The Central government, under whose purview the project lies, has initiated negotiations with the families likely to be affected by offering a compensation of Rs. 10 lakh each for their relocation. “We are working with these families. We cannot shift them forcibly,” Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh says. Mr. Jairam Ramesh, who is currently in the tiger reserve on a two-day visit, sees “great potential” for revival of the area.

Monthly payment
Mr. Ramesh said in an innovative measure to protect the dwindling population of tigers, 400 youth hailing from the Chenchu tribes had been recruited and entrusted the task of monitoring the tiger population in tiger reserve. The tribal youth will be offered payment of Rs. 3,000 to Rs. 4,000 a month for fulfilling their responsibility. “Police and forest guards alone would not be in a position to protect tigers and we have preferred local youth for the purpose,” he said.

Mr. Jairam Ramesh, who held extensive interactions with the ‘new recruits’, told The Hindu that these local youth would forthwith be the ‘tiger watchers and protectors’. Though the department had taken up similar initiatives elsewhere, “it is really taking off in Andhra Pradesh.” He said the department was also facing one of the biggest threats to the protection of ecology in the form of grazing. Close to four lakh cattle came to the reserve for grazing and efforts had been initiated to identify lands where fodder could be grown or areas which could be converted into grazing grounds to prevent cattle from entering the reserve. In addition, the location of nine temples in the sanctuary area was creating hindrances in the revival efforts. “We have to first regulate the traffic flow through the forest area and a mechanism is being evolved in this direction.”

He said the Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam tiger reserve, spread over 3,600 sq. km, was by far the number one among the 39 notified areas in the country, but suffered destruction over a period of one decade from 1994 to 2004. Efforts to revive the reserve had started yielding results with the current tiger population, pegged at 70, showing “great scope for revival”.

http://beta.thehindu.com/news/states/andhra-pradesh/article431151.ece

Video on the work of the Altai Foundation, which was founded in 2004 to protect Russia’s wilderness areas. It works with its US partner, the Altai Conservancy, to collect scientific data of wilderness areas and supports anti-poaching efforts to protect the last snow leopards.

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It spreads over a highly undulating topography varying from gentle to steep slopes; from flat topped hills of the Vindhyas to the conical hillocks and sharp ridges of the Aravalis, from wide and flat valleys to narrow rocky gorges. An important geological feature the ‘Great Boundary Fault’ where the Vindhya plateaus meet the Aravali hill ranges, meanders through theReserve. the national Park is bound by the rivers Chambal in the south and Banas in the north.

The Name: The name Ranthambore is derived from two hills in the area, Ran and Thanbhor. Another version says that Ranthambhore was once called Rana Stambhapura or City of the Pillars of War.

Geographical Details:

- Longitude – From 76-23-00 E To 76-39-00 E

- Latitude – From 25-54-00 N To 26-12-00 N

- Topography Code – B

- Altitudinal Range – N.A.

- Average Rainfall – 800 mm

- Temperature – Min 4, Max 47 (deg.Cel)

Tiger Population:

- 1979 – 25

- 1984 – 38

- 1989 – 44

- 1993 – 36

- 1995 – 38

- 2001 – 20

Tiger, Ranthambore Tiger Reserve In the wild zone !!!

With over 300 types of trees, 272 species of birds and approximately 30 various kinds of mammals, Ranthambhore is packed full with life. The park hosts India’s smallest and largest antelopes, Chinkara and Nilgai (‘blue bull’). We can take you outside of the park for the chance to see Black Buck Antelope in nearby tribal villages and vast numbers of migratory birds around tranquil lakes.

The other kinds of cats found in Ranthambhore are Leopard (Panthera pardus), Caracal (Felis caracal), Leopard Cat (Felis bengalensis), Fishing Cat ( Felis viverrina) and the Jungle Cat (Felis chaus). Besides the big cats, the other large predators found in Ranthambhore include Sloth Bear, Striped Hyena, Wolf, Wild dog (or Dhole), Jackal, Indian Fox, Palm Civet, Small Indian Civet, Common Indian Mongoose, small Indian Mongoose, Ratel (or Honey Badger), Crocodile and the Indian Python. There’s two species of Antlers, namely the Spotted Deer (or Chital) and the Sambhar Deer, and, two kinds of Antelopes, namely the Indian Gazelle (or Chinkara) and the Bluebull (or Neelgai). Black Buck (another kind of antelope), which is rarely found in the National Park is common in Devpura area, in the outskirts of the park.

Opening Time:

The park is open from 1st October till 30th June.

Best time to visit:

Tiger, Ranthambore Tiger Reserve October to March. The park is closed from June to October. While May and June are hot, the increasing scarcity of water as summer approaches makes wildlife sighting easier as the animals flock to the waterholes.

How to get there!

