Panther poisoned to death

A male panther was found dead in the Hassanur forest range in the Sathyamangalam division in Tamil Nadu on 30.11.2010. It is suspected that the animal was poisoned to death. Wildlife veterinarian N.S. Manoharan said after examining the carcass. Forest department in its preliminary inquiry, it was found that the two person have poisoned the panther because it has killed their cow a few days ago. It was a revenge action. The persons claimed that they resorted to poisoning in order to protect their cattle grazing inside the forests.

in the past years there are many incidents you might come across like this. The main reason for the farmers or the cattle owner to poison the Wild animal ( Tiger, Panther, etc.) is that their cattle have moved in to the forest area for grassing or for food, and at that time the above said wild animals might have attach the cattle and in the result death occur. So these farmers in order to have their cattle to be in alive they keep the poised meet and at a particular place where the wild animal would come and eat. and in the result the wild animal would die. As the result of these incidents increasing the ecology of the forest broke. i.e the forest chain is broken as the number of wild animals decreased and more over the particular species would disappear in course of time. So Govt and Forest Department should take stringent action against those culprits and protect the forest.

Forest with new soldier

Tamil Nadu forest department was very weak in the strength of force. Over all most of the apws, watch guards, ranger, foresters are in the age of 40-50. As the nature of their work is to walk a day of at least 10 to 20 Kms according to their respective beat or range. The walking is not a race in which just the end should be reached as fast as possible. The walk of these people should be with all the sense (Eye, Nose, Ear) should be in active in order to protect the forest from the enmity such as the poachers, illegal trespass and to protect them from wild animals. So these people at this age as considered their it not possible for all the staffs to do the same with full efficiency.

So in an attempt to improve conservation measures and provide better protection for forest and wildlife in the State, the Forest Department has started recruitment of youths for the posts of Guard and Forester. 240 vacancies of Guards and 80 of Foresters being filled. Mr. A.S. Balanathan, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and the team of TNPSC team is yet to recruitment soldier for forest at the district level by District Forest Officers. Both Erode and Namakkal district had filled the posts.

Educational qualification for the post of Guard is pass in Plus Two. In the case of Forester they should be degree holders. Range officers yet to be recruit later. Hope the forest to be better protected with the help of these new soldiers.

Sunderban Tiger a different kind

Scientists and officials of the Sunderban Tiger Reserve are investigating whether the Sunderban tiger is a different sub-species compared to those found in the sub-continent, officials told The Hindu on Sunday.

The Sunderban tiger exhibits certain distinctive morphological adaptations that make it particularly suited to the mangrove habitat of the Sunderban islands.

The average size of the adult tigers there is much smaller and it weighs about only 100 kilograms, compared to the heavier tigers elsewhere.

A six-year-old male tiger that strayed into the inhabited areas and captured by reserve officials over the weekend weighed only 98 kilograms.

Measurements of its body parts confirmed that the animal has a smaller frame than the tigers on the mainland, said Subrat Mukherjee, Sunderban Tiger Reserve Field Director.

Besides DNA analysis of the cat, Mr. Mukherjee will also study the skeletons of tigers as part of the research.

DNA analysis

“We will have to see whether these adaptations are only morphological or whether they are genetic adaptations that will qualify them to be listed as a separate sub-species. For this purpose, the mitochondrial and nuclear DNA of the tigers will have to be studied,” said Y. Jhalla, an expert at the Wildlife Institute of India.

Dr. Jhalla explained that considering the mutation rates that led to a genetic change, usually an animal that was isolated for a period of one million years was classified as a different species and one that was genetically isolated for between 20,000 and 50,000 years was a different sub-species.

In the case of the Sunderban tiger, it was part of a contiguous region with others and was perhaps separated about 500 to 1,000 years ago,” he said.

Advantage

The leaner frame and lesser body-mass was an advantage for the Sunderban tiger in its habitat, he added.

A smaller animal needed lesser food.

Since the main prey of the Sunderban tiger (spotted deer) was a lean animal that weighed only about 50 kg, compared to much heavier sambar or gaur that were eaten by other tigers, the animal could make do with lesser food, he said.

Muddy terrain

“Secondly, less body weight makes it easier for the animal to move around in the muddy terrain of the Sunderbans. If the tiger is heavier, its feet will sink further into the soil as it walks and it will have to expend more energy,” Dr. Jhalla said.

Photo Expo at Tiruppur

Photo Expo at Tiruppur : Tiruppur DFO has organized a photo exhibition from 04.10.2010 to 08.10.2010 at Nanjappa Boys Higher secondary school Tiruppur. In the expo, the photos of all animals taken in and around Tiruppur, Coimbatore, Erode districts are displaced. including forties of 10th month, 8th month of an elephant, foot prints of tiger, preserved animals such as Lepord, Nilagiri Thar, Bluck Bug animals and the hons of sported deer, Indian Gaur etc., including photographs taken by Tiruppur Collector C. Samayamoorthy, So kindly have a look at the Expo. All are Welcome.

on 08.10.2010 Our District collector has extended the Expo for further 2 days i.e on 09 th and 10 of October 2010.

Elephants die after train hits herd

Seven elephants, including three calves, were killed when an Assam-bound goods train from Siliguri rammed the herd near the Moraghat railway crossing at Binnaguri in West Bengal on Wednesday night. Five died instantly while two others succumbed to their injuries on Thursday morning. Among the seven dead elephants, three were babies and three females. The accident occurred at the crossing of Moraghat Tea Estate under Banarhat in the Binaguri police station. four were killed on the spot, the rest died on Thursday. The dead include a sub-adult and two juvenile elephants, The incident has once again raised questions over the movement of trains along the elephant corridor in the region.“Incidents of collision have increased over the past four years ever since the conversion from metre to broad gauge of tracks that pass through the national sanctuaries in the region. To compound matters, the movement of goods trains has increased too,” State's Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Atanu Raha said.

Prime forest area

Goods trains pass through the prime forest area at odd hours, including the period after evening when elephants go out foraging for food. “Most of the elephant deaths resulting from collision with trains occur at nights. The State's wildlife and forest officials have blamed the railway authorities for failing to ensure that the trains passing through the region do not exceed the speed limit of 25 km per hour.

A spokesperson of the Northeast Frontier Railway said, however, that the area of occurrence did not fall within an “identified elephant corridor.” “Speed limits are not being maintained despite our reminding the railway authorities. We shall repeat our request that movement of goods train along this route is also brought down to the minimum,” said Mr. Raha. (Photos: Ajay Sha)

No patrolling

“Decisions taken remain decisions. They are not implemented. It is not just a question of trains exceeding speed limits. The whistle is not sounded; there is no patrolling. We are taking up the matter with the Railway Ministry and the Ministry of Environment and Forests,” State's Forest Minister Ananta Ray said.

FIR lodged

The goods train that killed the elephants was running at a speed of nearly 70 km per hour, Ms. Ghatak said. The Forest department has lodged a first information report at the local thana under the Wild Life (Protection) Act 1972