Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan urged to review 'defunct' tiger cells.
NAGPUR: Worried by tiger poaching with the help of jaw traps in Palasgaon near Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR), chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, who is also the chairman of State Board for Wildlife (SBWL), has been urged to review functioning of tiger cells, anti-poaching units and law enforcement and come out with new and advanced mechanism to tackle the problem.
In a letter written to Chavan on April 30, Kishor Rithe, member of SWBL and chief of Satpuda Foundation, said, "Time has come to think seriously about how effective our tiger cells are and whether we really need a new and advance mechanism in Maharashtra."
The tiger cells and anti-poaching units were set up 10 years ago after detection of many wildlife poaching and trade cases in Maharashtra. "However, after almost a decade, I found that most of the district tiger cells are defunct. Police and forest officers conduct meetings as merely a formality. The tiger cells could not become an effective law enforcement mechanism with fixed objectives to regularly gather required intelligence and prevent and detect the wildlife crime cases in the state," Rithe said.
In last so many years, forest department could not build its image as the best law (forest & wildlife) enforcement agency. The new Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF) will also make no difference if police and forest departments are not tuned to wildlife crime details and latest modus operandi of poachers and wildlife traders.
What needs to be done?
* Evolve a mechanism with police and forest departments to effectively use tiger cells, anti-poaching units.
* Call a meeting of forest and home ministers and secretaries of departments concerned to tackle wildlife poaching and trade.
* Take critical review of existing tiger cells and anti-poaching units and steps taken by them to curb illegal poaching and tiger deaths.
* Send message to departments concerned through this meeting that government is really serious to protect tigers.
* The meeting should be held before any such incident takes place. Gujarat government took such steps after poaching of lions in Gir and were successful.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Chief-Minister-Prithviraj-Chavan-urged-to-review-defunct-tiger-cells/articleshow/12944873.cms
Gir lions to roar in Mulayam’s Etawah.
Published: Monday, Apr 30, 2012, 9:15 IST
By Deepak Gidwani | Place: Lucknow | Agency: DNA
In about two years from now, the Etawah district of Uttar Pradesh would have one more thing to boast of apart from its “son of the soil” Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav - a lion safari. The idea was mooted by Yadav himself in his last regime in 2005, and would now take shape during the regime of his son and UP CM Akhilesh Yadav, who is also the forest minister. Both, Mulayam and Akhilesh were born and brought up in Etawah.
UP Forest Department (UPFD) officials say Akhilesh, a graduate in environmental engineering, is keen on having the lion safari in Etawah. “In the very first meeting soon after he took over as chief minister, he issued directions for expediting the lion safari project,” says principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF) HS Asthana. “We are in the process of finalizing the master plan in keeping with the directions of the Central Zoo Authority (CZA),” he added.
The safari would come up in about 150 hectares out of which 50 hectares would comprise the core area habited by lions, while the rest of the 100 hectares would serve as the buffer zone. The land for the project has already been identified in the Fisher Forest area of Etawah. The project would take about two years to complete after the CZA grants approval.
The state government recently sent a request to the Gujarat government asking for a lion and four lionesses needed for natural breeding. The Gir National Park in Junagadh (Gujarat) is the only natural habitat of pure Asian lions in Asia. When the original project had been sent to the CZA in 2005, it had granted approval on the condition that a lion breeding centre be set up as part of the safari.
Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_gir-lions-to-roar-in-mulayams-etawah_1682423
By Deepak Gidwani | Place: Lucknow | Agency: DNA
In about two years from now, the Etawah district of Uttar Pradesh would have one more thing to boast of apart from its “son of the soil” Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav - a lion safari. The idea was mooted by Yadav himself in his last regime in 2005, and would now take shape during the regime of his son and UP CM Akhilesh Yadav, who is also the forest minister. Both, Mulayam and Akhilesh were born and brought up in Etawah.
UP Forest Department (UPFD) officials say Akhilesh, a graduate in environmental engineering, is keen on having the lion safari in Etawah. “In the very first meeting soon after he took over as chief minister, he issued directions for expediting the lion safari project,” says principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF) HS Asthana. “We are in the process of finalizing the master plan in keeping with the directions of the Central Zoo Authority (CZA),” he added.
The safari would come up in about 150 hectares out of which 50 hectares would comprise the core area habited by lions, while the rest of the 100 hectares would serve as the buffer zone. The land for the project has already been identified in the Fisher Forest area of Etawah. The project would take about two years to complete after the CZA grants approval.
