Human-Elephant Conflict and its Mitigation: Q&A with Sanjay Gubbi
Is human–elephant conflict on the rise?
Yes, it seems to be. We have failed to reduce crop depredation loss and injury to human life, which has made people living around wildlife habitats more hostile towards conservation.
As a consequence, there has been a constant increase in the retaliatory killing of elephants. In Karnataka alone 16 elephants were killed in 2006–07, 46 in 2008–09 and 41 in 2009–10. The compensation paid by the Karnataka Forest Department for loss to life and … Read More
Elephant Calf Roadkill, NH-212, Bandipur 2003
Two highways pass through Bandipur Tiger Reserve. NH-67 (Gundlupet-Ooty Road) and NH-212 (Gundlupet-Sultan Batthery Road) and both those highways experience heavy traffic. The traffic on NH-67 is typically tourist traffic from Karnataka to the hill resort of Ooty, while on NH 212 there is heavy passenger and truck traffic plying to northern Kerala.
Due to speeding vehicles several animals mostly chital, nocturnal animals such as civets, black-naped hare, mouse deer were killed in large numbers. Roadkills shockingly included the illustrated … Read More
Jairam Wants Karnataka Chief Minister To Declare Kudremukh Park A Tiger Reserve
Union Environment and Forests Minister Jairam Ramesh has asked Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa to declare the Kudremukh National Park (KNP) as a tiger reserve saying that such a move would strengthen tiger landscapes and, thereby, forestry conservation.… Read More
Using Multiple Sources of Information to Estimate Tiger Densities
In landscapes where wildlife occurs in low densities, gathering information from a single data source often does not permit accurate estimation of population densities and abundance. In such cases, using multiple data sources may allow us to overcome ecological and logistical constraints to estimate densities of elusive carnivores such as tigers. In particular, innovative spatially explicit capture-recapture modeling approaches integrate information from photographic capture-recapture and genetic data to derive more robust estimates of tiger densities in India.
Authors A. M. … Read More
Land for steel plants endangers Daroji bear sanctuary
BELLARY, Karnataka: Nature lovers and wildlife activists have expressed grave concern over the severe threat to “Karadidham”, Asia’s first and biggest sloth bear sanctuary, located near Hampi in Bellary district following allotment of land for steel plants.
“We are not against development and setting up of large-scale industries for value-addition to natural mineral wealth, particularly iron ore, in the district through the newly established Vijayanagar Area Development Authority (VADA). But our concern is for the severe threat posed to the … Read More
Biligiri Rangana Temple Wildlife Sanctuary (BRT) forest staff expose ungulate poachers’ racket
The Forest Department squad of Biligiri Rangana Temple Wildlife Sanctuary (BRTWLS), pursuing fleeing poachers, has bumped into a well-knit racket into ungulate (hoofed animals) poaching, which has been active for the past five years. Three persons have been arrested in this connection.… Read More
1,000 pangolins hunted in 2 months
Aug 14: The pangolin has become a hot favourite with wildlife traders in the region as it is believed their scales have medicinal properties that can cure arthritis, fever, venereal diseases and skin disorders. Only a week ago the police busted a poachers gang in Kamalapur village near Hampi and arrested seven men with 2.5 kg of pangolin scales, clearly meant for the international market where there is a huge demand for them.
Honorary wildlife warden, Bellary district Santosh Martin, … Read More
Organized International Pangolin Wildlife Trade Busted
Conservationists headed by Santosh Martin, President Sloth Bear Foundation and also the honorary wildlife warden of Bellary district, Karnataka, with the help of Kamalapur police have unearthed a major organized international wildlife trade in Bellary district with the seizure of several kilograms of Pangolin scales. These scales were heading towards China and other south Asian Countries like Korea, Taiwan, etc., where the demand for scales and other animal body parts has increased exponentially over the recent years due to economic … Read More
The Kudremukh Saga — A Triumph for Conservation
December 31st, 2005 was an environmentally historic day that went virtually unnoticed, even by most environmentalists. It was the day on which a landmark judgment of the Supreme Court of India took effect, bringing the curtain down on a mining operation that was causing havoc in the Western Ghats of Karnataka. The Supreme Court’s order was all the more remarkable because what was closed down was no two-bit operation but a massive, government-owned, export-oriented, profit making mining operation of the … Read More
Nationwide tiger census in January 2010
The much awaited tiger census will begin on January 22, 2010, and experts are optimistic that the government’s conservation methods after the last census’ shocking figures, should have helped protect the cats.
A regional training was held from November 10 to 12 at the Bandipur tiger reserve for forest officials. Now, the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) in coordination with the central government, various state forest departments and Project Tiger will undertake a detailed study of 17 states.
Speaking to … Read More
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