CM should protect Goa's tigers: Pandey

 Chief minister ManoharParrikar is environment-conscious and I am hopeful that he will take steps towards protecting the Goan tigers and their habitat as it will simultaneously protect not only tigers but also the state's forest, biodiversity, ecology and water resources, said Mike Pandey, the famous wildlife filmmaker. documentaries with efforts to protect "everything from whale sharks to elephants, vultures to medicinal plants."

In 1994, Pandey became the first Asian film-maker to win the prestigious Wildscreen Panda Award.

While speaking to TOI from Ranthambor, he said, "I am happy to know that Goa's forests department has proved the existence of tiger in Goa's forest through the camera trap. I personally sighted a tigress with cubs in Goa's forest in October 2012. The Western Ghats in Goa serve as habitat for tigers when they multiply and are looking for new areas to settle in. I have been working in the Tillari and Dandeli region and the Western Ghats of southern Goa. I have been following the pug marks of a tiger in the region for the last ten years and can say that the predator is indigenous to South Goa and has not migrated to the region."

Pandey asserted, "There is need of joint efforts from the governments of Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka governments to protect the apex predator of the food chain. The Western Ghats are the most vulnerable area. Tillari valley, the ChorlaGhat and the Mhadei region are the richest biodiversity areas and need to be protected. As the presence of tigers in Goa has now been established, there is proof that tiger is there in Goa. It is the responsibility of the central as well as Goa government to take steps on priority basis to protect the Goan tiger and its habitat."

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

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-05-16/goa/39309648_1_south-goa-mike-pandey-the-western-ghats

Spotted Deer Poachers held in Haliyal

Three poachers who had allegedly killed a fawn aged around 1 Year at Kesarolli near Haliyal have been arrested by the Haliyal Forest division officials.Acting upon a tip off Haliyal RFO Shri P S Halabhavi and staff have arrested three residents of Kesarolli and seized 10 kg of meat, Gun, Bikes,Mobiles and other accessories used for the poaching.

Please find the attachment below for more details:

Fire ravages Dandeli-Anshi Forests

The man-made fire ravaged almost all part of Dandeli-Anshi Tiger Reserve destroying precious Flora and Fauna.The fire which started in February has burnt thousands of hectares in all five ranges and has continued till today.It is said that Vincholi,Sykes Point,Safari Road in Kulgi Range,Safari Road,Syntheri Rocks in Phansoli Range,Shivpur in Gund Range,Sulageri in Anshi Range are the areas where major portion of the forest area has been burnt.Apart from these areas even precious patches in Haliyal and Karwar Territorial Divisions also have been burnt.

Please find the attached below for more details:

Dandeli Anshi Tiger Reserve gets New Range

A big boost to wildlife conservation efforts in dandeli-anshi forests.  Castle rock forest which was a part of Tinnaighat Range of Haliyal Territorial Division has been formed as a New Wildlife Range and the area has been officially transferred to Dandeli Wildlife Division(Dandeli Anshi Tiger Reserve). This development will definitely boost the wildlife conservation efforts since the new area added is a link between Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary and Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary and also it borders with Mollem National Park, Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary of Goa. Castle rock forest has good prey-predator density and acts as an important wildlife corridor between Karnataka and Goa forests.

We should be very thankful to the sincere efforts put by Shri Sanjay Gubbi-Member of State Board for Wildlife, Shri Balachandra Hegde-Honorary Wildlife Warden of Uttara Kannada District and Forest Department officials who are instrumental in adding these forests to the Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary. Hence now the total area of Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary is 886 Sq.Kms.

Details of the area are given below:

Name of the Range: Castle Rock Wildlife Range

Sub Division: Anshi Wildlife Sub Division

Circle: Dandeli-Anshi Tiger Reserve

Area of the Range: 248.0661Sq.Kms

Taluq: Joyda

District: Uttara Kannada
Please find the attached DATR landscape in which we can see the new area linking with rest of the PAs.

Mhadei tiger unique to Goa, claims expert

The verdict is out! At long last, Goa can authoritatively pride itself as being home to its very own big cat – the majestic tiger. The ‘stripe matching’ of the Goan tiger was authenticated by a top tiger expert, authorities said. 

New Roman'; font-size: medium; text-align: justify;">Tiger stripes are unique, with each one like a fingerprint and identifies the stately animal.

Please find the pictures of a Tigress which was recently caught on a camera trap set by Goa Forest Department. This is the first photographic evidence of Resident Tigress in the state.

Dr K  Ullas Karanth, a conservation zoologist and leading tiger expert based in Karnataka, who is working closely with the state on tigers, has confirmed to the Forest Department that the tiger that was photographed recently  was unique to Goa and not part of any of the 600 tigers who live in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

There are only approximately 1400 tigers left in the entire country, which had a large tiger population. 

“The stripes do not match (with tigers from other states). This is a new tiger,” Richard D’ Souza, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests told Herald, explaining that each tiger has a footprint that is unique.

“The stripes are like a finger print,” he said adding that the expert is doing a survey for the next four years - till 2017 – and he would be using a lot of cameras to find out if there are any new tigers.

The Wildlife Census conducted by the Goa Forest Department had indicated the presence of three and five tigers respectively in 1993 and 1997. The last 2002 census estimated that there are five tigers in the tiny state. There have been consistent reports of pug marks, actual sightings, cattle carcasses and in 2009 the media carried extensive reports of a tiger killed in Keri-Sattari. 

