said some countries supported a proposal to get lions upgraded to appendix 1 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species at its next meeting in Thailand in March next year, which would ensure better monitoring and protection for the big cats. But countries that gained from the commercial use of lions through hunting and the sale of their parts were resisting the move.
Gareth Patterson, South Africa’s “lion man” who played a pivotal role in the exposure of canned hunting in the 1990s, said this week carnivore experts had predicted back then that the lion bone trade would take off.
“One of my recommendations in 1997-1998 was that South Africa ban not only canned lion hunting, but also the trade in big cats and their body parts. My fear, sadly realised today, was that lions and tigers are genetically very similar and the end consumer would not be able to differentiate between their body parts, and soon lions would be affected by the trade.”
Jo’burg council declares fate of lioness a ‘cultural’ issue
A cultural catfight has erupted between the Jo’burg City Council and a conservation outfit over the future of a rare white lion responsible for killing a zookeeper in February.
The Global White Lion Protection Trust offered to relocate the lioness, called Nyanga, to a sanctuary in the Timbavati region on the western side of the Kruger Park after the incident. Founded in 2002, the trust aims to protect white lions in the wild as a “national heritage of unique conservation and cultural significance”.
At the time the trust was set up, the only white lions in South Africa were kept in captive-breeding programmes. First discovered in the Timbavati Game Reserve in the mid-1970s, their white fur is caused by a recessive gene.
Nyanga is the daughter of Thor, a white lion sold by the Johannesburg Zoo to controversial wildlife trader Riccardo Ghiazza in 2002. At the time of the sale, Ghiazza had recently been found guilty of animal cruelty in the well-known Tuli elephant scandal.
Thor’s image was used by American entertainers Siegfried and Roy to market their shows with white lions and tigers in Las Vegas. In South Africa, Thor became part of a breeding project managed by Ghiazza and the Lion Park near Lanseria.
Thor (above) is the father of Nyanga, a white lion who killed a zookeeper in February. Her future survival now hangs in the balance
Nyanga was born in February 2001 and was donated by the Lion Park to the zoo six months later. She had two litters of nine cubs that were sold to breeders of captive lions.
Linda Tucker, chief executive of the Global White Lion Protection Trust, said Nyanga was special because her mother, Marah, was the founder matriarch of the pride of white lions she had released back into the wild at the Timbavati sanctuary and conservation project. “Nyanga’s name means ‘medicine woman’ and she is named after Maria Khosa, a traditional healer who saved my life after walking through a pride of angry lions in the Timbavati bushveld,” she said.
Tucker said she had spent the past 20 years studying the mythology, symbolism and indigenous knowledge systems behind the white lions. “I can say with authority there is no cultural basis for having a lioness killed because of human error,” she said.
Nyanga bit veteran zookeeper Joe Ramonetha on the neck after security gates were left open while he was feeding her at the Johannesburg Zoo’s breeding farm in Parys. He died before reaching a hospital. Various petitions and social media campaigns exhorted the zoo not to put the lioness down after the incident. As they became increasingly heated, the Jo’burg City Council took charge and refused to discuss her fate or release photos of the lioness.
Councillor Chris Vondo, head of community development on the Johannesburg mayoral committee, said this week that a “multidisciplinary task team consisting of various experts who serve in various aspects relating to the matter” had been set up to decide Nyanga’s fate. Their findings would be presented to the committee on Thursday.
Vondo would not say whether the task team was considering the trust’s offer to release her into the wild at Timbavati.
“The reason for handling this sensitive matter in this manner is that it involves the preservation of life and has an impact on peoples’ culture, behaviour and social norms. The city does not take such issues lightly,” he said. — Fiona McLeod
Uploaded by LionsRule84 on Jul 18, 2010
Leopard defeats lion pride, critically wounding several lions in there facial area.
m.panda.org
Customs officers in Primorsky Province in Russia’s Far East have arrested a suspect found attempting to smuggle three Amur tiger paws across the border into China.
Posted on 20 April 2012
© WWF Russia
Customs officers in Primorsky Province in Russia’s Far East have arrested a suspect found attempting to smuggle three Amur tiger paws across the border into China.
The arrest comes only a day after Primorsky police and the Federal Security Service discovered a large quantity of illegally obtained animal parts – including bear paws and pelts as well as two Amur tiger skins – in the province’s port city of Nakhodka. A businessman from the city and his accomplices have been arrested in relation to the incident.
In the latest smuggling incident, a Chinese national was caught with the tiger paws hidden in plastic bags taped to her body. An examination of the paws revealed that they belonged to two Amur tigers.
“The examination determined that two of the paws were left hind paws, which means they cannot belong to one animal,” said Sergei Aramilev, biodiversity conservation programme coordinator with WWF-Russia’s Amur branch, and who participated in the examination. “This sadly means the parts belong to two individual tigers. The paws were dried in a manner commonly used in Tibetan medicine.”
In the past two weeks, the Police and Customs Agency of Primorye have uncovered the remains of at least four tigers. The killing of Amur tigers and leopards is considered a crime, which carries criminal liability and a fine of 500,000 rubles (US$17,000).
“The Customs Agency and customs experts deserve special gratitude for obstructing this crime,” said Mr. Aramilev. “As it is obvious that the paws are only part of a load, it is necessary to locate the rest of the tiger body parts.”
A 2010 WWF study shows that effective protection measures over the past 50 years has helped the Amur tiger population in the Russian Far East bounce back to between 430-500 individuals. This increase also means that there is a much stronger chance Amur tigers will migrate into neighboring China – intact.
