World Lion Day – 10th August 2013: Saving the King of Beasts to save ourselves

 

Guarding our temples, adorning our flags, decorating our coins and capturing our hearts, the lion is beyond doubt the world’s most iconic species. On almost every continent, and in thousands of cultures, the lion can be found demonstrating man’s fascination with this magnificent beast. Despite the lions’ symbolic importance throughout the ages, today they are suffering from a silent extinction across Africa and India. Knowledge of the King of Beasts‘ plight is little known. World Lion Day, being held on 10th August 2013, is the first global campaign to celebrate the importance of the lion worldwide. Since the dawn of man the lion has played an integral role in our lives: symbolically, religiously, culturally, economically and biologically. To lose the lion from our world would be to lose part of our global heritage.

The African Lion

Nothing quite epitomizes the wildness of the ‘dark continent’ better than the African lion. For hundreds of years the lion has captivated visitors to this ancient land. Over millennia lions have been at the centre of African mythology and folklore across the continent, and today, continue to influence Africa on a monumental scale. A ruling member of the ‘Big 5‘, the lion is often the most sought after animal by tourists. Tens of millions of visitors are drawn to Africa every year by the allure of discovering the magnificent beast with the large black mane, bellowing his roar across the grassy plains.

The Asiatic Lion

The deep jungles of India are famed for their strange and wonderful beasts; the Bengal tiger, the pygmy elephant and the Indian rhino, but hidden in the small Gir Forest National Reserve of Gujarat State lives the little known Asiatic lion.

The Asiatic lion has quite distinct physical characteristics such as prominent tufts of hair on their elbows and at the end of their tails. What is most notable is their size in comparison to the African lion. Asiatic lions are significantly smaller than African lions and the males often have smaller, sparser manes. Such features were once thought to have derived from thousands of years of evolution however recent studies have suggested intense inbreeding over recent generations has resulted in such characteristics.

Please Read full Article here:

http://www.africanconservation.org/big-cat-news/item/world-lion-day-10th-august-2013-saving-the-king-of-beasts-to-save-ourselves

 

World Lion Day – 10th August 2013: Saving the King of Beasts to save ourselves

http://www.africanconservation.org

The Portal for the Conservation of Africa’s Flora and Fauna – ACF works to preserve Africa’s wildlife by supporting, linking and conducting conservation projects throughout the continent.

 

 

Lessons from those splendid but empty European forests

 

May 13, 2013

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#ConnectTheDots #Tigers #Wildlife

 

http://www.firstpost.com/living/lessons-from-those-splendid-but-empty-european-forests-776087.html

 

A few days back, I was walking the fascinating old forests of Boubinsky Prales in southern Czech Republic. A few patches of virgin wilderness, primarily beech forests with more than 200-year-old spruce and fir trees dotting the higher slopes, still survive in the Sumava mountains as the second oldest natural reserve in the country.

The pleasant hike through Boubin was in the shadows of ancient, giant trees and along a chirpy stream that would soon become the Vltava river and flow through Prague. It was a splendid and yet sad experience. The birds were vocal all around but there was no anticipation of a chance encounter with any carnivore. Sumava’s last wolf was shot in 1874, and the last bear, in 1856. There are appropriate monuments at the hunting spots. Apparently, the lynx still survives. So do a few species of shrew. I was not fortunate enough to spot any.

A tiger passes by workers repairing a dirt road inside the Ranthambhore national park. Image courtesy: Joydip Suchandra Kundu

While discussing my plans for Boubin in Prague and Vimperk, a few unsuspecting Czechs were visibly excited to find out that I came from the land of the famous Bengal tiger. “How do Indians cope with maneaters” was the common question. The curiosity did not diminish in Poland and Hungary when I happened to exchange travel notes with fellow tourists or locals. The more informed were precise in their interrogation: “Isn’t the Sunderbans tiger, the meanest of tigers, the most ferocious maneater on earth?”

It was easy to be impatient but I recalled a similar exchange I had with a wildlife lover from Bengal a few years ago. He lives in Kolkata and knows the infamous tigers first hand. And yet, he believed that all the big cats of Sunderbans were “born maneaters”. It took me a long time to convince him that he was wrong. Frankly, I was not keen to go through that routine again but there was no option.

Let us assume, I told the curious Europeans, that all Sunderbans tigers consider humans as food. A tiger makes roughly 50 kills – one every week — a year to survive. Annually, this work out to be 15,000 kills for 300-odd tigers in Sunderbans. If humans are part of the normal prey base for these tigers, and since unarmed humans are the easiest to hunt, one would expect a sizeable number of these 15,000 kills to be humans. However, less than 100 people die in tiger attacks across Sunderbans every year. The figures do not add up.

Between 1984 and 2006, tigers killed 490 people in Bangladesh – roughly 21 victims a year. In the same period, data shows that of all the Sunderbans tigers that killed people, about 50 per cent killed only one person each, implying these were accidental attacks. Still alarmists keep asserting that the love for human flesh is embedded in the Sunderban tiger’s genes.

Tigers, or other carnivores, do not consider us food. Our great, great forefathers were very much on their menu just like the primates still are in the wild. But as we and our weapons evolved, carnivores have learnt to fear us as able adversaries. They generally follow a no-risk policy and maintain a respectable distance from groups of people, like they do from, say, an elephant herd or a pack of wild dogs.

The Boubin forest in Sumava where the last wolf and bear was killed 150 years ago. Jay Mazoomdar.

At this point, I would be cut short by confused posers. “So do you mean tigers are safe?” I hastened to explain I do not. There are records of tigers, otherwise wary of elephants or wild dogs, opportunistically killing lonely calves or defending kills against a smaller pack. So, nothing prevents an otherwise respectful carnivore from making an occasional human kill if the victim seems suitably defenceless.

