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GLOBAL TIGER FORUM GLOBAL TIGER FORUM IS AN INTER-GOVERNMENTAL

INTERNATIONAL BODY FOR THE CONSERVATION OF TIGERS IN THE WILD

JUNE 2017

Edited byS P YADAV

GLOBAL TIGER FORUM SECRETARIATARIHANTAM, HOUSE NO. 200, THIRD FLOORJORBAGH ROAD, NEW DELHI-110003 INDIA

1. Note from the Secretary General / 5

2. Press Release: New field ranger training guidelines / 6

3. Tiger Watch Programme / 9

4. News from Tiger Range Countries / 15BangladeshBhutanCambodiaChinaIndia IndonesiaLao PDRMalaysiaMyanmarNepalRussiaThailandVietnam

5. News from International NGOs / 36International Fund for Animal welfare (IFAW)

6. News from National NGOs / 41(1) Centre for Wildlife Studies (CWS)(2) National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC)(3) The Corbett Foundation (TCF)(4) Tiger Research and Conservation Trust (TRACT) (5) Wildlife Conservation Society-India (WCS-INDIA)(6) Wildlife Conservation Trust (WCT)(7) Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI)(8) Wildlife Trust of India (WTI)(9) WWF-India

7. Tiger Mortality Statistics of India - January to June 2017 / 61

8. From the GTF / 62

CONTENTSJUNE 2017

NOTE FROM THE SECRETARY GENERAL

The Forum, in collaboration with several partners,viz. World Bank, Wildlife Conservation Trust(WCT), World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the

Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM) and theWildlife Institute of India (WII) had brought out severalfield manuals during this period.

1. Valuation of Ecosystem Services from Tiger andSnow Leopard Landscapes (A manual on economicvaluation practices for practitioners)

2. Protocols for Monitoring Habitat quality and wildlifepopulations in tiger landscapes

3. Technical Guidelines for Habitat, Prey and TigerRecovery across Tiger Range Countries.

4. Protocols for Monitoring Habitat Quality and WildlifePopulation in Snow Leopard Landscapes

5. Technical Guidelines for Habitat and PreyRestoration in Snow Leopard Landscapes

These field documents were the outcome of capacitybuilding workshops for tiger and snow leopardcountries organised by the GTF in the second half of2016.

The GTF, as a collaborative effort with the National TigerConservation Authority (NTCA) and WWF-India finalizedthe 'Protocol for Security Audit of Tiger Reserves'to beimplemented across all tiger reserves of India.

The ongoing agenda of the GTF during this period alsoinclude the ranger information survey across India, as apart of a global survey undertaken to know more aboutperspectives, opinions and ground level realities interms of job stress, job satisfaction, corruption andworking and living conditions of forest rangersoperating in protected areas of Asia. Implementation ofCA/TS was extended to three states of India. The GTFis actively collaborating with the WWF for implementingConservation Assured Tiger Standards (CA/TS) in India,for ensuring international standards to strengthen tigerconservation.

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DR RAJESH GOPALSecretary General

9 February 2017: In the midst of a global poaching crisis, today marks thelaunch of the most comprehensive Training Guidelines for Field Rangers,providing anti-poaching units with a revolutionary resource to improveconditions and training on the front line. This is the first of its kind and aresource which could save the lives of both humans and wildlife.

Over the past decade, more than 1,000 rangers have been killed on duty*, with80 per cent murdered by poachers and armed militia groups. This tragic loss oflife underlines the need for well-trained and well-equipped anti-poachingrangers.

The team of experts who developed this resource have over a century ofcombined experience and are amongst the most respected wildlife rangers inthe world. This is the first in a series of guidelines that will be rolled outworldwide by the International Ranger Federation, the Global Tiger Forum, ThinGreen Line Foundation, PAMS Foundation and WWF.

Sean Willmore, President — International Ranger Federation,comments: “The illegal trade in wildlife and wildlife products isresulting in significant declines in the populations of many speciesacross the globe. For example, the levels of poaching of elephants,rhinos, pangolins and tigers are threatening these species withextinction in the wild. Anti-poaching training needs to be effective sothat protected area authorities and rangers can better safeguardwildlife from this grave threat.”

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NEWFIELD RANGER TRAINING GUIDELINES,COULD SAVE THE LIVES OF THOSE ON THE

FRONT LINE OF THE POACHING BATTLE

PRESS RELEASE EMBARGOED: 00.01 SGT 9TH FEBRUARY 2017

*SOURCE THIN GREEN LINE FOUNDATION

The illegal wildlife trade is the fourth most lucrative criminal trade and estimatedto be worth at least USD $19 billion per year. Poachers targeting iconic speciessuch as elephants, rhinos and tigers are using increasingly sophisticatedtechniques and violent tactics to fulfil their missions. The deployment ofinsufficiently trained rangers has at times resulted in the failure of operations,serious injuries and even death. Many rangers still have no insurance today;should they suffer injuries — or even death — they would no longer able toprovide for their families.

Dr Rajesh Gopal, Secretary General — Global Tiger Forum,comments: “The stark reality for rangers means facing the threat ofserious injury or the loss of life on a daily basis. Very often, operationsfail due to lack of training, funding and staffing. This must change ifwe hope to protect our wildlife and greatly improve the lives of thosestriving to do so.”

Last year, WWF carried out the first ever Ranger Perception Surveys that werecompleted by wildlife rangers across Asia and Africa. The results revealed thatmost rangers had faced a life-threatening situation while on duty, and believethat they are underequipped. Nearly half felt they lacked adequate training todo their jobs safely and effectively.

Wayne Lotter: PAMS Foundation: “It is essential that rangers havethe essential skills and tools training to do their job safely andsuccessfully. The development of the best practice guidelinesrepresents a landmark step in the process towards ensuring that anti-poaching rangers get the level of training they deserve.”

Field ranger basic training is the most important part of the development of field rangers. It prepares them for the actual circumstances that they willencounter during the day-to-day tasks to be performed once employed as field rangers.

Field rangers play a critical role in safeguarding the world’s most endangeredspecies. Recent figures revealed around 20,000 elephants are poached everyyear in Africa. Since Selous Game Reserve became a World Heritage site in1982, nearly 90% of its elephants have been lost mainly due to poaching.Selous now risks losing its World Heritage status. Across Asia, the 13 tigerranger countries are working tirelessly to double tiger numbers by 2022 — theillegal wildlife trade is one of the greatest threats with recent progress hangingon a knife edge due to this illicit activity.

More about the Training Guidelines for Field RangersThe Training Guidelines for Field Rangers is the first of a series of guidelines toprovide a standard for training field rangers. These guidelines are the result of acollaborative initiative from International Ranger Federation, Global Tiger Forum,PAMS Foundation, WWF, The Thin Green Line Foundation, United For Rangers(UFR), Southern African Wildlife College, International Anti-Poaching Foundation(IAPF), Conservation International, African Parks Network, TRAFFIC, Panthera,Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and Global Wildlife Conservation (GWC).

The guidelines cover the basics of operations and the tactics required for themto successfully carry out anti-poaching operations in the field. The guidelineswill help park managers, conservation organisations, government departmentsand other relevant people in designing the training curriculum for anti-poachingrangers as per their needs. By following these high standards, it will helpensure that anti-poaching training manuals may adequately introduce theconcepts and specifics of law enforcement, tracking, teamwork, conservation,first aid and court procedures to the field ranger.

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TIGER WATCH PROGRAMMEUnder the aegis of the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India &Government of Russia, a Sub-group has been formed between India andRussia for cooperation on tiger and leopard conservation, which inter-aliainvolves exchange of officers to learn from field experiences of each other. Inthis context, the GTF has been organizing the “Tiger Watch Programme” incollaboration with the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and its international partner,the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).

During the past ten years (2005-2016), twenty-one Russian wildlife inspectorsparticipated in the “Tiger Watch Programme”, and visited tiger reserves for anappraisal conservation effort. The Russian Wildlife inspectors also visited thefringe villages and buffer areas to study peoples’ perception and problems,besides interacting with forest staff. The Inspectors from Russia alsoparticipated in field patrolling to learn about the protocol and relating toprotections and human wildlife interfere. The Inspectors also interacted with theField Director of the respective Tiger Reserve to have a briefing on theconservation scenario of the state and to share/exchange views andinformation. Site specific management plans and programmes dealing withpoaching and conflict problems were provided by Field Directors and theAssistant Conservator of Forests. Besides, the Inspectors also visited theoffices of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) of India, WildlifeCrime Control Bureau (WCCB), GTF Secretariat and WTI’s Head Quarter todiscuss tiger conservation and related issues. Their visits in the past includes:Pench, Kanha, Nagzira-Navegaon, Panna Tiger Reserve and RantrhambhoreTiger Reserves.

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The programme aims to motivate the Frontline Wildlife Inspectors of the RussianFederation where viewing a wild tiger is difficult due to harsh climatic conditions.

This year’s orientation programme spreads over 11 days (from 17th March to 28th

March, 2016), and two Inspectors from the Russian Federation, Mr. AfanasevViacheslav and Mr. Mikhail Borisenko participated in the programme. As part ofthe programme, they were exposed to field experience on tiger conservation,coupled with in-house interactions with many Indian experts and managersinvolved in tiger conservation.

At Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve, MaharashtraTo have a first-hand field exposure in tiger conservation in India and to facilitateexchange of views, experience and information at the ground level, the Russianteam was taken to the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve in Chandrapur district ofMaharashtra state in Central India. It is notable as Maharashtra’s oldest andlargest National Park. It represents Southern Tropical Dry Deciduous Teak Forestsin the Tiger habitat. It is one of India’s 50 “Project Tiger” - Tiger reserves. It has aviable population of about 60 tigers with high frequency of tiger sighting. Besidetiger, it is abode to number of prominent wild denizens like leopard, wild dog,sloth bear, gaur, sambar, barking deer, cheetal, chausinga, nilgai, wild boaralongwith rare ones like ratel, flying squirrel, pangolin and rusty spotted cat.

The Field Director (FD) of Tadoba Andhari TR, Mr. G. P. Garad briefed theparticipants on tiger management and conservation strategies. The orientation atTadoba TR began with the formal interaction with all forest officials of the reserveand a welcome note by the Field Director. The Field Director briefed that there are88 tigers in the Reserve (60 in the core area and 28 in the buffer zone). Thoughhuman - carnivore conflict was also a major issue that the Forest Department wastackling, people were still tolerant to tigers and often do not resort to retaliatorykillings. There was exchange of information on patrolling techniques,compensation paid to victims on loss of life or for livestock killed by tiger,measures adopted by the Forest Department to reduce dependency on peopleon forest resources. Mr. Mikhail Borisenko also gave an overview on the flora andfauna of Lazovsky Tiger Reserve and the conservation methods adopted there.

The Russian officers visited all the three ranges of Tadoba Tiger Reserve viz.Tadoba, Moharli and Kolsa and got an idea about the various flora and fauna, themanagement units and conservation efforts methods adopted in the TigerReserve. The participants got an opportunity to interact with the DeputyConservator of Forests, Assistant Conservator of Forests, frontline staff in the fieldand the villagers living in the fringe areas.

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(Right) Russian officers with Field Director, Mr. G. P. Garad

TIGER WATCH PROGRAMME: 2016-17

Orientation through audio-visual systemVarious conservation and management efforts directed at protection andconservation of tigers were demonstrated using audio-visual systems at theMoharli office of the Deputy Conservator of Forests.

The Assistant Conservator of Forests, Mr. Vishal Mali presented on themeasures and practices adopted by the Maharashtra Forest Department toaddress man-animal conflict. He informed of the livelihood opportunitiesprovided by the Forest Department to the families living in the buffer areas. Healso briefed on the long term monitoring measures adopted by MaharashtraGovt. for tigers, co-predators and prey species in Tadoba Andhari Tiger Resrveand the adjoining landscapes.

Ms. Madhura Davate, Researcher from Wildlife Institute of India presented onthe methods involved in population estimation. Ms. Davate highlighted on theresults of the population estimation conducted in 2015 and shared the processadopted by her team in the camera trapping done in 4 blocks covering an areaof 1750 sq.km.

There were also presentationmade by the Range Officer andthe Forest guard on their dutiesand responsibilities in protectionand conservation of tiger in theTiger Reserve.

The Inspectors visited theprotection huts of forest guards.They were shown theaccommodation facilities of theforest guards, patrolling methodsand distance covered everyday,equipment used by the forestofficers and the problems andchallenges faced in protection oftiger and other species.

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Eco Development activities:The Russian officers were also briefed on the management strategy followed bythe Forest Department in the constitution of the Village Eco DevelopmentCommittee (VDC) by the Forest Department in buffer area. The local peoplehave been given assistance to open souvenir shops to sell T’shirts and artifacts to tourists. The youth have also been provided assistance to procurevehicles (Gypsy) and permission for taking tourists on safari rides in the TigerReserve. There are 150 such vehicles that have been allotted to the young localvillagers of which 22 vehicles can go inside the Tiger Reserve in a day. This hasgenerated employment and helped them to earn their livelihood. This alsofosters the support of local villagers to protect tigers and the forests.

The Village Eco Development Committee runs the small scale incense makingfactory where the women of the adjoining villages manufacture incense sticksused for worship of Gods in India. The revenue generated from the sale of theproducts manufactured is used for the development of the local villages.

The Village Eco Development Committee is now setting up nature educationcamps for nature lovers and school and college students. The revenuegenerated from the stay of the tourists in the camps will be given to the VDC fordevelopment of their villages such as procurement of agricultural tools, tractors,construction of roads etc. This shall also provide huge employmentopportunities to local people. A conference hall has also been constructed toshow students films on nature, wildlife and the conservation efforts made by theforest department to protect tigers. It will also host conference and workshopon wildlife issues. This has helped the Forest Department to gain theconfidence of local people. This has also reduced negative impact of localpeople on biodiversity and increased collaboration of local people inconservation of tiger and its habitat.

Radio telemetry tracking of tigersA female tiger in the Tadoba Range has been radio collared by the ForestDepartment and the Researcher from Wildlife Institute of India to understandthe mechanism of dispersal of tigers through corridors. This shall help theforest department for tracking the movement and activity patterns of the taggedanimal, with the signals being sent to a handheld device or to a computer via asatellite. It is often the only method that is available for studying the movementand activity patterns of elusive animal like tiger. Mr. Kishor Mankar, DeputyConservator of Forests and Ms. Madhura Davate tracked the female tigerthrough radio telemetry. The tigress had two cubs and was resting in thewaterhole.

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Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF):A Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF) has been constituted based on arecommendation by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) to protecttigers in the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve. The STPF has 90 forest guards, 18foresters, three RFOs and an Assistant Conservator of Forests. The officershave been trained for combating poaching and enabling intelligence-basedenforcement, handling firearms and combat tactics. They patrol the forest onfoot and check for electric wires and snares. However, they are not provided thepatrolling route beforehand and the patrolling route is provided only at the timeof patrolling to ensure information not leaking to outside sources. This alsoprovides security to the officers from poachers. They are also trained to tacklethe mob during human animal conflict and also protect livestock fromdepredation. STPF also provides support to the beat guards during emergency.They also ensure that all villagers are registered and provide support inadjoining villages of Brahmapuri and Chandrapur region.

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Radio telemetry tracking of tigers and the two tiger cubs at water hole

Russian officers with STPF officers

Visiting Kolsa Range:The Russian officers visited the Kolsa Range and were briefed about the floraand fauna of the range.

The officers were also shown on field fire fighting exercise done by the forestofficers to protect the forest from fire.

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Russian officers at Kolsa Range and Wild bisons at Kolsa Range

Putting out fire at Kolsa range

Patrolling on elephants:The Russian officers were taken for patrolling on elephants in the TadobaRange. This was the first time that the officers had seen an elephant, and it wasarranged to have experience of the patrolling done by the Forest Departmenton elephants.

