Tigers increase, turf decreases

WILDLIFE

Census of the big cats show a marked increase even though their land area is shrinking


Sopan Correspondent / New Delhi


There is both good and bad news on the Tiger front. While the number of tigers has increased in the country, the area in which they inhabit has decreased. The All India Tiger census, released late last month, has projected 1706 tigers in the wild which is an increase of 295 from the last such exercise of counting the big cats.

The Western Ghats, constituting Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka has the single largest concentration of tigers in the world but the occupancy of the big cats has gone down in northern Andhra Pradesh and central India, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said at the release of the Tiger Estimate, 2010. The minister also pointed out that there is a decrease in the tiger occupancy area, which means the tiger corridors are under severe threat.

The estimate which shows an increase in adult tiger numbers to 1,636 (1706 including Sunderbans), up from the previous estimate of 1,411 tigers in 2006, says the number of tigers in Western Ghats is an estimated 534.

Maharashtra and Nagarjuna Sagar Tiger Reserve in Andhra Pradesh, which comes under the Central Indian Landscape Complex and Eastern Ghats Landscape Complex, has done well in conserving tigers. However, the tiger occupancy in northern Andhra Pradesh and Central India, which is also part of this landscape complex, has gone down. Though population of big cats in Orissa remains stable, Rajasthan has gone in for praise for its conservation practices.

Out of the total estimated tiger population, 353 comes from Shivalik-Gangetic Plain Landscape Complex, which constitutes Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

North East Hills and Brahmaputra Flood Plains, which has Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and northern West Bengal in its belt, has only an estimated 148 tigers which has been described as worrisome.

With the release of the figures, it is understood that most of India’s reproducing tiger population is now concentrated in 10 per cent of all tiger habitat that holds 90 per cent of all tigers. These areas need to be ecologically monitored annually using intensive camera trapping to check any further damage to the ecosystem in which the majority of the tigers live, experts point out.

The estimation was carried out by the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun along with partners in government, tiger experts and private parties concerned.

While the Nilgiris have the single largest population of the tiger in the world, Sunderban has the highest tiger density in the world. Close to 30 per cent of the estimated tiger population is outside the 39 reserves and the government so far does not have a strategy or plan to protect the big cats in these areas.

The process of counting the ferocious animal is a tough task involving tracking of tiger signs such as pug marks and scratch marks, using hi-tech cameras, DNA analysis and satellite telemetry. The whole estimation process was conducted in three phases over one year between December 2009 and December 2010 and it involved more than 4.7 lakh forest officials, wildlife activists and volunteers. Officials have described the process as “best-in-class” scientific process.

The tiger estimation project included collection of field data at beat-level in which 45,000sq km forest area of the country, including 39 designated tiger reserves, was divided in 29,772 beats or primary patrolling units with 4,76,000 forest personnel involved in the data collection in phase one.

“Besides trained forest officials, a number of wildlife activists and volunteers have also helped in the estimation exercise. In every beat, the officials had to walk at least 15 to 20 km a day to collect tiger habitation signs such as pug marks, scratch marks, their prey signs to assess the presence of the big cats, said YB Jhala, senior wildlife biologist at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) in Dehra Dun.

According to the ministry, the officials walked a total distance of 6,25,000 km for data collection. This was followed by analysing tiger habitat status by using satellite data, installation of hi-tech cameras at strategic points for information about the presence of the wild cats.

Sniffer dogs to act as deterrent against wildlife crime

WILD-LIFE

Meenal Dubey / New Delhi

Jackie, Jimmi and Raja are not the kind who waste their time chasing unsuspecting cats or gnawing a juicy bone. Instead, they prefer nipping the shins of outlaws who have made the mistake of smuggling animal body parts under the wary eyes of the enforcement agencies. These feisty canines are a part TRAFFIC India’s ambitious initiative of strengthening detection of wildlife trade using trained dog squads.

In a scenario, where 700 wildlife cases are registered annually and the conviction rate is less than 2 percent, the role of enforcement agencies becomes vital. Wildlife experts feel that this move of introducing a canine unit, could be a big boost to tackle wildlife crime. Ravi Singh Secretary General and CEO WWF India said, “We see the sniffer dogs as game changers in the fight against illegal wildlife crime, if they are used judiciously and to their full potential. I am sure this is the beginning of many more such successful operations.”

“Illegal wildlife trade has evolved into an organized transnational activity threatening the survival of many species in India,” said Samir Sinha, Head – TRAFFIC India,a trade monitoring network and a program division of WWF India. TRAFFIC has helped establish sniffer dog programmes to detect smuggled wildlife parts in several countries including in the Russian Far East and Europe. “We are overwhelmed by the support and response this programme has received from the forest department and are especially grateful for the contribution of the ITBP and 23rd Battalion of Special Armed Forces, M.P. Police.”

