5 convicted in for 31 years in Sariska tiger case

At long last the perpetrators of doom in Sariska have been brought to book.

A court has awarded five hunters 31 years of imprisonment under six sections of the Wildlife Protection Act for killing a tigress in Sariska reserve in 2004.

The five, however, will spent altogether seven years in jail as the sentences will run concurrently.

Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Himankani Gaud sentenced each of the five poachers to 31 years in jail, but they will remain behind bars for seven years.

Gaud also slapped a fine of Rs 1.30 lakh on the five.

The hunters -- Jeevan Ram, Juru, Luru, Ramjan and Taiyab -- had killed the tigress in Akbarpur range of Sariska.

It is a major achievement for the law enforcement agencies in Rajasthan after successes in Gujarat.

Panna lives again!

Hi Folks!

Just back from a trip of Panna Tiger Reserve. The feeling of despondency that I had been carrying over the last two years vanished to see a tigress and two cubs in good health in the picturesque locale of the park.

Detailed report will be posted soon.

Cheers

Good Nnew from Ranthambhore

Hi Folks!

Ranthambhore lives upto its reputation for being the tiger nursery. 9 tiger cubs have been spotted in the park!

For full report click on the link below:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/More-tiger-cubs-bring-cheer-to-Ranthambore/articleshow/7375834.cms

Cheers

Spotting of Sarus Cranes in Himachal Pradesh

Hi Folks!

I was travelling on work to inspect one of my Battalions located in Jungalberri some 12 km from Sujanpur in Hamirpur district in Himachal Pradesh.

This short journey was most rewarding in

the last few days as we saw a dozen Ruddy Shelducks in the Beas river at Sujanpur. Their sighting has never been reported from Sujanpur before.

As we reached near the village of Jungalberri, I let out a shout of joy s

eeing 3 Sarus cranes (Grus antigone) including one immature foraging

happily in the fields some 20 yards from the road. It is second sighting of these cranes in Hi

machal after Una/Nangal. It was so reassuring to see wonderful coexistence between human beings and the birds. The cranes foraged unafraid of the human presence some 10 yards away.
Sarus cranes are among the vulnerable species with numbers hovering around 10,000 in India. The iconic crane has grey body with a contrasting red neck and head. This almost 6 foot tall bird is the largest known flying bird of our times. This gentle giant is known for marital virtue as it is believed to maintain a lifelong marital relationship and is rarely seen alone. Like tigers, these cranes fiercely guard their territory. They breed during monsoons and the clutch has generally one or two eggs weighing about 250 gram each. Sarus is native of the Indian subcontinent, South Asia and Australia. In India, this crane is considered sacred by several tribes and people who virtually worship the bird for its lifelong relationship with its partner.

Between the cranes and the road was a small chchappad hosting som

e Pond

Herons, a pair of egrets and a Whi

te Throated kingfisher.

Also saw a Black Redstart and an Alexandrine parakeet at the fort besides several other birds which i could not shoot.

Pench, Panna and Sariska Vocalising

Hi Folks!

Could not be better news for tiger lovers. 8 cubs are reported from Pench. Two tigresses have given birth to 5 and 3 cubs respectively. The area is rightly closed to tourism for some time.

Sariska which had gone barren is echoing with the vocalising noises of the new tigress raring to meet her saiyyan!

Panna which had gone Sariska way is all set to receive two tigresses from Kanha tomorrow, i.e., 6th Dec. 2010

Tigers are now found in only 13 countries around the world - Bangladesh, India, Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Laos, Bhutan, Nepal and Russia. These countries are called 'Tiger Range Countries (TRC)' and have started to work together to save tigers.

Currently, India boasts having the largest number of tigers with 1,500 of the large cats surviving at 56 different places in the country. However, Bangladesh boasts the highest number of the cats in one forest with 450 tigers living in the Sundarbans.

So sounds good for the endangered species.

T-24 Mauls another person

Hi Folks!

The stories of man - animal conflict refuse to die. T-24, the male tiger in Ranthambhore Natiional Park killed a person Ghamandi Lal Saini, 23 yrs near Dausa Corner or near Jhoomar Baori on the road leading to the park on August 3, 2010.

A gardener by profession Saini was an employee of a hot balloon safari company. The forest officials blame that Saini had unauthorisedly entered the forest area to cut wood. It is a second incident in Ranthambhore when human life has been claimed by the king of the jungle. On their part, the villagers have also poisoned two cubs after they attacked their goats in March this year.

Delay in monsoon is forcing tigers to move out to inhabited areas in search of water. Swimming pools and man made water bodies in several resorts to show their guests wildlife in the night are also blamed by a section of vested interest for straying of the great predator.

Sufficient water holes need to be maintained in the park and above all, the park authorities need to ensure that the number of tigers in the park does not exceed 25 as it is one of the smallest park and cannot sustain a larger population of tigers.

TIGER RESERVE # 38

Hi Folks!

Jairam Ramesh inaugurated the 38th tiger reserve of the country last Friday, i.e., Feb 19, 2010.

Parambikulam Tiger Reserve in Kerala in Kerala. The park has 390 sq km of core area and another 252 sq km as buffer zone.

The tiger density is estimated at 15. Recently 5 sub adult tigers have been sighted in the park which has raised hope of the forest department in developing tourism in the area.

However, the minister sounded grim about the chances of tiger in India. He feared that 18 tiger reserves in the country "may die out any time". He felt only 9 tiger reserves were actually functioning tiger reserves in the country.

He further confirmed that tiger population in Sariska and Panna had become extinct due to poaching, mining and operation by real estate mafia.

If you know these two places well, you would know that the Field Directors of these tiger reserves live away from the park and visit the park only with dignitaries and VIPs. The parks have long been left to lowly ranked officers. The forest officers will have to be pulled up and located near the parks if the minister wants to save the tigers.