Camera traps deep in the Sumatran jungle have captured first-time images of a rare female tiger and her cubs, giving researchers unique insight into the elusive tiger’s behaviour.
After a month in operation, specially designed video cameras installed by WWF-Indonesia’s researchers seeking to record tigers in the Sumatran jungle caught the mother tiger and her cubs on film as they stopped to sniff and check out the camera trap.
Showing posts with label Tiger. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tiger. Show all posts
Report shows dramatic decline in Siberian tigers
Photo: S. Taheri/WikimediaThe Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) announced a report revealing that the last remaining population of Siberian tigers has likely declined significantly due to the rising tide of poaching and habitat loss.WCS says the report will help inform Russian officials of what needs to be done to protect remaining populations of the world's biggest cat.
Tiger experts call for urgent action to save species
Photo: John Hollingsworth, Karen Hollingsworth/USFWSMore than 250 experts, scientists and government delegates from 13 tiger range countries this week called for immediate action to save tigers before the species disappears from the wild, citing the urgent need for increased protection against tiger poaching and trafficking in tiger parts.WWF welcomes the recommendations from the Kathmandu Global Tiger Workshop 2009, where organisers on Thursday stated in closing remarks that "without immediate, urgent, and transformative actions, wild tigers will disappear forever."
The recommendations from the workshop include support for implementing a resolution related to tigers in the Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES), and to avoid financing development projects that adversely affect critical tiger habitats.
"These are a good start but the momentum from Kathmandu needs to be carried forward all the way to the Tiger Summit during the Year of the Tiger 2010 and beyond," said Mike Baltzer, head of WWF's Tiger Initiative. "The tiger range countries are clearly committed to saving their wild tigers and the world needs to extend unstinting support to this mission because once tigers are gone, they're gone forever."
There are only about 3,200 tigers left in the wild and WWF's goal is to double that number by 2022, the next Year of the Tiger. Tiger populations are declining in face of massive poaching for illegal wildlife trade, habitat loss and fragmentation, and conflict with humans.
"I am convinced we are on the right road to saving tigers," said Dr. Eric Dinerstein, WWF's Chief Scientist, in his closing remarks to delegates from 20 countries at the conclusion of the meeting. "We will look back on this meeting as the dramatic turning point for conserving this magnificent species, its habitats, Asian biodiversity, and the billions of people who depend upon healthy natural landscapes for which tigers are the talisman."
The Kathmandu Global Tiger Workshop is the first in a series of political negotiation meetings occurring throughout the year and leading up to a final Heads of State Tiger Summit in September 2010, which is the Year of the Tiger.
The workshop was hosted by Nepal's Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation, Government of Nepal, and co-organised and co-sponsored by the CITES Secretariat, Global Tiger Forum, Global Tiger Initiative, Save The Tiger Fund, and the World Bank.
Nepal expands critical tiger habitat
Photo: Steve Evans/WikimediaThe Government of Nepal has announced an expansion of Bardia National Park in the Terai Arc Landscape by 900 sq km, which will increase critical habitat for tigers. Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal also stated that the government would establish a National Tiger Conservation Authority as well as a Wildlife Crime Control Committee saying, “The solutions will be area specific, but the future of conservation will depend upon how we act now and how we make tiger conservation and overall biodiversity much more valuable to the livelihoods of local communities.”
“This is indeed a great conservation initiative, which will certainly help in curbing illegal wildlife trade and poaching in Nepal,” said Anil Manandhar, Country Representative of WWF Nepal. “We are confident that by embracing innovative conservation strategies Nepal will succeed in doubling its number of endangered tigers.”
Earlier this year the first ever nation-wide estimate of the tiger population revealed the presence of 121 adult tigers in the wild within four protected areas of Nepal. In order to ensure that these tiger numbers remain stable and start to increase, WWF and its partners called on the government to increase anti-poaching activities and habitat protection.
“In making these commitments at a global forum before the 12 other tiger range countries, the Government of Nepal has set an important precedent for others to follow,” said Mike Baltzer, Leader of WWF’s Tiger Initiative. “The next three days of the workshop are vital as countries and tiger experts band together to create a game-changing plan to save tigers in the wild.”
The Kathmandu Global Tiger Workshop is the first in a series of political negotiation meetings occurring throughout the year and leading up to a final Heads of State Tiger Summit in September 2010, which is the Year of the Tiger.
The workshop is hosted by the Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation, Government of Nepal, co-organised and co-sponsored by the CITES Secretariat, Global Tiger Forum, Global Tiger Initiative, Save The Tiger Fund, World Bank.