On the other hand, while tigers, particularly those in the Sunderbans mangroves, do kill humans opportunistically, only a miniscule proportion of tiger prey — India’s 1500-odd tigers make 75,000 kills a year – is human. But carnivores also defend themselves aggressively if they feel threatened. They are nature’s most efficient killers. Even a defensive slap from a tiger can kill instantly. It would hardly be any consolation that the tiger was unlikely to eat its victim in such cases.

As much as I thought I had made an excellent case, what eventually convinced the interrogators was a photograph taken by a friend a few years back in Ranthambhore. It shows a tiger walking within a few metres of a group of labourers, mostly women, who were being herded away by a forest guard to let the big cat pass by. The tiger looks unconcerned and the labourers are all smiles.

My interrogators were stumped. The disbelief was unmistakable. So I hastened to add that the frame did not tell us that tigers are friendly animals. No wild tiger ever made that claim. But since they roam free, they are bound to occasionally run into people in a crowded country like India. Even if there are enough inviolate sanctuaries for the wild to breed in peace, carnivores have to share space with people around those forests where they should not be considered strays or the people encroachers.

The photograph, I concluded, proved that mutual understanding and respect can make co-existence possible. For those who still did not look convinced, I saved the meanest for the last. The absence of that very Indian understanding and respect, I pointed out, had wiped out the bear and the wolf from Bavaria and much of the western world. This despite — and I could not resist feeling doubly patriotic about it — those bears and wolves not being half as efficient killing machines as our big cats.

 

Greatcatsofthe”World” – FB Page

Greatcatsofthe”World”

https://www.facebook.com/pages/GreatcatsoftheWorld/364092233663682

The World is losing its Great Cats at a Vicious Speed. If we lose our Apex Predators, then we Lose a Vital Part of this Earth. This page was Created to help Bring Awareness and to be a Voice for Our Great-Big Cat Species. We must Come Together to help put a Stop to this “Out of Control War” to Kill our Great Cats, before it is too late. Once they are Gone- There is no Coming Back……

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Tara Courtesy of Shaminder Boparai

Yes you can successfully re-introduce Zoo cats back to the wild.

Billy Arjan Singh was one of India’s greatest wildlife conservationists, a living legend and famous for hand rearing 3 leopards and 1 tiger and reintroducing them to the wild. The Leopards Prince, Harriet and Juliette, and Tara the Tigress born in Twycross zoo in England.
With Tara there was controversy from the start… over her pure bred Bengal status, with claims that she carried the genes of another sub-species the ‘Siberian,’…with some accusing him of introducing Siberian tiger genes to Dudhwa and possibly further afield, he refuted the criticism, believing that it would only enhance the gene pool.
His idea was to release a captive bred Bengal tigress into the wild to both refresh the gene pool at Dudhwa and demonstrate that artificial restocking was possible; plus, to prove experts wrong that zoo bred hand reared tigers could never be released into the wild successfully.
However, in the late 70’s Dudhwa became famous for its man eating tigers with a total of 24 people killed – many believed Tara was responsible, due to her lack of hunting skills, believing that she was hunting humans as an easier prey. Billy joined the many hunts for the man eater and to identify the tiger. The Park director Mr Ram Lakhan Singh claimed he had shot her on 11th November, 1980 and mounted her in his house..with a certificate from the Government of India declaring that this is the trophy of the tigress killed.
Proving that you cannot successfully re-release hand reared or zoo bred cats back into the wild.
However, both Billy and a committee of Indian tiger specialists said it was definitely not Tara. Billy claimed to the end that Tara was not responsible and that he had kept a track of her and that she had died in 1992.
If you look at the markings of the Lucknow tiger with the markings of Tara you can see that they are different. He was right and re-releasing big cats or any wild captive animal back from zoos to the wild is a successful reality.
After publishing many books and gathering many Awards..Billy received the in 2004, his 88th year, he was awarded the J. Paul Getty Wildlife Conservation Prize by the World Wide Fund for Nature – the equivalent of a Nobel Prize in acknowledgement of his lifetime’s work.
Moves need to be made to create centres for rehabilitation around the parks..that can both look after the injured and ready zoo bred for re-release. If the money is spent here and conserving corridors…they can make also more money from tourism, kept to a strict path..viewing in the wild and phasing out zoos. Think of all the global money spent on zoos which could be redirected into wild conservation !
People need to be accountable to their part in the universal Karma ! And the tortured souls with a lifetime of imprisonment on view, at your mercy.

 

Cee4life – The Asiatic Lions

 

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https://www.facebook.com/cee4life.org

 

ASIATIC LIONS – Why have the Indian Authorities decided to move some of the Gir Forest Lions? (Sorry for the longer post but I promise well worth the read)

The moment that I heard there was a proposal to move these precious Asiatic Lions into Madhya Pradeesh, I thought WTF!!! (yes I know, not very scientific, however im human….) Lets look at the reasoning behind this ? The Gurajat Government (GG) (Gir Lions area Gov) refused to allow the lions to be relocated mainly due to the fact that Madhya Pradeesh (MP) cannot even protect the Tigers that live there.

The MP Sanctuary proposed for the Gir Lions relocation is Kuno sanctuary, an area known for its increasing high tourism. There are only about 400 Asiatic Lions left, and they lived (some say confined) only to Gir area and of course these beautiful last Asiatic lions are subjected to the scum poachers at times, however they did have a steady population for years in Gir. Lets look at Kuno at MP – the positives is that there is a higher density of prey species inside of Kuno compared with Gir. Suddenly after all these years, “experts” freaked out saying “what if an epidemic hit Gir and wiped out all the Lions”…. yes, I understand that but that should have been thought about possibly 20 years ago…. They are a little slow on the uptake these “scientists”.