In House Interaction (27th March 2016):Interaction with WTI officers in WTI-HQ: The Tiger Watch Programmeconcluded with a formal interaction of Russian delegation with staff members ofWTI. Dr Jagdish Kishwan (Chief Advisor, WTI) briefed the participants onvarious conservation initiatives undertaken by WTI conserve the national animalof India. They were also provided field shirts for use during field work.

Interaction with the GTF: In a formal meeting with Dr Rajesh Gopal, theSecretary General of GTF, the Russian Inspectors were acquainted with variousconservation initiatives undertaken by the intergovernmental organization toconserve tigers across tiger range countries. They were also briefed aboutinitiatives taken by India in this regard. They were presented with laptop bagsand T’shirts.

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Russian officers interacting with Global Tiger Forum officials

Patrolling on elephant

PM: GOVT TO CREATE ARTIFICIAL FOREST TOEXPAND THE SUNDARBANSTribune Desk, Published at 02:51 PM June 04, 2017

Hasina has instructed the authorities concernedregarding the expansion of mangrove forest in thecoastal areas of the country Prime Minister SheikhHasina has announced to create an artificial mangroveforest to expand the Sundarbans, a UNESCO WorldHeritage Site, where her government is currently

constructing a 1,320MW coal-based power plant.Speaking at an event titled “World Environment Day,Tree Fair and Campaign for Tree Plantation,” she said:“We have taken all our development projects by payingspecial attention to the Sundarbans so it does not getaffected in any way.”

The event was held at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) in Dhaka,reports UNB.

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NEWS FROM TIGER RANGE COUNTRIES

BANGLADESH

World Environment Day is being observed around theworld today. The theme this year is “Connecting to theNature”.

The prime minister said on Sunday: “The Sundarbansis not only a heritage site for Bangladesh; it is alsoimportant for the country's existence… Bangladeshsurvives because of the Sundarbans. To expand theSundarbans, we have already taken an initiative tocreate artificial mangrove forest.”

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina hands over threeenvironmental awards at the "World Environment Day,Tree Fair and Campaign for Tree Plantation" event heldat Bangabandhu International Conference Centre inDhaka on Sunday Focus Bangla.

“We are working on preserving the biodiversity of theSundarbans and have introduced smart patrolling inthe forests to combat crime,” said the premier.

She also mentioned that her government has takeninitiatives to create alternative employmentopportunities for the local people who are dependenton the Sundarbans for their livelihood to put an end to“unnecessary logging”.

Stressing the importance of effective wastemanagement in industrial zones, the prime ministersaid she had already directed the officials concernedto ensure central effluent treatment plants.

Terming Bangladesh the biggest delta in the world,Hasina said hills, seas, rivers and canals, and plantsand animals have made it full of biodiversity, and thisbiodiversity provides all necessary life resources forpeople.

WILDLIFE TRAFFICKING STILL HIGHDhaka Tribune, Nawaz Farhin, Published at 11:43 PMMarch 02, 2017

The initiatives to curb illegal wildlife trade inBangladesh remains blunted as the records still showhigh figures of wild animals and bird being seized bylaw enforcement agencies over the last five years.

A total of 37,039 wild animals and birds were seizedand rescued by the law enforcement agencies fromJune 2012 to November 2016, according to the WildlifeCrime Control Unit (WCCU).

A total of 374 wildlife offenses were recorded in thosefive years and only 566 offenders, mostly smalltraffickers, were taken in custody.

Though there is no specific information, Bangladeshremains an important route of global wildlife smugglingbecause of rising global demands, a top official of theForest Department told the Dhaka Tribune.

Interpol estimates that illegal wildlife trade globallyaccounts for some $10-20 billion annually.

Assistant Conservator of Forests Abu Naser MohsinHossain told the Dhaka Tribune that a variety of animalbody parts, ranging from tiger skins and bones to tusksof African elephants, remains in the seizure list in thelast five years globally.

Recovery of tiger skins from areas close to theSunderbans has also been reported in the recent past.

In 2012, RAB rescued three tiger cubs from apoacher's residence in the capital.

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TIGER SPOTTED IN LAMAIGONPA IN BUMTHANGFebruary 2, 2017, Kuensel

A camera trap set by a team from the UgyenWanchuck Institute for Conservation and Environment(UWICE) in Bumthang captured images of a tigerroaming in their research preserve near LamaigonpaDzong for the first time.

A tiger biologist of UWICE, Tshering Tempa, said thetiger was spotted walking towards the LamaigonpaDzong thrice since November last year. The tiger wascaught on camera on November 2 last year, andJanuary 14 and 17 this year.

He said this evidence backs up the claim of Bhutanbeing a potential habitat for tigers. “This is a greatsuccess story for our conservation policies and actions.”

He said the same tiger was caught on camera atKikiphu above Tharpaling monastery in November last year.

Tshering Tempa said that this shows the tiger is able tosuccessfully hunt and breed in high altitude mixedconifer and fir forests. “We have not captured anyfemale and cub as of yet,” he said.

He also said camera trappings caught otherendangered wildlife species like red panda, wild dog,musk deer, monal pheasant, common leopard, goldencat and the Himalayan black bear. “This shows that theresearch preserve is home to them.”

Many prey species such as wild pigs, sambar deer,barking deer, and serow were also captured by thecamera traps.

The tiger biologist also said the tigers' main prey arewild pig, sambar deer and barking deer, which isabundant in the locality.

He said the camera traps were set as a part of a long term wildlife monitoring effort in the UWICEresearch preserve, which started in May last year.“More than 50 remote camera traps are set in the2,000 hectares research preserve. We monitor it everytwo months.”

The camera trapping exercise is carried out withfinancial support from the Bhutan Foundation and theBhutan Trust Fund for Environmental Conservation.The UWICE research preserve was established in 2014for conducting forestry and wildlife research.

— Nima WWangdi, BBumthang

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BHUTAN

NEWS FROM TIGER RANGE COUNTRIES

A male adult tiger was caught on cameras in the area on different occasions

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TIGERS TO BE REINTRODUCED TO THE WILDMom Kunthear | Khmer TimesJune 15, 2017

Tiger Beer has donated $1 million to the World WildlifeFund to help fight the illegal tiger trade in a schemethat will see tigers reintroduced to the Eastern PlainsLandscape.

The money will go toward protecting tigers inCambodia and 12 other countries where tigerpopulations have dropped by more than 96 percent inthe last century.

There are now as few as 3,890 wild tigers leftworldwide.

The 3890 Tigers campaign is part of a six-year globalpartnership between Tiger Beer and WWF in support ofTx2, a commitment by the governments of 13 countriesto double the world's wild tiger population by 2022.

As one of the 13 target countries, Cambodia hascommitted to doubling its population by reintroducingwild tigers to the Eastern Plains Landscape, whichincludes Mondulkiri Protected Forest and Phnom PrichWildlife Sanctuary.

According to WWF, the area forms part of the tigerlandscape with the highest potential for recovery inAsia, due to its largely intact dry forest habitat.

Chhith Sam Ath, country director of WWF Cambodia,said tigers are part of the national heritage.

“To bring tigers back to Cambodia would be thebiggest conservation feat of its kind and would supportthe conservation efforts of the whole landscape,” hesaid.

He added that challenges including poaching, snaring,illegal logging, mining and other unsustainabledevelopment needed to be overcome to make theEastern Plains Landscape a world-class protected areabefore releasing tigers into the wild.

Under the campaign, the beer brand will remove thetiger from its logo and introduce a limited-edition

design on select packaging without the tiger for the firsttime in 84 years, symbolising the threat of wild tigersdisappearing.

The public are also invited to visit 3890Tigers.com,upload a selfie and choose an artist to collaborate withto create one-of-a-kind selfie art.

The idea is that by sharing the selfie art on socialnetworks with the hashtag #3890Tigers, people willpledge to help fight the illegal tiger trade and stopdemand for products with tiger parts.

“We cannot imagine a world without tigers and it is anhonour for us to partner with WWF in support of theirconservation efforts,” said Roland Bala, managingdirector of Tiger Beer Cambodia. “If tigers disappear, itwould not only have an environmental impact, but itwould also be a real loss for our culture.”

He added that tigers symbolised strength, courage andpower and had featured in art throughout the centuries.

“It is why we have chosen art as a way to express thistogether with our consumers,” he said.

“Through 3890 Tigers, we are bringing people andartists together through technology and our goal is touse art to empower a generation of young people tomake a stand against the illegal tiger trade.”

CAMBODIA

The aim of the campaign is to double the wild tigerpopulation by 2022

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: R

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PROVINCE FOCUSES ON PRESERVING RARE,INDIGENOUS CATSBy Li You | China Daily Updated: 2017-03-15

Changbai Mountain, located in eastern Jilin province inNortheast China, was once covered by lush primordialforests, home to what are possibly the biggest living cats, theManchurian tiger and Manchurian leopard.

A century ago, people could easily spot the tigers andleopards throughout Northeast China. But later, the animals’habitat shrank due to damage to the forests.In 1998, animal experts from China, Russia and the UnitedStates concluded that only six to nine tigers and three toseven leopards still inhabited the Changbai Mountain area.

Today, their population has been steadily increasing due tothe intensive conservation efforts of the Jilin government.

To protect the forests — the tigers and leopards’ homeland— Jilin’s government has banned frequent hunting andcommercial logging.

The well-protected natural reserves are home to manyungulates, or large herbivorous mammals, which areregarded as sufficient food for the tigers and leopards.

On Nov 25, 2014, cameras in the Jilin Huncun ManchurianTiger National Nature Reserve shot video of an Manchuriantiger.

In the video, the tiger stops in front of the camera, lifts itshead and looks around. The tiger turns its head, one of theears moving slightly. The video shows the tiger’s twosparkling eyes, sturdy limbs and strong physique.The video has become one of the clearest and most excitingfilm documents of Manchurian tigers ever published.

On Oct 9, 2013, cameras in the Jilin Wangqing NationalNature Reserve captured video of “a leopard mother with hertwo cubs” in which a robust little leopard walks in front of thecamera, followed by a chubby leopard mother with anotherfrisky leopard cub.

The 10-second video marked the first time for China to haveshot video of a leopard mother with two cubs in the wild.

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CHINA

THE INFRAREDCAMERAS INJILIN PROVINCEHAVEMONITORED THEMANCHURIANTIGERS ANDLEOPARDSGROWING INPOPULATIONYEAR BY YEAR.”FENG LIMIN, associate professorat the School of LIfe Sciences atBeijing Normal University

27Manchurian tigers and 42leopards inhabited the easternregion of jilin province from 2012to 2014

According to a dozen years’ observation and researchperformed by a research team from Beijing NormalUniversity and the Jilin Forestry Department, at least 27tigers and 42 leopards inhabited the eastern region ofJilin province from 2012 to 2014.

“The infrared cameras in Jilin province have monitoredthe Manchurian tigers and leopards growing inpopulation year by year,” said Feng Limin, associateprofessor at the School of Life Sciences at BeijingNormal University.

“As for their distribution, they are gradually moving toChina from the Sino-Russian border regions. Theanimals’ growing population show that Jilin has madegood improvements in protecting these wild animals,”Feng said.

But the current situation is still not positive for thoseendangered animals.

At present, almost all of the tigers and leopards aresqueezed into the Jilin Hunchun National NatureReserve and Russia’s national park for the animals,

which is actually an islet isolated by wetlands andrailways.

Due to intensive cattle and ginseng farming, the foodresources and living space of the tigers and leopardsbegan to dwindle.

On April 1, 2015, Jilin province banned commerciallogging in the State-owned forests to preserve thehabitats for the wild animals.

Jilin province will build three to five new naturalreserves for the threatened species. They also formeda special fund for monitoring mountain habitat andprotecting the animals.

The government also seized the opportunity tocooperate with Russia in monitoring the environmentand conducting scientific research.

A national park project for Manchurian tiger andleopard’s protection was approved recently to build anational park of 1.46 million hectares in Jilin andHeilongjiang provinces.

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Manchurian tiger discovered in Hunchun, Jilin province / PHOTO COURTESY: CHINA DAILY

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INDONESIAN RANGERS DISMANTLE TRAPS TOSAVE WILDLIFEAGENCE FRANCE-PRESSELeuser, Indonesia | Mon, May 15, 2017 | 11:39 am

In the depths of Indonesia’s dense Leuser rain forest, agroup of rangers are searching for traps set bypoachers which are endangering rare wildlife.

Scientists and conservationists consider the Leuser

Ecosystem, which falls mostly within Aceh province onSumatra island, to be among the most importantforests left in Southeast Asia.

It is the last place of sufficient size and quality tosupport viable populations of rare species likeorangutans, Sumatran tigers, rhinoceroses, elephants,clouded leopards and sun bears.

In 2015 hundreds of traps were confiscated monthly in

INDONESIA

This picture taken on May 9, 2017 shows Indonesian forest rangers discovering traps set up by poachers to capture bearsand tigers in the Leuser ecosystem rainforest, located mostly within the province of Aceh on the northern tip of the islandof Sumatra. Scientists and conservationists consider the Leuser Ecosystem to be among the most important forests left inSoutheast Asia, particularly because it is the last place of sufficient size and quality to support viable populations of rare

species like Sumatran tigers, orangutans, rhinos, elephants, clouded leopards and sun bears

AFP/CHAIDEER MAHYUDDIN

Leuser but now fewer than 10 are found every month,according to local conservation NGO ForumConservation Leuser.

“The rangers are trained to track signs indicating thatthere were poachers in the area, such as by looking forcigarette ends or footsteps,” said Rudi Putra, head ofthe forum.

Some traps are designed to snare animals’ feet. Others

consist of spears set high up in trees, which would fallwhen a trap is sprung.

The rangers also watch for signs of deforestation suchas illegal logging, and collect data from the forest forfurther research.

Poachers typically set up traps to capture elephants,tigers and bears so they can sell them illegally andmake money.

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This picture taken on May 9, 2017 shows a team of Indonesian forest rangers making their way through the Leuserecosystem rainforest, located mostly within the province of Aceh on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra. Scientists

and conservationists consider the Leuser Ecosystem to be among the most important forests left in Southeast Asia,particularly because it is the last place of sufficient size and quality to support viable populations of rare species like

Sumatran tigers, orangutans, rhinos, elephants, clouded leopards and sun bears

AFP/CHAIDEER MAHYUDDIN

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BENGALURU: Even as the National Tiger ConservationAuthority (NTCA) has sought a status report on illegalroad works in the core areas of Kumbarwada Range ofKali Tiger Reserve, the state Forest Department hasstopped the illegal road works on a 9-kilometre stretch.

A series of complaints were filed by activists statingthat the department should stop the metalling andimprovement works as thy violated all existing normsand guidelines.

Two road works were taken up by the state PublicWorks Department on a 9.2 kilometre stretch fromDokrappa to Ambali Temple in the Kumbharwadarange. On this stretch, six kilometres of the road istarred while the remaining 3.2 kms is a kutcha road.The kutcha section from Kumagal Cross till AmbaliTemple was slated for metalling work while theremaining tarred section for improvement.

O Palaiah, Director, Kali Tiger Reserve said, “We have

already stopped the road works as such activitiescannot be taken up in the core areas. I have alreadysent a report to Chief Conservator of Forests which willbe sent to the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests.The Ministry of Environment and Forests guidelines,2014, is very clear and it says status quo of roads hasto be maintained and any upgradation or widening ofroads cannot be taken up.”

The MoEF guidelines state, “The status quo of theroads passing through national parks and core critical tiger habitats shall remain the same. The roads can be maintained or repaired only in theirpresent form.”

“Neither widening nor up-gradation work is allowed. If itis an existing tarred road, it shall be maintained assuch and no widening work can be taken up. Thoughthe existing tar road can be improved without referringto National Board for Wildlife, metalling of the kutcharoad is a clear violation of NTCA guidelines.”

