How intelligent is the tiger?

Well, we human beings think that we are the most intelligent among all the living species on earth. We take a certain amount of pride in that as well. However, do the other animals have a lower level of intellect? Some scientists refuse to acknowledge that animals possess intelligence; rather they attribute some of the actions to intuition.

However, I have a healthy regard for the intelligence level of a tiger. I have never seen them attack their prey at the first sight. I have seen the tiger virtually crawling in the ground where there is insufficient cover and deciding to move back to the shelter of the bush when it realises that the distance is not enough for it to succeed in bringing down the prey. Once I saw the Jhurjhura tigress in Bandhavgarh stalk four times to return back without its prey even noticing her. Compare this to foolhardy actions of some of the armies who have unsuccessfully tried to storm the bastion and have paid with huge number of human lives. One such example that readily comes to my mind is the Charge of the Light Brigade of the British army in the Crimean war where a hundred odd soldiers were felled at the first few minutes of the open charge. Do you still think that the tiger has lesser intellect?

I am sure your doubts regarding the tiger’s intelligence will vanish when the tiger outwits you and slips away. Many a hunter will vouch for that. And if you are a wildlife photographer or researcher tracking and studying a tiger for a long time, then you may have such an experience as well.

A few years back, I was in Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve. It was raining in most of the days. In one afternoon, dark clouds were hovering over the sky. We ventured into the forest and despite signs of tiger, we didn’t see one. We saw a big herd of gaur with a huge dominant male. I think it is the biggest gaur that I have seen till date. It was ensuring that a small calf was physically shielded and after all the members of the herd crossed the road and moved into deeper jungle did the leader move.

After an hour or so we took a right turn and suddenly ahead of us at a distance we could see a tigress with cubs walking on the dirt track. It was an interesting sight. A few poodles had formed in the dirt track due to rain and leading our eye to the tiger. I clicked a couple of image and then asked the driver to move closer.

The cubs turned to their left and entered the forest where as the tigress kept on moving ahead. We reached the spot where the cubs had entered into the forest and stopped to spot them. Since we couldn’t find them and the tigress was moving on the road in front of us, the driver and the forest department appointed guide were interested in following her.

No sooner had we started the jeep, we could see that one of the cubs was just peeping from behind a bamboo bush. It was watching whether we have left the place or not. The cub then sharpened its claws on a dead tree and then moved back into the forest. We immediately, started following the tigress.

The tigress walked for a few minutes and then turned to her right and entered into the forest. Remember, that the cubs had entered the forest on our left, where as the mother enters the forest some distance ahead and to the right.

When we reached the spot, we could not locate her. We stood there for a few minutes to ponder our next course of action. The driver and guide were unanimous in their decision that the tigress had moved ahead and we should also move ahead. I was not sure that the tigress had moved ahead. If it wanted to do so, then why did it leave the dirt track and enter into the bush? I had a niggling suspicion that the tigress might have gone back towards her cubs. Nevertheless, we moved ahead for a few minutes and I was thinking all the time. I suddenly asked them to stop. The driver and guide thought that I had spotted the tigress. I told them to turn back and reach the place where we had left the cubs. The driver and guide started telling me that they know for sure where the tigress has gone; they have so much of experience etc. I was insistent because I realised that the tigress have fooled us.

I forced the driver to turn back and drive back to the place where we left the cubs. Suddenly, from the corner of my eye, I could see the tigress and cub sitting on a bund towards our left, about 15-18 feet high. This bund, due to its higher elevation, was obviously not visible to the people sitting in a vehicle. I had somehow managed to sight them. We then reversed the vehicle and came back to the spot.

The tigress was obviously smart. The cubs went into the forest on our left and she moved ahead and entered into the forest towards her right. She has then retraced her steps back to the spot, crossed the road and met her cubs. She has then taken them to the top of a bund which is about 15-18 feet high and not readily visible from the ground level. She was intelligent enough to fool us for some time. If I didn’t have an idea about the good level of intelligence a tiger possesses, then I would not have realised that it was a deliberate ploy of the tigress to lead us away from her cubs.

We photographed them for some time, and one of the cubs who were shy immediately moved into the bush and out of sight. So I photographed the tigress and one cub. Soon other tourist vehicles appeared in the sight and were unable to notice the tiger and moving away. Only after our guide pointed at the tigress and cub, the other tourist vehicles could see it and came back for a closer look. Such was the advantage of the elevation of the bund.

She was obviously not too happy at the presence of noisy tourists in four tourist vehicles that had lined up at the spot within 15 minutes. She gave vent to a snarl and soon disappeared into the bush. The light was pretty low. I clicked a few images solely for black and white purpose. We then moved back to the forest rest house, with a much better appreciation of the intelligence level of a tiger.

Post Script: Perhaps no one could have described the intelligence level of tiger vis-a-vis man much better than the late Kailash Sankhala, the founder director of Project Tiger. He had made a comment on the practice of people wearing a mask at the back of their head while entering into the Sundarban forests, in the belief that tiger will think people are looking at him and will not attack. In Kailash Sankhala‘s own words:

“My study of the tigers behaviour rules out any role for masks or dummies. The tiger never attacks at first sight. A lot of verification, re-verification, focus and refocus is practised, sometimes for hours before an attack is launched.

Too much of dependence on statistics to prove the predetermined result is dangerous. But who fools whom? Nobody is quiet sure. My guess is the joke is on us rather than the tiger“.

Sabyasachi Patra

I am passionate about wildlife conservation. I am striving to make my films and photographs full of life and emotion and write articles to educate and evangelise the need for conserving the last tracts of vanishing wilderness sand wildlife in our country. I pray to the almighty that my wildlife films, photographs and writings force people to pause, look, ponder and ultimately take action. To make my ends meet, I work as Executive Director at MAIT (Manufacturers’ Association for Information Technology)

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I came across a news item from Bangladesh and immediately sat up and took notice.

Bangladesh which had promulgated its wildlife laws in 1974 is revamping it. Under the present laws, the maximum penalty for a wildlife poacher or smuggler is 2000 taka which is equivalent to Rs1316/- and a two year prison sentence. Under the soon to be enacted new laws, the sentence has been enhanced to life imprisonment and 3,00,000 taka (equivalent to Rs. 1,97,529/-).

Now lets see what is happening in a biodiversity rich country like Malaysia, which is close to us.

Malaysia is scheduled to implement its new Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 by the end of this year. In this new law, killing of an endangered species like the tiger (Malay), Rhino (Sumatran) etc will invite a maximum punishment of RM 100,000 (Equivalent to Rs. 14,04,000/-) and five years in jail or both if the animal is young or is a female. The maximum fine for killing an endangered male species of rhino, tiger etc is RM 50,000 (equivalent to Rs. 702,000/-). Also, important is the fact that for the first time crime of setting up snares, hunting, or keeping certain species captive-such as rhinos and tigers- there is a mandatory jail sentence.

Now it is in sharp contrast to laws in India. According to the current laws the maximum punishment for murdering an endangered species like a tiger is three to seven years in jail and a fine of ten thousand rupees for first offence and twenty five thousand for second offence. And offences related to trade and commerce in animal trophies, articles derived from certain animals will result in a maximum punishment of three year imprisonment and fine upto Rs. 25000/- I am sure, you will agree that this is not a deterrent enough and the wildlife crime syndicates are able to easily get people to work in their channels.
It is said that the Government is interested in amending the laws to increase the punishment. The proposed punishments for killing a tiger is five to seven years for a first time offender and seven to ten years for a repeat offender. Needless to say that the present as well as the proposed quantum of punishment is not big enough to act as a deterrent.