Fly to Jaipur (the closest airport) and drive to Ranthambore (165 kms)

By train: Ranthambore National Park is approx. 12 km from the Sawaimadhopur Railway station, that lies on the Delhi to Mumbai trunk route.

Where To Stay:

RTDC Jhoomar Baori Forest Lodge, RTDC Hotel Kamdhenu, Maharaja Lodge (Taj Group), Sawai Madhopur Lodge, PWD Rest House, and Jogi Mahal which lies within the park premises, are some of the available means of accomodation.

For loosed till dawn are we.

Here is the hour of pride and power,

Talon and tush and claw.

Oh, hear the call!- Good hunting all

That keep the Jungle Law!

- Rudyard Kipling, Jungle Book

Kanha National Park in the Mandla District spreads over 1,945 sq.km of dense sal forests, interspersed with extensive meadows and trees and clumps of wild bamboo. This area known as Kipling Country’ is where all the jungle books of Rudyard Kipling were conceived.

Geographical Details :

- Longitude – 89″-32′ to 89″-45′ E .

- Latitude -22″-13′ to 22″-27′ N.

- Topography Code – B

- Altitudinal Range – Elevation range of 1480 to 2950 feet (450-900 meters) above mean sea level

- Average Rainfall – 152 cm

- Temperature -Min 10, Max 35 (deg.Cel)

Kanha Tiger ReserveTiger population:

- 1979 – 71

- 1984 – 109

- 1989 – 97

- 1993 – 100

- 1995 – 97

- 2001- 107

On the wild trail !!!

Flora:

The slopes of the plateaus are very thickly forested with Bija, Haldu, Dhaora as the main trees giving away to strands on almost pure Sal, then Ban-rahar, Bamboo and Sindhur. The park, especially in the cooler and greener months is amazingly scenic and a landscape photographer’s dream come true.

Fauna:

Kanha National Park is world famous for it’s tigers. Tiger sightings are not as rare as in most other parks of the country. The only other reserves in the country that can claim to have as many sightings as Kanha are Ranthambor and Kanha’s own neighbour, Bandhavgarh. Other than the tiger, some of the more frequently seen animals around the block consist of Leopards, Gaur, Sambar , Chausinghas, Nilgais , Sloth Bears, Barking Deer , Swamp Deer (Barasingha) , Blackbuck, Langurs, Wild Boars, Porcupines, Mouse Deer, Hyenas, Jackals and Wild Dogs (Dholes).

Kanha Tiger ReserveThe reptile residents of the park consist of Monitor Lizards, Pythons and a lot of avenues of other snakes.

Best time to visit:

Kanha Tiger Reserve is closed to visitors during the monsoon months, from July to November. Winter, between November and January, is a comfortable time to visit the park, when the weather’s pleasant. April to June is when the summer sets in; it can get pretty hot at this time, but if you’re a die-hard wildlife fan, this is where a visit can reward you with satisfactory wildlife-watching at the park’s waterholes.

The excursion timings are:

- Nov. 1 – Feb. 15 Sunrise to 1200 hrs., 1500 hrs. to sunset.

- Feb. 16 – Apr. 15 Sunrise to 1200 hrs., 1600 hrs. to sunset.

- Apr. 16 – Jun. 30 Sunrise to 1100 hrs., 1700 hrs. to sunset.

How to get there:

Khatia (3 km from Kisli) and Mukki are the two main entry points to the Park. The nearest town is Mandla (65 km).

By air: Nearest airports are located at Jabalpur (170 km), Raipur and Nagpur (270 km).

By rail: The closest railheads are at Jabalpur and Bilaspur.

By road: A daily bus service is available for Kisli and Mukki from Jabalpur, and back. It is advisable to reach Kisli before sunset, as vehicles are not allowed around the block after dark.

Accommodation:

Accommodation for tourists visiting Kanha consists of MPSTDC log huts (befittingly named the `Bagheera Log Huts’, in tribute to Kipling’s leopard from Jungle Book) and a youth hostel. Rooms here cost between Rs 700 to 900, and can be booked through the MPSTDC offices in Delhi, Bhopal and Jabalpur. Dorm beds at the youth hostel cost Rs 300, inclusive of meals.

Geographical Details:

- Longitude – From 91-51-00 E To 92-00-00 E

- Latitude – From 26-30-00 N To 27-00-00 N

- Topography Code – P

- Altitudinal Range – 60-100

- Average Rainfall – 1200 mm

- Temperature – Min 2, Max 32 (deg.Cel)

Tiger Population:

- 1979 – 69

- 1984 – 123

- 1989 – 92

- 1993 – 81

- 1995 – 94

- 2001 – 98

In the wild zone!

Wondrous Fauna !!!!

