Jim Corbett National Park - Injured Tigress Dies

A tigress at the Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand was declared dead after it succumbed to injuries on Saturday.

According to Corbett National Park's veterinarian Rajeev Singh, the tigress broke its leg 10-15 days earlier making it unable to feed itself.

Singh said that hunger might have been the cause of death.

"I was informed that a tigress was hurt. I was on my way to look at it when I was informed that it succumbed to injuries. But after prima facie, it seems the tigress' right leg is broken," Singh said.

"It also seems it used to move by dragging its feet. The bone too was jutting out, and maybe that is why it wasn't able to hunt and drink water which could be reason for its death," he added.

It was recently reported that 34 tiger cubs were sighted at the national park, creating a positive buzz of increasing number of tigers.

The Jim Corbett National Park has a tiger population of around 160, which makes it the last and most important bastion of this endangered species in India.

Earlier, last month, Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh had said that the number of tigers had gone up from 1,411 to 1,636 as per a 2010 census.

Source: dailyindia.com

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• Uttarakhand Women Earn a Living Out of Forest
• Ten Best Adventure Places in India
• Tiger Found Dead in Corbett National Park

Tiger found dead near Jim Corbett National Park

A tiger was found dead in the western Terrai forest divisions bordering the Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand on Sunday.

Though tiger deaths always bring questions about poaching with them, this one is being seen by the forest officials as a natural death.
"It is a male tiger and there is no sign of outer injury or marks on its body. It is an old tiger. We will conduct the postmortem today and then we will tell what really happened," said Nishant Verma, a forest official.

The cause of death here may be old age, if the forest officials are to be believed.

"The first instance here is that its paws are all torn and there are cracks in it. Also his claws are not sharp and are very blunt. It seems to be an old tiger and so there is the possibility of a natural death," Verma pointed out.

For the time being, the postmortem report of the tiger is awaited to know the real reason of death. (ANI)

Source: Sify.com

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Dhoni nominated as Uttarakhand's first wildlife warden

DEHRADUN: India cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was on Sunday nominated as Uttarakhand's first honorary wildlife warden as part of the hill state's tiger conservation campaign.

An announcement to this effect was made by Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank following a meeting with the cricketer, an official release said.

Nishank also declared Dhoni as the brand ambassador of the save tiger campaign in the state which houses two major national parks -- Jim Corbett and Rajaji, which are natural habitats for tigers.

Later Dhoni welcomed the move and thanked Chief Minister in this regard. "I am lending my support to the Aircel-NDTV 'Save our Tigers' campaign.

"Uttarakhand has some of the best forests in India. I have come specially to Dehradun to request the Chief Minister to do whatever is in his capacity to ensure a safe environment for tigers and to commend him on the work done on the tiger protection," Dhoni said.

"I look forward to the corridor of Corbett-Rajaji being widened and strengthened at the earliest. I am delighted to accept the honorary wildlife warden post which has been offered to me by the Uttarakhand Chief Minister," he added.

Earlier, Dhoni handed over a charter of demands 'tiger agenda' listing steps which should be taken for the protection of the tigers especially in Jim Corbett National Park of the state.

The tiger agenda has demanded that vast area of Jim Corbett Park, Ramnagar and Terai forests should be brought under the jurisdiction of a single Field Director.

Besides, the encroachments along the banks of Gola and Kosi rivers in Ramnagar and border areas of Jim Corbett and Rajaji Parks should be removed in order to protect wildlife.

The agenda has also demanded to rehabilitate villagers of Khand village on the periphery of Rajaji Park to elsewhere and raising a special tiger protection force in the state.

During the meeting, Nishank apprised Dhoni of various steps taken by the state government for protection of wildlife and particularly tigers. He said according to the latest statistics, there are 200 tigers in the state including 164 in Corbett National Park alone.

Stating that density of tigers in Corbett National Park is just double against the national average, Nishank said there is one tiger found in an area of five square kilometre in Corbett Park.

Besides, Nishank said the mortality rate of tigers in Uttarakhand is half as compared to the national average.

Regarding setting up of special tiger protection force, the Chief Minister said that the state government has already issued a notification in this regard.

Read more: Timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Reduce tourist vehicles to Corbett National Park

India best tiger reserve Corbett National Park has caused another face-off between Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh and Uttaranchal Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal. For better conservation of tigers, Jairam Ramesh wants Pokhriyal to reduce the inflow of tourist vehicles into the Corbett National Park. More than two lakh tourists visited the National Park in the past year with a daily average of 400 through four tourist gates.

The high inflow of tourists, according to Ramesh, has caused higher air and noise pollution inside the park, a probable cause for stress to tigers. The noise created by vehicular movement is said to be a reason for poor breeding of tigers.

“It had happened in Sariska,” said a senior scientist with Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India, giving high tourist inflow as a possible reason for poor breeding of tigers in Sariska before they vanished in 2004.

Ramesh had also sounded a similar caution for Corbett, while asking the Chief Minister to reduce the number of vehicles allowed inside the park. Data with National Tiger Conservation Authority indicates that tourist influx inside the park has increased because of its close proximity with Delhi.

