Did You Know? Festivals

TAF Newsletter

Article February 2009 Issue

There are a lot of things we can do as individuals to help save Mother Earth. Let us look at a few things we can do at home to be more eco‐friendly.

• Segregate your biodegradable waste from the non biodegradable waste. This solves half the problems of waste disposal in cities. Also, the manure that comes of biodegradable waste is not just eco friendly, but also very effective.

• Reuse the plastic that finds its way to your house. Remember to reuse, refuse and recycle.

• Avoid wasting water and electricity to the extent possible.

• Grow a few trees around your home.

• Try and lead the used water from washing machines, etc. into the garden directly. Plants like sweet potato and canna reduce the toxic content in the water.

• Avoid too much paving in the garden so that water can seep through the ground and re‐ charge the ground water.

• Use conventional eco‐friendly pest control methods like turmeric and neem seeds. Keeping a cat around your house is a better way to keep rats and snakes away rather than using chemicals.

• Avoid using fire crackers during Did You Know? festivals.

A glass bottle takes 1 million years to decompose,

a plastic beverage bottle take 450 years to decompose, and an aluminum can takes anywhere between 80 and 200 years to decompose!!

Recycling them and avoiding them to the extent possible is much more eco-friendly!

TAF Newsletter Eco-Friendly Tips February 2009 Issue

There are a lot of things we can do as individuals to help save Mother Earth. Let us look at a few things we can do at home to be more eco‐friendly.

• Reuse the plastic that finds its way to your house. Remember to reuse, refuse and recycle.

• Avoid wasting water and electricity to the extent possible.

• Grow a few trees around your home.

• Try and lead the used water from washing machines, etc. into the garden directly. Plants like sweet potato and canna reduce the toxic content in the water.

• Avoid too much paving in the garden so that water can seep through the ground and re‐ charge the ground water.

• Use conventional eco‐friendly pest control methods like turmeric and neem seeds. Keeping a cat around your house is a better way to keep rats and snakes away rather than using chemicals.

• Avoid using fire crackers during festivals.

Did You Know?

Bulls are colour blind, therefore they will usually charge at a matador's waving cape no matter what colour it is ‐ be it red or neon yellow!

TAF Newsletter Editorial February 2009 Issue

A few days ago, I met a conservationist whose organization had stalled the construction of a bridge. I was impressed initially. After a while, I wondered, “Does stopping the construction of a bridge make one a true conservationist?”

Maybe, if we constructed that bridge, it would cut the route short and save a lot of fuel and also reduce the emissions from the vehicles. Perhaps they should have weighed everything before coming to a decision.

So, who is an ideal environmentalist?

I believe that he is one whose ultimate objective is to ensure that the human race and its fellow species live happily in a sustainable planet. He is one who can strike a balance between conservation of Nature and improving the quality of life of our brethren.

An environmentalist looks at protecting the planet in the long term. Development is purely for the human race and very often, short term in nature. Knowing how to improve the quality of life of our people without overt damage to the environment is what makes a true conservationist.

Let me cite an example here: Denmark, a small European country, after realizing the pollution in the world, decided to reduce the oil that they use. They used to import 99% of their oil from the Middle East in 1973 and now, they import 0%.

This makes them one of the greenest nations in the world and for more than one reason. This is an excellent example of how, when politicians work hand in hand with environmentalists, dramatic changes can be made!

It is no mean task to strike this balance, but I think that we should view each issue from several perspectives before we come to a decision.

Conservation Quote

“When asked, as I frequently am, why I should concern myself so deeply with the conservation of animal life, I reply that I have been very lucky and that throughout my life the world has given me the most enormous pleasure. But the world is as delicate as a spider’s web. If you touch one thread, you send shudders running through all other threads. We are not just touching the web, we are tearing great holes in it.” - Gerald Durrell

TAF Newsletter Specie February 2009 Issue

MALABAR PIT VIPER

The malabar pit viper (Trimeresurus malabaricus) has a flat, broad and triangular head, green or brown body with pale or dark brown blotches and light green or yellow below. They have a prehensile tail which is black with yellow spots. Young brown with grey or pale brown underside. They have a pit‐like sensory organ between each eye and nostril. They are venomous snakes. Venom causes moderate pain and swelling to humans and subsides in a day or two.