Tiger released to the wild in Russia’s far east
Photo: WikimediaA 14 month-old tiger has been successfully released to the wild. One of only an estimated 450 surviving Amur tigers in the wild, the cub spent 6 months undergoing rehabilitation supported by the International Fund for Animal Welfare and other groups and government agencies. Prior to the release, the tiger was radio-collared by scientists from the Russian Academy of Sciences who will monitor the cub in the following months.
The orphan tiger was found last March when it wandered into the village of Avangard desperately looking for food. It was captured without resistance by the tiger protection specialists from Inspection Tiger. The cub had little chance of surviving on its own. At eight months, the small and weak cub weighed only 37 lbs (17kg).
From the 28th of May to the 15th of September, the tiger cub was under the daily care of Dr Viktor Udin. It was put on a special diet to gain weight, a rehabilitation programme to restore its natural hunting skills, and taught a healthy fear of humans. When it was released today into the Ussuriisky Nature Reserve the tiger weighed 70kg and was in good health.
"We are extremely happy and excited to have this tiger back in the wild. Our hope is that this historic release will allow more endangered tigers to be saved in the future. Today’s release shows that scientifically-proven rehabilitation techniques can translate into the conservation of one of the world's most enigmatic species," said Masha Vorontsova, IFAW Russia Director.
Since 2007, IFAW has been involved in the rehabilitation of six orphan tiger cubs, five of which were deemed non-releasable and live in captivity. Today’s release marks only the second time an endangered Amur tiger has been released back to the wild after rehabilitation.
The orphan tiger was found last March when it wandered into the village of Avangard desperately looking for food. It was captured without resistance by the tiger protection specialists from Inspection Tiger. The cub had little chance of surviving on its own. At eight months, the small and weak cub weighed only 37 lbs (17kg).
From the 28th of May to the 15th of September, the tiger cub was under the daily care of Dr Viktor Udin. It was put on a special diet to gain weight, a rehabilitation programme to restore its natural hunting skills, and taught a healthy fear of humans. When it was released today into the Ussuriisky Nature Reserve the tiger weighed 70kg and was in good health.
"We are extremely happy and excited to have this tiger back in the wild. Our hope is that this historic release will allow more endangered tigers to be saved in the future. Today’s release shows that scientifically-proven rehabilitation techniques can translate into the conservation of one of the world's most enigmatic species," said Masha Vorontsova, IFAW Russia Director.
Since 2007, IFAW has been involved in the rehabilitation of six orphan tiger cubs, five of which were deemed non-releasable and live in captivity. Today’s release marks only the second time an endangered Amur tiger has been released back to the wild after rehabilitation.
Are tigers 'brainier' than lions?
A wide-ranging study of big cat skulls, led by Oxford University scientists, has shown that tigers have bigger brains, relative to their body size, than lions, leopards, or jaguars.The team investigated the relationship between the skull size, the longest length between the front and back parts of the skull, of a large sample of tigers, lions, leopards, and jaguars and the volume inside the cats' respective craniums. The researchers report their findings in this month's Biological Journal of the Linnean Society.
"What we had not expected is that the tiger has clearly much bigger relative brain size than do the other three species, which all have similar relative brain sizes," said Dr Nobby Yamaguchi of Oxford University's Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU), an author of the report with WildCRU Director Professor David Macdonald.
"When we compare the two biggest species, on average, the lion has a bigger skull than the tiger based on the greatest length of the skull. However, the tiger has bigger cranial volume than the lion. It is truly amazing that tiny female Balinese tiger skulls have cranial volumes as large as those of huge male southern African lion skulls.'
It has sometimes been assumed that social species, such as lions, should have larger brains than solitary species, such as tigers, because of the need to handle a more complex social life within groups or prides. However, despite a few studies suggesting a relationship between big brains and sociality in mammals, evidence for the link is far from clear.Dr Nobby Yamaguchi said: "Our results strongly suggest that there is no detectable positive relationship between relative brain size and sociality amongst these four big cat species, which shared a common ancestor around 3.7 million years ago."
The team also looked at the popular idea that tigers are 'bigger' than lions (which could mean that the tiger's relatively bigger brain size simply reflects its bigger body). However, careful re-evaluation of original field data and relatively well-documented hunting records does not support this idea. So the team concluded that the tigers have a relatively bigger brain (around 16 per cent larger) than lions, given their very similar average body sizes.
Professor Macdonald said: "Two general lessons emerge from our findings, first, how much remains to be discovered about even these most familiar of big cats, and second how important museum collections can be as a source of unexpected insights."
The next step for the researchers is to try to answer whether such a difference can be explained by intrageneric variation, or merely by chance. If not by chance, then it raises the question why the tiger evolved a relatively bigger brain (or why other species evolved smaller brains) after the tiger's ancestor split from the common ancestor to the other three species.
