Forest dept to open seventh vulture 'restaurant' in Gadchiroli today

NAGPUR: Even as International Vulture Awareness Day will be observed by the forest department on Saturday to highlight plight of vultures facing extinction, Naxal-infested Gadchiroli district is booming with vultures.

"Buoyed by the increasing number of scavenging birds, we are opening a vulture 'restaurant' at Kamlapur range (Sironcha) on Saturday," said Gadchiroli chief conservator of forest (CCF) TSK Reddy. This will be the seventh 'vulture restaurant' in Gadchiroli.

Currently, there are six 'vulture restaurants' in Gadchiroli — Marakbodi, Madetukum, Nimgaon, Yeoli, Navegaon, Krupala and Porla.

People inform the forest department in case of the death of an animal in their village. The forest department then tests the dead animal, buys it from the owner and transports it to the vulture restaurant.

Kamlapur range forest officer (RFO) Atul Deokar said the new restaurant will be spread over 10,000 sq ft. Right in the centre, a 5-feet-high 'dining table' (bamboo or cement) has been built on which cattle carcass is laid out for the vultures. Water arrangement too has been made close by.

"We pay Rs 250 per dead cow or bull. The dead cattle have to be diclofenac-free. Survey has found that farmers do not use the painkiller drug, mostly responsible for death of vultures," said Deokar.

Deokar further added the vultures in Kamlapur were being tracked since October last when there were just 15-16 birds "However, in villages adjoining Kamlapur, on August 23, we saw 70-80 white-backed vultures," he said.

"The number may be even more if clusters like Kunghada in Chamorsi and Nimgaon in Dhanora are taken into account where we are into conservation of vultures for over a decade," said raptor scientist Dr Ajay Poharkar.

Dr Poharkar's National Association for Welfare of Animals and Research (NAWAR) is working for conservation since 2003 and also operating a vulture restaurant in Nimgaon since 2005 in Dhanora tehsil.

On increasing number of vultures in Gadchiroli, Dr Poharkar says sighting of more vultures doesn't indicate resident population. "You need to count their nests. Vultures fly till 100km and you cannot rule the birds coming from neighbouring Chhattisgarh," he added.

The wildlife wing also plans to declare a 'safe vulture zone' in Vidarbha. Chief wildlife warden Sarjan Bhagat informed Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) has submitted a revised proposal to create 'Vulture Safe Zone' here. The project will be jointly carried out by forest department and BNHS.

"It will be implemented in an area of 30,000 sqkm in the districts of Nagpur, Bhandara, Gondia, Gadchiroli, Chandrapur, Yavatmal and Wardha including the protected areas of Pench and Tadoba. The zone will be made diclofeanc-free with targeted advocacy and awareness programme with all stake holders from cattle owners to drug controlling authorities and animal husbandry commissioner," said a BNHS official.

An awareness programme will be opened at 3pm by head of forest force (HOFF) AK Saxena on Saturday.

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Centre to set up Special Rhino Protection Force in Assam

GUWAHATI: The Centre will create a Special Rhino Protection Force in Assam to protect the animal from poaching and form a task force to enquire into encroachment of forest land in the state, Union environment and forests minister Prakash Javadekar said on Saturday.

"We will have zero tolerance for rhino poaching. With the help of central funds, a Special Rhino Protection Force will be created in Assam," Javadekar told reporters here.

Primarily local youths would form the Force as they knew both the forests and animals, said the minister, who was on a two-day visit to Assam for discussing the poaching and encroachment issues in Kaziranga National Park (KNP).

The minister said that 22 rhinos had been killed this year, while 24 poachers were arrested and 20 others lost their lives in encounters with security forces. On encroachment of forest land, Javadekar said "we'll form a task force which will formulate a mechanism and enquire into the issue of encroachment in forests. It will talk to the state government on the issue.

"I have told the state government that if there is any encroachment, then enquire it and take necessary action. In the next six months, we'll evaluate the work done by the Centre and the state," he said.

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Surface ozone pollution in India killing crops: Study

PUNE: Calling for new ozone pollution standards in India, researchers point out that surface ozone pollution owing to rising emissions in the country damaged six million metric tonnes of India's wheat, rice, soybean and cotton crops in 2005 — a staggering $1.29 billion loss.

This could have fed 94 million people - about a third of the country's poor - said Sachin Ghude, an atmospheric scientist at Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) in Pune.

"India's ground-level ozone pollution caused losses of more than a billion dollars and destroying enough food to feed tens of millions of people living below the poverty line," he added.

Able to acquire accurate crop production data for 2005, the study's authors chose it as a year representative of the effects of ozone damage over the first decade of the 21st century.

