Dan's Adventure Journal & Blog

Zoo Tiger kills one in Vietnam

HANOI — A tiger leaped out of its enclosure in Vietnam and killed a zoo worker, the park's manager said Friday. Another worker was injured in Thursday's attack when the cat jumped over a 2.5-metre (8.3 feet) electric fence to attack the men while they planted trees, said Duong Thanh Phi, manager of the private Dai Nam zoo in southern Binh Duong province. Phi said the animal apparently became disturbed by noise from a crane the workers were using. They sought safety in a water-filled tunnel but for some reason one of them crawled out of it onto the soil and was killed, he said, adding the victim was 47 years old. Other staff captured the male tiger and caged it while the injured employee was taken to hospital where he was in a stable condition, Phi said. It is the first incident of its kind at the Dai Nam zoo, which keeps nine adult and seven infant tigers, the manager said. Environmental groups have said habitat destruction, hunting and the illegal wildlife trade have pushed tigers close to extinction in Vietnam, a signatory to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, which lists tigers as a protected species. In 2007, the communist government allowed some private tiger farms in southern Vietnam to keep dozens of the endangered animals as they were better equipped than state zoos.

Deforestation Fuels Human Tiger Conflict

Oyos Saroso H.N , THE JAKARTA POST , LAMPUNG BARAT | Tue, 03/17/2009 3:43 PM | Environment

In the last few months six people have died after being attacked by Sumatran tigers while logging illegally inside a national park in Jambi.

A female tiger, believed to be the main culprit, has been caught. Now the Nature Conservation office, together with a number of environmental NGOs, is trying to catch other tigers believed responsible for the attacks.

The conflict between tigers and humans in Jambi is just the tip of the iceberg. As forests are destroyed, there is the possibility that similar incidents will occur in other parts of Sumatra, especially in regions that have long been known as tiger habitats.

Before the six people were killed, clashes between tigers and human had occurred in Aceh, North Sumatra, West Sumatra, Riau, Bengkulu, Lampung and South Sumatra.

Catching the tigers, however, does not solve the problem. People should be safe from the threat of tiger attack, but the endangered species should not be left to go extinct.

Apart from the fact that the tigers are still hunted by poachers, the rising number of illegal loggers and farmers inside national parks across Sumatra is blamed for destroying their natural habitat.

Over the past few years, the Wildlife Conservation Society-Indonesia Program (WCS-IP) of Lampung has created a model to prevent conflict between tigers and humans.

Their aim is to protect the tigers in their original habitat while also keeping humans living around the forests safe from possible tiger attacks.

"Basically, conflict between tigers and the community should be prevented as early as possible. The key is the early detection of the presence of a tiger, then to take action to secure livestock and set up continuous watchman patrols," Dwi Nugroho Adhiasto, the program's Wildlife Crime Unit coordinator, said.

He added that only a few tigers were attacking and killing human beings. Most of them have left the forest because what is left of the forest is no longer enough to sustain the needs of the tigers; there is not enough food for them.

"For those tigers whose habitats are shrinking and can no longer get enough food inside the forest, it's easier to get food by attacking community livestock, which isn't supervised or given special protection," he said. The problem then arises that tigers' and humans have increased contact.

"When people enter the Sumatran tiger's territory, the tiger is most likely to attack," he said.

In the past three years, the WCS-IP has implemented a program to prevent conflict between tigers and humans, which includes a barricaded residential settlement, in the national parks of Lampung and Aceh.

Dwi said that there are many ways of overcoming conflict between tigers and people, including programs to raise community awareness of the reasons behind the problem, providing education about the necessary measures to prevent such conflict and the importance of preserving wild animals that are natural food for tigers such as forest pigs, small antelopes, monkeys and deer.

"Apart from telling residents around the forests not to catch forest pigs, antelopes, monkeys and deer, the most important thing is to help residents build secure yards for their livestock to protect them from the threat of tigers," Dwi said.