Now, MP, a while back, about 125 yrs ago, Lions were found in MP (and Rajasthan) but were pushed out due to habitat loss and all the usual human impact crap we do. Villagers have been moved from Kuno area to lessen impact with these Apex predators, and there are plans to move more villlagers out, there is also plans to construct a 7 foot wall to keep the animals from the humans.
Personally I think that should read to keep the “humans from the animals”. Its not going to happen. People are scum and lions are in demand for poaching (just ask Kenya and Africa in general )

Then let have a look at the 3 top Apex Predators of India living in the same location, Tigers, Lions and Leopards and of course the random Bears.
Tigers are a solitary creature, and prefer to be on their own a lot. Lions are community animals and live in prides Imagine a lone Tiger wandering into a pride of Lions in MP? What would be the outcome? I think we all know the outcome, and god help if a mother Tigress wanders in with her cubs. Lions are the best of times, barely tolerate other cats, including the cubs of their own females at times.

Now add into that, the Bengal Tigers are spiralling to extinction in India, although many “experts” and “authorities” will just not admit that, ego I suppose However, from all accounts that last census stating 1706 tigers, is a load of BS. From on ground sources, (NGO’s and scientists carving under funded research in horrendous conditions) has reported that there could be as few as 1000 Bengal Tigers. 2013’s so far shameful deaths is unprecedented, standing now at 75 dead bengals
MP has got a record of growing poaching along with construction of highways running through the entire National Park and out control tourism!!! I really mean out of control, screaming yelling, trucks, cars, idiots everywhere running wild through the parks, while guides please the ones who give them a few extra dollars to go off the designated tracks to see theh animals… Im mean WTF!!!! Are the decision makers smoking the local weed while making these decisions???

As for the sudden concern for the years of stable population of Gir Lions in Gir, suddenly contracting an epidemic which kills them all, yes I can understand that But I also understand the years of known drought that the Gir Lions have suffered and the announcements of authorities that they will dig water holes for the Lions. 2013 and the Lions are still waiting.

As for the disease front, I find that reason fairly hilarious. The reason, as I drove through the revered River Ganges where people bath in its holy waters, I filmed people using it for washing their clothes, dead animals floated nearby, and possibly the most horrible thing, people using it as a toilet. Trust me, I got good film footage of a number of people taking a shit in the “holy river”. Disease outbreaks are going to occur in India, but it will be with the human population first due the severely unhygienic conditions.
The beauty of the Gir Forest is that most diseases cannot tolerate such extreme heat, and the stable population of Gir Lions for years (although small) haven’t had an inclinging of the putrid habits the humans do in India.
If there is going to be a disease outbreak, it will be a human disease epidemic.

Another few questions and information that bother me on why move these stable population lions into a possibly all out conflict of Apex predator territory and prey claims, and endanger both critically endangered species, and those questions and information are:
1 I would like to see the geological survey of Gir National Park to find out what resources are in the area.
2. I would like to know any proposed corporate operations in the Gir area
3. I would like to if the Indian Government can possibly dig into that bottomless pit of money donated to the tiger and parks and create numerous anti poaching teams, not just the one or two out there For gods sake, I was able to buy a tiger protection unit a car, im sure the Indian Gov can buy `1000 cars, equip rangers and pay them to protect.’
4. What are you going to do about the obvious future deaths of tiger cubs and lion/tiger conflict?
5. Where do your experts get their qualificaitons from? Breakfast ceral packets?

Sorry, I feel that the world is looking at a breathtakingly bad decision which will result in death.
As usual, your opinions are very welcome, Sybelle

 

Tiger Temple Expose – Do No Harm – Buddha – Cee4life

 

Via – Cee4life

Part of the Guardian Project – Here is part of the investigation in 2007, it not only involved photos and such, it also involved numerous witness’s. Many witness’s to the wildlife trade were ignored because we were foreignors, so there was only one thing to do, get an temple worker to talk.. About it. I could never release this footage as the dangerous involved in the life of this man. But he is safe. The woman in this clip didnt want me to show it, her name is Fiona Patchett and she was the Foreign Manager of the Tiger Temple that also witnessed trades. Listen carefully, it is long, detailed and horrific. If any one has any doubts, I think you will have them removed now. Youre commets are appreciated. The Truth will continue to come out, this is just scratcing the surface.
When you hear the tiger mentioned called “Mek” Iveb posted his absolute ID of being in the temple, and now you will hear how this wonderful heathy original tiger “disapeared” Please refer to https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.423135601111798.1073741825.135207709904590&type=3

To bring humane care to these animals has meant people have been through hell as well as these beautiful tigers. These work doent come cheap if you can donate please go to Wildlife Calling Charity http://www.wildlifecalling.org.uk/index.php and donate whatever you can, we need your help. Please mark your donation to Cee4life TT. This is dangerous work, it is not cheap and we need help, Watch this momen from the gruelling beginnings, but now there is hope xox I can finally see the day where these tigers may have peace, but it has been a gruelling journey and we still need help. Education has always beeen the key. Thankyou ~ Sybelle

 

The Guardian Project – Cee4life INDIA

cee4life

https://www.facebook.com/cee4life.org

 

The Guardian Project – Cee4life, INDIA Upload – Apr 2, 2013

Tiger Threats – Guardian Project, INDIA – Monsoon season is a dangerous time of the year for the Bengal Tigers. The national parks are closed, and some parks cut off from allowing tiger protection patrols and forest officials to enter them. However, poachers have taken full advantage of the lack of protection presence. One horrendous account in 2004, in monsoon season, every single tiger was poached out of Sariska. I visited one of the monsoon effected national parks in India, Jhirna. Please join Cee4life as we start the Guardian Project April 21st 2013. Also, youre invited to join us at Guardian Project, Cee4life page at http://www.facebook.com/GuardianProjectCee4life?fref=ts This is what mild monsoon looks like. ~ Sybelle

 

The Guardian Project – Cee4life

The Guardian Project – Cee4life

https://www.facebook.com/GuardianProjectCee4life?ref=stream

Across the world, numerous species are heading to extinction because of human/animal conflict, loss of habitat and prey species and poaching. Cee4life developed a project in 2011 where a 3 tiered program encompassing 1. Education with the potential for economic growth and villager incentives, 2. Wildlife protection/rescue/relocation units, and 3. Training in various sustainable living techniques for the people living in and around the forests of India.