More than a year after the historic tiger summit in St. Petersburg set a goal to double the number of tigers in the wild by 2022, WWF is calling for intensified efforts to end tiger poaching. In December 2011, WWF launched the Zero Tiger Poaching campaign to lobby governments from the tiger range countries to take immediate joint action to end poaching of wild tigers. Each tiger killed illegally sets back the goal of doubling wild tiger numbers.
With as few as 3,200 tigers left in the wild, the illegal tiger trade is the most immediate cause of the wild tiger’s dangerous decline. Poaching is also the greatest barrier to long-term goals for the survival of the species. WWF asks for concrete action to strengthen the capacity of the rangers, officials and local communities that put their lives on the line every day to protect tigers.
For more information, contact:
Yulia Fomenko, Communication manager, WWF-Russia, Amur branch +7 4232 414868, yfomenko@amur.wwf.ru
Uploaded by O00abdullah00O on Aug 5, 2011
نسخ من تعليق MrDeath733 مع خالص التحية
هذا النمر المرقط(leopard)
تحت السلالة النمرية( Pantherinae )التي تضم ثلاث اجناس
وهي(جنس النمر_جنس القطط الجديدة_جنس Uncia )
وهو من جنس النمر الذي يضم (الببر والاسد والجاغوار والنمر المرقط)
وهو رابع السنوريات الكبيرة وهو يشبه الجاغوار الى حد كبير
وهناك فرق كبير جدا بينه وبين الفهد( cheetah )من حيث الشكل والفصيلة
الفهد تحت السلالة القطية( Felinae )من جنس ثابتة المخالب
والنمر المرقط يضم9سلالات واللي في المقطع من السلالة الهندية( pardus fusca )
سامحوني دوختكم بس عشان ما يجي واحد ويقول مو نمر
TigerTime Blog
Customs officers in Primorsky Province in Russia’s Far East have arrested a Chinese woman as she attempted to smuggle three Amur tiger paws across the border into China. The woman had put the paws into plastc bags and taped them to her body in a desperate attempt to take the illegal tiger parts into China.
After an investigation into the origin of the paws, it was found that they were from two different tigers. The paws were also dried in a manner that is commonly used in Tibetan medicine.
The arrest comes a day after Primorsky police and the Federal Security Service found a large quantity of illegal animal parts – including bear paws and two Amur tiger skins.
“The illegal trade in tiger parts continues to be a major threat to the survival of the species in the wild and these recent arrests confirm that the trade, sadly, continues,” says the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation (DSWF) CEO, Melanie Shepherd.
TigerTime and DSWF work in the Russian Far East to protect the Amur tiger by funding a local Russian NGO ‘The Phoenix Fund‘. Through this, TigerTime supports anti-poaching operations with vital equipment such as snow mobiles, radios, jeeps, fuel and rations and paying informants. Funding also supports a strong and growing educational awareness programme, community work, environmental workshops and training programmes.
TigerTime needs your help to fund these vital programmes in the Russian Far East. Please if you could, donate here to help us save these beautiful big cats.
Please also continue to sign www.bantigertrade.com and help us put an end to this terrible trade.
Photo: Tigers reduced to skin and bones.
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rt.com
Tallinn Zoo is broadcasting live the birth of rare Amur leopard cubs.
The Tallinn Zoo in Estonia have given the World a “Special Gift” by letting us watch (through live cams) the Animals that call home at this Zoo.
Included amongst them is “Darla” ~ A Rare Critically Endangered Amur Leopard, who on April 14th, gave birth to three beautiful cubs….
For those of us from other countries, whose Forests have not been blessed with such an Incredible Species such as Darla, it is a great privilege and blessing to have the opportunity to watch this Beautiful Girl, and to have been there (through these live cams) and witness her give birth is/was an experience that cannot be expressed in simple words.
We continue to watch Darla and her beautiful cubs and look forward to seeing them grow and thrive under your Protection.
Thank you Tallinn Zoo for Giving us this Gift xo
Ranthambore – The Stripes Continue to Surprise
In February,2012 a tragedy to all the Tiger Lovers hit Ranthambore Tiger Reserve when the Kachida Tigress, T-5 died leaving her 2 cubs (hardly 3 months old) on their own.
Tiger cubs are dependent on their mother for almost 2 years(24months) for everything. This created a little worry for the forest department and Wildlife Lovers. The authorities were trying real hard to keep these cubs alive by providing them food and monitoring them but they had all the reasons to be afraid that the cubs will not make it much longer.
Few days back, the authorities discovered pugmarks of the cubs along with the marks and signs of a male Tiger. They were in deep worries ’cause a male Tiger normally kills the cubs to mate with the Tigress or due to territorial threats. Only a female Tiger is known to raise and protect her cubs all by herself. Pugmarks of the male Tiger made the authorities think that a Tiger is following the cubs for preying upon them.
For a clearer picture of the situation, authorities put camera traps in the area which brought excitement and curiosity to all the Experts across the globe. The male Tiger was identified as T-25, the Dollar-Male, who is roaming around with the cubs instead of hunting them. In fact, the male is protecting them and has even reduced his territory for the same. He shares his kills with the cubs and doesn’t even takes the food provided to the cubs by the authorities.
It reveals a new chapter in the books of Tiger’s social behavior and has made Ranthambore a new learning experience for Wildlife Experts. From hunting a massive Crocodile to the cubs being raised by a male, Ranthambore has always been a center of attraction and the Stripes of Ranthambore continue to surprise Wildlife Lovers across the globe.
Photo Courtesy: Desh Bandhu
Apr 19, 2012, 02.14AM IST TNN
m.timesofindia.com
CHANDRAPUR: The leopard trapped in a well near village Arvi in Warora tehsil was rescued on Tuesday morning by joint rescue team of forest department and wildlife activists.