They are found mainly in the hilly regions of southwestern India. They live in tree hollows. This snake is usually seen on small branches, or coiled near rocks near water courses. They are nocturnal and usually inactive in the day. They have a shy temperament, but strike when disturbed. They feed on lizards, geckos, mice and fledging birds.

Oops!

In the last issue of the TAF newsletter, we made an error about the lesser cats. They are – the rusty spotted cat, golden cat, fishing cat, caracal, desert cat, jungle cat, marbled cat, lynx, leopard cat and Palla’s cat

TAF Newsletter Wildlifer of the Month February 2009 Issue

FATEH SINGH RATHORE

Fateh Singh Rathore is amongst the primary forces for the return of the tiger in the Ranthambhore National Park in Rajasthan. He runs an NGO called “Tiger Watch”.

Fateh was the first field director of Ranthambhore. He revived the tigers of Ranthambhore by a slow and troublesome process of relocating 20 villages from the National Park and gradually stabilized the prey base. As the prey base increased, the tiger began to revive slowly but steadily. He is one of the best managers Ranthambore had ever had. He was responsible for creating most of the waterholes (including lakes) and for efficient monitoring and policing of the park.

Fateh set up "Tiger Watch" with the aim of monitoring the tigers' health in Ranthambhore and acting as a pressure group for the benefit of the tiger. After his retirement from the Rajasthan Forest Service he has settled down in a farm on the outskirts of Ranthambhore, where among other things he has started a school for local children with an emphasis on wildlife conservation.

Fateh is a true “wildlife warrior”. Once, infuriated at the bar on grazing cattle in the protected area, villagers ambushed his vehicle, beat him up and left him bloody and unconscious for dead. Despite this, he is as strong as ever in his commitment and continues to strive for the cause of the tiger. In 1983 Fateh Singh was awarded the International Valour Award for bravery in the field. He has been awarded the status of honourary warden of the park. He is an inspiration for all those who want to save the tiger. He also believes that the revitalization of the corridor between the Sawai Mansingh and Keladevi sanctuaries is critical to the long term survival of Ranthambhore.

Widely acknowledged as a tiger guru, Fateh says, "When I die, I hope to be buried in the park, so I can speak to the tigers."

TAF Newsletter Forest Info February 2009 Issue

Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve is probably the best place in the world to spot wild tigers. It is the only dry deciduous tiger habitat in the world. Ranthambore National Park, Sawai Man Singh Wildlife Sanctuary and the Keladevi Sanctuary (700 sq. km) together form the Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve. The only Tiger Reserve in Rajashtan state, it lies at the confluence of the Aravali and Vindhyan Ranges and spans a total of 1334 sq. km. To the northeast of the Ranthambhore National Park flows the river Banas – a tributary of Chambal River which flows across the eastern region of Ranthambhore NP.

Forest Type: Northern Tropical Dry Deciduous Forest.

Major Flora: Dhok mixed with Khair, Raunj, Goya, Chhela, Pipal, Vad, Amaltas, Gurjan, Siris Saintha, Gular, Tendu

Fauna: Tiger, Leopard, Caracal, Ratel, Jungle Cat, Chital, Sambar, Blue Bull, Chinkara, Sloth Bear, Wild Boar, Jackal, Hyena, Common Langur, Common fox, dhole.

Tourist Information:

Climate Summer Max: 37.0 °C Min. 23.0 C Winter Max: 29.0 °C Min. 9.1 °C

Park Season: Opened During‐ 1st October to 30th June Visiting Shifts ‐ Morning and Afternoon trips Closed During ‐ 1st July to 30th September

Nearest Airport: Jaipur (180 km)

By Rail: Nearest Rail Head: Sawai Madhopur (10 km) on the Delhi Mumbai rail lines. Several trains a day from Delhi, Mumbai, Agra, Jaipur.

By Road: Around 340 km by road from Delhi Around 180 km by road from Jaipur Around 250 km by road from Agra

Travel Tips: Light cotton garments are recommended for the hot summer months and woolens are suitable for the winters. Entry charges for hired vehicle, guide and photo equipment are separate. These can be reserved at the Project Tiger office in Sawai Madhopur.

TAF Newsletter The Satan’s of Wildlife February 2009 Issue

Born in 1958 Sansar Chand is probably one of the most notorious wildlife poachers. Chand had been preying on wildlife since he was 12, when he joined his uncle in smuggling animal skins. First arrested at the age of 16 in September 1974, he has been involved in wildlife products trading all his life. The officials had seized tiger and leopard skins and 676 other wildlife skins from him.