The answers to both these questions may lie in analysing comparative brain anatomy amongst these species (for instance, which parts of the tiger's brain are bigger than the lion's) and similar data from extinct relatives of these big cats as well as smaller living relatives such as the snow leopard and clouded leopard.
Vets give big relief to big cats
Dick MuddeImplant to give non-invasive pain relief to big cats post-surgery Veterinarians from the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo and the University of Tennessee have found a solution to the challenge of providing effective pain relief to some of their most difficult patients: big cats.
The answer: a surgically implanted, capsule-sized pump that provides continuous pain relief while the animal recovers from surgery, according to a new study appearing in the August edition of the American Journal of Veterinary Research.
The paper features the results of evaluations carried out with domestic cats at the University of Tennessee for the purpose of evaluating the potential usage of osmotic pumps for big cats. As a result of this work, the units have already been used successfully on two leopards that both underwent spay procedures at Tiger Haven, a big cat sanctuary in Tennessee.
“Osmotic pumps are a reliable, largely non-invasive means of providing pain relief to big cats such as leopards, tigers and other species after surgery,” said Dr. John Sykes of the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Global Health Programme and lead author on the paper. “They can be placed within the cat at the end of an operation and then removed after a period of weeks with no other handling required.”
The co-authors of the study are Drs. Sherry Cox and Edward C. Ramsay of the University of Tennessee. The study was funded by the Morris Animal Foundation.
Delivering pain relief to pet animals such as dogs, cats, or rabbits after surgery is relatively easy as opposed to wild animals in zoos. Some have tried using transdermal patches in domestic cats, but wild cats tend to remove them shortly after waking up from surgery. And while small cats can be held to give pills or injections to relieve pain, larger cats, leopards, tigers, cougars, and lions, are too powerful to restrain easily. In addition, big cats will typically stop eating when in pain, eliminating the possibility of administering oral medication in tasty treats.
Osmotic pumps, on the other hand, provide veterinarians with a delivery device that cannot be removed by the animal patient and limits the required handling of the animal for a minor procedure to implant and remove the pump weeks later (as opposed to daily injections delivered via drug darts for weeks).
The pump itself is a small capsule-shaped unit (ranging between 1.5 and 5.1 centimeters in size) that is placed just beneath the surface of the skin of the animal’s shoulder during surgery and is easy to implant and remove. The pump contains the pain medication (in this case fentanyl), which resides inside a bag within the pump. The outer casing of the pump is permeable, and plasma from the animal is drawn into the casing through the process of osmosis, and the medication diffuses out through a small opening at the top of the pump. Since the flow of liquid out of the pump is constant, veterinarians control the rate of dosing through the concentration of the drug in the pump.
“This is a great example of how existing methodologies can be adapted for usage in wild cats in captive breeding programmes,” said Dr. William Karesh, Vice President and Director of WCS’s Global Health Programme. “It’s a win-win in that it reduces the effort by veterinarians to treat big cats while helping to reduce stress and thus speed healing in the cats themselves.”
To assess the potential of osmotic pumps for usage in larger cats, Sykes and other authors conducted clinical trials on house cats at the University of Tennessee, comparing the effectiveness of the osmotic pumps versus transdermal patches. After implanting pumps, the veterinarians tested each of the cats for the presence of the pain medication fentanyl in the blood stream at six-hour intervals for a full period of 96 hours, after which the pumps were surgically removed. Later, the cats were given post-operative fentanyl doses via transdermal patches and the blood was similarly tested.
According to the results, the osmotic pumps delivered pain medications more quickly into the blood stream of the cats than the transdermal patches. The medications also disappeared from the bloodstream more quickly upon removal of the pumps than the patches. All of the house cats are doing well.
Osmotic pumps also provide veterinarians with a means of delivering other medications. Wildlife Conservation Society veterinarians have successfully used osmotic pumps to administer antibiotics to snakes and other species at the Bronx Zoo.
Tiger poachers busted
Wild Sumatran tiger. Photo: Wikimedia CommonsThe Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has announced two successful raids by Indonesian authorities that resulted in the arrests of suspects for attempting to illegally sell Sumatran tiger skins.The most recent raid took place in Jakarta on August 7 and recovered two complete tiger skins and many other protected wildlife species. This raid resulted in the arrest of four suspects for attempting to illegally sell a Sumatran tiger skin. On July 16, a raid in Sumatra recovered 33 tiger skin pieces, ranging in size from a few centimeters to larger pieces, and resulted in another wildlife trader arrested.
Both raids were conducted by the Indonesian Police and the Indonesian Department of Forestry, Directorate-General for Forest Protection and Nature Conservation (PHKA), working in conjunction with the WCS's wildlife crime unit and local partners.