The male leopard, aged around three years, was pursuing a monkey when it fell into the farm well on Monday evening, located in the fields in the outskirts of village. The parapet wall of well was small and monkey easily leaped across it. The leopard also jumped behind the prey but failed to cross the well and fell into the water.
As there was a small protrusion of rock just about the water level in the well, the beast managed to scale over it. Forest officers were immediately intimated about the incident. tnn
However, by the time forest staffers led by RFO, Warora range, Ramesh Talande arrived at the spot, a crowd of over 300 had gathered on the spot. Though the foresters could have put a bamboo ladder into the well and waited for the leopard to scale it out, the villagers denied of rescuing the leopard in such fashion, insisting on caging it.
Meanwhile, some ruffians fled away with the ladder of the foresters and some villagers even scuffled with the cops present to control the crowd. The apprehensive crowd stuck to the spot at night also, fearing that the foresters might rescue and release the leopard on the same spot.
“There is small patch of forest in the area, which could have not been enough to shelter leopard. Villagers were apprehensive that the leopard would roam around in the fields and attack their cattle or them. Hence they insisted on caging it,” said DCF, Chandrapur forest division, P Kalyankumar.
He said that a cage was brought from Bhadrawati forest range in the night. The foresters with the help of rescue workers of NGO Eco-Pro Organization put the entire cage, with its gate open, into the well tied with ropes during early hours of Tuesday. The exhausted leopard, that was inside the well for over 12 hours, climbed into the cage, which was later fished out and moved away to a secure place. After checking if the beast was fit for release, forest officials released it at an unknown location later in the morning, Kalyankumar said.
Our pic of the day shows a snow leopard scratching its body against a rock (a classic scent marking behavior) in Ladakh, India. Learn how Panthera’s Media Director, Steve Winter, captured this image & more in Nat Geo’s “Searching for the Snow Leopard” video @ http://bit.ly/JgL7mv. Learn about Panthera’s partnership w/ the Snow Leopard Conservancy – India Trust to protect snow leopards @ http://bit.ly/wT2835
’The Cat Walk’ -October 2012 – India This is a heads up to let you all know that yes Ive been talked into doing another walk!! Because 356 Leopards were killed in 365 days last year, the Asiatic Lions are absolutely endangered, and because the Tigers are barrelling to extinction, Ive changed the name to The Cat Walk. This year, we’re spending time living with the villagers, providing education, going to do some snare clearance, and then everyone at the walk. Here’s the event page http://www.facebook.com/events/256833924410072/ Please come along if you can. Details are still being confirmed and will be solidified by July 2012. If you can support in any way please do. Hope to see you there. 
By: cee4life
Our pic of the day shows two cuddly Asiatic lion cubs sitting in India’s Gir Forest – the last refuge of the world’s remaining 300-400 Asiatic lions. Read a BBC Wildlife Magazine article by Panthera’s President & lion expert, Dr. Luke Hunter, to learn about the Asiatic lion, the differences between Asiatic & African lions & much more @ http://bit.ly/HhXo9c. See photos of Asiatic lions @ http://bit.ly/AvRKaL
Tiger monitoring to get more intensive …
The monitoring of tiger numbers, densities and their prey is about to get more rigorous in the 17 States that form the big cat’s habitat.
Phase IV of the tiger estimation programme embarked on by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) will use a combination of tools — camera traps, line transects and scat DNA — to arrive at a more reliable estimate of tiger population in each reserve.
This phase of monitoring has begun in Karnataka and Assam.
The protocol calls for a greater intensity of monitoring, over a larger area in a shorter period, and will offer a complete handle on at least 90 per cent of the source (breeding) population of tigers every year, said Ullas Karanth, Director, Wildlife Conservation Society (India Program).
It will also for the first time trace individual tigers over time and help arrive at the animal’s survival rate.
A pair of camera traps will be installed every 4 to 5 sq km of the tiger landscape for a timeframe not longer than 40 to 60 days to avoid over-estimation of numbers.
an emphasis has been given to camera traps to arrive the tiger population size, line transects will be used to estimate prey densities. And where camera trapping is not possible, scat DNA samples will be collected over the entire tiger reserve to estimate the minimum tiger numbers in reserves.
Each patrolling team will be equipped with a GPS unit and a digital camera besides the regular equipment (e.g. firearms, wireless, torch, etc).
“The new protocols will enable State Forest Departments to formally collaborate with qualified scientists, and enable them to move up a ladder of technical progress, from estimating minimum number of tigers to robust estimates of population density, change in numbers over time, survival and other crucial parameters,” said Prof. Karanth.
Panthera’s CEO Dr. Alan Rabinowitz was recently interviewed on the Steve Scher Weekday Radio Show in Seattle, WA to discuss the state of the world’s wild tigers, why their numbers are declining & how Panthera’s Tigers Forever program is the answer to saving them. Listen to the segment (22:30 min mark) & learn about other imperiled big cats around the world & how they can co-exist with humans. http://bit.ly/GOi0Rs
By: Panthera
Open Letter to John Varty – Relocation Plan for Corbett the Tiger
April 17, 2012 at 11:21 pm (World)
Hello Mr Varty,
My name is Sybelle Foxcroft, I am a wildilfe biologist and conservationist. Im the CEO of Cee4life (conservation and environmental education 4 life www.cee4life.org) and I specialise in big cats and carnivores mostly, in the wild and captivity. I wont go on about my experience etc, however I will provide you with any further information you may require via email or via phone or via skype.
I am not going to launch into all the reasons you should spare Corbetts life, I am purely going to address the need to find a new location for him.