Faulty Prosecution process:

We all agree that the prosecution process is faulty and drags on for a long time. The rich and mighty often get away with these crimes. For example, Hindi film stars like Salman Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, and Cricketers like Nawab of Pataudi etc are yet to be punished for killing blackbucks. And this is despite the strong and vociferous protest by the Vishnoi community.

Wildlife crimes are heard in a magisterial court rather than a Sessions court. The evidence is often dismissed because the evidence is not able to be presented properly. Since, very rarely a wildlife crime is committed in front of other people it becomes essential to create evidences and link it to the criminals. So expertise in forensics, ballistics, biology, chemistry, apart from plain old logic is required to deconstruct the crime scene and prove it in front of the court.

Argument against stringent Wildlife Laws:

A number of conservationists believe that it is more important to reform the prosecution process rather than enhancing the quantum of punishment. They cite the slow and tardy nature of the prosecution process. It is often difficult to prove the guilt. So the rate of conviction is poor.

Unfortunately, the conservationists are basing their arguments on their perception and are unable to see the big picture. It is a kind of juvenile attitude, where each kid thinks his candy is better. The solution to the issue of preventing wildlife crimes is not just by improving the prosecution process, but by strengthening the wildlife laws as well.

Shabbir Husain Qureshi, the man who was arrested with one of the biggest catch of wildlife parts in Indian history – 4 tiger skins, 70 leopard skins and 18,000 leopard claws – was released after quickly finishing his sentence. Obviously, he went back to committing wildlife crimes again.

Why punishments should be exemplary?

I would disagree with people who feel the present level of punishment stipulated in the laws is sufficient or who feel that we need not focus our energy in enhancing it.

Take the example of Indians who travel abroad. The so called elites, or the middle classes as well as the working class people like plumber etc are all very careful in obeying the rules in a foreign country like Singapore. The supposedly simple acts of indiscretion like spitting or defecating in public, which people here are so used to, is not at all practiced by our people in a country like Singapore. The level of punishments in the small country like Singapore acts as a big deterrent. If we are able to slap exemplary punishment for killing a tiger, then definitely the people on the ground who actually kill the tiger or act as conduits will refrain from doing so. We will then have a small amount of crime to contend with.

Recognition for wildlife crimes as equally important:

Today, Wildlife crimes are given less importance as perhaps there is a feeling that wildlife is an expendable commodity. Murder of a schedule I species like tiger is not treated as equivalent to the murder of a human being. And this is despite the tiger being the vahana (vehicle) of goddesses Durga. And ofcouse, we use the term poaching for killing of wildlife, where as murder is the term used for killing a human being.
If we look at some of the gruesome murders committed in India, like killing a person and skinning him or killing a person and burning her body in a tandoor (clay oven), the crime was adjudged to be the rarest of the rare and the persons given death penalty.

Now let’s look at the modus operandi of a poacher engaged by a crime syndicate. The poachers lay snares to trap a tiger; the tiger is caught and tries vehemently to free itself. With every effort, the snare tightens more and more and the tiger keeps on bleeding due to the snare cutting deeper into the flesh. The tiger is then discovered a day or two later, sometimes ever later, and then the poacher places the gun virtually on the tigers head and shoots it point blank. The tiger is then skinned. The flesh and bones are dried and sent to be consumed in a country abroad. Is it not gruesome enough?

Do you think we should condone such cruelty? Is this not a rarest of the rare case and fit for capital punishment?

It is time, we toss away our rule books and rewrite those to keep in sync with the times. Also, apart from wildlife related laws, the laws related to falsification/fabrication of evidence etc should be made stringent, so that people don’t readily agree to testify to cover up a crime.

Apart from strengthening all our laws, we should not overlook the importance of educating the communities that get involved in wildlife crimes. At times, the accomplices of poachers are poor individuals from the local community, who succumb to enticements and agree as they are often told that the crime will not come to light and if at all it is known, then the tardy process of law enforcement will result in them coming out in bail. The forest department with the help of NGOs and local media should undertake sustained campaigns to increase the awareness about wildlife crimes. That will go a long way in saving our wildlife till the law ministry is able to strengthen the laws.

A word for conservationists:

I think it would be pertinent to recall the story of the blind men and elephant that we had read during our school days. A few blind men came across an elephant and each one touched a particular part of the elephant. One of them felt that the elephant is like a snake, the other thought it to be a rope. The third one felt the elephant to be like a wall. And there were answers like pillar etc. One can know that each one is right in his or her own way, but still collectively they were farther from the truth.

I won’t be surprised if someone feels that our conservationists are acting like the blind men and the elephant. I hope our conservationists share their perceptions with each other and arrive at the overall picture. That will go a long way in saving our last tracts of wilderness left in this country.

Sabyasachi Patra

I am passionate about wildlife conservation. I am striving to make my films and photographs full of life and emotion and write articles to educate and evangelise the need for conserving the last tracts of vanishing wilderness sand wildlife in our country. I pray to the almighty that my wildlife films, photographs and writings force people to pause, look, ponder and ultimately take action. To make my ends meet, I work as Executive Director at MAIT (Manufacturers’ Association for Information Technology)

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I can still remember that warm summer morning. It was the month of May, and as usual I was the first one to reach the forest gates much before it opened. It was an uninteresting start as for a long time we didn’t see anything. Then we came across a Eurasian thick knee. I clicked a few images and then we moved ahead. A solitary wild boar (Sus scrofa) was approaching towards us and as usual I was in no mood to click a wild boar. Suddenly it stopped in its tracks about twenty feet away from us. I could see that a cobra had raised its hood. The wild boar looked at it and then stepped aside and continued in its movement. We took a cue from the wild boar and moved ahead.

At 6.11 am in the morning I reached rajbehera grasslands. Two cheetal deer (axis axis) stags were sparring. The light was lovely. I immediately started clicking. The 1.4x converter was attached to my lens, and I removed it and started clicking. Hardly had I clicked a few images, we could hear growling of tigers. My driver started urging and partially blaming me that we missed tigers fighting just because I was busy shooting deers. Later after checking the time recorded in the images, I saw that I had spent a single minute in clicking deers. So I didn’t curse myself much.

We raced ahead to see two tigers growling and hitting at each other with their claws barred. However, the moment we reached the spot they separated and moved in different directions. It was not a full bloodied conflict. I could make out that both were tigresses. The smaller of the two was our Jhurjhura tigress. She moved ahead in the rajbehera dam direction and the other tigress moved in the opposite direction.

Soon the cheetal herd (Axis axis) saw the tiger and started marching ahead like an army towards the tiger. It was an interesting sight. Normally, one expects the deer to be scared of the tiger and run away. However, in this case it shows that the deers do have intelligence level as opposed to what we think of them to possess. The deers were keeping a close watch on the movements of the tigress and turned back when they were sure that the tigress moved away from that patch of forest. They then resumed feeding on grass.

I followed the tigress and could create images of her scent marking and defecating. She kept on checking the scent markes left on the trees and bushes and then finally crossed the dirt track infront of me and disappeared into the tall grass.

On any day, this would have been the highpoint for a wildlife photographer or tourist. However, there was much in store for us that day.

We turned back and proceeded towards climbers point to reach the waterhole, as the Jhurjhura tigress had gone in that direction. There we met one of the cubs of the Jhurjhura tigress. A couple of other tourist vehicles had reached there and the cub got disturbed as the vehicles started chasing her.

I don’t understand what fun people get by following behind a tiger walking in the road. Soon the cub moved into the grassland. It was an unfortunate incident, as this cub was separated from its mother and we didn’t even see this cub in the evening. Tourists should be careful of their impact on the tigers and other wildlife. We saw that the jhurjhura tigress and her other cub were on the other side of climbers point. I had agreed to carry a forest department officer in my vehicle and he informed the forest ranger about the tigers by wireless.