Manas Tiger ReserveManas is noted for its population of the rare golden langur – found only in this part of the country. They are usually spotted in the tall trees. Other primates in the park include the capped langur, Assamese macaque, the slow loris and the hoolock gibbon. These are rarely seen but the whoooping call of the hoolock gibbon can be heard resounding through the forest. The Reserve is also home to the attractive red panda but these are only seen occasionally in the higher elevations. Manas is a very special bioshpere, for it harbours twenty species of birds and animals that are highly endangered and listed in the IUCN Red Data Book. These include the hispid hare and the pigmy hog. The lush forest canopy at Manas shelters colourful birds – the giant hornbills, both pied and grey varieties, pheasants, jungle fowl and scarlet minivet being among them. The water birds along the rivers include brahminy ducks, mergansers and a range of egrets, herons and pelicans. Over 2840 sq.km in area, Manas is a fascinating tiger reserve.

Spectral Flora !!!!

The area of Manas has roughly 45% grassland and 55% tree land as wildlife habitat. The river course may have about 100 sq.km. of reparian forests of grass and primary succession of tree cover, which is probably the most suitable water buffalo habitat any where and providing by far the best habitat for the tiger, where the concentration of the species is the highest.

Best time to visit:

The best season to visit Manas park is between October to April. Rest of the year it is off season for the national park. Avoid the monsoon as many parts of the park is flooded and animals are not easy to spot.

How to get there:

By air: Guwahati is the nearest airport at 176 kms.

By rail: The nearest town and rail-head is Barpeta Road, 41 kms away.

Manas Tiger ReserveBy Road: Manas is well connected by network of roads which connect the place with other cities and towns in the state.

Within the Park, riding elephants and boats on the rivers are available for transport

Accommodation:

Two forest lodges maintained by the tourism department provide comfortable accommodation near the park. The first lodge is located at Barpeta Road and the second at Bansbari. The state department also has two bungalows at Mathanguri inside the forest. There is no provision for catering at these bungalows and lodges, so needful provisions for food must be made. Cooks and chefs are available for a small fee.

PATNA: Almost after a gap of six months, a tiger was sighted in Bihar’s Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR) on Thursday morning. The Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) assistant manager, Samir Sinha, sighted the big cat near the rest house in the Govardhana range of the reserve. Sinha is looking after the camera trap work of the ongoing tiger census work in the reserve.

“Around 5 am, while moving on the Govardhana-Manguraha forest road for collecting certain census-related data, I sighted the tiger,” Sinha told TOI, adding: “I have been working in VTR for the last seven years but didn’t have the chance to sight a tiger earlier.”

VTR director J P Gupta, who was the first one to be informed about the tiger sighting and who had himself sighted a leopard in the Govardhana range itself a few months back, said: “Such things indicate that the efforts put into making the reserve a safe place for the felines are showing good results.”

Prior to this, one tiger was sighted by forest guards in the Someshwar block of the reserve in November last year. A tigress with two cubs was sighted in August in the Manpur area located near the eastern boundary of the reserve last year as well.

The news of tiger sighting from Bihar’s only tiger reserve must be music to the ears of wildlife lovers, as VTR, in the past two months, witnessed the killing of a tiger and a leopard.

While the tiger was poisoned to death in the Madanpur range of the reserve in March after it killed one buffalo belonging to locals, a leopard was killed by villagers at Shahpur Parsauni village four days ago after it strayed into the village and killed a villager and injured five others.

The Thursday sighting apart, wildlife lovers can also take solace from the fact that the ongoing tiger census has given some very encouraging signs. “Camera trap data collected from Raghia, Manguraha and Govardhana ranges is very encouraging with movement of tigers being trapped in these cameras on a regular basis,” Sinha said.

Refusing to draw conclusions about the exact number of tigers on the basis of these findings, he, however, claimed that such things could be done only after comprehensive analysis of data collected in different stages of the census.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/City/Patna/Tiger-sighted-in-Valmiki-reserve-after-six-months/articleshow/5928797.cms

Bhopal, May 19 (PTI) A 30-month-old tigress today died in Madhya Pradesh’s Bandhavgarh tiger reserve due to internal injuries.

“The tigress was around 30 months old and possibly died after sustaining some internal injuries in a fight with another tigress over territorial rights,” Reserve Field Director C K Patil told PTI over phone.

The tigress was found dead at Tala range of the reserve in Umaria district.

Patil said some tourists spotted a limping tigress this morning.

He, however, ruled out the possibility of the tigress being hit by some tourists’ jeep in the reserve.

Before the feline died it entered a water body in Tala range, Patil said, adding there was no external injury mark on the tigress’ body.

Patil said the post-mortem of tigress will be done as per the guidelines of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) tomorrow.

http://www.ptinews.com/news/659711_Tigress-dies-in-Bandhavgarh-Tiger-Reserve