The Apex predators are an extremely vital link in our ecosystem. Without them, imbalance is caused to such a degree, that it eventually negatively effects the human population.

This project focus’s on the Tigers, Lions and the species which they umbrella (meaning without the Apex predators their existence would be seriously jeopardized if not ended), and the environment in which they live.

INDIA
The Bengal Tigers of India face massive threats including, poaching, habitat loss, human encroachment, loss of prey species, and due to the habitat loss and human encroachment they face human/animal conflict.

This human/animal conflict has increased immensely in recent times.

In the first stage of the Guardian Project, Cee4life is going to try and ease this situation of human/animal conflict.

Stage 1
In order to help protect the animals, we must help the people. That is fact.
Villagers occupy immense areas of habitat, in and around the forests. They need the forests for fuel for their cooking, food, building items, water sources etc.

To ease this constant intrusion into the forests/animals habitat, Cee4life is striving to offer aid, incentives and education to the villagers.

Including the following:

* Solar Stoves -
Due to the burden of costs of cooking food, many villagers resort to gathering firewood inside the forests or paying for it. Through easily obtained Solar Stoves, fuel is cut by 70%, resulting in less forest intrusion, meaning less threat to the animals and the habitat.
Solar Stoves cost are approximately 11000 Indian Rupee (approx $270 AU)

* Protective Devices -
Cee4life is testing a device that may offer a form of protection to the villagers who go into the forests, whether they are alone or with a group of villagers, and who may come in contact with a Apex predator, specifically Tigers and Leopards. (Asiatic Lions included).
This device is currently at testing stage. However, it works on the effect of . Sound is a deterrent to many creatures. After ground observations, it is evident that many Tigers in India, particularly those around tourist areas, are not afraid of people, noise, cars or really anything. Animal sound sensitivity and hearing is something which we have been studying and researching and feel that we have discovered a device that would offer protection to the villagers, and therefore the animals. This testing will be conducted in situ and recorded for response while we are in India. If this is successful, then we may have found a way to help protect the human population and therefore these wonderful creatures.
Each protective device costs approx small non battery operated $13 AU and long life batter operated $30 AU

*Education -
Many of the villagers of India are not able to acquire education, even in the basic form. Education is vital in order for people to understand the situations of wildlife, and many other basic’s, including human population. The education which Cee4life will attempt to cover the subject of wildlife and living in close proximity to wildlife, human behaviors which may entice a negative animal response, sustainable living including farming techniques, economical avenues for the village communities (this will depend on what the village itself offers or items that can be brought into the village). Additionally, Cee4life will attempt to include education on human population and impact on wildlife education and information.
To say that this will be a hard job, is an understatement. But it must be at least attempted.
Education costs will be approximately – $4500 AU for implementation of program and travel costs included.

* Incentives for Villagers to Protect Wildlife – Cee4life will endeavor to offer the villagers an incentive for the reporting of any wild live creature that is deemed as “dangerous”. Only when the animal is safely rescued alive will the incentive be given. These incentives can come in many forms, not just money.
Incentives cost – unlimited and incentives will vary eg: food, materials for housing, financial rewards sometimes etc.

Stage 2 – late 2013 early 2014.

*Training – The training side of the Guardian Project will be the next stage after permissions from the Government can be obtained. This training includes, wildlife protection techniques (to be elaborated upon in the future), domestic animal care both in the wild and in suburbia, safety, hygiene, computer skills, wildlife monitoring techniques etc.
Training will also “hopefully” include the development of community centers to aid in all aspects of training and to be utilized by villagers for educational, research, and village economic reasons.
Training will be elaborated upon in the near future.
Costs for training with vary, however approxiately $55000+ including community centre infrastructure and equipment. Funding for this will be ongoing.

Stage 3 – Implementation ongoing

Rescue and Rehabilitation Center for human/animal conflict animals.

In what could be the most challenging of all aspects of the Guardian Project, is the hope for development of quick response specialized teams which would be on call 24/7 to deploy into areas where a Tiger, Leopard, Lion, Bear etc is deemed as either 1. Dangerous to humans, 2. In danger of injury, 3.Injured, 4. Trapped, 5. Territorial conflicts animals, 6. Sick, 7. Or any animal, which poses a threat to the human population or the human population poses a threat to it.

This part of the Guardian Project aims to implement a rescue and rehabilitation center to hold any of the above mentioned animals in a ethical facility for the sole purpose of rehab and release back into the wild. Prior to any release, specialised teams consisting of experienced locals and members of Cee4life and any other NGO’s and professionals, will thoroughly research a safe release area. This part of the Guardian Project will be ongoing as there is alot to this, and it is urgently needed.
Costs for training and equipment – approximately $100000+ – funding raising willl be ongoing

As with all of this, it sounds wonderful, however nothing is possible without the finances to do this.

THAILAND

Within Thailand, there are a great deal of animals that are used for tourism. Many of these creatures endure very unethical care.
Thailand is also a country where the wildlife trade of animals occurs frequently.