Firstly, I apologise for being so public about this letter, however I have been trying very hard to contact you and the responses are slow. I do not want this to reach you too late, for Corbett.
Ive been corresponding with Daryl Ballour in regard to Corbetts fate.
Through some wonderful tiger and wildlife friends I contacted, I was able to secure a facility for Corbett, however I have been told that it would be worse than death if Corbett was put into a cage. I agree. The facility which has offered is a sanctuary, not a caged zoo. Anyway, it seems that you will only consider a replicated environment the same as what Corbett has now.
So I have been working on that.
There was also a statement made regarding Tiger Canyons being the only place in the world where these semi-wild tigers have been taught to hunt etc. I want to inform you that that is not true, and that there have been a number of tigers re wilded in India.
I know this as I have been in communications with them for quite a while, and followed these re wildings. The Tiger Centre in Kahna has been re-wilding a number of tigers and have been successful, however I have just found out that there is not enough room for Corbett there.
But, there is another possibility which I urge you to consider, and I am fully ready to assist and I have contacts within the Indian authorities which may be able to help this situation move swiftly.
Due to poaching, Sariska National Park lost all of its tigers in 2004, they have just started the re population of tigers in Sariska. Currently there is 5 tigers there. I have just recieved a postive email indicating that there is more than enough room for Corbett there.
I am willing to go to India and monitor Corbett, and protect him, implement anti-poaching techniques, GPS him, and watch over him. I know that I will be able to get the assistance from a vast amount of professionals and the general public.
All you have to do is say yes, and I will go ahead and make the inroads to make this happen, to save this boys life.
I understand that Corbett is quite a wild tiger, but that is exactly what characteristics are needed in a semi-wild tiger to survive in the wild. He has the spirit of survival.
It would be an utter tragedy to lethally inject this Tiger when he has so much potential.
My compassion and sympathy to you regarding your attack, I do know personally what it is like to be attacked by an animal, a tiger. It is frightening. But you are alive John, please allow Corbett to remain the same.
There is no reason to use Corbetts dead body to prove the false Chinese Traditional Medicine use of Tigers, it is already proven.
Please John, I will help, the world will help. Please contact me via my email sybelle@cee4life.org, this is a vitally important moment in your life. Please make the right decision and spare Corbetts life.
This could be something wonderful.
Let us work together and find the way to save him.
Sybelle Foxcroft
Cee4life
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New Delhi: The Madhya Pradesh government Monday said Gujarat’s opposition to the translocation of Asiatic lions from Gir forests should be rejected because the state has already done the preparations to house the big cats in Kunopal sanctuary.
Appearing for the Madhya Pradesh government, counsel Vibha Makhija told the Supreme Court’s forest bench of Justices K.S. Radhakrishnan and C.K. Prasad that funds have already been spent on making the Kunopal sanctuary habitable for the Asiatic lions as per the project conceived in 1992.
Makhija said Uttar Prasdesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh were chosen to identify the sanctuary and it was Kunopal sanctuary that was finally identified for translocation of the lion.
The Gujarat government earlier this month told the Supreme Court that it could not consent to the shifting of its Asiatic lions from Gir forests as there was no proper study on translocation of the big cats.
The apex court was told that “Gujarat’s objection to the translocation can’t be permitted”.
“All experts have agreed to the desirability and urgency of the project. It is not a national but an international project.”
Justice Prasad said it was not the “desirability” but the “necessity”.
The move to shift some of the Asiatic lions from Gir forest was made by the wild life experts fearing that the entire lion population would get extinct because of some genetic, environmental reasons or outbreak of an epidemic.
The Madhya Pradesh counsel said that for preparing Kunopal sanctuary, 24 villages have already been shifted.
On the availability of the water bodies, the court was told that there were several of them and Kuno river flowed through the sanctuary that constantly recharges water bowls.
Makhija disputed the Gujarat government argument on the competence and will of Madhya Pradesh to protect and nurture the wild beast and said tigers that were once lost in the area were now flourishing in Panna tiger reserve.
The arguments will continue April 23. (Asiatic cubs n lioness, India courtesy Bhushan Pandya) http://zeenews.india.com/news/eco-news/mp-pitches-hard-for-shifting-asiatic-lions-from-gujarat_770310.html
By Tariq Tahir – 12th April, 2012
http://www.metro.co.uk/news/895894-photographer-to-run-two-marathons-and-climb-kilimanjaro-for-tiger-project#ixzz1sAJJQDwS
When you’re running a marathon with a 13kg tiger on your back it’s important to take it steady. But wildlife photographer and fundraiser Paul Goldstein is pushing himself to the limit – by running two marathons and climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.
Gruelling: Paul Goldstein in his 9ft high tiger suit on a previous charity runHe wants to raise £50,000 for the Friends of Conservation project in Bandhavgarh, India.
His adventure begins on Sunday in the Brighton Marathon before he travels to Tanzania on Monday to begin the five-day climb of the 5,895m (19,341ft) peak.
Burning bright: There are thought to be only 2,500 Bengal tigers in the wildThe 49-year-old then dons the costume again for the London Marathon on April 26.
He will be speaking at the Royal Geographical Society tonight having been commended in the wildlife photographer of the year competition.
Majestic: Bandhavgarh national park has one of the biggest populations‘Sure it’ll hurt, but nothing to what tigers are going through,’ said Mr Goldstein.
‘They’re worth far more alive than extinct. It’s beyond comprehension at how staggeringly beautiful this animal actually is.’
To sponsor him go to www.exodus.co.uk/worth-more-alive-III.
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Creating Awareness for the Conservation/Preservation of lions – The Last Lions of India | Watch Free Documentary Online.
