https://www.facebook.com/Kariega.Game.Reserve
A male lion bites a females ear at the end of mating to distract her from the pain of the withdrawl of his barbed penis. Like all felines they have short penises and to secure it they have a number of barbs present. To distract the female as he withdraws he bites her ear, though it inevitably ends with a large paw being swiped in his general direction as well – Brendon
https://www.facebook.com/iranian.cheetah
A young male Persian leopard passing in front of a camera trap with a beautiful view of the Bafq Protected Area in central Iran. Although leopards live a variety of habitat types, they are well adapted to their environment
http://www.wildlife.ir/ShowInfo.aspx?Lang=2&InfoId=482
Yesterday Fred & team at LCP carried out the 2nd Rescue in less than a week.. this gorgeous girl was trapped in an even more ill designed farmers trap than usual..cutting off a section of her tail.. She will have her tail treated today..
Any support and donations towards LCP and their priceless work for Leopard will be more than appreciated and help towards veterinary care, collars and future rescues..
for overseas..
via paypal marked “LCP” spotsandstripescon@hotmail.co.uk
For SA Donations…
Nedbank_
Branch Code: 151405
Account Number: 1514257408
PBO Number: 930030057
https://www.facebook.com/AndrewSchoemanPhotography
“Leopard” A Female Leopard in the Okavango Delta using the available cover to watch a herd of Impala. Photographed while on Safari at Sandibe with andBeyond.
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PUNE : The Faraskhana police have arrested a youth from Belgaum and seized a leopard skin valued at Rs 9 lakh from his possession. The suspect has been identified as Pravin alias PavyaManoharPatil (22), a resident of Omkar building Vijaynagar, Belgaum.
The Faraskhana police team led by assistant inspector Geeta Bagawade made the arrest.
Bagawade said that police constable Sunil Pawar received a tip-off that one person would be coming in Ganesh Peth with a leopard skin. “We laid a trap and nabbed Patil,” Bagawade said.
Chetan Chauhan , Hindustan Times New Delhi, April 14, 2013
The tragedy at the Sarika and Panna reserve forests is set to be repeated. This time it could be in the eastern state of Odisha, where no tigers have been spotted for months in Satkosia, a forest habitat on the banks of Mahanadi river.
Satkosia is one of the newest homes for the feline in India with the state government declaring 963sq kms as tiger reserve in 2007. At that time, the forest in the gorge of Mahanadi in southern Odisha had officially 18 tigers.
A unique habitat having elephants, leopards, gharials and pangolins among other wildlife, it was considered a second viable tiger home in Odisha since Simlipal was out of bounds for the forest department because of high naxal presence in Mayurbanj district. “The forest had perfect environs to sustain good tiger population,” said a senior official of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
Things have dramatically changed in the last year or so with poachers increasing their assault on elephants and tigers. “Lot of elephants had been poached in that area. We believe they (poachers) would have also killed tigers,” said Biswajit Mohanty of Orissa Wildlife Society and member of National Board for Wildlife.
State forest department officials, however, ruled out poaching of tigers but admit that the big cat numbers has hit a nadir in recent times. “The problem is because of skewed sex ratio of the existing tiger population. The tigers have failed to repopulate as some male tigers died because of old age,” an official said.
The reserve had around a dozen tigers in 2010 when the last estimation was done and the forest department claimed that the numbers would increase as most of the tigers were young and breeding. Two years down the line, they have been proven wrong with cameras installed recently failing to catch photographs of tigers. “We were not able to see even cubs or juveniles,” an official said.
Officials admit that Satkosia was facing danger of extinction of local tiger population and there may be need to relocate tigers from other reserves as done in Sariska and Panna, from where tigers vanished in the last decade. Both Sariska in Rajasthan and Panna in Madhya Pradesh now have tiger numbers following successful translocation.
K* Difundamos el CIERRE del Zoo de Colón también en Inglés amig@s
¡ Cuánto más lejos llegue la información mejor, urge máxima difusión !
” What’s going on in the Colon Zoo in Buenos Aires, Argentina, that could explain why these lions are apparently starving? We don’t know — especially when just down the road there is a dangerous animal petting zoo where the caretakers claim the animals are mellow because they are so full — but these big cats sure look like they could use a good meal. Badly. A campaign is growing in Argentina to “feed or free the animals in the Colon Zoo” and some folks in the U.S. have started this petition to get the word out. We don’t know if it will help, but we’re happy to pile on and try “
>>>http://now.msn.com/colon-zoo-lions-appear-to-be-starving
¡ WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING, THESE ANIMALS ARE DYING, THE ZOO HAS TO CLOSE AND THE ANIMALS NEED A BETTER LIFE , PLEASE SIGN AND SHARE !