These raids, part of recent stepped-up efforts by Indonesian authorities to control the illegal wildlife trade, bring the number of arrests to 20 in the last 18 months for trading in tiger parts. Seven of these cases have already resulted in prison sentences and fines, and the rest are awaiting trial.
Last month also saw the sentencing of four traders in Jakarta arrested earlier this year and found guilty of illegally possessing and selling tiger skins, bones, and teeth.
Created by WCS in 2003, the Wildlife Crime Unit provides data and technical advice to law enforcement agencies to support the investigation and prosecution of wildlife crimes. In Jakarta it operates as part of the Forum Against Wildlife Trade, an alliance of local organisations fighting illegal wildlife trade.
“The Indonesian government is committed to stopping illegal wildlife trade and strengthening its commitments to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)," said Mohammed Awriya Ibrahim, Director of Forest Protection for PHKA. “We are seeking to put a stop to the capture, possession and trade of protected wildlife in Indonesia,”
“Four suspects were arrested in the raid and 34 skins of various species were recovered, including two tiger skins,” said Colonel Agus Sutisna, director of the special crimes Unit, Jakarta Police. “The skins were destined for sale to collectors in Indonesia and abroad.”
The WCS is actively trying to save tigers in Indonesia and to reduce the damaging impact of illegal wildlife trade.
“The illegal trade in wildlife threatens not only iconic animals like the tiger, but also many other endangered species of marine and terrestrial animals,” said Dr. Elizabeth Bennett, director of WCS’s Hunting and Wildlife Trade Programme. “It is only through decisive action against those that participate in this illegal trade that we can stamp it out.”
Tigers are killed by hunters to supply the demand for tiger parts such as skins, teeth, bones, hair, etc. These parts are used as souvenirs, in traditional medicine, and as talismans. Many of the tiger parts traded in Indonesia are bound for export to east Asia. Tigers are also killed when they become involved in conflicts with local farmers.
Other wildlife traded illegally from Indonesia includes rhino, elephant, orangutan, birds, bears, orchids, marine and freshwater fish, turtles, fragrant timber, pangolins, coral, snakes, bats and sharks.
Eight tiger cubs born in Valmiki since 2005
A tiger cub in Valmiki. Photo: WTIAmid reports of decline in tiger numbers across India, positive news has emerged from the once-neglected Valmiki Tiger Reserve in Bihar, along the Indo-Nepal border. At least eight cubs have been born in the reserve since 2005, including two new cubs whose sightings were reported from the eastern part, earlier this month. However, confirmation of the new litter from the Forest Department is awaited. “We were informed about the two cubs by Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) officials. We have mobilised teams in the field to verify it,” said S Chandrashekhar, Divisional Forest Officer, Valmiki.
The news has nevertheless excited conservationists who have been working to re-establish Valmiki as a viable tiger habitat. Declared a tiger reserve in 1994, Valmiki’s wildlife had suffered due to general lack of enforcement, and neglect. In 2003, Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) supported by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), joined hands with the Bihar Forest Department, to set up a long-term recovery plan for tigers through its Valmiki Conservation Project.
“Valmiki has bounced back, and this (birth of tiger cubs) is the evidence. It could very well be true. However, this does not leave space for complacence; a lot remains to be done,” said Samir Kumar Sinha, Assistant Manager, WTI, who manages the field implementation of the project.
Valmiki Tiger Reserve is surrounded by about 140 villages, whose residents still depend on forest resources. A cluster of 22 villages in the Done valley - an incursion into the core area, poses one of the gravest threats to the tiger reserve. The Valmiki Conservation Project promotes community-based conservation and eco-development in these villages to reduce their dependence on the forests. Likewise, training and equipping frontline forest staff, and scientific studies of tiger and prey species, are also conducted by this project.
The first of these cubs were photographed in November 2005 in a camera trap survey undertaken as part of WTI’s Valmiki Conservation Project.
“We kept track of these two cubs till they dispersed to establish their own territories. In 2007, the mother of these cubs produced another litter of two cubs, one of which has been captured through our camera traps in March 2008. And then there was a litter of two cubs by another tigress in the southeastern part of Gonauli Forest Range,” said Sinha. “The latest tiger cubs sightings were reported from the easternmost part of the park, far away from the sites where other cubs were conceived. This, if confirmed, would indicate that they belong to a different breeding female.”
Sinha also pointed out that the Supreme Court’s 2002 directive against mining in protected areas, had benefited wild animals in the area.
“In the past, Pandai river lying in the eastern part of the tiger reserve was mined for boulders. Now that mining has been stopped here, the wildlife is making a comeback in this area as well.”
