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For the First Time the Official Tale of Kuno Cheetahs

  Ahead of the first anniversary of the  controvertial cheetah project  and the release of African cheetahs in  Kuno national park ,  interesting observations have been shared by the  director of the park where   14 cheetahs await re-release in the wild. They were caught   and brought back to bomas following 6 cheetah deaths after septicemia caused by abrasion from   satellite collars.   Uttam Kumar Sharma , the park director has dwelt in detail on cheetah movements and their exploration of the landscape , their interaction with each other and the  efforts  made by the  park management to  monitor the  animals  round the clock as he tried to hammer home a point- African cheetahs are adapting fast in India.  Asha: The Hope   Based upon his observations, Sharma has released newsletters   revolving around   two cheetah coalitions -Gaurav-Shaurya (Rockstars) and Agni-Vayu (White walkers), Asha, the female cheetah from Namibia and  Jwala and her Indian born cubs. The story  of the two coali

Tiger In Chain, Arunachal Forest Minister Goes For Walk

Tiger in Chain

 Close on the heels of the tiger census data released by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi showcasing the success of  tiger conservation , visuals of a tiger in a chain held by the Environment and forest minister of Arunachal Pradesh  shook the country.  The minister Mama Natung   walks the tiger  like a pet  .On April 16, he  also  twitted the  video  from his official twitter handle . He also posted the video with pride on his  facebook page. For record, tiger is listed in the scheduled one of the Wild Life (Protecton) Act 1972  and one can not have it as a pet .This Schedule deals with endangered species.

Violation of Wildlife Protection Act 


Tiger in Chain

 Interestingly, while tweeting the video , mama also tagged  the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and  the Union ministry of Environment, forest  and climate change.  NTCA is the apex body for the protection and conservation of the tiger. The caption reads  ,“Happy to walk with reared tiger which is the most powerful Animals Tiger, so people's around the  world should Learn the Love from Animals, if you love nature will find beauty everywhere. #moefcc #ntca_india #ArunachalCMO #PMOIndia #BJP4Arunachal”. 


 Mama, a businessman turned politician, can be seen taking the chained tiger for a walk.  For 6.6 minutes, till the video ran, the minister wearing shorts and slippers is seen pulling the chain of the tiger and patting the beast on his back. Two more men, perhaps from his staff, were also seen one by one coming and patting the tiger like a pet. There are eight wildlife sanctuaries, and two national parks in the state of Arunachal Pradesh  and this include  Namdaph,One of the largest national parks in India.and all of them are under Mama Nutang. In the country where tiger protection is on the top of the priority list of the government, the minister’s act  raises several questions.

Some Needs to Take Cognizance 


Tiger in Chain

In March this year, a resident of Uttar Pradesh was arrested after he was found in possession of a Sarus Crane, a bird listed in scheduled three of the Wildlife Protect act 1972. In February last year, Mohammad Arif, 35, brought home an injured sarus crane he found in his village of Mandhka in Uttar Pradesh’s  Amethi district. After he took care of it over the next thirteen months, he found himself booked under the Wild Life (Protection )  Act.  


The wildlife authorities moved the crane from Arif’s house to a Raebareli sanctuary and later shifted to the Kanpur Zoo. Arif might have been unaware of the Act and that he was violating it. But Mama is the minister for environment and forest and is expected to have an understanding that his act is a violation of the Wild Life Protection Act. And if he doesn’t ,  someone needs to take cognizance.

By Deshdeep Saxena

Images from the  minister's Video 



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