>>>http://www.thepetitionsite.com/329/193/189/feed-or-free-the-animals-in-the-colon-zoo/
https://www.facebook.com/PlaneteTigre
I do not want wild animals in circus …
Hello my friends
I have an important decision for me and the planet Association tiger.
The association Planet Tiger is a bit special.
Initially Planet Project Tiger was a theme park on the big cats, a project that I had planned on talant then Beaune.
Project of 21 million euros with animals in semi-freedom, a theater etc.. … For those who want to know more you will find items on the net.
But … we have developed the project with students from ESC Dijon and students from Ohio in the United States to try to raise money 
Vain thing …… it works for Obama … not for a project like Planet Tiger
But … this experience has allowed me to open my mind and see things differently.
I went to India and I have seen wild tigers and there I told myself I have to change things …
I created the planet tiger Association for the preservation in situ.
Jim Corbett was one of the greatest fighters of tigers and became one of his biggest supporters.
I had tigers, I did the training … I had a park project. But I do not want that.
AND I do not want wild animals in circuses …
I’ll lose friends very important to me with this message.
I just sent an SMS to buddy MP Laurent Guillaume Grand (which is against the bullfight) so that we work together on this.
It is not won … and really hard for me vis-à-vis some of my circus friends. But my choice is made.
By against one thing is, you’ll never see me with a banner in front of the circus to show and do not count on me.
That’s my goal is to preserve the tiger In Situ
Big upcoming project in Asia.
Thank you for your support
For Tigers do not lose their stripes
Fred
Animal Quotes, Animal Rights & Religions
https://www.facebook.com/Berissa.Bubic
1. California State Lawmakers: Ban trapping of bobcats in Morongo Basin near Joshua Tree National Park:
=> https://www.change.org/petitions/california-state-lawmakers-ban-trapping-of-bobcats-in-morongo-basin-near-joshua-tree-national-park
2. HELP END BOBCAT TRAPPING IN CALIFORNIA:
=>http://action.biologicaldiversity.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=12521
PLEASE TAKE ACTION MY FRIENDS ƬӇƛƝƘ ƳƠƲ ♥
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cheetah-Conservation-Botswana/294580424385
Running around the Kalahari in the heat of the day is worth it to uncover beautiful photos of cheetah like this. Thanks to Kevin and Merle Grant for letting us work on their farm.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ronesh-Parbhoo-Wildlife-Photography/177242835673208
BHOPAL: Protesting the proposed move of National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) to shift few tigers from Madhya Pradesh to Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan to arrest their dwindling population in the desert state, an NGO working for the conservation of big cats, has requested the Centre to intervene in the matter.
In a letter to Union environment and forest minister Jayanti Natrajan, NGO ‘Prayatna’ highlighted documents sourced through RTI stating that NTCA under some political pressure has instructed the Madhya Pradesh government to shift tigers from the state to Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan, terming the move as “very disturbing”.
“We strongly object to the step taken by NTCA and have requested the Union minister for immediate intervention in the matter as Madhya Pradesh not only lost the coveted tiger state status in the last census to Karnataka, but also it was unable to protect its big cats in the wild which resulted in poaching/natural death of 16 tigers including three tigress and two cubs in 2012,” Prayatna secretary, Ajay Dube told PTI.
Dube further informed on the basis of RTI, that acting on the NTCA letter dated March 8, referring to its Technical Committee meeting, dated February 27, principal chief conservator of forest (PCCF) Wildlife, Dr P K Shukla has requested the NTCA to take an opinion of the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) Dehradoon on the issue of shifting tigers from Madhya Pradesh to Sariska.
However, Dube said that in the light of state losing 16 tigers in just 2012, the forest authorities should have protested the move.
Instead, they have just requested NTCA to take WII’s opinion on the matter, he said.
RANCHI: Anand Kumar, who is on an indefinite hunger strike
to protest against corruption in the forest department, is facing
threat to his life; the forest ranger said quoting special branch
officers.
“Police officers have been deployed for my security.
The special branch has said I am facing security threat,” said Kumar,
who is also an RTI activist and had received crucial documents on
alleged corrupt practices in the department.
Kumar sat on
hunger strike on March 25 in front of the governor’s house. Police had
to forcefully lift him from the place on Friday.
Kumar accused
Jharkhand forest officers of selling 1.25 lakh hectares of land in
Palamu and embezzlement in various schemes and also held them
responsible for the vanishing of 123 tigers from Palamu Tiger Reserve
since 1973. He claimed that he has all documents to back his words.
