Pangolin Poachers held in Joyda

Poachers who were trying to sell the Pangolin's skin have been arrested by the Joyda Police near Bapeli Cross on Sunday.Officials have seized the skin of approx.610 Grams along with an Indica Car and a weighing machine.The case has been registered in Joyda Police Station.

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Goa pitches for heritage list berth with rare bats in forests

Making its representation to get Goa region of Western Ghats included as world heritage site by UNESCO, the state forest department has said that its forests are the only home on earth for rare species of bat — The Giant Indian Mastiff.

The forest department, in its draft letter prepared last week, to be submitted to UNESCO, has said rare ‘Wroughton’s free-tailed bat’ (The Giant Indian Mastiff) has been recorded in this contiguous region, which is already declared protected.

The only known roosting site of this bat on this planet falls just outside the boundary of the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary, the department has said.

Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest Richard D’Souza, who drafted the letter, has said “till date, the range of this bat is not known and it is almost certain that it falls inside the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary.”

In July 2012, the Western Ghats along with 39 serial sites spread across Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala got inscribed as world heritage sites by UNESCO.

However, the Western Ghats falling in Goa were not included in the UNESCO’s list.

The state forest department has said although Goa is the smallest State through which the Western Ghats pass, its forests are vital to maintain the contiguity of the northern and southern stretches of the Ghats.

The letter, which will be discussed with Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar before being sent to UNESCO, has also sought declaration of Goa forests as ‘tiger habitat’, D’Souza said.

The presence of tigers in recent years indicates that these protected and contiguous forests of Maharashtra and Karnataka are one of the best potential tiger habitats in the Western Ghats, D’Souza said in the letter.

Besides, the Anshi-Dandeli Tiger Reserve in Karnataka is also contiguous to the Western Ghats of Goa.

The Department has said “although the elevation of most of the peaks of Goa’s stretch of Western Ghats are barely 800-1,000 kms above mean sea level, the species diversity and density in core areas is relatively high”.

An edited version of this article can be read from the link below:

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/states/article3945160.ece

Goa should be part of Tiger Reserve complex: Wildlife Institute of India

The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) has suggested inclusion of Goa as a part of the Tiger Reserve complex complimenting the sanctuaries in Maharashtra and Karnataka, which would help the coastal state in conserving wild cats.

The Dehradun-based Institute, which submitted its report on the status of wildlife in Goa to the state forest department has established that tiger occupancy in Goa is about 322 square kilometres.

Goa can be potentially be home to a small breeding population of tigers which would be sustained by immigrants from Anshi-Dandeli wildlife sanctuary (in Karnataka) as well as Sahyadri wildlife sanctuary (in Maharashtra).

The census conducted in 2010, and results of which were formally sent to Goa forest department few days back, notes that tiger presence is recorded in Mollem wildlife sanctuary and in forests of Ponda and Sanguem area.

Goa has five wildlife sanctuaries and a national park. The report states that Goa forms part of the corridor connecting Anshi-Dandeli in Karnataka and Sahyadri tiger reserve in Maharashtra.

"It would therefore benefit from being incorporated as part of tiger reserve complex," the WIIsaid.

State forest department officials said the proposal to declare Goa's forest areas as tiger reserve has been under consideration but final thought is not given to it.

"There are so many intricacies attached to it once the Tiger Reserve is announced. We have several human settlements in wildlife sanctuaries. But the process to relocate them is far from over," a senior forest department official said.

Environmentalists, however, claim that the state government's reluctance to declare wildlife sanctuaries especially Mhadei as a tiger reserve, is aimed at saving Goa's multi-crore iron ore mining industry.

An edited version of this article can be read from the link below:

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-09-11/flora-fauna/33761813_1_anshi-dandeli-tiger-reserve-mhadei

90 jumbos electrocuted in 5 years

As many as 600 elephants have died in the state in the last five years, according to the records of the Forest Department. Among these, 90 pachyderms died of electrocution.

A few months ago, a tamed elephant at Balle Camp was electrocuted when it accidentally came in contact with a live hanging wire. Another elephant met with a similar fate in BRT Sanctuary in Chamarajanagar district.

These two incidents are among the 90 cases which have been reported in the Mysore Elephant Reserve comprising Mysore, Chamarajanagar, Hassan and Kodagu districts.

Of late, such cases are reported from Ramanagaram district and Yellapur and Halyal taluks of Uttara Kannada district.

One of the main reasons for the electrocution of pachyderms is illegal drawing of electricity to the fences for protecting crops from wild elephants.

Besides, the sagging electricity line inside national parks and sanctuaries are also resulting in the death of wild elephants, the forest officials said.

Electrocution has claimed lives of nine elephants in 2007-08, 19 in 2008-09, 22 in 2009-10, 13 in 2010-11, 15 in 2011-12 and seven lives of elephants till July 31, 2012, they added.

Taking a serious note of these figures, senior officials of the forest department held a discussion with the officials of electricity supply companies (ESCOMs) and requested them for regular monitoring of the power line.

An 11 KV high tension (HT) line passes through Udbur and Bavali in Mysore district which has a large concentration of elephants. Upon request, the HT line has been being shifted. This line passes through in Nagarahole, Bandipur and BRT sanctuaries.

A few years ago, three elephants died in Hassan and Kodagu districts when they came into contact with an electric line. Another perennial problem is illegal drawing of electricity from the main line and connecting it to the fences.

The elephants die on the spot if they try to gatecrash into the fields. This is rampant in four districts which come under the Mysore Elephant Reserve.

Chief Conservator of Forests of Project Elephant Ajay Mishra told Express that National Board of Wildlife (NBW) has released draft guidelines and accordingly, the electric wire should be above 20 feet above the ground.

Apart from this, it has recommended putting the spike guard on every electric pole put up in forests so that the elephants do not go near it and there should be sagging of wire drawn between two poles.

The Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited (KPTCL) systematically follows while drawing the HT line. But the ESCOMs are little lax in regard to drawing LT line.

“If the LT wire is sagging, there is every chance of electrocution of pachyderms,” he stated.

Mishra said after the High Court took a serious note of unnatural deaths of elephants, the departments concerned have become alert.

Now, the police are booking cases against farmers who are drawing electricity illegally by adding sections under the IPC and CrPC. This has increased in the rate of conviction.

“Our intention is not to punish farmers but to create awareness that they do not resort to illegal means to scare elephants,” he noted.

An edited edited version of this article can be read from the link below:

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/90-jumbos-electrocuted-in-5-years/294644-60-115.html