Forest area declines in 14 states of India: report

PTI : Bhopal, Wed Dec 19 2012, 18:00 hrs

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/forest-area-declines-in-14-states-of-india-report/1047630/0

The forest cover in the country has decreased by 367 sq kms with the green area decreasing in 14 states, as per a forest report released here today.

According to India State of Forest Report-2011, forest cover has decreased in 14 states including Andhra Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Assam, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Meghalaya and Tripura, an official release said here today.

However, the forest cover has increased in Bihar, Goa, Haryana, Jammu-Kashmir, Karnataka and Andaman-Nicobar.

Three states – Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and Sikkim – have maintained their forest cover, the release said.

Madhya Pradesh is still on top in the country with total 77,700 sq kms forest cover followed by Arunachal Pradesh with 67,410 sq kms, an official release said here today while quoting the State of Forest Report 2011.

Next in the list is Chhattisgarh with 55,674 sq kms, followed by Maharashtra with 50,646 sq kms and Odisha with 48,903 sq kms of forest cover.

Madhya Pradesh Forest Minister Sartaj Singh has directed officers to facilitate increase in density of forest cover by planting maximum saplings in moderately dense areas and further strengthening forest protection arrangements.

Out of the total forest cover in the state, there are extremely dense forests over 6,640 sq kms and dense forests in 34,986 sq kms, whose density needs to be increased.

Moderately dense forest area is spread over 36,074 sq kms while open area is 16,989 sq kms.

In terms of percentage, seven per cent of the total forest cover is extremely dense, 36 per cent dense, 39 per cent moderately dense and 18 per cent open area, the release added.

 

2 Royal Bengal tiger cubs ‘rescued’

http://www.echoofarunachal.com/?p=32779

ITANAGAR, Dec 15: Two orphaned Royal Bengal tiger cubs were ‘rescued’ on Thursday from a dry water tank in Angrim Valley, a settlement near Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary in Dibang Valley district of Arunachal Pradesh.
The cubs were wandering the area without their mother for more than a month, occasionally lifting poultry from local households for survival. A report was filed late November by the local residents.
A team from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) – Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) led by Ipra Mekola, member of Arunachal Pradesh State Wildlife Advisory Board reached the area on Dec 6 to assist the Forest Department in tracking the cubs.
“There were four cubs according to the information from the local people. They had been lifting mainly poultry, and had made unsuccessful attempts at larger livestock. One of the cubs was reportedly injured,” said Mekola.
On Dec 11, the team found out that three of the cubs had been trapped in a dry water tank, reported IFAW-WTI biologist Soumya Das Gupta. The villagers had the tank covered with wooden planks and branches to prevent the cubs from escaping till the rescue team arrived.
Two of the cubs were healthy and were successfully sedated and removed from the tank by WTI veterinarians Dr Jahan Ahmed and Dr Nupur Ranjan Buragohain. The third was severely ill when first sighted, and succumbed in the morning.
The cubs are about one year old. The rescued cubs were a male and a female, while the one that passed away was a female. Post-mortem revealed pneumonia, starvation and hypoglycaemic shock as the cause of death. The status of the fourth cub is unknown.
The two rescued cubs will be moved to Roing and kept under observation till they are stabilized. “After discussing with experts and the Forest Department to select a suitable release site a soft release method will be followed. The cubs will be put in a big enclosure in the forest with provisional food which will give them opportunities to hone their hunting skills on live prey and get habituated to the wild before we finally release them,” said Dr Bhaskar Choudhury, Regional Head and Principal Veterinarian, WTI- Northeast.
“Dibang valley is a very good tiger habitat and very rich in wildlife. However, no studies have been done on this landscape – on the tiger or any other species. This area has the potential to even be declared a tiger reserve, which is going to benefit the wildlife as well as people here,” said Mekola.
He also thanked the locals who supported the team, particularly the village head Chipi Molo, who had filed the report on behalf of the village. Molo hosted the team at her home through the operation, and helped crowd control during the rescue.
“People here consider tigers equal to humans. We should use this traditional belief to save the tigers here before things change for the worse,” Mekola said.
Meanwhile, Anini Social Forestry Division’s DFO cum Ex-Officio Wildlife Warden, Aduk Paron said that most probably, the tiger cubs might have fallen inside the tank while chasing a deer as, carcass of deer was also found inside the dry water tank. Unfortunately, one of the tiger cubs succumbed to the injuries before the rescue team could arrive. Both the alive ones have been handed over to the DFO, Mehao Wildlife Sanctuary Division, Roing and kept at Mini Zoo, Roing.

 

Arunachal Pradesh to get Uncommon Tiger Security Drive

 

By yugasini, 29th Sep 2012 |

http://nut.bz/2z_94tux/

Tiger Protection

Tigers

ITANAGAR: Arunachal Pradesh will soon enlist 112 staff to raise a community of Extraordinary Tiger Assurance Compel (STPF) to ensure the huge cats from being poached, boss priest Nabam Tuki illuminated here on Friday.

“The STPF team can be organized at Pakke Tiger Save in East Kameng region and every last trace of the use-both repeating and non-repeating-for raising the association will be borne by the National Tiger Protection Power (NTCA),” Tuki educated the gathering at the same time as a dialogue on the Arunachal Pradesh Backwoods and Uncommon Tiger Security Compels Bill 2012.