“The officers have given more than 1.25 lakh forest land to various
industries, builders and other mining agencies,” said Kumar, who was
transferred 17 times in a career of 20 years. The man has disclosed the
irregularities after which senior forest officers had also conducted
inquiries.
“I was forced to call upon the advisor to the governor, Madhukar Gupta with complete documents.
An inquiry has been ordered into the irregularities,” he added.
The vanishing of big cats in Palamu tiger reserve is the prime issue
which the forest ranger, who has already tendered his resignation, is
championing. “The state forest department
is not paying any heed to the vanishing tigers. The department has done
nothing for the conservation of tigers in PTR. The posts of junior
officers are lying vacant,” said Kumar.
He quoted documents obtained through RTI said a total of 123 tigers have vanished from PTR since 1973.
Kumar had written a letter to Union environment and forest minister Jayanthi Natarajan and the Prime Minister’s office. “A team from National Tiger Conservation Authority
(NTCA) was asked to visit the tiger reserve here and submit a report by
the ministry. The NTCA authorities had expressed concerns on the poor
conditions. But nothing has happened so far,” said Kumar.
Doctors attending to Kumar at RIMS said his health is deteriorating and needed medical supervision for some time.
Many of the trackers are illiterate while others have barely passed high school. However, they are the all-knowing teachers when it comes to helping scholars from around the world study lion behaviour. “On an average, a tracker with 25 years of experience will have assisted 15 PhD students, both Indians and foreign. We have trackers who even help wildlife channels make documentaries,” says a forest officer.
“Our job is to observe the lion all day, follow him at a distance of 1 km. There are 411 lions and just 14 of us,” says tracker Mohammad Arif, 53. He has been tracking the wild cats for 35 years.
Rajesh Vaja, 34, who has studied up to class VII, says education could be important in other professions, but not for his work. “We learn from our fathers,” he says. “My entire lineage consists of trackers.” He takes his three-year-old son for a stroll inside the protected forest zone as a form of education.
Dean of the wildlife department at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, and himself a PhD on lions, Yadvendra Jhala, gives full credit to the trackers. “The current trackers are descendents of the ‘shikaris’ from the time of the Nawab (of Junagadh), they have excellent field craft and an uncanny ability to follow spoor – the track or scent of an animal – in the jungle,” he says. “There are currently some five to seven such good trackers in Gir from that generation. Two are working on a WII research project as field assistants.”
He adds that these trackers have been indispensable in training his students in field craft, and have been immensely helpful in locating specific lions for radio-collaring and research. “They are courageous, know lion and leopard behaviour and one could rely on them for dangerous tasks of capture and translocation of problem animals as well.”
These lionhearts know the animals intimately. “If a lion hasn’t moved enough in days, we know it is unwell,” says Vaja. “We message the doctor who comes and tranquilizes that particular lion. We then hold the animal in place while it is treated. It often gets dangerous when they wake up. We even get hurt.”
Vaja has been attacked once in 15 years. These trackers know how to determine a lion’s age through its teeth and sometimes, give the doctor advice on how to treat the beast.
Another wildlife expert, Ravi Chellam, too had studied lion behaviour for his doctoral thesis. “In the early days when a researcher is new to the forest, these trackers are very handy as they are aware of the dwelling, terrain and behaviour of the lions,” he says.
Chellam remembers how he would not have been able to radio-collar a lion for his thesis without Wazirbhai, the head tracker in those days. “Being summer I could not see anything after I hit a lion with a tranquilizing dart, but Wazirbhai held his nerve and tracked the lion 10 minutes later. I developed a personal bond with him.”
The lion is not an enemy for these trackers, nor it is a friend. But one thing they can vouch for – the lion will not attack wantonly. “These princely creatures know we are around them and don’t mind it. If we come too close for comfort, a single throaty growl is enough to warn us. We know when to back off,” says Mohammad Juma, 46, who has been in the profession for 25 years.
“When they hunt, they make no sound. Even dry leaves don’t cackle under their paws. Hunting is an extreme sport for them and we must maintain a sacred distance,” says Arif.
“We go to Panchmahal to rescue leopards too. We are genetically adept at managing big, feisty animals. The forest officers post us at other places for rescue operations all year,” says Vaja.