FOREST DEPT STOPS ILLEGAL ROAD WORKS IN KARNATAKA’S KALI TIGER RESERVEBy Meera Bhardwaj | Express News | Published: 08th May 2017 06:05

INDIA

The 9.2-km stretch from Dokrappa to Ambali Temple in which two road works were taken up by the Public WorksDepartment | Express

NTCA BANS BBC FOR FIVE YEARSThe Telegraph

Guwahati, Feb. 28: The National Tiger ConservationAuthority (NTCA) has banned the BBC from filming inall the tiger reserves of the country for five yearsbecause of the negative portrayal of India’sconservation efforts at Kaziranga tiger reserve in thedocumentary One World: Killing for Conservation.

According to an office memorandum, signed by NTCAassistant inspector-general Vaibhav C. Mathur onFebruary 27, journalist Justin Rowlatt and his agencymisled government officials into giving permission tofilm by submitting a false synopsis. Then they went onto produce a documentary which shows Indianconservation efforts in poor light, contrary to thesynopsis submitted, the memo said.

The NTCA had solicited an explanation from Rowlatt.The BBC journalist sent a vague reply, withoutproviding any explanation regarding the violation ofconditions.

The NTCA says four conditions were violated — filmingafter sunset, not screening the documentary before acommittee of the ministry of environment, forests andclimate change, dishonouring the undertaking providedand deviating from the original synopsis submitted tothe ministry of external affairs and the NTCA.

The NTCA has advised the external publicity division ofthe external affairs ministry to revoke Rowlatt and his

crew’s visas besides taking appropriate action toprevent their entry into India for a period of not lessthan five years.

The NTCA also advised the wildlife wing of externalaffairs ministry not to give the BBC permission to film in any protected area of the country for five years.

According to the provisions of Section 38 of the WildlifeProtection Act, no filming shall be permitted by the saidjournalist and the BBC in tiger reserves of India for fiveyears from the date of issue of this order.

In an earlier letter, the NTCA said, Rowlatt had usedspasmodic events as an umbrella to judge a gamut ofconservation efforts that go into safeguarding ourwildlife heritage, with scant respect for the laws inplace.

“The immunity provided to forest officials under Section197 of the CrPC has been construed as a shoot to killpolicy,” it said.

TIGER POPULATION BOOMS IN INDIA’S TERAIREGIONThe Tribune, 16-01-2017

New Delhi, January 16: Projecting a bright picture oftiger conservation, the number of big cats in the Terairegion has grown significantly with at least 71 newadults roaring, says the latest report.

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The highest rise so far has been recorded inUttarakhand’s Western Circle — a huge part of the vastTerai region of the state located outside the tiger andforest reserves — where the figures went up from 79 in2014 (last census) to at least 119 adults till last year,officials said.

Meanwhile, at Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary andDudhwa National Park of Dudhwa Tiger Reserve,situated in the Terai region of Uttar Pradesh borderingNepal, the number of tigers has increased from 53 in2014 to at least 79 adults.

The numbers in Assam’s Manas National Park, alsopart of the Terai landscape, have also risen though thefinal results are awaited, officials said.

The Phase-IV monitoring was conducted in a few forestdivisions, including the West Circle of Uttarakhand andparts of the Dudhwa Tiger reserve in 2016. Themonitoring is under way in some reserve forests,including Corbett and Manas, and yet to be conductedin several other parts of the country.

“The number of tigers has increased significantly. Over50 adults have been identified for the first time,” saidDr Parag Madhukar Dhakate, Conservator of Forests,Western Circle.

A good number of cubs were also counted but officials requested that the numbers be not disclosed.“All tigers and cubs were healthy. It projects a goodprey-predator ratio,” Dhakate said.

The western circle spreads over 2,573.6 sq km (fromHaldwani to Ramnagar) comprising 60 per cent naturalforests and 40 per cent plantations.

The figure projects distribution of a breeding populationof tigers living outside reserve forests in a complexlandscape, which also include agricultural fields andhuman encroachments.

The Phase IV monitoring of the western circle is anindependent census (self-initiated) and one of the firstsin the country conducted over a large area. It started inJanuary 2016, officials said.

“The monitoring was carried out for 214 days using 250camera traps used at 393 locations. A total of 16,457images were obtained,” said Dhakate, adding that themission included 500 people.

Images obtained from camera traps were fed into asoftware; manual identification was also done toestimate the numbers. Like the finger prints of humans,every tiger has unique stripes, which is now themodern method for counting and distinguishing tigers.

“We now have a baseline... earlier we were not sure ofthe actual number of animals but now we know areaswhere tigers are present. This will help us modify theprotection strategies,” Dhakate said.

Experts believe that the reason for such a boom is the“heterogeneous and complex landscape” of thewestern circle that supports the species better becauseof automatic “niche construction”.

Niche construction or ecosystem engineering is aprocess in which organisms modify their environmentfor survival.

“In such complex landscapes, unlike homogeneouslandscape of a typical forest, prey density for animalsis good because a niche for different animals isautomatically created,” said Dhakate.

Meanwhile at Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, a healthy tiger population, along with some cubs, was seenduring Phase IV monitoring from October to December 2016.

“With 51 tigers in a small area of 227 square km,Kishanpur Sanctuary has one of the most densepopulations of felines,” Sunil Choudhary, Field Director,Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, told IANS.

Narendra Upadhay, Wildlife Warden at Dudhwa,however, believes that the number of tigers in thenational park is under-reported as its dense landscapeminimises visibility.

Manas National Park in Assam has also seen a slight increase so far, as the number of tigers in two of the three regions of the reserve forests has gone up from 11 in 2014 census to at least 16 inNovember 2016.

India is home to 70 per cent of the world’s free-rangingtigers, estimated at 2,226 in 2014, of which at least 640dwell outside tiger reserves.

The boom in population is believed to be a good signfor 2017, as 129 tigers died in 2016 due to poaching oraccidents, the highest in a decade.

The Terai arc landscape includes the fertile lowlands ofthe southern Himalayan and Shivalik foothills and northof Indo-Gangetic plains in Nepal, India, Bangladeshand Bhutan.

It spreads over 49,500 sq.km and is home to 86species of mammals, over 600 species of birds, 47species of reptiles and amphibians, 126 species of fishand over eight million human beings.

— IANS

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WILDLIFE GROUP EXTENDS SUPPORT FORNATIONAL PROTECTED AREABy Phaisythong Chandara(Latest Update January 13, 2017)

The Wildlife Conservation Society-Laos Programme(WCS) will continue to work closely with the Ministry ofAgriculture and Forestry to conserve the Nam Et-PhouLouey National Protected Area ecosystem.

An agreement on the Nam Et-Phou Louey NationalProtected Area Management and Tiger ConservationProject Phase 5 was signed recently by WCS CountryProgramme Director, Dr Christopher Holmes, and theministry’s Forest Resources Management DepartmentDeputy Director General, Mr Bouaphanh Phanthavong.

The five-year programme will run until 2021 withfinancial support of more than 16.2 billion kip (overUS$1.9 million) from the AFD, European Union, CliPAD,and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

Under the agreement, the project will establish modelprotected area management practices. The Nam Et-Phou Louey National Protected Area (project site)straddles the provinces of Huaphan, Luang Prabangand Xieng Khuang, while the project office is based inHiem district in Huaphan province.

The project will help with community engagement,capacity development, and supporting the sitemanagement unit and natural resource protection.

The project will also improve sustainable financing forprotected area management and monitoring andresearch.

The signing ceremony took place in Huaphan provinceand was witnessed by provincial Deputy Governor MrPhanthong Phetsaysomphan, representatives from lineministries, and other invited guests.

WCS’ goal in partnership with the Lao government is toconserve the Nam Et Phou Louey National ProtectedArea (NEPL NPA) ecosystem and its functions as amodel in Asia.

The NEPL programme contributes to the achievementof the 2016-2020 National Socio-EconomicDevelopment Plan, which identifies three supportingpillars of development economic growth, culturalpreservation, and environmental sustainability.

National Protected Areas are important to the economy,environment and culture of Laos as they protectwatersheds to reduce flooding and provide clean waterfor drinking and irrigation and ensure food security forforest-dependent upland communities.

The NEPL NPA was established in 1993 with thepurpose of conserving biodiversity and the upperwatersheds of several important rivers that providewater to lowland farms and cities. The NPA representsone of the richest biodiversity areas in Laos and isinternationally recognised as Laos’ last remainingrefuge for tigers.

Nam Et-Phou Louey provides non-timber forestproducts and wildlife to support the nutrition andlivelihoods of 30,000 villagers throughout Huaphan,Luang Prabang and Xieng Khuang provinces,according to the WCS.

In addition, the NEPL NPA is currently providingalternative sources of income for local people fromeco-tourism, which has been increasing every year.

This project’s livelihood and conservation initiativessupport the government policy of increasing forestcover and poverty alleviation and are expected toenhance environmental services, including foodsecurity, while at the same time help to conserve therich biodiversity of Laos.

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Wild animals aren’t supposed to be pets and theycertainly don’t belong in people’s homes. This simplefact, though, hasn’t stopped some Malaysians fromkeeping protected species as pets at home. The exoticwildlife trade across the country is thriving, most of itconducted online.

At times it’s not just small critters like exotic birds,endangered turtles or slow lorises that people keep aspets or seek to do so. It can be large and fierceanimals like tigers. To wit: a Malaysian man, anengineer by profession, has pleaded guilty in court tokeeping a private menagerie of protected animals,including a female Malayan tiger, without permits at hishome in Kampung Gahal Jaya, in Selangor.

The man, Mohd Taha Abd Wahab, also had a leopardcat, a mouse deer, a Schneider’s dwarf caiman, inaddition to several exotic birds. Each of the animals hechose to keep as pets is protected by WildlifeConservation Act 2010. He faces the prospect of up tofive years in prison and a fine of up to RM500,000 forkeeping a Malayan tiger without a permit. He is alsofacing further charges, nine in all, for keeping otherendangered species.

His lawyer insisted that his client, a 51-year-old father

of four, was an animal lover who kept members ofendangered species as a form of “therapy.” “It’s myclient’s hobby. His mistake was not having a licence,”the lawyer explained. “He is not trading in animals, heis an animal lover. He is suffering from heart disease,keeping animals is like therapy for him.”

Make of that what you will, especially as cats and dogscould have served that same therapeutic purpose.Cats and dogs have been domesticated for just thatpurpose, whereas wild animals like tigers and caimanshave not. Needless to say, Malayan tigers do notbelong in cages, much less as pets at people’s homes.There are only a few hundred Malayan tigers left in thewild across the entire country, which has pushed thespecies closer to the verge of extinction. Many otherwild species are faring the same or only slightly betterin the country, which is renowned worldwide for itsbiodiversity but has seen its natural habitats disappearand its endemic species decimated by poachers.

The exotic pet trade, too, is taking its toll onendangered animals. The man said he had bought theanimals at a pet shop near his home, which indicatesthat you don’t have to go far if you have the money andwant to buy a tiger as a pet. The trade in endangeredanimals must be stopped once and for all.

MALAYSIAN MAN KEPT A TIGER, A LEOPARD CAT AND A CAIMAN AS PETSFebruary 12, 2017 cleanmalaysia.com

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MAJORITY OF MAMMALS IN KAYIN STATE INTROUBLEBy Kyi Kyi SwayFriday, 03 March 2017, Myanmar Times

Of the 31 species, 17 are categorised as “nearthreatened”, “vulnerable” and “endangered” in theInternational Union for Conservation of Nature(IUCN) red list.

The discovery, which has been described as “rare”,was made during a survey across four hill forest areasby the Karen Wildlife Conservation Initiative (KWCI) andits partners between December 2014 and July 2015.

“It is incredibly rare to find such rich and diverse wildlifeanywhere in the world today, certainly not in SoutheastAsia.”

“This area is a refuge for the last tigers in the region,Asian elephants, and so much more,” said ClareCampbell, the director of Wildlife Asia — a partner ofKWCI.

KWCI technical field expert and the leader of the surveySaw Sha Bwe Moo said deforestation was becoming aconcern in Myanmar, as the country developed.

“The peace process is bringing economicdevelopment, so we are seeing more habitats ofwildlife destroyed.”

“We are also dealing with wildlife poaching. We mustact now if we are to protect this last great wilderness”.

In the survey — conducted using six camera traps —the wildlife researchers also recorded importantspecies like the Asiatic golden cat, sun bear and dhole(Asiatic wild dog) in the hill forests.

The cameras that took almost 4200 shots alsocaptured images of poachers, driven by the largemarket for illegal wildlife trading, which was gettingcritical.

WWF Myanmar conservation director Nick Cox said the illegal wildlife trade was “rapidly emptyingMyanmar's forests”, which were also vulnerable due to their proximity to the infamous Golden Triangle region.

He said illegal wildlife markets in local cities and alongthe border must be shut down.

“We need well-trained rangers on the ground too ifMyanmar is to keep its incredible wildlife,” he said.

AUTHORITIES CLAMP DOWN ON ILLEGALWILDLIFE TRADERSBy Kyaw Ko KoMonday, 06 February 2017, Myanmar Times

Wildlife authorities and anti-smuggling officers arestepping up efforts to clamp down on the illegaltrade of wild animals through the Mandalay-Museroad by intensifying inspections at checkpointsalong the busy route.

The illegal export of organs and parts of wild animalshas recently been reported to be increasing, along withthe illegal trade of drugs, arms and human trafficking,Mandalay Department of Forestry assistant director UMoe Thu said.

Most of the goods seized by officers were bound forChina, he said.

“According to current findings, majority of the wildlifeseized were snakes and tortoises. Mandalay hasbecome a centre for illegal traders,” U Moe Thu said.

The illegal routes for exporting whole and parts of wildanimals in Myanmar are Myitkyina-Kanpaikti andMyitkyina-Laiza road in Kachin state to China,Mandalay-Lashio-Muse-Shweli road in Mandalay regionto China, Taunggyi-Keng Tung-Mong La road insouthern Shan state to China, Taunggyi-Keng Tung-Tachileik road to Thailand, Mawlamyaing-Myawaddy

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and Ye-Dawei-Phayar Thonesu road in Mon state toThailand, said an official from the Wildlife ConservationSociety (WCS) U Aung Kyaw.

He said the department will intensify its checks ongoods passing through the route, adding thatoffenders will be immediately arrested. Officers will alsobe properly trained to detect possible traffickers.

“As the public don't know these laws yet, publicawareness and educational programs will beconducted for widespread knowledge,” said U AungKyaw.

From 2010 to 2016, a total of 210 cases of illegalwildlife trade was reported nationwide. Out of thatnumber, 29 cases were from the Mandalay region,according to the Department of Forestry.

Section 37(a) of the Protection of Wildlife andConservation of Natural Areas Law states that any actof killing, hunting or wounding a completely protectedwild animal without permission, and possessing,selling, transporting or transferring such wild animal orany part of a completely protected wild animal withoutpermission shall be punishable with up to 7 years in jailand a fine of K50,000.

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FREQUENT TIGER SPOTTING IN BNP DRAWSMORE BACKPACKERSThe Rising Nepal

Gulariya (Bardiya), May 16: The number of touristsvisiting the Bardiya National Park (BNP) has shot updramatically with a sudden growth in the frequency oftiger spotting.

The domestic as well as foreign tourists have not beenlet down, and they are getting to see tigers roaming inthe wild more often.

BNP has stated that tigers, rhinos and wild elephantsare seen more often these days. On the other hand,the hotel entrepreneurs in and around the BNP areelated with the prospect of serving more customers.

With the scorching summer heat in full swing, tigers areseen coming out of the undergrowths to take a splashin the rivers and ponds and thereby making it easier forthe jungle guides and tourists to spot them. Tigers areseen more often along the Bhangalo bank of Karnaliriver everyday, BNP Acting Chief Conservation Official,Ramesh Thapa said.