The STPF ensemble, to be raised on the lines of the India Hold Unit (IRBn), could involve 90 uncommon tiger watches, 18 foresters, a few backwoods run officers and a few police sub-investigators headed by one partner conservator of backwoods or collaborator commandant in addition different official staff.

Tuki, who in addition keeps the earth and backwoods portfolio, presented the bill in the gathering on Thursday and it was passed by voice votes on Friday.

The boss clergyman promote uncovered that 70 for every penny recruitment for the STPF could be produced from the area while the remaining could be produced from neighbouring regions. He moreover updated that the state legislature could suggest a different STPF group for the Namdapha Tiger Hold in Changlang area.

Arunachal Pradesh has several tiger saves blanket a region of 9,900 sq km. The state likewise has 40 save woodlands blanket a territory of 40,000 sq km.

Tuki assist advised that the state legislature has as of now made 288 presents under the Timberland Assurance Drive (FPF) for the whole state and the recruitment methodology could begin soon.

The majority of the parts partaking in the examination prescribed agreeing enough power to the assignment constrain to bargain emphatically with violators of natural life laws.

The death of the bill bears hugeness in the wake of the ruthless slaughtering of a tigress at Itanagar Zoo here final Monday by unknown rapscallions.

The timberland division on Wednesday terminated several possibility staff and suspended a woodland watch for abandonment of obligation. The office additionally suspended the keeper-cum-run woodland officer of the zoo, Tilling Takar, Thursday furthermore issuing a showcause acknowledge to Joram Dopum, ex-offico-head of the zoo.

 

Arunachal Pradesh introduces bill for protection of tigers…..TOI News.

 

 ROARrrrr for Jungle Tiger

http://www.facebook.com/pages/ROARrrrr-for-Jungle-Tiger/166490116742359

 

Three days after a Royal Bengal Tigress was killed and hacked to pieces at Itanagar zoo, the Arunachal Pradeshgovernment on Thursday introduced a Bill in the state a

ssembly for protection of the big cats.
The bill would provide scope for constitution and regulation of Arunachal Pradesh Forest Protection Force and Arunachal Pradesh Special Tiger Protection Force, for better protection and security of forests, forest produce, forest infrastructure besides, wildlife inside and outside the forests and tigers and other wild animals in tiger reserves.
Miscreants killed Oni, a third generation young Royal Bengal tigress, in her enclosure on Monday night and left with the flesh without taking the valued teeth, skin and claws, leaving the zoo officials in a dilemma about the motive behind the gruesome act.

The forest department yesterday terminated the services of three contingency staff and suspended one forest guard of Itanagar Zoo for dereliction in duty.

In India, tigers unsafe under govt care too as poachers slaughter female in zoo

 

http://www.indianexpress.com

Agencies : Itanagar, Tue Sep 25 2012, 17:21 hrs

A tigress was killed and hacked into pieces in her enclosure by poachers at Itanagar zoo, its in-charge Zoram Dopum said today.

The poachers broke in and killed the six-year-old tigress between 8 pm to 10 pm last night taking advantage of the absence of the three guards on duty, he said.

The guards had gone for their dinner and found the hacked tigress carcass in the enclosure.

However, why they went missing at the very time that poachers used

The poachers cut the tigress into pieces but could not take them away as the guards had returned, Dopum said adding the animal was among the six big cats in the zoo.

The postmortem was done today and an FIR was lodged at Itanagar police station.

Investigation was on to nab the culprits, he said adding the forest department was also initiating a separate departmental inquiry into the matter.

Itanagar Zoo, 8 km from the town and established in 1987, is spread over 250 hectares and its display area is approximately 41 hectares.

Along with six big cats, the zoo also housed nearly 200 animal species.

On February 21, 2006, three tigers and a leopard were poisoned inside the zoo by miscreants. One tiger had died, while the other two along with the leopard had survived, zoo authorities said.

 

Leopard cubs, slow loris released in sanctuary …

 

 ROARrrrr for Jungle Tiger

http://www.facebook.com/pages/ROARrrrr-for-Jungle-Tiger/166490116742359

 

Two leopard cubs and a slow loris rescued from the wild by forest officials in Arunachal Pradesh were released safely in D Ering wildlife sanctuary in East Siang district yesterday.

The

cubs were rescued on May 7 last from Ledum Village in East Siang district by some villagers and nurtured at the Centre for Bear Rehabilitation and Conservation at Seijosa in East Kameng districts, official sources said here today.

The healthy and almost fully grown up cubs were brought to the sanctuary by Wildlife Trust of India’s Veterinary Van accompanied by Veterinary Surgeon Dr Jahan Ahmed, WTI Co-ordinator and Regional Head North-East-Sunil Kyarong and Wildlife Biologist-Tamo Dada, sources informed.

“The leopard cats were timely warmed and vaccinated. They were provided live preys to develop predator skills which would later help them in wild life after release”, Dr Ahmed said.

“D Ering Wildlife Sanctuary is a perfect home for wildlife and its heading toward perfection. People here are also getting conscious of preservation and conservation”, Dada said.