Uttaranchal government, however, contended that the tourists being allowed inside the parks were within the permissible limits and no fresh restrictions can be imposed. “Livelihood of a large number of locals is dependent on tourists... We cannot impose unrealistic restrictions just because the Centre wants it,” said Anil Baluni, deputy advisor with the state environment advisory committee.

The environment minister had earlier asked the state government to restrict construction of resorts in and around Corbett. Ramesh has opposed construction of hydel projects in the upper reaches of Ganga river basin and wants to declare the 130-km stretch of Bhagirathi river in the state as ecologically sensitive. Ministry panels have also opposed hydel projects on Gori Ganga and Mandakini rivers in the state.

Source: Hindustantimes.com

Save tigers campaign in Uttarakhand

School students in Uttarakhand took out a rally here to create awareness about the dwindling number of tigers in the country and to save the forest areas.

Carrying placards and raising slogans, the students marched through the streets of Ramnagar in the state's Nainital district.

The rally was organised under the aegis of a non-charitable trust, the Corbett Foundation, which is committed to preserving the wildlife in the famed Jim Corbett National Park.


The students also painted their faces with yellow colours with black stripes like that of a tiger.
"We want to convey the message - please save the tigers, which are fast dwindling so that our future generation can see the species. We feel sad that we could not see the dinosaurs, which are now extinct and that is the reason why we want to save the tigers," said Nirmala Panth, a student.

Harender Bargeli, deputy director of Corbett Foundation in Uttaranchal, said that if children are made aware, they could help in conserving the environment and wildlife.

"Our main aim to involve these children was since children are our future, if they are aware and if they take the initiative to save the forest wildlife then we can save many animals like tigers, elephants," said Bargeli.

Poaching and loss of habitat have caused the number of tigers to plunge to an alarming rate in India.

Conservationists say the trade in skin and bones is booming to countries such as China, which has banned the use of tiger parts in medicine but where everything from fur to whiskers to eyeballs to bones, are still used.

Source: dnaindia.com

Tiger Found Dead in Corbett National Park

A four-year-old tiger was found dead in the buffer zone of Jim Corbett National park in Uttarakhand an official said here on Sunday.

The big cat was found dead in a nallah by forest guards during routine patrolling yesterday, said Vinod Singhal, Director of the Jim Corbett national park, which is abode to over 160 tigers.

"It seems to have died a natural death as there are no injury marks on its body. Moreover, all its body parts are intact," he said.

However, Singhal said, a team of government veterinary doctors and wildlife experts, are conducting a postmortem to know the exact cause of the death.

Source: Hindu.com

Ten Best Adventure Places in India

India is one of the advantageous places in the world to host adventure activities, whether it is a safari in a nature reserve, a camel ride through the desert or a trek through the mountains.

India has many adventure destinations that attract many adventure enthusiasts to India. Adventure sports like trekking, mountaineering, rafting and rock climbing; and water sports like snorkeling, kayaking and scuba diving are done in many places in India.

10 best adventure places:

1. Darjeeling is located in northern part of west Bengal at an altitude of 7000ft.

The Museum of Natural History is another tourist attraction in Darjeeling, has a fine collection of Himalayan animals, reptiles, birds and insects. Other few places, worth a visit are the, Bhutia Bustee Monastery, Dhirdam temple, Ava Art gallery and Aloobaari Monastery.

2. Gulmarg- "the meadow of flowers" is situated in the great Himalayas. Gulmarg also offers some excellent opportunities for long walks. The beauty of the Kashmir valley will not fail to mesmerize you. You may explore the Nanga Parbat and the Haramukh.

3. Situated in the foothills of Himalayas, Jim Corbett National Park is the place for adventure sports such as jungle safaris, wildlife camps and jungle camps.

4. Manali draws a good number of tourists due to number of temple, monasteries, passes, waterfalls, landscapes etc. It is also an ideal place for the adventure sports like the skiing, hiking and trekking.

5. The Zanskar valley is situated across the Suru Valley and over the Pensi La in the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir. Trekking is possible to Panikhar or Rangdum over the Pentse La, into the Zanskar Valley from Lamayuru, Leh or Darcha, from Padum to the Markha valley.

6. Dodital dwells in the Uttarkashi District of the Garhwal. It offers excellent opportunities for the other popular adventure sport of trekking. Dodi Lake is renowned for trout and Mahseer fishing.

7. Leh is indeed a trekker's paradise in North India. Polo is a popular activity in Leh. Leh-Manali highway rewards spectacular and picturesque landscapes. You may try river rafting in the Zanskar River at Leh.

8. The adventure destination of Rishikesh is located in the northern part of the state of Uttaranchal. The rapids and rivers of Rishikesh are excellent spots for the adventure lovers. Rishikesh also acts at a base for trekking camps.

9. Auli lies towards the north of the state of Uttaranchal and forms a part of the Garhwal mountain range. Auli is one of the very few places in India where skiing is a major pastime.

10. Billing in Himachal Pradesh is located at 8,500 feet in the Kangra valley. Para Sailing has been a regular sport at Billing in the Kangra valley.

Source: ibtimes.com