Claims of 'illegal coffee' pursued
Food companies are working with conservationists to try to ensure that the beans they buy come from legitimate sources.
By John Aglionby and Jenny Wiggins, Financial Times
January 29, 2007
JAKARTA, INDONESIA — Some of the world's leading food companies faced embarrassment last week after it emerged that they could be buying coffee grown illegally in two national parks on Sumatra.
Tens of thousands of hectares of virgin rain forests in the Bukit Barisan Selatan and Kerinci Seblat national parks have been cleared and planted with robusta coffee plants, according to research by the World Wildlife Federation and Flora and Fauna International, environmental groups working in the parks on the world's sixth-largest island.
The coffee grown on this land is mixed with legally grown beans before being exported from Lampung, the southernmost province on Sumatra.
Jonathan Atwood, director of commodity sustainability at Northfield, Ill.-based Kraft Foods Inc., said the company was worried by coffee cultivation inside Indonesia's national parks and was working with the World Wildlife Federation to try to stop illegal coffee purchases. "It's an important issue," Atwood said.
More than 44,000 acres of Kerinci Seblat have been cleared for coffee plants, according to Debbie Martyr, a conservation expert with Flora and Fauna International working in the park.
"Coffee businessmen are bringing literally busloads of people from Lampung to clear the land and plant the coffee," she said. "It's causing more damage than the oil palm plantations because it is being done by small farmers, and the forestry department and police are unwilling to take action."
Martyr said local environmental groups suspected that at least one member of the Indonesian Coffee Exporters Assn. was involved in the illegal farming.
Rachim Kartabrata, the association's executive secretary, denied any knowledge of this. "We're an association of exporters, not growers or traders, so our members should not be involved at that stage of the process."
However, he acknowledged that it would be easy to mix illegally grown beans with legitimate crops. "The coffee is all collected in a few large warehouses and there are virtually no checks on where the beans have come from, so it's very hard to know if it's legal or not by the time it's ready for export."
Rachim blamed the crisis on local government for inadequate law enforcement, saying, "It's their job to enforce the land use regulations. Protected land should not be used for any large-scale agriculture."
One coffee expert based in Sumatra said it was not surprising that robusta coffee was becoming so popular.
"If you can't export marijuana, you've got to look for something else [to grow], and robusta prices have increased four times in the last year and a half, so it's very attractive," he said.
Multinational coffee buyers were also not doing enough to ensure that their stock came from legitimate sources, the expert said. "Everyone is now going into ethical coffee but the issue of traceability is proving very tricky because it's not as easy as they think."
Coffee companies argue that it is hard to track the exact origin of the coffee they buy because most of it is purchased from traders or cooperatives.
Swiss firm Nestle says that it gets 14% of its coffee directly from producers and that this makes it the world's largest direct coffee buyer.
Companies have stepped up efforts to track the origin of their coffee. About 2% of Kraft's coffee is certified by the Rainforest Alliance, a U.S. nonprofit group that sets environmental and social standards.
Chris Will, chief of sustainable agriculture at the Rainforest Alliance, said the group was seeing "phenomenal" interest in certified coffee from farmers, companies and consumers. Only about 5% of coffee purchased worldwide is certified.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Bovine threat to national park greens
Bovine threat to national park greens
OUR CORRESPONDENT
Kokrajhar
Jan. 22: The frown on the faces of the forest rangers says it all — Orang National Park is fighting a losing battle against encroachment.
Residents of villages in the vicinity of the park routinely herd their cattle into the core area of the sanctuary, destroying the grasslands that sustain wildlife.
The proliferation of squatters, most of them suspected to be illegal migrants from Bangladesh, has compounded the problem.
“But cattle from nearby villages are our biggest problem. They are destroying the grasslands that are the main source of food for the rhinos and other herbivorous animals,” a forest department official said.
Mimosa is another threat to the grasslands.
Spread across 78.80 square km, Orang National Park is in the easternmost part of Bodoland with the Brahmaputra girdling it in the south. It was declared a game reserve in 1915, notified as a wildlife sanctuary in 1985 and upgraded to the status of a national park in 1999.
The park is home to 68 rhinos, over 20 Royal Bengal tigers (Panthera tigris), Asiatic elephants, hog deer, wild boar, civet, leopard, hispid hare, porcupine and other animals.