Ask these men if they pet these creatures or name them for fun and pat comes the reply from the angry looking Arif, “We are scared every day, but we don’t spare much thought over it. Lekin unko chhune ka dil hua, toh wo zindagi ka aakhri chhuna ho jayega, samjhe?” (if we feel like petting them, it will be the last time we touch anything in our lives, you understand…)
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-04-02/ahmedabad/38216934_1_trackers-gir-lion
Via – Notch the Lion-King of the Mara and His Five Sons
VOICE YOUR OPINION CHINA IS TRYING TO TAKE THE SEREGENTI MEANING EVEN NOTCH WONT BE ABLE TO SURVIVE,THE POOR RHINOS ELEPHANTS.I GUESS WE SHOULD KISS ALL BELOVED ANIMALS IN MARA SEREGENTI GOOD BYE
https://www.facebook.com/
/photo.php?fbid=554742804557487&set=a.125680667463705.14344.125601617471610&type=1&theater
Friday, 05 April 2013 | Girish Sharma | Bhopal
http://www.dailypioneer.com/nation/tourist-inflow-drives-away-big-cats-in-satpura-reserve.html
Despite several efforts by the Forest department to conserve tigers, no feline has been sighted in the Satpura tiger reserve in the past several years. Locals claim that heavy inflow of tourists in the region is the main reason behind this.
A prominent industrialist had recently visited a tiger reserve in the State and expressed disappointment over not having sighted a tiger.
A local resident, working in a hotel, said that in July last year, following directives of the Supreme Court, tourism was banned in Pachmarhi and wild animals were seen moving in core forest areas, particularly on way to Beefall and Dhoopgarh areas. However, only bisons, bears and deer were sighted.
The inflow of tourists in the core forest areas of Pachmarhi is so huge that one feels suffocated. There is no peace left in the forests of Pachmarhi. The Forest department is busy only in charging Rs 20 each person on his visit to the core forest areas. Each group of persons or families needs to pay for one guide as well and it is mandatory to hire Gypsy vehicles for reaching the spots.
As for facilities provided to the tourists, the Forest department provides none.
The State government has to submit to it the tourism plan in core forest areas by April 16, as per the directives of the apex court. Meanwhile, an unusual calm prevails in Pachmarhi town regarding the continuance of tourism there. In October, last year, the Supreme Court had lifted ban on tourism and asked the States to follow the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) guidelines that states that only 20 per cent of the core forest areas could be allowed for tourism. Locals feel if tourism is stopped in core forest areas, only four important points would be left for tourists to visit.
https://www.facebook.com/RudiHulshof
Now that my contribution to the banner is off, I thought I would post an image of the female leopard having a drink. This was taken in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve, when a male and female leopard came to a small pan to drink after a bout of mating. I used a spotlight to capture the images. It was quite a mission choosing to either snap away at the male or the female, or both. This was the result of photographing the female as she lapped at the water.
Web: www.big5africansafari.com
FB Page: Rudi Hulshof Photography
TIGER FACT – The Amur Tiger is not only the largest tiger sub-species, but is widely known to be the largest big cat in the world. On average, fully grown males can weigh between 160-190 kg and females 110-130 kg.
This is 4 year old Kuzma, born at Banham Zoo in October 2008!
https://www.facebook.com/PlaneteTigre
https://www.facebook.com/PlaneteTigre
Forested areas in Jambi’s national parks have gradually depleted due to forest conversion and illegal logging by irresponsible parties, disrupting the natural environment.
The Jambi Forestry Agency’s Forested Area Planning section head Endang Kurniadi said national parks were the best habitat for rare and protected wildlife species, such as honey bears, jungle cats, elephants and tigers.
It is estimated that there are 254 tigers in the province.
The Jambi Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) recorded 24 cases of human-tiger conflict since 2008. Besides attacking residents, the tigers often maul livestock.
Jambi BKSDA’s forest ecosystem controller, Ida Herwati, said despite being at the top of the food chain and ferocious, the beasts never disturb humans intentionally.
“They attack if they are disturbed first,” said Ida.
Separately, Kerinci Seblat National Park (TNKS) region II head Dian Risdianto said only 165 tigers remained in the national park. The dwindling population is attributed to rampant poaching.
In 2012, six tigers were found dead; two in Kerinci regency and four in TNKS’s area in neighboring Bengkulu province. Also in 2012, four tigers were caught by traps — two died and another two were rescued. The TNKS discovered 38 tiger traps, 36 of which were found outside the park.
Ema Fatma, from the Tumbuh Alami conservation group, said the Sumatran tiger population during 2001-2004 stood at 195 individuals. She explained that the decline could be attributed to poaching and the presence of wild boar and deer traps.
The Indonesian Conservation Community (KKI) Warsi spokesman Rudy Syaf stressed that tigers were integral to the food chain; without tigers, wild boars would multiply very fast and would be difficult to curb. Wild boars are part of tigers’ main diet in Jambi.
In Jambi, 776,652 hectares (ha) of protected forest had been converted into Industrial Forests (HTI) as of 2011. Another 574,514 ha was converted into oil palm plantations.