He said the ideal solution to overcoming conflict with tigers in Lampung has been introduced in several districts, including Talang 11, Talang Kalianda, Tebat Selebang, Talang Ujungpandang, as well as in Tampang in the Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park (TNBBS). In South Aceh, this model has been applied in Trieng Meduro Tenong, Sawang and Kampung Tinggi areas.

"The livestock yards designed as safe areas have been a 100 percent success. The proof is that since 2006, the time when the yards were first tested in Talang 11, there have been no cases of animals belonging to the residents being attacked by tigers," Dwi said.

"The tigers are still around but they do not disturb the residents or their livestock since there is still sufficient food available in the forest."

He recommended the model to be introduced in other provinces, such as Jambi, Riau, Bengkulu, West Sumatra and other areas prone to such conflicts.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Amur tigers threatened by economic crisis

Direct link to article: http://www.panda.org/wwf_news/?162901/Amur-tigers-threatened-by-economic-crisisAmur tigers threatened by economic crisis Loggers in Russia’s Far East increasingly are cutting down Korean cedar pine, raising concerns that the endangered Amur tiger could lose critical habitat and its prey could lose a major food source. © WWF-Russia
Related links

- Amur tiger information

24 Apr 2009

*Primorye, Russia* – Loggers in Russia’s Far East increasingly are cutting down Korean cedar pine, raising concerns that the endangered Amur tiger could lose critical habitat and its prey could lose a major food source.

Under pressure from the ongoing economic crisis, loggers are turning to the more lucrative Korean cedar pine (Pinus korajensis) as commodity prices for other types of wood fall, which in turn has led to large-scale illegal logging operations in the Ussuriiskaya taiga in Primorye, according to WWF-Russia.

“Chinese importers of the Far Eastern wood have sharply dropped prices and demand for oak and ash wood as an answer to the world crisis,” said Denis Smirnov, head of the forest program at WWF-Russia’s Amur branch. “These species were the most desired ones for poachers before, but the demand was reduced after export customs duties for these species of timber had been increased from Feb. 1.”

“At the same time, Korean pine wood is still highly demanded both in domestic and international markets and is sold at rather high prices,” Smirnov said.

Russia’s Far East Korean cedar pine forests were heavily logged during the second half of the 20th century, particularly in the late 1990s, which resulted in a 50 percent reduction and left only around 2.88 million hectares of the forests today.

Although P. koraiensis is not nationally protected in Russia, its logging is either prohibited or regulated in certain provinces of Russia and China. However, loggers typically exploit loopholes in regional regulations to launder illegally logged wood, often taking advantage of lax customs controls or by under-declaring the volume of legal exports.

“This rampant and mindless logging is shocking and disturbs the habitat and prey base of some of the rarest animals in the world including the Amur tiger and Amur leopard,” said Dr. Susan Lieberman, Director of the Species Programme for WWF-International.

In the Amur region, tiger conservation hinges on protecting the Korean cedar pine. Pine nuts from the tree represent an integral food source for the Amur tiger’s prey, such as wild boars. Korean pine-broadleaved forests also provide habitats for the Far Eastern leopard, Asiatic and brown bears, sika deers and many other species. These pine nuts are also sold internationally, benefiting local communities as well.

Awareness of the recently increased demand for Korean cedar pine surfaced after WWF staff, with members of Russia’s Internal Affairs Department, the Primorskii Province Forestry Department and Rosselkhoznadzor -- the Federal Service of Veterinary and Phyto-Sanitary Supervision – raided a wood exporter platform in January in the city of Dalnerechensk.

They found about 10 to 15,000 cubic meters of Korean cedar pine originating from illegal logging sites in Dalnerechenskii, Krasnoarmeiskii and Lesozavodskii districts in central and northern Primorye.

Two largest of logging sites, with total volume exceeding 3,000 cubic meters, were found close to the village of Malinovo in an area leased by one of the biggest logging companies in Primorye – JSC “Dalnerechenskles,” which is part of the “Dallesprom” group.