Russia ready to host international tiger summit
Acting Minister of nature resources and environment of Russia Semyon Levi addressed World Bank Group President in a letter, saying Russia is ready to hold an international tiger forum in September or October 2010. "The summit will help “to attract the attention of the world public to tiger conservation”, said Semyon Levi in the letter to World Bank.
“Russia is the only country where tiger population has considerably grown since mid 20th century”, said Igor Chestin, WWF-Russia CEO. “Holding the summit in Russia seems a reasonable idea”.
In June 2008, Robert Zoellick launched the Global Tiger Initiative, which made it mandatory on top-level officials to work out tiger conservation and restoration strategy at an international Tiger Summit in 2010. In April 2009, Igor Chestin sent a letter to Vladimir Putin, proposing to hold the summit in Vladivostok, a city in the Russian Far East. On May 4 Russian deputy prime minister Igor Shuvalov commissioned various ministries and agencies to work out a governmental decision on Chestin’s proposal.
Declining tiger population
Globally, tiger is one of the most threatened species on Earth. During the past 100 years, tiger population has declined by 25 times. And it is continuing to decline. In India, which has the biggest number of tigers, their population in 1995-2005 declined from 35,000 to 13,000. In some regions tigers have disappeared altogether, in South Caucasus, Central Asia, on Bali and Java. At present, tigers still inhabit 14 countries: Bangladesh, Butane, Vietnam, India, Indonesia, Cambodia, China, North Korea (unverified), Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, and Thailand.
Major threats to tiger include habitat loss, poaching, and human wildlife conflict in densely populated areas.
Russia is the only country in tiger habitat where species population has considerably increased since mid 20th century, and has remained stable during the past decade. The country today has the biggest tiger population in one signal range, over 450 tigers, or 11 per cent of the world population. This can be explained by conservation measures taken in 1950-1980s, including a complete ban on tiger hunting, creation of a net of protected nature areas, and scientific research.
Breeding tigers in Nepal
This Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) was caught on a camera trap in Nepal's Terai Arc Landscape as part of an estimate of tiger populations. Photo: Government of NepalThe first ever overall nation-wide estimate of the tiger population brought a positive ray of hope among conservationists. The figures announced by the Nepal Government's Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC) shows the presence of 121 (100 – 194) breeding tigers in the wild within the four protected areas of Nepal. The 2008 tiger population estimate was jointly implemented by the DNPWC, Department of Forests (DOF), WWF, National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC) with support from Save The Tiger Fund (STF), WWF-US, WWF-UK, WWF International and US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). The 2008 nation-wide tiger population was initiated on 15 November 2009 in the Terai Arc Landscape (TAL) of Nepal both inside and outside the protected areas of Nepal. [TAL encompasses the Terai region of Nepal and into tiger range states across the border into India.]
"To obtain reliable population estimates of wide ranging species like the tiger, it is important to undertake the survey simultaneously in all potential habitats," says Dr. Rinjan Shrestha, Conservation Biologist with WWF Nepal. Previous studies had been undertaken in different time periods and at different spatial scales.
"To derive information on both abundance and distribution of tigers, the current survey employed two methods - Camera Trapping method inside the protected areas and Habitat Occupancy survey both inside and outside the protected areas."
According to WWF Global Tiger Network Initiative, the wild tiger population is at a tipping point. Tigers are experiencing a range collapse, occupying 40 per cent less habitat than was estimated just one decade ago. The estimated number of tigers in important range countries is frighteningly low, with a recent government census suggesting there may be as few as 1,300 tigers left in India, the species' stronghold. And tigers are facing an epidemic of poaching and habitat loss across their range.
The main reason for the decline of tiger populations has been attributed to poaching and illegal trade. This is linked to the illegal international trade in tiger parts and derivatives (skin, bones, meat in some cases although not reported in Nepal) and use in traditional Chinese Medicines (TCM). Apart from these, sporadic cases of retaliatory killing from irate communities have been reported. Other important reasons of tiger population decline are habitat shrinkage and fragmentation due to human intervention, loss/decline of prey species.
"The tiger numbers have increased in Chitwan but decreased in Bardia and Shuklaphanta," said Mr. Anil Manandhar, Country Representative, WWF Nepal.
"In spite of the decade long insurgency, encroachment, poaching and illegal trade, the present numbers is a positive sign, but we can't remain unworried. The declining numbers in western Nepal has posed more challenges, needing a concerted effort to save this charismatic endangered species focusing on anti-poaching and illegal wildlife trade."
The Government of Nepal has approved and launched the 'Tiger conservation Action Plan 2008- 2012'. A comprehensive management plan has been devised in which the target is to increase the population of tigers by 10 per cent within the first 5 year period of the plan implementation.
