Dead leopard’s nails recovered in Sabarkantha

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Palanpur/Ahmedabad: In yet another catch, the forest department has recovered 18 nails of a young leopard which had died of starvation 12 days ago near Aud village in Sabarkantha district. This is the second major catch after a leopard skin was recovered.

Three unidentified person who managed to give forest cops the slip, were performing tantrik rituals with the nails, foresters said.

Chief Conservator Crime Forest (CCCF) Gandhinagar, DK Sharma, said, “Based on a tip-off forest officials raided the crematorium situated on the outskirts of the village. Three accused had just begun what appeared to be a tantrik (black magic) ritual. But, at the sight of the government vehicle, they fled leaving the nails behind.”

The leopard carcass had been found in a decomposed condition from the forest area of the village on March 27. Postmortem revealed that the animal had starved to death. Someone had taken out its nails after the animal died.

Sharma said the officials had earlier received a tip-off that the local villagers had the nails. A close watch was kept on the movement of suspects. He said on Thursday they got the tip-off that the villagers were performing some ritual.

Sharma said since these suspects came from the nearby villages where this ritual was being performed, they have been identified and will be soon arrested.

Officials from the department said these nails were probably being used to keep away the evil spirits. According to Sharma, Darbars believe that that wearing the nails of an animal with power would make the heart of the child strong and would give them the power. Also, one had to perform the ritual before getting it framed in metal, gold and silver.

Leopard skin traders sent in judicial custody

All four accused of trading carcass of wild animals in Vijaynagar, who had been granted six-day remand on April 2 by judicial magistrate, were sent in judicial custody after their remand period got over on Tuesday.

According to assistant conservator of forests, Sabarkantha, RM Desai, “The leopard was believed to have been first trapped and later killed by hitting heavy rods on to its head. “We have also recovered mobile phones and equipment which were probably used for poaching the animal,” Desai said. These have been sent to Gandhinagar Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for investigation. “A leopard has 18 nails and can be sold to the extend of Rs 50,000 per claw,” he added.

PM Announces New Department Of Wildlife Under The Ministry Of Environment And Forests

PM Announces New Department Of Wildlife Under The Ministry Of Environment And Forests



March 19, 2010: At the fifth National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) meeting held in New Delhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in his capacity as Chairman announced the setting up of a dedicated Department of Wildlife under the charge of Minister of State for Environment and Forests (Independent Charge) Jairam Ramesh.


Informed sources confirmed that the decision was taken after Mr. Valmik Thapar, Member NWBL made a statement on the dire situation of wildlife in the country, as exemplified by the fate of the Sariska and Panna Reserves, which suffered local extinction of tigers at the hands of poachers. A proposal for a separate lion conservation project was also mooted by Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi. Other matters that came up for discussion included crop raiding by chital deer and a demand to delist corals from schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. This was opposed by all non-official members because corals are vital to the biodiversity of our oceans. Members also expressed concern at the rising number of accidental deaths suffered by wild elephants that were being run over by trains in wildlife areas, particularly in North Bengal and Uttarakhand.


The National Board for Wildlife is the apex body that decides wildlife policy in India and it has a total of 45 serving members, the Minister of Environment & Forests, plus 15 non-official members, four of whom are part of a 12-member Standing Committee of the NBWL, which handles day-to-day decisions and monitoring of the directions issued by the NBWL. Dr. Karan Singh, who was the first Chairman of Project Tiger when the project was first launched in 1973.

Siddis as tour guides in Gir

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Ahmedabad: The next time you visit Junagadh, and find a person of African origin telling you about Panthera Leo Persica (Asiatic lion), do not be surprised. Gujarat government is training some 20 youths of the African Siddi tribe, settled in Gir forest, to speak English and become tour guides. They will also be trained in driving and hospitality management as part of the eco-tourism development initiative. Officials said that tribal development department might also finance vehicles for them and attach them to hotels so that they can ferry tourists.

The Siddi community has claimed that there had been no move to bring them into the mainstream. This initiative promises to make them self-reliant.

The training is part of the project initiated by state tribal development department in order to improve livelihood, housing, access to safe drinking water and electricity, literacy, health facilities and roads to five major Primitive Tribal Groups (PTG) of Gujarat, namely Kolgha, Kathodi, Kotwalia, Padhar and Siddi.

“Looking at the concentration of Siddi tribe near Gir forests in Junagadh, we thought of training them to become ecoguides, which will help them take advantage of growing ecotourism in state, especially around Gir forests region,” said an officer from the tribal development department. The project for Siddi community was designed with focus on the potential of eco-tourism in the area. This project is also aimed at conservation and development of Siddi community, said the officer.