The BNP has five mature tigers, six premature tigers,37 rhinos, more than 100 wild elephants and 30,000spotted deers. BNP is the largest conservation area inTarai with its boundaries straddling 968 squarekilometers.

The BNP will soon be making public the population oftigers following the conclusion of a census conductedrecently. RSS

TIGER POPULATION INCREASING IN CHITWANNATIONAL PARKPublished: June 12, 2017 3:36 am, The Himalayan Times, TILAK RAM RIMAL

Chitwan, June 11: The Chitwan National Park’sendeavours to increase the population of striped tigersseem to have paid off, with its latest camera-traprecord showing a significant rise in tiger population.

As per The Global Tiger Recovery Plan, which wasendorsed in the St Petersburg Declaration on Tigerconservation in 2010, Nepal committed to double itstiger population by 2022, from 121 to more than 250.

NEPAL

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A Royal Bengal tiger is seen in the Chitwan National Park in Chitwan district, on Tuesday, April 4, 2017

PHOTO: RSS

The 2013 census report showed that the population oftigers in the national part was 120, while the number ofyoung tigers across the country was 198.

Chief of CNP Ram Chandra Kandel confirmed theincrement in the tiger population in the national park."The number of tigers must have increased by at least10 to 20 per cent,” said Chief Kandel.

NEPAL-INDIA JOINT PATROL TO COMBATWILDLIFE POACHINGMay 26, 2017 3:41 pm, The Himalayan Times

CHITWAN: Nepal and India have agreed to launch ajoint patrol in parks and reserves along the Nepal-Indiaborder to deal with the issues of wildlife poaching. Thejoint move will be targeted at finding the trans-borderhideouts of wildlife smugglers and crack down onpoaching.

The joint move will be targeted at finding the trans-border hideouts of wildlife smugglers and crack downon poaching.

A two-day bilateral meeting also attended by authoritiesof parks and reserves of both countries concluded here

with the decision late on Thursday evening at ValmikiTiger Reserve in India.

Chief Conservation Officer of Chitwan National ParkRam Chandra Kandel headed the Nepali team whilethe Indian side was led by Valmiki Tiger Reserve’s fielddirector Chandra Shekhar.

The two sides agreed to exchange bilateral information, make the joint patrolling effective, enhance the capacity of parks and reserve staff and to conduct a field monitoring. The meeting alsodecided to take an immediate measure if any problemwas found while undertaking joint efforts to combatwildlife poaching, according to CNP conservationofficer Kandel.

Representatives from the National Trust for NatureConservation and Zoological Society of London werealso present in the meeting.It is noted that a bilateral ofhigh-ranking officials concerned of both countries heldin Patna on February 28,

It is noted that a bilateral of high-ranking officialsconcerned of both countries held in Patna on February28, this year agreed to work in collaboration to combatwildlife poaching.

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RUSSIAN HUNTER FINED $30,000 AFTERSHOOTING ENDANGERED SIBERIAN TIGERMay 31, 2017 | 13:56, The Moscow Times

A Russian man has been fined 1.7 million rubles($30,000) after shooting an endangered Amur tiger.The man, from Russia’s Far Eastern region of Primorye,was also handed a suspended jail term of 1 year and10 months, the RIA Novosti news agency reported.

In August 2015, the young female tiger was found threekilometers from the village of Kishinyovka with brokenhind legs after being shot by by an IZH-27E huntingrifle. The animal was transported to Vladivostok forveterinary care, but later died of its injuries.The Amur tiger, also called the Siberian tiger, is aprotected species in Russia. Thanks to ongoingconservation work, its population in the country’s FarEast has grown from 330 tigers in 2005 to 562 in 2015.

ANTI-POACHING DRIVE BRINGS SIBERIA’STIGERS BACK FROM BRINKRobin McKie Science editorSaturday 24 June 2017 20.10 BST Last modified onSaturday 24 June 2017 22.30 BST

In February, Pavel Fomenko was told that the body of ayoung female tiger had been discovered underneath a

car parked outside the town of Luchegorsk, in easternRussia. Fomenko - head of rare species conservationfor WWF Russia - took the corpse for examinationwhere he uncovered the grim details of the animal’sdeath.

The Amur tiger, which is also known as the Siberiantiger, had been caught in a trap and had chewed off apaw to free itself. It was left crippled, unable to hunt,and died of starvation while seeking shelter under thecar. “Hearing about this sort of thing is always painful,”said Fomenko. “This was a beautiful tigress.” It isharrowing scenes such as these that conservationgroups are hoping will become increasingly rare in theyears to come. Later this week, WWF will launch anappeal that aims not just to halt the decline in tigernumbers but to boost them to new levels. The goal isto increase the world’s tiger population in the wild tomore than 6,000 by 2022, the next Chinese year of thetiger. In this way, it should be possible to achieveglobal security for this poster boy and girl of theconservation movement.WWF reported that globalnumbers in the wild had risen from 3,200 in 2010 toabout 3,900 in the introduction of anti-poaching patrols,habitat protection and other measures.

"The increase in tiger numbers is encouraging but thespecies’ future in its natural environment still hangs inthe balance and numbers remain perilously low,” said

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Rebecca May, WWF’s tiger specialist. “There nowneeds to be an enormous push forward to build on thisprogress. We need commitment and urgent actionfrom all governments of ‘tiger-range’ countries [wheretigers still roam free], as well as the passion andunwavering support of the public.”

To fund the campaign, WWF will launch an appeal thisweek for the public to become “tiger protectors” bydonating £5 a month to its programme. Some of thismoney will be used to expand reserves in the wildwhere tigers can mix and breed in greater numbers,reversing a trend that has seen the tiger’s range in Asiashrink by nearly 95% over the past 150 years.

This attrition of habitat has continued unabated intorecent times. Between 2006 and 2014, the tiger’salready dwindling range shrank a further 40%. Bycontrast, human populations have soared in tiger-rangecountries - which include India, Russia, Nepal and nineother Asian nations that now have a human populationof 3.2 billion, double the number in 1977.

In addition, poaching, habitat destruction and climatechange still pose major threats to the species,problems that are all illustrated by the battle to save theAmur tiger. In 2010, it was estimated that more than70% of Amur deaths were caused by humans, most ofthem poachers who use roads built deep into forestsby the logging industry to find the tigers.

The Russian government has recently introduced apackage of measures aimed at boosting Amurnumbers, including restricting logging in tiger habitatareas and increased penalties for poaching and thepossession of tiger parts, which are sold to countries inthe Far East where they are considered to havemedicinal properties.

As head of conservation, Fomenko has been trying toimplement these measures, work that sometimesrequires spending a month or more in the wild trackingand protecting tigers — including fights with poachers— and investigating sites where poaching andsuspicious tiger deaths have occurred. “There’s therisk of getting lost, the risk of getting frostbitten, the riskof encountering a predator. There is a high chance ofmeeting death,” he said.

The fortunes of the Amur tiger have been moreencouraging than most. Its population had dropped toonly 20 to 30 animals in the 1930s and the species wason the brink of extinction. Today, there may be morethan 500 Amurs in the wilds of Siberia thanks to thework of conservationists such as Fomenko, backed bygovernments that value good conservation.

It remains to be seen if this reversal can be maintained,although Fomenko is under no illusions about the valueof such work: “Tigers are powerful, they are beautiful,they are perfect — and they can co-exist with humans.”

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Pavel Fomenko carries a rifle, believed to have been abandoned by a poacher, through the forest wilderness of Primorski province.

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THAI JUNGLE SEEN AS BREEDING GROUND FORINDOCHINESE TIGERSAssociated Press 29 MARCH 2017 o 12:02AM

Conservationists say they have evidence that thecritically endangered Indochinese tiger is breeding in aThai jungle, giving hope for the survival of an animalwhose total population may be less than 300.

Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife andPlant Conservation along with two private organizationsannounced Tuesday they have photographic evidenceof new tiger cubs in eastern Thailand, supporting ascientific survey that confirmed the existence of theworld’s second breeding population of the tigers. Theother breeding ground is in the Huai Kha KhaengWildlife Sanctuary in western Thailand.

The Thai agency, along with Freeland, an organizationfighting human and animal trafficking, and Panthera, awild cat conservation group, said only 221 Indochinesetigers are estimated to remain in two Asian countries,Thailand and Myanmar.

It is feared that tigers, which once ranged across muchof Asia, are now all but extinct in southern China,Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and much of Myanmar, thegroups said in a joint statement. Indochinese tigers aresmaller than the better-known Bengal and Siberiantigers.

“Poaching for the illegal wildlife trade stands as thegravest threat to the survival of the tiger, whosenumbers in the wild have dwindled from 100,000 acentury ago to 3,900 today,” it said.

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Two young tiger cubs are photographed by a camera trap set by Thailand's Department of National Parks

PHOTO: EPA

The statement noted the tigers’ “remarkable resiliencegiven wildlife poaching and illegal rosewood logging”in the eastern jungle.

“The Thai forestry department proved that withprotection you can not only bring tigers back, but nowthe western forest complex, specifically Huai KhaKhaeng, is a global model of tiger conservation,” AlanRabinowitz, chief executive officer of Panthera said in avideo call from New York.

“It is one of the best protected and best tiger areas leftin the world. Thailand has shown that you can protecttigers and bring them back. They can do this now in

the eastern forest complex as they’ve done in thewestern forest complex.”

HIGH HOPES FOR TIGER POPULATION DOUBLINGBangkok Post3 Apr 2017 at 04:30

The discovery of at least six cubs in Thap Lan National Park, which connects to the Unesco WorldHeritage-listed Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai ForestComplex, is giving conservationists hope that Thailand will be able to double its tiger population by 2022.

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Three Indochinese tigers roam the forest in Eastern Thailand

The tiger population is increasing in their major habitats in the Western Forest Complex's Huai Kha Kaeng-Thung YaiWildlife Sanctuary. Hopes are high Thailand will double its tiger population by 2022

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VIETNAM’S CONSERVATION COMMUNITY CALLSFOR YOUTH ACTION ON WORLD WILDLIFE DAYBy Tuoi Tre News, March 04,2017, 08:03 GMT+7

Young people should be part of the solution and speakup for the protection of endangered wildlife species

In recognition of the World Wildlife Day on Friday,members of the conservation community in Vietnamhave encouraged young people to be part of thesolution and speak up for the protection of endangeredwildlife species.

Themed “Listen to the Young Voices,” this year’s WorldWildlife Day is encouraging youth around the world torally together to address ongoing major threats towildlife, including illicit trafficking, over-exploitation andhabitat loss.

“Change must come from within, and right now there isan important window of opportunity for young peopleto make a difference for Vietnam’s wildlife,” said aspokesperson from a group of 14 organizationsworking in Vietnam to protect wildlife and combatwildlife crime.

The group comprises embassies, internationalorganizations, and local and international non-governmental organizations, the U.S. Embassy inHanoi said in a press release on Friday.

It is a message that carries particular weight inVietnam, where many wildlife species are facing thebrink of extinction due to over-exploitation and illegaltrade, according to the document.

It is a very real threat already played out with the Javanrhino, which was declared extinct in Vietnam in 2010,and now many other species including tigers,elephants, and pangolins are not far behind.

While Vietnam has enacted a range of efforts in recentyears to improve legislation, strengthen law

enforcement, and reduce consumer demand, there isstill much more that needs to be done to respond towildlife crime.

According to the United Nations Population Fund,Vietnam is currently recording the highest proportion ofyoung people in its history.

Young people between the ages of 10 to 24 nowrepresent nearly 40 percent of the population inVietnam, which presents a unique chance in its historyfor young people to influence and contribute to positivechange.“As the largest demographic group and the futureleaders and decision makers of Vietnam, it is crucialthat young people are empowered to act at both localand global levels to protect wildlife,” said aspokesperson of the conservation group.

“By calling for and practicing zero tolerance for wildlifecrime — starting with our own behavior and notpurchasing or consuming any products made fromendangered species — young people can help tomobilize the change that is urgently needed.”

According to the U.S. embassy, World Wildlife Day isalso a timely opportunity to remember thecommitments made at the third internationalConference on Illegal Wildlife Trade, which was hostedby Vietnamese government in November 2016.

During the conference, Vietnam and other countriesmade important commitments to end illegal wildlifetrade.

It is vital that 2017 is a year of strong and sustainedaction to close down illegal wildlife markets and reduceconsumer demand for illegal wildlife products.

“World Wildlife Day is a reminder to all of us — whethergovernment officials, law enforcement officers orprivate citizens — that we all need to step up ourefforts, before it’s too late,” said the spokesperson.

VIETNAM

In 2017 IFAW Russia continues to support the work ofTrans-Regional Non- Governmental Organization“Center for Rehabilitation of Tigers and Other Rare

Animals” (TRNGO Center Tiger).

On April 29, 2017 a young female tiger, named Filippa,

was released into the wild, she was raised andprepared for surviving independently in her naturalhabitat at the TRNGO Center Tiger. Food and veterinarysupport of Filippa’s rehabilitation was provided by theautonomous non-commercial organization “Amur TigerCenter”.

NEWS FROM INTERNATIONAL NGOs

INTERNATIONAL FUND FOR ANIMAL WELFARE (IFAW)TIGER CAMPAIGN IN RUSSIA IN THE FIRST HALF OF 2017

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IFAW staff took part in the release and also photographed and filmed the entire process.

In order to do so Brant Backlund, IFAW’scameraman specializing in filming wildlife,travelled to the Jewish Autonomous Region tothe Dichun Sanctuary where the tiger wasreleased; in 2013, he jointly with Michael Boothfilmed the famous “jump to freedom” of thefemale tiger Zolushka, which was watched byapproximately 22 million viewers.

Location for Filippa’s release was chosen witha lot of care. IFAW funded research for theproject “Establishment of sustainablepopulation of the Amur Tiger in the JewishAutonomous Oblast”, implemented by expertsof the TRNGO Center Tiger on request of thegovernment of the Jewish AutonomousRegion. In the framework of this research themost suitable locations for release ofrehabilitated tigers were determined. Finally,the Federal Supervisory Natural ResourcesManagement Service selected the DichunRegional State Nature Sanctuary for Filippa’srelease.

It had been less than a week since Filippa wasreleased, and already a successful hunt wasconfirmed. Filippa started her independent lifein the wild by successfully hunting a youngAsian black bear. This information confirmsgood hunting skills of the released tiger. Shedid not have experience of hunting otherpredators in the enclosure. This is veryvaluable information confirming highadaptability of young animals who underwentrehabilitation. Information about the firstsuccessful hunt was provided by the staff of

the Directorate of wildlife conservation and protectednatural territories of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast toTRNGO Center Tiger.

And IFAW Russia has terrific news — the family ofrehabilitated tigers Borya and Svetlaya, whose habitatis in Zhuravliny sanctuary, Jewish Autonomous region,finally became parents!

Borya and Svetlaya were admitted and rehabilitated at the TRNGO Center Tiger at the same time. Boryawas released in May 2014 in the Amur Region andSvetlaya was released a month later — over 500kilometers away in Zhuravliny. It was absolutelyamazing when Borya left the Amur region and travelledall the way to Zhuravliny to reunite with Svetlaya inDecember 2015.

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As it was watched from camera traps the two tigersstarted to hang out together obviously enjoying eachother’s company. Our hope was that the two graduatesof the TRNGO Center Tiger would soon becomeparents. At the end of April that hope was realized.These tigers are now living and thriving in a region thathad not seen tigers for several decades.

At the end of May, Borya made himself and his new

family more elusive by completely destroying one ofthe camera traps. Luckily for us he took some selfiesfirst!

At the moment, there are two tiger cubs, male andfemale, approximately of 11 months age inrehabilitation at the Center.

IFAW continued to support the monitoring andprotection of the released tigers. IFAW allocated funds

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for the fuel for the snow and swamp going vehicle Bobr (purchased by IFAW in 2016 for protection ofBorya and Svetlaya at Zhuravliny). IFAW providedmoney for supplies for camera traps in Khingan Nature Reserve.