They looked at the agricultural effects in 2005 of high concentrations of ground-level ozone, a plant-damaging pollutant formed by emissions from vehicles, cooking stoves and other sources.

Wheat - one of the country's major food sources - saw the largest loss with ozone pollution damaging 3.5 million metric tonnes of the crop in 2005.

Another major food source, rice, saw losses of 2.1 million metric tonnes.

Cotton - one of India's major commercial crops - lost more than five percent of its 3.3 million metric tonnes, according to new research.

Declines in rice and wheat crops made up the majority of the loss, accounting for a combined $1.16 billion in losses.

"The (amount of lost wheat and rice) are what surprised me," said co-author Veerabhadran Ramanathan, a professor of climate and atmospheric sciences from University of California San Diego.

"There are currently no air quality standards in India designed to protect agriculture from the effects of ground-level ozone pollution," Ghude added.

Ground-level ozone is formed when nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and volatile organic compounds react with sunlight after the chemicals' release from vehicles, industry, or burning of wood or other plant or animal matter.

Ghude said the new paper, which is the first to quantify how much damage India's ozone pollution has caused the country's major crops on a national level, could help policymakers craft new ozone pollution standards.

"It could also help India, a country with a high rate of poverty, as the country implements a new law that subsidizes grain for two-thirds of the country's residents," he concluded.

The study published in Geophysical Research Letters, a journal of the American Geophysical Union.

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White tigress mates with Royal Bengal tiger, gives birth to 4 cubs

INDORE: In a rare experiment, four cubs were born after the successful mating of a Royal Bengal Tiger with a white tigress at Kamla Nehru Zoo here.

"This is for the first time in history of Madhya Pradesh that a Royal Bengal Tiger named as Jeevan successfully mated with a white tigress, Shivani," Zoo in-charge, Dr Uttam Yadav told media on Friday.

However, one of them could not survive but rest three are in good health and being looked after by their mother.

Yadav said that the tigress is not allowing anyone to come near to her, even the zoo authorities to lift the dead cub.

The Royal Bengal Tiger was brought to the Kamala Nehru zoo about a year back from Bhopal's Van Vihar National Park.

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Key Pacific panel agrees to 50% cut in young tuna catch

TOKYO: Countries and regions that fish in the northern Pacific agreed on Thursday to cut by half the number of young bluefin tuna they catch in a bid to double the ocean's stock over 10 years.

A four-day subcommittee meeting of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) closed in Fukuoka, southwestern Japan, where Tokyo's proposal for a drastic reduction on the 2002-2004 average catch was agreed.

Participants, including South Korea, the United States, Canada, Taiwan and Japan — the world's biggest consumer of tuna — are hoping the move will help to safeguard the at-risk species.

The grouping, of territories in the northern part of the vast area covered by the WCPFC will present the plan at the organisation's annual conference in December, along with a 10-year recovery plan for Pacific bluefin tuna, beginning in 2015.

Tokyo has been reluctant to reduce catches, despite mounting scientific evidence that stocks are near collapse.

But the shift in Japan's policy towards more radical conservation comes after an international independent assessment found last year that stocks of bluefin tuna, prized by sushi lovers, had fallen 96 percent from their original levels.

Young fish form the majority of specimens now being caught, pushing the species closer to extinction, it said.

The agreed plan would see the amount of young tuna — defined as those weighing less than 30 kilogrammes — that Japan is able to catch cut to around 4,000 tons a year.

"We have no other way but cutting the catch to less than half if we want the resources to recover," said Masanori Miyahara, advisor to Japan's Fisheries Agency, quoted by Jiji Press as saying.

Under the agreement, the ocean's bluefin tuna stock would double over the next decade to 43,000 tons.

Greenpeace Japan offered a qualified welcome to the move, applauding the fact that the international forum had finally "taken a step forward" towards the sustainable control of the resources.

Wakao Hanaoka, an expert in marine ecology for the conservation body, urged Japan to take more initiative to conserve the species especially before they lay eggs.

"It would be insufficient if the resource control plan allows fishermen to sweep up schools of tuna before they lay eggs, even if the plan aims to increase the number of young fish," he said in a statement.

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China to live telecast newborn twin Pandas

BEIJING: A Chinese website has said it will live telecast pictures of newborn twin panda cubs who will open their eyes for the first time on Thursday, 40 days after their birth.

Panda lovers from around the world will be able to log on and watch the pandas 'Maoge' and 'Maomei' live-streamed on video site Youku Tudou starting from 0630 am (0900 IST) on Friday, official media reported.

The brother 'Maoge' weighs 1.53 kg and the sister 'Maomei' weighs 1.44 kg.

They are expected to open their eyes for the first time on Friday, according to Huang Xiangming, a researcher at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, where the pandas live.