Within an hour the forest department ranger and the elephants arrived at the spot to conduct Tiger Show. At that time the Tiger Show had not earned its notoriety. I climbed on one elephant to go over the hill and have a look. I then realised that the jhurjhura tigress had killed a Sambar and hence she was fighting with the other tigress to protect her kill. The mahout wanted to go closer to the tigress; however, I always prefer photographing from a distance when I am on top of an elephant, giving the tiger sufficient space. The light was not good, so I just clicked a few images and then watched the tigress.

After sometime, the tigress and her cub went to the other side to climbers point and started feeding on the Sambar carcass. It was a delight watching the tigers use their rasping tongue to feed. Tiger is a fastidious in its habits. It starts feeding on a kill by first puncturing below the tail portion and pulling out the intestine. You will often find the intestine lying a few feet away from the kill. A leopard however, eats the intestine as well.

In the Sambar kill, the neck was neatly dislocated, the way an adult tiger kills. Its technique is completely unique. Other big cats kill by suffocating. At times, large leopards are reported to have killed in this manner, however I haven’t experienced it.

The climbers point was much more dense at that time, than it is today. There was a cave like ledge there and the tigress took rest after some time. The cub was busy gorging on the sambar kill with short rest inbetween.

After an hour or so, the tigress urged the cub to leave the carcass, but the cub was not willing. Soon a tug of war started. The cub had inserted its leg inside the carcass to get a better grip and was resisting the mother. Finally, the Jhurjhura tigress gave a mighty pull and the cub had to listen. They moved to the other side and into water.

By the time, around ten or eleven tourist jeeps had reached the spot. A group of excited school kids were also there and one can imagine the din created. The Jhurjhura tigress gave vent to a snarl and then entered into the water. I have seen this snarl getting stronger over the years. It was an irony that she used to resent the presence of noisy tourists and ultimately, she laid down her life under the wheels of a vehicle.

The tigress and her cubs were cooling off and the cub was swimming in the waters. Every ten minutes or so, the cub used to come near the mother and rub cheeks showing affection. It was nice watching unalloyed love and affection among species, whom we consider inferior to us. We call them beasts, animals etc, however anyone who has watched these supposedly ferocious animals, would concur that that they are more humane than us.

There were hardly anyone willing to get onto the elephants for the tiger show, as the tigers were infront of us in the open. The ranger got irritated and started driving away the tourists from the spot. A few moved away from the spot fearing the wrath of the ranger, and the ensuing din caused the tigress and her cub to get out of water and leave the spot too.

I too left the spot feeling happy having seen several facets of the Jhurjhura tigresses personality. She had defended her Sambar kill from a larger tigress, ensured that her cub is well fed and drinks water and cools off at the right time. She has resented the intrusion into her privacy by snarling and had moved her cub away from noisy crowd. The afternoon Safari brought another memorable experience with her family which I have already described here http://www.indiawilds.com/diary/when-a-tiger-cub-seeks-your-protection .

Sabyasachi Patra

I am passionate about wildlife conservation. I am striving to make my films and photographs full of life and emotion and write articles to educate and evangelise the need for conserving the last tracts of vanishing wilderness sand wildlife in our country. I pray to the almighty that my wildlife films, photographs and writings force people to pause, look, ponder and ultimately take action. To make my ends meet, I work as Executive Director at MAIT (Manufacturers’ Association for Information Technology)

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I have been studying the African National Parks to glean best practices that can be implemented here in India. I have shared my learnings so far in the IndiaWilds Newsletters Vol. 1 Issue IX and Vol.2 Issue IV. In this issue, we examine the impact of tourism on tigers and the issues of crime and punishment.

Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve: Tourism Infrastructure

In the previous issue – IndiaWilds Newsletter Vol. 2 Issue IV ( http://www.indiawilds.com/diary/indiawilds-newsletter-vol-2-issue-iv ), I had done a comparative analysis of ecotourism practices in Botswana and India. Soon after writing that piece, I visited Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve. I could find time to do a brief analysis of the tourism infrastructure in Ranthambhore and its impact.

As we have said earlier, tourism infrastructure should not come at the cost of the wilderness areas. However, in Ranthambhore, the tourism facilities along with its supporting infrastructure is increasing day by day.

My analysis of Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve reveals that there are 454 seats available (Gypsy and canter) for tourist entry into the Tiger Reserve. So technically a maximum of 454 tourists can enter into the Tiger Reserve.

I found 33 hotels with 821 double rooms ie 1642 beds per night. This means at least three and half times more people can stay in hotels than the number of people who can enter the forest as tourists.

It should be kept in mind that most of these hotels allow triple occupancy. So the number of tourists potentially staying in Ranthambhore is higher. There are 2-3 hotels in the city with about 100 odd beds which I have not taken into consideration. There are also number of guest houses and basic stay options starting from Rs. 50 per night which have not been accounted for in my calculation. Now it is upto you to judge whether we need so many hotels and rooms in Ranthambhore.

Due to paucity of time, I could not find whether there are any applications pending for setting up new hotels in Ranthambhore. I am sure there would be many more real estate developers waiting to set up hotels in Ranthambhore.

Do these hotels practice responsible waste management measures?

Do they have basic waste disposal facility? Unfortunately, the answer is a big NO for most of the hotels. If you calculate that each tourist needs at least three mineral water bottles a day, then atleast five thousand mineral water bottles are consumed. Most of these are dumped in empty plots. Is this how we should treat our wilderness areas?

What is the need for conference facilities? I am sure, our wilderness areas can do without the added pressures of the ubiquitous sales meets and other such conferences.

Physical impact of tourism on Tigers:

There has been a flurry of news reports from the tourism lobby claiming positive impact of tourism on tigers. Let us examine the case of Ranthambhore again.

In a much celebrated case, a tourism group awarded life time achievement award to a tigress nicknamed Machhli. This tigress was earlier christened The Lady of the Lake by our Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Manmohan Singh. This tigress had made the lake area her abode. Now her daughter has reclaimed the area and Machhli has moved away to a different zone. This tigress is called T17. She has been watching tourists from a young age and has got acquainted to tourists. Unfortunately, the tourist vehicles hardly allow her to move.

I have seen her trying to stalk deer but the tourist vehicles didn’t allow her to cross the road. In one instance, a tourist vehicle even screeched to a halt and hit the tail of the tigress. Fortunately, she didn’t lose her composure, but jumped aside and gave the driver a long hard look.

Wildlife Tourism was supposed to be non-consumptive. That means, you don’t take away anything from the forest and don’t have any negative impact. Unfortunately, the way wildlife tourism aka ecotourism is run in India, the impact on wildlife and wilderness areas is enormous. I hope, the Government wakes up to this grim reality and stops unrestrained tourism as it has a negative impact on our wilderness areas.

Crime and Punishment:

Today, I came across a news item from Bangladesh and immediately sat up and took notice.

Bangladesh which had promulgated its wildlife laws in 1974 is revamping it. Under the present laws, the maximum penalty for a wildlife poacher or smuggler is 2000 taka which is equivalent to Rs1316/- and a two year prison sentence. Under the soon to be enacted new laws, the sentence has been enhanced to life imprisonment and 3,00,000 taka (equivalent to Rs. 1,97,529/-).

Now it is in sharp contrast to laws in India. According to the current laws the maximum punishment for murdering an endangered species like a tiger is three to seven years in jail and a fine of ten thousand rupees for first offence and twenty five thousand for second offence.

