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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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Pangolin Radio Tagging Programme in MP's National Parks

It may not be an iconic wildlife species yet pangolin is the most trafficked animal on the earth - both dead and alive. When the world was busy protecting tigers, the wildlife criminals shifted their focus to pangolin following the increasing demand for its scales and meat in Chinese and Vietnamese markets. More than 1,000,000 pangolins were trafficked over a 10-year period, with 2019 data indicating that a pangolin is poached every three minutes. As the mammal started depleting alarmingly , Madhya Pradesh started a pioneering work by radio tagging pangolins with the help of Wildlife Conservation Trust (WCT) . Radio Tagging Ray of Hope In a major conservation programme for the scaly anteater, the radio tagging of the shy nocturnal animal started in the central India state in 2020 . The WCT along with the state forest department radio-tagged the first Indian Pangolin (Manis crassicaudata) on February...

Lion Spillover From Gir National Park Gets Closer To Ahmedabad

Gujarat’s lion is knocking at the doors of the capital city of Ahmedabad. As if seeking attention from the politicians and bureaucrats for more space and a new home, a lion was spotted about 140 kms away from the capital city of Gujarat on Ahmedabad-Dhandhuka-Bhavnagar highway in the third week of February. In the last few years, the lion-spill -over from Gir National Park and the Asiatic Lion landscape (ALL) has increased.More and more big cats are now cited near Gujarat cities including Rajkot, Surendra Nagar and Botad districts, causing even traffic jams on some occasions. Over 674 lions were counted in the ALL in the last census. Experts said the number may be more and the landscape is over populated . Alert after the new sighting closer to Ahmed...

Newly Discovered White Cheeked Macaque Faces Threat From Hydro-Power Projects

They were looking for Red Panda but stumbled upon the white-cheeked macaque, the latest among the 23 macaque species on the earth.A group of scientists the Zoological Survey of India were excited after their “newest mammal” species in the country — the White Cheeked Macaque (Macaca leucogenys).Though it was first discovered in China in 2015, its existence was unknown in India before this. The India researchers found the mammal barely 197 kms away from China, in the remote Anjaw district in central Arunachal Pradesh. The discovery has been published in the February 3 issue of international journal ‘Animal Gene’. Accidental Discovery Long white whiskers extended from the cheeks and chin gives the new monkey its name- the White Cheeked Macaque.The American Journal of Primatology explains their physical features as “Relative hairless short tail, prominent paleto white side- and chin-whiskers creating a white cheek and round facialappearance, dark facial skin on the muzzl...

Bhopal's Urban Tigers Need Tiger Reserve Not Chain-Links Mr Chief Minister

Seven years ago, a tiger sitting atop a building in a busy Bhopal locality attracted the attention of the whole country. To be precise on December 25, 2015, the tiger was found sitting on the rooftop of the Central Institute of Agriculture Engineering (CIAE) in Nabi Baugh of Bhopal. Horde of onlookers assembled on the surrounding buildings and many climbed nearby trees to have a glimpse of the tiger. Wary of the large number of people , the tiger jumped onto a shed and the roof caved in making it difficult for the forest department to carry out the rescue operation to capture the tiger. The operation took a few hours to complete when the big cat was tranquilized and shifted to Van Vihar national park in Bhopal around 3 pm. 60 Tigers Ready To Move From Ratapani The presence of the tiger over a building left the forest department clueless. Perhaps for the first time, the department realized that there were a number of tigers roaming around Bhopa...

India's Forest Cover : Up, Down Or Cover- Up

The feel good India State of Forest Report (ISFR) has come under sharp criticism. Though the government hasdefended it, such reports have been“nonstop good news” since 1999. Till 1997,the forest cover declined in India after which it went up by a whopping 45,000sq km over the next three reports. Experts attribute two key changes in 2001which contributed to this: FSI adopted a fully digital analysis workflow, andit dramatically changed its definition of a forest, leading to scathing attacks. Report To Meet Climate Targets On Paper ? Overall, the 2021 report said, India has recorded an increase of 1,540 sq kms in its forest cover. India’s total forestcover is 713,789 sq km or 21.71 % of the total geographical area of thecountry. India has set a target of bringing 33 % of its geographical area underforest cover. By showing an increase in forest cover, India wants to achievethe target on paper, it is alleged. The 33% is a reference to the National Green India Missio...