In 2017 IFAW deepened cooperation with the UssuriNature Reserve, one of the main tiger reserves inRussia. Due to the long process of reorganization, thereserve currently is in very cramped conditions. Due tothe lack of funding the reserve did not have enoughmoney even for gasoline. IFAW provided funds for anti-poaching patrols to ensure the protection of thereserve from poachers and fires: for fuel, spare partsfor vehicles, radio communication devices andpayment for satellite phones and etc.

As well IFAW continued cooperation with environmentaleducation department of the Ussuri nature reserve. Aseries of educational events for various categories ofresidents of the southern part of the Primorsky Regionwere conducted. Topics of the events were related toenvironmental issues faced by the Amur tiger andincluded a series of lectures-presentations,discussions, interactive games and trainings, creativitycompetitions (drawings, craft, poems), exhibitions.

Also IFAW continued to support eco-lessons at localschools and the eco-center in Southwestern Primorye.The main goal of educational project is to strengthenAmur tiger conservation in the Russian Far Eastthrough combination of conservation education andcommunity outreach.

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Centre for Wildlife Studies (CWS) works with acentral focus on the recovery, protection andmaintenance of tiger populations in source-

sites. Our work enables the development andimplementation of a comprehensive model for tigerconservation and monitoring, not just for India, butfollowed now by tiger range countries across Asia.

MONITORING TIGERS AND THEIR PREY IN THEWESTERN GHATS LANDSCAPECWS manages the world’s longest-running tigermonitoring project across the species’ global range.Launched in 1990, the project maintains a database ofover 800 individual tigers from the Malenad landscapein Karnataka and adjacent States. Between Januaryand June 2017, we carried out camera trap surveys inNagarahole, Bhadra and Wayanad Tiger Reserves. Weinvested a total effort of 15,333 camera-trap days, 774person-days, and 32,214 km of field vehicle travel forthese surveys and the preparatory work. The surveysyielded a total of 270,016 camera-trap images. We arecurrently processing and validating the field data,which includes tagging of photo-captured individuals,assignment of complementary flank images, extractionand visual comparison of images followed by finalassignment of individual identities using programExtractCompare. To estimate tiger densities once theidentification process is complete, spatial capture-

recapture analyses will be carried out usingapproaches recently developed in collaboration withscientists from the US Geological Survey.

To estimate tiger prey densities, we carried out linetransect surveys in Bhadra Tiger Reserve and WayanadWildlife Sanctuary. We surveyed a total of 66 squaretransect samplers covering a total area of 836 km2 inthe two protected areas as well as the adjacent reserveforests. We invested approximately 773 person-daysand a total travel of 18,150 km in field vehicles forthese surveys. We are currently processing andvalidating the field data, following which we will carryout exploratory analyses, model fitting and statisticalanalysis to derive density estimates for the tiger’sprincipal prey in these sites.

SCAT COLLECTION FOR GENETIC PROFILINGIn the field season of 2017, our field teams alsoopportunistically collected tiger scat samples. Wecollected 34 tiger scats in Nagarahole, Bhadra andWayanad for subsequent laboratory genetic analysis.

MONITORING TIGERS AND THEIR PREY IN THEEASTERN GHATS LANDSCAPEThe Eastern Ghats (across the states of AndhraPradesh and Telangana) hold over 20,000 km2 ofpotential tiger habitat. Tigers are patchily distributed

NEWS FROM NATIONAL NGOs

CENTRE FOR WILDLIFE STUDIES (CWS)TIGER RESEARCH AND MONITORING

Left image 1: Tiger camera-trapped in Nagarahole Tiger Reserve.Right image 2: CWS team set up camera-traps in Malenad Tiger Landscape.

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across these vast landscapes, and occur at lowdensities in a few sites. The forests of Andhra Pradeshand Telangana therefore hold great promise for therecovery of substantial increases in tiger populations.

CWS implements its tiger monitoring work in theEastern Ghats landscape in collaboration with localpartner Hyderabad Tiger Conservation Society(HyTiCoS), and the State Forest Departments. Theteams covered 1600 km2 in Amrabad Tiger Reserve forcamera-trap surveys to estimate tiger densities.Camera trapping in 131 locations for 96 days in 2017resulted in a total effort of 9820 trap nights, and 127tiger images. Detailed analyses are underway toidentify individual tigers and estimate tiger densities forthe region.

To facilitate informed management of tigers and theirhabitat based on current status, interim field reports forboth tiger occupancy surveys and tiger monitoringassessments in Andhra Pradesh and Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve respectively, were shared withthe Chief Wildlife Warden of Andhra Pradesh ForestDepartment. CWS and collaborators played animportant role in establishing a robust framework fortiger monitoring in this landscape under thegovernment-mandated Phase-IV monitoring exercise. In2017, we initiated Tiger Monitoring Programme inAmrabad Tiger Reserve of Telagana and implementedPhase IV of Tiger monitoring that included camera trap surveys for tigers and co-predators. For the first time, we carried out line transect surveys toestimate herbivore density in Amrabad Tiger Reserveinvesting a total walk effort of 605 km that yieldedsightings of 372 herbivores. Currently, field data isbeing analysed. In the newly recognised tiger corridorof Kawal Tiger Reserve connecting to the southern partof Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve, we systematicallycarried out camera trapping to study movement andlandscape use by tigers which yielded 24 photo-captures of tigers and 4 individuals being identified. Incollaboration with the forest department, our teamscontinued monitoring and protection of four tiger cubsin the region. The cubs are observed to havesuccessfully established into new territories in therecent months.

MITIGATING HUMAN-TIGER CONFLICTCWS and HyTiCoS set up a dedicated toll-free numberfor the public to report illegal activities like snaring andsmuggling of wildlife. It has produced a network of 250informants, and registers an average 50 complaints permonth. The law enforcement teams have dismantledover 1050 snares in combing operations, busted anorganized poaching gang leading to the seizure of 120kg wild pig meat and arrests of seven people, sharedintelligence on 65 cases and assisted the forestdepartment in booking 21 illegal offences. Interventionby CWS conservationists has ensured that the

government orders that legalised culling of wild boarsthat raid crop fields was not renewed after its expiryperiod of one year.

PROVIDING SCIENTIFIC INPUTS TOMANAGEMENT OF THE MALENAD LANDSCAPE Our long-term tiger and prey monitoring program isinvaluable not just from the viewpoint of tracking thehealth of the populations, but also in terms of betterunderstanding the population dynamics of tiger,leopard and prey populations and in assessingresponses of these populations to conservationinterventions.CWS provides real-time, validated inputsto the Forest Department to inform the management oftiger and prey populations and their habitats.Particularly drawing on our extensive database of over850 individually identified tigers, we rapidly matchtigers that have been poached, or that have come intoconflict with humans, with the images in our database,thus pulling up the origins and previous photo-capturehistories of these individuals.

From January to June 2017, we compiled 10 tigermortality reports in the Malenad landscape, of whichfive were determined to have died of natural cause, twowere poached and for three individuals, the cause ofdeath could not be established. Of these 10individuals, five were matched with photo-captures inour database, and we were able to shed light on theirprevious histories, which were shared with therespective Forest Departments. We also compiled tworeports on the removal of three tigers by the forestdepartment that had either come into conflict withhuman communities or were found injured within ornear the forest.

WORKSHOPS AND CAPACITY BUILDING FORFRONTLINE STAFFWe partnered with the Telangana State ForestDepartment to build capacity of frontline staff inadvanced tiger monitoring protocols as per the NTCAmandate under Section-2 of Phase IV of TigerMonitoring. We conducted training workshops for 165frontline staff of different cadres including AssistantConservator of Forests, Forest Range Officers,Foresters, Guards and Watchers in two Divisions oferstwhile Adilabad District. 65 Forest Range Officertrainees from 5 states, who are undergoing mandatoryinduction training at the Telangana Forest Academywere trained in the technicalities and field operations oftiger monitoring.

EDUCATION AND AWARENESS PROGRAMSCWS and HyTiCoS held conservation awarenessprograms in areas adjacent to tiger reserves inTelangana and Andhra Pradesh for 800 students from16 schools, and 400 college students; nature clubswere established in 7 schools, and tiger sensitizationworkshops attended by 15 teachers.

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Sending a clear message on the country’s ‘zerotolerance’ stand against any and all wildlife-related crime, a total of 4012 wildlife parts of 48

species were incinerated at the Chitwan National Park(CNP) headquarters in Kasara on May 22, 2017. Theseincluded wildlife parts stored at Tikauli (1739 parts) and

Kasara (2273 parts) that have been collected fromacross the country over the past 20 years. Some of themajor items burned included: 357 rhino horn; 67 tigerskin, apart from the 418 leopard skin, and skin of snowleopard, red panda and python; tiger claw; pangolinscale; musk pod; bear gall; leopard bone; Tibetanantelope fur, elephant tail hair; tortoise scale and seahorse among others.

Joining in the spirit of the historic occasion, that wasmade to coincide with the International BiodiversityDay, were also the Hon. Minister for Foreign Affairs Mr.Prakash Sharan Mahat; Hon. Minister for Forests andSoil Conservation (and NTNC Chairman) Mr. ShankarBhandari; Hon. Minister for Population andEnvironment Mr. Jay Dev Joshi; Hon. State Minister forForests and Soil Conservation Mr. Dirgha Raj Bhat; theUS Ambassador to Nepal, Ms. Alaina B. Teplitz, alongwith senior government officials from related lineministries.

Alighting the stockpile furnace into flames, the Hon.Minister for Foreign Affairs and chief guest inauguratedthe bonfire spectacle in the presence of more than 500national and international conservationists, mediapersons, security chiefs, civil society members andlocal community members alike.

NATIONAL TRUST FOR NATURE CONSERVATION (NTNC)OVER 20 YEARS OF NEPAL'S WILDLIFE STOCKPILE GO UP IN FLAMESILE

SN WILDLIFE PART QUANTITY

1 Bear gall bladder 15

2 Clouded leopard skin 2

3 Elephant tail hair 354

4 Leopard skin 418

5 Pangolin scale 2 sacks

6 Red Panda skincale 47

7 Rhino horn 357

8 Snow leopard skin 1

9 Tibetan antelope fur 42 sacks

10 Tiger skin 67

LIST OF ANIMAL PARTS UNDER CITES CATEGORY-I

CITES Category-I 18 species

CITES Category-II 4 species

CITES Category-III 4 species

Others 22 species

LIST OF SPECIES UNDER VARIOUS CITESCATEGORIES

Foreign Minister Mr. Prakash Sharan Mahat getting ready to light aflame the wildlife stockpile

The stockpile inventory management included identifyingand bar-coding each wildlife part, whilst also preservingthe DNA samples. Further, a special press conferencewith extra vigilance to ensure adherence to scientificprocedure and transparency was maintained followingthe Cabinet’s decision to destroy the wildlife stockpilethrough the amendment of the existing regulation onMay 18 2017. The initiative was taken under the lead ofthe Government of Nepal and its line agencies, and wasmade successful through the support provided by theNepal Army, NTNC, WWF, ZSL and SAWEN. Through theleadership of MoFSC, NTNC played a key role in thevalidation and verification of the stockpiles, to ensuringthorough implementation of the mission on the ground.

A 52 ft by 16 ft by 3.5 ft furnace using brick, clay andiron rod was especially designed for this purpose byNTNC and built at the army sport ground by the ShriJung Brigade. Following the bonfire, the wildlife ash

remains will be buried into a monument to symbolizeNepal’s non-compromise against wildlife trade andpoaching.

1100 kilos of ivory however could not be destroyedgiven the required heat to burn the material (requiringapprox 900 degree Celsius). Other items not destroyedand saved for future reference purposes included 10rhino horn, 5 tiger skin, 4 musk deer pods, 2 red pandaskin, 1 snow leopard skin, and a sack of Tibetanantelope fur.

Resonating the theme of other speakers, the Hon.Minister for Forests (and NTNC Chairman) alsoemphasized Nepal’s conviction to show to the rest ofthe world that wildlife should only bear value so long asthey are kept alive in the wild, and that “wildlife partshave absolutely no purpose and future whatsoeverwhen dead.”

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Pit dug to bury the wildlife stockpile ash remains into a monument

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THE CORBETT FOUNDATION (TCF)JANUARY TO JUNE 2017

The Corbett Foundation (TCF) was founded in1994 by Mr. Dilip Khatau, with the primaryobjective of facilitating harmonious coexistence

between man and nature. Long term conservationsuccess relies largely on the support and participationof local forest-dependent communities, and thereforeTCF’s community-based conservation programmescomprise conservation research and awareness, ruralmedical outreach and awareness, training and capacitybuilding, veterinary care, sustainable livelihoods andnatural resource management and sustainabledevelopment initiatives. TCF works in and around thetiger reserves of Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Corbett andKaziranga and in The Greater Rann of Kutch with tribaland other forest-dependent communities.

I) WILDLIFE AND ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESSTCF celebrated global environmental days, andconducted awareness programmes on wildlifeconservation for the local community, impressionableyoung children and youth in and around the tigerreserves of Corbett, Kanha, Bandhavgarh andKaziranga, to impress upon them the importance,threats to and means of tiger and wildlife conservation.On World Wetlands Day, TCF’s divisions organizedvisits for local community members, school staff andstudents, forest authorities and field staff to important

water bodies nearby, explaining the ecological role andimportance of wetlands. World Forestry Day,International Biodiversity Day and World Environmentday were celebrated with the local community and ruralschools through field trips into forest habitat, saplingplantation, waste clean-up drives, slogan and themedmarches, essay, art, poster-making, speech and quizcompetitions, wildlife documentary and moviescreenings, discussions, presentations and lectures.On World Water Day, TFC Corbett conducted a one-day Mahseer survey in the Kosi and Khichdi riversin collaboration with the Ramnagar Forest Division,where six teams surveyed stretches of approximately20km and 11km of the respective rivers to identifyMahseer presence. Additionally, awarenessprogrammes on snakes, forest fires and Turtleconservation were also conducted. In June 2017, TCFlaunched a Conservation Education Programme incollaboration with the Forest Department at SahyadriTiger Reserve (STR), Maharashtra. The programmecomprises sensitization and creating awarenessamong rural and nearby urban school students aboutSTR’s rich biodiversity and the importance of itsconservation through nature trails and treks, andinvolving the local rural community in these efforts. TCFalso participated in the Kanha Bird Survey as part ofBird Count India.

II) WILDLIFE CONSERVATION AND RESEARCHa. Interim Relief Scheme: Corbett Tiger Reserve and

the adjoining forest divisions in Uttarakhand are animportant conservation landscape in the Terai arcregion, with 250 villages and 25 Gujjar settlementslocated in the buffer zones. Community losses dueto frequent cattle and livestock depredation bytigers and leopards, and procedural and financialdelays in compensation builds frustration andresentment in the community against wildlife,leading to revenge killings of the responsiblepredator by poisoning the carcass it returns to. Tomitigate this human-wildlife conflict and the gravethreat to big cat conservation here, TCF and WWF-India, since 1995 have been providing ex-gratiafinancial assistance to villagers whose cattle havebeen killed by a tiger or leopard in the buffer zoneof CTR, by way of an Interim Relief Scheme (IRS).This alliance has been extended to Kanha TigerReserve as well, as of June 2016. With nearly 100%reporting of cattle kills, TCF promptly responds tokill-reports, providing immediate effective monetaryassistance and medical treatment to the injured.This scheme has reduced the antagonism of localstowards wildlife. Between January and May 2017,146 incidents were reported from Kanha while 357incidents were reported from Corbett. A totalamount of approximately ?3,62,112 was disbursedas compensation.

b. Human-wildlife conflict mitigation using solar-lights: TCF Corbett distributed six solar lights to thevillagers of Kalinko near Corbett Tiger Reserve,experimenting with the light’s ‘blinking mode’ andhigher intensity to stave off crop-raiding wildherbivores and wild carnivores more effectively andfurther mitigate human-wildlife conflict. Theadvantages of using these lights were studiedthroughout the month from when they were theselights were studied throughout the month from

when they were distributed. TCF also installed fivesolar streetlights at previously determined locationsin villages Sonjala, Ranikota, Teda, Parewa andChandpurin the Corbett Landscape to illuminate thestreets after dusk and reduce conflict by providingsafe passage to the villagers.