It is said that the Government is interested in amending the laws to increase the punishment. The proposed punishments for killing a tiger is five to seven years for a first time offender and seven to ten years for a repeat offender. Needless to say that the present as well as the proposed quantum of punishment is not big enough to act as a deterrent.

A number of conservationists believe that it is more important to reform the prosecution process rather than enhancing the quantum of punishment citing the slow and tardy nature of the prosecution process. It is often difficult to prove the guilt. So often the poachers are not even convicted.

However, I would beg to disagree with people who feel the present level of punishment stipulated in the laws are sufficient or who feel that we need not focus our energy in enhancing it. Take the example of Indians who travel abroad. The so called elites, or the middle classes as well as the working class people like plumber etc are all very careful in obeying the rules in a foreign country like Singapore. The supposedly simple acts of indiscretion like spitting or defecating in public, which people here are so used to, is not at all practiced by our people in a country like Singapore. The level of punishments in the small country like Singapore acts as a big deterrent. If we are able to slap exemplary punishment for killing a tiger, then definitely the people on the ground who actually kill the tiger or act as conduits will refrain from doing so. We will then have a small amount of crime to contend with.

So what should be the punishment? If we look at some of the gruesome murders committed in India, like killing a person and skinning him or killing a person and burning her body in a tandoor (clay oven), the crime was adjudged to be rarest of the rare and the persons given death penalty.

Now let’s consider the crime in the jungle. The poachers lay snares to trap a tiger, the tiger is caught and remains hungry for a couple of days apart from bleeding due to its wounds. The tiger is then shot at point blank range and then skinned. The flesh and bones are dried and sent to be consumed in a country abroad. Do you think we should condone such cruelty? Is this not a rarest of the rare case and fit for capital punishment?

It is time, we toss away our rule books and rewrite those to keep in sync with the times.

Conservation:

How green are our corporates? An interesting article by Ranbir Mahapatra

The Green Monsters – Abt Big Corporates Hoodwinking us on their green ambitions

http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3820

IUCN warns mangroves can get extinct:

http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3762

Will replant mangroves 200kms away: to get permission for Navi Mumbai airport this is what the State Govt. says

http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3882

Wilderness Updates:

Climate change hits Andamans:

http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3777

A piece of good news amid the gloom:

Population of Dolphins rising in Mahanadi river mouth and Gahiramatha

http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3749

Natural History:

Vulture Mating:

Perhaps the first documentation of vulture (Gyps indicus) mating in the wild.

http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3815

(Members need to login to view it. In case you are a not a member of IndiaWilds then you can register with your full name with a space between first name and last name. Follow this for registration http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/register.php )

Wildlife Photography:

Some of the fine natural history moments recorded by our members:

Machhli with Kill by Jatinder Sawhney

http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3736

Leopard Bandipur by Nikhilesh Mahakur

http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3678

Elephant Digger by Dipankar Mazumdar

http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3626

Serpent Eagle with Serpent Kill by Subramanya CK

http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3804

Little Grebe by Amit Kalele

http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3674

And clouds cover the jungle by Sagar Patil

http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3876

Nature’s Pattern Matching: Young fronds of a Cycas by Rubens Alexander

http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3715

Look forward to your inputs and your support in preserving the last tracts of wilderness and wildlife left in this beautiful country. For other interesting articles and photographs please check:

http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/

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Regards,

Sabyasachi Patra

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Sabyasachi Patra

I am passionate about wildlife conservation. I am striving to make my films and photographs full of life and emotion and write articles to educate and evangelise the need for conserving the last tracts of vanishing wilderness sand wildlife in our country. I pray to the almighty that my wildlife films, photographs and writings force people to pause, look, ponder and ultimately take action. To make my ends meet, I work as Executive Director at MAIT (Manufacturers’ Association for Information Technology)

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Today I am going to relate an incredible experience that I had in 2006 in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve. While looking back at my old images I came across this black and white image of a tigress and cub in water and the memories came flooding back.

It was an eventful day. In the morning I had a good sighting of a tigress and her cubs on kill and in water in the climbers point and suaribah area. In the afternoon we reached the spot again but the tigers were sleeping on the hill and were not visible.

I moved ahead and then later around 6 pm we could sight a tiger in the stream opposite climbers point. It was the Sukhipatiha male, neck deep in water. There were a few trees in front of us and the tiger was hardly visible. The guide deserves praise for spotting the tiger. The light was very poor. I used my flash to get his eyes shining so that people can locate the tiger. We then left the tiger at peace with itself and moved to the other side of climbers point, to the suaribah area. The tigress and her cub had come back to water and there were a few other tourist vehicles there.

My vehicle was not in the right position, and I didn’t click beyond a record images as I was not getting the right images. We waited for some time and the tourist jeeps started leaving the place around 6.10 or so as the forest department gate closes at 6.45 pm and the vehicles have to be out of the forest by that time. It was 6.19 pm when the tigress and the cub got up and went up the hill. All the vehicles immediately left the spot. My driver commented that the tiger is irritated with the vehicles and hence left. I told him that definitely, the tigress and cub will come back to water after we left the place. So we moved ahead slowly and no sooner had we reached the corner, the tigress and cub started coming back to water. They had a heavy meal as they had finished a Sambar within a day and definitely wanted to be in water to cool off as well as to drink.

We immediately reversed and came back to the waterfront. The tigress and cub watched us and didn’t react. So we realized that they were comfortable. I started creating a few images. My driver, resourceful that he is, suggested that I can click till 6.30 pm and then leave by the other gate. However that meant a drive of about 15 kilometers more. The light was very low and the shutter speed in my Canon EOS 10D digital SLR camera was pretty low. I hardly used to shoot beyond ISO 100 in that camera. So I slowly opened my tripod and placed it on the ground and started creating images.

There were a few deers (Axis axis) grazing in the meadows. Suddenly there was an alarm call from them. I was surprised as the alarm call was in the rajbehera grasslands direction. I was told that it might be Sukhipatiha male. It was likely, as we had sighted the Sukhipatiha male on the other side of the hill in the stream. This male tiger is yet to establish its territory. So it was staying in caves on the hills opposite the climber point area and used to surreptitiously hunt and fend for itself taking enough care to hide from other male tigers.

I could see different reactions in the tigress and the cub. We could not see the Sukhipatiha tiger, but the tigress got up and started moving in that direction as if to confront him. Fear was writ large over the face of the cub. It would be pertinent to mention that a wild tiger can cause harm to a tiger cub from another litter in cases where the intraspecific competition is immense. In such cases, it can even kill a cub.

The tiger cub immediately got up and started coming straight towards me. I was worried, because I had placed the tripod on the ground and had placed my camera and lens on it. Even at the tender age of 8-10 months an adolescent tiger has enough power to twist the tripod like a plastic wire. However, my driver remarked that the cub wants to hide near us. I then realized that the cub is seeking protection from the male tiger. I still couldn’t believe it. A wild tiger cub trusts a human being to hide from a male tiger! I felt as if a kid is coming close towards me for shelter. In a world where other fellow human beings don’t trust you, a tiger reposing faith was an emotional moment for me.

Sabyasachi Patra

I am passionate about wildlife conservation. I am striving to make my films and photographs full of life and emotion and write articles to educate and evangelise the need for conserving the last tracts of vanishing wilderness sand wildlife in our country. I pray to the almighty that my wildlife films, photographs and writings force people to pause, look, ponder and ultimately take action. To make my ends meet, I work as Executive Director at MAIT (Manufacturers’ Association for Information Technology)

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Laxminarayanan and his brother Hari had wanted to go to Bandipur, and were urging me to plan a trip. Mr. TNA Perumal, the doyen of wildlife photography of the yesteryears, agreed to join and soon four of us were on our way to Bandipur.