The Siddi population, which is roughly 8,816 in the state, is largely concentrated in Gir area of Junagadh district in Saurashtra with some settlement in Bhavnagar, Rajkot, Jamnagar and Amreli districts as well. “Since Siddis know Gir forest well, they could become good guides and could provide information to tourist and also could earn a livelihood,” said the officer. He said that for training purpose, they approached Gujarat Education and Ecological Research (GEER) Foundation, an autonomous body under Forests and Environment department.

“The first batch of 22 men from Siddi community completed 15-day training last week. Besides theoretical lectures, practical sessions were also organised which included field trips to Gir forest and other nearby places,” deputy director (environment education) at GEER foundation NK Nanda said. He said that the Siddi community members were not only told about trees and animals found in the area, but also about local history.

He further said that GEER has given them training on how to interact with tourists and the dos and dont’s of being in a forest area. He further said that not just Gir but these people would also be trained to make tourist circuits.

Lion census to cover 10,000 sq km

Ahmedabad: The lion census to begin later this month, will be the first since the formation of the state to cover the entire coastal belt. The counting would be spread over 8,000-10,000 square km area. This census would be covering Bhavnagar, Amreli, Porbandar and Jungadh districts. Officials said that there was a possibility that they may go up to a village in Rajkot district.

The forest department officials said that they in 2006 by Faiyaz Khudsar, a trustee with the Biodiversity Conservation Trust of India, scheduled to be heard on May 5. There is a fear that if the census showed a good increase in the number of lions then the SC might direct Gujarat to give some lions to MP citing reasons of conservation.

The officials say that unlike earlier years, the last five years were the most eventful with even corporate houses from the state pitching in to save the lion. The government had also allocated Rs 40 crore for the same.

A task force was also formed by the state government for the conservation of the lions. The force has also come out with its recommendation, including radio collaring the lions and starting a gene pool. were worried about the outcome of a petition seeking relocation of wild lions filed

Lion census from April 24, count could go beyond 400

Ahmedabad: This is going to be a census that will be closely watched by many, given the fact that it is being conducted after a period that saw poaching incidents for the first time in Gir and when neighbour Madhya Pradesh became more aggressive in its demand for a share of the Asiatic lions.

The once-in-five-years census will be carried out for four days from April 24 in a direct-sighting method which will involve nearly 1,500 staffers. Teams will be equipped with 130 cameras and they will hover around the watering holes where lions are bound to come to quench their thirst during this hot summer period. It will take at least two months before the results

are out, after careful tabulation of data and matching it with the photographic evidence.

Stray accidental deaths notwithstanding, the going has been good for the lion in its exclusive abode in Gir, with the Gujarat government promising expansion of its protected habitat and a Rs 40-crore corpus for its conservation. Sources say this time

the lion count is likely to go up to 400 from the last figure of 359 of 2005. Besides, the lion is poised to be one of the state’s biggest draws in the soon-to-be launched campaigns featuring Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan.

The Gujarat government has told the Supreme Court that there could be 400 lions in and around Gir, a clear evidence of good conservation measures. MP government, which has prepared Kuno Palpur as the lion’s second abode, had a dig at Gujarat recently in its last affidavit filed before the SC, stating that if at least 10 lions died unnaturally in Gujarat, then the state could surely afford to part with five lions. It is another matter that the gangs of poachers arrested in Gujarat have all come from MP.


Digital cameras to help count lion population

Ahmedabad: For the first time, 130-odd digital cameras will be used to count Asiatic lions over four days, as the census covering the districts of Junagadh, Amreli, Porbandar and Bhavnagar begins on April 24.

Divisional conservator of forest Sandeep Kumar told TOI that all the four districts will be divided into 28 zones. The zones will further have 100 subzonal heads who would be armed with digital cameras. The census will be conducted by direct sighting method, particularly around water bodies where lions are expected to come to quench their thirst.

Kumar said that apart from recording on paper, each subzonal head would also try and take a picture to create a unique identification bank for the lions. The parameters for identification include shape or marks on ear, nose and face, the tail, and the sides of the lion. Officials said that to prevent duplication, the photographs would also register the time and details of the camera from which they were taken.

Kumar said 450 enumerators, assisted by 900 others, would be deployed in the census. This means each team, headed by a sub-zonal chief, would have about 12 members to conduct the census by direct sighting method. A team of 56 volunteers will also accompany them to provide food or attend to any other kind of emerge

4 held with leopard skin in Sabarkantha

TIMES NEWS NETWORK



Ahmedabad/Palanpur: In the first ever sting operation carried out by the forest department, an old leopard skin, probably stolen from the royal Palace of Vijaynagar, was recovered late on Wednesday night.