The state government recently sent a request to the Gujarat government asking for a lion and four lionesses needed for natural breeding. The Gir National Park in Junagadh (Gujarat) is the only natural habitat of pure Asian lions in Asia. When the original project had been sent to the CZA in 2005, it had granted approval on the condition that a lion breeding centre be set up as part of the safari.
Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_gir-lions-to-roar-in-mulayams-etawah_1682423
Guns silence lions' roar in Mityala Wildlife Sanctuary.
KHAMBHA(AMRELI): Tigers in the Jim Corbett National Park can finally rest in peace with Uttarakhand recently banning high decibel noise within 500m around the sanctuary after complaints that noisy parties and marriages were disturbing the animals. But the handful of Asiatic lions in Mityala Wildlife Sanctuary in Amreli are not that lucky. Forget loud parties, they have to live with the sound of sporadic gunshots a stone's throw from their abode.
The Amreli district police has a firing range less than half a kilometre from the sanctuary. An application filed under Right to Information Act (RTI) by Vimalsinh Rathod, a wildlife enthusiast from Khambha, revealed the police regularly holds arms training at this hilly spot.
While Mityala was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 2004, the firing range has been there for the past 11 years. Rathod says the range should have been shifted as soon as the sanctuary was notified.
"Lions regularly come close to the firing range," Rathod said. "My RTI query revealed the forest department did not find it necessary to give permission for the range as it was a matter between two government departments."
A senior forest department officer said, "Besides the sound of gunfire, police officials ensure lions don't enter the range when training is in progress. This restricts their natural movement."
Vipul Laheri, honorary wildlife warden of Amreli, said, "Ideally, the area should be declared a silence zone. In the past too, this issue was debated when wildlife activists objected to the range." Laheri is also a member of Lion Conservation Society, Gujarat.
R L Meena, chief conservator of forests (wildlife division), Junagadh circle, said that earlier there was no lion movement in the area. "We will observe the situation now and if we find the firing range is disturbing the lions, we will request the government to take an appropriate action."
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Guns-silence-lions-roar-in-Mityala-Wildlife-Sanctuary/articleshow/12945359.cms
Gujarat activists take up cudgels to save 5,000 trees.
Published: Wednesday, Apr 25, 2012, 16:14 IST
By DNA Correspondent | Place: Ahmedabad | Agency: DNA
Environmental activists and NGOs across the state are getting together to save close to 8,000 trees that will be chopped down for expansion of the Jetpur-Junagadh highway and Veraval-Somnath bypass.
4,865 trees of 57 different species of trees, some of them believed to be over 100 years old, will be sacrificed for the project. A proposal seeking permission from the forest department to cut trees in the protected forest areas close to the two highways has further raised the ire of environmentalists.
Dinesh Goswami of Prakruti Nature Club said that they are contacting various NGOs to build a consensus on the matter. "We will be writing to them. We are going to work unitedly on this issue," said Goswami. Another activist closely associated with the development said that if the government refuses to budge from its decision they may also file a PIL in the matter. "But that of course will be the last resort," said the activist.
Goswami said they have sent a mail to some 50 NGOs across the state about the issue. "We will also be giving a memorandum to the mamlatdaar and later to the district collector. The same will also be sent to various officials including principal secretary forest department," said Goswami.
The activists are urging the government to look at other options including tree transplantation. "They can also explore the option of acquiring the farm land close to the highway at a right price," said Goswami.
Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_gujarat-activists-take-up-cudgels-to-save-5000-trees_1680549
By DNA Correspondent | Place: Ahmedabad | Agency: DNA
Environmental activists and NGOs across the state are getting together to save close to 8,000 trees that will be chopped down for expansion of the Jetpur-Junagadh highway and Veraval-Somnath bypass.
4,865 trees of 57 different species of trees, some of them believed to be over 100 years old, will be sacrificed for the project. A proposal seeking permission from the forest department to cut trees in the protected forest areas close to the two highways has further raised the ire of environmentalists.
Dinesh Goswami of Prakruti Nature Club said that they are contacting various NGOs to build a consensus on the matter. "We will be writing to them. We are going to work unitedly on this issue," said Goswami. Another activist closely associated with the development said that if the government refuses to budge from its decision they may also file a PIL in the matter. "But that of course will be the last resort," said the activist.
Goswami said they have sent a mail to some 50 NGOs across the state about the issue. "We will also be giving a memorandum to the mamlatdaar and later to the district collector. The same will also be sent to various officials including principal secretary forest department," said Goswami.