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Xc. Village Wildlife Guardians: TCF and TOFTigerssupported by the Steppes Travel and The TribesFoundation has continued implementing the VillageWildlife Guardians (VWG) programme, wherein sixindividuals from the Garhi, Samnapur and Khaparanges of Kanha Tiger Reserve work closely withTCF and the Forest Department to monitor humanactivity in the vicinity of the reserve and keep aneye out for suspicious movement and activities thatundermine conservation efforts. Between Januaryand June 2017, the camera traps installed atvarious sites have captured movement of wildlifelike Barking deer, Wild boar, Civet cats, Jackasl,Langurs, Hares and leopards. The monitoring of sixweekly markets has revealed the averageavailability of Non-Timber Forest Products (inkilograms) across the three forest ranges. Through

patrolling, the VWGs have also reported smallexplosives and snares meant to trap/kill smallwildlife, forest fires, illegally felled trees and retainedtimber.

d. Nature Guide Training: On invitation by theChhattisgarh Forest Department, TCF conducted aNature Guide Training programme for 30 guides ofBarnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary. The programmewas well appreciated by the Forest Department,complete with classroom and field modulescomprising audio-visual sessions, communicationskills, wildlife study and nature interpretation, studyof the region’s natural history as well as first-aidtraining and personal hygiene discussions. Plansare on way for a fresh session in the comingseason.

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The Tiger Research and Conservation Trust(TRACT) is a not for profit, non-governmentorganisation, dedicated to the conservation of

wild tigers, their prey and their habitat both inside andbeyond boundaries of the Central India landscape.

We work in the forests of Central India, within andbeyond boundaries of the reserves, in the peripheralforests and the forested corridors.

Our work focuses on a) facilitating protection throughpatrols and training; b) integrating local stakeholders inthe process of wildlife conservation; c) mitigatinghuman - large carnivore conflict by local participationand changing how local communities living in tigerhabitats view this species; d) creating a social fence,which is key for its persistence in the future.

Our ongoing projects are in State of Maharashtra, inthe Chandrapur District (Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reservelandscape, Nagpur District (Pench Tiger Reserve andUmrer Karhandla Wildlife Sanctuary) and GondiaDistrict (Nawegaon Nagzira Tiger Reserve)

MITIGATING HUMAN — WILDLIFE CONFLICT: Human - large carnivore conflict mitigation has beenone of the main component of TRACT's conservationinitiatives. Chandrapur district has experienced veryhigh conflict between people and tigers/leopards withmore than 200 cases of attacks on people in the lastdecade.

TRACT has been working towards training the forestpersonnel in ways to manage this co-habitation byunderstanding the reasons for conflict and creating aplatform to have a dialogue with the local communities.

1. Brahmapuri Forest Division landscape, a forestedcorridor extending north east of Tadoba AndhariTiger Reserve to Umrer Karandla Sanctuary ishome to a large population of tigers and leopards.This landscape has seen very high conflict betweenlarge carnivores and people including attacks bywild boars.

Supported by IUCN, TRACT is working inpartnership with the State forest department in 60conflict affected villages in this landscape, creatinglocal leadership through Primary response teams.Each team is being trained to address the firstreaction of the local community to a conflictsituation, to minimise conflict and retaliation; toensure minimum damage to people and wildlife in aconflict situation.

2. Supported by US Fish and Wildlife Services, TRACThas been working with the communities in 85villages in the Buffer of Tadoba Andhari TigerReserve, creating awareness to minimise thisconflict between people and tigers/leopards. Drillswith these local village teams are conducted toensure a First line of defence in a conflict situation.

3. TRACT is working in 35 villages in the buffer of theNawegaon Nagzhira tiger reserve, creating PrimaryResponse teams called Tiger ambassadors inthese villages. Issues addressing crop raids,attacks by wild boars and presence of largecarnivores near human dwellings.

4. Having proposed this scheme, TRACT monitors thework done in the 50 buffer villages of TadobaAndhari Tiger Reserve under the Dr. ShyamaPrasad Mukherjee Jan Van Vikas Yojana, theintegrated development scheme of the MaharashtraState Government. TRACT has also done fieldsurveys to monitor the change in the dependenceof the local communities on the habitat byintroduction of LPG for each household, the use ofthe newly constructed toilets and the otheramenities under this scheme.

5. TRACT continues to patrol some of the sensitivebuffer forest areas in Tadoba Andhari andNawegaon Nagzhira jointly with the local Forestfield personnel. Local youth are trained for this andgiven a stipend to patrols these areas.

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THE TIGER RESEARCH AND CONSERVATION TRUST (TRACT)

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WCS-India has initiated a trans-boundaryproject with financial support from the IUCN-KfW Integrated Tiger Habitat Conservation

Program, to reconnect tiger source populations inNortheast India to habitat in the neighbouringMyanmar. Concurrently, WCS Myanmar is working onthe other side of the international border to secureforested areas and mitigate threats to wildlife. In 2017,we invested 734 trap-nights for camera-trap surveys forassessments of tiger prey.

FACILITATING VOLUNTARY RESETTLEMENTCommunities that live inside Tiger Reserves exertconsiderable pressure on tiger and prey populationsthrough various activities, and cause lower animaldensities in the park. At the same time, families living inforest interiors suffer heavy losses to conflict withwildlife, and lack access to fundamental needs such aseducation and healthcare. Voluntary and fairresettlement of these families serve both conservationand livelihood needs. WCS-India has been supportingvoluntary resettlement of these families since the 1990sin multiple ways. We engage with families residing inforest interiors, providing them with information on theprocess of resettlement and its benefits; liaisingbetween resettling families and government personnel,including ensuring that benefits are fully, fairly andtransparently provided; and offering extensive post-resettlement support.

In Kudremukh National Park, WCS-India assisted 23families in receiving relocation benefits from the DistrictRelocation Committees. These families received Rs.113,309,951 in compensation money after being valuedfor property and structure, and standing crops. In effect,a total 41 acres of land was added to the National Park.In Devamachi Reserve Forest, falling within the bufferzone of Nagarahole, WCS-India staff garnered localcommunity support for the Forest Department againstlarge-scale forest encroachment by more than 500families. Later, the District Administration was able topartially clear the encroachment; WCS-India staff werepart of a delegation that approached the District In-charge Minister and Deputy Commissioner, Kodagu, forthe resettlement of these families which was completedby April 2017. Persistent follow-up by WCS-India andMudumalai Relocation Committee ensured that 33 ofthe 37 land-based beneficiaries that relocated out ofMudumalai WLS in 2016 received electric, water androad connections for their new houses, and are onlyawaiting final land-related paperwork to relocate. InKerala, 13 families of Tholpatty WL Range received afirst instalment of Rs. 600,000 each. Of these families, 7have vacated their lands within the Park; we also

assisted 171 families to officially file for resettlement. InKawal Tiger Reserve, WCS-India’s efforts resulted in130 villagers opting for voluntary resettlement. 660families from three villages within Amrabad TigerReserve opted for voluntary resettlement as well. InTelangana, 110 families from 2 villages have given theirwillingness to move and relocation process is inadvanced stages.

Families wishing to relocate were provided effectiveliaisons with government and socio-political leadershipto maximize the benefit from government-sponsoredrelocation schemes.

POST-RELOCATION SUPPORTWCS-India staff continued to provide motivation andsupport to families that are volunteering to relocate fromcritical wildlife areas in reserves or are in the process ofrelocating or have already relocated. Such supportincluded in arenas of agricultural activities, education,healthcare, banking support, livelihood and employment,among others. 522 people including infants receivedaccess to health care such as immunisation, diagnostictests and hospital care. We supported families foragriculture by providing seeds, saplings, trees, fertilizers,pesticides, agricultural implements, and assistancetowards animal husbandry. Relocated tribal familiesattended training programs on maintenance of bankaccounts, leadership, driving, and skill-development.WCS-India team ensured 15 MNERGA beneficiarieswere allotted jobs, earning total wages of nearly 2 lakhs.To supplement energy requirements of relocatedfamilies, WCS -India team assisted 107 families fromNagarahole apply for new LPG connections andensured 24 families received LPG supply. We helped 20families install solar lighting and networked with a civilsociety organization and engineering students todistribute solar power systems to 220 families.

WILDLIFE CONSERVATION SOCIETY-INDIA (WCS-INDIA)TRANS-BOUNDARY INITIATIVES FOR TIGER CONNECTIVITY IN NORTHEAST INDIA

Image 1. Note book distribution as part of post-relocationsupport to school children of families that moved out of

Nagarahole Tiger Reserve.

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MITIGATING HUMAN-TIGER CONFLICTWild Seve: An inevitable outcome of success inconservation is that as wildlife populations increasethey begin to increasingly utilise human-dominatedareas adjacent to wildlife reserves. This leads toincreased conflict in the form of crop loss, cattledepredation, damage to property, injury and evenhuman death. At the same time, wildlife species aresubject to retaliatory killing through poisoning of cattlecarcasses and snaring. Mitigating such conflictbecomes critical to fostering tolerance of wildlifeamong forest-edge communities, and to minimizelosses by these communities. In July 2015 project WildSeve was launched by WCS-India to address human-wildlife conflict incidents occurring around Nagaraholeand Bandipur National Parks in Karnataka. Thisconservation initiative applies mobile technology thatfunctions as an early-response call-feedback loopwhere farmers facing loss by wildlife can report anincident. Wild Seve field agents reach the farmersimmediately to assist them in filing claims forgovernment mandated compensation. Our efforts haveled to 2,190 families receiving over Rs. 6,198,841 incompensation and more than 5,000 cases beingtracked.

Technical workshop on Linear InfrastructureImpacts: WCS-India lead a project titled “Connectivityacross the landscape: Strategies to meet needs forinfrastructure and wildlife in India” supported by the

Science for Nature and People Partnership (SNAPP).Meetings were held with 41 experts from 27 institutionsin 2016 and in 2017 to form a landscape connectivityand infrastructure working group. Expected outputsinclude publications on mitigation and infrastructuregrowth in India, structural and functional connectivityanalysis for India, open access data portal whichprovides > 70 distinct data layers covering 19categories for India, key resources and analysis on thetwo focal landscapes of Central India and WesternGhats.

EDUCATION AND AWARENESS PROGRAMSKarnataka: WCS-India staff held two Nature Camps forthe Karnataka Forest Department and sensitized 105school students belonging to villages surroundingBandipur Tiger Reserve. In Kali Tiger Reserve, WCS-India staff conducted seven nature camps for theKarnataka Forest Department - 435 school students, 21teachers and 69 general public participated in thesecamps. In Kumbarawada Wildlife Range, 637 villagerswere sensitized on wildlife conservation and relocationprograms.

Kerala: WCS-India and Kerala Forest Departmentcollaborated for public awareness programs involving 8colleges and 2 civil society organisations. Collegestudents acted as messengers and reached over230,000 locals to sensitize them on wildlifeconservation and forest fire.

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Image 2. Participants and collaborators of the Science for Nature and People Partnership (SNAPP) Committee workshop held in 2017.

PHOTO: ULLAS KARANTH/KRITHI KARANTH

Wildlife Conservation Trust (WCT) currentlyworks in 130 national parks (NP) and wildlifesanctuaries (WLS) across 23 Indian states,

covering 82% of 50 tiger reserves (TR) and 18% ofapproximately 730 Protected Areas (PA). With over 3.5million people living inside TRs and three hundredmillion dependent on natural ecosystems, we cannotseparate communities from conservation. Thus, WCTlays equal emphasis on wildlife conservation andcommunity development in forested areas.

FOREST PROTECTIONWCT works closely with state forest departments inIndia to ensure that they have the best equipment andtraining to carry out their duties.

Support for forest departments: WCT donatesvehicles to various PAs and territorial divisions toimprove the mobility of frontline staff. Between Januaryand June 2017, one truck was donated to Melghat TR,Maharashtra along with 350 winter jackets for staff ofthe Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF). Additionally,five motorcycles were donated to Eravikulam, Chinnarand Pampadum Shola NPs in Kerala, as well asSariska TR in Rajasthan.

During the same period, WCT also equipped 26 Anti-Poaching Camps (APCs) in six PAs in Kerala, providingessential items such as solar charging systems, first-

aid kits, trunks, cooking sets, and water storage tanksalong with personal equipment such as shoes, winterjackets, rucksacks and blankets. Additionally, WCTsupported the weapons training programme organisedby Pakke TR in Arunachal Pradesh for 110 staffmembers.

WCT also donated 10 tents to the Nature ConservationSociety in Amravati, Maharashtra for the communitycentre they run in Melghat TR, Maharashtra.

Capacity-building for frontline forest staff: A keyfocus of WCT is to build capacity within the forestdepartment. To this end, WCT conducts various

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PHOTO: WTC

WILDLIFE CONSERVATION TRUST (WCT)UPDATES FROM JANUARY TO JUNE 2017

Truck donated to Melghat Tiger Reserve to improve on-ground patrolling.

M-STrIPES implementation workshop for forest guards conducted by WCT at Melghat Tiger Reserve, Maharashtra.

trainings for the forest staff, often bringing in experts from various fields such as veterinary medicineand law enforcement to supplement the officers’ skill sets.

WCT, in partnership with Wildlife Institute of India (WII)and state forest departments, is assisting tiger reservesin implementing MSTrIPES, a patrol-based wildlifemonitoring GIS database system. Between Januaryand June 2017, WCT trained 240 frontline staff from theMelghat TR in Maharashtra on MSTrIPESimplementation; bringing the total figure of trained staffto over 720 guards across Pench TR (Madhya Pradeshand Maharashtra), Nawegaon-Nagzira, Bor andMelghat TRs and Umred-Karhandla WLS inMaharashtra. Trainings were conducted in systematicpatrolling and data collection. WCT is also building thecapacity of the staff in the TRs mentioned above byassisting in the analysis of the observations recordedby the frontline staff. Over 3 lakh kilometers of on-footpatrolling effort has been compiled and analysed fromthe six PAs so far.

Between January and June 2017, 18 workshops onwildlife law and crime prevention were conducted,covering 1,346 frontline forest staff from traininginstitutes across Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.Trainings were also conducted for senior officers of theRajasthan Forest Department and Pakke Tiger Reservein Arunachal Pradesh and at the Central Academy forState Forest Service, Dehradun.

WCT’s Wildlife Law Enforcement Training team has nowtouched a milestone figure of training 10,000 guardssince its inception across the country.

Forest guard health and safety: WCT has conductedsix ‘Trauma Management Training workshops’ betweenJanuary and June 2017 for 243 forest staff fromMelghat and Nawegaon-Nagzira TRs in Maharashtra.The training aimed at building the forest guards’capacities in handling life-threatening and emergencysituations during the course of their daily work.

WCT also focuses on providing quality health care toforest staff, through its ‘Caring for Conservators’programme. Between January and June 2017, WCTconducted 16 preventive health camps, covering 2,258forest staff members (permanent and temporary) fromBor, Tadoba-Andhari, Nawegaon-Nagzira, Melghat andPench TRs along with Umred-Karhandla WLS inMaharashtra. Participating forest staff received athorough clinical check-up, medicines for commonhealth issues and referral advice from an expert panelof doctors from Mumbai and Nagpur.

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Three-day workshop on wildlife law enforcement carried out at the Govindgarh Forest Training School.

Health check-ups being carried out at the Tadoba-AndhariTiger Reserve, Maharashtra.

