| Jhurjura Tigress Killed By Vehicle |
| JUNE 2010 At the end of May, Jhurjura tigress was hit by a vehicle near to Rajbhera dam. What beggars belief is that the accident was caused by a park vehicle entering the park illegally with a group of "VIPs" at around 4 am. Unforgivably, the vehicle concerned then left the scene without seeking assistance, and Jhurjura was found by a tourist vehicle at around 6:30. Although they immediately sought help, the tiger died soon afterwards. As usual, rumours were flying around thick and fast. The blame was initially placed on tourists, and some vehicles were banned and routes closed. The focus has now turned to the park officials, and I've heard that two vehicles have been impounded and three officials suspended. As yet I haven't been able to find out who. |
| A further concern is her three cubs, who would have been around five months old and still suckling at the time of the accident. By the end of June the cubs were still in good health and being fed by the park staff. The bigest problem will be that their mother is no longer there to protect and educate them. We can only pray for the best. Personally I hope that Shiva pays some people a visit in the dark hours of the night..... |
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| Tiger Tourism To Continue |
| MAY 2010 Contrary to reports published in certain sections of the UK press, India has no plans to stop tourists visiting the core areas of the major tiger reserves. |
“Our policy is to develop a set of guidelines for eco - tourism where tourism takes place in a sustainable way, linked to the carrying capacity of the reserves. We are not at all interested in stopping tiger tourism.”
“Tourism is the only way to generate revenue for the local community. We have no intention of stopping tourism.” |
Jairam Ramesh
Environment Minister
2 May 2010 |
| While unregulated tourism is a bad thing, responsible tourism is essential to the future survival of the tiger. Tourists provide a monitoring system for the welfare of the tigers in the parks. That is why some parties (including some park officials) are keen to ban the tourists, and why it is vital for the future of the tiger that tourism continues in a responsible manner. The presence of tourists acts as a deterrent to poachers. Where many pairs of eyes patrol the park each day the loss of a well documented tiger is more easily noticed. Less visited parks such as Sariska and Panna have been hit hard over the last few years. |
| The income generated by tourism provides a benefit to both the park authorities and the local people. Where the local people have jobs and the prospect of long term financial benefit from tiger tourism, they are more likely to protect their tigers and less likely to help the poachers. Compensation schemes by the Forest Department and local charities that compensate the villagers for injury and loss of cattle rely on the tourists for funding. |
| Our view is quite simple : See The Tiger, Save The Tiger. |
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| Tourism Numbers |
| JULY 2010 In an effort to protect the core areas of the tiger reserves, the number of tourist jeeps will be reduced for next season. However, the reports attributing the number of jeeps that will be allowed entry into Bandhavgarh as being only 18 would appear to be unfounded. Latest news on the grapevine (as of 9th July) is that the Conservator of Forests is looking at reducing the number of jeeps in the Tala Zone at Bandhavgarh from 45 to 35. Maghdi and Khitauli Zones should continue as before. I think that the claims of 18 are unnecessarily alarmist. |
| Having always been organised sufficiently in advance with our tour groups, we have never had any problems in accessing the core areas, unlike some other operators. We have no reason to think that this situation will change. |
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| New Cubs Born In Bandhavgarh |
| JUNE 2009 Chorbera has been seen mating with the Bhamera male, one of the now matured tigers from Bandar & Chakradhara's previous litter. The mahouts think that she may be pregnant, so we are once again hoping for some new additions to the park during the early part of the monsoon. Since February she has been carrying a heavy limp on her right hind leg. Although very noticeable when she walks, when she hunts and has to run it disappears and she has been quite capable of fending for herself. How this will hinder her in raising a litter we don't know, and there is much discussion at the moment about the benefits of providing treatment. |
| AUGUST 2009 Chorbera tigress has been reported as having cubs. UPDATE SPRING 2010 Two cubs : healthy though a little small, probably due to Chorbera's hunting being made more difficult by her injury. |
| AUGUST 2009 Mahaman tigress has been reported as having delivered cubs. UPDATE SPRING 2010 Confirmed : four cubs that are seen occasionally. A fellow guest in March had a good sighting of mother and cubs, plus the photographs to prove it. |
| SEPTEMBER 2009 Mirchani tigress was reported by forest officials as having three new cubs. UPDATE SPRING 2010 Confirmed : all three cubs doing well. |
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| Bhamera Tigress Poisoned |