In a joint operation of Intelligence Bureau officials and the forest department, four members of a gang which was into animal skin trade, were arrested.

The team, disguised as customers, met the accused to strike a deal. The accused first tried to sell the leopard skin as that of tiger and the deal began as high as Rs 15 lakh. However, when the forest officials realised that it was not tiger skin, the accused immediately brought down the price to Rs 2 lakh.

While the negotiation were on, the car in which they were travelling reached a spot where another team of IB and forest department officials was waiting for them.

Anil Johri, conservator of forest, said, “We seized the leopard skin while attempts were being made to sell it.” He said that the skin appeared to be old. It could be the one reportedly stolen from the royal place of Harshvardhan Sinhji Rathore from the royal family of Vijaynagar. He said that a police complaint in this regard was also filed by the royal family.

Officials from the department said that among those arrested were Lakshman Patel, Prakash Patel, both residents of Vijaynagar, Sabarkantha, Shyamji Patel of Amreli and Deepak Parmar of Ahmedabad. The main accused, Babu Modiya of Gardi village, is on the run. Forest department and IB have launched a hunt for Babu with the police.

Officials said several more members of the gang could be apprehended once interrogation of the four is over. He said that there is also a possibility of recovering at least four more skins from the gang.

“A leopard has 18 nails while the skin we seized had no nails. It seems the gang had sold the nails each of which usually costs Rs 50,000,” said assistant conservator of forest RM Desai.

Desai said, “We are also in touch with Rajasthan forest department and unless we catch Modiya it is difficult to say anything. Those arrested have told the forest officials that Modiya had given them the skin to be sold in the market and that is all they know.”

If 10 Gir lions die annually anyway, give 5 to us: MP to SC

Himanshu Kaushik

Ahmedabad: The MP government has reportedly stated that if an average of 10 lions die unnaturally in Gir every year, then there is no harm in Gujarat government parting with five lions for its Kuno Palpur project.

The counter affidavit filed by the MP government in Supreme Court has stated that many lions die by falling into wells, getting electrocuted or by poaching. In the last three years, eight lions have died unnaturally within Gir Sanctuary. Forest officials said the MP government has assured the court that it would give full protection to the lions being brought from Gujarat, reiterating that Kuno Palpur had adequate prey base and that the lions would not die of starvation.

The affidavit was filed in response to the affidavit of the Gujarat government which had in March opposed the move to transfer the Asiatic lions from Sasan Gir. The Gujarat Government had, in the affidavit, reiterated that tigers and lions cannot stay together.

It warned that relocating the lions from the Gir Sanctuary in Gujarat was fraught with irreparable damage to the sociology of lions and asserted that MP cannot manage the relocation as it had failed to protect its own tiger sanctuary.

The Gujarat government affidavit also

stated that the lion poaching racket in Gujarat had its roots in MP. Kuno Palpur has presence of tigers in the vicinity and hence lions and tigers cannot co-exist. Officials said the government also claimed that earlier attempts to transfer lions had failed.

However, according to officials from MP, the MP affidavit is silent on the earlier attempts to transfer lions. Also, it has failed to justify whether lions and tigers can stay together. MP has been just claiming that Kuno Palpur does not have presence of tigers, added an official.

Trapped in cement slab, leopard rescued after 20 days

Rajkot: In a bizarre incident in a village in Kodinar taluka of Junagadh district, a leopard was cemented inside a concrete slab for last 20 days. It was discovered on Tuesday when it managed to break a brick. A major operation was carried out to rescue it.


According to sources, the incident was reported from Kadodara village where labourers built a wall around a leopard which had hidden in a hollow chamber on the third storey of an under-construction house. They did not know that the animal was inside.

Range forest officer (Jamwala Forest Range-Gir) LD Parmar told TOI, “The leopard was found from the house being constructed by Natu Vala, chairman of a sugar factory here. The village is about 8 km

away from Kodinar town. The supporting slab under the roof of the house was inadvertently cemented from all sides during the finishing of the bungalow 20 days ago.”

“It is a wonder that the animal was alive even after 20 days. In the morning, when a labourer was splashing water on the site, the leopard broke a brick and started growling,” he said. “We waited for night fall to rescue the big cat as it would be resting then. We built a contraption to place a cage at the height of the third floor and thus the leopard was rescued and rushed for medical checkup,’’ Parmar said.