The activists are urging the government to look at other options including tree transplantation. "They can also explore the option of acquiring the farm land close to the highway at a right price," said Goswami.
Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_gujarat-activists-take-up-cudgels-to-save-5000-trees_1680549
Gujarat kids to explore science at Science City.
Published: Saturday, Apr 21, 2012, 20:19 IST
By DNA Correspondent | Place: Ahmedabad | Agency: DNA
With vacations having started at schools, Science City has come up with a novel idea to engage the students in constructive work. It has organised a 30-day mission for 30 students, where they will get hands-on experience through various experiments.
The students have been chosen from all 26 districts of Gujarat.
The mission has been jointly organised by Gujarat Science City and Department of Biotechnology. “The kids will perform experiments like why certain plants have medicinal qualities etc,” said Narottam Sahoo, senior scientist at GSC. The children were selected after evaluation of their class IX marks and preliminary marks of class X.
During the inauguration ceremony, Dr HS Singh, IFS, PCCF (Social Forestry), Forest Department, government of Gujarat, said, “Science has been neglected in the country and it is through science that we can see our country becoming a world power.”
Addressing the students, Ravi Saxena, Addl. Chief Secretary, DST, Govt of Gujarat, encouraged the students to ask questions. He said, “Today, children have enough access to so much of information around them that they cannot be taught anything. They can use these 30 days to get explore subjects.”
The children will be divided into 10 groups and will be given a project to work on. On the basis of their project and experiences, the students will be awarded Vaigyanik Puraskar Yojana scholarship, which will be given by Indian Institute of Sciences, Bangalore.
Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_gujarat-kids-to-explore-science-at-science-city_1678798
By DNA Correspondent | Place: Ahmedabad | Agency: DNA
With vacations having started at schools, Science City has come up with a novel idea to engage the students in constructive work. It has organised a 30-day mission for 30 students, where they will get hands-on experience through various experiments.
The students have been chosen from all 26 districts of Gujarat.
The mission has been jointly organised by Gujarat Science City and Department of Biotechnology. “The kids will perform experiments like why certain plants have medicinal qualities etc,” said Narottam Sahoo, senior scientist at GSC. The children were selected after evaluation of their class IX marks and preliminary marks of class X.
During the inauguration ceremony, Dr HS Singh, IFS, PCCF (Social Forestry), Forest Department, government of Gujarat, said, “Science has been neglected in the country and it is through science that we can see our country becoming a world power.”
Addressing the students, Ravi Saxena, Addl. Chief Secretary, DST, Govt of Gujarat, encouraged the students to ask questions. He said, “Today, children have enough access to so much of information around them that they cannot be taught anything. They can use these 30 days to get explore subjects.”
The children will be divided into 10 groups and will be given a project to work on. On the basis of their project and experiences, the students will be awarded Vaigyanik Puraskar Yojana scholarship, which will be given by Indian Institute of Sciences, Bangalore.
Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_gujarat-kids-to-explore-science-at-science-city_1678798
Six leopards caught in two districts of Gujarat
PTI | 10:04 PM,Apr 22,2012 Vadodara, Apr 22 (PTI) Atleast six leopards have been caught from two districts of Junagadh and Amreli in Gujarat in the last two days after an increase in the instances of attack by the big cats on humans, a top forest officer said today. "Three leopards were caught from Inaj village this morning while another was caged at Kadambri village at Dhari area in Amreli district. The forest department has put up five cages around Inaj and surrounding villages to trap the wild cats creating panic in the area," District Conservator of Forest Aradhana Sahu told PTI from Junagadh. The cages were set in the wake of an attack by a leopard on eight-year-old Asmita Bharad and mauling another in Inaj village of Veraval taluka a few days back, Sahu said. Following this attack, which was third in the last two months, we decided to set up five cages around Inaj village and succeeded in catching three big cats early morning, Sahu said. In two related incidents, one-year-old Sapna Damor of Madhya Pradesh was killed by a leopard in sugarcane field in Junagadh district, while in another incident, a big cat dragged 12-year-old Nirmla Puwar from Ghantiya village of Sutrapada taluka of Junagadh district and later killed her. Sharma further said "a leopard who had killed a 60-years-old woman in Kadambri village two days back has been caught this morning". She also informed that the forest officials also managed to trap a male lion from Nageshwari village under the Gir range today. The lion and a lioness had hunted down a youth two days back. The sugarcane fields in which the migrant labourers and their family members stay have turned into the leopards' habitat as they stray there.