We started early in the morning from Bangalore and reached Bandipur Forest Rest House by around 12 noon. After unpacking, we were ready to have our lunch. The macaques were trying to sneak inside the room and had to be careful with our food and photographic equipment.

In the afternoon, we entered into the forest and soon sighted an elephant and calf on the road. The light was a bit harsh and the elephants were close.

I was driving with my EOS 1D Mark II and Canon EF 400mm f2.8 L IS lens on my lap. The elephants were too close for my 400mm. There was an armada speeding towards us in the road, and the elephants immediately got into the bush. We turned left and after sometime came across three Sambars (Cervus unicolor). The Sambar had a pronounced sore patch. The sambar was on the left side and I had to handheld my 400mm f2.8 IS and photograph through the left window.

George B. Schaller in his much acclaimed book – The Deer and the Tiger had this to say about the Sore patch :

“One of the manifestations of the early part of the rut is the “sore neck: (J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., 1921; Morris, 1988) or “sore spot.” On the ventral surface of the neck is a line of hair, somewhat darker and less sleek than the surrounding pelage, which runs down the mid-line from the throat to the lower part of the neck. At the begining of the rut, the hair falls out at the terminus of this line, and the skin seems to slough off, forming a circular area about one to two inches in diameter which is bloody in appearance and exudes a seous fluid, “a kind of whittish looking oily or watery substance” (Thom, 1937). The area around the sore spot is sometimes swollen, and Kemp (1914 [quoted in J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., 1921]) observed that hair is occasionally rubbed off over an area as large as eight inches long and six inches wide. I noted the first sore spot on November 15 and the last one on December 15. Many sore spots began to heal during the first half of December, and by January the only evidence of them was an area of pinkish skin lightly overgrown with hair. Sore spots were not seen at other times of the year at Kanha, but in Kaziranga Sanctuary two stags and a hind all had them on May 3…….”

It should be noted that we saw the sore patch on August. The flies were swarming around the sore patch. After watching the Sambar for a few minutes, we drove ahead.

Soon we came across a lizard near the water. It kept on moving towards us and soon was close enough for me to just get its head filling the entire frame. After a few minutes, I found one Ford Endeavour moving towards us and I discovered Dr. Ajit Huilgol in that vehicle. And a couple of minutes later, the traffic jam was complete with a forest department canter reaching the place. The monitor lizard had moved away and was appearing as a small object. We then moved ahead.

Towards evening the lights started going down and we came across a herd of elephants. And I discovered that there were a few tourist vehicles about 30 yards behind the elephants. A few elephants from the herd were yet to cross over to the left side and were hidden in the dense lantana bushes. The elephants at the left started mud bathing. The matriarch gave the signal for the elephants to move. An approximately 3 year old juvenile elephant came close to my SUV and felt a bit intimidated. The matriarch moved ahead to calm it and they entered into the dense lantana bushes on our left. The sighting was not conducive for great photography. However, I was happy at observing the elephants and listening to their rumbling sounds.
We then moved ahead and arrived at a T junction.

When I turned to the left, we could find a few langurs on the ground eating lantana leaves. Lantana, being an exotic first imported by the British as flowering plants have gone wild and invaded our forests. The leaves have toxic impact on the herbivores. However, it seems that langurs have got accustomed to eating its flowers, buds and leaves. I am not sure whether anyone has done any study on the impact of lantana on the langur. Normally, I don’t stop for shooting langurs. However, the lighting was good. And Mr TNA Perumal, the pictorialist that he is, never missed an opportunity to photograph any subject in good lighting. I accordingly stopped the Safari and photographed the langurs with my 400mm. I opened the door and placed the lens in the wedge between the vehicle and the door and got enough stability to get sharp images.

The sun was setting and light had gone down low enough to prompt us to return to the Forest Rest House. We soon started chatting over a cup of tea. The images were downloaded, and after an early dinner we were about to retire for the night when we heard alarm calls.

Any visitors to Bandipur would be surprised at the congregation of spotted deers (Axis axis) near the forest rest house in the evenings. In the night, you can see the deers resting on the ground in the forest rest house compound. This is an attempt to avoid predators. However, leopards come nearby to hunt. We moved out but couldn’t see the leopard. Later around midnight again we heard alarm calls. However, it seems the leopard was not successful. I was hopeful that we might sight a carnivore the next day and didn’t realise when I fell asleep.

I was woken up by Laxminarayanan at around 4 am. We got ready and then met Mr. Jayakumar and group there and proceeded ahead. We were about to turn left when they moved ahead to turn left. So we drove ahead and took a right turn. Alas, who knew that we are going to miss the tiger?
In the early morning dew, we photographed a jungle fowl and a mongoose. At a distance we could find a few tourist vehicles. I drove ahead and found an elephant digging a salt lick. The sound of digging was audible. Since the elephant was on my right, I waited for Mr. TNA Perumal to click a few shots before I created some images. At f3.2 aperture, I could get the entire body covered by depth of field and was happy with the images.

We then turned back and came to the main road. I decided to enter into an unused road. Mr. Perumal said that chances of sighting in such dense vegetation is remote. However, I decided to move ahead. We then reached an antipoaching camp and turned left and climbed a hill again. Suddenly a Changeable Hawk Eagle flew and sat on a branch on our left. The background was not cluttered as there were branches criss crossing behind its head. It sat patiently for about half an hour. So I could change converters and create various compositions. It was about 9 am and there were no more sightings on the way.

After a quick breakfast, we decided to go to Gopalswamy Betta. Though I was not keen on taking my heavy 400mm f2.8 IS lens, Mr. Perumal said that there are chances of sighting elephants on the slopes and asked me to carry the lens. It was however, packed in my bag.

We were about to reach the Bandipur forest gate and saw a spotted deer (Axis axis) near the road side chewing on a kurkure packet. Herbivores, due to the salt content, like to lick and chew the empty wafers packets dropped by visitors. In the process, the stand on or near the road side and get hit by speeding vehicles. At times, they swallow these packets and die as well. On one earlier occasion, I had seen an elephant dung containing a polythene laced with blood. When I was struggling to remove my camera and lens from the bag kept in the backseat, the deer moved into the lantana vegetation. Several cars came speeding and narrowly missed hitting us. Fortunately, I could document the deer chewing the plastic wafer packet using 800mm focal length.

We then proceeded towards Gopalswamy Betta. Somehow, we missed the entry road and took a detour on a broken road. It was certainly not an issue as I had 4WD in my vehicle. On reaching the entry gate to Gopalswamy Betta, I was pleasantly surprised when the guard checked for plastics and took away polythene bags from the tourist vehicles. I wish this practice can be adopted in other places, including Bandipur.

On reaching the summit of the hill, we got down to macro shooting. I hadn’t brought a macro lens, but Mr. Perumal started shooting. I discovered that it is a good place for macro work. After a quick trip to the temple, we proceeded back to Bandipur. We sighted and counted a herd of seven elephants at a distance feeding on the leaves and branches on the hill slope. After observing them for about fifteen minutes, we moved ahead as the afternoon safari time was fast approaching.

On reaching the forest rest house, I found a big wild boar close by. On a whim, I took out my new Nokia N97 phone and tip toed towards it to create a full frame image. Well, the phones have a long way to go before serious photographers like me can use it.

We reached a waterhole where the previous day a tigress was sighted. Unfortunately, we only found a gaur. I tried a few shots handholding my Canon 1D Mark II and Canon EF 400mm f2.8 L IS USM lens plus 2xII Tc combination. The weight is killing, but I got a few sharp images.