Giant pandas are one of the world's most endangered species.

About 1,600 pandas live in the wild, mostly in the mountains of Sichuan, while more than 300 live in captivity.

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Govt set to open 'creches' for lion cubs

NEW DELHI: The government is all set to open 'creches' for lion cubs in its bid to arrest the decline in the population of the big cat in the country.

Protection of the endangered species is a top priority for the government and the environment and forests ministry is now learnt to have firmed up a plan to set up model creches for abandoned and orphaned cubs on the lines of similar facilities for human babies.

These creches will nurse injured, abandoned and vulnerable lion cubs and tigers and mechanisms will be formed to save these endangered animals. At present, these cubs have no protection and often die in the absence of care.

"We are working out plans to create a creche-like facility for care of abandoned or orphaned lion cubs. Once it is complete, the facility will be on the lines of that for humans," said environment minister Prakash Javadekar.

He said that the country takes pride in the fact that more than half the world's lion population is found in India.

Meanwhile, listing out the steps being taken by his ministry to protect tigers, Javadekar said that an assessment of their population was underway and the numbers will come by January next year.

The minister also announced the setting up of a new Tiger Reserve, the 47th in the country, in Maharashtra and said plans were afoot to prepare wildlife conservation landscapes across the country.

To check the poaching of tigers, the ministry has okayed the setting up of a Special Tiger Protection Force, Javadekar said, adding that e-surveillance would also be done to map tigers' presence across the country.

The minister also said that steps would be initiated to check the menace of rhinoceros poaching.

He also announced he would be visiting Kaziranga National Park in Assam for two days on September 4 and 5 to talk to all stakeholders regarding the steps necessary for tackling poaching and for the rehabilitation of the human population living in the reserve.

Talking about death of elephants while crossing rail tracks, Javadekar said a gate was being created for animals to pass.

"We are using all available technology to protect wildlife and, at the same time, ensure progress," he said.

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SC: Use radars to stop jumbo deaths on tracks

NEW DELHI: First, the proposal was to construct flyovers on railway tracks to allow elephants safe passage. Then realization dawned that elephants may be unwilling to take flyovers, so it would be better to build underpasses at the usual routes taken by the pachyderms.

And now, efforts to save elephants from getting knocked down by trains appear to have reached war footing with the Supreme Court suggesting deployment of advanced radars used by defence forces to trace and inform train drivers about presence of elephants on railway tracks.

On the suggestion of petitioner Shakti Prasad Nayak's counsel Sanjeeb Panigrahi, the court asked the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) and railways to explore the option of using Battlefield Surveillance Radar System to prevent accidents.

The court on Tuesday said the task of MoEF and railways was cut out - the ministry will map the traditional migration routes of elephants and pinpoint places where they cross railway tracks to facilitate railways to construct underpasses there.

A bench of Justices Dipak Misra and Vikramjit Sen also proposed many options, all of which were at some point of time discussed in the court or proposed by the government, and requested solicitor general Ranjit Kumar to coordinate between them for an expeditious and coordinated response to prevent death of elephants.

When the bench noticed that the SG was presenting arguments on behalf of the railways, it said, "You (the railways) are concerned only about running of trains and not bothered about wildlife."

But it took exception to MoEF's casual approach as it found no lawyer was present to represent the ministry in an important case like this. The bench summoned the MoEF secretary and asked him to be present in the court on September 23 with an affidavit detailing the steps taken by the ministry to save elephants from being killed on train tracks.

The bench said after MoEF identified the elephant migration routes and the points where it intersected the railway track, "the railways can make underpass in the identified corridors so that elephants do not stray on to tracks".

The apex court asked the ministries to make optimum use of available technology to detect presence of elephants on tracks and forewarn train drivers to push the brakes to avoid crashing into the herd. The court suggested use of thermal imaging cameras and electronic eyes on tracks to get information about presence of elephants on tracks and communicate this to train drivers.

Advocating liberal use of technology to prevent elephant deaths on rail tracks, the bench asked MoEF and railways to try out modern wireless animal tracking system, satellite space navigation system and last but not the least Battlefield Surveillance Radar System.

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Deer, monitor lizards, tigers among favourites for poachers in Goa

PANAJI: Exotic varieties of deer, monitor lizards, wild boar, bears and even leopards and tigers are favourites for Goa's poachers who have freely trapped and shot wildlife in the state's five wildlife sanctuaries over the last couple of years, official records show.

The records, sourced from the state forest ministry, also suggest that two incidents involving the sale of tiger parts were also recorded, in which the poachers were booked for selling tiger skins, claws and other body parts.

From 2012 till now, forest department statistics show that 44 monitor lizards, and in some cases their skin and flesh, were seized from over half a dozen poachers nabbed in different parts of the state.