With a little bit of luck, a visitor can expect to see the endangered Bengal florican (houbaropsis bengalensis) and different species of birds, reptiles and butterflies during a safari.
The park has a number of wetlands, including 26 manmade ponds and 12 beels (lakes).
The Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), which administers four districts, recently announced a financial package for the development of infrastructure at the park. The plan includes eco-friendly camps for tourists.
Kampha Borgoyari, deputy chief of the BTC, described Orang National Park as a “prized possession” comparable with the more famous Manas National Park.
Borgoyari, who is in charge of the department of forests, environment and tourism in the BTC, said the council was planning a slew of measures to develop the park.
The BTC has already made arrangements for elephant safaris. A watchtower has been built to help tourists spot the Royal Bengal tiger.
The park has a forest bungalow at Satsimalu.
OUR CORRESPONDENT
Kokrajhar
Jan. 22: The frown on the faces of the forest rangers says it all — Orang National Park is fighting a losing battle against encroachment.
Residents of villages in the vicinity of the park routinely herd their cattle into the core area of the sanctuary, destroying the grasslands that sustain wildlife.
The proliferation of squatters, most of them suspected to be illegal migrants from Bangladesh, has compounded the problem.
“But cattle from nearby villages are our biggest problem. They are destroying the grasslands that are the main source of food for the rhinos and other herbivorous animals,” a forest department official said.
Mimosa is another threat to the grasslands.
Spread across 78.80 square km, Orang National Park is in the easternmost part of Bodoland with the Brahmaputra girdling it in the south. It was declared a game reserve in 1915, notified as a wildlife sanctuary in 1985 and upgraded to the status of a national park in 1999.
The park is home to 68 rhinos, over 20 Royal Bengal tigers (Panthera tigris), Asiatic elephants, hog deer, wild boar, civet, leopard, hispid hare, porcupine and other animals.
With a little bit of luck, a visitor can expect to see the endangered Bengal florican (houbaropsis bengalensis) and different species of birds, reptiles and butterflies during a safari.
The park has a number of wetlands, including 26 manmade ponds and 12 beels (lakes).
The Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), which administers four districts, recently announced a financial package for the development of infrastructure at the park. The plan includes eco-friendly camps for tourists.
Kampha Borgoyari, deputy chief of the BTC, described Orang National Park as a “prized possession” comparable with the more famous Manas National Park.
Borgoyari, who is in charge of the department of forests, environment and tourism in the BTC, said the council was planning a slew of measures to develop the park.
The BTC has already made arrangements for elephant safaris. A watchtower has been built to help tourists spot the Royal Bengal tiger.
The park has a forest bungalow at Satsimalu.
China's tigers pushed to the brink
China's tigers pushed to the brink
By Tony Cheng in Helonjiang, Northern China
There are thought to be fewer than 300
Siberian Tigers left in the wild
The Siberian tiger is one of the world's most endangered species.
China was once home to a large tiger population, but rapid growth and a demand for animal parts has pushed the tiger to the brink of extinction.
In China's northernmost province of Helonjiang winter temperatures can plunge as low as minus 40C.
But that is no problem for the biggest cat in the world.
The Siberian Tiger has roamed the woods and plains here since the ice age.
Growing up to three metres long and weighing just under half a tonne, the relentless search for food has given Siberian Tigers a reputation as one of nature's most vicious killers.
At the Helonjiang Tiger Farm, things are somewhat different.
Noble beasts
For the tigers bred here a truck makes the daily lunch delivery – six kilograms per tiger each day.
Tigers raised at the farm get a
daily ration of six kilograms of beef
It is a much easier catch than the deer they would normally be hunting in the wild.
But watching them at feeding time, it is hard not to feel that this most noble of beasts should not be raised on a farm.
Wang Li Gang, the owner of the farm, says raising the tigers in captivity is a necessity.
According to the World Wildlife Fund there are fewer than 300 left in the wild.
If this government-sponsored programme did not exist, Wang says, the Siberian Tiger's chances of survival would be slim.
"In the wild the small number of Siberian Tigers we've found suggests they're on the brink of extinction," he says.
As China's cities have ballooned, the forests in which the Siberian Tigers used to roam have been chopped down – turning what used to be the tigers' hunting grounds into the farmland and apartment blocks.