Later in the evening, we found a kid langur playing and then found gaurs in low light. An adult male gaur was getting ready to mount on a receptive female. It needed some more time, and we didn’t have much time in our hands as the forest gates closing time was fast approaching. We had to call it a day.

Next day early in the morning apart from cheetals we didn’t have much sightings. We then waited at a place as Hari and Mr Perumal wanted to photograph the deers and langurs. I was watching a langur at a distance debarking a tree. After some time it moved ahead and started mating with a female langur. Fortunately, I was ready and despite handholding my heavy lens, the images were sharp. Soon it was time for us to move ahead and bid adieu to Bandipur.

(Originally written on August 2009)

Sabyasachi Patra

I am passionate about wildlife conservation. I am striving to make my films and photographs full of life and emotion and write articles to educate and evangelise the need for conserving the last tracts of vanishing wilderness sand wildlife in our country. I pray to the almighty that my wildlife films, photographs and writings force people to pause, look, ponder and ultimately take action. To make my ends meet, I work as Executive Director at MAIT (Manufacturers’ Association for Information Technology)

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Greetings!
It is my pleasure to bring you the newsletter Vol 1, issue no. 10 on the eve of Deepavali – the festival of lights. May this Deepavali remove the darkness before our eyes and help us see the right approach to save our wildlife and wilderness.

The African Cheetah and Indian One horned Rhino: A study of an exotic species introduction and a native species reintroduction”
Reintroduction of an animal is often perceived as a good thing. If an animal becomes locally extinct then one can always bring back from a neighbouring country. It gives a good feeling, of turning back the clock. However, are we actually turning back the clock?

We are hurtling down an abyss at the speed of a Formula 1 car, without of course its brakes. The environmental destruction and the consequent climate change and its impact are still not being fathomed in its entirety. In the backdrop of this disturbing reality, do we need the artificial satisfaction of turning back the clock by introducing African Cheetahs in India?

We have lost the Sumatran Rhino, Asiatic Cheetah, Himalayan quail to name a few. These and other such species that has gone extinct reminds us about those wanton killings, clearing up huge tracts of forest on the pretext of so called development, drowning huge tracts of wilderness areas by ill planned dams…. It is a fact that we have abused nature and have been continuing to do so. Introducing a charismatic species – albeit a different subspecies than the one that that gone extinct – will serve in giving us a temporary and misguided sense of satisfaction of correcting a historical blunder.

Dr R L Eaton, who had worked on charismatic species like Cheetah was of the view that these animals should not be transported. Also a study on zoo tigers by Dembiec, D. P., Snider, R. J. and Zanella, A. J. in 2004 had noted that “Average respiration rates of all tigers increased from 56.1 breaths/min to 94.6 breaths/min during transport and to 132.3 breaths/min 10 min following release into their enclosures. Average immune-reactive cortisol concentrations peaked 3-6 days after transport at 239% above baseline and returned to baseline levels 9-12 days afterward”.
For further details please check the following link: http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1888

It is of course another matter that, in the past there have been tiger deaths due to improper dosage during tranquilisation, in cases involving foreign as well as Indian experts. Of course, the experts as well as cases where our Vets are involved have never accepted the fact.

The ministry has given the in principle go-ahead to the introduction of the African Cheetah in India, on the specious plea that there is not much difference between the African cheetah and the Asiatic cheetah. Of course, we know that “not much difference” means they are not the same. I wonder whether any detailed studies have been conducted to ascertain the degree of variation between the Asiatic Cheetah and the Indian Cheetah. I wish the Ministry places all the supporting documents and studies before the public for the sake of transparency.

I don’t think much would be achieved by the introduction of the African cheetah in India, except for shifting focus from pressing conservation issues. For further details, please click on the following link for discussions on introducing African Cheetah in India. http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1888

Rhino Reintroduction:
It would be pertinent to look at the state of our Rhinos reintroduced about 27 years back in Dudhwa. They were housed in and they continue to be in captivity to date. Now a turf war is ranging among them due to the cramped space. So it is a case of shifting them from wild to a cramped enclosure.

Is this what reintroduction is meant to be?
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1939

That means another set of wild animals – the African cheetah – albeit exotic, is going to meet the same fate. For our entertainment we are going to snuff the freedom out of a few African Cheetahs. I hope the MoEF (Ministry of Environment and Forests) reconsiders its decision to introduce the African Cheetah in India. Please write to the Hon’ble Minister for Environment and Forests Shri Jairam Ramesh (email at mosef@nic.in and letter at Paryavaran Bhawan, CGO Complex, Lodi Road, New Delhi – 110003) urging him to drop the project and rather focus on the more immediate task of revitalising our approach to wildlife management.

River Linking:
The central Govt. has announced shelving of the River linking project. This scheme if implemented would have caused tremendous damage to the environment. Species of flora and fauna, and I am sure some of them yet to be discovered, would have been wiped away.
Unfortunately, a day after the announcement by the Central Government the AP Government has announced its intention to link the rivers in Andhra. I am surprised that the state leadership of the same party takes a decision opposite to that of its central leadership. It seems grand schemes, however, muddle headed it may be has got its followers. For further details you may view the following link:
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2094

Proposed YSR memorial on 1412 hectares in NSTR:
The AP Government has announced a plan to setup a memorial in the dense forests of NSTR. That would take up 1412 hectares or 14.12 square kilometers of pristine forests. The amount to be spent is 315 crores and the Government expects it to become an important tourist spot.
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1996

It is one of those ideas that have come from the loyal supporters. However, destroying a pristine wilderness area to construct a memorial is certainly not a good idea. Especially, since this is in the core area, the AP Govt. can’t denotify it on its own. Please raise your voice against this. You may write to the Hon’ble CM of AP Shri K. Rosaiah (Greenland’s Circle, Begumpet, Hyderabad – 500016, email: cmap@ap.nic.in and fax: 044-23452498), Hon’ble Minister for Environment and Forests Shri Jairam Ramesh (email at mosef@nic.in or jairam54@gmail.com and letter at Paryavaran Bhawan, CGO Complex, Lodi Road, New Delhi – 110003) urging them to prevent this destruction of a critical tiger habitat.
Poisoning Wildlife:

It has come to the notice that Poachers have started poisoning Rhinos in Kaziranga. It is a very unfortunate situation and should be dealt with a strong hand. Exemplary punishment can deter poachers from such a heinous crime. For detailed discussion on the subject please click on the following link:
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1934

Revitalizing Indian Forest Service:
Our wilderness and wildlife is facing its worst crisis due to the relentless assault by poachers, drowning of huge forest land by massive ill planned dams, roads cutting across forests, industries coming up in wetlands, Research centers being drilled through the hills, and last but not the least the forest department chasing misplaced priorities. It is time for the forest department to be reengineered and priorities set right.

An original article by Ranbir Mahapatra and the discussions on it can be viewed at the following link:
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2004

Tigers in Sanctuaries to get ID Cards:
The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has issued an advisory to all the 17-tiger range states to keep an ID card specifying the details of each tiger in their sanctuaries, The identity card will be have a photograph of the tiger and its skin print, a unique characteristic of each predator, kill data and camera trap as well as radio collar records with regular updates of its behavior. The details and discussions on the topic can be found here: http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2111

Though we should track our tigers, I am surprised that why the NTCA wants to promote invasive techniques like radio collaring all the tigers. Don’t we want our wildlife to roam free? Why do we always decide the fate of other species? And it is mostly detrimental to them. Why do we Play God? Some similar views on the subject by Ranbir Mahapatra:
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2125

Please write to the Secretary NTCA Shri Rajesh Gopal (Bikaner House, Annexe-V, Shahjahan Road, New Delhi-110011. Tele Fax: 011- 23384428 dirpt-r@nic.in ) urging him to kindly modify the advisory to drop the invasive radio collar idea.