In Goa's ruralscape, a dead monitor lizard has multiple uses. Hunted with the help of dog packs, the blood of the tough lizard is believed to cure asthma, its flesh is cooked as a sought after delicacy and, more importantly, its tough skin is used to make a traditional drum.

The rampant hunting of monitor lizards also featured during the just-concluded monsoon session of the Goa assembly, where even chief minister Manohar Parrikar was forced to admit that hunting of monitor lizards was a cause of concern.

"We have to find out substitutes for monitor skin," Parrikar said.

Deer species like sambar, mouse deer, black buck and spotted deer were also favoured by poachers, who shot eight of the herbivores.

Records also show that cases under the central Wildlife Act were registered in connection with the poaching of 10 wild boars. Cases were also registered in connection with three crocodiles and three leopards that were snared by poachers.

The metal-wire snares are a favourite with the poachers, along with detonator bombs. In the former, snared animals are caught, even sliced right through their bellies, neck or limbs as they struggle to escape the wire grip. The more the struggle, the tighter the snare gets, eventually bleeding the animal to death.

The bombs are essentially balls of explosive and shrapnel rolled together with pressure sensitive detonation mechanisms. These lethal round shaped balls are then coated with herbs or other vegetation game is attracted to and strewn around the paths along which they normally traverse.

"The moment the beast bites into these balls they explode and the ball bearings (or other shrapnel) inside these contraptions cut and tear through the beast's mouth and vital parts, lethally wounding the animal," a forest official told IANS.

Both techniques are popular with poachers in Goa, who do not have to lie in wait for their prey nor shoot, which often puts forest officials on the alert.

But the most critical statistic is the reference to tiger parts, including skin, which was being peddled to potential buyers in Goa. In September 2013, three Maharshtrians — Suraj and Himmat Jamkar and Kalu Ulke — were booked for selling tiger claws, even as the parts were sent to the Wildlife Institute in Dehradun for forensic analysis. In another case, Sanjay Pawar from Maharashtra's Sindhudurg district was booked for selling a tiger skin in June 2012.

"A panchanama (situation report) has been drawn up and inspection has been done. Further inquiry is in progress," Forest Minister Alina Saldanha told IANS about the latter case.

These two incidents, as well as the poaching of a tiger in 2009 in the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary, may suggest that Goa's forests are prime habitats for tigers, but politicians across the board have been unwilling to upgrade the sanctuary, located 70km northeast of Panaji and ringed by iron ore deposits worth billions of rupees. The sanctuary is spread across 208.5sqkm.

Even as the union ministry for environment and forests has asked the Goa government for a formal proposal to upgrade the sanctuary into a tiger reserve Saldanha said that as of now, there is no proposal before the government to do so.

"At present, sufficient protection has been given to the area as it is declared a sanctuary," she said, adding that tiger expert K Ulhas Karanth has been asked to study the issue.

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Adani group may scrap Great Barrier Reef dumping plan

SYDNEY: An Indian-Australian joint venture developing the world's biggest coal port in Australia may scrap a controversial plan to dump 3 million cubic metres of waste dredged from the ocean floor into the fragile Great Barrier Reef area amid global environmental outcry.

North Queensland Bulk Ports, GVK Hancock and Adani Group will re-submit a proposal as early as this week to environment minister Greg Hunt proposing alternative dumping sites on land.

The change is designed to neutralise controversy over potential damage to the reef and avoid a court case launched by the North Queensland Conservation Council.

The fresh proposal will supersede Hunt's previous approval of dumping the material in the ocean under strict conditions and restart the process, which could delay construction, the Australian Financial Review reported.

"We have encouraged and invited (an alternative proposal) and we'll see if they put it in, and then we'll assess it on its merits," Hunt said.

Hunt has long been lobbying for the change behind the scenes, according to sources. Last week local Liberal lawmaker George Christensen declared he had "got it wrong" in his support for the expansion project and called on the owners of Abbot Point to look at alternative onshore options.

While he supported the expansion in principle, he was concerned about the impact the court case would have on the long-term viability of the project and said he would listen to community concerns.

Australia's conservative government seven months ago approved dumping of up to 3 million cubic meters of so-called dredge spoils — roughly equivalent to the amount of stone in the Great Pyramid at Giza — to allow expansion of the Abbot Point coal port in Queensland state, adjacent to the reef.

But after the United National Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation threatened in June to place the reef on a list of threatened heritage sites, the coal-port developers, came up with the new plan to dump the material on land.

The details of the resubmission are not yet known, though sources played down the likelihood that a disused area near the north Queensland town of Bowen could be used as a dumping site, the report said.

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