Over the last 6 years, Cee4life has been trying to educate tourists to Thailand who intend on visiting captive animals, to choose and support the ethical places to visit and not to visit places of obvious exploitation.

Here is a recent documentary filmed with SBS Dateline and Cee4life director Sybelle Foxcroft – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGD_p8HX2Vo

We have been able to liaise with Thai Animal Rights Group, A Call to Animal Rights and intend on building our connections with them to help spread the education further into the Thai community.

Animals are heavily relied upon by some people for their income, so extreme sensitivity and good communication skills are vital for this. Cee4life is going to attempt to do this with the help of our Thai friends and liaison with the Thai Government.

Within Thailand, there is an estimated 200 Indochinese Tigers left in the wild. The main cause of their disappearance is the wildlife trade.

The sad fact of the matter is that there are many people who do not understand the importance the Apex predators role is in regard to ecological balance. We will attempt to address this issue on an educational basis also.

We are also hoping to attend the CITES convention in March 2013 where the issues mentioned above and more will be discussed, and with hope, we can find a way to ease the pressure off the Tigers.

With all of this work, we are aiming for the Thai and Indian people to join in and carrying the employee load. It is very important to have the support from in country people in order for the education and the work to spread.

FUNDING

We are seeking funding on a variety of levels including, sponsorship, Government grants, and donations.

If you can donate, please go to the registered Charity “Wildlife Calling” http://www.wildlifecalling.org.uk/index.php where you can donate via bank account or via paypal. On your donation, please stimpulate Cee4life Guardian. All donations within UK and tax agreement countries are tax deductable.

For any sponsorship offers please contact either – sybelle@cee4life.org or donna@cee4life.org

This is a massive undertaking and very ambitious. However, these things are vitally needed and if we dont try to make a start to remedy or even stem some of these situations occurring with our wildlife, then we will loose many species.

Cee4life is dedicated to do this for the endurance or until we can save lives, both human and animals.
I hope you will support our efforts, and I look forward to some of you joining us.

Sybelle Foxcroft
Director Cee4life
www.cee4life.org

and all of the Cee4life team.

 

Villagers beat Bengal tiger to death

Last Updated On 14 January,2013

http://dunyanews.tv/index.php/en/WeirdNews/141719–Villagers-beat-Bengal-tiger-to-death

Villagers armed with sticks and boat oars beat a Bengal tiger to death on Tuesday.

They took step after it attacked a fisherman in southwestern Bangladesh, an official said.The critically endangered animal from the UNESCO-listed Sundarbans, the worlds largest mangrove forest, strayed into Naodag village in the morning and bit the fisherman on his hand before trying to drag him away.The other villagers rushed to rescue the man and beat it to death, Amir Hossain Chowdhury, the governments chief conservation officer for the Sundarbans forest, told AFP.Bangladesh has formed patrols to try to stop villagers attacking the animals, but Chowdhury said the tiger was already dead by time they could reach Naodag.There are around 440 Bengal tigers in the Bangladeshi section of the Sundarbans, according to a 2004 government census. Experts say the number is much less, with many falling victim to attacks by villagers after straying onto farms.There have been 14 registered cases of tigers being killed in similar circumstances since 2000.The Sundarbans lie on the delta of the great Himalayan rivers, the Ganges and the Brahmaputra. Covering 10,000 square kilometres (3,860 square miles), it is the worlds largest mangrove forest and straddles India and Bangladesh.

 

Shrinking Sunderbans push Royal Bengal Tiger to the edge

11 Jan, 2013, 02.07PM IST, IANS

Read more on »Sundarbans|Royal Bengal tiger

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/environment/wild-wacky/shrinking-sunderbans-push-royal-bengal-tiger-to-the-edge/articleshow/17980974.cms

LONDON: Fast-disappearing mangrove forests of the Sundarbans pose a question mark over the future of the Royal Bengal Tiger, an endangered species, say scientists.

Rapid deterioration in mangrove health is causing as much as 200 metres of the vegetation-rich coast to disappear annually in the Sunderbans, according to zoologists.

Nathalie Pettorelli, from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and senior study author, said: “Our results indicate a rapidly retreating coastline that cannot be accounted for by the regular dynamics of the Sundarbans.

Degradation is happening fast, weakening this natural shield for India and Bangladesh.”

‘Sundarban’ meaning ‘beautiful forest’ in Bengali, is the largest block of continuous mangrove forest in the world, native to nearly 500 species of reptile, fish, bird and mammals, including the world famous Royal Bengal Tiger, the journal Remote Sensing reports.

Thriving human development, rising global temperatures, degradatin of natural protection from tidal waves and cyclones is inveitably leading to species loss in this richly biodiverse part of the world, according to a ZSL statement.

Sarah Christie, ZSL’s tiger conservation expert, says: “The Sundarbans is a critical tiger habitat; one of only a handful of remaining forests big enough to hold several hundred tigers. To lose the Sundarbans would be to move a step closer to the extinction of these majestic animals.”

Although mangroves are rare, they are an important barrier against climate change, providing protection to coastal areas from tsunamis and cyclones. They are also the most carbon-rich forests in the tropics with high carbon sequestration potential, meaning their degradation and loss substantially reduce our ability to mitigate, and adapt to, predicted changes in climatic conditions.

Mangroves comprise less than one percent of all forest areas across the world, amounting to roughly half the size of the UK. It is essential that the protection of mangroves becomes a priority, particularly for the charismatic species which will disappear with them if no action is taken to preserve their habitat.