Prized
Tiger habitat is being squeezed by China's
booming cities and a hunger for land
In this new urban jungle, the tigers' biggest threat is man.
Tiger parts are highly prized in China – not just the fur, but also the meat, bones and even the penis are believed to have health benefits.
As China's economy has boomed, the demand for tiger parts has stoked a booming trade.
The Chinese government has imposed strict laws on the trade which have won the praise of conservation groups.
Li Lin, of the WWF in China, told Al Jazeera that the Chinese government has banned all trade in tiger bones.
"So no tiger bones should be sold inside China."
At the Helongjiang tiger farm, however, that law is being stretched to the limit.
In the gift shop, we found more than stuffed toys on sale.
Conservation
Demand for tiger products is soaring
despite a ban on the trade
The centrepiece is a vat of grain alcohol infused with the skeleton of a whole tiger and bags of body parts.
The brew is siphoned off and sold to visitors for $70 a bottle.
The tiger farm's owners say its programmes are more about conservation than commercialism.
But they say the cost of breeding, feeding and maintaining their cats have to be met somehow.
That has raised questions about the true benefits of such a controversial means of conservation.
What seems to be beyond doubt though is that these crouching tigers are paying the price of China's emerging dragon.
By Tony Cheng in Helonjiang, Northern China
There are thought to be fewer than 300
Siberian Tigers left in the wild
The Siberian tiger is one of the world's most endangered species.
China was once home to a large tiger population, but rapid growth and a demand for animal parts has pushed the tiger to the brink of extinction.
In China's northernmost province of Helonjiang winter temperatures can plunge as low as minus 40C.
But that is no problem for the biggest cat in the world.
The Siberian Tiger has roamed the woods and plains here since the ice age.
Growing up to three metres long and weighing just under half a tonne, the relentless search for food has given Siberian Tigers a reputation as one of nature's most vicious killers.
At the Helonjiang Tiger Farm, things are somewhat different.
Noble beasts
For the tigers bred here a truck makes the daily lunch delivery – six kilograms per tiger each day.
Tigers raised at the farm get a
daily ration of six kilograms of beef
It is a much easier catch than the deer they would normally be hunting in the wild.
But watching them at feeding time, it is hard not to feel that this most noble of beasts should not be raised on a farm.
Wang Li Gang, the owner of the farm, says raising the tigers in captivity is a necessity.
According to the World Wildlife Fund there are fewer than 300 left in the wild.
If this government-sponsored programme did not exist, Wang says, the Siberian Tiger's chances of survival would be slim.
"In the wild the small number of Siberian Tigers we've found suggests they're on the brink of extinction," he says.
As China's cities have ballooned, the forests in which the Siberian Tigers used to roam have been chopped down – turning what used to be the tigers' hunting grounds into the farmland and apartment blocks.
Prized
Tiger habitat is being squeezed by China's
booming cities and a hunger for land
In this new urban jungle, the tigers' biggest threat is man.
Tiger parts are highly prized in China – not just the fur, but also the meat, bones and even the penis are believed to have health benefits.
As China's economy has boomed, the demand for tiger parts has stoked a booming trade.
The Chinese government has imposed strict laws on the trade which have won the praise of conservation groups.
Li Lin, of the WWF in China, told Al Jazeera that the Chinese government has banned all trade in tiger bones.
"So no tiger bones should be sold inside China."
At the Helongjiang tiger farm, however, that law is being stretched to the limit.
In the gift shop, we found more than stuffed toys on sale.
Conservation
Demand for tiger products is soaring
despite a ban on the trade
The centrepiece is a vat of grain alcohol infused with the skeleton of a whole tiger and bags of body parts.
The brew is siphoned off and sold to visitors for $70 a bottle.
The tiger farm's owners say its programmes are more about conservation than commercialism.
But they say the cost of breeding, feeding and maintaining their cats have to be met somehow.
That has raised questions about the true benefits of such a controversial means of conservation.
What seems to be beyond doubt though is that these crouching tigers are paying the price of China's emerging dragon.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Zoo's public feeding of big cats praised,condemned by experts
Zoo's public feedings of big cats praised, condemned by experts
editorials and opinion
By PATRICIA YOLLIN
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Thrilling. Barbaric. Primal. Anachronistic. Awe-inspiring. Unnerving. Sick.