Public release date: 13-Apr-2012
http://www.eurekalert.org
Contact: Stephen Sautner
ssautner@wcs.org
718-220-3682
Wildlife Conservation Society
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  IMAGE: Camera trap photos show Far Eastern Leopards roaming in their newly declared protected area — Land of the Leopard National Park in Russia.
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NEW YORK (April 13, 2012) – The Wildlife Conservation Society commends the Russian government for creating a new national park to protect critically endangered Amur (Siberian) tigers and the world’s rarest big cat: the Far Eastern leopard.
Called “Land of the Leopard” National Park, the new protected area in the Russian Far East was declared on April 9th. It safeguards 1,011 square miles (262,000 hectares) of leopard and tiger habitat. The park was created through the merger of three existing protected areas: Kedrovya Pad Reserve, Barsovy Federal Wildlife Refuge, and Borisovkoe Plateau Regional Wildlife Refuge. In addition, key previously unprotected lands have been added along the Chinese border and in the northeast portion of the leopard’s range.
“The new park is great news for Far Eastern leopards and Amur tigers,” said WCS Russia Program Director Dale Miquelle. “We commend the Russian government for their foresight in creating this new protected area, and we are optimistic that it will provide a critical refuge for some of the most endangered big cats on the planet.”
The last 30 or so remaining Far Eastern leopards occur in a narrow sliver of Russian forests between the Sea of Japan to the east and Jilin Province, China, to the west. While tigers occur over a much broader region to the north, this Southwest region of Primorskii Krai also retains a vital yet small population that regularly move across the border into Hunchun Reserve China, and thus represent a critical source population for recovery of tigers in Northeast China.
“This is tremendous news for big cat conservation,” said Peter Zahler, WCS Deputy Director for Asia. “The creation of this park greatly increases the amount of land protecting critical populations of two of the world’s big cats, and it will go a long way to securing their future. We look forward to continuing to provide whatever support is requested to help conserve tigers and leopards in the region.”
The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has been providing assistance to the Russian Government to conserve Amur tigers and Far Eastern leopards since 1993. WCS is working on a suite of initiatives in the protected area and surrounding regions include long-term population monitoring of tigers, leopards, and prey species, law enforcement training and monitoring, a fire protection program, radio telemetry studies, mentoring Russian graduate students who are researching the big cats, and health studies of both leopards and tigers.
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The Wildlife Conservation Society saves wildlife and wild places worldwide. We do so through science, global conservation, education and the management of the world’s largest system of urban wildlife parks, led by the Flagship Bronx Zoo. Together these activities change attitudes toward nature and help people imagine wildlife and humans living in harmony. WCS is committed to this mission because it is essential to the integrity of life on Earth. Visit: www.wcs.org
Special Note to the Media: If you would like to guide your readers or viewers to a Web link where they can make donations in support of helping save wildlife and wild places, please direct them to www.wcs.org.
- Friday, 13 April 2012 00:21
- Zafar Alam Khan | Bhopal
- http://www.dailypioneer.com
The Madhya Pradesh Government has failed to submit a tiger conservation plan till date for four of the six tiger reserves of the State to the National Tiger Conservation Authority.
The five tiger reserves of the State – Bandhavgarh, Kanha, Pench, Satpuda and Sanjay Dubri – were notified in 2010 after a petition was filed in the Madhya Pradesh High Court and notices were served to the State Government and decks were cleared for the notification of the sixth tiger reserve in Panna on April 3 this year through a Supreme Court order.
Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) PK Shukla told The Pioneer, “I do not have much knowledge of the issue as I have joined recently, I would be able to tell anything on the issue only after reaching the State capital.”
Over a fortnight has passed since Shukla assumed the important office of the PCCF and his ignorance over the important issue speaks volumes of carelessness on part of the administration and the State Government.
RTI and wildlife activist Ajay Dube, who was instrumental in filing petitions for getting the tiger reserves notified and to halt commercial tourism activities in the core or critical tiger habitat in the tiger reserves said, “The lethargic approach of the State Government is badly affecting the tiger conservation plans in the State. Despite notifying the five tiger reserves of the State in 2006, the State Government could not submit till date the tiger conservation plan for three of them.”
Dube further said that the State Government has forwarded the tiger conservation plan for Pench and Satpuda tiger reserves only while the conservation plan for remaining three Bandhavgarh, Kanha and Sanjay Dubri tiger reserves is still nowhere. Moreover despite 10 days of the Supreme Court order for declaring buffer zone in Panna tiger reserve the Government orders are still awaited in this regard, he added.
He said that the State Government is under immense pressure from the mining mafia that is not in favour of developing tiger habitat in the State. The intentions of the State Government over tiger conservation always remain under doubt as first it delayed the process of notifying the tiger reserves and now it is not forwarding the tiger conservation plan of pending three tiger reserves of the State causing enormous loss to the big cat conservation in the State, he added.
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Apr 14, 2012, 03.43AM IST TNN[ Lemuel Lall ]
m.timesofindia.com
BHOPAL: Setting the ball rolling for Cheetah Introduction Programme in India, the Centre has sanctioned first tranche of Rs 1.9 crore to Madhya Pradesh for preparation of a place for the animal at Palpur-Kuna sanctuary in Sheopur district.
“The Centre has sanctioned Rs 1.9 crore to the state under the programme,” additional principal chief conservator of forest (wildlife) Dharmendra Shukla said.
“We have demanded around Rs 12 crore in a phased manner from the ministry of environment and forest for infrastructure development,” an official said. “I feel this sanction, which was made on March 30 – a day before the end of fiscal year — will boost preparation of infrastructure for cheetah in Palpur. We are expecting more flow of funds this fiscal,” he added.