Before enforcement of a new Russian Forest Code in 2007, Korean pine held a special status as a species protected from commercial use, which contributed to its conservation. Korean pine has now lost its protective status and increased demand for Korean pine timber along with the complete inaction of regulators and forest control services to address the need for a new special status for the Korean pine have made it an easy target for illegal logging.

The only way to stop the complete destruction of the Far Eastern Korean pine forests is to impose a moratorium on its harvesting, according to WWF. The conservation organization asks that provincial and federal authorities come up with a proposal to urgently add Korean pine into the list of species forbidden to harvest, and to inform importing countries accordingly.

The Amur tiger, which can weigh up to 300 kg and measure around three metres from its nose to the tip of its tail, has come back from the brink of extinction to its highest population for at least 100 years. Only about 40 were alive in 1950 but nowadays there are around 450, one of the strongest tiger populations in the world.

Tiger Prints

The stripes of a tiger are as unique as our own human fingerprints. One official in Thailand is taking steps to use these tigerprints as a way of identifying the origin of poached animals. See the video here:

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/international/2009/04/05/rivers.thai.tiger.smuggling.cnn

Govt Orders Probe into Missing Panna Tiger

Govt orders probe into missing Panna tiger 28 Mar 2009, 0245 hrs IST, TNN

JABALPUR: The Union government has ordered a probe into the disappearance of the lone tiger at the Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh. The big cat has not been sighted for the last 25 days even after two tigresses were released in the park.

Sources said a four-member special investigation team headed by wildlife expert and former director of Project Tiger P K Sen would investigate the case. The other members of the team are officials from Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, Wildlife Crime Control Bureau and National Tiger Conservation Authority.

Taking a cue from Sariska Tiger Reserve, the Madhya Pradesh forest department had shifted two tigresses, one each from Bandhavgarh National Park and Kanha National Park, to Panna National Park. Until six years ago, Panna had reportedly 40 tigers.

Even while two tigresses were being shifted, reports said `the lone tiger' had wandered away to forest areas of Chhattarpur. The reports also said the tiger was spotted in the forests of Chhattarpur.

Sources said the Centre ordered the probe after it came to know that the state forest department was contemplating to shift a male tiger to the Panna park in an attempt to cover up the fact that `the tiger existed in Panna only on paper'.

Field director of Panna Tiger Reserve L K Chaudhary told TOI on Friday that he was committed to reviving the lost glory of the park. Asked about the probe, he said he was aware of it and added he would still try to get a tiger shifted to the park.

Spate of Poaching Incidents

*By The New Indian Express 28 Mar 2009 02:25:00 AM IST*

A spate of poaching incidents in the country of late as well as encounters between wild animals and human beings have once again drawn attention to the need for implementing a policy that will protect endangered species. This applies not just to tigers and lions — the showpiece of conservation policy in India — but all other wild animals that perforce have to share their habitat with human beings and with whom, therefore, they come into conflict.

The latest incident involved the shooting of a tiger in Kaziranga after it had strayed outside the reserve and killed one man and mauled another. Such incidents are, however, routine from the Sunderbans in the east to Gir in the west. The problem of poaching is no less ubiquitous as, in the case of tigers, Sariska had most dramatically demonstrated a few years ago. The point here is that the ends of conservation have to be achieved without infringing on the rights and livelihoods of those who also depend on the resources of the forests, especially since they are almost by definition among the most vulnerable and marginalised of people.

Given this, a policy framework that seeks to create inviolate spaces for wild animals from which people dependent on forests will be forcibly excluded is neither feasible nor desirable.

The pressure on land and resources is too intense for that to work, despite the frenetic advocacy of doctrinaire conservationists. The people dependent on the forests must be given recognition of their rights — the Act that has, in fact, conferred these rights since 2007 is, therefore, a step in the right direction. Implementation is, however, key. The grant of such rights must be accompanied by the institution of a system of policing that will also protect the wild animals. It has been suggested, not unreasonably, that this end can best be secured by giving forest dwellers a stake in conservation — for example, by ploughing back the proceeds of wildlife tourism into forests and contiguous areas to benefit the people who live there, apart, of course, from employing local people in anti-poaching/conservation activities.

