Tigress slain, shooter sobs

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1130113/jsp/frontpage/story_16436112.jsp#.UPP9bh03uPA

Nagpur, Jan. 12: A tigress that killed five women in less than a month in Maharashtra was put down this afternoon but the commando who pulled the trigger later cried in a poignant footnote to a mysterious conflict.

“It was such a majestic tigress,” Suresh Atram, a commando of the elite C-60 anti-Naxalite force, said over phone. “I feel like I’ve committed a sin,” added Atram, a tribal.

The forest officials were surprised that it was a full-grown tigress about four years old. Through the week-long hunt, the officials and independent experts had assumed the animal was a sub-adult that probably could not hunt from the way it was selectively killing human beings, all of them frail-looking women.

The experts will now have to try to find answers for the tigress’s weird behaviour.

Its victims were women from villages near the Navegaon reserve forest in Gondia district — one was killed in the protected area — where a tiger has not been spotted in years. The tigress was shot near Sonjhari Malda village, about 25km from the Navegaon forest and 150km from Nagpur.

“I am extremely sad that I had to kill a tiger as part of my duty,” said Atram, who has served for many years in the strife-torn Gadchiroli district but was handpicked for this assignment. He heads the C-60 unit in nearby Bhandara.

An ardent devotee of Sai Baba of Shirdi, Atram said he could not stop himself from crying after killing the animal. “We tried our best to tranquillise it but could not.”

The commando said he had to open fire when the beast came charging at them. “It had come so close that there was no option left,” Atram said. On January 4, after the tigress had killed its fifth victim, orders were issued to shoot it if it could not be captured. Ten teams were then formed to track it down and anti-Naxalite commandos inducted.

“It dodged three to four tranquilliser darts,” wildlife conservationist Sawan Bahekar said over phone. Then the commandos fired three to four bullets, but it escaped unhurt. A shot that the officials said Atram fired from an AK-47 rifle hours later finally brought the tigress down.

Villagers had spotted the tigress on Thursday after it killed a calf and dragged its carcass into the shrubs. This morning, its image was captured in a camera trap mounted near the kill.

The tigress returned to its kill around 9am, Bahekar said. After a four-hour effort, when the tigress charged at a machaan (platform), the commando pulled the trigger.

“She was 20 metres from us,” Bahekar said. The first shot hit the cat. Eight more rounds were fired by two commandos.“Each one of us was in tears,” Bahekar said. It was not something they would be proud of.

24 hour medical service for animals

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/24-hour-medical-service-for-animals/articleshow/16258293.cms

NAGPUR: After TOI reported the death of a calf which was denied specialized medical attention at the Teaching Veterinary Clinical Complex (TVCC) near Alankar cinema due to absence of an orthopaedic, the hospital has now decided to start a 24 hours service for animals.

Dr Abdul Samad, dean, Maharashtra Animal and Fishery Sciences University ( MAFSU) Veterinary College, Nagpur informed that taking into consideration the plight of animals who have to suffer due to the absence of proper medical care, he has decided to start round-the-clock medical services at TVCC.

On August 22, Kaustav Chatterjee of Green Vigil had taken an injured calf to the hospital. The staff had reportedly asked to bring the calf back two days later as an orthopaedic would have been available only then. They had done so after knowing that the calf had fractured its limbs and was administered just a dose of pain killers.

The calf died the next day. A similar incident had occurred a few months too, informed Chatterjee. On Thursday, an injured monkey, whose flesh had melted away, exposing its bones due to electrocution, lay unattended in the hospital. It too was given a dose of just painkillers.

The hospital staff and forest department officials present there said no doctors were available as they had gone to veterinary college for some work. But later, when the hospital superintendent was contacted, he insisted that he was present.

"This is happening much too often. We took up the matter with the dean of the veterinary college which runs the hospital and he has promised that round-the-clock services will start within a week. He has also assured us that there would be no negligence on the part of the doctors," said Chatterjee.
"A meeting of the staff is going to be organized on Monday to discuss the nitty-gritty of managing a 24 hours hospital for animals. The challenge before us is to balance teaching and hospital as we have limited human resources," said Samad.

Is man-animal conflict on decline?

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-08-09/nagpur/33118195_1_man-animal-conflict-death-toll-tigers-and-leopards

NAGPUR: Tigers and leopards are always clouded in mystery for raging man-animal conflict. But there is a sudden decline in the raging conflict this year with 39 human deaths as compared to 58 last year in Maharashtra.

Various theories and parameters are being put forward by the forest officials and experts on conflict, but a scientific study has never been done to ascertain the facts. This year's death toll of 39 is on the lower side if last two years' figures are considered.

During April to March 2010-11, 58 persons were mauled to death while 919 were injured by wild animals - mostly tigers and leopards. During the same period in 2011-12, as many as 39 deaths and 635 cases of injuries were reported, a decline by over 30%. Of the 39 victims in 15 forest circles, 8 were in Chandrapur, 7 in Nagpur, 4 in Yavatmal, 3 each in Dhule, Mumbai, Kolhapur and Gadchiroli and 2 each in Thane, Nashik, Aurangabad and Amravati.