An official informed that twenty cheetahs will be airlifted to the state as per plans. He also informed that Namibia Cheetah Conservation Fund (NCCF) will donate the fastest mammal to India. NCCF officials have already inspected Palpur and found the place fit for cheetahs.
Spread over an area of 344 sq km, Palpur-Kuna is an appropriate habitat for the cheetahs with a vast stretch of plains and sparse forest.
The sanctuary will be fenced to ensure that the animal are protected.
Meanwhile, efforts to set up enclosures for the cheetahs in Palpur have begun. The mammal, now extinct in India, will be put in enclosures before being released, officials informed.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/ROARrrrr-for-Jungle-Tiger/166490116742359
According to the authority, lions have decreased by 50 per cent and not the 81 per cent cited by the Auditor General’s report which was quoted by the press.
“Overall, the general trend or most wildlife species in Uganda shows a positive growth over the years even though the populations have not reached the levels of the 1960s and 70s there is no animal at the verge of extinction,” Dr Andrew Sseguya, the UWA executive director, told journalists at the media centre on Wednesday.
This is contrary to the Auditor General’s report which cited poaching and illegal harvesting of resources were responsible for loss of natural habitat of wildlife.
“Overall, the general trend or most wildlife species in Uganda shows a positive growth over the years even though the populations have not reached the levels of the 1960s and 70s there is no animal at the verge of extinction,” Dr Andrew Sseguya, the UWA executive director, told journalists at the media centre on Wednesday.
This is contrary to the Auditor General’s report which cited poaching and illegal harvesting of resources were responsible for loss of natural habitat of wildlife.
http://in2eastafrica.net/uganda-wildlife-authority-insists-animal-population-not-in-decline/
http://www.facebook.com/pantheracats
A main threat facing snow leopards is conflict w/ humans, often resulting f/ cases of livestock depredation & the retaliatory hunting of snow leopards. Recently, Panthera’s scientists carried out a snow leopard diet study in Mongolia‘s Tost Mtns to assess how much snow leopards truly feed on domestic livestock. Read about the interesting results & how Panthera is mitigating future conflicts @ http://bit.ly/I8NGE2
Study Reveals First Ever Camera Trap Photos of a Tiger in Remote Northeast Indian Reserve
New York, NY – New data from a camera trap survey have revealed the first ever photos of a tiger (left), and images of more than 30 other mammal species from India’s Namdapha Tiger Reserve. While Namdapha is located on the remote and wild border with Myanmar, it has been impacted over the years by poaching for the illegal wildlife market and has even been declared an ‘empty forest,’ making these recent findings all the more surprising.
In early 2012, 80 camera traps (the majority provided by Panthera) were set up in a 300km2 reserve by teams of scientists from Aaranyak (an Assam-based wildlife conservation organization) supported by Panthera, the National Tiger Conservation Authority, the Arunanchal Pradesh State Forest Department and the Namdapha National Park Authority. These camera trapping efforts are being carried out through Panthera’s Tigers Forever program to collect baseline data on tigers and their prey, and to monitor tiger populations over time. One of six teams led by Panthera Technical Consultant, Sahil Nijhawan, placed camera traps that snapped four photos of a large, male tiger in the southern region of the reserve. They also found pugmarks (tiger footprints) of tigers, along with tiger scat (fecal matter).
The field director of the Namdapha Reserve, S.T. Jongsam, told The Telegraph, “The consistent efforts of the team finally paid off when tiger pugmarks were sighted. Scat samples, suspected to be of tiger origin, have been sent for analysis to the genetic laboratory of Aaranyak in Guwahati.” He also stated, “A permanent tiger protection force is essential in the park to tackle the [illegal] activities.”
Namdapha Tiger Reserve
Click to Enlarge
Panthera’s Tiger Program Director, Dr. Joe Smith, stated, “We’re thrilled that this latest study, which was a major collaborative effort, has confirmed that tigers are still present here and that the reserve has a good diversity of wildlife.” Smith added, “These photos are signs of hope for the tiger and can help garner the support required to protect this rich and unique place from the threats it faces.”
Setting a new record, camera traps also documented leopards, clouded leopards, golden cats, marbled cats, and leopard cats in the Namdapha Tiger Reserve. Wild elephants thought to have been extirpated from the park 15 years ago were also recorded, along with two potentially new frog species.
View a camera trap photo gallery and map of the Namdapha Tiger Reserve.
A camera trap photo of a clouded leopard.
Aaranyak’s Senior Wildlife Biologist, Dr. M. Firoz Ahmed, stated, “These findings are rare and exciting. We didn’t imagine that there could be such an incredible diversity of animals in this landscape. This camera trap survey has demonstrated that Namdapha has potential for the recovery of tigers as well as for other big cats and mammals.”
Learn more about Panthera’s Tigers Forever program.
Learn more about Aaranyak.
Wild Amur Leopard – 40 left in wild, one of the most beautiful cats. Critically endangered. One of the most beautiful of the leopards which was heavily hunted because of their beauty. The biggest threat – humans, and habitat loss. But now, thankfully, they are heavily protected.
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Russia took a big step Tuesday to try to save the Amur leopard, the world’s most endangered cat, with just 40 believed left in the wild.
The country is establishing a new national park in Russia’s Far East that encompasses about 60% of the endangered cat’s habitat and all of its breeding areas, according to a statement from the World Wildlife Fund announcing the park. The organization has been pushing for establishment of the Land of the Leopard National Park since 2001.