A pilot project to work out the modalities is called for, keeping in mind, for instance, the example of successful conservation in Bishnoi- dominated areas.

Organized Gang Behind Deaths of 10 Tigers?

*Organised gang behind deaths of 10 tigers?*

29 Mar 2009, 0400 hrs IST, Vijay Pinjarkar, TNN

NAGPUR: At a time when last ditch efforts are being made to save tigers, loss of 10 big cats, including four cubs, within a span of just four months has sent chill down the spine of wildlife lovers, conservationists and forest officials. They suspect it to be the handiwork of an organised gang of poachers. And the death of another cub of the missing tigress of Balapur FDCM due to ill-health and starvation after being rescued on Saturday afternoon near Adhyalmendha has come as a shocker.

Of these 10, four are cubs whose mothers went missing, three in the past six days in Adhyalmendha. A cub rescued from Mendki in November 2008 died in Maharajbagh Zoo while undergoing treatment. The cause of the death of a tigress in Bhanuskhindi was reported to be natural. Technically speaking, 12 tigers have been removed from the wild.

All these incidents are reported from Chandrapur. It started in November when two 8-month-old cubs were rescued from Mendki after their mother went missing. A similar incident was reported from Junona where three cubs were rescued from near the lake.

The latest incident was reported from Adhyalmendha where all the three cubs died near the village lake after the tigress was suspected to have been poached. The first cub died on March 24, followed by two deaths on March 27 and March 28.

In all the cases, cubs were found abandoned. In Junona and Mendki, the forest department moved swiftly that helped in saving the cubs. But in Adhyalmendha, officials fumbled and the cubs were virtually left to die. In February, a tiger skin was seized from Dewada inside Tadoba. Fresh claws of tigers were seized on its periphery Doni on March 17.

Deforestation Fuels Human Tiger Conflict

*Deforestation fuels human tiger conflict * *Oyos Saroso H.N , THE JAKARTA POST , LAMPUNG BARAT Tuesday 03/17/2009 3:43 PM Environment*

In the last few months six people have died after being attacked by Sumatran tigers while logging illegally inside a national park in Jambi.

A female tiger, believed to be the main culprit, has been caught. Now the Nature Conservation office, together with a number of environmental NGOs, is trying to catch other tigers believed responsible for the attacks.

The conflict between tigers and humans in Jambi is just the tip of the iceberg. As forests are destroyed, there is the possibility that similar incidents will occur in other parts of Sumatra, especially in regions that have long been known as tiger habitats.

Before the six people were killed, clashes between tigers and human had occurred in Aceh, North Sumatra, West Sumatra, Riau, Bengkulu, Lampung and South Sumatra.

Catching the tigers, however, does not solve the problem.. People should be safe from the threat of tiger attack, but the endangered species should not be left to go extinct.

Apart from the fact that the tigers are still hunted by poachers, the rising number of illegal loggers and farmers inside national parks across Sumatra is blamed for destroying their natural habitat.

Over the past few years, the Wildlife Conservation Society-Indonesia Program (WCS-IP) of Lampung has created a model to prevent conflict between tigers and humans.

Their aim is to protect the tigers in their original habitat while also keeping humans living around the forests safe from possible tiger attacks.

"Basically, conflict between tigers and the community should be prevented as early as possible. The key is the early detection of the presence of a tiger, then to take action to secure livestock and set up continuous watchman patrols," Dwi Nugroho Adhiasto, the program's Wildlife Crime Unit coordinator, said.

He added that only a few tigers were attacking and killing human beings. Most of them have left the forest because what is left of the forest is no longer enough to sustain the needs of the tigers; there is not enough food for them.

"For those tigers whose habitats are shrinking and can no longer get enough food inside the forest, it's easier to get food by attacking community livestock, which isn't supervised or given special protection," he said. The problem then arises that tigers' and humans have increased contact.