"Tigers cannot be saved by the effort of a single individual or a single organization," said Mr. Gopal Prasad Upadhyay, Director General, DNPWC. "The transboundary relation with India needs to be strengthened further and all organizations should work together to conserve tigers."
Tiger parts found in Vietnam taxi
Vietnam's environmental police inspecting the tiger bonesWild cats continue to be at the receiving end of man's greedHanoi’s environmental police on Thursday seized a frozen tiger and more than 11 kgs of tiger bones smuggled in a taxi from the country’s interior to Hanoi, the third seizure of tiger parts in the city this year.
Police stopped a suspicious-looking taxi at the Hoang Cau Stadium in Dong Da District of the city early Thursday and found a frozen tiger wrapped in several layers of blankets in the trunk, and 11 kg of tiger limb bones.
Dr Dang Tat The, an expert at the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources (IEBR), Vietnam’s CITES Scientific Authority, identified the animal and bones as tiger, and speculated that the animal, which weighed 57 kg, was probably an young one that had been recently killed and that the bones had come from at least two adult tigers.
The tiger likely was transported from Central Vietnam, but it is currently unknown whether the animal originated in Vietnam, or whether it was a wild or captive specimen.
“To complete the police investigation, we call upon the authorities to carry out DNA testing to help determine where these tigers came from,” said Nguyen Dao Ngoc Van, a senior projects officer at the Ha Noi-based office of TRAFFIC, the international wildlife trade monitoring network—a joint programme of WWF and IUCN.
“While the continuing trade in tigers and tiger parts is of great concern, the work of the environmental police towards stopping the trade is encouraging and impressive,” Van said.
“Although recently formed, the police are quickly improving Vietnam’s capacity to enforce its existing wildlife trade legislation.”
Two other tiger seizures have taken place in Hanoi this year; a January seizure of more than two tonnes of wildlife products from a store in Dong Da district, Hanoi, that included six tiger skins, and a February seizure of 23 kgs of frozen tiger parts, also in Dong Da.
“These seizures show us just how serious the threat to Asia’s remaining
wild tigers is,” Van said.
Poaching a major threat
Fewer than 4,000 tigers remain in the wild, with an estimated population of only about 50 individuals in Vietnam. All six tiger sub-species are listed as Endangered or Critically Endangered on IUCN’s Red List. Poaching represents a major threat to the survival of wild tigers. Tiger habitats are also dwindling at an ever increasing rate and they remain unprotected.
"We appreciate the good work of the police in Vietnam in finding smuggled tiger skins and parts, said Dr. Susan Lieberman, director of the Species Programme, WWF-International.
"However, it is critical that protection of tigers by anti-poaching patrols and on-the-ground efforts are greatly increased, so that tigers are not poached in the first
place," Dr. Lieberman said.
Tigers are listed in Appendix I of CITES, strictly prohibiting any commercial international trade in them or their derivatives. Although Vietnam is party to CITES, and has banned all domestic trade of tigers, the trade in tigers continues for the use of their bones in traditional medicines, the consumption of their meat as a health tonic and as a status symbol, and the use of their skin for trophy and decorative purposes.
The seizure comes just one week after the World Bank announced it considered any experimentation with tiger farming too risky and could drive wild tigers further toward extinction.
Police stopped a suspicious-looking taxi at the Hoang Cau Stadium in Dong Da District of the city early Thursday and found a frozen tiger wrapped in several layers of blankets in the trunk, and 11 kg of tiger limb bones.
Dr Dang Tat The, an expert at the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources (IEBR), Vietnam’s CITES Scientific Authority, identified the animal and bones as tiger, and speculated that the animal, which weighed 57 kg, was probably an young one that had been recently killed and that the bones had come from at least two adult tigers.
The tiger likely was transported from Central Vietnam, but it is currently unknown whether the animal originated in Vietnam, or whether it was a wild or captive specimen.
“To complete the police investigation, we call upon the authorities to carry out DNA testing to help determine where these tigers came from,” said Nguyen Dao Ngoc Van, a senior projects officer at the Ha Noi-based office of TRAFFIC, the international wildlife trade monitoring network—a joint programme of WWF and IUCN.
“While the continuing trade in tigers and tiger parts is of great concern, the work of the environmental police towards stopping the trade is encouraging and impressive,” Van said.
“Although recently formed, the police are quickly improving Vietnam’s capacity to enforce its existing wildlife trade legislation.”
Two other tiger seizures have taken place in Hanoi this year; a January seizure of more than two tonnes of wildlife products from a store in Dong Da district, Hanoi, that included six tiger skins, and a February seizure of 23 kgs of frozen tiger parts, also in Dong Da.
“These seizures show us just how serious the threat to Asia’s remaining
wild tigers is,” Van said.