 

Planète Tigre

Planète Tigre

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Plan%C3%A8te-Tigre/131742830190805

A female tiger cub was found dead at Agoratoli forest range in Kaziranga National Park yesterday. Although the cause of the cub’s death is yet to be ascertained, forest officials believe it might have died in an attack by a male tiger. The cub was about six months old.”Preliminary investigation suggests that the tiger cub died after it was attacked by a male tiger. When the female tiger feeds her cubs, often the male tiger attack its own cubs for food. It is a regular and natural phenomenon among big cats,”
Did you know that about 800 births every two years in India more than 50% die a natural death.

 

Why White Tigers Should Go Extinct Everything you’ve been told about this exotic, royal, endangered species is wrong.

By Jackson Landers|Posted Thursday, Dec. 13, 2012, at 11:04 AM ET
http://www.slate.com

A white tiger from the Cincinnati Zoo.

Photo by Jim Larimore.

A white tiger is a striking creature. Tigers are always impressive animals, but when you take away the orange, the result is a big cat that looks like a phantom out of a dream. They seem almost magical, and yet I firmly believe that the world would be a better place if there was not a single white tiger in it.

There are only about 4,000 tigers, at most, remaining in the wild. Yet there are probably tens of thousands of captive tigers around the world (there is no official census). This would appear to make a compelling case for the existence of zoos and private collections. If tigers can survive and breed well in captivity, then perhaps more can be introduced to the wild when safe habitat becomes available. Yet that system isn’t working the way we think it does. A huge number of the captive tigers are hybrids of various subspecies and are so inbred that they will never be suitable for reintroduction to the wild. No tigers are more emblematic of this problem than white tigers.

I recently asked friends on Facebook to write down their thoughts about white tigers without searching for any new information. Some very intelligent people were under the impression that white tigers are a variety of Siberian tiger, camouflaged for a snowy climate. Others applauded zoos with white tigers for supporting conservation of white tigers while lamenting a lag in reintroduction efforts. Only one out of 27 respondents knew that white tigers are not a subspecies at all but rather the result of a mutant gene that has been artificially selected through massive inbreeding to produce oddball animals for human entertainment.

This level of misinformation should not come as a surprise. Many of the venues that display white tigers have a long history of shading the truth about their mutants. The Cincinnati Zoo, an otherwise respectable institution, labels their white tigers as a “species at risk!” Nowhere on the zoo’s website or at its tiger enclosures does it point out that this species at risk is in fact an ecologically useless hybrid of Bengal and Siberian strains, inbred at the zoo’s own facility for big money. The Cincinnati Zoo repeatedly bred closely related animals over the past few decades to produce more of the white tigers, which they sold for around $60,000 each.

One of the Cincinnati Zoo’s biggest sales was to the illusionists Siegfried and Roy. The Vegas duo bought three white tigers from the zoo in the early 1980s (along with stock from other sources) and quickly set up their own breeding program. Incorporating the white tigers into their act, Siegfried and Roy introduced the breed to millions of Americans. They referred to the cats as “royal white tigers” and, out of what was probably a good intention, gave the public the impression that this was an endangered species that they were helping to protect. Their famous Las Vegas show ended in 2003 when Roy Horn was mauled on stage in front of a horrified audience by one of his own white tigers. To date, Siegfried and Roy continue to claim on their website that their white tiger breeding program is part of a conservation effort aimed at saving “an endangered species.”

White tigers are white because they have two copies of an extremely rare recessive gene found in Bengal tigers (the gene has never been seen among pure Siberians or other subspecies). A very few white tigers were seen in the wild in the early 20^th century. On the face of it, being a white object in the Bengal tigers’ tropical habitat of India and Southeast Asia can’t be good for a predator that needs to be camouflaged.

Other, more subtle problems that go along with the white coat would also prevent white tigers from ever becoming established as a wild population. The mutation (which is not albinism—white tigers can still produce melanin) also causes serious defects. White tigers in captivity tend to have problems with the way that their brains control their eyes and process visual stimulation. The animals are often cross-eyed in one or both eyes, bump into objects, and have trouble understanding spatial relationships when they are young. Animals with defects like these couldn’t survive for long in the wild, even though they have long lives in captivity. Other disorders, such as kidney problems, club feet, and shortened tendons, come from the severe inbreeding required to keep this recessive gene around.

 

Its official! Tiger count in Sundarbans between 64 and 90

Last Updated: Tuesday, January 01, 2013, 22:12

http://t.co/aZDejaaR

Tags: All India Tiger Estimation Exercise, Tiger count, Sundarbans Tiger Reserve

New Delhi: Amid a dispute over Tiger count in Sundarbans, a fresh survey has found that the largest habitat of the Royal Bengal Tiger has a population between 64 and 90.

The 2004 census had claimed that the tiger population in Indian Sundarban was around 274 and the figure dropped to an estimated 70 in the 2010 census, prompting experts to cast doubts on its accuracy as they claimed that scientific methods were not used for the head count.

The figure was put at 90-odd by certain agencies involved in the census in the world’s largest mangrove forest six months ago but the new survey puts the tiger population between 64-90.

“Population estimation of the Sundarbans tigers was done with a combination of camera trapping and satellite telemetry. The total population for the Indian Sundarbans was estimated to be between 64 to 90 tigers,” says the latest Environment Ministry document.

According to the new document, a tiger density of 4.3 tigers per 100 sqkm has been estimated at the Sundarbans Tiger Reserve and its surrounding areas.

The All India Tiger Estimation Exercise for 2010 had revealed that the tiger population in the country has risen to 1706 compared to 1411 in 2006.

The total area of the Sunderbans is 9630 sqkm out of which 4264 sqkm bears mangrove forest. The area of the Reserve is 2585 sqkm covering land area of 1600 sqkm and water body over 985 sqkm.

PTI

 

Animal Planet celebrates wildlife of India in new series ….