"When people enter the Sumatran tiger's territory, the tiger is most likely to attack," he said.

In the past three years, the WCS-IP has implemented a program to prevent conflict between tigers and humans, which includes a barricaded residential settlement, in the national parks of Lampung and Aceh.

Dwi said that there are many ways of overcoming conflict between tigers and people, including programs to raise community awareness of the reasons behind the problem, providing education about the necessary measures to prevent such conflict and the importance of preserving wild animals that are natural food for tigers such as forest pigs, small antelopes, monkeys and deer.

"Apart from telling residents around the forests not to catch forest pigs, antelopes, monkeys and deer, the most important thing is to help residents build secure yards for their livestock to protect them from the threat of tigers," Dwi said.

He said the ideal solution to overcoming conflict with tigers in Lampung has been introduced in several districts, including Talang 11, Talang Kalianda, Tebat Selebang, Talang Ujungpandang, as well as in Tampang in the Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park (TNBBS). In South Aceh, this model has been applied in Trieng Meduro Tenong, Sawang and Kampung Tinggi areas.

"The livestock yards designed as safe areas have been a 100 percent success. The proof is that since 2006, the time when the yards were first tested in Talang 11, there have been no cases of animals belonging to the residents being attacked by tigers," Dwi said.

"The tigers are still around but they do not disturb the residents or their livestock since there is still sufficient food available in the forest."

He recommended the model to be introduced in other provinces, such as Jambi, Riau, Bengkulu, West Sumatra and other areas prone to such conflicts.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/03/17/deforestation-fuels-human-tiger-conflict.html-0

Wildlife Bureau to look into tiger deaths in Kanha, Kaziranga New Delhi (PTI)

Alarmed at the spate of tiger deaths in Kaziranga and Kanha tiger reserves in the last three months, the environment ministry has directed theWildlife Crime Control Bureau to probe into the possible role of organised gangs in the killings. This is for the first time that the WCCB has been entrusted with such a sensitive task. Two teams of the investigating agency have been deputed to the two reserves in Assam and Madhya Pradesh to enquire into the mysterious deaths and possible links with the poachers in the area. "WCCB is a professional body with requisite expertise to gather intelligence and probe whether a gang of poachers were involved in the crime. The State governments are just trying to brush the matter under the carpet, the ministry feels," sources in the environment ministry told PTI. They said the State government's theory that the deaths were natural or tigers had died because of fighting with another predators can't be bought as death toll in just three months since November last year had climbed to 10 in Kaziranga park and seven in Kanha sanctuary.* *

Feline Conservation Federation Supports African Cheetah and Leopard Research Project

Washington, D.C. (PRWEB ) January 28, 2009 -- The Feline Conservation Federation (www.FelineConservation.org) and T.I.G.E.R.S., The Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species have presented $2,000 in funding from their Rare Species Fund to the Matabeleland Leopard and Cheetah Project. This fund was created by T.I.G.E.R.S. and is managed and distributed by the FCF for worldwide conservation of felines and the territories they inhabit.

The Matabeleland Leopard and Cheetah Project was started in 2001 in Zimbabwe. This project works closely with Viv Wilson and staff at the Chipangali Wildlife Trust in support of the wildlife strategies of Zimbabwe's National Parks. The main objective of the research is to monitor the home range, movements and behaviors of leopard and cheetah in order to aid in their conservation.

The Feline Conservation Federation is a Washington, D.C. based international feline conservation organization. The mission of FCF is to preserve, protect and sustain the gene pool of all species of wild felines. FCF members operate educational facilities, breeding centers, sanctuaries, and zoological parks that provide felids such as the African leopard, with high quality on- and off-exhibit environments. The Rare Species Fund supports field research and projects that protect feline habitat worldwide.

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: Dan Stockdale, Director of Public Relations Feline Conservation Federation, Washington, D.C. Email: Dan@TigerGuy.com URL: www.TigerGuy.com

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