Those are some of the adjectives used to describe the public feeding of lions and tigers at the San Francisco Zoo _ a venerable ritual that has stopped with the closing of the zoo's Lion House after a gruesome attack on a keeper three days before Christmas, observed by scores of visitors.
In the wake of the Dec. 22 mauling of Lori Komejan, whose right arm was chewed up just after mealtime by a Siberian tiger named Tatiana, the future of the Lion House is unclear.
"It will be closed until further notice," said zoo spokesman Paul Garcia.
Over the decades, generations of Bay Area residents have watched the big cats devour chunks of horsemeat in their cages inside the Lion House. The public feeding occurs six days a week at 2 p. m., when the four lions and three tigers are summoned from their outdoor enclosures. On Tuesdays and Fridays, the menu includes dead rabbits as well.
The event is one of the zoo's most popular attractions _ and increasingly one of its most controversial.
"It was the highlight for me," recalled 72-year-old Bob Paterson of Rocklin (Placer County), who grew up in the city.
"One time when I was a kid, I walked 5 miles to the zoo," said the retired PG&E employee. "I got there at 2 p.m. It was raining, and I was the only one there. When one lion roars, they all roar. And I said to myself, 'I'm in Africa.' "
He visited that continent in 1978 and 1984 and will return in May _ all prompted by his Lion House experiences.
Other zoo patrons have come away with far different memories.
"It was barbaric," said Shannon Rizzo, who lives in Lafayette and homeschools her four children. "It seemed like something out of the Middle Ages. A public gathering for something that's kind of private. It would be OK if we were unseen observers and it were less of a circus."
Katie Harrar, an event producer from San Francisco, said she was ambivalent about the feedings before Tatiana's encounter with Komejan but now is convinced that they should stop.
"I think we're beyond that, honestly," Harrar said. "I want to learn, but not to the extent of watching somebody toss a carcass and watch the animal go nuts over it. It's old-school, and it's not appropriate anymore."
About three years ago, Harrar dropped by the Lion House with her 1-year-old niece, who was in a stroller, and noticed that the lions and tigers were eyeing the small children in the crowd as if they were a "potential meal."
"It was really disconcerting and unnerving," she said. "It got me thinking, 'Who's really watching whom?' "
Harrar wasn't imagining things. Martine Colette, founder of the Wildlife WayStation refuge for wild and exotic animals in Southern California, said, "Small children are always a temptation for large predators because they're like moving hors d'oeuvres."
Although the pros and cons of the public feedings could be debated endlessly _ in terms of their effects on keepers, onlookers and animals _ most experts agree with Colette.
"We don't allow children under 7," said Louis Dorfman, an animal behaviorist with the International Exotic Feline Sanctuary in Boyd, Texas. "It's just the size of the kids. They're inherently looked on as prey."
editorials and opinion
By PATRICIA YOLLIN
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Thrilling. Barbaric. Primal. Anachronistic. Awe-inspiring. Unnerving. Sick.
Those are some of the adjectives used to describe the public feeding of lions and tigers at the San Francisco Zoo _ a venerable ritual that has stopped with the closing of the zoo's Lion House after a gruesome attack on a keeper three days before Christmas, observed by scores of visitors.
In the wake of the Dec. 22 mauling of Lori Komejan, whose right arm was chewed up just after mealtime by a Siberian tiger named Tatiana, the future of the Lion House is unclear.
"It will be closed until further notice," said zoo spokesman Paul Garcia.
Over the decades, generations of Bay Area residents have watched the big cats devour chunks of horsemeat in their cages inside the Lion House. The public feeding occurs six days a week at 2 p. m., when the four lions and three tigers are summoned from their outdoor enclosures. On Tuesdays and Fridays, the menu includes dead rabbits as well.
The event is one of the zoo's most popular attractions _ and increasingly one of its most controversial.
"It was the highlight for me," recalled 72-year-old Bob Paterson of Rocklin (Placer County), who grew up in the city.
"One time when I was a kid, I walked 5 miles to the zoo," said the retired PG&E employee. "I got there at 2 p.m. It was raining, and I was the only one there. When one lion roars, they all roar. And I said to myself, 'I'm in Africa.' "
He visited that continent in 1978 and 1984 and will return in May _ all prompted by his Lion House experiences.
Other zoo patrons have come away with far different memories.
