Wildlife News from Assam, India

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www.assamtribune.com Both the reports are dated: 02/02/2006

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Mysterious death of golden langurs

From Our Correspondent

KOKRAJHAR, Feb 1 – Death of several golden langurs, a rare and

endangered species protected under Schedule-1 of the Wildlife

Protection Act, 1972, at Ultapani range of Haltugaon forest division

in BTAD, has created a sensation in the area. According to sources,

as soon as the matter came to light a team of forest officials went

to the spot yesterday and found a few skeletons of golden langurs

inside the forest, but the cause of the deaths could not be

ascertained.

 

The sources said that the skeletons would be sent for forensic tests

in Guwahati to ascertain the cause. The matter has been reported to

the wildlife authority at Manas National Park to initiate necessary

measures, they informed.

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Tiger estimation in State from Feb 15

By Prabal Kr Das

GUWAHATI, Feb 1 – Estimation of tigers in Assam would be carried

out from February 15 to 23 in and around all the Protected Areas of

the State. Personnel of the wildlife and territorial wings of the

forest department would carry out the concerted effort under

guidance from experts from several organisations including the

Wildlife Institute of India, sources revealed.

 

The tiger estimation in the State would be a key event, which in the

end would reveal the number of tigers left within and close to five

National Parks and 17 wildlife sanctuaries. Besides it would add to

the knowledge about the status of tiger habitat in the region.

 

The exercise gains significance in the backdrop of surveys, which

have disclosed a drop in the tiger population in several protected

areas of the country. There have been apprehensions that the number

of tigers in Assam as in the rest of the country could also be

falling.

 

Unlike tiger census carried out earlier, the tiger estimation will

seek to gather data on a wider scale. The stress would be on

gathering `evidences' about tigers and their habitat. The methods

used for the exercise would also differ from previous ones. Camera

traps would be used at a number of places.

 

Speaking to The Assam Tribune, Mohan Chandra Malakar, the Chief

Conservator of Forest (Wildlfe) said counting the number of tigers

is not the objective at this stage. " Evidences would be collected,

including pugmarks, scats, scratch marks on tree trunks, and all

those would go into a predetermined format. The data would then be

sent to the Wildlife Institute of India at Dehradun, where

researchers would come up with an estimate. "

 

To conduct the estimation, selected officials of the forest

department recently underwent training at the Kaziranga National

Park. Acting as master trainers they have subsequently given

guidance to other personnel, including field level staff.

 

Several NGOs are also expected to collaborate with the forest

department in performing the requisite tasks. The conservation group

Aaranyak is likely to extend its support by setting up camera traps,

which they have been operating in the Manas National Park for the

past few months.