As we prepare for the Walk for Lions, we are extremely happy with how the organisation has turned out, and with so many showing interest to help and support. We truly thank you all for this. Many of you have contacted us directly with regards to volunteer opportunities and we ask only that you wait until our sister company is off the ground. But first, a campaign for LIONS. If you want to help, start by getting more people to watch Lion news and as we walk on our journey to create awareness, various controversial topics will be discussed for you to view.
We thank you all again for your support and remember, ITS ALL ABOUT THE LIONS. We have less than 20 000 or so left, lets make every min count.
WFL
https://www.facebook.com/iranian.cheetah
The cheetah is the fastest land animal in the world, but there is no data about their speed in Iran, but maybe they are less agile because they are in hilly terrains unlike flat plains where African cheetahs occur.
I feel so sad to say that today, there are more tigers in captivity than in the wild :’(
Tigers in captivity are those who are kept in circuses or in zoos or in prisons (fur farms in china, so as soon as they grow up they are killed for their fur and bones)…I mean look at this picture…Tigers are magnificent wild cats supposed to be free in the wild…not treated like means of entertainment in circuses or zoos 
Take a pledge today and NEVER go to zoos or marine theme parks where animals are forced to live in small exhibits…it’s a small cage for them compared to their natural habitat…It’s like a JAIL to which they are sent, even when they haven’t committed any crime
Instead go to wildlife sanctuaries or national parks, where you can see them in their natural habitat…then only we can realize how IMPORTANT it is to protect them & nature…!!!
” QUIT SUPPORTING ANIMAL SLAVERY “
Please Like & Share our Page about Tiger Conservation > “We wan’t it at 2000.”
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http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2013-04/08/content_16381484.htm
China and Russia will establish a cross-border Amur leopard reserve this year, the Jilin Province Forestry Department said on Saturday.
The department is engaged in discussions with the Land of Leopard National Park in Primorsky Territory of Russia on a cooperative agreement to protect the big cat.
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Amur leopard looks through the bars of its enclosure at a zoo in Leipzig, Germany, on Wednesday. Hendrik Schmidt / AP |
“If everything goes smoothly, we suggest signing an agreement with the park in June,” said Jiang Jinsong, a provincial forestry department official.
“We hope to promote the cooperation as soon as possible,” said Alyona Salmanova, head of the science department at Land of Leopard National Park. The park will draft the agreement.
The Amur leopard, which lives in the border area of China, Russia and the Korean Peninsula, is a subspecies of the Panthera genus. According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, the Amur leopard population has dwindled to around 50, making it one of the world’s most endangered species.
According to RIA Novosti, Land of Leopard National Park was set up early in 2012 at the order of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The park, bordering Hunchun in Jilin province, is one of the migration routes for Siberian tigers and Amur leopards.
China and Russia have been exploring ways to protect the wild cats in recent years. The current focus is on setting up joint monitoring, information sharing and personnel exchanges between Russia’s Primorsky Territory and China’s Heilongjiang and Jilin provinces.
Zhu Jiang, head of the Northeast China office of the WWF, spoke highly of joint Sino-Russian wildlife protection efforts. Zhu said the WWF will fully support the cross-border Amur leopard reserve.
“Our cooperation is expanding from the protection of Siberian tigers to Amur leopards, which means the cooperation is deepening,” said Jiang Guangshun, deputy head of the Feline Research Center of the State Forestry Administration.
Liu Ce in Shenyang contributed to this story.
Anwuyong@chinadaily.com.cn
https://www.facebook.com/cee4life.org
I despair sometimes.
Its clear to me what has to be done. Create multiple groups of anti poachers everywhere, like an Army of animal protectors as well trained as the military, with the ability to live under harsh circumstances, and dedicated to protect the last of the creatures. I dont see much else stopping the slaughter.
Below is a picture of a glorious tiger, slaughtered by poachers, and then his carcass burnt. Its a horrifying picture isnt it….. this beautiful beast reduced to this at human hands. :’(
Its enough to break some…
But, the secret that I have found to continuing to go on, in the midst of all this horrifying slaughter, is to work from the standpoint of love. What I mean by that is that to love these creatures enough that you will go on, you will continue, you will not be broken by the evil inflicted on them, because of your love for them.
Love is our most powerful weapon.
Use it well
Choose what is going to define you in your life, and
Never Give Up xo
Sybelle x
The forest department has decided to radio-collar ten tigers in the Sunderbans where population dynamics of the big cats has al ways remained a mystery. And this time, an advanced set of radio collars, which helped scientists track tigers in Nepal and lions in Gir, will be used in the mangroves.