This pioneering initiative was launched last year in India where two dogs and their handlers were trained in sniffing out tiger and leopard skins, bones and bear bile and it was successfully completed at the National Dog Training Centre, ITBP in Panchkula. They were then posted to the states of Haryana and Uttarakhand to assist enforcement agencies. Encouraged by this endeavour, TRAFFIC India supported the training of 5 more dogs in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Jharkhand. These five dogs completed their training successfully at the Dog Training Centre and passed out this July in a glittering passing-out-parade.

These three states have been chosen based on the high level of illegal wildlife trade and involvement of nomadic communities like the Pardhis who inhabit these areas and are well known for their role in the trade. The high degree of interest shown by the state Forest Departments in this programme was also very valuable.

Dr. H.S. Pabla, Principal Conservator of Forests, Madhya Pradesh further added, “Today, Tigers in India need protection like never before. Any effort to strengthen protection will prove useful. We are confident the sniffer dogs programme, which has proved successful in curbing illegal wildlife trade in other countries, will further strengthen enforcement efforts in India.”

Each such dog has a primary handler who is assisted by a secondary handler. They bond over a period of nine months which involves a rigorous training period where response to a command is of utmost importance.

The most vital training includes two steps. Firstly, an animal is familiarized with animal parts like tiger or leopard skin and bones. They are made to smell them on regular intervals. This is followed by a rigorous training schedule where these animal parts are hidden in a suitcase, vehicles like cars, buses and railway carriages or buried into the ground. The animals get a special treat on successful detection.

However, the biggest challenge is detecting animal parts from a suitcase and also nabbing the person carrying it. They are also trained to check criminals in case they try to flee.

The trainers concede that regardless of countless treats, the real show stealer while training these dogs is a reassuring word or a pat on the back. “Dogs are like children. If you don’t reassure them, they tend to be moody or get into a sulk. The real indicator of a successful detective canine is actually an obedient and happy dog,” concludes a trainer.

Tracks Cutting through national heritage

WILDLIFE

Tuskers facing brunt of Railways apathy in a losing battle

Reeta Tiwari / Kolkata

Railway tracks passing through national parks and wild life sanctuaries in North Bengal are turning into killing field for wild tuskers.

Seven elephants were brutally mowed down by a speeding train recently when they were trying to save two of their young trapped on the Siliguri-Alipurduar track in North Bengal. Five died on the spot. For two others, it was a slow, agonising end.

The National Heritage Animal status for the elephant was one of the important recommendations of 12-member Elephant Task Force which submitted its report to Environment and Forests Ministry in August 2010. The government accorded the status to the elephant following the approval of the Elephant Task Force.

The railways shrugged off its responsibility saying that the accident occurred between two tea gardens, which is not a protected zone. This stretch of line cuts through the tropical forests of the eastern Himalayas and is surrounded by tea gardens. Ninety percent of the accidents occur at night, prompting NGOs, forest officers and conservationists to press for a night ban on the movement of trains, a demand which was rejected.

In 2008, a Centre-appointed expert committee had identified six vulnerable zones where trains were mandated to go slow which fell on deaf ears.

These tragic incidents have finally stirred the Government to take notice of the frequent jumbo deaths on rail tracks. Environment and Forests Minister Jairam Ramesh decided to grant Rs 7 crore assistance package for developing forest infrastructure and Railway development work.

Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya also wrote to Ramesh suggesting several measures. "The trains that run through these tracks during the day time should also have a speed restriction of a maximum 20 kmph," he wrote. Bhattacharya said that drastic steps like these were urgently needed as the tracks run through four wildlife sanctuaries and more than 20 identified elephant corridors. "During the 30-year period between 1974 and 2003, 26 elephants had been killed in collision with trains. In contrast, in a short span of seven years between 2004 and 2010, 27 elephants had died on railways tracks." The tracks in this area pass through some important wildlife corridors like Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary, Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary, Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary and Buxa Tiger Reserve. But the Railway has turned down the request to stop plying trains at night in this route.

Even after the elephant Task Force, set up by the Environment and Forests Ministry to suggest ways to protect the endangered elephants, submitted a report showing as many as 150 elephants have died since 1987 on train tracks, Railway officials have only shown apathy. The Task Force report has raised serious concerns about the loss of elephant habitat and increase in incidents of man-elephant conflict.

"One of the problems has been the lack of recruitment at the local level at the forest guard level, forest ranger level," said Ramesh during his visit. "Many other states have started the process of recruitment and we must bring in younger people. We must bring in more active people, give them the facilities to do their job," he added.

Wildlife activists say the need of the hour is to sensitise the government of the problem in hand and look for solutions to end the tragedy.