Chandrapur district continues to be worst-affected with 8 deaths and 157 injury cases this year. Although the death toll is low compared to 2010-12 when 17 villagers were mauled and 202 injured. Most of the victims were shepherds and fuel-wood collectors who moved deep inside the jungles.

Why there is a sudden decline in the man-animal conflict? Is it because the number of deaths of predators like tigers and leopards increasing or are people learning to coexist with them?

SWH Naqvi, principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife), Maharashtra, says the decline in number of human deaths fluctuates every year. "With the fragmentation of tiger habitats you can't say the trend will remain the same in future," he said.

Secondly, Naqvi said, "The conflict has come down, especially in Chandrapur, due to massive awareness. As the number of tigers has gone up, people have become more cautious. Tigers have also become tolerant with human presence due to shrinking spaces."

Naqvi cited the example of radio-collared Tass tigress which showed how tigers were coexisting with humans.
However, experts like Nitin Desai, Central India director of Wildlife Protection Society of India ( WPSI), says every theory is a wild guess. There can be several parameters to the man-animal conflict theory.

"It may be possible that conflict caused by particular animals at various locations by repeatedly attacking humans might have been eliminated," Desai said. Another possibility, he says, may be increase in prey species due to which tigers turning towards cattle must have gone down.

"You also cannot rule out awareness as one of the reasons. People have been taking extra care due to large number of attacks by tigers and leopards. However, it is a debatable issue and a scientific study needs to be done," Desai said.

The forest department needs to conduct a study as number of cattle kill cases has gone down from 5,822 in 2010-11 to 4,173 in 2011-12.

On the contrary, Prafulla Bhamburkar, manager, Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), says, "Conflict has gone down as problem animals have been eliminated. There were over a dozen tiger deaths during the same period. Many leopards also died due to poaching, mishaps and poisoning. I don't think awareness will stop villagers from entering the forests for fuel-wood and minor forest produce (MFP) collection."

Illegal slaughter house in Kamptee poses risk

NAGPUR: A state-level committee appointed on the direction of Supreme Court has recommended action against Kamptee Municipal Council (KMC) for allowing an illegal slaughter house, said to be one of the biggest in the state.
The state's animal husbandry department was requested by the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), under the ministry of environment and forest, to conduct random inspections of at least 10 licensed slaughter houses every six months as per Supreme Court directions under the provisions of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960.

Accordingly, a six-member committee consisting of Dr S B Baseshankar, Dr D V Kadoo, Dr K S Bhide, Dr N N Zade, and two co-opted members of AWBI S N Kapoor and Abodh Aras inspected two slaughter houses - Bhandewadi and Kamptee.

On the slaughter house at Kamptee operating in Bhaji Mandi, the panel recommended AWBI to issue notice to the district collector and chief officer of KMC to stop the illegal slaughter of large animals. The panels said around 300 animals are slaughtered here daily ostensibly for domestic consumption but the meat is transported outside illegally. It is exported to Middle-East via Mumbai.

"The illegal business is thriving with blessings of local police and officials. Electric slicers have been installed to slaughter animals. It is shocking how MSEDCL has issued power meters for slicers in residential area," asks local Congress leader Narendra Sharma.

Sharma says police express helplessness citing law and order problem. "But is the place above people's health and environment? Water bodies are being polluted and people's health is at risk," Sharma said.

Cattle slaughter is allowed for domestic consumption but over the years meat export has become a lucrative business. The slaughter has no checks or certification from any authorized vet. Till the visit of the committee, municipal council used to issue ante-mortem certificates by a vet appointed by commissioner of animal husbandry.

However, ahead of the committee's visit in April, the chief officer of KMC wrote to animal husbandry department informing there is no large animal slaughter house in Kamptee. Chief officer Ravindra Pandher says plans are afoot to shift the slaughter house outside the city.

KMC vice-president Shahajan Safahat admits it is a nuisance and not acceptable. "Earlier cattle was slaughtered for livelihood but now stakes are higher as beef is being exported. The number of cattle killed certainly doesn't match local consumption. The slaughter house needs to be shifted elsewhere as it poses serious hazards," Safahat says.

BJP MLA from Kamptee Chandrashekhar Bawankule says, "I've raised the issue several times in the House but the government is doing nothing. A group of 24 NGOs plan to file a petition against the slaughter house," he says.

Of late, the traders have installed equipment even in households to bring every body part of the animals to use. "The processes to extract oil and cleaning skins creates stench in the area," Bawankule said.

The MLA says police do not want to take action. Daily five truckloads of beef is transported from Kamptee but police cannot see it.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Illegal-slaughter-house-in-Kamptee-poses-risk/articleshow/14279688.cms

MIL to deploy animal trappers at airport again

NAGPUR: On Saturday evening, Indigo's Kolkata-Nagpur-Raipur flight crushed a rabbit on the runway of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport indicating animal menace is far from over.