The cats are also known as the Far East leopard, the Manchurian leopard or the Korean leopard. They live in the temperate forests in Russia’s Far East between Vladivostok and the border with China and endure extreme winters with the help of pelts that triple in length during the cold months.
The leopards have a life span of 10 to 15 years in the wild. Large males can weigh up to 165 pounds, with the average male topping out at about 100 pounds. Females are about 95 pounds at their largest.
The 650,000-acre park will include sites for ecotourism as well as protected areas. The Russian government is spending about $16.6 million for its development.
Ten Amur, or Siberian, tigers, also an endangered species, are also believed to live in the park, according to the WWF. The tiger species also once numbered about 40 individuals in the wild, but the population has recovered to 450 individuals today with preservation efforts, giving hope to the leopard plans.
- Jake Richardson
- April 8, 2012
- http://www.care2.com
Madhya Pradesh is the second largest state in India by area and has over 70 million human residents. It also is home to many forests and has nine national parks. Within these habitats are a declining number of wild tigers. From 2001 to 2011 about 453 of them died. A tiger reserve in the state reportedly lost all its tigers. At one time there were 35-40, but poaching wiped out the whole population. There is speculation poachers in Madya Pradesh have connections with international mafia, who have the capability of illegal animal parts trafficking. Additionally, some of the conservation officials might also be colluding with poachers to take down tigers and then secretly ship them to international buyers.
It would be reasonable to expect a number of arrests and convictions to have been made in conjunction with the losses of many wild tigers. However, in the ten year period only two poacher convictions were handed down. Each conviction resulted in a three year prison sentence and a fine of 10,000 rupees, or about 500 US dollars.
453 tigers were lost, with only two convictions. 453 is almost half of the number of wild tigers lost around the world in the last ten years. So nearly half of the tiger losses globally for that decade were from one state in India. In about the same period, 1,000 tiger body parts were confiscated by authorities to prevent them from being sold illegally. Superstitious beliefs continue to fuel demand for such body parts to be made into decorations, luck charms and concoctions which some say have medicinal value, though there is no proof. The main demand for illegal animal body parts is coming from Asia.
It is stating the obvious, but if one cares about tigers or other wild animals, purchasing products containing their body parts should never acceptable. Also, refusing to travel to and within countries with poaching problems might begin to apply pressure for positive change.
Image Credit: Brian Gratwicke
Related Links
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Read more: Conscious Consumer, Nature, Nature & Wildlife, Wildlife
TNN | Apr 9, 2012, 11.27PM IST
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
JORHAT: Yet another leopard was killed by villagers at Khokondoguri Saroh Gaon in Golaghat district on Monday. Barely two days ago an adult leopard was killed at the hands of irate villagers of Bohikhowa Sapori in Dergaon area. However, one person was injured in Monday’s leopard attack before it was beaten to death by some villagers.
Forest officials said it was a one-year-old male leopard. It came under attack after it mauled one person of Khokondoguri Saroh gaon, about 10 km from Dergaon town, added one forest officer.
“We got information that a leopard cub was beaten to death by some villagers at Khokondguri area in Dergaon after it mauled a person on Monday morning. A man sustained minor injuries but he is presently out of danger. We lost another big cat within this week only in the same area,” said forest range officer, Golaghat, Puspadhar Nath.
On Saturday the villagers killed an adult leopard due to reasons yet to be known and feasted on the animal’s flesh, said Nath.
“We have lodged a complaint at the Dergaon police station. We are finding it hard to identify the culprits as about two thousand people from five villages were involved in the wild cat attack,” Nath said adding, “police investigation is on and one person has been arrested in this connection.”
Leopard killed, meat eaten by locals Guwahati, Apr 7 (PTI) A full-grown leopard was killed and its meat eaten by locals in Assam’s Golaghat district today, officials said. The male leopard, which was first spotted in Lempasapori area of Dergaon town in the district yesterday, injured two students before moving to Bohikhuwa area, where it attacked and injured another person today. Villagers attacked the leopard with sharp weapons and sticks and killed it before forest officials could reach the area, officials said. The leopard’s meat was then distributed among the people. This is the third incident, with one each reported from Guwahati and Rangiya, of a leopard being lynched and its meat eaten by locals in the state since last month.
http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/leopard-killed-meat-eaten-by-locals/983857.html
http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/leopard-killed-meat-eaten-by-locals/983857.html
Survey to count tigers in Sundarbans….
Bangladesh along with India will undertake a survey to determine the exact number of Royal Bengal tigers in the world’s biggest mangrove forest Sundarbans.
There are only 450 Royal Bengal tigers in the Sundarbans on the Bangladesh side.
Forest conservator Tapan Kumar Dey yesterday said a meeting would be held in May in New Delhi, in this regard, and the joint survey would start in July.
Bangladesh and India have signed a protocol to prevent poaching or smuggling of Royal Bengal tigers from their sanctuaries shared by the two countries. Unesco has declared the 10,200sq km forest a World Heritage site.
As many as 151 tigers have been killed in the last four decades in Bangladesh, the official said.
According to the protocol, the two countries will undertake joint scientific research and launch projects to promote their understanding and knowledge of Royal Bengal tigers, develop information systems, share research, and exchange personnel for training and education.
The two countries will start patrolling of the waterways that crisscross the mangrove forests on their respective sides, to prevent poaching or smuggling of tigers.
A census carried out in 2003 put the tiger population in the Sundarbans at 440. It is estimated that at least 100 cubs have been born in the past six years.
Royal Bengal tiger is found in parts of India, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Tibet in China.
According to the Wild World Forum (WWF), there are about 2,000 Royal Bengal tigers in the world today, including 1,411 in India, 440 in Bangladesh, 150 in Nepal, 100 in Bhutan, and a small number of them in Myanmar and China.