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CONSERVATION RESEARCH

Tiger population estimation: Between January and June 2017, WCT carried out tiger populationestimation programme, as per the Phase IV guidelines set by National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), in Satpuda-Pench Corridor, MadhyaPradesh. A total of 3000 sq. km. was sampledintensively. This long-term study is helping conservationmanagers understand the trend in tiger populationsoutside PAs.

Human-Wildlife Interface Management: WCT’s RapidResponse Unit (RRU) responds to rescue calls fromMaharashtra and Madhya Pradesh Forest Departmentsfor assistance in wildlife rescue operations. WCT’s RRUplays an important role in planning, animal handling,and rehabilitation of rescued wildlife.

WCT RRU was actively involved in monitoringmovement of tigers in Pandharkawada division ofAmravati, Maharashtra. In its effort to mitigate human-tiger conflict, Maharashtra Forest Department (MFD)and WCT devised a system of monitoring tigermovements and set in place an alert system for nearby

villages in the event of a tiger straying close to humanhabitation. During the past six months, WCT’s efforts ofmonitoring tigers in this area have led to WCT andMFD detecting presence of two new tigers and a newbirth event.WCT RRU was also involved in efforts withthe Madhya Pradesh Forest Department in rescuingtwo tigers.

COMMUNITY INTERVENTIONS WCT works closely with communities living in the bufferzones of tiger reserves on three key areas: health,education and livelihoods. Our goal is to raise theirstandard of living and reduce the dependence of thesecommunities on forests.

Education: WCT understands the value of education toa child’s future and works extensively with governmentschools in the buffer zones of TRs to build the capacityof the teachers, provide infrastructural support andcreate alternate avenues for learning.

WCT, along with its education partners, actively worksto identify areas of improvement in delivery of teaching,school administration and management, and adoptionof the latest techniques of teaching.

WPSI’s Tiger Conservation Awarenessprogramme in central India uses three small vans. The vans are painted with tiger

stripes and equipped with battery-powered audio-visual projectors and speakers. The three teamswork in the fringe villages of Kanha, Bandhavgarh and Tadoba Tiger Reserves, and through the Kanha-Pench corridor, to spread awareness anddisprese information about WPSI’s Secret InformationReward Scheme. The program consists of a screening of a wildlife film in the local language,followed by an open dialogue with the villagers about their wildlife-related problems. The teams alsoprovide information on government schemes that thevillagers could benefit from, such as compensationschemes, and guide the villagers through the processof filing claims.

From January to May 2017, the awareness programmeconducted a total of 228 film screenings and meetingsfor an audience of approximately 40,570 villagers and

354 Forest Department officials. The vans also covered40 weekly markets.

Anti-poaching Training Workshop: WPSI’s team incentral India conducted eight anti-poaching trainingworkshops for enforcement officials between Januaryand May 2017. The workshops were held in Mogarkaa,Navgeoan, Tadoba Andhari Tiger Resrve, West BetualDivision, Nagpur Division, Chandrapur TerirotrialDivision, and Karwa and Mohurli in the Tadoba-AndhariTiger Reserve buffer zone. A workshop was also held inMahananda Wildlife Sanctuary in West Bengal. In total,the workshops were attended by 534 Forest and Policeofficials.

WPSI Assisted Seizures and Investigations: WPSIassisted enforcement authorities with 11 wildlife crimecases in different parts of India and Nepal fromJanuary to May 2017. Eight cases were registered inIndia and three in Nepal, which led to the arrest of 25alleged wildlife criminals.

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WILDLIFE PROTECTION SOCIETY OF INDIA (WPSI)TIGER CONSERVATION AWARENESS IN CENTRAL INDIA

Pilibhit Tiger Reserve, February 20, 2017: Nine daysago, a Rapid Response Team established underWildlife Trust of India’s (WTI) UP CarnivoreConservation Project assisted the Uttar Pradesh ForestDepartment in tranquilising and capturing a tiger thatwas declared a man-eater after having killed multiplepeople in the fringe areas of Pilibhit Tiger Reserve.Shoot orders had been issued against the tiger, whichmeant there was a limited opportunity to resolve thesituation without killing it.

The following is a first-hand account by the two WTIteam members involved in the operation: Dr AaronWesly, project veterinarian and Prem ChandraPandey, project sociologist.

On the evening of February 7, the Conservator ofForests — Bareilly and the Divisional Forest Officer —Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (Wildlife) called to inform usabout a crisis situation: two people had been killed andanother injured in tiger attacks that had occurred onconsecutive days in certain fringe regions of Pilibhitsince February 5.

We proceeded to the Mustafabad Forest Rest House inPilibhit the next morning, to attend a high-level meetinginvolving the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests(Wildlife), the Chief Conservator of Forests — Bareilly,the Conservator of Forests — Bareilly, the DivisionalForest Officer — Pilibhit, and the concerned RangeForest Officers. A control room was established for theoperation, teams were formed and landscapes allottedto each team to track down the tiger through activepatrolling. The team that would attempt to tranquilisethe tiger was also decided — the two of us from WTI,Lucknow Zoo veterinarian Dr Utkarsh Shukla, formerWTI veterinarian Dr Saurabh Singhai and two otherlocal animal husbandry veterinarians. In addition, withthe tiger now having officially been declared a man-eater, the Conservator Mr PP Singh was tasked to bethe designated shooter in case tranquilisation attemptsshould fail, and a .375 rifle and bullets were issued tohim. It was also decided that awareness meetingswould be conducted in the affected villages and safetyleaflets distributed.

Six people had been killed and one injured in tiger

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WILDLIFE TRUST OF INDIA (WTI)FIRST-HAND ACCOUNT: CAPTURING THE MAN-EATER OF PILIBHIT

The WTI team and forest department officials meet with villagers at the home of one of the victims

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attacks in the fringe areas around the Barahi and Malaforest ranges of Pilibhit since November 28, 2016. Thesituation had escalated since February 5, with anattack occurring every day. These last three attacks(two kills and one where the victim was injured) had asimilar pattern: humans sleeping outdoors in mosquitonets were attacked and the limbs on one sideconsumed; the tiger had in each case not gone afterlivestock that presented an easier, close-to-naturalprey. After one of the kills a nearby camera trap hadrecorded a picture of the killer, so we were sure whichtiger to look for.

We got to work immediately, visiting each kill site,meeting relatives of the victims and conductingawareness sessions in conflict-affected villagers. Thenext day the various teams began tracking tigers intheir allotted areas; we were part of the team forShahgarh village and its surrounding regions. Weworked with forest department staff and our trackingendeavours received further strength with theassistance provided by local villagers. We distributedour contact details to a few key people in conflictvillages, asking them to share any information aboutthe tiger’s presence so that we could act swiftly.

On February 10, the gram pradhan (village head) ofKarnapur called the control room, informing us that hispet dog had been attacked by an animal early in themorning. We proceeded to his home and found anopen bleeding wound on the dog’s right thigh,exposing the musculature. Aaron (Dr Wesly) providedthe necessary emergency treatment but we couldn’t besure that the bite had indeed been caused by a tiger.

The last three attacks had a similar pattern: humanssleeping outdoors in mosquito nets were attackedand the limbs on one side consumed

Reports of tiger sightings kept coming in through thecourse of the day. Our team reported to several sitesas first responders, but our efforts through the dayturned out to be fruitless. We had conducted sevenawareness meetings with conflict-affected villagers over

the last three days and distributed extension aidsregarding the do’s and don’ts during human-tigerconflict, but there was no confirmed sighting - thoughthankfully, also no human kill. However, an unusuallydense fog crept across the landscape at dusk and weexpected to hear some sort of news in the morning.

A Situation on the Boil: Early on February 11, before6.00am, we received the news from the Range Officerof Mala that another person had been killed, this timein Kalinagar village under the Barahi forest range. Ourteam was en route when we received news that thevillagers were very agitated and we would be riskingour lives if we entered the village. The forestdepartment also suggested that we hang back fromthe area for a while. So, we left our rescue vehicle akilometre from the village, hung our cameras aroundour necks and with pocket diaries and pens in hand,decided to continue towards the kill site, pretending tobe journalists!

We analysed the situation and informed the forestdepartment that things were under control now that thepolice had arrived on site. Having collected all thenecessary details of the incident, we found that thekilling and consumption pattern was the same as in theother recent kills, raising the probability that the sametiger was responsible. The crowd that had gatheredpointed us in the direction that the tiger had gone, andwe found pugmarks confirming the same.

While officials from the forest department arrived andtried to recover the victim’s body, we began trackingthe tiger. We proceeded approximately two kilometreson foot, following the pugmarks, and reached a PWDroad. As we wondered which way to go, a villagercame up to us and said that a tiger’s pugmark had justbeen found at Navadiya village half a kilometre away.Sure enough, we found a fresh set of pugmarks at thevillage and asked the department to bring in trainedelephants immediately — we had a gut feeling that thetiger was still present in the area.

The forest department staff arrived half an hour laterand two untrained elephants an hour after that — thetrained elephants were stationed further away and itwould take them a while longer to reach the area. Weclambered onto one of the elephants and startedcombing the area. Suddenly, we came upon the tiger ina sugarcane field! Even as we tried to tranquilise it, itattacked and injured the elephant we were on. It had infact launched itself at the mahout and us, but since itcould not get a good enough foothold we had a narrowescape. Both elephants were terrified and ran awayfrom the area, beyond their mahouts’ control.

By now the full team had reached the area — higherofficials of the forest department, Dr Utkarsh Shuklafrom Lucknow Zoo, Dr Saurabh Singhai, the local

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A pugmark spotted at the village of Navadiya, near wherethe tiger was tranquilised

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veterinarians and the WWF team. We decided tocordon off the sugarcane field with nets before thetrained elephants arrived on site. A JCB land moverand a crane lift were also called for and a dronesurveillance team was kept at the ready. Finally, theoperation had taken a highly professional andorganised turn.

The Endgame: The trained elephants arrived twohours later. Dr Shukla and the Conservator Mr PP Singhclimbed onto one of the trained elephants while both ofus climbed onto the other. Dr Saurabh Singhai and aWWF team member were astride one of the untrainedelephants and the two local animal husbandryveterinarians from Pilibhit were seated on the other. Themahouts were told to stand all four elephants side-by-side, while the JCB would go on ahead, clearing thesugarcane to give us a better chance of clearly seeingthe tiger.

Leaving a narrow strip of sugarcane alongside the netcordon, the JCB made a circumferential clearing withinthe sugarcane field. Suddenly, the tiger made a dashtowards the periphery, only managing to entangle itselfin the nets. We approached it with the four elephantsbut it freed itself in a trice, charging once again at theelephants in an attempt to get back into the thickvegetation in the middle of the field. Mr PP Singh wasnow frantically firing his rifle into the air to scare thetiger.

The two trained elephants charged back at the tiger,

trumpeting and roaring loudly, and we almost lost ourbalance. Our hearts skipped a beat when the tigerleaped past us, its mouth just a foot away from ourdangling legs. We turned back to see that twountrained elephants had already run out of thecordoned area, and their riders were already standingon the ground!

Now only the two trained elephants remained,continuing the task shoulder-to-shoulder. The tiger wassighted again, hiding inside the sugarcane. Bothtranquilising teams had the narrowest of opportunitiesto take their shot. Dr Shukla, the senior andexperienced vet that he is, took his chance. He was ontarget, thankfully, for if his attempt had failed, the tigerwould have had to be shot dead.

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Two trained elephants move through the sugarcane with the tranquilising teams

The tiger in a transport cage after it was finally tranquilised

Even before we could get our breaths back, themassive crowd of onlookers, a gathering of more than5000 who had been watching from a distance, rushed towards the sedated tiger with sticks andwhatnots. We jumped off the elephants, which now hadto be used to drive the crowd away from the sedatedtiger! Finally, after an hour of strenuous effort the tigerplaced into a cage.

The active tranquilising operation had stretched for aperiod of five hours. At the end of it, a tiger that was tobe shot was instead tranquilised to be sent to LucknowZoo. Although letting wild remain wild is theconservation motto and a lifetime in captivity is not theideal outcome, it was, we felt, still a happy ending. Thetiger had not been put down, and it would cause nofurther human deaths. In the end, both animal andhuman lives matter.

IFAW-WTI Conducts First-ever CDR AnalysisTraining for Wildlife Enforcement Officials in Bhutan:Gelephu, Bhutan, February 13, 2017: As part of theongoing efforts to train, equip and boost the morale offorest department personnel in Bhutan, theInternational Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) andWildlife Trust of India (WTI), in partnership with theGovernment of Bhutan’s Department of Forests andPark Services (DoFPS), conducted a two-day technicalworkshop on Call Data Records (CDR) analysis for aselect group of enforcement officials on February 2 and3. This was the first training exercise of this nature forwildlife officials in Bhutan.

The use of CDR — which involves the analysis ofcellular tower data in a specified set of locations toshrink/expand a suspect pool as needed, or track asuspect’s movements — as an investigative tool isfairly recent in India and Bhutan, and even morenascent in the investigation of wildlife crimes. It hasalready provided spectacular results in some instancesthough: in 2015 India’s Wildlife Crime Control Bureau,working with forest department officials in the southernstate of Kerala, had with WTI’s assistance used CDRsoftware developed by Mumbai-based KetanComputers to generate leads in a poaching case in thestate. What began as a single elephant poachingincident was revealed to be a complex web ofinterstate poachers, traders and carvers involved in theivory trade, and culminated in the seizure of 538kilograms of ivory in New Delhi six months later.

The technical workshop at Gelephu aimed to build thecapacity of forest officers in the use of CDR analysissoftware in ongoing and future wildlife crimeinvestigations. The participants had the opportunity toconduct a real-time CDR analysis using data from theaforementioned elephant poaching case from Kerala.

“This workshop is part of IFAW-WTI’s continuing effortsto help Bhutan’s DoFPS in the capacity building of itspersonnel”, said Jose Louies, Head, EnforcementAssistance and Law, WTI. “Our aim with such trainingevents is to develop the investigative proficiency ofwildlife enforcement officials using a modern, technicaland systematic approach.”

57GTFNEWS

Trainers and trainees during the CDR analysis training workshop in Gelephu, Bhutan

PHOTO: IFAW/WTI

The Balaghat Forest Circle in Madhya Pradesh isone of the best forested areas within WWF India’sSatpuda-Maikal landscape (SML) in Central India.

Spread over an area of 4970 sq.km, the forests ofBalaghat are not only home to a rich assemblage offlora and fauna, but also acts as a vital wildlife corridorbetween different source populations. It connectsKanha and Pench- two of the most important TigerReserves (TR) in Central India and the connectivity alsoextends to Navegaon-Nagzira TR (NNTR) inMaharashtra.

Key areas of the corridor between Kanha and Pench liewithin the Reserved Forests of Balaghat district, whichare under the administrative control of two territorialforest divisions - North and South Balaghat.Characterised by mixed deciduous forests, both Northand South Balaghat territorial divisions are primarilymanaged for timber harvest (by selective logging) andextraction of bamboo by the forest department andwith local communities depending on the forestscollecting fodder, other non-timber forest produce andfor livestock grazing. Wildlife management wasnaturally secondary in Balaghat Forest Circle’smanagement regime.

Immense potential for tiger conservation: Kanha andPench being premier TRs, receive substantialgovernment support for wildlife protection andconservation. However, Balaghat Circle with immensepotential to support a sizeable tiger population is yet toget its due. Wildlife populations of Balaghat havereceived little attention, by way of study or conservationaction. It is only after WWF India’ studies were initiatedin Balaghat in 2014 that tiger presence and status ofother wildlife were systematically documented.

A recent spurt in the development of linearinfrastructure in the absence of mitigation measuresalso threatens wildlife movement in the area.