"It was barbaric," said Shannon Rizzo, who lives in Lafayette and homeschools her four children. "It seemed like something out of the Middle Ages. A public gathering for something that's kind of private. It would be OK if we were unseen observers and it were less of a circus."
Katie Harrar, an event producer from San Francisco, said she was ambivalent about the feedings before Tatiana's encounter with Komejan but now is convinced that they should stop.
"I think we're beyond that, honestly," Harrar said. "I want to learn, but not to the extent of watching somebody toss a carcass and watch the animal go nuts over it. It's old-school, and it's not appropriate anymore."
About three years ago, Harrar dropped by the Lion House with her 1-year-old niece, who was in a stroller, and noticed that the lions and tigers were eyeing the small children in the crowd as if they were a "potential meal."
"It was really disconcerting and unnerving," she said. "It got me thinking, 'Who's really watching whom?' "
Harrar wasn't imagining things. Martine Colette, founder of the Wildlife WayStation refuge for wild and exotic animals in Southern California, said, "Small children are always a temptation for large predators because they're like moving hors d'oeuvres."
Although the pros and cons of the public feedings could be debated endlessly _ in terms of their effects on keepers, onlookers and animals _ most experts agree with Colette.
"We don't allow children under 7," said Louis Dorfman, an animal behaviorist with the International Exotic Feline Sanctuary in Boyd, Texas. "It's just the size of the kids. They're inherently looked on as prey."
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Guns,saws and hypocrisy
Sunita Narain: Guns, saws and hypocrisy
DOWN TO EARTH
Sunita Narain / New Delhi January 16, 2007
Recently, the Rajasthan High Court, concerned about the lessening numbers of tigers in the Ranthambore tiger reserve, directed that all vehicles should be denied entry into the park. Conservationists, tiger lovers and tourist operators all combined to argue that the ban would destroy the hotel industry and hit livelihoods of tourist operators. The pressure worked. By December end, the court had lifted the ban.
Jambudwip, a small island in the West Bengal delta, is used by local fisherfolk to dry their catch each season for roughly four months. The Supreme Court, petitioned by conservationists against such use of this partially forested island, banned all fish drying. The fisherfolk explained why this island was critical to their livelihood: they needed a transient docking facility in the middle of the deltaic sea. But conservationists � ironically, the same who argued for the opening of tourism in the tiger reserve � did not budge. The ban continues.
Let us understand why conservationists would argue that tourism is good and subsistence fishing is bad. The cynical response would be that conservationists have business interest in tourism, which they do. It is their livelihood that is threatened when tourism is banned in the park.
But I believe there is more to it. There is a strong belief that tourism will benefit the park. On the other hand, people who use the island, and other forested regions, will destroy the habitat. The fact is that both answers are correct and both are wrong. Tourism can be good for the park, but it can equally be disastrous. Human use can be sustainable, or it can be destructive. The question is how it is managed.
In Ranthambore, tourism management is a nightmare. This is the first national park that has been taken out of the hands of the forest department and given to the tourism department. The trade is now steeped in nepotism and corruption, as operators fight for the most tiger-sighted route, get the maximum entries into the park and do everything else to pull off a sighting for their rich clients. Forest department officials say that this intensive human presence in the reserve�s protected core area may be why tigers are straying from the park.
The hotels which ring the park, in many cases, are built on disputed land and would contravene regulations for eco-sensitive areas. The irony is that while fisherfolk in the vicinity of mangroves were denied permission to set up habitations, in Ranthambore, hotels have been �allowed� in the very buffer of the park. The Ranthambore way of tourism also does not bring financial benefits to conservation. Local people, who are denied development and livelihood benefits because of the tiger sanctuary, do not even get anything in return. Their anger grows. The tiger becomes more vulnerable. Tourism can work, but differently.
In Jambudwip, fisheries also can work. The passes issued by the forest department can control the numbers who get access to the area. The monitoring can be done using satellite imagery. The fact also is that there is no real evidence to show that this prolonged human use of the island has devastated its vegetation. At the same time, there is evidence to show tourism in Ranthambore has impaired its sustainability.
Poachers� guns and the saws of timber smugglers are hateful. But remember, we have used half-baked science and bad politics to decide what is allowed and what is not. That is our real tragedy.
DOWN TO EARTH
Sunita Narain / New Delhi January 16, 2007
Recently, the Rajasthan High Court, concerned about the lessening numbers of tigers in the Ranthambore tiger reserve, directed that all vehicles should be denied entry into the park. Conservationists, tiger lovers and tourist operators all combined to argue that the ban would destroy the hotel industry and hit livelihoods of tourist operators. The pressure worked. By December end, the court had lifted the ban.
Jambudwip, a small island in the West Bengal delta, is used by local fisherfolk to dry their catch each season for roughly four months. The Supreme Court, petitioned by conservationists against such use of this partially forested island, banned all fish drying. The fisherfolk explained why this island was critical to their livelihood: they needed a transient docking facility in the middle of the deltaic sea. But conservationists � ironically, the same who argued for the opening of tourism in the tiger reserve � did not budge. The ban continues.
Let us understand why conservationists would argue that tourism is good and subsistence fishing is bad. The cynical response would be that conservationists have business interest in tourism, which they do. It is their livelihood that is threatened when tourism is banned in the park.
But I believe there is more to it. There is a strong belief that tourism will benefit the park. On the other hand, people who use the island, and other forested regions, will destroy the habitat. The fact is that both answers are correct and both are wrong. Tourism can be good for the park, but it can equally be disastrous. Human use can be sustainable, or it can be destructive. The question is how it is managed.
In Ranthambore, tourism management is a nightmare. This is the first national park that has been taken out of the hands of the forest department and given to the tourism department. The trade is now steeped in nepotism and corruption, as operators fight for the most tiger-sighted route, get the maximum entries into the park and do everything else to pull off a sighting for their rich clients. Forest department officials say that this intensive human presence in the reserve�s protected core area may be why tigers are straying from the park.
The hotels which ring the park, in many cases, are built on disputed land and would contravene regulations for eco-sensitive areas. The irony is that while fisherfolk in the vicinity of mangroves were denied permission to set up habitations, in Ranthambore, hotels have been �allowed� in the very buffer of the park. The Ranthambore way of tourism also does not bring financial benefits to conservation. Local people, who are denied development and livelihood benefits because of the tiger sanctuary, do not even get anything in return. Their anger grows. The tiger becomes more vulnerable. Tourism can work, but differently.
In Jambudwip, fisheries also can work. The passes issued by the forest department can control the numbers who get access to the area. The monitoring can be done using satellite imagery. The fact also is that there is no real evidence to show that this prolonged human use of the island has devastated its vegetation. At the same time, there is evidence to show tourism in Ranthambore has impaired its sustainability.
Poachers� guns and the saws of timber smugglers are hateful. But remember, we have used half-baked science and bad politics to decide what is allowed and what is not. That is our real tragedy.
Monday, January 15, 2007
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Man,tiger rift deepens
The Times of India Online
Printed from timesofindia.indiatimes.com > India
Man-tiger rift deepens
Abantika Ghosh
[ 12 Jan, 2007 0241hrs ISTTIMES NEWS NETWORK ]
NEW DELHI: Barely a few months into the formation of the National Tiger Conservation Authority, three back-to-back incidents in three tiger reserves across the country over the last one week, have once again brought the problem of man animal conflict into sharp focus. Two tigers and one woman were killed in three separate incidents.
On Wednesday Kishenpur Sanctuary under the Dudhwa tiger reserve in UP, about 35-40 kg meat without any skin or bone was discovered. Senior forest officials visited the spot and sent the meat for DNA testing to the Wildlife Institute of India and the Indian Veterinary Research Institute.
Md Hassan, chief wildlife warden of the state said, "The meat had very small amounts of skin attached. Moreover there were absolutely no bones. The two circumstances make it look like a case of tiger poaching. We have sent the meat for forensic examinations but we are working on the hypotheses that it is tiger meat."
On Thursday morning, the partially decomposed body of a dead tiger was fished out of a well in Katwal Village in the Tadoba Andheri Tiger Reserve in Maharshtra. The body has been sent for forensic tests. Forest department sources say it initial suspicions are that this may be a case of retaliatory killing by poisoning. A tiger in the area had over the past few months killed several cows.
While the two incidents have left tiger conservationists worried, forest officials in Uttaranchal are gearing up to prevent retaliatory killings like those in the wake of a villager being killed by a tiger in the Terai East division of Corbett National Park in the Surai Range. On January 5, a 32-year-old woman Naro Devi who had gone to the forest to collect firewood, was mauled to death by a tiger. Tempers are running high and the forest department, a particularly worried about the safety of one tigress who has been sighted several times in the area along with her three cubs, has deputed extra personnel to ‘‘talk to the villagers’’.