A team of Wildlife Institute of India (WII) officials, led by senior scientist Y V Jhala, is likely to visit the mangroves in April for the first leg of the exercise. However, a forest department official said the number of tigers to be collared during their first visit will only be decided after consulting the WII scientists. “The dates for their visit is yet to be finalized,” said the official.
It may be noted that a total of five tigers, two adult females and three adult males, were radio-collared by the WII scientists in the Sunderbans in 2010. Satellite collars were used for this purpose. Sources said radio-collaring helps experts gauge the home range of tigers , which in the long run comes handy in establishing the density of the big cats in a forest. The study had then revealed that the tigers’ home ranges hovered between 190 to 200 square kilometres.
Though large home range indicates lesser density, as a tiger’s home range depends on prey base and territory of other tigers, in Sunderbans the exercise didn’t yield the desired result then as several collars stopped working within a few days of its deployment.
WII’s Y V Jhala said that some data on the tigers’ home range and territory could not be established then. “But this time, we have made some changes in the circuitry of the satellite collars to make these robust ones. We have used these collars on lions at Gir and they have even functioned at a stretch for a year. So, this time we expect to get a more reliable data,” he said, adding that they are hoping to collar all the ten tigers in a year’s time.
However, the exercise then managed to establish the fact that there is tiger movement between the Indian and Bangladesh Sunderbans. “The Khatuajhuri male, which was a stray animal, had crossed the Harinbhanga river to enter the Talpati island of Bangladesh Sunderbans,” revealed a WII scientist.
Tracking of the radio-collared tigers had also revealed that there was a general trend of higher movement rate by the mangroves tigers during the day time. However, soon after this study the WII scientists decided to radio collar a minimum of 10 tigers, of which 4-6 in a contagious area of 300-400 square kilometres, to understand home range overlap and territoriality. “The exercise to be conducted now will help the scientists understand whether and how Sunderbans tigers protect their territory,” said an official.
Meanwhile, the camera trapping exercise, being done jointly by the forest department and WWF-India, is complete in two ranges of the mangrove’s — Sajnekhali and National Park East. “The exercise is on at the Basirhat range. We will start withdrawing the cameras laid at Basirhat from April 11 and hope to give a density for the entire tiger reserve area by the end of April,” said WWF-India’s Sunderbans chapter head Anurag Danda. After identification, the photographs will be sent to the National Tiger Conservation Authority, so that the Sunderbans tigers can be counted in the UID-type databank.
MOSCOW, April 1 – RAPSI. Fines killing tigers, leopards, snow leopards and northern falcons have been raised to 1.1 million rubles ($35,390), the Natural Resources Ministry reported on Monday, citing the new norms for calculating environmental damages that became effective on March 31.
According to the ministry’s order, the basic norm for calculating the damages done to the Amur tiger and leopard population has increased from 500,000 to 1.1 million rubles and from 300,000 to 1.1 million rubles for the snow leopard, the ministry reported in a statement. Meanwhile, fines for killing rare birds of prey have increased from 250,000 to 1.1 million rubles for the northern falcon and to 600,000 rubles for the saker and peregrine falcons.
Fines have also been raised for killing endangered species, such as the golden eagle, Russia‘s three populations of the Polar bear, the European bison – the Belovezhskaya Pushcha population and hybrid intraspecific populations, the black-tailed gazelle (dzeren), the goat antelope, the bezoar goat, the Altai argali, and snow leopard subpopulations.
The ministry also reported that the increased fines will complement the criminal and administrative punishment stipulated by law.
The State Duma is presently examining a bill on exclusive criminal responsibility for the illegal killing, storage, transportation and sale of the Amur tiger, leopard and other rare and endangered species protected by Russia’s Red Data Book and international treaties.
NAGPUR: It’s a wake up call for the forest officials! Change in crop pattern around the 61 sq km Bor wildlife sanctuary in Wardha may flare-up man-animal conflict around the sanctuary. On Sunday morning, three leopard cubs were found in a cane farm in Mohi (Kini), 7km from Bor in Hingni range.
The three cubs – two male and a female – were found at 7am by labourers extracting sugarcane from the farm of Prabhakar Jadhav. The labourers mistook the cubs with kittens and called up Jadhav. Jadhav handed over the two cubs to local naturalist Jayesh Rannavre, who identified them and called up Bor RFO Shrikant Naik.
A visit to the spot at 10am by Naik and others led to one more cub in the farm. The two cubs were later released with the third one hoping that mother would take them away. As a motley crowd had gathered to see the cubs, SRPF has been summoned to guard the farm.