Please remember that your voice matters. This newsletter reaches to 550 members of IndiaWilds and more than 1000 non members. It would have a great impact if each one of you raise your voice.

Natural History:
Langur Debarking:
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1833
One needs to log in to access the above section. Registration is free. Please register with your full name if you haven’t already.

Wilderness Updates:
Wildlife tourism ought to be non-consumptive ie. tourism should not have any long term impact on the wilderness areas and wildlife and nothing should be removed from the area. However, wildlife tourism in India is far from non-consumptive and has impact on wildlife. In case of Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary, which is also under the Project Elephant, fishing is allowed in the core area. The interpretation is that “Manual angling of fish, catching and releasing does not amount to fishing” and it is supposed to be creating “intimacy and awareness”. For further details please click on the link below:
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1926

Wildlife Photography:

I am sharing a few links to some of the fine images shared by our members:
A spot on Gaur that looks similar to the Sore spot found on Sambars.
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2003

Dhole killing Cheetal by Praveen Siddannavar
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1988

Wild Ass by Atul Dhamankar
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1994

Parambikulam by Bibhav Behera
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2033

An abstract vertical composition of Jog falls by Dr Hari Venkatesh K R
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2117

Skink by Jitendra Katre
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2077

Painted Grasshopper by Hari Iyer
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2064

Indian Burrowing Frog by Abhishek Jamalabad
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2054

Equipment Discussions:
This new section discusses the new releases of equipment as well as offers suggestions on suitability of equipment to our members.
Look forward to your inputs and your support in preserving the last tracts of wilderness and wildlife left in this beautiful country. For other interesting articles and photographs please check:
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/

Regards,
Sabyasachi Patra
www.indiawilds.com
Profile: http://www.indiawilds.com/profile.htm
Contact: http://www.indiawilds.com/contact%20us.htm
Twitter: indiawilds
Facebook: indiawilds

(Circulated in October 2009)

Sabyasachi Patra

I am passionate about wildlife conservation. I am striving to make my films and photographs full of life and emotion and write articles to educate and evangelise the need for conserving the last tracts of vanishing wilderness sand wildlife in our country. I pray to the almighty that my wildlife films, photographs and writings force people to pause, look, ponder and ultimately take action. To make my ends meet, I work as Executive Director at MAIT (Manufacturers’ Association for Information Technology)

More Posts - Website

Follow Me:

Wildlife Management: Tiger Translocations

What is the state of wildlife in this country?

Every month I keep on asking this question again and again. Every month there is news about the death of our mega fauna from various parts of the country either due to poaching or due to the improper handling by the forest department. In this month let us examine two cases of tiger translocation in two different National Parks.

The tiger translocation process from Ranthambhore to Sariska was hailed as a success. Is it actually so?

Sariska had come to the limelight after poachers systematically killed all its tigers. Panna has followed the same ignominious path. The response to Sariska was airlifting of a tiger and tigress from Ranthambhore. Nobody cared that the tiger and tigress taken from Ranthambhore were siblings. Are we not concerned about maintaining a healthy gene pool? Bringing two siblings to freshly populate a landscape defies all logic. I hope this situation is rectified by introducing more tigers from different areas to maintain genetic diversity.

At least, the tigers from Ranthambhore are reported to be healthy after relocation. Not so fortunate was a tigress from Nagarhole. She was supposed to have taken to cattle lifting and it was decided to capture here. She was tranqulised and displayed in a cage for 3 days for the stream of visitors from the surrounding areas, while a radio collar was awaited. She died after she was released in Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary. For further details please check:
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1303

I wish the National Tiger Conservation Authority guidelines are rigorously adhered to as well as experts consulted in all tiger relocations undertaken in any part of the country.

With this issue Karnataka remains in the news for all the wrong reasons. In the previous month the order to stop night traffic in the road passing through Bandipur was lifted – a move that is likely to increase disturbance and wildlife deaths due to road kills. And now comes the news of the sad death of a tigress in Nagarhole.

Please shoot an email to Shri B. S. Yediyurappa, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Karnataka at cm@kar.nic.in and urge him to take action. You may also email our Hon’ble Minister for Environment and Forests Shri Jairam Ramesh at mosef@nic.in . Please remember that your voice matters.

It is a fact that a number of tigers have died in different National Parks and sanctuaries due to improper dose while traquilising. This needs to be tackled and systemic deficiencies need to be removed. Please check the link for further details:
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23

Natural History:
A few interesting discussions in the Natural history section are as follows:

Bird Behaviour – mobbing:
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1212

Mimicry – by Vikram Gupchup
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1289

Wildlife Photography:

Short toed snake eagle in flight by AB Apana
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1247

Bonellis Eagle and Stepple Eagle fight by Kiran Ghadge
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1151

Crested Bunting by Kiran Ghadge
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1253

Reed warbler by Rahil Abdulghani
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1128

Great Egret by Bibhav Behera using a 135mm lens
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1166

Baya weaver by Sagar Patil using a Compact camera
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1224

Rat Snakes by Mrudul Godbole
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1238

Infant Mugger by AB Apana
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1144

Barasinga Portrait by Nishad Rangnekar
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1128

Ethics in Nature photography is an ignored subject. However, it is pertinent topic as most of the photographers have no qualms in disturbing the subject and its habitat just to get that shot. Please refer to the following link for discussion on Nature Photography Ethics
http://indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1241

Regards,
Sabyasachi Patra
www.indiawilds.com/forums

(Circulated in July 2009)

Sabyasachi Patra

I am passionate about wildlife conservation. I am striving to make my films and photographs full of life and emotion and write articles to educate and evangelise the need for conserving the last tracts of vanishing wilderness sand wildlife in our country. I pray to the almighty that my wildlife films, photographs and writings force people to pause, look, ponder and ultimately take action. To make my ends meet, I work as Executive Director at MAIT (Manufacturers’ Association for Information Technology)

More Posts - Website

Follow Me:

Wildlife Management- Bandipur & other issues:
What is the state of wildlife in this country? Is the forest department concerned? What is the focus of our forest department officials? These and many other thoughts came to my mind when I visited Bandipur National Park.

I discovered a funny rule that forces the open gypsys to have a roof (a plastic cover). I met the DCF and he told me that it was meant for our security. I just couldn’t believe it as the only security a soft roof can afford is prevent you from getting drenched in rain, of course the sides are open and still you can get wet. He also told me that since I was staying in a tourist resort so I should not use a SLR camera and lenses as those are supposed to be used by professionals; and I should take a special permission to use such equipment as I have a chance of making money out of it. I realized that there was no point in wasting time in arguing with such individuals. At that moment a speeding car on the road in front of the forest department office hit a monkey killing it instantly. The police in the outpost there picked up the dead monkey and threw it away. A few people came to complain in the forest department office but it just fell on deaf ears. One can see tourists eating and drinking and making merry on the road connecting Bandipur to Ooty via Mudumalai. The road is strewn with plastics. If our pristine forests are polluted then our water sources will be polluted as well. Civilisations have been known to vanish due to want of water. I hope history is not repeating itself. But who cares? The forest department is manned by such individuals who have poor understanding of wildlife and they are too busy in administering such funny rules.

This Bandipur-Mudumalai-Ooty road was earlier closed to traffic after six in the evening. However, that order has been reversed and now vehicles are plying all through out the night. There is no respite for the wildlife.

It has become difficult for serious photographers and wildlifers to spend more time in the forests of South especially Karnataka. Vehicles of a few resorts are allowed inside the National Park after paying a hefty fee. Serious wildlifers and photographers are highly inconvenienced. However, who cares?