K Vidyasagar, divisional forest officer of the Terai east division told TOI, "There have been several sightings of the tigress. Though we do not know if she killed the woman, we have made arrangements to ensure her and the cubs’ safety. We have to be careful though so as not to curtail her territory any further in our efforts to ensure their safety." The forest department, he said, has made alternate routes for villagers who go to collect firewood.
Printed from timesofindia.indiatimes.com > India
Man-tiger rift deepens
Abantika Ghosh
[ 12 Jan, 2007 0241hrs ISTTIMES NEWS NETWORK ]
NEW DELHI: Barely a few months into the formation of the National Tiger Conservation Authority, three back-to-back incidents in three tiger reserves across the country over the last one week, have once again brought the problem of man animal conflict into sharp focus. Two tigers and one woman were killed in three separate incidents.
On Wednesday Kishenpur Sanctuary under the Dudhwa tiger reserve in UP, about 35-40 kg meat without any skin or bone was discovered. Senior forest officials visited the spot and sent the meat for DNA testing to the Wildlife Institute of India and the Indian Veterinary Research Institute.
Md Hassan, chief wildlife warden of the state said, "The meat had very small amounts of skin attached. Moreover there were absolutely no bones. The two circumstances make it look like a case of tiger poaching. We have sent the meat for forensic examinations but we are working on the hypotheses that it is tiger meat."
On Thursday morning, the partially decomposed body of a dead tiger was fished out of a well in Katwal Village in the Tadoba Andheri Tiger Reserve in Maharshtra. The body has been sent for forensic tests. Forest department sources say it initial suspicions are that this may be a case of retaliatory killing by poisoning. A tiger in the area had over the past few months killed several cows.
While the two incidents have left tiger conservationists worried, forest officials in Uttaranchal are gearing up to prevent retaliatory killings like those in the wake of a villager being killed by a tiger in the Terai East division of Corbett National Park in the Surai Range. On January 5, a 32-year-old woman Naro Devi who had gone to the forest to collect firewood, was mauled to death by a tiger. Tempers are running high and the forest department, a particularly worried about the safety of one tigress who has been sighted several times in the area along with her three cubs, has deputed extra personnel to ‘‘talk to the villagers’’.
K Vidyasagar, divisional forest officer of the Terai east division told TOI, "There have been several sightings of the tigress. Though we do not know if she killed the woman, we have made arrangements to ensure her and the cubs’ safety. We have to be careful though so as not to curtail her territory any further in our efforts to ensure their safety." The forest department, he said, has made alternate routes for villagers who go to collect firewood.
Chinese zoologists artificially inseminate Siberian tigress
After giant panda, Chinese zoologists artificially inseminate Siberian tigress
www.chinaview.cn 2007-01-13 23:30:09
HARBIN, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese zoologists at the world's largest breeding base for Siberian tigers on Saturday artificially inseminated a four-year-old tigress, marking the country's start of the artificial insemination research on the rare species.
Experts of the China Henghedaozi Feline Breeding Center in northeastern Heilongjiang Province told Xinhua that artificial insemination, if proved successful by Saturday's test, will help avoid inbreeding and genetic degeneration among Siberian tigers.
The sperm were taken from a seven-year-old healthy male that has been trained to live in primitive forests.
The zoologists at the breeding center hope the tigress will become pregnant and have a healthy baby with the good gene from the father.
Wang Ligang, manager of the base, said artificial insemination and DNA tests can better help protect the rare species.
It will no longer be necessary to transport a tiger from far away just to mate another if the artificial insemination test is successful, said Wang.
Professor Liu Yutang with the Northeast Forestry University said that the preparations for the test began in last April.
Liu said artificial insemination will be used in the crossbreeding of tigers and lions in the future if the test is successful.
Siberian tigers, also known as Amur or Manchurian tigers, are among the world's 10 most endangered species and mostly live in northeast China and the Far East area of Russia. They are estimated to number approximately 400 in the wild, of which 20 or so live in northeast China.