Sansar and his gang members have atleast 60 cases against them in nine states across India. However despite the large number of cases against him and his colleagues, he has only received 2 convictions. In April 2004 he was convicted to 5 years imprisonment but was later granted bail. In June 2005 he was again arrested by the CBI. Sansar and his other gang members (Hiralal Khatik, Kallya Bavaria, Ballya Bavaria) are responsible for poaching cases in Sariska Tiger reserve.

Sansar largely used his family members for poaching activities. WPSI identified as many as 36 family members – which include his son Akash and wife Rani Saini (a politician in Delhi) operating for him (Both, his son and wife are in jail). Sansar Chand's criminal activities had reached such severity that he had earned an acronym as the Veerappan of North India.

The Police when raided his warehouse noted that it looked like a slaughterhouse. The haul of animal skins, bones, teeth, paws etc. are one of the largest in decades.

Of his properties, he has about 40 shops and houses spread in Sadar Bazar and other places in Delhi. He also has godowns at many places, where he used to stuff the wildlife products for exporting to other countries." The police team found 25,800 skins of snakes, tigers and other animals from his east Delhi godowns.

Did You Know?

A glass bottle takes 1 million years to decompose, a plastic beverage bottle take 450 years to decompose, and an aluminum can takes anywhere between 80 and 200 years to decompose!!

Recycling them and avoiding them to the extent possible is much

more eco friendly!

TAF Newsletter TAF Campaign February 2009 Issue

On the 23rd of February, which happens to be Maha Shivratri, thousands of people visit the temples in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park and Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary. However, some people get inside the forest to gamble, drink, roam about, and also deliberately start forest fires.

In order to prevent this wanton destruction of the pristine forests, which is home to a small population of leopards, members of TAF will be keeping a vigil at the park to ensure that the day does not do much harm to the forest.

We request you to volunteer to help keep these green lungs of Mumbai safe.

If you could help to save Mother Earth, please e‐mail us at [email protected]

The Tiger Quiz

1. How much better is the tiger’s night vision than the humans? a. 6 b. 2 c. 3 2. Which set of paws better helps the tiger swim? a. Back b. Front 3. Which part(s) of the tiger define its uniqueness? a. Eye color b. Sounds they make c. Stripes, and facial patterns 4. Are tigers better in running short or long distances? a. Short b. Long 5. How far into air can a tiger leap? a. 3 b. 10 c. 15

Answers on last page

TAF Newsletter Wildlife News February 2009 Issue

ADANI UPDATE The Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve is probably is heading towards doomsday. Proposed coal mines are set to replace 1700 hectares of prime tiger habitat and reserve forests in and around TATR. The first to commence the destruction is Adani Power Ltd, a Gujarat based company. The over burden (OB) of these mines is proposed to be dumped in additional 1800 Hectares of Forest Land. Thus by these estimates alone an area of about 3400 Hectares of forest land would be destroyed. The said land lies about 9 km from the Project Tiger boundary and is part of the Junona Reserve forest. This tract of forest presently has 6 tigers and quite a sizable population of leopards. The EIA report submitted by the Adani group has presented false information that the core zone of Tadoba is more than 10km from the mine site. Maps of this region show that the mining site includes forest compartments of Tadoba's buffer zone, which were declared eco‐sensitive by the forest department. The sad part is that the Forest Minister himself seems to be supporting this project.

So, what can you and I do about this?We can try and save as much electricity as we can because that will create an impact in the long term. That will lessen the amount of electricity that needs to be produced. Also, we have to raise our voices and inform people of the threat faced not only by Tadoba’s wildlife, but by them as well. ( Click to enlarge )

Three tiger cubs were found in the Junona Reserved Forest near Nagpur. The cubs are only a month and a half and thankfully very healthy. The mother is however missing. The cubs however when brought to the Forest Department seemed to be very well fed. They were then sent to the Maharaj Bagh Zoo in Nagpur. The forest department conducted a search for the tigress in an area of 8 square kilometers. No evidence of the tigress has been found yet leading to suspicion about its well‐being and possibility of her having been poached. The cubs will be kept in the Maharaj Bagh Zoo.

On another occasion, a new tigress and three cubs (4‐5 months old) were also spotted in Junona forest. The area is also home to at least one male tiger and a large leopard. The area has good habitat and good water availability. These sightings are an evidence of the forest being rich in wildlife and also a breeding region for tigers. The tiger population is moving into these areas through the corridor, part of which has been allocated to the Adani Group’s mine project. The project would be a disaster for the wildlife in the area and also to the neighboring human population as it would lead to more intense man‐animal conflict.

Funds delay hits tiger Panna to get two tigresses conservation With reports suggesting that there might be only On Jan 30, The Telegraph reported that 1 tiger left in Madhya Pradesh’s Panna Tiger the non‐release of funds of the central Reserve the authorities are finalizing plans to government by Dispur has jeopardized tiger relocate two tigresses from either Bandhavgarh conservation efforts. As a result crucial field or Kanha Tiger Reserve. operations in the Manas Tiger Reserve are Experts admit that tiger sightings in the bound to suffer. With just two months region have become rare for the past couple of remaining for the closure of the financial year months. Criminal Activity besides habitat the funds even if released are most likely to destruction and disturbances are considered to remain unutilized. Earlier the Supreme Court in be the main cause of low tiger population in this February 2005 directed the state government to region. Authorities say that between 2006 and release funds to field formations within 15 days 2008 a gang of criminals with the name of of its sanction by the ministry of environment Thokia Gang hired by a local farmer to prevent and forests. forest staff from taking charge of an area that he The money was meant for deployment of used for mustard cultivation used to operate personnel for anti‐poaching operations, buying from inside the forest. Few months back the petrol for patrol vehicles and other protection leader of the gang was killed, while several other measures. Rs 74.40 lakh was also meant for gang members were arrested by the police. ration for frontline staff, wireless sets, Officials believe the disturbances might have infrastructure development and programmes to forced the big cats to migrate to adjoining curb man‐animal conflict. forests. It is ironical that just last year the forest The wildlife Institute of India is carrying ministry had deducted Rs 6.30lakh from its out a study to ascertain the causes of low tiger funds since the park failed to spend that amount density and population through camera traps from the previous instalment. and other modern techniques. A study in 2000 had put the tiger count of Panna al 32.

9 Tiger deaths in Kaziranga in 3 months

Tiger poaching continues to be on the rise in the country. Authorities at Kaziranga National Park (KNP) have admitted to the deaths of nine big cats in the past three months, the biggest casualty ever in a national park over such a brief period. Wildlife experts fear the numbers are much higher and suspect forest officers at Kaziranga are deliberately quoting a lower figure to avert a full‐blown investigation.

“Rhino poachers are behind the killings. I have credible information that the poachers have confessed to killing at least four tigers in the recent past. The real figure must be higher,” said P K Sen, former director of Project Tiger while speaking to The Times of India. KNP director S N Buragohain, however, insisted that poaching was not the sole reason behind the deaths. “Since tigers are highly territorial animals, there are frequent incidents of infighting. With their habitat shrinking, the big cats often stray into neighbouring villages in search of food. Regular cases of cattle‐lifting makes the endangered animal vulnerable to retaliatory killings by humans,” he said.

Only last month reports suggested Panna Tiger Reserve to have only one Tiger left.

TAF Newsletter Join Us February 2009 Issue

Want to share an exciting wildlife experience? Or have a fantastic photograph – mail them to us at [email protected] along with your name and city and we will include those in our future newsletter. If it is a photograph please mention the location where it was taken.

E‐Mail ID: [email protected]

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For any comments or suggestions, please feel free to mail us at: [email protected]

Answers to “The Tiger Quiz” 1. 6. 2. Front – Tigers swim using their front paws to take them in any direction they want to go. 3. Stripes, and facial patterns – no two tigers are alike. 4. Short. 5. 15 – Tigers jump farthest when they are in their prime sub-adult years. In a tiger cubs early development their play activities include lots of jumping and leaping at each other or their mother.

CREDITS:

Cover Page Photo: Amish Shah. Specie of the Month: Mridula Vijairaghavan. Editor: Mridula Vijairaghavan. TAF Team: Neil Mehta, Gaurav Mahajan, Mridula Vijairaghavan, Utpal Tongo, Sunitha RK, Bhagyesh Pidiyar, Udayan Patil, Tanmay Pawaskar, Rajesh Sachdev, Maulik Doshi, Shalik Jogwe.