Though airport officials claimed no such mishap occurred, sources confirmed that inspection staff recovered the carcass after the flight took off for Raipur.

This incident occurred just after civil aviation secretary Nasim Zaidi directed city airport operator Mihan India Ltd (MIL) to ensure that all issues related to airport safety, including runway resurfacing and intrusion of stray animals in operational area, were taken care of.

MIL, which had scrapped the contract of an animal trapper, has now decided to appoint other trappers who will also guard the runway and operational area round the clock. They will also trap and relocate the animals in nearby forest areas, said Abadesh Prasad, chief operating officer of MIL. MIL has called for offers in this regard on Monday.

Since traffic at the airport has increased manifold, Prasad said that MIL is also initiating other steps to avert any untoward incident. To check movement of animals on the runway, shrubs and bushes were being removed regularly from operational areas, he said.

Last year animals had turned airport a chaotic place. On May 15, a deer was hit by a JetLite flight. Two pigs were crushed under the wheels of an Air India flight on June 22. A four-horned antelope was hit by an Air India aircraft on June 27. As many as 17 major mishaps were averted in the last five years.

TOI has already highlighted the issue and reported several times that animals like deer, monkeys, dogs and pigs frequent the airport operational area. On the same lines, stray dogs were seen welcoming passengers on the tarmac while boarding aircraft; monkeys and pigs run across the runway. These animals endanger flight safety, since they can cause major mishaps if an aircraft hits them while landing or take off.

Even chief minister Prithviraj Chavan had ordered an enquiry into the recurring mishaps and the incidents where stray animals have ventured on to the runway jeopardizing lives and causing a nuisance to aviation staff.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/MIL-to-deploy-animal-trappers-at-airport-again/articleshow/11610486.cms

No end in sight for stray menace

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/No-end-in-sight-for-stray-menace/articleshow/10998960.cms

NAGPUR: Once again city airport may emerge as a wildlife lovers' delight and a nightmare for the pilots. Just five months after Mihan India Limited (MIL) officials, the operators of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport, claimed to have caught two wild animals and cleared the airport from animal menace, airport sources claimed that at least three to four wild animals (deer), over 30 to 35 pigs, stray dogs and almost 15 peacocks have been spotted roaming near the operational area in last few days. 

On Friday night, one more deer death was reported at the airport. Stray dogs, peacocks and pigs can be seen in the vicinity of the airport; however, this is the first sighting of deer inside the airport premises just after five months, airport sources said. 

Wild animals have been sighted in remote IAF area at Shivangaon and at the Jaitala-end of runway, particularly in the night time. 

A senior MIL official said that two animals were trapped in July and released in forest, while two others were hit by aircrafts- one by Jet Lite on May 15 and another by Air India flight on June 27. One deer was trapped and released in Hingana on May 17, while other - a two-year old barking deer, which has been thought to be the lone wild animal roaming inside the vast campus, was trapped at by forest officials. 

However, MIL and Nagpur forest division have been unable to check the animals. Though they claimed that they have repaired the boundary wall, it's clear that there are breaches. 

MIL COO, Abadesh Prasad said that a team of MIL officials once again conducted an inspection of entire airport boundary wall and operational area on Monday. During the inspection, the team, however, could not spot a single wild animal or stray animal. "Even then we will conduct a survey of entire airport campus till the next few days for more animals," Prasad said. 

The airport operation area is guarded by six persons on the 3200-metre runway in 8-hours shift. They position the fire crackers to target birds flying over the runway and light 'sutli bombs' if animals are spotted close to runway and even trap animals. 

"But they seem to have not been doing their job properly in last four months," Prasad admitted.  

PFA protests against Sitabuldi police

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NAGPUR: Toeing the line of Anna Hazare against corruption, the People for Animals (PFA), animal welfare organization, on Tuesday protested against inaction by Sitabuldi police for not filing a charge sheet in the secret burial of deer and emu even a year after the incident.
 

Due to the dilly-dallying by police, a formal chargesheet could not be filed in the court against the accused, AB Motghare, zoo vet, and Vandan Mohod, suspended associated dean of College of Agriculture, Nagpur.
 

Both are facing charges of violating Wildlife Protection Act (WPA) 1972, Recognition of Zoo Rules and Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960 for burying emu and a deer without conducting post-mortem on April 13 last year.
 

On Tuesday, over 25 PFA activists led by Karishma Galani protested against the police inaction at Gandhi statue at Variety Square. "If police doesn't file a chargesheet in eight days, we will launch indefinite protests against them," said Galani.
 

Motghare and Mohod have been charged with negligence that led to death of two deer while relocating the herbivores to Navegaon National Park on August 13, last. No transit pass (TP), which is mandatory to shift the scheduled animals, was obtained from the forest department by the zoo officials.
 

Under the WPA 1972, illegal transport of scheduled animals implies a punishment up to three years or a penalty of Rs 25,000 or both. Deer are listed under the Schedule III of the WPA.