In June 2011, the then Environment minister Jairam Ramesh  had written to the Goa Chief Minister, Digambar Kamat, asking him to consider setting up a tiger reserve in the state. But till date nothing has been done, though in an apparent change of heart, the Forest Department has acknowledged that the majestic cat is a ‘Goenkar.’ 

Mhadei situated in Sattari taluka of North Goa and spread over 208 square kilometre is being mooted as a tiger reserve and though small, it is a contiguous tiger landscape to Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary in Karnataka in the south-east and Anshi Dandeli Tiger Reserve in the south. This contiguous area has 35 tigers according to the All India Tiger Estimate, 2010

“There is no tiger presence in Goa. If there are any tigers, they are only migratory. Goa’s forests have no resident tigers,” Dr Sashi kumar the then chief wildlife warden had told media when a tiger carcass was found in 2009.

“The Status of Tigers, Co-Predators and Prey in India, 2008,” by the Wildlife Institute of India have stated that areas in Goa and their contiguous forests in Karnataka and Maharashtra could possibly be some of the best potential tiger habitats in the Western Ghats region and that restoration, conservation and strict protection can and will support a healthy population of large cats in this region. The 2010 estimation report says that Goa can be home to a small breeding population of tigers that can be sustained by Anshi-Dandeli and Sahayadri,  and would benefit from being part of the tiger reserve complex.

However, more than one third of Goa’s 90-odd operational open cast iron ore mines, including those run by the most powerful business families are close to the states wildlife sanctuaries, --Mhadei, Netravali and Bhagwan Mahaveer – and setting up a tiger reserve would entail a monitored implementation of all wildlife norms and thereby create problems for mining.

Surla, Sattari, Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary, Molem National Park and Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary, Sanguem, Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary and Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary – all forested - form a contiguous belt of primarily dense forest across Goa and connect the Western Ghats forests of Karnataka and Maharashtra.

Goa’s four wildlife sanctuaries are located on the eastern side of the state, in the Western Ghats, covering an area of about 750 km2 (290 square miles).The Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary and Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary and Mollem National Park all fall within the Mhadei River basin. The Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary is located between 15° 48" 33' to 14° 53" 54' N and 74° 20" 13' to 73° 40" 33' E. 

The Mhadei River~ known downstream as the Mandovi River, the lifeline of the state of Goa~ originates in Karnataka, travels28.8 km (17.9 miles) in Karnataka, passes 9.4 km (5.8 miles) through the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary and meets the Arabian Sea at Panjim after meandering for 81.2 km (50.5 miles) in Goa.

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

http://oheraldo.in/News/Main%20Page%20News/Mhadei-tiger-unique-to-Goa-claims-expert/73957.html

Who started the fire?

Come summer, and State’s reserves face the problem of forest fires. Most of these fires are manmade, and are triggered either by vested interests or by accident. The reasons are many, and so are the methods. 

Dandeli, Nagarhole, Bandipur, Biligirirangana Betta and Kudremukh are the State’s most well-known sanctuaries, which are also tiger reserves. These forest regions are known for their rich biodiversity, from many varieties of trees including sandalwood and honne to a host of medicinal plants. Apart from tigers, the wildlife in these forests include elephants, sambars, deer, bears, langurs, Malabar squirrels, etc.

 Come summer, there’s invariably the problem of forest fires. While natural forest fires are part of nature’s cycle, there are other forest fires that are sometimes triggered by man. 

Forest fires that occur at a time when the region is already facing drought spells double-trouble for wildlife. The Bandipur region is facing one of its worst droughts ever this year, with all the water bodies having gone dry. 

Bamboo, which is present in the forest regions of the State, blooms once in 40 years. Last year and the year before that, bamboo in the State had bloomed. Once the bamboo blooms, it dies. This year, because of the failure of rain, the forest regions in the State are full of dry bamboo. There are elements that misuse such a scenario to trigger a fire. According to forest authorities, the months from February to May call for extra vigil. The reasons for manmade fires are many. 

Most forest reserves adjoin agricultural land. Sometimes, farmers trigger fires because they believe that grass growth will improve later, and will provide adequate grazing space for cattle. Then, there is the fear of monkey fever that raises it head during summer. People believe setting fire in the forest could solve that problem. Also, there is the problem of poaching. Poachers and small-time hunters often set fire to leaves because they need to enter the forest stealthily. They try and prevent the rustling of dry leaves when they step on them in the forest, by burning leaves. Tourists inadvertently trigger a forest fire when they throw cigarette stubs. Also, locals looking for honey and non-timber forest produce (NTFP) could set fire in the forest. Then, there are those seeking to avenge punishment meted out to them by the Forest Department, for having chopped trees for firewood. The reasons are many, and the methods are many as well. Forest watchers strive hard to bring the fire under control. The incident of a woman wage worker slipping and falling into the fire when she was trying to douse a fire in the Dandeli forest may be recalled here. The woman succumbed to burns.

It was not too long ago when an incident of some elements triggering a fire in Kulagi range of Dandeli occurred. The Forest Department, on its part, says it is trying its best to create awareness about forest fires and what they do to the ecosystem. Also, to combat drought conditions, the Department has also built percolation pits in the Bandipur region to supply water to wildlife.

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

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/330710/who-started-fire.html