| AUGUST 2009 Bhamera tigress had been in conflict with local villager for some time. In the previous months she had killed two villagers and become a frequent taker of cattle. It is though that after one such kill the carcass was poisoned and the tiger died on 20 August after she returned to it and ate. The body was cremated after postmortem. Bhamera had three 8 month old cubs that would not be able to survive on their own, but they were found alive and are being cared for by the Forest Department in a large enclosure in the Maghdi zone. |
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| Chakradhara Cub Hit By Vehicle |
| JUNE 2009 Unfortunately we have some bad news about Chalkradhara's litter. On 21 April 2009 one of the cubs was injured by a tourist jeep, subsequently dying a few days later. It is clear that the cub went under the jeep and that the jeep moved while it was still there, though accounts differ as to whether or not the mother was acting aggressively towards the jeep. Other stories abound (I have even heard one version where the cub was already injured beforehand (?)) and as a result the whole story is unclear. The driver, Satyendra Tiwari, was arrested but has subsequently been released on bail awaiting trial, and was driving in the park again before I returned home early in June. I am surprised that someone as experienced and committed to tiger conservation should have been involved in the death of a tiger, and it is a bitter irony that his was often the loudest voice complaining about others' behaviour. |
| I'll keep everyone posted about the outcome of the trial, and what action Tour Operators For Tigers (TOFT) take against the driver, who is one of their members. |
| UPDATE JUNE 2010 Still no news of when anything will be done : driver concerned still entering the park and still no observable action by TOFT. |
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| Banbai Female Presumed Dead |
| JUNE 2009 An adult tiger was found dead just outside the park at the beginning of May. The park authorities are claiming that this is a 12 year old male, but all the known males are accounted for. Banbai female has gone missing, so most people are of the opinion that the dead tiger is almost certainly her. Sad news is that this only leaves Chakradhara alive from the offspring of Sita and Charger. Her three cubs look to be fending for themselves, so hopefully they will continue to maturity. |
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| Senior Park Officials Removed In Madhya Pradesh |
| JUNE 2009 The rules of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (formerly known as Project Tiger) strictly prohibit the removal of adult breeding tigers from the core areas of National Parks. In spite of this, Bhitri female was tranquilised and removed from Bandhavgarh to Panna in March, along with a female from Kanha. The stated idea was to mate the two females with the sole remaining resident male to repopulate the park. The move met a lot of resistance from both parks, including a strike by the guides at Kanha. |
| There were far more suitable candidates for relocation and there is concern as to how effective protection for the tigers will be, bearing in mind that Panna has lost its existing tigers. There had been no confirmed sightings of the old male recently, and I have unconfirmed reports that the signal from Bhitri's radio collar is many km from the area in the park where she was released. |
| At the end of May the Field Directors of Bandhavgarh, Kanha, and Panna National Parks were transferred from their posts as a result of the decline in tiger numbers in the state. |
| SEPTEMBER 2009 (Indian web based news agency) The forest department announced that the plan to remove another male tiger from Bandhavgarh on 25 September to join the two tigresses already transferred had been postponed, after it was found that the male belonged to the same gene pool as one of the two females. |
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| Other News |
| AUGUST 2009 Four big tigers have been seen behind Garphuri Dam. These are thought by some to be cubs from Mahaman’s first litter, though this would be at odds with the report of one of the cubs having been killed be a male tiger in March 2008. Any sighting of tigers is good news. A patrolling party spotted a “new” male tiger on a trail near Chilhari village. |
| JUNE 2009 Mirchani's two sub adult males are very confident and still moving around as a pair. One in particular takes great delight in parading slowly in front of the assembled jeeps -- the authentic "catwalk" model. |
| JUNE 2009 Jhurjura's litter is almost fully grown and gave us regular sightings in the water at Rajbhera Dam. We also had good views of one of the cubs hunting and one the last morning of our summer tour we saw Jhurjura and Boka mating just a few yards from the jeep. |
| JUNE 2009 Bandar (B2) is still in good condition, though he is coming under increasing pressure from Bhamera, his four year old son. Bhamera seems to be able to handle both Bandar and the other dominant male, Boka, so it would appear that the balance of power in the park is about to change. |
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