Poaching a major threat
Fewer than 4,000 tigers remain in the wild, with an estimated population of only about 50 individuals in Vietnam. All six tiger sub-species are listed as Endangered or Critically Endangered on IUCN’s Red List. Poaching represents a major threat to the survival of wild tigers. Tiger habitats are also dwindling at an ever increasing rate and they remain unprotected.
"We appreciate the good work of the police in Vietnam in finding smuggled tiger skins and parts, said Dr. Susan Lieberman, director of the Species Programme, WWF-International.
"However, it is critical that protection of tigers by anti-poaching patrols and on-the-ground efforts are greatly increased, so that tigers are not poached in the first
place," Dr. Lieberman said.
Tigers are listed in Appendix I of CITES, strictly prohibiting any commercial international trade in them or their derivatives. Although Vietnam is party to CITES, and has banned all domestic trade of tigers, the trade in tigers continues for the use of their bones in traditional medicines, the consumption of their meat as a health tonic and as a status symbol, and the use of their skin for trophy and decorative purposes.
The seizure comes just one week after the World Bank announced it considered any experimentation with tiger farming too risky and could drive wild tigers further toward extinction.
Tiger found dead in the Sundarbans
A tiger was found dead on Friday, 17 July 2009, at Netidhopani in the Sundarbans. Due to a state-wide strike, the post mortem was carried out yesterday (18 July). The Sunderban Tiger Reserve authorities requested Col. Shakti Banerjee, Honorary Director of WPSI, and a representative of WWF-India to be present at the post mortem, in accordance with the guidelines of the National Tiger Conservation Authority. The approximately 12-year-old tiger had no external injuries. It appeared to have succumbed to an infection, as the veterinary officer found necrotic focci in the heart and lungs and enlarged other body parts. Interestingly, parts of king corba, a monocled cobra and a half-digested crab were found in its digestive system. The exact cause of death will be known after forensic tests have been completed.This sad news follows four remarkable tiger conservation success stories in the Sunderbans, since Cyclone Aila devastated the area on 25th May this year.
Tiger rescue operations since Cyclone Aila
The day after the cyclone, a tiger that had been swept along by strong currents took refuge in a house in Jamespur. Since the area was still chest-high in water, the Forest Department had to cut a hole in the roof of the house to tranquilise the tiger. It was caged, removed from the village, checked for any injuries, and released in the jungle the following day. Three deer were also rescued by the department on the same day. On the night of 30th June, a young tigress strayed onto an inhabited island at Adivasi para, on the eastern edge of Sundarban tiger reserve. It was trapped, tranquilised and released on 3rd July. On the night of 2nd July, another young tigress entered Lahiripur village on Satjelia island. It was successfully trapped the next night and released on 5th July, A fourth tiger strayed into Chargheri village on the night of 6th July, and was trapped the following night and released. The tiger had some scratch marks on its front legs, possibly due to a territorial fight. The Forest Department fitted the last three tigers with ear-tags and micro-chips on their tails, and gave all the tigers a health check before they were released.
Listing these four incidents makes it sound all too easy. But that is far from the truth. These are delicate operations, not only in the trapping, tranquilising and handling of the tigers, but also because of other factors such as crowd control (the capture sites have to be cordoned off with nets, etc.) and the lack of even basic facilities in the aftermath of the cyclone. Remarkably, nobody was injured during any of these operations, and in all four cases the Field Director of the tiger reserve, Mr Subrata Mukerjee, was present during the tranquilisation and release of the tigers. The last three tigers were tranquilised by Mr Subrata Palchoudhury of the West Bengal Forest Department. A WPSI Field Officer was present at two of the rescue operations.
The NGOs and individuals, including WPSI, who have been carrying out relief efforts in the Sundarbans since Cyclone Aila have greatly appreciated the unstinting efforts of the West Bengal Forest Department. The Sundarban Tiger Reserve authorities and the Forest Officers of 24 Parganas (S) went into the field immediately after the cyclone struck, actively assisting the local people at that terrible time. Fortunately there was little damage to the mangrove forests, but the Forest Department has been a pillar of strength to both the wildlife and the local people ever since.
Tuna spawning grounds can help Coral Triangle nations get better deal on fishing
Mar.10 (WWF): Asia Pacific fishing nations could use the presence of tuna spawning grounds to negotiate better prices and fairer fishing arrangements with foreign fishing nations, WWF said today.
The proposal was put forward as ministers started meeting in the Papua New Guinea capital Port Moresby this week to finalise a plan to protect marine environments and food security in the Coral Triangle region, covering waters between Indonesia, the Philippines, and the Pacific.
The area provides spawning grounds and migratory routes for tuna caught in the Indian, Pacific and Southern Oceans, which make up around 70 per cent of the world’s tuna catch.