Please shoot an email to Shri B. S. Yediyurappa, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Karnataka at cm@kar.nic.in and urge him to take action. Please remember that your voice matters.

In our previous newsletters we had focused on issues in Bandhavgarh National Park. A number of our members had written to the Hon’ble Prime Minster as well as the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh. As a result the park officials including the field director has been changed. The hut like watch tower constructed in Rajbehera in the path of the tiger has been closed to people. So take heart and keep on raising your voice for a cause.

It gives me immense pleasure to inform you that we have completed six months of our existence. We have taken baby steps in taking actions to preserve our wildlife including marine life and wildplaces. Now we have added another feature in IndiaWilds – the Natural History section.

The Natural History section aims to increase our understanding of the wildlife primarily through field observations and photography of rare behaviour. I am sharing a few links for you to check and enjoy. Please remember that you need to login to access this section.

Mating behaviour of tigers
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1096

Tiger hunting Method
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1111

Sambar’s Sore spot
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1115

Flesh eating behaviour of Wild Boar
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1124

And there are many more. I need your feedback so that we can further improve this important section.

Wildlife Photography:

We have started discussing bird behaviour including habitat, distribution, id etc in the birds section apart from critiquing images. Invite all of you birders to enhance the discussion. To sample one please check the Black and Orange Flycatcher by Prem Sagar
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1109

Some other fine images:
Brahminy Kite by AB Apana
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1059

Female Redstart by Rahil Abulghani
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1017

Egyptian Vulture
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=989

Bats by Kiran Ghadge
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=990

Leopard by AB Apana
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=926

Kanchenjunga by Sumanth Sharma -A lovely image taken with a compact camera.
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=966

Kanchenjunga again by Sagar Patil – another image shot with a compact camera
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1027

Calotes by AB Apana
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1004

Look forward to your feedback and your action in preserving the last tracts of wilderness and wildlife left in this beautiful country.

Regards,
Sabyasachi Patra
www.indiawilds.com/forums

(Circulated in June 2009)

Sabyasachi Patra

I am passionate about wildlife conservation. I am striving to make my films and photographs full of life and emotion and write articles to educate and evangelise the need for conserving the last tracts of vanishing wilderness sand wildlife in our country. I pray to the almighty that my wildlife films, photographs and writings force people to pause, look, ponder and ultimately take action. To make my ends meet, I work as Executive Director at MAIT (Manufacturers’ Association for Information Technology)

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Bandhavgarh: In Danger
In my previous newsletter (Vol.1 Issue V), I had written about Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve. I had never expected that I would be following it up with some sad news. The previous discussions on Bandhavgarh can be found by clicking on this link:
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2269&posted=1#post2269

Tiger Cub mowed down by Tourist Vehicle:

Incredible news! Unfortunately, it happens only in India.

Last year a tiger was mowed down in Corbett, and this year it has happened in Bandhavgarh.

On April 21st a six month old cub of Chakradhara Tigress, apparently frightened by the noisy tourist vehicles hid itself under the gypsy of one Satyendra Tiwari, a tour operator. Eye witnesses reported that instead of waiting for the cub to come out he started the gypsy despite warnings by other tourists and drivers. As is expected in such situations, the cub was badly injured and died a few days later. It is said that he moved the vehicle to give his client, a reputed foreign photographer a chance to shoot some more shots. The drivers and guides testified in support of him in the court and denied that such an incident ever happened. Though he was arrested, he came out on bail due to such fabricated witnesses and also due to the concocted stories and photographs of the foreign photographer in the vehicle. The forest department official was present during this incident and one tourist also testified to give a true account. You can read further details of this incident by clicking on this link:
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=800

This incident tells us that we wildlife photographers can go to any extent to get a photo. It also reflects badly on our legal system, as witnesses are manipulated. It is more important because its shows that the clout of the tour operator and his foreign client can easily manipulate the system. Don’t we have the capability to treat our wild tigers? In a few months, this incident would be forgotten. Does anyone care?

Tigress Poisoned:

The Banbehi tigress who has successfully raised several litters to adulthood has died. On 3rd May she was found to be vomiting and having froth on her mouth. She had killed cattle and most likely the cattle kill had been poisoned by the villagers. In these cases, pesticides are normally used. Though tourist vehicles reported this incident to the forest department but no action was taken to monitor the health of the tigress and treat her. She died four days later. Her three cubs are about 15 month’s old. It would be a tough task for the cubs to survive. They are yet to learn hunting techniques completely from the mother are not big enough to hunt. Tigers hunt by breaking the neck of animals where as leopards and lions choke their prey. It takes more time to master this technique of dislocating the neck. They will take to scavenging for survival but their future doesn’t look rosy. Further details about this incident can be read in this link:
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=913

Bandhavgarh has been losing tigers at rapid intervals. One adolescent tiger (the male cub of Sidhababa tigress) was declared as man-eater and sent to zoo last year. He killed a wood cutter lady who had entered into the park illegally and the Park officials had wanted to send the male cub as well as its sibling and mother to the Zoo. Due to protests it was not done immediately. After six months a man was killed 30 kilometers away in the area of another tiger while trying to ward away a tiger with a stick. Immediately, the Park authorities captured the male cub of Sidhababa tigress and sent it to Bhopal Zoo. Then the Bhitari bah tigress was sent to Panna without even informing the National Tiger Conservation Authority (check this link http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=555 ). And now comes the twin tiger deaths within a fortnight. The sole focus of Bandhavgarh National Park authorities is on tourism and not on the tigers. Bandhavgarh needs to be relieved from the clutches of the officials whose only interest is tourism and the focus needs to be brought back on the tiger.

We need your help in saving Bandhavgarh. Please shoot an email to the following urging them to take action:
To, The Hon’ble Prime Minister
pmosb@pmo.nic.in

To, Shri Shiv Raj Singh Chauhan, Chief Minister of MP
cm@mp.nic.in
cm@valbh.mp.nic.in

To, The Secretary, MoEF, Government of India, Ministry of Environment & Forests,
Paryavaran Bhavan, CGO Complex, Lodi Road, ND-110003
email: envisect@nic.in

To, The Member Secretary, National Tiger Conservation Authority, Ministry of Environment & Forests, Annexe No. 5, Bikaner House, Shahjahan Road, New Delhi – 110011
E-mail: dirpt-r@nic.in
Fax: 011-23387691, 23384428

Highlights of IndiaWilds forums:
IndiaWilds has successfully completed five months. There are more articles, photographs, opinions and comments. Here’s a small sample to tickle your taste buds.

Short-toed Snake eagle by AB Apana
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=782

White-belied Sea Eagle by Kiran Ghadge
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=779

Backlit Pied Kingfisher by Aditya Panda
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=745

Kanha National Park landscape by Kiran Ghadge
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=776

Spider by AB Apana
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=890

Who’s Who:
Members are requested to introduce themselves with their photograph in the Who’s who section. This will help us recognise each other in the field. The link to this forum is as follows:
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=22

Look forward to your feedback and your action in preserving the last tracts of wilderness and wildlife left in this beautiful country.

Cheers,
Sabyasachi Patra
www.indiawilds.com/forums

(circulated on May 2009)

Sabyasachi Patra

I am passionate about wildlife conservation. I am striving to make my films and photographs full of life and emotion and write articles to educate and evangelise the need for conserving the last tracts of vanishing wilderness sand wildlife in our country. I pray to the almighty that my wildlife films, photographs and writings force people to pause, look, ponder and ultimately take action. To make my ends meet, I work as Executive Director at MAIT (Manufacturers’ Association for Information Technology)

More Posts - Website

Follow Me: