State of the Rhino 2023
Apart from poaching and habitat loss, climate change-induced droughts have been threatening the rhino population in Africa, pointed out a new report. On the other hand, climate disruptions in Asia can
Poaching
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In Short
>> Mali's government has ordered the closure of 104 refined cooking oil factories across the country after an investigation revealed most of them don't have necessary equipment to produce
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30 peacocks found dead in Rajasthan
India's national bird is facing threat in the desert state of Rajasthan - 30 peacocks have been found dead in various parts of the state. While 21 peacocks were found dead in a village near Jodhpur, poachers killed nine peacocks in a village in Bundi district. "Twenty-one peacocks were found dead in an agriculture field in Salodi village in Jodhpur district last evening,' a police official told IANS yesterday. The forest department has been informed and forest officials have started investigations, he added. The forest department has sent the carcasses of the peacocks found in the field for post-mortem examination. In Sisola village in Bundi district, poachers killed nine peacocks after offering them poisonous substance. A recent survey by People for Animals (PFA) showed that as many as 10 peacocks were being killed everyday in Rajasthan.
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Nal Sarovar birds being killed for meat
A bird poaching racket is thriving at this popular sanctuary, located just 50 km from the city. If the 350 odd nets seized and destroyed by the forest department and the arrests of culprits in recent months are any indication, poaching could threaten Nal Sarovar. Forest department officials say, "For four months, from October 2007 to January 2008, six persons have been arrested and 96 birds recovered.' An official said, "Members of the Padhar community, which dominates the villages on the periphery of Nal Sarovar, are engaged in poaching for meat.' The major birds found in Nal Sarovar include storks, spoonbills, pelicans, ducks, flamingos, cranes and coots. The poachers spread the net like a curtain across two poles. When a bird glides down, it gets trapped. Once the bird is caught, poachers immediately twist legs of the bird so that it cannot walk. Next, wings of the bird are clipped. Officials said that even if the forest department were to rescue these birds, it would be useless as they would not be able to walk, swim or fly. An official, pleading anonymity, said that the recovery of these nets from the area in this season was an indication that poaching was rampant. A forest officer said if at all there was trading of birds, it was only within the community. He said a small bird would fetch not more than Rs 15 to 20 while one that is full grown would cost around Rs 30 to 35. The officer further said that there were only 12 staffers to man an area of nearly 120 km and three personnel were sent on deputation to the place during the period between October and March. Deputy conservator of forest BD Modi said that in order to check illegal poaching of birds, the department has designed some 15 routes which the teams have to traverse every day. He said that these rounds had helped curb poaching.
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Global campaign urged to save rhinos
SIVASAGAR, Feb 26
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South Africa allows killing of elephants
Pretoria: South Africa said on Monday that it will start killing elephants in order to reduce their burgeoning numbers, ending a 13-year ban and possibly setting a precedent for other African nations. Environment minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk said the government was left with no choice but to reintroduce killing elephants "as a last option and under very strict conditions' to reduce environmental degradation and rising conflicts with humans. There will be no "wholesale slaughter,' he told reporters. The announcement follows months of impassioned debate, with some conservationists arguing for elephant killings to protect the ecosystem, and animal welfare groups outraged at the prospect of slaughtering one of the planet's most intelligent and self-aware creatures. South Africa has been hugely successful in protecting its elephant population, once on the verge of extinction in parts of the country. But it has become a victim of its own success. The number of elephants, which have no natural predators other than humans, is growing at a rate of more than 5% a year and is expected to double by 2020. The big white hunter in the 1800s brought Africa's elephants near to extinction. Now South Africa, Namibia and Botswana have booming populations because of conservation efforts, while those of east and west African nations are struggling because of large-scale poaching. AP
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People's help sought to save rhinos
Alarmed by the killing of at least 22 rhinos last year and four this year by poachers, the Assam Forest Department has decided to seek people's help to save the pachyderm. Owners of restaurants, resorts, dhabas, tea garden authorities and villagers have been roped in to save the endangered one-horned rhino at the Kaziranga National Park. The Forest department held a series of meetings with restaurant and resort owners near the National Park, a World Heritage site. They were also told that it was their fundamental duty under Article 51A of the Constitution to protect wildlife, a forest official said. "The department feels that the owners should be aware of the identity of the customers because there is a possibility of poachers planning their activities in such places,' Chief Conservator of Forest Bishen Singh Bonal said. Bonal, who was deputed to the park for making an on-the-spot assessment, said: "The forest department alone cannot fully protect the animals... there should be a joint effort from all concerned to save the animals.' There are nearly 90 dhabas, restaurants and resorts on the 40-km stretch from Bokakhat to Burapahar along the national highway running adjacent to the park. A series of meetings were held early this month with neighbouring tea garden authorities for ensuring their cooperation, the forest official said. "In most occasions it is seen that the animals are targeted when they venture out of the park into tea garden areas where there is no security and hence the need to educate the garden authorities,' he said. On animals crossing the national highway and entering the neighbouring hill district of Karbi Anglong where they fell prey to poachers, Bonal said his department would highlight the need to declare the nearly 70 sq km stretch in the district a protected area. The department had also stressed setting up police outposts in Rongbong and Dholerwaran areas which would help in countering poachers, most of whom entered the park area through the Karbi Anglong corridor, he said. Bonal said apart from these steps, talks were also held with villagers and headmen to socially boycott any person having links with poaching and poachers. "We have received overwhelming support with the people agreeing in one voice to socially ostracise anybody involved in poaching,' he said. The Forest Department decided to adopt the pro-active measures after drawing flak from various quarters for large- scale poaching of the one-horned rhinos in the national park.
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Wounded tiger dies in Van Vihar
A leopard too shot dead in Panna district, hunter arrested A wounded tiger, said to have been shot by poachers at Uchera in the Panna-Satna forest belt earlier this week, died in Van Vihar National Park here over the weekend. A leopard was also shot dead by wildlife hunters near Panna on Saturday. Panna National Park Director G. Krishnamurthy told The Hindu on Saturday evening that the leopard was shot by a villager in the territorial forest of South Panna division bordering Damoh district. The villager who allegedly shot the leopard has been arrested and the Chhattarpur Conservator of Forest has rushed to the spot for investigation. Following the death of the Uchera tiger, the State Forest Department's wildlife wing has decided to stuff its skin and keep it as a stuffed tiger in its original form in Van Vihar Narional Park for educational purpose. Educating people Van Vihar Assistant Director A.K. Khare said the idea was to indicate the bullet wounds inflicted by poachers and show the people how the tigers are facing the threat of extinction. He said the wounded tiger was located in the contiguous forest of the Kalda Pahad in Panna district and the Parasmania Pathar (plateau) of Satna district. Mr. Chandra Shekhar Dube of Care for the Wild said it would be difficult to conclude at this stage whether the tiger's habitat also included some area of the Panna National Park. The tiger was skinned on Saturday and its skeletal remains were taken out for investigation and stuffing purpose. Its remaining body parts were burnt in the presence of the Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), Ashok Bhatia, Van Vihar personnel and media persons here on Saturday evening. On being found injured, it was tranquillised, operated upon and brought to the Van Vihar National Park by the Panna National Park authorities. When contacted, CREW (Crusade for Revivial of Environment and Wildlife) chairman R.P. Sharma said: "The entire episode is a grim warning how the tigers are threatened in Madhya Pradesh.' Alarming level He said the latest estimation of the tiger population by the Wildlife Institute of India and the Union Government's Tiger Conservation Authority shows that the tiger population has dwindled to alarming levels in the State. The death of the Uchera tiger should be treated as one of the last nails in the tiger's coffin, he added.
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Tigers in decline, Indian survey finds
The use of new sampling techniques has cut by half the estimated number of wild tigers in India. A new report from the Indian government puts the number at 1411, compared with 3642 in 2002. Experts say the decline reflects more than just a change in methodology: Poaching, human encroachment and habitat loss take a heavy toll.
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Turtle target in state - Rampant smuggling from Orissa
The turtle population of India is under threat because Bengal will not stop consumption of turtle meat. The charge was levelled at a meet by officials of the Wildlife Society of Orissa (WSO) on Tuesday. "Freshwater turtles have become extinct in Bengal in the past 10 years. Now, every turtle consignment seized elsewhere is headed here,' says Biswajit Mohanty, the secretary of WSO and a member of the government's National Board for Wildlife. The NGO works for the preservation of freshwater turtles in the Mahanadi basin.
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Poachers arrested at Nagaon
I n two separate raids against Rhino poachers conducted jointly by Forest officials and police personnel recently total 14 Rhino poachers including four Rhino horn, elephant smuggler and poachers were arrested.