ROARrrrr for Jungle Tiger

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

MUMBAI: Animal Planet celebrates the wildlife of India this month with a series called ‘India: Wild Encounters’.

From Ranthambhore to the Western Ghats, the series seeks encounters with India’s wildest and rarest
animal species like the fabled Bengal Tiger, the wild dogs (dholes), the rare Asiatic Lion and many more. Viewers meet some fascinating people and track animals that make any visit to India such a rich experience. Travel with wildlife explorers – Jeff Corwin, Austin Stevens and Dave Salmoni as they set out on their adventures to learn more about the wild animals of the country.

The series also covers the exotic stories on survival of black bear; the ibex and the snow leopard from the treacherous slopes of the world’s highest mountain range – the Himalayas.

The show airs every Sunday at 8 pm on Animal Planet.

Loretta Sanchez Cites Los Alamitos Serval Cats Incident in Push for Wildlife Ownership Ban

By Matt Coker Wed., Dec. 19 2012 at 2:45 PM

Categories: Crime-iny, Grrranimals, Politics

blogs.ocweekly.com

 

In light of three serval cats, who resemble small cheetahs, escaping from a Los Alamitos apartment recently, Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (D-Garden Grove) today renewed her call for a federal law prohibiting private possession of big cats except at facilities like accredited zoos. “This incident in Orange County is alarming and underscores the need for better regulation of private ownership of big cats,” Sanchez says in a statement from her office.

After bobcat spottings were reported around the 4100 block of Farquhar Avenue in Los Alamitos Saturday night, a game warden and officers from Long Beach Animal Care Services, which serves Los Alamitos, captured a serval cat.

It was wearing a collar with the owner’s name and address, and when officers went to the apartment in the 4400 block of Howard Avenue, they were told two other serval cats were missing. One was found nearby and the other returned to the apartment on its own.

The cats were taken to an animal sanctuary, while their previous owner was issued a citation from the state Department of Fish and Game for owning the animals. Officials also recommended the district attorney file three misdemeanor counts of possession of a restricted animal against the ex-cat owner, who would face a fine with a conviction.

Incidents involving illegally kept wild animals are popping up all over the country. Sanchez’s office pointed to 49 animals being slaughtered–including 18 Bengal tigers, 17 lions, six black bears, a pair of grizzlies, three mountain lions, two wolves and a baboon–after the owner of an unlicensed wildlife preserve in Zanesville, Ohio. let them loose in October 2011 before killing himself.

Sanchez and Rep. Buck McKeon (R-Santa Clarita) this year introduced H.R. 4122, the “Big Cats and Public Safety Protection Act,” which aims to curtail “an alarming number of wild cats [that] are being bred, sold, and even kept as domestic pets in the U.S.,” and thereby threatening public safety. Fortunately, no one was harmed in Los Alamitos.

“Big cats are not pets,” Sanchez observed. “They require high-quality facilities and proper care. Orange County’s first responders and community members were put in unnecessary danger as they responded to this call.”

Sanchez says she is seeking bipartisan support for her legislation in the upcoming congressional session. John Kerry (D-Massachusetts) introduced a companion bill in the Senate.

 

Dead Kerala Tiger

 

cee4life – Dead Kerala Tiger from below post – 79 BENGAL TIGERS DEAD SO FAR FOR 2012 INDIAN GOV!!! 79!!! YOUVE ONLY GOT ABOUT 1000 (I DONT BELIEVE THE CENSUS) TO PROTECT. THERE 1.3 BILLION OF YOU, YOU TELL ME YOU CANT PROTECT 1000 PRECIOUS TIGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! UTTER PURE LAZINESS. RELEASE SOME OF THAT BLACK MONEY AND FUND ANTI POACHING TEAMS AND RESCUE TEAMS NOW…. OR YOU WILL LOOSE THEM ALL….. F#*K

TigerTime – Save the Tiger

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Sad news from Kerala in India yesterday as tiger killed for stealing cattle. There has to be a better way to end this conflict and preserve the tiger. Help us by signing up to www.bantigertrade.com

 

Weakened by age, zoo’s oldest tiger fights death

By Prerna Sodhi, TNN | Dec 2, 2012, 12.42 AM IST

timesofindia.indiatimes.com

READ MORE Zoo|Weakened|Tiger|death|age

NEW DELHI: Time is running out for Delhi zoo‘s largest and oldest tiger. Naresh, a fierce and restless Royal Bengal Tiger, who has saved many a dull evening for visitors with his growling and angry pacing over seven years, is in the zoo hospital with terminal symptoms of old age. He is getting convulsions, possibly due to cerebral haemorrhage caused by old age, sources say.

“His survival seems difficult. His condition right now is critical, and he is just alive and breathing. We are trying our best to keep him alive and healthy,” said a source at the zoo. Naresh is fairly old for a tiger. The zoo’s vets say tigers in captivity live to 18-20 years of age. Twenty-year-old Naresh has beaten that average.

Officials say Naresh is the first wild cat at the zoo to have fallen seriously ill in the last one year. A 21-year-old lion, Ghagas, had died in June, last year.

Naresh was hospitalised after his health deteriorated five days ago. “We have done all the tests. Blood and urine samples have been collected, but they show no serious illness. The health of the tiger is deteriorating due to its age,” said Dr N Panneer Selvam, veterinary officer at the zoo, adding that they are trying to improve Naresh’s health by injecting glucose and electrolytes. Naresh was reported to be responding to treatment till Friday but on Saturday his health deteriorated.

Zoo curator Riaz Ahmad Khan said Naresh was caught in the wild in central India and brought to Delhi in 2005 from the zoo in Bhopal. He has always been known as a ferocious cat, with a missing tooth for a mark of identity. Zoo officials say he is a lone ranger who dodged not only fatherhood but also female company. Tigresses introduced to him were invariably attacked.