In the long run, the sharpest weapon of all is a kind and gentle Spirit.
~Anne Frank♥
THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN CIRCULATING AROUND FACEBOOK, AND IT APPEARS TO BE TAKEN FROM THAILAND’S TIGER TEMPLE. PLEASE DO NOT “LIKE” OR “SHARE” THIS IMAGE ~ AS IT SPEAKS THE FURTHEST FROM THE TRUTH ! TO FIND OUT THE TRUTH ABOUT TIGER TEMPLE , PLEASE FOLLOW THE ATTACHED LINK. THANK YOU
Leopard fed by a child at Mahuva~ cub was found whilst a man was cutting sugarcane and examined by a vet. http://www.divyabhaskar.co.in/article/DGUJ-SUR-leapord-child-meet-in-mahuva-3082692.html?OF3
Fire At Amreli ~ “When we rushed to the spot, we spotted two lionesses and one lion in the area where the fire had broken out. But they were safe. However, we could not find two cubs which are usually found around this area. We pray that they are safe,” Khuman said. (picture courtesy Bhushan Pandya)
http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Client.asp?Daily=TOIA&showST=true&login=default&pub=TOI&Enter=true&Skin=TOINEW&AW=1333944596578 http://us.mg4.mail.yahoo.com/neo/launch?.rand=2pi7463oosbc9
The ocelot (Leopardus pardalis), is a wild cat distributed extensively over South America, Central America, and Mexico. They have been reported as far north as Texas, and as far east as Trinidad and Barbados in the Caribbean. North of Mexico, they are found regularly only in the extreme southern part of Texas, although there are rare sightings in southern Arizona.The ocelot’s fur resembles that of a clouded leopard or jaguar and was once regarded as particularly valuable. As a result, hundreds of thousands of ocelots were once killed for their fur. The feline was classified a “vulnerable” endangered species from 1972 until 1996, and is now rated “least concern” by the 2008 IUCN Red List.
aldf.org
April 5th, 2012
After Baton Rouge Court’s Ruling Revoking Invalid Permit, ALDF Files Lawsuit Demanding Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Put an End to Owner’s Illegal Possession of the Big Cat
For immediate release
Contact:
Lisa Franzetta, Animal Legal Defense Fund
Megan Backus, Animal Legal Defense Fund
Baton Rouge, La. – This morning, the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) filed a lawsuit to force the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to do its job of enforcing Louisiana’s big cat ban in the case of Tony, Grosse Tete’s “truck stop tiger.” Michael Sandlin’s permit to keep Tony, an eleven-year-old Siberian-Bengal tiger, expired in December, yet he has continued to keep Tony confined at the Tiger Truck Stop, in open violation of state law. ALDF’s lawsuit would compel the Department to take steps to enforce the law and report Sandlin’s illegal possession of Tony to local law enforcement for prosecution. In addition, ALDF, along with two Louisiana residents, today filed a petition to intervene in Sandlin’s current lawsuit against the state; the interveners seek to defend the state’s law banning private ownership of big cats. The law offices of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell, & Berkowitz, P.C. are providing pro bono assistance with the lawsuit and the petition to intervene.
In November 2011, the East Baton Rouge District Court granted ALDF’s request for a permanent injunction against the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, ordering the Department to revoke the permit that allowed Sandlin to display Tony as a roadside exhibit at the truck stop where he has languished for over a decade. Despite the fact that Sandlin’s permit expired in December and cannot be renewed, he continues to display Tony, in violation of the big cat law, which the Department is responsible for enforcing.
“The state of Louisiana has explicit regulations designed to protect tigers like Tony, and the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is required to enforce them” says ALDF Executive Director Stephen Wells. “The court has already granted Tony and ALDF a victory by ruling that Michael Sandlin’s permit to display Tony was illegal. Sandlin, now without a permit, cannot be allowed to continue to exploit this tiger with impunity.”
Meanwhile, Sandlin and the Tiger Truck Stop are suing the state, arguing that Louisiana’s ban on private ownership of big cats like Tony is unconstitutional—flying in the face of the current national sentiment that dangerous exotic animals should be more strictly regulated. Ohio is currently considering a bill that would ban new ownership of captive wild animals, following the massacre of 48 animals including lions, tigers, and bears, who were released by their Zanesville owner last October. Additionally, in February, a bipartisan bill—the “Big Cats and Public Safety Protection Act”—was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives that would prohibit the breeding and private possession of captive big cats. ALDF’s petition in intervention supports Louisiana’s power to safeguard public safety and animal welfare through such legislative measures.
Uploaded by 2008PPC on May 6, 2008
WARNING VERY GRAPHIC – Siberian Tigers – In China there are a number of Tiger farms, going under the guise as tourist attractions. Here is one of them. However, this is a live animal feed to the Tigers. Remember that Tigers born in captivity do not learn how to hunt properly. In the wild, a Tiger kills instantly because of being raised by its mum. In captivity, they never really learn. A live cow is dumped out of a truck, the Tigers pounce. I’ll warn you its a gruelling 6 minutes, however, (SEVERE WARNING) that at the 5minute 26 sec mark, you will see an act carried out by humans that is utterly barbaric. In many Asian nations, creatures are not thought of in the compassionate way that you would think. It is a very different mindset.
Picture of a Cub (baby Leopard) which was killed by local people in forest near Banjosa, Rawalakot (Pakistan Administered Kashmir) yesterday
Where are the World Wildlife Organizations who work for the protection of these endangered species? Steps should be taken to secure local people from Wild Animals and vice verse. (Via Kashmir
