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Showing posts from June, 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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Monsoon Magic At Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve

  Barely a week before Bandhavgarh national park closed down in June for three months, a large number of wildlife lovers visited the park. Many of them returned disappointed as there was no tiger sighting while  asmall number of visitors was still lucky to have some wonderful “chanced sighting “of the big cat. Like the one in Tala range. Barely a week before Bandhavgarh national park closed down in June for three months, a large number of wildlife lovers visited the park. as she took mud bath for a while amd also quenched thirst before proceeding to meet her four 5-month old cubs hidden in a cave deep in the jungle. Rare tiger sighting happens during the monsoon when plenty of water is available in every nook and corner of the jungle and the green forest cover revives after a few showers diminishing the chances of tiger sighting even if it is sitting very close in the bushes.But the showers have left a magical touch in the jungle. Jungle Make Over   After the pre-mo...
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Why Incredible Tiger Images Keep Coming From Ranthambore ?

Ranthambore tiger reserve never ceases to spring surprises.  In yet another amazing tiger image, the striped cat was seen eating a leopard. The big cat consumed it, caught it again from his neck and vanished in the bushes- absolutely stunning. All this happened in front of a camera. A  Benguluru based photographer got the opportunity to click the incredible images. Wildlife photography has always been a wonderful experience in Ranthambore. But what makes the park different from other wildlife destinations offering better picture opportunities. Are tigers in Ranthambore more ferocious or adventurous? Or there is some other factor that makes this jungle different ?  Let’s try to understand.  Cat Man Catches Two Cats On Camera Known as The Cat-Man, the wildlife photographer Harsha Narasimhamurthy shared his experience on social media platforms. He said that he got an opportunity while holding a photo tour. “Witnessed one of the most incredible natural history moments t...
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Tiger Takes Rest After Months Of Tourism Stress

Most of the tiger reserves in India are going to be shut down in the months of monsoon. Ever wondered why? This is the time when tiger gets rest from the horde of tourists, the vehicular traffic and the accompanied noise. The ionic cat retires deep in the jungle to remain in serenity- much needed break from shutter sound and phone photography. Few years ago, a study in Kanha national park and Bandhavgarh tiger reserve had revealed high stress among the tigers because of tourist traffic Impact of Tourism on Tiger  The study was conducted in 2015, the same year when the government of Madhya Pradesh decided to give only three months’ break to tiger to rest. It curtailed full one month from its yearly time table of shut down in forests to facilitate tourism. Before this, parks would remain closed from June 16 to October 16. In 2015, the government decided to stretch the tourism season and issued orders for the parks to remain closed for three months -June 30 to September 30. The same y...
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Rememberig P111 For Revival of Panna Tigers

  Death of a tiger in the wild is  natural  until it is poached. And most of the big cat die anonymously embracing death somewhere deep in the woods. Many times even their dead bodies are not recovered. But the prince of Panna tiger reserve - P111 who later became the king of the jungle seem to have served the purpose of his life before his death  earlier last week. The wildlife lovers and the park management  remembered the striped cat for  the revival of  tiger population in Panna tiger reserve from zero to about 70 today.  P111 was one of the four of  the first  litter of T1 and T3 translocated to Panna  in 2009 when all its tigers were poached in 2008. Birth of P111 indicated success of tiger reintroduction and revival of big cat population in the tiger reserve, now facing a big threat of disintegeration because of Ken Betwa Link Project (KBLP) .  The King of Panna  In his life span, P111 fathered over  dozen tige...
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Coal Mining All Set To Threaten Tiger Corridors Around Tadoba

  India’s fixation on coal continues.As the country increases its coal production, more and more forests are impacted, threatening the iconic species like tigers and elephants.  Coal mining permissions in Chattisgarh’s Hasdeo Arand ,an elephant corridor, has already stirred  a major controversy .The country’s rapacious pursuit of coal has pushed the industry into another jungle, this time a tiger corridor in Maharashtra, threatening destroy forests and fragment the tiger’s already threatened population. Wildlife activists are alert after an Odisha-based mining company sought the permission of Maharashtra forest department to divert 147 hectares of land for coal mining in Yavatmal district of north eastern Maharashtra.    Coal Block All Set To Threaten Tiger   Corridor In May this year, the an Odisha based company sought the state forest department’s permission to divert 147 hectares of known tiger habitat, in Yavatmal district’s Pandharkawada forest divisi...
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Kashmir Forests Cry: Give Peace A Chance To Save Markhor

   Deforestation in the shadow of the gun is rather deep-rooted in Kashmir where eruption of militant movement witnessed an ecological anarchy.  In the menacing shadow of militancy, illegal felling flourished .Conservative estimates say that over 100,000 trees were illegally felled from the jungle peripheries of Arizal, Chrar Sharief, Shopian, Tral and Kupwara in the first three years of militancy. Kalashnikov-toting militants threatened forest officials and locals   as the forests were vandalized. "People are killed; who is bothered about forests?, said officials. Midst militancy, there was a period in Kashmir valley when an animal had raised hopes of silencing the booming guns.  Yes, an animal. There were efforts to hold a peace pact with Pakistan to save Markhor, killed in cross firing at LoC.  Surrounded in coniferous forests dotted with deodar trees and located along the Line of Control (LoC), Kazinag national park in north Kashmir’s Boniyar sect...
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Kashmir Forests Cry:Wildlife Inches Towards Extinction

  Over three decades of war like situation in Jammu and Kashmir has affected the economics, environment and the wildlife of this paradise on the earth. Counter terrorism operations of Indian army to neutralize the cross border terrorism have protected the country. And as the army fights against terrorists, it is forced to camp in jungles in harsh winter conditions. Pakistan’s proxy war has cost dearly to the wildlife and environment on both sides of the LoC .  As we look at the forest and environment of Kashmir on this World Environment Day, we find, ever since terrorism started somewhere in 1989, the Kashmir Valley has lost a huge forest cover. In one of its national parks in the valley , the iconic Hangul (Cervus hanglu hanglu), the royal stag of Kashmir, is feared to become extinct in the next few years. What tiger is for India, Hangul is for Kashmir. Besides Hangul, the International Union for Conservation of Nature’ (IUCN) Red Data Book — which contains lists of species a...
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