Delhi zoo has five other Royal Bengal Tigers, one male and four females.

 

Raw Instincts!

 

Photo courtesy of Nirmalya Chakraborty

Royal Bengal Tigers of Tadoba Tiger Reserve are shy, elusive & very ‘wild’. He will growl and really show their anger when you trespass his comfort zone which is different for different tigers!

A male tiger happily enjoying the waterhole during peak Indian Summer until forest department tankers rushed in to fill water arrived which made him vanish back into the forest!

www.cee4life.org

 

Please support NGO‘s helping on the ground teams with protection. www.cee4life.org

Tiger – Majestic, Revered, Legendary, Mighty, Adored, and on the brink of Extinction… We must love these beautiful creatures enough to save them. Anything less, they will go. Please support NGO’s helping on the ground teams with protection. www.cee4life.org

 

Shrinking prey base forces tigers to change behavioural pattern

 

Read more:Wildlife Institute of India|Ullas Karanth|Subrata Mondal|Subrat Mukherji|Sita Mondal|Haren Mondal|Dehradun|Chief Wildlife Warden

 Krishnendu Mukherjee, TNN | Sep 24, 2012, 05.06AM IST

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Shrinking-prey-base-forces-tigers-to-change-behavioural-pattern/articleshow/16522812.cms

Royal Bengal Tiger

JAMESPUR: Seventy-year-old Haren Mondal of Jamespur is familiar with the tiger’s odour. The scene of his father being dragged away by a big cat into the forests of Pirkhali, when he was a young fisherman, still gives him sleepless nights. Thus, he sniffed the big cat’s presence in his hut last August, presumed to be the first tiger straying of the season. “But it was too late. The tiger had already killed a goat. The forest officials were late in reaching and the tiger raided my stable the next day to take away its kill,” rued Mondal.

Mondal is not alone, the big cat has left its mark on almost every family in the village. And ask them, they are prompt enough to point the reason behind the rising tiger straying, an issue from which the foresters prefer to stay away.

“Since Aila, the prey base in the forests has taken a hit. On the fateful day in May, 2009, we had spotted 5 dead deer in our village alone, flown in the water current from the forests other side,” said Gandhari Mondal, another villager.

Echoing her statement, Sita Mondal, a villager of adjacent Patharpara village, said she had spotted two deer, though alive, near the Haatkhola market on the day Aila ravaged the mangroves.

Though the villagers had handed over the carcasses to the forest officials, they didn’t take any official record against it from them. Perhaps a reason, why the department had never made public the official toll of Aila on Sunderbans wildlife. A recent study by Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India (WII), carried out in a 200-kilometres stretch in Sajnekhali, pegged a poor prey density in the mangroves. “Each boat transect was repeated for a minimum three times and a maximum six times in the atretch. Prey density along the creeks surveyed in Sajnekhali and west of Sunderbans Tiger Reserve (STR) is comparatively low with only 13.3 chitals (deer) per square kilometres,” said the report.

And with the rising straying cases, comes a change in tigers’ behavioural pattern. “The tigers, by crouching under the nylon nets, have become adept in sneaking through the mosquito nets to take away the goats. The nylon nets are not being maintained properly by the foresters. At some places, those get submerged under the water during high tide,” said Subrata Mondal of Patharpara, who has lost two of his goats to a tiger last week.

Interestingly, the Centre has increased its sanction for maintenance of nylon nets for Sunderbans this year. It has released Rs 10.50 lakh under this head in 2012-13, against Rs 9 lakh in 2011-12. The Centre has also allotted the state Rs 22 lakh this year for laying new nylon nets in Sunderbans, against Rs 20 lakh given last year. Sunderbans Tiger Reserve field director Subrat Mukherji said ever since the cheque power has been withdrawn from the divisional forest officers, the state treasury has almost stopped allotting funds for Conservation works. Chief wildlife warden S B Mondal said funds for these works now comes against letters of credit, which is a time-consuming affair.

Conservationist and scientist Ullas Karanth has his take on Sunderbans’ prey base. “Broadly, Sunderbans is an inherently low prey density, poor quality tiger habitat, as my first ever camera trap study in 1998 showed clearly. This fact is now being reinforced by more detailed behavioural studies being done by WII.”

Between 2009-10 and 2010-11 total 58 incidents of tiger straying cases have been reported in Sunderbans

Nearly 25% of these cases are from Jamespur and Patharpara villages opposite the forests of Panchmukhani 2, a core area

Eight cases of tiger strayings have been reported in 2012 so far from villages near the Sajnekhali Wildlife Sanctuary

 

Bengal Tiger DEATH, Bophal, INDIA –

cee4life

http://www.facebook.com/cee4life.org

Bengal Tiger DEATH, Bophal, INDIA -

The young tiger cubwho sustained severe injuries from poachers has died this morning at approximately 5am. As more of the story comes out, this young boy was caught in a poachers clutch snare which broke his spine, and from those on the ground the poachers then beat him and broken his legs in broad daylight but got away. This was done to this critically endangered Tiger because of FAKE FALSE Traditional Medicines (Animal Body Part Use) and for the fur, for vanity and status. If we do not get more anti poaching teams on the ground, education, and political will to stop the vile FAKE MYTHS and Wildlife trade syndicates, we will all live to see the extinction of these magnificent creatures. Indian Government, WAKE UP and DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS AND STOP LEAVING IT ALL TO NGO‘S and FOREST STAFF ON THE GROUND. FUND IT!!! AND STOP LINING YOUR POCKETS…. IN THE END, NO ONE WINS IF YOU LET THIS GO ON…… RIP dear young boy xoxo You never deserved this, Im so sorry mighty angel xoxo