Source: http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/six-leopards-caught-in-two-districts-of-gujarat/989203.html
Law minister flouts law of jungle.
AMRELI: Gujarat law minister takes pride in breaking the law, clicks himself in the act and merrily uploads the pictures on social networking sites. He's unabashed about it and flaunts the rising number of hits his photoshoots are getting on Facebook. So what's the minister up to?
Law minister Dileep Sanghani violated forest rules by stepping out of his vehicle at Gir National Park and organizing a photo-shoot with Asiatic lions. And instead of coughing up a fine, the minister is covering himself in glory.
Sanghani, who is also minister for agriculture and cooperation, had visited the sanctuary in October last year. The pictures, which show the minister striking various poses near the wild cats, were uploaded in March and were 'liked' by over 330 people on Facebook.
Speaking to TOI, Sanghani said, "Earlier, there was an issue of lions getting disturbed. Now, camera technology has advanced in leaps and bounds. We can take photographs without annoying the animals at the sanctuary. I have grown up with lions and there are regular sightings at my farm near Savarkundla."
Senior forest officials concede they are having a tough time controlling crowds at Gir after the launch of Amitabh Bachchan's campaign - Khushboo Gujarat ki. Now, political leaders and senior officers are flocking to the sanctuary. "Everybody wants to get close to the lions. Sometimes our hands are tied when VIPs visit the sanctuary," a top forest official said.
Under section 38J of Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, those teasing wild animals, throwing plastic in the sanctuary or stepping down from vehicles are fined. The penalty varies with the nature of violations.
"Rules cannot be relaxed for politicians or VIPs. Tourists have been barred from getting down from their vehicles to protect lions," said Revtubha Rayjada, a wildlife activist and former member of wildlife advisory board, Gujarat.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/Law-minister-flouts-law-of-jungle/articleshow/12943537.cms
Gujarat, MP fight for Asiatic lions’ share.
Source: DNA | Last Updated 03:59(01/05/12)
Ahmedabad: As the countdown draws closer, the battle seems to
be getting fiercer. Sharp claws of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh
Governments have come out scratching each other as they fight over the
custody of the last breed of Asiatic lions.On Monday, during the hearing in the Supreme Court for the relocation of lions to the Palpur Kuno Sanctuary, the Madhya Pradesh Government held back no punches in stating that Gujarat's claims over the former's inability to handle lions was totally misplaced as it finished its arguments in the case.
Sources claimed the environment in the court got rather acidic with MP's lawyer aggressively shredding each of Gujarat's allegations about poaching, absence of prey base and forest officials' 'inability' to conserve the lions as totally baseless. "The MP officials appeared hurt by Gujarat's allegations," he said.
Representing the petitioner, lawyer Raj Panjwani said MP is taking a strong stand and not a soft approach. "Gujarat has claimed officials in MP are incapable of taking care of lions. It was a heated argument on Monday," he said. The next hearing is scheduled for the coming Monday. The final judgment is expected in about three months, after the court returns from vacation.
Environment lawyer Ritwick Dutta said, "It was asserted to the court that there is enough prey base in Palpur Kuno to relocated the lions. Moreover, MP officials are taking good care of the tigers and the state has the highest population of the tigers in India. And, lions were poached in Gujarat too."
Though both are BJP-ruled states, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh Governments are stuck in a bitter battle over this issue. According to lion conservation experts, it is important to isolate some Asiatic lions to preserve their gene diversity. Accordingly, MP Government readied Palpur Kuno sanctuary to accommodate about a pride of lions to begin with. But when it was actually time to start the process of relocation, Gujarat refused to part with the lions. After the refusal of Gujarat Government, an environmentalist sought the intervention of Supreme Court.
After the case dragged on for some years, the apex court has now decided to hear it every Monday to arrive at a speedy decision. Meanwhile, the lion population in the Gir Sanctuary has jumped to 411 in 2011 from 359 in 2005.
The turning point came in the month of February this year when the bench of justices KS Radhakrishnan and CK Prasad had remarked that the lions are not the 'property' of any state but belong to the nation.
The lion population in the Gir Sanctuary has jumped to 411 in 2011 from 359 in 2005.
Source: http://daily.bhaskar.com/article/GUJ-AHD-gujarat-mp-fight-for-asiatic-lions-share-3195602.html
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