This is the second such incident after February 5 when four leopard cubs were found in Dongargaon-Nanbardi in a farm near Hingni. The cubs were later reunited with the mother. The spot is 4km away from Mohi (Kinhi).
“This is not the isolated case. There are more carnivores moving around Bor. In the past two months, there have been eight cattle kills,” said Naik.
Being close to Bor, Hingni range under territorial forest is beaming with wildlife but due to bad management and alleged negligence by staff, things are going haywire.
Two incidents best explains field staff negligence. Since March 5, a full-grown tiger was being sighted near Hingni. It is preying on domestic pigs, but expect for issuing directions to locals, no steps were taken to monitor the carnivore.
Similarly, on March 21, casual approach of the staff led to alleged poisoning of at least 22-25 peacocks near the farm of Ashok Vaidya near Salai Pevath outside Bor. However, only two were shown dead on record. Primary offence report (POR) was not filed nor post mortem was conducted to ascertain the cause of death.
Wardha deputy conservator of forests (DyCF) Pravin Chavan said, “The report of 22 peacock deaths is false. Only two peacocks died. We could not conduct post mortem as veterinary doctor was not available,” said Chavan.
Chavan said three leopard cubs found on Sunday in a cane farm will be reunited with the mother. He admitted that large-scale sugarcane farms around Bor are turning breeding grounds for leopards.
A study on human-leopard conflict called ‘Project Waghoba’ carried out by a Pune-based NGO Kaati group in Ahmednagar, Junnar, Chandrapur, Kolhapur, Jalgaon and Mumbai has found that sugarcane farms prove good food and hiding places for leopards.
“A similar situation may be witnessed around Bor in years to come,” warned G B Mahure, a young wildlife activist working for Srushti, a wildlife protection NGO.
“Bor and New Bor sanctuaries, both 124 sq km, are too small to accommodate abundant wildlife and hence areas under Hingni need to be merged with wildlife territory,” Mahure said.
Rannavre says Hingni range is well irrigated due to water availability from Bor. Bor running short of space for animals is one reason, but there is also disturbance of fishermen at the lakeside even during night, adjoining farms prove good resting places for carnivores. They also get easy prey here.
“Sighting of animals to locals is frequent around Bor. On Saturday, a guard sighted a tiger in an explosive factory near Hingni,” Rannavre said.
On the contrary, M S Reddy, chief conservator of forests (CCF) and field director of Pench, says water arrangement in Bor is good. “Due to better protection animals have increased and they are moving out of the protected area to fringes is not something new. We anticipate similar protection support from the territorial staff too.”
Oregon’s cougar population has exploded in recent years, raising fears of increased encounters with humans. The Legislature is looking at proposals to allow a return to the use of hounds by hunters.
SALEM — Oregon’s troublesome urban/rural divide was on stark display Tuesday at a legislative hearing on whether to relax a ban voters approved nearly 20 years ago on using hounds to hunt down cougars.Ranchers and hunters squared off with animal rights and environmental advocates over how best to manage the big cats whose population has exploded from about 200 in the 1960s to about 6,000 now, according to state estimates.
“They are one of the most stealthy predators there is,” said Bill Hoyt of the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association, who described witnessing a cougar kill a newborn calf on his southern Oregon ranch.
Hoyt was among those testifying in favor of two cougar-related bills before the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. One, House Bill 2624, would exempt counties from the statewide prohibition on using dogs to hunt cougars and black bears, if county voters approve. It also would allow the use of bait to hunt bears, which voters banned in 1994.
Another, House Bill 3395, would require the state Department of Fish and Wildlife to design a pilot program that would allow hunters to use dogs to track down and tree cougars. Counties could opt in.
Opponents called the bills unnecessary because complaints of cougar encounters are down while cougar kills are up, according to state statistics. They said the bills would undo the will of voters, and they questioned the state’s ability to count cougars accurately.
Scott Beckstead, Oregon director of the Humane Society of the United States, came armed with data from the state that show a steep decline in the number of cougar complaints, from a high of 1,072 in 1999, to 287 in 2012. Over the same period, the data show, the number of cougars killed by hunters has risen from 157 to 242.
Voters didn’t bar cougar and bear hunting, Beckstead noted. And they allowed the continued use of dogs to hunt problem or dangerous animals, he said.
“These bills go far beyond that,” Beckstead said. “They allow the use of dogs and bait for sport. The voters of Oregon have said they don’t want that.”
In some ways, the hearing was a replay of the arguments and tensions that played out in headlines and campaign ads in 1994, when the ban on hunting bear and cougars with dogs and bait was put on the ballot as a citizen initiative. It passed overwhelmingly, helped along by lopsided votes in Multnomah and other urban counties. Most rural counties voted against it.
