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Showing posts from March, 2022

3 Years In: Unveiling the Truth About India's Cheetah Project

Three years on, India’s cheetah reintroduction struggles with poor science, delays, and missed grassland goals. In September 2022, the arrival of eight cheetahs from Namibia to Kuno National Park was hailed as a conservation milestone. Five months later in February 2024, 12 more spotted cats arrived from South Africa. The initiative, branded Project Cheetah, carried lofty ambitions. It aimed not just to restore the world’s fastest land animal to India’s landscapes, but to revive open natural ecosystems (ONEs) — the grasslands, scrublands, and savannahs that are among the country’s most neglected habitats. By reintroducing a top predator, policymakers hoped to spark wider conservation attention, diversify India’s wildlife portfolio beyond tigers and forests, and make ecological amends for a human-caused extinction. The Cheetah Action Plan set out a clear roadmap: import 5–10 cheetahs annually for a decade, create a metapopulation across multiple states, secure and restore grassland hab...
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Railways' Push For Tracks in Tiger Reserves Contradicts its Green Claims

Two national parks of Central India forming one of the largest tiger corridors have been victims of India Railways’ apathy. The railways are adamant to lay a third track in Palamu tiger reserve and second in  Sanjay Dubri national park ,part of Bandhavgarh-Sanjay Dubri –Guru Ghasidas  and Palamu tiger landscape. It is  spread over 25000 sq km  with  an  estimated  population of  over 74 tigers. Many more  Indian jungles including  Melghat tiger reserve in Maharashtra, Gir in Gujarat and Rajaji national park in Uttarakhand  where railway lines criss cross the core zones of the forests. Third Track in Palamu Will Ruin The Tiger Reserve The issue of railway tracks inside the core area of national park was highlighted again after death of a breeding tigress in Sanjay Dubri tiger reserve   in Madhya Pradesh earlier in March this year  orphaning  her four cubs. One of them died a few days later. Railways are adamant to...
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Rumble In The Jungle:Bear Takes On Tiger

  Tiger may be the king of jungle but occasional images coming out from Tadoba-Andhari tiger reserve and Ranthambore national park also display dominance of sloth bear over the big cats. On World Bear Day- March 23, we highlight the strength of our Indian Bhaloo or the sloth bear (Melursus ursinus) , a myrmecophagous bear species native to the Indian subcontinent. When the bhaloo stands on its rear feet and growls loudly, the tiger beats a retreat.  Epic Battles Shot On Camera Both bear and tiger are apex predators and would always battle to their last breath in case of a face off. In February 2020, Aditya  Singh,a wildlife photographer  and conservationist  who is also a safari operator in Ranthambore national park tweeted some pictures   depicting, frame by frame, an epic  battle between a bear and a tiger. It all started when a female bear was carrying two cubs over her back when  she was confronted by a pair of  big cats - popularly...
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Deadly Train Tracks Threaten Tiger Corridor In MP

A railway project is all set to threaten a tiger corridor and a national park. Death of a breeding tigress by a fast moving train risking the life of her four cubs has highlighted the linear project in Madhya Pradesh. The tigress was killed in Sanjay Dubri national park   by a running train where the Union environment ministry has already exempted the project of doubling of tracks from the process of seeking green clearances. There is a simple solution to  stop further devastation. Shift the project outside the tiger reserve. For this the Railways may have to spend extra money but  it is nothing  if we take into consideration  the  forest ecosystem services of purification of air and water, mitigation of droughts and floods, generation and preservation of soils and renewal of their fertility. The government must reset its priorities. Ecological Hotspot All Set To Be  Ravaged By Railways    A speeding train running through the core area of San...
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Who Is The Next Queen of Pench National Park After Collarwali Rests In Peace?

Over two months after the death of Collarwali, the tigress that attracted thousands of wildlife tourists to Pench National park , seems to have created a vacuum in the tiger reserve. The tiger sighting has been very low in the park ever since the aged Collarwali died on January 16 2022. Though Langdi, one of her litters, seems to be occupying her mother’s space to become the next queen of the park , her sighting is also not assured. Collalrwali’s Catwalk Missing  Two years ago, it was difficult to  interpret what the guides meant when  some of them in Pench national park would said that Collarwali was  shouldering the responsibility of tourism and that a large number of tourists were  reaching the  tiger reserve to watch her  “ catwalk”. Collarwali was the first of Barimada’s four cubs to set out on her own and establish her territory in the prime area of her mother’s range. Later she consolidated her position in the range and lived there till her deat...
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Tiger Corridor : Now Satpuda Melghat National Parks Connectivity At Risk

Much- hyped wildlife friendly NH7 passing   through the famous Kanha -Pench forest corridor and named after the two famous national parks should have 11.81 kms long under passes to let the wildlife have a safe passage. Instead the National Highways Authority of India (NHA) overlooked the rules and constructed only 4.41 km long underpasses compromising their dimensions.  Similarly in NH6, only 2.95 km of mitigation work was done against a schedule 8 kms length. Not everybody knows this truth.  Now NHAI seems to be completely violating the Wildlife (Protection) act 1973 while constructing a road patch on NH46 ( Hoshangabad -Betul). This is a functional tiger corridor connecting Melghat and Satpura tiger reserves. Now the connectivity is also as threatened as the tiger itself.  No Lessons Learnt From NH6 Kanha- Pench Corridor The reduced length of structures in  MH6  and NH7  -connecting East with the West and  North with the South  respect...
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