Sunday, December 21, 2008

Bandhavgarh

Two Tigresses going to be translocated from Bandhavgarh to Panna.
Everyone is feeling very happy about this. This will save Panna?? Is there any guarantee that these tigresses will not have similar fate as their cousins in Panna??
Why people dont want to know the reasons of skewed population of Tigers in Panna??
These Tigers should not be translocated to Panna until unless public knows the real fact of Panna Tigers??
Is there any chance in this country to make Forest Department accountable for their acts and duty. Now today I read in newspaper that only One Tiger is left in Panna but 5 months back there was a statement of CWLW Govt. Of M.P. that Panna has 24 Tigers. So what happened in last 5 months?? Where these tigers gone??
Will we see them speaking the plain truth in our lifetime.
I dont see many people who ask these questions to Forest Deptt in writing or verbal.
Some people do read this blog regularly and pass on the information to concerned people.
I do get phone call for my opinion expressed here but they dont support me openly. so I know in this kind of situation how one can expect any changes in the system. I dont see any future of these tigers in Panna but to prove myself right we have to see them translocating in Panna and disappearing.
Satyendra

Monday, December 15, 2008

Bandhavgarh

I feel very sorry for Swampy to spend rest of his life in Bhopal Zoo. A great wild Tiger goes to prison under Life Imprisonment. How quick this case was dealt. Poor chap never got any legal aid for his support and here people are crying for Terrorists who created havoc in Mumbai that they should get some legal aid. I wish there case was dealt as promptly by Jury as Swamy's case is dealt by M.P. Forest Deptt.
There is another Tiger to be shifted from Bandhavgarh to Panna and the rumours I heard by that it could be Lakshmi, Chorbehra Tigress, the mother of Swampy.
In present situation of the park I feel very pitty for her. She is confined to a very small territory squeezed by three other tigresses and fence. She is loosing her prey base and ground day by day.
I still dont understand the logic of putting the fence and divide her territory. Infact stole her territory by putting the fence.
Other question that we asked to many Experts but none could answer that why this Tigress is not getting preganant?
We have seen several matings in last two years but none could bear any fruit. Why?? Is it because she is living under stress??
Poor prey base??
Teritorry loss and lots of pressure of other tigers from three different sides.
I am describing this for the readers who are familier with topography of bandhavgarh will recognise the place and tiger easily.
She is Lakshmi, Chorbehra Tigress. Her territory extends from Chorbehra to Thauni hill on west, in east she goes uo to Judwani junction, in south she walks up to some extent of Barua Nalah and from there she crosses the hill to Siddhbaba meadow to Chorbehra.
Mahaman Tigress pushes her from the west side, Bhitri Tigresses pushes her from East side and Chakradhara Tigress pushes her from South.
Basically she is surviving on a strip of forest that is not more than 500 - 700 mtrs wide on an average and two km long. Northern side of her territory is fenced with Chain Link fencing.
If she is going to Panna We ( me and Kay) feel happy for her that minimum she will be out of this caged life. Although Bandhavgarh will loose another Tiger. Now the time has come to know that where all these Tigers have gone? What happened to all that money spent on Tiger conservation??
Will the public money will be keep on using like this without any accountability??
I know a case in Bandhavgarh in which a Bathroom was built for Tourists use at Bathan and in less than a year it was demolished by the same Director. Total construction cost of that was over a lakh Rs. No accountability and no question raised till today.
One day I will post those photographs with dates to prove my story.
More Later.
Today we are in Delhi. Kay needs urgent medical attention. 3 weeks in Mumbai could not helped her at all so now we are trying our luck in Delhi.
Satyendra

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Bandhavgarh

I have not been in the jungle since last few weeks. But regulaly getting news about Tiger sighting and other activities in the jungle through Guides and younger Brother Hariom
today Guides and Gypsy owners went on strike so no one Gypsy vehicle entered the park but forest department allowe some diesel vehicles in the park.
1. Guides told me that few days back a Park Ranger abused Guides and Drivers publicly at Hardia. Later on Deputy Director and others has to say sorry to guides. This kind of behaviour is not expected from the forest department side.
I will write on this subject more once I talk to guides and all to know the exact story.
Now park authorities are uprooting the Fern from Chakradhara meadow.
Thanks God.
I was asking for this since last ten years. it is a real surprise that How come the present Director saw it after three years that this work needs to be done.
I have stopped talking about the park except writing here that too for my own record. Park is not my personnal property so why should i be worried. Secondly I have withdrawn myself from all conservation activities. why should i bare these responsibilities for nothing. there are many other people here in Tala who gets more affected than me from this so why should I be worried.
I will say I had enough of this Tiger and Habitat conservation bullshit and dont want to bare this worry any more.
Worries for survival are more important than this.
satyendra 10th Dec 2008

Monday, December 8, 2008

bandhavgarh

I would like to raise another question Why forest department dont accept suggestions from researchers? Raghunandan Chundavat and Ulhas Karant are the best example of this.
how many ex IFS officers speak against their juniors in this country?
that is the one reason why everything was seen very good in Panna by every forest officer.
Why Tigers prefer tourism zone? I can explain this about Bandhavgarh.
Maximum Tigers are seen in Tala range of Bandhavgarh National Park. Other ranges of the park were opened for tourism last year. When we visited these ranges we found that they are not as good habitat as we thought. Our imagination was that these areas must be better than Tala range.
we knew that some thing is wrong somewhere from their Tiger census figure.
When forest deptt was counting 64 or 66 Tigers in Bandhavgarh we could see 28 out of them in 109 sq km of Tala range means rest of the ranges had only 38 tigers means less than ten tigers in each range.
Tala range is surrounded by human habitation. When undergrowth goes down the human disturbance increases and that forces all the tigers to go in that area where they see less people walking. That is Tourism Zone.
Due to this reason only Tiger sighting increases here after Nov-Dec.
Tala Range have two dominant mal Tigers B2 and Bokha / Shaki. B2 is 11 and half yrs old and Bokha few months younger than him. Till now we have not sen any other male Tiger challanging them in Tourism zone. Charger faced challanges from all the quarters and atlast his teritorry was shared by three siblings B1, B2 and B3.
Why they are not facing any challange? What is the position of other ranges?
Calm and quite life of B2 and Bokha tells the story.
None of the government is willing to control human population. In Tiger human conflict Man is always the winner.
So atlast all these forests are going to disappear under the pressure of human population.
We may not be here in next 50 years but this will be the case that time.
All these animals will survive in small isolated pockets of reserve forest where relocating will keep them alive for some time with no guarantee of the future.
Satyendra

bandhavgarh

We are very much far behind to this technological world. Everyone asked us about our blog and we had no clue how to start it. Atlast we are there.
We spent last three weeks in Bhopal and Mumbai chasing Hospital Technicians. Came back to Home oly to get some fresh air in our lungs so they have some energy to fight back to that horrid atmosphere of Mumbai.
In last three weeks a lot is happened in Bandhavgarh.
A man got eaten by a Tiger in Gohni-mardari area. We requested Field Director if he could provde us the photograph of this Tiger so we could Identify him through our photographs.
What we got from that it looks as this is Chorbehra male cub of Laxmis first litter. Age 3yrs +.
He is sent to bhopal zoo yesterday as I am told by forest staff.
A good looking Tiger is gone. He was photographers first choice. Mine was because I dont photograph aggressive behaviour of Tiger and he has never shown any sign of it in his life at Bandhavgarh.
i know many people who will miss his presence here. For them their Swampy/Boy/L1/ Chabanha is gone.
I hope they have taken the right animal.
In my next post I will write my impression about him.
Enjoy reading.