An effort to repeal the ban two years later failed on a statewide vote.
On Tuesday, lawmakers and citizens who support the bills talked about close encounters between humans and cougars. Those stories were countered and dismissed by opponents.
Jayne Miller, who heads the preservation-minded Oregon Cougar Action Team, said many complaints of cougar sightings and encounters aren’t documented. “These are ghost stories,” she said. “We cannot base sound science on ghost stories.”
Rep. Sherrie Sprenger, R-Scio, who is sponsoring the cougar hunting pilot program bill, said she has no doubts that cougars in Oregon are becoming braver and more willing to come into contact with people.
“I hear over and over, no one has been killed by a cougar yet in Oregon,” she said. “Is that what we’re waiting for?”
A clear complaint from many who spoke is that Oregon has different needs in its rural districts than its urban areas, and there’s an overriding sense that urban voters hold sway. They said HB 2624, which allows voters in each county to decide cougar and bear hunting policy, is fairer than a statewide vote.
Frank Hupp, president of the Oregon Hunters Association of Columbia County, took issue with the “voters have spoken” argument.
“The voters who spoke were from the Willamette Valley,” he said. “If you have a ranch in eastern Oregon, you have completely different needs than you do in the Willamette Valley.”
Where the bills head from here is unclear. Rep. Brad Witt, D-Clatskanie, said he would check with other committee members before deciding whether to call for a vote on the bills to send them to the House floor.
But he clearly isn’t comfortable with the threat posed by the increasing number of cougars. “My concern is, if it’s livestock now, it not be children and human beings in the future.”
– Harry Esteve
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Guwahati/Jorhat April 1: The sighting of a male tiger at Manas National Park recently has proved that this animal, saved from conflict in Sivasagar district and translocated to Manas, has survived in the wilds for more than 1,000 days after its release. The tiger was caught from Geleky in March 2010, after encounters with humans that had resulted in the death of two persons. The tiger was released by the forest department, assisted by the International Fund for Animal Welfare, Wildlife Trust of India (IFAW-WTI). Its survival gives weight to Wildlife Trust of India’s statement that the animal release percentage of the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation is more than 50 per cent, the best for any such centre in the world. Rathin Barman, a senior Wildlife Trust of India official, told reporters here that the centre has attended to more than 3,000 cases and saved lives of more than 1,600 wild animals in distress. The official was briefing reporters on the trust’s work in the state. Barman said they were working to secure critical wildlife corridors in Assam to provide safe passage to animals from Kaziranga to Karbi Anglong hills during the annual floods. Sources said encroachment has disturbed the movement of animals, leading to increasing cases of man-animal conflicts. “We are working with people living in these corridors for some time now to ensure best implementation of a solution that benefits all,” he said. “CWRC has also provided a platform and helped to train around 45 people,” he said. He said 1,936 forest employees have been insured under its group accident insurance scheme. “In cases of human-tiger conflicts in India, capture is generally the beginning and not the end of the story,” said Vivek Menon, the executive director, WTI and regional director, South Asia, IFAW. “With the tiger population estimated to be less than 2,000 in the country, we cannot afford to lose individuals unnecessarily. But then, we cannot also afford to risk human lives, by hastily releasing a potential-troubled individual animal, losing crucial public support for the entire species. It’s a predicament that requires careful consideration of possibilities, based on clear understanding of the animal’s behaviour,” he added. Analysing the situation in this case, the authorities found the attacks on people to be purely accidental, and decided to release it. With efforts on for the revival of Manas, the Bodoland Territorial Council granted permission for its release in greater Manas region. Accordingly, on April 1 that year, the tiger was radio-collared and released in Manas. The tiger was recently photographed in the camera traps set for tiger monitoring in Manas, around 1,095 days since it was released. “The new photograph showed that the tiger’s collar has dropped off. With the amount of time it has spent without reports of conflict involving it, we can now be satisfied that this tiger has established itself here. Its reproductive success in Manas will contribute to tiger conservation in this (Manas-Bhutan) landscape,” said Bhaskar Choudhury, regional head, Northeast, WTI. Tigers can generally be identified through the patterns of their stripes, in case their collars drop off. “This couldn’t have been possible without the bold and important decision taken by the forest department authority, including Suresh Chand, chief wildlife warden, Assam, and Anindya Swargiary, field director, Manas tiger reserve, which is truly commendable. This success has shown that conflict animals can be rehabilitated successfully with meticulous planning and scientific monitoring,” he added. Since its release, this is the second indirect sighting of the tiger. It was first photographed in February 2011, when it still had its collar. |
