Habit - We still have it!

Planning a holiday to Kanha, Bandhavgarh or Pench National Park?  Drop your plans. Book your holiday at PANNA NATIONAL PARK because in sometime all the tigers of Madhya Pradesh will be sent to Panna. And it won’t be a bolt from the blue if we start re locating them from other states too. After all everything is doable in India !

Panna has a lot to offer. Two tigresses flown recently(though they are missing), A full grown male(Only seen, spotted and recorded by the hard working staff at Panna), and now two male tigers that are to be sent soon to Panna from Pench. Where do you get to see so much?

I am not against re locating tigers. But I feel sad when tigers go missing due to the inefficiency and laziness of the staff. For once when Panna lost all its tigers, they should have taken it as a warning and should have worked day and night to save them. After all what are they posted there for?

Panna has lost all its tigers in the last decade. And trans locating tigers has become a habit here in Madhya Pradesh it seems.

Is the forest staff trained and equipped just to re locate tigers from one reserve to another?
Are they not there to save them from intruders and poachers?
Is the government only spending money to send them from one place to another?
Is relocation some kind of a joke to the officials?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

संता : साहब कहाँ जाने की तय्यारी है ? बंता : छुट्टियाँ है, सोचा कहीं घूम आये, तो पन्ना टाईगर रिजर्व घूमने जा रहे है. संता : क्या आप फॉरेस्ट डिपार्टमेंट में काम करते है ? बंता : नहीं.. संता : तो फिर न जाइये, क्यूकि टाईगर तो सिर्फ वहां सिर्फ और सिर्फ फॉरेस्ट वालो को ही दिखा करता है....







अरे ! अब तो संता को भी पता है की वहां टाईगर नहीं है ..

Iski Topi Uske Sirr

Panna, One of the five Tiger Reserves in Madhya Pradesh, was declared a Tiger Reserve in 1994 is nestled in the Vidhya Hills of Bundelkhand region. Merely an hour away from one of the most favorite destination of foreign tourists, Khajuraho, Panna has just pugmarks to offer. Whatever may be the official figures, The State’s Chief Conservator of Forests, Mr. H.S. Pabla, could also not get a glimpse of the National Animal.
(As per the Hindustan Times, 21st Feb, 2009 “Two days after the state’s Chief Conservator of Forests, H.S. Pabla, was not able to sight a tiger in the 540 sq km reserve, he told HT on Saturday that he was not adverse to the idea of relocating even a tiger. "If required we will even relocate a tiger to Panna," he said.”)
After the success of trans-location of two tigresses from Bandhavgarh, Kanha/Pench to Panna have been called by the Field Director Panna Tiger Reserve.ting tigers in Sariska, now its Panna’s turn. Tender forms calling bidders for filming and photography rights of the But would it turn out to be a success in Madhya Pradesh? I personally don’t think that this would work in M.P. How can we trust the same staff which was present when all the wild cats in Panna disappeared?

Relocating tigers may be answer to the ever declining population of tigers in the reserves. But this situation could have been avoided only if the officials would have worked when Dr Radhu Chandawat first alarmed the officials about the missing tigers in Panna long time back.

Why do we have to relocate tigers, when we can Save them.

Were the Panna officials not aware of the poaching done inside the restricted area? If not, why are they posted there?

What were they doing after the first tiger went missing?

What happened to the Tigers that were in Panna in the last census?

Who will be held responsible if the new tigers that are being relocated are poached? What is the surety that illegal killing will not be done now?

-

-

-

-

For now, the relocation is to take place sometime in the last week of February. And all I can do is to pray that it turns out to be a success.

"LONG LIVE THE TIGER"

The Kings Share

The fall in number of Tigers in the census of 2007 was at last taken seriously

by the Government of India. The Finance Minister Mr. P. Chidambaram alloted a grant of Rs. 50 Crore for the protection of tigers following pressure from International conservationists to save the last tigers of the country.

While presenting the budget of 2008-09 Chidambaram told "The number 1,411 should ring the alarm bells.. The tiger is under grave threat." Further Chidambaram said that the National Tiger Conservation Authority would be granted Rs. 50 Crores to "raise, arm and deploy" a Tiger Protection Force.

The Project Tiger plans to create eight new Tiger Reserves across the country at a cost of $153 million. An estimated 2,00,000 people from across 250 villages will be relocated as the human interference in tiger territories and encroachment are considered equally dangerous as poaching.

THERE IS STILL SOME HOPE FOR THIS BEAUTIFUL CREATION OF GOD.

The Success Story: Sariska Tiger Reserve

Located 107 kms from the State Capital, Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan is spread over 866 sq kms. This reserve is home to many rare animals like the Leopard, Jakals and Jungle cats. The core area streches to about 500 sq kms.

After the Kings went missing in the Sariska Tiger Reserve two years back, The Central Government decided to bring them back, provided the state government created an ecologically secure habitat.

The Tiger Task Force recommeded relocating four villages as they were a threat to wildlife. Bhagani village in Tehla forest range in the heart of the Sariska Reserve was relocated to Behor in Alwar district. About 100 kms from Sariska. The Wildlife Trust of India, an NGO helping the forest department to relocate the vilage, handed over the drafts for compensation to the 18 relocated families. The remaining three villages will be relocated soon.

Sariska Tiger Reserve, home to dozens of majestic cats a few years back, lost the entire population due to poaching and habitat disturbances. Poachers like Sansar Chand, who is currently in a jail in Rajasthan are responsible for the heavy loss. A Poacher, Balwan, confessed of obtaining 2 Tiger skins from Sariska for a petty sum of Rs.5000.

Success in relocating the villages would bring back the King in the Wild. We have 1300-1500 Tigers still roaming free in our Country. Let them Live. Save the Tiger.

Failure of Project Tiger in Rajasthan.

The Rajasthan government is in a spot following a CAG report indicating it for failing to save tigers in the state.

The report said the poplulation has reduced drastically from 47 in 2004 to 26 in 2006 in Ranthambore Tiger Reserve and from 16 to nil in Sariska Tiger Reserve. "This shows the failure of project authorities and monitoring system at government level" said the report.

"Project Tiger" was launched in 1973 as a Centrally-Sponsered scheme. It covered Ranthambore and Sariska Tiger Reserves to help conserve Tigers and preserve the eco-system. "The objective of saving tigers from imminent extinction seems far from being realised as effective measures to stop degradation and fragmentation of thier habitats were not taken during 2000-2006." the report said.

There were delays in transferring funds, failure in fixing time schedules for achieving targets and improper management of the reserves, it added.

According to the report. the presence of 74 villages inside the protected areas (PAs) of the sanctuaries are the main cause of the depletion of forest areas. Chopping trees for timber, fuel etc causes great damage to the habitat of animals.

To minimise the negative impact of these villages on the PAs, relocation of these villages was essential. However, of four villages in Ranthambore only one village, Padra, was sanctioned a relocation package of Rs 1.46 crore in August 2001.

While the process was to be completed by March 2003, scrutiny revealed that out of 111 families, only 59 were relocated after incurring an expenditure of Rs90.76 lakh in March 2006. Remaining 52 familiescould not be relocated due to allotment of unsuitable agricultral land and delays in constructing houses.

The report availability of communication network equipment and arms for protecting wildlife in tiger reserves was insufficient. "Against the requirement of 26 revolvers and 73 guns in both the reserves, only seven revolvers and eight guns were available."

"Schemes and works executed under India-Eco Development Project such as providing of LPG connections, immunisation of cattle among others could also not achieve the desired objectives." CAG said.

As stated by The Times of India, Dated 20/03/2006. Page 6.