Balaghat- a promising TX2 Site: With an aim ofenhancing habitat connectivity in SML and maintaining a functional corridor between Kanha andPench, WWF India in 2014 identified Balaghat as animportant site to achieve its TX2 goal: i.e. an areaearmarked for the recovery of tigers with the target ofdoubling the species numbers by 2022. Balaghat isone of the eight designated Tx2 sites in India, and the only site that is neither a protected area (PA) nor atiger reserve.

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WWF - INDIABALAGHAT - A POTENTIAL SITE FOR DOUBLING TIGER NUMBERS IN INDIA'S HEARTLAND

This TX2 site and its associated support region (i.e.adjacent habitat areas that also need to be managedfor tiger conservation) were identified based onextensive consultations with the Madhya Pradesh StateForest Department officials. Background research wasalso undertaken to determine the status of mammals,habitat connectivity and conservation threats. Spreadover an approximate area of 850 sq.km (from theoverall area of 4970 sq. km.), with low density ofhuman population, the TX2 site holds immensepotential of harbouring a sizeable resident populationof tigers, in addition to being a critical part of theKanha-Pench corridor as well as connecting NNTR inthe south in Maharashtra.

Conserving critical tiger habitats: Since 2010, WWFIndia has undertaken several studies to assess thestatus of wildlife and initiated large-scale conservationaction to reduce or mitigate key threats. A detailedassessment of the corridor between Kanha and Pench,of which Balaghat forms a part, identified bottlenecksin the connectivity, as well as areas in need of moreprotection and zones with high human wildlife conflict.These assessments resulted in strategic support to theState Forest Department, as well as initiatives with localcommunities to build support for tiger conservation.

Monitoring tigers and their prey species: WWF Indiain partnership with the Forest Department has also

implemented multiple field surveys, and employingcamera traps sampling coupled with capture-recaptureanalysis and variable distance line transect surveys toestablish baseline estimates of tiger and their preypopulations, and monitor these over time. Themonitoring has established that a small population oftigers has persisted in Balaghat and has recorded thepresence of females with cubs in multiple years.

The camera trap surveys have also revealed thepresence of rare and elusive species in the areaincluding the rusty-spotted cat (Prionailurusrubiginosus) and the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra). Anavian fauna study was also conducted with a total of116 species of birds being recorded in the study area.

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A Tigress with cubs

Tigress with cub

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Garnering community support: Balaghat TX2 siteencompasses over 22 village enclaves with settlementsranging in size from two families to over 300 families.Support from the community is key to the success ofconservation efforts in Balaghat. Interactions with thecommunities in the region are leading to a betterunderstanding of their perspective including fears ofrelocation. There is scope to extend the ongoing workwith communities on issues relating to energy security,sustainable agriculture, alternate livelihoods, human-wildlife conflict and conservation awareness in selectcritical villages of the Kanha-Pench corridor with thecommunities in Balaghat as well.

Strengthening law enforcement: As Balaghat currentlylies beyond the boundaries of existing PAs, theprotection regime in the site is currently not geared andspecifically mandated to make tangible progresstowards the projected recovery of tigers at the site. WWFIndia is working both towards building the capacity ofthe forest department personnel at the site for improvedwildlife protection and to improve the status andavailability of protection equipment and infrastructure.

Securing the future of tigers in Balaghat: Elevating the status of the Balaghat TX2 site to a PA albeit keeping in mind the sensitivities of the local communities maybe the single-most effective way of ensuring that this important tract oftiger habitat receives due attention. Designation ofBalaghat as a PA would result in increased allocation of government funds for conservation and lead to the management re-focusing its attention on wildlife protection.

Following the documentation of tiger and presence ofprey species in Balaghat, the state Forest Departmenthas nominated both the Forest Divisions to beaccredited under CA|TS (Conservation Assured TigerStandards) - to meet the global standards in tigerconservation management. The effort made to drawattention to the potential, existing and future ofBalaghat emerging as a rich tiger bearing site has hadsome success with the recent decision by the MadhyaPradesh forest department to provide financial supportfor Balaghat by allocating for the site funds forprotection of wildlife outside PAs.

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Tiger Canines, Tiger Claws, Tiger BonesTiger Claws, Tiger Canines, Tiger BonesTiger Claws, Tiger Canines, Tiger Bones

Tiger BonesTiger Bones, Tiger SkinsTiger Bones, Tiger SkinsTiger SkinsTiger Bones, Tiger SkinsTiger Skins

MaharashtraMaharashtraMaharashtraMaharashtra

ChhattisgarhAssam

Uttar PradeshAssamAssamKarnatakaAssamChhattisgarh

NANANANA

NA

NANANANANANA<1

Inside Tiger Reserve: Totladoh area, PenchInside Tiger Reserve: Totladoh area, PenchInside Tiger Reserve: Totladoh area, PenchOutside Tiger Reserve: Sutradara, Kothrud,PuneOutside Tiger Reserve: Kesekodi, KoyelibedaRange, West BhanupratappurOutside Tiger Reserve: Kogalipathar, BehaliOutside Tiger Reserve: PilibhitOutside Tiger Reserve: Biswanath CharialiOutside Tiger Reserve: North LakhimpurOutside Tiger Reserve: HD Kote, NagaraholeInside Tiger Reserve: 6th Addition, KazirangaOutside Tiger Reserve: Rajnandgaon,Rajnandgaon

27 Jun 201727 Jun 201727 Jun 201713 Jun 2017

29 May 2017

14 Apr 201710 Apr 20179 Apr 201725 Mar 20174 Mar 20174 Feb 201710 Jan 2017

1234

5

6789101112

S.NO. DATE LOCATION STATE SEX AGE CAUSE OF DEATH / SEIZURE INFOTIGER PARTS SEIZURES IN INDIA — JANUARY TO JUNE 2017

In Fighting

Natural

Poisoning

ElectrocutionDiseaseDiseasePoaching

Disease

Natural

Natural

Road/Rail Accident

NaturalUn-Natural Death (JCB)Snares & Traps

NaturalNatural

In Fighting

ElectrocutionNaturalNatural

UttarakhandKarnatakaKeralaKarnatakaMaharashtra

UttarakhandMadhya PradeshKarnatakaTamil NaduMaharashtraKarnatakaUttarakhandOrissaMadhya PradeshUttar PradeshUttar PradeshMaharashtraTamil NaduUttarakhandMaharashtraMadhya PradeshMadhya PradeshMadhya PradeshMadhya PradeshMadhya PradeshMadhya PradeshMaharashtraAssamUttarakhandMadhya PradeshKarnatakaMadhya PradeshUttarakhandAssamKeralaUttarakhandMadhya PradeshKarnatakaMadhya PradeshUttar PradeshUttarakhandUttarakhandUttarakhandMaharashtraAssamKarnatakaKarnatakaKarnatakaKarnatakaMadhya PradeshKarnatakaMadhya Pradesh

UttarakhandKarnatakaMaharashtraMaharashtraKarnatakaKarnataka

5-7NA>10NANANA3-5NANA<1<1NANA5-7<1<1NANA<15-7<1<12-3<1<1<1NA>10NANANA1-2>10NA<13-5<1NANANANANA

7-10NA1-25-7<13-5

7-102-31-2NA5-75-7

7-10NA

7-10NA

Female

MaleFemale

MaleFemale

Male

Female

MaleMale

FemaleMaleMale

Female

FemaleFemaleFemaleFemale

MaleMaleMaleMale

FemaleMaleMale

FemaleMale

Male

Male

MaleFemale

FemaleMaleMaleMale

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Inside Tiger Reserve: Sarpduli, CorbettInside Tiger Reserve: Nandigaon, Thanigebyle, BhadraOutside Tiger Reserve: Veruthode, Vendikadavu, Wayanad WLSInside Tiger Reserve: Hebbe, BhadraOutside Tiger Reserve: Compt 436-458 Satara Tukum Kelzar Round,Chichpalli Range, ChandrapurInside Tiger Reserve: Compt 6 Dhara block, Kalagarh, CorbettOutside Tiger Reserve: Khairlanji Range, North BalaghatInside Tiger Reserve: Hebbe, BhadraOutside Tiger Reserve: Kaliyal beat, Kaliyal Range, KanniyakumariOutside Tiger Reserve: Compt 73 Girgao beat Talodhi Range, BrahmapuriInside Tiger Reserve: DB Kuppe, NagaraholeOutside Tiger Reserve: RamnagarInside Tiger Reserve: UBK, SimilipalInside Tiger Reserve: Bori, SatpuraInside Tiger Reserve: PilibhitInside Tiger Reserve: PilibhitOutside Tiger Reserve: Sawali Range, Chandrapur, Tadoba AndhariInside Tiger Reserve: Honathittu, Talamalai, SathyamangalamInside Tiger Reserve: Bijrani, CorbettOutside Tiger Reserve: Brahmapuri, Tadoba AndhariOutside Tiger Reserve: Tala Forest campus, Umaria, Bandhavgarh/SanjayOutside Tiger Reserve: Tala Forest campus, Umaria, Bandhavgarh/SanjayOutside Tiger Reserve: BetulOutside Tiger Reserve: ShahdolOutside Tiger Reserve: Tala Forest campus, Umaria, Bandhavgarh/SanjayOutside Tiger Reserve: Compt 477 Katangi Range, South BalaghatInside Tiger Reserve: Saleghat, Mansinghdeo, PenchInside Tiger Reserve: Laodubi, Kohora, KazirangaOutside Tiger Reserve: Sandni 4 Dechauri Range, RamnagarInside Tiger Reserve: Sanjay DubriInside Tiger Reserve: Lokkere, Kundukere, BandipurOutside Tiger Reserve: Bhimkoti Beat Bhudni Range, SehoreInside Tiger Reserve: Dhulwa East, Near Dhangadi, Sarpduli, CorbettInside Tiger Reserve: OrangInside Tiger Reserve: ParambikulamOutside Tiger Reserve: Bel Padav Range, Terai WestInside Tiger Reserve: Mawala, Mukki, KanhaInside Tiger Reserve: NagaraholeOutside Tiger Reserve: ObaidullaganjOutside Tiger Reserve: South KheriOutside Tiger Reserve: Compt 1 Chhoi Beat Belparao Range, Terai WestOutside Tiger Reserve: Chidiyapur Range, HaridwarOutside Tiger Reserve: Barua Block Belparao Range, Terai WestInside Tiger Reserve: Kolitmara, PenchInside Tiger Reserve: NameriInside Tiger Reserve: Hediyala, BandipurInside Tiger Reserve: DB Kuppe, NagaraholeOutside Tiger Reserve: Veerajpet, NagaraholeOutside Tiger Reserve: Veerajpet, NagaraholeInside Tiger Reserve: Khichkidi, Manpur Buffer, BandhavgarhOutside Tiger Reserve: Veerajpet, NagaraholeOutside Tiger Reserve: C .No. 59 Aketpur Beat East Beohari Range, NorthShahdolOutside Tiger Reserve: Dechauri Range, Ramnagar Division, CorbettInside Tiger Reserve: NagaraholeInside Tiger Reserve: East Pench, Pench, 264Outside Tiger Reserve: Nagpur, Khapa Range, Nagpur DivisionInside Tiger Reserve: BandipurInside Tiger Reserve: DB Kuppe, Nagarahole

17 Jun 201713 Jun 20179 Jun 20171 Jun 201723 May 2017

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19 Jan 201717 Jan 201714 Jan 201713 Jan 201713 Jan 20173 Jan 2017

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S.NO. DATE LOCATION STATE SEX AGE CAUSE OF DEATH / SEIZURE INFO

TIGER MORTALITY IN INDIA — JANUARY TO JUNE 2017

SOURCE: tigernet.nic.in

1. The GTF conducted the Security Audit of two of theTiger Reserves in India, as a pilot initiative, forvalidating the draft protocol of the Security Audit,prepared by the National Tiger ConservationAuthority, with inputs from the GTF. The SecurityAudit is a process by which verification at field levelis done to check the security systems in place andbeing implemented effectively. The said protocolhas been accepted by the National TigerConservation Authority and will be implemented inall 50 tiger reserves.

2. The GTF in collaboration with WWF and GlobalWildlife Conservation (USA) has been carrying outthe “Asia Ranger Information Survey” in India. Theoverall aim of the study is to better understand theperspectives, opinions and ground level realities interms of job stress, job satisfaction, corruption andworking and living conditions of forest rangersoperating in protected areas throughout Asia. Siteswhere the said survey were conducted are:PenchTiger Reserve &Chandrapur Forest Division,Maharashtra, Satkosia Tiger Reserve, Orissa,Palamau Tiger Reserve, Jharkhand, Kaziranga TigerReserve, Assam, Kamlang Wildlife Sanctuary,Arunachal Pradesh, Aizawl Forest Division,Mizoram, Ranni Forest Division, Kerala, GrizzledSquirrel Wildlife Sanctuary, Tamil Nadu, MysoreForest Division, Karnataka.

3. The GTF, in collaboration with the Government ofWest Bengal and the Wildlife Institute of India,prepared Detailed Project Report (DPR) on TigerAugmentation Programme in Buxa Tiger Reserve,West Bengal, India, which was approved by theNational Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) forimplementation.

4. The GTF, in collaboration with the Wildlife Instituteof India (WII), Indian Institute of Forest Management(IIFM), Wildlife Conservation Trust (WCT) and WWF,with funding support from the World Bank, broughtout four manuals for field practitioners.

(1) Protocols for Monitoring Habitat Quality andWildlife Populations in tiger landscapes

(2) Protocols for Monitoring Habitat Quality andWildlife Populations in Snow Leopardlandscapes

(3) Technical Guidelines for Habitat, Prey and TigerRecovery across Tiger Range Countries

(4) Technical Guidelines for Habitat and PreyRestoration in Snow Leopard Landscapes

5. The GTF in collaboration with WWF-India is carrying out Conservation Assured Tiger Standards (CA/TS) assessment in seven sites in the states of Chattisgarh, Maharashtra and West Bengal.

62 GTFNEWS

FROM THE GTF

6. Facilitation provided by the GTF, in the preparationof tiger conservation plan relating to several tigerreserves in India like Amarnath Tiger Reserve,Sanjay Dubri Tiger Reserve, Pilibhit Tiger Reserve,Bandhavgargh Tiger Reserve, Indravati TigerReserve, apart from management plans for somenational parks/wildlife sanctuaries.

7. The GTF was represented at the Global SnowLeopard & Ecosystem Protection Programme(GSLEP) Steering Committee meeting on 20January 2017, at Kathmandu, Nepal.

8. The GTF officials participated in themeeting of theInternational Committee for Environment Audit andSustainability at Jaipur, India, on 07 February 2017.

9. The 19 Meeting of the Standing Committee of theGTF was held at the WWF-India headquarters, NewDelhi, India, on 24 March 2017. The meeting wasattended by the members of the StandingCommittee from tiger range countries and memberorganizations (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India,Myanmar, International Fund for Animal Welfare,WWF-India), apart from Honorary members (Mr

Keshav Varma and Dr Tapan Kumar Dey). Themeeting was chaired by Dr. Sangay Wangchuk,Senior Nature Conservation Specialist, Ministry ofAgriculture and Forest, Royal Government ofBhutan.

The members were appraised of the actions takenon the decisions of the 18 Standing Committeemeeting and activities/projects under taken after the18 Standing Committee meeting.

The members discussed and decided the futurecourse of action to be undertaken by the GTF.

10. The GTF officials participated the CA/TS SupportPartnership Meeting at Bangkok, Thailand in 03-04May 2017.

11. The GTFofficials attended the ‘Anti-poachingPrevention Working Group’ meeting organised byWWF at Vientiane, Lao PDR on 23 & 24 May 2017.

12. The GTF coordinated visit of Chinese delegation tothe Panna Tiger Reserve for field experience of tigerreintroduction and monitoring.

63GTFNEWS

GLOBAL TIGER FORUM IS ANINTER-GOVERNMENTAL INTERNATIONAL BODY

FOR THE CONSERVATION OF TIGERS IN THE WILD