“The region’s spawning grounds are essential to the world’s multi-billion dollar tuna industry and the world should be prepared to support their protection and effective management,” said Dr Lida Pet Soede, leader of WWF’s Coral Triangle Program.
“This can help Coral Triangle countries negotiate fairer prices and fairer fishing arrangements with non-Coral Triangle nations, who also fish in these waters.”
Dr Pet Soede said it was fitting the final meeting be held in Papua New Guinea as PNG has taken a leading role in efforts to bring more sustainability to the region’s tuna fisheries, which are critical to the food security of millions.
Managing Director of Papua New Guinea’s National Fisheries Authority, Sylvester Pokajam, warned of a collapse of the big eye tuna fishery unless fishing nations operating in the Coral Triangle introduced measures to make the fishery more sustainable.
“We can see a crash coming for tuna and this will be disastrous for many coastal communities in the Coral Triangle, where millions of people depend on healthy tuna stocks for food and livelihoods,” Mr Pokajam said.
“Here in PNG we have introduced fishing measures within our own zones in an effort to address the issue of overfishing, in particular where it comes to overfishing big eye tuna, but the success of these measures depends entirely on the willingness of other non-Coral Triangle nations to introduce similar measures.”
Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Timor Leste collectively make up the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (CTI), introduced by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the APEC leader’s meeting in September 2007.
This week’s meeting is the final ministerial forum before Coral Triangle leaders gather in Manado, Indonesia on May 15 to announce details of a plan to protect marine ecosystems and food security in the region.
The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission will meet in Bali at the end of this month to consider among other things a set of recommendations by its scientific committee to reduce fishing pressure on yellowfin tuna, which it says is likely to have reached an overfished state.
The World Ocean Conference and the Coral Triangle Initiative Summit will be held from May 11 to 15 in Manado, Indonesia, and are expected to result in the Manado Ocean Declaration, a definitive statement on oceans and climate change.
“With climate change threatening to alter habitats in the region, it is even more critical to manage marine ecosystems for the ongoing food security of the region and for the survival of many species that depend on the Coral Triangle’s unique marine environment,” said Dr Pet Soede.
The proposal was put forward as ministers started meeting in the Papua New Guinea capital Port Moresby this week to finalise a plan to protect marine environments and food security in the Coral Triangle region, covering waters between Indonesia, the Philippines, and the Pacific.
The area provides spawning grounds and migratory routes for tuna caught in the Indian, Pacific and Southern Oceans, which make up around 70 per cent of the world’s tuna catch.
“The region’s spawning grounds are essential to the world’s multi-billion dollar tuna industry and the world should be prepared to support their protection and effective management,” said Dr Lida Pet Soede, leader of WWF’s Coral Triangle Program.
“This can help Coral Triangle countries negotiate fairer prices and fairer fishing arrangements with non-Coral Triangle nations, who also fish in these waters.”
Dr Pet Soede said it was fitting the final meeting be held in Papua New Guinea as PNG has taken a leading role in efforts to bring more sustainability to the region’s tuna fisheries, which are critical to the food security of millions.
Managing Director of Papua New Guinea’s National Fisheries Authority, Sylvester Pokajam, warned of a collapse of the big eye tuna fishery unless fishing nations operating in the Coral Triangle introduced measures to make the fishery more sustainable.
“We can see a crash coming for tuna and this will be disastrous for many coastal communities in the Coral Triangle, where millions of people depend on healthy tuna stocks for food and livelihoods,” Mr Pokajam said.
“Here in PNG we have introduced fishing measures within our own zones in an effort to address the issue of overfishing, in particular where it comes to overfishing big eye tuna, but the success of these measures depends entirely on the willingness of other non-Coral Triangle nations to introduce similar measures.”
Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Timor Leste collectively make up the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (CTI), introduced by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the APEC leader’s meeting in September 2007.
This week’s meeting is the final ministerial forum before Coral Triangle leaders gather in Manado, Indonesia on May 15 to announce details of a plan to protect marine ecosystems and food security in the region.
The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission will meet in Bali at the end of this month to consider among other things a set of recommendations by its scientific committee to reduce fishing pressure on yellowfin tuna, which it says is likely to have reached an overfished state.
The World Ocean Conference and the Coral Triangle Initiative Summit will be held from May 11 to 15 in Manado, Indonesia, and are expected to result in the Manado Ocean Declaration, a definitive statement on oceans and climate change.
“With climate change threatening to alter habitats in the region, it is even more critical to manage marine ecosystems for the ongoing food security of the region and for the survival of many species that depend on the Coral Triangle’s unique marine environment,” said Dr Pet Soede.
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