Artificial insemination has been widely used as a means to protect endangered species. The State Forestry Administration said that 34 giant panda cubs were born by artificial insemination in 2006 and 30 of them have survived.
China succeeded in the artificial insemination of giant pandas in 1978.
The China Henghedaozi Feline Breeding Center was established in1986 with just eight tigers, and now the population has exceeded 700.
Chinese scientists have adopted a series of measures to increase the survival rate of captive-bred Siberian tigers, such as DNA testing, regular health checks, and timely treatment and prevention of diseases.
The scientists also plan to establish a gene bank for the endangered Siberian tigers within three years to ensure heredity diversity for the large cats.
Wang Ligang said the center will have more than 1,000 tigers by2010.
Editor: Mu Xuequan
www.chinaview.cn 2007-01-13 23:30:09
HARBIN, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese zoologists at the world's largest breeding base for Siberian tigers on Saturday artificially inseminated a four-year-old tigress, marking the country's start of the artificial insemination research on the rare species.
Experts of the China Henghedaozi Feline Breeding Center in northeastern Heilongjiang Province told Xinhua that artificial insemination, if proved successful by Saturday's test, will help avoid inbreeding and genetic degeneration among Siberian tigers.
The sperm were taken from a seven-year-old healthy male that has been trained to live in primitive forests.
The zoologists at the breeding center hope the tigress will become pregnant and have a healthy baby with the good gene from the father.
Wang Ligang, manager of the base, said artificial insemination and DNA tests can better help protect the rare species.
It will no longer be necessary to transport a tiger from far away just to mate another if the artificial insemination test is successful, said Wang.
Professor Liu Yutang with the Northeast Forestry University said that the preparations for the test began in last April.
Liu said artificial insemination will be used in the crossbreeding of tigers and lions in the future if the test is successful.
Siberian tigers, also known as Amur or Manchurian tigers, are among the world's 10 most endangered species and mostly live in northeast China and the Far East area of Russia. They are estimated to number approximately 400 in the wild, of which 20 or so live in northeast China.
Artificial insemination has been widely used as a means to protect endangered species. The State Forestry Administration said that 34 giant panda cubs were born by artificial insemination in 2006 and 30 of them have survived.
China succeeded in the artificial insemination of giant pandas in 1978.
The China Henghedaozi Feline Breeding Center was established in1986 with just eight tigers, and now the population has exceeded 700.
Chinese scientists have adopted a series of measures to increase the survival rate of captive-bred Siberian tigers, such as DNA testing, regular health checks, and timely treatment and prevention of diseases.
The scientists also plan to establish a gene bank for the endangered Siberian tigers within three years to ensure heredity diversity for the large cats.
Wang Ligang said the center will have more than 1,000 tigers by2010.
Editor: Mu Xuequan
Forest officials baffled by boneless tiger discovery
By IANS, [RxPG] Lucknow, Jan 12 - Forest officials are baffled over the discovery of a boneless tiger carcass from the Dudhwa National Park in Lakhimpur-Kheri district, about 250 km from here.
Local people noticed the carcass near the park area Jan 8.
Officials got into action as soon as the matter was brought to their notice.
'The animal had been dead for at least two weeks as its remains were in a decomposed state,' park director M.P. Singh told IANS over telephone.
'Since bones were completely missing it indicates some foul play, but we cannot rule out the possibility of the bones being taken away even after a natural death,' he said.
State's chief wildlife conservator Mohammad Ehsan did not ruled out the possibility of the bones having been picked up for sale in international market.
'Tiger bones are in much demand in China as well as some South East Asian countries,' Ehsan said.
According to official records, over 200 tiger and leopard skins have been seized from different parts of Uttar Pradesh over the past three years.
Local people noticed the carcass near the park area Jan 8.
Officials got into action as soon as the matter was brought to their notice.
'The animal had been dead for at least two weeks as its remains were in a decomposed state,' park director M.P. Singh told IANS over telephone.
'Since bones were completely missing it indicates some foul play, but we cannot rule out the possibility of the bones being taken away even after a natural death,' he said.
State's chief wildlife conservator Mohammad Ehsan did not ruled out the possibility of the bones having been picked up for sale in international market.
'Tiger bones are in much demand in China as well as some South East Asian countries,' Ehsan said.
According to official records, over 200 tiger and leopard skins have been seized from different parts of Uttar Pradesh over the past three years.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
